US2346591A - Packaging - Google Patents

Description

' April 1944- D. R. LA PLACE I ,3

PACKAGING I Filed A ril 9, 1941 ZSheets-Sheef 1 INVENTOR Desmond I? laP/ate 7 MamG/fid/awd Patented Apr. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGING Desmond R.

ration of Delaware La Place, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Bocjl Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.,

Application April 9, 1941, Serial No. 387,562

2 Claims.

cartons by the use of staples. -While the conventional staple is very satisfactory under many conditions for closing such cartons, some means has to be provided for clinching the points of the staples after they have been driven through the overlapping lifts. Heretofore this has required constructing thecarton in such a manner that a thin anvil could be inserted under the flaps, the staples driven against this anvil, and the anvil then Withdrawn. Obviously the withdrawing of the anvil leaves an opening so that such cartons if used for the shipment of a loose granular material are not completely tight. It has also been proposed to close the cartons by the use of staples which are driven through the overlapping lifts 0f the carton and which are clinched by some manipulation of the top or the legs of the staple after the staple has been set. This is satisfactory where it is permissible to have the points of the staple project down into the box. However, in many cases the points of the staple are likely to injure the packages of commodities or other articles contained within the carton.

The present invention pertains to a carton and method of closing the carton by means of conventional staples which avoids the difiiculties above-mentioned. According to the present invention, means is attached to the inner face of the innermost lift of the container which constitutes a permanent anvil. This means is applied to the carton preferably during the manufacture of the carton but in all cases before the carton is finally sealed, and is preferably stapled or otherwise firmly secured in place. When the carton is closed staples are driven into it in the usual manner but the positioning of the staples is predetermined so that the points of the staple; upon passing through the innermost lift, engage said attached means and turn the points of the staples, thus simultaneously clinching them and preventing them from injuring any of the contents of the box. This means may comprise a suitably constructed thin strip of metal stapled in place or having prongs or legs by means of which it is attached to the underside of the lift of thebox. Alternatively, it may comprise suitably positioned individual elements such as large staples against Which the securing staples are in turn driven. My invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which f Figure l is a perspective view of a carton prepared in accordance with the present invention, one of the end flaps being shown folded inwardly and one of them being shown folded outwardly, the side flaps being open; j

Figure 2 is a transverse section in the plane of line II-II of Figure 1, but on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the side flaps closed in and with the top staple in position to be driven;

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3 showing the top staple completely driven;

Figure'5 is a perspective viewof the carton or package when completed;

Figure 6 is a'perspective view showing a modification in which individual staples are used in place of a continuous strip as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7, is a section similar to Figure 2 illustrating a modification of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is aview similar to Figure 4 with the top staple completely driven; and

Figure 9 is a perspectiveview of a modified form of strip for use in constructing the package in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

In the drawings, 2 designates a carton of any known or preferred construction made from pasteboard, laminated paper or corrugated paper or the like. It has longitudinally extending side flaps or lifts 3 and inwardly folding end flaps or lifts ,4. In the particular box illustrated the flaps 4 are first folded inwardly and then the flaps 3 are folded in overthe top of them. The flaps 3, when they are folded in, meet or almost meet along the longitudinal center line of the box. v

' In accordance with the present invention, a thin metal strip designated generally as 5 having perforated edge'portions 6 and a bowed central portion 1 is secured to the underside of each flap 4. In the particular construction illustrated the strip 5 is secured to the underside of the fiap 4 by small wire staples 8 which are driven through the perforated flanges or edges 6 of the strip. It iscontemplated that the strip 5 be secured to the flaps 4, either during the manufacture of the box or at the time that the box is prepared for use.

When the strip 5 has been applied to the flaps and the carton has been filled and the package is to be sealed, the flaps 4 are folded inwardly. The flaps 3 are then folded in to overlap the flaps 4. Staples are then driven into the carton so as to fasten the flaps 3 to the flaps 4. These staples, designated 9, are driven as shown in Figure so that the bridge portion of the staples straddles the line defined by the meeting edges of'the two flaps or lifts 3, one leg of each staple passing through one edge of one of the two lifts and the other leg passing through the edge of the other lift. In this way the staples are positioned symmetrically over the strip 5;

The width of the staples, i. e., the spread from the one leg to the other, is less than the full width of the strip 5 and is just about as wide as the bowed portion 1 of the strip. Figure 3 illustrates the relation in which the staple isoriginally positioned with respect to the strip. When the staple is driven in the usual way the points of the staple pass throughthe overlapping lifts, strike the concaved inner face of the portion 7 of the strip, and are thereb turned in toward each other; clinching the staple as it is being driven, as shown in Figure 4.

While the strips 5 are disclosed as being positioned along the center line of the carton or package, it is apparent that these strips could be positioned otherwise on the fiaps4 or on the carton, depending upon whether it was desirable to locate the staples 9 and how many of such staples are to'be' used.

Instead'of the strip 5 being secured to the inner faces of the end lifts by separate staples 8,

it is contemplated that the strips 5 may have some kind of integral securing means as shown, for example, in Figure 9. In this figure l0 designates a strip similar in cross-section to the strip 5 but havin integral prongs ll thereon which are adapted to pass through the lift to which the strip is secured and which are clinched on the opposite side of the lift. I

Also instead of the means for turnin the staple being in the form of a strip, such means may comprise appropriately located individual members spottedfat various locations over the inner face of the underlying lift or flap This is shown, for example, in Figures 6, 7 and 8. According to this modification relatively heavy staples l2 are driven by a conventional stapling tool or in r any appropriate manner into the underface of the inner lifts 4 at predetermined points, the legs of the staples being clinched on the reverse side of the lifts'into which they are driven. 1 When these staples l2 have been thus spotted on the inner lifts and the carton is read to be sealed, the overlappinglift's are folded in and staples of a slightly smaller dimension are driven through from the outside of the carton in such manner that when the points penetrate the two lifts'they will strike. against the staple I2 and thus be turned. This is clearly shown in Figure 8 where the staple l3 has been driven from the outside of the package through the two overlapping lifts and the inne'rend portionslta have been defiected and bent inwardly by engagement with the bridge ofthestaple l2. Where the-package or carton is closed according to this modification it is contemplated that some kind of depression or marking would be formed on the carton so as to predetermine the points where the staples l2 and I3 are to be driven, thus enabling the operator to be sure, in driving the staples l3, that they will engage the staple l2. Without some predetermined pattern it would otherwise be diflicult to properly locate the staples I3 with reference to the staples l2. Such a mark is indicated at [3b in Figure 6. Such markings may also be used, if desirable, with the modification shown in Figure ,1, although they are relatively lessnecessary where the anvil is continuous.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my invention involves certain novel improvements in the art Of packaging wherein conventional staples are driven into the carton or exterior of the package when the package is to be sealed without requiring any special tools and without requiring the insertion of any anvil through the walls of the box or under any of the flaps, the turning or clinching of the staples being effected entirely by means permanentl attached to the. interior of the box. The camming oranvil strips or stapleswhich are used to turn the points of the fastening taples can be provided at very little cost. It will also be seen that through the use of the invention the lifts or naps of the cartons may be secured by staples which pass completely through the overlapping lifts and which are clinched against the inner face of the innermost li-ft. However at no time can the legs of the staple penetrateand damage any of the'goods within the carton. The use of the strips or staples on the under face of the inner lifts to turn and clinch the points of'the securing staples also aids in the box bein tight/'- ly stapled. This-is because the clinchin 'of'the legs of the staple by contact with theunderlying camming means tends to draw the overlapping lifts together.

While I have illustrated certain specific em:- bodiments of my .invention it will be understood that this is merely by way of illustration :and that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the contemplation ofmyxirrvention and under the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A package comprising a carton having over-- lapping lifts, an anvil member comprising an elongated strip of metal permanently attached to the inner face of an underlying lift, and staples entered through an overlyin lift havin the ends thereof driven against and clinched by contact with said strip, said strip having means along the edges thereof for permanently attaching it to the lift to which it is secured and having an intermediate portion which is concaved with respect to the direction in which the'staples are driven for turning the points of the staple in wardly toward each other. I

2. A stapled package comprising a, cartonhaving overlapping portionswhich are to be stapled, the outside portion forming the overlap having a plurality of staples driven therethrough and pass ing through an underlyin portion, said under lying portion having a strip-like anvil-element permanently attached thereto against which the points of said staples are turned, said strip being substantially coextensive with one dimension of the lift to which itis attached and constituting a stiffening element therefor.

DESMOND R. LA PLACE.

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