US2605951A - Carton - Google Patents

Description

g- 5, 1952 M. BURGER 2,605,951 I CARTON Filed Aug. 24, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

Filed Aug. 24, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 g- 5, 1952 M. BURGER 2,605,951

' CARTON IN V EN TOR.

- mam 5409a: BY @WWZM W Patented Aug. 5, 1952 CARTON Martin Burger, Morris, Ill., as'signor to Shellmar Products Corporation,.Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 24, 1946, Serial No. 692,822

4 Claims. l 01. 229-28)- a a 1 i 'This inventionfpertains to improvements in paperboard cartons, in particularyegg cartons madefrom a unitary blank, which is cut, scored and folded to provide the requisite parts.

Such cartons, in particular those made from a uni'tary'blank, folded back upon itself to form the necessary parts, require that firm engagement be had'between a terminal section of the blank and the inner side of a rear Wall to which it usually attaches. In the past the parts have generally been secured together with glue or adhesives. Under humid atmospheric conditions such as those encountered in moist climates, in refrigeratedstorage warehouses, refrigerators, and in ice refrigerated dairy vehicles, it is'not uncommon for glued cartons secured in this fashion to become unglued and to fall apart, with resultant damage to eggs contained therein.

Under humid, moist conditions such as those indicated above, the difficulties encountered are occasioned most often by glue failure; but even though the glue may hold, yet the weakness imparted to the carton by its absorption of moisture and loss of cohesion of the fibers often causes the adhered parts to separate adjacent the glue point, by the tearing away of a superficial layer of fibers at that point.

It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby certain types of paperboard cartons may be fabricated without the use of glue, adhesives or the like, providing elements formed from the blank itself to connect and sustain the.

carton in its assembled, knocked down or set-up condition.

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from reference to the "specification and accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a typical eggjcarton blank embodying the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation al View of a carton formed from the blank of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the carton body shown in Fig. 2; illustrating the interlock ofcertain parts in the assembled condition of the carton;

Fig. 4' is a fragmentary perspective view of the interior "of a carton embodying the invention in the set-up condition of the carton;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the blank of Fig. 1 during the foldin thereof to assembled condition; Fig. 6 is an end view of the blank substantially as it appears in that assembled but knockeddown folded condition in which it is shippedto users; and v 2 Fig. 7 is an end view of the blank of Fig. 6 as setupforuse.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a carton of the type shown in Troyk Reissue Patent No. 18,922 of August 22, 1933, which cartons have met-withwide commercial acceptance. 'As shown in Fig. 1, the unitary blank is died out of a onepiece sheet of paperboard of desired strength and stiffness to provide a plurality of conjoined panels fol'dable with respect to one another along well definedfold or score lines, thus permitting bending'of the panels with respect to one another to form the completed carton.

The reference numeral I indicates a cover looking strip or panel having the cover locking hooks 2 formed along its free edge, said hooks, in the set-up condition of the carton, being adapted to engage certain triangular webs or hinges l2, to

be hereinafter referred to, adjacent the upper edge of a front wall 9. Locking strip'Zis foldable with respcct to a conjoined cover panel 3v along a fold line a, and cover panel 3is foldable with respect to a rear wall'panel 4 along a fold line b. Said rear wall panel is provided witha row'of longitudinally aligned slots or cuts 5 therein, each of predetermined length, which are spacedaslight distance from fold line b, slots 5 being adapted to receive certain hereinafter described joininghooks or tongues to permitglueless assembly of the carton. I Rear wall panel 4 is joined along a foldline e to one of a pair-of substantiallyidentical bottom and longitudinal partition forming panels 66, mutually conjoined .along a fold lined; Panels 86 are provided' with a series of spaced parallel, transverse cuts '7 arranged in parallel rows extending longitudinally of the panels. Other transverse cuts or openings 8 also extendin a row longitudinally of the blank, in intersection with fold line (1 and in parallel alignment with the rows of cuts 1-1. Cuts 1-4 are adapted to' r'eceive certain latchin hooks and cuts-"8 to re ceive certain medial portions, of 'the 'hereinafter described transverse carton partitions, in the setup condition of the carton.

' A front wall panel 9 is conjoined along afold line e to the adjacent longitudinal partition and bottom forming panel 6, and opposite the fold line e said panel 9 is conjoined along a plurality of spaced aligned fold lines to a partition panel In comprising a. plurality of swingable bifurcated individual transverse partitions i I. Each transverse partition H has a medially extending fold line or formed ,therein which formsa line. of fold along which thepanel I I] may be medially folded gageable in cuts 1-1 in bottom panels 66 in terminal strip I5 are then rotatively biased toward each other and in a direction longitudinally of the slot, until neck 22 of the hook is substantially encompassed by the slot 5. This procedure is continued successively with each tongue and slot, as illustrated in Fig. 5, until an interlock is efiected between each tongue and slot along the blank. The outwardly extending, overlapping noses 2I of hooks IT and the approximately equal width of hook necks 22 and slots 5 make for a firm engagement of terminal strip I6 with rear said set-up condition. The medial cuts 8 receive the lower edge I3 of the partition connecting the When the individual hook-bearing portions. transverse partitions I I have'been folded down to the position referred to, triangular gussets I2I 5 are defined adjacent each upper edge of the. partition panel In, said gussets lying in 'a horizontal plane, and, as previously pointed out, cover look-- ing hooks 2 are engageable under gussets I2 when thercartonis erected and the cover 3 is rotated into covering position.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the provision of means to secure the parts of the carton together, in a glueless manner, to enable the foregoing manipulations,"while at the same time assuring that said carton-will maintain its form under all circumstances and reasonable conditions. of handling. To this end a terminal'retaining strip or panel I5 is conjoined to transverse partition panel Ill along spaced, aligned fold lines h. A plurality of hooks-or tongues H are formed integral with terminal strip I6, being cut out of the material of panel I inwardly of the fold lines hand the straight free edge of terminal strip I6. As illustrated clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, hooks or tongues I! are preferably wider than they are long and, when rotated into operative position out ofthe plane of panel I0 yet coplanar with strip I6, comprise a head having anarcuatefree end I8, one relatively straight side edge I9, and an inwardly directed notch 20, the latter defining in the space between it and arcuate edge I8 a pointed'nose or'protrusion 2I and, between its apex of indenta tion and side edge IS, a neck 22.

Hooks H are all disposed in-a common direction and new spaced along terminal strip I6 that the edges defining the neck 22 of each hook lie in transverse register with the ends. ofv a cut in rear panel i. Also, the width of the neck 22 closely approximates the width of each cut 5. Thus nose 2I overlaps one end of the related cut when the hooks I"! are inserted therein.

The carton blank shownin Fig. 1 is assembled, as shown in Fig. 5 by bending the blank back upon itself along fold line (Z so that rear walll5 and the adjacent panel B overlie transverse partition panel I0, and coincidently bending transverse partition panel In along the partition fold lines g upwardly and backwardly upon-itself, in the direction of said rear wall 5, as wellasrotat-v ing terminal section I6 and its integral hooks -I'I rearwardly and downwardly along fold lines h until hooks I! are upstanding at approximately a right angle to the transverse partition panel I0 and to rear wall panel 5. Next, beginning with the hook I1 and the related orregistering slot 5 nearest the side of the blank toward which the hook nose 2I points, the blank in general and panel 4 in particular are biased transversely to such position relative to the hook that nose 2I of the latter passes through the, slot and one end of the slot is brought into contact with the adjacent edge of notch 20. Wall panel 4 and wall 4, hooks I! then being in exterior coplanar contact with such rear wall and terminal strip I6.being interiorly coplanar therewith, as particularly shown in'Figs. 6 and '7. It is self evident that a blank of the character, described especially, is well adapted for assembly by automatic machinery.

This interlock of parts having been accomplished, the carton may be further folded into completely flattened condition for shipment or storage along fold lines d, g, as shown inFig. 6. When erected for use to the positionof Fig. 7, the engagement of the erect transverse partitions with the bottom section is attended by a wedging coaction of. said partitions with strip I6 and the bottom section which eifectively prevents the interconnected parts from becoming disconnected.

Although this invention is shown and described as applied to the Troyk type egg carton, its use is by no means restricted to use on that type; on the contrary, the invention lies primarily in the shape and relative placement and dimensioning of the above described novel locking elements with respect to each other, without particular regard to the exact type of carton embodying the invention. However, as, previously pointed out, when the structure herein disclosedis incorporated in a cellular carton such as an egg carton, there is a tendency for the transverse partitions, when erected, to give support to the interconnected locking means, additionally resisting disconnection of the interlocked parts;

I claim: a

l. .A cellular egg carton formed from a unitary blank and capable of assembly without the use of adhesives, comprising, arear wall provided with a row of elongated openings therein extending longitudinally thereof, a terminal strip defining one end of'the blank and extending in parallel relation to the rear wall, a plurality of tongues formed integral with the terminal strip inwardly of the free edge thereof, said terminal strip and integral tongues being disposed adjacent the rear wall, with the terminal strip extendmg in one direction and generally abutting said rear wall interiorly of the carton and the tongues extending in another direction through the wall openings, and generally abutting the exterior of said rear wall.

2. A cellularcarton formed from a single blank ofpaperboard and capable of assembly without the use of adhesive, including panels definmg a rear wall, a bottom and longitudinal partition forming section. a front wall, a transverse partition forming section and a terminal section defining one end of the blank, said panels being foldable with respect to each other along parallel fold lines, the rear wall being provided w1th a row of alongated openings therein. between upper and lower margins thereof parallel tothe carton fold lines, a plurality of tongues formed integral with the terminal section and being cut out from the material of the trans.-

verse partition section, said terminal section being in abutment with the inner surface of the rear wall, the tongues extending upwardly through the apertures in the rear wall and frictionally engaging the exterior surface of the rear wall. 7

3. A cellular egg carton formed from a unitary blank without the use of adhesive, including a rear wall provided with a row of elongated openings between upper and lower margins thereof, which row extends longitudinally in the direction of the length of said openings, a bottom, a longitudinal partition, a front wall, a transverse partition section from which are cut out a plurality of transverse partitions foldable from coplanar horizontal to spaced vertical positions and when so folded having means associated therewith to prevent downward displacement thereof, a terminal strip having as many tongues as there are openings in the rear wall formed integral therewith, opposite the free end thereof, the free end of the terminal strip extending downwardly in abutment with the inner surface of the rear wall, the tongues extending upwardly through the openings in said wall into abutment with the outer surface of the rear wall, said first named means acting to prevent dislodgement of the tongues from the apertures.

4. A unitary paperboard blank capable of assembly without adhesives into an egg carton, 2)

comprising, plural carton forming panels foldable with respect to one another along transversely extending fold lines, including a transverse partition forming panel and a rear wall panel, the latter having a series of aligned elon gated openings formed therein in a row extending parallel to the fold lines, and a terminal panel defining one end of the blank at least said partition forming panel from said rear wall panel, said terminal panel having a series of hooks formed integral therewith, said hooks being cut out of the material of the transverse partition forming panel, there being as many openings in said rear wall panel as there are hooks on said terminal panel and the necks of said hooks generally corresponding in width to the length of said openings.

MAR'I'IN BURGER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 927,488 Carter July 13, 1909 1,866,317 Miner July 5, 1932 1,954,595 Levine Apr. 10, 1934 2,100,711 Drake Nov. 30, 1937 2,101,303 Williamson Dec. 7, 1937 2,389,222 Walsh Nov. 20, 1945

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