GB2497738A

GB2497738A - Re-usable cracker construction

Info

Publication number: GB2497738A
Application number: GB201121749A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Beata Thackeray
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-12-18
Filing date: 2011-12-18
Publication date: 2013-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 2031-12-18
Also published as: GB2497738B; GB201121749D0

Abstract

A reusable cracker is constructed of two parts, typically hollow cylinders, differing slightly from each other in length and aperture allowing for the narrower part to be telescopically inserted into the wider part. Defined creases 6,12 at given points along the two parts are collapsed to form flattened areas 7,13 creating portions to act as handles 3,9 and chambers 2,8 on both parts. The chamber 2 of the narrower part is filled with chosen contents and inserted into chamber 8 of the wider part to form one sealed chamber. Simultaneously, a snap 1 is inserted into chambers 2,8 and the ends fed through slots 4,5,10,11 within the flattened areas 7,13 allowing for the snap 1 to be held in place at both ends of the cracker casing without the use of glue or any other method of permanent adhesion. Decorative ties 18,19 can be added. When the cracker is pulled apart the snap 1 breaks allowing the two-part casing to separate without damage. The reusable cracker can be assembled and reused by the method described herein.

Description

RE-USABLE CRACKER CONSTRUCTION

This invention relates to a reusable cracker and particularly to a re-usable cracker construction.

A conventional cracker, for use on festive occasions, particularly Christmas, is constructed of card formed into a single hollow cylindrical casing, which is crumpled and tied in two places along its length to create three adjoining coaxial tubular sections. The central tube section acts as a chamber for containing items such as a folded paper hat, a gift and a printed slip of paper bearing a motto or joke. Conventionally a snap" extends from one end of the casing to the other. The snap is in the form of two strips of card held together at a small overlapping section by a frangible binding, e.g. of paper tape, with the overlapping section containing a friction-generating mechanism and a small quantity of material which, when heated, emits an explosive noise.

In use, the two ends of the cracker are pulled apart suddenly, parting the two strips of card of the snap with an audible crack, and tearing the hollow cylindrical casing into two parts, thus rendering it unsuitable for re-use in its original form or for its original purpose.

The snap may carry gripping means, as shown in GB 519560, to assist in ensuring that the snap is actuated when the cracker is "pulled". GB 519560 also discloses perforating the central section of the folded tube to assist pulling the tube apart.

A disadvantage of such conventional crackers is accordingly that each cracker can only be used once.

GB 189820981 (A) describes a re-usable "cosaque" (crackers were sometimes called cosaques in allusion to the crack' of a Cossack whip) consisting of two parts, one telescoping into the other in the central part of the cracker, so enabling the parts to be re-used.

The present invention provides a reusable cracker construction in which the construction and method of assembly allows it to be pulled apart without damage to the cracker casing and which can be easily reassembled for the purpose of reuse.

According to the present invention, there is provided a re-usable cracker consisting of two sections which can be pulled apart without damage and easily reassembled for the purpose of reuse, wherein each section is in the form of a hollow tubular section, one sized to fit telescopically into the other, and each being collapsible or foldable between its ends to render each section consisting of two adjoining portions, one acting as a handle and one as a chamber on each part, so enabling the parts to be assembled to form a cracker, and a snap, each end of the snap being engaged with the collapsible or foldable section of the respective pad so that when the cracker is pulled apart, the snap breaks allowing the two sections of the cracker to separate.

In such a reusable cracker, the casing is constructed of two parts, typically hollow cylindrical and or cuboid in form, the parts differing slightly from each other in size of aperture, allowing for the narrower part to be inserted into the wider part. Each part can include defined creases at a given point along their length which can be collapsed to form flattened areas thus creating two adjoining portions on each pad, one portion to act as a handle and the other as a chamber, on both parts. The chamber of the narrower pad is inserted into the chamber of the wider part to form a single enclosed chamber suitable to hold items such as a folded paper hat, a gift and/or a printed slip of paper bearing a motto or joke.

The pre-creased folds which make up the flattened areas on both the wider and narrower parts of the cracker casing should be configured in such a way as to facilitate the cracker casing to be collapsed without crumpling or distorting the overall form of the cracker casing.

The flattened areas on both parts of the cracker casing can function as places to grip the cracker without crushing the handles on both ends.

Avoiding crushing or damaging the handles when the cracker is pulled, helps to render the cracker more suitable for reuse. A suitable folding scheme for producing such a flattened area is known from GB 855160 which discloses a box having ends folded to resemble the ends of a conventional cracker.

In the assembled cracker, the two parts are held together by the snap, which breaks at a predetermined point to emit a mild bang when the cracker is pulled in the conventional manner. During assembly, the snap is fed through the two parts of the cracker casing and secured in place at both ends of the cracker casing by engagement with the foldable section of each part. One way of achieving this is to provide two parallel slots on both parts of the cracker casing and situated within the flattened areas on each part. The snap can be secured by feeding the ends through one of the pair of slots in the flattened areas and folding over the exposed end and inserting it into the second pair of slots. This allows the snap to be held in place without the use of glue or any other method of permanent adhesion.

The snap is further secured in place when the cracker is held at both ends and pressure applied to the flattened areas.

This method, as described, of attaching the snap to the casing also ensures less damage to the cracker casing when the reusable cracker is pulled. Once the cracker is pulled apart, the broken snap can be removed and a fresh snap inserted and fixed during reassembly of the two parts of the cracker casing.

The length of the chambers on both the narrower and wider parts of the cracker casing can vary from each other in length and shape. The outer edge of the chamber on the wider part can be cut at an angle to make it easier to insert the chamber of the narrower part.

Ribbons or decorative ties made from any material, can be threaded through pre-punched holes in the flattened areas and tied in place to further secure the exposed areas of the cracker snaps and provide added decoration.

A wider range of materials is suitable for the manufacture of the reusable cracker as opposed to the conventional cracker, since the function of the two-part casing, as described, does not restrict the choice of materials to those which must tear under force to allow the cracker to be pulled apart. A preferred material is a plastics film of suitable thickness and resilience. It may be plain or coloured, decorated or embossed. Laminate materials may be used, e.g. of a plastics film laminated to a paper layer. Other suitable materials include waterproof papers, sheets made of high density polyethylene, and hand-made papers.

Reusable crackers according to the present invention can be pulled apart without tearing and so less force is required, thus facilitating greater ease of use without diminishing the surprise and delight.

Specific embodiments of reusable crackers in accordance with the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view of one part of a reusable cracker in its first stage of assembly, with one end of a snap inserted into a chamber being part of the narrower part of a cracker casing, and pushed through one of the slots; Figure 2 is a similar perspective view of the reusable cracker part in its second stage of assembly, where the protruding end of the cracker snap is folded over on itself pushed into an adjacent slot, and where a pre-creased area of the cracker part is collapsed along the folds to form a flat section; Figure 3 shows a similar perspective view of the reusable cracker part in its third stage of assembly, where the chamber of the narrower part of the cracker casing, is shown inserted into the chamber of a wider part of the casing with the loose end of the cracker snap being fed through the wider part of the cracker casing and pushed through a slot therein; Figure 4 shows a similar perspective view of the reusable cracker in its fourth stage of assembly, where on the wider part the pre-creased area is collapsed along the folds to form a flat section, and the loose protruding end of the cracker snap is pulled tight to secure the two parts of the cracker casing together, and where the protruding end of the cracker snap is folded over on itself and pushed into a remaining unused slot, and where the cracker is in a state ready for use; Figure 5 shows a similar perspective view of the reusable cracker after it has been pulled apart and both parts of the cracker casing remain fully intact and only the snap is broken; Figure 6 shows an alternative construction in side view where the chambers are square in section; Figure 7 shows an alternative construction in side view where the chambers are circular in section at their open ends; Figure 8 shows an alternative construction in side view where the handles at both ends are flat; and Figure 9 is a diagram of the two parts of a reusable cracker according to the invention laid out flat and showing fold lines and cut out holes and slots.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the way in which the reusable cracker can be assembled, used and reassembled is set out in the following description, in which the following reference numbers refer to the following items shown in the drawings: Definitions 1 -snap 2 -chamber narrow pad 3 -handle narrow part 4 -slot 1 on narrow part 5 -slot 2 on narrow part 6 -creases on narrow part 7 -flat area on narrow part 8 -chamber wide pad 9 -handle wide part 10-slot 1 on wide part 11 -slot 2 on wide part 12-creases on wide part 13-flat area on wide part 14 -pre-punched hole on narrow part 15-pre-puriched hole on narrow part 16-pre-punched hole on wide part 17-pre-punched hole on wide part 18 -tie 19 -tie As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the narrow part of the cracker casing has pre-creased folds 6 in an area along its length which, when collapsed, form a flat section 7, with a tube at one end acting as a chamber 2 and the other portion acting as a handle 3. A strip of board which when broken emits a mild bang, the snap 1 is secured to the narrower part of the cracker casing.

To begin assembling the reusable cracker, one end of the cracker snap 1 is inserted into the open end of the chamber 2 and pushed through the slot 4 furthest away from the chamber opening. A small section of the snap 1 is left protruding from the slot 4.

The protruding end of the cracker snap 1 is folded over on itself and pushed into the parallel slot 5, allowing one end of the cracker snap 1 to be gripped in place without the use of glue or any other method of permanent adhesion.

The pre-creased folds 6 are collapsed to form a flat area 7, which when collapsed creates a tube acting as a chamber 2 and the other portion acting as a handle 3. The flat area can function as a place to grip the narrow part of the cracker casing without crushing the handle 3. The desired contents, for example a gift, hat, motto or joke etc. can now be placed inside the chamber 2.

The chamber 2 of the narrower part of the cracker casing from which the loose end of snap 1 protrudes, is shown inserted into the chamber 8 of the wider part the cracker casing as far as the area of pre-creased folds 12. The loose end of the snap 1 is simultaneously fed through the wider part of the cracker casing and the end then pushed through the slot 10 furthest away from the opening of the chamber 8.

The pre-creased folds 12 on the wider part of the cracker casing are collapsed to form a flat area 13, the longer tube acting as a chamber 8 and the other portion acting as a handle 9. The loose protruding end of the snap 1 is pulled tight to secure the two parts of the cracker casing together The pre-creased folds which make up the flattened areas 7, 13, are configured in such a way as to facilitate the cracker casing to be collapsed without crumpling the cylinder.

The remaining protruding end of the snap 1 is folded over on itself and pushed into the remaining unused slot 11. The reusable cracker is then in a state ready for use, with the two parts of the cracker casing held in place by the snap 1, without the use of glue or any other method of permanent adhesion.

To use the reusable cracker, it is held at the flattened areas 7, 13 and the two parts pulled in opposite directions until the snap 1 breaks, causing both parts of the cracker casing to separate thus releasing the contents.

Both parts of the casing of the reusable cracker are intact after the cracker has been pulled apart, and only the snap 1 is broken. Both sections of the broken snap 1 can be easily removed without causing damage to the cracker casing. The flattened areas 7, 13 can be unfolded along the crease lines to allow the reusable cracker to be assembled as already described and prepared for reuse. Afresh intact snap is used for the purpose of reuse.

Pre-punched holes can be added, which align to form two openings 14,15, 16,17 when the flattened areas 7,13, are collapsed. Sections of ribbon or any other material can be fed through the holes 14,15, 16,17 and tied over the exposed snap 1 in the flattened areas 7,13 to further secure the snap 1 in place.

The open end of the chamber 8 of the wider part of the reusable cracker casing may be shorter in length to the chamber 2 of the narrower part and cut at an angle at the opening to allow for the chamber 2 of the narrower part to be inserted with greater ease.

The pre-creased folds 6, 12 which make up the flattened areas, are configured in such a way as to facilitate the tube shape to be collapsed without crumpling the cracker casing. The folds are configured in a similar way on both the wider and narrower parts of the cracker casing, although exact position and dimensions of the folds differ on both parts depending on the differing widths of the parts.

Del intions I -snap 2 -chamber narrow part 3 -hande narrow part 4-sot 1 on narrow part -sot 2 on narrow part 6 -creases on narrow part 7-fiat area on narrow part 8-chamber wide part 9-hande wide part 10-sot 1 on wide part ii -sot 2 on wide part 12-creases on wide part 1 3 -fiat area on wide part 14-pre-punched hoe on narrow part 15-pre-punched ho'e on narrow part 1 6 -pre-punched hok on wide part 17-pre-punched hok on wide part 18--tie i9-te

Claims

<claim-text>CLAIMS1. A reusable cracker consisting of two sections which can be pulled apart without damage and easily reassembled for the purpose of reuse, wherein each section is in the form of a hollow tubular section, one sized to fit telescopically into the other, and each being collapsible or foldable between its ends to render each section consisting of two adjoining portions, one acting as a handle and one as a chamber on each part, so enabling the parts to be assembled to form a cracker, and a snap, each end of the snap being engaged with the collapsible or foldable section of the respective part so that when the cracker is pulled apart, the snap breaks allowing the two sections of the cracker to separate.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A reusable cracker according to Claim 1 wherein the snap is secured in place by being fed through slots in the cracker and folded back on itself at both ends, with the loose ends fed through a second set of slots without the use of glue or any other method of permanent adhesion.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A reusable cracker according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein each section includes predetermined creases allow the cracker section to be collapsed at a point intermediate its ends to create flat areas which can be held without crushing or damaging the handles when the cracker is pulled.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A reusable cracker according to any one of the preceding Claims, whereby ribbons or decorative ties made from any material, can be threaded through pre-punched holes in the flattened areas and tied in place to further secure the snap.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A reusable cracker according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the material for the manufacture of the reusable two-part cracker casing includes a tear-resistant plastics film.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. A reusable cracker according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein cross-section of the tubular sections of the two-part cracker casing is circular or square.</claim-text> <claim-text>7. A method of assembling a reusable cracker according to Claim 1 to facilitate reuse which involves the steps of: removing the broken lengths of snap; feeding a new snap through the narrower part of the cracker casing; securing one end of the snap to the narrower part of the cracker casing; filling the chamber of narrower part of the cracker casing with cracker contents; inserting the filled chamber of narrower part of the cracker casing into the chamber of the wider part of the cracker casing to form the shape of a cracker; feeding the loose length of snap through the wider part of the cracker casing; and securing the loose end of the snap to the wider part of the cracker casing to hold the two parts of the cracker casing together.</claim-text>