US2307913A - End closure for tubular bodies - Google Patents

Description

- Jan. 12', 1943. s. BERGSTEIN' 2,307,913

END CLOSURE FOR TUBULAR BODIES Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. SAMUEL flats-s TE/N.

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 12;, 1943. s. BERGSTEIN END CLOSURE FOR TUBULARBODIES Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 5A MUEL Bakes rs/1v.

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AT TO R N EYS Patented Jan. 12, 1943 T OFFICE END CLOSURE FOR TUBULAR BODIES Samuel Bergstein, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Robert Morris stein, trustees Bergstein and Frank David Berg- Application December 11, 1940, Serial No. 369,636 3 Claims. 229-39) My invention relates more specifically to end closure for cartons made of rigid or semi-rigid material such as boxboard and the like, of which the folding carton such as used for inner tubes, etc., is a good example.

Such carton consists essentially of a body retained in tubular form by a glued seam or joint, with flaps at the end to provide the closure. In the art there are many types of end closures known and used, some being arrangements of tucks and flaps, and other various arrangements of flaps which are designed to be adhered or pasted together to form the closure, and so on.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved type of enclosure adapted to such cartons, which can readily be folded into closed position by hand without the need of machinery. It is a further object of my invention to provide a closure that when so formed into closed position will hold dependably under shipping and handling conditions, providing a tight and tamper-proof end seal, without the need for adhesive and the like.

Figure 1 shows my preferred form of flat blank.

Fig. 2 shows the blank in Fig. 1 after having been secured into tubular form, in which fiat tubular form the carton is shipped to the user.

Fig. 3, is a perspective showing the carton of Fig. 2 after having been squared up.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective showing the first step in forming the end closure.

Fig. 5 shows the closure in partly assembled condition.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the final closure.

. Fig. 7 shows an alternate style blank of my invention, and

Fig. 8 shows the blank in sure partially formed.

Referring now to Fig. 1. The blank shown has four main panels, I, 2, 3 and 4, panel 4 having articulated thereto a glue flap 5. Articulated to the main body panels by lines of fold la, 2a, 3a and 4a, are end closure flaps lb, 21),

Fig. 7 with the clo- 3b, and 4b. As shown, these end closure flaps are articulated to each other along lines of fold marked lo, 20, 3c and 4c.

Articulated to end closure flap lb, by lines of fold, are two small extending tabs 9-9. Ad-

jacent the lines of fold 2c and 3c, are slotted or cut-away portions 8-8.

In the blank shown in Fig. 1 the end closure of the opposite end of the carton is the same, and since this is the case there is no need to describe it in detail, it being understood that my invention as herein disclosed is adapted to form the closure on the end of a tubular container, whether one or both ends, as desired.

Fig. 2 shows the blank in Fig. 1 after having been folded and glued, the glue seam 5 and its continuations having been secured to panel I and the flaps thereof, as illustrated. This operation is carried out by standard equipment which forms no part of this invention, and the folded flat tubular carton in the form shown in Fig. 2 is the condition in which the carton is shipped to the point where the packing or filling is to be done.

Fig. 3 shows one end of the flat tubular carton of Fig. 2 after being squared up into open position.

Fig. 4 shows one of the first steps of performing the end closure. The small tabs 9 are folded inwardly to underlie the panel lb to which they are articulated, and as shown inFig. 4, with these tabs held in folded position, the flap lb is brought inwardly and at the same time the opposite flap 3b is pressed inwardly. This causes the intermediate flaps 2b and 4b to fold inwardly along their respective diagonal fold lines 2d and 4d as illustrated. It can be seen that the further reverse folding of these intermediate flaps along the diagonal lines therein, forms sort of a pocket to the flap 3b and it is towards this space that the extending flap lb with the infolded tabs 9 is being guided, as seen in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 shows the closure complete. The slots 8-8 are so located that they only register with the tabs 99, when all the flaps have been brought into position substantially at right angles to the main body panels of the carton body. Therefore, when the closure illustrated in Fig. 5 is carried through to the final point shown in Fig. 6, with the flaps all in flush position, the tabs spring through the openings or slots, retaining the closure in flat position transverse the end of the tubular structure, permanently and securely.

Fig. 7 shows an alternate style blank made according to my invention. It is similar in many respects to the preferred style except it will be noted that the .panel lb is separated from the adjoining panels, and is not connected thereto by lines of articulation. Also it will be seen that panel 2b and panel 4b which are the ones with the slots located therein, have only one diagonal line of fold 2d or 4d respectively therein, and the assembly of this end closure can be readily seen from the succeeding drawings Fig. 8. Here again it will be noted that panel 3b in connection with the two adjoining panels 4b and 2b forms a pocket by the reverse folding along the diagonal lines, the separate panel l-b with the tabs 9 thereon being introduced into the pocket as the flaps are brought together and closed down into closed position, and once the flaps have reached the position substantially at right angle to the main body panel of the carton, here again the tabs thereupon register with the slots, to retain the closure securely.

In passing, some details in connection with the closure above described might be noted. One of these is that the register between the tab and the slot can be extremely close, so that the tab is not engaged by going through the slot until the flaps are actually in the completely flattened position desired for a tight end closure. This is possible because there is enough flexibility in this closure to permit the flaps to be depressed slightly below the line of right angles to the main body panel, that is, slightly into the end of the body of the container itself, andthen released.

This permits extremely close register, and since the closeness of this register determines the tightness of the end closure, as far as its lying flush across'theend of the tubular structure, it is an important feature.

Another point that might be noted is that I prefer to-have the tab articulated along lines of foldwhich are slightly, tapered or on a bias, thereby facilitating the entry of the flap to which the tabs are articulated, into the opposite pocket formed of the remaining flaps.

It is obvious that variations can be made without departing'from the spirit or scope of my invention. For example, instead of being completely cut-away portions, the slots might be formed by cutting the desired area on three sides'and scoring it on the fourth, so that the stock therein would swing freely when pressure was applied, to permit interlocking with the tab. All such variations are contemplated, the inherent features of the invention being set forth in the claims.

It can thus be seen that I have provided a simple, very effective and secure end closure for a tubular structure. Once the flap having the tabs thereon is started into position between the opposite flap and the infolded triangular portions of the intermediate flaps,- a straight downward pressure is all that is required to guide the flap, the closure being, in that sense, self-aligning. There is no further manipulation required to" provide the interlocking of the tabs with the slots, because immediately upon reaching the position at right angles to the main body panel or slightly below that, the tabs automatically releaseinto theslots, and the closure is complete It .will further be noted that while such a closure starts externally, that is, by manipulations which begin on the outer flap of the carton, for example,the finished closure when completed is locked internally, and in practice it is almost impossible to disengage this closure, without mutilating or destroying the container itself. If my closure-for example, is used at both ends of a container, the container, once looked, is tamper-proof and as rigidly closed on the ends as'if the flapswere' securely adhered, and the minimumof manual manipulations, because this is accomplished with the tabs automatically release upon registering with the slots provided.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A container having a tubular body comprising wall members, each of said wall members having articulated thereto an end closure flap, said end closure flaps constituting opposed pairs, each flap of one opposed pair being articulated to the same flap of the other pair, having slots therein adjacent the lines of the said articulation, and also having diagonally arranged score lines proceeding from points on said lines of articulation adjacent the line of juncture of said flap of said other pair and extending toward the ends of the flaps of the first mentioned pair, whereby when said flaps are folded into a position substantially at right angles to said body wall members, the flaps of said first mentioned pair will be folded back on themselves on said diagonal score lines, said flap of said other pair lying above the flaps of said first mentioned pair, the second flap of said other pair being longer than the aforementioned flaps and having adjacent its end sidewise extending tabs, said longer flap being adapted to be inserted beneath its opposed flap and between it and the folded back portions of the flaps of the first mentioned pair, the parts being so dimensioned that when all flaps are folded down to a position substantially at right angles to the body walls of the carton the said tabs will enter the-said slots and form a lock for the carton.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which the'flaps of the first mentioned pair are articulated-to the last mentioned, longer flap, and are rovided with additional diagonally arranged score lines to permit thefolding of all flaps to a position substantially at rightangles to the body walls of the carton. V

3. A'container having a' tubular body comprising four wall members, each of said wall-members having articulated thereto an end closure flap, one of said end closure flaps having the adjacent flaps articulated to it, one at each side, said adjacent; flaps each bearing a diagonal score line proceeding from a point adjacent saidfirst mentionedflap, and the line of articulation of said flaps to their respective wall, and extending diagonally outwardly away fromsaid first mentioned flap whereby all three of said flaps may be folded inwardly, toa position" substantially at right an glesto the said wall members, said" adjacent flaps folding back upon themselves on said diagonal'score'lines, said adjacent flaps having slots formed therein adjacent their lines of articulation to said first mentioned flap, theremaimng or fourth closure flap of said carton being greater in length than the other'fiaps" so that its projecting end may be inserted beneath thefirst mentioned flap during the closureof said carton, and said fourth flap having adjacent its outer end a 'pair of tongues projecting sidewise, said tongues being so positioned that when saidcarton is closed with said projecting end of said fourth flap inserted beneath said first mentioned flap, said tongues will enter said slots in saida'djacent flaps to hold said carton'closed.

SAMUEL BERGSTEIN.

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