US3044073A

US3044073A - Device for closing containers

Info

Publication number: US3044073A
Application number: US82786A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Foster C Law
Original assignee: Peerless Corp
Current assignee: Peerless Corp
Priority date: 1961-01-16
Filing date: 1961-01-16
Publication date: 1962-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1979-07-17

Description

July- 17, 1962 F. c; LAW, JR

DEVICE FOR CLOSING CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 16, 1961 INVENTOR. FOSTER C. LAW,JR

5M WM Arrarncys United States Patent 3,044,073 DEVICE FOR CLOSENG CONTAINERS Foster C. Law, Jr., Atlanta, Ga, assignor to Peerless Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 82,786 7 Claims. (Cl. 1--260) The present invention relates to a device for closing containers particularly those containers within which there is received relatively soft objects such as blankets or the like.

It is well known in the art to close a cardboard container having flaps by folding down an opposite pair of those flaps and then folding down the other opposite pair of flaps over the first pair. Various means may be used for securing the flaps in place one of which may be the stapling thereof to one another. In order to properly use a stapling or stitching device, the underneath flaps should be pressed against the outermost or uppermost flaps. It can be appreciated that if the box does not contain a hard object or objects, it will, in many cases, be impossible to maintain the underneath flaps in tight engagement with the outermost flaps.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a device capable of holding a lowermost or innermost flap of the cardboard box against an outermost flap or flaps thereof in order to facilitate stapling of the flaps together.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for closing a container.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

One embodiment of the device of the present invention comprises a flap lifter including a generally rectangular plate. An elongated tongue is secured to one face of the plate and extends in parallel relation thereto past one edge of the plate. The extending portion of the tongue is spaced from said face at said one edge by the thickness of a pair of flaps to be secured together and is generally perpendicular to the one edge. The plate is provided with ridges which are parallel to the tongue and are located on the other face of the plate. The tongue is positioned generally between the ridges whereby a stapler can be positioned upon the plate and between the ridges in order to deposit a staple over the tongue.

The method of using the present invention to close a rectangular box having four closure flaps includes the steps of folding down one opposite pair of the flaps and then folding down the other opposite pair of flaps over said one opposite pair. A next step comprises inserting a support between the flaps of each pair and pivoting the support upwardly against one flap of said one pair of flaps and downwardly against said other pair of flaps in order to urge said one flap upwardly against said other pair of flaps. A further step includes placing a stapler upon the support and stapling the other pair of flaps to said one flap.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the flap lifter of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container or box showing one of the steps of the method of the present invention whereby the container is closed.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows, but showing a further step in the method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrows.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the 3,M4,073 Patented July 17, 1952 principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a flap lifter constructed according to the present invention and comprising a generally rectangular plate 10. Secured to one face 11 of the plate is a tongue 12 which extends in generally parallel relation to the plate past one edge 15 thereof. In order to increase the strength of the tongue 12, it may be provided with a ridge 16 extending along the length thereof.

The surface 17 of the extending portion of the tongue is spaced from the face 11 of the plate beginning at the edge 15 by a distance equal to approximately the thickness of the pair of flaps to be secured together (see FIG. 3). The purpose of this shape of the tongue and location thereof relative to the plate will become evident below as the method of the present invention is described. It should also be noted that the tongue is somewhat wider adjacent the plate at 20 in order to provide increased strength at that location.

The plate 10 has a pair of downturned sharp corners 21 which extend in perpendicular relation to the plate on the'same side thereof as is the tongue 12. A pair of ridges 22 are formed in the plate on the face 23 thereof and are spaced parallel to one another on opposite sides of the tongue 12. The distance between the ridges 22 is equal to the width of a conventional stapler.

In practice the

flaps

25 and 26 of the box 27 are folded downwardly to the position illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. In other words, the opposite flaps 25 are first folded down and then the opposite flaps 26 are folded down over the flaps 25. The tongue 12 of the flap lifter is then inserted between the flaps in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. In some cases, the flaps 25 will be of such a length that they will just about meet and in such case i there will be only one place for the tongue. However, when the box is formed as illustrated with relatively short flaps 25, it is preferable to insert the tongue just adjacent to a particular one of the flaps 25.

Next, the flap lifter is pivoted to the position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the tongue 12 moves below and against a particular one of the flaps 25 urging it upwardly. During the pivoting of the tongue to this position, the plate 10 and particularly its edge 15 is held against the outermost flaps 26 holding them tightly against the innermost flap 25. It can be appreciated that the downturned corners 21 of the plate 10 will bite into the outermost flaps 26 during this pivoting operation so that when the pivoting operation is completed, the flap lifter will be firmly seated in the position illustrated in FIG. 3 and locked against movement in a leftward direction by the downturned corners 21. The sharp corners 21 also function to prevent separation of the flaps 26 even though the underneath flap 25 is held tightly thereagainst.

The corners 21 are arranged at 45 to the tongue which 3 will cause the tongue to be pivoted to a corresponding upward position which will hold the particular innermost flap 25 hard against the flaps 26.

The stapler is then operated in conventional manner to place a staple 3-1 through the

flaps

26 and 25 as illustrated. It should be noted that the stapler should be of the type which curves or brings the legs 32 of the staple together without having any backing behind or below the

flaps

25 and 26. The ridges 22 function to position the gun so that the legs of the staple are projected on opposite sides of the tongue 12 thus preventing the tongue from interfering with the stapling and providing support for the flaps precisely where needed.

The stapler is then moved along between the ridges 22 to place a further staple or staples through the flaps 26 and the particular flap 25. For example, a further staple might be placed closer to the plate or closer to the edge of the box than the staple 31. Next, the

flap lifter is removed from the box and is reinserted in a similar fashion to that above described adjacent to the other flap 25. The various steps above mentioned are then repeated in order to secure the flaps 26 to the other flap 25.

From the above description, it can be appreciated that the present invention provides an improved device for securing the flaps of a box in place in order to close the box. 'It will be obvious that the invention has particular application to the situation where the objects within the box are of'a relative soft'nature, such as, for example, blankets and the like. Even so, the invention is also usein] where the box contains hard objects because it makes unnecessary using the objects as a bearing surface for the stapling operation which could result in damage to the objects.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. A flap lifter comprising a plate, an elongated tongue a secured to said plate and projecting past oneiedge there-' of, said plate having downturned pointed corners at the endsof said one edge. 1

2. A flap lifter comprising a generally rectangular plate, an elongated tongue secured to said plate in parallel relation thereto, said tongue projecting past one edge of said plate in perpendicular relation. thereto, said plate having downturned pointed corners at the ends of said one edge, projecting in perpendicular relation to said plate and arranged at 45 to said tongue.

3. A flap lifter comprising a generally rectangular plate, an elongated tongue secured to said plate in parallel relation thereto, said tongue projecting past one edge of said plate in perpendicular relation thereto, said plate having ridges parallel to said tongue and on the opposite side of said plate from said tongue, said tongue being positioned generally between said ridges whereby a stapler can be positioned between said ridges to deposit a staple over said tongue.

4. A flap lifter for use in securing flaps together comprising a generally rectangular plate, an elongated tongue secured to one face of said plate and extending in parallel relation thereto past one edge of said plate, the extending portion of said tongue being spaced from said face at said one edge by the thickness of a pair of flaps to be secured together and being generally perpendicular to said one edge, said plate having ridges parallel to said tongue and on the other face of said plate, said tongue being positioned generally between said ridges whereby a stapler can be positioned between said ridges to deposit a staple over said tongue.

5. A flap lifter comprising a generally rectangular plate, an elongated tongue secured to said plate in parallel relation thereto, said tongue projecting past one edge of said plate in perpendicular relation thereto, said plate having ridges parallel to said tongue and on the opposite side of said plate from said tongue, said tongue being positioned generally between said ridges whereby a stapler can be positioned between said ridges to deposit a staple over said tongue, and said plate having downturned pointed corners projecting in perpendicular relation to said plate.

6. A flap lifter for use in securing flaps together comprising a generally rectangular plate, an elongated tongue secured to one face of said plate and extending in parallel relation thereto past one edge of said plate, said plate having sharp corners at the opposite ends of said one edge projecting away from said plate on the same side thereof as said tongue is located, said plate being formed with ridges on the other face of said plate for positioning a stapler to deposit a staple generally over said tongue.

7. A flap lifter comprising a plate, an elongated tongue projecting past one edge of said plate, said plate having ridgesipa-rallel to said tongu and on the opposite side of said plate from said tongue, said tongue being positioned generally between said ridges whereby a stapler can be positioned between said ridges to deposit a staple over said tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS