Carton with foldout partition

Abstract

The present invention relates to a foldable carton blank that, when folded, forms a carton having a partition wall for segregating products within the carton. The partition wall member may be hingedly attached to a front panel of the carton such that the partition wall member may be unattached from the front panel and extended across the bottom panel of the carton to form two compartments within the carton. A slot in the rear panel of the carton may secure an end portion of the partition wall member when the partition wall member extends across the bottom panel of the carton to form the two compartments within the carton.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is based on and claims priority of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 789,889 of Bell for CARTON WITH FOLDOUT PARTITION, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002]Foldable cartons or containers have a wide variety of applications in a variety of industries. One industry where foldable cartons are commonly used is the food service industry, where the cartons are used as take-out boxes for storing leftover or take-out food. Often, when taking leftover food home from a restaurant, a restaurant customer may want to keep her main dish separate and apart from her side dish. However, it is not always the case that a separate compartment is necessary, and thus it would be preferable if a carton could serve as a partitioned or un-partitioned container.[0003]The cartons may be manufactured in at least two ways. First, they may be prepared as carton blanks, flat sections of c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a foldable carton that can be used for storing and transporting food items. The carton has a partition member that can be engaged to form two compartments. The carton is made from a foldable blank that can be folded when ready for use. The panels of the blank have score lines that allow them to be folded to form the carton. The front panel is connected to a partition panel through score lines, and the partition panel can be folded inwards to make two compartments. The partition panel can be secured to the front panel or to the bottom panel. When moved to the folded position, the partition panel folds and extends across the bottom panel to form two compartments. The technical effect of this invention is that it provides a versatile, convenient and easy-to-use carton for storing and transporting food items.

Problems solved by technology

Moreover, the fact that the carton blanks may be stacked as flat carton blanks in a food facility decreases the amount of storage space that the cartons take up in a facility.

While those well-known containers effectively keep food segregated, they pose a number of issues.

First, foam containers do not biodegrade easily, thus negatively impacting the environment.

Moreover, if food is too hot, the foam containers may melt, risking ruined food and even burns.

Foam containers must be stacked in order to be shipped as well, which can cause shipping expenses to increase.

Stacking the containers also takes up valuable storage space when the containers are stored at a restaurant facility.

Despite these cartons reducing some of the environmental impact that the foam containers may have, the cartons still must be shipped in a stack, increasing shipping costs and reducing storage space.

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