Pizza Carton with Webbed Corners

Abstract

A carton with a generally open top and bottom end includes front and back panels foldably connected by side panels. The side panels have corner panels adapted for forming webbed corners of the carton for holding a food product in the carton.

1 . A carton for holding a food product, the carton comprising:
 a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton, wherein the plurality of panels comprises a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel, at least one front connecting panel foldably connected to the front panel, and at least one back connecting panel foldably connected to the back panel;   with the side panel having a corner panel foldably connected to the front and back connecting panels,   wherein the front and back connecting panels and the corner panel cooperate to at least partially form a webbed corner of the carton.   
     
     
         2 . The carton of  claim 1  wherein the front connecting panel is in generally face-to-face relation with the front panel and the back connecting panel is in generally face-to-face relation with the back panel. 
     
     
         3 . The carton of  claim 1  wherein the side panel has an intermediate portion, the corner panel is an upper corner panel, and the side panel further comprises a lower corner panel foldably attached the intermediate portion. 
     
     
         4 . The carton of  claim 3  wherein the side panel is a first side panel and the carton further comprises a second side panel having an intermediate portion, an upper corner panel foldably attached to the intermediate portion of the second side panel, and a lower corner panel foldably attached to the intermediate portion of the second side panel. 
     
     
         5 . The carton of  claim 4  wherein the carton comprises four front connecting panels and four back connecting panels. 
     
     
         6 . The carton of  claim 5  wherein each front and back connecting panel is respectively foldably connected to one of the front panel and the back panel at an oblique fold line. 
     
     
         7 . The carton of  claim 6  wherein each of the front and back connecting panels is respectively foldably connected to one of the upper corner panels and lower corner panels at a lateral fold line. 
     
     
         8 . The carton of  claim 5  wherein the carton comprises four webbed corners and each of the upper and lower corner panels respectively cooperates with an adjacent front connecting panel and an adjacent back connecting panel to form one of the webbed corners. 
     
     
         9 . The carton of  claim 1  wherein each of the front and back connecting panels is generally triangular. 
     
     
         10 . The carton of  claim 1  wherein the carton has an open top end. 
     
     
         11 . The carton of  claim 1  wherein the carton has an open bottom end. 
     
     
         12 . The carton of  claim 1  in combination with a food product, wherein the food product is positioned in the interior of the carton. 
     
     
         13 . A blank for forming a carton for holding a food product, the blank comprising:
 a plurality of panels comprising a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel, at least one front connecting panel foldably connected to the front panel, and at least one back connecting panel foldably connected to the back panel;   wherein the side panel has a corner panel foldably connected to the front and the back connecting panels.   
     
     
         14 . The blank of  claim 13  wherein the front and back connecting panels and corner panel are for cooperating to at least partially form a webbed corner when the carton is formed from the blank. 
     
     
         15 . The blank of  claim 13  wherein the side panel has an intermediate portion, the corner panel is an upper corner panel, and the side panel further comprises a lower corner panel foldably attached the intermediate portion. 
     
     
         16 . The blank of  15  wherein the side panel is a first side panel and the carton further comprises a second side panel having an intermediate portion, an upper corner panel foldably attached to the intermediate portion of the second side panel, and a lower corner panel foldably attached to the intermediate portion of the second side panel. 
     
     
         17 . The blank of  claim 16  wherein the blank comprises four front connecting panels and four back connecting panels. 
     
     
         18 . The blank of  claim 17  wherein each front and back connecting panels is respectively foldably connected to one of the front and back panels at an oblique fold line. 
     
     
         19 . The blank of  claim 18  wherein each of the front and back connecting panels is respectively foldably connected to one of the upper corner panels and the lower corner panels at a lateral fold line. 
     
     
         20 . The blank of  claim 13  wherein each of the front and back connecting panels is generally triangular. 
     
     
         21 . A method of forming a carton, the method comprising:
 providing a blank having a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel, at least one front connecting panel foldably connected to the front panel, and at least one back connecting panel foldably connected to the back panel, with the side panel having a corner panel foldably connected to the front and back connecting panels;   forming a sleeve by folding the blank to position the front panel in generally opposed planar relationship with the back panel; and   forming a corner of the carton by inwardly folding the corner panel so as to reduce an opening size of an open end of the sleeve.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the forming of the corner comprises:
 pivoting the front connecting panel to be in face-to-face relation with the front panel, and   pivoting the back connecting panel to be in face-to-face relation with the back panel.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the end is a top end, the corner is a top corner, the corner panel is a top corner panel, the front and back connecting panels are top front and back connecting panels, and the blank comprises a bottom corner panel foldably connected to bottom front and back connecting panels, and the method further comprises forming a bottom corner by inwardly folding the bottom corner panel to reduce an opening size of an open bottom end of the sleeve. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the side panel is a first side panel, the blank further comprises a second side panel having a top and a bottom corner panel, the top corner is a first top corner, the bottom corner is a first bottom corner, and the method further comprises forming a second top corner of the carton by inwardly folding the top corner panel of the second side panel. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising forming a second bottom corner by inwardly folding the bottom corner panel of the second side panel. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising inserting a food product into the sleeve. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the food product is inserted into the sleeve prior to the forming of the corner. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the food product is inserted into the sleeve after the forming of the corner.