Fold-in-half shipping/display box

• US 6,523,692 B2
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fort James Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gregory, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSTER, JIMMY G
• Application Number:
  US09/414,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 206/736, 206/738, 206/746, 206/815, 206/747, 206/750, 206/769, 206/745, 229/240, 229/120.012, 229/120.09, 229/235, 211/72, 211/73, 294/011
• US Class Current: 206/746
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5253 Containers initially closed but folded about a central axis to display the contents in two or more cells

Abstract

A fold-in-half shipping/display box has tear-away segments in its front side, and severable perforations in the top and rear walls, whereby once the tear-away segments have been removed and the perforations have been severed, the box can be folded in half to display items contained therein.

Claims

1. A fold-in-half shipping/display box comprising:

a horizontal top side, a horizontal bottom side, parallel front and rear vertical sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides, and parallel end sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides;

the front side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top front edge and a bottom front edge, respectively, of the box;

the rear side being a one piece panel intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top rear edge and a bottom rear edge, respectively, of the box;

the box further including a tear-away portion formed by upper and lower edges coinciding with the top front edge and the bottom front edge, respectively, and first and second side edges disposed in the front side, each of the first and second side edges interconnecting the upper and lower edges and terminating at the upper and lower edges, wherein the tear-away portion lies entirely in the front side, the tear-away portion lying in a single plane which includes the upper and lower edges and the first and second side edges;

the rear side and the top side having a perforated line formed therein, the perforated line including a first section extending within the rear side perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge, and a second section extending within the top side perpendicularly from the top rear edge of the top front edge;

the bottom side including a fold line extending perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the bottom front edge;

the perforated line and the fold line lying in a common vertical plane bisecting the box, whereby with the tear-away portion removed, the perforated line severed, and with the bottom side folded in half along the fold line, the box presents a pair of side-by-side compartments separated by the folded-in-half bottom wall and resting on respective ones of the end sides.

2. The shipping/display box according to claim 1 wherein the box is formed of corrugated cardboard.

3. The shipping/display box according to claim 1 wherein the tear-away portion includes at least one through-hole formed therein for facilitating manual tearing-away of the tear-away portion.

4. The shipping/display box according to claim 1 wherein the tear-away portion includes a center portion having a height corresponding to a height of the front side, and a pair of tongues projecting horizontally at respective vertical edges of the tear-away portion, each tongue being of shorter height than the front side.

5. The shipping/display box according to claim 1 wherein the tear-away portion consists of a single piece bordered by said upper and lower edges and said first and second side edges.

6. A method of converting a shipping/display box from a shipping mode to a display mode for displaying articles contained in the box, the box comprising a horizontal top side, a horizontal bottom side, parallel front and rear vertical sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides, and parallel end sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides;

the front side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top front edge and a bottom front edge, respectively, of the box;

the rear side being a one piece panel intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top rear edge and a bottom rear edge, respectively, of the box;

the front side including a tear-away portion having upper and lower edges coinciding with the top front edge and the bottom front edge, respectively, the tear-away portion lying in a single plane which includes the upper and lower edges;

the rear side and the top side having a perforated line formed therein, the perforated line including a first section extending within the rear side perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the top rear edge, and a second section extending within the top side perpendicularly from the top rear edge to the top front edge;

the bottom side including a fold line extending perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the bottom front edge;

the perforated line and the fold line lying in a common vertical plane bisecting the box;

the method comprising the steps of;

A) removing the single-plane tear-away portion;

B) severing the rear side and top side in half along the perforated line; and

C) folding the bottom side in half along the fold line;

D) whereby the box presents a pair of side-by-side compartments separated by the folded-in-half bottom wall and resting on respective ones of the end sides, and wherein each compartment has a one-piece rear side.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein step A further comprises removing said tear-away portion in a single piece along side upper and lower edges.