Carton with reclosable dispenser

• US 7,913,897 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Graphic Packaging International LLC (Graphic Packaging International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Graphic Packaging International Incorporated
• Inventors: Manaige, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins; Gary E
• Assistant Examiner(s): BYRD, LATRICE CHENELL
• Application Number:
  US11/951,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20080135605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 229/217, 229/215, 229/117.3, 229/122, 229/125.42, 229/117.27, 229/117.35
• US Class Current: 229/217
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/745 Spouts formed by deforming or tearing parts of the upper wall, combined with a deformation of a part of the body of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/062 Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank

Abstract

A carton includes a reclosable dispenser that allows a top end of the carton to be accessed and subsequently reclosed. The sides of the carton can be pressed together to vary the size of the dispenser opening.

Claims

1. A carton, comprising:

a first end panel;

a first side panel;

a second end panel;

a second side panel;

a first side top flap foldably connected to the first side panel;

a second side top flap foldably connected to the second side panel; and

a dispenser defined at least partially by a dispenser pattern of lines of disruption in the second end panel, the first side panel, and the second side panel, the dispenser pattern comprising;

a first tear line in the first side top flap;

a second tear line in the second side top flap;

at least one first oblique line of disruption extending across the first side panel;

at least one second oblique line of disruption extending across the second side panel; and

at least one line of disruption in the second end panel;

wherein the at least one first oblique line of disruption in the first side panel comprises an upper oblique line of disruption and a lower oblique line of disruption, each of the upper oblique line of disruption and lower oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel, the upper oblique line of disruption and the lower oblique line of disruption are first oblique lines of disruption, the at least one second oblique line of disruption in the second side panel comprises a second upper oblique line of disruption and a second lower oblique line of disruption, each of the second upper oblique line of disruption and the second lower oblique line of disruption extends across the second side panel, the first upper oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel from adjacent to a longitudinal line of disruption at a first edge of the first side panel to an adjacent transverse line of disruption at a second edge of the first side panel, and the first lower oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel from the longitudinal line of disruption at the first edge of the first side panel to the adjacent transverse line of disruption at the second edge of the first side panel.

2. The carton of claim 1, wherein the at least one line of disruption in the second end panel comprises a lower longitudinal line of disruption.

3. The carton of claim 2, wherein the at least one line of disruption in the second end panel further comprises a pair of oblique lines of disruption.

4. The carton of claim 3, wherein the at least one line of disruption in the second end panel further comprises a transverse line of disruption between the pair of oblique lines of disruption.

5. The carton of claim 2, wherein a pair of transverse fold lines define side edges of the second end panel, and wherein the dispenser pattern further comprises a transverse breachable line of disruption along each transverse fold line.

6. The carton of claim 1, wherein the first side top flap includes a projection and the second side top flap includes an aperture sized to receive the projection.

7. The carton of claim 1, further comprising a first end top flap foldably connected to the first end panel and a second end top flap foldably connected to the second end panel.

8. The carton of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of bottom end flaps.

9. The carton of claim 1, further comprising a flexible vessel containing dispensable product.

15. The carton of claim 1, wherein the second upper oblique line of disruption extends through the second side panel from adjacent to a longitudinal line of disruption at a first edge of the second side panel to an adjacent transverse line of disruption at a second edge of the second side panel, and the second lower oblique line of disruption extends through the second side panel from the longitudinal line of disruption at the first edge of the second side panel to the adjacent transverse line of disruption at the second edge of the second side panel.

16. The carton of claim 1 wherein the first upper oblique line of disruption and the first lower oblique line of disruption extend from an intersection of a tear line in the first side top flap with the longitudinal line of disruption at the first edge of the first side panel.

17. The carton of claim 15 wherein the second upper oblique line of disruption and the second lower oblique line of disruption extend from an intersection of a tear line in the second side top flap with the longitudinal line of disruption at the first edge of the second side panel.

18. The carton of claim 1 wherein the first lower oblique line of disruption extends through the first side panel to a lower transverse line of disruption in the second end panel and the second lower oblique line of disruption extends through the second side panel to the lower transverse line of disruption.

19. The carton of claim 18 wherein the first upper oblique line of disruption extends through the first side panel to an upper transverse line of disruption in the second end panel and the second upper oblique line of disruption extends through the second side panel to the upper transverse line of disruption.

10. A substantially parallelepipedal carton, comprising:

a flexible bag containing dispensable product;

a first end panel;

a first side panel;

a second end panel;

a second side panel;

a bottom panel;

a first side top flap foldably connected to the first side panel;

a second side top flap foldably connected to the second side panel; and

a dispenser defined at least partially by a dispenser pattern of lines of disruption, the dispenser pattern comprising;

at least one first oblique line of disruption extending across the first side panel;

at least one second oblique line of disruption extending across the second side panel;

a lower longitudinal line of disruption in the second end panel; and

a pair of oblique lines of disruption in the second end panel;

wherein the at least one first oblique line of disruption in the first side panel comprises an upper oblique line of disruption and a lower oblique line of disruption, each of the upper oblique line of disruption and lower oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel, the upper oblique line of disruption and the lower oblique line of disruption are first oblique lines of disruption, the at least one second oblique line of disruption in the second side panel comprises a second upper oblique line of disruption and a second lower oblique line of disruption, each of the second upper oblique line of disruption and the second lower oblique line of disruption extends across the second side panel, the first upper oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel from adjacent to a longitudinal line of disruption at a first edge of the first side panel to an adjacent transverse line of disruption at a second edge of the first side panel, and the first lower oblique line of disruption extends across the first side panel from the longitudinal line of disruption at the first edge of the first side panel to the adjacent transverse line of disruption at the second edge of the first side panel.

11. The carton of claim 10, wherein the dispenser pattern further comprises a transverse line of disruption between the pair of oblique lines of disruption in the second end panel.

12. The carton of claim 10, wherein the dispenser pattern further comprises:

a first tear line in the first side top flap;

a second tear line in the second side top flap.

13. The carton of claim 12, wherein a pair of transverse fold lines define side edges of the second end panel, and wherein the dispenser pattern further comprises a transverse breachable line of disruption along each transverse fold line.

14. The carton of claim 10, further comprising:

a first end top flap foldably connected to the first end panel;

a second end top flap foldably connected to the second end panel; and

a plurality of bottom end flaps.