US3303929A - Multiple container package - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1967 T. M. PACE 3,303,929

MULTIPLE CONTAINER PACKAGE Filed May 19, 1965 2 Sheets-$heet l Feb. 14, 1967 T. M. PACE MULTIPLE CONTAINER PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1965 I 12 HHHIIHIHHIHH United States Patent 3,303,929 MULTIPLE CONTAINER PACKAGE Thomas M. Pace, Pensacola, Fla., assiguor to St. Regis Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 19, 1965, Ser. No. 456,923 5 Claims. (Cl. 296-65) This invention relates to a package, such as a paperboard carton in which is packaged a plurality of inner containers of a peculiar but heretofore well known shape, such as of the type disclosed in US. patent to Moore, granted February 8, 1944, No. 2,341,056, the containers being so arranged in the package as to be in a novel, firm, mutually-supporting, systematic arrangement requiring substantially a minimum amount of space.

The type of inner container referred to is formed of a short tubular section of paperboard or other sheet material having each end collapsed with abutting end edge portions brought into flatwise engagement and sealed together along a straight line forming a substantially linear seal perpendicular to the axis of the tubular section and with such straight line seal at one end of the container in a 90 angular relationship as compared with the like seal on the other end of the container. This type of container, which is very inexpensive and easy to construct, fill and seal, has come into extensive use for containing a variety of different types of powdered materials or liquids, but the container is of such an odd shape that the packing and arranging of a plurality thereof in a systematic way in any outer protective carton or box, presents a difficult problem, particularly if a group of same is to be packed in a square or rectangular carton of substantially minimum size and in such manner that they will remain securely in place. If such inner containers are placed in a carton in a random arrangement, protruding corner portions thereon will tend to become crushed against the carton walls or against each other, and in any event, the protruding corners will make necessary the provision of considerable wasted spaces in the carton.

The present invention provides a solution of these problems by way of so arranging a plurality of the containers with respect to each other and with respect to the carton walls, that the whole group may be fitted into the outlines of a square or rectangular carton (depending on the number and dimensions of the containers in the group) so that there will be a minimum of waste space in the carton and each of the containers will be in a predetermined position to press against the next container or containers and hold them securely in place, in positions such that none of the corners of the end closures thereof tends to protrude beyond the normal outlines of the rectangular carton.

In accordance with the invention, the containers of the above-mentioned type are so arrange-d side by side in the carton, that the linear end seals thereof contact one interior wall surface of the carton along spaced-apart parallel lines which run diagonally across the carton wall, whereas on the opposite ends of the same containers, the linear sealed ends similarly contact an opposite interior surface, also along diagonal lines, but along diagonals that are at 90 to the first-named container ends. This results in an arrangement whereby the middle side portion of one container at a location thereon which is somewhat rounded, engages crosswise a similar rounded midportion of the next adjacent container or containers.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single one of the inn containers of known type such as of the above-mention prior US. patent;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a carton with t cover portions open and containing a plurality of the cc tainers arranged and packed therein in accordance wi the invention;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantia' along the horizontal plane of line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating t invention as applied to a carton adapted to contain t\ rows of the inner containers as shown therein; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional View taken substantia' along the vertical plane of line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, it Vl be noted that the type of known inner container which to be packed in a carton or box in accordance with tl invention may comprise a generally tubular short length section 10 formed of paperboard or other sheet materi one end of which is collapsed along a straight line 11 at the bottom of the container, and the other end of whi is also collapsed along a straight line as at 12, here sho as being at the top of the container, the collapsed e edges in each case being suitably sealed together by i use of suitable adhesives or heat sealing methods followi filling of the container with whatever product is to packaged therein. More particularly, it will be noted tl the straight line seal 11 is in a position at to 1 straight line seal 12 at the other end of the container related to the central axis thereof, as indicated by dott line 13. Thus an odd shape is provided having ft corners as at 14, 15, 16 and 17 with the consequence th if such containers are placed in a carton at random pc tions, there will be a great deal of waste space and st corners will protrude in random directions on the varir containers, so that same will tend to protrude at irreg lar points against the surfaces of adjacent containers 2 against the interior wall surfaces of the carton, there giving rise to conditions causing deformation or punct ing of the containers during shipment or rough handli:

As shown in FIG. 2, a carton or box 17 is provid formed of paperboard or other suitable material and, the form here shown, such carton is rectangular in cro section in both its horizontal and vertical dimensions, though the invention is applicable to instances where carton might be used which would be square or rectan; lar in one or more of its cross-sections, depending up the dimensions of the inner containers to be contair therein and the number of the latter to he packaged.

Quite surprisingly, I found that the inner contain may be arranged in the carton in the manner shown FIG. 2, thereby fully solving the problem of compac packing such containers in a systematic way and so as present a neat and attractive appearance and with e2 container so positioned as firmly to retain the adjao container or containers against displacement and in firm mutually-supporting relation, with none of the c ners protruding beyond the outlines of the carton terior. That is, the containers 10 are so positioned t1 the straight line seals 11 at one end thereof will be pt tioned along spaced-apart parallel lines running diagon 1y across a carton Wall such as at 18. The straight I seals 12 at the other ends of the containers will simila be placed along spaced-apart lines extending diagone across an opposed wall, as at 19, of the carton, but di onal in directions at right angles to the container ends This results in an arrangement such that, as best sho in FIG. 3, bulging or rounded side portions as at 20 2 21 at the middle of adjacent cartons, will come into gagement, thereby placing the adjacent containers in gc mutually-supporting relation such that they cannot beco.

placed upon jarring the package during shipment. This :ct results from the fact that the straight line sealed is of each container will be held in uniform contact ng oppositely-directed diagonals respectively with the ton walls 18 and 19 by the bulging middle wall poris as at 20, 21. These bulging wall portions will cont each other in a crossed relationship and such that the ttively stiif corners and sealed end portions on each the containers are in any event kept out of contact with adjacent container or containers at all times. \s further shown in FIG. 2, the carton may be proed with a cover, as at 22, having conventional side l front flaps, as at 23, 24, and 25. It should be noted t when the cover is closed, it will come into contact h rounded diagonally-extending ridges as at 26 along h of the inner containers, and similar ridges along the tom of each of the containers will be held in diagonal itions in contact with the bottom wall of the carton. s results in effect in locking all of the plurality of er containers in their desired respective positions, h each container uniformly contacting, along diagonal :5, both the "front and rear walls of the carton, as well the bottom and top walls. Furthermore, the sides of end containers of the plurality will engage the end ls of the carton along straight diagonal lines, one of .ch is indicated by the dotted line 27 in FIG. 2. That along this diagonal line, a bulging side wall portion, at 28 (see FIG. 3) will engage the end wall of the ton, and similarly, at the other end of the carton, a ging container wall portion 29 will come into engageit with and extend diagonally across the carton end 1. ts shown in FIG. 4, two rows of the end containers are shown packed side by side in a single carton 30, in this case, the sealed straight line ends 12 of the tainers are positioned along spaced-apant diagonal lines 18 to come into contact with a hinged cover portion 31 refor when the latter is swung to closed position. Also, 11 this arrangement, as best shown in FIG. 5, the .ight line lower end seals 11 of the containers are ught into contact with the bottom 32 of the carton. arrangement of the front row of inner containers as wn in FIG. 4, is, of Course, the same as that of FIG. ixcept that in FIG. 4 the straight line seals are brought I contact with the top and bottom walls of the carton ead of the front and rear walls, as in FIG. 2. be back row of inner containers is shown by dotted s in FIG. 4, and as shown in section at the right-hand of FIG. 5, is, of course, arranged the same as the it row, and this back row is designed to be covered a cover portion 33, which comes into contact with upper straight line seals of the inner containers along ced-apart diagonal lines, as shown by the dotted lines he upper part of FIG. 4. f desired, the front edge of the cover portion 33 may provided with a deeply-extending flap as at 34, which, am down in closed position, forms a divider separatthe front and rear rows of the inner containers and ng in preventing same from being displaced during )ment. The ends of the cover 33 may be provided 1 conventional flaps, one of which is shown at 35, ch may, if desired, when the cover is closed, be ined between layers of the end wall portions 36 of the I011. The front cover 31 may be provided with suit- 2 depending flaps as at 37, 38 and 39, which when cover portion is closed, may he slid down, as will readily understood, into locations such as normally told the cover closed. ks is best shown by FIG. 5, the middle bulging por- IS of the containers, as at 40 and 41, will engage the walls of the carton along diagonal lines, such as icated by the dotted line 42 in FIG. 4. Also, bulging ldle portions as at 43, 44 will come into contact either 1 each other or with the intervening depending flap 34 in a manner comparable to the way in which the bulging portions contact in crosswise relation, as indicated at Zti, 21 in FIG. 3.

It will be apparent that similar principles may be followed in packing any desired plurality of the inner containers in one, two or more rows, with a plurality in each row.

Although, upon inspection of various figures of the drawings, it might seem to be a simple matter to select or choose the container arrangement shown, yet even experienced packaging experts, upon emptying the containers from the cartons as shown, generally find it a perplexing and puzzling problem to replace them as there shown, and more particularly so if any considerable number of the containers are to be put into a single carton.

The term rectangular carton as used herein is intended to be applicable to cartons of which the vertical and horizontal cross-sections thereof maybe either rectangular in the usual sense, or square. In the appended claims reference to the carton walls is intended to be applicable to the side walls as well as the top (cover) or bottom walls, as the case may be.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, further modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference should accordingly be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A package with a plurality of inner containers each of which comprises a length of tubing of sheet material collapsed fiatwise at each end and sealed along linear seals which are perpendicular to the axes of the containers, and the seals at opposite ends of each container being in positions extending in directions at right angles to each other, said package comprising in combination a generally rectangular carton containing at least one row formed of a plurality of said inner containers arranged side by side, the linear seals of one end of each of which engage a wall of the carton along spaced-apart parallel lines extending diagonally across such wall, the seals at the opposite ends extending in parallel spaced-apart diagonal relation with respect to and in a plane opposite to said wall, and each container having areas at its mid-portion which are rounded in cross-section and which engage in crossed relation with like rounded areas on the next container or containers.

2. A package in accordance with the foregoing claim 1 and in which said wall comprises the bottom of the carton and said plane opposite to said wall comprises the plane in which a cover for the carton is located.

3. A package in accordance with the foregoing claim 1 and in which said plane opposite to said wall comprises the plane in which is located the wall of the carton opposite to said first-named wall.

4. A package in accordance with the foregoing claim 1 and in which a plurality of said rows of inner containers are provided to extend side by side in the carton.

5. A package in accordance with the foregoing claim 4 and in which the carton is formed with separate hinged covers respectively for said rows, at least one of said covers having a depending flap separating one of said rows from another.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1961 .Larson 20665 4/1966 Wasyluka 206-65

Claims (1)

1. A PACKAGE WITH A PLURALITY OF INNER CONTAINERS EACH OF WHICH COMPRISES A LENGTH OF TUBING OF SHEET MATERIAL COLLAPSED FLATWISE AT EACH END AND SEALED ALONG LINEAR SEALS WHICH ARE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXES OF THE CONTAINERS, AND THE SEALS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH CONTAINER BEING IN POSITIONS EXTENDING IN DIRECTIONS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CARTON CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE ROW FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF SAID INNER CONTAINERS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE, THE LINEAR SEALS OF ONE END OF EACH OF WHICH ENGAGE A WALL OF THE CARTON ALONG SPACED-APART PARALLEL LINES EXTENDING DIAGONALLY ACROSS SUCH WALL, THE SEALS AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS EXTENDING IN PARALLEL SPACED-APART DIAGONAL RELATION WITH RESPECT TO AND IN A PLANE OPPOSITE TO SAID WALL, AND EACH CONTAINER HAVING AREAS AT ITS MID-PORTION WHICH ARE ROUNDED IN CROSS-SECTION AND WHICH ENGAGE IN CROSSED RELATION WITH LIKE ROUNDED AREAS ON THE NEXT CONTAINER OR CONTAINERS.

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