Convertible Shipping Carton

The present invention relates to paperboard boxes, and more particularly to shipping cartons convertible into bulk display bins.

The packaging of an item of merchandise is often a significant part of the total unit cost of the item, especially when they are relatively small and inexpensive. Many "do-it-yourself" electrical, plumbing and hardware items, for example, are individually fastened or encapsulated on a card and hung on a hook for display and self-service in retail home centers. Unpackaged articles, on the other hand, are usually shipped in bulk to the retailers in sealed regular slotted cartons where they may be removed either to storage bins or display shelves.

The growing demand among consumers for "no-frills" merchandise has placed increased emphasis on eliminating expensive packaging and on selling in bulk with savings passed on to the consumer. The retailers simply leave the merchandise in the original folded shipping carton which is improvised into an open bulk display bin accessible to the customer by cutting off portions of the top and sides of the carton with a sharp blade. This, however, adds to the retailers' labor costs and risks injury to both the person cutting the carton and to the merchandise within the carton. Moreover, not all cartons are suited for such improvisation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a folded shipping carton which can be readily converted into a display bin, and which is particularly suitable for shipping and displaying unpackaged or bulk articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible shipping carton which is sturdy and pilfer resistant, and which can be economically produced in many sizes and configurations.

Yet another object is to provide a shipping carton which is convertible into a bulk display bin with a billboard, which is safe to open and reconfigure as a display bin without cutting the carton, and which can accommodate many article sizes and configurations.

Briefly, these and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a folded shipping carton having a removable panel. The carton comprises a flat elongate sheet folded into a generally rectangular enclosure of front, back and side panels. In one embodiment, top and bottom dust flaps extending from the side panels fold inwardly; and top and bottom lids extending from the back panel, and a bottom lid extending from the front panel, fold inwardly over the top and bottom flaps with the bottom lids meeting midway between the front and back panels to close the bottom of the carton. A separate removable insert includes a rectangular section in facing contiguity with the interior surface of the front panel which extends down past adjacent recessed edges of the bottom flaps to abut the front bottom lid. The insert also includes a lid folded inwardly over the top flaps and meets the back top lid midway between the front and back panels to close the top of the carton. The lids are held closed by tape bonded to the outer surfaces to form a shipping carton. The carton can be converted into a display bin by cutting or removing the tape from the top lids, removing the insert, and unfolding the top flaps and top lid into the plane of their respective panels. In another embodiment, the insert includes front and side sections in facing contiguity with the interior surfaces of the respective front and side panels. The front section interlocks with recessed front edges of the bottom flaps, and a tab in the side section interlocks with a slot in the bottom flap. The interior surface of the top lid and a top flap when unfolded into a display bin configuration provide prominent areas for disclosing product information and price.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a convertible shipping carton according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a disassembled and outspread view of cardboard components of the carton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in transverse cross section of the carton taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in transverse cross section of the carton taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in transverse cross section of the carton taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the carton of FIG. 1 transformed into a display bin;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a convertible shipping carton according to another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a disassembled and outspread view of cardboard components of the carton of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGS. 1-5 a shipping carton 10 of flat elongate paperboard 12, transversely corrugated with ridges and grooves and equally slotted on opposite edges along four spaced transverse lines or scores a, b, c and d, respectively. Paperboard 12 is folded 90.degree. in the same direction at the scores defining thereby a rectangular enclosure with side panels 14 and 18, front and back panels 16 and 20, and a tab 22 which underlaps and is bonded to the free end of side panel 14. Panels 14 and 18 are also folded inwardly 90.degree. between the slots along parallel longitudinal scores e and f to form top and bottom dust flaps 14a, 14b, 18a and 18b. Panels 16 and 20 are similarly folded along scores e and f to form bottom lid 16a and top and bottom lids 20a and 20b. Lid 20a overlaps flaps 14a and 18a and extends halfway between front and back panels 16 and 20, and lids 16b and 20b overlap flaps 14b and 18b and meet midway between front and back panels 16 and 20. Top and bottom flanges 22a and 22b of tab 22 are bonded to top and bottom flaps 14a and 14b for added strength to the carton.

The front edges of bottom flaps 14b and 18b have recesses 14c and 18c spaced from the interior surface of front panel 16 a distance equal to the thickness of a removable paperboard 24 which folds at score g collinear with score e to form a front panel 24a and a top lid 24b. Panel 24a is in facing contiguity with the interior surface of panel 16 with the bottom margin inserted between recesses 14c and 18c and front panel 16. Top lid 24b overlaps top dust flaps 14a and 18a meeting top lid 20a midway between front and back panels 16 and 20 for closing the top of the carton. Panel 24a is preferably corrugated in the same direction as front panel 16 to resist being pushed in when the bottom margin is tucked into recesses 14c and 18c.

Carton 10 is sealed with an adhesive tape 26 bonded to side panels 14 and 18 and along the adjacent margins of top lids 20a, 24b and bottom lids 16b, 20b, respectively.

The top edge 17 of panel 16 is indented below score e to provide frontal visibility and easy access to the interior of carton 10 when it is transformed into a display bin. Also, front edges 15 of top flaps 14a and 18a are slanted from front panel 16 to provide lateral visibility when unfolded into the planes of their respective panels.

The conversion of carton 10 to a bulk display bin is illustrated in FIG. 6. Tape 26 has been removed, from top lids 20a and 24b, allowing paperboard 24 to be removed. Top lid 20a may be positioned in the plane of back panel 20, and top dust flaps 14a and 18a lifted into the planes of panels 14 and 18. Alternatively, flaps 14a and 18a may be left in the folded position as shown in dotted outline in FIG. 6. The interior surface of the top lid 20a thereby provides a billboard for disclosing product information and price of merchandise displayed within the bin.

Shipping carton 110 in FIGS. 7 and 8 represents an alternate embodiment of the invention which permits the bin configuration to be accessible from two adjacent sides. In the manner described for the embodiment of FIG. 1, paperboard 112 is folded at scores a, b, c, and d into side panels 114 and 118, front and back panels 116 and 120, and underlapping tab 122. Panels 114 an 120 are folded at scores e and f to form top and bottom dust flaps 114a and 114b underlapping top and bottom lids 120a and 120b. Panels 116 and 118, on the other hand, are folded only at score f to form a bottom lid 116b overlapping a bottom dust flap 118b and dust flap 14b. The top edge 117 of panels 116 and 118 are indented below score e to permit access to the interior of carton 112 from either the front or side, and the front edge 115 of dust flap 114a is slanted from front panel 116 for lateral visibility.

A removable paperboard 128 folds 90.degree. at score g, collinear with score b, to form front and side panels 128a and 128b in facing contiguity with the interior surfaces of front and side panels 116 and 118 respectively. Paperboard 128 is also folded inwardly at score h, coplanar with score e, to form a top lid 128c overlapping a top dust flap 128d and top dust flap 114a. Front edges 114c and 118c of bottom flaps 114b and 118b are recessed like edges 14c and 18c in carton 10 to secure the bottom margin of front panel 128a and to abut the bottom lid 116b. The bottom margin of side panel 128b, however, is recessed to form a tab 131 extending through a slot 134 and abutting bottom flap 116b. In this manner, both front and side panels 128a and 128b are braced against collapsing inward.

With the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, it is possible to transform the shipping carton 110 into a display bin which can be oriented on shelves for easy access from either the front or side panels 116 and 118. When the shipping carton is ready for display, tape 126 is removed or cut to allow top flaps 114a and 120a to be unfolded and removable paperboard 128 discarded.

Some of the many advantages and novel features of the invention should now be readily apparent. For example, a carton is provided which is suitable for shipping bulk materials and which can be readily converted by a retailer into a storage bin where the merchandise is displayed for customer self-service. The carton is particularly suitable for shipping and displaying unpackaged or bulk articles. Its design lends itself to sturdy construction and pilfer resistance, and to economically manufacture in large quantities, many sizes and configurations.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, steps, and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.