US2556088A - Collapsible cellular carton - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1951 w. H. INMAN COLLAPSIBLE CELLULAR CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1948 JNVENTOR WILLIAM H. INMAN ATTORNEY June 5, 1951 w. H. INMAN 2,556,083

I COLLAPSIBLE CELLULAR CARTON Filed May 8', "1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fla. 4.

INVENTOR. WILLIAM H. lNMA/v ATTORNEY Patented June S, 1951 COLLAPS'IBLEiCELLULABIGARION William, H. Inman, *Newark,ji N. Y., assignor to Bloomer: Bros. Company, N ewark, N.1 Y., a, corporation'of. New-York Application May 8, 1948, ScrialN0. 2.53877 1 Claim, (Cl. 229-28)v This invention relates to collapsible cartons made of cardboard or other foldable material and, more particularly, to the cellular variety thereof adapted for holding eggs, fruit, cakes and other fragile articles, one object of the invention being to provide an improved carton of this character having a more rigid, economical-and convenient construction and mode of operation.

Other objects, more particularly stated, are to provide a carton of this nature having a construction in which parts of the blank, after being cut and scored, are temporarily held flat in the plane of the wall from which they are cut' so as to avoid the engaging or snagging of the parts of one blank with those of another and thus prevent the injury of such' parts and theentanglement of the cartons and the clogging of the machinery during manufacture and during the subsequent handling of the cartons; to provide a carton so constructed as-yto insurezaccurate, folding, positioning and interengagement of the parts during the erection of the carton and thereby increase its rigidity and strength, and to provide a carton having, the above. advantages in a construction which is capable of being readily manufactured at relatively low cost.

To these and, other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claim at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cardboardblankcut and scored for folding to form a carton embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary pIan'vieW of the parts afterbeing foldedand glued and in partially erected condition before swinging the transverse partitions to upright position;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the erected carton with the cover shown in open position in full lines partly broken away and shown in its closed position in broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the transverse partitions swung to upright position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, plan view of the carton in collapsed condition, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation of one end of the collapsed blank. 7 The preferred embodiment of" the invention, herein disclosed by way of illustration; comprises a one-piece blank, indicated generally at I;h-aving, in order, a cover flap 1 I, cover l2, rear side wall I 3, rear bottom section i 4, longitudinal par- 2. tition portions i5 and r6, front bottom section l1, front wall I8, transverse partition wall l9, and attaching strip 20.

Cover flap l l is provided with a series of hooks, as 2|, for engagement with gusset parts hereafter described on the front wall 8, for holding the cover in closed position. The blank. is scored along lines 22 and 23 to facilitate accurate folding of the flap relative to the cover l2 and of the cover I 2-relativeto the rear side wall I 3. Heavier score lines 24 and 25 are provided for folding the side-walls I3 and I8 upwardly relative to the bottom sections I4 and I1. Bottom section M has formed therein a series of longitudinally spaced, U-shaped cuts, as 26, connected by score lines 2'! alongwhich the longitudinal partition section I 5is folded upwardlyas shown in Fig. 3, the cuts 26 producing feet 28 -vvhioh are thereby thrown downwardly to hold the inner edge of the bottom section in elevated position relative to a support,,for-cushi'oning the contents of the container. Tliebottom section is further formed at each of these feet with a pair of L-shaped cuts, 29 and 30, to provide a flexible flap 3!, for purposes hereafter' described.

The bottom sections l5 and It are divided by a central, longitudinal score line 32, along which these sections'are reversely folded to lie in juxtaposed relation against each other as they are folded upwardly from the bottom sections along score lines, as 21, to provide the central, longitudinalpartition, as hereafter described. These bottom sections are also cut to provide a longitudinally spaced series of notches 33 with intervening standards or; posts 34. The other bottom Section I! is cut and scored to produce the same folding score line 21 and the same series of feet 28,;and associated parts as described above in connection with the other bottom section M.

The front wall 18 is foldably connected at its top with the-transverse partition wall l9, which is cut and scored to produce a longitudinally spaced seriesof transverse partitions 35. To this end-each partition is severed from the front wall along intersecting lines -3E- and 31, leaving between adjacent partitions a space 38 which is left unsevered but marked off by a score line 39 to control bending at this space in a straight line joiningtheends of the adjacent cuts 35 and 3'! of-adiacent partitions as shown in Fig. 2. Openeng's' ware cut toseparate adjacent-partitions so that they are formed withupper edges 4| and lower edgesAZ. A score line 43' in line with beyond each end of upper edge 41 controls bending in a straight lineextending between the end 'gitudinal score lines 39.

The other ends of the transverse partitions 35 I and the attaching strip 283 have formed therebetween the same cuts and score lines as described above between the other ends'of the partitions and the front wall I8 and each partition 35 has its lower edge 42 shaped to produce a central projecting portion 45. Each partition has a central cut 46 extending inwardly through this projecting portion and the material is scored along lines 41 at opposite sides of this cut to make its sides flexible. Cuts 46 extend'part way across thepartitions and the remaining portion of the material is scored as at 48 to enable each partition to be folded centrally on itself in the collapsed position of the carton, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and hereafte described.

It is to be noted that each end of the lower edge 42 of each partition is left connected with the adjacent gusset 44 by a narrow web of material 49 lying between the end of the cut 35 and the opening 40 between partitions. This web is wide enough to afford a substantial con nection between the corners of the partitions and the gussets, while being readily frangible by presslllg the lower portions of the partitions downward for swinging them to upright position. During the erection of the carton and before being broken to swing the partitions upright, these webs maintain a sufficient continuity of the transverse wall comprising the partitions, longitudinally and transversely of the carton, to pull it, including the gussets 44, to a substantially flat and horizontal position folded about the lon- Thls accuratefolding and positioning of the gussets provides an accurate hinge axis through the score lines 43, to insure accurate and symmetrical engagement of the partitions with the posts 34 of the longitudinal partition and precise and reliable engagement of the projecting portion 45 of each partition in the bottom openings left by the downturning of the feet 28, as well as accurate spacing of the front and rear walls. The frangible connection of the ends of the bottom edges of the transverse partitions with the sides of the gussets opposite the hinge lines 43, rather than with the side walls of the carton, has the further advantage that, in swinging the transverse "partitions downwardly before filling the cells, they may be cleanly broken away from the gussets without any peeling of the cardboard surface as would be the tendency if the frangible webs 49 were connected to the tops of the side walls of the carton.

In the known construction in which the partitions have been severed from the gussets in the cuttin of the blank, the gussets have been left without sufficient connections to insure their accurate folding to horizontal position and the subsequent swinging of the transverse partitions to upright position has tended to hinge them about indefinite and variable fold lines tending to cross the gussets intermediate the score lines 39 and 43, with the result of improper positioning of the partitions and insecure engagement thereof with the longitudinal partitions and with the openings in the carton bottom. By the means of the present invention, an accurate shaping of the erected carton is obtained, as Well as the secure interengagement of its transverse and; longitudinal partitions for securing the parts closely in their intended positions and maintaining the rigidity of the carton.

In the folding and gluing of the carton, the blank is preferably folded to bring together the longitudinal partition portions l5 and I6 which are glued to each other. The front wall and transverse partition wall are folded against these 7 portions and'the rear half of the transverse partitions are folded about the lines 46 and 48 over the posts 34 which are thus projected through the lines or cuts 46 of the partitions. The attaching strip 20 and the rear wall is are then brought and glued together, the blank being thus disposed in the flat collapsed position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which the webs49 hold the transverse partitions in the plane of the material so as to prevent the partitions from projecting and snagging the machine parts during manufacture and the cartons from becoming.

entangled with one another during subsequent handling. 7

In the erection of the carton for use, the bottom sections !4 and H are separated, the longitudinal partition being maintained in upright position by the engagement of its posts 34 in the cuts 46 of the transverse partitions, the latter being pressed downwardly to substantially horizontal position. Such unfolding of the. blank spreads or forces the side walls apart to their substantially upright, erected position, the inner edges of the bottom sections being held elevated by the feet 28 depending from the longitudinal partition, so as to elevate the inner portions of these sections to cushion the carton contents. The transverse partitions and their gussets being thus brought to substantially flat horizontal position, asdescribed above, the lower'edges of the partitions are pressed downwardly to break the webs 49 and swing the partitions to upright position. The proper positioning, as described, of the gussets and partition hinges, insures precise in terengagement of the notches of the transverse and longitudinal partitions and of the projecting portions 45 of the partitions in the openings in the bottom sections left by the down folding of thefeet 28. The flexible flaps 3| at the sides of these openings facilitate the downward folding of the feet and entry into the openings of the projections 45 on the lower edges'of the partitions. After filling the cushioned cells thus pro duced, the cover is folded over about the score lines-22' and 23 and the hooks 2! of the cover;

flap are engaged beneath the gussets at the top of the front wall to connect the cover in the closed position while supported at its center by the longitudinal partition. 7

It will thus be seen that the invention accom plishes its objects and while it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative,- rather than a limiting sense, as it is contemplated that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts will readily occurto those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A cellular carton in collapsed form made of foldable blank material comprising longitudinally extending, transversely spaced side walls, a bottom wall foldable about the longitudinal center line thereof and having its side edges foldably connected with the bottom edges of said side walls, respectively, a transverse partition wall foldable about the longitudinal center line thereof and cut and scored to form a series of longitudinally spaced, transverse partitions and substantially triangular gussets foldably connected with the ends of the upper edges of said partitions and with the upper portions of said side walls and forming a hinge along one side of each of said gussets about which said transverse partitions may be swung to upright position to divide the space between said side walls into a series of longitudinally spaced cells, said partitions each having each end of the lower edge thereof connected by a frangible web with the adjacent 15 Number to swing said gussets to a flat horizontal position about the folding connections thereof with said side walls to maintain the accurate spacing and positioning of said side walls and partitions in the erected condition of said carton, said webs being readily frangible for swinging said. partitions to upright position.

WILLIAM H. INMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,540,369 Scotcher June 2, 1925 1,614,972 Scotcher Jan. 18, 192'? 2,333,181 Inman Nov. 2, 1943 2,387,314

Cox Oct. 23, 1945

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