Patent ID: 6375066
Filing Date: 2002-04-23
Classification: B65D,Y10S

Abstract:
In a pizza-style paperboard container formed from a single-piece blank including a first lateral panel, first and second opposed side panels hingedly connected to the first lateral panel, a second lateral panel, and third and fourth opposed side panels hingedly connected to the second lateral panel; the container having a forward direction and a rearward direction; as assembled, the first and second lateral panels being parallel to one another, the side panels being orthogonal to the lateral panels, and the third and fourth side panels being adjacent and inward of the first and second side panels; an improvement for reducing the assembled container into a smaller-sized,container, the improvement comprising:(a) a first separation line extending through the first lateral panel and its first and second side panels; (b) a fold line extending through the first lateral panel at a location rearward of the first separation line; the area therebetween forming a closure flap; (c) a second separation line extending through the second lateral panel and its third and fourth side panels; the second separation line having a straight shape in the second lateral panel and having a dog-leg shape in the third and fourth side panels; as assembled, the first and second separation lines being generally vertically aligned with one another; (d) first and second cuts in the first and second side panels, respectively; each cut extending forwardly along the hinged connection between the side panel and the first lateral panel from the location of the pre-formed fold line to a location rearward of the first separation line, the cut then extending part way up the side panel; (e) first and second hinge lines formed in the first and second side panels, respectively; each hinge line extending from the end of the cut in the side panel to the first separation line in the side panel; the hinge lines being formed at a predefined angle; the area of the side panels bounded by the hinge line, the first separation line, and the vertical portion of the cut defining a single hinge; wherein to reduce the assembled container into a smaller-sized container, the user breaks the container along the first and second separation lines, the closure flap is folded along the fold line while the first and second side panels are folded about their respective first and second hinge lines, the dog-leg portion of the third and fourth side panels being captured by the single hinges.