US3327910A - Carton with measuring trap dispenser - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1967 J. GOULD CARTON WITH MEASURING TRAP DISPENSER Filed June 21, 1965 m/ Mai/m2 Jerome 6011/1 United States Patent 3,327,910 CARTON WITH MEASURING TRAP DISPENSER Jerome Gould, Encino, Calif., assignor to Design Properties, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Cali- [fornia Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,651 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-455) This invention relates to a dispensing container for a solid material in a readily flowable granular or powdered form and, more particularly, relates to such a container that discharges predetermined quantities of the material in response to repeated tilting of the container to a forwardly downwardly inclined position.

A primary problem in the design of a container of this type is to provide a dispensing structure that may be mass produced at suificiently low cost for commercial acceptance. Containers for dry flowable materials such as sugar and detergents in granular or powdered form are made of inexpensive cardboard and are fabricated at low cost by automatic machinery. Various dispensing containers of this tiltable type have been devised heretofore but, in general, the internal structure of such containers have been complicated and entirely unsuited for low cost mass production. Y

The present invention meets this basic problem by providing an internal dispensing unit which is designed for mass production as a separate item and which may be readily assembled to a conventional container at exceed- .ingly low cost. Thus the invention avoids adding costraising complications to the construction of the container itself.

Given the concept of manufacturing an internal dispensing unit or structure separate from the container, two problems are encountered. One of these problems is to design the dispensing unit per se for low cost mass production. The other problem is to design the dispensing unit for quick and simple installation in the container.

In a tiltable container of this type, the dispensing operation by repeated tilting of thecoutainer isaccomplished by a serpentine passage in which measured increments of the granular material progress step 'by step in alternate :opposite directions. In the preferred practice-of the in- ;vention, the serpentine passage has three portions, .namely: an initial portion inwhich an increment of the granular material is initially trapped by flowing forward ;to a 180 bend in the passage in response to forward tilting of the container; an intermediate portion in which the initially trapped increment of granular material flows rearward from the first 180 bend to asecond 180 bend in response to return-of the container from its tilted position; and a final portion to which the trapped increment of granular material flows forward from the second 180 lbfil'ld'lo the dispensing port of the container when the container is again tilted forward. Thus if the container is repeatedly tilted forward, each tilting movement traps one increment of the material and simultaneously discharges a previously trapped increment.

Such a tortuous passage structure would be prohibitively expensive to fabricate in a piecemeal manner but it is obvious that the structure is too complex for production in a single mold because it basically comprises two side walls interconnected by two transverse walls of complicated shape. Each of the transverse walls is of a U-shaped configuration with two legs and each of the U-shaped transverse walls has a leg that extends into the space defined by the other U-shaped transverse wall.

The invention solves this problem of economically fabricating a complex structure by making the dispensing unit of a suitable plastic material and by molding the unit in two sections that may be readily assembled together.

3,327,910 Patented June 27, 1967 Each of the molded sections comprises one of the two side walls of the dispensing unit with integral portions, preferably half portions, of the two U-shaped transverse walls integral with the side wall.

The problem of constructing such a dispensing unit for a simple installation procedure that does not complicate the mass production of the container itself is solved, as will be explained, by placing the dispensing outlet of the container at the juncture of two perpendicular walls of the container. A notch is formed in the edge of one of the two container walls to form three sides of the dispensing outlet, the fourth side of the dispensing outlet being formed by an edge of the second of the two perpendicular walls. As will be explained in detail, the advantage of such a construction is that the plastic dispensing unit may be formed-with a continuous flange around its dispensing outlet for engagement with the rim of the dispensing outlet of the container and the unit may be installed by first mounting the unit in the notched wall of the container before the notched wall is assembled to the rest of the container.

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a dispensing container incorporating the presently preferred practice of the invention, the container being shown in a forwardly tilted position at which an initial increment of the granular material is trapped in one part of the dispensing passage;

FIG. 2 is a similar view with the container tilted back towards upright position to cause the trapped initial increment to advance to a second part of the dispensing passage;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the container tilted forward again to discharge the trapped increment of granular material and at the same time to receive a new in crement;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated by the-line 4 4 of FIG. 1 showing the construction of v the plastic dispensing unit;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the two separate molded sections which together form the plastic dispensing unit; FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a closure wall of the container with a notch therein to form three sides of the dispensing port of the container; and

'FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how imating walls of thetwo molded sections may be shaped for mutual snap engagement.

FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings show a rectangular container having a body comprising a bottom wall (not walls of the container as shown. For the purpose of providing a dispensing port for the container, the closure wall 15 may be formed with a rectangular notch 18 as shown in FIG. ,6, the notch extending through the flange 16. When the top wall or closure wall 15 is assembled to the body of the container, the notch 18 forms three sides of the dispensing port of the container and an edge of the side wall 12 of the body of the container forms the fourth side of the dispensing port.

A dispensing unit, generally designated 20, which may be made of a suitable plastic is mounted inside the container and forms a serpentine dispensing passage that discharges through the dispensing port of the container. As shown in FIG. 4, the dispensing unit 20 has two opposite side walls 21 and 22, two opposite outer walls 23 and 24 and, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and '3, the dispensing unit has two transverse U-shaped walls 25 and 26 respectively each of which is of U-shaped configuration with two legs. One leg 28 of the U-shaped transverse wall 2-5 extends into the space defined by the U-shaped transverse wall 26 and one leg 30 of the U-shaped transverse wall 26 extends into the space defined by the U-shaped transverse wall 25. The second leg of the U-shaped transverse wall 25 is the above mentioned outside wall 24 of the unit and the second leg of the U-shaped transverse wall 2-6 is the other outside wall 23 of the dispensing unit. Thus the two U-shaped transverse walls cooperate to form a serpentine dispensing passage having three portions, namely, an initial portion 32 extending to a first 180 passage bend 34, an intermediate portion 35 extending from the first 180 passage bend 34 to a second 180 passage bend 36, and a final portion 38 extending from the second 180 pass-age bend to the dispensing port of the container.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the outer wall 24 of the plastic dispensing unit lies against the side wall 12 of the container and may, if desired, be adhesively bonded thereto. Preferably, but not necessarily, the U-shaped transverse wall 25 is formed with a rearward outer flange 40 which also lies against the side wall 12 of the container. The outlet end of the serpentine dispensing passage of the dispensing unit may be further formed with a continuous rim flange 42 which engages the rim of the dispensing port of the container.

As indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the dispensing unit 20 may comprise two molded plastic sections which mate along a medial plane that is represented by a dotted line 44 in FIG. 4. Each of the two molded sections comprises one of the two side walls 21 or 22 together with a half portion of each of the two U-shaped transverse walls 25 and 26. Each of the two molded plastic sections further includes one half of the continuous rim flange 42 as may be seen in FIG. 5.

The two molded sections of the dispensing unit may be permanently united in any suitable manner. In the construction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, one section is formed with projecting pins 45 and the other section is formed with corresponding bores to receive the pins. The pins 45 may be dimensioned for forced fit in the bores to hold the two sections together or, if desired, the pins 45 may serve merely as centering or positioning pins with the two plastic sections adhesively bonded together.

In an alternate construction of the dispensing unit, the two plastic sections are adapted to make snap engagement with each other to simplify the assembly procedure. For this purpose, as indicated in FIG. 7, each of the two sections of the two outer walls 23 and 24 of the dispensing unit may be formed with a lip 46 which snaps into engagement with a corresponding groove 48 in the other section. This construction takes advantage of the fact that the plastic walls of the dispensing unit have a certain degree of flexibility.

The method of fabricating the described dispensing container may be readily understood from the foregoing description. The two plastic sections of the dispensing unit 20 are each mass produced by injection molding and then are assembled together separately from the container. The container is fabricated by automatic machinery in the usual manner but with the closure wall 15 separate from the body of the container.

The dispensing unit 20 is inserted sidewise into the notch 18 of the separate closure wall 15 to engage three edges of the notch with three sides of the continuous rim flange 42 of the dispensing unit. The closure wall 15 is then assembled to the body of the container by an operation which involves backing the plastic dispensing unit 20 into the interior of the container until the fourth side of the continuous rim flange 42 of the dispensing unit makes positive engagement with the fourth side of the dispensong port of the unit, which fourth side is an edge of the side wall 12 of the container.

It is apparent that with one leg of one of the U-shaped transverse wall of the dispensing unit 20 lying flat against the side wall 12 of the container and with the other U- shaped transverse wall snugly abutting the inner surface of the closure wall 15 and the continuous rim flange 42 of the dispensing unit in engagement with the rim of the dispensing port of the container, the dispensing unit is stabilized relative to the container and may be held in position without the use of adhesive. If desired, however, adhesive may be applied for bonding the dispensing unit 20 both to the side wall 12 of the container and to the closure wall 15.

It is to be noted that providing the serpentine passage with the three portions 32, 35, 38 is important because the first portion parallel with the second portion serves as means to trap an initial precisely predetermined increment of the granular material, the second portion being required to transfer the initial increment to provide room for a new increment, and the third portion serving to discharge the successive increments.

My description in specific detail of the preferred practice of the invention will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing container to discharge predetermined quantities of granular material in response to repeated tilting of the container, the combination of:

a dispensing port in a first wall of the container adjacent a second wall of the container that is substantially perpendicular to the first wall; and

a dispensing means inside the container having two transverse walls, each of the transverse walls being of generally U-shaped configuration with two legs, one leg of each U-shaped transverse wall extending into the space defined by the other U-shaped transverse wall to form a serpentine passage having its entrance inside the container and its exit at the dispensing port of the container,

one leg of one of the two U-shaped transverse walls lying flat against said second wall of the container, said dispensing means being connected to said first wall of the container, said dispensing means being formed with a continuous flange at its exit in overlying engagement with the outer surface of said first wall of the container around the dispensing port of the container to anchor the dispensing means against inward displacement relative to the container.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the dispensing means is a plastic structure made in two molded sections with mating portions of the two sections shaped to snap into mutual engagement.

3. In a dispensing container to discharge predetermined quantities of granular material in response to repeated tilt- 6 ing of the container, the combination of:

a dispensing port in a first wall of the container adjacent a second wall of the container that is substantially perpendicular to the first wall; and

a dispensing unit inside the container having two transverse walls, each of the transverse walls being of generally U-shaped configuration with two legs, one leg of each U-shaped transverse wall extending into the space defined by the other U-shaped transverse wall 70 to form a serpentine passage having its entrance inside the container and its exit at the dispensing port of the container,

one leg of one of the two U-shaped transverse walls lying flat against said second wall of the container,

said unit comprising two interconnected molded plastic 6 sections, each section comp-rising one of the tWO dispensing port with the plastic unit mounted in the side walls and portions of both of the U-shaped dispensing port and with a fourth side of the contransverse walls integral with the side Wall. tinuous flange in engagement with said edge of a 4. A method of fabricating a container for a granular wall of the container. material, which container has a serpentine dispensing 5 6. The combination of: Passage f r dispensing predetermined quantities of the a container having an end wall and an adjacent side material in response to repeated tilting of the container, wall perpendicular thereto, characterized by the steps of: said end wall having a rectangular notch in its edge molding PIElstic material to form two Separate molded adjacent said side wall, the notch forming three sides bodies which together form the serpentine passage, of the rectangular dispensing port, the fourth side of said two sections each forming part of a plastic recthe dispensing port being formed by a portion of the tangular dispensing port with a continuous flange edge of the side wall; and around the dispensing port; a dispensing unit inside the container having two transassembling the two molded bodies together to form a verse walls, each of the transverse walls being of plastic dispensing unit; generally U-shaped configuration with two legs, one forming the body of the container with four side walls leg of each U-shaped transverse wall eXtcndinn i and with a closure wall separate from the side walls the space defined by the other U-shaped tran s verse and with a rectangular notch formed in one edge of wall to form a serpentine passage having its entrance the closure ll; inside the container and having a rectangular disassembling the closure wall to the body of the container to position the notch to cooperate with an edge of a wall of the body of the container to form a mounting the dispensing unit in the rectangular notch charge d in the separate closure wall with the continuous said discharge end of the unit extending through the flange of the unit engaging t e Outer ce Of the rectangular dispensing port of the container, closure wall around three sides of the rectangular said discharge end of the unit having a flange externotch; and nally of the container overlapping the three sides of assembling the closure wall to the body of the conthe rectangular notch in the end wall and overlapping tainer to bring the continuous flange of the dispensthe corresponding portion of the edge of said side ing unit into position overlapping the edge of one wall to prevent inward displacement of the unit relaof said side walls. tive to the container,

5. A method of fabricating a container for a granular a first leg portion of one of the two U-shaped transverse material, Which container has a serpentine dispensing walls of the unit lying flat against the inner surface passage for dispensing predetermined quantities of the f id id 11 of h Container ma in response to repeated tilting of the container a second portion of the other U-shaped transverse wall characterized by the S P backing against the inner surface of the end wall molding plastic material to form two separate molded of the container to cooperate with the first portion bodies which together form the Sarpentme Passage to stabilize the unit relative to the container said two sections each forming part of a plastic dispensing port with a continuous flange around the References Cited dis ensin ort; asserrihling ih two molded bodies together to form a UNITED STATES TENTS l i dispensing unit; ,055 2/1879 R q a 215 43 forming t body of the container with a closure wall 1,601,723 10/ 1926 Elbert 222 455 separate from the container and with a notch forme 2,023,537 12/ 1935 Myers 222 455 in one edge of the closure Wall; 2,425,142 -8/ 1947 Brubaker 222-45 6 mounting the plastic unit on said closure wall by insert- 2,76 772 10 195 pransen et 2 ing the plastic unit sideways into said notch to place 45 3 052 3 5 9 19 2 Tindal 222454 three sides of the continuous flange of the plastic 3,055,399 9/1962 Bush et a1 unit in engagement with three sides of the notch; and 3,189,232 6/1965 loffe 222 394 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A DISPENSING CONTAINER TO DISCHARGE PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES OF GRANULAR MATERIAL IN RESPONSE TO REPEATED TILTING OF THE CONTAINER, THE COMBINATION OF: A DISPENSING PORT IN A FIRST WALL OF THE CONTAINER ADJACENT A SECOND WALL OF THE CONTAINER THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FIRST WALL; AND A DISPENSING MEANS INSIDE THE CONTAINER HAVING TWO TRANSVERSE WALLS, EACH OF THE TRANSVERSE WALLS BEING OF GENERALLY U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION WITH TWO LEGS, ONE LEG OF EACH U-SHAPED TRANSVERSE WALL EXTENDING INTO THE SPACE DEFINED BY THE OTHER U-SHAPED TRANSVERSE WALL TO FORM A SERPENTINE PASSAGE HAVING ITS ENTRANCE INSIDE THE CONTAINER AND ITS EXIT AT THE DISPENSING PORT OF THE CONTAINER,

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