Method for forming a carton with integral handle

Claim 1

The method for forming a carton from a single blank of foldable material said blank consisting of a plurality of side walls connected together along fold lines to form a rectangular carton body portion, top closure flaps foldably attached to the upper edges of the respective side walls and bottom closure flaps foldably attached tO the lower edges of the respective side walls, said top closure flaps being arranged in pairs and attached to adjacent side walls and including diagonal sore lines which emanate from the intersection of the fold lines between the two adjacent side walls and the foldable connection between the paired top closure flaps and the adjacent side walls, said diagonal score lines forming paired handle flap portions and top flap portions of the top closure flaps, said handle flap portions being further attached to one another along a fold line which is substantially a continuation of the fold line connecting the two adjacent side walls together, the improvement comprising the method for closing said carton and automatically aligning the handle flap portions in an upright position wherein: a. the first step for securing the top of the carton comprises the simultaneous folding of two opposed top flap portions into a closed condition about the fold lines connecting said top flap portions to the carton side walls to initiate a reverse fold along the diagonal score of each top closure flap and thereby bring the handle portions thereof into upstanding, side-by-side relationship; and, b. a second step wherein the remaining top flap portions are folded into a closed condition about the lines connecting said top flap portions to the carton side walls to initiate reverse folds along the diagonal score of each remaining top closure flap and thereby bring the handle portions thereof into upstanding, side-by-side relationship.

Claim 2

The method for forming a carton from a single blank of foldable material said blank consisting of a plurality of side walls connected together along fold lines to form a rectangular carton body portion, top closure flaps foldably attached to the upper edges of the respective side walls and bottom closure flaps foldably attached tO the lower edges of the respective side walls, said top closure flaps being arranged in pairs and attached to adjacent side walls and including diagonal sore lines which emanate from the intersection of the fold lines between the two adjacent side walls and the foldable connection between the paired top closure flaps and the adjacent side walls, said diagonal score lines forming paired handle flap portions and top flap portions of the top closure flaps, said handle flap portions being further attached to one another along a fold line which is substantially a continuation of the fold line connecting the two adjacent side walls together, the improvement comprising the method for closing said carton and automatically aligning the handle flap portions in an upright position wherein: a. the first step for securing the top of the carton comprises the simultaneous folding of two opposed top flap portions into a closed condition about the fold lines connecting said top flap portions to the carton side walls to initiate a reverse fold along the diagonal score of each top closure flap and thereby bring the handle portions thereof into upstanding, side-by-side relationship; and, b. a second step wherein the remaining top flap portions are folded into a closed condition about the lines connecting said top flap portions to the carton side walls to initiate reverse folds along the diagonal score of each remaining top closure flap and thereby bring the handle portions thereof into upstanding, side-by-side relationship.

Claim 4

The method for forming a carton from a single blank of foldable material said blank consisting of a plurality of side walls connected together along fold lines to form a rectangular carton body portion, top closure flaps foldably attached to the upper edges of the respective side walls and bottom closure flaps foldably attached to the lower edges of the respective side walls, said top closure flaps being arranged in pairs and attached to adjacent side walls and including diagonal score lines which emanate from the intersection of the fold lines between the two adjacent side walls and the foldable connection between the paired top closure flaps and the adjacent side walls, said diagonal socre lines forming paired handle flap portions and top flap portions of the top closure flaps, said handle flap portions being further attached to one another along a fold line which is substantially a continuation of the fold line connecting the two adjacent side walls together, the improvement comprising the method for closing said carton and automatically aligning the handle flap portions in an upright position wherein: a. the first step for securing the top of the carton comprises holding two adjacent handle flap portions together and pushing downwardly to cause the attached top flap portions to simultaneously fold downwardly along the fold lines which connect the top closure flaps to the adjacent side walls; and, b. secondly, grasping the remaining two adjacent handle flap portions together and pushing downwardly to cause the remaining two adjacent handle flap portions to fold in an overlapping relationship with the first two handle flap portions and cause the attached top flap portions to simultaneously fold downwardly along the fold lines which connect the remaining top closure flaps to the adjacent side walls and overlie the first folded top flaps.

Claim 5

The method for forming a carton from a single blank of foldable material said blank consisting of a plurality of side walls connected together along fold lines to form a rectangular carton body portion, top closure flaps foldably attached to the upper edges of the respective side walls and bottom closure flaps foldably attached to the lower edges of the respective side walls, said top closure flaps being arranged in pairs and attached to adjacent side walls and including diagonal score lines which emanate from the intersection of the fold lines between the two adjacent side walls and the foldable connection between the paired top closure flaps and the adjacent side walls, said diagonal socre lines forming paired handle flap portions and top flap portions of the top closure flaps, said handle flap portions being further attached to one another along a fold line which is substantially a continuation of the fold line connecting the two adjacent side walls together, the improvement comprising the method for closing said carton and automatically aligning the handle flap portions in an upright position wherein: a. the first step for securing the top of the carton comprises holding two adjacent handle flap portions together and pushing downwardly to cause the attached top flap portions to simultaneously fold downwardly along the fold lines which connect the top closure flaps to the adjacent side walls; and, b. secondly, grasping the remaining two adjacent handle flap portions together and pushing downwardly to cause the remaining two adjacent handle flap portions to fold in an overlapping relationship with the first two handle flap portions and cause the attached top flap portions to simultaneously fold downwardly along the fold lines which connect the remaining top closure flaps to the adjacent side walls and overlie the first folded top flaps.