US3133634A - Container assembly - Google Patents

Description

May 19,. 1964 Filed Jan. 15, 1.962

B. BULOVIC CONTRINER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1964 B. BULOVIC 3,133,634

CONTAINER ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,133,634 CONTAIVER ASSEMBLY Bozdar Bulovic, Chicago, IlL, assignor to Wm. Wrigley Jr. ompany,v Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 166,222 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-47) This invention relates to container assemblies, and more particularly to such an assembly embodying a carton for holding items to be dispensed therefrom and a refuse container attached to the carton for support thereby' in use, as well as being collapsible for enclosure within the carton pending use.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a container assembly which is adapted to carry wrapped items, and which embodies a container in which the wrappers may be placed for discard.

Another object of this invention is to provide a container assembly which includes a relatively stiff enclosure carton for supporting and enclosing a plurality of articles in a manner in which the articles are readily accessible for use, and which carton also has a compartment in which a collapsed and attached refuse container is normally packed in a manner permitting it to be suspended from the carton and supported thereby in an accessible position for use.

More specifically, my invention comprehends the provision of a container assembly adapted to be attached to and supported from a supporting structure, such as a vertical wall or the dashboard of an automobile, to provide a readily accessible supply of a confection, and which assembly includes a convenient container for waste material.

As another object, the invention has Within its purview the provision of a container assembly including a compartmented carton, one of which compartments of the carton has a side opening through which articles carried thereby are accessible, and which carton has structural portions normally retaining the articles therein, while affording ease of removal thereof through the opening.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a container assembly which includes, in addition to a supporting tab, a structural portion which carries a waste container in a readily accessible position for receiving waste material associated with the goods normally contained in the assembly and separated from the goods at the time of use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View from the front of a container assembly embodying a preferred form of this invention and showing the parts of the assembly in folded positions adapted to handling prior to sale and use;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the container assembly, as viewed from one side, and illustrates the container assembly, with contents and supported relative to a supporting structure;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the disclosed container assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2, with a second container removed from and supported by a first container, with the parts in a position adapted for use;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the structure depicted in FIG. 3, and showing that struc ture as being suspended relative to a support;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one type of blank suited to the production of a portion of the illustrated container assembly; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a part of the illustrated container assembly other than that depicted in FIG. 5.

3,133,634 Patented May 19, 1964 In the embodiment of my invention which is depicted in the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes, the container assembly includes a box-type carton 10 of generally rectangular shape which has a tab 12 at the top thereof from and by which the container assembly is suspended from a supporting structure 13, such as a wall or the surface of a dashboard of a vehicle. At the bottom, the carton 10 is closed by a manually movable closure element 14- Which, in the disclosed structure, is hingedly connected to a back wall 15 of the carton. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a front wall 16 of the carton has an opening 17 therein which, in this instance, is in the form of a slot extending laterally of the front wall of the carton at a position spaced above the bottom thereof and through which articles are accessible for being removed from the interior of the carton. Adjacent the bottom of the opening 17 and at opposite sides of the interior of the carton, partitioning and supporting elements 18 and 19 are secured within the carton for supporting articles to be dispensed through the opening 17, and effectively to provide a compartment 20 within the carton and between the bottom of the opening 17 and the closure element 14.

A bag-type container 22 provides a second part of the assembly and is made of relatively thin flexible material, such as cellophane, sheet plastic or paper and is in a form adapted to be collapsed and compacted for packing, shipment and handling, prior to use, in the compartment 20 of the carton. The bag-type container 22 has an open top 23 and, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, is made of two sheets 24 and 25 of material secured together at 0pposite sides and across the bottom by means such as sealed seams 26. For convenience in use, the bag-type container 22 is secured to the inner surface of the closure element 14 to be supported thereby in a suspended position from the carton 10.

Although not limited to such use, the disclosed container assembly is shown in a form adapted to carry a plurality of packages 27 of a wrapped confection, such as chewing gum. When packed for shipment and sale, the disclosed container assembly may, for example, include five of the packages 27, with the parts thereof disposed in the positions illustrated in FIG. 1, and the con tainer assembly and its contents may be enclosed in a suitable outer wrapper, such as a transparent wrapping material, for purposes of display and sale. In use, the container assembly may be supported relative to the supporting structure 13 through the tab 12 by a pressure sensitive adhesive on the back or outer surface of the tab 12 and normally covered by a cover sheet 28 which desirably has a tab 29 thereon which may be manually gripped for ease of removal of the cover sheet and ex posure of the surface having the pressure sensitive adhesive thereon. Also, in use, and after removal of any outer wrapper from the container assembly, the bottom closure element 14 is opened to the position depicted in F168. 3 and 4, and the container 22 is unrolled and unfolded for use in a position suspended from the closure element 14, to which it is secured by means such as an adhesive. When thus disposed, the packages 27 are exposed for removal through the opening 17 and the container 22 is readily accessible for receiving wrappers removed from the package and its contents.

Considering the structure of the carton 10 in greater detail, and although such a carton may be made in other ways, the illustrated carton is made from a unitary blank 39 of the type shown in FIG. 5. In the illustrated blank structure, the front wall 16, having the opening 17 punched therein, has side wall portions 32 and 33 thereon which are respectively adapted to being folded to right angular relationship with the front wall along scored fold lines 34 and 35. At the upper ends of the side walls 32 and 33, tab elements 36 and 37 are provided which are folded :downwardly to generally right angular relationship with the respective side walls along scored fold lines 33 and 39 respectively. At the top of the front wall 16, an end wall 40 is provided which is folded to generally right angular relationship with respect to the front wall 16 along a scored fold line 42 and is secured to the tab elements 36 and 37 on the side walls, which it ovelaps. The back wall 15 adjoins the side wall 33 and is folded relative thereto along a scored fold line 43. Also, the side wall 32 has adjoined thereto a tab element 44 which is folded relative to the latter side wall along a scored fold line 45. The tab element 44 is overlapped by a marginal portion of the back wall 15 and is secured thereto, as by an adhesive 46. A tab element 47 is also adjoined to the top end wall 40 and is folded relative thereto along a scored fold line 48, so that in the carton structure, it is secured to the inner surface of the back wall, as by adhesive 49.

The tab 12 adjoins the top of the back wall 15 and folds relative thereto along a scored fold line 50. When packed for shipment and sale, the tap 12 overlies the end wall 40, as shown in FIG. 1, while in use, it is folded out to the position shown in FTG. 2.

At the bottom of the front wall 16, the partitioning and supporting elements 18 and 19 are adjoined to the bottom of the front wall through an element 52 which folds into flush relationship with the inner surface of the front wall along a scored fold line 53 and is secured thereto, as by an adhesive. The partitioning and supporting elements 18 and 19 fold relative to the element 52 along scored fold lines 54 and 55 respectively and fold along those lines to extend across the interior of the carton from the front to the back walls somewhat below the lower edge of the opening 17. Also, an element 56 adjoins the partitioning and supporting elements 18 and 19 and is folded relative thereto along fold lines 57 and 58 respectively, to a position in which it is secured to the inner surface of the back wall 15, as by an adhesive. Tabs 59 and 60 on the bottom ends of the side walls 32 and 33 respectively are folded into contact with the inner surfaces of those side walls and are secured thereto, as by an adhesive, to reinforce the lower portions of the bottom ends of the side walls. The closure element 14 has an element 62 thereon which folds relative thereto along a scored fold line 63. This latter element 62 slides into the lower end of the carton to retain the closure element 14 in a closed position. The container 22 is secured to the inner surface of the closure element 14 by means, such as an adhesive 64, which adhesive not only supports the container relative to the closure element for use, but also holds the container in a laterally extended position across the closure element.

The placement of the partitioning and supporting elements 18 and 19 somewhat below the lower edge of the opening 17 provides projecting marginal portions, such as 65, at opposite sides of the opening, which projecting marginal portions aid in retaining articles within the carton in an exposed positionadjacent the opening 17 until each article is removed by manually lifting it above the upwardly projecting marginal portions.

To provide adequate space for waste material in addition to the wrappers of articles carried within the carton, the container 22 is desirably wider than the carton. To collapse and compact the container 22 for enclosure within the compartment 29 at the lower end of the carton 10, side portions 66 and 67 thereon are folded inwardly along fold lines 68 and 69 respectively, which are indicated in FIG. 6, and the container, after being thus folded, is rolled from the bottom toward the top,

. so that it can then be placed within the compartment 20, as shown in FIG. 2, and the element 62 of the closure element 14 is pushed into the carton along the front wall thereof.

In th disclosed structure, recesses 70 and 72 adjoin the mid-regions of the upper and lower edges of the opening 17 to afford spaces for the fingers in gripping articles for removal from the carton. When the lower article, adjacent the opening 17 is removed from the carton, the articles above gravitate to the partitioning and supporting elements 13 and 19 for support therefrom. The element 52 and the element 62 have recesses 73 and 74 respectively therein which are complementary to the recess 72 in the assembled carton and so that those elements do not obstruct the recess 72.

From the foregoing description and references to the accompanying drawings, it may be readily understood that I have provided a container assembly adapted to retain articles in a convenient position for use, and from which the articles are readily dispensed, and which container assembly embodies a waste container for the deposit and disposition of wrappers from the dispensed articles and other waste material.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. A container assembly for carrying a plurality of relatively inflexible items of predetermined size to be dispensed therefrom and comprising, in combination, a generally rectangular carton structure having side walls, front and back walls in separated and opposed relationship to one another and spaced to receive a plurality of said items therebetween in a stack extending endwise along said back and front walls between opposite sides thereof, and closure means for bridging the space between top and bottom ends of the front and back walls, said closure means for bridging the space between the bottoms of the front and back walls being hingedly connected tothe back wall and movable relative to the front wall, said front wall having an opening therein extending laterally thereof intermediate the top and bottom ends thereof and of a size through which said items are movable from the container with active freedom one at a time, partitioning and supporting means extending between the front and back walls below opposite end regions of said opening for supporting said items within the carton structure at and above the opening for gravitational feed to the opening as items are individually removed through the opening, said partitioning and supporting means being spaced downwardly from the opening so that a marginal portion of the lower part of the front wall adjacent the opening provides a retaining surface below the opening for normally holding the lowermost one of said items within the carton structure adjacent said opening, a bagtype container made of flexible material and having an open top end, said bag-type container having a top region secured to an inner surface of said closure means at the bottom of the carton for suspension therefrom, and said bag-type container and the space within said carton below said partitioning and supporting means being so related that the bag-type container can be collapsed and compacted to fit within the carton below said partitioning and supporting means.

2. A container assembly as defined in claim 1 and wherein said bag-type container is wider than said carton and the closure means thereof to which it is secured, and said bag-type container being collapsed and compacted by having the outer side marginal regions thereof folded over the mid-region thereof and by the thus folded container being rolled upon itself from the bottom to the top.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,094,009 Parkhurst Apr. 21, 1914 8,646 Taylor Feb. 21, 1933 5,341 Walker et al. June 27, 1933 3,939 Craig Jan. 22, 1935 59 Roet Sept. 29, 1936 1, 8 Hines Feb. 23, 1937 ,275 Schwimmer et al. July 1, 1958 2,387,216 Hargraves May 19, 1959 ,173. Schnabel Dec. 13, 1960

Claims (1)

1. A CONTAINER ASSEMBLY FOR CARRYING A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY INFLEXIBLE ITEMS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE TO BE DISPENSED THEREFROM AND COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CARTON STRUCTURE HAVING SIDE WALLS, FRONT AND BACK WALLS IN SEPARATED AND OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER AND SPACED TO RECEIVE A PLURALITY OF SAID ITEMS THEREBETWEEN IN A STACK EXTENDING ENDWISE ALONG SAID BACK AND FRONT WALLS BETWEEN OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, AND CLOSURE MEANS FOR BRIDGING THE SPACE BETWEEN TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS OF THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS, SAID CLOSURE MEANS FOR BRIDGING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE BOTTOMS OF THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE BACK WALL AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE FRONT WALL, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREOF INTERMEDIATE THE TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS THEREOF AND OF A SIZE THROUGH WHICH SAID ITEMS ARE MOVABLE FROM THE CONTAINER WITH ACTIVE FREEDOM ONE AT A TIME, PARTITIONING AND SUPPORTING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS BELOW OPPOSITE END REGIONS OF SAID OPEN-

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