Tube display carton

Abstract

A carton for storing and displaying squeeze tubes, made from foldable paperboard or other sheet-like material having a transverse cut across the upper end of the front panel with the lower section formed into two shadow panels with an opening in the middle to receive a squeeze tube. At the lower end of the opening are secondary shadow panels at a second angle and flaps at the bottom of the opening which are hinged to fold inwardly and frictionally engage and retain the cap in position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to cartons adapted for storing and displaying squeeze tubes and more particularly to cartons having means for retaining the squeeze tube in position in a display opening within the carton.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Deformable plastic tubes for use by consumers are presently shipped and displayed in a variety of paperboard shadow boxes which allow the consumer to see at least one side of the squeeze tube and facilitate removal of the tube from the carton. The present invention is directed to improvements in such cartons for displaying squeeze tubes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A carton for use with deformable dispensing tubes with a transversal opening cut in the front panel to form an upper retaining section, a lower section divided into two shadow panels, and a cap restraining section located at the bottom of the opening, the cap restraining section having inwardly foldable flaps which frictionally engage each side of the cap to hold it in position in the carton.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton embodying the present invention containing a squeeze tube;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the carton and tube shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational section view of the carton and tube shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along section line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view in section taken along section lines 4--4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view taken along section lines 5--5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a blank adapted to be folded into a carton embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As seen in FIG. 1, the package consists of a carton 10 which is particularly adapted to hold a display tube 11 which has fitted on one end thereof a cap 12. The blank shown in FIG. 6 is typical of the blank from which such a carton may be made, and is normally fabricated from foldable paperboard or similar sheet-like material and includes a back panel 20, side panels 22 and 23, and any of the conventional means for closing the carton such as a manufacture's glue flap 25. A front panel shown generally as 30 completes the panel array and will be described in more detail later. The top of the carton is closed by conventional closing flaps, and as shown include a main top flap 40 hingedly connected along the fold line 41 to the back panel 20 and is formed in size substantially equal to the area of the top end of the carton 10. A tuck-in flap 42 is hingedly attached to the top of the flap 40 on fold line 43 and additional closure flaps 44 and 45 are hingedly attached along fold line 41 to the side panels 22 and 23 respectively, which may be folded together to affect a complete closure.

The front panel of the carton 30 is divided into upper and lower sections numbered 30a and 30b by a transverse cut line 31 which extends horizontally across the front panel 30 and into the side panels 22 and 23 in order to form a pair of inwardly movable shadow panels 32 and 33 on either lateral side of the lower section 30b. It can be seen in FIG. 6 that the respective panels of the carton are joined by vertical hinge lines 50, 51, 52 and 53 which allow the blank to be folded into a tubular relationship. Vertical fold lines 52 and 53 also provide the inwardly movable shadow panels in the front panel 30b with the ability to move inwardly since the transverse line cut 31 extends into the side panels 22 or 23, which line cut may include downwardly extending portions 31a.

The shadow panels 32 and 33 are connected by a fold line 46 which is positioned above an opening for receiving the squeeze tube which can be seen as 60 and is formed in the front panel in such a manner that it extends downwardly to the bottom edge of the front panel. In the particular embodiment shown there are small extensions of the shadow panels 32 and 33 which are shown as 32a and 33a which extend into the opening 60 but which are separated by a line cut 61 and may therefore move apart when the shadow panels 32 and 33 are flexed inwardly to receive the tube 11. The extensions 32a and 33a are connected along fold lines 35 and 36.

Toward the lower end of the front panel 30 are formed secondary generally triangular shadow panels 70 and 71 and are defined by angled score lines 72 and 73 in the shadow panels 32 and 33 and also are hingedly attached along the bottom fold line 75. These panels flex inwardly along with the shadow panels 32 and 33 when the tube 11 is inserted, but they do so at a different angle than the shadow panels 32 and 33, and therefore enhance the framing effect of the carton 10.

Attached to the bottom of the front panel 30 along the hinge line 75 is a first bottom closure flap 80 which substantially covers the bottom end of the carton 10 in its final folded position and which has a tuck-in flap 81 attached along the hinge line 82 which, in conjunction with the bottom closure flaps extending from the side panels shown as 85 and 86 provide an effective closure carton.

At the bottom of the opening 68 a pair of hingedly connected cap retaining flaps are provided on each side of the opening 60. A first flap 90 is foldably connected to the generally triangular shadow panels 70 along a fold line 91 while a similar first flap 92 is connected to the opposite generally triangular panel 71 along a fold line 93. The fold lines 91 and 93 are generally aligned with the sides of the opening 60. A second flap 94 is hingedly connected to the bottom closure flap 80 along a fold line 95, and a similar second flap 96 is foldably connected to the bottom closure flap 80 along a fold line 97. The fold lines 95 and 97 are angularly related as shown in FIG. 6 to form a shallow V-shaped notch in the bottom closure flap 80. The second flaps 94 and 96 are separated along a central cut line 98. The first and second flaps 90 and 94 are hingedly connected by an upwardly and inwardly extending diagonal fold line 99, and the first and second flaps 92 and 96 are similarly connected by an upwardly and inwardly extending diagonal fold line 100.

The cap retaining flaps described are an important feature of the invention. When the carton 10 is erected and the tube 11 is inserted, the second flaps 94 and 96 are folded beneath the tube cap 12 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The insertion of the tube cap 12 forces the first flaps 90 and 92 inwardly into the carton 10 to permit the cap 12 to pass between them. After the center of the cap passes the edges of the first flaps, the edges of the first flaps spring back to engage the cap forwardly of the center thereof to positively lock the tube cap within the carton and to prevent rotation of the cap. The position of the first flaps 90 and 92 relative to the tube cap 12 is best indicated in FIGS. 3 and 5 of the drawings.

If it is desired, the shadow panel extensions 32a and 33a may be omitted or if the tube to be displayed is small in cross section the line cut 61 may be changed to a simple score line. It can be seen that the crimped end of the tube is held between the back of the top panel section 30a and the front of the lower panel section 30b with the cap pressed into the cap retaining section at the bottom of the opening 60.

In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in TUBE DISPLAY CARTON; and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a carton adapted for holding and displaying squeeze tubes or the like, said carton having a rear panel, side panels, and top closure flaps, an improved front panel and bottom closure comprising:

upper and lower sections in said front panel defined by a horizontal cut line in said front panel;

said lower front panel section including a first pair of inwardly movable shadow panels at either lateral side of said lower section;

said lower section having a tube receiving opening formed therein and extending to the lower edge of said front panel;

said bottom closure including a first flap hingedly connected along the lower edge of said front panel and adapted to substantially cover the bottom end of said carton;

score lines in each of said first shadow panels at the lower ends thereof and angled inwardly to form a pair of triangular secondary shadow panels which move inwardly with said first shadow panels;

a pair of cap retaining sections disposed on either side of said tube receiving opening at the lower end thereof, each of said cap retaining sections being hingedly attached to said first flap in said bottom closure and to a corresponding one of said secondary shadow panels and including an angled hinge line formed therein extending upwardly and inwardly from the junction of said retaining section with its corresponding secondary shadow panel and said first flap allowing each of said sections to be folded inwardly to form a cap restraint which frictionally engages the sides of the cap on said squeeze tube when in position in said carton.