U.S. patent application number 10/889576 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-12 for shipping and display carton.
Invention is credited to David J. Funk.
Application Number | 20060006096 10/889576 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35540195 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060006096 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Funk; David J. |
January 12, 2006 |
Shipping and display carton
Abstract
An improved shipping and display carton (94) is provided which
includes strategically located perforation lines (74-84) permitting
removal of portions of the carton (94) to create a dual display.
The side-by-side sections (96, 98) of the carton (94) may be
individually used by manual separation thereof along a perforation
line (40). The carton (94) is preferably fabricated using a preform
(86), the latter produced using a unitary sheet blank (10).
Inventors: |
Funk; David J.;
(Nortonville, KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Hovey Williams LLP;Suite 400
2405 Grand Blvd.
Kansas City
MO
64108
US
|
Family ID: |
35540195 |
Appl. No.: |
10/889576 |
Filed: |
July 12, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/746 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/48014 20130101;
B65D 5/5253 20130101; B65D 5/0227 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/746 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/22 20060101
B65D001/22 |
Claims
1. A carton blank comprising a sheet of material presenting a
series of interconnected sections each having opposed margins, said
series of sections including a first glue segment, a first central
vertical divider wall, a first top wall, a first outer sidewall, a
first bottom wall, a second bottom wall, a second outer sidewall, a
second top wall, a second central vertical divider wall, and a
second glue segment, said first top wall, first outer sidewall,
first bottom wall, second bottom wall, second outer sidewall, and
second top wall having opposed closure flaps connected thereto
along fold lines which define said opposed margins thereof, said
first and second center vertical divider walls, and said first and
second outer sidewalls, each having an oblique perforation line
extending from one margin thereof toward the other margin thereof
and terminating at a point spaced from said other margin, said
first and second top walls each having a perforation line extending
between and interconnecting the adjacent ends of said oblique
perforation lines, there being a perforation line between said
first and second bottom walls and the closure flaps connected to
the first and second bottom walls.
2. The blank of claim 1, there being a perforation line formed in
one of the closure flaps of each of said first and second outer
sidewalls, each of said closure flap perforation lines extending
from the end of the corresponding oblique perforation line at said
one margin, and permitting separation of the one closure flaps into
two sections.
3. The blank of claim 1, said sheet of material being formed of
Kraft paper.
4. The blank of claim 1, said first and second glue segments each
having an auxiliary glue flap extending from a margin thereof and
connected to the corresponding glue segment along a fold line.
5. A carton preform comprising a sheet of material presenting a
bottom portion and first and second opposed top portions connected
to said bottom portion, said bottom portion presenting a series of
interconnected sections each having opposed margins, said series of
sections of said bottom portion including a first outer sidewall, a
first bottom wall, a second bottom wall and a second outer
sidewall, said first and second top portions each including a
corresponding series of interconnected sections each having opposed
margins, said first top portion connected to said first outer
sidewall at a point remote from said first bottom wall and
including a first top wall, a first center vertical divider wall,
and a first glue segment, said second top portion connected to said
second outer sidewall at a point remote from said second bottom
wall and including a second top wall, a second center vertical
divider wall, and a second glue segment, said first and second
portions folded over said bottom portion with the first and second
glue segments folded against the corresponding first and second
center vertical divider walls and glued to the corresponding first
and second bottom walls, there being opposed closure flaps
connected to said segments forming said bottom portion along the
margins thereof, and to the first and second top walls of said
first and second portions.
6. The carton preform of claim 5, there being first and second
auxiliary glue flaps extending upwardly from the top margin of the
corresponding first and second glued segments, said glue flaps
being glued to the adjacent closure flaps of said first and second
bottom walls.
7. The carton preform of claim 5, segments of said first center
vertical divider wall, first top flap and first outer sidewall, and
segments of said second vertical divider wall, second top flap and
second outer sidewall, being removable.
8. The carton preform of claim 7, said segments being defined by
perforations lines.
9. The carton preform of claim 8, said first and second center
vertical divider walls, and said first and second outer sidewalls,
each having an oblique perforation line extending from one margin
thereof toward the other margin thereof and terminating at a point
spaced from said other margin, said first and second top walls each
having a perforation line extending between and interconnecting the
adjacent ends of said oblique perforation lines.
10. The carton preform of claim 5, there being a perforation line
between said first and second bottom walls and the closure flaps
connected to the first and second bottom walls
11. The carton preform of claim 5, said sheet of material being
formed of Kraft paper.
12. A combination shipping and display carton comprising a first
and second side-by-side cartons each presenting a bottom wall, an
outer sidewall, a center vertical divider wall, a top wall, and
front and back closure flaps secured to said first and second
bottom walls and to said first and second outer sidewalls, portions
of said top walls, outer sidewalls, center vertical divider walls
and said front and back closure flaps being interconnected to the
corresponding walls and flaps by perforation lines, said portions
being removable along said perforation lines whereby each of said
cartons can serve as a display, said center vertical divider walls
being adhesively secured together but manually separable from each
other, there being a perforation line between said bottom walls
permitting full separation of said first and second cartons.
13. The combination shipping and display carton of claim 12, said
perforation line between said bottom walls extending through and
interconnecting the front and back closure flaps secured to said
first and second bottom walls.
14. The combination shipping and display carton of claim 12, said
first and second center vertical divider walls, and said first and
second outer sidewalls, each having an oblique perforation line
extending from one margin thereof toward the other margin thereof
and terminating at a point spaced from said other margin, said
first and second top walls each having a perforation line extending
between and interconnecting the adjacent ends of said oblique
perforation lines.
15. The combination shipping and display carton of claim 12, said
carton formed of Kraft paper.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is broadly concerned with a simplified
combination shipping and display carton which can be used as a
conventional carton for shipping and storage purposes, but which
can be readily altered so as to create a display carton, all
without the necessity of removal of any merchandise from the
carton. More particularly, the invention is concerned with such
shipping and display cartons, as well as carton blanks and preforms
used in the fabrication of the final cartons, wherein the cartons
include a plurality of side-by-side but separable carton sections
each of which can be used as an individual display.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] A bewildering variety of shipping boxes and cartons have
been produced in the past. Most commonly, these items are
fabricated from paper or cardboard, and have been designed to meet
both general and specialized needs of shippers. Box suppliers
usually provide box blanks to their customers, which can be
appropriately folded and glued on-site to form a complete shipping
box or carton.
[0005] Traditionally, retail outlets receiving boxed merchandise
open the boxes and remove and shelve the merchandise therein. This
is time and labor-intensive, however, and moreover creates a waste
problem because of the large number of discarded boxes. One
expedient adopted by some retailers is to use a box cutter to cut
upper portions of a shipping container, and to use the remainder as
a merchandise holder or display. For example, a typical rectangular
box may be cut all the way around leaving only the bottom wall and
a short upstanding continuous sidewall. However, this practice is
objectionable because the remainder of the box used for display
purposes is normally unsightly. Also, the merchandise within the
box may be damaged when the box is cut.
[0006] Combination cartons which can serve as both a shipping
carton and as a display have been proposed in the past. However,
these have generally been nothing more than a conventional box or
carton with perforation lines to facilitate alteration of the
carton for display purposes. As such, these combination cartons
lack the flexibility of use which many retailers may desire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above
and provides an improved combination shipping and display carton
usually but not necessarily formed of Kraft paper. The overall
carton comprises first and second side-by-side cartons each
presenting a bottom wall, an outer sidewall, a center vertical
divider wall, a top wall, and front and back closure flaps secured
to said first and second bottom walls and to said first and second
outer sidewalls. Additionally, portions of the top walls, outer
sidewalls, center vertical divider walls and the front and back
closure flaps are interconnected to the corresponding walls and
flaps by perforation lines. This renders these portions removable
along the perforation lines, whereby each of the cartons can serve
as a display. Additionally, the center vertical divider walls are
adhesively secured together but manually separable from each other;
to this end, a perforation line is provided between said bottom
walls permitting full separation of said first and second
cartons.
[0008] Preferably, the carton separation perforation line is
located between the bottom walls of the respective juxtaposed
cartons, and extends through and interconnects the front and back
closure flaps secured to the first and second bottom walls.
[0009] In order to facilitate modification of the carton for
display purposes, the first and second center vertical divider
walls and the first and second outer sidewalls each have an oblique
perforation line extending from one margin thereof toward the other
margin thereof and terminate at a point spaced from the other
margin. Also, the first and second top walls each have a
perforation line extending between and interconnecting the adjacent
ends of the oblique perforation lines.
[0010] The carton of the invention is preferably fabricated from a
blank comprising a sheet of material presenting a series of
interconnected sections each having opposed margins. Preferably,
the sections include a first glue segment, a first central vertical
divider wall, a first top wall, a first outer sidewall, a first
bottom wall, a second bottom wall, a second outer sidewall, a
second top wall, a second central vertical divider wall, and a
second glue segment. The first top wall, first outer sidewall,
first bottom wall, second bottom wall, second outer sidewall, and
second top wall have opposed closure flaps connected thereto along
fold lines which define the opposed margins of the corresponding
sections. The first and second center vertical divider walls, the
first and second outer sidewalls, and the first and second top
walls each have the perforation lines described above. Moreover,
the blank has a central perforation line between the first and
second bottom walls.
[0011] The carton blanks may be shipped as is to an end user.
However, in preferred practice, the blank is used to fabricate a
carton preform which can be more readily employed by the end user
to create the final desired carton. Such a preform comprises a
sheet of material presenting a bottom portion and first and second
opposed top portions connected to the bottom portion. The bottom
portion presents a series of interconnected sections each having
opposed margins; the bottom portion sections include a first outer
sidewall, a first bottom wall, a second bottom wall and a second
outer sidewall. The first and second top portions each have a
corresponding series of interconnected sections each having opposed
margins. The first top portion is connected to the first outer
sidewall at a point remote from the first bottom wall and includes
a first top wall, a first center vertical divider wall, and a first
glue segment. Similarly, the second top portion is connected to the
second outer sidewall at a point remote from the second bottom wall
and has a second top wall, a second center vertical divider wall,
and a second glue segment. The first and second portions are folded
over the bottom portion, with the first and second glue segments
folded against the corresponding first and second center vertical
divider walls and glued to the adjacent first and second bottom
walls. In the use of such a preform, it is only necessary to fold
and glue the center vertical divider walls together, followed by
gluing together of the carton flaps.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred carton blank used in
fabricating the cartons of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carton preform fabricated using
the blank of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preform of FIG. 2, shown
during initial stages of carton fabrication using the preform;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 3, but
showing the next stage of carton fabrication;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a completed carton in
accordance with the invention and showing the bottom and one
sidewall of the carton;
[0017] FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the completed carton,
depicting the top and other sidewall thereof;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the preferred carton of the
invention, shown when used as a dual-carton display; and
[0019] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the separation of
the dual display cartons to form individual display cartons.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a carton
blank 10 fabricated from a single, unitary piece of Kraft
paperboard. The blank 10 presents a series of sections including,
in order from left to right, a first glue segment 12, a first
central vertical divider wall 14, a first top wall 16, a first
outer sidewall 18, a first bottom wall 20, a second bottom wall 22,
a second outer sidewall 24, a second top wall 26, a second central
vertical divider wall 28, and second glue segment 30. Each of the
sections 12-30 has an upper and a lower margin referred to by
reference letters "a" and "b" respectively; as shown, the upper and
lower margins for the sections 16-26 are in the form of fold lines.
In addition, it will be seen that the sections are interconnected
by essentially mutually parallel fold lines 32-38, central
perforation line 40, and fold lines 42-48.
[0021] The top wall 16, first outer sidewall 18, first bottom wall
20, second bottom wall 22, second outer sidewall 24 and second top
wall 26 each have opposed and closure flaps, namely, in order from
left to right in FIG. 1, flaps 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66,
68 and 70, 72. The respective flaps 50-72 are connected to the
associated blank sections by the mutually parallel fold lines 16a,
16b, 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b, 24a, 24b, 26a, and 26b. Finally,
it will be seen that the first and second glue segments 12 and 30
have upwardly extending auxiliary glue flaps 73 which are connected
to the associated segments via fold lines 73a.
[0022] The blank 10 also has a number of perforation lines,
including the previously mentioned line 40 which extends the full
height of the blank and defines a separation line between the
bottom walls 20 and 22, flaps 58 and 62, and flaps 62,64. Moreover,
the first and second central vertical divider walls 14 and 28 each
have an oblique perforation line 74, 76 which extends from the
upper margin 14a, 28a downwardly toward the lower margin 14b, 28b,
and terminating above the latter. The first and second top walls
16, 26 also have a perforation line 78, 80 which is substantially
parallel with the corresponding margin 16b, 26b and extends from
the end of the corresponding line 74 or 76 the full width of the
wall. Finally, the first and second outer sidewalls 18, 24 have an
oblique perforation line 82, 84 which extends upwardly from the
associated lines 78 or 80 to the upper margin 18a, 24a. It will
also be observed that this perforation line extends vertically
upwardly through the closure flaps 54, 62, so as to divide the
latter into two flap sections 54a, 54b and 66a, 66b.
[0023] The blank 10 may be manufactured and sold as is, but more
preferably is used to fabricate a carton preform 86 depicted in
FIGS. 2 and 3. The preform has a bottom portion 88 as well as first
and second opposed top portions 90, 92 connected to and folded over
the bottom portion 88. The bottom portion is made up of first outer
sidewall 18, first bottom wall 20, second bottom wall 22 and second
outer sidewall 24, together associated with the closure flaps. The
first top portion 90 is folded over along fold line 36 and has
first top wall 16, first central vertical divider wall 14 and first
glue segment 12. In like manner, the second top portion 92 is
folded over bottom portion 88 along fold line 44 and has second top
wall 26, second vertical divider wall 28 and second glue segment
30. In order to complete the preform 86, the glue segments 12 and
30 are folded back upon the adjacent center vertical divider walls
14 and 28 in a face-to-face relationship. Then, the surfaces of the
glue segments 12 and 30, and the surfaces of the auxiliary glue
flaps 73, remote from the center vertical divider walls 14 and 28
are glued to the first and second bottom walls 20, 22, and to the
flaps 58, 62 thereof, so that the perforation fold line 40 is
between the glued segments and flaps. This relationship is best
seen in FIG. 3.
[0024] The carton preform 86 can readily be used to form a complete
combination shipping and display carton 94 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
In the first step shown in FIG. 3, the portions 90 and 92 are
folded toward each other about the fold lines 38, 42 until the
first and second center vertical divider walls 14 and 28 come into
close, face-to-face relationship. During or prior to this folding
step, a small amount of glue is applied to one of the center
divider walls below the perforation lines 72, 76 so that, when the
divider walls are pressed together, the preform assumes the
configuration of FIG. 4. That is, the preform in this condition
presents a pair of side-by-side sections 96 and 98.
[0025] In order to complete the carton 94 it is only necessary to
fold the closure flaps inwardly upon each other with appropriate
application of glue. In practice, the flaps 56 and 68 are folded
inwardly, whereupon flaps 56, 62 and 60, 64 are folded atop the
flaps 56 and 68 and glued thereto. This forms a back wall 100 for
the carton (FIG. 5). At this point the carton 94 presents a pair of
open sections 96, 98 adapted to receive any suitable merchandise.
These sections are filled, and the carton is closed by folding
inwardly the flaps 66a, 66b and 54a, 54b, followed by application
of glue and folding flaps 50 and 70 and 58 and 62 atop the flaps
66a, 66b and 54a, 54b. This creates a front wall 102 and the
finishes the carton 94.
[0026] The merchandise can then be shipped within the carton 94 in
the usual manner. If it is desired to use the carton 94 for display
purposes, it is only necessary to remove the portions of the first
and second top walls 16, 26, first outer sidewalls 18, 24, first
and second central vertical divider walls 14, 28 and the flap
sections 54a, 66a from the carton, so that the carton assumes the
configuration of FIG. 7. Such portion removal is accomplished by
manually grasping the portions of the carton defined by perforation
lines 74, 76, 78, 80 and 82, and to manually detach these portions
from the remainder of the carton.
[0027] It is also possible to separate the two sections 6, 98 of
the carton 94 so that each may be used as a separate display
container, such as depicted in FIG. 8. This involves merely
manually tearing along the perforation line 40 throughout the
extent of the bottom walls 20, 22, and to also separate the flaps
58, 62 and 60, 64.
[0028] While the carton 94 of the invention may be fabricated from
Kraft or similar paper, the invention is not so limited. In some
instances, the carton may be produced using white or other colored
stock, with advertising or other printing thereon. For example, the
outer faces of the flaps 58, 62 may bear such printing.
* * * * *