EP2174876B1

EP2174876B1 - Carton configurable for displaying contents

Info

Publication number: EP2174876B1
Application number: EP08166330A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Maier; Daniel Bortos
Original assignee: Kraft Foods R&D Inc USA
Current assignee: Kraft Foods R&D Inc USA
Priority date: 2008-10-10
Filing date: 2008-10-10
Publication date: 2012-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2028-10-10
Also published as: PL2174876T3; EP2174876A1

Description

Field

A carton is disclosed that is configurable for displaying contents, and, in particular, a carton is disclosed having a base covered by a removable lid where the base can be used to display contents after removable of the lid.

Background

Carton blanks can be configured to wrap around a stack of products to form a carton enclosing the products. The carton can then be used for shipping, storage and, in some instances, display of the products. The carton can have a base with an upstanding sidewall surrounding a bottom panel to define a carton interior having an open end opposite the bottom panel. A lid can be attached to the upstanding sidewalls to cover the opening during shipping and storage. A prior carton of this configuration had the lid attached to edges of the sidewall of the base, opposite the bottom panel thereof, using perforations. To remove the lid, the perforations connecting the edges of the sidewall of the base and the lid were torn. During this tearing, jagged or otherwise visually unappealing edges of the base resulted, as illustrated in FIGURE 13. This disadvantage could result in a base that is not visually appealing, and thus not desirable for use in displaying the products in the interior of the carton. This limits the functionality of the carton, because instead of being suitable for use in shipping, storage and displaying products, the lack of a visual appealing base after removal of the lid can limit the carton to being used only for shipping and storage. While possible to make finer, deeper perforations that could potentially result in a more visually appealing base after removal of the lid, such perforations can be weaker than a more robust perforation, thereby negatively impacting the shipping and storing functionality of the carton.
One type of carton disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,848,651 has a lid and a base, with lid side panels adhesively attached to corresponding base side panels instead of via perforations to edges of the base side panels. However, to remove the lid from the base, the adhesive connection between the side panels has to be broken. The breaking of the adhesive connection can undesirably result in delamination of the base panels where the adhesive has been applied, such as when the base is formed of multilayer cardboard or paperboard. Even if there is no delamination of the base side panel, the adhesive deposit and a delaminated portion of the lid side panel may be left partially attached. In both instances, the resulting marred base side panel and disadvantageously result in a carton base that is not visually appealing and thus lacking suitability for use as a display for products in the base.
Relevant prior art is also disclosed in US 4 449 633 A and US 5 201 461 A .

Summary

A generally rectangular carton is provided that has a base and a lid which can be removed to display contents of the base. The carton is configured to advantageously provide for both clean, unmarred free edges of upstanding sidewall of a base following removal of the lid, as well as an adhesive bond between the upstanding sidewall of the base and a depending sidewall of the lid that is not required to be broken in order to remove the lid from the base to display any contents in the interior of the base. The result of this combination is that the carton can be used for packaging and shipping of products, while readily having the lid removed to display the products in the interior of the base.
The base has a bottom panel, an upstanding sidewall extending around the periphery of the bottom panel, and an interior defined by the bottom panel and the upstanding sidewall. The upstanding sidewall has a surrounding free edge opposite the bottom panel of the base which is exposed after removal of the lid. The lid has a top panel and a depending sidewall extending around the periphery of the top wall. The depending sidewall also has four sides, each of which are adhesively attached to an outwardly facing side of respective adjacent one of the four sides of the upstanding sidewall. The lid is unattached to the surrounding free edge of the upstanding sidewall of the base so that, after removal of the lid, the free edge is generally unmarred and can present a visually appealing profile.
At least one of the adhesive attachments can be of a type between a pair of corner portions of one of the sides of the depending sidewall of the lid and the respective adjacent one of the upstanding sidewall of the base. Each of the pair of corner portions is joined by a perforation to an unattached remainder of the side of the depending sidewall of the lid. Thus, when the one of the sides of the depending sidewall of the lid is removed, the corner portions thereof can separate along the perforation and remain attached via the adhesive attachment to the adjacent side of the upstanding sidewall of the base. In this manner, the adhesive attachment does not have to be broken to remove that lid side panel from the corresponding base side panel, which can result in a more visually appealing carton base after removal of the lid than if the adhesive attachment itself was broken. Similarly, another type of adhesive attachment can be between a removable segment of one of the sides of the upstanding sidewall and the adjacent one of the sides of the depending sidewall. The removable segment can be joined to the remained of the one of the sides of the upstanding sidewall by a perforation. This also permits the adhesive attachment to remain unbroken when removing that lid side panel from the corresponding base side panel. Any number of the side panels can have either of these types of attachments.
In one aspect, the perforations between the corner portions and the unattached remainder of the side of the depending sidewall of the lid may be arcuate and may each extend between a bottom portion and a lateral edge of the side. A V-notch can be aligned with each of the perforations adjacent a bottom portion of the side to facilitate initiation of the tearing of the perforations.
In another aspect, the top wall of the lid may have a minor portion and a major portion joined by a perforation. The lid can be configured to permit removal of either or both of the minor and major portions to expose any contents in the interior of the base. Thus, the base can be left partially covered by either the major or minor portion of the lid, which can provide for retention of the contents of the carton and additional surface area for graphics. Further, the minor portion of the top wall of the lid may have a pair of lateral side flaps each connected via a perforation to an adjacent one of the sides of the depending sidewall of the lid.
In yet another aspect, a carton blank can be provided for wrapping around a stack of products, such as food products or individually-wrapped food products, in order to form a carton enclosing the products. The carton blank may include a base blank having a generally rectangular bottom panel with a base side panel attached to each edge of the bottom panel by a fold line, with the base side panels having free edges opposite the fold lines. The carton blank may also include a lid blank having a generally rectangular top panel with a lid side panel attached to each edge of the top panel by a fold line. At least one of the lid side panels may have a pair of corners adhesively attached to one of the base side panels, with each of the corners being separable from the remainder of the one of the lid side panels by a perforation to separate the lid side panel from the base side panel. This can enable removal of the lid without separation of the adhesive attachments. The lid blank can be unattached to the free edges of the base side panels so that, when the lid is removed, the free edges are generally free from marring.
In another aspect, the carton can also be configured for use with a merchandiser, which can hold multiple cartons that are open or partially open to provide a convenient and attractive way for stores to display the cartons while permitting ready access to the contents of the cartons. The merchandiser may be configured to support the cartons by suspending the cartons between their front and back ends in order to advantageously reduce the amount of material needed to construct the merchandiser.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a carton configured to display contents, the carton having a base covered by a removable lid showing perforations in sidewalls of the lid permitting the lid to be separated from the base;
FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of the carton of FIGURE 1 showing additional perforations in the sidewalls of the lid permitting the lid to be separated from the base;
FIGURE 3 is a front perspective view of the carton of FIGURE 1 showing a major portion of the lid having been removed and a minor portion of the lid remaining;
FIGURE 4 is a front perspective view of the carton of FIGURE 1 showing the minor portion of the lid having been removed and the major portion of the lid remaining;
FIGURE 5 is a rear perspective view of the carton similar to that of FIGURE 2, but showing sidewalls of the lid being pivoted outwardly away from sidewalls of the base;
FIGURE 6 is a front perspective view of the carton similar to that of FIGURE 1, but showing the sidewalls of the lid being pivoted outwardly away from the sidewalls of the base;
FIGURE 7 is an exploded front perspective view of the carton similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the base and lid after the lid has been removed;
FIGURE 8 is a front perspective view of the base of the carton of FIGURE 1 after the lid has been removed;
FIGURE 9 is a partial perspective view of the front, interior of the carton of FIGURE 1 showing the minor portion of the lid being removed;
FIGURE 10 is a plan view of a two-piece blank that can be used to form the carton of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 11 is a front elevation view of a plurality of cartons of FIGURE 1 with the minor portion of the lid having been removed to display contents therein, the cartons being supported in a merchandiser;
FIGURE 12 is a partial rear perspective view of a carton of FIGURE 1 being secured relative to the merchandiser of FIGURE 11; and
FIGURE 13 is a pair of prior art cartons after removal of their respective lids, showing remnants of perforations along the upward facing edges of carton bases and marring of the surface on front panels of the bases.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

The carton 10 described herein and depicted in FIGURES 1-12 advantageously provides for both clean, unmarred free edges of upstanding sidewall of a base 20 following removal of a lid 40, as well as an adhesive bond between the upstanding sidewall of the base 20 and a depending sidewall of the lid 40 that is not required to be broken in order to remove the lid 40 from the base 20 to display any contents in the interior of the base 20. Both of these advantages, either alone or in combination, can result in a carton 10 that has greater visual appeal following removal of the lid 40 from the base 20. The improved visual appearance can facilitate use of the base 20 for displaying the contents after removal of the lid 40, thereby increasing the use of the carton 10. Furthermore, the adhesive attachment between the upstanding and depending sidewalls can result in a carton 10 having increased strength without a corresponding sacrifice in visual appeal after opening, which can permit the carton 10 to be able to withstand greater stacking and other loads.
The carton has a base 20 and an attached lid 40. The base 20 has a generally rectangular base panel 22 with an upstanding sidewall attached to the periphery of the base panel 22, including four side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. The lid 40 also has a generally rectangular lid panel 42 with a depending sidewall attached to the periphery of the lid panel 42, including four side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50. The lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 are configured to be adhesively attached to the outwardly-facing surfaces of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. The lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 are attached to the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 in such a way that permits ready separation of the lid 40 from the base 20 while preserving the appearance of the free edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 - opposite the base panel 22. Preserving the appearance of the free edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 advantageously can present a clean; generally tear-free base 20, which can be visually appealing, particularly compared to base and lid combinations where the lid must be separated from edges of panels of the base.
In order to preserve the free edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30, the lid 40 is unattached to the free edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. Instead, the lid 40 is only attached to the outwardly facing surfaces of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30, as will be discussed in greater detail below. When the lid 40 is desired to be removed, each of the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 is separated from the outwardly facing surfaces of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 to which they are respectively attached. Once the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 and base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 are separated from each other, the lid 40 can be removed to expose the interior and any contents of the base 20, while presenting clean, generally unmarred free edges of the upstanding sidewall of the base 20.
In addition to preserving the appearance of the free edges of the upstanding sidewall of the base 20 after the lid 40 has been removed, the attachment between the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 and the respective base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 is such that an adhesive bond between the two is not broken. Instead, a portion of either the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 or the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 having the adhesive attachment to the other is separated along a perforation or other weakened line. The separated portion remains behind and adhesively attached, thereby avoiding breaking of the adhesive bond and resulting delamination or otherwise marring of the base 20 following removal of the lid 40.
The base 20 has the generally rectangular bottom panel 22, with one of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 attached to each of the four edges of the bottom panel 22 and orientated generally perpendicularly thereto, as depicted in FIGURES 7 and 8. Intersecting lateral edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 are connected together, thereby forming an interior of the carton 10 defined by the bottom panel 22 and the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. One or more of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 may include a cut-out to facilitate removal of contents from the carton 10, as well as handling of the carton 10. For example, a front side panel 26 may have a cut-out 26a and a rear side panel 24 may also have a cut-out 24a. In the illustrated example, the cut-out is generally in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, although other shapes can be equally acceptable.
The lid 40 has the generally rectangular top panel 42, with one of the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 attached to each of the four edges of the top panel 42 and orientated generally perpendicularly thereto, as depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2. Intersecting lateral edges of the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 are connected together to form an enclosed lid interior. The size of the top panel 42 and lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 are configured such that, when assembled with the base 20, the top panel 42 overlies and is spaced from the bottom panel 22 of the base 20 and the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 are positioned to abut outward surfaces of the adjacent base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30, as depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2.
As mentioned above, an adhesive attachment is provided between each of the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 and a corresponding and adjacent one of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. For three of the four sides of the carton 10, the adhesive attachment is between only the corner regions of three of the lid sides 44, 48 and 50 and the adjacent three base sides 24, 28 and 30, as depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2. With reference to one of the three lid side panels 44 having the adhesive attachment via corner regions thereof, the lid side panel 44 has a pair of corner regions 44a and 44c, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Each of the corner regions 44a and 44c is joined to the remainder of the side panel 44 via an arcuate perforation 44b or 44d or other such weakened line. The arcuate perforations 44b and 44d each extend from a bottom edge of the lid side panel 44 to a lateral edge thereof. Preferably, though not necessarily, a V-shaped notch 44f and 44e is positioned at the bottom edge of the lid side panel 44 and aligned with one of the perforations 44b and 44d, respectively. The V-shaped notches 44f and 44e can facilitate initiation of the tearing along the perforations 44b and 44d when the side panel 44 is pivoted outwardly about its connection to the lid top panel 42 during opening of the carton, as will be explained in greater detail herein. Preferably, only the corner regions 44a and 44c are adhesively attached to the abutted base side panel 24; the remainder of the lid side panel 44 is free of adhesive. Thus, when the side panel 44 is pivoted outwardly about its connection to the lid top panel 42, the perforations 44b and 44d are broken so that only the corner regions 44a and 44c remain attached to the abutted base side panel 24. Thus, instead of breaking the adhesive attachment between the lid and base side panels 44 and 24, the lid side panel 44 is broken into three parts, two of which remain attached via the adhesive attachment. This results in an opened carton that does not have delamination or other marring from breaking of the adhesive attachments.
The other two generally similar side panels 48 and 50 are of like construction, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. That is, the side panel 48 also has a pair of corner regions 48a and 48c joined to the panel 48 via arcuate perforations 48b and 48d, respectively, the latter of which each have a V-shaped notch 48f and 48g to facilitate initiating the tearing of the perforations 48b and 48d. Likewise, the side panel 50 has a pair of corner regions 50a and 50c which are joined to the remainder of the panel 50 via arcuate perforations 50b and 50d, respectively. The arcuate perforations 50b and 50d each have a V-shaped notch 50f and 50g, respectively, to facilitate initiating the tearing of the perforations 50b and 50d.
For the fourth side of the carton 10, one of the lid side panels 46 is adhesively attached to a removable segment 26b of the adjacent base side panel 26, as depicted in FIGURE 9. The removable segment 26b is joined via a perforation 26c or other line of weakness to the remainder of the panel 26. The removable segment 26b may be positioned in the cut-out 26a, and may have a corresponding, but smaller isosceles trapezoidal shape, as depicted in FIGURES 9 and 10. The adhesive attachment between this base side panel 26 and the abutted lid side panel 46 is preferably only between the removable segment 26b and the abutted lid side panel 46. Thus, when the lid side panel 46 is pivoted outwardly, the removable segment 26b separates from the remainder of the base 20 and remains attached to the lid 40. To facilitate tearing of the perforation 26c between the removable segment 26b and the remainder of the base side panel 26, a pair of V-shaped notches (46a, 46b) are positioned adjacent the bottom edge of the lid side panel 46. Preferably, the V-shaped notches are dimension such that at least one of the side edges generally aligns with angled portions of the perforation 26c to direct the force therealong. Although the carton 10 is described as having three lid side panels 44, 48 and 50 adhesively attached via corners only and a fourth lid side 46 adhesively attached to the removable segment 26b of the corresponding base side panel 26, any combination of these two types of attachment can be utilized, whether it be two of the first type and two of the second type or all of one of the types, for instance.
To remove the lid 40 from the base 20 of the carton 10, each of the four lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 can be pivoted outwardly away from the abutted base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30, respectively, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. For three of the sides of the carton 10, the outward pivoting will cause corner regions 44a and 44c, 48a and 48c, and 50a and 50c to separate from the remainder of the lid side panels 44, 48 and 50 along the respective perforations 44b and 44d, 48b and 48d, and 50b and 50d and remain adhesively attached to the underlying base side panels 24, 28 and 30. For the fourth side of the carton, the outwardly pivoting will cause the removable segment 26b to separate from the panel 26 of the base 20 along the joining perforation 26c, with the removable segment 26b remaining attached to the lid panel 46 after removal. Once all four side panels 44, 46, 48 and 50 of the lid 40 are pivoted outwardly away from the adjacent base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 so that the perforations all break, the lid 40 is no longer attached to the base 20 and can be removed, leaving the base 20 with its contents for display, along with free edges of the upstanding sidewalls of the base 20 and no broken adhesive connections and potential delamination or marring.
Turning now to more details regarding the construction of the carton 10, each of the base 20 and lid 40 can be formed from a wrap-around blank, such as illustrated in FIGURE 10. The blank may be formed of paperboard, cardboard or the like, with a gage determined based upon the weight and durability requirements of the carton 10. The base 20 portion of the blank has the generally rectangular bottom panel 22, with one of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 connected thereto via a fold line 22d, 22b, 22c and 22a, respectively. An opposing pair of the base side panels 28 and 30 each have a pair of minor flaps 28a, 28c and 30a, 30c at opposite lateral ends thereof. The minor flaps 28a, 28c and 30a, 30c are connected to the panels 28 and 30 via fold lines 28b, 28d and 30b, 30d. The lid 40 portion of the blank has the generally rectangular bottom panel 42, with one of the lid side panels 44, 46, 48 and 40 connected thereto via a fold line 42e, 42f, 42g and 42h, respectively.
One of the lid side panels 48 is adhesively attached to one of the base side panels 30 so that the two portions can be joined to form a unitary blank. This can facilitate manipulation of the blank during folding operations. The blank can then have a stack of products, such as food products or individually wrapped food products, for example, placed on the bottom panel 22 of the base, and then the blank wrapped around the stack by folding the various panels and flaps about their fold lines. For instance, when the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 are folded about their fold lines 22a, 22b and 22c, 22d into a generally perpendicular orientation relative to the base bottom panel 22, the minor flaps 28a, 28c and 30a, 30c can be folded inwardly and generally perpendicularly relative to the panels 28 and 30 and positioned to abut and be adhesively connected to inwardly facing surfaces of the other two panels 24 and 26, as illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9. In this manner, the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 can be maintained in a generally upstanding arrangement while providing an enclosed interior of the carton 10 with an upward opening initially covered by the lid 40. The corner regions 44a, 44c, 48a, 48c, 50a and 50c of the lid side panels 44, 48 and 50 can be adhesively attached to the corresponding base side panels 24, 28 and 50, with one of the lid side panels 48 being already attached to the corresponding base side panel 30 prior to wrapping, as discussed above. The removable segment 26b of the remaining base side panel 26 can also be adhesively attached to the remaining lid side panel 46, thereby adhesively attached the lid 40 to all four sides of the sidewall of the base 20.
The top panel 22 of the lid 20 may optionally have a pair of separately removable portions 42a and 42b, as illustrated in FIGURES 3, 4 and 7. One or both of the removable portions 42a and 42b can be removed. If only one is removed, then the remaining one can be used to at least partially contain some of the products within the interior of the base 20, which can be useful when the carton 10 is used for display purposes. Further, the remaining one can have graphics, such as product information or advertising, printed thereon and visible during display. One of the removable portions of the top panel 22 of the lid 20 can be a larger, major portion 42a, and the other of the removable portions a comparatively smaller, minor portion 42b. The major and minor portions 42a and 42b may be joined by a perforation 42c or other line of weakness, and a gripping aperture 42d may intersect the perforation 42c and facilitate upward pulling of one or the other of the portions 42a and 42b. The major portion 42a of the lid top panel 42 can be connected along three of its side edges to the depending sidewall, specifically, the lid side panels 44, 48 and 50 and along its fourth edge to the minor portion 42b via the perforation 42c. The minor portion. 42b of the lid top panel 42 can be connected along one of its sides to the remaining lid side panel 46 and on an opposite side to the major portion 42a via the perforation 42c. The two opposing lateral sides of the minor portion 42b can be connected to minor segments 48h and 50h of the lid side panels 48 and 50 via perforations 48e and 50e, as illustrated in FIGURE 10. The major portion 42a of the lid 40 also optionally may have a pair of flaps 42h in corners thereof separated from the remainder of the lid 40 by perforations 42i. Those flaps 42h can form openings for use in securing the cartons 10 relative to a merchandiser 60, as will be explained in greater detail herein.
To remove only the minor portion 42b of the lid 40, the minor portion 42b can be grasped using the aperture 42d and pulled upwardly, thereby breaking the perforation 42c. The perforations 48e and 50e between the minor segments 48h and 50h can then be broken to separate those segments from the remainder of the corresponding side panels 48 and 50. Finally, one in the position illustrated in FIGURE 9, the connected panel 46 can be pulled to separate the removable segment 26b along the perforation 26c joining it to the corresponding base side panel 26, there by permitting complete removal of the minor portion 42b of the lid 40 to create an opening through which contents of the carton 10 can be accessed.
Turning to further details of the construction of the carton 10, the depths of the various perforations can be varied in order to balance strength of the carton, ease of opening the perforations, and appearance of the carton 10 after opening. In one aspect, this balance is achieved by having increased-length cuts spaced by comparatively smaller uncut segments for the arcuate perforation 42c extending between the major and minor portions 42a and 42b of the lid 42. For instance, the ratio between the cut and uncut portions of the perforation may be approximately 4:1. As a result, after separation of the lid 42 into the major and minor portions 42a and 42b along the perforation 42c between the two portions 42a and 42b, there are fewer remnants of broken, uncut portions of the perforations remaining, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of the container after removal of one of the two portions 42a and 42b. The perforations 44b, 44d, 48b, 48d, 50b, and 50d, as well as 48e and 50e within the side panels 44, 48 and 50 of the lid 40 may have a closer ratio of cut to uncut segments, such as approximately 3:2. This can result in a stronger perforation, which can increase the strength of the carton 10 as compared to a larger ratio. The visual appearance of those perforations after separation can be of lesser concern than the more visible perforation 42c of the lid top panel 42 because they are recessed and not upwardly facing free edges, but rather are spaced below the free edges of the base side panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. When multiple cartons 10 are stacked on each other, such as when loaded on a pallet for shipping, the strength of the arcuate perforation 42c is of comparatively less concern because more of the weight will be borne by the sidewalls 44, 46, 48 and 50 and 24, 26, 28 and 30 of the lid 40 and base 20, respectively. Another advantage of the arcuate perforation 42c is that the finger hole 42d is positioned so that the pulling force for breaking the perforation 42c is focused on each side and away from the finger hole 42d so that there are reduced chances of marring or deviating from the perforation 42c. The notches of the side panels 44, 48 and 50 of the lid 40 also have the similar result of focusing pulling forces toward the perforations 44b, 44d, 48b, 48d, 50b and 50d so that there is a reduced chance of marring or deviating from the perforations.
The carton 10 can be configured for use with a merchandiser 60 for displaying multiple cartons 10 in a manner providing for access to the contents of the cartons 10, such as illustrated in FIGURE 11. The merchandiser 60 can include a base 62 supporting an upstanding column 64 that is configured to hold a plurality of cartons 10 while permitting access to the contents of the cartons 10. An optional display 78 for advertising can also be supported on the base 62. The column 64 includes a pair of side walls 66 and 68, with multiple front panels 72 extending between front edges thereof and multiple rear panels 70 extending between rear edges thereof. In order to advantageously reduce the amount of material needed to construct the merchandiser 60, the cartons 10 are not supported on shelves within the column 64. Instead, the cartons 10 are suspended between respective front panels 72 and rear panels 70. Thus, there is no need for a shelf extending between the front and rear panels 72 and 70. In order to secure the cartons 10 so that minor jostling of the merchandiser 60 will not cause the cartons 10 to become dislodged, a pair of depending tabs 76 of the rear panels 70 are at least partially insertable into a pair of openings in the top panel 42 of the lid 40. More specifically, corners of the major portion 42a of the top panel 42 of the lid 40 has a pair of flaps 42h separated from the remainder of the top panel 42 by perforations 42i. Once the perforations 42i are broken, the flaps 42h can each pivot inwardly so that the openings are formed for receiving the pair of depending tabs 76 of the rear panels 70 of the merchandiser 60, as illustrated in FIGURE 12. The rear portion of the carton 10 can rest on a top edge of one rear panel 70, while the depending tabs 76 from an above rear panel 70 restrict movement of the carton 10. The front edge of the carton can rest on an upper edge of one of the front panels 72, and an upstanding tab 74 of the front panel 72 can restrict forward movement of the carton 10. For the bottommost carton 10, the base 62 of the merchandiser 60 may have a horizontal portion 62a having an upstanding resting tab 62b that takes the place of the upper edge of the rear panel 70 in order to support the rear portion of the bottommost carton 10, as illustrated in FIGURE 12. In this manner, cartons 10 can have their minor portions 42b of the top panel 42 of the lid 40 removed, the cartons 10 can be suspended by the merchandiser 60, and consumers can access the contents of the cartons 10 through the open portion of the lid 40.

Claims

A generally rectangular carton (10) openable to display contents thereof, the carton (10) comprising:
a base (20) having a bottom panel (22), an upstanding sidewall extending around the periphery of the bottom panel (22), and an interior defined by the bottom panel (22) and the upstanding sidewall, the upstanding sidewall having four sides (24, 26, 28, 30) and having a surrounding exposed free edge opposite the bottom panel (22) of the base (20);

a lid (40) having a top panel (42) and a depending sidewall extending around the periphery of the top panel (42), the depending sidewall having four sides (44, 46, 48, 50), each of the four sides (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40) being adhesively attached to an outwardly facing side of the respective adjacent one of the four sides (24, 26, 28, 30) of the upstanding sidewall, the lid (40) being unattached to the surrounding exposed free edge of the upstanding sidewall of the base (20) so that, after removal of the lid (40), the free edge is generally unmarred; and

at least one of the adhesive attachments being between a pair of corner portions (44a, 44c) of one of the sides (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40) and the respective adjacent one of the upstanding sidewall of the base (20), each of the pair of corner portions (44a, 44c) being separated by a perforation (44b, 44d) from an unattached remainder of the side (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40),
characterised the perforations (44b, 44d) each extend between a bottom portion and a lateral edge of the side (44, 46, 48, 50).
The generally rectangular carton (10) of claim 1, wherein the perforations (44b, 44d) between the corner portions (44a, 44c) and the unattached remainder of the side (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40) are arcuate.
The generally rectangular carton (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein a V-notch (44e, 44f) is aligned with each of the perforations (94b, 94d) adjacent a bottom portion of the side (44, 46, 48, 50).
The generally rectangular carton (10) of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the top panel (42) of the lid (40) has a minor portion (42b) and a major portion (42a) joined by a perforation (42c), the lid (40) being configured to permit removal of either or both of the minor (42b) and major (42a) portions to expose any contents in the interior of the base (20).
The generally rectangular carton (10) of claim 4, wherein the minor portion (42b) of the top panel (42) of the lid (40) has a pair of lateral side flaps (48h, 50h) each connected via a perforation (48e, 50e) to an adjacent one of the sides (48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40).
The generally rectangular carton (10) of claims 1 to 5, wherein one of the adhesive attachments is between a removable segment (26b) of one of the sides (24, 26, 28, 30) of the upstanding sidewall and the adjacent one of the sides (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall, the removable segment (26b) being joined to the remainder of the one of the sides (24, 26, 28, 30) of the upstanding sidewall by a perforation (26c).
The generally rectangular carton (10) of claims 1 to 6, wherein three of the adhesive attachments are between a pair of corner portions (44a, 44c, 48a, 48c, 50a, 50c) of sides (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40) and the respective adjacent ones of the upstanding sidewall of the base (20), each of the pair of corner portions (44a, 44c, 48a, 48c, 50a, 50c) being separated by perforations (44b, 44d, 48b, 48d, 50b, 50d) from an unattached remainder of the sides (44, 46, 48, 50) of the depending sidewall of the lid (40).
A carton blank for wrapping around a stack of food products and forming a carton (10) enclosing the food products, the carton blank comprising:
a base blank having a generally rectangular bottom panel (22) with a base side panel (24, 26, 28, 30) attached to each edge of the bottom panel (22) by a fold line, the base side panels (24, 26, 28, 30) having free edges opposite the fold lines; and

a lid blank having a generally rectangular top panel (42) with a lid side panel (44, 46, 48, 50) attached to each edge of the top panel (42) by a fold line, at least one of the lid side panels (44, 46, 48, 50) having a pair of corners (48a, 48c) adhesively attached to one of the base side panels (30), each of the corners (48a, 48c) being separable from the remainder of the one of the lid side panels (48) by a perforation (48b, 48d) to separate the lid side panel (48) from the base side panel (30) and the lid blank being unattached to the free edges of the base side panels (24, 26, 28, 30), so that, when, after assembly of the carton (10), the lid (40) of the carton (10) is removed, the free edges are generally free from marring,
wherein each of the perforations (48b, 48d) between the corners (48a, 48c) of the one of the lid side panels (48) and the attached base panel (30) extends between a bottom portion and a lateral edge of the lid side panel (48).
The carton blank of claim 8, wherein each of the perforations (48b, 48d) between the corners (48a, 48c) of the one of the lid side panels (48) and the attached base panel (30) are arcuate.
The carton blank of claim 8 or 9, wherein V-notches (48f, 48g) are aligned with each of the perforations (48b, 48d) and at an edge of the one of the lid side panels (48) opposite the fold line between the one of the lid side panels (48) and the lid top panel (42).
The carton blank of one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the top panel (42) of the lid (40) has a minor portion (42b) and a major portion (42a) joined by a perforation (42c), the lid (40) being configured to permit removal of either or both of the minor (42b) and major (42a) portions to expose any contents in the interior of the base (20).
The carton blank of claim 11, wherein the minor portion (42b) of the top panel (42) of the lid (40) has a pair of lateral side flaps (48h, 50h) each connected via a perforation (48e, 50e) to an adjacent one of the lid side panels (48, 50).
The carton blank of one of claims 8 to 12, wherein one of the base side panels (24, 26, 28, 30) has a removable segment (26b) joined to the remainder of the one of the base side panels (24, 26, 28, 30) by a perforation (26c), the perforation (26c) adhesively attachable to an adjacent one of the lid side panels (44, 46, 48, 50) when the carton blank is assembled.
The carton blank of one of claims 8 to 13, wherein:
three of the lid side panels (44, 48, 50) have a pair of corners (44a, 44c, 48a, 48c, 50a, 50c) adhesively attached to one of the base side panels (24, 28, 30), each of the corners (44a, 44c, 48a, 48c, 50a, 50c) being separable from the remainder of the one of the lid side panels (44, 48, 50) by a perforation (44b, 44d, 48b, 48d, 50b, 50d) to separate the lid side panel (44, 48, 50) from the base side panel (24, 28, 30); and

one of the base side panels (26) has a removable segment (26b) joined to the remainder of the one of the base side panels (26) by a perforation (26c), the perforation (26c) adhesively attachable to an adjacent one of the lid side panels (46) when the carton blank is assembled.