US2605013A

US2605013A - Multiple compartment can

Info

Publication number: US2605013A
Application number: US790183A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rubenstein Solomon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-12-06
Filing date: 1947-12-06
Publication date: 1952-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 1969-07-29

Description

S. RUBENSTEIN MULTIPLE COMPARTMEINT CAN July 29, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1947 I' 3' 3mm y 29, 1952 s. RUBENSTEIN MULTIPLE COMPARTMENT CAN 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1947 Patented July 29, 1952 Solomon Rubenstein, Providence, R. I.

Application December 6, 1947, Serial No. 790,183

My present invention relates to sheet metal containers and more particularly to a sheet metal container having a plurality of sealed compartments.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a container having a plural ty of hermetically sealed sections.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container having a plurality of compartments which can be removed and discarded as each is emptied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multiple compartment container which is simple in construction and easy and economicalto'manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features'in view, my invention consists ofja novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative form of can embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view, partially broken away, showing the wall construction of the same; and r Fig. 8 is a perspective view of thesame show:

ing the compartments in separated relation.

In packing cofiee and similar products, it is customary to vacuum pack them in a sheet metal can. 'The difiiculty arises when the consumer opens the can and exposes the contents to the atmosphere. The aroma and flavor deteriorate before the contents are consumed. To overcome this difficulty, it has been proposed to provide the container with two or more compartments so that a, portion only of the contents are exposed at one time. However, the resultant container is bulky, unwieldy, and difficult and expensive" to manufacture and assemble.

The present invention is designed to overcome these defects by providing a multiple compartment can of simple construction which has a 2 Claims. (01. 221F single cover for all thecompartments, and which permitsthe removal and disposal of the empty compartmentsin turn without affecting the remainingcompartments. For purposes of illustration, I have shown' my present invention as applied to 'a two compartment can, it being understood that it can similarly .be applied to cans with three or more compartments. Figs. 1 to 3 shows an embodiment wherein the cover embraces the walls of the can, and Figs. 6 to 8 wherein the cover fits into'the walls.

Referring more in detail to thedrawings illustrating my invention, the can shown in Fig. 1 comprises tubular, sheet metal, body portions [0 and ll in the .formof cylindrical shells seamed, as at [2 .and,l.3. The upper ..edge ofthe' portion I0 is constructedand closedinthe conventional manner, Figs. 1 and 2. A band I4 is inserted below the upper edge andis provided with a rolled top edge 15, a stiffeningbead l6, and a lower bead ll which projects and locks into a bead- 'formed .in the body portion In. The outer wall 10 is scored in the conventional manner, as at l9, adjacent the band I4, to provide a tearing strip which can be twisted off with a key starting at the tongue 20.

The upper end of the can is closed bya closure member 2|, its perimeter crimped over the top edgeof the portion ID to form a seam 22. 1 When the portion I9 is removed with a key, a portion of .the'body I0 remains attached to" the cover 2| t forma-depending' flange 23. In using the cover, the flange23 slides over the inserted band I4 to hold the cover ln place.

The portions l0 and II are joined as shown in Fig. 2. A separating plate 24 forms the bottom of the upper compartment and its edge is crimped together with the lower edge of theporticn l0 and the upper edge of the portion II to form a seam 25. Directly below the seam 25, a band 26 is. inserted, similar to the band, and having a head 2! locking into a bead 28 in the body portion H. Between the bead 28 and seem '25, the portion'H is scored to form a tearing strip 29 havinga starting tongue 30.'

The bottom 3 l is attached similarly tothetop 2|, its edge being crimped over the bottom edge of the portion H .to form a seam 32. The

seams

22, 25 and 32 may be furtherv sealed with a suitable rubber' or plastic sealing compound, if desired.

In use,"the plate 24 divides the can into a plurality of individually sealed compartments. When'the 'strip-l9 is removed, only the contents of the upper portion 10' are exposed to the. air.

When this is empty, the strip 29 is torn off. This will separate the upper and lower portions, Fig. 3, and open the lower portion. The upper portion can now be discarded and the cover 2| will fit over the band 26 and serve as the cover for the lower, remaining portion of the can.

By adding as many separating plates as desired, and with the construction illustrated, as many compartments as required may be provided in a single can. The intermediate seam strengthens the can and permits the use of thinner sheet metal in the body portions, thus saving weight and cost. In addition to preserving the contents, such a container can be used to package different food mixtures such as chow mein in one section with the dried noodles in the other section.

The conventional keys for opening vacuum cans usually comprise a handle and straight shank having a slot forengaging the starting tongue. The narrow hub provided by this key requires many turns before'the stripis removed. and the strip has a tendency to slip off before the can is opened. Furthermore, this type of lrey is somewhat awkwardto use onthe intermediate strip 29. I therefore provide keys having wide hubs on which to wind the stripwith less turns to prevent, slipping. The key 33, Fig. 4, has a handle portion 34 and an integral rectangular portion 35 with a slot 35' adjacent In Figs. 6 to 8 I have illustrated my invention as applied to the type of can wherein the cover fits inside of the body of the can, thus eliminating the inserted bands. Referring to Figs. 6 to 8, the can comprises body portions 4i and 42 of tubular sheet metal seamed at 43 and similarly to the can shown in Fig. 1. The upper edge of the portion M is reentrantly bent to form a triple fold 45. The outer layer of the fold d5 isscored to form the tearing strip 46 and extends upwardly to lock with the cover 4.! at the seam 48.

' The body of the cover 41 is bent downwardly to form a depending U-bend 49 which fits snugly behind the fold 45. It can thusbe seen that when the strip 46- is removed, a double fold of material still remains of the original triple fold 45. The U-bend 49 slides behind this to permit the cover to seal the'canwithout the use of aninserted band.

Where the portions 4! and 42 are joined, the upper edge of theportion 42 is first formed into a triple fold 50 similar to the fold .45 and 'hav-. ing ascored tearing strip 5!. A separating plate 52 is disposed between thev portions 41 and 42 and serves as the bottom of the upper portion 4|. The edge of the plate 52 is joined. with .the lower edge of the portion 4| and the upper edge of the portion 42 at a seam 53. Removing the strip 5| will thus separate the portions 4! and 42 and will permit the empty upper portion to be discarded as in the construction shown in Fig. 1. The bottom 54 is seamed to the bottom edge of the portion 42 at 55. When the portion H is discarded, the cover 41 is used on the remaining portion 42, the depending U-bend 49 fitting behind the fold 50.

The illustrated forms thus provide a multiple compartment can in which each compartment is removed and discarded in turn when empty, the single cover successively fitting the next succeeding compartment. The can is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble, the horizontal seams intermediate the upper and lower ends permitting the use of a comparatively thinner body metal than now in use on single type cans.

While I have described certain specific embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that changes may readily be made in the size, shape, and relative arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container "comprising a tubular, sheet metal body portion, said body portion comprising a plurality of tubular members seamed together at'their end edges, the lowermost of said tubular members having a bottom plate seamed thereto and the uppermost of said tubular members having a top plate seamed thereto, and a separating plate seamed into said body portion between said tubular members at their seamed end edges dividing the said body portion into a plurality of sealed compartments, said body portion. being provided with an integral circumferential-tear strip adjacent the upper edge of each of said tubular members permitting the release of the top of the container to form a cover and permitting the separation of the tubular members and their corresponding compartments from the container, each of said compartments having an internal circumferential lip portion extending upwardly beyond the lower edge of the tear strip, said lip portions being of equal diameter, whereby said cover will fit over the lip portion on the uppermost compartment and will fit over the next uppermost compartment to form a cover therefor after the uppermost compartment has been removed from the container.

2. A container comprising a tubular, sheet metal body portion, said body portion comprising a plurality of tubular members seamed together at their end edges, the lowermost of said tubular members having a bottom plate seamed thereto and the uppermost of said tubular members having a top plate seamed thereto, and a separating plate seamed into said body portion between said tubular members at their seamed end edges dividing the said body portion into a plurality of sealed compartments, said body portion being provided with an integral circumferential tear strip adjacent the upper edge of each of said tubular members permitting the release of the top of the container to form a cover and permitting the separation of the tubular members and their corresponding compartments from the container, each of said compartments having an integral internal circumferential lip portion extending upwardly beyond the lower edge of the tear strip, said. lip portions being of equal diameter, whereby said cover will fit over the lip portion on the uppermost compartment and will fit over the next uppermost compartment to form a cover therefor after the uppermost compartment has been removed from the container.

SOLOMON RUBENSTEIN.

(References on following page) 5 e 6 REFERENCES CITED Number Name Date The following references are of record in the 2327312 Fink m of t t t; v 1 11888 N V- 9, 19 3 2,355,108 Reese Aug. 8, 194* UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,371,173 Hothersall Mar. 13, 1945 'Numbei' Name D te 2,375,621 Burns May 8, 1945 687,654 Rubin Nov. 26, 1901 2,488,528 Erb Mar. 22, 1949 1,823,068 Stollberg Sept. 15, 1931 1,880,250 Hopkins Oct. 4, 1932 FOREIGN PAIENIS 2,052,475 Jones et a1. Aug. 25, 1936 10 Number Country Date 2,073,636 Holoubek Mar. 16, 193': 582-306 Gemany 1933 2,326,191 Zabler Aug. 10, 1943