Abstract:
A container converts into a display tray, wherein the container has a base, a removable lid and a single tear line crossing the removable lid and dividing the lid into two sections of unequal size. The display tray is created by inverting the container and tearing the tear line, physically dividing the lid, whereupon both the smaller section of the lid and the base are removed and discarded, leaving the inverted, larger section of the lid as the display tray.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/362,973, filed Mar. 8, 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 corrugated container with a perforated tear score line scored into the container&#39;s removable lid, such that a display box is created when the container is inverted and torn along the tear score line. 
   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 scored with score 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 machine along the score lines or cut lines to form a 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 to be shipped to retail stores and outlets for the sale and display of the products. With a basic container, when the retail establishment wishes to display the products held inside, a user must open the container, remove the products, and place the products on a display tray or stand, 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 box, and can create impromptu and self-sufficient display trays where no such means previously existed, 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, the integrity of the container is compromised by scoring the container base, significantly 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, or a generally unattractive display. 
   Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a convertible paperboard shipper display container that does not compromise the strength of the container&#39;s base with perforated lines and allows for easy and clean tearing of the paperboard container. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention comprises a shipping container that can be readily and easily converted into a display tray by inverting the container and tearing along a tear score line scored in the container&#39;s removable lid. Having a tear score line in the lid as opposed to the base maintains the container&#39;s strength by avoiding the perforation of the load bearing part of the container (the base). 
   The removable lid is formed from a blank having four side panels foldably connected to a top panel along fold lines, wherein the tear score line crosses two opposing side panels and further extends along at least one fold line, dividing the lid into two separate sections of unequal size. The tear score line does not cross or encroach the top panel. The container&#39;s base may be any typical container base, for example, with a bottom panel, two side walls and two end walls foldably attached to the bottom panel, and two side flaps foldably attached to each opposing side wall. 
   A tear strip or filament, commonly known as tear tape, may be attached to the container along the inner surface of the perforated tear line to facilitate clean and easy tearing. The tear tape may further contain a tear flap attached to the ends of the tear score line that extends outwardly from the lid, enabling a user to grip and access the tear tape for the purpose of tearing. 
   A display case is created by first inverting the container such that the lid is beneath the base of the container and the base rests on top of the lid. Next, the tear score line is torn and the smaller section of the lid outlined by the tear score line is removed and discarded. Finally, the base of the container is removed in an upwards direction. The remaining display comprises the entirety of the lid&#39;s top panel, the entirety of one back wall and portions of two opposing side walls. The front wall and portions of two opposing side walls are removed. 
   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 perspective view of the shipping container, including a base and a removable lid. 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of a paperboard blank for forming the removable lid. 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of a paperboard blank for forming the base. 
       FIG. 4   a - 4   d  is an action flow chart showing a method for creating a display tray by inverting the container. 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view of a paperboard blank for forming a removable lid with tear tape. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A paper or paperboard container in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG.  1 . Container  10  is erected having a base  12  for holding consumer goods or other items, and a removable lid  14  fitted onto the base in a secure but non-bonded arrangement, wherein the lid can be removed by a pulling motion in an upwards direction. Tear score line  50  is visible along the side edges of the lid, thereby leaving base  12  free of any score lines that may comprise or reduce its strength. 
   Lid  14  may be formulated from blank  18 , shown in FIG.  2 . The blank is preferably a flat corrugated paper or paperboard of single or multi-ply thickness and made of any material known that is suitable for shipping, stacking and transporting a wide variety of items. Top panel  30  is a large, rectangular panel, preferably of sufficient size to support a ream, or multiple reams, of office, printer or copier paper. Parallel end fold lines  66  and  64  border the top panel on two opposing sides. Parallel side fold lines  44  and  46  border the top panel  30  on the remaining two opposing sides. 
   End panels  32  and  34  foldably connect to top panel  30  along fold lines  66  and  64 , respectively. Likewise, side panels  36  and  38  foldably connect to top panel  30  along fold lines  44  and  46 , respectively. 
   Each side panel is bordered by the top panel, an outer edge, and two side flaps foldably connected on opposites sides. Side panel  36  has outer edge  52  and flaps  40  and  40   a , and panel  38  has outer edges  54  and flaps  42  and  42   a.    
   Tear score line  50  divides lid  14  into two sections by entirely crossing the blank from outer edge  52  to outer edge  54  without ever crossing top panel  30 . In a preferred arrangement, score line  50  extends from outer edge  52  at an angle A toward fold line  44 , thereby crossing side panel  36 . The score line preferably crosses panel  36  on a diagonal, with angle A equaling about 30°, but this exact angle is not required. Instead, the score line can cross from any point on outer edge  52  to any point of fold line  44 . For example, angle A can be 90°, whereby the score line crosses panel  36  in a vertical line perpendicular to the outer edge and the fold line. Conversely, the score line may extend from one extreme edge of outer edge  52  to the opposing extreme edge on fold line  44 , thereby diagonally bisecting panel  36  into two equivalent triangles. Further, the score line may extend from a point closer to flap  40  to a point closer to flap  40   a , or vice versa. As a result, a wide range of angles may be substituted for angle A. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , side panel  36  is divided by score line  50  into a smaller section  36   a  and a larger section  36   b . Score line  50  then extends directly on fold line  44  toward end fold line  66 . In other embodiments, score line  50  angles directly into the intersection of fold line  44  and fold line  66 . In these circumstances, score line  50  does not have to extend directly on fold line  44  for a portion of that fold line&#39;s length. 
   Upon reaching fold line  66 , tear score line  50  angles 90° and extends along the entire length of fold line  66 . At the intersection of fold lines  66  and  46 , the tear line angles again and may extend partially along fold line  46  before extending from fold line  46  to outer edge  54  across side panel  38 . Much like the division of panel  36 , score line  50  may cross side panel  38  by any angle, and in any direction, as long as the score line extends from some point on fold line  46  to some point on outer edge  54 . For aesthetic reasons, it is preferred that angle B is the same as angle A, but this is not a required feature to achieve the invention&#39;s functionality. In the present embodiment, panel  38  is divided into smaller section  38   a  and larger section  38   b , with angle B equaling about 30°. 
   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.  5 . Tear tape  70  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 lid to fully tear through the thickness of the lid 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 lid when the lid is erected. The tear tape may also contain tear tab  72 , integrally connected to one side of the tear tape, that extends outwardly from the edge of the container and enables a user to better grip the tear tape prior to and during the tearing process. Tear cut lines  74  may also be scored to facilitate the tear. In other embodiments, the lid may container tear tape  70  without score line  50 . 
   As a result, referring to  FIG. 2 , tear score line  50  divides the entire top panel into two sections. The smaller section comprises panels  32 ,  36   a ,  38   a ,  40   a  and  42   a . This section is removed and discarded when the top is converted into a display tray. The larger section comprises the entirety of top panel  30  and panels  34 ,  36   b ,  38   b ,  40  and  42 , and corresponds to the display tray when the lid is erected and torn along tear line  50 . 
   To erect blank  18  into a lid, the container is preferably folded along the fold lines and erected by a machine in a continuous in-line process. Blank  18  is first folded along the horizontal axis of fold lines  44  and  46 , lifting side panels  36  and  38  and side flaps  40 ,  40   a ,  42  and  42   a  upwards, out of the horizontal plane of top panel  30 . Side flaps  40 ,  40   a ,  42  and  42   a  are then folded 90° along the vertical axis of fold lines  48  towards the top panel. Finally, end flaps  32  and  34  are folded upwards along horizontal fold lines  66  and  64  and are adhered to the back sides of the side 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 lid. 
   Lid blanks of alternate sizes, or with different size ratios of the individual panel of the blanks than those depicted in  FIG. 2 , can be easily achieved while maintaining the spirit of the invention. For example, thinner objects can be accounted for by changing the length of the side and end panels. Smaller items can be accounted for by adjusting the size of the top panel. 
   Base  12  of the container of the present invention is formulated from blank  16  shown in FIG.  3 . The base is constructed for the purpose of holding, shipping or stacking a wide variety of objects, such as reams of office, printer or copier paper. As a result, the blank is preferably a flat corrugated paper or paperboard made of a material known that is suitable for the shipping and transporting a wide variety of consumer items. For example, if one were to package heavier materials, a thicker grade may be advisable. Further, the strength of the paper or paperboard can be increased by having a thickness of more than one ply (multi-ply paperboard). The grade of paper is preferably the same grade used for the removable lid, although it is not essential. 
   Blank  16  has a rectangular bottom panel  20  bordered on four sides by end fold lines  62  and side fold lines  28  and  28   a . End panels  22  foldably connect to the bottom panel along fold lines  62 . Side panels  24  and  24   a  foldably connect to the bottom panel along fold lines  28  and  28   a , respectively. Each side panel is bordered by the bottom panel, an outer edge, and two side flaps foldably connected on opposites sides. Side panel  24  is foldably connected to flaps  26  along score lines  60 , and panel  24   a  is foldably connected to flaps  26   a  along score line  60   a . The container base is erected in the same manner as the lid, with the side and end panels folded upwards, 90° out of the plane of base panel  20 , with end panels  24  and  24   a  attaching to the backs of side flaps  26  and  26   a.    
   The display tray is created by the process outlines in  FIGS. 4   a - 4   d . The container of  FIG. 1  is created by placing the removable lid on top of the container base. The entire container is then turned upside-down to form the inverted container of  FIG. 4   a . Tear line  50  is then torn in  FIG. 4   b . The tear line is torn in a single, continuous motion extending from one side of the container to the opposing side. The container base is preferably left on top of the lid to keep the contents of the container steady during tearing. However, the base is not required for proper function of the tearing and may be removing prior to the tear. Further, 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 base is then removed in an upward motion pursuant to  FIG. 4   c , if it wasn&#39;t already done prior to the tearing step of  FIG. 4   b . The final display tray is shown in  FIG. 4   d . The tray comprises the entirety of the lid&#39;s top panel (which corresponds to the display tray&#39;s bottom panel), the entirety of one side wall (corresponding to the back of the tray), and parts of two opposing side walls (corresponding to the tray&#39;s opposing side walls.) The front wall of the tray is completely removed. The entire front and most of the side of the container&#39;s contents is visible and accessible, providing ample display and easily retrieval of the goods. 
   While the preferred embodiments of the invention has 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, the angles of the tear score line can be altered to increase or decrease side access of the goods, or simply for aesthetic reasons. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.