Molded pulp egg carton

Claim 2

A carton comprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls, at least a pair of covers for opening and closing an end of said carton body opposite said bottom wall, each of said covers including a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels being hingeably connected to an associated one of each of said sidewalls, the others of said side panels being in generally opposed relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, a connecting panel between one of said other side panels and an adjacent one of said end panels, said connecting panel including means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said pair of covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, and said facilitating means is a generally outwardly opening concave recess defined by a wall of said connecting panel.

Claim 3

The carton as defined in claim 1 wherein said carton is of a molded pulp construction.

Claim 4

A carton comprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls, at least a pair of covers for opening and closing an end of said carton body opposite said bottom wall, each of said covers including a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels being hingeably connected to an associated one of each of said sidewalls, the others of said side panels being in generally opposed relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, a connecting panel between one of said other side panels and an adjacent one of said end panels, said connecting panel including means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said pair of covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, and said facilitating means is a generally triangularly shaped wall of said connecting panel converging toward said top panel.

Claim 5

A carton comprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls, at least a pair of covers for opening and closing an end of said carton body opposite said bottom wall, each of said covers including a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels being hingeably connected to an associated one of each of said sidewalls, the others of said side panels being in generally opposed relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, a connecting panel between one of said other side panels and an adjacent one of said end panels, said connecting panel including means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said pair of covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, and said facilitating means is a generally triangularly shaped wall of said connecting panel converging toward said top panel.

Claim 6

The carton as defined in claim 3 wherein said facilitating means is a generally outwardly opening concave recess defined by a wall of said connecting panel.

Claim 7

A carton coMprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls, at least a pair of covers for opening and closing an end of said carton body opposite said bottom wall, each of said covers including a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels being hingeably connected to an associated one of each of said sidewalls, the others of said side panels being in generally opposed relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, a connecting panel between one of said other side panels and an adjacent one of said end panels, said connecting panel including means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said pair of covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, and said body is divided into a plurality of pairs of generally cup-shaped article receiving compartments with a compartment of each pair of compartments being disposed on opposite sides of a centerline of said body, said compartments each having end body wall portions terminating in respective bottom walls, the end body wall portions of at least one of said pair of compartments being connected to each other across said centerline, and the end body wall portion of at least another of said pair of compartments being unconnected and spaced from one another by a gap across said centerline.

Claim 8

A carton coMprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls, at least a pair of covers for opening and closing an end of said carton body opposite said bottom wall, each of said covers including a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels being hingeably connected to an associated one of each of said sidewalls, the others of said side panels being in generally opposed relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, a connecting panel between one of said other side panels and an adjacent one of said end panels, said connecting panel including means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said pair of covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, and said body is divided into a plurality of pairs of generally cup-shaped article receiving compartments with a compartment of each pair of compartments being disposed on opposite sides of a centerline of said body, said compartments each having end body wall portions terminating in respective bottom walls, the end body wall portions of at least one of said pair of compartments being connected to each other across said centerline, and the end body wall portion of at least another of said pair of compartments being unconnected and spaced from one another by a gap across said centerline.

Claim 9

The carton as defined in claim 5 wherein the connected compartments are connected to each other by a connecting wall portion between the bottom walls thereof and a pair of spaced wall portions joined to each of the connected end body wall portions and to said connecting wall portion.

Claim 10

The carton as defined in claim 5 wherein said carton is of a molded pulp construction.

Claim 11

The carton as defined in claim 6 wherein said carton is of a molded pulp construction.

Claim 12

A carton comprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a pair of end walls, cover means for opening and closing an end of said carton opposite said bottom wall, said cover means including a pair of covers each of which includes a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels of each cover being hingeably connected to an associated one of said sidewalls, the other of said side panels of each cover being in generally adjacent relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, and means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, said facilitating means being defined by opposed wall portions of said adjacent side panels, said opposed wall portions being in generally transverse alignment and being disposed between the end walls of each pair of covers, and said wall portions being directed generally toward each other in an outwardly opening concave configuration.

Claim 13

A carton comprising a carton body having a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a pair of end walls, cover means for opening and closing an end of said carton opposite said bottom wall, said cover means including a pair of covers each of which includes a top panel, a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels, one of said side panels of each cover being hingeably connected to an associated one of said sidewalls, the other of said side panels of each cover being in generally adjacent relationship along a longitudinal centerline of said body, and means for facilitating the introduction of a person''s finger between said covers and the subsequent opening thereof whereby access to the interior of the carton body and articles therein is effected rapidly and efficiently, said facilitating means being defined by opposed wall portions of said adjacent side panels, said opposed wall portions being in generally transverse alignment and being disposed between the end walls of each pair of covers, and said wall portions being directed generally toward each other in an outwardly opening concave configuration.