Display carton and blank therefor
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional display cartons normally comprise a separable upper section which is torn away from the lower section thereof to expose packaged commodities, such as food stuffs. Such separation is normally effected by a tear strip or perforated tear line formed through panels of the carton. The carton is generally formed out of a one-piece blank which is suitably cut, scored and folded to retain the packaged commodities therein. 
     Continuous efforts have been made in the packaging industry to reduce the amount of paperboard used in cartons of this type. A five percent reduction of the amount of paperboard used in a carton, for example, can result in substantial monetary savings. In addition, it is desirable to provide a carton which can be formed expeditiously, exhibits a high degree of structural integrity and is adapted to be opened easily for the full display of packaged goods contained therein. These problems are particularly apparent with respect to display cartons wherein a central divider or partition is disposed therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION 
     An object of this invention is to provide an economical display carton which will exhibit a high degree of structural integrity and is adapted to be erected and opened expeditiously. The carton comprises vertically disposed front, back, and side panels and horizontally disposed top and bottom panels, all connected together to define a removable upper section and a lower section. A continuous tear line is formed through at least some of the panels to facilitate removal of the upper section whereby packaged food stuffs or the like, retained in the lower section, may be fully displayed to the purchasing public. A vertically disposed and separate partition panel is further disposed between the side panels and is mechanically interlocked to at least the front and back panels to aid in increasing the overall structural rigidity of the carton and to aid in separating and retaining two rows of packages therein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects of this invention will become apparent form the following description and accompanying drawings wherein; 
     FIG. 1 is the front side isometric view of a display carton, shown in its opened condition to display a plurality of packages therein; 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the carton in its closed condition and prior to removal of an upper section therefrom; 
     FIG. 3 is a back side isometric view of the carton, shown in its closed condition; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a blank utilized to form of the carton illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the carton, taken in the direction of arrows V--V in FIG. 2, to illustrate the disposition of a partition panel therein; and 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the partition panel, shown removed from the carton 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a lower section 10 of a display carton adapted to retain a plurality of packages P in upstanding relationship therein. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the erected carton originally comprises an upper section 11 detachably connected to the lower section by a continuous score line 12. Thus, when the closed display carton is delivered to a store, upper section 11 is removed from lower section 10 at tear line 12 to display packages P for consumer buying purposes. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the inner side of a one-piece corrugated paperboard blank adapted to be folded and glued to form the closed carton illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The blank consecutively comprises a manufacturer&#39;s glue flap 13, a top panel 14, and front panel 15, a bottom panel 16 and a back panel 17. Flap 13 is a hingedly connected to a rearward edge of top panel 14 by a scoreline 18 whereas a forward edge of the top panel is connected to an upper edge of front panel 15 by a scoreline 19. 
     A lower edge of the front panel is connected to a forward edge of bottom panel 16 by a scoreline 20 whereas a rearward edge of the bottom panel is connected to a lower edge of back panel 17 by a scoreline 21. It should be noted that scorelines 18-21 are disposed in parallel relationship relative to each other to adapt the carton blank for folding into its FIGS. 2 and 3 condition, as will be hereinafter explained. Top panel 14 has side flaps 22 and 23 hingedly connected to side edges thereof by scorelines 24 and 25, respectively. 
     Likewise, front panel 15 has side flaps 26 and 27 hingedly connected to side edges thereof by scorelines 28 and 29, respectively. Bottom panel 16 has side flaps 30 and 31 hingedly connected thereto by scorelines 32 and 33 whereas back panel 17 has side flaps 34 and 35 hingedly connected thereto by scorelines 36 and 37, respectively. It should be noted that slots 38-40 and 41-43 are formed at opposite ends of scorelines 19-21, respectively, to separate each adjacent pair of flaps to aid in the folding thereof. In addition, scorelines 24, 28, 32, and 36 as well as scorelines 25, 29, 33, and 37 are disposed in colinear relationship and in perpendicular relative to scorelines 19-21. 
     Tear line means 12 comprises a plurality of perforated tear lines 44-47 which have portions thereof superimposed over each other to form a continuous tear line means whereby upper section 11 of the carton (FIGS. 2 and 3) may be tornaway from lower section 10 thereof to form the opened display carton illustrated in FIG. 1. In particular, each tear line 44 and 45 terminates at an outer edge of a respective flap 22 or 23 and extends diagonally inwardly to cross scoreline 24 or 25 whereafter it diverges away therefrom to cross-over a corner of top panel 14 and extends through flap 13 to terminate at an outer edge thereof. Tear line 46 intersects a free edge of flap 26 and sequentially extends across scoreline 28, front panel 15, scoreline 29 and flap 27 to terminate at an outer edge thereof. 
     The intermediate portion of tear line 46, positioned within the front panel, is offset to provide a generally U-shaped cutout 48, as indicated in FIG. 1, which aids in exposing packages P and facilitates removal thereof from the carton. Scoreline 47 is generally V-shaped to terminate at its opposite ends at the outer edge of back panel 17 and converges inwardly towards bottom panel 16 to terminate at a pair of finger tabs 49. Such tabs facilitate insertion of a pair of fingers therethrough to remove upper section 11 of the carton for display purposes. 
     A first slot 50 is formed through front panel 15 and bottom panel 16 to intersect score line 20 which hingedly connects these panels together. A second slot 51 is formed through the bottom panel and back panel 17 in a like manner to intersect scoreline 21. A third slot 52 is formed through the back panel in colinear relationship relative to slots 50 and 51 and the slots are disposed intermediate the side edges of the carton blank. 
     Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the slots function to mechanically lock a partition and divider panel 53 within the carton. In particular, slots 50-52 are adapted to receive tabs 54-56 therein, respectively, with tabs 54 and 55 being formed at the lower corners of the partition panel and tab 56 being formed on a back edge thereof in vertically spaced relationship relative to tab 55. The partition panel fully extends between the top and bottom panels to thus increase the overall structural rigidity of the carton and also aid in maintaining packages P in their divided and viewable positions, as illustrated in FIG. 1. A tapered edge 57 is defined on a forward edge of the partition panel adjacent to the front panel to diverge upwardly away from the front panel towards the top panel. 
     As further shown in FIG. 4, a suitable adhesive, such as a standard glue, may be applied to flaps 13, 22, 23, 30 and 31 during formation of the carton on a straight-line gluer whereby it may be erected and glued together to assume its FIGS. 2 and 3 closed condition with partition panel 53 and packages P being disposed therein. In particular, flap 30 is secured to lower portions of underlying flaps 26 and 34 whereas corresponding flap 31 is secured to underlying flaps 27 and 35 in like manner. It should be noted that the upper edges of flaps 30 and 31 are concident with the portions of tear line 46 formed in flaps 26 and 27, respectively. 
     After insertion of packages P in the carton, flap 22 is secured to upper portions of flaps 26 and 34 whereas flap 23 is secured to upper portions of flaps 27 and 35 in a like manner. Each formed side panel of the carton will thus constitute a double-walled thickness to provide increased stacking strength and structural rigidity to the carton. Manufacturer&#39;s glue flap 13 is thereafter secured to an upper edge of back panel 17 whereby the carton is adapted for shipping to a market or the like.