US2101522A - Carton - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 1937. c. W. WHITE 2,101,522

CARTON Filed May 22, 1937 INVENTOI ATTORN EY S Patented Dec. 7, 1937 tJNlTED STATE PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to cartons and particularly to cartons of the type including a casing and a drawer slidable therein.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved retaining strip for the drawer contents of such a carton, the contents being matches as herein shown by way of example.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a retaining strip for such cartons so constructed that the contents, for example matches, may be easily removed down to the last match without manually grasping the retaining strip for displacement; to provide such a retaining strip which does not interfere with easy insertion of the drawer into its casing, and does not interfere with the filling of the drawer.

Further objects are to provide such a retaining strip in match boxes so constructed that no part of it need be bent in order to extract any match from the drawer, whether the first or last match in the drawer; to provide such a retaining strip so constructed that the matches may be easily removed from the drawer in either of two directions, namely, in a direction lengthwise of the L match or in a direction at right angles to the match length.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the retaining strip in a drawer type match box, illustrating the removal of the match from the drawer;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, showing particularly the construction of the free end of the retaining strip and its relation to the drawer end; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the drawer removed from its casing and showing the retaining strip attached thereto.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a casing II is provided with a match drawer l3 slidable therein and containing a quantity of matches I5. The

matches may be packed in the drawer with their heads on either one side or the other, or with some heads on each side. So far as the present invention is concerned, it is desirable only that the match length extend in a direction transverse to the length of the retaining strip, such length being measured from its attached end to its free end.

Retaining strip l9 consists essentially of a main or retaining portion 2| having at one end a tuckin attached flap 23, preferably secured as by glue or otherwise to one end 25 of the drawer l3.

The other end of the retaining strip I9 is free and in accordance with the invention lies in the plane of the main body of said strip, that is, the free end has no tuck-in flap or retaining or securing flap.

The length of the retaining strip, in accordance with the invention, is somewhat less than the length of the drawer measured inwardly thereof; it is enough shorter than the drawer so that the free end will lie within the drawer but extends near enough to the drawer end, preferably, to prevent one of the matches I from falling out of the box at this point. For this purpose the free end of the retaining strip is spaced from the drawer end by an amount somewhat less than the thickness of one of the matches.

In accordance with the invention and in order to facilitate the removal, not only of the first matches removed from the drawer, but also of the remaining matches down to the last match, the retaining strip is provided at its free end with a cut-away portion which may, for example, have the shape of a quarter circle as defined by the curved line 2'! in Figure 2. It will be noted that only part of the free end is thus cut away and that the cut-away portion in accordance with the invention extends from the free end edge of the retaining strip inwardly of the main body 2! thereof.

By reference to the drawing it will be noted that when the box is full of matches they may be easily removed at the cut-away portion of the retaining strip; and furthermore, that in accordance with the invention, they may be easily removed in any direction within an angle of 90, namely, either in a direction lengthwise of the matches as packed or in a direction transverse thereto, that is, in the direction of the drawer length or retaining strip length, or in any direction lying between these two directions.

In removing a match or matches from the box the retaining strip need not be manually grasped at all; the mere act of removing the match will lift the free end of the strip sufficiently, within the limits of its elastic limit, to avoid possible damage or destruction of the retaining strip, which therefore need never be bent in order to effect removal of the matches. Further, it will be observed that the last match in the box can be as readily removed as the first, all that is necessary being the mere tilting of the box to bring the last match or matches under the cut-away portion of the retainer strip, from 10 end of the drawer, the remainder of said strip being free, said strip extending along the top portion of the drawer substantially from end to end and being enough shorter than the drawer to lie within the drawer, the free end of said strip 15 being in the same plane as the retaining portion,

part of said free end being cut away from its edge inwardly.

2. A match carton including a casing, a drawer slidable therein, and a retainer strip for the drawer contents, said strip having a retaining portion provided with a tuck-in attaching flap secured to the inner face of one end of the drawer, the remainder of said strip being free, said strip extending along the top portion of the drawer substantially from end to end, the free end of said strip being in the same plane as the retaining portion, part of said free end being cut away from its edge inwardly, and the remainder of said free end lying within the drawer and spaced from "the drawer end by a distance less than the match

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