Book carton with improved opener

Abstract

Cartons for packaging and mailing books and the like include parallel top and bottom walls which are foldably interconnected by a pair of parallel side walls to form a tubular structure and a closure and protecting structure for each end of the tubular structure including end flaps having an inner and outer portion. A pair of hingedly connected tabs formed in the bottom wall of the carton are normally positioned perpendicular to the bottom wall. A notch is formed at one end of each of the end flap outer portions. A closure flap attached to a side wall of the carton is normally coplanar with the end flap outer portions and parallel to the bottom wall. A tear strip formed in the top wall is normally located above the closure flap.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a carton for packaging an article comprising a rectangularly shaped top wall, a rectangularly shaped bottom wall, a pair of trapezoidally shaped side walls foldably connected to each side of said bottom wall, one of said pair of side walls also being foldably connected to one side of said top wall, a first pair of end flaps, each of said first end flaps being foldably connected to one end of said bottom wall along a first foldine line, a pair of tabs being formed in said bottom wall, each of said pair of tabs being foldably connected to said bottom wall along a second folding line, said second folding line being spaced inwardly with respect to said bottom wall from said first folding line, at least a portion of each of said pair of tabs being formed from a cutout portion of said bottom wall, each of said first end flaps including an inner portion and an outer portion, said inner portion being foldably connected to said outer portion along a third folding line, said end flap inner portion being foldably connected to said bottom wall and being coextensive in length with said bottom wall, the improvement comprising said first end flap outer portion being a first predetermined amount (X) shorter in length than said end flap inner portion, said first end flap outer portion being equal in width to a second predetermined amount (L), a closure flap being hingedly connected to the other of said pair of side walls, said closure flap having a pair of end portions extending inwardly from the ends of said closure flap a distance equal to the second predetermined amount (L), said closure flap end portions being equal in width to the first predetermined amount (X), said closure flap and said first end flap outer portions being normally positioned parallel to said bottom wall and being coplanar with each other. 
     
     
       2. The improvement recited in claim 1, further comprising a tear strip being formed in said top wall, said tear strip being normally spaced from the side edge of said top wall a distance approximately equal to the width of said closure flap such that tearing away of said tear strip exposes the side edge of said closure flap. 
     
     
       3. The improvement recited in claim 2, further comprising a second pair of end flaps, each of said second pair of end flaps including an inner portion and an outer portion, each of said second end flap inner portions being foldably connected to said top wall along a fourth folding line and being normally positioned to overlie said first end flap inner portion, only the inner surfaces of each of said second end flap outer portions having glue applied thereto. 
     
     
       4. The improvement recited in claim 3, further comprising a pair of perforated score lines being formed in said top wall, said score lines extending along said fourth folding line from the ends of each tear strip to the side edge of said top wall. 
     
     
       5. The improvement recited in claim 1, further comprising a pair of tabs being foldably connected to each end of said closure flap, said closure flap end tabs being normally positioned to intersect said first folding line formed between said bottom wall and said end flap inner portion. .Iadd. 6. In a carton for packaging an article comprising a rectangularly shaped top wall, a rectangularly shaped bottom wall, a pair of trapezoidally shaped side walls foldably connected to each side of said bottom wall, one of said pair of side walls also being foldably connected to one side of said top wall, a first pair of end flaps, each of said first end flaps being foldably connected to one end of said bottom wall along a first folding line, each of said first end flaps including an inner portion and an outer portion, said inner portion being foldably connected to said outer portion along a third folding line, said end flap inner portion being foldably connected to said bottom wall and being coextensive in length with said bottom wall, the improvement comprising said first end flap outer portion being a first predetermined amount (X) shorter in length than said end flap inner portion, said first end flap outer portion being equal to width to a second predetermined amount (L), a closure flap being hingedly connected to the other of said pair of side walls, said closure flap having a pair of end portions extending inwardly from the ends of said closure flap a distance equal to the second predetermined amount (L), said closure flap end portions being equal in width to the first predetermined amount (X), said closure flap and said first end flap outer portions being normally positioned parallel to said bottom wall and being coplanar with each other. .Iaddend..Iadd. 7. The improvement recited in claim 6, further comprising a tear strip being formed in said top wall, said tear strip being normally spaced from the side edge of said top wall a distance approximately equal to the width of said closure flap such that tearing away of said tear strip exposes the side edge of said closure flap. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 8. The improvement recited in claim 7, further comprising a second pair of end flaps, each of said second pair of end flaps including an inner portion and an outer portio, each of said second end flap inner portions being foldably connected to said top wall along a fourth folding line and being normally positioned to overlie said first end flap inner portion, only the inner surfaces of each of said end flap outer portions having glue applied thereto. .Iaddend..Iadd. 9. The improvement recited in claim 8, further comprising a pair of perforated score lines being formed in said top wall, said score lines extending along said fourth folding line from the ends of said tear strip to the side edge of said top wall. .Iaddend..Iadd. 10. The improvement recited in claim 6, further comprising a pair of tabs being foldably connected to each end of said closure flap, said closure flap end tabs being normally positioned to intersect said first folding line formed between said bottom wall and said end flap inner portion. .Iaddend.