Pour spout carton

• US 6,152,360 A
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Graphic Packaging International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Graphic Packaging Corporation
• Inventors: Maurer, Christopher J., Block, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Tri M.
• Application Number:
  US08/979,354
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 229/215, 229/125.42, 229/210, 229/207, 229/219, 229/221, 229/160.2, 229/125.04, 229/125.08, 222/531, 222/533, 222/535
• US Class Current: 229/215
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/744 combined with swivelling devices having a bottom-wall and two side-walls

Abstract

An improved pour spout assembly in a paperboard carton comprises a pour spout front panel formed from a section of a vertical side wall of the carton, and a component adhered to the interior surface of the side wall. The component has two sections separated by a frangible score. One section comprises a pour spout back panel and a pair of wings. The other section is a backboard having a pair of prongs that extend downward. Each prong forms a channel with an adjacent vertical edge of the pour spout opening to hold a wing in abutting relationship with the edge. The prongs also act as stoppers to prevent the pour spout from being pushed back into the interior of the carton.

Claims

1. In a carton having an interior, a vertical side wall and a paperboard pour spout assembly comprising a pour spout front panel formed from a section of the side wall and hingedly connected thereto along a horizontal fold line for pivoting between a closed position and an open position, the pour spout front panel have a pair of opposed generally vertical side edges and an upper edge bridging the side edges, a perimeter of the pour spout front panel on an interior surface of the side wall defining a pour spout opening having two opposed vertical edges, a cutout above the pour spout front panel to enable on to grasp the upper edge of the pour spout front panel, a pour spout back panel adhered to the interior surface of the pour spout front panel, a pair of wings hingedly connected to the pour spout back panel along opposed parallel fold lines, and a vertical backboard adhered to the interior surface of the side wall such that the vertical backboard occludes the cutout, the improvement wherein the pour spout back panel, wings and vertical backboard are provided by a separate component comprising a first section comprising the pour spout back panel and the wings, and a second section comprising the vertical backboard the first section having a sinuous first upper edge extending along a top edge of the pour spout back panel and along an upper margin of each wing, and the second section hang a second upper edge and a sinuous second lower edge, the separate component having a frangible score separating the first and second sections, the frangible score extending entirely along the sinuous second lower edge and partially along the sinuous first upper edge to include the top edge of the pour spout back panel and a portion of the upper margins of the wings, the vertical backboard having a pair of prongs along the sinuous second lower edge that project downwardly into corresponding indentations in the top edge of the pour spout back panel along the sinuous first upper edge, each of the prongs defining a narrow channel between an edge of each of the prongs and one vertical edge of the two opposed vertical edges of the pour spout opening, the narrow channel for receiving one wing of the pair of wings, whereby the one wing is held in abutting relationship with the one vertical edge in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the side wall, the vertical backboard being cut-off entirely along the upper edge thereof.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the prongs project below the upper edge of the pour spout front panel, whereby the prongs prevent the pour spout front panel from being pushed back into the interior of the carton when in the closed position.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein the pour spout back panel coincides with and substantially conforms wit the pour spout front panel except for the indentations in the top edge of the pour spout back panel corresponding to the prongs.

4. A carton having an interior, a plurality of vertical side walls and a paperboard pour spout assembly, the pour spout assembly comprising a pour spout front panel formed from a section of one of the side walls and hingedly connected to the one side wall along a horizontal fold line fox pivoting between a closed position and an open position, the pour spout front panel having a pair of opposed generally vertical side edges and an upper edge extending between the side edges, the pour spout having a perimeter defining a pour spout opening having two opposed vertical edges and a cutout above the pour spout front panel to permit grasping of the upper edge of the pour spout front panel, said pour spout assembly also comprising a one-piece component that includes a first section connected to a second section with a cut score provided between the first and second sections, the first section of the one-piece component including a pour spout back panel adhered to an interior surface of the pour spout front panel and a pair of wings hingedly connected to the pour spout back panel along opposed fold lines, and the second section of the one-piece component including a vertical backboard adhered to an interior surface of the one side wall such that the vertical backboard occludes the cutout, the first section having a sinuous first upper edge extending along a top edge of the pour spout back panel and along an upper margin of each wing, and the second section having a second upper edge and a sinuous second lower edge, the cut score extending entirely along the sinuous second lower edge and partially along the sinuous first upper edge to include the top edge of the pour spout back panel and a portion of the upper margins of the wings, the vertical backboard having a pair of prongs along the sinuous second lower edge that project downwardly into corresponding indentations in the top edge of the pour spout back panel along the sinuous first upper edge, each of the prongs defining a narrow channel between an edge of each of the prongs and one vertical edge of the two opposed vertical edges of the pour spout opening, the narrow channel for receiving one wing of the pair of wings during pivoting of the pour spout front panel to the open position, the vertical backboard being cut-off along an entire upper edge thereof.

5. The carton of claim 4, wherein the prongs along the sinuous second lower edge project below the upper edge of the pout spout front panel to prevent the pour spout front panel from being pushed back into the interior of the carton when the pour spout front panel is pivoted from the open position to the closed position.

6. The carton of claim 4, wherein the pour spout back panel substantially corresponds in shape to the pour spout front panel except fox the indentations in the pour spout back panel corresponding to the prongs.

7. The carton of claim 4, wherein the first and second sections of the one-piece component are connected by nicks.