US3180486A - Carton - Google Patents

Description

April 27 1965 v. R. KAHLER ETAL 3,180,486-

CARTON Filed Aug. so, 1961 United States Patent O 3,186,486 CARTN Vern Robert Kahler, Grandville, and Daniel Edward Bergsma, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Packaging Corporation of America, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 3G, 1961, Ser. No. 134,916 4 Claims. (Cl. 20G-46) The present invention relates to an improved package and more particularly to an improved carton having a non-abrasive inner surface.

One of the most highly accepted forms of packaging materials is that made of paperboard, including cardboard and corrugated paperboard materials. Paperboard is readily available in different weights and thicknesses and is relatively inexpensive. It can be pre-formed as a flat blank for ease in shipment and can then be assembled at the site of packaging and is clean to handle and readily disposed of when no longer serviceable.

Many shipping containers or cartons of this character have coatings of wax or other materials on the inner portions of the carton 'that are in contact with the packaged item in order to prevent the paperboard from marring the finish of the packaged item. This procedure has several disadvantage In the case of wax coatings, the Wax is messy and often transfers to the packaged articles and frequently deposition of the coating material on the flaps of the container may hinder the normal carton sealing operation. Moreover, an extra operation is required to apply the coating .to the paperboard which results in added costs.

The present invention discloses a carton having an interior surface of a felt-like texture which is non-abrasive to packaged items and which is admirably suited for the packaging of items which are susceptible to marring or abrasion.

In accordance with the present invention, a carton is formed from paperboard or similar material which has been specially treated in a manner to modify the surface texture so as to produce a felt-like non-abrasive nish thereon.

Treatment `of the fibrous paperboard surface is carried out to alter the surface fiber arrangement so as to free the surface fibers from their normal constrained position While permitting one end of the fibers to retain their bond to the base stock. This effect can be achieved by vario-us procedures. Thus, the desired modification of the surface texture can be accomplished by treating the paper-board surfaces lwith a liquid agent capable of weakening the iibre-to-tibre bond. Various liquids such as water, steam, glycerine and the like can be employed -for this purpose. Alternately, the desired modification of the surface texture is achieved by mechanically abr-ading the paperboard surface so as to reduce the fibre-to-tibre bond and detach one end of the surface bers from the bond. The result is a felt-like non-abrasive finish on the paperboard. The desired surface liber arrange-ment can be accomplished with the use of various abrasive means such as brushes, abrasive emcry paper, sandpaper, abrasive cloths and the like. Conveniently the desired surface ber arrangement is achieved by subjecting the paperboard surface to the abrasive action of stationary, oscillating or rotating brushes having suitably abrasive bristles made of various materials such as wire, tampico, synthetic materials and so forth. In one preferred procedure, the paperboard surface, after being chemically treated with a liquid, is mechanically abraded while it is Wet; in which condition the paperboard surface is sometimes found to be more receptive to the abrasive treatment.

The invention will be yfurther 4illustrated in conjunction Hpce with the ydrawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof and in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view partially cut away of a folded carton having a modified inner surface texture in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE. 2 is a top plan view of a paperboard blank from which the improved box or carton is constructed, the inner surface of the blank being uppermost.

'FIGURE 3 Ais an elevational view showing diagrammatically the arrangement of one for-m of apparatus suitable for modifying the surface texture of paperboard in accordance with the invention.

In the drawings, FIGURE l shows a folded carton 1b having a Afelt-like non-abrasive inner surface as indicated at 11. The modified text-ure of surface 11 is achieved by treating one surface of a blank 12 from which the carton 1t) is formed. As shown in FlGURE 2, the cartou 10 is formed from a blank 12 which includes a bottom 13 and side walls 14 and 15. The end -Walls of the box or carton are designated respectively 4at 16 and 17. The ilaps 18 fold on the score lines indicated at 19 and 2t) to form the top of the carton.

One exemplary method of modifying the surface characteristics of the paperboard blank to achieve the nonabrasiye finish prior to folding and -gluing to 'form the carton is described in conjunction with FIGURE 3. The invention can be practiced in various ways employing a variety of apparatus and therefore the arrangement and use of the apparatus described in the accompanying drawings must be regarded as by way of example only.

At the right end of FIGURE 3 a stack of car-ton blanks 12 is indicated at 22 in a suitable support 24. These carton blanks 12 are ready for their initial folding and gluing steps and the carton blanks 12 thus have been suitably cut and scored. Before the blanks 12 are folded and glued they are fed onto the conveyor 2S by an intermittent feed 26 -for treatment in accordance with the present invention.

The carton blanks 12 are carried by conveyor 25 to a position indicated at 27 beneath the contain-er 28 which holds a liquid such as a 50-50 mixture of water and glycerine. The bottom of container 28 is provided with a nozzle 2% whereby the glycerine and water mixture is sprayed on the carton blank 12 to uniformly wet the uppermost surface 11 thereof. The carton blank 12 is then .moved by means of conveyor 2S into contact with revolving brush 30. The wire bristles 31 of `brush 3i) abrade the wet surfaces 11 of carton blanks 12 to cause one end of the fibers to raise from the paperboard while permitting the other end of the fibers to retain their bond to the base stock. The carton blanks 12 now have -a feltlike non-abrasive surface 11 and can now be assembled to produce the carton as shown in FIGURE 1.

The regularity and excellence of the surface texture of the paperboard depends upon correlation of the type of paperboard and the degree of abrasion to which it is subjected. Each particular paperboard material requires special consideration to obtain a particular surface texture. However, the degree of abrasion to which the paperboard surface is subjected and the type of abrasive means employed can be readily determined by simple trial procedures. It is possible and contemplated that with certain paperboard4 materials there is advantage to subjecting the paperboard surfaces to more than one abrasive treatment and to the use of different abrasive means for modifying the surface texture.

It is to be understood that the above described treatment of -the carton bl-anks is by way of example only and modification of the texture of the paperboard surfaces according to the present invention can take place in any one of many ways and at many stages of the manufacturing operations. Thus, for example, during the manu- Y data.

facture of the paperboard the surface can be suitably treated at the wet end of the paper 'making machine, or inv `the dryer section, 'or any time before the paper Ais wound Y into a roll or sheeted. Moreover,V during the manu-facture of cormigated board'the'individual liner facings can be treated prior to the singlefacer or prior to the doublebacker or'prior to the slitter and so forth.

The improved surface texture of paperboard treated in accordance with the invention is shown by experimental Variousjpaperboard samples were treated in `aecordance with the invention and evaluated VwithV respect to adsense ment of'iibrous carton blanks, it is apparent that the invention is applicable to -the treatmentof iibrous materials in general, which brous materials can be utilized in containers as liners, spacers or other interior packaging components. f

Those modifications and equivalents which fall within the spiritv of the invention and the scope of the appended claims are'to -be considered-part of the invention,

their abrasion characteristics. To determine the abrasion i characteristics the paperboard samples were rubbed againstvarious materials having a'smooth surface iinish.

Vi'mechanical rubbngmachine having a known loading Weight Aapplied' thereonV 'was employed to (accomplish the rubbing action. The degree of abrasion to the smooth 'surfaced materials was then determined by 1) visual examination-for Vvmarring, y(2) weight differential, :(3)

Y changes in light re'ectance and (4) visualnexam'ination following an ink wash. Thefpapenboard samples Were then numerically rated `withthe lower numbers indicating less abrasion.

lUtilizing the above procedure various paperboard Y materials were treated as follows:

sample Treatment Rating #26,Kraft Corrugated Board. Control-No.Treatment 5.2 Do Surface sprayed with a 50-50 3.2

glycerine-water mixture. Wet with 50-50 glycerine-wat-er mixture and then 'scued .with emery paper. Control-No treatment 5. Wet with 50-50 glycerine-Water 1. 6

mixture and then scuted with stationary steel brush. p

#42 Kraft, A E1ute Do Do n 1.8 Do Sculed with stationary steel 1. 8 brush.. Plain, Chip, A Flute Control-No treatment; 1. 0 Do sprayed with 5(150 glyeeriue- 0.2

water mixture. Wet with (150 glycerinc-water 0. 2

mixture and then seuded with emcry paper. p

Y Itwillbe seen that the present invention provides an improved carton having `a non-abrasive', inner surface. The need of lapplying' various coating materials to the vinner surfaces of cartons in an Vattempt to reduce theV We claim: Y l 1. A cartonerected 'from a iibrous paperboard material having a texture on theV inner'surace thereof characterized by a weakened ibreeto-bre'bond with one end of the surface fibers being detached Vfrom the base to produce aV Vfelt-like non-abrasive surfacetexture.

2. A dat unfolded cartonblank of `a librous rpaperboard Vmaterial adapted for'erection as an article carton, said carton blank havinga texture-on one surface over substantially the entire area thereof characterized by a weakened libreto-libre bond of the paperboardlwith one end `hot the surface ibersfbeing detached from the base to produce a' telt-like non-'abrasive surface texture. Y

3. A brous paper materialy adapted ,forV use in containers as aninterior packaging component having aV texture on one surface Vover substantially the entirearea Y Abrasion abrasiyeness lthereof is avoided by the presentinvention.

',"Thisresults'iu reduced costs for manufacturing cartons suitable'for packaging articles susceptible to 'marring vWhile the preceding discussion pertained to the treatthereofcharacterized by a weakened bre-to-tibrebond with I,one end ofthe surface ber's being detached from Vthe base to produce a felt-like non-abrasive surface texture. Y' Y 4. An object-contacting `i-brous paper packaging materialfhaving a surface texture characterized by a weakened brefto-ibre bond with one end-ofthe'surface bers beingjdetached trom'the base to produce a `felt-like nonvabrasive surface texture.

eerenceszited by the Exaer Y

Claims (1)

1. 2. A FLAT UNFOLDED CARTON BLANK OF A FIBROUS PAPERBOARD MATERIAL ADAPTED FOR ERECTION AS AN ARTICLE CARTON, SAID CARTON BLANK HAVING A TEXTURE ON ONE SURFACE OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA THEREOF CHARACTERIZED BY A WEAKENED FIBER-TO-FIBER BOND OF THE PAPERBOARD WITH ONE END OF THE SURFACE BEING DETACHED FROM THE BASE TO PRODUCE A FELT-LIKE NON-ABRASIVE SURFACE TEXTURE.

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