Expandable food carton

• US 8,479,972 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intercontinental Great Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intercontinental Great Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Craft, Rachel Lyn, Sierra-Gomez, Gladys Odette
• Primary Examiner(s): ELKINS, GARY E
• Application Number:
  US12/761,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20110253776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 229/101, 229/112, 229/123, 229/125, 229/902, 229/904.1, 229/906, 229/931, 229/938, 229/114, 426/115
• US Class Current: 229/101
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/0005 of variable capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/029 the tubular body presenting a special shape pyramidal B65D5/008

Abstract

An expandable food carton expands to a non-trapezoidal shape when in an open and expanded state. The expanded state creates a wider top opening which provides a larger access to the interior of the package and thus to the food product. The expandable carton has a bottom end with upstanding side panels therefrom, where each side panel has at least one score line that extends between an upper end region and a lower end region. The carton has a top flap attached at an upper end of each side panel, each top flap also having a score line that extends longitudinally between an upper end region and a lower end region at a midpoint region. Upon shifting the carton into the expanded state, the side panels of the carton shift outward along their respective score lines and the top flaps of the carton fold down adjacent respective side panels and shift outward along their respective score lines.

Claims

1. A trapezoidal-shaped carton having an expandable top formed from a unitary blank, the carton comprising:

a generally rectangular bottom with a pair of major bottom flaps and a pair of minor bottom flaps where the bottom flaps are folded to form a substantially closed bottom;

a plurality of upstanding side panels, including a pair of major side panels, a pair of minor side panels, and a secondary side panel, where the major and minor side panels are upstanding relative to the bottom, the major and minor side panels are attached to the bottom at lower ends thereof and the secondary side panel is attached to one of the major side and minor side panels via a fold and an adjacent one of the major or minor side panels via adhesive, the pair of minor side panels being further apart at their upper end as compared to their lower end;

a first score line along a midpoint region of one of the pair of minor side panels extending from the lower end of one of the pair of minor side panels toward an upper end and a second score line along a midpoint region of the other of the pair of minor side panels extending from the lower end of the other of the pair of minor side panels toward an upper end;

a first pair of score lines on one of the pair of major side panels extending from an adjacent bottom corner region toward a midpoint region of the top end and the other bottom corner region toward the midpoint region of the top end and a second pair of score lines on the other of the pair of major side panels extending from an adjacent bottom corner region toward a midpoint region of the top end and the other bottom corner region toward the midpoint region of the top end;

a top with a pair of major top flaps and a pair of minor top flaps attached to an upper end of the major and minor side panels and folded generally perpendicular thereto, having score lines extending longitudinally along midpoint regions of the pair of major top flaps and the pair of minor top flaps from a top edge region toward a bottom edge region; and

an opening defined by upper ends of the major side panels and the minor side panels opposite the bottom, the opening having a closed state where the major and minor top flaps are folded generally perpendicular to the major and minor side panels to form a closed top, and an expanded state where the opening is non-rectangular and the score lines along the major and minor side panels are configured to fold outward and the major and minor top flaps are configured to fold downward adjacent their respective side panel and outward along their respective score lines to increase the distance from opposite midpoint regions of the major and minor side panels as compared to when in the closed state.

2. The carton of claim 1, wherein the carton remains in the expanded state until it is returned to the closed state.

3. The carton of claim 1, wherein the non-rectangular opening is an octagonal shape.

4. The carton of claim 1, wherein the pair of major side panels are further apart at their upper end as compared to their lower end.

5. The carton of claim 1, wherein the carton contains a food product inside of a liner bag.

6. The carton of claim 5, wherein the food product is selected from the group consisting of crackers, cookies, snack chips, nuts, and the like.

7. The carton of claim 1, wherein the carton has four side walls when it is in the closed state and has eight side walls at a perimeter of the opening when the carton is in the expanded state.

8. An expandable food carton comprising:

a generally rectangular bottom with a pair of major bottom flaps and a pair of minor bottom flaps where the bottom flaps are folded to form a substantially closed bottom;

a plurality of side panels upstanding from the bottom, including a pair of major side panels having a wider upper end than a lower end, and a pair of minor side panels, where the major and minor side panels are attached to the bottom at a lower end thereof forming an enclosed interior;

a generally rectangular top with a pair of major top flaps and a pair of minor top flaps where the top flaps are folded generally perpendicular to the major and minor side panels to form a substantially closed top that is openable, the major and minor top flaps each having a score line extending longitudinally between an upper end region and a lower end region thereof and at a midpoint region of the top flap;

a pair of score lines on each of the pair of major side panels and a single score line at a midpoint region of each of the pair of minor side panels; and

an expandable configuration having a generally non-rectangular opening defined by upper ends of the major side panels and the minor side panels opposite the bottom, when the major side panels and minor side panels are shifted outward along their respective score lines.

9. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the carton opening has a generally octagonal shape when in the expandable configuration.

10. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the top flaps are configured to fold down adjacent their respective side panel and to shift outward along their respective score lines.

11. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the top flaps are reclosable.

12. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the pair of score lines on each of the major side panels extends upward from each bottom corner toward a midpoint region along an upper end thereof and forms an upside-down V.

13. The food carton of claim 10, wherein the top flaps remain in a folded configuration adjacent their respective side panels while the carton is in the expanded configuration.

14. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the carton opening remains generally non-rectangular while in the expanded configuration, returning to a generally rectangular top when in a closed state.

15. The food carton of claim 8, wherein the pair of minor side panels being further apart at their upper end as compared to their lower end.

16. An expandable reclosable food carton comprising:

a generally rectangular bottom with a first bottom fold line between a first side panel and a first bottom flap, a second bottom fold line between a second side panel and a second bottom flap, a third bottom fold line between a third side panel and a third bottom flap and a fourth bottom fold line between a fourth side panel and a fourth bottom flap, where the bottom flaps are folded and some of the bottom flaps are attached to the other bottom flaps to form a substantially closed bottom;

the plurality of upstanding side panels attached to the bottom at a lower end thereof, including a first side fold line between the first side panel and the second side panel, a second side fold line between the second side panel and the third side panel, a third side fold line between the third side panel and the fourth side panel, and a fourth side fold line between the fourth side panel and a fifth side panel, the fourth side fold line substantially aligned with a free end of the first side panel and attached thereto forming an enclosed interior adjacent the closed bottom and the second and fourth side panels having a wider upper end than a lower end;

a generally rectangular top when in a closed position with a first top fold line between the first side panel and a first top flap, a second top fold line between the second side panel and a second top flap, a third top fold line between the third side panel and a third top flap and a fourth top fold line between the fourth side panel and a fourth top flap, where the top flaps are folded generally perpendicular to upper ends of the side panels to form a substantially closed top;

a pair of score lines on each of the second and fourth side panels and a single score line at a midpoint region of each of the first and third side panels;

a score line on each of the top flaps extending longitudinally between an upper end and a lower end thereof at a midpoint region of the top flaps; and

a generally non-rectangular opening defined by upper ends of the side panels opposite the closed bottom when in an expanded state, the expanded state comprising the side panels shifted outward along their respective score lines and further having the top flaps folded down adjacent their respective side panels and shifted outward along their respective score lines.

17. The reclosable food carton of claim 16, wherein the opening remains generally non-rectangular until the carton is returned to the closed position.

18. The reclosable food carton of claim 16, wherein the first bottom flap and the third bottom flap each have a score line extending longitudinally between an upper end and a lower end thereof at a midpoint region of the first and third bottom flaps.

19. The reclosable food carton of claim 16, wherein the carton contains a food product packaged within a bag.

20. The reclosable food carton of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of each of the first top fold line, second top fold line, third top fold line, and the fourth top fold line has cut lines positioned between score lines along the first, second, third, and fourth fold lines.