Carton with top dispensing feature
View Patent ↗A carton with a new type of dispenser that is placed midway between the ends of the carton adjacent a fold line between the top panel and adjoining side panel. The dispenser is designed so that it is slightly larger than the diameter of the bottom ends of from two to three containers. Said dispenser may have a push tab or starting flap to aid in commencing tearing the dispenser flap open. A coupon may be located on the inside or outside of the dispenser flap.
1. An enclosed carton and a plurality of containers contained therein, the carton comprising:
a bottom panel;
a top panel;
a first side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel;
a first plurality of end flaps closing a first end of the carton;
a second plurality of end flaps closing a second end of the carton; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel and a central portion of the first side panel, the first tear line including arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, each arcuate side crossing the first fold line, wherein
each container of the plurality of containers has substantially the same size and shape and has a top end, a longitudinal axis, and a bottom end, the bottom ends of the containers having a common bottom diameter, and
the longitudinal axes of the containers are generally perpendicular to planes of the top and bottom panels.
2. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the first dispenser flap has a height approximately equal to the bottom diameter.
3. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the first dispenser flap has a width equal to two to three times the bottom diameter.
4. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the first dispenser flap is approximately equidistant between the first and second ends of the carton.
5. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the first dispenser flap is removable from the carton at the first tear line to form a first dispenser opening, each container being dispensable through the dispenser opening by gravity feed.
6. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the first dispenser flap has a width that is slightly larger than two times the bottom diameter.
7. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein a central upper portion of the first tear line is substantially linear and extends across at least a part of a width of the top panel.
8. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , further comprising a second tear line defining a second dispenser flap in the top panel and in the second side panel.
9. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of containers comprises at least twelve containers.
10. An enclosed carton and a plurality of containers contained therein, the carton comprising:
a bottom panel;
a top panel;
a first side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel;
a first plurality of end flaps closing a first end of the carton;
a second plurality of end flaps closing a second end of the carton; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel, the first tear line including arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, the arcuate sides also converging toward the first fold line so that the first tear line extends along the first fold line, wherein
each container of the plurality of containers has substantially the same size and shape and has a top end, a longitudinal axis, and a bottom end, the bottom ends of the containers having a common bottom diameter, and
the longitudinal axes of the containers are generally perpendicular to planes of the top and bottom panels.
11. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 10 , wherein the first dispenser flap has a height approximately equal to the bottom diameter.
12. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 10 , wherein the first dispenser flap has a width that is slightly larger than three times the bottom diameter.
13. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 10 , wherein the first dispenser flap is approximately equidistant between the first and second ends of the carton.
14. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 10 , wherein the first dispenser flap is removable from the carton at the first tear line to form a first dispenser opening, each container being dispensable through the dispenser opening by gravity feed.
15. The carton and plurality of containers of claim 10 , further comprising a starting tab located in the top panel immediately adjacent to the dispenser flap.
16. A carton blank, comprising:
a first side panel;
a top panel foldably connected to the first side panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a second fold line;
at least one bottom panel foldably connected to at least one of the side panels;
a first plurality of end flaps disposed on a first side of the blank and extending along a length of the blank;
a second plurality of end flaps disposed on a second side of the blank and extending along the length of the blank; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel and a central portion of the first side panel, the first tear line including arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, each arcuate side crossing the first fold line.
17. The carton blank of claim 16 , wherein a central portion of the first tear line is substantially straight and extends across at least a part of a width of the blank.
18. The carton blank of claim 16 , wherein the arcuate sides of the first tear line terminate at at least one push tab.
19. The carton blank of claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of end flaps comprises:
a first top end flap foldably connected to the top panel, wherein the first top end flap includes a handle cutout;
a first side end flap foldably connected to the first side panel; and
a second side end flap foldably connected to the second side panel, wherein the first and second side end flaps each include a handle cut out.
20. The carton blank of claim 16 , wherein the at least one bottom panel comprises:
a bottom panel foldably connected to the first side panel.
21. The carton blank of claim 16 , further comprising:
a second tear line defining a second dispenser flap in the central portion of the top panel and a central portion of the second side panel, the second tear line including arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, each arcuate side crossing the second fold line.
22. A carton blank, comprising:
a first side panel;
a top panel foldably connected to the first side panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a second fold line;
at least one bottom panel foldably connected to at least one of the side panels;
a first plurality of end flaps disposed on a first side of the blank and extending along a length of the blank;
a second plurality of end flaps disposed on a second side of the blank and extending along the length of the blank; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel, the first tear line including arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, the arcuate sides also converging toward the first fold line so that the first tear line extends along the first fold line.
23. The carton blank of claim 22 , wherein the arcuate sides terminate at at least one push tab in the first side panel.
24. The carton blank of claim 22 , wherein the first plurality of end flaps comprises:
a first top end flap foldably connected to the top panel, wherein the first top end flap includes a handle cutout;
a first side end flap foldably connected to the first side panel; and
a second side end flap foldably connected to the second side panel, wherein the first and second side end flaps each include a handle cut out.
25. The carton blank of claim 22 , wherein the at least one bottom panel comprises:
a bottom panel foldably connected to the first side panel.
26. The carton blank of claim 22 , further comprising a starting tab located in the top panel immediately adjacent to the first dispenser flap.
27. A carton blank which when constructed into an enclosed carton houses a plurality of containers, each container of the plurality of containers having substantially the same size and shape and a top end, a longitudinal axis, and a bottom end, the bottom ends of the containers having a common bottom diameter, the blank comprising:
a first side panel;
a top panel foldably connected to the first side panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a second fold line;
at least one bottom panel foldably connected to at least one of the side panels;
a first plurality of end flaps disposed on a first side of the blank and extending along a length of the blank;
a second plurality of end flaps disposed on a second side of the blank and extending along the length of the blank; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel, the first dispenser flap having a height, measured along a length of the top panel, and a width measured along a width of the top panel, wherein the height of the dispenser flap is slightly larger than the bottom diameter, and the width of the dispenser flap is slightly larger than two times the bottom diameter.
28. The carton blank of claim 27 , wherein the first tear line includes arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, each arcuate side crossing the first fold line.
29. A carton blank which when constructed into an enclosed carton houses a plurality of containers, each container of the plurality of containers having substantially the same size and shape and a top end, a longitudinal axis, and a bottom end, the bottom ends of the containers having a common bottom diameter, the blank comprising:
a first side panel;
a top panel foldably connected to the first side panel at a first fold line;
a second side panel foldably connected to the top panel at a second fold line;
at least one bottom panel foldably connected to at least one of the side panels;
a first plurality of end flaps disposed on a first side of the blank and extending along a length of the blank;
a second plurality of end flaps disposed on a second side of the blank and extending along the length of the blank; and
a first tear line defining a first dispenser flap in a central portion of the top panel, the first dispenser flap having a height, measured along a length of the top panel, and a width measured along a width of the top panel, wherein the height of the dispenser flap is slightly larger than the bottom diameter, and wherein the width of the dispenser flap is slightly larger than three times the bottom diameter.
30. The carton blank of claim 29 , wherein the first tear line includes arcuate sides that converge toward the central portion of the top panel, the arcuate sides also converging toward the first fold line so that the first tear line extends along the first fold line.