The invention relates generally to an easy open feature for a taped carton.
Products are often packaged and shipped in a taped shipping carton or box in order to transport and deliver large quantities of products to a specific location. The cartons are often sized large enough to hold multiple products and/or packages. The shipping cartons are often made out of corrugated paperboard or other material that is shaped as a rectangle or square parallelepiped and has flaps that fold over on an upper surface and a lower surface to close the carton. As the flaps are folded, they are often secured by a strip of tape, or other similar adhering means, to keep the folded flaps together and sealed. The tape is often strongly bonded to the paperboard material of the carton and cannot easily be removed without tearing apart or cutting the carton, the tape, or both.
Once the sealed carton has reached its destination, the carton needs to be opened in order to gain access to the contents. One typical method to remove the tape can involve using a knife or other tool to slit the tape. However, with this method a user must take care not to cut too deeply so that the contents of the carton are not damaged by the knife. Another method is for the user to simply try to tear the tape and/or carton apart without any tools in order to gain access to the contents. This method can present a challenge if the user does not have enough force to tear off the tape or to tear apart the carton, and the carton and contents can become damaged or disfigured upon application of the necessary force.
As a result, there are various carton designs that try to improve upon the opening and/or sealing mechanisms of shipping cartons.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,857, a container has an opening feature that consists of a weakened line of separation along top flap closures and a removable area along a side end wall. Tape can be placed over the weakened line of separation and down the side end wall over the removable area. To open the container, the removable area must be pressed inwardly, toward the interior of the container, to first free a portion of the edges of the removable area from the container side wall. The freed lower end of the removable area that is then exposed can be grasped and pulled outwardly to remove it from the interior of the container and then pulled upward. As the removable area is pulled upward, the container will continue to tear along the weakened portion of the top flap closures, which removes a portion of the top flap closures from the top flaps along with the tape that is adhered across the top of the weakened portions. To open the container, one must punch out the removable area from the side panel of the container, then pull up on the removable area to rip or separate the weakened portion of the top flap closures from the top part of the container. The top portion of the container and part of the side become torn in doing so. If the container were to be reclosed, the top flap closures would not close completely, having a gap therebetween. Additionally, there is a large amount of waste to dispose of after opening the container, i.e., the tape plus a portion of the paperboard container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,120 describes a bag-in-box package or carton that can be closed or sealed without the use of tape simply by folding over and adhering the top panel to the carton. The top panel consists of a pair of major flaps and a pair of minor flaps, both visible from the top of the carton and both making up the top surface of the top panel. The carton is opened by pulling up on a tear strip grip that is attached to a tear strip which extends across the top panel of the carton and is ripped away upon pulling the grip upward across the top of the carton. The tear strip can consist of a weakened line, perforation, string, or other structure that aids in ripping and that divides the minor flaps into two segments to allow for the tear strip to pass therethrough. Upon opening the carton, the tear strip is pulled to tear or separate the minor flaps into two segments, while the minor flaps are still adhered to the carton, and to open the pair of major flaps. The carton only opens between the major flaps and not the minor flaps, which remain sealed or closed. Thus, access to the entire interior of the carton is limited. Furthermore, opening the carton requires effort to break apart a portion of the paperboard carton in order to open the top major flaps of the carton.
Therefore, a need remains for an easy to open feature that can enable removal of a tape strip without requiring the use of tools.
An easy-open pull tab feature and method of opening is provided for a sealed and taped shipping carton. In a preferred embodiment, at least one partially perforated shape or removable pull tab is cut into the side of a shipping carton blank at the time of manufacture. The pull tab can be adjacent a hand-hold opening or can have its own access hole therein. Through the adjacent opening, the user can insert a finger behind the back of the tab and lift the tab upward in order to lift up and remove the partially perforated pull tab from the carton and as a result lift with it the tape that was applied to a top panel to seal the filled carton. The pull tab can then act as an anchor to pull and separate the tape from the carton along the remainder of the top panel in order to open the carton.
The partially perforated pull tab is positioned on an end panel of the shipping carton such that when the carton is taped to seal major flaps along the top panel together, the tape extends down the side end panel of the carton and covers a portion of the pull tab. No additional glues or adhesives are required to seal the flaps of the carton in order to close the carton. Furthermore, an end of the tape extends down along a side of the end panel of the carton and terminates at the tab, without leaving any loose end of tape exposed that may adhere to other surfaces such as other portions of the carton. Additionally, the user pulls up on an anchor, i.e., the tab, to initiate tape removal, rather than pulling on the tape strip itself which can tear or rip before removal of the entire strip can be effected.
As a result of the tab being provided adjacent to the opening, a lower edge of the tab is already accessible and free-standing from the rest of the carton, with only a portion of the tab connected to the carton along a perforated area or weakened region. This allows one to grasp the lower edge of the tab and to place one's fingers behind the tab in order to pull on the tab and lift it up and away from the perforated area of the carton without requiring excessive force and without requiring one to first push in the tab, since not all of the tab's edges are attached to the carton. The tab can be joined to the end wall by at least a portion of the weakened region yet have sufficient strength to permit the filled carton to be supported thereat by manual engagement of the tab at the opening without fracturing the weakened region. Thus, the tab can be removable by application of an outward manual force in excess of the outward manual force associated with supporting the filled carton by the tab so that the tape can be peeled off of the carton by fracturing the weakened region and then pulling the tab up and across the top of the carton.
Additionally, as the portion of the tab connected to the carton is released along its perforated area and lifted up, the tape strip placed over the top panel and part of the side end panel is also lifted up with the tab. As the tab is continually lifted upward, the tape strip from the top panel of the carton is also removed. Therefore, with the exception of the small piece of tab removed from the end panel of the carton, there is no significant ripping or tearing of the carton itself in order to remove the tape strip from the top panel of the carton.
After the tape strip is removed from the carton, the top panel and, in particular, a pair of flaps, i.e., major flaps, having adjacent edges can be pivotable between an open and closed position such that the carton can be completely opened to expose the entire interior area of the carton allowing complete accessibility to the contents packaged inside. If desired, the carton can be completely reclosed by folding the major flaps into a closed position without having any gaps between the flaps due to opening the carton. Furthermore, the remaining waste from opening the carton only consists of the tape strip and the small tab piece, rather than a large portion of the carton being ripped up with the tape strip.
A carton having an easy-opening feature, such as a removable tab, that can be easily removed from the carton while also removing a tape strip along with it, and methods for opening the carton, are disclosed herein and illustrated in
In particular, as illustrated in
The opening is located at one of the end panels 28a or 28b. The tab 14a is at least partially perforated and adjacent the opening 12a. Optionally, an opening 12 may be provided at each end panel 28a and 28b, and each opening 12 may also have a tab 14 adjacent the opening 12, such that the tape strip 16 and tab 14 can be removed at either end. As can be seen in more detail in
The tab 14a can have any shape, and in one aspect, it can have a semi-circular shape where a curved edge portion is at least partially perforated, as shown in
The carton 10 can be sealed with an adhesive strip, such as a tape strip 16, that is placed over adjacent inner edges 38 and 40 of a pair of major flaps 30a and 30b on the top panel 22 of the carton 10 to keep the carton 10 closed and can extend down over the edges of the carton 10 between the top panel 22 and the end panels 28a and 28b and along a portion of the end panels 28a and 28b. At least one end 17 of the tape strip 16 can terminate at the tab 14a, at least partially covering the tab 14a, such that the end 17 of the tape strip 16 generally does not extend past the lower edge 20 of the tab 14a and into the opening 12a. The opposite end of the tape strip 16 can also extend down the other side of the end panel 28b and if an opening and tab is also present, then the opposite end of the tape strip 16 can likewise terminate at the opposite tab 14b. If the end 17 of the tape strip 16 is longer than the lower edge 20 of the tab 14a, then the tape strip 16 can be folded up and behind the tab 14a so that it wraps around the bottom or lower edge 20 of the tab 14a and seals to a back surface of the tab 14a, rather than extending into the opening 12a.
The tab 14a further can have a width, w, that is at least as wide as a width, wT, of the tape strip 16 placed over the tab 14, as shown in
Furthermore, the carton 10 can contain two openings 12a and 12b, as can be seen in
Turning again to
Similarly, the top panel 22 also has a pair of minor flaps 32a and 32b and a pair of major flaps 30a and 30b that can be folded at approximately right angles to adjacent end and side panels, respectively. The major flaps 30a and 30b are also folded over the folded minor flaps 32a and 32b, covering them, and are kept closed by the tape strip 16 applied at their adjacent edges 38 and 40, respectively, the tape strip 16 further extending around the edge of the carton 10 to a portion of the end panels 28a and 28b, terminating at a tab 14a or 14b where one is present. The flaps, i.e., both the major 30a and 30b and minor 32a and 32b flaps, can be pivotable between an open and closed position. The major flaps 30a and 30b have a length that is generally the same as the length of the carton 10, therefore, upon removing the tape strip 16 the entire interior length of the carton 10 can be accessed. Furthermore, the interior of the carton 10 can be used for storing packaged or unpackaged products therein which can be accessed upon opening of the carton 10.
The blank further comprises multiple gaps 42 or slits that separate adjacent major and minor flaps. This gap 42 allows for the major and minor flaps to remain connected to their respective side or end panel yet be foldable, apart from the adjacent flap, to form the top or bottom panel. Additionally, an extension 48 of the end panel 28a can be provided to aid in keeping the carton 10 assembled. This extension 48 can extend beyond the edge of the blank 100 and can be folded under the opposite side panel 26b when the blank 100 is folded and assembled into a carton 10. The extension 48 can also contain an adhesive to aid in keeping the carton 10 together. Optionally, the extension 48 can also be positioned on the opposite end of the blank 100 such that it is connected to a side panel 26b and folds under the opposite end panel 28a when assembled.
The assembled carton 10 can have any shape and size that is adequate for storing and transporting items therein. Typically, the carton 10 will have a rectangular shape. In one aspect, the carton 10 may have dimensions such as about 24 inches×about 12 inches, with a height between about 4½ inches to about 8½ inches. The opening 12 in the end panel 28 can be sized large enough for a person's fingers to be inserted therein for carrying purposes and to remove the tab 14, yet small enough so that any products stored inside do not escape or pass through the opening 12. Alternatively, the opening 12 and its associated tab 14, if present, can be provided on a side panel 26 instead of an end panel 28, as long as the adjacent edges 38 and 40 of the major flaps 30a and 30b would also be oriented along the same axis as the opening 12 such that removing the tape strip 16 upwards from the tab 14 also removes the tape 16 in a relatively straight line from the edges 38 and 40 of the major flaps 30a and 30b. The size of the tab 14, as mentioned previously, should be about the same size as the tape 16 (i.e., the width of the tape) or larger. Therefore, the size of the tab 14 should correlate to standard widths of packing tape that are typically used for sealing shipping cartons. The material of construction of the carton 10 is any conventional material, such as corrugated board and the like.
In one aspect, the carton 10 can be used to package already packaged food products, such as packaged frozen pizzas, and the like. The approximate weight of an empty carton 10 can be about 1.5 pounds to about 2 pounds for a carton 10 large enough to package about 12 packaged pizzas. A packaged carton, such as one containing about 12 packaged pizzas, can have a weight of approximately 11 pounds to about 25 pounds when full. Therefore, when the openings 12 are used as handholds to carry and transport the filled carton 10, the tabs 14 should be able to withstand such weights without prematurely tearing away from the carton 10, as well as the tabs 14 being easily removable and tearable from the carton 10 upon desired removal from the carton 10. Accordingly, in one aspect the tabs 14 can have a tab strength of approximately 2.5 pounds per square inch (psi), such that at least about 2.5 psi of force are required to fully remove or tear the tab 14 from the carton 10. Likewise, in the same aspect, upon continued application of force to the tape 16, a bond strength of the tape 16 would need to be overcome to remove the tape 16 from the carton 10, such as a bond strength of at least about 3.5 psi. However, any variations of these bond strengths and/or tear strengths can be utilized as long as the criteria discussed herein is maintained.
A method of opening the sealed carton is described herein, and is illustrated in
Where the tape strip 16 is also adhered to the opposite end panel 28b, the tearing force can be continually applied in the direction of arrow B and then down the opposite end panel 28b until the tape strip 16 is also removed from the opposite end panel 28b. Once the tape strip 16 has been completely removed from the carton 10, generally the only waste that is created is the remainder of the tape strip 16 and a small piece of the tab 14a.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated a sealed carton with an easy to open tab for removal of an adhesive strip is provided such that numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the easy open feature set forth in the claims. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to the aspects and embodiments described hereinabove, or to any particular embodiments. Various modifications to the easy open feature can result in substantially the same carton and various other modifications to the method of opening the carton could be made.