US3168976A

US3168976A - Dispensing carton with removable plastic window

Info

Publication number: US3168976A
Application number: US347497A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry L Metzger
Original assignee: KVP Sutherland Paper Co
Current assignee: Fort James Corp; KVP Sutherland Paper Co
Priority date: 1964-02-26
Filing date: 1964-02-26
Publication date: 1965-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-02-09

Description

Feb. 9, 1965 H. L. METZGER 3,168,976

DISPENSING CARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC wmnow Filed Feb. 26, 1964 INVENTOR.

757922.33 l. Mezf yer United States Patent O1 3,168,976 DISPENSING CARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC WINDOW Henry L. Metzger, Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y., assignor to KVP Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,497 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) The present invention relates to dispensing cartons, and is more particularly concerned with dispensing cartons having a removable window provided in a panel thereof.

Cartons are commonly provided with windows so that the contents of the sealed carton may be viewed by pro-spective purchasers. In order to protect the contents, the openings of the cartons defining the windows are generally covered by a film of a transparent material such as cellophane, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, or any of numerous other suitable materials.

When the carton contains materials such as facial tissues which are to be dispensed therefrom, a dispensing opening may be provided by incorporating a line of weakness at the periphery of the window frame by scoring, perforating, slitting or otherwise weakening the material of the carton construction along the line so that the window may be readily removed.

In order that the window may be removed without damaging the face panel containing the window, the film is normally adhesively affixed to the panel only along the border of the window frame and not beyond the line of weakness defining the outer periphery of the frame. Where rectangular windows are utilized, this structure raises no problem, as rectangular sheets of fihn of proper size may be readily cut out. However, when non-rectangular windows are utilized, such as oval windows, it is not economically feasible to trim the transparent film exactly to the shape of the window. Consequently, when the rectangular film is adhesively affixed to the window frame, the corners of the film remain loose. Therefore, when the contents are subsequently loaded into the carton from one end, the corners are frequently lifted and folded over, becoming visible in the window and detracting from the general appearance of the carton. This has been found to be true even when the rectangular transparent sheet is adhesively secured to the panel along one edge thereof in addition to the immediate border of the window. On the other hand, if the entire rectangular sheet is adhesively affixed to the face panel to prevent folding over of the corners, and even when only one edge of the sheet is secured to the panel in addition to the immediate border of the window, the face panel frequently tears or becomes disfigured when the window is removed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton having a removable window provided in a panel wherein the free corners of the transparent film forming the window will not be folded over when the contents of the carton are loaded through an open end. It is a further object to provide a carton structure of the type described in which the window may be readily removed without tearing or otherwise defacing the panel of the carton in which the window is located, and without leaving torn or jagged portions of the transparent film in the opening formed by the removal of the window. It is still a further object to provide a structure of the type described which may be inexpensively produced by means of automatic equipment. The accomplishment of the foregoing and additional objects will become more fully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank suitably cut and scored 3,168,976 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 to provide a carton according to the present invention, and to which blank a transparent window-covering film has been afiixed; and

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an erected, loaded and sealed carton according to the invention.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing for a better understanding of the invention, wherein all the parts are numbered and wherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding parts throughout.

In a preferred form, the carton of the invention is constructed from an integral blank as illustrated in FIG. 1, and comprises a top panel 1, a bottom panel 2", and side panels 3 and 4 hingedly connected thereto. A glue fiap 5 is hingedly connected to the bottom panel 2. End p'anels 6-13 are provided for closing and sealing the ends of the carton.

A window frame 14 is provided in the top panel 1, the outer periphery of which is defined by a line of weakness 15 which may be provided as by perforating, slit scoring, or otherwise weakening the material so that the frame may be readily and cleanly torn from the panel 1 The inner periphery of the window frame 14 is defined by the edge of a cut-out 16. If desired, a retained area 17 may be provided integral with the frame 14 to which printed matter such as trademarks, descriptive material, or the like may be applied.

A transparent film 18 is 'adhesively afiixed to the window frame 14 and to the retained area 17 as indicated by strippling 19. The end of the transparent film which is at the end of the carton into which the contents are to be filled is adhesively afiixed to the panel 1 at a narrow strip 20 substantially across the entire end of the film. Between the area of strip 20 and the window 14 a line of weakness 21 is provided across the end of the film 18.

The carton of the present invention is erected and prepared for filling by first gluing the fiap 5 to the free edge of the side panel 3 to form a tubular structure. One end of the carton is then closed and sealed by folding in the flaps 69 and gluing them together in the usual manner. The contents are then inserted into the carton through the remaining open end. As the contents enter the end of the carton, the adhesively afiixed portion 26 of the transparent film is held in place and is not permitted to fold over, as would normally occur if the end of the film was not thus affixed. The end flaps 10-13 are then folded over and sealed in the usual manner, to provide a filled and sealed carton as shown in FIG. 2, in which the contents sealed into the carton may be readily viewed from without.

The carton is prepared for dispensing by tearing out the window along the line of weakness 15. As the severed frame 14 is withdrawn from the top panel 1, the transparent fihn 18 tears cleanly along the line of weakness 21. The opening which remains is free of any plastic film remnants. Moreover, the removal of the window is accomplished without any danger of tearing or disfiguring the panel 1.

The present invention has a number of advantages over prior art structures. It permits substantially non-rectangular windows to be covered with rectangular sheets of transparent film, thus greatly reducing the labor and processing costs of the carton as compared to cartons in which a transparent film cut to the exact shape of the non-rectangular window frame is utilized or required. The present invention avoids the difiiculty generally encountered when rectangular transparent film sheets are used, in which case the free edges of the film are usually folded over to become visible through the window when the contents of the carton are inserted at one end thereof, a condition which greatly detracts from the appearance of the packaged product. Moreover, by providing a line of weakness between the end of the film which is anchored to the panel and the window frame, the window may be removed Without tearing or disfiguring the panel in which the window is located, and without leaving torn portions of film visible in the opening created by the removal of the window. p I a It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodiments shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A. dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having a removable window in a panel thereof, said whereby the desired contents may be loaded into said carton through said one end thereof without lifting and folding over the corners of said film and whereby, upon removal of said Window, said film may be cleanly severed at said line of weakness without tearing or disfigulnation .of said carton.

2. A dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having a removable window in a panel thereof, said window comprising a substantially non-rectangular removable frame the periphery of which is defined by a line of Weakness and having a central opening, a substantially rectangular transparent film positioned over said opening and adhesively aflixed to said frame and having one end thereof adhesively afiixed to said panel outside the area of said frame adjacent a carton end, said film being provided 10 with a line of weakness over substantially the entire width thereof separating the area at which said film is affixed to said panel from the line of weakness defining the periphery of said frame, whereby the desired contents may be loaded into said carton through said one end thereof 15 without lifting and folding over the corners of said film, and whereby upon removal of said window said film may be cleanly severed at said line of weakness without tearing or disfiguration of said carton.

GEORGE O.-RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A DISPENSING CARTON COMPRISING END AND SIDE PANELS AND HAVING A REMOVABLE WINDOW IN A PANEL THEREOF, SAID WINDOW COMPRISING A REMOVABLE FRAME THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS DEFINED BY A LINE OF WEAKNESS, AND HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, A TRANSPARENT FILM ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO FRAME AND HAVING ONE END THEREOF ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO SAID PANEL EXTERNAL OF THE AREA OF SAID FRAME ADJACENT A CARTON END, SAID FILM BEING PROVIDED WITH A LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING OVER THE WIDTH THEREOF AND SEPARATING THE AREA AT WHICH SAID FILM IS AFFIXED TO SAID PANEL FROM THE LINE OF WEAKNESS DEFINING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FRAME, WHEREBY THE DESIRED CONTENTS MAY BE LOADED INTO SAID CARTON THROUGH SAID ONE END THEREOF WITHOUT LIFTING AND FOLDING OVER THE CORNERS OF SAID FILM AND WHEREBY, UPON REMOVAL OF SAID WINDOW, SAID FILM MAY BE CLEANLY SEVERED AT SAID LINE OF WEAKNESS WITHOUT TEARING OR DISFIGURATION OF SAID CARTON.