Abstract:
A shipping container converts into a display tray, wherein the container has a base and a removable lid, and a single tear line crosses a plurality of side, end and bottom panels of the base, dividing the base into two sections of unequal size. The smaller section of the base is removed and discarded, leaving the larger section as the display tray.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/374,087, filed Jun. 4, 2002. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a corrugated container, erected from a unitary paperboard blank, for the holding, stacking and transporting of items such as reams of paper. In particular, the present invention relates to a container wherein a base has two side panels, two end panels, a bottom panel, and a perforated score line for tearing that crosses a plurality of the container&#39;s panels and outlines a removable section that includes at least one entire end panel. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Corrugated paperboard is typically used in many different applications, for example, to form containers, boxes, cartons or dividers for holding, storing, stacking or shipping various items, such as reams of paper utilized in copiers and printers. 
   Typically, such containers have a bottom, four side walls and a removable lid, and are formed from blanks indented with score lines or cut lines, wherein the container&#39;s base and removable lid each are erected from separate blanks. Each blank is most often scored by automated machines in a continuous in-line process involving cutting, scoring and molding continuous sheets of paperboard. The paperboard is then erected by the automated machines along the score lines or cut lines to form the base or the removable lid. Alternatively, the blanks may be erected into a container by a consumer or other manual means. For full assembly of the container, once the lid and base have been erected, the removable lid is placed over the base in a secure yet non-bonded manner. 
   Frequently, containers are utilized for holding commercial products that are shipped to retail stores and outlets for the sale and display of the contained products. With a basic container, when the retail establishment wishes to display the products held inside, an on-site user must open the container, remove the products, and place the products on a display tray or stand, which can be a time consuming process. Thus, retail establishments often prefer a shipping container that can be converted into a display tray. This enables a user to display the goods quickly on a shelf without first removing the products from the container and can create impromptu and self-sufficient display trays where no such means previously existed, thereby saving costs. 
   With respect to the shipping of reams of office paper, converting a container to a display tray is problematic. Usually, such containers that are designed to convert into a display tray have a single side panel that is scored or perforated. To convert the container, the lid is removed and discarded. The perforated side panel is then torn and removed from the base, displaying the paper inside. However, a perforation along a side wall of the container&#39;s base is not an optimal solution. First, excessive perforation along a single side panel results in compromised integrity of the container along that side panel, reducing the overall strength of the container. Second, tearing away a single side panel often tears away more of the container than intended, resulting in torn or frayed edges, and a generally unattractive display. 
   Further, in convertible containers, access to the lowest item held within the container after it has converted into a display tray is often limited by the bottom panel of the container. For example, if a user wants to remove a ream of paper that is lying on the bottom panel of a container, the user will not be able to access the ream from the ream&#39;s bottom side since the bottom panel will block all lower access. Thus, it will be difficult for a user to grip the ream without first leveraging at least a part of the ream upward. Such leveraging is usually done by pushing a side of the ream and moving the side tangentially upward until lower access can be achieved, which can be a cumbersome process. 
   Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a convertible paperboard shipper display container that does not significantly compromise the strength of a container&#39;s side panel with perforated lines and allows for easy and clean tearing of the paperboard container while potentially providing bottom side access to the items held within the container. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention comprises a shipping container that can be readily and easily converted into a display tray by tearing along a tear score line scored in the container&#39;s base across a plurality of side panels and outlining a section including at least one entire side panel. Having a tear score line cross a plurality of side panels improves the strength of the box by eliminating heavy scoring of any one single side panel&#39;s surrounding score lines. Further, a tear score line that crosses a plurality of panels including the bottom panel in the base is provided, outlining a section that includes at least one entire side panel and creating bottom access to items held within the container. 
   The container base is formed from a blank having two opposing side panels and two opposing end panels foldably connected to a bottom panel along fold lines, and two opposing end flaps foldably attached to each side wall. The tear score line crosses the entire base from an outer or upper edge of one side panel to an outer or upper edge of the opposing panel, wherein the tear score line extends across the bottom panel or extends along at least one fold line that separates the bottom panel from one of the opposing end panels, dividing the base into two sections of unequal size. The smaller, removable section contains portions of two opposing side walls and one entire end wall to provide complete frontal access to the goods held within. The container may further comprise a removable lid having a top panel and four side panels foldably attached to the top panel along fold lines. 
   A tear strip or filament, commonly known as tear tape, may be attached to the container along an inner surface of the tear score line to facilitate clean and easy tearing. The tear tape may further contain a tear flap attached to an end of the tear score line that extends outwardly from the container, enabling a user to grip and access the tear tape for the purpose of tearing. 
   A display case or tray is created by first removing the removable lid if necessary. Next, the tear score line is torn and the smaller section of the container outlined by the tear score line is removed and discarded. Since at least a portion of three walls is removed, the contents of the container are visible and accessible on three sides. The tear may further involve tearing part of the bottom panel of the container even if items are being held within the container, providing accessibility to the contents on an additional, lower side. The remaining art of the container becomes a display tray that comprises the entirety of one end wall and major portions, but not all of, both side walls, and at least a majority of the bottom panel. 
   Other objects, embodiments, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent when the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, which should be construed in an illustrative and not limiting sense. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES/DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a blank for forming a container base that can be converted into a display tray. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the container erected from the blank in  FIG. 1  being converted into a display tray. 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of a blank for forming a container base that can be converted into a display tray. 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of a paperboard blank of  FIG. 3  with a tear filament over a tear score line. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the container erected from the blank in  FIG. 3  being converted into a display tray. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a shipping and display container and associated lid according to the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A paper or paperboard blank  10  that can be erected into a container is shown in FIG.  1 . The blank is preferably a flat material of single or multi-ply thickness made of any material known, such as corrugated paper or paperboard, that is suitable for shipping, stacking and transporting a variety of items. Bottom panel  12  is a large, rectangular panel, preferably of sufficient size to support a ream of office, printer or copier paper, or multiple reams stacked on top of one another. Parallel side fold lines  30  and  32  border the bottom panel on two opposing side edges, and parallel end fold lines  34  and  36  border the bottom panel on two opposing end edges. 
   Side panels  14  and  16  foldably connect to bottom panel  12  along side fold lines  30  and  32 , respectively. Likewise, end panels  18  and  20  foldably connect to bottom panel  12  along end fold lines  34  and  36 , respectively. 
   Each side panel is bordered by fold lines that outline bottom panel  12 , an outer edge (which is the upper edge in a container erected from the blank), and two end flaps foldably connected on opposite ends of the side panel along fold lines. Thus, side panel  14  is bordered by fold line  30 , outer edge  58  and flaps  22  and  26  which foldably connect to the side panel along fold lines  50  and  54 , respectively. Side panel  16  is bordered by fold line  32 , outer edge  60  and flaps  24  and  28  which foldably connect to the side panel along fold lines  52  and  56 , respectively. 
   Tear score line  38  divides blank  10  into two sections of unequal size by crossing the blank from outer edge  58  to outer edge  60  such that the entire score line can be torn with a single tear. In a preferred arrangement, score line  38  extends from outer edge  58  at an angle θa toward fold line  30 . After crossing the majority of panel  14 , the score line changes to an angle θb that is more acute than angle θa as it relates to outer edge  58 , directly towards an intersection  62  of fold lines  30 ,  34  and  50 . However, any combination of angles or arcuate turns can be scored onto panel  14 , as long as the score line ends up at intersection  62 . Essentially, the score line can cross from any point on outer edge  58  intermediate score line  50  and  54  to intersection  62 . As such, angle θb is not necessary if angle θa leads the tear score line directly into intersection  62 . Therefore, a wide range of angles may be substituted for angles θa, or θa and θb. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , side panel  14  is divided by score line segments  40  and  42  into a smaller section  14   a  and a larger section  14   b . Segment  44  of score line  38  then extends from intersection  62  directly on end fold line  34  toward an intersection  64  of fold lines  32 ,  34  and  52 . Upon reaching intersection  64 , the tear score line angles across side panel  16  toward outer edge  60  intermediate score lines  52  and  56 . Just like the division of panel  14 , score line  38  may cross side panel  16  by any angle and/or combination of angles or arcuate turns, as long as the score line extends from some point on fold line  46  to some point on outer edge  60  without extending along fold line  52 . For aesthetic reasons, it is preferred that angles θc and θd on tear line segments  46  and  48  are the same as angle θa and θb, but this is not a required feature to achieve the invention&#39;s functionality. In the present embodiment, panel  16  is divided by tear score line segments  46  and  48  into smaller section  16   a  and larger section  16   b.    
   The tear score line can be either a perforated score line by itself or a perforated score line with a tear tape attached to it. The tear tape may be any tape or tearing filament well known in the art for the purpose of tearing a flexible material such as paperboard. Such tape enables a user external to the container to fully tear through the thickness of the container when the tear tape is pulled. The tear tape may further contain a tear tab that is integrally connected to one side of the tear tape and extends outwardly from the edge of the container, enabling a user to better grip the tear tape prior to and during the tearing process. Tear cut lines may also be scored to facilitate the tear. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , tear score line  38  divides the entire container blank into two sections. The smaller section comprises panels  14   a ,  16   a ,  18 ,  22  and  24 . This section is removed and discarded when the container is erected and converted into a display tray. The larger section comprises the entirety of bottom panel  12  and panels  14   b ,  16   b ,  20 ,  26  and  28 , and corresponds to the display tray when the container is erected and torn along tear line  50 . 
   To erect blank  10  into a container C, the blank is preferably folded along the fold lines and erected by a machine in a continuous in-line process. Blank  12  is first folded along the horizontal axis of fold lines  30  and  32 , lifting side panels  14  and  16  and end flaps  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  upwards, out of the horizontal plane of bottom panel  12 . End flaps  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  are then folded 90° along the vertical axis of fold lines  50 ,  52 ,  54  and  56 , respectively, towards the bottom panel. Finally, end flaps  18  and  20  are folded upwards along horizontal fold lines  34  and  36  and are adhered to the back sides of the end panels with an adhesive. The adhesive used can be any adhesive known in the art for the purpose of bonding corrugated paper together. Alternative embodiments include utilizing non-adhesive bonding materials, such as staples, to erect and secure the container. 
   Blanks of alternate sizes, or with different size ratios of the individual panels of the blanks than those depicted in  FIG. 1 , can be easily achieved while maintaining the spirit of the invention. For example, thinner objects can be accounted for by changing the lengths of the side and end panels. Smaller items can be accounted for by adjusting the size of the bottom panel. 
   The display tray is created by tearing the tear score line of a container erected from blank  10 , as shown in FIG.  2 . The score tear line is torn across a plurality of panels in a single, continuous motion extending from one side of the container to the opposing side. The tear motion may be aided by a tear tape or a tear flap connected to one side of the tear tape to facilitate the tear by aiding the grip of the user. The final display tray  72  remains after tearing. The tray  72  comprises the entirety of the lid&#39;s bottom panel, the entirety of one end wall, and parts of two opposing side walls. The front wall of the tray is completely removed. The entire front and portions of the sides of the container&#39;s contents are visible and accessible, providing multiple display and access points for the goods. 
   An alternate embodiment of a blank scored in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG.  3 . Blank  74  is largely similar to blank  10 , but score line  100  traverses bottom panel  76  instead of extending along one end fold line of the panel. Blank  74  is made of any material known, such as corrugated paper or paperboard, that is suitable for shipping, stacking and transporting a wide variety of items, and comprises bottom panel  76 , side panels  78  and  80  foldably connect to bottom panel  76  along fold lines  94  and  96 , respectively, and end panels  82  and  84  foldably connect to bottom panel  76  along fold lines  98  and  102 , respectively. Side panel  78  has outer edge  112  and flaps  86  and  90  that foldably connect to the side panels along fold lines  104  and  108 , respectively, while side panel  80  has outer edge  114  and side flaps  88  and  92  that foldably connect to the side panel along fold lines  106  and  110 , respectively. 
   Tear score line  100  divides blank  10  into two sections of unequal size by traversing the blank from outer edge  112  to outer edge  114  such that the entire score line can be torn with a single tear. In this embodiment, score line  100  extends from outer  112  at an angle θe toward fold line  94 , forming score line segment  116 . The exact angle of θe can vary widely within the scope of the invention. Further, segment  116  could be arcuate or segmented by having the tear score line angle part way through side panel  78 , like score line  38  in FIG.  1 . Essentially, segment  116  may extend in any arrangement from a point on outer edge  112  intermediate fold lines  104  and  108  to a point on fold line  94  intermediate fold lines  98  and  102 , with angle θe varying accordingly. As a result, a wide range of angles may be substituted for angle θe. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , side panel  78  is divided by tear score line segment  116  into a smaller section  78   a  and a larger section  78   b . Tear score line  100  then traverses bottom panel  76 , dividing the panel into smaller section  76   a  and larger section  76   b . This piece of the tear score line is segment  118  and is preferably (although not necessarily) parallel to fold line  98  and closer to fold line  98  than fold line  102 . Upon reaching a point on fold line  96  intermediate fold lines  98  and  102 , the tear score line angles across side panel  16  toward outer edge  114 . Just like the division of panel  78 , segment  120  of tear score line  100  may cross side panel  16  by any angle or combination of angles or arcuate turns, as long as the score line extends from some point on fold line  96  intermediate the end fold lines to some point on outer edge  114  intermediate fold lines  106  and  110 . For aesthetic reasons, it is preferred that angle θf of tear score line segments  120  is the same as angle θe, but this is not a required feature to achieve the invention&#39;s functionality. In the present embodiment, panel  80  is divided into smaller section  80   a  and larger section  80   b.    
   The tear score line can be either a perforated score line by itself, or a perforated score line with a tear tape attached to it, as shown in FIG.  4 . Tear tape  66  is any tape or tearing filament well known in the art for the purpose of tearing a flexible material such as paperboard. Such tape enables a user external to the container to fully tear through the thickness of the container when the tear tape is pulled. Ideally, the tear tape is attached to the inner surface of the tear score line to facilitate a complete tear, the inner portion of the tear score line being the portion of the score line that is only visible from the interior of the container when the lid is removed. The tear tape may also contain tear tab  68  that is integrally connected to one side of the tear tape and extends outwardly from the edge of the container, enabling a user to better grip the tear tape prior to and during the tearing process. Tear cut lines  70  may also be scored to facilitate the tear. In other embodiments, the container may contain tear tape  66  without tear score line beneath it. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3  again, tear score line  100  divides the entire container blank into two sections. The smaller section comprises panels  76   a ,  78   a ,  80   a ,  82 ,  86  and  88 . This section is removed and discarded when the container is erected and converted into a display tray. The larger section comprises panels  76   b ,  78   b ,  80   b ,  84 ,  90  and  92 , and corresponds to the display tray when the container is erected and torn along tear line  100 . Blank  74  is erected in the same manner as blank  10 , preferably by a machine in a continuous in-line process. 
   The display tray is created by tearing the tear score line as shown in FIG.  5 . The score tear line is torn across a plurality of panels in a single, continuous motion extending from one side of the container to the opposing side. In this embodiment, a portion of the bottom panel can be torn along the tear score line even if the bottom panel is lying flat on a ground or table surface and the container is full of items or goods. The tear motion may be aided by a tear tape or a tear flap connected to one side of a tear tape to facilitate the tear by aiding the grip of the user. A final display tray  121  remains after tearing. The tray  121  comprises a majority of the lid&#39;s bottom panel, the entirety of one end wall, and parts of two opposing side walls. The end wall of the tray is completely removed. The entire front and most of the side of the container&#39;s contents are visible and accessible, providing multiple display and access points for the goods. Further, a portion of the bottom panel is removed, providing bottom access to the lower items held within the container. 
   A container C and associated lid L are indicated generally at  122  in FIG.  6 . 
   While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications are possible in light of the above disclosure. For example, this display tray may have side walls that extend higher to increase the protection of the goods inside. Similarly, in  FIG. 3. , the tear score line segment  118  may be closer to or further away from end fold line  98 . All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.