US3160274A

US3160274A - Multi-stack dispensing container

Info

Publication number: US3160274A
Application number: US342918A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pritchard Lee Arthur
Original assignee: American Can Co
Current assignee: Primerica Inc
Priority date: 1964-02-06
Filing date: 1964-02-06
Publication date: 1964-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-08

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 1.. A. PRITCHARD MULTI-STACK DISPENSING CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb; 6, 1964 INVENTOR.

455 JP 77m? Pk/fifl/Ea United States Patent 3,160,274 MULTii-STAQIK DEPENSING CGNTAINER Lee Arthur Pritchard, Easton, Pan, assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 6, H64, Ser. No. 3425218 Claims. (Cl. 205-56) In the past, nested comestible containers such as paper cups have been packaged and sold in elongated tubular cartons adapted to house a single stack of such cups. When :such cups were to be used infrequently, it was satisfactory to leave the cups in the closed carton and to remove the needed few at the time of use. However, when such cups were to beconstantly used, such as in fountain service, soft drink concessions, and the like, it was too inconvenient to continually remove a few cups at a time from the carton, and consequently, it became the practice to remove the whole stack of cups from the elongated carton and to merely leave them exposed for easy access.

Such a practcie is not altogether satisfactory since the exposed cups are subjected to dirt, dust and other contaminants which are undesirable in connection with comestible containers. Furthermore, if the stack of cups is removed from the carton for purposes of dispensing, the cups are often scufied, crushed or subjected to other various forms of abuse which tend to ruin their appearance and, in extreme cases, their utility.

It was recognized that certain of these problems could be avoided by providing a carton from which a nested stack of cups could be directly dispensed. However, it was difiicult to provide such a carton since the height of the stack of nested cups had to be quite high in order to provide a suificient quantity in one single stack. If multiple stacks were utilized, theheight of each stack could be reduced, but as one stack was being utilized, the other stacks were exposed and tended to gather dust and dirt.

An object therefore of the present invention is to provide a dispensing carton wherein the aforementioned problems and difiiculties are eliminated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing carton for multiple stacks of articles wherein only one stack at a time is exposed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-stack dispensing carton which initially is completely closed but which can be opened to expose a single stack at a time for dispensing purposes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing container for multiple stacks of nested articles, which container can be opened to expose one complete stack of articles, and which can selectively expose each succeeding stack of articles without any further opening being needed.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings: 7

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a unitary blank from which a container embodying the instant invention may be made;

- Patented Dec. 8, 1964 ICC FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sealed container made from the blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 2 with a portion removed to permit dispensing of the nested articles within the container;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 3 with the removed portion being nested back over the container to protect the nested stacks of articles other than those being dispensed, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 except that the last stack of nested articles is being dispensed and the removed portion is utilized to prevent that stack from sliding back into the container.

The foregoing objects are attained by providing a container having a portion of its side panels, end panel, and top scored to permit the portion within the scored area to be removed. When the portion is removed, it is generally U-shaped in cross-section, and of a size sufiicient to expose one stack of nested articles to facilitate dispensing of the articles from this stack. The removed portion, instead of being thrown away, is telescoped or nested back over the remaining container portion with the end wall section of the removed portion being interposed between the stack to be dispensed and the remaining stacks housed within the container. In this Way, the removed portion acts as a dust cover to protect the stacked articles within the container from dust and dirt, while the exposed stack is being dispensed.

Although the illustrated container is designed to hold I only two stacks of nested articles, it should be understood that this simplification is only for ease of illustration and understanding, and that the principles of the present invention are applicable to containers holding multiple juxtaposed stacks of nested articles.

The term score or score line as used herein is intended to comprehend any line of weakness, whether formed by perforating, cutting, scoring, or any other similar weakening operation.

' As a preferred or exemplary form of the present invention, FIG. 2 illustrates a substantially [rectangular container 16 containing, for purposes of illustration, two stacks 12 of nested articles such as paper cups. The container is fabricated from a unitary blank, preferably of paper or fibre and of a rectangular configuration, such as the blank 14 shown in FIG. 1.

The blank 14 is completely traversed by two spaced parallel fold or

crease lines

16 and 18, with the area. between the lines defining the height of the container 10. Nominally, the line 16 corresponds to the upper edge of the container and the line 18 corresponds to the lower edge of the container. Appropriately spaced

parallel fold lines

26, 22 and 24- extend between the

lines

16 and 18 to divide the blank into two

side panels

26 and 28 and two end panels 3-5} and 32. As illustrated, the lines 2d, 22 and 2d are spaced so that the

side panels

26 and 28 are double the size of the

end panels

30 and 32. A container formed from this particular blank will accommodate two juxtaposed stacks of nested articles, as shown in FIG. 1. If, however, it was desired to form a container which would accommodate four stacks of nested articles, the blank 14- would be elongated and the

lines

20, 22 and 24 would be spaced so that the

side panels

26 and 28 would be four times as wide as the end panels 3%) and 32. Similarly, the side panels can be formed as any other multiples of the end panels to thus accommodate multiple stacks of articles.

The top and bottom of the container Iii may be formed A to the

panels

26, 30, 2S and 32 along the top crease line 16. Similarly,

bottom flaps

48, 50, 52 and 54 are separated from each other by

cut lines

56, 58 and 60 and are hingedly connected respectively to the

panels

26, 30, 28 and 32 along the bottom crease line 18. A glue flap 62 is hingedly connected to the side panel 26 by means of 1 crease or fold line 64'. A notch 66 divides the glue lap into an upper section 68 and a lower section 70.

The blank 14 is suitably scored so that, when the con .ainer is assembled, a portion generally designated 72 (FIG. 3) may be removed to permit dispensing of a stack )f articles 12. To this end, the side panel 26 and its issociated top flap 34 are traversed by a longitudinal lCOIC line 74 which extends downward to a point opposite .he notch 66 in the glue flap and then extends transversely IS a score line 76 which merges into the notch. Similarly, he side panel 28 and its associated top flap 38 are raversed by a longitudinal score line 78 which descends lownward the same distance as the score line 74 and then :xtends transversely or radially outwardly as a score line it! which extends across the end panel 32 and terminates lt the outer edge thereof. As the score line 80 traverses he end panel 32, it dips downward at 82 to form a de- Jressed portion, the purpose of which will be presently lescribed.

As was previously mentioned, the illustrated blank 14 :an be fabricated to form a container which accommolates two juxtaposed stacks of nested articles. If the

lld panels

26 and 28 are to be elongated to accommodate :everal stacks of nested articles, all such elongation is to ake place between the

score lines

74 and 78, so that the :everable portion 72 will remain of one constant size.

In order to produce the container 16, the blank 14 s first folded along the

parallel fold lines

20, 22 and 24 1nd the glue flap crease line 64. The outer surface of he glue flap 62 is coated with a suitable adhesive and :ubsequently bonded to the inner surface of the end anel 32 to form the blank into a rectangular configuraion. The four

bottom flaps

48, 50, 52 and 54 are then Folded along the bottom crease line 18 in the usual nanner and formed into an overlapping positionperpen licular to the side and end panels 26. 28, 30 and 32, vhere they are adhesively secured to form the convenional bottom construction. The stacks 12 of nested LI'tlClCS are then introduced into the container, and the

op flaps

34, 36, 38 and 49 are folded, overlapped and tdhesively secured similarly to the bottom flaps, to thus eal the container and form a complete package as shown nFIG. 2.

It can be'seen that the

score lines

74, 76, 78 and 80 xtend over and around one stack 12 of articles in such L manner as to define a severable or removable portion '2, as shown in FIG. 3. When a consumer desires to pen the package of FIG. 2, he merely manually punches award along the

score lines

74, 76, 78, 8d and 82 .to thus ever the portion 72 along these score lines and cause t to become detached from the package thereby exposing ne stack 12 of articles for dispensing. However, it can lso be seen that removal of the portion 72 opens the :ontainer to such an extent that the stack 12 remaining [1 the unsevered portion of the container is partially xposed and can thus be contaminated'by dust and dirt;

To prevent such contamination from occurring, the emoved portion 72 is placed over the remaining conainer portion in a manner such as is illustrated in FIG. It will be noted that the end wall part of portion 72 JhiCh originally formed the end panel 32, is interposed etween the two stacks 12, and that part of portion 72' 1111011 comprises its side walls is overlapped over the

ide panels

26 and 28 of the container.

When the exposed stack 12 has been completely disensed, the removable portion 72, which now serves as cover portion, is lifted'temporarily away from the ontainer 19 to'allow the second stack 12 to be slid orward to a dispensing position. The cover 72 is then replaced, as shown in FIG. 5, to prevent the second stack 12 from sliding or tipping back into its original position. If several stacks 12 are to be utilized, the cover 72 is merely lifted off each time a stack is to be moved forward to a dispensing position, and thereafter the cover is replaced.

It should also be appreciated that the removable or cover portion 72 is generally U-shaped in cross-section and open at its lower end to form a sort of squared scoop whose side walls have a certain degree of resiliency. Thus, when the cover portion 72 is to be replaced or nested over the remaining container portion, the cover portion side walls deform slightly outwardly to fit over the container side panels. Due to this slight deformation, and the tendency of the cover side walls to return to their original position because of their inherent resiliency, the cover portion 72 will nest quite snugly over the container, and will not readily slide about or drop off.

The removable portion 72 can also be reinstalled in its original position if the exposed stack 12 is not completely used up. For example, a stack 12 may be only partially utilized during a daily dispensing operation and, rather than leave the remainder of that stack exposed overnight, the portion 72 can be moved back to its original position, thus protecting the partial stack 12 as well as the other remaining full stacks. The thickness of the cartonstock is sufiicient to permit the portion 72 to rest upon and be supported by the carton edges contiguous to the score lines, should it become desirable to return the portion 72 to its, original position.

In many instances, it may be desirable to remove the cups from the exposed stack by means of a cup holder, rather than removing them manually. Often such a cup holder has a handle which extends beyond the cupreceiving opening, as exemplified by US. Design Patent No. 195,309. T o assure that such a cup holder can be used in conjunction with the carton of the present invention, the depressed portion 82 has been provided.

This depressed portion is designed to accommodate the handle ona cup holder and to thus permit such a cup holder to be utilized to remove even the lowermost cups in a stack 12 without the handle abutting against the small carton wall beneath the score line 80.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the pants without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the 'form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

'1. A multi-stack dispensing canton comprising:

7 a tubular rectangular container having a top and a bottom and being adapted to house a row of juxtaposed stacks of nested articles;

said container having spaced opposed end panels having a transverse dimension substantially equivalent to the width of a stack of nested articles to be dispensed and having a longitudinal dimension substantially equivalent to the height of said stack;

said container also having spaced opposed side panels interconnecting said end panels and said container top and bottom;

said side panels having a longitudinal dimension equal to that of said end panels and a transverse dimension substantially equivalent to the length of said row of stacks;

said container also having a sevenable portion defined by a continuous score line which extends transversely across one of said end panels and transversely along said side panels to a distance approximately one stack width away from said end panel, then turns substantially perpendicularly upward to form a longitudinal score line section which extends upward along each side panel and across the top of said container to join with the opposite longitudinal score line section;

said severable portion having an end wall formed by the score line enclosed area of said container end panel, side walls formed by the score line enclosed area of said container side panels, and a top wall formed by the score line enclosed area of said container top, said severable portion thus having a generally U-shaped cross-section; I

said severable portion being adapted to be manually separated from said remaining container portion to thus expose a single stack at one end of said container for dispensing purposes;

said severable portion also being adapted to be utilized as a cover by being telescoped over said remaining container portion with said severable portion end wall being interposed between said exposed stack and the next adjacent stack and said severable portion side walls being overlapped over said remaining container portion side panels.

2. A multi-stack dispensing cartonas defined in claim e; 1 wherein said stacks of nested articles are formed of f inverted cups.

3. A dispensing container comprising: a rectangular carton adapted to contain at least one row of aligned stacks of nested articles; said carton having a Width sutficient to encompass said row, a length substantially equal to the length of said row, and a height substantially equal to the height of said row; said carton having a removable corner portion set 0 by a continuous score line; said continuous score line being formed by two inter secting score line sections; one of said score line sections extending transversely across one end of said carton and laterally along the sides of said carton parallel to said row of stacks; the other of said score line sections extending transversely across the top of said carton and longitudinally along the sides of said carton at a location between the first and second stacks in said row; said corner portion being removable to expose the first stack in said row for dispensing purposes; said corner portion also being adapted to be interposed between said first and second stacks and nested over the remaining carton portion to serve as a cover to protect the unexposed stacks from contamination.

4. A dispensing carton as defined in claim 3 wherein said one score line section descends and rises again as it passes across said carton end; thus defining a tab in said end.

5. A package adapted to unitarily dispense a single stack of'nested articles out of an aligned row of said stacks, said package comprising:

a parallelepipedon container having spaced opposed and interconnected side panels, end panels, a top and a bottom;

said side panels being spaced apart by a distance substantially equivalent to the width of said stacks;

said top and bottom being spaced apart by a distance substantially equivalent to the height of said stacks;

said end panels being spaced apart by a distance substantially equivalent to the length of said row of stacks;

a plurality of stacks of nested articles located within and substantially filling said container;

a removable portion being located at one end of said container;

6 said removable portion being defined by a continuous score line; said continuous score line being formed of a pair of intersecting score line sections; one of said score line sections extending across the lower end 0t one end panel and then along said side panels toward the other end panel; the other of said score line sections extending across the top at a location corresponding to the space between said endmost stack and the next adjacent stack, and then extending down said side panels to merge into the ends of said one score line section; said removable portion thus defining an end well formed by the severable portion of said container end panel, a top wall formed by the severable portion of said container top, and side Walls formed by the severable portion of said container side panels; said removable portion being manually severable to expose the endmost stack of articles in said row to permit dispensing of such articles; said removable portion being adapted to be telescoped over the unsevered portion of the container to protect the stacks therein from contamination; said telescoped position of said portion being one wherein said end wall is interposed between said exposed stack and the next adjacent stack, wherein said top wall overlies said container top, and wherein said side walls overlap said side panels. 6. A package as defined in claim 5 wherein the said nested articles in said stacks are cups.

7. A unitary fibre blank foldable into a tubular dispensing container, said blank comprising:

a generally rectangular fibre web having a pair of spaced side edges, an upper edge, and a lower edge; a pair of lateral crease lines extending parallel to said upper and lower edge and between said side edges, the spacing between said lateral crease lines defining the height of the container to be subsequently formed; three spaced parallel longitudinal crease lines extending perpendicularly between said lateral crease lines and thus dividing the blank into two side panels and two end panels; cut lines coextensive with said longitudinal crease lines and extending between said lateral crease lines and the upper and lower edges of the blank to fiorm a series of flaps hingedly connected to said end and side panels and adapted to form the top and bottom of the container; and a pair of continuous score lines, each extending longitudinally from the blank upper edge, through a side panel flap and into the side panel itself, and then turning perpendicularly outwardly and extending laterally to a side edge of the blank, said score lines defining a portion which can be removed from the subsequently formed container. 8. A blank as defined in claim 7 wherein said score lines turn perpendicularly outward at a point nearer tothe lower lateral crease line than to the upper lateral crease line.

9. A blank as defined in claim 7 but further characterized by a two-piece glue flap hingedly connected to a a side edge of the blank with said laterally extending No references cited.

Claims

1. A MULTI-STACK DISPENSING CARTON COMPRISING: A TUBULAR RECTANGULAR CONTAINER HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM AND BEING ADAPTED TO HOUSE A ROW OF JUXTAPOSED STACKS OF NESTED ARTICLES; SAID CONTAINER HAVING SPACED OPPOSED END PANELS HAVING A TRANSVERSE DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE WIDTH OF A STACK OF NESTED ARTICLES TO BE DISPENSED AND HAVING A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE HEIGHT OF SAID STACK; SAID CONTAINER ALSO HAVING SPACED OPPOSED SIDE PANELS INTERCONNECTING SAID END PANELS AND SAID CONTAINER TOP AND BOTTOM; SAID SIDE PANELS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID END PANELS AND A TRANSVERSE DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE LENGTH OF SAID ROW OF STACKS; SAID CONTAINER ALSO HAVING A SEVERABLE PORTION DEFINED BY A CONTINUOUS SCORE LINE WHICH EXTENDS TRANSVERSELY ACROSS ONE OF SAID END PANELS AND TRANSVERSELY ALONG SAID SIDE PANELS TO A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY ONE STACK WIDTH AWAY FROM SAID END PANEL, THEN TURNS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY UPWARD TO FORM A LONGITUDINAL SCORE LINE SECTION WHICH EXTENDS UPWARD ALONG EACH SIDE PANEL AND ACROSS THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER TO JOIN WITH THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL SCORE LINE SECTION; SAID SEVERABLE PORTION HAVING AN END WALL FORMED BY THE SCORE LINE ENCLOSED AREA OF SAID CONTAINER END PANEL, SIDE WALLS FORMED BY THE SCORE LINE ENCLOSED AREA OF SAID CONTAINER SIDE PANELS, AND A TOP WALL FORMED BY THE SCORE LINE ENCLOSED AREA OF SAID CONTAINER TOP, SAID SEVERABLE PORTION THUS HAVING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION; SAID SEVERABLE PORTION BEING ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY SEPARATED FROM SAID REMAINING CONTAINER PORTION TO THUS EXPOSE A SINGLE STACK AT ONE END OF SAID CONTAINER FOR DISPENSING PURPOSES; SAID SEVERABLE PORTION ALSO BEING ADAPTED TO BE UTILIZED AS A COVER BY BEING TELESCOPED OVER SAID REMAINING CONTAINER PORTION WITH SAID SEVERABLE PORTION END WALL BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID EXPOSED STACK AND THE NEXT ADJACENT STACK AND SAID SEVERABLE PORTION SIDE WALLS BEING OVERLAPPED OVER SAID REMAINING CONTAINER PORTION SIDE PANELS.