IL29608A - Container - Google Patents

Description

Patents Form No. 3 PATENTS AND DESIGNS ORDINANCE.

SPECIFICATION.

"CONTAINER"1 I / WE, KJ3YES FIBRE. COMPANY,, a ..corporation of the State of Maine, U.S.A..,, of Upper College Ayeime, Waterville, Maine, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described aud ascertained in and by the following statement : - L-55161 ■2- The present invention relates to containers and more particularly to molded pulp containers having upper and lower halves, and a latching arrangement for releasably locking the halves together. prior to the present invention, numerous arrangements have been proposed for releasably locking container halves together. These locking arrangements must be simple in design, reliable and easy to operate properly. With containers molded of fibrous material, frequent opening of the container to inspect or obtain its contents often damages or destroys the locking mechanism thereby rendering that mechanism unsuitable for its intended purpose. For example, in U.S. patent 5*27 , 56, dated October 27, 19.4-, a locking device is described for releasably connecting upper and lower container portions together. A projeotion on one of the container halves has a hook-shaped head that cooperates with an aperture or recess in the other half to lock the container closed. Once locked, the hook-shaped head must be urged away from the edge of the aperture to open the container. Often, the force exerted on the locking projection to open the container causes a rupture at the junction between the hook-shaped head and the remainder of the projection which renders the locking arrangement useless.

U.S. patent 2,87 ,057, dated February 10, 1959, describes a container having a cover lock wherein the locking arrangement is extremely weak due to the lack of vertical wall structure at the locking edge of the locking aparture. Moreover, the rear edge of the locking aperture is positioned Accordingly, an o ject of the present invention is to provide a ibrous pulp container having a simple and highly reliable arrangement for releasably looking the container halves together.

In accordance with the present invention, a container molded of ibrous pulp material comprising upper and lower halves which are mutually hinged at a common side edge and are provided at their opposite side edge with mutually cooperating latching means, the one container half having at least one post latch extending upwardly from a wall portion and having a latching ledge and a heed portion therebeyond, the other container half having a looking aperture at its corresponding side edge arranged to receive the post latch when the container is closed, in which position a head portion with the latching ledge overlaps an edge portion defining the locking aperture, characterized in the locking aperture, defined by an outer edge portion in an upstanding wall portion over which the latching ledge of the post latch extends when the container halves are latched together and a rear edge portion in the upstanding wall portion are arranged so that rearward movement of the head portion of the post latch Is limited In a direction away from the outer edge portion.

The post latch Is dimensioned slightly larger than the locking aperture so that the head portion of the latch must be collapsed slightly during latching and unlatching of the container. Preferably, the post latch is only larger than the looking aperture in the direction between the forward and rear edge portions defined ¾y the aperture* Moreover, the post latch may include a head portion with a polygonal cross section comprising a plurality of inclined side walls each of which ia slightly concave in con iguration.

— A pair of poet latches may he latch can be formed as an upward extension of selected half- post formations.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which: Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a container according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top plan view of the container shown in Figure 1; .

Figure I. is a top plan view of another container according to the present invention with portions of the cover broken away to show detail; Figure 5 s a front elevational view of the container shown in Figure I4.; and Figure 6 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5· Referring in more particularity to Figures 1-3 of t « drawing, reference numeral 10 represents a container molded of fibrous pulp material by suction deposition of fibers suspended in an aqueous medium on a suitably configured open-face molding die. The container includes a lower half or bottom section 12 integrally connected to an upper half or cover section lJ+ along a pulp hinge l6. The bottom section has a peripheral rim l8 that engages a similar rim 20 on the cover when the container plurality of individual article receiving pockets 22 by suitable rib structure so that individual items such as eggs, for example, can be positioned in these pockets. As evident from the drawing, an upwardly extending hollow post formation 2J. is disposed in the center of each group of four pockets and the lid rests against the top of this formation when the container is closed. Alternatively, without departing from the scope of this invention, the lower half of the container may take the form of a tray having a bottom wall with an upwardly extending side wall connected thereto.

The lower half of the container carries a post latch 26 formed as an upward extension of the side wall between the end pockets in the lower container half. The post latch is located between the end pockets of the container opposite the pulp hinge l6 and cooperates with a locking aperture 28 in the upstanding side wall portion JO of the cover II. to lock the container closed. The post latch includes a head 32 with a polygonal transverse cross -section and directly below the head a notch ¾ is provided to facilitate the latching operation. The head of the post latch comprises a plurality of side walls 36 each of which is inclined inwardly in a direction away from the lower half of the container. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-3* the head has an octagonal cross-section and each of the eight side walls 36 is slightly concave in configuration to assist in deforming the head slightly during latching and unlatching of the container halves .

As explained above, the locking aperture 28 positioned closed. The aperture Is defined in part by a horizontal forward or hooking edge portion >8 beyond which the head J2 of the post latch laterally extends when the container halves are latched together. Additionally, the aperture defines a rear edge portion I.O which prevents or substantially limits rearward flexing of the post latch in a direction away from the forward edge portion. As shown in Figure 2, the rear edge portion i\.0 is positioned directly behind the upper portion of the post latch when the container halves are latched together whereby rearward flexing of the latch is prevented.

The major horizontal cross -section of the post latch 26 is slightly larger than the locking aperture in at least one direction, this direction being illustrated as the horizontal direction between the forward and rear edge portions 38, J.O in the upstanding side wall >0 of the container cover IJ4.. Thus, in moving the post latch through this locking aperture, the latch is deformed slightly, and after passing through the aperture it reassumes its original shape. The head 32 of the post latch is thereby positioned directly over the horizontal forward edge portion 38 in the side wall of the cover 1I. to lock the container halves together.

Figures l .-6 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention wherein a container 100 comprises a lower half or bottom member 102 and an upper half or top member I0I.. The bottom member 102 includes upstanding side wall portions such as end walls and a front wall 106 and a rear wall 108, each having a plurality of inwardly contoured half-posts 110 integrally formed at spaced intervals to help define a plurality located interiorly of the container complete the definition of the plurality of downwardly dished article-receiving pockets 112 in the bottom member 102. As can readily be seen, the pockets 112 are adapted to hold ten articles, such as eggs, for example, and in the illustrated embodiment, they are arranged in two rov/s of five articles each. The rows extend parallel with the front and rear walls 106, 108 of the bottom member .

The ribs and posts and half-posts of the bottom member 102 not only define the plurality of article-receiving pockets 112, but also impart a great deal of strength to this portion of the container, and thus hold the front and rear walls 106, 108 of the bottom member in relatively fixed relationship to each other even under the stresses and strains encountered under normal handling of the container.

The cover half 10i|. of the container 100 includes a substantially planar base portion ll8 suitable for carrying indicia such as printed advertising material, flat labels glued or otherwise adhered thereto which in turn carry preprinted advertising material, or the like. The cover further includes an upstanding front wall 120 and rear wall 122 integrally connected with the planar base portion ll8. An elongated molded pulp hinge 12ij. connects the lower edge of the top member rear wall 122 with the upper edge of the bottom member rear wall 1θ8 to enable the top member to be folded down over the bottom member from an opened to a closed position.

A series of generally vertically disclosed buttress ribs 126 are integrally formed as inwardly extending indenta vertically directed forces and thus strengthen the top half of the container in the same manner that the half-posts 110 strengthen the bottom portion of the container against vertically directed forces. Additionally, the integrally formed buttress ribs 126 in the upstanding side walls of the top member merge with the planar base portion ll8 of the top.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures I.-6, two post latches 128 and two locking apertures I30 are provided for locking the bottom and top members together. Each post latch 128 is advisably formed as an upward extension of one of the half-posts 110 in the front wall I06 of the bottom member 102. One post latch is positioned on the half-post that separates the first and second article-receiving pockets 112 of the front row, and the other is positioned on the half-post between the fourth and fifth pockets of the front row. Each post latch 128 includes a head 132 having a polygonal transverse cross-section and directly below the head a notch I3I. is provided to facilitate latching of the container members together, as explained more fully below. The head 132 of the post latch 128 comprises a plurality of side walls 136 each of which is inclined inwardly in a direction away from the lower half of the container. 4s explained above, each of the locking apertures 130 positioned in the upstanding front wall 120 is arranged to receive one of the post latches 128 when the container is closed. These apertures are positioned in the buttress ribs 126 directly above the post latches. Each aperture 130 is defined in part by a horizontal forward or hooking edge por each aperture defines a rear edge portion li+O which prevents or substantially limits rearward flexing of each post latch in a direction away from the forward edge portion 138. As shown in Figure 6 , the rear edge portions 1I.O in the upstanding front wall 120 defined by the locking apertures 130 are positioned directly behind the upper portions of each post latch 128 when the container members are latched together whereby rearward flexing of the latch is prevented.

As evident from the drawing, the major horizontal cross-section of each post latch 128 is slightly larger than its associated locking aperture in at least one direction, this direction being the horizontal direction between the forward hooking edge 138 and the rear edge 1I4.O in buttress ribs 126 of the top member ΙΟΙ.· Accordingly, in moving each post latch through its associated locking aperture, the latch is distorted slightly, and after passing through the aperture it reassumes its original shape.

In operation, the container locking arrangement according to the present invention relates to an improved container construction. For instance, after the open container has been filled with articles, such as eggs, usually by means of an automatic filling machine, the filled container is conveyed through an automatic lid closing machine where the container halves are latched together. Such machines are of several varieties, and they generally manipulate the various functional portions of the container in the same manner that these portions would be manipulated by hand, but at much higher speeds.

Concerning the containers of the present invention all that is - about the hinge means so as to close the container. The post latch or post latches, if plural latching arrangements are used, then enter the locking apertures disposed in the upstanding side wall of the cover member. Since the head portion of each post latch is slightly larger than the locking aperture into which it is inserted in the horizontal direction between the forward and rear edge portions defined by the aperture, the head portion is deformed, compressed or collapsed slightly as the cover section continues to close* Finally, the marginal rims of the cover and bottom members abut one another and the head portion of the post latch clears the forward hooking edge portion of the aperture. The resilient nature of the molded pulp material from which the container is made causes the head portion of the post latch to reassume its normal shape, or in other words its configuration prior to deformation whereby the container members are releasably latched together. To unlock the container, the head portion of each post latch is deformed slightly until its cross-sectional outline is smaller than the locking aperture. The cover half of the container can then be moved away from the bottom half to its open position*

Claims (1)

1. 4 A container according to claims 1 characterised in that the head portion of the post latch has a substantially polygonal and preferably slightly side A containe according to claims 1 eharaoterlzed in tha the upstanding wall portion of the e half spaced apart formations and each post latch extends upwardly from one of the hal A container molded of fibrous palp material substantially as herein described with reference to 1 to 3 of the accompanying A container molded of fibrous pulp material substantially as herein described with to to 6 of the accompanying Attorney for Applicants insufficientOCRQuality