CA1144900A - Laminated container structure incorporating a peelable panel section having a heat transferrable image - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A laminated or multiple-ply container structure comprising an inner wall of a substantially rigid material and an outer wall of a thin, generally pliant material, such as a glossy finished paper, adhesively fastened thereto by a suitable adhesive or glue. Formed in the outer wall of the container, as an integral component thereof, and through the intermediary of a tear outline constituted of perforations extending through at least the outer ply or wall is a section constituting a readily removable or peelable coupon-like panel, with the peeling off of the panel adapted to be effectuated without adversely affecting the integrity of the container structure or necessitating the use of special cutting instruments or tools. The outer surface of the removable panel has a heat transferable image imprinted thereon which after separation of the panel from the container structure, is adapted to be positioned in contact with a suitable transfer surface whereby, through the application of a hot iron, the transferable image which is also commonly referred to as an "iron-on" is imparted to the transfer surface to form a decorative image or imprint thereon.

Description

- ~ 49~

~ B}~Cl~GROUi`~l) O~ TIIE INVI,NTION
-l. Field of the Invcntion The present invention relatcs to a lami.nated container structure arld, more particularly, to a container or p~ckaye 5 havlng a heat transferable image or iron-on as a rc?~dil.y detachable portion or sectlon of an outer ply or ~lall thereol, preferably in the ~orm of an eas.ily remo-~able panel.
The merchandising of commodities ~Ihich are packayed 10 in packaging media such as closed containers, currently employs the ~1idespread practice of including a redeemable coupon, mailing card, ticket or premium within the container.
- Among such premiums or promotional items are also the popular iron-ons or heat transferable images which may be 15 applied in a decoxative manner to a suitable garment, cuch as a T~shirtr blouse or the like. The foregoing is subject to the limitation that the purchaser cannot redeem the coupon or employ the promotional item until the pac~age is opened so as to provide access to the commodity and 20 coupon, premium or iron-on contained therein. Alternatively, the iron~on or heat transferable image may be affixed to the exterior surface of the container, such as in the form.
of a decal, adapted for easy detachment thereof by a purchaser or consumer. However, this type of structure 25 frequently entails the inadvertent loss of the iron-on or heat transferable image during storage, shipping or handling cf the container, or may even be conducive to 3~
~' -- ~44~6~0 1 th~ d~liberate relno~al arld theft of the iron-on prece~ing the sale of the container. The heat transEerable ima~e may also be printed on the e~terior surrace of the container or package, and may be cut out by the consumer after the 5 container is opened. This, ho~ever, t~ill destroy the integrity of the carton and prevent the merchandise con~ained therein from being~stored for any appreciable length of time.
Consequently, a printed-on promotional item of this type is only practicable when the merchandise has been used 10 and the container is in an emptied condition. Moreover, removal of this type of iron-on or decal necessitates the employment by the consumer, ~1ho may be a child, of a sharp cutting object, such as scissors or a knife; a frequently dangerous practice ~hich conceivably may cause serious 1~ injuries.

2. Discussion of the Pri.or Art More recently, containers or packages have been developed which incorporate easily detachable or peelable coupons or decals as integral elements of the outer ~all 20 or ply of the container structure, with such-elements readily being adaptable for use as promotional items or premiums.
Thus, Loderhose U. S. Reissue Patent 24,962 discloses a phonograph .reco.rd jacket having a detachable 25 or peelable picture-bearing coupon incorporated in the outer ply of the jacket for separation thereof along a predetermined perforated tear outline. In this construction 3n ~1~4901~ -1 the removal of the coupon, or pictorial portion, will lcave a loose and readily tearable peripheral edcJe in one ~.terior sur-face of the jacket, thereby rcnderin~ the latter ~asily torn and unsightly when repeatedly handled for any significant 5 period of time.
Krug U-. S. Patent 2,420,045 relates to a coupon which is an element in the outer ~7all or ply of a container, adapted to be readily separatecl along perforated tear lines.
However, in this instance, the coupon is an appendage of 10 the outer ply of the container t which is then folded cver to provlde a double-thickness wall portion suitable for peeling off by an ultimate purchaser or consumer of the container. This structure requires the utilization of extra lengths of outex container material, while concurrently 15 permitting the coupon to be inadvertently ox deliberately detached fxom the container prior to the sale of the latter.
Corrinet U. S. Patent 3,110,121 and Gorman et al U. S. Patent 3,463,303 each describe containers providing for detachable coupons as integral components of the outer 20 ply of a container wall structure. Howevex, neither of these patents contemplate the coupon being an integral poxtion entlrely contained within one surface of the outer ply or wall structure of the container, and require the destruction of the end of the wall portion, thus 25 creating the risk of inadvertently affecting the integrity of the container, or possibly producing an uneven or jagged container end edge after removal of the coupon.

o A multiple-ply container structure wherein a peelable coupon forms an integral portion of the outer container wall and is defined by a perforated tear outline is also known. An adhesive-repellent medium is coated to the inner surface of the outer wall below the coupon-defin-ing area to prevent adherence of the coupon to the adhesive fastening together the outer and inner walls of the container.
However, none of the above-mentioned patents disclose, nor suggest, incorporating as a promotional feature, an inte-gral component in the outer wall of a multiple-ply container stucture, of a readily detachable or peelable panel defined by a predetedrmined tear outline, and which includes a heat transferable image or iron-on imprinted on the outer sur-face of the panel.

SUM~lARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the provision of a laminated or multiple-ply container structure comprising an inner wall of a substantially rigid material and an outer wall of a thin, generally pliant material, such as glossy finished paper, adhesively fastened thereto by means of a suitable adhesive or glue. Formed in the outer wall of the container, as an integral component thereof, and through the intermediary of a tear outline constituted of perforations extending through at least the outer ply or wall is a section constituting a readily ; -5 :` '''`` ' ' .
- ~L.1~9t~0~ -rcinova~le or peelable cc)upon~ e panel, with the peellng ofL of the panel adapted to he effectuated without adverse]~T affectinc3 the inte.~rity of the container structure or necessitatil1s the use of special cuttincJ instruments or tools. The outer surface of the removable panel has a heat transEerable ima~e i~printed thereon which, after separation of the panel from the container structure, is adapted to be positioned in contact with a suitable transfer surface, for instance, a T-shirt, blouse or other garment.
10 Thereafter, through the application of a hot iron, the transferable image which is also commonly referred to as an "iron-on" is imparted to the transfer surface to form a decorative image or imprint thereon.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the 15 interior surface of the outer container wall, in effect, the surface of the outer ply which is in contact with the adhesive material bondin~ the outer wall to the inner wall ~f the laminated container is provided with a coatin~ of a release agent or adhosive-repellent medium over a 2~ predetermined patterned area which is substantially coextensive with the area defined by the detachable panel havins the heat transferable image imprinted thereon, in effect, within the region bounded by the perforated tear outline. The provisiOn of this coating on the bac'r~ or 25 inner surface portion of the outer wall constitutins the panel or so-called "iron-on" will facilitate the easy peeling off of the panel b~ the purchaser or consumer of the pac~ag1ns 1 meclium or contai.ner, and allo.Js for the detached panel to be applicd to a transfcr surface for the "i.roninc~-on"
of the heat transferclble .imac3e thercon while concul-xently fully maintainincJ the .intec3rity of the container and its 5 conterlts.
Pursuant to the invention, the heat transferable image or "iron-on" which is imprinted on the detachable or peelable panel preferably is constituted of a heaL
transferable substance consisting of sublimation dyes, 10 disperse dyes, pigmented sublimation inks, or vinyl plastisol films. ~n order to impart scuff resistance to the dyes or inks during transport, storage and handling of the containers, the heat transferable image has a pro-tective coating superimposed thereon, such coating, however, 15 being permeable to the hot transfer of the inks or dyes onto a transfer surface or substrate.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a laminated container structure of the type described hereinabove which incorporates a readily 2D removable or peelable panel having a heat transferable image thereon as an integral component of the outer ~iall or ply of the multi-plied con.ainer structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel laminated container structure in which 2~ the removal of the panel which is integrally formed in the outer ply or wall of the container will not adversely affect the intecJrity of the container structure while 1~4~0~ `

1 permittincJ the panel to be applied to a transfer surfcce for the hot transfer of the h~at transferahle imac~e or "iron-on" imprinted thereon.
Yet another object of the present invention is 5 to provide a laminated carton structure of the type described in which the portion of the outer ply or wall constituting the "iron-on" bearing panel has surface area thereof facing the adhesive material intermediate the container plies coated with a release agent or adhesive-10 repellent medium so as to thereby permit the easy peelingoff of the panel by a consumer without the necessity of employing any speciali~ed tools or sharp cutting implements.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a laminated container structùre of the type 15 described, wherein the peelable panel which is incorporated in the outer ply or wall of the container as an integral portion thereof has imprinted thereon a decorative heat transferable image or so-called "iron-on" of a-heat transferable substance consisting of sublimatlon dyes, 20 disperse dyes, pigmented sublimation inks, or vinyl plastisol films.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~INGS
These and other objects of the present invention may be more readily understood by having reference to 25 the following detailed description of a preferred embodi-ment of the inventive lc~minated container structure incorporating the peelable panel having the heat transferable image imprinted thereon, taken in conjunction with the accompanyincJ drat~ings; in which:

~n o . Fig~re l shows a pers~ec'i:~ ve vie~7 0~ a ]?oxl::i.c)1l of ~ .l.~ni.nated con-ta:;ner str~ctu3.e in co1l~oxrnance ~1itlJ
the p.rcseIlt inven-t:ion;
~ ?igure 2 is an e:Levati.onal vie~7 of a poxtion o a cvl1taincr similar to t:hat o T;.r~. l and illustrating a some~hat modi.fied coupon structure; and ~ igure 3 is a sectiol1al view t on an en~al-cJed scclle, ta~en along line 3-3 -in Fig. 2~

DETAILED Dl~SCRIPTION OF T~IE I~IV~NTION
___ .._ _ ... .. .. .... ,_ _ 1~ ~e~erring now i~ detai.l t:o t-he drawings, the embodi-ment of the invention illustrated in FigsD l to 3 is directed-to a merchandise package or contai1ler st~:ucture lo ~ihich is basically constitutea of rect:anglllarly--.c;.-aed ~ ~e~ fox bulk goods or commodities such as~ for e~:ample, t//"~15 dr~ cereal, cookies~ condimellts and othex consurner oriellted merchandise~ Quite apparently, other shapes o~ c~)ntainex.s such as, for example~ cylindrical~ pyrc~midal, conical or the like~ ~re equally appli.cable to the invention. rrhe container 10~ as is ~Jell ~ncwn in the artl is conxtructed z~of the usual front~ rear and side panels 12 and l~, and .suitable top and bottom closures (not sho~m).
}-Iaving particular reference to Figc 3 r as is ~7ell ~nown in the packagin~ media art a the containex lO ma~ ~e constituted of a laminated or multi-ply construction 25comprisin~ an inner wall 16 formed of a generally ri~id paperboard or cardboard material and an outer ~1all 18 formed of a thin pliant material, such as a gloss~ cinisned papeL, adapted to have suitable indicia or lec~ends imprinted or cmbossed thcreon. Thc outer wdll 18 is adhcsively fastened to the :inner wall 16 throu~Jh the interposition of a la~er or coating of an adhesive material or glue 20.
~ peelable or detachable panel 22 is incorpora~ed in the outer wall 18, as an integral portion of the latter, on one of the panels 12 or 14 of the carton 10 through the formation of a tear outline constituted of slits or perfora-10 tions 2~ extending through at le~s-t the outer wall 18.
In order to facilitate the peeling away or tearing off of the peelable panel 22 from the container 10 along the tear outline formed by the perforations 24, a suitable release agent or adhesive-repellent medium 26 ma~ be 15 coated on the rear surface of the peelable panel portion 22 of the outer wall 1%~ in effect, the surface which is in contact with the adhesi.ve material 20, to thereby prevent any adhesion between the back of the panel portion 22 and the inner wall 16 of the container. Suitably, such release 2U agent or adhesive-repellent medium may be constituted of a paraffin wax or microcrystalline wax which will not adhere to the adhesive material 20. The area of the surface of the outer wall 18 of the carton whi.ch is coated with the release agent 26 is substantially coextensive with the surface 2~ area of the peelable panel 22 confined within the tear out-line of the perforations 24.
Since the application of the release agent or adhesive-repellent medium 26 is essentially restricted -- lC --1 to l:l~e area of the :rca~ su--face o outer ~Jall 18 ~hich is conLined ~ithin thc perfoxation tear ou~line 2~, as shown i.n ~ig. 3, subsequent to t:he peelin~ a~ay of the panel portion 22, the outer peripher~ of that area ~Jill 5 have the perforated edges of outer waLl 18 firmly adhered to the inner ~7all 16, :~orminy a smooth tear edge and thereby preventiny any inadvertent tearing and disfiguring of the remaining outer wall or ply of the container 10.
~loreover, since the perforations Z4 do not cut into the 10 inner wall 16 to any appreciable extent, the strength and integrity of the carton 10 remains essentially unimpaired to allow for long-term storage and use by the consumer of the merchandise contained therein.
The heat transferable image on the peelable panel 15 portion 22, which Illtimately forms the "iron-on" is printed thereon by means ~f gravure or other acceptable and compatible printing methods. As desired, the heat trans-ferable ima~e can be printed onto the surface of the outer ply 18 concurrent with or subsequent to the printing of the 20 carton graphics on the remaining surface of-the outer carton surface. The laminating adhesive-repellent medium 26 is generally applied during the same printing process to the opposite side of the outer ply 18 within the area defined by the perforations 24 and by the registration tolerances 25 of the manufacturing process for the container lO.
The heat transferable image which is printed on the ou~er ply 18 of the container lO is usuall$~ composed 3n ~l~4~no of such heat transferable substances as sublimation or diserse dyes, pigmented sublimation inks, vinyl plastisol films or the like. Substances which would be applicable thereto in providing the heat transferable image are dis-closed in U.S. Patents No. 3,813,218, and No. 4,021,591.
A thin protective coating 28 is applied directly over the heat transferable image on the panel portion 22 so as to impart scuff resistance to the dyes, but which is permeable to their transfer during the iron-on application process. Additionally, the protective coating 28 and the resins in the sublimation inks forming the heat transferable image provide a temporary tack when applied to a transfer surface or substrate on a garment onto which the image is to be cut and transferred. This will effectively prevent slipping and blurring of the image during application. The protective coating and the resin in the sublimation inks do not transfer to the garment.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, illustrated panel portion 22 which is detachable or peelable from the container 10 is of a generally rectangular con-figuration. In this embodiment, although not limited thereto, the wide leading edge 30 of the detachable iron-on or panel portion 22 is formed so as to be completely liftable from the carton 10 within a relatively short distance without inducing excessive stress and resultant tears in the outer ply 18. The leading edge 30 is formed of lengthy /

`-- ~
9o~

o;~e1^lappir.~J c~lts 3~, in this instance each appro~imatoly OIle inch lon~ h.ich penetrate the outer ply 1~. The C~l~s 32 oritJinate ~rom each side perforation 39 and, in the ill~lstrated ~mbodiment, deviate from the perpendicular 5 to the side pexfora.ions by an out~ardly extending anc;le o about lO to 15~. The-cuts 32 meet towards the center of the leading edge 30 and join iIltO a semicircular lift tab 36. The cuts 32 are separated from each other by a di.stance of approx.imately 1/16 to 1/8 inch and are over-10 lapped so that, as the tab 36 is raised, its tear willoriginate in the outer p:Ly 18 at the ends of one cut 32 and propagate in the direction of the pulling force until it meets the end of the adjacent overlap cut. ~s a result, the leading edge 30 of the iron-on or panel 15 portion 22 is released from the container lO hy a series of stepped tears in which the tears "j~np" from cut to cut at each overlap and are displaced laterally from the li-ft tab 36 until they join the side perforations 34.
This method of perforation permits the removal of the 20 iron-on from the container lO to initiate from a single point and to spread in a direction transverse to that of the applied force~ It is extremely important to eliminate tears which may occur at the leading edge 30 since they woul d tend to propagate in the direction of the applied 25 force into the heat transferable image forming the iron-on.
The side perforaLions 34 which define the side boundaries of th~ panel portion 22 may be of a conventional ~;O

4.~

1 si~e }~llOwll in thc art and are chosen for optimum sc~erance of the specific rnaterial utili~ed in the outer~ply lS.
The trailing ed~e 38 of the panel portion 22 5 i5 formed throu~h the inter~edial-y of a continuous cut which is desired so as to completel~ sever the outer ply 18 and ~hich extends transversely between the side perforations 3~. Preferably this cut 38 is positioned approximately 1/8 inch or any suitable small distance 10 beyond the edge of the adhesive-repellent medlum 26 so tha~ the entire trailing edge 38 of the pane7 portion 22 is laminated to the inner ply 16 by a small or narro~
strip of adhesive 20. This ~ill assuxe that the trailing edge 38 will adhere adequately to the inner ply during 15 the manufacturing process of the carton 10, while the ,~ p,e~e~
7~ continuous cut 38 ~~t-CS that undesired outer ply material c is stripped from the container 10 as the panel portion 22 ,~/c/7~ is peeled off. The mechanism of effecting the release of this adhered edge for the container 10 formed from the 20 two plies 16, 18 of a fibrous material is of tensile failure ~lithin the material of the outer ply 18. In effect, some of the outer ply material in this strip adjacent the trailing edge 38 will remain adhered to the inner ply 16 after the panel portion 22 is stripped off.
2~ De]c~mination between the plies 18 and 16 is terminated by the continuous cut 38, the latter of ~Jhich need only penetrate to the depth of which the material of the outer ply 18 is parted.

~44~00 1 In su~nati.on, from the ~ore~joincJ it beco~r,es readil~
apparent to one s]~illed ;.n the art that the present invention provides a merchandisi.n~ container or packaging media i.ncorporatins, in a novel manner, a panel portion or iron-on 5 including a hcat tr~nsfe~able image irnprinted thereon, ~hich is integrally constructed with the outer ~Jall or ply of a laminated container structure, and ~hich may be easily dctached or peeled off by the cons~er for use of th~
iron-on on a transEer substrate without in any manner 10 adversely affecting or destroyiny the integrity of the container, or necessitating the use of specialized tools.
Moreover, although the inventive container structure has been described in connection ~7ith a generally rectangular peelable panel portion having the transferable 15 image imprinted thereon, other configurations and shapes for the peelable panel portion or so-called "iron-on"
readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the technology.
Thus, for example, it is also possible to contemplate shapes such as circles, ovals, octasons, he~agons and the li~e, 20 the claims not being limited to the specific configuration illustrated herein.

Claims (9)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS;

1. A laminated container structure comprising all inner constituted of a substantially rigid material; an outer wall of a generally pliant material adapted to have indicia imprinted on at least the outer surface thereof; adhesive means extending intermediate said inner and outer walls for adhesively fastening said walls to each other; perforations extending through at least said pliant outer wall in a predetermined tear outline defining a removable panel section; a heat transferable image being provided on said panel section;
and adhesive repellent means being provided intermediate the inner surface of said outer wall and said adhesive means substantially coextensive with the area of said removable panel section to prevent the latter from adhering to said inner wall and facilitate tearing off of said removable section along said tear outline without adversely affecting the integrity of said container structure.

2. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1, said heat transferable image being printed on the outer surface of said outer wall within the area of said removable section.

3. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, said heat transferable image being constituted of a heat transferable substance selected from the group consisting of sublimation dyes, disperse dyes, pigmented sublimation inks, or vinyl plastisol films.

4. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1 comprising protective coating means being applied on said heat transferable image.

5. A container structure as claimed in Claim 4, said protective coating means imparting scuff resistance to said dyes, said coating means being permeable to the hot transfer of said heat transferable image.

6. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1, said adhesive-repellent means being provided on the surface of said outer wall in contact with said adhesive means.

7. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1, said perforations defining a generally rectangular removable outer wall section and including one continuous slit tear line along a first tear edge; discontinuous slits extending substantially perpendicularly and in parallel from each end of said continuous slit tear line so as to form the second and third tear edges of said removable section;
discontinuous elongate slits extending towards each other from the free ends of said first-mentioned discontinuous slits in an outwardly tapered overlapping end relationship;
and an outwardly curved slit forming a peelable pull tab for said removable section centrally interconnected with said overlapping slits..

8. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1, said inner wall being formed of paperboard and said cuter wall being formed of a thin pliable glossy finished paper.

9. A container structure as claimed in Claim 1, said structure comprising a generally rectangular box-like container, said removable section being located on-one exterior surface portion of said container.