Abstract:
A pastry box includes a shelf portion which is formed from a blank that is separate from a one-piece box blank. The shelf includes flaps that provide support for the shelf when inserted into the folded box, thereby creating a box with two overlying compartments. The shelf is glued at its rear flap to the rear sidewall of the box thereby providing a hinge for the shelf so the shelf may be raised to provide access to a lower compartment.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to the field of cartons, and more particularly to a carton for use with pastries or other such items.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Pastries, including donuts, frequently are prepared with icing on top. When a person orders a dozen pastries, some of which have icing on them, the pastries cannot be stacked on one another without smearing the icing between several pastries. Therefore, a dozen pastries are traditionally packaged in a single layer in a box that is fastened with string. The advent of boxes with handles, such as are commonly seen used with donuts, permit a smaller footprint due to the ability to stack donuts on one another, so that a dozen donuts are stacked in two layers of six donuts per layer. When six or fewer of the donuts have icing on them, the iced donuts can be stacked in the top layer to prevent smearing of the icing between donuts. However, when a majority of the donuts or pastries have icing on them, they must be packaged in a single layer, necessitating the use of a box with a larger footprint and eliminating the convenience of using a box with a handle.  
         [0003]     In addition, more and more consumers want their baked products to be fresh and warm. Consequently, the toppings and/or coatings on the pastries are still hot and must be protected so that they do not rub off on other pastries or the carton.  
         [0004]     To accomplish this, the donuts or pastries must be placed flat in a carton rather than on end, and they cannot be stacked one on top of another. The traditional carton for packing a dozen pastries has been a carton that is long, wide, and shallow. This shape of box requires a lot of board, is cumbersome for store personnel to pack, and clumsy for the consumer to carry. Moreover, with the wide expanse of surface of the cover, care must be taken not to place anything on top of the filled box lest the cover be pushed into the icing on the pastry.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention comprises a pastry box which includes an internal pastry-supporting shelf portion formed from a blank that is separate from a one-piece box blank. The shelf includes flaps that provide support for the shelf when inserted into the folded box, thereby creating a box with two overlying compartments. The embodiment of the pastry box disclosed as the best mode presently known by the inventor for practicing the invention, when erected, has a two-sided roof with a pitched upper portion having mating handle cutouts that have locking tabs for securing the upper portion to upper side panel openings. However, the box lid can be formed in a traditional flat tuck-top configuration, if preferred. The pastry-supporting shelf is glued by a rear flap to the rear sidewall of the pastry box thereby providing a hinge for the shelf so that the pastry box may be more conveniently erected, and the shelf may be raised and lowered to provide access to the lowermost compartment.  
         [0006]     According to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the two-tiered box for food items includes a box shell, the box shell having a width, length, and height; a shelf; the shelf including a shelf panel, a glue flap at one side of the shelf panel and a support flap at an opposite side of the shelf panel, wherein the planar dimensions of the shelf panel are substantially similar to the width and length of the box shell; the glue flap being integrally connected to the shelf panel via a dividing line formed as a cut and score line (although a perforation line or a fold line could be utilized); and the glue flap being affixed to an inside panel of the box shell such that when the glue flap is affixed to the inside panel of the box shell and the shelf panel is parallel to a bottom of the box shell, the dividing line, and thereby the shelf panel, is at a predetermined height relative to the height of the box shell.  
         [0007]     According to the embodiment of the invention, a two-piece blank of foldable material is cut to define first and second pieces; the first piece including (a) a first side panel integrally connected to a first end panel at one end via a first fold line and to a second end panel at another end via a second fold line; (b) a second side panel integrally connected to the second end panel at one end via a third fold line and to a first glue flap at another end via a fourth fold line; (c) the first side panel integrally connected to a first side bottom flap via a fifth fold line; (d) the second side panel integrally connected to a second side bottom flap via a sixth fold line; (e) the first end panel integrally connected to a first end bottom flap via a seventh fold line; and (f) the second end panel integrally connected to a second end bottom flap via an eighth fold line; the second piece including a shelf panel integrally connected to a second glue flap via a cut and score dividing line and to a shelf flap via a fold line; and the first and second pieces are dimensioned such that when the first and second pieces are assembled into a box and the second glue flap is glued to an inside of the second side panel, one end of the perforation line of the second piece intersects a length of the first fold line and another end of the perforation line of the second piece intersects a length of the second fold line at the same relative height to position the shelf panel at a predetermined height relative to the blank bottom flaps. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a blank for a first portion of a box formed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a blank for a second portion of the box formed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  shows an erected box assembled in accordance with an embodiment of the invention having the cover open; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  shows the erected box with the cover closed.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is an alternative embodiment of the invention with a flat planer top. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a blank  10  for erecting a box  5  ( FIGS. 3-4 ) assembled in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. A side panel  14  is connected on one side to an end panel  18  via a fold line  100  and to an end panel  20  on another side via a fold line  98 . Side panel  14  is further connected to a side bottom flap  22  via a fold line  74  and to a side cover panel  30  via a fold line  72 . Side cover panel  30  includes a handle portion  50  which is connected to side cover panel  30  via a fold line  70 . Handle portion  50  includes an opening  46  cut therein to accommodate a person&#39;s fingers.  
         [0014]     In a similar fashion, a side panel  16  is connected on one side to end panel  20  via a fold line  96  and to a glue flap  54  on another side via a fold line  94 . During construction of box  5 , glue flap  54  is glued to a portion of end panel  18 . Glue flap  54  preferably includes a perforation or crease which facilitates the glue bond. Side panel  16  is further connected to a side bottom flap  24  via a fold line  80  and to a side cover panel  32  via a fold line  78 . Side cover panel  32  includes a handle portion  52  which is connected to side cover panel  32  via a fold line  76 . Handle portion  52  includes an opening  48  cut therein which mirrors opening  46  in handle portion  50 .  
         [0015]     End panel  18  is connected to an end cover panel  34  via a fold line  86  and to an end bottom flap  26  via a fold line  88 . End cover panel  34  includes a teardrop-shaped hole  40 . In similar fashion, end panel  20  is connected to an end cover panel  36  via a fold line  82  and to an end bottom flap  28  via a fold line  84 . End cover panel  36  includes a teardrop-shaped hole  44 . Box  5  is designed so that it lays flat along fold lines  96  and  100 . Perforation lines  90 ,  92  in side bottom flaps  22 ,  24 , respectively, permit side bottom flaps  22 ,  24  to bend to accommodate the flattening of box  5 . During assembly, flattened box  5  is opened to a rectangular shape along fold lines  96  and  100 , handle portions  50  and  52  are brought together, and tabs  38  fit into hole  40  while tabs  42  fit into hole  44 . The openings  46 ,  48  in handle portions  50 ,  52  are thereby positioned adjacent one another to facilitate carrying the erected box  5 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a blank  12  includes a shelf panel  56  for a shelf to be glued into box  5 . Shelf panel  56  preferably is connected to a glue flap  64  via a cut and score line  102 , to reinforcing flaps  60 ,  62  via cut-score lines  104 ,  108  respectively, and to a support flap  58  via a cut-score line  106 . Shelf panel  56  preferably includes a hole  66  to assist in raising and lowering the shelf inside box  5 .  
         [0017]     During construction of box  5 , glue flap  64  is glued against the inside of side panel  16  so that dividing line  102  divides the vertical distance of side panel  16 , i.e., the distance of fold lines  94 ,  96 ,  98 , and  100 , into two substantially equal portions. However, as previously discussed, the glue flap  64  and the support flap  58  may be sized to position the height of the shelf panel  56  at any position desired to divide the two compartments into the size desired relative to the vertical dimension of the side and end panels of the box  5 . Box  5  retains the ability to be flattened with shelf panel  56  installed. When box  5  is assembled, the glue flap  64  is glued to the sidewall  16  and the shelf panel  56  is folded outwardly along perforation line  102 . Reinforcing flap  60  is preferably folded about cut-score line  104  and glued to the underside of the shelf panel  56 . However, reinforcing flap  60  does not have to be glued, but may be folded downwardly about cut-score line  104  in the same manner as reinforcing flap  62  is folded downwardly about cut-score line  108  so that one ( 62 ) or both ( 62 , 64 ) reinforcing flaps are directed towards the bottom of box  5 . Support flap  58  is likewise folded outwardly along cut-score line  106  and directed towards the bottom of box  5 . Support flap  58  is preferably dimensioned such that when folded downwardly an edge  110  rests against the bottom of box  5  substantially along fold line  74 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows box  5  erected with shelf panel  56  in place, and with side cover panels  30 ,  32  open.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  shows a fully erected box  5 . Box  5  is preferably half of the length and twice the depth of a conventional flat box. The carton design of the present invention includes a horizontal partition or shelf that covers and protects the first layer of donuts or pastries, while supporting a second layer, and adding strength and integrity to the carton as a whole. Further, the carton is designed so that loading of product by store personnel and unloading of the product by the consumer is intuitive, i.e., the ease of lowering shelf and its supporting flaps. The box has a built-in handle for carrying, while the shelf has a handle die cut into it so that in the upright position, it reinforces the handle to facilitate packing of the pastries by store personnel.  
         [0020]     While the present invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and that various modifications and the like could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.