Carton with dispenser
AssigneeThe C.W. Zumbiel Company
InventorCharles A. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A package includes an article group formed of cylindrical articles disposed on their sides in a side-by-side parallel fashion, and a carton disposed around the group. The carton includes a top wall, opposed side walls, end walls and an article dispenser. The side walls are disposed alongside the ends of the articles while one end wall is disposed adjacent to the side wall of an endmost article. The dispenser is formed from the end and top walls and includes at least one retaining panel to hold all the articles in the carton until removed by the user.
Claims20
A blank for forming a carton sized to contain a plurality of beverage containers in at least two rows with a first row of containers positioned above a second row of containers in the carton, the blank comprising:
- a first side panel;
- a top panel;
- a second side panel;
- a bottom panel;
- a first side exiting end flap extending from a first longitudinal end of the first side panel;
- a second side exiting end flap extending from a first longitudinal end of the second side panel, the first and second side exiting end flaps contributing to form an exiting end of the carton;
- a dispenser pattern in at least the top panel, the first side exiting end flap, and the second side exiting end flap, wherein the dispenser pattern defines a dispenser and comprises:
- a first tear line portion in the first side exiting end flap;
- a second tear line portion in the second side exiting end flap;
- and
- an opening feature operable for a user to remove the dispenser from the exiting end of the carton formed from the blank, the opening feature being located adjacent to a juncture of the exiting end and the bottom panel of the formed carton such that the user may pull upwardly on the dispenser from the opening feature toward the top panel to gain access to the beverage containers within the carton.
A package comprising:
- a plurality of beverage containers arranged in at least two rows including a top row and a bottom row;
- a carton enclosing the beverage containers, the carton further comprising:
- a first side panel;
- a top panel;
- a second side panel;
- a bottom panel;
- a first side exiting end flap extending from a first longitudinal end of the first side panel;
- a second side exiting end flap extending from a first longitudinal end of the second side panel, the first and second side exiting end flaps contributing to form an exiting end of the carton;
- a dispenser pattern in at least the top panel, the first side exiting end flap, and the second side exiting end flap, wherein the dispenser pattern defines a dispenser and comprises:
- a first tear line portion in the first side exiting end flap;
- a second tear line portion in the second side exiting end flap;
- and
- an opening feature operable for a user to remove the dispenser from the exiting end of the carton, the opening feature being located adjacent to a juncture of the exiting end and the bottom panel such that the user may pull upwardly on the dispenser from the opening feature toward the top panel to gain access to the beverage containers within the carton.
A method of opening an enclosed carton containing a plurality of beverage containers in at least a top row and a bottom row, the carton having (i) a top panel, first and second side panels, a bottom panel, and closed ends formed by combinations of flaps extending from at least some of the panels, at least one of the ends is an exiting end, and (ii) a dispenser which is a unitary structure comprising a portion of the top panel, portions of more than one of the flaps and the upper portion of the exiting end, the dispenser being defined by at least one tear line extending in the top panel and more than one flap that defines the exiting end, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting a person's finger into the carton proximate a juncture between the exiting end and the bottom panel;
- and
- pulling the dispenser open upwardly along the portions of the tear line that extend in the exiting end, portions of more than one flap and the top panel;
- wherein the beverage containers adjacent the exiting end in the carton are accessible for removal from the carton through a dispenser opening defined in part by the dispenser and the carton remains otherwise structurally intact to contain a remainder of the beverage containers in the carton.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.