US1992184A - Package - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 26, 1935. J, L BURKE "1,992,184

PACKAGE Filed Nov. 1, 19.32

.Patented Feb. 26, 1935 l PACKAGE James L.,Burke, Weehawken, N. J., assignor to Modern Wrappers, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 1, 1932, Serial No. 640,603

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) My present invention relates primarily to the art of packaging and particularly to small-individual packs containing blocks of hard or plastic substance such asA food products, like lumps of l sugar, cakes of icecream, butter, yeast, bouillon cubes, caramels, medicaments and the like;

An object of the invention is to aord a pack which shall not only adequately protect the contents, but which shall be easy to open instantly, without the need of prying the nger nails under a sealed flap or digging into the contents.

Another object is to provide a pack of the above type, devoid of protruding arms or elements apt to be torn E, and which, ,in general appearance, shall be conventional and capable of being produced by the high speedy automatic packaging machinery of the type now commonly used.

In the accompanying drawing, in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pack according to one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modied form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a further modification;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the wrapper for a still further modification, and;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of said latter modification.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1, a small and generally rectangular pack, particularly suitable for enclosing such articles as lumps, blocks or pats of sugar, yeast, caramel candy, bouillon cubes or the like.

The lump, block or pat in this case is enclosed in an ordinary rectangular wrapper 10 which may be of metal foil and includes complementary top aps 11 and 12, which may abut or preferably overlap at edge 13, each of said top flaps having integral extensions 1li and 15, respectively at opposite endsoverlapping the ends of the content and infolded in llaps 16 to lap thereover. As thus far described, the pack is an ordinary rectangular package wrapped in a rectangular Wrapper.

According to the present invention, a paster P, which ordinarily would be a label, of area-slightly smaller than the peripheral area of the pack, is adhesively connected to the lupper aps 11 and 12. Such connection is by two lines or dabs of adhesive 17 and 18 extending generally lengthwise of the respective flaps and securing correspending portions of the label directly to the respective flaps without securing the respective flaps to each other.

The label is transversely weakened by a line of scoring as at 20 preferably between the adhesive areas and preferably along the free edge 13 of the upper flap. The opposite edges of the label are also free of adhesiveconnection as at 21 and 22, with respect to thecorresponding aps;

The pack is substantially as secure as packs commonly made of this general type. For opening the pack, the 'user merely grasps the opposite free ends 2l and 22 of the paster, each between the thumb and the forenger, and while contacting the opposite face of the pack with the middle fingers draws the ends of the paster or label apart. By this action the label becomes severed along the transverse line of scoring, or weakening 2Q, and thev wrapper is drawn away from the contents and immediately opens, allowing the contents to drop onto a plate or into a glass, as the case may be.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 is generally similar to that of Fig. 1, corresponding reference numerals being applied to corresponding parts, but bearingexponent a. In this case, the label or paster is adhesively connected substantially throughout its area as at 18a, with respect to one of the flaps, While the other part of thelabel beyond the weakened line 20a, is adhesively connected only in the general vicinity of said weakened line as at 17a, leaving the end or edge portion 21a of said label or paster free.,

In opening the latter pack, the operator grasps the package in one hand at the left end thereof, and grasps only the free end 21a of the label, whichthus forms a iinger tab, between the thumb and forenger, and pulls thereon, thereby immediately opening the pack at the right end thereof, and then the contents may be allowed to drop from the sheath formed by the left end of the pack.

The pack just described, it Will be understood, is not particularly adapted to plastic contents. It is more suitable for enclosing lumps of sugar and other hard 'non-sticking articles which Will readily drop from the pack or sheath at the left end ofthe pack.v

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, similar parts bear the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 with exponent b. In the case, the label or paster P--b is adhesively connected to the opposite aps 11b and 12b substantially throughout the area of said label as at 17h and l8b except only at the median portion thereof adjacent the transverse line of weakening 20h. This pack is more .especially suitable for a crumbly or brittle plastic content, such as a yeast cake. In this embodiment, the user simply grasps the cake at opposite ends between the thumb and forefinger of the respective hands and breaks the cake in two, the label breaking along the weakened line 20h and rendering the contents immediately accessible.

In the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5, the wrapper is substantially identical with that of Fig. 1, corresponding parts bearing the same numerals with exponent c. The wrapper in this case has integral tabs and 26, protruding from opposite ends thereof. These tabs are creased as at 27 and 28 to extend outwardly away from each other above the respective aps 11c and 12e.

While the pack of Figs. 4 and 5 is suitable for any of the various types of content above referred to, it is particularly useful for individual packs of ice creamor butter pats or other substance of a nature'to which paper or foil has a tendency to adhere and in which it is especially important that the fingers shall not touch the contents.

To open this embodiment, the user grasps the two tabs 25 and 26, each between the forenger and the thumb of one hand, and while applying the middle ngers at the opposite face of the ilap, draws the two tabs apart. The wrapper thereby becomes progressively stripped from olf the contents and the aps as they are drawn apart automatically open up the end folded portions of the wrapper and the content readily drops out therefrom into the glass, cup or plate, as the case may be. Preferably, the roots of tabs 25 and 26 are as at 25' and 26', to avoid any possibility of tearing off the ap in the process of opening the pack, which might occur, if the ap were devoid of such flare and weak paper stock were used.

While in the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5, Ihave shown a complete wrapper with end flaps, it will be understood that with a pack of butter and certain other articles, it is sometimes preferred, instead of using a complete wrapper, to use merely a band which encircle-s the lateral faces of the content but leaves the ends exposed.

It will also be understood that while it is ordinarily preferred to prepare the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 with opposite tabs 25 and 26, it would be within the scope of the invention to use a tab at only one end of the wrapper or band and to strip the wrapper or band from the content by pull on said one tab, `holding the opposite end of y the package on the other hand, while performing such stripping or pulling operation.

The features relating to the blank and the manner of folding it as shown in Figs. 4 and v5 is described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 2143, led Jan. 17, 1935, that application being a continuation in part of the present case.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described an article in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which article in its action attains the various objects of the invention and' is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently Widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not :in a limiting sense.

I claimz- 1. A box-shape pack including a wrapper having complementary flaps at one face of .the pack, and a paster adhesively secured to said aps having a transverse weakened line parallel to two edges of said flaps, said paster having its periphery within the peripheral line of the pack and having its opposite edges free'to serve as finger tabs.

2. A'boX-shape pack includinga wrapper having complementary flaps at one. face of the pack, and a paster adhesively secured to said flaps having a transverse weakened line parallel to two edges of said flaps, said paster having its periphery within the peripheral line of the pack, said paster rigidly secured to the respective flaps and free from adhesive connection to said flaps at said line of weakening and at said two edges, thereby to afford finger tabs.

3. A box-shaped pack, including a wrapper enclosing the block, with complementary flaps at one face of the block, a paster adhesively connected to the respective naps and along areas materially sm'aller than the area of said paster, leaving substantially free from connection with respect to said flaps the opposite end areas ofV said paster, which afford finger grips, said paster having transversely weakened scoring between the adhesive areas of connection to the respective flaps.

JAMES L. BURKE..

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