Patent Publication Number: US-2011057021-A1

Title: Tertiary carton with external pocket

Description:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed is a tertiary carton having an exposed external pocket. The tertiary carton is comprised of upper and lower right side panels and a left side panel wherein the side panels include various side closure flaps, a rear panel, at least one bottom closure panel, a top panel including a top tuck flap, and a front panel. The upper and lower right side panels are offset from one another to create an external pocket exposing the interior of the tertiary carton such that a secondary carton can be held in place in the external pocket with a portion of the secondary carton visibly exposed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing of a blank that can be formed into a tertiary carton having an external pocket. 
         FIG. 2  is a first isometric view of the tertiary carton illustrating the external pocket. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the tertiary carton having an external pocket. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the tertiary carton having an external pocket. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the tertiary carton having an external pocket. 
         FIG. 6  is a second isometric view of the tertiary carton illustrating a separate container seated within the external pocket. 
         FIG. 7  is a second isometric view of the tertiary carton illustrating a plurality of separate containers seated within the tertiary carton. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the invention disclose a tertiary carton having an external pocket. The apparatus is called a tertiary carton because it is designed to hold a plurality of secondary cartons each one containing primary contents. The tertiary carton is generally a box constructed from a pre-cut and shaped paperboard blank. Once constructed, the tertiary carton can be loaded with a plurality of secondary cartons such that one of the secondary cartons is partially exposed via the external pocket. This permits easy viewing of the label of the secondary carton without having to open the tertiary carton and remove a secondary carton for inspection. 
     The tertiary carton is shown as being made from a foldable paperboard pre-cut blank. However, the dispenser may be constructed of other materials including, but not limited to, cardboard, polymer, metal, etc., or combinations thereof. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing of a blank that can be formed into a tertiary carton having an external pocket. The blank  10  is generally comprised of a series of foldable panels that comprise the front, rear, sides, top, bottom, and an external pocket of the tertiary carton. Viewing the illustrated blank  10  of  FIG. 1 , there is shown a top panel  12  having a top tuck flap  14  extending therefrom. A rear panel  16  includes an attached glue flap  32 . To secure the carton in place upon assembly, an adhesive can be applied to the glue flap  32  which is then pressed against the left side panel such that the tertiary carton is held in place. It should be noted that the placement and orientation of the glue flap  32  may be altered without affecting the scope of the invention. The glue flap  32  may be attached to one or more of the other panels rather than the rear panel. Rear panel  16  is separated from a front panel  18  by a lower right side panel  24 . The lower right side panel includes a lower right side closure flap  31 . A left side panel  22  shares a perimeter edge with the front panel  18 . The left side panel further includes a lower left side closure flap  29  and an upper left side closure flap  28 . There are also a pair of bottom closure panels  20 . An external pocket is comprised of an upper right side panel  26  having an upper right side closure flap  30 . The upper right side panel  26  is offset from the lower right side panel  24  upon assembly to create the external pocket. A rear panel reinforcing flap  34  is also included to re-inforce the exposed portion of the rear panel  16  upon assembly of the tertiary carton. 
       FIG. 2  is a first isometric view of an assembled tertiary carton illustrating the external pocket  37 . The blank  10  has been folded along the various crease lines to form the tertiary carton. The front panel  18  is generally L-shaped wherein there is a rectangular cut-out section in the upper right corner of the front panel  18 . The blank has been generally folded such that the front  18  and rear  16  panels are separated by left  22  and right  24 ,  26  side panels. The two bottom closure panels (not shown)  20  have been folded inward and have been secured with the lower right and left side closure flaps  31 ,  29  respectively (not shown). The top panel  12  has been folded over and secures the tertiary carton when the top tuck flap  14  is tucked into the interior of the tertiary carton and secured with the upper right and left side closure flaps  30 ,  28  respectively. The rear panel reinforcing flap  34  has been folded over to cover the rear panel  16  area left exposed by the external pocket cut out area of the front panel  18 . The upper right side panel  26  is connected to the rear panel reinforcing flap  34  along a common perimeter edge. The external pocket  37  is essentially an opening into the interior of the tertiary carton that has been formed by the offset right side panels  24 ,  26 . This external pocket is designed to contain one of a plurality of secondary cartons that are housed by the tertiary carton such that a portion of the secondary carton is exposed so that its labeling is visible. 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of an assembled tertiary carton having an external pocket. In this view, the top panel  12  is shown up with the top tuck flap  14  also shown. The left  28  and right  30  upper side closure flaps are also shown. The main part of the tertiary carton includes the front panel  18  and the rear panel reinforcing member  34  which covers and reinforces the expose section of the rear panel  16  (not shown). 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of an assembled tertiary carton having an external pocket. In this view, the top panel  12  extends about ¾ the length of the tertiary carton. The remaining ¼ is the external pocket. Looking straight down, each of the bottom closure panels  20  are visible along with the lower right side closure flap  31  that helps secure the bottom of the tertiary carton when assembled. 
       FIG. 5  is a right side view of an assembled tertiary carton having an external pocket. In this view, the tertiary carton is shown from the right side. This is the side having the external pocket. It should be noted that the external pocket can be located on either the right or left side of the tertiary carton by simply utilizing a mirror image of the blank  10 . The location and orientation of the external pocket should not be considered limiting to the invention. The lower right side panel  24  rises approximately ⅔ of the way up the tertiary carton. The upper right side panel  26  is then visible the rest of the way up. A side view of the rear panel reinforcing flap  34  is shown abutted up against a portion of the rear panel  16  (not shown). This view also shows the upper right side closure flap  30  as well as the top panel  12  and top tuck flap  14 . 
       FIG. 6  is a second isometric view of an assembled tertiary carton illustrating a separate container seated within the external pocket. This figure is essentially the same as  FIG. 2  but with a secondary carton  40  shown housed within the external pocket  37  of the tertiary carton. A portion of the secondary carton is exposed. This allows for some of the labeling on the secondary carton to be visible while contained within the tertiary carton. Thus, a pharmacist, for example, can easily determine the secondary carton contents. It also provides a means for removing the secondary carton from the tertiary carton without having to remove the top tuck flap  14  and lift the top panel  12 . 
       FIG. 7  is a second isometric view of an assembled tertiary carton illustrating a plurality of separate containers seated within the tertiary carton. This figure illustrates how a plurality of secondary cartons  40  can be housed within the tertiary carton. A portion of a first secondary carton  40  remains exposed as described in  FIG. 6  while the remaining secondary cartons are securely stored within the tertiary carton. 
     Suitably, the package may, for example, be used to store pharmaceuticals preparations requiring repeat periodic dosage regimens. As used herein, the term “pharmaceutical preparation” is intended to include prescribed or over the counter drugs or supplements, vitamins or other medicaments, or any other materials suitable for containment in a package of foil/paperboard or plastic construction. 
     It is believed that the present invention includes many other embodiments that may not be herein described in detail, but would nonetheless be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the disclosures made. Accordingly, this disclosure should not be read as being limited only to the foregoing examples or only to the designated preferred embodiments.