Abstract:
A combination shipping and dispensing carton for carrying pouches which can be converted into side-by-side dispensers for dispensing pouches in their upright position on the shelves of stores. The carton has a bottom panel, top panel and adjoining side panels and flaps for closing the ends of the carton. The carton has a pair of tear lines extending through one side panel and a fold line extending in the other side panel which are interconnected so that when the tear lines are torn the carton can be formed into side-by-side dispensers by folding the fold line. This shipping carton carries the pouches in two rows with the tops of the pouches in each row meeting near the center of the carton and overlapping so that the length of the carton is less than two times the length of a pouch. The length of the carton can be from approximately the length of a pouch to one and half times the length of a pouch, depending upon the configuration of the pouches and how full they are filled.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a combination shipping carton for shipping pouches which can be easily converted into twin boxes for dispensing and displaying the pouches to the consumer. This invention has a unique feature in a combination of a fold line in one side panel and of tear lines in the carton for converting the shipping carton into twin boxes for dispensing and displaying the pouches.  
         [0003]     2. Background  
         [0004]     Many food products, such as drinks, small pieces of candy, snack mixes of small pieces of food (e.g. trail mix), and the like are packaged and sold to the consumer in pouches made of a composite material. These pouches tend to be small in size (e.g. 200 milliliters or 100 grams). These pouches are presently shipped to the store in a shipping container and these are removed and placed on the shelf individually in groups or displayed in the shipping container.  
         [0005]     Neither of these options for displaying and dispensing these pouches to the consumer is very satisfactory.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     This invention relates to twin boxes for dispensing and displaying pouches containing food products on shelves for sale to consumers. These twin dispenser boxes are converted from a shipping carton for shipping the pouches to the store. The shipping carton has a bottom panel, top panel and foldably attached adjoining side panels and flaps for closing the ends of the carton. The pouches are put into the carton when it has been formed basically into a tray with a lid and the lid closed and sealed. When the shipping carton arrives at the store, it can be converted into side-by-side dispensers for dispensing and displaying the pouches to the consumer. This conversion can be made because the shipping carton has a pair of tear lines that extend through a side panel with a fold line in the other side panel and an interconnection between the tear lines and the fold line for converting the carton into side-by-side dispensers.  
         [0007]     In one embodiment the tear lines are parallel to each other and produce side-by-side dispensers with front walls designed to be placed near the front edge of the shelf, with the height of the front wall being high enough from the bottom of the dispenser to securely hold the pouches. In another embodiment, the pair of tear lines in the side panel diverge away from each other from the top panel to the bottom panel and enter the bottom panel and are substantially parallel to each other through most of the bottom panel so that front wall of each side-by-side dispenser is low enough to the bottom of the dispenser to display more of the advertising and information on the front of the pouch to the consumer.  
         [0008]     While these dispensers are designed to be displayed side-by-side and are attached to each other by a single fold line in a side panel of the shipping carton, the fold line can be interspersed with cuts so the dispensers may be separated from each other and displayed separately.  
         [0009]     In respect to both of these embodiments, the shipping carton is designed so that it can be packed tightly with pouches to save material used in constructing the carton and to produce a tightly packed shipping carton which helps prevent damage to the pouches. Many of these pouches are constructed so that the tops of the pouches are not as full of product as the bottom of the pouch. Consequently, the pouches in both of these embodiments are packed in an interleaving fashion so that the tops of pouches in opposite rows meet at the center of the carton and overlap each other. In other words, the bottoms of some of the pouches are adjacent to one end of the carton while the bottoms of other pouches are adjacent the other end of the carton. Two rows of pouches are packed in these shipping cartons. Because of this overlapping, the length of the carton is less than two times the length of a pouch, the extent to which the length of the carton can be less than two times the length of pouch depends upon how full the pouches are filled near their tops and how the pouches are constructed. From one quarter to one half of the length of a pouch may overlap with the corresponding length of an adjoining pouch, at the top of the pouches, so the length of the shipping carton may be from approximately the length of one pouch to one and half times the length of a pouch.  
         [0010]     Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is plan view of the blank of one embodiment of this invention from which a combination shipping carton and twin shelf dispensers for pouches is formed.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the shipping carton of this invention made from the blank of  FIG. 1  from which the opening flap has been removed for conversion of the shipping carton into twin shelf dispensers for displaying and dispensing pouches.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the shipping carton of  FIG. 2  which has been folded into twin shelf dispensers for displaying and dispensing pouches which are shown in the dispensers.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a blank of another embodiment of this invention from which a combination shipping carton and twin shelf dispensers for pouches can be formed.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a combination shipping carton and twin shelf dispensers formed from the blank of  FIG. 4  from which the opening flap has been removed for conversion of the shipping carton into twin shelf dispensers for displaying and dispensing pouches.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the twin boxes made from the shipping carton of  FIG. 5  in which pouches are placed for display and dispensing. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]     The present invention is intended primarily for use with pouches of the types used to contain drinks, bits of candy, other bits of food, such as a trail mix, and the like. The blank for the carton can be formed from various substrates, such as paperboard, corrugated board, z-flute and the like.  
         [0018]     The blank  10  for this embodiment of the invention has a top flap  12 A &amp;  12 B which is attached to side panel  14 A &amp;  14 B by fold line  16 , which in turn is attached to bottom panel  18 A &amp; 18 B by fold line  20 . Bottom panel  18 A &amp;  18 B is attached to side panel  22 A &amp;  22 B by fold line  24 , and in turn attached to top flap  26 A &amp; 26 B by fold line  28 .  
         [0019]     The ends of the carton are closed by providing top end flap  30  which is attached to top flap  12 A by fold line  32  and top end flap  34  which is attached to top flap  12 B by fold line  36 . Side end flap  38  is attached to side panel  14 A by fold line  32  and side end flap  40  is attached to side panel  14 B by fold line  36 . Bottom end flap  42  is attached to bottom panel  18 A by fold line  32  and bottom end flap  44  is attached to bottom panel  18 B by fold line  36 . Side end flap  46  is attached to side panel  22 A by fold line  32  and side end flap  48  is attached to side panel  22 B by fold line  36 .  
         [0020]     It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the carton of the present invention is generally symmetrical about a horizontal line of bisection, as viewed when  FIG. 1  is rotated lengthwise. This symmetry aids in the efficient production of the present carton.  
         [0021]     The shipping carton of this invention is formed by folding fold lines  16  and  20  of the blank as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and folding top end flap  30 , side end flap  38 , and bottom end flap  42  which are glued together. At the same time top end flap  34 , side end flap  40 , and bottom end flap  44  are folded inwardly and glued together to form the shipping carton  75  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). Preferably side end flaps  38  and  40  are glued in the overlapping position over top end flap  30  and bottom end flap  42  and top end flap  34  and bottom end flap  44  respectively. Pouches  74 A-H containing food products are loaded into the shipping carton  75  with one of their sides (preferably the front side  80 ) facing the bottom panel  18 A &amp;  18 b while the shipping container  75  is resting on side panel  14 A &amp;  14 B. The carton is closed by folding side panel  22 A &amp; 22 B along fold line  24  and folding top flap  26 A &amp;  26 B along fold line  28 , and gluing it to top flap  12 A &amp;  12 B. Side end flaps  46  and  48  are folded along fold lines  32  and  36  respectively and glued to side end flaps  38  and  40  respectively. It should be realized that the shipping carton  75  can be loaded while resting on side panel  22 A &amp;  22 B as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0022]     It will be noticed that the pouches  74 A-D are loaded so that their tops  76  meet the tops of pouches  74 E-H at the center of the shipping carton  75  and overlap each other. This can be done because the tops  76  of the pouches are typically not as full of products as the rest of the pouch and there is a shorter distance from the front side  80  to the back side (not shown) of each pouch  74 A-H at the top  76  than at the bottom end  77 E. This overlapping of the tops  76  of the pouches  74 A-H permits the length L between fold line  32  and  36  to be much less than double the length L′ of a pouch  74 A-H. Because from one fourth to one half of the top end of the pouch may overlap with the corresponding distance of an adjoining pouch, the length L of a carton may be from approximately the length L′ of a pouch to one and half times the length L′ of a pouch. This results in considerable savings in shipping costs, as less material is required to construct the shipping carton  75 . This interleaving of the tops  76  of the pouches  74 A-H also results in a shipping carton  75  that is more tightly packed which reduces the likelihood of damage to the pouches  74 A-H through the carton  75  during shipment.  
         [0023]     It will be noticed from  FIG. 1  that the blank  10  is provided with a twin box fold line  50  separating side panel  22 A &amp;  22 B which extends from fold line  28  to a position close to fold line  24  or all the way to fold line  24 . Parallel tear lines  52  and  54  are provided between top flap  12 A &amp;  12 B. These tear lines  52  and  54  extend into side panel  14 A &amp;  14 B as tear lines  56  and  58  which diverge from each which may commence at fold line  16  and extend to fold line  20 . These tear lines  56  and  58  extend into bottom panel  18 A &amp;  18 B and are parallel throughout most of their length between fold lines  20  and  24  to each other and to fold line  32  and  36 . These tear lines  60  and  62  extend into side panel  22 A &amp;  22 B and meet each other at the end twin box fold line  50 . These tear lines  60  and  62  can meet at fold line  24  or in bottom panel  18 A &amp; 18 B near fold line  24 . A fold line  68  may be provided for establishing a starting flap  70  for opening flap  66  to ease grabbing the starting flap  70 . Tear line  60  and  62  may be converted into a cut line  64  to facilitate opening the opening flap  66 .  
         [0024]     The shipping carton  75  may be opened by grabbing starting flap  70  and tearing opening flap  66  along tear lines  60 ,  62 ,  56 ,  58 ,  52  and  54  all the way to fold line  28  where the opening flap  66  meets the twin box fold line  50 . This opening flap  66  may be removed from the shipping carton  75  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0025]     The shipping carton  75  can then be folded along twin box fold lines  50  to be formed into twin shelf dispensers  72 A &amp;  72 B as illustrated in  FIG. 3  in which the pouches  74  are displayed in their upright position with the top  76  of each pouch  74  located in the proper position for display purposes and dispensing. The bottom  78  of shelf dispenser  72 A is formed by top end flap  30 , side end flap  38 , bottom end flap  42  and side end flap  46 . The bottom (not shown) of shelf dispenser  72 B is formed from the corresponding end flaps of the blank  10 .  
         [0026]     It will be noticed that since tear line  60  is located close to fold line  32  most of the front side  80  of the pouch  74  is displayed for advertising and identification purposes. This also facilitates easy removal of the pouch  74  by the consumer. These shelf dispensers  72 A &amp;  72 B are designed to be displayed side-by-side on the shelf of the store for easy access by a consumer. Shelf dispensers  72 A &amp;  72 B can be separated from each other by cutting twin box fold line  50  which is the only place of attachment of shelf dispenser  72 A to shelf dispenser  72 B. Twin box fold line  50  can be constructed as a tear line for easy separation of the shelf dispensers  72 A &amp;  72 B.  
         [0027]     The blank for another embodiment of this invention is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The blank  110  for this embodiment of the invention has a top flap  112 A &amp;  112 B which is attached to side panel  114 A &amp;  114 B by fold line  116 , which in turn is attached to bottom panel  118 A &amp;  118 B by fold line  120 . Bottom panel  118 A &amp;  118 B is attached to side panel  122 A &amp; 122 B by fold line  124  and in turn attached to top flap  126 A &amp; 126 B by fold line  128 .  
         [0028]     The ends of the carton are closed by providing top end flap  130  which is attached to top flap  112 A by fold line  132  and top end flap  134  which is attached to top flap  112 B by fold line  136 . Side end flap  138  is attached to side panel  114 A by fold line  132  and side end flap  140  is attached to side panel  114 B by fold line  136 . Bottom end flap  142  is attached to bottom panel  118 A by fold line  132  and bottom end flap  144  is attached to bottom panel  118 B by fold line  136 . Side end flap  146  is attached to side panel  122 A by fold line  132  and side end flap  148  is attached to side panel  122 B by fold line  136 .  
         [0029]     The shipping carton of this invention is formed by folding fold lines  116  and  120  of the blank as illustrated in  FIG. 4  and folding top end flap  130 , side end flap  138  and side end flap  142  which are glued together. At the same time top end flap  134 , side end flap  140  and bottom end flap  144  are folded inwardly and glued together to form the shipping carton. Preferably side end flaps  138  and  140  are glued in an overlapping position over top end flap  130  and top end flap  134  and bottom end flap  142  and bottom end flap  144  respectively. Pouches  74 A-H are loaded into the shipping carton  175  with one of their sides (preferably the front side  80 ) facing the bottom panel  118 A &amp; 118 B while the shipping container is resting on side panel  114 A &amp;  114 B. The carton is closed by folding side panel  122 A &amp;  122 B along fold line  124  and folding top flap  126 A &amp;  126 B along fold line  128  and gluing it to top flaps  112 A &amp;  112 B. Side end flaps  146  and  148  are folded along fold lines  132  and  136  respectively and glued to side end flaps  138  and  140  respectively. It should be realized that the shipping carton  175  can be loaded while resting on side panel  122 A &amp;  122 B as shown in  FIG. 5 . The position shown in  FIG. 5  is the preferred position to place the shipping carton  175  to remove the opening flap  163 .  
         [0030]     As in the case of the embodiment illustrated by  FIGS. 1-3  described supra, the pouches  74 A-D are loaded so that their tops  76  meets the tops of pouches  74 E-H at the center of the shipping carton  175  and overlap each other. For illustration purposes shipping carton  75  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  is the same size as the shipping carton  175  illustrated in  FIGS. 4-6 . As in the case of shipping carton  75  the length L between fold line  132  and  136  of carton  175  is much less than double the length L′ of a pouch  74 A-H. Because from one fourth to one half of the top end of the pouch may overlap with the corresponding distance of an adjoining pouch, the length L of a carton may be from approximately the length L′ of a pouch to one and half times the length L′ of a pouch.  
         [0031]     It will be noticed from  FIG. 4  that the blank  110  is provided with a twin box fold line  150  separating side panel  122  &amp;  122 B which extends from fold line  128  to fold line  124 . Parallel tear lines  152  and  154  are provided between side panel  114 A &amp;  114 B and extend between fold lines  116  and  120 . These tear lines  152  and  154  extend into top panel  112 A and  112 B as tear lines  160  and  162  which converge towards each other in top flap  112 A &amp;  112 B until they meet tear line  164  which extends through both top flaps  112  &amp;  112 B and  126 A &amp;  126 B which are to be glued together. Similarly tear lines  152  and  154  extend into bottom panel  118 A &amp;  118 B as tear lines  156  and  158  which converge towards each other until they are interconnected to twin box fold line  150  by tear line  166 .  
         [0032]     It will be noticed that finger apertures  168  are provided for carrying the shipping carton  175 .  
         [0033]     This shipping carton  175  can be opened by resting it on side panel  122 A &amp;  122 B and tearing opening flap  163  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Tear lines  152  and  154  are basically parallel to each other in side panel  114 A &amp;  114 B and are also parallel to fold lines  132  and  136  between fold line  116  to  120 . It should be realized that opening flap  163  can be constructed with somewhat different dimension and configuration than illustrated in  FIG. 4  as long as the principles of  FIG. 4  are followed. Top flap  112 A &amp;  112 B, side panel  114 A &amp;  114 B, bottom panel  118 A &amp;  118 B and top flap  126 A &amp;  126 B are torn into twin shelf dispensers  172 A &amp;  172 B. This is accomplished by folding along twin box fold line  150  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  in which the pouches  74  are displayed with their front side  80  with the top  76  of each pouch  74  located in the proper position for displaying purposes and dispensing. The bottom  178  is formed by top end flap  130 , side end flap  138 , bottom end flap  142  and side end flap  146 . The bottom (not shown) of shelf dispenser  172 B is formed from the corresponding end flaps of blank  110 . It will be noticed that tear line  166  in both shelf dispenser  172 A and  172 B is located some distance from fold lines  132  and  136  which results in retaining the pouches  74  more securely in the shelf dispensers  172  &amp;  172 B. These shelf dispensers  172 A &amp;  172 B are also designed to be displayed side-by-side on the shelf of the store. They can be separated from each other by cutting twin box fold line  150  which is the only place of attachment of shelf dispenser  172 A to shelf dispenser  172 B. Twin box fold line  150  could be constructed as a tear line for easy separation of the shelf dispensers  172 A &amp;  172 B.  
         [0034]     It will be noticed from the drawings that the twin shelf dispensers formed from each embodiment are identical to each other. It should be realized that the self dispensers formed from each embodiment could be of a different size and configuration from each other if desired by the placement of the fold line and tear lines to achieve the desired objective.  
         [0035]     While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the following claims.