US2570167A - Carton dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1951 L. H. TOBEY 2,570,167

CARTON DISPENSER Filed Oct. 25, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR. L EON h. 7085) HIS ATTORNEY L. H. TOBEY CARTON DISPENSER Oct. 2 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1949 INVENTOR. LEON H. TUBE) ZMW H/s: ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 2, 1951 CARTON DISPENSER Leon Tobey, Newark, N. Y., assignor to Bloomer Bros. Company, Newark, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 25, 1949, Serial No. 123,361

3 Claims. (01. 312-43) This invention relates to combination containers and dispensers for cartons made of cardboard and similar foldable sheet materials and suitable for packing ice cream and like products for retail distribution.

One object of this invention is to provide a dispenser of the above character having a more simple, economical, and practical construction. Another object is to provide a dispenser adapted to hold a plurality of cartons and provided with a means by which the lowermost carton can be quickly and easily removed.

Another object is to provide a container having the above advantages in which the removal of the lowermost carton automatically positions for removal the next succeeding carton. Another object is to provide a dispenser of the above nature, which, on removal of each carton, will simultaneously erect a plurality of foldable carton cover flaps.

Another object is to provide a dispenser having the above advantages and which is easily movable, adjustable, and adaptable to particular uses.

Another object is to provide a dispenser of the above nature having an opening in the front thereof so that the number of cartons contained within can readily be determined and the dispenser refilled as necessary.

Another object is to provide a dispenser having in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser embodying the present invention and shown as attached to a mounting rod and containing a plurality of cartons;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower end of the dispenser broken away and showing the flap erecting means;

Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the attachment of the mounting bracket;

f Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a carton with the flaps in the downwardly folded position which they occupy as supplied in nested quantities by the boxmaker;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same after the flaps have been erected by the dispenser, showing said flaps in desired position for filling the carton with semi-solid ice cream or like material;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on the line 6-6 in Fig. 1, showing a series of cartons ready for separate removal;

Fig. '7, the first of a series of four figures showing the removal of a carton, is similar to Fig. 6 but represents the operators hand pressing the front carton flap inwardly against the carton front as the first step in the removal of a carton;

Fig. 8, similar to Fig. 7, shows the lowermost carton partially removed with the next succeeding carton supporting the remaining cartons;

Fig. 9, similar to Fig. 8, shows the action of the dispenser in erecting the carton flaps;

Fig. 1D is similar to Fig. 9, but showing the carton substantially removed and the rear flap erected, and v Fig. 11 is a sectional plan view on line ll--ll in Fig. 2.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed by way of illustration comprises, preferably, a hollow, rectangular, tube-like container, shown generally at 20, the upper end of which bends outwardly to form an enlarged outwardly flaring entrance, shown generally at 2|. Thesides 22 and back 23 terminate at the lower end there'- of in openings or notches 25 and 26, respectively, for a purpose hereafter described. Back 23 is provided with a mounting bracket 21, Fig. 3, through which bolt 28 passes to secure said bracket to rod 29 which forms part of a suitable supporting standard not shown in the drawings.

The dispenser 26 has preferably a rectangular cross section, Figs. 2 and 11, slightly larger than the top cross section of carton 30, Figs. 6-10, suitable for holding a plurality of said nested cartons, open end upward, as shown generally at 3|, Fig. 1.

Side flaps 32, front flap 33 and rear flap 34, Figs. 4 and 5', are commonly folded downwardly on each nested carton as it comes from the manufacturer, as shown in Figs. 6-10. These flaps are creased for eventual upward folding and interlooking to thereby form the top closure of said carton,- but when the cartons are unstacked by ordinary method's and left to stand, flaps 32, 33 and 34 tend to retain the downwardly folded position which they occupy While stacked in nested relation as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Thus, after filling of the carton, flaps 32, then flap 33, and finally flap 34 would have to be pulled upwardly and then bent downwardly and interlocked over the exposed surface of the ice cream, thereby forming the top of the carton, all of which is cumbersome and time-consuming. This dispensing device, designed to reduce fatigue and speed up production, as will hereinafter be described, is constructed to partially erect flaps 32 and 34 while the carton is being withdrawn from the device, leaving front flap 33 in its down folded position, as shown in Fig. 5, for the purposes hereafter described.

Front 24 has at its lower edge two inwardly projecting finger members 36, Figs. 2. 6-10. As flaps 32, 33 and 34 tend to spring outwardly they ride against the inside of the dispenser walls, and flap 33 will come to rest on members 36, thus preventing that carton and all those nested above it from passing through the bottom of the dispenser. Front 24 has at the lower edge thereof between members 36, an upwardly extending recess or notch 31, Fig. 2, exposing a portion of flap 33, as said flap rests on members 36 as in Fig. 1-.

When it is desired to remove the lowermost carton the operator merely presses inwardly through notch 31 against flap 33 until said fiap moves inwardly off'the ends of members 36, after which the carton is readily removed by a downward pull. As this carton is removed the remaining cartons drop down slightly until flap 33 of the next succeeding carton rests on members 36. v

. With flap 33 resting on members 36, flaps 32 partially extend into notch 25, Fig. 1, and similarly flap 34 partially extends into notch 26, Figs. 6-10, inclusive. As the lowermost carton is pulled downwardly, flaps 32 and 34 tend to spring upwardly and in so doing they extend outwardly through notches and 26, respectively, so that as the, top of said carton reaches the lower edge of said notches, flap 32 extending outwardly will ride over wire members 38 while flap 34 will in a similar manner ride over wire member 39 as shown in the case of flap 34 in Figs. 6-10, inclusive. Members 38, preferably of rigid wire, connect the lower front and rear corners on each side 22 of the container and thereby form the lower edges of, and close, openings 25. Member 39, of similar construction, connects the lower corners of back 23, thereby forming the lower edge of, and closing, opening 26. As the downward movement of said carton continues, said fingers will strike against flap 32 and 34 and force them upwardly as the carton is removed. Thus when said carton is removed, flaps 32 and 34 have been bent upwardly by said wire members so their position is now similar to that shown in Fig. 5. Flap 33, however, is not erected, but may be easily held tight against the carton wall.

The widely used instant-freeze type of ice cream packing machine which fills the cartons with ice cream in a semi-solid state requires the use of cartons which have their cover flaps folded downwardly along the sides thereof so as not to interfere with the filling spout. The operator can then easily position the spout in the open end of the carton and when the carton is filled, use one of the firm upper edges of the carton to wipe any excess ice cream off the filling spout and at the same time level the top of the ice cream in the carton. If the cartons are simply removed from their shipping containers and filled as above outlined, the cover flaps will be in positions. similar to those shown in Fig. 4, which,

although convenient, leave the flaps in downturned positions in which they are not readily accessible for folding upwardly to close the carton top, The above container, however, allows the use of cartons which come with their flaps folded downwardly and at the same time it speeds up the process of closing said cover flaps. Thi it achieves by erecting flaps 32 and 34 to positions as shown in Fig. 5 so that while said flaps do not interfere with the filling of said cartons, they are in position for easy manual or machine closure. left in itsdownwardly folded position so that one firm carton edge 35 is still available for wiping off the spout as described above. The above container has the further advantage of providing window means whereby the number of cartons in said container can be readily determined.

It is evident from the above description that the invention provides a convenient carton dispenser for receiving a nested stack of cartons as received from the box factory and holding them in such a way that the cartons may be easily grasped and removed one at a time for filling with the flaps of the filling opening already disposed in convenient positions for filling at the usual dispensing nozzle and for thereafter being folded to close the carton. These advantages are obtained by a construction which is simple and practical in character and capable of being readily manufactured at a relatively low cost.

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes 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 occur to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carton dispenser for rectangular cartons for ice creamand the like having an open top providedwith a plurality of foldably connected closure flaps therefor, said dispenser comprising a tube-like container of rectangular cross section adapted for holding a nested stack of said cartons with the tops thereof uppermost and said flaps folded downwardly substantially against the carton sides, means on one side of said container adjacent the lower end thereof for engaging the lower edge of one of said flaps while leaving a portion of said flap exposed for manual accessibility, for yieldably retaining said cartons in said container with the bottom of the lowermost carton extending accessibly below the lower end of said container and a plurality of members located below and spaced from the remaining sides of the container, respectively, for engaging under the remaining flaps to fold the same upwardly as said exposed fiap and the bottom of said carton are grasped and withdrawn from the container.

2. A carton dispenser for rectangular cartons for ice cream and the like having an open top provided with a plurality of foldably connected closure flaps therefor, said dispenser comprising a tube-like container of rectangular cross section adapted for holding a nested stack of said cartons With the tops thereof uppermost and folded downwardly substantially against the carton sides, means adjacent the lower end of said container for engaging the lower edge of one of said flaps while leaving 3.

Also one flap, in this instance flap 33, is

portion of said flap exposed for manual accessibility, for yieldably retaining said cartons in said container with the bottom of the lowermost carton extending accessibly below the lower end of said container, said container having the lower ends of a plurality of its sides formed with openings larger in size than said carton flaps, respectively, and through which the flaps of a lowermost carton project while being withdrawn downwardly from said container and members bridging the lower ends of said openings to engage under said flaps and fold the same partially upwardly as said exposed flap and the bottom of said carton are grasped and withdrawn from said container.

3. A carton dispenser for rectangular cartons for ice cream and the like having an open top provided with a plurality of foldably connected closure flaps therefor, said dispenser comprising a tube-like container of rectangular cross section adapted for holding a nested stack of said cartons with the tops thereof uppermost and said flaps folded downwardly substantially against the carton sides, inwardly projecting finger means adjacent the lower end of said container for engaging the lower edge of one of said flaps,

said container having its lower end recessed for manual access to said flaps, for yieldably retaining said cartons in said container with the bottom of the lowermost carton extending accessibly below the lower end of said container, said container having the lower ends of a plurality of its sides formed with openings larger in size than said carton flaps, respectively, and through which the flaps of the lowermost carton project while being withdrawn downwardly from said container and wire elements bridging the lower ends of said openings to engage under said flaps and fold the same partially upwardly as said exposed flap and the bottom of said container are grasped and withdrawn from said container.

LEON H. TOBEY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 5 1,134,651 Tramell Apr. 6, 1915 1,910,924 Klefeker May 23, 1933

Images