US3286830A

US3286830A - Pack dispensing carton

Info

Publication number: US3286830A
Application number: US481577A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Edwin F Robb
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-08-23
Filing date: 1965-08-23
Publication date: 1966-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-22

Description

1966 E. F. ROBB, JR

PACK DISPENSING CARTON Filed Aug. 23, 1965 INVENTOR.

EDWIN F. ROBB,

ATTORNEYS United States. Patent 7 3,286,830 PACK DISPENSING CARTON Edwin F. Robb, Jr., Deephaven, Minn. (159 Baker Bldg., Minneapolis, Minn.) Filed Aug. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 481,577 9 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) This invention relates to an article storing and dispensing container and more particularly to a carton for holding and dispensing a number of individual packs, packages or the like such as cigarette packs, gum packs, candy bars and similar articles.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved carton for storing a plurality of packs with an integral closure member readily movable to an open position to provide access into the carton enabling convenient removal of the packs confined in the carton and movable to a closed protected position to confine the remaining packs to the carton.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton with a flexible closure member capable of being repeat edly opened and closed to permit separate withdrawal of packs enclosed in the carton and to retain the enclosed packs in the carton.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton having a flexible closure member from a single sheet of material which in assembly is folded and sealed so as'to be strong and durable.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a carton which is characterized by simplicity and efl'iciency of manufacture at minimal expense so that quality production can be achieved without sacrifice of quantity.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carton having the closure member of this invention showing the closure member in the initial attached position;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the open position of the closure member;

FIGURE 3 is atop view of the carton of FIGURE 1 with the closure member indicated in full lines in the closed position and indicated in broken lines in the open position;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional viewtaken along the line 4--4 of FIGURE 3; 1

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 showing the closed position of the closure member with only three packs in the carton; and

FIGURE 6 is a layout blank of the carton of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 a carton of a parallelepiped shape, indicated generally at 10, positioned about a number of individual merchandising packages 11. The container 10 is an enclosed box illustrated as a cigarette carton holding individual cigarette packs in two superposed rows of five each. The dimensions of the container 10 conform to the size of the packages 11 permitting the packages to be readily slidable relative to each other as soon as a single package has been removed from the carton. The dimensions of the container 10 are not limited to the particular size and shape illustrated in the drawing and vary with the size and the shape of the packages defined in the container.

The carton 10 is formed from semi-rigid material, such as paper, plastic or the like, and is constructed from an integral piece of sheet material blank 12 cut to the shape shown in FIGURE 6. The blank 12 is folded over along horizontal fold lines 13 and vertical fold lines 14 into a parallelepiped shape shown in FIGURE 1. In this shape the container 10 has a rectangular shaped top wall 16 separated from a similarly shaped bottom wall 17 by upright 3,286,830 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 side walls 18 and

opposite end walls

19 and 21. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5,

end walls

19 and 21 formed from flanges integral with the opposite ends of the top wall 16 and bottom wall 17 are positioned in overlapped relation and secured together with an adhesive or the like. The

walls

16, 17, 18, 19 and 21 form a box-like chamber accommodating the packages 11.

To provide access into the chamber and remove the packages therefrom the top Wall 16 is formed with a closure member indicated generally at 22. The bottom wall 17 may be formed with a similar closure member. The closure member 22 is part of the top wall 16 and normally projects toward the end wall 21 closing an opening in the top Wall. As shown in FIGURE 6, the closure member 22 is an elongated flap or door having a rectangular portion 23 and a semi-circular end portion 24 de fined by a series of cuts or perforations 26. The rectangular portion 23 has-a width which is slightly wider than the width of one of the packs 11.

To provide for easy opening of the closure member 22 as well as eliminating tearing of the semi-circular portion 24 and the rectangular portion 23 the perforations 26 around the semi-circular portion 24 and the rectangular portion 23 are relatively large so that closure mem ber 22 is readily separable from the top wall 16. The shape of the semi-circular portion 24 can vary and may be rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal and the like. A string-pull may be used in lieu of the perforations 26. The shape of the tab 27 and its location on the closure member 22 can vary as required. Tab 27 may be eliminated to provide a hole for a finger so that closure member 22 can be pulled in an upward direction.

As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, one side of the closur member 22 is integral with the top wall 16 and flexes and bends in the area of transverse fold line 28.' The fold or hinge line 28 of the closure member 22 hasno crimp or perforation and is in substantial vertical alignment with the inside plane of the second tier of packs 11 from the end 21. This places the first tier of packages 11a under portion 29 of the top wall 16'projected' from the end wall 21. The packages 11a are maintained in this position by theclosure member 22 which is bent downwardly or tucked in against the inside surfaces of the packages 11a as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. This is the closed position of theclosure member 22. In this position the forward end of the semi:circular-portion 24 is spaced slightly above the bottom wall 17 The rectangular portion 23 is flexed into an arcuate shape so as to bias the packages 11a against the inside of the end wall 21. This biasing force holds the closure member 22 in the closed position.

In use, to open the carton 10 the customer lifts the small tab 27, inserts the finger in the hole left by the tab and pulls the tab in an upward direction of arrow 31 as shown in FIGURE 2 until the semi-circular member portion 24 and sides of the rectangular portion 23 of the closure member 22 are separated from the top wall 16. This exposes the pack 11 immediately under the closure member 22. This pack can be removed from the carton by gripping the pack and lifting the pack from the carton. Additional packs may be removed from the carton in the same manner.

To close the carton 10 the closure member 22 is flexed and bent in a downward direction about hinge line 28. The semi-circular portion 24 is inserted into the carton against the first tier of packs 11a between the first and second tier of packs. This places the entire closure member 22 within the carton where it is protected from accidental movement. The semi-circular portion 24 rests against the exposed sides of the packs 11a positioned directly beneath the top wall portion 29.

To reopen the carton the consumer simply'lifts the Y of one of thepacks.

opening may be again closed by. reinserting the semi-circular portion into the carton. As shown in FIGURE 5,

the closure member 22 functions to confine all the packages 11 within the carton until all but one pack has been extracted therefrom;

A retail clerk stocking store shelves with the contents or packages enclosed in the container commencesin the same procedure as the consumer. The clerk merely continues to pull on the closure member removing the entire top wall 16 except the wall portion 29. The packs are thus exposed for movement to the display shelves.

Although this invention has been described in conjunction with a cigarette carton, such description is intended "as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention is intended to encompass containers used to store packaged articles. The invention is to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

Iclaim: 1. A pack dispensing carton comprising an elongated parallelepiped container in combination with a plurality of packs packaged in said container, said container including a top wall and an end wall attached to the top wall, said top wall having a flexible closure member projected toward said end wall and a series of perforations defining the sides and one end-of the closure member,

said one end of the closure member being spaced from the end wall, the opposite end of the closure member joined with the top wall and projected transversely thereto in a transverse plane longitudinally spaced from the end wall a distance of about twice the width ofa pack, said closure member selectively bendable to an open position outwardly from the carton and to a closed protected position inside the carton in engagement with at least one pack, said closure member biasing said at least one pack toward said end wall.

2. The carton structure defined in claim 1 further characterized by a tab member secured to the closure member.

3. The carton structure defined in claim 1 where said closure member has a rectangular portion and a semicircular portion, said rectangular portion having a width and length substantially the same asthe width and length 4. A pack dispensing carton comprising an elongated parallelepiped carton in combination witha plurality of packs, said carton including a top wall and opposite end walls attached to the top wall, said top wall having a flexible closure-member projected toward one end wall and selectively bendable in a transverse. hinge area connecting the closure member with the top wall, said hinge area being longitudinally spaced from said one end wall at least twice the width of one pack, said closure member movable to an open position outwardly from the carton and to a closed position into the carton in engagement with at least one pack in the carton.

5. The carton structure defined in claim 4 further characterized by a tab member secured to the closure member.

6. The carton structure defined in claim 4 wherein said closure member has a rectangular portion and a semicircular portion, said rectangular portion having a width substantially the same as the width of one' of the packs and a length generally equal to the width of the carton.

7. A pack storing container in combination with a plurality of packs stored transversely in the container comprising a rectangular shaped box including a flexible top wall joined to opposite end walls, said top wall having a series of perforations in a generally U-shaped outline projected toward one end wall, a closure member defined by said U-shaped series of perforations, said closure :tended along the sides of the top wall.

9. The container defined in claim 7 further characterized by a tab member secured to the curved end of the closure member..

References Cited by the'Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,998,542 4/1935 Horrell et al 206-4531 FOREIGN PATENTS 221,883 9/1924 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

W. T. DIXSON, IR., Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A PACK DISPENSING CARTON COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PARALLELEPIPED CONTAINER IN COMBINATION WITH A PLURALITY OF PACKS PACKAGED IN SAID CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER INCLUDING A TOP WALL AND AN END WALL ATTACHED TO THE TOP WALL, SAID TOP WALL HAVING A FLEXIBLE CLOSURE MEMBER PROJECTED TOWARD SAID END WALL AND A SERIES OF PERFORATIONS DEFINING THE SIDES AND ONE END OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER, SAID ONE END OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE END WALL, THE OPPOSITE END OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER