Patent Publication Number: US-6213387-B1

Title: Packaged snack-food and carton

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an improved snack-food carton, a carton blank for forming the carton and to an improved packaged snack-food comprising the carton. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Prior art snack-food cartons suffer from a number of disadvantages. Consumers of snack food frequently want the convenience of immediately eating the snack food directly from the carton. This is done by opening the top of the carton, then reaching the hand into the carton, then withdrawing a morsel of the snack food, then immediately placing this morsel in the mouth. The top of the open prior art cartons are frequently too small to permit convenient passage of the hand. This causes undesirable contact between the hand and the inside of the walls. This contact scratches the hand and can transfer particles of food, salt or seasonings from the carton to the hand. In order to avoid contact with the top of the carton, the consumer resorts to various strategies. 
     One strategy is to tear the top of the carton to reduce the distance between the top and the morsels inside. While this strategy does decrease the distance to the morsels it creates other problems. Food particles can be dislodged during the tearing process. If a portion of the carton is completely torn off it creates a disposal problem. If only partially torn off it waves about undesirably dropping food particles outside the carton. 
     Another strategy is to tilt the bag to an almost horizontal position, sometimes with a shaking motion to advance the morsels toward the open top. This strategy too has a number of problems. One problem is that a certain degree of skill is required. This degree of skill is frequently not possessed by consumers who are either handicapped or of tender years. Another problem is that the morsels can fall to the ground. In any case the open top of the carton in the horizontal position is, of course, no bigger than it was in the vertical position. 
     Another problem in prior snack food cartons is that the consumer cannot see the food they are purchasing. This leads to sales resistance. 
     Many prior art cartons for snack food cannot be filled by existing packaging machinery. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved snack-food carton substantially free of one or more of the disadvantages of prior snack-food cartons. 
     Another object is to provide an improved snack-food carton which has a large open top. 
     Still another object is to provide an improved snack-food carton which has contents which are easily accessed. 
     Yet another object is to provide an improved snack-food carton which can be easily filled by existing packaging machinery. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects are accomplished by providing an improved snack-food carton as described in the following description and drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a view of a snack-food carton blank of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the packaged snack food of the present invention utilizing an assembled snack-food carton of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a view of the left side of the packaged snack-food of the present invention taken along Line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the back of the packaged snack-food of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a view of the right side of the packaged snack-food of the present invention taken along Line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a view of the top of the packaged snack-food of the present invention taken along Line  6 — 6  of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 7 is a view of the bottom of the packaged snack-food of the present invention taken along Line  7 — 7  of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the right rear corner of the packaged snack-food of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a view of the carton-blank of FIG. 1, after gluing but prior to fully forming the carton-blank into a carton. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to the present invention there is provided a carton comprising: a rectangular contents-retaining base having a length greater than its width; a front panel carried by the base, the front panel having a right edge, a left edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge; and having means for closing the carton. This means comprises: a top flap hinged at the top edge of the front panel and a tab carried by the top flap. The carton also has a back panel carried by the base, the back panel having: a right edge, a left edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge, and a tab receiving slot. The carton further has a triangular right side panel carried by the base and joining the right edge of the front panel with the right edge of the back panel; a triangular left side panel carried by the base and joining the right edge of the front panel with the right edge of the back panel; wherein the top flap is hinged at a substantial angle “a” to the base. The top edge of the front panel is substantially equal in length to the sum of the length and width of the base whereby the right side panel and the left side panel flare upwardly outwardly from the base. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a packaged snack-food comprising the carton of the present invention and snack food within the carton. 
     According to still another object of the present invention there is provided a carton blank. This carton blank can be easily manufactured by known carton making machinery and can be filled by known carton filling machinery. 
     The carton of the present invention can be constructed of any planar material but is preferably constructed of a sheet of paperboard. Plain paperboard can be used but the paper board preferably has a moisture vapor barrier. Any moisture vapor barrier used in the past can be employed such as wax, polyethylene or aluminum. 
     Any transparent material heretofore used in food packaging, or invented in the future for use in food packaging, can be employed to form the window of the carton of the present invention. Examples of suitable transparent materials include among others: cellophane and polyethylene. 
     The carton can have a widely varying size but in a preferred embodiment it is of a size to be easily held between the thumb and fingers of one hand. This facilitates withdrawing of the snack food from the carton. In one preferred embodiment, the carton has a base which has a length from about 3 to about 15 centimeters (about 1 to about 9 inches) and preferably from about 5 to about 10 centimeters (about 2 to about 4 inches). The top flap is hinged at an angle “a” of from about 5° to about 40° to the base and preferable at about 10° to about 25° to the base. 
     The carton can contain any snack food but preferably contains a snack food which is bite-sized. Examples of such snack food include among others: potato chips, candy, nuts and mixtures thereof. 
     Referring now to the drawings in general, in which like elements are identified by the same numeral throughout the several views, and in particular to FIG. 1 there is shown paperboard carton blank  10 ′ of the present invention useful to form the carton  10 . The carton-blank  10 ′ comprises a front panel  12 . In the front panel  12  the bottom terminates in a bottom horizontal crease line  14 . The top terminates in a top crease line  16  which is inclined to the horizontal crease line  14  at an angle “a” of about 20° to the horizontal crease line  14 . The right edge terminates in an arcuately curved vertical crease line  18 . The left side terminates in an arcuately curved vertical crease line  72 . 
     A window  22  is in the front panel  12 . This window  22  is covered with a sheet  24  of transparent material whereby any consumer (not shown) can view from the outside any snack-food (not shown) within the carton  10  whenever the carton  10  is assembled and filled with the snack-food as explained more fully below. 
     The carton blank  10 ′ further comprises a bottom flap  28 . The bottom flap  28  constitutes means for closing the bottom of the carton  10  when assembled. One side of the bottom flap  28  is hinged on the crease line  14  of the front panel  12 . The other side of the bottom flap  28  terminates in a tab crease line  37 . 
     The carton blank  10 ′ is provided with a bottom tab  32  one side of which is hinged about the tab crease line  37  of the bottom flap  28 . The carton blank  10 ′ has top flap  34  one side of which is hinged about the top crease line  16  of the top of the front panel  12 , the other side of which terminates in a tab crease line  39 . The carton blank  10 ′ also has a top tab  38  hinged about the tab crease line  39  of the top flap  34 . 
     The carton has a right side panel  40  and a left side panel  60 . The right side panel  40  comprises a triangular front right demi-portion  42  with a curved hypotenuse wherein the bottom terminates in a horizontal crease line  44 . The right edge terminates in a right crease line  46 . The left edge terminates in the crease line  18  of the front panel  12 . The crease line  18  is also in the form of an arcuate hypotenuse. 
     The right side panel  40  also has a triangular back right demi-portion  50  with a curved hypotenuse wherein the bottom terminates in a horizontal crease line  52 ; the left edge terminates in the crease line  46  of the front right demi-portion  42 ; and the right edge  54  terminates in an arcuate hypotenuse. 
     The carton blank  10 ′ is equipped with a right ear  56  hinged about the horizontal crease line  44  of the front right demi-portion  42  and the crease line  52  of the back right demi-portion  50  of the right side panel  40 . 
     The carton blank  10 ′ has a left side panel  60  comprising a triangular front right demi-portion  62  with a curved hypotenuse wherein: the bottom terminates in a horizontal crease line  64 , the left edge terminates in a vertical crease line  66 , the right edge terminates in a the crease line  20  of the front-panel  12 . There is also a triangular back right demi-portion  68  with a curved hypotenuse wherein: the bottom terminates in a horizontal crease line  70 , the right edge terminates in the vertical crease line  66  of the front left demi portion  62 , the left edge terminates in an arcuate crease line  72  in the form of an arcuate hypotenuse. 
     The carton blank  10 ′ has a left ear  74  hinged about the horizontal crease line  70  of the back left demi-portion  68  and the crease line  64  of the front left demi-portion  62  of the left side panel  60 . 
     In the back panel  76 , the bottom terminates in a bottom horizontal edge  78 , the top terminates in a top edge  80 , the right side terminates in the crease line  72  of the back left demi-portion  68 , the left side terminates in an arcuate crease line  82 . The back panel  76  has a tab-receiving slot  84  in the back panel  76  adapted to receive the top tab  38 . 
     In order to glue the carton blank  10 ′ together the carton blank  10 ′ has a triangular side flap  86  having a bottom edge  88 , a vertical left edge  90  and terminating on the right at the arcuate crease line  72  of the left side of the back panel  76 . 
     Certain angles are important to the preferred embodiment represented by the carton blank  10 ′. In the carton blank  10 ′ the angle “a” between the crease line  14  of the bottom of the front panel  12  and the crease line  16  of the top of the front panel  12  generally has a value between about 5° and about 40°, and preferably from about 10° to about 25°. By virtue of this angle the right side panel  40  is taller than is the left side panel  60 . When the carton  10  opened and rotated about 90° to be horizontal, the longer fight panel forms a tray from which to retrieve snack food from within the carton without the hand contacting any other portion of the carton  10 . 
     The angle “b” between the top  80  of the back panel  76  and the bottom edge  78  of the back panel  78  is substantially equal to the angle “a” so that the two sides of the top will be parallel when the carton  10  is closed. 
     The angle “c” between the left crease line  20  of the front panel  12  and the vertical crease line  66  is between about 10° and 25° to provide the desired amount of outward flaring of the side panels  40 ,  60 . 
     The angle “d” between the right crease line  18  of the front panel  12  and the vertical crease line  46  of the side panel  40  is equal to the angle “c” so that the assembled carton  10  will have a pleasing appearance even though the side panels  40 ,  60  are outwardly flared. 
     The angle “e” between the left edge  35  of the top flap  34  and the vertical crease line  66  is equal to the angle “c” so that when the top flap  34  is folded along crease line  16  that the edge  35  will lie along the fold line  72 . 
     The angle “f” between the right edge  36  of the top flap  34  and the crease line  18  of the right side of the front panel  12  is equal to the sum of angles “a” and “c” so that when the top flap  34  is folded along crease line  16  that the edge  36  will lie along the fold line  18 . 
     The front panel  12  has a given length “l”, of about 8 centimeters (about 3 inches). The left side panel  60  has a given width “w” of about 5 centimeters (about 2 inches). This makes the carton  10  easy to hold in one hand. In the embodiment shown the length of the top flap  34  measured along the crease line  16  of the front panel is greater than the sum of the length “l” and the width “w”. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown the packaged snack-food  10 ″ comprising a carton  10  with nuts,  92 ,  93  visible through the window  22 . 
     FIGS. 4,  5 , and  6  show the top flap  34  folded along the crease line  16  with the top tab  38  inserted in the slot  84  of the back panel  76 . 
     FIG. 7 shows the bottom flap  28  completely closing the bottom of the carton  10 . 
     Referring now to both FIGS. 1 and 9, it can be seen how the carton blank  10 ′ is converted into the carton  10 . To convert the carton-blank  10 ′ into the carton  10 , glue is applied to the side flap  86 . The right demi-portion  50  is folded 180° about the fold line  46 . The back panel  76 , flap  86  and back left demi-portion  68  are folded about crease line  66  whereupon the demi-portion  50  contacts the glue on the flap  86 . The glue is permitted to dry. As shown in FIG. 9, the carton blank  10 ′ is planar with the fold lines  46  and  66  parallel to each other. After the glue is dried the carton is further assembled by causing fold lines  82 ,  72 ,  20  and  18  to be folded at right angles. The ears  56 ,  74  are bent at right angles, the bottom flap  28  is bent at right angles about the crease line  14  and the bottom tap  32  inserted inside the container  10 . The container  10  is then filled with snack food, whereupon the top flap  34  is folded about cease line  16  causing the top tab  38  to be inserted in the slot  84 . 
     The snack food can be placed directly in the carton  12  or can be placed in a bag to form a snack-food-filled bag which is then placed in the carton  12 . The bag can be filled with plain air, desiccated air or can be evacuated. In other words the bag can be vacuum packed. 
     Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with respect to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations are within the skill of the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as described above and as defined in the appended claims.