Carton with curved end and dispensing features
View Patent ↗A carton for containing a plurality of articles. The carton has panels that extend at least partially around an interior of the carton. The panels comprise a top panel, a bottom panel and a first side panel and a second side panel. The carton has a dispenser for allowing access to the articles in the carton. The dispenser has a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line in the carton and is for being at least partially removed for at least further opening a dispenser opening. The carton can also have a curved end.
1. A carton for containing a plurality of articles, the carton comprising:
a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton, the plurality of panels comprises a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel;
at least two end flaps, each of the at least two end flaps being respectively foldably attached to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, wherein the end flaps are overlapped with respect to one another and thereby at least partially form a closed end of the carton, the at least two end flaps comprise a top end flap foldably attached to the top panel; and
a dispenser in the closed end of the carton for removal of articles from the carton, the dispenser comprising a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line in the carton and is for being at least partially removed for at least further opening a dispenser opening,
the first side panel and second side panel having respective curved edge portions at the closed end, the top end flap having a curved portion with edges that are adjacent the curved edge portions of the first and second side panels to form a curved end profile at the closed end, the tear line comprising a tear line portion in the top end flap wherein the portion of the tear line in the top end flap extends across the edges of the top end flap and is generally perpendicular to the edges of the top end flap.
2. The carton of claim 1 wherein the at least two end flaps comprise a first side end flap foldably attached to the first side panel and a second side end flap foldably attached to the second side panel.
3. The carton of claim 2 wherein the first and second side end flaps are respectively attached to the first and second side panels at a fold line adjacent a first end of a respective curved edge portion.
4. The carton of claim 3 wherein the top end flap is foldably attached to the top panel at a fold line adjacent second ends of the curved edge portions.
5. The carton of claim 1 wherein the dispenser panel comprises at least a portion of the top panel and at least a portion of the top end flap.
6. The carton of claim 5 wherein the dispenser panel comprises at least a portion of the first side panel and at least a portion of the second side panel.
7. The carton of claim 1 wherein the carton comprises an actuation panel in the top panel for grasping the dispenser panel.
8. The carton of claim 7 wherein the actuation panel is foldably attached to the top panel by a curved fold line in the top panel, the actuation panel being further defined by at least a portion of the tear line in the top panel.
9. The carton of claim 1 wherein:
the closed end is a first closed end;
the at least two end flaps are first end flaps that are overlapped with respect to one another to form the closed first end; and
the carton further includes at least two second end flaps, each of the second end flaps being respectively foldably attached to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, wherein the at least two second end flaps are overlapped with respect to one another to at least partially form a closed second end of the carton.
10. The carton of claim 9 wherein the dispenser is a first dispenser and the carton further includes a second dispenser for dispensing articles from the second closed end of the carton.
11. The carton of claim 1 in combination with a plurality of articles, the plurality of articles comprising containers that are arranged in at least two rows in the carton.
12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the at least two rows of containers comprises a first row having a first quantity of containers and a second row having a second quantity of containers, the first and second quantities being unequal.
13. A blank for forming a carton comprising:
a plurality of panels comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel;
at least two end flaps, each of the end flaps being respectively foldably attached to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, wherein the at least two end flaps are for being overlapped with respect to one another to thereby at least partially form a closed end of a carton formed from the blank, the at least two end flaps comprise a top end flap foldably attached to the top panel; and
a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line in the carton and is for being at least partially removed for at least further opening a dispenser opening in the closed end of the carton formed from the blank,
the first side panel and second side panel having respective curved edge portions at an end of the blank, the top end flap having a curved portion with edges that are adjacent the curved edge portions of the first and second side panels to form a curved end profile at the closed end of the carton formed from the blank, the tear line comprising a tear line portion in the top end flap wherein the portion of the tear line in the top end flap extends across the edges of the top end flap and is generally perpendicular to the edges of the top end flap.
14. The blank of claim 13 wherein the curved edge portions are not directly connected to the at least two end flaps.
15. The blank of claim 13 wherein the at least two end flaps comprise a first side end flap foldably attached to the first side panel and a second side end flap foldably attached to the second side panel.
16. The blank of claim 15 wherein the first and second side end flaps are respectively attached to the first and second side panels at a fold line adjacent a first end of a respective curved edge portion.
17. The blank of claim 16 wherein the at least two end flaps further comprises a top end flap that is foldably attached to the top panel at a fold line adjacent second ends of the curved edge portions.
18. The carton of claim 1 wherein in at least one of the end flaps, the tear line forms a generally L-shaped portion for at least partially retaining the articles at the end of the carton.
19. The carton of claim 18 wherein the at least two end flaps comprises a bottom end flap foldably attached to the bottom panel.
20. The carton of claim 19 wherein the bottom end flap comprises a generally U-shaped cutout cooperating with respective L-shaped portions of the first side end flap and the second side end flap to at least partially define the dispenser opening.
21. The carton of claim 1 wherein the portion of the tear line in the top end flap divides the top end flap into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a portion of the dispenser panel.
22. The carton of claim 21 wherein the first portion is an upper portion and the second portion is a lower portion, the at least two end flaps comprise a first side end flap foldably attached to the first side panel and a second side end flap foldably attached to the second side panel, the first side end flap and the second side end flap being in overlapping relationship with and connected to the lower portion of the top end flap.
23. The carton of claim 22 wherein the upper portion of the top end flap is free from attachment to the first side end flap and the second side end flap.
24. The blank of claim 13 wherein the portion of the tear line in the top end flap divides the top end flap into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a portion of the dispenser panel.
25. The blank of claim 24 wherein the first portion is an upper portion and the second portion is a lower portion, the at least two end flaps comprise a first side end flap foldably attached to the first side panel and a second side end flap foldably attached to the second side panel, the first side end flap and the second side end flap being in overlapping relationship with and connected to the lower portion of the top end flap in the carton formed from the blank.