AU632930B2 - A container - Google Patents

Description

i U 625t 9 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: AMCOR LIMITED SOUTHGATE STREET SOUTH MELBOURNE VICTORIA 3204

AUSTRALIA

MAURICE COURTENEY GROVES CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: 00s

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"A CONTAINER" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 0* 0 *0 S

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-L I I u OFT 75391/91 .o 1o THE INVENTION relates to a container. In particular the invention concerns an improved container for powdered substances.

Typically, powdered substances are packaged in bags or sacks. Such containers have no inherent rigidity in themselves and have an irregular shape which makes it difficult to stack a plurality of like containers for shipment.

The present invention aims at providing a useful alternative to bags and sacks which at least minimises the disadvantages referred to above.

According to the invention there is provided a container made from a blank of foldable material, said container having opposed pairs of side wall panels, closure flaps hinged to edges of the panels by a fold line, said closure flaps comprising a first pair of flaps each having two edge portions with a step between them providing a stepped periphery for each said flap of the first pair of flaps, a pair of oppositely directed fold lines extending between each said step and the fold line about which the flaps of the first pair are hinged to the side wall panels and a second pair of flaps provided with extensions projecting beyond the stepped periphery of the first pair of flaps.

The side wall panels may be of equal or unequal size. Preferably one pair of opposed wall panels has a width substantially less than the width of the other pair of opposed wall panels. With such a configuration the container is substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. A joinder flap may extend along a free edge of one of the side 41(11Z" i L 1 +I wall panels and be separated therefrom by a fold or crease line. The wall panels may all be separated from an adjacent wall panel by a fold or crease line.

i i *i ee e 3 It is preferred that closure flaps like that described be hinged to at least one edge of the wall panels.

The opposed edge of the wall panels may be provided with closure flaps of a different configuration. For example, the opposed edge may simply be rectangular or square in shape.

Preferably the opposed edges of the wall panels are provided with identical closure flaps to that of the other edge of the panels.

The closure flaps with the stepped periphery are preferably such that they have mirror symmetry about a line extending along a side wall panel located between those wall panels to which the flaps are hinged. The stepped periphery is preferably such that one stepped portion extends outwardly S from the associated closure flap for distance greater than the f other stepped portion. The outer periphery of the one stepped S portion may be parallel or inclined to a fold line separating o.

the associated closure flap from an adjacent wall panel. The step between the portions is preferably inclined. The step is more preferably inclined undercut into the first stepped portion. The other stepped portion may be either parallel or PDr 0 inclined to the fold line separating the associated closure flap from an adjacent wall panel. Thus, the one and the other 9*.9 S stepped portions may either be parallel or inclined relative 1' to one another.

S. The remaining closure flaps have extensions. The 00 extensions are preferably hinged to the remainder of the closure flaps. It is preferred that the extension closest to the one stepped portion which extend outwardly be rectangular

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4 4 while the extension on the other closure flap be substantially rectangular. Preferably, the latter extension has inclined or bevelled free corners.

The closure flaps with the stepped periphery preferably have inclined crease lines which extend from the fold line separating that flap from an adjacent wall panel and converge towards the step in the periphery.

The container may be made of any suitable material.

Preferably cardboard, paperboard or fibreboard be employed.

The material may be corrugated.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view of blank from which a container 1" according to a preferred embodiment of the invention may be made; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a container made from the blank of Figure 1 with the one end closed and the other end open; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 2 with both its ends closed; and Figures 4 and 5 are partial perspective views useful in understanding how the container is closed.

The blank 10 has panels 11,12,13 and 14 which form opposed side walls of a container made from the blank. In .o this case the panels 11 and 13 are of unequal size to that of panels 12 and 14 and are present in opposed pairs 11 and 13, 12 and 14. Fold lines 15, 16 and 17 extend between adjacent panels while fold lines 18, 19 extend along edges of the panels.

Fold line 20 extends along panel 11 and separates joinder flap 21 from panel 11.

Fold line 22 separates bottom closure flaps 23, 24, 26 from panels 11 to 14. Opposed panels 11 and 13 have flaps 23 and 25 hinged relative to them. These flaps are provided with a stepped free periphery which have a mirror symmetry about a line extending midway through panel 12 and parallel to fold line 16. The stepped portions 27, 28 of the periphery are separated by an inclined step 29. Flaps 23 and are provided with diagonal fold lines 30, 31.

Flap 24 is provided with a rectangular extension 32 hinged to the remainder of the flap by fold line 33. Flap 26 is provided with a substantially rectangular extension 34 hinged to the remainder of the flap by fold line S* Extension 34 has angled corners 36.

Fold line 18 separates top closure flaps 40, 41, 42 and 43 from panels 11 to 14. Flaps 40 tc 43 are configured in a like fashion to flaps 23 to 26. Flaps 40, 42 have a stepped free periphery. The stepped portions 45, 46 are separated by an inclined step 47. Flaps 40, 42 are provided with inclined o0•o fold lines 48, 49.

SFlap 41 has a rectangular extension 50 hinged to its remainder by fold line 51. Flap 43 has a substantially rectangular extension 52 hinged to its remainder by fold line 53. Extension 52 has angled corners 54.

Figure 2 shows a container 60 made from the blank i of Figure i. The bottom closure flaps (not visible) have been closed and the top closure flaps are substantially open.

In Figure 3 the top of the container 60 has also been sealed.

Extension 50 is glued to flap 43 while joinder flap 21 is glued to the free edge of panel 14 and free edges of flaps 26 and 43.

Figures 4 and 5 show the manner in which the closure flaps are closed. In these figures the top closure flaps are shown. The bottom closure flaps are closed in an identical way. Flaps 43 and 41 are moved towards each other and extension 52 is tucked into the open top of the container to underlie flap 41 as shown in Figure 4. The flaps 41 and 43 are further moved towards one another and this causes portion •46 of the stepped periphery of flap 40 to pass over portion r I& of that periphery as shown in Figure 5. Flaps 41 and 43 are Or 'r further moved until they extend across the top of the container as shown in Figure 3 and extension 50 is glued in

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place. An identical closing action occurs at the upper edge of panel 13 not visible in Figures 4 and The way in which the flaps 41 and 43 seal the

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container and the sealing action of the stepped periphery ensures that a power tight closure is produced. With the Su9d container described it is not necessary to employ an inner liner or bag and the container may readily substitute as a container for substances normally contained in a bag or sack.

a An inner bag may be employed if desired and is typically employed where an oxygen impervious package is required.

While the invention has been described with 'I i In T l i..

7 reference to powdered substances it should be appreciated that other substances may also be packaged in the container. For example, the container may also be employed for granular or particulate substances.

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Claims (6)

1. 2. The container of Claim 1 wherein the pairs of said side wall panels are of unequal size.
2. 3. The container of Claim 1 or 2 wherein a joinder flap extends along an edge of one of said side wall panels.
3. 4. The container of any one of Claims. 1 to 3 wherein the stepped closure flaps have mirror symmetry about a line extending along one said side wall panel located between those 2(Y- said side wall panels to which the stepped closure flaps are co o S hinged. S 5. The container of any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the step is inclined relative to said edge portions of the stepped periphery of the flaps of the first pair
4. 6. The container of Claim 5 wherein the edge portions of the stepped periphery of the flaps of the first pair are parallel to the fold line which hinges the stepped closure flaps to the side wall panels. The container of any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein -0° Fl f 9 corners of said extension of one of said flaps of said second pair of flaps are bevelled.
5. 8. The container of any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the edge to which said closure flaps are hinged is adjacent an uppermost end of the container and an opposed edge of the side wall panels having like said closure flaps for closing of a bottom of the container.
6. 9. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 5 day of November, 1992. AMCOR LIMITED By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. eo e o °eo e ego ooo :o •o. eeoC•• o• eooo•