US3217967A

US3217967A - Milk carton closure fastener

Info

Publication number: US3217967A
Application number: US314374A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jackson George Harold
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-07
Filing date: 1963-10-07
Publication date: 1965-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-16

Description

Nov. 16, 1965 G. H. JACKSON MILK CARTON CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Oct. 7, 1963 m 5 m J M 0 w H e m w G INVENTOR.

United States Patent Filed Oct. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 314,374 3 Claims. ((Il, 229-17) The present invention relates to cardboard and equivalent paperboard containers such as are presently being used by modern dairies and has more particular reference to a paraflin-coated or plastic-coated carton for milk, cream half-and-half, fruit juices and the like. More particularly, the invention has to do with the style of carton which has an inverted V-shaped or so-called gable-type top wherein the vertex provides a ridge and wherein the wall construction at one end of the ridge is constructed to provide an expansible and contractible pouring spout.

The broad object of the present invention is to provide rigidifying and fastening means which is structurally designed and functionally adapted to be fitted over the ridge or rib and which, when in its intended normal position keeps the folding or expansible pouring spout closed, that is after it has been initially opened for use, whereby to thus provide a more reliable and satisfactory carton top construction. Liquid containing cartons in the category herein under consideration have apparently met with widespread approval and use despite the fact that the popularly used folding pouring spout is not always as easily openable and closable as is supposedly the case. This is particularly true when the spout-equipped carton is full and of a half gallon, for example, size. Not only may the average adult have trouble handling and opening and closing the spout thereof, it is known that the energetic child who takes it upon himself to serve himself encounters even greater difiiculties in meeting with handling and pouring problems. Then, too, it is the habit of some users, particularly children, to pour out milk to drink and then forget to fold in and close up the spout after having done so. Without attempting to elaborate on the many difficulties of the overall problem it will be clear that it is an object in the instant matter to provide members of the public with a simple, practical and economical clip, that is, one which is fittingly capped over the rib or ridge in a manner to reinforce it and to keep the carton (regardless of size or capacity) in shape. When the spout is closed and the clip is closed the carton with its contents is intact and easy and ready to handle.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention a U-shaped or channel-shaped clip is provided. This clip is preferably made of sheet metal having desired resilient properties, and is such in construction that one end thereof is readily attachable to and detachable from one end of the cartons ridge. The manner of attaching the same also functions to provide a hinge or pivot whereby the clip can be swung down to a normal spoutretaining and closing position or alternatively swung up to an out-of-the-way position at which time it remains as a signal calling upon the user to be sure to close the spout and fasten it before returning it to the refrigerator for future use.

Stated somewhat more explicitly the invention comprises a feasible, easy-to-use clip which can be successfully made and sold as a new article of manufacture and which can be supplied for use by a dairy or similar sales and delivery service and which also lends itself to prac tical use for sale as an individual article of manufacture likely to be sold in dime stores and the like and then taken home and used over and over. To this end the clips will be made of distinguishably different sizes for use on half-pints, pints, quarts, half-gallons and so on.

Then, too, novelty is predicated on a sheet metal, plastic or equivalent elongated clip which is U-shaped or channel-shaped in cross-section, which has its pivotally mounted end fashioned to provide attaching and hinging or pivoting ears, said ears provided with detents and said detents providing the pivot members, said ears being slightly resilient to obtain the desired attaching, retaining and hinging action.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view but which serves to show the construction and manner of using the clip and which shows the pouring spout expanded and open for pouring purposes and illustrates the clip in a swung-up, out-ofthe-way but attached position; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of the section line 33 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the views of the drawing the number 4 designatesa hollow, non-circular container or body portion of the overall milk or equivalent carton and which as is presented in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with a now generally well known inverted V-shaped top 6 having the cooperating outwardly and downwardly sloping walls 8 whose upper free edge portions are fashioned into opposed interconnected lips or flanges 10 which conjointly define an across-the-top ridge or rib 12. This ridge is sometimes referred to as the upstanding vertex of the V-top. As brought out in FIG. 2, it is such that it permits the incorporation in the top of an expansible and contractible pouring spout which is shown in expanded pouring position in FIG. 2 as denoted generally at 14. The wing portions 16 are joined to and cooperate with the in and out folding wings or wall portions 18 thus defining the aforementioned self-pouring spout.

Childish thoughtlessness, adult indifference and careless carton use in general results in many persons thinking of the pouring-type carton as a nuisance when, as a matter of fact one acquires the desirable habit of closing the spout after each use and rigidifying it as is permissible with the present invention, many of the carton-handling difiiculties are conveniently and acceptably met.

Adoption and use of the present invention does not re quire any change or changes in the construction of the popularly used V-top 6. To satisfactorily carry out the present invention all that is needed is the simple economical clip 20. While this clip may no doubt be molded and made from a suitable grade of plastic material the experimental models, which have proved out to be satisfactory in construction and use, have been made from aluminum and stainless steel and the like. The clip is of elongated form and channel-shaped in cross-section and embodies an open-ended channel one end of which is conveniently denoted at 22 and the other end, for sake of distinction, denoted at 24. This clip comprises a pair of spaced-apart parallel channel walls 26 having lengthwise corresponding edges joined by a rounded connecting web 28. The free lengthwise edges of the walls or flanges are flared outwardly as at 30 to define lip-like rests or abutments. When the clip is closed these abutments reside atop the vertex or crest portion of the V-top 6. The channel is such that it seats and snugly receives the ridge or rib 12. At the end 24 the web 28 is discontinued as at 32 and conveniently defines a pair of companion yieldable or resilient attaching, retaining and pivoting ears 34. These ears straddle the coacting flanges or wall portions at one end portion of the ridge and are readily attachable thereto and subsequently detachable therefrom. To the ends desired these ears 34 are bendably resilient and can be piloted into place and forcibly spread apart, positioned in a manner to yieldingly engage the intended coacting surfaces of the aforementioned flanges. Then, too, these ears are provided with inwardly extending axially aligned dimple-like projections 36 whose inner ends are truncated to provide clip-attaching and hinging detents, the latter hingedly engaging the surfaces of the flanges at that end of the ridge opposite said pouring spout. When the clip is properly applied with the end portion of the ridge sandwiched therebetween, the detents yieldingly sink and embed themselves in place as denoted at 37 in FIG. 3.

In such instances where the milk-filled carton is supplied with a clip attached as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 1 it will be evident that the presence of the clip fitting snugly on the ridge or rib greatly strengthens and rigidities the rib and, as is evident, permits the cartons to be handled freely and as a matter of fact roughly without running the risk of the seal breaking and permitting leakage at the top. More likely than not it might be the policy of the supplier or dairy to provide each customer with a set of clips for different sized cartons and to furnish extra clips whenever necessary or desired as a part of a desirable and acceptable, service. Clips such as the ones under consideration could be also advantageously used as giveaway and premium items for dairy, juice and other advertising purposes. In any event and regardless of the commercial aspect of the invention it will be seen that it constitutes a novel contribution to the art in combination with the opener-equipped ridge and also independently thereof.

In practice it is evident that the unique clip is readily applied by fitting the ears or terminal end portions 34 over one end or corner of the ridge 12. It may be necessary to spread these ears 34 slightly apart with the fingers and then drop the ears in place. When the ears are released the spring return properties inherent therein will function to clampingly attach the ears to the cooperating component flanges of the ridge. It is desirable to make sure that the clip is so applied that the end portion 24 is at the left in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that the opposite end portion 22 will be even or flush with the righthand end as shown particularly in FIG. 1. It follows that the clip is simply capped over and encloses and shields the ridge and rigidifies it. When, however, it is so desired the user swings the clip from a closed to an open position as shown in FIG. 2 whereupon the spout 14 can be opened up for milk pouring purposes. When the pouring job has been completed the component wings or walls of the spout are refolded to resume their original relative positions and the clip is swung back down from the position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the initial position shown in FIG. 1.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination, a dairy-type container for milk, cream, half-and-half, fruit juices or the like comprising: a paraffin-coated or plastic-coated flexible carton embodying a self-standing container portion having an inverted V-shaped gable-like top whose vertex is fashioned into an elongated ridge, said top having a creased folding wall at one end of said ridge constituting and providing an integral built-in extensible and contractible manually openable and closable funneling and pouring spout, and a bodily attachable and detachable ri ge e n orcing spoutretaining and sealing clip, said clip being channel-shaped in cross-section, of a length commensurate with the length of said ridge, being made of resilient sheet material, said clip being re-usable and detachably capped and clasped into position atop said ridge with the resilient wall portions thereof yieldingly clamped in retaining and rigiditying position against the capped and clasped wall portions of said ridge from end to end, said clip having one end portion provided with a pair of opposed spaced parallel attaching and retaining ears, said ears being flexible and yieldable and being provided with inwardly extending aligned oppositely disposed truncated projections constituting and providing clip attaching and hinging detents, said detents hingedly engaging that end of the ridge opposite said pouring spout.

2. A ridge reinforcing, spout fastening milk carton clip comprising an elongated body member channel-shaped in cross-section, the channel portion thereof being open along one lengthwise side of said body and open at the respective transverse ends and embodying opposed flat side walls connected along corresponding upper longitudinal edge portions by an intervening web, said clip being adapted to be conformingly and fittingly capped over the aforementioned ridge and being of a length commensurate with the length of said ridge, said web terminating short of corresponding end portions of the opposed side Walls and transforming the extending Wall portions into attaching and retaining ears, said ears being flexible and yieldable and being provided with inwardly extending aligned truncated projections providing oppositely disposed detents, said detents constituting clip attaching and hinging means.

3. A readily attachable and detachable re-usable milk carton clip comprising: an elongated one piece resilient sheet material clip channel-shaped in cross-section with the channel portion thereof open at its respective transverse ends and open along one lengthwise side, said clip embodying opposed spaced parallel flat-faced uninterruptedly smooth walls, the upper longitudinal edge portions of said walls being joined by a connecting web, said web extending from one end of the clip toward and terminating short of the opposite end of the clip and portions of the side walls at said opposite end of said web extending therebeyond, being resilient and providing a pair of opposed snap-on type clip attaching and retaining ears, each ear being indented providing projections, said projections being opposed, inwardly extending axially punctured and providing oriented detents, said detents being coordinated and constituting clip attaching and pivoting means, the lower longitudinal edges of said side walls having opposed outwardly diverging lip portions having rounded terminal ends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 546,492 9/1895 Millert 12936 966,387 8/1910 Difio 30335 1,915,027 6/1933 Iagenberg. 2,172,930 9/1939 Bensel 22951 X 2,241,834 5/1941 Wentz 22965 2,491,264 12/ 1949 Hermani 22031 2,533,539 12/1950 Vivian 22965 2,655,259 10/1953 Davoren 220-31 X 3,029,997 4/ 1962 Kauifeld 22937 3,086,264 4/1963 Tindal 22965 X FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION, A DAIRY-TYPE CONTAINER FOR MILK, CREAM, HALF-AND-HALF, FRUIT JUICES OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: A PARAFFIN-COATED OR PLASTIC-COATED FLEXIBLE CARTON EMBODYING A SELF-STANDING CONTAINER PORTION HAVING AN INVERTED V-SHAPED GABLE-LIKE TOP WHOSE VERTEX IS FASHIONED INTO AN ELONGATED RIDGE, SAID TOP HAVING A CREASED FOLDING WALL AT ONE END OF SAID RIDGE CONSTITUTING AND PROVIDING AN INTEGRAL BUILT-IN EXTENSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE MANUALLY INTEABLE AND CLOSABLE FUNNELING AND POURING SPOUT, AND A BODILY ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE RIDGE REINFORCING SPOUTRETAINING AND SEALING CLIP, SAID CLIP BEING CHANNEL-SHAPED IN CROSS-SECTION, OF A LENGTH COMMENSURATE WITH THE LENGTH OF SAID RIDGE, BEING MADE OF RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL, SAID CLIP BEING RE-USABLE AND DETACHABLY CAPPED AND CLAPSED INTO POSITION ATOP SAID RIDGE WITH THE RESILIENT WALL PORTIONS THEREOF YIELDINGLY CLAMPED IN RETAINING AND RIGIDIFYING POSITION AGAINST THE CAPPED AND CLAPSED WALL PORTIONS OF SAID RIDGE FROM END TO END, SAID CLIP HAVING ONE END PORTION PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF OPPOSED SPACED PARALLEL ATTACHING AND RETAINING EARS, SAID EARS BEING FLEXIBLE AND YEILDABLE AND BEING PROVIDED WITH INWARDLY EXTENDING ALIGNED OPPOSITELY DISPOSED TRUNCATED PROJECTIONS CONSTITUTING AND PROVIDING CLIP ATTACHING AND HINGING DETENTS, SAID DETENTS HINGEDLY ENGAGING THAT END OF THE RIDGE OPPOSITE SAID POURING SPOUT.