Quality-enhancing pizza carton
OwnerJohn D. Correllinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A quality-enhancing pizza carton having an improved fall-back side wall structure with a diagonal wall for verticalizing the fall-back side wall, an improved corner wall structure having a connector panel disposed at an oblique angle to the bottom panel, and a cover anti-shift structure.
Claims36
A fully-erected carton having a fall-back side wall structure, said carton being of foldable material and comprising:
- a non-rectangular bottom panel,
- a fully-reclinable rear wall hingedly attached to said bottom panel,
- a cover panel hingedly attached to a top edge of said rear wall,
- a substantially straight front wall structure disposed approximately parallel to said rear wall and comprising a front wall attached to said bottom panel and an ancillary panel hingedly linked to a top edge of said front wall and disposed substantially parallel to said front wall,
- at least one fall-back side wall structure disposed adjacent said front wall structure and comprising:
- (a) a side wall hingedly attached to said bottom panel,
- (b) a fall-back corner flap attached to a front end of said side wall and at least partially disposed between said front wall and said ancillary panel,
- (c) a verticalizing structure comprising a diagonal wall hingedly attached to a rear end of said side wall and disposed at an obtuse angle to said side wall, whereby when said cover is closed on said carton said diagonal wall holds said side wall in a substantially vertical position.
A partially-erected food carton having a fall-back side wall structure, said carton being of foldable material and comprising:
- a non-rectangular bottom panel having approximately parallel front and rear edges and opposing first and second side edges adjacent said front edge,
- a fully-reclinable rear wall hingedly attached to said rear edge,
- a cover panel hingedly attached to a top edge of said rear wall,
- an upright front wall structure comprising a front wall attached to said front edge and an ancillary panel hingedly linked to a top edge of said front wall and disposed substantially parallel to said front wall,
- opposing first and second fall-back side wall structures each comprising:
- (a) a side wall hingedly attached to one of said first and second side edges and disposed in a fall-back position and being movable therefrom to a vertical position,
- (b) a fall-back corner flap hingedly attached to a front end of said side wall and at least partially disposed between said front wall and said ancillary panel,
- (c) a verticalizing structure comprising a diagonal wall hingedly attached to a rear end of said side wall and a connector panel hingedly attached to said diagonal wall;
- whereby, compared to a box having stationary vertically-disposed side walls, said partially-erected food carton with said side walls disposed in said fall-back position provides opportunity for extra operational convenience such as easier loading of a food product into the carton, easier cutting of a food product inside the carton, or cutting of a food product inside the carton without running over or bending a side wall of the carton.
A blank for a carton having a fall-back side wall structure, said blank being of foldable material cut and scored to define:
- a non-rectangular bottom panel having approximately parallel front and rear edges and opposing first and second side edges adjacent said front edge,
- a fully-reclinable rear wall hingedly attached to said rear edge,
- a cover panel hingedly attached to a top edge of said rear wall,
- a front wall structure comprising a front wall hingedly attached to said front edge and an ancillary panel hingedly linked to a top edge of said front wall,
- opposing first and second fall-back side wall structures hingedly attached to said first and second side edges, respectively, each of the fall-back side wall structures comprising:
- (a) a side wall hingedly attached to one of said first and second side edges,
- (b) a fall-back corner flap hingedly attached to a front end of said side wall,
- (c) a verticalizing structure comprising a diagonal wall hingedly attached to a rear end of said side wall and a connector panel hingedly attached to said diagonal wall;
- whereby after the blank has been erected into a closed box said diagonal wall holds said side wall in a substantially vertical position.
A carton having a corner wall structure, said carton comprising a bottom panel, a side wall, a diagonal wall attached to said side wall, an end wall having a bottom edge and an end edge, and a unitary plurality of hingedly connected connector panels attached to said diagonal wall and to the end edge of said end wall, wherein:
- the end edge of said end wall is disposed at an obtuse angle to said bottom edge.
A carton having a corner wall structure, said carton comprising a bottom panel, a side wall, a diagonal wall attached to said side wall, an end wall, and a unitary plurality of hingedly connected connector panels attached to said diagonal wall and to said end wall and including a first connector panel hingedly attached to said diagonal wall and to said bottom panel, wherein:
- said unitary plurality of hingedly connected connector panels further includes a second connector panel disposed at an oblique angle to said bottom panel.
A blank for a carton having a corner wall structure, said blank being of foldable material cut and scored to define:
- a non-rectangular bottom panel having non-adjacent first and second bottom panel edges,
- a first wall hingedly attached to said first bottom panel edge,
- a corner wall structure comprising:
- (a) a diagonal wall hingedly attached to an end of said first wall,
- (b) a unitary plurality of hingedly connected connector panels comprising:
- (i) a first connector panel hingedly attached to said diagonal wall,
- (ii) a second connector panel hingedly attached to said first connector panel at a first connector edge and to another panel of said blank at a second connector edge intersecting said second bottom panel edge,
- wherein said second connector edge is disposed at an obtuse angle to said second bottom panel edge, whereby after said blank has been erected into a box said second connector panel is disposed at an oblique angle to said bottom panel.
A carton having a cover anti-shift structure, said carton comprising a rear wall, a double-panel front wall structure opposing said rear wall, a cover panel, and a cover front flap hingedly attached to said cover panel and disposed approximately parallel to said double-panel front wall structure, wherein:
- said cover anti-shift structure comprises first and second tabs projecting inward from a top edge of the front wall structure and disposed adjacent to first and second ends, respectively, of said cover front flap, whereby said cover panel is rendered more stationary than a cover panel of some cartons lacking said first and second tabs.
A carton having a cover anti-shift structure, said carton comprising a double-panel wall structure, another wall, a cover panel hingedly attached to said another wall, and a cover flap hingedly attached to said cover panel and disposed approximately parallel to said double-panel wall structure, wherein:
- said cover anti-shift structure comprises a tab projecting inward from a top edge of said double-panel wall structure and disposed adjacent to an end of said cover flap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.