Abstract:
A shipping and display container has two opposing end panels in a spaced parallel relationship and front and rear panels in a spaced parallel relationship defining opposing front and rear container surfaces. The front and rear panels are connected to the two opposing end panels to form a container periphery. A bottom panel extends within the container periphery to define a bottom surface of the container. A top panel also extends within the container periphery to define a top surface of the container. The top surface includes an opening for viewing the contents of the container. The container is also convertible from a storage configuration to a display configuration. The conversion mechanism includes the top surface and the front surface having a removable portion defined by a pattern of lines of weakening, at least the top surface and the rear surface including a further line of weakening, and the bottom surface defining a fold line. Thus, after removal of the removable portion, the line of weakening in the top surface is torn and opposing ends of the container are rotated about the fold line in the bottom surface. In so doing, side-by-side displays may be obtained.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a carton for the storage, transport and display of a packaged product, and more particularly, to a carton which is convertible from a substantially sealed configuration for storage and transport of a packaged product to a substantially open configuration for display of a packaged product. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Cartons, and in particular paperboard cartons or boxes, have been used for many years to store and transport various products. Products have generally been packed within a paperboard box which is provided with a removable lid or integral folded top which is sealed. The boxes are transported within the sealed boxes from the manufacturing facility to the place of retail sale. In order to present the products for retail sale, store personnel must open the folded top of the sealed box or completely remove the lid, remove each individual package from the box, properly position the packages on available display shelves, and then discard the storage box. Thus, transporting a packaged product from a storage location to a display location using conventional paperboard boxes was a labor intensive process. The sealed boxes, unless labeled or printed externally, also prevented retailers from determining what was packaged therewithin. In addition, discard of the paperboard box after the product had been placed on display for retail sale created considerable waste for the retailer, in addition to raising environmental concerns. 
     The use of stand-up resealable pouches, being generally rectangular with a generally triangular cross-sectional shape, has also complicated the efficient packing of products packaged therein. Various forms of chipboard trays may be loaded with the stand-up packages and then placed within a further corrugated shipping container. This arrangement, however, due to the irregular shape of the packages, resulted in larger shipping containers which increased the cost for manufacturing since more material was required. 
     To reduce the costs and labor requirements associated with conventional cases used to transport stand up packages, shipping and display containers such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,495 to Gray have also been utilized. The Gray container allows the irregularly shaped stand up type packages to be nested or interleaved during shipping. The patent further discloses that the container has weakened portions on the ends and tops such that the container can be severed into two halves which were connected at the bottom. The two halves can then be rotated to form two abutting back-to-back display trays. The Grey container, however, like the sealed boxes before, completely sealed the container and prevented the retailer from determining the contents thereof without opening the container. In addition, the Gray container is a modified regular slotted container requiring sealing of both the bottom surface and the top of the container. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need for a shipping and storage carton or container which may easily be converted into a display device and which enables the retailer to view the packaged product within the sealed carton when in the storage configuration, and which is easily fabricated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes this disadvantage of the prior art, as well as others by providing a means for visually inspecting the orientation of the contents of the container without opening the same. The shipping and display container of the present invention includes two opposing end panels in a spaced parallel relationship and front and rear panels in a spaced parallel relationship defining opposing front and rear container surfaces. The front and rear panels are connected to the two opposing end panels to form a container periphery. A bottom panel extends within the container periphery to define a bottom surface of the container. A top panel also extends within the container periphery to define a top surface of the container. The top surface includes an opening for viewing the contents of the container and the orientation thereof. The container is also convertible from a storage configuration to a display configuration. The conversion means includes the top surface and the front surface having a removable portion defined by a pattern of lines of weakening, at least the top surface and the rear surface including a further line of weakening, and the bottom surface defining a fold line. Thus, after removal of the removable portion, the line of weakening in the top surface is separated or torn and opposing ends of the container are rotated about the fold line in the bottom surface. In so doing, the line of weakening in the rear surface is also separated or torn and side-by-side displays are obtained with the packaged product in an upright orientation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Many objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming the carton of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a sealed carton of the present invention loaded with plurality of product packages in a storage position; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the sealed carton of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the sealed carton of FIG. 2 with the removable front panel partially removed; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the carton of FIG. 2 with the removable front panel completely removed showing the rotation of the carton to a display position; and 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of a blank according to a further embodiment for forming the carton of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a foldable blank for forming a storage and display carton in accordance with the present invention is generally shown by reference numeral 10. Blank 10 is preferably formed from paperboard, such as corrugated cardboard, although it is also within the scope of the present invention to use single ply material depending upon the weight of the packaged products to be loaded. Blank 10 is preferably die cut from a sheet of material, the solid lines in FIG. 1 representing cutting lines. Blank 10 is formed with a front top flap 12, a front portion 16, a center portion 22, a rear portion 30 and a rear top flap 34. Blank 10 also includes a plurality of lines of weakening 46 which define fold lines for forming the carton. Lines of weakening 46 are shown in FIG. 1 by dotted lines and are preferably formed as scored lines in the paperboard material. 
     The front top flap 12 is generally rectangular, in the illustrated embodiment, and includes a middle removable portion 14. The front portion 16 is also generally rectangular, includes a foldable side flap 20a, 20b on each end thereof and a middle removable portion 18. The front portion 16 is perforated along line 40 and front portion 16 and front top flap 12 include lines or weakening 42a, 42b to thereby define middle removable portions 14, 18, respectively, as will be discussed more fully below. The lines of weakening 42a, 42b are formed as perforated lines in the embodiment of FIG. 1 and are represented by the dot-dash lines as illustrated in FIG. 1. Although perforation lines 42a, 42b are preferably parallel to one another, as in the illustrated embodiment, it is within the scope of the present invention to also have non-parallel lines defining the removable portions 14, 18. 
     Center portion 22 includes a center bottom panel member 28, opposing end panels 26 disposed adjacent thereto, and top cut out flaps 24 on each end. Rear portion 30 is generally rectangular, in the illustrated embodiment, and includes foldable side flaps 32a, 32b. A rear top flap 34 extends from a top edge of the rear portion 30. A further line of weakening 44, which may be formed as perforations, bisects the center portion 22, rear portion 32 and rear top flap 34 to thereby define two bases for display of the packaged product in a display configuration, as will be further explained below. Perforated line 44 preferably extends perpendicular to perforated line 40. 
     A further embodiment of a blank 10&#39; for forming a storage and display carton in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, with like reference numerals being used to represent like elements. As also used in FIG. 1, dot-dash lines are used to denote lines of perforations and solid lines are used to denote cuts extending through the paperboard blank. In blank 10&#39;, each line of weakening 42a, 42b preferably includes three distinct segments. As shown in FIG. 6, lines of weakening 42a, 42b include a first portion 42a 1 , 42b 1  which is formed as a cut extending from the edge of front top flap 12. The cut portions 42a 1 , 42b 1 , preferably extend for a distance of approximately one inch, but any length capable of facilitating the tearing of removable portions 14, 18 would be acceptable. The second portions 42a 2 , 42b 2  of the lines of weakening 42a, 42b define perforated lines which extend from the end of portions 42a 1 , 42b 1  to the line of weakening 46 extending between front portion 16 and front top flap 12. Finally, the third portions 42a 3 , 42b 3  define cuts extending entirely through the depth of front portion 16. The use of cuts rather than perforations through front portion 16 facilitates a clean removal of removable portion 18 and presents a non-ragged removal edge that will become the front presentation edge when the carton is in a display configuration, as explained in detail below. Thus, in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 6, lines 42a, 42b are defined by first portions cut entirely through the paperboard, second portions each comprising a line of perforations, and third portions which are also cut entirely through the paperboard blank. 
     In addition, in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 6, line of weakening 44 includes four distinct segments. As shown in FIG. 6, line of weakening 44 includes a first portion 44 1 , which is formed as a cut extending from the edge of rear top flap 34. The cut portion 44 1  preferably extends for a distance of approximately one inch, but any length capable of facilitating the tearing of rear top flap 34 would be acceptable. The second portion 44 2  of the line of weakening 44 defines a perforated line which extends from the end of portions 44 1  to the line of weakening 46 extending between rear portion 30 and rear top flap 34. The third portion 44 3  defines a cut extending entirely through the depth of rear portion 30. The use of a cut along line 44 3 , rather than perforations, increases the ease with which the as formed carton ends may be rotated to obtain the display configuration of the carton, as discussed below. Lastly, the forth portion 44 4  of the line of weakening 44 is defined by a line of perforations. 
     The types of perforations used for forming the various lines of perforation may differ depending upon the desired tear characteristics, the material used to form the blank, and the weight of the contents to be disposed within the formed containers. For example, line 40 extending between front portion 16 and center portion 22 is preferably formed with 1/4&#34; cuts and 1/8&#34; spaces in order to facilitate the easy tearing of removable portions 14, 18 from the carton. On the other hand, line 44 4  extending through center portion 22 is preferably formed with 1/8&#34; cuts and 1/8&#34; spaces in order to obtain a cleaner, less ragged tear. In addition, 42a 2 , 42b 2  and 44 2  are preferably formed with 1/4&#34; cuts and 1/4&#34; spaces. These preferred types of perforations are only examples of perforated lines which may be used and it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that any type of perforation or weakening capable of achieving a tearing therealong could also be used in the present invention. 
     Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, blank 10, 10&#39; is folded along the lines of weakening 46 to form a completed carton 100, as shown in a storage configuration after being loaded with a packaged product &#34;P&#34; and sealed. In order to form carton 100, front portion 16 and rear portion 30 are folded upwards along lines 46a, 46b, respectively, to a position perpendicular to center portion 22. Foldable side flaps 20a, 20b and foldable side flaps 32a, 32b are then folded inward along lines 46c such that the free ends of flaps 20a, 32a are facing another and the free ends of flaps 20b, 32b are facing one another, bearing in mind that the side flaps are cut along solid lines 48 during the manufacture of blank 10, 10&#39; and are not connected to end panels 26. End panels 26 can then be folded upwards along lines 46d and sealed to the inner side flaps to form an open carton 100. 
     Packaged products are loaded into carton 100, preferably in an interleaved position, as shown. Although it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the use of carton 100 of the present invention will be advantageous for various types and sizes of packaged products, carton 100 is particularly well suited for use with packaged products having a generally triangular shape from top to bottom when in the upright position and viewed in side elevation. Such packages are generally formed as resealable pouches from a flexible film material or film and have a stand-up bottom surface, tapering sides, and are vacuum sealed. When viewed in front elevation, these packages are typically generally rectangular. These types of packages are commonly used for packaging pet food treats, microwavable items, salad croutons, fruit juices, other liquids and the like. Since these types of generally triangularly shaped packages are filled while in the upright position, the product within the package will tend to accumulate in the bottom of the package adjacent the bottom surface, thus making the lower portion of the package thicker. Because of the uneven cross-section of the packages, a plurality of packages may be loaded in two rows in an interleaved or nested orientation, top to top, thereby maximizing the storage capability of carton 100. The packages &#34;P&#34; in each row are loaded into the formed carton 100 on edge, in a sideways position, with the front face of the packages facing front panel 17, the stand-up bottoms of the packages being adjacent to one of the end panels 26. After loading of the packages, the front top flap 12 and rear top flap 34 are folded toward one another along lines of weakening 46e. Lastly, top cut out flaps 24 are folded toward one another along lines 46f and sealed to the front and rear flaps 12, 34, thereby sealing carton 100 for storage and shipping. The above-described sequence of folding should in no way limit the 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the facing edges of the top front flap 12 and the rear top flap 34 do not meet. More particularly, a width of the carton 100 is defined by the width of bottom panel member 28 as folded along line 46a and a depth of the carton 100 is defined by the depth of bottom panel member 28 as folded along line 46d. The depth of front top flap 12 is defined by the length of perforated lines 42a, 42b extending therethrough and the depth of rear top flap 34 is defined by the length of perforated line 44 extending therethrough. As thus defined, the combined depth of the front top flap 12 and the rear top flap 34 should be less than the depth of the carton. Thus, a gap 36 is defined between the facing edges of the front top flap and the rear top flap to allow the retailer to visually inspect the contents of the carton 100, even in the sealed storage configuration. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, the transformation of the carton 100 from the storage configuration shown in FIG. 2 to a display configuration is obtained through a few simple steps. Front top flap 12 is torn along lines of weakening 42a, 42b and pulled upwards, front panel 17 is torn along lines of weakening 42a, 42b to expose the fronts of the packaged products, and middle removable portions 14, 18 are completely removed by tearing along perforated line 40. With the middle portions 14, 18 removed, rear top flap 34 may easily be torn along the portion of line of weakening 44 extending therethrough and, while rotating the thus formed opposing two bases 50, 52 of the carton about the portion of line 44 extending through bottom panel member 28, the portion of line 44 extending through rear portion 30 will also tear, if not already cut, as shown in FIG. 5. The two rows of the packaged product are already aligned with the front surfaces thereof facing outwards for display to retail customers without needing to physically rearrange the packages from a storage container to a display shelf. Thus, with one simple rotation, carton 100 obtains a display configuration. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that blank 10, 10&#39; is a modified die cut tray container that may be cut utilizing a conventional die cutting machine. The folding of blank 10, 10&#39; as described above may also be performed on conventional tray forming equipment, such as those manufactured by SWF Manufacturing of Sanger, California, without requiring any custom modifications. In a preferred embodiment, once formed, the cartons 100 will be packed by hand, although it is conceivable that automatic packing machines may also be utilized. After packing, conventional carton sealing equipment, also manufactured by SWF Manufacturing, may be used to seal the cartons. Thus, the manufacture, folding, and sealing of carton 100 may be accomplished on equipment already readily available in the field without requiring the purchase of new equipment dedicated specifically thereto. 
     While the present invention has been described with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that variations and modifications may be resorted to as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be considered within the purview and the scope of the claims appended hereto.