US2329297A

US2329297A - Carton

Info

Publication number: US2329297A
Application number: US371762A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Richards
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-12-26
Filing date: 1940-12-26
Publication date: 1943-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 1960-09-14

Description

Sept. 14, 1943.

w. M. mcHARps I CARTON Filed Dec. 26, 1940 727 van tor' M/l'a'm M Hz'c' are/5,

-insect attack.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l CARTON William M. Richards, Chicago, Ill.

Application December V26, 1940, Serial No. 371,762

` (cl. zza-51) 6 Claims.

This invntion relates to carton construction and has particular reference to improvements in wall structure whereby the initially sealed carton may be readily opened and may be reclosed substantially air-tight without resealing after being once opened.

Rectangular cardboard cartons such as are usually employed as containers for cereal breakfast foods and other products that are perishable or likely to become stale on exposure to the' air or to be subject to attack by insects are usually sealed air-tight and have to'be torn I open to give access to their contents. Once such margin of profit and prevent the manufacturer from meeting competition in the'market while maintaining a.high quality of product.

The main objects of this invention are to provide a'form of sealed carton that can be made of cardboard and the like andj can be readily opened for access to its contents -and be reclosed to forma substantially air-tight packagel for' the remainder of the product; to provide a carton of this kind that can be manufactured without appreciably-increasing the packaging cost of .the product; and to 'provide an'improved method and structure for eifecting the 'opening and closure of a rectangular paper carton that requires no special implements and is simple enough to be'attractive to the consumer of the product, and whereby the mere act of opening the carton will, with little more attention, convert it into 3-3 of Fig. 1 and showing an. arrangement vof internal scoring in accordance with this inve'n-l tion.

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional detail showing the Amanner in which the parts of the carton telescope with each other' after the carton has been opened and-reclosed.

In accordance with this invention the carton may have any'usual form of closure flaps that are sealed in their closed position but which are not illustrated in the accompanying drawing as they form no part of and have nospecial relation to the invention.

In the form shown in the drawing, vthe sidewalls'of the carton are scored, preferably internally, to provide a-peripheral line of severance 'extending around all four sides of the carton at a uniform distance from or substantially parallel with its top end 5. Each of a pair of oppo-` sitelsidewalls 6 has an additional score line 'l extending at an oblique angle from the score line 4 and downwardly until it meets the adjacent Vertical corner 8 between the' sidewall '6 and the adjacent wall-9 at a point HI which is spaced below the score line 4 a distancev sli'ghtly less than the distance between said score line '4 and the top wall 5 of the carton. Usually such cartons have a sealing flap at one Vertical corner and it should be understood that the score lines a Vertical comers 8 of the carton.

a smaller package with telescoping cover which can be applied without buckling the side walls, or otherwiseekposing A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing inwhich:

' Figure 1 is an exterior view in perspective of' my 'improved carton;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrfating the relation 'of the parts Aof the carton after it has lonce been according to the contents to air or to' 1 should not be located at that corner. There are two such corner Cutting score lines 1 and these are located at diagonally opposite The lines of severance may be lines of Weakened wall structure of any desired type but are preferably simply score lines that partly sever the lwall material. If the carton is of obllong shape,` then the score lines 'I should preferably be on the narrower sides. side oroutside, but inside scoringis preferred because it leaves the exterior smooth.

In the drawing the score lines are shown V- shaped in cross-section but it will be understood that this is a matter of choice and that the na-v ture of the scoring will be determined by the method by which the weakeninglof the material is accomplished in themanufacturing operation.

For example, the V-shape'shown in the drawing would resultif the scoring is "accomplished 'by knife blades set in the face of the die of a, press which might be used in stamping out the carton a blanks.

The scoring may be either in-- and 'LI which are shown as broken or dashed lines in Figure 1 and would usually be incorporated in some conventional manner into the printed matter that would appear on the. side walls of the carton. w

To open the package the 4user would draw a knife blade tip or any other pointed implement along the lines of demarcation 4.| that indicate the lines of severance 4 and thus tear the package into two parts. The user would then pass the knife blade down along the lines of demarcation 'l.l that lccate the scores 'l which which completes the process of preparation for reclosing the carton.

After some of the contents have been removed, the cover part I is applied to the main body portion of the carton as a telescoping cover, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In applying this cover a slight pressure of the fingers at the points |2 near the upper ends of the sidewalls 6 willcause the gore flaps |3 to slip sidewise over the adjacent portions l2 of the side walls 6 and permit the rim of the carton body to yield sufliciently to readily enter the cover part l I.

, When this cover part is pushed down as far as it will go, the rim of the carton body which was formed by the score line 4 will fit tightly against the top wall 5 of the carton and against the sidewalls of 'the cover part l and its lower rim M will be stretched tightly about the walls of the body part of the carton without buckling those walls and. thereby provide a substantially air-tight closure for the carton.

the two parts will fit against each other snugly throughout 'their' overlapping areas.

By having thewedge-shaped gores formed at diagonally opposite corners of the carton, the material of the carton yields sufiiciently so that the rectangular formof the carton is not visibly distorted.

- With a carton formed ofcardboard, the'corner bends 8 are naturally slightly rounded and this permits the corner folds along the gore flaps |3 to yield or roll sufliciently to permit the upper edges of the uncut carton walls 9 to pass into their seat at the top of section without buckling. The lower margin I 4 of the cover section and the adjacent parts of the body are respectively stretched and compressed to form a tight joint below the lower ends of the cuts 'l,- thus providing a substantially air-tight fit throughout.

Although but one specific embodiment is herein shown and described, it will be understood that various details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted 'without departing from the i spirit of this invention as defined by the followv mgLclamS.

I claim:

1. A carton having a peripheral line of severance spaced from one thereof and at which the carton may be divided to form a body part and a cover part and having solely one pair of lines of severance extendingtransversely 'from said peripheral line of severance adjacent to and obliquely across diagonally opposite corners of said body part.

2. A carton having a peripheral line of severance spaced from one end thereof and at which the carton may be divided to form abody part and a cover part and having solely one pair of lines of severance extending transversely down- Ward from said peripheral line of severance adjacent to diagonally opposite comers of said body part, said transverse lines of severance being inclined to meet the'respectively adjacent corners of the body part at points spaced below said peripheral severance line a distance less than the height of said cover part.

3. A carton having a peripheral line of severance spaced' from one end thereof and at which I the carton may be divided to form a body part said peripheral line of severance adjacent to di- -Since the gores that are formed at the upper 'and a cover part and having solely one pair of lines of severance extending transversely from agonally opposite corners of said body part, said transverse lines of severance being inclined to meet the respectively adjacent corners of the body' part at a point remote from said peripheral severance line, and to meet the severance line at a distance of approximately three times the thickness of the carton wall from such comers.

4. A carton comprising a body part and a cover part each having an open end of like dimensions to the open end of the other, said body part having solely one pair of slits each slit of said pair respectively located at diagonally opposite corners of its open end and extending at an angle across comers of different side faces of said body part'from the open end thereof to the adjacent side corner thereof to form flap covered gores and permit said bodypart to be telescoped into said cover part.

5. A carton comprising a body part and a cover part each having an open end of like dimensions to the open end of the other, said body part having solely one pair of slits each slit of said pair respectively located at diagonally opposite corners of its open end and extending at an angle across comers of different side faces of said body part from the open end thereof to the adjacent side corner thereof to form wedge-shaped fiap covered gores and permit said body part to be.

telescoped into said cover part, said slits being of less height than the side walls of said cover part. 6. A carton'comprising a body partand a cover ,part each having an open end of like dimensions to the open end of the other, said body part having solely one pair of slits each slit of said pair respectively located at diagonally opposite corners of its open end and extending at an angle across comers of different side faces 'of said body v part from the open end thereof to the adjacent side comer thereof to form wedge-shaped flap covered gores and permit said body part to be telescoped into said cover parhsaid beingof.

less height than the side walls of said cover part, and the top width of said gores being approximately three times the thickness of the carton material..

WILLIAM M. RICHARDS.