Carton

• US 5,842,576 A
• Filed: 09/09/1996
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd. (DS Smith PLC)
• Original Assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd. (DS Smith PLC)
• Inventors: Snow, David
• Primary Examiner(s): FIDEI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US08/709,687
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 229/101, 229/101.1, 229/103, 229/120.011, 206/736, 206/192
• US Class Current: 206/736
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5445 for dividing a tubular body into separate parts

Abstract

A carton for use as a transit pack, and which is convertible to a display tray, is formed from a single blank of material. The carton includes a lower section from which the display tray is formed and an upper section which mates with the lower section to form a transit pack of substantially conventional outward appearance. The upper and lower sections of the carton at least partially overlap each other, and at least one connection tab operates to join the upper and lower sections together. The connection tab includes a line of weakness which can be broken to separate the upper and lower sections, whereby the carton may be converted to a display tray by removing the upper section.

Claims

1. A blank for erection into a carton, the blank comprising:

a first region;

a second region;

at least one connecting tab which connects the first region to the second region;

a line of weakening about which the connecting tab can be folded into direct contact with one of the first and second regions; and

a hinge line about which the connecting tab can be folded into direct contact with the other of the first and second regions, the connecting tab being secured in such direct contact with the said other of the first and second regions,

whereby the connecting tab is disposed between the first and second regions and the first and second regions partially overlap each other, the first region being separable from the remainder of the blank by tearing along the line of weakening.

2. The blank of claim 1, further comprising creases which define a plurality of side wall panels, said panels forming side walls of a carton erected from the blank, at least one of the side wall panels comprising a panel region of the first region and a panel region of the second region, which panel regions overlap each other.

3. The blank of claim 2, wherein at least one of the side wall panels is constituted wholly by a panel region of the second region.

4. The blank of claim 2, wherein three consecutive side wall panels each comprise a respective panel region of the first region and a respective panel region of the second region.

5. The blank of claim 4, wherein two of the said connecting tabs are provided, each connecting tab interconnecting the respective overlapping panel regions of the outermost two of the said three side wall panels.

6. The blank of claim 2, wherein each side wall panel is provided at opposite edges with closure flaps which are to form closures of a carton erected from the blank.

7. The blank of claim 6, wherein the closure flap at one edge of the said at least one side wall panel is part of the first region of the blank, and the closure flap at one opposite edge of the said one side panel is part of the second region of the blank.

8. The blank of claim 7, wherein each panel region making up the said at least one side panel terminates at its edge away from the respective closure flap at a free edge of the material of the blank, which free edge lies between the opposite edges of the other panel region of that side wall panel.

9. A blank for erection into a carton, the blank comprising:

four rectangular side wall panels, the panels being disposed in a row and connected to one another at side edges defined by creases in the blank;

upper and lower closure flaps, the closure flaps being connected respectively to side wall panels at upper and lower edges defined by creases in the blank;

wherein the lower closure flaps, an end one of the side wall panels, the upper closure flap of that end side panel and lower regions of the remaining side wall panels comprise a first region of the blank, and the remaining upper closure flaps and the upper regions of the remaining side wall panels comprise a second region of the blank, the blank further comprising connecting tabs disposed at opposite ends of the second region of the blank, each connecting tab being connected to the first region at a hinge line and being secured in face to face contact with the first region, and being connected to the second region at a line of weakening and lying in face to face contact with the second region, the first region and the second region being severed from each other between the connecting tabs to provide an upper free edge of the first region and a lower free edge of the second region, the first and second regions partially overlapping each other with the upper and lower free edges being disposed between the upper and lower edges of the respective side wall panels.