U.S. patent application number 12/145179 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-24 for convertible display carton.
Invention is credited to Thad Joseph Fisher, Arthur C. Teasdale.
Application Number | 20090314661 12/145179 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41430125 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090314661 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fisher; Thad Joseph ; et
al. |
December 24, 2009 |
CONVERTIBLE DISPLAY CARTON
Abstract
A display carton, convertible between a closed configuration and
an open display configuration, is used for storing and displaying a
packaged product therein. The display carton comprises a base
member and a lid member connected to the base member and foldable
into a built-in stand-up display or support system. The lid member
is folded back behind a bottom wall of the base and a front flap of
the lid containing a tab can be folded out to minimize the angle of
elevation of the carton, such that the contents therein cannot
slide or fall out. In the closed configuration, a fastener is
placed at a portion of the lower edge of the front flap, i.e., the
tab, and a portion of the bottom wall of the base member, such that
the adhesive spans two generally perpendicular surfaces for a
secure closure.
Inventors: |
Fisher; Thad Joseph; (De
Forest, WI) ; Teasdale; Arthur C.; (Sun Prairie,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITCH EVEN TABIN & FLANNERY
120 SOUTH LASALLE STREET, SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60603-3406
US
|
Family ID: |
41430125 |
Appl. No.: |
12/145179 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/45.21 ;
206/45.23; 206/736 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/6676 20130101;
B65D 5/5213 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/45.21 ;
206/45.23; 206/736 |
International
Class: |
B65D 5/52 20060101
B65D005/52; B65D 5/66 20060101 B65D005/66 |
Claims
1. A display carton convertible between a closed configuration and
an open display configuration, the display carton comprising: a
base having a bottom wall with two upstanding side walls, an
upstanding back end wall and an upstanding front end wall; a lid
connected to the back end wall along a primary hinge, the lid
having a top panel with a pair of opposing inclined side panels
depending therefrom along a portion of a pair of opposing side
edges of the lid and a front end flap depending from the top panel,
and a secondary hinge extending between the side edges of the lid,
the secondary hinge positioned on the top panel closer to the
primary hinge than to the front end flap of the lid and where the
distance between the primary and secondary hinge is generally the
same as a height of the back end wall of the base and the inclined
side panels extend along a portion of the side edges of the lid
between the front flap and the secondary hinge; and a tab
positioned along an edge portion of the front end flap opposite an
intersecting edge of the top panel and the front end flap, the
front end flap and tab together having a combined height that is
substantially the same as a height of the front end wall of the
base, where a height of the front end flap is less than the height
of the front end wall.
2. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the top panel of the
lid is divided into at least two segments by the secondary hinge, a
major segment and a minor segment, where a length of the major
segment is greater than a length of the minor segment, and the
minor segment is positioned between the primary and secondary
hinges.
3. The carton according to claim 1, wherein a fastener is
adhesively secured to a portion of the tab and a portion of the
bottom wall of the base when the carton is in a closed
configuration.
4. The carton according to claim 3, wherein the fastener is a piece
of tape.
5. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the
carton forms an angle of elevation with a display surface when
placed on the display surface in the open display configuration,
the angle of elevation is less than an inverse tangent of the
height of the front end wall divided by a length of the side panel
of the lid.
6. The carton according to claim 5, wherein the angle of elevation
is substantially equal to an inverse tangent of a height of the
front end flap divided by the length of the side panel.
7. The carton according to claim 5, wherein the angle of elevation
is between about 15 degrees and about 30 degrees.
8. The carton according to claim 2, wherein the major segment is
adjacent to a portion of the bottom wall of the base and the minor
segment is adjacent to the back end wall of the base when the
carton is in the open display configuration.
9. The carton according to claim 1, wherein a locking member on the
top panel of the lid mates with an opening segment on the bottom
wall of the base after the lid is folded back along the primary and
secondary hinges into the open display configuration.
10. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the front end flap of
the lid is adjacent to the front end wall of the base when in the
closed configuration and is generally perpendicular to the bottom
wall of the base when in the open display configuration.
11. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the tab is foldable
between a first position in substantially a same plane as the front
end flap and a second position that is at an angle to the front end
flap.
12. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the carton is
collapsible into a substantially flat orientation when it is
empty.
13. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the carton is filled
with a plurality of individually wrapped food products.
14. The carton according to claim 1, wherein the carton has a
length of about 4 to about 10 inches, a width of about 2 to about
61/2 inches and a height of about 11/2 to about 5 inches.
15. The carton according to claim 14, wherein the tab has a height
of about 0.5 inches to about 1 inch.
16. A method of converting a display carton between a closed
configuration to an open display configuration, the method
comprising: disabling a fastener extending between a tab of a front
panel and a generally perpendicular bottom wall of the carton;
pivoting a lid connected to a base of the display carton above a
primary hinge, the lid having a top panel with a pair of opposing
inclined side panels depending therefrom and a front end flap
depending from the top panel; pivoting a portion of the lid above a
secondary hinge extending between side edges of the lid and
positioned closer to the primary hinge than to the front end flap
of the lid to position the portion of the lid underneath a bottom
wall of the base of the display carton; and folding a tab
positioned along an edge portion of the front end flap of the lid,
where the display carton rests upon the intersection of the tab and
the front end flap.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the bottom wall of
the carton forms an angle of elevation with a display surface when
placed on the display surface in the open display configuration,
the angle of elevation being less than an inverse tangent of the
height of the front end wall divided by a length of the inclined
side panel of the lid.
18. The carton according to claim 17, wherein the angle of
elevation is substantially equal to an inverse tangent of a height
of the front end flap divided by the length of the inclined side
panel.
19. The method according to claim 16, further including locking the
base and the lid together while in the display configuration.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a display
carton, and more specifically to a display carton convertible
between a closed configuration and an open display
configuration.
BACKGROUND
[0002] It is common to ship a multitude of packaged products
together in a closed carton to a retailer, who can then open the
carton and remove the products therefrom or can open the carton top
in order to display the packaged products therein without removing
them from the carton. However, simply removing the lid of the
carton that the products were shipped in and placing the carton
flat on a display surface or counter can result in the contents of
the carton not being advantageously visible or displayed; such as
if the bottom of the carton were to be propped or positioned at an
upright angle for easier viewing. Therefore, shipping cartons are
available that can also double as a display carton, such that the
display carton can be angled when placed on a display surface.
[0003] For example, to prop the carton at a slight angle, the end
user can completely rip off or otherwise completely remove the lid
from the base of the carton and place the lid underneath the
carton, in an effort to prop up the carton and provide a support or
stand for the carton without requiring the end user to purchase or
make a separate stand. However, this requires the end user to
either cut, rip, or tear the lid off of the package to remove the
lid and can result in the lid and/or the base having an uneven
tear, which can give the carton an appearance that the carton is
damaged or torn; not aesthetically pleasing for a display carton.
Furthermore, the lid removed in this manner and simply placed
underneath the base of the carton may not provide a very sturdy
support, and the carton may slip or slide off the lid or simply
compact the lid due to the weight of the carton on it.
[0004] Another alternative, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 939,234
issued to Eickhorn, is to again utilize the lid as the stand or
support for the carton but to allow for the lid to remain attached
via a hinge to the remainder of the carton and to bend or fold the
lid underneath the carton to convert the lid into a stand or
support. For instance, the lid typically comprises a top panel and
a front flap that is at about 90 degrees to the top panel; thus,
the front flap and top panel can form a right angle. An advantage
of the right angle is that a fastener can be affixed partially to a
lowermost edge of the front flap and partially to a bottom panel of
the carton such that it is essentially placed around the bottom
corner of the carton in two planes. This technique of affixing the
fastener over two perpendicular surfaces, or two different planes
of the carton, provides added support for the fastener and aids in
keeping the carton securely closed.
[0005] When the lid is folded underneath the base of the carton,
the front flap of the lid is approximately the same height as the
height of the carton itself when in the closed position. Upon
opening the lid and folding it backwards underneath the base, the
front flap of the lid becomes the support point or wall for the
stand, thus resulting in an angle of incline for the display stand
that is a factor of the height of the front flap. This can be too
steep depending upon the depth of the carton. As a result of the
steep angle, the contents of the carton are more prone to slip or
slide out of the base of the carton, over the front panel of the
base and onto the display surface (or floor).
[0006] Alternatively, to compensate for the steep angle of
inclination of the display stand due to the full front flap height,
some cartons have been manufactured where the front flap is shorter
than the height of the carton, i.e., the front flap does not extend
all the way down along the side of the carton base when in the
closed position, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,324 issued to Stone et
al. Although this may result in a smaller angle of incline due to a
shorter front panel, it provides an obstacle to keeping the lid in
the closed position. In the instance where the front flap is
shorter, i.e., not equal to the full height of the carton, the
lowermost edge of the front flap does not reach or intersect the
bottom edge of the carton and thus the fastener can only be placed
in one plane or on one surface, i.e., on a portion of the front
flap of the lid and a portion of the front panel of the base
beneath it, thus making it easier for the fastener or adhesive to
come loose or undone and to prematurely open the lid due to the
fastener not being securely fastened upon two surfaces.
Additionally, where the front flap is shorter than the height of
the carton, the shorter front flap does not add to the stacking
strength of the assembled, closed carton. As a result, to
compensate for this lack of strength a heavier, more costly carton
material may be used to manufacture the carton.
[0007] As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,497,536, issued to Billstein,
and U.S. Pat. No. 2,294,965, issued to Davidson, another
alternative to the above carton is where not only the lid is folded
back as a support surface but a portion of a front or back end
panel of the base is also folded back with it. This either requires
a second carton piece, or blank, to be added to the carton during
manufacture to provide a replacement wall for the one being folded
back, as in U.S. Pat. No. 1,497,536, or where no additional blank
or piece is added, a wall of the carton would just be missing,
leaving behind a hole or gap in the side of the carton, as in U.S.
Pat. No. 2,294,965. Where a second blank is added to the carton it
provides for a secondary panel that remains intact when the lid
plus a primary panel, e.g., the front or back end panel that the
secondary panel will replace, are folded underneath the base. In
this case, an additional blank added to the construction of the
carton increases manufacturing costs and unnecessarily wastes extra
materials in order to duplicate carton walls. Where there is no
secondary back up panel, a part of the carton remains open at the
end where the wall was removed. In this second case, opening up the
carton on two surfaces, e.g., a top and side, results in two
openings in the carton, which creates another outlet out of which
the contents of the carton can fall or slide.
SUMMARY
[0008] A display carton convertible between a closed configuration
and an open display configuration, the display carton utilizing its
lid member as a stand-up display or support system in the display
configuration. The carton advantageously can have an angle of
inclination that is independent of the depth of the container, and
where the front of the lid intersects the bottom panel at
approximately a right angle to accommodate a fastener.
[0009] The display carton comprises a base member and a lid member
connected to the base member along a primary hinge. The base member
includes a bottom wall, a pair of upstanding side walls, a back end
wall and a front end wall that together form an inner compartment.
The lid member includes a top panel connected to the back end wall
along the primary hinge, a pair of opposing inclined side panels
and a front end flap. The front end flap has a tab or extension at
a lower edge portion of the flap, opposite the intersection of the
flap and the top panel, the tab being foldable along the lower edge
portion of the flap. The top panel of the lid further includes a
secondary hinge that divides the top panel into a major and minor
segment, with the minor segment located between the primary and
secondary hinge and being smaller in length than the major segment.
The lid is foldable along the primary and secondary hinges as well
as along the tab when forming the display stand of the carton.
[0010] The attached configuration of the lid to the base allows the
lid to be opened easily and converted into a display support
without cutting or tearing the lid and/or the carton and thus
allowing all of the walls of the base and lid to remain intact and
provide additional support to the packaged product therein. The
carton in the closed configuration and the carton in the open
display configuration is made up of one contiguous piece,
therefore, converting the carton from the closed to the open
display configuration does not require use of additional pieces or
fasteners in order to assemble the carton in the display
configuration. As a result of the tab being foldable along the
front end flap, the carton, when placed in the display
configuration, can be displayed at an angle of elevation that is
not as steep as typical display cartons, whose angle can be
dependent upon their depth.
[0011] In the closed configuration, the top panel of the lid covers
an opening in the base member, and the front flap and unfolded tab
of the lid contact the front end wall of the base such that the
front flap and tab lie relatively flush with the front end wall and
together are relatively the same height as the front end wall of
the base. This orientation allows for a fastener or adhesive to be
placed along the bottom edge of the carton formed by the front
flap/tab and bottom wall. The adhesive is essentially placed along
two perpendicular surfaces or planes of the carton, e.g., the front
flap/tab and the bottom wall of the base, thus providing a secure
closure for the carton. Furthermore, having the front of the lid
(i.e., the front flap and tab) intersecting the bottom wall can
also advantageously provide for increased stacking strength of the
carton in the closed configuration.
[0012] In the open display configuration, the fastener seal is
broken or removed and the lid member is removed from the opening in
the base and folded back around the back end wall of the base and
around the bottom wall to provide a partially attached stand-up
display support or stand for the carton. The lid member remains
attached to the carton at the primary hinge along the intersection
of the minor segment and an upper edge of the back end wall. This
allows the user to easily open the lid by lifting it up from the
opening in the base and folding the lid around the back end wall
along the primary hinge and further around the bottom wall by
folding along the secondary hinge. When the lid is folded into the
display position, the minor segment is relatively flush with the
back end wall and the major segment is relatively flush with a
portion of the bottom wall.
[0013] Additionally, the tab along the front end flap can be
foldable between two orientations; a first position that is in the
same plane as the front flap and a second position that is foldable
at an angle to the front flap. The tab can be kept in the first
position when the carton is in the closed configuration, and the
tab can be folded along the lower edge portion of the flap into the
second position, where the tab is at an angle to the front flap,
when the carton is converted to the open display configuration.
Placing the tab in the second position and resting the lid on the
folded tab together with the inclined side panels of the top panel,
provide for the display surface of the carton to be at a slight
angle when in the display configuration, which is a smaller angle
than if the carton would rest on the unfolded tab in the first
position. The angle of elevation of the display carton can
therefore be adjusted to not be as steep compared to typical
cartons when the lids are folded over in a similar manner and do
not have a foldable flap or tab. The tab feature attached to the
front flap allows for the lid to maintain a front panel portion
that is as high as the walls of the base when in the closed
configuration, i.e., where the front panel portion of the lid is
equal to the front flap plus the tab, yet allows the front panel
portion to be foldable so that the vertical support of the display
stand corresponds to the height of the front flap while the tab is
folded into the second position.
[0014] Additionally, the top panel of the lid and the bottom wall
of the base contain a locking member and an opening segment,
respectively, the former of which is insertable into the latter
when in the display configuration to secure the bottom wall of the
base to the lid/display stand. This creates a secure display
position that does not require additional fasteners or adhesives to
generally prevent the two from separating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display carton in a closed
configuration showing a lid covering the opening of the carton;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the display carton of
FIG. 1 in a partially open configuration;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the display carton of
FIG. 1 in an open display configuration;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of the display carton of
FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the display carton of
FIG. 4 along line 5-5;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the display carton of FIG. 1 in a
collapsed configuration; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the display carton of
FIG. 6 along lines 7-7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] A display carton convertible between a closed configuration
and an open display configuration, the display carton having a base
and a lid connected to the base, where the lid remains connected to
the base whether in the closed configuration or the open display
configuration, is disclosed herein and illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. In
particular, the display configuration comprises the lid folded back
underneath the base to provide a display support or stand for the
carton. The lid includes a front end flap having a tab positioned
along a portion of a lowermost edge of the front end flap. When in
the closed configuration, the tab is adjacent the bottom wall of
the carton and about 90 degrees thereto, such that a fastener can
secure the tab, and thus the lid, to the bottom wall. When in the
display configuration, the tab can be folded out of the way so that
the angle of the edge of the carton is less than if supported on
the tab.
[0023] Turning to FIG. 1, a display carton 10 is shown in the
closed configuration where the lid 14 can cover an opening in an
inner compartment 42 of the base 12. A front end panel 19,
comprised of the front flap 18 of the lid 14 and the tab 20, can
lie flush with a front end wall 40 of the base 12, such that the
lid 14 further covers the front end wall 40 with its front end
panel 19. The base 12 can comprise a bottom wall 38, a pair of
upstanding side walls 32, a back end wall 34 and a front end wall
40. The lid 14 of the display carton 10 is attached to the base 12
along a primary hinge 22, where the primary hinge 22 can be located
between the back end wall 34 and a top panel 16 of the lid 14. The
top panel 16 of the lid 14 can further include a pair of opposing
inclined side panels 30 and a front end flap 18. The front end flap
18 can further include a tab 20 at a lowermost edge portion 13 of
the front end flap 18. The tab 20 can be positioned opposite an
intersecting edge 11 of the top panel 16 and the front end flap 18.
The top panel 16 can further include a secondary hinge 24 that
extends between side edges 31 of the lid and where the secondary
hinge 24 can be positioned closer to the primary hinge 22 than to
the front end flap 18 of the lid 14.
[0024] The top panel 16 further includes a receiving member 46 and
the bottom wall 38 of the base 12 further includes a locking member
44 which mates with the receiving member 46 after the lid 14 is
folded back into an open display configuration, to be discussed in
more detail herein. Also located on a portion of the front end
panel 19 and at the bottom wall 38 of the base 12 may be a fastener
48 adhesively secured thereat that aids in keeping the lid 14
closed when the carton 10 is in a closed configuration. Any
fastener 48 that is typically used to secure packages and cartons
may be used, such as a piece of tape, as partially shown in FIG. 1.
Furthermore, having the front end panel 19 of the lid 14 equal to
the height of the carton 10 (i.e., where the front flap 18 plus the
tab 20 together equal the height of the carton 10) and intersecting
the bottom wall 38 can also advantageously provide for increased
stacking strength of the carton 10 when in the closed
configuration.
[0025] The secondary hinge 24 of the lid 14 is positioned such that
the distance between the primary hinge 22 and the secondary hinge
24 is generally the same distance as the height of the back end
wall 34 of the base 12. This is so that when the lid 14 is folded
back into the display configuration the distance between the
primary hinge 22 and secondary hinge 24 can line up with the height
of the back end wall 34 so the lid 14 can wrap around it and
continue around to the bottom wall 38. Additionally, the height of
the front end flap 18 and the height of the tab 20 together have a
combined height that can be substantially the same as the height of
the front end wall 40 of the base 12. For example, the height of
the front end flap 18 alone is less than the height of the front
end wall 40 of the base 12. Furthermore, the position of the side
panels 30 of the lid 14 is such that the side panels 30 typically
do not extend beyond the secondary hinge 24, or in particular, the
side panels 30 do not extend between the primary hinge 22 and the
secondary hinge 24. The angle of incline of the side panels 30 may
be about 15 degrees to about 30 degrees, and preferably is about 20
degrees, although other angles of inclination can be utilized.
Additionally, the secondary hinge 24 divides the top panel 16 into
a major segment 28 and a minor segment 26, with the minor segment
26 extending between the primary hinge 22 and the secondary hinge
24. The length of the minor segment 26 is generally equal to the
height of the back end wall 34 and the length of the major segment
28 is at least equal to half the length of the bottom wall 38 of
the base. The length of the side panels 30 depending from the lid
14 typically have a length that is not greater than the length of
the major segment 28, such that the side panels 30 can be as long
as the major segment 28 or less.
[0026] When the display carton 10 is placed in, or being placed in,
the open display configuration as shown in FIGS. 2-5, the fastener
seal is broken and the lid 14 can be removed from the opening in
the base 12 and can be folded back along the primary hinge 22 over
the back end wall 34 until the minor segment 26 lays relatively
flush with, or adjacent to, the back end wall 34 and can be further
folded along the secondary hinge 24 until the major segment 28 lays
relatively flush with, or adjacent to, a portion of the bottom wall
38. Once placed in this position, the locking member 46 can be
inserted into the opening segment 44 in the bottom wall 38 to lock
the bottom wall 38 and the top panel 16 of the lid 14 together. In
one aspect, the locking member 46 may comprise a tab located in a
portion of the top panel 16 of the lid 14, where the tab can be
relatively symmetric and has at least one free end, and in
particular, at least three free ends such that the locking member
tab is moveable about a hinge. In one aspect, the locking member 46
may comprise a triangular-shaped cut-out that has slits cut therein
on at least three sides. Preferably, the locking member 46 is
substantially wider than the opening segment 44, such that it
actually becomes locked in place when its wider edges become lodged
within the opening segment 44. In this aspect, the wider edge
portions or corners of the locking member 46 are positioned through
the opening segment 44 and into the interior section of the carton
10.
[0027] The locking member 46 may be pressed into the opening
segment 44 when the bottom wall 38 is placed in contact with the
top panel 16 in the display configuration. Typically, the interior
of the carton 10 will be filled with a packaged product and
therefore it can be difficult for a user to do the reverse upon
locking, i.e., to press the opening segment flap 44 into the
locking member 46. Thus, inserting the locking member 46 into the
opening segment 44 is preferred. The opening segment 44 can further
have a flap moveable about a hinge 50 to expose the opening segment
44 in the bottom wall 38. The locking member 46 in the top panel 16
may be pressed into the opening segment 44 by applying pressure
thereto in a direction towards the interior of the carton 10, such
as in a direction perpendicular to the top panel 16. This force can
push the locking member 46 into the opening segment 44. The opening
segment 44 may comprise any type of cut or slit shaped to receive
the locking member 46 and, for example, the opening segment 44 can
be relatively symmetric. In another aspect, the opening segment 44
may be a square or rectangular shaped opening. Where a moveable
flap is included, the shape of the flap may compliment the shape of
the opening segment 44 and can have one end connected to the hinge
50.
[0028] Additionally, to mount the carton 10 in its display
configuration at a proper angle of elevation, the tab 20 located at
an edge portion 13 of the flap 18 can be folded into a second
position such that it can be used as an additional support
structure in displaying the carton 10. The angle of elevation
.alpha., is the angle formed between the bottom wall 38 of the
carton 10 with the display surface underneath the carton 10 (e.g.,
a shelf, counter, table, floor, etc.). In the open display
configuration, the base 12 of the carton 10 is supported by the top
surface of the folded top panel 16 of the lid 14, where an edge of
the base 12 defined by the intersection of the back end wall 34 and
the bottom wall 38, rests in a corner of the display support formed
by the intersection of the folded minor and major segments 26 and
28 at a 90 degree angle to each other. The display support, i.e.,
the lid 14, can be supported upon a bottom edge 29 of the side
panels 30 and upon the front flap 18 and tab 20, where the bottom
edge 29 is a part of the side panels 30 that does not intersect
with any other portion of the lid 14.
[0029] In the display configuration, the tab 20 is folded into its
second position such that the carton 10 is supported upon the top
surface of the lid 14 and a bottom edge 13 of the front flap 18,
which is along the fold line 36 of the tab 20, and the tab 20
itself. As a result, the carton 10 is displayed at an angle of
elevation that corresponds to the angle of inclination of the
bottom edge 29 of the side panels 30 of the lid 14, typically at an
angle of elevation from about 15 degrees to about 30 degrees. This
angle of elevation is generally less than the angle created when
the tab 20 of the front flap 18 is located in the first position,
for example, where the lid 14 would become supported on a bottom
edge 21 of the tab 20 if it were not placed in the second position.
The angle of elevation, .alpha., in the open display configuration
can be equal to the inverse tangent of the height, h, of the front
flap 18 divided by the length, l, of the bottom edge 29 of the side
panels 30. Generally, this angle, .alpha., will be less than the
inverse tangent of the height of the front end walls 40 divided by
the length, l, of the bottom edge 29 of the side panels 30.
[0030] For example, the equation for calculating the angle of
elevation, .alpha., is equal to .alpha.=tan.sup.-1 h/l, where h is
equal to the height of the front flap 18 and l is the length of the
bottom edge 29 of the side panels 30. This is obtained from the
equation of a tangent, tan .alpha.=h/l, and simply solving for
.alpha.. Similarly, the angle of elevation, .alpha., is less than
.alpha.=tan.sup.-1 h.sub.2/l, where h.sub.2 is equal to the height
of the front end wall 40 of the base 12 as well as the combined
height of the front end flap 18 and the tab 20.
[0031] When the display carton 10 is not being used to store or
display its contents, the display carton 10 can be foldable, e.g.,
collapsible, into a flat orientation. The base 12 can fold in at
its four corners such that it collapses into a first section;
likewise, the lid 14 can be foldable at a pair of corners created
by the intersection of the side panels 30 with the front flap 18
creating a second section. The collapsed lid 14 or second section
may then be folded over the collapsed base 12 or first section
along the primary hinge 22 into a flat, generally rectangular
orientation, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
[0032] A method of opening the display carton 10 and converting it
from a closed configuration to an open display configuration is
depicted in FIGS. 1-3. Prior to the display carton 10 being closed
and shipped to its final destination, an interior compartment 42 of
the base 12 is filled with a product that is packaged, and
preferably with a packaged food product. Once the packaged food
product is placed into the interior compartment 42, the lid 14 is
placed over the opening to close the interior 42. In this
configuration, the front flap 18 along with the tab 20 extended in
the first position are both placed relatively flush with the front
end wall 40. A fastener 48 can be adhesively placed on the carton
such that it generally overlaps a portion of the tab 20 and a
portion of the bottom wall 38 of the base 12, such that it spans
surfaces in two different planes; generally, the fastener 48 is
placed over the two surfaces at a right angle. A circular tape or
adhesive can be used as the fastener 48 and can be placed in
generally a middle section of the tab 20 and bottom wall 38. The
tape or adhesive 48 can be about one inch in diameter, or can be
larger or smaller. When the carton 10 is received at its final
destination and an end user wishes to open the carton 10, the seal
created by the fastener 48 can be broken and the lid 14 can then be
folded back along the primary hinge 22 to reveal the contents of
the interior compartment 42 of the base 12.
[0033] In order to convert the display carton 10 to its open
display configuration, the lid 14 is further folded back along its
secondary hinge 24, such that the minor segment 26 is parallel to
and contacts the back end wall 34 of the base 12 and the major
segment 28 of the top panel 16 is parallel to and contacts a
portion of the bottom wall 38 of the base 12. In order for the lid
14 and base 12 to remain in this position, the locking member 44
needs to be activated by pushing the locking member 44 into the
receiving member 46, such that the carton 10 can be locked into the
display configuration. The tab portion 20 may also be adjusted to
its second position so that the display carton 10 rests at an angle
of elevation which is relatively equal to the angle of inclination,
.alpha., of the side panels 30.
[0034] The material of construction of the display carton 10 can
comprise any type of paperboard, cardboard or paper type material
typically used. The interior 42 of the carton 10 may be filled with
any type of packaged foods or non-food products that an end user
may wish to display in its original shipping carton 10. Typical
food products may include individually wrapped cheese, meats,
candies, and other foods. The fastener 48 used to keep the lid 14
closed over the base 12 may comprise a tape or any other common
adhesive member.
[0035] The dimension of the display carton 10 may be sized relative
to the food product or package therein and therefore may comprise
any size that can hold the product therein. For example, the
display carton base 12 may have a length between about 4 inches to
about 10 inches long, a width that ranges from about 2 inches up to
about 61/2 inches wide, and the base may have a height between
about 11/2 inches up to about 5 inches high. In one aspect, the
display carton base 12 may have a length of about 63/4 inches, a
width of about 41/2 inches and a height of about 21/2 inches. The
minor segment 26 of the top panel 16 can be sized to generally
equal the height of the base section 12; the length of the major
segment 28 may vary and typically would comprise the remaining
length of the top panel 16. For instance, where the minor segment
26 has a length of approximately 21/2 inches, the major segment 28
may have a length of about 41/4 inches, such that the total length
of the top panel 16 can be about 6 3/4 inches long, or equivalent
to the length of the bottom wall 38 of the base 12. The side panels
30 of the lid 14 can have a maximum length that is as long as the
length of the major segment 28 of the top panel 16. However, the
side panel 30 preferably should not have a length longer than the
major segment 28 so that it does not extend beyond the secondary
hinge 24, e.g., an end point of the side panel 30 does not extend
between the primary hinge 22 and the secondary hinge 24 (e.g., into
the minor segment 26). Alternatively, the side panel 30 may have a
length that is shorter than the length of the major segment 28.
[0036] In another aspect, where the height of the display carton 10
is approximately 21/2 inches, the front flap 18 can have a height
that is less than the height of the display carton 10, such as a
height of about 13/4 inches. In that aspect, the tab 20 would then
have a height of approximately 3/4 inches such that the combined
height of the front flap 18 with the tab 20 can be approximately
equivalent to the overall height of the display carton 10, or
approximately 21/2 inches. The front flap 18 can have a height from
about 1 inch to about 21/2 inches, and the tab 20 can have a height
from about 0.1 inches to about 11/2 inches.
[0037] The height of the front end flap 18 can further be sized
according to the desired angle of elevation, .alpha.. For example,
if an angle of elevation is selected to equal about 22 degrees, and
the length of the bottom edge 29 of the side panels 30 is about
41/4 inches, then the tangent can be calculated and solved for the
height of the front flap 18, and subsequently the tab 20.
Determining the heights in this manner ensures that when the tab 20
is folded into the second position, the display support can rest
relatively level upon the bottom edge 29 of the side panels 30 and
the front flap 18. In this aspect, the tangent of 22 degrees is
calculated and is found to be equivalent to about 0.404. Solving
the equation tan .alpha.=h/l, for the height, h, yields the
following equation, h=(tan .alpha.)/l, which 0.404 equals
0.404/41/4 or about 1.7 inches. Therefore, the height of the front
end flap 18 can be about 1.7 inches to result in the desired angle
of elevation. The height of the tab 20 can then be determined by
the height of the base 12, and in particular, the height of the
front end wall 40. Thus, where the height of the base 12 is about
21/2 inches, the height of the tab 20 must be tall enough that when
combined with the height of the front end flap 18 the result is
equal to the overall height of the base 12. In this aspect, the
height of the tab 20 is about 0.8 inches high so that when in the
first position the combination of the height of the tab 20 and the
height of the front end flap 18 equals 21/2 inches (e.g.,
0.8+1.7=2.5 inches). Likewise, other angles and lengths of the
bottom edge 29 of the side panel 30 will require different heights
of the front end flap 18 and tab 20.
[0038] Turning to the locking mechanism, and in particular, to the
receiving member 46, the receiving member 46 can be shaped
asymmetrically or symmetrically. In one aspect, the receiving
member 46 can have a wide edge portion at one end and a narrow edge
portion at the opposite end such that the wide edge portion has a
slit along its edge perimeter and along two opposing side edge
portions, and the narrow edge portion remains attached to the top
panel 16 of the lid 14 and may optionally contain a score line. The
wide edge portion of the receiving member 46 may be approximately
11/8 inches long and the narrow edge portion may be approximately
7/8 inches long such that the entire width of the piece is about
3/8 inches wide with slanted side edge portions. The shape of the
receiving member 46 may comprise any shape, such as a parallelogram
shape. The locking member 44 located on the bottom wall 38 of the
base 12 may have three cut-out portions or slits along three of its
edges where the fourth edge remains attached to the bottom wall 38
of the base 12, and also may optionally contain a score line. The
locking member 44 is relatively symmetrical and may have any shape,
and preferably, the locking member 44 has a rectangular or square
shape. The locking member 44 may be about 1/2 inch wide and about 1
inch long.
[0039] In another aspect, the outside surface of the display carton
may contain graphics, text, labels, and the like that can identify
the product being stored and display therein.
[0040] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated a display carton
convertible between a closed configuration and an open display
configuration is provided such that numerous modifications and
variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art
without departing from the scope of the carton set forth in the
claims. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to the aspects and
embodiments described hereinabove, or to any particular
embodiments. Various modifications to the display carton can result
in substantially the same carton.
* * * * *