US3640010A

US3640010A - Display device

Info

Publication number: US3640010A
Application number: US11627A
Authority: US
Inventors: Murray Altman; Mordecai R Craig; Irwin H Block
Original assignee: Purdue Frederick Co
Current assignee: Purdue Frederick Co
Priority date: 1970-02-16
Filing date: 1970-02-16
Publication date: 1972-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-08

Abstract

A carton cover which may be converted to an upright display panel comprises an information bearing rectangular top panel, and depending sideflaps having rearwardly downwardly inclined front edges, a relatively deep rectangular front flap and a relatively shallow rectangular rear flap, the flaps being delineated from the panel by fold lines. Upwardly outwardly inclined slots are formed in the front panel bottom edge proximate the corners thereof. Coupling tabs include upwardly projecting tongues along the lower front edges of the sideflaps and are spaced therefrom and connected thereto by integrally formed bridge sections. As an erected display the coupling tabs engage the slot, the tongues functioning as rear feet, and the panel is supported along its front edge in an upwardly rearwardly inclined position.

Description

United States Patent Altman et al.

[is] 3,640,010 451 Feb. 8, 1972 [54] DISPLAY DEVICE [72] Inventors: Murray Altman, Valley Stream; Mordecai R. Craig, Demarest; Irwin H. Block, New

York, all of NY. [731 Assignee: The Purdue Frederick Company [22] Filed: Feb. 16, 1970 [21] App]. No.: 11,627

Primary Examiner-Jerome Schnall Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney-Stanley Wolder [57] ABSTRACT A carton cover which may be converted to an upright display panel comprises an information bearing rectangular top panel, and depending sideflaps having rearwardly downwardly inclined front edges, a relatively deep rectangular front flap and a relatively shallow rectangular rear flap, the flaps being delineated from the panel by fold lines. Upwardly outwardly inclined slots are formed in the front panel bottom edge proximate the comers thereof. Coupling tabs include upwardly projecting tongues along the lower. front edges of the sideflaps and are spaced therefrom and connected thereto by integrally formed bridge sections. As an erected display the coupling tabs engage the slot, the tongues functioning as rear feet, and the panel is supported along its front edge in an upwardly rearwardly inclined position.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 8072 3.640.010

INVENTORS MURRA 041. r/m/v Jew/N H 8.404%

ATTO NEY DISPLAY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to improvements in display devices and it relates more particularly to a carton provided with an improved separable cover which may be assembled into a self supporting display panel.

It is a common practice in the dispensing and vending of packaged products to ship and store the products in covered cartons. At the point of sale the products are frequently displayed in the carton with the cover removed, the product carrying carton being placed on shelves or atop counters or the like. Part of the vending procedure often includes the provision of advertising and informational material which are displayed in connection with the sales of .the product. However, such advertising and information display material is often exhibited at locations separated from the product and must be independently supported and the general practice in such cases is to provide display devices which are no part of the shipping carton, per se. Accordingly, conventional display devices of the above type represent a considerable additional expense and a great inconvenience in the handling and distribution thereof and otherwise leave much to be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is principal object of the present invention to provide an improved display device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved carton cover which may be easily and rapidly converted to a separate self supporting display device or panel.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved shipping carton from which the cover may be separated from the base and erected as a self supporting display panel and the product be attractively exhibited in the opened carton.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the above nature characterized by its versatility, adaptability, ease and convenience of use, low cost and attractive appearance.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof.

In a sense the present invention contemplates the provision of a display carton cover formed of a unitary blank and comprising an information bearing rectangular top panel, a front flap integrally formed with and depending from the front edge of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, a sideflap integrally formed with and depending from each side of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, the edges of said side flaps proximate said front flap forming acute angles with corresponding side edges of said top panel, said front and sideflaps being provided with cooperating coupling means proximate their adjacent edges, and said front flap being inwardly foldable about said top panel front edge to form an acute angle with said top panel and said sideflaps being inwardly swingable to bring said front edges thereof into confronting relationship with the inner face of said bottom flap, sand said coupling means being interengagable to retain said front and sideflaps in said inwardly folded positions to form a locked display device wherein said top panel defines a display panel forming an acute angle with said front flap.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, rectangular flaps depend from the front and rear edges of the top panel, the front flap being of greater height than the rear flap. Oblique upwardly outwardly inclined opposite diverging slots are formed in the front flap bottom edge proximate the comers thereof. A locking or coupling tab is formed at the lower front comer of each sideflap and includes a bottom crosspiece terminating in an upwardly directed tongue upwardly converging with and spaced from the sideflap front edge. The carton base with which the cover is associated includes upright sidewalls and rectangular front and rear walls,

the rear wall being higher than the front wall. In the assembled display device, the locking tabs engage the front flap slots and the device is erected with the front flap defining a base resting along its front on its fold edge with the top panel and at its rear on the tab tongues and the top panel extends rearwardly upwardly at an angle to the front flap and defines a display panel.

As is apparent from the above, the carton cover may be easily and rapidly converted to a separate self supporting upright display panel and does not increase the cost or bulk of the carton and is of great versatility, adaptability and attractive appearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a carton and cover embodying the present invention and shown in a carton closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front elevational view of the carton cover assembled and erected as a display panel;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower part thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a lay flat plan view of the carton cover display device blank.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the improved carton which includes a base, receptacle or tray section I 1 and a convertible cover display section 12. The carton base section 11 is of conventional, preferably self-erecting construction, and is formed of cardboard of suitable stock or of any desirable material. The base section 11 includes a rectangular bottom wall, a relatively low vertical front wall 13, a relatively high vertical rear wall, and vertical sidewalls 14 extending between the front and rear walls and having upwardly rearwardly inclined top edges 16. Information such as instructions, advertising, representations or the like may be applied to the outside faces of the base walls by printing or otherwise and the carton base may be decorated as desired.

The cover display section 12 is integrally formed of a unitary blank 17 which may be of the same material as the base section 1 l and includes a rectangular panel 18 of substantially the same dimensions as that of the inside transverse cross section of the base section 11. A rectangular front flap 19 extends from and is coextensive with the front edge of panel 18 and is delineated therefrom by a suitable fold line a and a rectangu-' lar rear flap 20 extends from and is coextensive with the rear edge of panel 18 and is delineated therefrom by a fold line b, the depth of rear flap 20 being less than that of front flap l9.

Extending from each of the side edges of panel 18 and coextensive therewith and delineated therefrom by a fold line 0 is a sidepanel 21. Each sidepanel 21 has a relatively short transverse rear edge 22 substantially colinear with fold line b, a relatively long oblique front edge 23 extending outwardly rearwardly from the corresponding front corner of panel 18 at an end of fold line 2, and a rearwardly inwardly oblique outer edge 24.

A coupling tab 26 is integrally formed at the front outer comer of each sideflap 21 and includes a forwardly extending bridge section or crosspiece 27 whose outer edge is colinear with sideflap outer edge 24 and which terminate in an inwardly directed finger or tongue 28 spaced from sideflap front edge 23 by a slot 29. The outer side edge 25 of tongue 28 lies along a line intersecting the inner end of flap edge 23. An oblique coupling slot 30 is formed in the front edge of front flap 19 shortly inwardly of each front corner thereof and extends rearwardly outwardly from the front edge of flap [9 a short distance along a line which intersects the corresponding rear comer of flap 19. The length of each slot 30 is substantially equal to the depth of crosspiece 27 in the proximity of slot 29.

The outer or top face of panel 18, as well as the outer faces of flaps 19 and have applied thereto information 15, such as instructions, data, representations, advertising, or other material, by printing or the like, and may be decorated as desired.

When the section 12 is employed as a cover to close the product-containing carton 10, the

flaps

19, 20 and 21 have their edges mutually free and are folded along lines a, b and c, downwardly so as to depend vertically from horizontal top panel 18. The base section 11 is closed by inserting

flaps

19, 20 and 21 between the packaged product in base section 11 and the front, rear and sidewalls respectively thereof and in slidingengagement with the inside faces of these walls, as shovm in FIG. 1. The top panel 18, in the carton closed condition, is at about the level of the top edge of the base section rear wall and rests on the packaged product.

To assemble and erect the section 12 as a display device, it is removed from base section 11 to expose the product therein. The sideflaps 21 are folded inwardly as is the front flap 19 to bring the

slots

29 and 30 into mutual engagement and lock the display device in its assembled or erected condition. In such condition, as shownin FIGS. 2 and 3, the sideflap front edges 23 overlie and are proximate the inside or upper face of front or base flap l9, and tongues 28 underlie the rear border of flap 19. In the erect position of section 12 as a display device, the erected device rests on the front or lower edge of panel 18 and on the outer or bottom edges of tongues 28 and bridge sections 27, the panel 18 being sharply upwardly rearwardly inclined and the flap 19 being slightly upwardly inclined. The flap 20 is folded to a position substantially coplanar with panel 18. The erected display device may be positioned where desired.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

We claim:

l. The combination including display carton cover and a carton, said carton cover being formed of a unitary blank and comprising an information bearing rectangular top panel, a front flap integrally formed with and depending from the front edge of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, a sideflap integrally formed with and depending from each side of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, the edges of said sideflaps proximate said front flap forming acute angles with corresponding side edges of said top panel, said front and sideflaps being provided with cooperating coupling means proximate their adjacent edges, and said front flap being inwardly foldable about said top panel front edge to form an acute angle with said top panel and said sideflaps being inwardly swingable to bring said front edges thereof into confronting relationship with the inner face of said front flap, said coupling means being interengagable to retain said front and sideflaps in said inwardly folded positions to form a locked display device wherein said top panel defines a display panel forming an acute angle with said front flap, and said carton being of rectangular transverse cross section of inside dimensions substantially equal to that of said top panel and including vertical front, rear and sidewalls, the outer faces of said cover front and sideflaps slideably engaging the inside faces of respective carton front and side walls.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said coupling means are defined by a pair of opposite upwardly diverging coupling slots formed in the bottom edge of said front flap proximate its bottom corners and a pair of coupling tabs each including an upwardly directed tongue integrally formed with and proximate the bottom front corner of each of said sideflaps and forwardly spaced from the front edge thereof.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein each of said tabs includes a bottom cross piece integrally joining the bottom of each of said tongues to a respective sideflap, the heights of said pieces being substantially equal to the lengths of said slots.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bottom edges of said sideflaps are rearwardly upwardly inclined.

5. The combination of claim 1 including a rear flap depending from the rear edge of said cover top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, and having side edges free of the rear edge of said sideflaps, said rear flap slideably engaging the inside face of said carton rear wall.

6. The display carton cover to claim 5 wherein said rear flap carn'es information on the rear face thereof.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said carton front wall is of lesser height than said carton rear wall and said cover rear flap is of lesser height than said cover front flap.

Claims

1. The combination including display carton cover and a carton, said carton cover being formed of a unitary blank and comprising an information bearing rectangular top panel, a front flap integrally formed with and depending from the front edge of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, a sideflap integrally formed with and depending from each side of said top panel and delineated therefrom by a fold line, the edges of said sideflaps proximate said front flap forming acute angles with corresponding side edges of said top panel, said front and sideflaps being provided with cooperating coupling means proximate their adjacent edges, and said front flap being inwardly foldable about said top panel front edge to form an acute angle with said top panel and said sideflaps being inwardly swingable to bring said front edges thereof into confronting relationship with the inner face of said front flap, said coupling means being interengagable to retain said front and sideflaps in said inwardly folded positions to form a locked display device wherein said top panel defines a display panel forming an acute angle with said front flap, and said carton being of rectangular transverse cross section of inside dimensions substantially equal to that of said top panel and including vertical front, rear and sidewalls, the outer faces of said cover front and sideflaps slideably engaging the inside faces of respective carton front and side walls.

6. The display carton cover to claim 5 wherein said rear flap carries information on the rear face thereof.