Carton With Access Feature

A carton for packaging articles arranged in rows, the carton comprising a top panel, side panels, a bottom panel and an integral tear-open access feature provided by said top panel and one of said side panels to gain access to said articles, said integral tear-open access feature being hingedly connected to, and partially severable from, the carton such that when severed from the carton, said integral tear-open access feature is foldable to an article-supporting position wherein said integral tear-open access feature cooperates with at least the other of said side panels to provide a platform structure in which a first part of said tear-open access feature is disposed in contact with said other side panel and a second part of said integral tear-open access feature is spaced from said other side panel to enhance the stability of the carton when the carton is placed on said other side panel.

A carton for packaging articles arranged in rows, the carton comprising a top panel, side panels, a bottom panel and an integral tear-open access means, provided by said top panel and one of said side panels, for facilitating access to said articles, said tear-open access means being hingedly connected to, and partially severable from, the carton such that when said integral tear-open access means is severed from the carton and the carton is placed on the other of said side panels, said integral tear-open access means is foldable about a first fold line and an adjacent second fold line to form a platform structure, wherein upon formation of said platform structure, a part of said integral tear-open access means is spaced from the said other side panel to enhances the stability of the carton.

A tear-open access feature for use in a carton wherein said access feature is struck from panels of said carton and defined within said panels between at least one frangible line and a first fold line, said frangible line being breakable to allow a user to gain access to articles contained within said carton, said access feature being hinged to said carton by said first fold line, said access feature comprising a second fold line such that said access feature can be folded about said second fold line in order to place a portion of said access feature between said articles and a panel of said carton, thereby providing support for the carton contents.

A blank for forming a carton comprising a linear series of panels for forming a top, opposed side and bottom panels of a set up carton, wherein the blank further comprises an integral tear-open access means provided by said top panel and one of said side panels of the set up carton, for facilitating access to articles contained within the set up carton, said tear-open access means being hingedly connected to said set up carton about a first fold line, and wherein when said set up carton is placed on a surface such that the other of said side panels is lowermost, said tear-open access means is foldable about said first fold line to contact said other side panel in such a manner that said tear-open access means provides a platform for enhancing the stability of the carton.