GB2264101A

GB2264101A - Transport/display carton

Info

Publication number: GB2264101A
Application number: GB9203286A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Anthony Hope
Original assignee: St Regis Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: St Regis Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 1992-02-17
Filing date: 1992-02-17
Publication date: 1993-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2012-02-17
Also published as: GB2264101B; GB9203286D0

Abstract

A carton (10) of the kind which is used in one format for transport of contained articles to a use-location and is used in a second opened format at the use-location for the articles to be removed has in one wall (11) thereof a tear strip (15a, 15b) defining one edge of a removable access flap (16). One end of the canon is formed from three flaps defining perimeter regions (12b, 13b, 14b) of an access opening and a closure plate (11b) loosely is interengaged with said perimeter regions, said closure plate being integral with said access flap (16). <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED TRANSPORT/DISPLAY CARTON This invention relates to a carton of the kind which is used in one mode or format for transport to a use-location where articles contained within the carton will be removed (e.g. a point of sale), and is used in a second mode or format for display, the carton being left in opened condition at the use-location for articles contained therein to be removed.

A wide variety of different transport/display cartons fulfilling this two-format requirement are known and this invention relates to an improved embodiment which is particularly easy to open into its display mode which has a particularly attractive appearance in its display mode.

According to one aspect of the invention a transport/display carton has in at least one wall thereof a tear strip defining one edge of a removable access flap and is characterised in that one end of the carton is formed from three flaps defining perimeter regions of an access opening and a closure plate loosely interengaged with said perimeter regions, said closure plate being integral with said access flap.

Suitably one perimeter region is in the form of a folded sleeve which embraces limbs of the other two perimeter regions, the closure plate being located behind all three perimeter regions but not secured to any of them.

Conveniently the tear strip embodies a reinforcing material and can extend between a pair of pull tabs either of which can be actuated to tear open one boundary edge of the access flap. In an alternative arrangement, two pull tabs can be provided back-to-back in said at least one wall actuation of each pull tab being required to prepare the access flap for removal.

Suitably the carton is made from double-faced corrugated fibreboard and reinforcing material for the tear strip is applied during manufacture of the fibreboard.

Preferably longitudinally splittable fibrous tapes are used for reinforcing the tear strip, each pull tab being cut out of part of the applied length of tape to limit the extent to which the tape lengths are split when the carton is opened.

Two embodiments of carton according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are views of a first embodiment of carton in its transport and display modes, and in an intermediate condition, respectively, Figure 4 is a plan of a blank cut from corrugated paperboard for creating the carton shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, Figure 5 is a plan of the blank for creating a second form of carton, and Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views of the second embodiment of carton similar to those of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The carton 10 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 has side walls 11, 12, 13 and 14, fixed end closure flaps gila, 12a, 13a and 14a and openable end flaps lib, 12b, 13b and 14b.

A tear strip 15 having pull tabs 15a, 15b is sited in the side wall 11. Figure 1 shows the carton closed for transport of contained goods to a point of sale and Figures 2 and 3 show the effect of actuating the tear strip 15 by means of either of the pull tabs 15a, 15b. When the tabs 15a, 15b and interlinking strip 15 are removed from the side wall 11, an access flap 16 is disclosed for removal by tearing it out of the side wall 11 along lines of weakness 16a, 16b. Figure 3 shows the access flap 16 bent up normal to the plane of the wall 11 to lie coplanar with the flap end lib which is linked to the wall 11 by two short lines of weakness 16c coincident with the fold between wall 11 and flap lib. When the flaps 16, lib are severed from the rest of the carton by tearing along the lines 16c, they can be removed together to leave the carton fully in its display mode as shown in Figure 2.In this display mode, the packaged articles (not shown in the drawings) are available for removal through the now-opened end and/or partially opened top of the carton.

Figure 4 shows a blank 30 from which the carton of Figures 1, 2 and 3 can be formed. This Figure shows the surface of the blank 30 which defines the outside of the carton and indicates how it is cut, creased and perforated from a sheet of double-faced corrugated paperboard to create panels for the walls and flaps described above. The arrow A indicates the direction in which the longitudinal flutes in the corrugated core of the board material run and the chain line 20 indicates the location of a pair of strips of longitudinally tearable tape, one secured to each of the facing sheets of the corrugated board so that when either of the pull tabs 15a, 15b is torn out of the blank, a central section of each tape is removed to leave a clean cut in the board material.Tear tapes of this nature are well-known in the art and are commonly referred to as "Kle an-Cut" . The dash lines indicate downward folds and the dotted lines perforations. An edge tab 18 is used to secure walls 12 and 13 together.

The end flap 13b is folded centrally about double creases 21a, 21b, to create a sleeve which encloses limb parts 22a, 22b of the end flaps 12b, 14b. This interlocking of flaps 13b, 12b and 14b creates perimeter regions 23, 24 and 25 on three sides of the end when it is opened by removal of the end flap llb. A shallow tongue 26 on the end flap 13b locates in a slot 27 to keep the regions 23, 24 and 25 locked together.

It will be seen therefore, that although the openable end of the carton 10 is securely closed in the condition shown in Figure 1, the flap 11b is only loosely interengaged with the perimeter regions 23, 24 and 25 and serves as a closure plate which can be lifted out from behind these regions when the lines of weakness 16c are severed.

Although the access opening formed in the top of the carton in Figure 3 is of rectangular shape it will be appreciated that this is not essential, the lines of weakness 16a, 16b could be angled across the side wall 11 to meet the end of the fold line between side walls 11 and 12 and 11 and 14 and in that way eliminate the need for the short lines of weakness 16c.

Although the flap (or closure plate) 11b is not stitched, glued or otherwise secured to the perimeter regions 23, 24 and 25, we have surprisingly found that the carton in its transport mode exhibits no functional weakness due to this lack of positive securement or positive engagement.

The second embodiment of carton is illustrated in Figures 5 to 8 and the same reference numbers have been used in Figures 5 to 8 as were used in Figures 1 to 4 to designate similar items but with the addition of one hundred. It will be noted that the second embodiment differs from the first only in that the tear tabs 115a, 115b are arranged back-to-back and thus are operated away from each other to a respective end cut 35 and the lines of weakness 116a, 116b coincide with the top edges of the carton 110.

Claims

CLAIM

1. A carton of the kind which is used in one format for transport to a use-location where articles contained within the carton will be removed and is used in a second opened format for display, the carton being left in opened format at the use-location for articles contained therein to be removed, the carton having in at least one wall thereof a tear strip defining one edge of a removable access flap, wherein one end of the carton is formed from three flaps defining perimeter regions of an access opening and a closure plate loosely is interengaged with said perimeter regions, said closure plate being integral with said access flap.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1, in which one perimeter region is in the form of a folded sleeve which embraces limbs of the other two perimeter regions, the closure plate being located behind all three perimeter regions but not secured to any of them.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the tear strip embodies a reinforcing material.

4. A carton as claimed in claim 3, in which the reinforcing material extends between a pair of pull tabs either of which can be actuated to tear open the carton and create one boundary edge of the access flap.

5. A carton as claimed in claim 3, in which two pull tabs are provided back-to back in said at least one wall, each pull tab including the reinforcing material and actuation of each pull tab being required to prepare the access flap for removal.

6. A carton as claimed in any one preceding claim, which is made from double-faced corrugated fibreboard and has a length of reinforcing material for the tear strip applied during manufacture of the fibreboard.

7. A carton as claimed in claim 6, in which a pair of longitudinally splittable fibrous tapes are used for reinforcing the tear strip, each pull tab being cut out of part of the applied lengths of tape to limit the extent to which the tape lengths are split when the carton is opened.

8. A carton as claimed in claim 7, in which one strip of longitudinally splittable tape is secured to each of the facing sheets of the double-faced corrugated fibreboard so that when a pull tab is torn out of the fibreboard a central section of each tape is removed to leave a clean cut in the fibreboard material.

9. A transport/display carton substantially as herein described with reference to, or as illustrated in, Figures 1, 2 and 3 or Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A precreased blank of stiff but foldable board material for creating a carton as claimed in any one preceding claim by a folding-up of the blank.

11. A carton blank substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.