Back to results
US 7,118,022 B2Granted
Enhanced device for assisting in the removal of contents from its packaging
AssigneeGateway, Inc.
InventorDavid Drees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Foldout tabs for assisting with the removal of contents from a carton. When extended, the foldout tabs provide a leverage point on which a user may place one or both feet so that while pulling the contents from within the carton, the carton does not exhibit its normal tendency to follow the contents.
Claims15
An apparatus for assisting in the removal of contents from a carton comprising:
- a carton;
- and
- at least one carton cover hingedly connected to said carton, said at least one carton cover has an outer edge and an inner fold line about which said at least one carton cover is pivotable with respect to said carton;
- and
- a foldout tab formed entirely by a portion of said carton cover and being releasable from a remainder portion of said carton cover, said at least one foldout tab being located between said outer edge and said inner fold line of said at least one carton cover:
- wherein said foldout tab is pivotable about a hinge line with respect to said at least one carton cover, said hinge line being located toward said outer edge of said at least one carton cover and said foldout tab being located between said hinge line and said inner fold line of said at least one carton cover;
- wherein said foldout tab further comprises a foot section that is hingedly connected to the body of said foldout tab and bends to lay substantially flat on a surface that said carton also lay upon and provides a place for the user to place a foot to hold said carton in place while removing said contents.
4 more elements
A method for removing contents from a carton, said carton having a pair of flaps pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said carton adjacent to a top opening of said carton, said method comprising:
- placing said carton on a surface so that the lop opening of said carton is substantially at the uppermost position on said carton;
- and
- opening the flaps of said carton to access an interior of said carton by pivoting the flaps away from the top opening of said carton;
- releasing a portion of a foldout tab from each of the flaps of said carton and pivoting the released portion of the foldout tab with respect to a respective one of said flaps;
- extending each of said foldout labs so that part of each of said foldout tabs lies substantially flat on the surface;
- and
- placing a foot on each of said foldout labs to hold the part of said foldout tabs against the surface and thereby resist upward movement of the carton while said content is moved upwardly out of the interior of said carton.
4 more elements
A shipping carton comprising:
- a plurality of side components and bottom components angularly attached to each other to form a base enclosure;
- and
- a plurality of carton cover components that are hingedly connected to said plurality of side components that fold shut to close the top, closing the contents within, and fold open to expose the contents for removal, each of said carton cover components having an outer edge and an inner fold line about which the respective said carton cover component is pivotable with respect to said base enclosure;
- and
- a pair of foldout tabs, each foldout tab being disposed on opposite carton cover components of said plurality of carton cover components, each of said foldout tabs being formed by a portion of a respective one of said opposite carton cover components wherein each of said foldout tabs is pivotable along a hinge line located on the respective one of said opposite carton cover components so that said foldout tab is pivotable with respect to a remainder portion of the respective one of said opposite carton cover components;
- wherein said hinge line of each of said foldout tabs is located toward said outer edge of the respective said carton cover component and said foldout tab is located between said hinge line and said inner fold line of the respective said carton cover component;
- wherein each of said foldout tabs further includes a body section and a foot section that is hingedly connected to the body section of said foldout tab for providing a place for a user to place the user's foot.
4 more elements
An apparatus for assisting in the removal of contents from a carton as the carton rests on a surface, said apparatus comprising:
- a carton having a top opening and a pair of flaps hingedly mounted on opposite sides of said carton, each of said flaps being pivotable between a closed condition in which said flap extends into said opening end an open position in which said flap is positioned substantially adjacent to one of the opposite sides of said carton;
- and
- a foldout tab being pivotally mounted on each of said opposite flaps;
- wherein each of said flaps has an outer edge and an inner fold line about which said flap is pivotable between said closed condition and said open condition, each of said foldout tabs being positioned between said outer edge and said inner fold line of a respective one of said flaps:
- wherein each of said foldout tabs is pivotable about a hinge line, said hinge line associated with each of said foldout tabs being located toward said outer edge of said flap and said foldout tab being located between the hinge line of said foldout lab and the inner fold line of said flap;
- wherein each of said foldout tabs has a length between the hinge line of said foldout tab and an outboard free edge of said foldout tab;
- wherein the length of said foldout tab is greater than a distance between the hinge line of said foldout tab and the outer edge of said flap such that said foldout tab is capable of reaching the surface on which the carton rests such that a portion of each of said foldout labs is restable on the surface adjacent to the opposite sides of the carton to permit a person to step on said portions while removing the contents from said carton through said top opening.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.