Beverage container with straw hole

Claim 2

In a unitary folded beverage container formed of a single ply of fibrous carton forming material and having a gable top formed by upwardly converging front and rear top walls, means forming a straw opening therein, said means comprising spaced apart score lines formed in said single ply material in an outer surface of said front top wall and extending a substantial distance downward from an upper edge thereof, said score lines being cut through the single ply material of said front wall to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent the thickness of said single ply, and a closed score line formed on an inner surface of said front wall at a position beneath and between said spaced apart score lines, said closed score line likewise being cut through said single ply material to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent the thickness of said single ply, the combined depth of said closed and spaced apart score lines being greater than the thickness of said single ply and sufficient to provide a zone of overlap in said single ply materiAl, said spaced apart score lines forming a tear strip therebetween which upon being pulled downwardly from said upper edge of the carton causes all of the single ply material within said closed score line to be pulled outwardly therewith to provide a strawhole.

Claim 3

A beverage container as in claim 1 wherein the walls thereof, including said upwardly converging front and rear top walls, are formed of a fibrous material coated with a water resistant coating.

Claim 4

a plurality of transverse substantially parallel fold lines which are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal fold lines and which divide each of said wall panels into four smaller panels, said smaller panels including in sequence from one edge of the blank a bottom panel, a side panel, a top panel, and a closure panel, each of two non-adjacent ones of said top panels being provided with a pair of fold lines which extend from the adjacent side panel and intersect at the edges of the adjacent closure panel, each of two non-adjacent ones of said bottom panels being provided with a pair of fold lines which extend from the adjacent side panel and intersect at an edge of the blank, the improvement comprising score lines in said single ply of material forming a pull tab with a straw opening therein, said score lines including spaced apart score lines formed in one of the two remaining non-adjacent top panels and its adjacent closure panel and on the same side of the blank as said fold lines, said score lines being cut through the single ply material of said blank to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of said single ply material and extending a substantial distance inward from an outer edge thereof, and a closed score line formed on the reverse side of the single ply material of said blank containing said spaced apart score lines, said closed score line being positioned on said reverse side between said spaced apart score lines, said closed score line likewise being cut to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent the thickness of the single ply material of said blank, said closed and spaced apart score lines being cut to a combined depth exceeding the thickness of said single ply material so as to be sufficient to provide a zone of overlap in said single ply material, said spaced apart score lines defining a tear strip adapted to remove 40 to 75 percent of the wall thickness of the panel therebetween together with the entire thickness of the wall panel enclosed within said closed score line.

Claim 5

a plurality of transverse substantially parallel fold lines which are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal fold lines and which divide each of said wall panels into four smaller panels, said smaller panels including in sequence from one edge of the blank a bottom panel, a side panel, a top panel, and a closure panel, each of two non-adjacent ones of said top panels being provided with a pair of fold lines which extend from the adjacent side panel and intersect at the edges of the adjacent closure panel, each of two non-adjacent ones of said bottom panels being provided with a pair of fold lines which extend from the adjacent side panel and intersect at an edge of the blank, the improvement comprising score lines in said single ply of material forming a pull tab with a straw opening therein, said score lines including spaced apart score lines formed in one of the two remaining non-adjacent top panels and its adjacent closure panel and on the same side of the blank as said fold lines, said score lines being cut through the single ply material of said blank to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of said single ply material and extending a substantial distance inward from an outer edge thereof, and a closed score line formed on the reverse side of the single ply material of said blank containing said spaced apart score lines, said closed score line being positioned on said reverse side between said spaced apart score lines, said closed score line likewise being cut to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent the thickness of the single ply material of said blank, said closed and spaced apart score lines being cut to a combined depth exceeding the thickness of said single ply material so as to be sufficient to provide a zone of overlap in said single ply material, said spaced apart score lines defining a tear strip adapted to remove 40 to 75 percent of the wall thickness of the panel therebetween together with the entire thickness of the wall panel enclosed within said closed score line.

Claim 6

A beverage container as in claim 2 wherein said score lines penetrate said water resistant coating.

Claim 7

A beverage container as in claim 1 wherein an upper portion of said converging rear top wall has been removed at a position between said spaced apart score lines in the front top wall, to thereby provide ready access to said tear strip.

Claim 8

A beverage container as in claim 1 wherein said spaced apart score lines, at a position above said closed score line, are substantially parallel and extend in a generally vertical direction.

Claim 9

A beverage container as in claim 1 wherein said closed score line is generally circular in configuration.

Claim 10

A unitary folded beverage container formed of a single ply of carton forming material comprising a rectangular body portion having four side walls, a substantially planar folded and sealed bottom and a folded and sealed peak top formed by upwardly converging front and rear top walls, upper portions of said front and rear top walls being secured to one another in generally vertical relationship with a portion of the rear top wall being removed to provide an exposed tab portion of said front top wall, score lines formed in an outer surface of said front top wall and extending from spaced apart positions on either side of said tab portion a substantial distance downward from an upper edge thereof, said downwardly extending spaced apart score lines being cut through the single ply material of said front wall to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of the thickness of said single ply material, and a closed score line formed on an inner surface of said front top wall at a position beneath and between said spaced apart score line, said closed score line likewise being cut through said single ply material to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of the thickness of said single ply material, the combined depth of said spaced apart and closed score lines being greater than the thickness of said single ply material and sufficient to provide a zone of overlap within the material of said front top wall, said spaced apart score lines forming a tear strip which upon being pulled down and outward from the top of the container causes 40 to 75 percent of the single ply material with said closed score line to be removed to provide a strawhole.

Claim 11

A unitary folded beverage container formed of a single ply of carton forming material comprising a rectangular body portion having four side walls, a substantially planar folded and sealed bottom and a folded and sealed peak top formed by upwardly converging front and rear top walls, upper portions of said front and rear top walls being secured to one another in generally vertical relationship with a portion of the rear top wall being removed to provide an exposed tab portion of said front top wall, score lines formed in an outer surface of said front top wall and extending from spaced apart positions on either side of said tab portion a substantial distance downward from an upper edge thereof, said downwardly extending spaced apart score lines being cut through the single ply material of said front wall to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of the thickness of said single ply material, and a closed score line formed on an inner surface of said front top wall at a position beneath and between said spaced apart score line, said closed score line likewise being cut through said single ply material to a depth of the order of 40 to 75 percent of the thickness of said single ply material, the combined depth of said spaced apart and closed score lines being greater than the thickness of said single ply material and sufficient to provide a zone of overlap within the material of said front top wall, said spaced apart score lines forming a tear strip which upon being pulled down and outward from the top of the container causes 40 to 75 percent of the single ply material with said closed score line to be removed to provide a strawhole.

Claim 12

In a unitary foldable blank for a beverage container formed of a single ply of fibrous carton-forming material, said blank being provided with the following:

Claim 13

In a unitary foldable blank for a beverage container formed of a single ply of fibrous carton-forming material, said blank being provided with the following:

Claim 14

A foldable blank for a beverage container as in claim 8 formed of a single sheet of fiber board material coated on either side with a water resistant coating.

Claim 15

A foldable blank for a beverage container as in claim 9 wherein said water resistant coating is a relatively thin film of polyethylene, said film being penetrated at least in part said score lines.