US1690178A - Container - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 6, 1928.

P. REEVES CONTAINER 2, Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 6, 1928.

I'P.REEVES CONTAINER Filed June 19. 1922 Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE'Q PERCY REEVES, 0F GHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

oonrunnn.

Application filed June 19, 1922. Serial No. 569,330.

of goods and which container is capable of being arranged in expanded or extended.

form for use as a toy or for other purposes. The main idea underlying my invention is the provision of a carton device which is readily convertible from a carton of minimum dimensions and useful for containing various articles, to an ext-ended form useful for exhibition, display or as a toy.

. Preferably the carton is made out of a single sheet of cardboard and is cut and scored in such a manner that it can readily be formed and folded into a box-like form and also cut and scored so that the several portions, flaps or walls can readily be arranged to suitably expand the device into a desired display shape and the parts are so formed that they can readily be secured in such extended or display condition.

While many embodiments of my idea can readily be conceived, I have chosen herein to illustrate my invention in the form of a carton having parts enabling it to be readily expanded to form a Noahs ark. And, I

' have shown the associated animals of a Noahs ark toy as being packed within the carton. As typical merely of my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification, a cardboard box-like carton in which the animals can be packed for storage and shipment and which carton simulates the hull of the ark, the device being provided with attached sections and flaps adapted to be extended and secured in their extended positions to produce the appearance of a completed ark.

One feature of my invention is that the carton with the extensible sections and flaps is adapted to be arranged in a compact condition having flat walls and whereby a plurality of the devices are adapted to be arranged in a suitable case or carton occupying a mini mum of space for shipping purposes.

My invention will be more readily under stood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device shown in its compact condition; I Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the device partly unfolded; a Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device in completed form for use for display or as a toy;

Figure 4 is axvertical cross-sectional view on the line 4-4'0f Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the cut and scored blank for the device.

As best shown in Figure 3 the device illust-rated simulates a Noahs ark having a body portion 1, a peaked roof 2 and end walls 3. The height of the body portion 1, as shown in Figure 8; is substantially double the height necessary for containing the associated parts of the toy such as the animals 4 indicated in Figure 2.

It is a particular object of my invention to so construct the device that it can readily be folded down into a flat box-like form of only suflicient capacity to snugly contain the contents such as the associated parts of a toy, this for the purpose of minimizing or reducing the shipping volume, and in Figure 1, I illustrate the device in such compact folded condition. The device is adapted to be temporarily retained in such compact folded condition by aband 5 formed of a strip of paper such as is now commonly used for sealing packages.

In order to arrange the device so that the container can be readily folded down into the form shown in Figure 1, I make one side 6 of the carton of two equal parts 7 and 8 divided longitudinally by a score line 9. The opposite side 10 of the carton is likewise made of a lower part 11 and an upper part 12 divided by a longitudinal score line 13. As shown in Figure 1, the upper part of each side can be folded down to produceacontainer which is only half as high as the base of thedevice. The roof 2 of the ark is composed of a flap or section 1 1 forming an extension of the part 12 and divided therefrom by a score line 15, a section 16 divided from the section 14 by a score line 17 and an edge flap or section 18 extending from the free edge of the section 16 and divided therefrom by a score line 19. The two sections 14 and 16 form the two sloping sides of the roof 2. The sections 11 and 12 are equal in height to the sections 7 and 8 and the section 18 is adapted to be tucked inside of the section 8 in completing the ark, as best shown in Figure 3, to hold the roof in proper relation.

I preferably make the roof part longer than the body of the box forming gable ends 20 projecting beyond the ends 3 of the box. The ends 3 of the box are each composed of a lower section 21 equal in height to the lower sections 7 and 11 of the sides and an upper section 22 having inclined edges 23 to fit beneath the parts 14 and 16 of the roof and provided on its upper end with a tongue 24 adapted to project through a slot 25 in the roof, as best shown in Figure 3, to hold the upper part 22 of the end rigidly in position and join the ends to the roof. I make the slot 25 in the form of a cut with out removing any material, the out being parallel with the end of the roof and at its ends being turned inwardly as shown at 26 thereby forming, in effect, a short tongue 27 adapted to be curved upwardly when the tongue 24: is pushed through the slit, as best shown in Figure 5, and in position to tight- 'ly bind the tongue 24 to the roof.

For securing. the side parts 7 and 11 to the ends 21, I provide the part 7 with interlocking end tongues 27' one at each end, and I provide the part 11 with similar tongues 28 at its ends and I provide the end parts 21 with suitable slots 29 for receiving these tongues when the bottom part of the body of the ark is formed up as shown in Figure 2. In forming the box for use as a carton, I first form up the lower part of the bodv of the box engaging the tongues in the slots 29 at the corners of the box which is a common construction. The carton is then ready for use to receive its contents. Then the box is closed by first bending over the upper parts 22 of the ends 3 and then folding down thepart 8 of the side 6, then folding the roof parts together as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and folding the roof as a whole down upon the thin flat box already formed, the roof providing a closure for the top of the box. Then the parts can be secured for shipping purposes in their folded condition by means of the band 5 or any other suitable tie.

In opening the box and arranging it to form a display device or a toy, the parts are unfolded in their reverse order and the tongues 24 on the ends 3 are projected through the slots 25 in the, roof and the flap 18 is tucked within the flap 8 thus expanding the container into the toy form shown in Figure 3.

It will now be clear thatthe device serves two important functions; first, when folded down to minimum dimensions serving as a carton, container or packing box, and second when expanded serving as a display device or toy.

As explained hereinbefore, the idea involved in my invention is much broader than the illustration which I have shown and described, which is merely typical of the many ideas which will obviously readily suggest themselves once the idea is understood and consequently I do not desire my invention to be limited to the specific details of construction and the toy herein illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In a device of the kind described, a member made of foldable sheet material and having a permanently formed container portion, attached sections and flaps adapted to be folded down into close relation to the container portion to close same whereby the device serves as a carton and said sections and flaps also adapted to be arranged in extended relation to increase the height of the side walls of the container portion and to provide a peaked top.

2. In a Noahs ark toy, a housing made of a sheet of cardboard cut and scored to be formed up into a housing simulating an ark, the sides and ends having horizontal score marks facilitating the folding down of these parts to form a container substantially onehalf of the normal height of the sides, one side part extended to form the roof of the ark, the ends extended to fill in below the roof and having tongues on their free ends the roof provided with slits for receiving said tongues and a flap on the free edge of the roof part for tucking in behind the opposite side, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a device of the kind described, a cardboard box having a shallow rectanglar body portion and having attached sections adapted to be arranged to make the sides higher, and on one longitudinal edge of the body portion, having a large section attached provided with a score line, adapting it to be bent to form a peaked roof continuous from one side to the other.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of June, 1922.

PERCY REEVES.

Inn

Images