Carton flap retention arrangement

A combination of a pair of carton members and one tray member adapted to hold the carton members in place on a packaging line conveyor while the carton members are being filled, said carton and tray members each being formed from a unitary sheet of foldable sheet material, such as paperboard, comprising:

• (a) said tray member including a generally rectangular bottom wall with opposed pairs of side and end wall panels foldably joined to each other and to opposed side and end edges of said bottom wall and upstanding therefrom;
• (b) said carton members each including:
• (i) a bottom wall with opposed pairs of side and end wall panels foldably joined to each other and to opposed side and end edges of said bottom wall and upstanding therefrom;
• (ii) a pair of upper closure flaps foldably joined to upper portions of said carton end wall panels;
• (c) each of said carton members having substantially the same length as the width of said tray member to allow said carton members to be positioned side by side in said tray member with said carton member end wall panels abutting said tray member side wall panels and with one side wall panel of each of said carton members abutting an adjacent one of said tray member end wall panels;
• (d) certain of said tray member side wall panels including upwardly extending retaining tabs arranged and disposed to engage said carton member upper closure flaps and maintain them in an open vertical position against said carton side wall panels while said carton is being filled.

A combination of a pair of carton members and one tray member adapted to hold the carton members in place on a packaging line conveyor while the carton members are being filled, said carton and tray members each being formed from a unitary sheet of foldable sheet material, such as paperboard, comprising:

• (a) said tray member including a generally rectangular bottom wall with opposed pairs of side and end wall panels foldably joined to each other and to opposed side and end edges of said bottom wall and upstanding therefrom;
• (b) said carton members each including:
• (i) a bottom wall with opposed pairs of side and end panels foldably joined to each other and to opposed side and end edges of said bottom wall and upstanding therefrom;
• (ii) a pair of upper closure flaps foldably joined to upper portions of said carton end wall panels;
• (c) each of said carton members having substantially the same length as the width of said tray member to allow said carton members to be positioned side by side in said tray member with said carton member end wall panels abutting said tray member side wall panels and with one side wall panel of each of said carton members abutting an adjacent one of said tray member end wall panels;
• (d) each of said carton member end wall panels including an upper marginal portion having a lower edge foldably joined to an upper edge of a remaining portion of said end wall panel and having an upper edge foldably joined to an outer edge of an outer marginal portion of a related one of said upper closure flaps;
• (e) said related upper closure flap marginal portion having an inner edge foldable joined to a remaining portion of said upper closure flap and having an outer surface adhesively secured to an outer surface of said end wall panel marginal portion, whereby said upper closure flap will remain in an open position against said side wall panel while said carton is being filled.

A unitary blank of foldable sheet material, such as paperboard, for use in forming a carton with upper closure flaps adapted to remain in open position when said carton is being filled on a packaging line, said blank being cut and scored to provide:

• (a) a first end wall panel, a first side wall panel, a second end wall panel, and a second side wall panel foldably joined to each other on parallel fold lines;
• (b) bottom closure flaps foldably joined to lower edges of each of said end and side wall panels;
• (c) upper closure flaps foldably joined to upper edge of said end wall panels;
• (d) each of said end and side wall panels having substantially the same height dimension between said upper and lower closure flaps;
• (e) each of said end wall panels including a relatively narrow minor portion and a substantially larger major portion foldably joined to each other on a fold line extending parallel to fold lines joining said closure flaps to said end wall panels;
• (f) each of said upper closure flaps including a relatively narrow minor portion and a substantially larger major portion foldably joined to each other on a fold line extending parallel to fold lines joining said closure flaps to said end wall panels;
• (g) each of said end wall panel minor portions being foldably joined to an adjacent one of said upper closure flap minor portions on a fold line extending parallel to fold lines joining said closure flaps to said end wall panels.