US3043494A - Reclosable carton - Google Patents

Description

y 19 2 M. F. MOORE 3,043,494

RECLOSABLE CARTON Original Filed June 17, 1957 1710672207" Mrc'om f. More,

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Ulliifi l The present invention relates to reclosable cartons of the type particularly adapted for the packaging of small articles of clothing, or food products, such as strips or slices of meats or cheese.

Among the important objects of the invention are to provide an efiicient and economical one-piece paperboard carton with a window opening which utilizes the stock out from such opening as a functional portion of the carton, in combination with other parts, whereby the carton is adapted to enclose the contents completely and thereby obviate the need for overwrapping.

Another object is to provide a carton formed from a minimum amount of paperboard and to construct the carton so as to be reclosed easily after a portion of the contents has been removed. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton having a window opening formed by cutting a hinged panel therefrom and closing the window with a transparent sheet secured around three sides of the window panel on its inside surface, such sheet being extended to overlie the portion of the carton beyond the fourth side of the window opening to completely close the opening from the inside.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

This application is a division of copending application, Serial No. 665,944, filed June 17, 1957, now Patent No. 2,974,854.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the carton utilizing a back or bottom wall which is cut from the central part of the front wall to form a window opening;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the carton blank shown in FIG. 1 with the back or bottom wall in place within the window opening;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carton in inverted position with the side walls secured in upright position, with side wall flaps in a position to overlie the carton contents, and with the back or bottom wall ready to be swung down to overlie the side flaps; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The carton of the present invention finds advantageous use for articles such as womens hosiery, gloves, handkerchiefs and other small cloth articles, food products,

such as sliced meat and other sliced food, and is particularly convenient to package a group of items of which it it desired to remove only one or, at most, only a few at a time and then reclose the carton. The construction of the carton is such that it completely encloses its contents and makes overwrapping unnecessary.

As herein disclosed the carton comprises an elongated main or top panel, forming a top wall, such panel having hinged thereto a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls. One end wall and both side Walls have flaps on their outer edges arranged to be folded inward topartially close the bottom of the carton. The main or top panel has a portion cut or excised therefrom to form a window in such panel. The excised panel portion comprises two hinged panels, one being comparable to the width or height of the end walls and adapted to be folded to lie against the end wall to which no flap is attached.

Patented July 10, 1 962 I The major portion of the excised panel cooperates with the inturned flaps to close the bottom of the carton. The window opening is closed by a thin, flexible, and preferably transparent, sheet by securing such sheet on the inside surface of the main panel with an end portion of the flexible sheet folded over and secured to the narrow panel of the excised panel portion.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the carton is preferably formed from a single blank of folding paperboard cut and creased to provide a main or top panel 1, a bottom wall panel 2, cut from within the contour of the main panel on three sides only, and joined to the main or top panel by an intermediate narrow panel 3 hinged to the panel 2 along fold line 4 and to the panel 1 along fold line 5. The opening 6, from which the bottom panel 2 and narrow panel '3 are cut or excised,

provides a window opening which is closed by gluing a transparent sheet or panel 7 thereover on the surface which is to form the inside of the carton. The preferred manner of gluing the transparent sheet or panel onto panel 1 is first to fold back the excised panel sections 2 and 3 until they lie substantially in the plane of the remainder of the carton and then attach the transparent panel around the three free sides of the Window opening with a narrow marginal edge portion 7a extending beyond the hinge line of the excised panel portion.

The top wall panel 1 has extending therefrom end walls 9 and 1t} and side walls 11 and 12. The wall 10 is defined from the top wall panel by fold line 13. The side walls 11 and 12 are defined from the top panel by fold lines 14 and 15 and the end Wall 9 is hinged to the top panel along two short fold lines 5a, 5a comprising extensions of fold line 5 which joins the end wall 9 and narrow panel 3.

Corner flaps 17, 17 and 18, 18 are provided on the respective end walls 9 and 10 and may be secured to the adjacent ends of the side walls 11 and 12 by adhesive, as indicated, or in any other customary manner.

The narrow panel 3 is preferably secured to the interior surface of the end wall 9 by applying adhesive between these parts. This may be done before the carton leaves the box factory or can be done at the packers plant. In any event the blanks may be transported in flap form.

An additional closure flap 19 is provided, hinged on the outer edge of wall 10 and at its outer edge the flap 19 is formed witha locking tongue 20 adapted to enter a slit 21 formed in the panel 2. Side flaps 22 and 23 are hinged to the respective walls 11 and 12, adapted to be turned inward to form a part of the bottom closure.

The carton is preferably loaded by placing the top wall panel 1 on a supporting surface with the bottom panel 2, flaps 22 and 23 and flap 19 either extending upwardly or folded outwardly. After the carton is filled the side flaps 22 and 23 will first be turned in, the panel 2 will then be swung down to overlie the flaps 22 and 23 and finally the flap 19 will be folded over and the tongue 20 engaged within the slit 21 in panel 2. The package will then be complete and ready for shipment.

It is apparent that by adhesively securing thetransparent panel 7 onto the inside surface of panel 1 with an edge portion of the transparent panel extending past the hinge line 5 and onto the narrow section 3 of the excised panel portion, the window opening will be effectively closed. By folding the excised panel portion through so that it lies substantially in the plane of the top panel 1, the transparent panel may easily be applied around the edges of the window opening and in overlapping relation to the narrow section 5. It is also to be seen that the lateral edges of the transparent panel at the corners of the carton adjacent the narrow excised panel extend beyond the ends of this panel and are dis wall panel 9. After the adhesive has set the excised panel portion may be refolded to lie fiat against the transparent panel and in this position a portion of the transparent panel will be folded upon itself.

In the setup condition of the carton the portion of the transparent sheet overlapping the panel section 5 will assume a position at right angles to the plane of the major portion of the transparent sheet, and the fold in the transparent sheet will extend in substantial registration with the fold lines 5a, 5a at each end of the fold line 5 connecting panel section 3 and end wall 9, thus effecting a secure closure in this portion of the carton.

The present invention thus provides a simple and easily usable carton which can be readily fabricated in the box plant, shipped flat to the packer and by the packer quickly set up, filled and closed. Due to the construction and arrangement of the transparent panel and the overlapping closure flaps the carton will completely enclose the contents. The contents may be easily removed by the user and, if only a part of the contents is removed, the carton can be closed with facility. The amount of overlap of the parts of the carton is relatively small whereby a high degree of economy of construction is realized.

It is to be understood that various changes in the construction shown and described may be made within the scope of the claim and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

- I claim:

A reclosable carton formed from a blank of foldable paperboard cut and creased to provide an elongated rectangular top wall panel, narrow side wall panels hinged to the sides of the top panel and narrow end wall panels hinged to the ends of the top panel, one of the end wall panels having an infolding flap on its outer edge, a rectangular panel excised from the top panel along three sides to form a window opening, said excised panel comprising an elongated bottom closure section hingedly connected to a narrow end section, such narrow end section having a hinge connection with the end wall opposite the one carrying the infolding flap along a hinge line aligned with the hinge connection between such end wall and the top panel, the narrow end section being comparable in width to its attached end Wall, inwardly folda'ble bottom closure flaps on the outer edges of the side walls cooperating with the bottom closure section of the excised panel and end wall panel to close the bottom of the carton, and a transparent, flexible sheet secured to the inside surface of the top wall panel over the Window opening, such transparent sheet having an extended edge portion folded to lie against the adjoining portion of the sheet and such edge portion being secured to the inside surface of the narrow end section of the excised panel along its hinge connection with its attached end wall panel, the lateral edges ofsuch sheet extending beyond the ends of the narrow excised panel section in facing relation to the end portions of the adjacent end wall panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,200,818 Bergstein May 14, 1940 2,234,402 Frankenstein Mar. 11, 1941 2,712,382 Clarke July 5, 1955 2,758,778 Arneson Aug. 14, 1956

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