US2288914A - Container - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1942. c. z. MONROE CONTAINER Filed June 9, i939 I 1 ll lilllllL-lllllllll Patented July 7, 1942 CONTAINER Charles Z. Monroe, Detroit, Mich assignor to The American Paper Bottle Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 9, 1939, Serial No. 278,334 2 Claims. (01. 229-17) This invention relates to paper containers of the type employed in the packaging, transportation and distribution of liquids.

The paper container has of recent years become an important instrumentality in the distribution of all types of commodities and is now widely used in the dispensing of liquids such as milk, having been found to have many points mentioned patent, the tubular body is surmounted by a folded end closure and a metallic staple is employed as a securing means to prevent possible accidental opening of this end closure. By reason of the presence of the staple, intended opening of the container is rendered more difficult, it being necessary to remove the staple by means of a knife or other instrument before the folded panels of the end closure can be unfolded with respect to each other.

In order to facilitate opening of such a container and the discharge of its contents, it has heretofore been proposed that a pouring opening be formed in the container wall and which is normally closed by means of a tab or tabs and sealed with paraffin or like substance so that, in

order to effect discharge of the liquid contents of the container, it is only necessary to lift the tab or tabs, thus disclosing the pouring opening.

This invention relates more particularly to a container having an improved type of means for facilitating the discharge of its contents. In the manufacture of a blank which is to eventually be folded into the form of a container such as contemplated, one portion thereof is incised to form an access tab, the edges of the tab being defined by cuts formed in the paper wall of the container except for one edge, which edge remains uncut and comprises a hinge about which the tab may be swung or displaced to disclose an opening. Subsequently to the formation of the blank and the incision which defines the access tab just referred to, a paper sheet, which may be rectangular, is secured to that surface of the blank which is eventually to comprise the inner surface of the container, this paper sheet underlying -the tab defined by the incisions in the container wall and being adhesively secured to the wall surface continuously around this container tab. Formed centrally in the sheet which underlies the outer tab is a second or inner tab of considerably smaller size than the outerr-tab and hingedly connected to the covering sheet along one uncut edge, the hinged connection between the inner tab and sheet directly underlying the hinged connection between the outer tab and the container wall and the two tabs being secured together by means of an adhesive so as to be simultaneously movable. The inner surface of the outer or container tab is not otherwise adhesively secured to the outer surface of the underlying sheet so that the outer tab, and hence both tabs, may be readily lifted.

By the construction just described, a. very satisfactory closure is realized. The aperture in the attached sheet is normally closed by the inner tab, may be shaped as desired, and may be, within limits, of any selected area to secure the best results in the pouring of liquids. The outer tab which comprises portion of the container wall protects the edges of. the pouring opening in the attached sheet and prevents these edges from becoming contaminated. The blank may be fabricated at but slight cost and the container ultimately fabricated therefrom is attractive in appearance, sanitary, and may be readily opened without the use of tools. In the event that its contents are only partially discharged at any one time, the pouring opening may be closed. by downwardly pressing the access tabs into their original positions.

In the drawing one form of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows in plan one of the novel blanks from which a container may be formed;

Figure 2 shows in perspective the completed container, closed and sealed;

Figure 3 is a similar view of the container but showing both the inner and outer tabs lifted to disclose the discharge opening; I

Figure 4 is a plan view of the attachment sheet, to be secured to the blank; and

Figure 5 is a view of portion of the inner surface of the blank showing the attachment sheet secured thereto.

The blank l0 itself need not be described in.

detail and it may be stated that it is preferably formed from a web of paper by a stamping and scoring tool by means of which its margins are severed from the blank and it is divided by scorings, such as indicated at ll, into a plurality of relatively foldable panels. During the blank forming operation a portion thereof is cut .or incised along the parallel lines 12 and the curved connecting line 13 to form the tab M, this tab remaining connected to the body of the blank by an uncut portion at its upper edge, which portion comprises the hinge about which the blank may be lifted. The tab is not defined by continuously incised lines I2 and E3, the lines 82 preferably comprising a series of short aligned incisions separated by narrow necks or webs of paper by means of which the tab is normally retained in position. The lower edge of the tab may be more completely separated from the body of the container along the line l3, if desired, in

,order that the tearing operation may be more readily started at this point. The exact form and arrangement of the incisions, however, may be varied to suit particular circumstances and it is only necessary that the outer tab id be of relatively large size and be so formed that it may be readily lifted from the position in which it is shown in Figure 2 to the position in which it is shown in Figure 3.

The attachment sheet i is rectangular and before being applied to the blank Hi, the tab it is formed by cutting or incising the sheet along the lines ii and 18. This tab is of smaller size than the tab 5 5, as is apparent. By means of shading in Figures 4 and 5, the extent to which the surface of the sheet i5 is coated with an adhesive is indicated. After the application of such a coating, the sheet is applied to the blank Ml so as to underlie tab M, as indicated in Figure 1, the margins of the attached sheet iii being continuously attached tothe surface of the blank it around the tab M and the surface of tab it being adhesively attached to the unclersurface of tab it, as aforesaid. When this has been done, the marginal flap 29 of blank id is adhesively secured to the opposite margin of the blank, the blank being thus made tubular. Preferably by means of automatically acting mechanism, the blank is squared out, its bottom is closed and sealed, it is given a coating, both inside and outside, with paraflin or like leakproofing substance, is charged with liquid, closed at the top, sealed and stapled. A consumer may readily open it by lifting the tab M, tearing the margins of this tab loose from the body of the container and breaking the paraflin seal, the paraflin having penetrated and filled all of the incisions made in the formation of both the inner and outer tabs and effectively sealed these incisions. Lifting of the tabs, of course, discloses the pouring aperture and the contents of the container may be readily discharged.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A container comprising a paper sheet divided by scorings into panels, the panels being disposed and secured in angular relationship to each other in such manner that the container is liquidtight and self-supporting, a portion of the container wall being incised to define an access tab permanently connected to the wall along an uncut portion which comprises a hinge about which the tab may be lifted, a separately formed paper sheet within the container and underlying said access tab, said sheet being of substantially greater area than said tab and the margin thereof being adhesively secured to the inner surface of the container continuously around the access tab, said sheet also being incised to define an access tab hingedly connected thereto along one uncut edge, said last mentioned or inner tab being substantially smaller than the first mentioned or outer tab, and secured to said outer tab by an adhesive so as to be lifted when the outer tab is lifted, the outer tab being otherwise unattached to said sheet.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the outer tab is defined by a discontinuous incision and the inner tab by a continuous incision, whereby both tabs are retained in the said openings respectively until the outer tab incision is made continuous by tearing.

CHARLES Z. MONROE.

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