Abstract:
This invention relates to a carton having improved structural integrity and stacking strength. The carton is formed from a paperboard blank so it has reinforced end panels. A tear strip is formed by perforations in the top panel of the carton to provide an easy opening feature.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/987,458 filed Nov. 13, 2007, Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/989,320 filed Nov. 20, 2007 and Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/017,215 filed Dec. 28, 2007. The disclosures of the foregoing provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to packaging for shipping and storing products. More particularly, the invention relates to a paperboard carton that can be used to package, ship and store a variety of products, such as consumer products and, more particularly, beverage containers. Such beverage containers may come in various configurations such as cylindrical cans, bottles of various configurations or flexible pouches having a substantially trapezoidal configuration. 
     For many years, beverage companies, such as soft drink, fruit juice and beer companies have packaged their products in light weight paperboard cartons and shipped such products to a retail outlet or some other location where consumers can purchase the products. There are many different types of cartons that can be used for packaging and shipping products from the manufacturer to the retailer. However, many of these cartons tend to be large and are designed to hold large numbers of products. Such cartons are suitable for “warehouse” type operations but are difficult for the consumer to store and use when the consumer needs smaller quantities for typical household activities. 
     Products can be packaged in smaller cartons containing quantities of product that a consumer would typically want to purchase for use in a relatively short period of time, such as ten or a dozen individual items. It is desirable for these smaller quantities of product to be packaged in smaller cartons that can be displayed for sale to the consumer at a typical retail outlet. In order to maximize the use of valuable floor space at the retail outlet, such smaller cartons may be stacked on top of each other to minimize the footprint left by the cartons and to provide an attractive display to entice the consumer to buy the product. Unfortunately, such stacking can result in damage to the carton causing the consumer to assume that the individual products packaged within the carton are damaged as well. This is bad for the retailer because such perceived damaged goods are more difficult to sell and thus can result in lower profits. 
     Another desirable attribute for such paperboard cartons is an easy opening feature so that the cartons can be easily opened. This facilitates easy access by the consumer to the products, such as beverage containers, contained therein. These paperboard cartons with easy opening features appeal to consumers because such cartons provide an easy way for the consumer to transport a number of products, such as beverage containers, therein from the retail outlet to the consumer&#39;s home. Moreover, the dispensing openings allow the paperboard cartons to also be stored in an easily accessible location in the consumer&#39;s home, such as the refrigerator, to allow neat storage of the product therein. Although some paperboard cartons having dispensing openings therein are currently available and generally work for their intended purposes they could be improved. For example, some of these cartons are in fact difficult to open. In addition, some of the cartons having such dispensing openings can have compromised structural integrity because of such openings. 
     Therefore, there is a need to provide a carton with improved stacking strength and an easy opening feature that may be used to package and ship individual items from the manufacturer to a retail outlet and that can also be used in homes and other consumer locations. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A paperboard carton is provided having a top, a bottom, two side panels and two end walls. A tear strip is formed by perforations in the top panel that allows the consumer to easily tear the top panel in half and thereafter open the carton like a suitcase about a bottom fold line. The open suitcase type configuration allows access to all the products contained in the carton. The material used to form the paperboard carton can be any standard paperboard material such as corrugated paperboard that is typically used for packaging or shipping containers. This material provides enough rigidity to the carton to allow it to maintain its shape and retain the product therein. In accordance with this invention, the end walls are reinforced to provide improved stacking strength for the carton. 
     A blank for forming the paperboard carton is also provided. The blank includes an adhesive panel, a first side panel, a bottom panel, a second side panel and a top panel. Longitudinally extending perforations are located in the top panel of the blank to form a tear strip that allows the consumer to easily tear the top panel in half when the blank is formed into the paperboard carton. A longitudinally extending fold line is formed in the bottom panel. End flaps adjoin the first and second side panels. Preferably, the end flaps are formed from multiple sections that are folded over onto each other to provide a multi-wall configuration that results in reinforced end walls. The end flaps are generally rectangular in shape and each section of the end flaps has a height that is approximately half the width of the bottom panel. In addition, other end flaps adjoin the adhesive panel, the bottom panel and the top panel. The end flaps for the top panel extend only across about half of the width of the top panel. These end flaps for the top panel and the perforations on the top panel, along with the fold line along the bottom panel, are designed to facilitate opening the carton in half like a suitcase. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The various objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the paperboard carton of the present invention, with the top open to show the construction of the carton; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the blank used to make the paperboard carton of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the blank used to make the paperboard carton of the present invention with the side panel end flaps folded over and adjoining the side panels to which they are attached; 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the blank used to make the paperboard carton of the present invention with the side panel end flaps, the adhesive panel, the top panel and the bottom panel all folded up so that the partially erected carton has an open suitcase like configuration; 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the blank used to make the paperboard carton of the present invention with the side panel end flaps, the adhesive panel, and the top panel all folded up so that the partially erected carton has a tray like configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the paperboard carton of the present invention that has been completely erected; and 
         FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the paperboard carton of the present invention with the tear strip of the easy opening feature partially torn away. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the figures, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different figures. As used herein, the term “top” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the upper surface thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. As used herein, the term “bottom” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the lower surface thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. As used herein, the term “end” when used in reference to a position on the carton of this invention refers to either the right most or left most side of the carton as seen in the orientation of the carton shown in the carton figures. As used herein, the term “right” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the right side thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. As used herein, the term “left” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the left side thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. As used herein, the term “upper” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the upper or top portion thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. As used herein, the term “lower” refers to a location on the carton or blank of this invention, as the case may be, along the lower or bottom portion thereof as seen in the orientation shown in the figures. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , the carton  100  of the present invention has a generally rectangular footprint and includes folded end panels  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  formed from side panel end flaps  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c ,  22   a ,  22   b ,  22   c ,  41   a ,  41   b ,  41   c ,  42   a ,  42   b  and  42   c . Folded end panels  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  provide added stacking strength to carton  100  and are formed by folding over side panel end flaps  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c ,  22   a ,  22   b ,  22   c ,  41   a ,  41   b ,  41   c ,  42   a ,  42   b  and  42   c , as more fully described below. In this orientation, first side panel first end flap  21   a  and first side panel second end flap  21   b  are in face to face relationship to each other, with first side panel third end flap  21   c  adhered to first side panel  20 . First side panel fourth end flap  22   a  and first side panel fifth end flap  22   b  are in face to face relationship to each other, with first side panel sixth end flap  22   c  adhered to first side panel  20 . Similarly, second side panel first end flap  41   a  and second side panel second end flap  41   b  are in face to face relationship to each other, with second side panel third end flap  41   c  adhered to second side panel  40 . Second side panel fourth end flap  42   a  and second side panel fifth end flap  42   b  are in face to face relationship to each other, with second side panel sixth end flap  42   c  adhered to second side panel  40 . This provides added material around the corners of carton  100  and improves the structural integrity of carton  100 . With this added structural integrity, a lighter weight paperboard material can be used to fabricate carton  100  without compromising the overall strength of the assembled carton. In other words, added paperboard material is located only in the areas of carton  100  where it is needed, i.e. the corners, to maintain the structural integrity of carton  100 . 
     A top panel  50  includes a tear strip  38  that extends longitudinally substantially along the middle of the top panel  50 . More specifically, the tear strip  38  extends between the four end panels  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  forming the two end walls. The tear strip  38  allows top panel  50  to be easily separated in half and thus provides the consumer with a mechanism to easily open the carton  100  like a suitcase. 
     First side panel  20  includes a handle  60  defined by a semi-circular cut-out  65  with ends  70 ,  72  that are adjacent to a first vertical fold line  210 . Semi-circular cut-out  65  is preferably formed as a perforation line. 
     A paperboard blank  200  that can be used to make carton  100  is shown in  FIG. 2 . Blank  200  includes an adhesive panel  10 . In addition, blank  200  includes four main panels, a first side panel  20 , a bottom panel  30 , a second side panel  40  and a top panel  50 . Adhesive panel  10  is connected along its right side to the left side of first side panel  20  along first vertical fold line  210 . First side panel  20  is connected along its right side to the left side of bottom panel  30  along a second vertical fold line  220 . Bottom panel  30  is connected along its right side to the left side of second side panel  40  along a third vertical fold line  230 . Second side panel  40  is connected along its right side to the left side of top panel  50  along a fourth vertical fold line  240 . A fifth vertical fold line  250  may also be included and splits bottom panel  30  in half. 
     A first side panel first end flap  21   a  extends above first side panel  20  above a first generally horizontal fold line  301 . A first side panel second end flap  21   b  extends above first side panel first end flap  21   a  above a second generally horizontal fold line  302 . A first side panel third end flap  21   c  extends above first side panel second end flap  21   b  above a third generally horizontal fold line  303 . A first side panel fourth end flap  22   a  extends below first side panel  20  below a fourth generally horizontal fold line  304 . A first side panel fifth end flap  22   b  extends below first side panel fourth end flap  22   a  below a fifth generally horizontal fold line  305 . A first side panel sixth end flap  22   c  extends below first side panel fifth end flap  22   b  below a sixth generally horizontal fold line  306 . A second side panel first end flap  41   a  extends above second side panel  40  above a seventh generally horizontal fold line  307 . A second side panel second end flap  41   b  extends above second side panel first end flap  41   a  above an eighth generally horizontal fold line  308 . A second side panel third end flap  41   c  extends above second side panel second end flap  41   b  above a ninth generally horizontal fold line  309 . A second side panel fourth end flap  42   a  extends below second side panel  40  below a tenth generally horizontal fold line  310 . A second side panel fifth end flap  42   b  extends below second side panel fourth end flap  42   a  below an eleventh generally horizontal fold line  311 . A second side panel sixth end flap  42   c  extends below second side panel fifth end flap  42   b  below a twelfth generally horizontal fold line  312 . 
     An adhesive panel first end flap  11  adjoins adhesive panel  10  above generally horizontal fold line  320 . An adhesive panel second end flap  12  adjoins adhesive panel  10  below generally horizontal fold line  321 . Bottom panel first end flap  31   a  and bottom panel second end flap  31   b  adjoin bottom panel  30  above generally horizontal fold line  322 . Bottom panel third end flap  32   a  and bottom panel fourth end flap  32   b  adjoin bottom panel  30  below generally horizontal fold line  323 . A top panel first end flap  51  adjoins top panel  50  above generally horizontal fold line  324 . Preferably top panel first end flap  51  extends along about one half of the width of top panel  50  but does not extend across either perforation line defining tear strip  38 . A top panel second end flap  52  adjoins top panel  50  below generally horizontal fold line  325 . Preferably top panel second end flap  52  extends along about one half of the width of top panel  50  but does not extend across either perforation line defining tear strip  38 . 
     All of the fold lines formed in blank  100  are formed by crushing the paperboard material along the line to be folded to facilitate bending of the paperboard material to form the various panels and flaps. 
     All perforations in the paperboard blank of this disclosure preferably are formed by scoring the paperboard so it is cut about 50% into the outer side of the paperboard material. This 50% cut is a continuous cut that extends from the surface of the material down to a depth that is about one half of the thickness of the material. The 50% cut assures a clean tear at the surface that leaves a relatively pleasing appearance, particularly when the paperboard blank is printed. 
     To assemble carton  100 , blank  200  is first folded by bending the paperboard material along second generally horizontal fold line  302 , fifth generally horizontal fold line  305 , eighth generally horizontal fold line  308  and eleventh generally horizontal fold line  311  so that first side panel second end flap  21   b  is folded over and adjoins first side panel first end flap  21   a  in face to face relationship, first side panel fifth end flap  22   b  is folded over and adjoins first side panel fourth end flap  22   a  in face to face relationship, second side panel second end flap  41   b  is folded over and adjoins second side panel first end flap  41   a  in face to face relationship and second side panel fifth end flap  42   b  is folded over and adjoins second side panel fourth end flap  42   a  in face to face relationship. See  FIG. 3 . In this configuration, first horizontal fold line  301  and third generally horizontal fold line  303  are generally aligned to form a first folded end panel  1 , fourth generally horizontal fold line  304  and sixth generally horizontal fold line  306  are generally aligned to form a second folded end panel  2 , seventh generally horizontal fold line  307  and ninth generally fold line  309  are generally aligned to form a third folded end panel  3  and tenth generally horizontal fold line  310  and twelfth generally horizontal fold line  312  are generally aligned to form a fourth folded end panel  4 . In addition, first side panel third end flap  21   c  and first side panel sixth end flap  22   c  are adhered to first side panel  20 . Similarly, second side panel third end flap  41   c  and second side panel sixth end flap  42   c  are adhered to second side panel  40 . See  FIG. 3 . 
     Blank  200  can then be folded by bending the paperboard material along first vertical fold line  210  and fourth vertical fold line  240 . This allows adhesive panel  10  and top panel  50  to be folded  90  degrees such that adhesive panel  10  is generally perpendicular to first side panel  20  and top panel  50  is generally perpendicular to second side panel  40  and adhesive panel  10  and top panel  50  extend in the same direction. Blank  200  can then be folded along first horizontal fold line  301 , third horizontal fold line  303 , fourth horizontal fold line  304 , sixth horizontal fold line  306 , seventh horizontal fold line  307 , ninth horizontal fold line  309 , tenth horizontal fold line  310  and twelfth horizontal fold line  312  such that first folded end panel  1  and second folded end panel  2  are generally perpendicular to first side panel  20  and extend in the same direction and third folded end panel  3  and fourth folded end panel  4  are generally perpendicular to second side panel  40  and extend in the same direction. Adhesive panel first end flap  11  is folded so it is generally perpendicular to adhesive panel  10  and can be adhered to first folded end panel  1 . Adhesive panel second end flap  12  is folded so it is generally perpendicular to adhesive panel  10  and can be adhered to second folded end panel  2 . Top panel first end flap  51  is folded so it is generally perpendicular to top panel  50  and can be adhered to third folded end panel  3 . Top panel second end flap  52  is folded so it is generally perpendicular to top panel  50  and can be adhered to fourth folded end panel  4 . See  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Note that adhesive panel first end flap  11  cannot be seen in those figures because of the view in those figures. However it would be located in the bottom left portion of the partially assembled carton along the inside right portion of first folded end panel  1 . 
     In one embodiment, bottom panel  30  can be folded in half, 180 degrees along fifth vertical fold line  250  so that each half of bottom panel  30  is abutting one another in face to face relationship. See  FIG. 4 . In addition, bottom panel first end flap  31   a  is folded so it is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and adjoins first folded end panel  1 . Bottom panel second end flap  31   b  is folded so it is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and adjoins third folded end panel  3 . Bottom panel third end flap  32   a  is folded so it is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and adjoins second folded end panel  2 . Bottom panel fourth end flap  32   b  is folded so it is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and adjoins fourth folded end panel  4 . In this open suitcase type orientation, product can be loaded into the partially erected carton before it is folded up like closing a suitcase. When this is done, top panel  50  overlaps adhesive panel  10 , or vice versa, so that top panel  50  and adhesive panel  10  can be adhered together to fully erect carton  100 . 
     In another embodiment, instead of folding bottom panel  30  in half, first side panel  20  can be folded along second vertical fold line  220  so first side panel  20  is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and second side panel  40  can be folded along third vertical fold line  230  so second side panel  40  is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  with first side panel  20  and second side panel  40  extending in the same direction. Compare  FIG. 1  with  FIG. 5 . In this configuration, bottom panel first end flap  31   a  can be adhered to first folded end panel  1 , bottom panel second end flap  31   b  can be adhered to third folded end panel  3 , bottom panel third end flap  32   a  can be adhered to second folded end panel  2  and bottom panel fourth end flap  32   b  can be adhered to fourth folded end panel  4 . With carton  100  in this configuration, product can be loaded through the top of carton  100 . Thereafter, adhesive panel  10  is folded over so that adhesive panel first end flap  11  and adhesive panel second end flap  12  abut and are adhered to first folded end panel  1  and second folded end panel  2  respectively. Similarly, top panel  50  is folded over so that top panel first end flap  51  and top panel second end flap  52  abut and are adhered to third folded panel  3  and fourth folded end panel  4  respectively. In addition, top panel  50  can be adhered to adhesive panel  10 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the paperboard carton of the present invention that has been completely erected. Tear strip  38  allows top panel  50  to be easily separated in half and thus provides the consumer with a mechanism to easily open the carton  100  like a suitcase.  FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the paperboard carton of the present invention where tear strip  38  has been partially torn away from top panel  50  to facilitate opening of the carton. First side panel  20  includes a handle  60  defined by a semi-circular cut-out  65  with ends  70 ,  72  that are adjacent to fold line  210 . 
     When it is desired by the consumer to open carton  100 , tear strip  38  can be torn off of top panel  50 . This allows the consumer to fold open carton  100  along fold line  250  in the bottom panel  30  since the half of top panel  50  that does not include end flaps  51  or  52  is no longer connected to adhesive panel  10  or the remaining portion of top panel  50 . 
     It should be noted that any panel or flap that is described as adhered to another panel or flap may be glued by any standard adhesive, or stapled or otherwise fastened by conventional means. 
     The present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be readily apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that it is possible to embody the invention in specific forms other than those of the exemplary embodiments described above. This may be done without departing from the spirit of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered restrictive in any way.