Patent Publication Number: US-2007095697-A1

Title: Carton with dispenser

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/714,189, filed Sep. 2, 2005, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/727,019, filed Oct. 14, 2005, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      This invention relates to cartons, and more particularly to a carton for enclosing and dispensing articles.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Cartons for encasing and dispensing multiple articles such as soft drink cans or bottles are useful for enabling consumers to transport, store, and access the articles. The consumer typically prefers the flexibility to easily access one or more articles at a time. To that end, some cartons have dispensers which allow one or more articles to be removed while continuing to encase the remaining articles. The dispenser includes a detachable portion of the carton that is removed to form an opening from which articles may be dispensed.  
      Many cartons encase multiple rows or tiers of articles, one above the other, that are carried within the carton. Particularly, when the articles are rounded and cylindrical, it is desirable to overcome the tendency of the articles to fall out when the consumer operates the carton dispenser or otherwise removes one or more of the articles through the opening provided by removing a detachable portion of the carton. To prevent this occurrence, the dimensions and position of the opening are engineered such that the remaining articles are restrained after an article is dispensed. Therefore, these dispensers often include a relatively small opening positioned near the top of the carton that may succeed in restraining the articles but severely limits the visibility of articles that remain in the carton. In addition, the detachable portion of the carton is often difficult to remove in order to properly form the dispenser opening. Specifically, detachable portions that form wider openings which allow access to more articles can be especially difficult to remove.  
      Therefore, there is a need for a carton having an improved dispenser that is easy to operate and that facilitates viewing and selectively accessing articles that remain in the carton after the carton is opened.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The various embodiments of the present invention overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a carton with a dispenser having a detachable portion that is easily removable to define an opening that fully exposes articles for removal. In addition, the opening partially exposes articles that are retained by the carton as an indication of the number of articles that remain in the carton.  
      In an exemplary embodiment, a carton including an exemplary dispenser has a front wall that is hingedly connected to an adjacent wall along a fold line. The dispenser includes an at least partially detachable portion formed at least in part from the front wall and, in some embodiments, from the adjacent wall. In certain embodiments, the at least partially detachable portion is defined by a substantially continuous severance line. The detachable portion extends from the fold line which hingedly connects the front wall and an adjacent wall toward an opposing edge of the front wall. Specifically, the at least partially detachable portion extends to a distal end that is closer to the opposing edge than to the fold line. In certain embodiments, the detachable portion is substantially elongate and tapers along at least a portion of its length such that its width becomes relatively narrower as it approaches the opposing edge of the front wall or the distal end of the detachable portion.  
      The carton packages or encloses a plurality of substantially cylindrical articles which are arranged in a matrix configuration. The ends of the articles are disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the front wall. The matrix arrangement includes two or more tiers of articles with the lowermost tier of articles extending along the fold line next to the adjacent wall. The detachable portion defines an opening in the carton that fully exposes an end of at least one article in the lowermost tier of articles. In certain embodiments, the opening partially exposes an end of at least one article in a tier above the lowermost tier of articles. In such embodiments, for example, the opening partially exposes an end of at least one article that is closer to the opposing edge than to the fold line. In embodiments where the detachable portion is defined in part from the adjacent wall, the opening exposes a portion of a side of at least one article in the lowermost tier of articles.  
      The carton includes an end wall that is hingedly connected to the adjacent wall and to the front wall to form a bottom corner. In certain embodiments, the detachable portion extends from the bottom corner of the carton toward a top corner of the front wall. In the exemplary embodiment, the top corner is defined by the front wall, a top wall which opposes the adjacent wall, and an end wall. In certain embodiments, the detachable portion is substantially elongate with a wider end disposed at the bottom corner and a narrower end adjacent to said top corner.  
      In some embodiments, the detachable portion includes a tear initiation feature that is disposed at the distal end. The tear initiation feature may be a push tab, an aperture, a slit, or the like. In certain embodiments which include a push tab, the push tab is in registry with a space between four adjacent articles which are disposed in two adjacent tiers of articles.  
      The carton and the blank from which the carton is formed include severance line segments that define the detachable portion. The carton has a front wall which is defined in part by a first edge and an opposing second edge. A first severance line segment extends convexly from a first intersecting point at the second edge to a vertex and from the vertex to a second intersecting point. The vertex is closer to the first edge than to the second edge. The first severance line segement further extends from the vertex to a second intersecting point that is closer to the second edge than to the first edge. The first severance line segment at least partially defines a detachable portion that has a width which is relatively narrower at the vertex than at the second edge.  
      In certain embodiments, the detachable portion is further defined by a second severance line that is formed in an adjacent wall. The adjacent wall is hingedly connected to the front wall along the second edge. The second severance line interconnects the first and second intersection points. In certain other embodiments, the first severance line segment extends along a third edge.  
      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. All such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages are included within the scope of the present teaching and are protected by the accompanying claims.  
      The foregoing has broadly outlined some of the aspects and features of the present invention, which should be construed to be merely illustrative of various potential applications of the invention. Other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed information in a different manner or by combining various aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, other aspects and a more comprehensive understanding of the invention may be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton including an exemplary embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary carton formed from the blank of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIGS. 3-5  are perspective views of the carton of  FIG. 2  illustrating steps of an exemplary method of removing a detachable portion of the exemplary dispenser.  
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged, partial perspective view of the carton of  FIG. 2 , showing the opening formed by removing the detachable portion.  
       FIG. 7  shows a carton including an alternative embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton including yet another embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of  FIG. 8 , with the detachable portion of the dispenser partially removed.  
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the carton of  FIG. 9 , with the detachable portion of the dispenser fully removed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It must be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the word “exemplary” is used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as illustrations, specimens, models, or patterns. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. In other instances, well-known components, systems, materials, or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.  
      Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, the drawings illustrate certain of the various aspects of exemplary embodiments of a dispenser according to the present invention. The dispenser is formed in one or more walls of an exemplary carton, as is discussed below in detail. In the embodiments described herein, the carton dispenses articles such as cylindrical beverage cans through an opening defined by a detachable portion of the carton. The detachable portion extends across a large proportion of the length of the carton, and preferably, more than half of the carton length. In one exemplary embodiment, for example, the detachable portion extends diagonally across a front wall of the carton from a bottom corner toward a top corner. In another embodiment, the detachable portion extends longitudinally across at least part of the length of the front wall from a bottom edge to or toward a top edge of the front wall. The opening is substantially elongated with a narrower portion through which the ends of certain articles in upper tiers are partially exposed and a wider portion through which the ends of certain articles in the lowermost tier are fully exposed.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the various embodiments of the dispenser of the present invention will be described in the context of an exemplary blank  10  that can be folded and secured to form an exemplary carton  100  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). Generally described, the blank  10  is formed from a foldable sheet material such as paperboard, corrugated board, plastic, cardboard, or the like. The blank  10  includes a number of substantially rectangular primary panels that are aligned along the longitudinal axis of the blank  10  and that are hingedly connected one to the next along transverse fold lines, which are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the blank  10 . Specifically, the primary panels include a front panel  12  and a rear panel  16  that are hingedly connected to opposing edges of a top panel  14  along fold lines  18 ,  20 , respectively. The primary panels further include a bottom panel  22  and an edge flap  24  that are hingedly connected to panels  12 ,  16  along fold lines  26 ,  28 , respectively.  
      End flaps are hingedly connected to opposite ends of each primary panel along fold lines that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blank  10 . As described in further detail below, the end flaps at each end of the blank  10  combine to form end closure structures that define end walls of the carton  100 . Front end flaps  30 ,  32  are hingedly connected to the front panel  12  along fold lines  34 ,  36 , respectively, and rear end flaps  38 ,  40  are hingedly connected to the rear panel  16  along fold lines  42 ,  44 , respectively. Top end flaps  46 ,  48  are hingedly connected to the top panel  14  along fold lines  50 ,  52 , respectively. Bottom end flaps  54 ,  56  are hingedly connected to the bottom panel  22  along fold lines  58 ,  60 , respectively, and bottom end flaps  62 ,  64  are hingedly connected to the edge flap  24  along fold lines  66 ,  68  respectively.  
      In each exemplary embodiment, a detachable portion is formed from at least the front panel  12  and optionally, also from at least one other panel, such as the bottom panel  22  to define a dispenser for the carton  100 . The detachable portion is defined by a substantially continuous contoured severance line. As used herein, the phrase “frangible line” or “severance line” includes, but is not limited to, perforations, a line of perforations, a line of short slits, a line of half cuts, a single half cut, any combination of perforations, slits, and half cuts, short score lines, and the like.  
      According to the first embodiment, a detachable portion  70  defines a dispenser R 1  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The detachable portion  70  is substantially elongated and tapers from a lower end E 2  to an upper end E 1 . In other words, the width W of the tapered part of the detachable portion  70 , as measured between opposing sides of a front wall segment  72 A of a severance line  72  that defines the detachable portion  70 , varies along the length of the detachable portion  70 . The lower end E 2  of the detachable portion  70  is disposed at or near a corner C 1  that is defined by the intersection of fold line  26  and fold line  36  and the upper end E 1  extends to or near an opposite corner C 2  that is defined by the intersection of fold line  18  and fold line  34 . Accordingly, the detachable portion  70  is substantially diagonally aligned between corners C 1  and C 2  of the front panel  12 .  
      As used herein, the term “taper” is expansively defined as to become narrower at one or both ends. Thus, the opposing sides or segments of the severance line  72  that taper are not necessarily straight lines, but can be curved or stepped such that the detachable portion  70  narrows from a wider portion. Further, the detachable portion  70  is not limited to a gradual reduction in width and is not required to constantly become narrower between ends.  
      As an optional feature, in this and each other exemplary embodiment, the upper end E 1  of the detachable portion  70  includes a push tab  74  that functions as a tear initiation means for the detachable portion  70 . The push tab  74  is defined in part by a U-shaped segment of the severance line  72  and by a fold line  75 . The blank  10  may also include a suitable handle H, which allows the user to easily carry the carton in its erected form.  
      It is envisaged that, in any embodiment of the present invention, the carton can be erected from a respective blank by a series of sequential folding and gluing operations, which can be performed by a straight-line automatic packaging machine so that the blank is not required to be rotated or inverted to complete construction of the carton. It is also envisaged that the series of sequential folding and gluing operations can be performed manually. The folding process is not limited to that described below and can be altered according to particular manufacturing or user requirements.  
      According to an exemplary method, the carton  100  can be partially erected and pre-glued or otherwise secured as a tubular structure which may be collapsed for shipping or for loading into an automatic packaging machine. The collapsed tubular structure is formed as the bottom panel  22  is folded such that the inside surface of the bottom panel  22  is in flat face contact with the inside surface of the front panel  12 . Glue or other adhesive is applied to the outside surface of the bottom panel  22  and to the outside surface of each of the bottom end flaps  54 ,  56  such that, as the blank  10  is folded along the fold line  20 , the inside surface of the edge flap  24  at least partially overlaps, is in flat face contact with, and is thereby secured to the outside surface of the bottom panel  22  to form a composite bottom panel  22 / 24 . Similarly, the bottom end flaps  62 ,  64  are secured to the bottom end flaps  54 ,  56  to form composite end flaps  54 / 62 ,  56 / 64 , respectively. When the blank  10  is arranged as a collapsed tubular structure, the inside surface of the rear panel  16  is in flat face contact with or otherwise overlaps at least a portion of the inside surface of the top panel  14  and at least a portion of the inside surface of the front panel  12 . The sheet material of the blank  10  can be secured together by any known or yet to be developed means for securing sheet material, including glue or other adhesives, staples, mechanical fasteners, Velcro®, and the like.  
      The walls of the collapsed tubular structure are pulled apart to erect the tubular structure and articles are loaded through one or both of the open ends of the tubular structure. When arranged as a tubular structure, the front panel  12 , the top panel  14 , the rear panel  16 , and the composite bottom panel  22 / 24  form a front wall  112 , a top wall  114 , a rear wall  116 , and a bottom wall  118 , respectively.  
      Once articles have been loaded into the tubular structure, the end flaps are folded and secured to form end closure structures at each open end of the tubular structure and thereby define end walls of the carton  100 . Specifically, one of the end closure structures is formed as the end flaps  46 ,  54 / 62 ,  30 ,  38  are folded inwardly along fold lines  50 ,  58 / 66 ,  34 ,  42 , respectively, and are secured together in an at least partially overlapping arrangement to form a composite end wall  120 . Likewise, end flaps  32 ,  40 ,  48 ,  56 / 64  are folded inwardly along fold lines  36 ,  44 ,  52 ,  60 / 68 , respectively, and secured together in an at least partially overlapping relationship to form a second composite end wall  122 . The end flaps are secured to one another by glue or by other means for securing, as described above. The carton  100  is then in a fully erected and loaded condition as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 7 , which depicts a carton  200  including an alternative embodiment of a dispenser R 2 , the articles B are disposed in each of the exemplary cartons  100 ,  200 ,  400  in a matrix arrangement or formation with sides thereof substantially parallel to the end walls  120 ,  122  and the bottom wall  118 . The matrix formation consists of layers of articles B, each layer being disposed atop a previous layer to form two or more tiers T of articles B. The first, or endmost, article B in each tier T is a member of a first column M of articles, the second article B in each tier is a member of a second column M, and so on. The exemplary articles B are cylinders with circular cross-sections, although alternative shapes are contemplated, including cylinders with any regular or irregular cross sections, spheres, cubes, and the like. It should be understood that the arrangement of the articles is not limited to a matrix arrangement. Rather, the articles can be arranged in any manner that facilitates packaging or dispensing the articles such as a nested arrangement.  
      Referring again to the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the dispenser R 1  for the carton  100  includes the detachable portion  70 . The detachable portion  70  extends diagonally so as to be substantially aligned between corners C 1 , C 2  of the front wall  112 . The upper end E 1  of the detachable portion  70 , which includes the push tab  74 , extends towards and is substantially near the top corner C 1  of the front wall  112  that is defined by the intersection or hinged connection of front wall  112 , top wall  114 , and first end wall  120 . The lower end E 2  of the detachable portion  70  extends to the bottom corner C 2  that is defined by the intersection of front wall  112 , second end wall  122 , and bottom wall  118  and extends over onto the bottom wall  118 .  
      In certain embodiments, the position of the push tab  74  corresponds to the space between four adjacent articles B such that, when the push tab  74  is pressed, the push tab  74  folds into the space or is otherwise unobstructed by the articles B in the carton  100 . Specifically, referring to the second embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the push tab  74  overlies the space between four adjacent articles near the corner C 1 . Accordingly, the center of the push tab  74  is offset from the top wall  114  and from the end wall  120  by approximately, and possibly slightly less than or greater than, a distance D. It should be understood that the push tab  74  can be located at a space defined by other adjacent articles B or at any other suitable location.  
      In the first embodiment, the detachable portion  70  is a removable portion of the front wall  112  and of the bottom wall  118 . The detachable portion  70  can be substantially continuously removed to define an opening O by initiating a tear at the upper end E 1  of the detachable portion  70  and continuing the tear toward the lower end E 2  of the detachable portion  70 . The detachable portion  70  is separated from the remainder of the carton  100  along the severance line  72  which can be represented by a front wall segment  72 A and a bottom wall segment  72 B that define front and bottom wall sections of the detachable portion  70 , respectively. Specifically, according to an exemplary method illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 , a tear is initiated by exerting a force on the push tab  74  to fold the push tab  74  inwardly toward the interior of the carton  100 , thereby breaking the adjacent portion of the front wall segment  72 A of severance line  72 . The upper end E 1  of the detachable portion  70  can then be gripped and pulled to detach the detachable portion  70  from the carton  100  along the severance line segments  72 A,  72 B. It should be noted that removal of the relatively wider portion of the detachable portion  70  is facilitated by gradually converging the opposite sides of the front wall segment  72 A from the lower end E 2  of the detachable portion  70  toward the upper end E 1  of the detachable portion  70  and by initiating the break in the severance line  72  at the upper end E 1  of the detachable portion and continuing the tear toward the lower end E 2 .  
      It is contemplated that any means for detaching the detachable portion  70  from the carton  100  may be used in place of severance lines including, but not limited to, zippers, tear strips, and the like.  
      In the first embodiment, the opening O is formed in the front wall  112  and in the bottom wall  118 . This configuration is partially beneficial in that the opening O exposes a portion of the side of at least the endmost article B in the lowermost tier T, thereby making it easier for a user to grasp the article B and remove it through the opening O. Removing a portion of the bottom wall  118  is particularly useful to overcome the friction between articles B and the walls of the carton  100  in order to remove articles B when the carton  100  is fully loaded. In alternative embodiments such as the second embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the detachable portion  70  of the dispenser R 2  may be completely formed from the front wall  112 . In variations of these embodiments, the detachable portion  70  may remain hingedly connected to the bottom wall  118  along the fold line  26 , similar to the arrangement shown in  FIGS. 4 and 10 .  
      A relatively wide portion of the opening O is disposed adjacent to the corner C 2  so as to fully expose at least the endmost article B in the lowermost tier T of articles B. Thereby, one or more articles B in the lowermost tier T of articles B can be dispensed or removed from the carton  100  through the opening O. A relatively narrow portion of the opening O extends from the relatively wide portion of the opening O toward the corner C 1  to at least partially expose one or more articles B in the upper tiers T of articles B as well as to at least partially expose articles in columns M that are offset from the end wall  122 . It should be understood that the direction and length of the relatively narrower portion of the opening O determines which of the articles B in the upper tiers T of articles B, and which of the articles B in the columns M, are partially exposed. Partially exposing articles B in the upper tiers T and in columns M that are offset from the end wall  122  provides an indication of how many articles B remain in the carton  100 . Further, the diagonal extension of the opening O provides optimal visibility that encompasses multiple tiers T and multiple columns M of articles B.  
      The opening O, defined by removal of the detachable portion  70 , is positioned and dimensioned to facilitate dispensing an endmost article B from the lowermost tier T of the matrix arrangement or otherwise an article B located at or near the bottom corner C 2  of the carton  100 . Articles B are dispensed from the bottom tier T of the carton  100  such that the articles B are encouraged to move toward the bottom corner C 2  under the influence of gravity. This is particularly useful when the carton  100  rests on bottom wall  118  or is tilted such that bottom wall  118  is lower than top wall  114 . Specifically, after an article B has been removed through the opening O, a void is created at the bottom corner C 2  and the articles B push against each other until the void is filled.  
      In certain embodiments, the relatively wide portion of the opening O is sufficiently wide such that two or more articles B in the lower tier T are fully exposed. For instance, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the relatively wide portion of the opening O that is disposed at the bottom corner C 2  extends from end wall  122  along the fold line  26  at the edge of bottom wall  118  for a distance S. In the embodiment shown, the distance S is approximately twice the diameter D of an article B. In alternative embodiments such as the second embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the distance S is approximately equal to the diameter of one article B and only the endmost article B in the lowermost tier T is fully exposed.  
      In a third embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , a detachable portion  170  of a carton  400  extends longitudinally across at least part of the length of the front wall  112  from one edge of the front wall to or toward an opposite edge of the front wall  112 . A substantially similar blank can be used to form the carton for each of the embodiments. Thus, for the third embodiment, the description of the blank  10  and carton  100  that is included herein for the first embodiment is applicable to a blank  300  and carton  400  that are illustrated in the third embodiment. For clarity, the description of the third embodiment will be focused on the features of an alternative dispenser R 3  and like references will be used for elements that are substantially similar. In addition, elements which are substantially similar to those of the dispenser R 1  and which define the dispenser R 3  will be referenced by numerals that are similar to those used for the dispenser R 1  except a prefix “1” will be added to the element numbers of R 3  to distinguish between the two.  
      Referring to the blank  10  shown in  FIG. 8 , the dispenser R 3  is defined by the at least partially detachable portion  170 . The detachable portion  170  includes a wide portion and a narrow portion and is defined by a substantially continuous severance line  172 . The detachable portion  170  further includes a push tab  174  that is defined by a contoured section of severance line  170  and by fold line  175 . As described above, the narrow portion of the detachable portion  170  facilitates removal of the wide portion of the detachable portion  170  as the detachable portion  170  is removed. In the third embodiment, the severance line  170  extends at least partially across the front end flap  32  and the front panel  12 , such that the detachable portion  170  is formed in the erected carton  200  in a portion of the end wall  122  and in a portion of the front wall  112 . It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the carton  100  can stand on the end wall  122  in order to dispense the articles B such that the articles B which are adjacent to the end wall  122  are the lowermost tier T of articles B.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the detachable portion  170  defines the dispenser R 3 . Once removed, the detachable portion  170  provides an opening O in the end wall  122  and the front wall  112  to facilitate access to and retention of the articles within the carton  100 . Generally described, the opening O tapers from a wide portion that reveals at least a portion of the end of each of the lowermost tier T of articles B to a narrow portion that extends to a point P which is located at a distance S 1  from the end wall  120 . Additionally, the point P is preferably, but not necessarily, equidistant from the top wall  114  and from the bottom wall  118 . Further, the distance S 1  is preferably, but not necessarily, greater than the diameter D of an article B. The narrow portion of the opening O facilitates the visibility of articles B in tiers T that are above the lowermost tier T of articles B. In alternative embodiments, the narrow portion of the opening O may extend further toward end wall  120  such that the distance S 1  is shorter.  
      In the third embodiment, only the two middlemost articles B in the two lowermost tiers T are accessible such that as one of the accessible articles B is removed, the articles B in the upper tiers T fill the void left by the removed article B. The remaining articles B may similarly be removed. Alternatively, articles B ay be removed from the opening O in the carton  200  when it is set on its end all  120  or rear wall  116 .  
      In the exemplary embodiment, the edges G 1  of the wide portion of the opening O are located a distance S 2  from the top and bottom walls  114 ,  118 , respectively, such that retaining portions N 1 , N 2  of the front wall  112  remain and such that the ends of the outermost articles B in the lowermost tier T are at least partially exposed. Preferably, but not necessarily, the distance S 2  is less than the diameter D of an article B. The width W 1  of the wide portion of the opening O between the edges E 1  is less than the width W 2  of the front wall  112 . Further, the width W 1  is preferably, but not necessarily, equal to the difference between the number of articles B in each tier T times the diameter D of each article B and twice the distance S 2 . The edge G 2  is located a distance S 3  from the front wall  112  and is a design choice that at least partially determines the size of the bottom portion of the opening O. Additionally, tapered edges G 3  of the opening O are contoured or otherwise shaped to at least partially cover the ends of certain articles B in the tiers T above the lowermost tier T. More specifically, in the exemplary embodiment, the two endmost articles B in the tiers T above the two lowermost tiers T are completely enclosed and the centermost articles B in those tiers T are partially exposed. It should be understood that the detachable portion  170  can be designed to fully expose, partially expose, and fully enclose certain articles in order to optimally facilitate dispensing, retaining, and/or viewing articles in the carton  400 .  
      The present invention has been illustrated in relation to a particular embodiment which is intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is capable of many modifications and variations without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, as used herein, directional references such as “top”, “base”, “bottom”, “end”, “side”, “inner”, “outer”, “upper”, “middle”, “lower”, “front” and “rear” do not limit the respective walls of the carton to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish these walls from one another. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a junction including a single hinge only; indeed, it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more potentially disparate means for hingedly connecting materials.  
      Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the carton described represents only one example of the various types and configurations of cartons that will be suitable for implementation of the various embodiments of the invention.  
      Thus, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, and combinations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the following claims.