Patent ID: 7407087

Claim:
A carton for carrying a plurality of articles, that can be opened and incrementally reduced in size and reclosed, comprising: (a) a main panel, an opposite main panel and foldably attached adjoining side panels, said carton having two ends, with one end being an opening end that is closed by two main end flaps, with the other end of the carton being closed by closing means; and (b) said carton having a first closing fold line with two ends, said fold line being at least substantially parallel to and at a distance from the opening end of the carton, said first closing fold line extending across the main panel and both side panels, with each end of said first closing fold line interconnecting with a first main tear line that extends across the opposite main panel, said main panel having a first end fold line that is at least substantially parallel to the opening end of the carton, and which is spaced from the first closing fold line towards the opening end of the carton at a distance that is approximately the same as the distance between the main and opposite main panels, with each side panel having a first side tear line that extends from the intersection of the first closing fold line with the opposite main panel to the main panel near the opening end of the carton, said first side tear lines in the side panels interconnecting with the first main tear line in the opposite main panel, the arrangement of said first tear lines permitting the removal of sections of the carton when said first tear lines are torn open, the arrangement of the first side tear lines permitting the removal of sections of each said side panel while leaving closing flaps in each said side panel when the first side tear lines are torn open, the arrangement of said first closing fold line and first end fold line permitting the opening end of the carton to be reclosed when said fold lines are folded to create a reclosable top.