Carton

Claim 2

A carton erected from a sUbstantially rectangular blank of carton-forming material and comprising, in its erected condition, a tubular body, the cross-section of which changes as a smooth and stepless progression from a parallelogrammic section at one (''''first'''') end to an oval-bail shaped section at the other (''''second'''') end and which body tapers in front-to-back depth progressively from its second to its first end; means closing the first end of the body, which means includes at least one flap hinged on an end edge at said end; and means closing the second end of the body, which means includes at least one flap hinged on an end edge at said end.

Claim 3

The carton according to claim 1 in which in its erected condition the means closing the first end comprises a first flap hinged on one end edge at the first end of the tubular body; a second flap hinged on the end edge at the first end of the tubular body opposite that end edge carrying the first flap; a third flap hinged to a third end edge at the first end of the tubular body and underlying the said first and second flaps; a tab-receiving opening in the centre of the first end of the tubular body defined between the said first, second and third flaps; a fourth flap hinged to the fourth end edge at the first end of the tubular body and overlying the said first and second flaps; a tab carried by the fourth flap and extending into the tab-receiving opening thereby releasably locking the flaps to close the first end of the tubular body.

Claim 4

The carton according to claim 1 in which the end edges at the second end of the tubular body are both concavely arcuate and in which in its erected condition the means closing the second end comprises a first oval-bail shaped flap hinged along one end edge at the second end of the tubular body; a second oval-bail shaped flap hinged along the other end edge at the second end of the tubular body to overlie the said first flap; and means retaining the second flap in the closing position.

Claim 5

The carton according to claim 3 in which the means retaining the second flap in the closing position comprises an opening of triangular shape in a wall of the tubular body; and a neck-and-headed tab carried by the second oval-bail shaped flap and deformable normal to its own plane for insertion into the said opening.

Claim 6

The carton according to claim 3 in which the means retaining the second flap in the closing position comprises a slot extending along a portion of the hinge between the first oval-bail-shaped flap and its adjacent end edge; and a planar tab hinged to the second oval-bail shaped flap for insertion into the said slot.

Claim 7

A carton according to claim 1 erected from a blank of carton-forming material.

Claim 8

A blank of carton-forming material for erection into a carton as defined in claim 1, which blank comprises a first elongate portion, having parallel side edges, to constitute a first major wall of the tubular body; a second elongate portion, having parallel side edges, to constitute an opposed major wall of the tubular body, said second portion being hinged along one of its side edges to the first portion; means for securing together said first and second portions along their free edges to form a sleeve; means for closing and maintaining one end of said sleeve in a parallelogrammic shape, said means including at least one flap hinged to a corresponding end edge of one of said first and second portions; and means for closing and maintaining the other end of said sleeve in an oval-bail shape, said means including at least one flap hinged to a corresponding end edge of one of said first and second portions.