Carton with dispenser

Abstract

A package comprises an article group formed of cylindrical articles disposed on their sides in a side-by-side parallel fashion, and a carton disposed around the group. The carton comprises a top wall, opposed side walls, an end wall and an article dispenser. The side walls are disposed alongside the ends of the articles while the end wall is disposed adjacent to the side wall of an endmost article. The dispenser includes a portion of the carton formed from and detachably connected to the top, side and end walls. The portion is connected to the end wall along a weakened line extending between the side walls so that the weakened line defines an upper edge of a stopper wall formed from said end wall when the portion is substantially detached from the carton. The upper edge extends substantially along the cylindrical axis of the endmost article.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A carton comprising a plurality of walls defining an upper corner of the carton and an article dispenser for dispensing articles from the carton, said dispenser including a displaceable portion of the carton formed from said upper corner and detachably connected to said walls to be substantially detached from the carton to define an opening for exposing an endmost article for removal, characterized in that said dispenser comprises a constraining tab for inhibiting said endmost article from undesirably exiting the carton, said constraining tab extending upwardly to an elevation higher than a lowest point along a periphery of said opening.  
     
     
         2 . The carton according to  claim 1  wherein said displaceable portion of the carton is hingedly attached to the carton so as to provide a trough for receiving an article that exits the carton.  
     
     
         3 . The carton according to  claim 1  further comprising hand-hole punch-through means for grasping said displaceable portion, said punch-through means being defined by weakened lines formed in one of said walls.  
     
     
         4 . The carton according to  claim 3  wherein said weakened lines include a severance line and a fold line which together form a grasping panel foldably connected to said displaceable portion along said fold line.  
     
     
         5 . The carton according to  claim 1  wherein said walls includes a top wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to side edges of said top wall and an end wall interconnecting said side walls, and said constraining tab is formed from said end wall.  
     
     
         6 . The carton according to  claim 5  wherein said constraining tab is defined by an inverted U-shaped weakened formed in the end wall.  
     
     
         7 . The carton according to  claim 6  wherein said lowest point is located adjacent to one or each of opposite ends of said inverted U-shaped weakened line.  
     
     
         8 . The carton according to  claim 5  wherein said end wall comprises a pair of overlapped side end flaps connected respectively to said side walls, and said constraining tab is formed from said side end flaps.  
     
     
         9 . The carton according to  claim 5  further comprising a bottom wall connecting between lower edges of said side walls, wherein said end wall comprises a bottom end flap connected to an end edge of said bottom wall and a pair of side end flaps connected respectively to end edges of said side walls, wherein said lowest point is located along a weakened line formed in said side end flaps, and wherein said constraining tab is formed from part of said bottom end flap extending upwardly beyond said weakened line.  
     
     
         10 . A package comprising an article group formed of at least one tier of cylindrical articles disposed on sides thereof in a side-by-side parallel fashion, and a carton disposed around said group, said carton comprising a top wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to said top wall, an end wall interconnecting said side walls, and an article dispenser for dispensing said articles, said side walls being disposed alongside ends of said articles of said group, said end wall being disposed adjacent to a side wall of an endmost article of said group, said dispenser including a displaceable portion of said carton formed from and detachably connected to said top, side and end walls to be substantially detached from said carton to define an opening for exposing said endmost article for removal, said displaceable portion being connected to said side walls along tear lines that are disposed respectively across opposite ends of said endmost article so that said opposite ends are partially exposed to facilitate access thereto by a user when said displaceable portion is substantially detached.  
     
     
         11 . The package according to  claim 10  wherein said tear lines are disposed in the side walls and extend between said top wall and said end wall, said lines being curved concavely toward said end wall to expose greater areas of said opposite ends when said displaceable portion is detached.  
     
     
         12 . The package according to  claim 10  wherein said tear lines are disposed in said side walls and extend downwardly from said top wall to said end wall, a lowest point along each of said tear lines being spaced at a distance above a lower edge of a respective one of said side walls, said distance being no more than a half of a diameter of said endmost article.  
     
     
         13 . The package according to  claim 12  wherein said dispenser comprises a constraining tab for inhibiting said endmost article from undesirably exiting the carton, said constraining tab being formed from said end wall and extending upwardly to an elevation higher than said lowest point.  
     
     
         14 . The package according to  claim 10  wherein said article group comprises two or more vertically arranged tiers of cylindrical articles, said articles in each tier being disposed on sides thereof in a side-by-side parallel fashion, said tear lines being disposed across opposite ends of an endmost article of a lowermost tier.  
     
     
         15 . A package comprising an article group formed of at least one tier of cylindrical articles disposed on sides thereof in a side-by-side parallel fashion, and a carton disposed around said group, said carton comprising a top wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to said top wall, an end wall interconnecting said side walls, and an article dispenser for dispensing said articles, said side walls being disposed alongside ends of said articles of said group, said end wall being disposed adjacent to a side wall of an endmost article of said group, said dispenser including a displaceable portion of said carton formed from and detachably connected to said top, side and end walls to be substantially detached from said carton to define an opening for exposing said endmost article for removal, said displaceable portion being connected to said end wall along a weakened line extending between said side walls so that said weakened line defines an upper edge of a stopper wall formed from said end wall when said displaceable portion is substantially detached, said upper edge extending substantially along a cylindrical axis of said endmost article so that said stopper wall inhibit said endmost article from undesirably exiting said carton.  
     
     
         16 . The package according to  claim 15  wherein said carton further comprises a bottom wall connecting between lower edges of said side walls, said upper edge of said stopper wall being spaced at a distance above said bottom wall, said distance being less than a diameter of said endmost article.  
     
     
         17 . The package according to  claim 15  wherein said dispenser comprises a constraining tab for inhibiting said endmost article from undesirably exiting the carton, said constraining tab extending upwardly from said stopper wall.  
     
     
         18 . The package according to  claim 17  wherein said weakened line has an inverted “U” configuration so that said weakened line defines said constraining tab formed from said end wall.  
     
     
         19 . The package according to  claim 18  wherein said carton further comprises a bottom wall connecting between lower edges of said side walls, said constraining tab having a highest point along said upper edge, said highest point being spaced above said bottom wall at a distance greater than a half of a diameter of said endmost article and less than said diameter.  
     
     
         20 . The package according  claim 18  wherein said carton further comprises a bottom wall connecting between lower edges of said side walls, said upper edge has a lowest point at one or each of opposite ends of said weakened line, said lowest point being spaced above said bottom wall at a distance no greater than a half of a diameter of said endmost article.  
     
     
         21 . A carton comprising a plurality of walls defining an upper corner of the carton and an article dispenser for dispensing articles from the carton, said dispenser including a displaceable portion of the carton formed from said upper corner and detachably connected to said walls to be at least partially detached from the carton to define an opening for exposing an endmost article for removal, characterized in that said displaceable portion is hingedly connected to one of said walls for downward pivotal movement to an opened position so as to provide when in said opened position a trough for receiving an article that exits the carton.  
     
     
         22 . The carton according to  claim 21  wherein said walls includes a top wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to side edges of said top wall and an end wall interconnecting said side walls, said displaceable portion being formed from said top, side and end walls and hinged to said end wall along a fold line disposed parallel to said top wall.  
     
     
         23 . The carton according to  claim 22  further comprising a bottom wall connecting between lower edges of said side walls, and said fold line is positioned closer to said bottom wall than to said top wall so that at least a part of said displaceable portion may lie in a plane of said bottom wall when said displaceable portion is in said opened position.  
     
     
         24 . The carton according to  claim 23  wherein said end wall is connected at an upper edge thereof to said top wall, and said part of said displaceable portion comprises said upper edge of said end wall.  
     
     
         25 . The carton according to  claim 23  wherein said fold line extends entirely across said end wall.  
     
     
         26 . The carton according to  claim 23  wherein said fold line is a weakened fold line curved or bent to take an essentially inverted-U shape, and said weakened fold line remains partially unbroken to serve as a line ofjoinder when said displaceable portion is in said opened position.