Display containers with removable panel

Abstract

A one-piece container having a top and bottom, front, back and end walls is configured for storing, shipping and displaying the container contents. A tear-out panel with multiple glued thicknesses spans a portion of adjacent walls, especially the front and adjacent top, and is removable to expose the contents. A reinforcing inside panel backs the tear-out area and also marginal areas around the tear-out panel in the front wall and top portion. The reinforcing panel can be a folded back extension from a top flap or laterally-inward extensions from column forming end wall structures. An outer ply of a portion of the tear-out panel may be removed prior to shipping, leaving the inside reinforcement panel to cover part of the opening, and simplifying tear-out. Containers incorporating this reinforced front and top panel display design can be either a unitary bottom construction, or a multi-piece folded bottom construction.

1 . A container comprising: 
 a plurality of panels formed integrally from a sheet of material, the panels defining a bottom, longitudinally opposite first and second end walls, and laterally opposite front and back walls;    at least one in-fold flap coupled to an edge of at least one of the front and back walls defining an access wall, the flap being foldable into a position forming part of a top of the container;    a tear-out panel disposed in a portion of the container encompassing part of said access wall and part of the at least one in-fold flap coupled thereto, the tear-out panel being configured and joined to the sheet at a weakened line so as to be removable by a user to form an opening in at least a portion of the access wall and a portion of the top of the container along the in-fold flap, to allow access to an interior portion of the container;    wherein at least a portion of the access wall and its respective top in-fold flap comprise a plural thickness of the material of the sheet when the container is configured to an assembled state.    
   
   
       2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the weakened line joining the tear-out panel to the sheet is spaced from at least one fold at a perimeter of the access wall, thereby leaving a marginal part of the access wall in placed when the tear-out panel has been removed.  
   
   
       3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the front wall is separately removable from the portion of the panel disposed in the in-fold flap.  
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the plural thickness of the access wall and thee top in-fold flap comprise a reinforcing layer of said material, coupled at a  180  degree fold to an edge of the in-fold flap opposite from the access wall.  
   
   
       5 . The container of claim  3 a, wherein the reinforcing layer occupies an area on an inside surface of the in-fold flap and at least part of the access wall.  
   
   
       6 . The container of claim  3 b, wherein the reinforcing layer is substantially coextensive with the access wall and forms a part of the tear-out panel.  
   
   
       7 . The container of claim  3 b, wherein the reinforcing layer is adhered to an inside surface of the access wall.  
   
   
       8 . The container of claim  3 d, wherein the reinforcing layer is adhered to an inside surface of the access wall including an edge portion of the access wall outside of the tear-out panel.  
   
   
       9 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the plural thickness of the access wall and the top in-fold flap comprise a reinforcing layer of said material, extending laterally from a fold along at least one edge of the access wall and adhered to an inside surface of the access wall.  
   
   
       10 . The container of claim  3 f, wherein the reinforcing layer comprises a lateral extension from the access wall including a column forming extension and a distal panel adhered to said inside surface of the access wall.  
   
   
       11 . The container of claim  3 g, further comprising a lateral extension on each opposite side of the access wall, each including a column forming extension and a distal panel adhered to said inside surface of the access wall.  
   
   
       12 . The container of claim  3 f, wherein the reinforcing layer occupies an area on an inside surface of the in-fold flap and at least part of the access wall.  
   
   
       13 . The container of claim  3 i, wherein the reinforcing layer is substantially coextensive with the access wall and forms a part of the tear-out panel.  
   
   
       14 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 each end wall has an outer end wall panel joined to the bottom, the end wall panel having end, top and inner panel portions;    each front and back wall further comprises a side portion joined to the bottom, and a pair of column-forming panels, one of the column-forming panels disposed adjacent to the first end wall and the other column-forming panel disposed adjacent to the second end wall, each column-forming panel further having an assembled configuration in which the panel is folded to assume a column member having a substantially polygonal shape corresponding to a shape of the end wall;    wherein each end wall panel is sized and configured such that when a pair of associated column-forming panels are in the assembled configuration, the end, top and inner panel portions of the end wall are foldable about the resulting column members and securable to the bottom or adjacent front or back wall to form the first or second end wall to configure the container to the assembled state.    
   
   
       15 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein a distal edge of the inner panel portion of each end wall comprises a locking tab that engages with a slot in at least one of the bottom and front or back walls when the extension is folded over the associated column members.  
   
   
       16 . The container of  claim 15 , wherein the front and back walls comprise a tab receptacle and the tab locks in the tab receptacle in the assembled state of the container.  
   
   
       17 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein: 
 the front and back walls and the end walls are integrally joined at mutually orthogonal folds to the bottom;    wherein at least one of the pair of said column forming panels is integrally joined to the respective front or back wall at fold lines perpendicular to said one of the folds joining the side portion to the bottom;    wherein each column forming panel of the pair comprises a terminal tab portion that is folded inwardly and glued to an inside of the associated wall such that a terminal edge of one tab portion abuts the terminal edge of the other tab portion.    
   
   
       18 . The container of  claim 17 , wherein each of the column members associated with the first and second end walls are sized to span about half of a lateral width of the respective end wall.  
   
   
       19 . The container of  claim 17 , wherein each of the column members associated with the first and second end walls are sized to span less than half of a lateral width of the respective end wall.  
   
   
       20 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein the front, back and end walls are integral with the bottom.  
   
   
       21 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein the column-forming panels are integral with their respective front and back walls.  
   
   
       22 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein a portion of each column-forming panel is adhesively attached to a respective front or back wall to form the associated column member.  
   
   
       23 . The container of  claim 22 , wherein the adhesively attached portion of each column member is sized to span approximately half a lateral width of the associated front or back wall such that when the container is in the assembled state, the front and back walls comprise a plural thickness of material.  
   
   
       24 . The container of  claim 23 , wherein the adhesively attached portion of the column members associated with the front wall are further sized and configured to be adhesively attached to at least a portion of the in-fold flap associated with the front wall to provide a reinforcing layer over at least a portion of the flap.  
   
   
       25 . The container of  claim 24 , wherein the reinforcing layer has a width equal to or less than a distance between the inner panel portions of opposite end walls to allow the top in-fold panel to engage the top panel portion of each end wall when the in-fold panel is folded to form the top of the container.  
   
   
       26 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the plural thickness of material of the front wall and its associated in-fold flap is provided by a reinforcing panel folded inwardly along an edge of the in-fold flap, the edge oriented substantially parallel to a fold joining the front wall to the container bottom.  
   
   
       27 . The container of  claim 26 , wherein the reinforcing panel is adhered to at least a portion of the front wall and its associated in-fold flap, the reinforcing panel further comprising a tear-out portion configured to substantially correspond to the tear-out panel of the front wall and flap to allow the tear-out portion and tear-out panel to be removed together.  
   
   
       28 . The container of  claim 27 , wherein the reinforcing panel has a longitudinal width less than a distance between the inner panel portions of opposite end walls to prevent interference of the panel with the end walls when configuring the container to the assembled state.  
   
   
       29 . The container of  claim 27 , further comprising second and third sets of opposite in-fold flaps; the second set of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of the front and back walls opposite the first set of in-fold flaps; the third set of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of respective first and second end walls; wherein the second and third sets of flaps are foldable into a position forming the bottom of the container.  
   
   
       30 . The container of  claim 29 , further comprising a fourth set of opposite in-fold flaps, the fourth set of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of respective first and second end walls opposite the third set of in-fold flaps, the fourth set of flaps foldable into a position beneath the first set of flaps to form the top of the container.  
   
   
       31 . The container of  claim 30 , wherein the fourth set of flaps comprise a cutout segment disposed in a portion of each flap located directly adjacent the front wall, the cutouts having a contour that substantially corresponds to an outer contour of the portion of the tear-out panel overlying the flaps when the first and fourth sets of flaps are folded to form the top of the container.  
   
   
       32 . The container of  claim 31 , wherein the portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the in-fold flap is separately removable both from the portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the front wall and from the tear-out portion of the reinforcing panel disposed in the front wall and in-fold flap.  
   
   
       33 . A container comprising: 
 a plurality of corrugated paperboard panels defining a bottom, a top, laterally opposite front and back walls, and longitudinally opposite end walls;    first and second opposing flaps associated with the front and back wall, respectively, each flap being integrally connected to its respective wall along a longitudinally disposed fold line;    a reinforcing panel adhered to the front wall and the first flap to provide a plural thickness of material thereto; and    a tear-out panel disposed in a continuous portion of the front wall, the first flap, and the associated reinforcing panel;    wherein the tear-out panel is removable by a user to allow access to an interior portion of the container.