GB2073707A - Carton with reclosable end structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A tubular carton of rectangular cross section is formed from a cut and scored blank of foldable sheet material with a reclosable end structure having overlapping hinged closure forming panels 18, 20, with the outermost panel 18 having a tear strip 16 which, upon removal, releases the innermost panel 20 and the latter having a tuck flap 22 on its free edge which may be inserted along the inside face of the opposite side wall for holding the closure panel 20 closed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cartons This invention relates to cartons which are adapted to be formed of paperboard or other foldable sheet material, and is more particularly concerned with tubular style cartons having end closures which incorporate easy opening and reclosable features.

Cartons for packaging variety of products have long been available which comprise a tubular body of rectangular configuration and end closures each consisting of a pair of hinged closure panels on oppositely disposed side walls and a co-operating pair of hinged dust flaps on adjoining side walls. In some cartons, for example cartons used for packaging a food product such as dry cereal where the product is consumed over a period of time, various end closure arrangements have been provided which have been designed to facilitate opening for removal of portions of the contents, and reclosing for storage. Many of these end closure arrangements have proved unsatisfactory for various reasons, while some have proved satisfactory for certain products and not for others.Consequently, there is a need for a more satisfactory carton of this type which can be accepted for packaging a greater variety of products.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved carton structure having an easy opening, reclosable end construction which can be manufactured with economy of material and on conventional carton machinery, and which will be satisfactory for use in marketing, for example, a bakery product which is adapted to be removed from the carton for processing or the like, and thereafter returned to the same carton for display and/or delivery to the consumer.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a tubular carton which is formed from a cut and scored blank of foldable sheet material, said carton having hingedly connected, oppositely disposed pairs of side walls, and hinged panel members forming an end closure at an end thereof, which panel members comprise a pair of opposed panel members foldable into overlapping end closing relation, the innermost one of said pair of panel members, in the closed. position, having a width corresponding to the distance between the pair of oppositely disposed side walls to which said pair of panel members are hinged and having a relatively narrow flap member hinged to its free margin opposite the hinged connection with the associated side wall, and the outermost one of said panel members having a tearstrip formation comprising spaced parallel tear lines one of which coincides with the hinged connection of said panel member with the associated side wall, the outermost panel member having a marginal portion outboard of the tear strip formation which, when the carton end is in its initial closed position, is adhesively secured to said innermost panel member, the arrangement being such that, upon removal of said tear strip to open the carton initially, the innermost panel member is free to swing into and out of closed position, and said flap member is free to serve as a tuck flap in reclosing the carton end.

The invention will become more fully apparent from the accompanying detailed description of an embodiment thereof; which is set forth herein by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton which embodies the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of an end closure of the carton which is adapted to be opened and reclosed; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, to a greatly enlarged scale and with portions broken away; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the end closure of Fig. 2 in partially closed position, illustrating the initial closing of the end closure; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the outside face of a blank which is cut and scored to fabricate the carton shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a carton 10 which is particularly adapted for packaging a pie or similar bakery product. The carton 10 is formed from a cut and scored blank 12 (Fig. 5) of a foldable sheet material such as paperboard of suitable weight or gauge. The carton comprises a tubular body of generally rectangular cross section, the ends of which are closed by hinged panel members forming end closure assemblies. The end closure assembly 14 visible in Fig. 1 includes a tear strip 1 6 in an outer panel 18, which may be removed to release the panels for opening the carton end.

When opened the end may be reclosed by means of an inner panel member 20 (Fig. 4) which has an integral tuck flap 22 for holding the panel 20 in closed position.

The blank 12, which is illustrated in Fig. 5, comprises a generally rectangular sheet of material which is divided by longitudinally extending, transversely spaced, parallel hinge score lines 24 and 26 into a rectangular centre section 28 and side sections 30 and 32. The centre section 28 is subdivided by transversely extending longitudinally spaced, parallel hinge score lines 34, 36, 38 and 40 into carton body forming rectangular panels 42, 44, 46, 48 and 50.

The panels 44 and 48 are adapted to form the top and bottom of the carton, respectively, with the integraily connected panels 42 and 46 forming side panels and the narrow panel 50 at the end of the blank forming a glue panel for connecting panels 42 and 48. The top panel 44 may be cut out at 52 to form a window which may be covered with a transparent film (not shown).

At one side of blank 12 the blank section 32 is divided by cutting on transverse, parallel lines 54, 56, 58 and 60, which extend outboard of the intersection of score lines 34, 36, 38 and 40 with longitudinal score lines 26, so as to form end closure panels 62 and 64 extending from the panels 44 and 48, and dust flap forming panels 66 and 68 which extend from the panels 42 and 46.

Closure panel 62 has a transverse dimension corresponding to the dimension of the panels 42 and 46 in the longitudinal direction of the blank 12, while the other closure panel 64, in the form shown, has a lesser transverse dimension in order to permit nesting when multiple blanks are cut from a wide sheet or web so as to provide maximum economy in the use of the material.

At the other side of the blank 12 the blank section 30 is divided by cutting on transverse, parallel lines 70, 72, 74 and 76 which extend outboard from the intersection of score lines 34, 36, 38 and 40 with the longitudinal score line 24, sp as to form outer and inner end closure panels 18 and 20 which extend from the panels 44 and 48 and dust flap forming panels 78 and 80 which extend from the panels 42 and 46. The inside end closure panel 20 is scored on line 82 which is parallel with the hinge score line 24 and spaced outboard thereof a distance corresponding approximately to the dimension of the panels 42 and 46 in the longitudinal direction of the blank 12, so as to form, along the outboard margin, a relatively narrow tuck flap 22 for use in reclosing the end of the carton.The outside end closure panel 1 8 is subdivided to form the tear strip 1 6.

The tear strip 1 6 is formed in the innermost margin of the panel 18 by a line of closely spaced J-shaped cuts 84 which coincides with the portion of hinge line 24 defining the edge of the panel 44, and a co-operating parallel line of like cuts 86 which are spaced outboard of the line of cuts 84.

The overall transverse dimension of the outside panel 18 corresponds approximately to the distance between the hinge score lines 24 and 82 defining the inside panel 20. The tuck flap 22 extends a short distance outboard of the score line 82. This enables the nesting on this side of the blank when cutting blanks from a wide sheet or web.

The hinge score line 82 defining the hinge line for the tuck flap 22 may have locking slits 87 cut in opposite ends thereof, and the dust flaps 78 and 80 may be notched out at 88 to provide shoulder forming portions 90 for co-operation with the locking slits 87 when the panel 20 is closed and the tuck flap is inserted inside the panel 44 with the slit ends beneath the dust flaps.

The carton 10 is set up by folding the body forming panels 42. 44, 46 and 48 so as to form a tube with the glue panel 50 adhesively secured to the inside face of the outer margin of the wall panel 42 after which the end closing panels are folded and secured together to form the end closures. One end of the carton is closed by hinging the panels 66 and 68 into closed position after which the closure panels 62 and 64 are hinged to closed position with the panel 64 being innermost and being adhesively secured to the outermost panel 62. At the other end of the carton, which is the end designed to be opened and reclosed, the panels 78 and 80 are turned in and the innermost closure panel 78, with the tuck flap 22 folded back as shown in Fig. 4, is folded into position. The outermost closure panel 1 8 is then folded over the closure panel 78 and is margin is adhesively secured to the panel 78 in the area outboard of the tuck flap 22, so that the tuck flap 22 may be freed when the tear strip 1 6 is removed for initial opening. The tuck flap 22 may be reversely folded on the hinge line 82 and employed in the conventional manner for reclosing the carton, that is, it may be inserted along the inner margin of the panel 44. In this respect it will be noted that the panel 44 is freed for unobstructed entry of the tuck flap by the removal of the tear strip 16 along the line 84 (Figs. 3 and 4).

Claims (6)

1. A tubular carton which is formed from a cut and scored blank of foldable sheet material, said carton having hingedly connected, oppositely disposed pairs of side walls, and hinged panel members forming an end closure at an end thereof, which panel members comprise a pair of opposed panel members foldable into overlapping end closing relation, the innermost one of said pair of panel members, in the closed position, having a width corresponding to the distance between the pair of oppositely disposed side walls to which said pair of panel members are hinged and having a relatively narrow flap member hinged to its free margin opposite the hinged connection with the associated side wall, and the outermost one of said panel members having a tear strip formation comprising spaced parallel tear lines one of which coincides with the hinged connection of said panel member with the associated side wall, the outermost panel member having a marginal portion outboard of the tear strip formation which, when the carton end is in its initial closed position, is adhesively secured to said innermost panel member, the arrangement being such that, upon removal of said tear strip to open the carton initially, the innermost panel member is free to swing into and out of closed position, and said flap member is free to serve as a tuck flap in reclosing the carton end.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the carton end is in its initial closed position, said flap member is reversely folded so as to lie against the outermost face of the free margin of said innermost panel member, the said adhesively secured marginal portion of the outermost panel member lying outboard of said flap member.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said panel member include a pair of inner panel members hinged to the pair of side walls which extend between corresponding side edges of said side walls to which the panel members of the first said pair are hinged, and wherein said flap member has retaining means at the opposite ends of this hinge line and capable of interengaging with said inner panel members so as to releasably retain said flap member in tuck flap forming position.

4 A carton as claimed in claim 3. wherein the inner panel members are notched out at the corners thereof opposite their hinged connection with the associated side wall, said flap member extends along the full length of the free margin of said innermost panel member, and said retaining means comprise slits at the ends of the hinge line joining the flap member to the innermost panel member and capable of interengaging with the inner panel members at the notched-out corners thereof.

5. A carton, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A carton blank, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.