US3803713A

US3803713A - Carton opening cutter

Info

Publication number: US3803713A
Application number: US00202297A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Jones; J Lemmon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-11-26
Filing date: 1971-11-26
Publication date: 1974-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-16

Abstract

A cutter for opening cartons of the type in popular use which are formed from paper stock, the sides of which at the top are folded together to close the carton and incidentally form inwardly folded panels which, after opening the top, are folded outwardly to form a pouring spout. The cutter comprises a blade having a cutting edge extending across the slot, the slot guiding the sealed flange at the top of the carton to and past the blade to slit said flange for a length adequate to expose the spoutforming panels and the inner end of the slot forms a stop to limit the length of the slit to expose the spout-forming panels but otherwise retain the top structure in condition to be closed after the pouring operation.

Description

United States Patent Jones et a].

[451 Apr. 16, 1974 1 CARTON OPENING CUTTER [76] Inventors: Frank W. Jones; James D. Lemmon, both of R.D. No. 2, Littlestown, Pa. 17340 [22] Filed: Nov. 26, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 202,297

[52] U.S. Cl. 30/123 R, 30/2 [51] Int. Cl B26b 3/00 [58] Field of Search 30/294, 314, 315, 337, 30/339, DIG. 3, DIG. 8, 123 R; 81/3.3 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,147 6/1903 Woodyard 30/315 X 3,028,670 4/1962 Tilly 3,395,453 8/1968 Prater... 30/294 x 2.087.140 7/1937 Coughlan ..30/279 2,142,695 l/1939 Mainzer 81/33 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 258,125 4/1928 Italy 30/339 407,789 11/1944 Italy ..30/294 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or FirmC. I-Iercus Just [5 7] ABSTRACT A cutter for opening cartons of the type in popular use which are formed from paper stock, the sides of which at the top are folded together to close the carton and incidentally form inwardly folded panels which, after opening the top, are folded outwardly to form a pouring spout. The cutter comprises a blade having a cutting edge extending across the slot, the slot guiding the sealed flange at the top of the carton to and past the blade to slit said flange for a length adequate to expose the spout-forming panels and the inner end of the slot forms a stop to limit the length of the slit to expose the spout-forming panels but otherwise retain the top structure in condition to be closed after the pouring operation.

2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 16 m4 (803; 7 l 3 4o 7m 'rlulllllllllillflhl 44 FIG. 5

I! Ne INVENTOR. FRANK W. JONES JAMES D. LEMMON CARTON OPENING CUTTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of disposable cartons for merchandising milk, various types of beverages and the like has become very popular in recent years. The cartons are formed from various types of paper stock which are rendered waterproof by various coatings of parraffin, synthetic resins and lacquers, and otherwise. After the cartons are filled through an open, upstanding top, opposite sides of the top portion of the carton are folded toward each other in sloping manner while the opposite intervening sides are creased and folded inwardly. This results in a multi-ply rib when the folded side portions are brought together for sealing the contents within the carton until ready for use. Various arrangements are provided in the sealing arrangement for the carton to permit tearing the multi-ply rib at the top inwardly from one end for substantially half the-length thereof, and the separated portions then are folded backwardly to expose the upper ends of spout-forming panels which are then pulled outwardly into spout-forming position.

Sometimes the sealing operation sticks the upper ends of the spout-forming panels to the adjacent side panels in such manner that after the opening tear has been made, it is difficult to separate the spout-forming panels from the other ones in order to pull the spoutforming panels outwardly. Both the tearing operations as well as the pulling of the spout-forming panels outwardly frequently results in exasperating experiences including the breaking of fingernails, accidentally inserting ones finger down into the contents of the carton, as well as other unsatisfactory results which, in general, leave something to be desired over present structures which will facilitate the opening of the eartons.

Opening the tops of such cartons by the use of customary devices such as scissors, paring knives and the like, results in jagged cuts as well as possible injury to the person performing the operation. In general, the paper stock, especially with a waterproof coating thereon, is tough, as it is intended to be in order to resist possible rough handling of the carton without developing a leak. This situation contributes to the difficulty of opening the carton by the usual means including scissors and paring knives, as well as physically tearing the sealed end of the carton apart manually by the use of the thumb and forefinger of both hands. Particularly where a jagged cut has been formed in the opening operation, reclosing the opened top is difficult after pouring a portion of the contents from the carton, particularly when it is desired to place the partially emptied carton in a refrigerator for further storage.

The foregoing difficulties are eliminated and effectively overcome by the present invention which includes a cutting blademounted in a carrying plate or member which is slotted to simultaneously guide the cutting blade along the sealed, upstanding flange at the top of the cartons of the type referred to in order to slit said flange neatly and cleanly, for a controlled length thereof which is adequate to expose the smoothly cut upper ends of the spout-forming panels whereby, when the portion of the flange which has been slit is moved laterally to one side, the spout-forming panels may be popped outwardly by a simple manual operation, after which the opened carton may also be reclosed in an equally neat manner, when desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a cutter for opening cartons of the type referred to above by slitting the sealed flange formed by the opposite side panels of the carton which form the top and slope outwardly away from each other, the cutter comprising a support plate having a slot extending inward from one end a distance less than the length of the sealed flange and having a width preferably slightly greater than the thickness of the flange, the support plate carrying a cutting blade which extends across said slot at an acute angle to the axis of the slot, the distance between the cutting edge of the'blade and the inner end of said slot being no less than the length of the inwardly folded spout-forming panels, whereby the partially slit flange may be moved laterally aside to expose the smoothly cut upper ends of the spout-forming panels so that they may be flipped to open position.

It is another object of the invention to form the cutter simply and inexpensively such as by utilizing synthetic resin which may be injection-molded, or otherwise formed, to provide a supporting plate which may be attached at one end, if desired, to a vertical supporting surface such as a wall, or otherwise may be shaped to be readily grasped in the human hand, one embodiment of the cutter being arranged with one surface of the plate having a shallow recess formed therein within which the cutting blade is replacably secured so as to extend across the slot of the support plate, the bladesecuring means including the use of screws by which a clamping plate may be detached from the support plate to permit the insertion of one of a variety of cutting blades which, for convenience, may be any of a variety of popularly used razor blades, either single or double edged, whereby when the cutting blade becomes dull, it easily may be replaced with a new or sharper blade.

more simple cutter than the type referred to immediately above by providing a slotted support plate formed by molding synthetic resin and securing a cutting blade, in situ, fixedly within the plate so as to extend angularly across said slot.

Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as other objects thereof, are set'forth in the following speeification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprising a part thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the upper end of a carton in process of being moved into slitting engagement with a cutter comprising one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical elevation comprising an end view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another embodiment of cutter including a supplemental feature over the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a clamping plate of the type included in the embodiment of cutter shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the clamping plate illustrated in FIG. 4 as seen on the line 55 thereof.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a cutter of the type shown in FIG. 7 illustrated in operative engagement with the upper end of a carton which is only fragmentarily illustrated and shown at the completion of the slitting operation of the sealing flange of the carton.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of cutter embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating clamping means for the cutting blade as shown in exemplary manner on the line 88 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 9 and 10 respectively are top plan and front elevational views of another, more simple embodiment of the invention than types illustrated in the preceding figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The type of carton to which the present invention pertains is illustrated fragmentarily in FIGS. 1 and 6. Such cartons conventionally, at present, are formed from paper stock of suitable thickness and durable nature and coated by appropriate waterproofing substances such as paraffin, synthetic resin, lacquers, and

other appropriate materials approved by health authorities. The cartons are formed in a factory and are shipped to dairies, beverage manufacturing plants, and the like with tops in open condition and the bottom of the carton is closed but the upper portions of certain side walls are creased in various ways so that, following the filling of the carton, the

upper portions

10 and 12 of the

side walls

14 and 16 can be folded along

crease lines

18 and 20 to bring the upper edges 22 thereof into engagement with each other. Additional transverse crease lines 24, parallel to the

crease lines

18 and 20, of the

upper portions

10 and 12 of the side walls will cause short transverse terminal portions 26 to be brought into flat engagement with each other to form a composite, multi-ply vertical flange 28 which is relatively stiff, especially when the carton is formed from coated paper stock of the type referred to above.

The intervening side walls 30, between the

side walls

14 and 16, also have upper portions 32, only one of which is shown in FIG. 1, which are folded inwardly along diagonal crease lines 34 as well as along the end creases 36 which connect the upper portions 32 along adjacent portions to the

upper portions

10 and 12 with

side walls

14 and 16. The upper portions 32 of intervening side walls 30 are slightly shorter than the transverse terminal portions 26 comprising the upper ends of side walls '14 and 16 and preferably are disposed substantially along the dotted lines 38, see FIG. 6, so that they are effectively sealed closed when the terminal portions 26 are brought into closing engagement with each other and are sealed by conventional means such as staples, not shown, or by heating the thermoplastic synthetic resin coatings on the paper stock and the material from which the cartons are formed. The foregoing description is provided as background for the construction of the cartons with which the carton opening cutter comprising the subject matter of the present invention is operable to slit the vertical flange 28 slightly above the creases 24 and preferably generally in the vicinity of the dotted lines illustrating the terminal ends 38 of the upper portions 32 of the intervening side walls 30.

The cutter comprising the present invention is capable of being formed in different embodiments which nevertheless, in general, include the same or similar basic principles of the invention. Essentially, the cutter comprises a support plate 40 which may be formed of any suitable material. The preferred material is mythetic resin or plastics of appropriate thickness, such as of the order of about /8 inch or 3/16 inch, for example. Metal or other similar rigid material likewise may be utilized if desired. If formed from synthetic resin, the support plate and any attaching means, such as a perpendicular flange 42 may be formed integrally thereon by being injected into an appropriate mold cavity. However, it is also possible to manufacture the same from sheet stock by employing conventional manufacturing principles pertinent to sheet type synthetic resin materials, such as sawing, milling and forming operations. The support plate 40 is provided with a slot 44 which extends inward from one end thereof. The slot preferably is of uniform thickness and is of predetermined length for purposes to be described. It is also slightly wider than the flange 28 of the cartons to be slit, as described hereinafter.

Support plate 40 is provided with means to receive and support one of several types of cutting blades. An exemplary double-edged razor blade 46 is illustrated, for example, in FIG. 3, while a narrower, single-edged blade 48 is shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. For purposes of commonly accommodating either type of blade, particularly as long as the blade is of uniform thickness, the support blade 40 is provided with a substantially rectangular, shallow recess 50 which has a depth of preferably approximately one-half the thickness of the support plate 40 as illustrated in exemplary manner in FIG. 8. Said recess provides a bottom support surface for either of the double edged type blade 46 or the single edge type blade 48. Clamping means for said blades may be of several types respectively illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a clamping plate 42 is illustrated which is preferably unitary. Referring to FIG. 3, wherein such clamping plate 52 is illustrated in clamping position with respect to the recess 50, it will be seen that the longitudinal axis of said recess as well as the cutting edges of the blade 46 are disposed at an acute angle to the axis of the slot 46. The angle between said axes preferably is approximately 50, but said indication is not to be regarded as restrictive since other slightly different acute angles may be employed satisfactorily. The unitary clamping plate 52 is provided with a diagonal slot 54 which extends inward from one longitudinal side edge of the plate for a portion of the width thereof. Said slot terminates at its inner end in an upwardly sloping cam surface 56 which is best shown in FIG. 5. Also, said cam surface curves slightly in a lateral direction with respect to the axis of the slot 54, as shown best in FIG. 3, to facilitate bending a slit flange 28 automatically to one side, as described in detail hereinafter.

The clamping plate 52 is secured in clamping relationship against the blade 46 by a pair of screws 58 which may either be bevel headed or round headed, and nuts 60 therefore may either be imbedded into the synthetic resin, as shown in exemplary manner in FIG. 2, or they may be disposed in recesses in the underface of the support plate 40, as shown in FIG. 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, wherein a relatively narrow or single edged razor blade 48 is illustrated, it will be seen that the recess 50, within which the blade is mounted and in which it is secured, the position of the securing means, comprising screws 58, is such that they will substantially engage the rear, unsharpened edge of the blade 48 and effectively position the forward, sharpened edge thereof in operative position across the slot 44. In this embodiment of cutter structure, the blade is secured by apair of similar clamping plates 52 which are separate from each other and respectively are secured in operative position within opposite ends of the recess 50 by the securing screws 58 which extend through holes 64 in the clamping plate 62, as clearly shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The diagonal edges of the clamping plates 62 respectively coincide with opposite sides of the slot 44 when secured in operative position as illustrated in FIG. 7.

There are two effective and relatively critical features of the cutter comprising the present invention. The first of these is the distance between the cutting edge of the blade and the inner edge of the slot 44. Such distance, as illustrated in exemplary manner in FIG. 6, is provided in order that the cutting blade will slit the vertical flange 28 of the carton slightly above the additional creases 24 and said distance being no less than the length of the inwardly folded, spoutforming portions which respectively comprise one of the upper portions 32 of the carton which is opposite the one illustrated in FIG. 1 and is nearest the cutter shown in said figure.

Referring to FIG. 2, a dotted line 66 represents an invisible fold line which is substantially vertical in said aforementioned upper portion 32 and extends upward and inward from fold line 68 which is formed transversely in both of the upper portions 32 respectively at opposite sides of the carton. The complementary sides of said upper portion 32 on opposite sides of the vertical fold line 66 specifically comprise said spoutforming panels which are connected to the triangularly shaped outer panels 7 shown in FIG. 6 which are defined by the triangular crease line 72 shown also in said figure.

When the vertical flange 28 has been inserted into the slot 48 of the cutter for the full length thereof, so that the leading edge 74 thereof, as shown in FIG. 6, engages the inner end 76 of the slot 44, the cutting edge of the blades of any of the embodiments will have cleanly slit the flange 28 sufficiently to expose the upper ends of the inwardly folded portion 32 on the side of the carton which defines the said cartonforming spout when the slit portion 78 of flange 28 has been moved laterally aside. This may be accomplished manually after withdrawing the carton from the cutter or vice versa. However, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the camming surface 56 will automatically cam the slit portion 78 of the flange 28 laterally to one side. After separating the cutter from the carton or vice versa, the folded edges 36 of the upper end of the carton which has been slit then may be engaged manually and by bending the same upwardly away from each other, the spout-forming panels may be flipped outwardly to form an operable pouring spout.

The second critical aspect of the present invention referred to above comprises the fact that the disposition of the

cutting blade

46 or 48 intermediately between the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 40 provides a height gauging feature to determine where the slit 80 is to be made relative to the crease lines 24, for example. To provide the same, as shown in FIG. 2, the slot 44 is approximately as wide as the support plate 40. By referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the lower edges of the slot 44 ride along the creases 24 and thereby insure that the slit 80 not only will be made parallel to the crease lines 24 but, also, the slit is assured of being a short distance there-above so as to incise all of the plies forming the vertical flange 28, including not only the transverse terminal portions 26 of the

sides

14 and 16 of the carton, but also the 1 upper ends of the upper portions 32 of the intervening sides 30 of the carton, one of such upper portions 32 comprising the spout-forming panels which are disposed at opposite sides of the fold line 66.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, it will be seen that the support blade 40 is employed in a cutter of a portable type which readily may be manually handled to effect the formation of the slit 80 in the vertical flange 28 of the carton. However, if it is desired to mount the cutter in a permanent location such as upon the vertical wall of a room or cabinet, the embodiment of the inventions shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is provided with support means 42 comprising a vertical flange which readily may be secured by screws or otherwise to such vertical supporting surface.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, a somewhat more simple embodiment of cutter is shown which nevertheless embodies the basic cutting principles of the embodiments shown in the preceding figures. In this respect it will be seen from FIG. 9 that the support plate 82 preferably is molded, such as injection molded, from synthetic resin of suitably rigid nature to resist ready bending. The general dimensions of the support plate preferably are the same as or similar to support plate 40 in the preceding figures. The slot 54 is dimensioned similarly to slot 44 of the preceding figures and functions similarly thereto. However, instead of the blade being replacable, the blade 86 is selected so asto be of good quality and suspectable of reasonably long life and has only its forward edge 88 sharpened. The opposite ends of the blade 86 are firmly molded, in situ, within the resin body of support plate 82.

The axis of blade 86 is at substantially the same acute angle to the axis of slot 84 as in the preceding embodiments, i.e., approximately 50. Also, if it is desired to mount the cutter upon a supporting surface, an upstanding flange 90 is formed at the rear edge of plate 82, as in certain of the preceding embodiments. The blade 86 preferably is mounted parallel to and substantially midway between the opposite surfaces of support plate 82, as shown in exemplary manner in FIG. 10.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides several embodiments of carton opening cutters of simple and inexpensive but durable construction each capable of accommodating one of a number of different types of cutting blades of readily available common domestic type, such as different kinds of razor blades, but it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be restricted to the use of razor blades in that other types of commercial cutting blades may be utilized if of the same shape as the recess 50 provided in the support blade 40, or if otherwise capable of being connected to the support plate permanently, as in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The several embodiments of cutters also include different types of clamping means, one of which is unitary and includes a cam surface for automatically camming the slit portion of the flange 28 laterally to one side, while another embodiment includes a pair of similar clamping means which freely expose the cutting blades in the slot 44 of each of the embodiments of support plates 40.

While the invention has been described and illustratedin its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the pre' cise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A carton opening cutter to slit and facilitate the opening of the peaked top of a carton, in combination with a paper-stock type carton used to contain milk and beverages and having at the upper end thereof inwardly and upwardly sloping portions of the side panels of the carton and inwardly folded spout-forming panels terminating in an upstanding sealed flange having a limited number of said panelsin closely laminated relationship, said flange normally being adapted to be split partially of the length thereof and unfolded to open the split portion to form a pouring spout, said cutter comprising a support plate having a narrow slot extending inward from one end of said plate a distance equal to at least approximately half the length of the flange of said carton and less than the length of said plate, the width of said slot being slightly greater than the thickness of said flange to permit the flange to be received readily therein, and a thin cutting blade carried by said plate intermediately between the opposite surfaces thereof,

said blade being parallel to said surfaces and having a cutting edge on said blade positioned adjacent the outer end of said slot and extending at an acute angle to the axis of said slot, and said support plate being substantially thicker than said blade and said blade being spaced from one surface of said plate a distance no less than half the thickness of said plate, whereby the edges of said slot adjacent said surface may slidably engage the sloping portions of the upper end of said carton adjacent said flange and thereby gauge the location of said slit in said flange.

2. The carton cutter and carton combination according to claim 1 in which said cutting edge of said blade is spaced from the inner end of saidslot a distance no less than half the length of said flange of said carton and the inner end of said slot being engageable by the leading end of said flange whenins'erted into said slot and thereby serve as a stop to limit such insertion.

Claims

1. A carton opening cutter to slit and facilitate the opening of the peaked top of a carton, in combination with a paper-stock type carton used to contain milk and beverages and having at the upper end thereof inwardly and upwardly sloping portions of the side panels of the carton and inwardly folded spout-forming panels terminating in an upstanding sealed flange having a limited number of said panels in closely laminated relationship, said flange normally being adapted to be split partially of the length thereof and unfolded to open the split portion to form a pouring spout, said cutter comprising a support plate having a narrow slot extending inward from one end of said plate a distance equal to at least approximately half the length of the flange of said carton and less than the length of said plate, the width of said slot being slightly greater than the thickness of said flange to permit the flange to be received readily therein, and a thin cutting blade carried by said plate intermediately between the opposiTe surfaces thereof, said blade being parallel to said surfaces and having a cutting edge on said blade positioned adjacent the outer end of said slot and extending at an acute angle to the axis of said slot, and said support plate being substantially thicker than said blade and said blade being spaced from one surface of said plate a distance no less than half the thickness of said plate, whereby the edges of said slot adjacent said surface may slidably engage the sloping portions of the upper end of said carton adjacent said flange and thereby gauge the location of said slit in said flange.

2. The carton cutter and carton combination according to claim 1 in which said cutting edge of said blade is spaced from the inner end of said slot a distance no less than half the length of said flange of said carton and the inner end of said slot being engageable by the leading end of said flange when inserted into said slot and thereby serve as a stop to limit such insertion.