Improvements in shoe boxes

Abstract

 A carton for storing and transporting a pair of shoes comprises front (11, 11a) and back (12, 12a) panels interconnected by spaced side panels (13,13a; 14, 14a), a first end wall closure including a closure panel (15, 15a) hinged to said front panel to close one end of the carton and forming a lid to provide access to the interior of the carton, and a second end wall closure closing the other end of the carton, thereby forming a parallelepiped structure, said back panel being extended beyond the first end closure to provide a handle panel (16, 16a) including means (17, 17a) by which the carton can be carried.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a carton for storing and transporting a pair of shoes.

[0002] The invention provides a carton for storing and transporting a pair of shoes, the carton comprising front and back panels interconnected by spaced side panels, an end wall including at least one panel to close one end of the carton and forming a lid to provide access to the interior of the carton, and an end wall closing the other end of the carton, thereby forming a parallepiped structure, wherein one of the front or back panels is extended in one direction beyond an end wall and includes means providing a carrying handle for the carton.

[0003] According to a further feature of the invention the front or back panel may be extended beyond that end wall of the carton formed to provide the lid.

[0004] According to a still further feature of the invention the extended panel portion may be foldably joined to the front or back panel so that the extended panel portion can be folded to overly the adjacent end wall of the carton.

[0005] According to another feature of the invention the panel forming the lid may be a folded extension of the other of the front or back walls. In constructions where this feature is adopted the said other of the front or back walls may be scored along longitudinally extending lines at two locations spaced such that the lid when opened can be pulled to cause the carton to tear along the score lines to remove at least a portion of the said other of the front or back walls thereby exposing at least in part the interior of the carton.

[0006] According to yet another feature of the invention the interior of the carton may be provided with a longitudinally extending partition dividing the carton interior into two compartments. In constructions where this feature is adopted the partition may be integral with the front or back panel of the carton.

[0007] According to a still further feature of the invention one of the front or back panels of the carton may be formed with a number of tab elements to engage in cooperating recesses formed in the other of the front or back panels so that when a pair of cartons are stacked the cooperating tabs and recesses can be interchanged to fasten the stacked cartons together.

[0008] The invention also provides a blank for forming the carton as defined in any of the six immediately preceding paragraphs and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0009] A carton embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carton taken from the front and to one side, and Figure 2 is a similar view of the same carton with the lid and a portion of the front panel removed to expose the contents.

[0010] Referring to the drawings, there is shown a carton 10 suitable for storing and transporting shoes comprising a front panel 11, a back panel 12 (Figure 2) interconnected by spaced side walls 13, 14 respectively. The top end of the carton as viewed in the drawings comprises a panel 15 foldably connected along a transverse fold line to the front panel 11 and a foldable end portion adjacent the free edge of the panel 15 which tucks inwardly of the carton parallel to the back pariel 12 to close the top end of the carton. The panel 15 and the foldable end portion together provide-a lid for the carton. The other (bottom) end of the carton may be closed by a conventional inter-engaging flap arrangement or may be closed as by glueing.

[0011] The back panel 12 is extended beyond the panel 15 to provide an extension portion 16. Portion 16 is formed with an elongate aperture 17 to provide a handle by which the carton can be carried. The extension portion 16 is foldably joined to the back panel 12 and can be folded flat to overly panel 15 to facilitate shipping. A pair of gusset panels 18, 19 respectively, each of which may be folded inwardly towards one another when portion 16 is folded flat, give support to the handle portion 16 when in its upright position.

[0012] The front panel 11 is formed with a pair of spaced longitudinally extending perforated lines 20, 21 so that when the lid, formed by panel 15 and its end portion, is opened the lid can be pulled downwardly causing the front panel 11 to tear along the perforated lines 20,21. The lid and the torn away portion of the front panel 22 may then be removed by tearing across transverse perforated line 23 so as to expose the contents of the carton as shown in Figure 2.

[0013] The carton may then be suspended by the handle aperture 17 to provide a storage container for a pair of shoes. Alternatively, a number of similar cartons may be vertically stacked to form a shoe-rack for use in the home. In order to interconnect stacked cartons, the front panel 11 is formed with a pair of spaced slits 24, 25 and the back panel 12 is formed with a pair of tab elements (not shown). The tab elements interchange with the slits to lock together a pair of stacked cartons and to provide two shelves of a shoe-rack. Further cartons can be stacked in a similar manner. Of course, it is envisaged that the slits 24, 25 may be formed on the back panel 12 with the cooperating tabs provided on the front panel 11.

[0014] Internally, the carton is divided into two compartments by a longitudinal partition 26 which may be integral with the front or rear panel. The partition keeps the shoes spaced apart to prevent damage arising through abrasion.

[0015] The carton of this invention is not limited to use as a shoe-box but may be used for numerous other items. Such other use may, of course, entail removal of the partition 26.

[0016] Another carton embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings, in which:-

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified carton with a hinged end closure panel shown in its open position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the modified carton with the hinged end closure panel shown in its closed position; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the opposite (base) end of the modified carton.

[0017] In this embodiment as compared with the previous embodiment, like parts are designated like reference numerals with the addition of suffix 'a'.

[0018] Modified carton 10a comprises a front panel 11a, and a back panel 12a interconnected by spaced side walls 13a, 14a respectively. The top end of the carton comprises an end closure panel 15a hinged to the front panel 11a and includes an integrally hinged end portion 27. Panel 15a and the end portion 27 together provide a lid for the carton.

[0019] The back panel 12a is extended to provide an integral handle panel 16a and is formed with a hand gripping aperture 17a. Similarly the end portion 27 of end closure panel is formed with a hand gripping aperture 28.

[0020] When the carton 10a is closed the end portion 27 is folded to overlie the handle panel 16a whereby the hand gripping apertures 17a and 28 are brought into registry with one another (Fig. 4). Thus, end portion 27 and handle panel 16a together form a handle by which the carton 10a can be carried. In order to maintain the lid 15a, 27 in its closed position a foldable tuck flap 29, 30 is provided at each end of the end closure panel 15a (Fig. 3). These tuck flaps are folded inwardly of the carton to engage the internal faces of respective side walls 13a and 14a when the lid is brought into its closed position.

[0021] The handle panel 16a is hinged to the back panel 12a along a fold line 31 and can be folded flat to overlie the end closure panel 15a to facilitate packing and shipping. A pair of gusset panels 18a, 19a respectively, each of which may be folded inwardly towards one another when the handle panel 16a is folded flat, give support to the handle panel when in its upright position.

[0022] The other (base) end of the carton may be closed by conventional interengaging flap arrangement comprising flaps 32-35 (Fig. 5).

[0023] The modified carton 10a may also include the longitudinal and transverse perforations to provide a tear away portion of front panel 11a as described with respect to carton 10. Similarly the modified cartons 1₀a may be provided with interengaging tabs and slits to facilitate stacking as previously described.

[0024] Internally, the carton 10a is divided into two compartments by a longitudinal partition 26a which is provided by a hinged extension of back panel 12a and is secured to the internal face of front panel 11a. The partition keeps shoes or other products spaced apart to prevent damage arising through abrasion.

[0025] The modified carton also is not limited to use as a shoe-box but may be used for numerous other items. Such other use may, of course, entail removal of the partition 26a.

Claims

1. A carton for storing and transporting a pair of shoes comprises front (11, 11a) and back (12,12a) panels interconnected by spaced side panels (13,13a; 14,14a), a first end wall closure including a closure panel (15, 15a) hinged to said front panel to close one end of the carton and forming a lid to provide access to the interior of the carton, and a second end wall closure closing the other end of the carton, thereby forming a parallelepiped structure, characterized in that said back panel is extended beyond the first end closure to provide a handle panel (16,16a), including means (17, 17a) by which the carton can be carried.

2. A carton according to claim 1 further character- i'zed in that the hinged panel (15a) includes a foldable end portion (27) which overlies the handle panel (16a) when said first end wall of the carton is closed, the end portion having a hand gripping aperture (28) located in registry with a hand gripping aperture (17a) formed in said handle panel (16a).

3. A carton according to claim 2 further characterized in that the handle panel (16,16a) is foldably joined at the back panel (12,12a) such that it can be folded to overlie the hinged panel (15,15a) when said first end wall of the carton is closed.

4. A carton according to claim 3 further characterized in that a pair of gusset panels (18,18a; 19,19a) connect together opposite ends of said handle panel (16,16a) to respective side walls (13,13a; 14, 14a) of the carton so as to provide support for saiq handle panel when in its upright position.

5. A carton according to any of the previous claims further characterized in that the front panel (11, 11a) is scored along longitudinally extending lines (20,21) at two locations spaced such that the lid when opened can be pulled to cause the carton to tear along the score lines to remove at least a portion of the front panel thereby exposing at least in part the interior of the carton.

6. A carton according to any of the previous claims further characterized in that the interior of the carton may be provided with a longitudinally extending partition (26,26a) dividing the carton interior into two compartments, said partition being integral with the front or back panel of the carton.

7. A carton according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that the front or back panel of the carton may be formed with a number of tab elements to engage in cooperating recesses (24,25) formed in the other of the front or back panels so that when a pair of cartons are stacked the cooperating tabs and recesses can be interengaged to fasten the stacked cartons together.

8. A blank for forming the carton as defined in any of the preceding claims.

Drawing