Carton with ice retention flaps

Abstract

A carton for enclosing and dispensing articles that can be configured to serve as a cooler for articles enclosed within the carton, such as beverage cans. The carton includes retention panels that are formed from a top wall of the carton and a pair of top end flaps that are detachable from end walls of the carton. The retention panels can be rotated to be coplanar with a respective side wall and the top end flaps can be elevated with respect to the end walls such that the retention panels and the top end flaps form a retaining structure.

1 . A container configured for enclosing articles and reconfigurable to expand a volumetric capacity of the container, comprising: 
 a composite end wall formed at least in part from an inner end flap, wherein said inner end flap is detachable at least partially from said container such that said inner end flap is able to translate to an elevated position with respect to said composite end wall to at least partially define a retaining structure for expanding the volumetric capacity of the container.    
   
   
       2 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising means for slidably connecting said inner end flap to the container.  
   
   
       3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said container comprises an adjacent wall to which said composite end wall is hingedly connected; and    said slidably connecting means comprises at least one connecting strip having first and second opposed ends, said first end being hingedly connected to said composite end wall, and said second end being hingedly connected to said adjacent wall.    
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein said connecting strip is foldable to form a support structure for maintaining said inner end flap in said elevated position.  
   
   
       5 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein said inner end flap comprises a locking tab for engaging an upper edge of said composite end wall to maintain said inner end flaps in said elevated position.  
   
   
       6 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of said at least one connecting strip is formed from said inner end flap.  
   
   
       7 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein said at least one connecting strip includes at least one fold line.  
   
   
       8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein said inner end flap is secured to a detachable portion of said composite end wall, wherein said detachable portion is detachable from said composite end wall so that said inner end flap is detachable from said composite end wall.  
   
   
       9 . A blank for forming the container of  claim 1 .  
   
   
       10 . A carton for enclosing articles, the carton being expandable to contain a heat transfer agent, comprising: 
 a pair of side walls;    a top wall having a pair of partially detachable retention panels defined therein, each of said partially detachable retention panels being hingedly connected to a respective one of said pair of side walls;    a pair of composite end walls, each of the composite end walls comprising a detachable top end flap that is connected to both of the side walls by a pair of connecting strips and that is detachably connected to both the partially detachable retention panels;    wherein the partially detachable retention panels are foldable to a generally upright position with respect to the side walls, and the connecting strips slidably connect the top end flaps to the side walls such that the top end flaps are slidable with respect to the composite end walls after the top end flaps are detached from the partially detachable retention panels.    
   
   
       11 . The carton of  claim 10 , wherein each of the connecting strips is formed at least in part from a respective one of the top end flaps, and is hingedly connected to a respective one of the side walls.  
   
   
       12 . The carton of  claim 11 , wherein said each connecting strip is further formed at least in part from the top wall.  
   
   
       13 . The carton of  claim 10 , wherein the distal edges of the partially detachable retention panels are defined by at least one severance line, and the side edges of the partially detachable retention panels are defined by severance lines each extending along a hinged connection between a respective one of the top end flaps and the top wall.  
   
   
       14 . The carton of  claim 10 , wherein: 
 each composite end wall further comprises a bottom end flap; and    each top end flap is detachable with respect to the remainder of the composite end wall by means of a pull tab that is secured in a face contacting arrangement with a detachable reinforcing tab of a respective one of the bottom end flaps, said pull tab of said each top end flap being accessible for breaking a severance line that connects the detachable reinforcing tab to said respective bottom end flap.    
   
   
       15 . The carton of  claim 10 , wherein each top end flap further comprises a locking tab formed therein for locking the each top end flap in a elevated position by engaging a distal edge of the composite end wall.  
   
   
       16 . The carton of  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 a bottom wall opposing said top wall and hingedly connected to said side walls and to said composite end walls; and    web panels hingedly connecting adjacent ones of the side walls and the end walls at the bottom wall, the web panels being for preventing leakage of liquid from the carton.    
   
   
       17 . A blank for forming the carton of  claim 10 .  
   
   
       18 . A blank for forming a carton for enclosing articles, the carton being reconfigurable to expand a volumetric capacity of the carton, the blank comprising: 
 a top panel;    a pair of side panels each for being hingedly connected to opposing sides of the top panel along a fold line;    a pair of slidable end flaps each hingedly connected to opposing ends of the top panel along a severable connection;    a pair of partially detachable retention panels defined in the top panel, each of said partially detachable retention panels being defined at least in part by a severance line extending along the length of the top panel, by the fold lines, and by each severable connection;    a plurality of connecting strips for connecting each of the slidable end flaps to side panels, each connecting strip being partially detachable from a respective one of said slidable end flaps and defined at least in part by a hinged connection between the each connecting strip and the respective slidable end flap.    
   
   
       19 . The blank of  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 a bottom panel for being hingedly connected to each of said side panels;    a pair of bottom end flaps hingedly connected to opposing ends of the bottom panel;    a pull tab formed in each of a pair of slidable end flaps; and    a detachable reinforcing tab formed in each of the bottom end flaps;    wherein the pull tabs are positioned to come into registry with and be secured to the detachable reinforcing tabs respectively in the erected carton.    
   
   
       20 . The blank of  claim 19 , further comprising web panels hingedly connected to each of the bottom end flaps and extending to a respective one of side end flaps that are hingedly connected to said side panels respectively.