Divisible carton with keel

Abstract

A divisible carton that includes a keel or partition structure. The divisible carton includes an aperture or access opening in a wall to which the keel is hingedly connected such that the access opening facilitates erecting or positioning the keel. Further, the modules of the divisible carton are detachably connected to one another such that the access opening can also be used as a grip hand hold for pulling the modules apart. The keel is a double ply structure formed from face contacting panels that are detachably connected to one another along a frangible line or by delaminating or otherwise separable detachable sections. The keel is hingedly connected to an inner wall of the carton, extends inwardly into the carton interior, and may be aligned with a frangible line in an optional outer panel.

1 . A tubular end loaded carton that is divisible into separate modules, comprising: 
 a first wall formed at least in part from a first panel portion and a second panel portion each having inner side edges that are adjacent to one another;    a keel disposed within said tubular structure, said keel comprising a first keel panel and a second keel panel that are in flat face contact with one another, said first keel panel being hingedly connected along said inner side edge to said first panel portion and said second keel panel being hingedly connected along said inner side edge to said second panel portion; and    at least one access opening for facilitating manipulation of said keel from the outside of said carton, said at least one opening being defined in at least one of said first and second panel portions.    
   
   
       2 . The carton of  claim 1 , wherein said carton further comprises a second wall that is opposed to said first wall, and said keel includes a distal edge that is spaced apart from said second wall.  
   
   
       3 . The carton of  claim 2 , wherein said first and second keel panels are detachably connected to one another such that said keel is divisible to at least partially define one of said modules of the carton.  
   
   
       4 . The carton of  claim 3 , wherein said keel panels are detachably connected to one another along a frangible line that defines said distal edge of said keel.  
   
   
       5 . The carton of  claim 3 , wherein at least one of said keel panels comprises at least one detachable portion, wherein said at least one detachable portion detachably secures said keel panels to one another.  
   
   
       6 . The carton of  claim 3 , wherein each of said keel panels comprises a detachable portion, wherein said detachable portions are secured to one another to detachably secure said keel panels to one another.  
   
   
       7 . The carton ( 200 ) of  claim 1 , wherein said first wall ( 218 / 220 ) comprises an inner ply and an outer ply, said inner ply comprising said first and second panel portions ( 156 ,  158 ), and said outer ply comprising a third panel portion ( 118 ) and fourth panel portion ( 120 ) that overlap said first and second panel portions ( 156 ,  158 ), respectively.  
   
   
       8 . The carton ( 200 ) of  claim 7 , wherein said third and fourth panel portions ( 118 ,  120 ) are detachably connected to one another along a frangible line ( 128 ).  
   
   
       9 . The carton ( 200 ) of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of said third and fourth panel portions ( 118 ,  120 ) comprises at least one access opening (A 1 ) that aligns with said at least one access opening (A 2 , A 3 ) in said at least one of said first and second panel portions ( 156 ,  158 ).  
   
   
       10 . The carton of  claim 7 , wherein said frangible line is adjacent to said inner side edges of said first and second panel portions.  
   
   
       11 . The carton of  claim 10 , wherein said third and fourth panel portions comprise an access opening that interrupts said frangible line and that aligns with said at least one access opening.  
   
   
       12 . The carton of  claim 1 , wherein said tubular structure is collapsible into a flat form.  
   
   
       13 . The carton of  claim 12 , wherein in said collapsed condition, said keel is folded such that one of said keel panels is in flat face contact with said at least one of said first and second panel portions and at least partially obstructs said at least one access opening therein.  
   
   
       14 . The carton of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second panel portions are substantially coplanar.  
   
   
       15 . The carton of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an end closure structure at least partially enclosing an end of said tubular structure; and    stabilizing flaps foldably connected to said first keel panel and to said second keel panel, said stabilizing flaps being secured to said end closure structure to retain the keel in an erected position where the keel is disposed generally perpendicularly to said first wall.    
   
   
       16 . A carton, comprising: 
 a tubular structure comprising a first wall formed at least in part from a first panel portion and a second panel portion, said first and second panel portions having respective inner side edges that are adjacent to one another;    a keel disposed within said tubular structure, said keel comprising a first keel panel and a second keel panel that are in flat face contact with and are detachably connected to one another, said first keel panel being hingedly connected to said inner side edge of said first panel portion and said second keel panel being hingedly connected to said inner side edge of said second panel portion.    
   
   
       17 . The carton of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of said keel panels comprises a detachable portion that is secured to the other of said keel panels to detachably secure said keel panels to one another.  
   
   
       18 . A blank, comprising: 
 a plurality of panels hingedly connected to adjacent ones thereof along transverse fold lines for forming a divisible tubular structure with an inwardly extending keel, comprising: 
 a pair of inner panels for providing an inner layer of a composite wall and a pair of outer panels for providing an outer layer of said composite wall; and  
 a pair of keel panels hingedly connected to one another for forming said keel, each of said pair of keel panels capable of being hingedly connected to one of said inner panels.  
   
   
   
       19 . The blank of  claim 18 , wherein said keel panels are further detachably connected to one another along a first severance line and said outer panels are detachably connected to one another along a frangible line.  
   
   
       20 . The blank of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of said keel panels includes a detachable portion for detachably securing the keel panels to one another, said detachable portion being defined at least in part by a half cut extending no more than partially through the thickness of said at least one keel panel.