Severable carton with sterile edge

Claim 1

A sterilized paperboard carton for use in hospitals and the like comprising a plurality of rectangular side panels connected together to form a tube having a substantially constant cross section throughout the length thereof, one of said panels comprising overlapping panel portions, an end closure attached to said panels to close and seal each end of said carton, a continuous cut line formed in said side panels to divide said carton into separable sections, a removable tape adhesively secured over said cut line and to underlying surface portions of said paperboard carton, and means on said carton, including a fiber tearing bond formed between said tape and said underlying surface portions of said panels and a tab formed on one of said panel portions joining said panel surface portions by an offset portion of said continuous cut line and extending at least in part past a superimposed portion of said other panel portion in a direction transverse to said continuous cut line, positioned adjacent to sAid cut line and beneath said tape for forming sterile edge portions completely around said carton on at least one of said sections upon removal of said tape for preventing the contamination of a sterilized item when it is removed from said carton upon separation thereof.