AU717189B3

AU717189B3 - Carton for dispensing wrapping sheet material

Info

Publication number: AU717189B3
Application number: AU52579/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Francis Harold Glasson
Original assignee: CARTIGNY Pty Ltd
Current assignee: CARTIGNY Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1999-09-27
Filing date: 1999-09-27
Publication date: 2000-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2005-09-27

Description

P00012 Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO(S): CARTIGNY PTY LIMITED ACN 001 267 465 FRANCIS HAROLD GLASSON Peter Maxwell Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 CARTON FOR DISPENSING WRAPPING SHEET MATERIAL

NIL

The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- The present invention relates to a carton for storing and dispensing wrapping sheet material and, in particular, to a dispensing carton for cling film used in the wrapping of foodstuffs to retain their freshness.

Dispensing cartons for cling film, also known generically as cling wrap, are a common and popular kitchen product that typically take the form of a cardboard box in which a roll of the cling flim is rotatably stored and which allows unwinding and dispensing of the film therefrom through an aperture for cutting along an externally mounted serrated cutting edge, normally made to metal.

Early in the development of such dispensing cartons, they were the cause of serious injuries, such as cuts to the skin and underlying blood vessels by mishandling during transportation, storage, offer for sale, and use, as a result of the extremely sharp nature and projecting corner location of the exposed metal cutting edge. In order to avoid these injuries, manufacturers of dispensing cartons introduced semi-rigid protective flaps or safety strips which protruded from the carton alongside the cutting edge to a distance whereby they offered an impediment to access to the cutting edge under most handling conditions. Such a protective flap was a continuous part of the blank which, when suitably folded and glued together, formed the carton, and the flap was able, when required, to be torn from the carton, thus exposing the cutting edge, by means of perforations scored linearly through the flap adjacent to where it meets the carton. Whilst these protective flaps provide a safer carton than those manufactured previously, they are prone to being damaged as a result of mishandling because of the necessary projecting corner location of the flaps.

For example, stacking of such cartons during transportation, storage and offer for sale may impose forces against the flap which can result in the flap being folded along the perforation so that it is no longer alongside the cutting edge or, at worst, the flap or a part thereof, being torn from the carton by accidental cutting along the perforations. The resulting exposure of the cutting edge presents a risk of injury to all persons subsequently handling such a carton.

Furthermore, protective flaps of this type, once removed by the end user, can no longer serve to provide an impediment to unintentional access to the cutting edge. Nor do the cartons have any facility whereby they may provide temporary protection of the cutting edge during the period when the carton is available for use, and so a continuous risk of injury to the end user is present.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide a dispensing carton for cling film and other wrapping sheet material which does not present an externally mounted and potentially accessible serrated cutting edge to persons handling the carton, especially during transportation, storage and offer for sale.

According to the invention, there is provided a dispensing carton for wrapping sheet material comprising: container means for containing the wrapping sheet material, cutting means mounted on the container means for cutting desired lengths of the wrapping sheet material, concealing means for concealing the cutting means from exposure to access externally of the container means, the concealing means including a cover portion of the container means being so formed as to externally cover the cutting means, wherein the cover portion comprises a top wall and a front wall of the carton which are folded therebetween so as to externally cover the cutting means, 14/01/00 severing means for severing one end of the cover portion from the rest of the container means so as to enable the cover portion to be lifted whereby the cutting means is exposed to access externally of the container means, and opening means formed in the top wall and through which wrapping sheet material is dispensed so that, when the cutting means is exposed, desired lengths of wrapping sheet material can be cut by the cutting means.

Preferably, the opening means is formed by a tear-out portion defined by perforations scored through the top wall.

It is preferred that the concealing means further includes means for connecting respective opposite ends of the cover portion to the rest of the container means.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing carton according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and showing a first step of preparing the carton to serve as a dispenser, Fig 2 is a perspective view of the dispensing carton of Fig 1 showing a second step of the dispenser preparing process, Fig 3 is a perspective view of the dispensing carton of Figs 1 and 2 showing a third step of the dispenser preparing process, Fig 4 is a side view of the dispenser carton in the step shown in Fig 3, Fig 5 is a perspective view of the dispenser carton of Figs 1 to 4 showing a fourth step of the dispenser preparing process, 14/01/00 Fig 6 is a perspective view of the dispenser carton of Figs 1 to showing a fifth step of the dispenser preparing process, Fig 7 is a perspective view of the dispenser carton of Figs 1 to 6 ready to serve as a dispenser, Fig 8 is a perspective view of the dispenser carton of Figs 1 to 7 in use to dispense desired lengths of wrapping sheet material, and 14/01/00 Fig 9 is a plan view of the blank of a dispenser carton according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The dispensing carton 10 shown in Fig 1 includes a container means in the form of an F-fluted cardboard box 12 having a front outer wall 14, opposed side walls 16, 18, a rear wall 20, a bottom wall 22, and a top wall 24, all these walls being externally visible. Also, there is a front generally concealed inner wall 26 located behind the front externally visible outer wall 14, together with concealed side flaps (such as are shown in the embodiment of the blank in Fig 9) at the opposed ends of each of the rear wall 20 and bottom wall 22 which co-operate with the side walls 16, 18 to allow, by appropriate folding and gluing of the side flaps to the inside surface of the side walls 16, 18, the formation of a box structure with reinforced side wall panels. Although not shown in Figs 3 to the top wall 24 has, at its opposed ends, side flaps which are concealed in Fig 1 but which co-operate with the side walls 16, 18 and other side flaps forming the reinforced side wall panels to allow, by appropriate insertion of the top wall side flaps inside the box structure and against the reinforced side wall panels, the closure of the top wall 24 onto the box structure. The top wall 24 also has a tear-out portion 27 defined by perforations 29 scored through the top wall 24 in a pattern so as to serve as an opening for dispensing wrapping sheet material from the carton Although hidden in Figs 1 and 2, a cutting means consisting of a serrated aluminium cutting edge 28 is mounted on and projects from the upper edge of the front inner wall 26.

The front outer wall 14 is continuous with the top wall 24 and together they provide a means for concealing the serrated cutting edge 28 from exposure to access externally of the container means by forming a cover portion 30 that is folded about crease line 32 so as to externally cover the serrated cutting edge 28. The concealing means also comprises means for connecting respective opposite ends of the cover portion 30 to the rest of the container means, such as by the top wall 24 being continuous with the rear wall 20, and by the inside surface of the lower portion 34 of the front outer wall 14 being glued to the adjacent surface of the front inner wall 26.

Two parallel, spaced apart lines of perforations 36, 38 are scored through the front outer wall 14 above the glued lower portion 34, and define therebetween a tear-out portion 40 or zipper-type panel of the front outer wall 14. The tear-out portion 40 has opposed ends 42, 44 which are recessed from the adjacent ends of the front outer wall 14 so as to assist the user in cleanly tearing the tear-out portion 40 from the carton 10. The parallel lines of perforations 36, 38 serve as a means for severing one end of the cover portion from the rest of the container means, thus forming a cover flap 46 and allowing the cover portion 30 to be lifted so as to expose the serrated cutting edge 28 to external access.

In order to prepare the carton 10 shown in Fig 1 to serve as a dispenser, the tear-out portion 27 of the top wall 24 is removed by tearing along the perforations 29, thereby revealing an opening 48 for dispensing wrapping sheet material therethrough. The tear-out portion 40 of the front outer wall 14 is then removed, as shown in Fig 2, by tearing along the parallel lines of perforations 36, 38, thereby forming a cover flap 46 and facilitating the lifting of the cover portion 30 from the carton 10, as shown in Fig 3, to expose the serrated cutting edge 28.

With the cover portion 30 lifted, wrapping sheet material, in this case being cling film 50, is pulled from its roll 52 wound upon a spool 54, as shown in Fig 4, and fed through the opening 48.

The cover portion 30 is then lowered, as shown in Fig 5, so that the cover flap 46 abuts against the inside surface of the front inner wall 26, whereby the serrated cutting edge 28 is not covered and projects above the crease line 32.

A further length of cling film 50 is then fed through the opening 48 and, as shown in Fig 6, cut across the serrated cutting edge 28 by a downward tearing motion, so that the cling film 50 is in a pre-dispensing position and the dispensing carton is ready for use. A "stick and stay" spot may be located between the opening 48 and serrated cutting edge 28 so as to retain the cling film 50 in its pre-dispensing position, thereby ensuring that the cling film does not, as occasionally happens, retract into the carton.

After use of the dispensing carton to dispense a desired length of cling film, the cover portion 30 may be lifted so that the cover flap 46 is released from within the carton and springs slightly outwardly, and the top wall 24 may then be lowered so that the cover flap 46 covers the serrated cutting edge, with the side flaps of the top wall 24 fitting snugly against the inner surfaces of the side panels.

Although not shown, the roll 52 of cling film 50 is, in one embodiment, held stabily and in an elevated position within the carton by axle-type brackets made of PVC. The brackets also serve to prevent the top wall 24 sinking when the dispensing carton is ready for use, thus ensuring that the top wall 24 is located in its correct position and that no more of the serrated cutting edge 28 than is necessary for cutting the cling film 50 is exposed.

The blank shown in Fig 9 provides one example of how the carton may be constructed. It is well understood by skilled persons in the art that the side flaps may vary in shape to suit different requirements, such as facilating the lowering of the side flaps of the top wall 24 inside the carton during the step shown in Fig 5. For convenience, identical numerals have been used in Fig 9 for identifying features which have functionally equivalent features identified by the same numerals in Figs 1 to 8.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the serrated cutting edge is protected by a cover portion at all times leading to use of the dispenser carton, and that mishandling of the carton will not damage the cover portion to expose the handler to risk of injury. Furthermore, the embodiment of Figs 1 to 8 does not require that the roll be removed from the carton in order to feed the cling film through the opening.

Various other modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention.

Claims

1. A dispensing carton for wrapping sheet material comprising: container means for containing the wrapping sheet material, cutting means mounted on the container means for cutting desired lengths of the wrapping sheet material, concealing means for concealing the cutting means from exposure to access externally of the container means, the concealing means including a cover portion of the container means being so formed as to externally cover the cutting means, wherein the cover portion comprises a top wall and a front wall of the carton which are folded therebetween so as to externally cover the cutting means, severing means for severing one end of the cover portion from the rest of the container means so as to enable the cover portion to be lifted whereby the cufftting means is exposed to access externally of the container means, and opening means formed in the top wall and through which wrapping sheet material is dispensed so that, when the cutting means is exposed, desired lengths of wrapping sheet material can be cut by the cutting means.

2. The dispensing carton of claim 1 wherein the opening means is formed by a tear-out portion defined by perforations scored through the top wall.

3. The dispensing carton of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the concealing means further includes means for connecting respective opposite ends of the cover portion to the rest of the container means. Dated this 14th day of January, 2000 CARTIGNY PTY LIMITED Patent Attorneys for the Applicant PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES