FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0001 This invention relates to packaging in general and in particular to cartons for food products such as pizza, breadsticks, chicken wings, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 In the pizza and food-to-go industries, millions of orders of side-item type products are sold each year. Examples of such products include breadsticks, chicken wings, and pizza slices. One of the most prevalent types of cartons used for packaging these products is the corrugated paperboard carton. This carton comes in both folder type and clamshell type. The folder type carton is shipped as a flat blank and then erected into a carton at the point of use (i.e., the pizzeria). The clamshell type carton is erected in the factory and then shipped as an open clamshell. 0003 These cartons can be categorized into two groups based on status of wall engagement. The two groups are (1) wall-engaged cartons and (2) non-wall-engaged cartons. A wall-engaged carton is one in which at least two wall structures are engaged one to the other, such that when the cover of the carton is in opened disposition those two wall structures remain in an erected position. A non-wall-engaged carton is one in which none of the wall structures of the carton are engaged one to another. 0004 Various structural arrangements can be used for engaging adjacent walls of a carton. Some arrangements allow for efficient erection of a blank into a box, others do not. One particular structure that allows for efficient erection of a box is a non-folding wall-engagement tab. This invention is disclosed in Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,949 granted Jan. 17, 1995. 0005 Another structural consideration for side-item cartons is having an article-retaining structure for holding a sauce cup, for example, as well as perhaps some other article. Many pizzerias pack one or more sauce cups with their side-item products. Traditionally these cups have been placed next to the food product. However, there are two problems with this. First, the sauce cup often gets greasy. Second, some health departments consider it to be unsanitary for articles handled by human hands to come into contact with a ready-to-eat food product. As a result, it would be desirable to have a way of packing sauce cups and other articles so that these articles are positioned out of contact with the food product. 0006 One prior art box has been invented to address this problem. Known as the Kickers Box, it is used by Domino's Pizza for packaging chicken strips (which the company calls Kickers). Essentially, the Kickers Box is a small version of the company's hexagonal D-type pizza box except with a special compartment at the front third of the box for holding two sauce cups. The compartment is created by a plurality of three interconnected panels. The first panel is attached to the top edge of the front wall of the box and is disposed parallel to the bottom panel. It has two holes in it for holding two sauce cups. The second panel is attached to the first panel and is disposed perpendicular to the first panel and serves as support for the first panel. The third panel is attached to the second panel and is disposed perpendicular to the second panel and is tucked underneath the connecting panels that connect the two diagonal walls to the front wall structure of the box. 0007 However, the Kickers Box has at least three drawbacks. First, it consumes a relatively large amount of material and, therefore, is relatively expensive. Second, it contains numerous flaps and, therefore, is time-consuming and awkward to erect from a blank into a box. Third, after product has been placed into the box, closing the cover on the box can be time-consuming due to the many cover flaps that need to be manipulated for tuck-in. In view of these three problems, it would be desirable to have a carton for side-item products that is material-saving, cost efficient, and easy-to-handle. 0008 One particular carton that has a small number of flaps and, thereby, is efficient for handling is a carton disclosed in Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,651. However, even though it has only one cover flap, the side walls of the carton each have a flap attached to the front end which requires folding prior to erecting the blank into a box. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a carton with side walls free of flaps altogether. Another potential drawback of this carton is that it has no article-retaining structure for holding a sauce cup separately from the food product carried in the carton. As previously discussed, the Kickers Box has an article-retaining structure for holding a sauce cup. However, it requires substantial additional material in manufacture of the blank. So it would be desirable to have a carton with a material-efficient article-retaining structure. 0009 In short, it would be highly desirable to provide a food carton that overcomes the above-described problems and drawbacks associated with packaging side-item products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0010 In general terms, my invention is a blank and carton that provides for efficient, cost-effective, and/or sanitary packaging of food products such as breadsticks, chicken wings, pizza slices, and the like. 0011 In specific terms, my invention is a blank and carton that provides one or more of the following structural arrangements: 0012 1. A configuration of two mated blanks each having a flap-free side wall with a non-folding front-wall-engagement tab projecting from a front end; 0013 2. A configuration of two mated blanks each having a side wall with a free rear end disposed at an acute angle to a bottom edge of the side wall; 0014 3. A blank having a side wall with a non-folding front-wall-engagement tab projecting from a front end and that's erectable (a) into a partially-erected carton having a front wall disposed in a particular first position and (b) into a fully-erected carton having the front wall disposed in a particular second position; 0015 4. A carton having a side-wall-locking ancillary panel attached to a top edge of a front wall and capable of retaining a side wall of the carton in an upright position; 0016 5. A carton having a first wall with a tab-receiving opening having an outside edge obliquely disposed to a bottom panel and, thereby, capable of causing an adjacent wall to be disposed at an oblique angle to the bottom panel; 0017 6. Two mated blanks each having an article-retaining structure attached to a side wall, with the blanks being matable in a first mated relationship and also in a second mated relationship; 0018 7. Three mated blanks each having an article-retaining structure attached to a side wall, with the blanks being matable in two mating relationships and alignable at the ends; 0019 8. A blank for a carton having an article-retaining structure comprising a first panel attached to a top edge of a side wall. 0020 9. A closed carton having an article-retaining structure that's exposed to view; 0021 10. A carton having an article-retaining structure comprising a first panel attached to a top edge of a side wall and a second panel attached to the first panel. 0022 11. A carton having an article-retaining structure comprising a cup-holding panel attached to a top edge of a wall and having a hole-opening flap disposed in a downward-extending position and with an edge of the flap disposed in close proximity to the bottom panel, thereby providing support for the cup-holding panel; and 0023 12. A partially-erected open carton having a non-erected article-retaining structure attached to a side wall and disposed substantially coplanar to the side wall. 0024 My invention typically would be used for packaging food products such as breadsticks, chicken wings, pizza slices, and the like. However, it could take other forms for other purposes, as well. 0025 A complete understanding of the invention can be obtained from the detailed description that follows.

OBJECT AND ADVANTAGES 0026 The main object of my invention is a blank and carton that provides for efficient packaging of food products. 0027 The advantages of my invention are (1) material savings, (2) cost savings, and (3) efficient carton handling operations. 0028 Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, related drawings, and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0029 FIG. 1 is a plan view of the blank of the preferred embodiment. 0030 FIG. 2 is a front left corner section of the blank of FIG. 1. 0031 FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a partially-erected carton made from the blank of FIG. 1. 0032 FIG. 4 is a left side elevation view of the partially-erected carton. 0033 FIG. 5 is a top view of the fully-erected carton made from the blank of FIG. 1 0034 FIG. 6 is a top view of a left front corner section of the fully-erected carton with a portion of the cover panel removed. 0035 FIG. 7 is a left side elevation view of the fully-erected carton. 0036 FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the fully-erected carton. 0037 FIG. 9 is an alternate flap configuration for the cup-holder opening. 0038 FIG. 10 is a plan view of three mated blanks of the preferred embodiment.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 0039 Between drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts. 0040 10 blank of the preferred embodiment 0041 12 carton of the preferred embodiment 0042 20 bottom panel 0043 22 left-to-right width of bottom panel 0044 30 rear end wall 0045 32, 32 free ends of rear end wall 0046 33 area for optional full-length rear end wall 0047 40 cover 0048 42 cover panel 0049 44 cover front flap 0050 46, 46 free side edges of cover panel 0051 48 left-to-right width of cover panel and rear end wall 0052 50, 50 side walls 0053 51, 51 bottom edge of side walls 0054 52, 52 top edge of side walls 0055 54, 54 free rear end of side walls 0056 55 acute angle 0057 56, 56 non-folding front-wall-engagement tabs 0058 57 hook portion 0059 58 front-wall-retainable inside edge 0060 59 height of side wall 0061 60 front wall structure 0062 62 front end wall 0063 63 bottom edge of front end wall 0064 64 ancillary panel 0065 65 tab-receiving slot 0066 66 height of front end wall 0067 68 slot-forming slit 0068 70, 70 end edges of ancillary panel 0069 72 first portion of end edge 0070 74 second portion of end edge 0071 80, 80 tab-receiving openings 0072 82 side-wall-retaining outside edge 0073 84 swing flap 0074 86 inside edge 0075 90 article-retaining structure 0076 92 first panel of article-retaining structure 0077 94 second panel of article-retaining structure 0078 95 outermost edge of article-retaining structure 0079 96 cup-holder opening 0080 97 hole-opening flap 0081 98 bridge of material 0082 99 tab 0083 101 first blank 0084 102 second blank 0085 103 third blank 0086 106 front end edge of blank 0087 108 rear end edge of blank 0088 110 first hole-opening flap 0089 111 second hole-opening flap 0090 120 acute angle 0091 122 acute angle 0092 124 oblique angle

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 0093 Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention in the format of a one-piece paperboard blank and, correspondingly, in the format of a box created from the blank. The intended use for the embodiment is as a food carton or, specifically, as a carton for packaging side-items such as breadsticks, chicken wings, pizza slices, and the like. However, it will be appreciated, as the description proceeds, that my invention may be realized in different embodiments and may be used in other applications. 0094 FIG. 1 shows a blank 10 and FIGS. 3-8 show various views of a carton 12 made from blank 10. Referenced components are labeled in FIGS. 1 and 2; selected components are labeled in other Figures. Corresponding parts between drawings share a same reference numeral. Pairs of opposing like components are to be found, with one item of the pair on each side of the blank or carton. For simplicity of labeling, each component of the opposing pair will have the same reference numeral, with the numeral for the second item of the pair also having a prime mark.

Structure of the Embodiment 0095 Referring particularly to blank 10 of FIG. 1, there is a bottom panel 20, a rear end wall 30, a cover 40, opposing first and second side walls 50 and 50, a front wall structure 60, and an article-retaining structure 90. 0096 Bottom panel 20 has a left-to-right width 22. 0097 Rear end wall 30 has first and second free ends 32 and 32 and a left-to-right width 48 (indicated at the top of the drawing). It is noted that rear end wall width 48 is less than bottom panel width 22. 0098 Cover 40 comprises a cover panel 42 attached to rear end wall 30 at a fold line and a cover front flap 44 attached to a front edge of cover panel 42 at a fold line. Cover panel 42 has opposing first and second free side edges 46 and 46. Cover panel 42 has a left-to-right width 48. It is noted that cover panel width 48 is less than bottom panel width 22. It is also noted that cover panel 42 is a full-length cover panel, meaning that it spans the entire distance from rear end wall to front end wall in the carton format. 0099 Side walls 50, 50 are attached to bottom panel 20 at respective bottom edges 51 and 51. The side walls also have top edges 52, 52 and free rear ends 54, 54, respectively. Free rear ends 54, 54 are disposed at an acute angle 55 to the bottom edge 51, 51. In the case of side wall 50, it is noted that top edge 52 is a free top edge (meaning, free of attachment to another panel). The side walls also have non-folding front-wall-engagement tabs 56, 56 respectively projecting from a free front end of the side walls. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the tabs has a hook portion 57 and a front-wall-retainable inside edge 58. It is noted that tabs 56, 56 are non-folding, meaning that when the blank is erected into a carton these tabs do not undergo a folding operation. So these tabs are integral to the side walls and, accordingly, are not flaps appended to the side walls (which would require folding when erecting the blank into a box). As such, side wall 50 is a flap-free side wall that is free of attachment to any panel other than bottom panel 20. Side walls 50, 50 have a height 59 (shown only on side wall 50). 0100 Front wall structure 60 comprises a front end wall 62 attached to bottom panel 20 at a bottom edge 63. Structure 60 further comprises an ancillary panel 64 attached to a top edge of front end wall 62 at a fold line. Front end wall 62 has a height 66. It is noted that height 66 is less than height 59 of side walls 50, 50. 0101 Positioned along the fold line joining ancillary panel 64 to front end wall 62 is a slot-forming slit 68 which opens into a slot for receiving cover front flap 44 when the blank is erected into a carton. 0102 Ancillary panel 64 has opposing first and second end edges 70 and 70. It is noted that ancillary panel 64 is a side-wall-locking ancillary panel. This is achieved by the special configuration of end edges 70, 70. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each end edge of ancillary panel 64 comprises a first portion 72 and a second portion 74. When blank 10 is erected into the fully-erected carton 12, the first portion 72 is disposed interior to and in close proximity to one of side walls 50, 50. Portion 72 also is disposed below the top edge (52 or 52) of the side wall. This is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. This arrangement prevents the side walls from moving to an inward-slanting position when an inward-pushing force is applied to them. In addition, it is noted that second portion 74 is disposed exterior to the side wall. 0103 Front end wall 62 comprises opposing first and second tab-receiving openings 80 and 80. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the openings has a side-wall-retaining outside edge 82 and a swing flap 84 hingedly attached to an inside edge 86. When erecting blank 10 into carton 12, front-wall-engagement tabs 56, 56 are respectively inserted into tab-receiving openings 80, 80 and, thereby, push swing flaps 84 to an open position, as illustrated in FIG. 6. It is noted that outside edge 82 is obliquely disposed to bottom edge 63 (see FIG. 2). Specifically, edge 82 slopes inward from bottom to top. This results in the front end of side walls 50, 50 being disposed at a slight inward-sloping angle in the erected carton, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Finally, it is noted that carton 12 is a wall-engaged carton (because side walls 50, 50 are engaged with front end wall 62). 0104 Front end wall 62 further comprises a tab-receiving slot 65 which serves to engage with article-retaining structure 90 in the erected carton. 0105 Article-retaining structure 90 comprises a first panel 92 attached to top edge 52 of side wall 50 and a second panel 94 attached to panel 92. This two-panel arrangement constitutes a plurality of interconnected panels. It is noted that in the preferred embodiment this plurality of interconnected panels consists of two panels only. Panel 92 contains a cup-holder opening 96 and a hole-opening flap 97. Accordingly, this panel could be referred to as a cup-holder panel. Flap 97 is hingedly attached to the edge of cup-holder opening 96 by a narrow bridge of material 98. When a sauce cup is inserted into opening 96, hole-opening flap 97 bends downward and assumes a vertical disposition with bridge of material 98 holding it in place. Second panel 94 has a tab 99 which inserts into tab-receiving slot 65 in front end wall 62 when blank 10 is erected into carton 12. This engages article-retaining structure 90 with front wall structure 60 and, thereby, serves to hold panel 94 in a vertical disposition in the erected carton. Article-retaining structure 90 has an outermost edge 95. 0106 As the term is used herein, an article-retaining structure is any structural component of a blank or carton that is configured to hold a particular article, such as a sauce cup, in a substantially fixed position or within a particular confined area within the carton. An article-retaining structure typically comprises multiple interconnected panels, but it is possible for the structure to comprise only a single panel. 0107 FIGS. 3-8 show various views of carton 12 (erected from blank 10). FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of the carton in partially-erected format (with the front end wall and side walls erected). 0108 FIG. 4 shows a left side elevation view of the carton in partially-erected format (with the front end wall and side walls erected). 0109 FIG. 5 shows a top view of the carton in fully-erected format. This view illustrates how cover panel 42 partially covers a portion of panel 92 of the article-retaining structure while also leaving a portion of panel 92 exposed to view. It is noted that cover panel 42 also covers a portion of cup-holder opening 96. This serves the purpose of preventing a sauce cup within the holder from falling out in transit. 0110 FIG. 6 shows a top view of a left front corner section of the carton with a portion of the cover panel cut away. It is noted that swing flap 84 is disposed at an oblique angle 124 to front end wall 62 and is in contact with front-wall-engagement tab 56. 0111 FIG. 7 shows a left side elevation view of the fully-erected carton. By comparing the position of front end wall 62 in FIG. 7 to that in FIG. 4, it is noted that front end wall 62 assumes a first position in FIG. 4 and a second position in FIG. 7. Specifically, in the partially-erected format (FIG. 4), front end wall 62 is disposed in contact with front-wall-retainable inside edge 58 of front-wall-engagement tab 56. However, in the fully-erected format (FIG. 7), front end wall 62 is disposed free of contact with front-wall-retainable inside edge 58. It is further noted that in the second position (FIG. 7), front end wall 62 slopes inward at an acute angle 120 to bottom panel 20. It is also noted that rear end wall 30 slopes inward at an acute angle 122 to bottom panel 20. 0112 FIG. 8 shows a rear elevation view of the carton. It is noted that a portion of this rear side of the carton is open. This is because left-to-right width 48 of rear end wall 30 is less than left-to-right width 22 of bottom panel 20 (see FIG. 1). It is further noted that a bottom edge of hole-opening flap 97 is in close proximity to bottom panel 20. This serves the purpose of providing support for panel 92 if it should happen that a downward pressure is applied to panel 92. If it is desired to close off the opening at the rear of the carton, rear end wall 30 can be converted into a full-length rear wall by extending the end of the wall out to the area of dashed line 33 (in FIG. 1). FIG. 8 also depicts the arrangement of panels 92 and 94 in the fully-erected format. Specifically, panel 92 is substantially parallel to bottom panel 20 and panel 94 is substantially perpendicular to panel 92.

Arrangement of Multiple Mated Blanks 0113 FIG. 10 shows three iterations of blank 10 in a mated configuration with adjacent blanks being oriented at 180 degrees to each other. For reference, the three iterations are labeled as blank 101, blank 102, and blank 103. This mated configuration is the preferred arrangement for achieving maximum material savings in manufacture of three or more units of blank 10. In the drawing of FIG. 10 a slight gap is provided between the blanks. This is for the purpose of achieving clarity of illustration. In reality, no such gap would likely exist. 0114 Each of the blanks has opposite front and rear end edges 106 and 108, respectively, formed by furthermost extremities of the blank. It is noted that the end edges of one blank are substantially aligned with the opposite end edges of an adjacent blank. (In the drawing the end edges are not exactly aligned due to the gap between the blanks. Without the gap, however, the end edges should closely align.) 0115 It is noted that between adjacent mated units of blank 10 two mating relationships are possible. The first relationship is depicted by blanks 101 and 102. The second relationship is depicted by blanks 102 and 103. 0116 In the first mating relationship (between blanks 101 and 102), side wall 50 of each blank is disposed in a recess created by the other blank. The particular recess is created by free rear end 54 of side wall 50, free end 32 of rear end wall 30, and free side edge 46 of cover panel 42. It also is noted that there's an alternate way of describing this mating relationship, which is: At least a portion of top edge 52 of side wall 50 of each blank faces side edge 46 of cover panel 42 of the adjacent blank. Finally, it is noted that in each blank rear end 54 of side wall 50 is disposed at an acute angle to the bottom edge of the side wall (this acute angle is labeled as angle 55 in FIG. 1). 0117 In the second mating relationship (between blanks 102 and 103), article-retaining structure 90 of the adjacent blanks are disposed adjacent one another. In this relationship at least a portion of outermost edge 95 of article-retaining structure 90 of each blank faces side edge 46 of cover panel 42 of the adjacent blank. It is also noted that there's an alternate way of describing this mating relationship, which is: Panel 94 of each blank is disposed in a recess created by rear end 54 of side wall 50, end 32 of rear end wall 30, and side edge 46 of cover panel 42 of the adjacent blank.

Possible Alternative Configurations 0118 The foregoing describes the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, alternative configurations are possible, as follows. 0119 A first alternative configuration would be to convert rear end wall 30 to a full-length rear wall that spans the entire distance between side walls 50, 50. This might be done for the purpose of completely closing off the rear side of the carton. To accomplish this, wall 30 would be extended to the area bounded by dashed line 33 (see FIG. 1). 0120 Another alternative configuration would be to replace the single hole-opening flap 97 with a multiple flap arrangement. An example is illustrated in FIG. 9, which shows first and second hole-opening flaps 110 and 111. 0121 Another alternative configuration would be to construct panel 94 of the article-retaining structure so that it engages with rear end wall 30 instead of, or in addition to, engaging with front wall structure 60.

Operation of the Embodiment 0122 Following is a procedure for erecting blank 10 into carton 12. 0123 First, using both hands grasp the blank at the front ends of side walls 50, 50. Hold the blank vertically with the outside facing you and the cover end down. 0124 Second, simultaneously fold side walls 50, 50 inward to an acute angle (approximately 70 degrees) to bottom panel 20. 0125 Third, while holding the side walls at the acute angle, fold front end wall 62 inward with your thumbs. End-wall-engagement tabs 56, 56 will push open swing flaps 84 and project through tab-receiving openings 80, 80. 0126 Fourth, while holding front end wall 62 down, simultaneously pull side walls 50, 50 outward until they abut side-wall-retaining outside edges 82, thereby causing the side walls to be held in an upright position. This also will cause tabs 56, 56 to hold front end wall 62 in an upright position, resulting in the partially-erected carton 12 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4. 0127 Fifth, fold article-retaining structure 90 inward and down until panel 92 is parallel to bottom panel 20 and panel 94 is perpendicular to panel 92 and tab 99 is engaged in tab-receiving slot 65. 0128 Sixth, fold ancillary panel 64 downward and fold cover panel 42 forward and over the cavity of the carton and, finally, slide cover front flap 44 into slot 68 in front wall structure 60.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope 0129 I have disclosed a blank and carton that provides for efficient, cost-effective, sanitary packaging of food products such as breadsticks, chicken wings, pizza slices, and the like. 0130 Within the drawing of the blank, a fold line between component parts of the invention is depicted with a dashed line. Within the context of this invention, a fold line can be created by a number of means such as, for example, by a crease or score in the board, by a series of aligned spaced short slits in the board, and by a combination of aligned spaced short and long slits. In conclusion, as referred to herein, a fold line is any line between two points on the blank or box along which the board is intended to be folded when the blank is being erected into a box or when the box is being manipulated as described herein. The type of fold lines shown in the drawings are presently preferred but it will be appreciated that other methods known to those skilled in the art may be used. 0131 Within the foregoing discussion of the invention, the labeling of components as first and second is for reference purposes only and does not indicate any particular location of the components within the blank or carton. 0132 The illustrated number, size, shape, type, and placement of components represent the preferred embodiment; however, many other combinations and configurations are possible within the scope of the invention. 0133 The foregoing discussion has pertained mainly to packaging for side-item food products. However, it should be realized that my invention could be used for other purposes, as well. In conclusion, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which-scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.