US3334733A - Display container - Google Patents

Description

1967 D. P. EBELHAHDT 3,334,733

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed March 31, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

DAVID F! EBELHA RDT ATTORNEY Aug. 8, 1967 0. P. EBELHARDT DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1966 IO u FIG. 3

("1 INVENTOR. 7

DAVID P. EBELHARDT w 77% FIG. 2

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,334,733 DISPLAY CONTAINER David P. Ebelhardt, Lake Forest, Ill., assignor to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 539,202 4 Claims. (Cl. 20644) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The display container as disclosed herein comprises a first compartment having front, back and side walls foldably joined along their side edges together with a second compartment having front and side walls disposed adjacent the front wall of the first compartment, the front wall of the first compartment constituting the back wall of the second compartment, bottom supports struck from the back wall of the first compartment and from the front wall of the second compartment and suspended from the side walls of their .associated compartments and a cover means struck from the back wall of the first compartment and folded into overlying relation with respect to both compartments, the cover means being disjointably connected with the article packaged in the second compartment.

This invention relates to a display container and more particularly to a unitary display package having at least two compartments for packaging and displaying at least two different primary packages having different configurations.

Where two or more different products ordinarily consumed simultaneously or otherwise are logically interrelated, it is desirable to market such products in such a way that the purchaser will be disposed to purchase both items.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a unitary display container having at least two compartments, each compartment being constructed and arranged to receive a different .primary package.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved display container which is simple in construction yet which forms a sturdy receptacle for the primary packages to be displayed while at the same time offering the prospective purchaser an advantageous and revealing view of the primary articles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple, reliable and inexpensive display container which is particularly well adapted to be constructed from a single blank of material.

The invention in one form is useful for displaying and packaging at least two different primary packages and comprises first and second compartments each of tubular structure disposed in side-by-side relation with at least one panel being common to both compartments, individual bottom supports for each compartment preferably suspended from the opposite walls of each compartment other than the common wall, and cover means common to both compartments at least to the extent that security is provided thereby against dislodgement of the primary packages out of the top of the container.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display container constructed according to the invention and in which a pair of primary packages are disposed, the primary packages being for pancake mix and syrup; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section taken through the arrangement of FIG. 1 approximately along the line designated 22 but with the primary packages removed from the container; and

in which FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which the structure depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the set-up container constructed according to this invention comprises a first compartment generally designated by the numeral 1 and a second compartment generally designated by the numeral 2. The first compartment comprises a back wall 3 to the side edges of which a pair of side walls 4 and 5 are fold-ably joined along fold lines 6 and 7 respectively. Front wall 8 is foldably joined to a side edge 9 of side wall 4 and a glue flap 10 is foldably joined to the opposite end edge of front wall 8 along fold line 11.

In order to complete the tubular structure which constitutes the first compartment, the glue flap 10 is first folded up and toward the right along fold line 11 as viewed in FIG. 3. Thereafter, an application of glue is made to the exposed surface of glue flap 10. Following this operation, the panel 4 is folded upwardly and toward the right along the fold line 6 so as to bring the glue flap 10 into registry with the right hand edge of side wall 5.

The second compartment generally designated by the numeral 2 comprises a side wall 12 foldably joined to side wall 5 along a fold line 13. Front Wall 14 of the second compartment is foldably joined along fold line 15 to the side edge of side wall 12 while side wall 16 of the second compartment is foldably joined to the other end of front wall 14 along a fold line 17. A glue flap 18 is foldably joined to side wall 16 along fold line 19.

In order to complete the formation of the second compartment, the glue flap 18 is first folded upwardly and 7 toward the left along fold line 19 and the exposed surface of glue flap 18 is applied with a coating of adhesive. Thereafter, side wall 12 is swung upwardly and toward the left along fold line 13 so as to bring the glue flap 18 into fiat face contacting relation with the front surface of front Wall 8 of the first compartment. When the carrier is set up following the formation thereof, the second compartment generally designated by the numeral 2 is disposed in front of the first compartment generally designated by the numeral 1.

Each of the two compartments is provided with its own support means. Thus, the bottom support for the first compartment comprises a support strap 20 foldably joined along its end edges 21 and 22 to a pair of support webs 23 and 24 respectively. As is apparent from FIG. 3, support web 23 is struck from side wall 4 along a out line 25 and is foldably joined thereto along fold line 26. Similarly, support web 24 is separated from side wall 5 along a out line 27 and is foldably joined thereto along a fold line 28. Preferably, a medial fold line 29 is formed in bottom strap 20 in order to improve the flexibility there of and thereby to facilitate the manipulation of bottom strap 20 when the display container is set up. Of course, the support strap 20 is simply folded inwardly or forwardly relative to back wall 3 so that web panels 23 and 24 are normally disposed when in set-up condition in generally flat parallel relationship to their associated side walls respectively. Of course, the fold lines 21 and 22 are generally parallel to each other and in general coincidence with the bottom edges 29 and 30 of the associated side walls 4 and 5 respectively.

For the purpose of providing an additional separating means between the two compartments, a cushioning tab 8A is struck from front wall 8 and is folded downwardly along its hinge line 8B. The flange panel 8C is folded upwardly into a horizontal plane along fold line 8D and affords reinforcement for the container.

As is obvious from the drawings and from the description above, bottom strap 20 is in effect struck from the bottom portion of back wall 3 of the first compartment.

The bottom strap for the front or second compartment differs from the bottom strap of the first compartment in that the bottom support for the second compartment is struck from what amounts to the top portion of the front side wall of the second compartment. Thus, bottom strap 31 is separated from the front wall 14 along a out line 32 and is foldably joined at one end along a fold line 33 to side wall 12 and at the other end along a fold line 34 to the side wall 16. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the cut line 32 extends into the side wall 12 in a generally angularly downward direction as designated at 35. In like fashion, the right hand portion of cut line 33 extends downwardly and into side wall 16 along cut line 36.

When the display container is set up, the bottom strap 31 is disposed in a horizontal position and extends from the fold line 37 to a fold line 38. It will be understood that the web panel defined by the cut line 35 and by the fold lines 33 and 37 is disposed when in set-up condition in generally flat parallel face contacting relation to the inner surface of the end wall 12. In like fashion, the web panel defined by the cut line 36 and the fold lines 34 and 38 is disposed in generally flat face contacting relation to the inside surface of the end wall 16.

The portion of the bottom strap 2 which is horizontally disposed, i.e., that which extends between the fold lines 37 and 38 preferably is provided with a number of score lines 39, 40' and 41 so as to improve the flexibility thereof thereby to facilitate manipulation of the bottom strap.

Of course, the fold lines 42 formed in the end walls 12 and 16 respectively serve a similar purpose but in addition these fold lines tend to render the end panels 12 and 16 pliable and hence facilitate their conformability with the configuration of the adjacent outside surfaces of the primary package disposed Within the second compartment.

In order to form a cover means for the display container which unlike the support means is common to both compartments, a cover strap 43 comprising a transverse portion generally designated by the numeral 44 is foldably joined along fold line 45 to a hinge panel 46 foldably joined along fold line 47 to the back wall 3 of the first compartment. As is obvious from FIG. 3, the cover means 44 is struck from the back wall 3 and is foldably joined thereto along the fold line 47.

Thus, as is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the cover means 43 is swung outwardly toward the rear and over and forwardly into a position in which the transverse portion 44 thereof overlies both packaged products at least in part.

In order to interrelate the cover means 43 with the primary package disposed within the second compartment, an aperture 49 is formed within the end of the transverse portion 44 of the cover strap. Thus, the cap C of the primary package, which as shown takes the form of a syrup bottle, is received within the aperture 49 and the aperture 49 and the lower flanges thereof serve to inhibit the removal of both primary packages from the display container.

From the description above, it is apparent that by the invention an improved display container is provided which forms a unitary package for two or more primary packages such as P and B and that the display container is so constructed as to afford a maximum view of the primary packages P and B. Furthermore, the display container is collapsible readily when the bottom supports are folded upwardly and into positions generally corresponding to those which they occupy in the blank following which operation the second compartment may readily be collapsed by simply moving the front wall 2 toward the left as viewed in FIG. 1 so as to swing the end'wall 16 toward the left along the fold line 19 while simultaneously folding the end wall 12 toward the right along the fold line 13. Simultaneously, or in sequence, the side walls 4 and of the first compartment may be folded generally toward the left, for example, along their respective fold lines 6 and 7. When so folded the container occupies a flat collapsed condition which is suit-able for shipment from the manufacturer of the container to the purchaser.

While the invention as shown in the drawings and as described herein is adapted for use with only two primary packages, it will be understood that another compartment similar to the second compartment could be formed to the left and alongside of the second compartment as shown for example in FIG. 1 and a cover means for this third compartment could be struck from the back wall 3 from that portion of the blank to the left of cover means 43. By this means a package could readily be utilized to package and display three primary containers. Furthermore, the arrangement disclosed in the drawings utilizes a number of flexing lines such for example as 37, 38, 40, 39, 41,

42, 15 and 17. The arrangement of flexing lines shown is feasible for certain applications of the invention, although it is not necessary for other applications to use the particular arrangement or number of flexing lines as are shown in FIG. 3. Of course, use of such lines largely.

would be 'a matter of choice and suitability for particular circumstances.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and discussed herein, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirt and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A display container for at least two different primary packages, said container comprising a first compartment having front, back and side walls foldably joined along their side edges to form a tubular structure, a second compartment having a front wall and a pair of side walls in spaced generally parallel relation and foldably joined respectively to opposite side edges of said front wall, said side walls of said second compartment being secured in spaced relation to said first compartment so that said front wall of said first compartment forms the back wall of said second compartment, separate bottom supports suspended from the side walls of each compartment respectively, each bottom support including a support strap struck from said back and front wall of said first and second compartments respectively, and cover means struck from the back wall of said first compartment and foldably joined thereto and arranged to overlie the primary package therein, said cover means being disjointably connectable with an upper portion of the primary package in said second compartment thereby to secure both primary packages against dislodgement through the top of the container.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said cover means comprises a transverse portion arranged to overlie the primary packages and a hinge panel foldably joined to one end of said transverse portion and foldably joined to said back panel of said first compartment.

3. A container according to claim 2 wherein said hinge portion is disposed in flat face contacting relation along the rear surface of said back wall of said first compartment and wherein the height of said hinge panel is approximately equal to the spacing of the fold line between said hinge panel and its associated back wall and the top edge of such back wall.

4. A container according to claim 1 wherein a cushioning tab is struck out of said front wall of said first compartment and folded downwardly into flat face contacting relation with respect thereto and wherein a horizontal flange is formed along the part of said tab remote from the fold line connecting said tab and its associated front wall and wherein said flange is disposed in generally fiat face conatcting relation with said bottom support of said second compartment.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Webber 20647 Rufi' 20647 5 Reachi 20647 X Reachi 20647 McKinley 20647 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A DISPLAY CONTAINER AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT PRIMARY PACKAGES, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A FIRST COMPARTMENT HAVING FRONT, BACK AND SIDE WALLS FOLDABLY JOINED ALONG THEIR SIDE EDGES TO FORM A TUBULAR STRUCTURE, A SECOND COMPARTMENT HAVING A FRONT WALL AND A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS IN SPACED GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION AND FOLDABLY JOINED RESPECTIVELY TO OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF SAID FRONT WALL SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT BEING SECURED IN SPACED RELATION SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT SO THAT SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT FORMS THE BACK WALL OF SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT, SEPARATE BOTTOM SUPPORTS SUSPENDED FROM THE SIDE WALLS OF EACH COMPARTMENT RESPECTIVELY, EACH BOTTOM SUPPORT INCLUDING A SUPPORT STRAP STRUCK FROM SAID BACK AND FRONT WALL OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS RESPECTIVELY, AND COVER MEANS STRUCK FROM THE BACK WALL OF SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND FOLDABLY JOINED THERETO AND ARRANGED TO OVERLIE THE

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