Dispenser carton

A one-piece fiberboard carton having an integral dispensing flap. A tear strip is drawn along an edge of the dispenser flap which is formed intermediate the top and bottom edges of the front surface of the carton so that the flap may be pulled out of the plane of the front of the carton and disposed at an angle with respect to the carton so that when the carton is placed on a side, product stored within the carton can be dispensed by gravity feeding it through the opening adjacent the dispenser flap. Alternatively, the dispenser flap may be taped by adhering a tab to the front wall of the carton which may be cut along a line to open the same. Oppositely disposed web corners attach the dispenser flap at an acute angle to the front wall of the carton so that when it is opened, the product will not fall from the carton unless the carton is intentionally placed on its side in a dispensing position. By use of the web-connecting flaps, the dispenser flap may be opened and closed, as needed, to open and close the carton before all the product is dispensed, to dispense and store any remaining product.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a carton formed from a one-piece, unitary blank 
and more particularly, a fiberboard carton of the type having an integral 
dispensing flap which may be opened and reclosed to dispense product 
stored within the carton. 
Many times, it is necessary to have a convenient receptable to store 
articles prior to their use or assembly into a finished product. The 
container of the present invention can be used to ship such articles and 
is ideally suited to store the articles prior to their use. 
The container of the present invention is die-cut and manufactured on 
conventional machinery. The container utilizes the same amount of material 
as a regular slotted container and may be taped, glued or stitched to 
erect the same without any special material. 
The container is formed from a one-piece, die-cut blank which when folded 
and taped closed, forms a carton with an integral dispensing flap which 
may be opened and reclosed as many times as needed to dispense the product 
from the interior of the container. 
A tear strip is drawn along an edge of the dispenser flap which is formed 
intermediate the top and bottom edges of the front of the carton so that 
the flap may be pulled out of the plane of the carton front wall and 
disposed at an angle with respect to the carton so that when the carton is 
placed on a side, product stored within the carton can be dispensed by 
gravity feeding it through the opening left by the dispenser flap. 
Alternatively, the dispenser flap may be taped by adhering a tab to the 
front wall of the carton. The tab may be cut along a line to open the 
flap. Oppositely disposed web corners attach the dispenser flap at an 
acute angle to the front wall of the carton so that when it is opened, the 
product will not fall from the carton unless the carton is intentionally 
placed on its side in a dispensing position. By use of the web-connecting 
flaps, the dispenser flap may be opened and closed, as needed, to open and 
close the carton before all the product is dispensed, to dispense and/or 
store any remaining product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate 
like elements throughout the several views, the dispenser carton of the 
present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6 and generally designated by the 
numeral 10. 
The carton 10 includes a bottom panel 12 foldably connected to opposed side 
panels 14 and 16. Panel 14 is foldably connected to a top panel 18. The 
front surface 20 of container 10 includes an integral dispensing flap 22 
connected to the front surface by an opposed pair of web corners 24 and 26 
adapted to be folded back upon themselves into the plane of the front 
surface as will be made more apparent in the description following 
hereinafter. 
The dispenser flap 22 is held in the plane of the front surface 20 of 
carton 10 by a tear strip or severable flap 28 adhered to the front 
surface of the carton by an adhesive strip 30. When flap 28 is torn or 
severed along either a tear strip or severance line, dispenser flap 22 can 
be moved outwardly from the plane of the front surface 20 of carton 10 and 
be disposed at an upright acute angle with respect thereto, as 
illustrated, for example, in FIG. 9. The carton 10 may then be turned to 
dispense articles from the interior thereof or articles may be grasped 
from the interior and removed through the dispensing opening 32. 
By virtue of the fact that the dispenser flap 22 is disposed at an acute 
angle with respect to the front surface 20, articles cannot be removed 
indiscriminately from the interior of the carton. Rather, the carton must 
be rotated (see FIG. 9) so that the contents can be gravity fed through 
the dispensing opening 32 and slid over the dispenser flap 22. The rear 
surface 34 of carton 10 is formed from two pairs of interior flaps 36 and 
38 overlapped and abutted by flaps 40 and 42 which are taped along a 
common line of abutment by adhesive tape 44. 
In use, the container is filled either from the rear or front surfaces, the 
corresponding flaps folded in, and taped. When in use, the connecting flap 
28 is severed from the lower dispensing flap 22, the dispensing flap 
opened, and product gravity fed through the dispensing opening 32 by 
rotation of the container, as indicated in FIG. 9. The dispenser flap 22 
may be opened and closed as needed unitl all the product within the 
container is used. When the dispensing flap 22 is reclosed, the container 
can be used to store the product for subsequent use. 
As indicated in FIG. 1, the container 10 is formed from a one-piece, 
unitary fiberboard blank 50. 
The blank 50 includes rectangular or square side panels 14 and 16 foldably 
connected along score lines 52 and 54, respectively, to bottom panel 12. A 
rectangular panel 18 is foldably connected by a score line 56 to an edge 
of side panel 14. Spaced, rectangular rear surface-forming flaps 36, 40, 
38 and 42 are respectively connected by score or fold lines 58, 60, 62 and 
64 to side panel 16, bottom panel 12, side panel 14, and top panel 18. 
The upper portion of the front surface of carton 10 is formed by a 
substantially rectangular front surface panel 20 foldably connected by a 
score line 66 to the opposite edge of top panel 18. The dispenser flap 22 
is formed from a substantially rectangular panel 22 foldably connected by 
a score line 68 to the free edge of the bottom panel 12. Web corners 24 
and 26 are formed by triangular panels 70 and 72, respectively, formed by 
spaced slit-score lines 74 and 76 extending from an interior corner of 
panel 22 to the outer edge 78 of an adjacent panel 80 and 82, 
respectively, connected by score lines 84 and 86 to the free edge of 
adjacent side panels 14 and 16, respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 1, 
the corner panels are formed by die-cutting the edge 78 inwardly at an 
angle to a score line 88 and 90, respectively, connecting each of the 
panels 70, 72 to the opposed edges of dispenser flap panel 22. 
Connector flap 28 is connected to one of the longitudinal edges of 
dispenser flap 22 by a tear strip 94 defined by a pair of parallel lines 
of weakness 96 and 98 extending along the length of the juncture of the 
flaps 22 and 28. In lieu of tear strip 94, a single, perforated cut line 
100 may be provided at the juncture between panels 28 and 22. A glue panel 
102 is connected to one of the horizontal edges of side flap 16 by a score 
line 104 to complete the blank construction. 
In forming carton 10, as indicated in FIGS. 2 to 5, the panels are first 
rotated 90.degree. about their respective edge score lines to form a 
substantially rectangular parallelopiped structure as illustrated in FIGS. 
3 and 4. Glue flap 102 is adhered to an exterior surface of top panel 18 
and the rear panels 36 and 38 folded adjacent each other, as well as the 
panel pairs 40, 42. The rear panels can then be taped with a tape 44 along 
the abutting line of panels 40 and 42 to seal the rear surface. 
Web corner panels 24 and 26 are then folded inwardly about themselves about 
slit-score lines 76. The panel portions on opposite sides of the central 
slit score line 76 will be folded into abutting relationship as each of 
the panels folds about score 74 and score lines 88 and 90 attaching each 
of the opposed corners to opposite edges of the dispenser flap panel 22. 
Connector flap 28 will then overlie and abut descending front panel 20 and 
can be taped thereto by strip 30, as indicated in FIGS. 5 to 7. 
In order to open carton 10, it is only necessary to dissociate connector 
flap 28 from dispenser flap 22 by cutting along line 100 or removing the 
tear strip 94 disposed between the panels. Dispenser panel 22 can then be 
rotated downwardly away from front panel 20, web corner flaps 70, 72 
unfolded so that the dispenser flap 22 can be disposed at an acute angle 
with respect to the plane of the front panel 20 as indicated in FIG. 9. 
Carton 10 can then be rotated to dispense the contents through the 
dispenser opening 30. In order to reseal the carton, it is only necessary 
to refold the web corners about central slit-score line 76 to bring the 
dispenser flap 22 back into the plane of the front panel 20. In this 
position, articles can be retained and stored within the interior of 
carton 10.