There are many types of carton and each one must be carefully designed and prepared for its particular application. Cartons are usually made up from a blank, which can be made from a planar material such as cardboard or a malleable plastic for example acetate.

Conventionally, cereals and other dry granular or grain-like products are sold, for example, by establishments such as supermarkets and high street retail outlets in standard rectangular shaped cardboard cartons where the product inside the carton is contained in a sealed air-tight bag.

The carton usually contains numerous servings. In a household, servings are dispensed over a period of time from the initial opening of the carton, the remainder of the pack being put away until the next time the product is desired. For example a carton containing 12 servings may last a family 2 weeks during which the carton is opened and closed several times.

In order to re-close such cartons, they typically have a pair of opposing lid flaps, provided with a tab and opposing slot arrangement. After an initial opening, the tab on one of the flaps can be slid into the slot provided in the other flap to engage the two together and close the top of the carton.

Many families eat cereal for breakfast such that very high volumes of such cartons are produced. For this reason (and for hygiene) it is common for these cartons to be automatically packed on a machine packing line. It is also for this reason that the cartons tend to be purchased by the cereal manufacturer at very economical prices and have been designed to use the minimum of raw material possible.

Machine packing lines are designed to run large volumes of products often

working on a 24 hour basis. It is unusual for the cereal manufacturers or their engineers to want to adjust the machines to accommodate different styles or constructions and many machine packing lines are designed to accept only one size and style of carton. In this connection, it is common to see different surface print designs of cartons.

There are several disadvantages associated with the typical cardboard cereal carton. Firstly, the re-closing mechanism on the carton tends not to work particularly well as the tab and slot engage only to a limited extent. The demand for economy in the carton does not in this regard however allow for additional material to be utilised to make a satisfactory closure mechanism.

Secondly, the bag (which holds the cereal) is not securely held closed within the carton once opened and tends to unravel itself and leave the contents open to the environment. Consequently there is degradation in the quality of the product with regard to freshness. For example, a cereal will lose its "crispness". This will happen after the carton has been opened and is being stored in the kitchen cupboard, which is not an airtight location.

A third disadvantage is a result of the combination of the previously mentioned two problems. If the carton is knocked over, for example whilst on the breakfast table, it is likely that the product will fall out. The current designs are not generally"spill-proof".

It is recognised by the breakfast cereal industry that a better re-closure of the carton and the bag is high on the list of consumer requirements.

There have been various attempts to create a better re-closure on a standard cereal carton. For example US patent number 2789751 discloses a re-closable carton for packaging breakfast foods, and US patent number 2345486 discloses another re-closable carton for packaging breakfast foods. Both of these packs use a"tab and slot"arrangement to re-close the pack. A disadvantage of such tab and slot arrangements is that once the tab is entered

into the slot and then subsequently removed, the closure tends to fail on further use. This is because any minimal wear or damage to the tab or slot stops it performing.

Another disadvantage of such arrangements is that the closure mechanism covers up a certain amount of decoration area that can be printed on the surface of the pack. This area is viewed as valuable for advertising and a further disadvantage of the tab and slot closure arrangement is that a slot hole has to be cut into the advertising area.

Moreover, cuts and slots in various areas are disadvantageous to the strength and integrity of the carton. Cuts and slots in the outside of packs are furthermore not desirable to retailers and manufacturers because they are not "tamper-evident".

US patent number US2178730 discloses a carton having a top which is formed of two top flaps which each extend across the whole of the top of the carton. To re-close the carton, this top has to be cut along three sides of the carton and then folded into the interior, with the side panels having been deformed inwardly. The requirement of cutting the top flap is burdensome on the user. Moreover, the carton requires relatively large amounts of material in its manufacture, since the top flaps must span the entire top of the carton.

The present invention seeks to provide a carton that can overcome the aforementioned disadvantages. Whilst this style of construction is perfectly suited to the current market for cereal packaging there are various other end uses for which it is suited.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a reclosable carton comprising front and rear panels, and side panels ; wherein the front and rear panels are each provided with a flap at a top portion thereof; the side panels being configured to deform so that together with one of

said flaps provided in the interior of the carton, they form a channel at the top of the carton for receiving the other of said flaps.

In this way, a re-closure mechanism is formed from the engagement of the front and rear panel flaps in a channel formed between one of the front and rear panel flaps and the deformed side panels. In this regard, the front and rear panel flaps may be resiliently biassed against being folded into the interior of the carton. Hence, when inserted into the channel the front and rear panel flaps are urged against one another, increasing the friction there-between and thereby enhancing the security of the re-closure mechanism.

Conveniently, said flaps are foldable into the interior of the carton to thereby form, in association with the front, rear and side panels, two internal compartments at the top of the carton, the flaps being biassed against one another when folded into the interior of the carton to thereby promote resistance to the flaps being removed from the top of the carton.

The internal compartments have two main functions. The function of a smaller one of the compartments is to hold an open bag closed. The function of both compartments is to generally seal the internal environment of the carton. In closing both the bag and the carton, air is prevented from reaching the product and hence the product retains its freshness for a longer period.

The carton may comprise a substantially rectangular tube. Conveniently, the sides of the carton are each provided with a score pattern extending downwardly from their top. The score pattern may in this regard comprise a vertical score line extending downwardly from the top of the carton substantially parallel with the vertical sides of the side panel, and a substantially triangular score line whose top apex connects with the vertical score line, the remaining corners of the triangular score line terminating at the vertical sides of the side panel.

Conveniently, the side panels are provided with flaps at their top end, the side

panel flaps being foldable into the interior of the carton. When folded into the interior of the carton, the side panel flaps promote the overall stiffness of the top of the carton, and also additionally urge the respective components into inter-engagement thereby increasing the friction within the closure arrangement and further increasing the resistance to the flaps becoming released from the top of the carton.

The side panel flaps can be provided with a score pattern which overlies that of the side panels when folded into the interior of the carton against the inside surface of the side panel.

Conveniently, the one of said front and rear panel flaps has a line of weakness extending parallel with a top edge of said front or rear panel. This line of weakness assists in facilitating insertion of the flap into the channel.

The present invention further comprises a carton together with a bag for holding product within the carton, wherein after a first opening of the carton, a top portion of the bag can be positioned under a first one of said front and rear panel flaps when positioned within the interior of the carton, the side panels then being collapsable and the remaining one of said front and rear panel flaps being insertable into the channel created by the collapsed side panel and the first one of said front and rear panel flaps to thereby close the carton and exert a sealing pressure on the bag. The front and rear panel flaps inter-engage so as to compress the flap under which the bag is provided, thereby applying a sealing pressure thereto.

Conveniently, the carton and/or bag has means for affixing a surface of the bag in position at or adjacent said first one of said front and rear panel flaps.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a carton comprising front and rear panels connected by side panels; the front and rear panels having flaps at their top portions; wherein an upper portion of each side panel is formed to be deformable from an open position of the carton

to a closed position of the carton against an opening force, the side panels in the closed position defining a channel together with a first one of the front and rear panel flaps ; and wherein the other of the front and rear panel flaps is insertable into the channel and engages the first one of the front and rear panel flaps, the flaps being biassed into clamping engagement with one another.

Conveniently, the other of the front and rear panel flaps has a tapered profile to afford an"interference-fit"with the channel when top edges of the front and rear panels are adjacent with one another. Hence, when the other of the front and rear panel flaps is pushed in fully an"interference-fit"is attained, the other of the front and rear panel flaps being wedged in position.

Each side panel may moreover have a flap at its top portion, which is positionable in the interior of the carton to assist in the clamping engagement of the front and rear panel flaps.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a blank for use in forming a carton comprising :- front and rear panels, and a pair of side panels ; wherein the front and rear panels are each provided with a flap at a top end thereof; the side panels having a score pattern enabling the side panels to deform to form a channel with one of said front and rear panel flaps, when folded into the interior of the carton.

Conveniently, the score pattern comprises a vertical score line extending downwardly from a top of the side panel substantially parallel with the vertical sides of the side panel, and a substantially triangular score line whose apex connects with the vertical score line, the remaining corners of the triangular score line terminating at the vertical sides of the side panel.

One of said front and rear panel flaps may have a score line extending parallel with a top edge of said front or rear panel.

Conveniently, one of said flaps is sized to engage within said channel. Further, each side panel may be provided with a side panel flap at its top portion. The front and rear panel flaps may be sized such that they extend only partially across the top of the carton.

The present invention can thus provide a carton whereby a smaller one of the two compartments can be used to secure the open top of a bag (containing the product) by the front and rear panel flaps and the side wall of the compartment pressing the two sides of the bag together and holding it closed.

The configuration of the re-closing device creates a carton which will not open unless specifically opened, even if it is knocked over and is therefore"spill- proof". The configuration changes the shape of the carton from rectangular to "house-shaped", i. e. a structure having a top resembling a tapered roof. This appearance is pleasing to the eye.

As all the elements of the re-closure device are internal with no cuts or slots in any of the panels, the advertising abilities of the main panels are not diminished. Similarly the strength and integrity of the carton is maintained during manufacturing, machine packing and delivery processes.

The flaps provided to the front, rear and side panels can be formed from the same four panels that form the top of the rectangular box in the machine packing process. General wear and tear or minor damage to flaps does not impair the performance of the re-closure device over the life span of the carton.

The structure forming the compartments makes a strong closure. This makes the carton"spill-proof"."Spill-proof"in this instance being defined as preventing product from falling or running out the carton due to accidental events such as knocking over. This feature of the design is desirable and may be required by companies or individuals where the product is not held in a bag.

The present invention requires no additional material to make the re-closure

device. The"extra material"utilised is created by the compression or deformation of the two side panels.

The present invention operates whether the overlap of the top panel flaps of the carton is minimal or full and can be used on a variety of different sizes of carton.

The present invention will operate on existing packing lines with little or no modification. This is beneficial to many manufacturers, who may have several factories worldwide, as there is little or no cost associated with implementing the present invention worldwide. The cost implications are within the tooling for carton manufacture and are minimal.

The design of the closure mechanism can determine whether the front panel flap folds in last or whether the rear panel flap folds in last or can be constructed so that either engaging member can be chosen to fold in last. This has no effect on the forming of the compartments. This decision is the responsibility of the carton purchaser (product manufacturer) in instructing the carton manufacturer to produce the tooling accordingly.

As there are no slots or cuts in the outside walls of the carton in the retail outlets the pack is"tamper-proof".

The present invention can be printed according to existing methods.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a reclosable carton comprising front, rear and side panels ; the side panels being configured to deform when the front and rear panels are brought together, such that one or more holding areas are created between an inside face of the side panel and an inside face of one of the front or rear panels, the one or more holding areas having an increased holding effect as the front and rear panels are brought closer together, wherein the front and rear panels are each provided with a flap at a top portion thereof, and wherein in a closure

operation, the front and rear panels are movable together and the flaps are positionable in a common said holding area.

The one or more holding areas are arranged to grip the flaps together in position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a reclosable carton comprising front, rear and side panels ; the side panels being configured to deform at a top portion of the carton when the front and rear panels are brought together, such that the interior space within the top portion of the carton is provided with one or more abutment surfaces projecting inwardly at the sides of the carton, wherein the front and rear panels are each provided with a flap at a top portion thereof, and wherein in a closure operation, the front and rear panel flaps are provided in the interior of the carton to thereby form two compartments defined by the inside surfaces of each of the front and rear panels and their associated flaps, wherein said one or more abutment surfaces are arranged not to project into one of said two compartments.

The present invention also provides a blank for forming the carton according to the present invention. The present invention is formed from the blank as is conventional by joining various areas of the carton blank to each other. This can occur both in carton manufacture and machine packing.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows a plan view of a blank of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an external view of a carton formed from the blank shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic view of the formed carton showing all main

panels (including those which cannot be seen from the front) formed from the blank shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a plan top view of the carton shown in Figures 2 and 3 once it has been originally opened; Figure 5 shows a plan top view of the carton shown in Figure 4 undergoing a re-closing operation; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the carton after it has been originally opened and then re-closed ; Figure 7 shows an internal plan view from underneath of the carton showing the inside components of the top portion of the carton in a re-closed state; Figure 8 shows a plan view of an alternative carton blank ; Figure 9 shows a plan view of an alternative carton blank ; and Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the carton of the present invention partially into the re-closing operation.

Referring to Figure 1, a blank 100 of the present invention is formed from a planar sheet of solid board cardboard (or acetate/plastic) and comprises four main panels, including a front panel 1, a rear panel 2 and two side panels 3.

At the top portion of these panels are provided associated flaps 21,22, 23 and 23 which form four engaging members of the closure device and the top of the carton.

The base of the carton is formed from four flaps 7. A glue seam 4 on the side facilitates formation of the carton 200 from the blank 100 as shown in Figure 2.

Flaps 21,22, 23 and 23 are shown in Figure 1 in an unfolded position. In this regard, flap 21 has a crease 11 along its length to facilitate re-closure of the carton. The crease allows the flap 21 to be bent over and thereby be angled favourably for insertion into the carton as described more fully below.

Flaps 23 are creased with a score pattern 10 as shown in Figure 1, to allow inward folding, following the crease or score pattern 5 afforded to the collapsible or compressible side panels.

The crease pattern 5 on the relatively narrow side panels 3 allows the carton to deform at the top, into the shape required for the re-closure. In particular, the top portion of the side panels can deform inwardly as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and as described more fully below.

The creases 5 may be straight or curved as shown in the figures. The glue seam 4 can itself include a score pattern adjustment 6 to allow the carton to fold at this point easily. It will be understood that the creases shown could be replaced by combinations of scores or cuts to assist make up.

A carton 200 of the present invention formed from the blank 100 shown in Figure 1, is shown in Figures 2 and 3 and is initially prepared from the blank 100 as follows.

As shown in Figure 3 the flaps 21,22, 23,23 and the base 7 are folded inwards at 90 degrees along crease lines 8 and 9 and fixed for example by gluing forming a rectangular carton. This is the configuration in which the carton with product inside will be initially sold.

Figure 4 shows a view looking into the top of the carton once it has been initially opened. Front and rear panel flaps 21 and 22 have been folded outwards and flaps 23 are at 90 degrees to the carton sides 3.

Figure 5 shows the commencement of make up of the re-closure device. Rear

panel flap 22 is folded inward across crease 8 so that it projects downwardly into the interior of the carton. It is arranged to face the inside surface of the adjacent rear panel 2.

In this way, and as shown in Figures 7 and 10, there is formed a first compartment 17 between the rear panel 2 and the rear panel flap 22. This compartment is used to cover the top portion of a bag (provided within the interior of the carton for holding product) in use. In this respect, side panel flaps 23 are shown folded inward across crease 13 against the inside surface of the side panels 3.

As shown in Figure 10, the side panels 3 at the top of the carton are pushed inwards according to the configuration of creases 5. The top of the carton is shown as being compressed or collapsed together. To re-close the carton, front panel flap 21 is pushed into the channel or apertures 20 defined by the deformed side panels 3 and their flaps 23 and the inwardly folded rear panel flap 22. In Figure 10 the rear panel flap 22 and the lower portion of the front panel flap 21 are shown in phantom lines as they would not be visible, being within the interior of the carton. The front panel flap 21 may include a crease 11 along its length to allow the leading edge of the flap to be angled for insertion into the channel 20.

When front panel flap 21 is pressed fully into the channel 20, the carton 300 shown in Figure 6 is formed. As shown in Figure 4, the front panel flap can have a tapered profile as shown to afford an"interference-fit"with the channel 20 when top edges of the front and rear panels are adjacent with one another, in other words when the carton is re-closed. Hence, when the front panel flap 21 is pushed in fully, an"interference-fit"is attained, the front panel flap being wedged in position at that point against the opening force of the deformed side panels 3.

A second relatively larger compartment 16 is formed in the interior of the carton, and is defined by a top portion of the front panel 1, the inside surface

of the front panel flap 21 and the deformed side panels flaps 23.

In this regard, the deformed side panel flaps 23 and side panels act as abutment surfaces which project into the larger compartment 16 and against which the insides surface of the front panel flap 21 can abut.

Figure 6 hence shows a view of the outside of the carton 300 having undergone the re-closure operation. All flaps 21,22, 23 and 23 are folded internally within the top of the carton and the carton is held in a secure formation. The combination of the flaps 21,22, 23 and 23 pressing against each other together with the side panels 3 deformed at their top according to crease pattern 5 generates cooperating and opposing forces securing the closure device closed.

The pack provides a pleasing aesthetic appearance.

Referring to Figure 7 there is shown an internal view of the made up carton 300 shown in Figure 6 from the blank 100 shown in Figure 1. The base is shown folded back along crease lines 9 to show the formation of the re- closure device at the top of the pack. The side panels 3 of the carton are compressed and shaped according to the crease lines 5 on either side. Side panel flaps 3 have a crease pattern 10 that overlies the shape of crease pattern 5. The two compartments formed 16 and 17 are on either side of the touching engaging flaps 21 and 22. The smaller of the compartments 17 can be used to compress the sides of an open bag together to thereby seal the bag. In order to assist in the location of such a bag under the flap 22, the bag may be affixed to the inside surface of the carton at a position which will locate under the flap 22. For example a line of suitable adhesive running parallel to the top edge of panel 2 may be used to fix one side of the bag in the carton. The line of adhesive may further create a raised ridge which can assist to pinch the bag to seal it when the carton is re-closed.

Figure 8 shows a plan view of an alternative carton blank 400 where either

engaging flaps 18 or 19 can be folded in first. In this embodiment both engaging flaps have the characteristics to perform the functions of either of the flaps 21 or 22 as shown in Figures 1 to 7.

Figure 9 shows a plan view of an alternative blank 500 where glue seam 4 is attached to side panel 15. The blank 500 is substantially identical to the blank 100 shown in Figure 1.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the blanks 100,500, 400 and cartons 200,300 will have printed material on the outer surface.

It will be understood that the embodiments illustrated describe the invention only for the purpose of illustration. In practice, the invention may be applied to many different configurations, the detailed embodiments being straightforward for those skilled in the art to implement.