US2744622A

US2744622A - Combination box and cradle for decorated easter eggs and the like

Info

Publication number: US2744622A
Application number: US418625A
Authority: US
Inventors: George C Sparks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-03-25
Filing date: 1954-03-25
Publication date: 1956-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-08

Description

G. C. SPARKS COMBINATION BOX AND CRADLE FOR'DECORATED EASTER EGGS AND THE LIKE May 8, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25, 1954 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA INVENTOR. @[OEGZ C. SPARK S May 8, 1956 G. c. SPARKS COMBINATION BOX AND CRADLE FOR DECORATED EASTER EGGS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed May 25, 1954 IN V EN TOR. 650 962 C JPAKKJ".

ATTOP/Yf/Y United States Patent COMBINATION BOX AND CRADLE FOR DECO- RATED EASTER EGGS AND THE LIKE George C. Sparks, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application March 25, 1954, Serial No. 418,625

3 Claims. (Cl. 20645.14)

My invention relates to a new and useful combination box and cradle for decorated Easter eggs and the like and especially to a type of receptacle wherein an insert element is positioned in a container and the two elements mechanically interengaged to assist in holding them to gether.

An object of the invention is to produce a container and an insert having interlocking means to connect said insert to said container as the latter is closed and assist in retaining said container in a closed condition.

Another object of this invention is to construct a device of the character described wherein a container or box is provided with a closure flap or leaf and an insert or cradle is provided with means to engage said closure flap as the latter is closed to assist in holding the closure flap closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box and insertable cradle wherein the box is provided with a closure flap or leaf at the bottom thereof and having a slit with which a tongue on an insert or cradle registers as the closure flap is moved into the closed position and thereby interlock the closure flap and insert to hold said closure flap closed.

A still further object of the present invention is to construct a box and insert in which the box is of general frusto-pyramidal formation with a closure flap having an articulated tucking fiap partly defined by a crease line having a slit therein and in which the insert has a general over-all shape similar to that of the box with portions that snugly fit within said box and provided with a laterally projecting tongue to register with the closure flat slit when said closure flap is closed. A definite advantage accrues from the present construction in that the package can be packed with both the box and cradle inverted thu-s adapting them to the use of machinery during some of the packing operations.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thendesignated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a box and insert constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view in the region of the interlock and similar to a portion of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the box and cradle in inverted positions showing the manner of packmg.

Fig. 6 is a reverse face view of the box forming blank.

.board or other suitable sheet material cut to a definite outline pattern and appropriately scored and slitted so that when said blank is properly folded it constitutes the container top wall 11, opposed

side walls

12,13 defined and articulated relative to said top wall by the scored

fold lines

14, 15 respectively, the closure flap or panel 16 defined and articulated relative to a side wall 13 by the scored fold lines 17, a tucking flap 18 defined and articulated relative to the closure panel 16 by a scored fold line 19, and the

opposed end walls

20, 21 extending from the top wall 11 and defined and articulated relative to said top wall by the respective scored

fold lines

22, 23, said end walls having side edges diverging from the

fold lines

22, 23 towards the outer ends of said end walls which are provided with similar tucking flaps 24 at the outer terminals and defined and articulated relative to their respective end walls by the scored fold lines 25. The side wall 12 has opposed tucking

end flaps

26, 27 defined and articulated relative to said side wall 12 by scored

fold lines

28, 29 respectively which diverge from the top wall 11 towards and to the longitudinal or free edge of said side wall 12, said edge being what I term the base of the side wall.

Similarly, the side wall 13 has opposed tucking

end flaps

30, 31 defined and articulated relative to said side wall 13 by scored

fold lines

32, 33 respectively which diverge from the top wall 11 towards and to the scored fold line 17 which becomes the base line of the side wall 13.

The top 11 and

side walls

12, 13 are appropriately apertured whereby the interior of the box or container will be visible from the outside when said box or container is assembled. For purposes of illustration a cut-out or opening 3 1 is shown which extends intothe side wall 12 and top wall 11 and another cut-out or opening 35 extends into the side wall 13 and said top wall 11. The

openings

34 and 35 are partly defined and separated by the cross-piece 36 which is a part of the top wall 11 and said openings are closed-by a sheet of transparent material 37 superimposed on and secured to the reverse face of the blank in the region of said openings.

A slit or slot 38 is provided at the outer free swinging end of the closure panel and preferably in the scored fold line 19 between said closure panel 16 and the tucking flap 18.

To assemble or form the box or container the

side walls

12, 13 and the

end walls

20, 21 are properly foldedin the same general direction from the top wall 11 and as the blank is illustrated in Fig. 6 this direction of folding will be upwardly although when considered as the box is depicted in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the folding of the side and end walls is downwardly so that the reverse face of the blank becomes the inside of the box. The

tucking fiaps

26, 30 on one end of each of the

side walls

12 and 13, respectively, and the

tucking flaps

27, 31 also on the

side walls

12 and 13, respectively, at the opposite ends thereof are folded inwardly and secured to the inner faces of the

respective end walls

20, 21, as by means of a suitable adhesive. The tucking flaps 24 on the

opposite end walls

20, 21 are then folded inwardly and the closure panel 16, which actually becomes the bottom of the box, is folded onto the tucking flaps 24 with the closure tucking flap 18 folded and inserted into the box body directly behind the side wall 12 leaving the slit 38 exposed outside of the base or longitudinal free edge of said side wall 12 for apurpos'e to be presently described. Because of the diverging side edges of the end walls and similarly formed folds of the ends of the side walls the completed box resembles a frusto-pyramidal article or has that general type of configuration.

The insert or cradle is also produced from a blank 39 of card-board; bole-board or other suitable sheetmaterial cut to a definite outline pattern and appropriately scored and slitted so that when said cradle blank is properly folded it will constitute a base panel 40; identical opposed-end' walls 41 defined and articulated relative to said base panel by the scored fold lines 42, end flaps 43 defined and articulated relative to their respective end flaps 43 by the scored fold lines 44, a pair of side leaves 45 on each end wall 41 defined and articulated relative to their respective end walls by scored fold lines 4'6 convergent from the base panel towards and to the outer endsof said distinct endwalls'41, and tucking fiaps47 at the outer ends of said leaves 45 defined and articulated relative to their respective leaves by the scored fold lines 48-. The tucking and end flaps on each end wall are contiguous one another and separated by slits 49 in the blank 39.

Each end wall 41 has an aperture 50 one edge of which is the base and is straight while the other edge may be curvilinear and has a plurality of spaced slits extending therefrom into the body to form flexible gripping fingers 51 partially defined by the fold lines 52 at the bases of allof said fingers.

At one side edge of the base panel 40 is formed a laterally or outwardly projecting tongue 53 the purpose and operation of which will be described below.

To assemble or form the insert or cradle the end walls 41 are bent at right angles tothe base 40 and their end flaps 43 bent outward, the leaves 45 also are bent outward, the leaves 45 also are bent outward along the angular fold lines 46, and the longitudinal edges of the leaves being parallel to the fold lines 46 of the respective leaves, this gives a tapered configuration to the cradle or insert to conform to the shapeof the box, and the tucking flaps 47 of each pair of companion leaves at one end of the insert are bent to project towards each other in overlapping relation to their respective contiguous end flaps 43' and fixedlysecured to said end flap, as by a suitable adhesive.

In practice, the article 54 to be packaged, such as a decorated Easter egg, is placed in the insert or cradle with the ends of said article projecting through the apertures 50 in the opposed end walls 41 of said insert and cushioned by the gripping fingers 51', and said insert or cradle then placed in the container or box while the latter is inverted, see Fig. 5. Finally the tucking flaps 24 are turned in and theclosure 16 swung over and its tucking flap 18 inserted in the box against the inner surface of the box side wall 12 with the tongue 53 projecting into and substantially through the slit 38 to fasten the insert and closure together. After the packaging is complete the container is turned right side up so that the closure becomes the bottom of the package.

The means for fastening the insert to the container closure while not the only one is the most important feature of the present invention because the connection between the container and its insert retains the closure against accidental opening. This is accomplished due to the fact that when said closure has a tendency to open any outward movement of the closure will transmit a pulling motion to the side of the insert on which the tongue is located thus giving a tilting effect to said insert so as to bind on the container walls and thus hold the closure from opening.

The steps used in performing the packaging operations may be supplemented by mechanical means in that the container may be dropped by a feeding device,.one at a time, in the inverted position, onto a platform or table, the insert. delivered by another feeding mechanism with the side walls 41 spread out so as' tobe in approximately the same plane as the base 40 or in a spreading obtuse angular position relative to said base, andthe articles 54 may be delivered to the position of the operator on a conveyer belt. The operator picks up an article and places it on the insert base 40, then pulls up the end walls 41 until the ends of the article extend through the apertures 50 in said end walls 41, the insert, with the article therein is now inverted and placed in the container and the closure flap 16 closed as aforementioned. The whole package can now be turned upright as shown in Fig. l at which time the closure becomes the bottom of the package.

In a package of this type the article, such as an Easter egg confection, is retained out of contact with the walls of the container so that grease will not be deposited on the wall surfaces which might mar the appearance of the package. The packaging does not require the use of a wrapper or shredded papers and therefore expedites the packing operations and lowers the cost of packaging.

For display purposes the packages can be placed on top of one another on shelves, counters and the like without damage to the contents because the insert is so constructed that it reinforces the walls of the container to prevent collapse thereof and even in shipping the article is practically suspended and unexpected shocks will be absorbed by elements of the package to also prevent damage to the article.

The packages, when on display, have a neat and pleasing appearance because of the individual generally frustopyramidal configuration and the merchandise is visible from either side or top of the package through the transparent covering of the openings in the sides and top of the container.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1'. A combination box and insert comprising a corn tainer unit including a top wall having a display window opening therein and an articulated bottom closure provided with a tucking flap defined and articulated relative to said closure member by a fold line having a slit therein, an insert unit snugly fitted in said container unit and including means for holding an. article for display through said window and a base for disposition parallel to and in contact with the articulated bottom closure member when the latter is closed, and a tongue projecting laterally from the edge of the insert unit base contiguous the tucking flap of the closure and projecting through the slit in the fold line between the closure member and its tucking flap when said closure member is closed to connect the container and insert units and retain the closure member temporarily in the closed position.

2. A display cartonv comprising a container unit including a top wall having a display window opening therein, a plurality of side walls depending from said top wall, one opposed pair of side walls having display window openings therein formed as continuations of said top wall window opening, and a bottom closure hingedly joined at one side to one of said side walls for swinging movem'ent into and out of a closed position-extending between the lower ends of said side walls, an insert unit snugly fitted in said container unit and including means for holding an article for display through said top and side wall window openings and a base for disposition in parallel contact with and seated on the bottom closure when the latter is closed, and securing means detachably connecting the opposite side of said bottom closure to said insert base when said closure is closed to maintain said base seated on said closure, whereby incipient opening movement of said closure tilts said' insert to'-bind the latter in said container and prevent further opening of said closure.

3. A display carton according to claim 2, said securing means comprising a tucking flap on said opposite side of said bottom closure and connected to the latter by a fold line having a slit therein, and a tongue projecting laterally from the edge of the insert unit base contiguous to the tucking flap and projecting through the slit in the fold line between said bottom closure and tucking flap when said bottom closure is closed and disposed in parallel engagement with said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Houghland Jan. 15, 1918 Wickes Aug. 12, 1924 Waldman June 10, 1930 Adler May 10, 1938 Lowey Apr. 4, 1939 Chalmers June 27, 1939 Iunkin July 15, 1941 Sparks May 12, 1953