US3315873A - Recloseable package - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1967 w. M. STRANGE 3,315,873

RECLOSEABLE PACKAGE Filed Jan. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l /2 /9 FICE". l

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)Wu/AM M SnM/v Arrone/var April 25, 1967 w. M. STRANGE RECLOSEABLE PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1961 INVENToR. WMA/9M M /Paww: BY mC/@w framwfy United States Patent O 3,315,873 RECLOSEABLE PACKAGE William M. Strange, Neenah, Wis., assignor to .lohn

Strange Carton Company, Menasha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Jan. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 81,450 7 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to packaging and more partie-ularly to a recloseable sheetboard carton.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a package of simple and inexpensive construction which lends itself elfciently to filling and closing operations, and upon opening of the package by a consumer, forms a new structure having convenient recloseable characteristics.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a package which is constructed from a single sheet of paperboard or the like and which utilizes a single seal line to achieve original closure of the package with its product contained therewithin.

Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a recloseable package of the tab-forming tear-strip type, as disclosed gene-rally in my prior patent application, Ser. No. 853,114, tiled Nov. 16, 1959, now abandoned, the presently disclosed package having the tear-strip associated with an edge of the package and thereby facilitating the closing and reopening thereof.

A still further object of the invention resides in the arrangement of perforate tear lines with respect to an imperforate sheet portion such that material such as fat in sliced meat products will not lie in contact with the paperboard perforations and soak through wicking action through the protective coating to render the package unsightly or unsanitary.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the package blank showing the inside surfaces thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the closed and sealed package, a corner portion being broken away to show the folding arrangement thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the sealed package showing the tear-strip partly removed therefrom to release the cover and form the locking tab;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the package in reclosed condition;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged segment in vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged segment taken in vertical section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

With continued reference to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows the package or carton blank which is utilized for the construction of the package herein disclosed. The blank is indicated generally at 10 and is produced from a paperboard material which is foldable in character and may be coated with moisture resisting material, particularly when utilized for food products which would normally stain or discolor paperboard material. Thus the package formed from the blank may be conveniently employed for meat products, such as bacon, normally containing a portion of fat and sliced and shingled in overlapping relation in a somewhat flat appearing package.

The blank 10 has a bottom panel 1.1 which is substantially rectangular in shape and has joined to the respective ends thereof, a pair of end wall portions 12, each having an end wall 13 and a flap 14 joined respectively to each other in a fold line end edges lines.

The end walls 13 have a pair of corner tabs 17 each joined respectively to their front edges in fold lines 18 and also have a corresponding pair of 'rear corner tabs 19 joined respectively to the opposite ends of end walls 13 in fold lines 20 as shown in FIGURE 1.

A front wall portion 21 is secured to the front edge of bottom panel 11 in` a fold line 22 and guard strip 23 is joined in a parallel fold line 24 to the outer edge of the front wall portion I21 as shown. Guard strip 23 has formed intermediate its ends a locking slit 25, the purpose of which `will be discussed later in this specification.

A rear wall portion 26 is joined in a fold line 27 to the rear edge of bottom panel 11 and also is joined in a parallel fold line 28 to a cover panel 29 as shown. Cover panel 29 may be provided with a cut-away window portion 30 over which a transparent member such as plastic sheet 31 may be adhered. The cover panel 29 is of the same size and shape as bottom panel 11 and terminates in a perforated fold line 32 at its outer edge. Another perforated line 33 is formed throughout the length of cover 29 from one end edge 34 to the other. Perforated line 33 is generally parallel to perforated fold line 32 but may be formed into a locking tab 35 when the tear-strip 36, lying between the perforated fold line 32 and perforated line 33, is removed from the cover as will be subsequently described. An outer seal strip 37 is joined to the tear-strip 36 at the aforementioned perforated fold line 32. The seal strip 37 may ibe provided with a band 38 of adhesive or heat scalable material to effect a special sealing structure in the completed package.

Referring n-ow to FIGURE 2, when the carton blank 10 is .to be folded -into a package, sliced bacon or the like can be placed upon the bottom panel 11 following which the end wall portions 12 each are -bent along the fold line 16 in upstanding relation to the bottom panel 11 and the rear corner tabs 19 are then folded inwardly to lie along the rear fold line 27 as shown in FIGURE 2. The end Wall flaps 14 are then folded inwardly along their respective fold lines 15 to lie inwardly and in spaced parallel relation with bottom panel 11. The front wall portion 21 is then folded upwardly on fold line 22 so that the latter abuts against end wall flaps 14 and overlies the end margins thereof. It will be noted that the front corner tabs 17 are still outwardly extending and these are now folded inwardly to lie against `the surface of front wall 21 as shown in FIGURE 2. The rear wall 26 is now folded about the fold line 27 till it .assumes a right angle position with respect to bottom panel 11 following which the cover panel 29 `is bent downwardly about the fold line 28 to overlie bottom panel 11. In this position, the perforated fold line 32 and perforated line 33 overlie the guard strip 23 and hence do not come in contact with any material disposed within the package. The seal strip 37 is then folded downwardly to contract the tabs 17 and the front wall 21 as shown in FIGURE 2. The appearance of the various portions of the box at a front corner is shown in vertical section in FIGURE 6 where seal strip 37 contacts the tab '17 as shown.

The seal strip 37 provides a means for locking the end walls 13 and the front wall 21 in upstanding position. The seal strip 37 may be conveniently treated with a band of heat scalable material 38 which can be easily secured by merely `applying a temporary heat to the front edge of the package in contact with the exposed surface of seal strip 37 as shown in FIGURE 2. The sealing yband |will melt and seal the tabs 17 to the strip 37 as shown in FIGURE 6 and will lalso seal the front wall 21 in its iintermediate area as shown in FIGURE 5.

15 and respectively to the 16 of bottom panel 11 in spaced parallel fold Y upstanding rear With the package sealed as shown, the perforated fold line '32 and the perforated tear line 33 will both overlie the guard strip 23 and hence will not tend to absorb fats or other material which would, in turn, wick and bleed into the perforation lines 32 and 33.

When itis desired to open the package, the user grasps the tear-strip 36 which lies between the perforate tear line 33 and perforate fold line 32 and strip 36 simply and easily is removed from the box as shown in FIGURE 3. The removal of the tear-strip 36 automatically forms the locking tab 35 and also frees the remaining cover panel portion 29 from its locked relation to the front wall portion 21. The front structure, however, remains intact insofar as the front wall 21, cornertabs 17 and end walls 13 are concerned. Such arrangement is particularly useful since the product contained within the package may be easily removed from the open top and rear. It 'will be noted that the rear wall 26 and cover panel 29 will open flat which renders the package easier to use when only a portion of the contained product is removed from time to time and the package reclosed each time.

Since the tab 35, which was formed by the removal of tear-strip 36, overlies the locking slit 25, the cover can be reapplied to the box, closing the contents therewithin in a new locked or latched :arrangement rather than the original sealed arrangement, The appearance of the reclosed package utilizing the locking tab 3S and slit 25 is shown in FIGURE 4. It will also be observed that even after the tear-strip '36 is removed, the guard strip 23 underlies the area formed by the removal of the tear-strip andhence the product within the package will lbe protected at all times.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A recloseable package which comprises, a bottom panel of generally rectangular shape, an upstandiug end wall at each end of said bottom panel, an upstanding front wall at the forward edge `of said bottom panel, an up- :standing rear wall at the reanward edge of said bottom panel, a hat cover panel overlying said bottom panel and joined at its rear edge to the upper edge of said upstanding rear wall, a flat seal strip joined in angulated depending relation to the front edge of said cover and sealed to the surface .of the front wall, the line of juncture between said seal strip and said cover'being perforated along a fold line, and a second perforated tear line in said at cover panel lying in spaced relation inwardly of said perforated fold line and forming a tear strip therewith in the plane of said cover panel whereby, upon tearing said strip along the perforated lines, the cover will become free to open, but said seal strip will remain secured to the front wall as additional support therefor and extending fully to the top edge of said front Wall.

2. A recloseable package which comprises, a bottom panel .of generally rectangular shape, an upstanding end wall at each end of said bottom panel, an upstanding front wall at the forward edge of said bottom panel, an wall at the rearward edge of said bottom panel, a cover panel overlying said bottom panel and joined at its rear edge to the upper edge of said upstanding rear wall, a seal strip in depending relation to the front edge of said cover, a pair o-f spaced perforated tear lines lying adjacent the front edge thereof and extending for the length of said cover and forming a tear strip therebetween, and means securing said seal strip, said front twall tand said end walls together whereby, upon tearing said tear strip along said perforated lines, the cover will become free to open, but said front wall and end walls will remain secured together in upstanding relation with respect to said bottom panel.

3. The recloseable package set forth in claim 2 wherein said rear wall is hinged respectively in fold lines to said bottom panel and to said cover panel, said upstanding rear wall being freely separable from the end walls whereby to fold rearwardly and downwardly together with said cover panel upon opening of said package.

4. A recloseable package which comprises, a bottom panel of generally rectangular shape, an upstanding end wall at each end of said bottom panel, an upstanding front wall at the forward edge of said bottom panel, a tab secured to each of said end walls and folded outwardly over the respective ends of said front wall, an upstanding rear wall at the rearward edge of said bottom panel, a cover panel overlying said bottom 4panel and joined at its rear edge to the upper edge of said upstanding rear wall, a seal strip joined in depending relation to the front edge of said cover and sealed to said tabs and to the surface of said front wall, and a pair of spaced parallel perforated lines extending for the width of said cover adjacent the forward edge thereof and forming a tear strip therealong whereby, upon tearing said strip along said perforated lines, the cover will become free to open Ibut said end walls and said front wall will remain secured together by said seal strip.

5. A paperboard blank yfor a recloseable package comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, a pair of end wall portions joined respectively to the end edges of the bottom panel in spaced parallel fold lines, a pair of laterally extending tabs foldably joined to the forward edges of said end wall portions, a rear wall joined to the rear edge of said bott-om panel in a first fold line, a cover panel joined to said rear wall along a second fold line in spaced parallel relation to the rs-t rear wall fold line, a front lwall portion joined to the front edge of said bottom panel in a fold line, an outer strip portion joined to said cover panel in a perforated fold line, a perforated line formed in said cover panel in close and generally parallel relation to said fold line and defining therewith a tear strip, and a sealing band formed along said outer strip and adapted to secure together said laterally extending tabs and the front wall portion when said outer strip portion is sealed thereover.

`6. The package blank of claim 5 wherein a guard strip is joined to the front wall portion in a fold line, said guard strip being adapted to be folded inwardly to underlie the said 4perforated lines when a package is formed Ifrom said blank.

7. The package blank of claim 6 wherein said guard strip has a locking slit formed therein and said perforated line which is generally parallel to said fold line is coniigured to form a cooperating locking tab on said cover panel upon removal of said tear strip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 244,523 7/ 1881 Bamberger 229-33 1,980,851 11/1934 Crawford 229-51 1,985,590 12/1934 Weiss 229-51 2,218,509 10/ 1940 Goodyear 229-51 2,864,547 12/1958 Guyer 229-51 3,231,172 1/1966 Strange 229-51 3,243,098 3/1966 Jacke 2219-51 FOREIGN PATENTS 244,241 12/ 1925 Great Britain.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, yPrim-ary Examiner.

EARL J. DRUMMOND, Examiner. G. R. CARLSON, J. I. HOEY Assistant Examiners,

Claims (1)

1. A RECLOSEABLE PACKAGE WHICH COMPRISES, A BOTTOM PANEL OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SHAPE, AN UPSTANDING END WALL AT EACH END OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, AN UPSTANDING FRONT WALL AT THE FORWARD EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, AN UPSTANDING REAR WALL AT THE REARWARD EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, A FLAT COVER PANEL OVERLYING SAID BOTTOM PANEL AND JOINED AT ITS REAR EDGE TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID UPSTANDING REAR WALL, A FLAT SEAL STRIP JOINED IN ANGULATED DEPENDING RELATION TO THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID COVER AND SEALED TO THE SURFACE OF THE FRONT WALL, THE LINE OF JUNCTURE BE-

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