US20110073517A1 - Containers with reduced material content - Google Patents
Containers with reduced material content Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110073517A1 US20110073517A1 US12/891,335 US89133510A US2011073517A1 US 20110073517 A1 US20110073517 A1 US 20110073517A1 US 89133510 A US89133510 A US 89133510A US 2011073517 A1 US2011073517 A1 US 2011073517A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- container
- opening
- flexible sheet
- label
- solid portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 title abstract description 16
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 241000628997 Flos Species 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920000298 Cellophane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000087 stabilizing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
Definitions
- the invention relates to packaging, and more particularly, to containers with reduced material content.
- a plastic injection molded open-walled cage or open plastic framework is formed to provide structural support to a closed-wall package.
- the cage or framework is then covered or wrapped with a thin sheet or label to cover the openings in the cage or framework.
- the label can either be clear, opaque or a combination of clear and opaque.
- a label can be provided with a clear plastic window to allow a user to view within the container to see the level of product remaining inside of the container or package.
- the label which covers the opening in the cage or framework is provided with an adhesive in predetermined areas which corresponds only to those areas which will contact the cage or framework. In this manner, no adhesive will be exposed to any product within the cage or framework. Stated another way, only those portions of the label which do not include adhesive will be exposed to the product within the framework.
- the label can be formed of any conventional sheet material such as paper, plastic, fabric, etc.
- FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary prior art container
- FIG. 1B illustrates another exemplary prior art container
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a container with reduced material content
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a container with reduced material content
- FIG. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of a label for placement on the container of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of a label for placement on the container of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an assembled container assembly assembled from the container of FIG. 3 and the label of FIG. 4 .
- One application in accordance with the present disclosure is the provision of a plastic injection molded container and label assembly for use as a dental floss container.
- the general construction and concept of this disclosure may be applied to virtually any type of package constructed from any type of material for any type of article.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrated are exemplary prior art plastic dental floss containers formed entirely of solid wall plastic.
- the open framed container 10 of FIG. 2 has been developed in accordance with the present disclosure.
- the container 10 is formed with an open-walled cage-like construction which includes, for example, solid side walls 12 , a solid bottom wall 14 and a solid hinged top 16 .
- the front wall of the container 10 has been provided with large openings 18 which are separated by a front vertical plastic reinforcing bar 20 .
- a top reinforcing bar 22 extends between the side walls 12 and interconnects with the central support or stabilizing bar 20 .
- a similar construction is provided on the back wall of the container 10 .
- the hinged top 16 can include a lip 17 having a detent 17 a that engages a notch (not shown) on the top reinforcing bar 22 .
- the detent 17 a on the lip 17 secures the hinged top 16 in a closed position to secure the contents of the contents of the container 10 therein.
- the container 10 of FIG. 2 reduces the amount of plastic as compared to its counterpart in FIG. 1 by approximately 50%. This results in significant material costs savings as well as reduced recycling of plastic material and reduced material destined for landfill.
- a generally rectangular flexible label is bonded to the container 10 to cover all of the openings 18 (other than the top opening which is covered by lid 16 ). Only selective areas of the label are bonded to the container 10 , for example along side walls 12 and/or supports 20 , 22 .
- FIG. 3 Another example of the disclosure is shown as the dental floss container 10 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 which has a construction similar to that of FIG. 2 .
- an additional opening 26 is provided in each sidewall 12 to further reduce the material usage.
- the container 10 is constructed with a generally “U” shaped profile to closely receive a generally circular reel of dental floss.
- FIG. 4 shows an example of a one-piece integral label 30 suitable for use in covering the open walled container 10 of FIG. 3 .
- the periphery or border of the label 30 is provided with a narrow tacky adhesive strip or region 32 .
- the region 32 corresponds to the solid portions of the container 10 or framework of FIG. 3 such that the adhesive only makes contact with the solid regions and is not exposed to any internal area of the container 10 . Stated otherwise, any contents within the container 10 are prevented from contact with any of the adhesive due to the limited area of exclusive contact between the adhesive and the plastic container 10 .
- the openings 18 in the front and back of the container 10 are covered by label portions 36 and the side windows 26 are covered by label portions 38 .
- label 30 of FIG. 4 is applied to the framework or container 10 of FIG. 3 , the container assembly 50 of FIG. 6 results.
- a clear or transparent opening 42 may be provided in one or more portions of the label to allow a user to view the contents within the container 10 .
- This clear window 42 can be provided by making the entire label of clear plastic or a cellophane type material and applying an opaque coating on the rest of the label, other than on the openings or windows 42 .
- an aperture can be formed in the label and covered over with a clear plastic window such as by adhesives, bonding, melting or the like.
- An entirely clear or opaque label may also be used.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
Abstract
A plastic injection molded container is provided with reduced material content. The plastic container may be a dental floss container but may be any type of container for storing any type of product. The plastic container is comprised of an open framework comprising at least one opening and at least one solid portion and defining an open container body, a flexible sheet overlying said at least one opening, and a bond bonding said flexible sheet exclusively to said at least one solid portion. In an embodiment, the flexible sheet is a label and the bond is an adhesive. The label may be provided with a clear opening for viewing the contents of the container.
Description
- This is a non-provisional application of provisional application serial No. 61/246,692, filed on Sep. 29, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference and the priority benefit of which is hereby claimed.
- The invention relates to packaging, and more particularly, to containers with reduced material content.
- A need exists for a package or container such as a plastic container which uses less plastic material. By using less plastic material, a lower cost package will result, less plastic will be processed and less plastic will be disposed of, for example, in garbage dumps and landfills. In this manner, by reducing the amount of plastic in a potentially disposable container, economical and environmental improvements may be achieved.
- In one embodiment, a plastic injection molded open-walled cage or open plastic framework is formed to provide structural support to a closed-wall package. The cage or framework is then covered or wrapped with a thin sheet or label to cover the openings in the cage or framework. The label can either be clear, opaque or a combination of clear and opaque. For example, a label can be provided with a clear plastic window to allow a user to view within the container to see the level of product remaining inside of the container or package.
- The label which covers the opening in the cage or framework is provided with an adhesive in predetermined areas which corresponds only to those areas which will contact the cage or framework. In this manner, no adhesive will be exposed to any product within the cage or framework. Stated another way, only those portions of the label which do not include adhesive will be exposed to the product within the framework. The label can be formed of any conventional sheet material such as paper, plastic, fabric, etc.
- A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
-
FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary prior art container; -
FIG. 1B illustrates another exemplary prior art container; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a container with reduced material content; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a container with reduced material content; -
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of a label for placement on the container ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of a label for placement on the container ofFIG. 3 ; and -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an assembled container assembly assembled from the container ofFIG. 3 and the label ofFIG. 4 . - One application in accordance with the present disclosure is the provision of a plastic injection molded container and label assembly for use as a dental floss container. However, the general construction and concept of this disclosure may be applied to virtually any type of package constructed from any type of material for any type of article.
- Referring now to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , illustrated are exemplary prior art plastic dental floss containers formed entirely of solid wall plastic. In order to reduce the plastic material usage in the constructions ofFIGS. 1A and 1B , the open framedcontainer 10 ofFIG. 2 has been developed in accordance with the present disclosure. - As seen in
FIG. 2 , thecontainer 10 is formed with an open-walled cage-like construction which includes, for example,solid side walls 12, asolid bottom wall 14 and a solid hingedtop 16. In order to reduce the amount of plastic usage, the front wall of thecontainer 10 has been provided withlarge openings 18 which are separated by a front verticalplastic reinforcing bar 20. - A top reinforcing
bar 22 extends between theside walls 12 and interconnects with the central support or stabilizingbar 20. A similar construction is provided on the back wall of thecontainer 10. - The hinged
top 16 can include alip 17 having a detent 17 a that engages a notch (not shown) on the top reinforcingbar 22. Thedetent 17 a on thelip 17 secures thehinged top 16 in a closed position to secure the contents of the contents of thecontainer 10 therein. - The
container 10 ofFIG. 2 reduces the amount of plastic as compared to its counterpart inFIG. 1 by approximately 50%. This results in significant material costs savings as well as reduced recycling of plastic material and reduced material destined for landfill. - A generally rectangular flexible label is bonded to the
container 10 to cover all of the openings 18 (other than the top opening which is covered by lid 16). Only selective areas of the label are bonded to thecontainer 10, for example alongside walls 12 and/or supports 20, 22. - Another example of the disclosure is shown as the
dental floss container 10 in the embodiment ofFIG. 3 which has a construction similar to that ofFIG. 2 . Although in this embodiment, anadditional opening 26 is provided in eachsidewall 12 to further reduce the material usage. In order to further reduce the material usage, thecontainer 10 is constructed with a generally “U” shaped profile to closely receive a generally circular reel of dental floss. -
FIG. 4 shows an example of a one-piece integral label 30 suitable for use in covering the openwalled container 10 ofFIG. 3 . In this example, the periphery or border of the label 30 is provided with a narrow tacky adhesive strip orregion 32. Theregion 32 corresponds to the solid portions of thecontainer 10 or framework ofFIG. 3 such that the adhesive only makes contact with the solid regions and is not exposed to any internal area of thecontainer 10. Stated otherwise, any contents within thecontainer 10 are prevented from contact with any of the adhesive due to the limited area of exclusive contact between the adhesive and theplastic container 10. - The
openings 18 in the front and back of thecontainer 10 are covered bylabel portions 36 and theside windows 26 are covered bylabel portions 38. When the label 30 ofFIG. 4 is applied to the framework orcontainer 10 ofFIG. 3 , thecontainer assembly 50 ofFIG. 6 results. - As seen in
FIG. 5 , instead of using a single integral adhesive panel, a series of individual adhesive panels or labels may be applied in a manner similar to that as described above. In each of the labels ofFIGS. 4 and 5 , a clear ortransparent opening 42 may be provided in one or more portions of the label to allow a user to view the contents within thecontainer 10. Thisclear window 42 can be provided by making the entire label of clear plastic or a cellophane type material and applying an opaque coating on the rest of the label, other than on the openings orwindows 42. Alternatively, an aperture can be formed in the label and covered over with a clear plastic window such as by adhesives, bonding, melting or the like. An entirely clear or opaque label may also be used. - All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
- It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.
Claims (20)
1. A container, comprising:
an open framework comprising at least one opening and at least one solid portion and defining an open container body;
a flexible sheet overlying said at least one opening; and
a bond bonding said flexible sheet exclusively to said at least one solid portion.
2. The container of claim 1 , wherein said open framework is comprised of plastic.
3. The container of claim I, wherein said bond is comprised of adhesive.
4. The container of claim 1 , wherein said flexible sheet is a label.
5. The container of claim 1 , wherein said container is constructed with a U-shaped profile.
6. The container of claim 1 , wherein said container is a dental floss container.
7. The container of claim 1 , wherein said at least one solid portion comprises two side walls defining a front wall of the container, and said at least one opening comprises two openings in the front wall of the container.
8. The container of claim 7 , wherein said two opening are separated by a front reinforcing portion.
9. The container of claim 8 , further comprising a top reinforcing portion extending between the side walls and interconnecting with the front reinforcing portion.
10. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a solid bottom wall.
11. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a solid hinged top wall.
12. The container of claim 1 , wherein said at least one solid portion comprises two side walls and said at least one opening is formed in one or both of the two side walls.
13. The container of claim 1 , wherein said flexible sheet is comprised of a plurality of sheet portions each overlying one opening.
14. The container of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional clear opening in the flexible sheet defining a viewing window configured to view contents of the container.
15. A method of constructing a container, comprising:
providing an open framework comprising at least one opening and at least one solid portion and defining an open container body;
placing a flexible sheet overlying said at least one opening; and
bonding said flexible sheet exclusively to said at least one solid portion.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting said open framework to be comprised of plastic.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising using adhesive to bond said flexible sheet to said at least one solid portion.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting a label as said flexible sheet.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting the shape of the container to be a U-shaped profile.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein said container is a dental floss container.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/891,335 US20110073517A1 (en) | 2009-09-29 | 2010-09-27 | Containers with reduced material content |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US24669209P | 2009-09-29 | 2009-09-29 | |
US12/891,335 US20110073517A1 (en) | 2009-09-29 | 2010-09-27 | Containers with reduced material content |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110073517A1 true US20110073517A1 (en) | 2011-03-31 |
Family
ID=43779116
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/891,335 Abandoned US20110073517A1 (en) | 2009-09-29 | 2010-09-27 | Containers with reduced material content |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110073517A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2020179058A (en) * | 2019-04-26 | 2020-11-05 | サンスター株式会社 | Interdental cleaning tool |
JP7372049B2 (en) | 2019-04-26 | 2023-10-31 | サンスター株式会社 | Interdental cleaning tool |
USD1035006S1 (en) | 2022-09-12 | 2024-07-09 | Align Technology, Inc. | Dental aligner storage case |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2054785A (en) * | 1934-07-05 | 1936-09-15 | Harris Maynard Lawrence | Fruit, berry, and vegetable box |
US5975412A (en) * | 1995-11-21 | 1999-11-02 | Groupe Guillin S.A. | Food packaging carton |
US6053321A (en) * | 1998-07-17 | 2000-04-25 | Kayser; Steven L. | Blister pack display card with reusable container |
US6270868B1 (en) * | 1998-11-17 | 2001-08-07 | Inoac Packaging Group Inc. | Composite container with stabilized base |
US6302121B1 (en) * | 1999-08-31 | 2001-10-16 | Gillette Canada Company | Dental floss dispenser |
US20080245677A1 (en) * | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Ralph Albert Sagel | Oral Care Package |
USD594321S1 (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2009-06-16 | Ncneil - Ppc, Inc. | Package |
USD594320S1 (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2009-06-16 | Mcneil - Ppc, Inc. | Package |
-
2010
- 2010-09-27 US US12/891,335 patent/US20110073517A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2054785A (en) * | 1934-07-05 | 1936-09-15 | Harris Maynard Lawrence | Fruit, berry, and vegetable box |
US5975412A (en) * | 1995-11-21 | 1999-11-02 | Groupe Guillin S.A. | Food packaging carton |
US6053321A (en) * | 1998-07-17 | 2000-04-25 | Kayser; Steven L. | Blister pack display card with reusable container |
US6270868B1 (en) * | 1998-11-17 | 2001-08-07 | Inoac Packaging Group Inc. | Composite container with stabilized base |
US6302121B1 (en) * | 1999-08-31 | 2001-10-16 | Gillette Canada Company | Dental floss dispenser |
US20080245677A1 (en) * | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Ralph Albert Sagel | Oral Care Package |
USD594321S1 (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2009-06-16 | Ncneil - Ppc, Inc. | Package |
USD594320S1 (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2009-06-16 | Mcneil - Ppc, Inc. | Package |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2020179058A (en) * | 2019-04-26 | 2020-11-05 | サンスター株式会社 | Interdental cleaning tool |
JP7283969B2 (en) | 2019-04-26 | 2023-05-30 | サンスター株式会社 | interdental cleaner |
JP7372049B2 (en) | 2019-04-26 | 2023-10-31 | サンスター株式会社 | Interdental cleaning tool |
USD1035006S1 (en) | 2022-09-12 | 2024-07-09 | Align Technology, Inc. | Dental aligner storage case |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ALLTRISTA PLASTICS, LLC, SOUTH CAROLINA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SCHILLINGER, MARTIN;HAVENS, PAUL;REEL/FRAME:025047/0139 Effective date: 20100927 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |