Gable top carton

• US 5,816,487 A
• Filed: 11/07/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elopak Systems Ag
• Original Assignee: Elopak Systems Ag
• Inventors: Skinner, Edward Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US08/737,199
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 229/125, 229/42, 229/137, 229/208, 229/209, 229/213, 229/248, 229/249
• US Class Current: 229/248
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/068 with supplemental means facilitating the opening, e.g. tear lines, tear tabs

Abstract

A gable-top carton has at least half, if not all, of its spout-forming, folded-in, top sealing panels (33) projecting above an adjacent non-folded-in top sealing panel (32) to permit a user to grasp that projection and pull it forward to open the spout. To provide a flattened gable-top carton, the other non-folded-in top sealing panel (34) may be extended to be tacked down onto an opposite top obturating panel (22) and be formed with a tear strip to facilitate detachment of the turned-down sealing fin (32-35) from the tacked-down part of that other non-folded-in top sealing panel (34) and to cover a pouring edge zone of the adjacent half of the spout-forming, top sealing panel (33). The carton can be made from an appropriately shaped and scored blank.

Claims

1. A blank from which a carton is to be made, comprising a row of body panels comprised of first, second, third and fourth body panels with first lines of weakness thereamong, a row of top closure obturating panels comprised of first, second, third and fourth obturating panels with second lines of weakness thereamong and with third lines of weakness between the first, second, third and fourth obturating panels and the first, second, third and fourth body panels, respectively, and a row of top closure sealing panels comprised of first, second, third and fourth sealing panels with fourth lines of weakness thereamong and with fifth lines of weakness between the first, second, third and fourth sealing panels and the first, second, third and fourth obturating panels, respectively, sixth lines of weakness in the first obturating panel and the first sealing panel and seventh lines of weakness in the third obturating panel and the third sealing panel, whereby the first and third obturating panels may be folded to respective gable formations under the second and fourth obturating panels and whereby the first and third sealing panels may be centrally folded to between the second and fourth sealing panels to form a sealing fin and whereby the first obturating panel and the first sealing panel may be folded to form a pouring spout having as a pouring edge the free edge of said first sealing panel, a portion of that half of the first sealing panel nearer the second sealing panel projecting further from said row of obturating panels than does a portion of said second sealing panel, which two portions extend over equal distances relative to the boundary between the first and second sealing panels, wherein the improvement comprises the projecting portion of said first sealing panel extends along substantially half at least of the length of said free edge of said first sealing panel and over the middle of said free edge of said first sealing panel.

2. A blank according to claim 1, wherein said projecting portion extends along substantially the whole of said half of the first sealing panel.

3. A blank according to claim 2, wherein substantially the whole of that half of the first sealing panel nearer the fourth sealing panel projects from said row of obturating panels to substantially the same extent as said portion of that half of the first sealing panel nearer the second sealing panel.

4. A blank according to claim 1, wherein said fourth sealing panel projects from said row of obturating panels to an extent at least as great as does each of the first, second and third sealing panels.

5. A blank according to claim 4, wherein said fourth sealing panel projects from said row of obturating panels to an extent greater than does each of the first, second and third sealing panels and includes eighth lines of weakness extending substantially parallelly to said fifth lines of weakness and providing a tear strip.

6. A sealed carton comprising a loop of body panels comprised of first, second, third and fourth body panels, a loop of top closure obturating panels comprised of first, second, third and fourth obturating panels connected to the first, second, third and fourth body panels, respectively, and a loop of top closure sealing panels forming a sealing fin and comprised of first, second, third and fourth sealing panels connected to the first, second, third and fourth obturating panels, respectively, the first obturating panel and the first sealing panel serving to form a pouring spout when the carton is opened, a terminal outer edge zone of said first sealing panel projecting beyond an adjacent terminal outer edge zone of said second sealing panel, wherein the improvement comprises the projecting terminal outer edge zone of said first sealing panel extends along substantially half at least of the length of the terminal outer edge of said first sealing panel and over the middle of said terminal outer edge of said first sealing panel.

7. A carton according to claim 6, wherein said projecting terminal outer edge zone of said first sealing panel extends along substantially the whole of that half of said first sealing panel adjacent said second sealing panel.

8. A carton according to claim 7, wherein substantially the whole of that half of the first sealing panel nearer the fourth sealing panel projects from said loop of obturating panels to substantially the same extent as said portion of that half of the first sealing panel nearer the second sealing panel.

9. A carton according to claim 6, wherein said fourth sealing panel projects from said loop of obturating panels to an extent at least as great as does each of the first, second and third sealing panels and includes a part tacked to said second obturating panel.

10. A carton according to claim 9, wherein said fourth sealing panel projects from said loop of obturating panels to an extent greater than does each of the first, second and third sealing panels and includes a tear strip extending along said loop of sealing panels and outside said part tacked to said second obturating panel, said tear strip covering an inside pouring edge zone of said half of the first sealing panel nearer the fourth sealing panel.