Severable carton wall

A severable carton wall comprising:

• a substantially vertically disposed composite wall formed from a pair of overlapping panels joined along a seam, said seam comprising an overlap of respective end portions of said panels;
• and
• a frangible line extending across the composite wall, traversing the seam, defining a removable upper portion of said composite wall;
• wherein a segment of the frangible line that substantially traverses the seam is an extensively-weakened segment.
• wherein the extensively-weakened segment is shaped and disposed such that the extensively-weakened segment defines a notch in said removable upper portion within said seam of said removable upper portion, said extensively-weakened segment including a pair of cut lines formed respectively in said end portions of said panels such that the cut lines define a pair of secured protrusions formed respectively from said panels and extending upwardly from a lower portion of said composite wall to facilitate separation of the composite wall along the extensively-weakened segment,
• wherein said protrusions are joined directly to the lower portion of the composite wall without a hinged connection, and
• wherein each of the cut lines has a highest point along said each cut line, said highest point along one of the cut lines being disposed at a lower elevation than said highest point along the other of the cut lines.

A carton comprising:

• top, bottom and a pair of side walls interconnected to form a substantially tubular structure having at least one end region terminating in a composite end wall, said composite end wall being formed from a pair of overlapping panels joined together along a seam, said seam comprising an overlap of respective end portions of said panels;
• and
• a separable trough formed from a portion of the one end region and hingably and severably connected to the composite end wall along a frangible line that traverses the seam;
• wherein said frangible line comprises a pair of spaced, substantially straight segments extending respectively from said side walls toward each other and an extensively-weakened segment substantially traversing the seam and spanning a space between said straight segments, and
• wherein said extensively-weakened segment is configured such that the extensively-weakened segment defines a notch in said trough within said trough, whereby when said trough is partially severed from the carton and pivoted about said straight segments, severance of said trough from the carton along said extensively-weakened segment is facilitated.