Carton with re-closable dispensing opening

Abstract

A carton is disclosed which comprises four wall panels ( 12, 14, 16, 18 ) which are bounded by crease lines ( 20, 22, 24, 26 ). A tab ( 28 ) secures the four panels into tubular form. The bottom overlapping flaps ( 30, 32, 34, 36 ). The top of the carton is closed by further flaps ( 46, 48, 50, 52 ). The flap ( 52 ) has a removable panel ( 72 ) within the area thereof, the removable panel ( 72 ) being bounded by a weakened line ( 74 ) along which it can be detached from the flap ( 52 ). The flap ( 48 ) has an area ( 70 ) coated with pressure sensitive adhesive and an area ( 68 ) coated with glue which secures the area ( 68 ) permanently to the underlying top closure structure. The areas ( 68, 70 ) are separated from one another by a crease line ( 66 ). Once the removable panel ( 72 ) has been detached for dispensing purposes, the resultant opening can be closed by pressing the area ( 70 ) down onto the remainder of the top closure structure.

1 . A carton which comprises panels constituting the upright side walls of the carton, overlapping flaps forming an end closure for one end of the carton and overlapping flaps forming an underlying closure structure for the other end of the carton, said underlying closure structure being covered by an outer closure flap, characterized in that said outer closure flap is secured by pressure sensitive adhesive to said underlying closure structure so that it can be separated from and re-adhered to said underlying closure structure, said underlying closure structure being formed with a removable panel which can be detached to leave an opening through which the contents of the container can be dispensed, said outer closure flap closing-off said opening when re-adhered to said underlying closure structure.  
     
     
         2 . A carton according to  claim 1 , wherein part of the area of said outer closure flap has pressure sensitive adhesive thereon and another part of said outer closure flap is permanently adhered to said underlying closure structure, there being a crease line between said areas about which said outer closure flap can be bent.  
     
     
         3 . A carton as claimed in  claim 1  or  2 , wherein said underlying closure structure comprises three flaps, said removable panel being in one of said three flaps and there being cut-outs in the other two flaps of said three flaps, said cut outs registering with said removable panel.  
     
     
         4 . A carton as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said other two flaps are each part flaps which extend half way across the closure and said one flap extends over the full extent of said closure structure, said outer closure flap having the same dimensions as said one flap.  
     
     
         5 . A carton as claimed in  claim 3  or  4 , wherein said removable panel is semi-circular in shape and each of said cut outs has the shape of a quarter circle.  
     
     
         6 . A carton as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said crease line extends part way across said outer closure flap, there being a line of weakness connecting said crease line to the free edge of said outer closure flap, the area of the outer closure flap bounded by said crease line and said line of weakness being the area which can be bent about the crease line and which is releasably secured to said underlying closure structure.  
     
     
         7 . A carton as claimed in  claim 1  or  2 , wherein said removable panel is permanently adhered to said outer closure flap.  
     
     
         8 . A carton as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said underlying closure structure comprises three flaps, said removable panel being in one of said three flaps and there being corner pieces each forming a part of one of the other two flaps of said three flaps, said corner pieces being joined to the remainders of said other two flaps along weakened lines and registering with said removable panel.  
     
     
         9 . A blank which comprises wall panels joined to one another along crease lines so that the wall panels can be folded with respect to one another to form a carton, first and second sets of flaps joined along crease lines to said wall panels, said first set of flaps forming a closure for one end of the carton when folded with respect to the wall panels and overlapped with one another, said second set of flaps being joined along crease lines to ends of said wall panels remote from the ends to which said first set of flaps are connected and which second set of flaps, when folded over with respect to the wall panels, form a closure for the other end of the carton, said second set of flaps including a first flap with a weakened line therein bounding a removable panel and a second flap with a dividing crease line there across separating the second flap into a first area and a second area, said first area being between said dividing crease line and the crease line along which said second flap is joined to the respective wall panel.  
     
     
         10 . A blank as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said dividing crease line is parallel to the crease line along which the second flap is joined to the respective wall panel.  
     
     
         11 . A blank as claimed in  claim 9  or  10 , wherein said removable panel is semi-circular in shape.  
     
     
         12 . A blank as claimed in  claim 9 ,  10  or  11 , wherein said second set of flaps further includes two half flaps, the half flaps each having a cut out which, when the flaps of the second set of flaps are folded over to form said end closure, come into cooperating relationship with one another and in register with said removable panel.  
     
     
         13 . A blank as claimed in  claim 9 ,  10  or  11 , wherein said second set of flaps includes two half flaps, each half flap having a corner piece joined to the remainder of the respective flap along a line of weakening, said corner pieces, when the second set of flaps are folded over to form said end closure, coming into co-operating relationship with one another and into register with said removable panel.  
     
     
         14 . A carton substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS.  1  to  6  or  7  and  8  of the accompanying drawings.  
     
     
         15 . A blank substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIG. 1 or to FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings.