US2312895A - Self-reinforcing paper container - Google Patents

Description

March 2 1943. -H GORDON 2,312,895

SELF-REINFORGING PAPER CONTAINER I Filed Sept. '7, 1939 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTOR March 2 1 943. GORDON 2,312,895

- SBLF-REINFORCINGPAPEVR CONTAINER Filed Sept. 7, 1939* s Slieets-Sheet s '|NV E NTOR M 4 imgyvg Gordon ATTORNEYS tition with glass bottles.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UN ITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My present invention relates to the art of paper containers for liquid food products and more particularly to a self-reinforcing paper container.

-My invention consists essentially of a paper container which is so formed that unusual rigid.- ity is efiected with the minimum weight of paper. Means are provided for securely and easilyclosing the top. Further means are provided which, while forming a thorough seal for the package until the same is opened, provides a pouring open ing that permits easy dispensing of. the liquid productand at the same time leaves a cover pore tion that may be reseated, in the position from which it is torn, so as to forma reasonably tight closure for the pensed at the time the container isopened.

Paper containers, of thesealing type oftenreferred to as paper bottles, have been on themarket for some time and have been used in compein the milk trade. However, there are many other products that are sold in. milk bottles: such as fruit juices, oysters, clam nectar, salad dressings of various kinds, cottage cheese and similar products, and other specially extracted fruit and vegetable juices. It has long been recognized that a desirable container would be of such a structure that it could be handled so as to guarantee absolute sterilization and, to further provide against contamination, that it should be produced so cheaply that it could be thrown away after use. However, to satisfy this demand a paper bottle-or container must be of such a character that it can be produced at a price considerably under thatof a glass bottle. The glass bottle normally is used many times and for a paper container to com.- pete with the, same it must be priced at a fraction of the cost of the milk bottle plus the cleaning and sterilization expense that the glass bottle must undergo each time it is used.

The paper containers used in competition with the milk bottle, as far as observed, are of such design that they require very expensive assembling, filling, and sealing equipment so that the small dairy or distributor of liquid food products cannot afiord to install this expensive equipment. Further, the constructions used to date are of such a character that the cost of each container is relatively high so that it does not compare favorably with the cost of each use of the standard milk bottle. One reason for this excessive cost'is that when a container is filled with a quart of milk, substantially two pounds of liquid is con tained therein and, unless it is of unusually sturdy structure, in jostling about as the containers are portion of the contents not ,dis-

This use is primarily being taken from the pointof fillingto1the -,cu s+ tomer oruser, it wllltendi t te dammed-mu sa-nap has; r nstance iQQfihB'LWQ KEE gQ the container will tend to loosen up th seal j nts so thatth narenot in. we condition when delivered o -the: cust me Io date t emanuiacturers ha e. esorte tsheavy weight pap r in, termite their con a n r orto metal reinf rcem nts: and; hi is ebahlyi greatest, cpntributins twice to th his}; :of pap r conta n rs- Wi h my .m1 r9Yed-9@ ta .nr I have; Provi e m ans whereby relative! h a er can be'used nd. wear th r la ierma ien Q m be tla- I p ovide i idity. 1.1. to th s u m of the container. This makes it possible to pro.- duce a prac ica .rusabl .e nta ner om .ligh wei ht pa er that w ll sa e. a th ce s r requisitest ensth because of the. light weight of the pape r-.-u sed,- enable ,me 30 5 11 9 3 a contain r hat semmresia r bl in i e to thecost: offv a s n leuse: Q -the t ndard glas bottle.

A f rtheriect: of my; pre entinvenfion is to. rovide a ta eworm-min r. b l ha -ca be a s m ed e on mi al yo a ma hi e-o asonable cost so that my containers may becpmme i l -qbtainab e yt e smaller d i yand quid iced di t but r An important obi ec .of my inven on o ro.- videiineans tor reinforcingall the corners .o fwmy cc t ners; t s include ifih v r cal o n s and the corners in the bottom of theeontainars.

Anc he i bject p my; p se invention is o provi a secure tonc osure t ca l e-ea i y sea ed rand-when sealed provides a tampereprcof s ni a ylesure- Another object of my invention is to provide a blank form that, may be readily out frame-roll a ers sk; is: Po ib e. due :to the ligh wei ht pa thatl a ab e to u emy ei orc d s ct .an fie seno icmy I a ap reciable saving in p ape -;.SI Q0k ,butitis the most .economi cal wayin Lase .can be p r a e a eat y. s mplifiestt e ndl n of the. paperin ma h n .A f r he v inapc ta cb ec 19 m ven im iS P i e'a nericre ed earing-s r p or d spensin eveni his: ur-ri dv two h ck messes. 9 t-P? 9 1W,:U th pe f ra on w s a ge ed the the; s al-cislprovided sin-tulip :isrlesirecl more the same m t after-th peer-1.- :ine. efi cted b cass ni IQF Q Q -Y provided ,by tlgetw ..tn c scesses taper an the vfact t at or the. starti tab. te t 9m" it showing in dotted representation, the portion of V the blank to which adhesive is applied; the dashed lines further show the breaking or folding line and the heavy dashed line shows the perforation that provides the pouring spout.

Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly in sec-' tion, showing a typical section through my container when fully formed.

Figure 5 isa perspective view, in section, showing the manner of employing my bottom reinforcement. v

' Figure 6 is a perspective view of my container in position ready for filling.

Figure '7 is a perspective view showing my container top in the first step of being closed.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the top of my container with the form shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the top of my container with the securing staple in place as the container is finally sealed and showing, by way of further illustration, the pouring opening with its covering tab broken out to permit pouring.

Figure 10 is a vertical, sectional view taken at right angles to the plane of the closure.

Figure 11 is a vertical, sectional view taken at right angles to Figure '10.

Figure 12 is a slightly enlarged, vertical, sectional view through the top of my container showing the same fully sealed, excepting that the discharge opening has been uncovered.

Figure 13 is a top plan viewv of a modified form of bottom reinforcement similar to that shown in Figure 2.

Figure 14 is a bracketed view showing the manner in which this form-of bottom reinforcement is put in place; for sake of clearness the corners of the container, which is broken away in sections, are projected upwardly as shown by dot and dash line.

Figure 15 is a modified form of top structure in which a tearing strip is provided extending around the top of the container just below where the top closing members are broken in from the body of the container.

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken through thetearing strip indicated in Figure 15.

Figure 17 is a perspective view showing the tearing strip to better illustrate the manner in which the perforations are staggered.

Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the appearance of my containertcp when the tearing strip has been removed therefrom.

Referring to the drawingsjthroughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, l4

designates generally the body of my container.

This is formed as a single blank having a bottom portion l6, two sides walls I8 and'2El, and two side panels as 22 and 24 which are twice as wide asthe panels of the container they form. This isto provide the laterally extending overlapping portions 26 and 28 on each panel. The blank is out along the lines 38 of Figures 1 and 3, so as to form a square bottom portion Ilia. Side wall 18 is provided with a tongue portion 32 and a perforated V 34. The diametrically opposed side wall 20 is provided with a slit 36 adapted to receive tongue 32 when the closure is effected. Side panels 22 and 24 are provided with outwardly extending end portions 38 and 39. These are to provide for the materials taken up in the closure arrangement. Each member 22 and 24 is also provided with a perforated half discharge opening 4!] and 4|; these perforated halves match up with perforated portion 34 when the bottle is fully formed, Tout the cut out portions of the perforations are staggered with respect to the perforations of V 34 so that when the two V- shaped portions are superimposed there is one full unbroken thickness of paper to form the seal for the pouring opening.

In Figure 3 the scored lines are shown upon which folding ,occurs. The nature of the folds will probably be fully understood by astudy of Figures 6 to 12, inclusive, as will the coaction of the various other portions of the blank. When the container is formed adhesive is applied to the outer surface of strips 26, 25a, 28, and 280. then, as the blank is formed roughly with a square cross-section, the marginal surfaces as 26a. and 28a meet, in the line 42, on their respective sides after the showing particularly .of Figures l and 5 and the adhesive is placed so as to secure these marginal strips to their respective sides 18 and 2B. This construction provides the two opposite walls of a container with a double thickness of paper reinforcing each of the .corners so that even though paper of relatively light weight is used adequate strength and rigidity is provided; this form also, providing as it does unusually wide laps, assures a secure joint along the seams so that no leakage can occur even if the container is jostled about considerably and the contents tend to bulge it.

In forming containers where the cuts as 30 must extend into the corner of the bottom there is always a slight tearing of the lower corners which too often are merely sealed with parafiin and then when the containers ar put into use, there is a tendency to crack the paraflin and for these corners to tear slightly more thus providing points of leakage. To guard against this condition I have provided the insert reinforcement 44 which is placed inside the bottom so as to provide two thicknesses of paper and thusreinforce the bottom and provide additional rigidity in the same. This construction brings the upper surface of member M above the point where any tearing normally is experienced and then as the melted paraffin is fiowedaround the corners a very secure seal isobtained, with the extra material provided by the reinforcement member 44 giving sufficient rigidity so that the sealing .effect of the paraffin will not be lost, due to cracking of the same when the bottom, if it were light, might be slightly distorted.

In Figures 13 and 14 I have illustrateda modified form of bottom reinforcementas 44a. This member is of the same weight of paper and same outside dimensions as the reinforcements shown in Figure 2. It differs from the former in certain structural features that admit of more ready and secure placement under certain conditions. The blank as 4311 15 provided with two parallel scored lines 60. The reinforcement is slightly folded along these lines after the showing of Figurel i,

and it has been found that as a follower comes down on member 44 the sloping side portions as 62 and 63 serve to more easily guide the member into position. The follower which usually seats member 45a is normally a vacuum head so that it Will pick up member 44a and hold it securely to the head during the placement operation; for this reason the center portion of the reinforcement member Ma must be solid, or unperforated.

Also formed within members 62 and 63 are a plurality of openings 65. These openings of which there may be any reasonable number permit the ready escape of air as member 44a is pressed firmly into the bottom of the container and neither they, nor the scored line 60, detract from the strength of the structure when member 4-3 is secured to bottom Ilia and the adhesive normally used to secure it there has set.

In Figures and 18, inclusive, I have illustrated another form of opening for my container. This is particularly desirable when it is found necessary to handle large items and for other uses when sometimes the containers are frozen or otherwise congealed. This opening consists of perforating three sides of the container with spaced rows of perforations as 6? and 68 so as to provide a tearing strip '10; this strip in its perforations follows the general plan explained for the opening tax 34 in that the perforations are formed before the two layers of paper are bonded together and the perforations are cut cleanly but are spaced somewhat and arranged so that one layer of paper is at all times serving to protect the contents of the container against leakage. This structure is probably best illustrated in Figures 16 and 17, where it will be observed that while the perforations or cutouts are arranged to provide a definite weakening along lines 56 and 68, they in no way permit a direct passageway through the container; consequently the sealing paraffin is not itself required to stand the jostling of the containers contents. As illustrated in Fig ure 18 when the tearing strip is removed the top member as a whole, indicated by reference character 72, can be hinged back thereby giving ready access to the interior of the container. It will be noted that on the two opposite sides as I8 and 26 there is already provided the two thicknesses of paper. On side 24 it is necessary to insert a band of paper across the tearing strip as indicated by reference character I'd. This strip is cemented in place and tears out with the tearing strip with which it forms a part.

In actual use the stages of folding and securing the side portions of the container, the insertion of the bottom and the paraffining are accomplished by relatively simple means, due to the fact that all folds are straight with no requirements that the paper be distorted out of shape and then snapped into place as is so common with containers having a fitted in bottom.

As soon as the container is fully assembled it is then ready for filling. This is accomplished when the container is in the form shown in Figure 6; at this time the entire top is open for filling offering no difficulties at this point. This same large open top greatly facilitates the treating of the inside of the container with paraffin which serves first, the purpose of sealing the seams and corners; second, waterproofing the paper against the liquid it is to be used with; and, third, further due to the fact that the paraffin is applied at a relatively high temperature, it kills all bacteria; and, fourth, the final covering of paraffin resulting provides a sterfle container that will in no way affect any liquids that maybe usedin the container..

After the container is filled the top isclosed by pressing inwardly on lines 46 and 4 8. This forces the apex of triangles 50 inwardly until finally lines 46 and 48 meet in the center of the bottle, after the showing of Figure 8 particularly. When the folding has been accomplished after the showing of Figures 8 and 7, the top is heated and sealed under very high pressure. Then the tab 32 is passed through opening 36 in the side member 20 and the upstanding ends, shown in Figure 7, after being fitted one to the other, are folded down after the showing of Figures 9, 10, and 12,

and a staple 52 is passed through the same to imsure that the oontainers contents will in no way be tampered with and to further assure that the top will not be unfolded in dispensing this prouct as it might itself be subject to some contamination.

During the folding and closing operation the extreme lower end of triangle 34 is tipped outwardly so as to provide a protruding lip 54. This is the tearing lip provided so that when it is desired to dispense the contents of the container this tearing strip is grasped and pulled upwardly opening the container by breaking out not only the V-shaped portion from side I8 but also the two half V-portions 49 and H which are secured thereto by the adhesive 56. Attention is particularly invited to the showing in Figure 11 in which staple 52 is clearly shown to provide an anchorage for the two triangles 50 that have been pressed inwardly to form the closure. When the staple is in place it will be evident it is believed that these closure triangles will be held secure against any deformation which might otherwise be accomplished by the movement of the liquid within the containers during handling.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing carton comprising a rectangular bottom panel having a side wall integral therewith and extending upwardly from each of two opposed edges, said bottom also having a side panel integral with each remaining edge and rising therefrom, a lateral extension along each side edge of each side panel, one extension of each side panel lying along a line common with one side wall, the remaining extension of each side panel lying along a line common with the other side wall, adhesive means securing each so paired lateral extensions with the adjoining side wall, forming two double-thickness walls for said container, a neck forming portion on the upper end of each double-thickness side wall adapted to converge toward each other to close the container throat, a pinch-in portion on the upper end of each side panel adapted to be disposed between the converging neck forming portions and to close said carton throat, means for securing the flaps and pinch-in portions in the closed position, partial perforations in each member of a doublethickness wall to define a tearing member for ac cess to the interior of the carton, said tearing members being superimposed on each other, and a lip on the outer tearing member protruding from the body of said carton. I

2. A dispensing carton according to claim 1 in which the inner tearingmember-hasits lower edge coincident with the juncture of thesidewa ll and the associated neck-forming portion, and in which the I eutertearing member has its lower edge below the juncture of the outer side wall and outer neck-formingmember to form a; tearing=-1ip.

' *3. A- dispensing "carton "according -to claim 1 having' partial slit-like. periorations defining the innerand: outer tearing rmembers, said perforations' being comprised of aseries of spaced apart slits lying along-a lineso thatnthespaces between the outer-series of slits coincides with the partial perforations-0f the inner series in staggered reiation.

GORDON.

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