US2916140A

US2916140A - Combination display package and container

Info

Publication number: US2916140A
Application number: US660804A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank E Mckay
Original assignee: Farrington Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Farrington Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1957-05-22
Filing date: 1957-05-22
Publication date: 1959-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-08

Description

Dec. 8, 1959 F. E. McKAY COMBINATION DISPLAY PACKAGE AND CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1957 Dec. 8, 1959 F. E. M KAY COMBINATION DISPLAY PACKAGE A ND CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1957 United States Patent COMBINATION DISPLAY PACKAGE AND CONTAINER Application May 22, 1957, Serial No. 660,804

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-'45.13)

This invention relates to a combination display package and container for articles of merchandise and has for an object the provision of a box constituted of opposed generally symmetrical components hinged together, preferably on a vertical axis, for opening along a medial line for display and/or removal of a contained article which automatically is centered in the opening when the box is opened but which, when the box is closed, has the greater volume of its bulk enclosed within one of the two components. This leaves space within the other component for an additional article without loss of space in either component. Hence, the box may be made no larger than necessary to accommodate the two articles, one of which is centered automatically upon opening the box.

Such a box is particularly suited for the packaging and display of an electrical device with which one desires to package an operating electrical cord, for example, in the case of an electric razor. Since the total space requirement is only for the razor and the cord which are of unequal size, the larger of the two, namely, the razor, must, in order to secure the most compact package, extend in closed position substantially all the way into one of the hinged members and only part way into the other. Hence, in the closed position, the razor is not centered in the box and it is the object of this invention to so mount the razor within the box that it will automatically center across the gap between the box members when the box is opened, even though it is not centered in the box when it is closed.

The structure and operation of boxes of this invention are best described when taken in connection with a typical embodiment of the invention as shown in the acompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the box in closed position indicating in dotted lines the relative position certain of the enclosed parts and contents;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the box of Fig. 1 in open position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the box as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the box as shown in Fig. 2, with certain portions in cross-section to reveal certain of the enclosed parts and contents;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the broken line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail taken along the line 66 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 7 and 9 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 77 of Fig. 1 and 9-9 of Fig. 2, respectively; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figs. 7 and 9, showing the box at a position intermediate its closed position of Fig. 7 and its open position of Fig. 9.

The box is composed of two symmetrical members or

shells

12 and 14 connected together along their rear opposed meeting edges by a hinge 16.

The shell 12 includes a top wall 1 8 and bottom wall 20 with an attached leg 22; while the shell 14 similarly has a top wall 24, bottom wall 26, and leg 28.

2,916,140 Fatented Dec. 8,1959

The article to be displayed, such as a ladies electric razor 30, is supported by friction in a socket 32 from which it can be removed. The socket 32 has bottom edge portions 33 riding freely on the

base walls

20 and 26, but is screwed at 35 to a base plate 34 so that the combined socket and base guide plate function as a carriage for the razor 30.

As shown in Fig. 7, the bottom wall 20 of the lefthand shell'18 has a fixed rivet 36 extending upwardly through an arcuate guide slot B8 in the plate 34' and a second fixed rivet 40 extending upwardly through a second arcuate guide slot 42 in the plate 34.

The bottom wall 26 of the other shell 14 has a single rivet 44 extending upwardly through a guide slot 46, the two rivets or pins 40 and 44 being equidistant from the hinge line 16.

The result is thatwhen one of the two

shells

12 and 14 is moved relative to the other about the hinge 16 the carriage is free to float on its bottom edges 33 without motion with respect to either shell until the pins 40 and 36 have reached the positions shown in Fig. 8, having moved the length of the

arcuate slots

38 and 42. As the shells are further opened the carriage moves in fixed relation to the shell 12 with the result that the carriage is swung outwardly to the center position shown in Fig. 9, whereat further opening of the box is prevented by the engagement of the right-hand end of the slot 46 with the pin 44.

The

slots

38 and 42 thus act as a lost motion connection to permit the carriage to extend in closed position partly into the left-hand shell 12 to a greater degree than it extends into that shell in the open position of Fig. 9, but restricts the motion of the carriage into the shell 12 so that it cannot extend beyond the position of Fig. 7, thus leaving a space for the insertion of a compartment 50 in the inner portion of the shell 12 for reception of an electrical cord 52, as shown in Fig. 4. The carriage and its razor thus have a centered position symmetrical with respect to the open gap between the shells when the box is open; and an ofiset position asymmetrical with respect to the closed gap between the shells when the box is closed; and automatically move from one position to the other as the box is opened or closed.

After the box has been opened and the razor 30 removed from its socket 32, the user may reach into the shell 12 and remove the compartment 50, since the latter has a height less than the height of the shell 12 as indicated in Fig. 1. The cord can then be removed from the compartment.

The box thus comprises a very compact package for containing the razor and its cord in such manner that the razor is centrally displayed when the box is opened as shown in Fig. 2 and wherein there is full utilization of the volume of the two shells when the box is closed.

I claim:

1. A combination display package and container comprising two hollow opposed shells, a hinge connecting said shells together for permitting opening and closing hinging motion of the shells relative to one another, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to be displayed and lost motion pin and slot connections be tween said carriage and said shells for guidedly moving said carriage as the box is closed from an open box display position extending symmetrically across the open gap between said shells to a closed box position extending into at least one of said shells asymmetrically with respect to the closed gap between said shells to provide space in the other of said shells for storage of an article additional to an article mounted on said carriage.

2. A combination display package and container comprising two hollow opposed generally symmetrical shells, a vertically-disposed hinge connecting said shells together for permitting opening and closing hinging motions of the shells relative to one another about a vertical axis, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to be displayed mounted within said box and resting on the bottom wall of at least one of said shells, pins extending upwardly from the bottom walls of both of said shells and arcuate slots of predetermined length in said carriage through which said pins extend, said slots acting to guidedly move said carriage as the box is closed from an open box display position extending symmetrically across the open gap between said shells to a closed box position extending into both of said shells asymmetrically with respect to the closed gap between said shells to provide additional space in the other of said shells when the box is in its closed position.

3. A combination display package and container comprising two hollow opposed generally symmetrical shells, a vertically-disposed hinge connecting said shells together for permitting opening and closing hinging motion of the shells relative to one another about a vertical axis, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to be displayed mounted within said box and resting on the bottom wall of at least one of said shells, and a lost motion pin and slot connection between said carriage and at least one of said shells for guidedly moving said carriage as the box is closed from an open box display posi' tion extending symmetrically across the open gap between said shells to a closed box position extending into said shells. asymmetrically with respect to the closed gap between said shells to provide space in the other of said shells for storage of an article additional to an article mounted on said carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 583,925 McGowan June 8, 1897 2,488,067 Roark Nov. 15, 1949 2,556,638 Wickersham June 12, 195l 2,588,957 Brown Mar. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 712,973 France Aug. 3, 1931