US3025954A - Combined easel and handle carton - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1962 J. v. MASSEY ETAL 3,025,954

COMBINED EASEL AND HANDLE CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 fnuerzi orzs'" \fo/uz, Y Massey,

March 1962 J. v. MASSEY ETAL I 3,025,954

COMBINED EASEL AND HANDLE CARTON Filed Feb. 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mal ow \]0k 72. I/Massqy,

Uited States atent 3,025,954 COMBINED EASEL AND HANDLE CARTON John V. Massey, Northbrook, and Robert H. Kaulfnss and William P. Kaulfuss, Chicago, Ill., assignors t0 Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,720 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 206-452) The present invention relates to cartons and containers having a convenient carrying handle member and being readily adaptable for use as a supporting rack or easel.

Important objects of the invention are to provide a simple and economical construction which includes a relatively shallow carton or container member capable of holding a supply of cards or sheets of paper and including parts attached to the container which may be utilized as a carrying means in one position and which may be employed in another position as an easel support so that printed cards can be displayed on the easel or such easel may be used to support cards, canvas boards or the like upon which a person may sketch or paint.

Other and more specific objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combined carton and easel in its carrying position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing the closure means for the carton;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how the construction may be expanded; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective View showing the expanded construction supported on a flat surface and utilized for display purposes.

The construction of the combination easel and handle carton, made in accordance with the present invention, readily lends itself to a number of specific uses. For example, it may be employed as a portfolio for students who desire to carry a supply of drawing boards or sheets, or it may be used by persons in selling or sales promotion activities who require a convenient means for displaying as well as storing explanatory placards.

The carton member is preferably rectangular with narrow edge walls and with a hinged closure along one of its normally upright edges. A panel, hingedly related to a carton edge, is arranged to swing a limited angular distance to form a brace to support the carton in an upright, inclined position. A flexible member, preferably comprising two foldably joined panels, is connected to the carton and to the bracing panel to hold it at a desired angle to the carton when the construction is used as an easel or display support. Two handle panels are employed, one being hinged along a closed edge of the carton and the other being hinged to the bracing panel. When the construction is being used as an easel or for display, the handle panels are folded outwardly. Each handle panel preferably has an abutment or retaining element disposed in spaced relation to the respective panel hinges to keep the lower edges of placards or drawing boards from slipping outwardly when placed against the inclined carton or bracing panel.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the carton member is formed with two rectangular side wall panels, 1 and 2, relatively closely spaced, and two connecting edge wall panels 3 and 4 at the respective upper and lower edges of the carton, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, which show the carrying handles uppermost. The upright edges of the carton are closed by a fixed wall 5 along one edge and a hinged closure 6 along the other edge. This closure preferably has a hinged flap 7, having a snap fastener element 8 cooperating with a companion element 9 on the side wall panel 1. The ends of the flap 7 are preferably cut away on an angle to facilitate operation of the hinged closure.

The carrying structure for the carton comprises a pair of panels 11 and 12 connected by a narrow panel 13 along which the edge wall panel 4 of the carton is disposed. As viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper edges of the panels 11 and 12 terminate in panel members 14 and 15 having finger openings 16 and 17 respectively formed in these members. The panel members 14 and 15 are hinged to their attached panels along hinge lines 14a and 15a.

The panels 11 and 12 are preferably comparable in size with the side panels 1 and 2 of the carton and may be swung apart along the hinged connection of these panels with their connecting panel 13. The side Wall panel 2 of the carton is preferably secured to the outer panel 12. This may be done conveniently by rivets 18, 13, placed close to the hinge line 15a between panel 15 and panel 12. The major contacting portions of the panel 12 and carton side panel 2, if desired, may be secured together by suitable adhesive. Also, the connecting panel 13 and edge Wall 4 of the carton are preferably secured together by adhesive.

Means are provided for limiting the swinging movement of panel 11 outward from the carton. For this purpose a foldable panel member having panels 20 and 21 hinged at 22 is secured to the panel 11 at one side and to the carton at the other side. For the purpose of securing the folded panel member to panel 11 a short flap 23 hinged to the panel 20 at 23a is secured to panel 11 by rivets 24, preferably with the hinge 23a in proximity with the hinge 1411 between flap 14 and panel 11.

The opposite panel 21 of the foldable panel member preferably has two narrow, foldable panels 25 and 26 carried on its edge. Narrow panel 25 has a width approximately that of the outside dimension of the carton so that its hinge line 25a is disposed along the corner of the carton, see FIG. 2. The narrow panel 26 preferably extends between the wall panel 2 and the panel 12 and is placed in this position prior to riveting the two panels 2 and 12 together. By thus securing the edge portion of the foldable panel member between the carton and its adjacent panel 12 a single row of rivets is all that is required and the foldable panel member is in effect secured to the edge portion of the carton. If desired, the narrow panel 25 may be adhesively secured to the carton edge wall 3.

For the purpose of preventing outward slippage of placards placed against the inclined panels, when the construction is placed in the position shown in FIG. 5, retaining elements or abutments are formed on each of the flaps 14 and 15. These abutments, indicated at 28 and 29 may be formed in any one of various manners but, as herein shown, the abutments are formed from suitable strips of wood held in place by an outer liner sheet adhesively attached to the flaps.

Placards or the like, indicated at 30 in FIGS. 2 and 5 may be stored within the carton and there retained while the carton is being transported by hand or otherwise. When it is desired to utilize the placards, either for display or other purposes, the construction is placed in expanded position, as shown in FIG. 5, with the flaps 14 and 15 disposed flat and extending outward. The hinged closure 6 is then opened to give access to the placards which may then be removed singly or in groups, as de sired, and placed upon either flap 14 or 15 in position between the retaining abutment and the adjacent panel.

It will be readily seen that by cutting away the ends of the securing flap 7, the ends of this flap may readily move between the panel 11 and carton wall 1 even though the passage is constricted, particularly adjacent the hinge 13 between the panels 11 and 1.

The panel 12, secured to wall panel 2 of the carton, may be considered as an integral part of the carton as it tends to strengthen the carton wall and the carton walls may thus be formed of relatively thin sheet material. From a functional point of view the two carton walls 1 and 2, the latter being reinforced by panel 12, may be considered as main panels of the construction, and bracing panel 11 may be considered to be a supplemental panel.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a convenient carrying means for cards, dra'wing boards or other sheet material and, when it is desired to support one or more sheets or boards for display or for working thereon, it is a simple matter to invert the carrier, spread the fiaps 15 and 17 outwardly and move panel 11 to its bracing position, thus forming an easel. The hinged closure of the carton may then be opened and one or more sheets removed and placed against either panel 11 or panel 12 where the lower edges of the sheets will be retained from outward slippage by the abutments 28 and 29. Upon termination of the need for supporting sheets on the inclined panels, the sheets may quickly be reinserted into the carton and the panel 11 moved against the carton wall 1. The construction will again be turned with the panels 16 and 17 uppermost and thus the construction will be reconverted into a carrier.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being bad to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined carton and display easel formed of foldable sheet material and comprising a. tubular carton member formed of two main panels, relatively closely spaced,

and joined along two opposite edges by narrow edge wall panels, at least one of the other two edges of the carton being open to provide access to the interior, one of the main panels having a flap hinged along one of the edge walls of the carton, a supplemental panel disposed fiatwise along the other main panel and hingedly connected to the carton along the opposite edge wall, such supplemental panel having its free edge extending approximately to the first mentioned edge wall, a hinged flap on the free edge of the supplemental panel, and a foldable member comprising two hinged panel sections having their free edges hinged to the supplemental panel and to the adjacent edge portion of the carton to limit the angular distance to which the supplemental panel may be swung away from the adjacent main panel, whereby the carton may be supported in an inclined position on a fiat surface.

2. A combined carton and display easel formed of sheet material and comprising a tubular carton member formed of two main panels, relatively closely spaced, and joined along their upper and lower edges, when in easel forming position, by narrow upper and lower edge-wall panels, one of the other edges of the carton being open to provide access to the interior, a supplemental panel disposable fiatwise along one main panel and hingedly connected to the carton along the upper edge-wall panel, such supplemental panel having its free edge extending approximately to the lower edge-wall panel, and a foldable member comprising two hinged panel sections of substantially equal width having their outer edges hinged to the supplemental panel and to the lower portion of the carton to limit the angular distance to which the supplemental panel may be swung away from the adjacent main panel, whereby the carton may be supported in an inclined easel forming position on a flat surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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