US3814236A

US3814236A - Dispensing container

Info

Publication number: US3814236A
Application number: US00282512A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Keilman
Original assignee: Baxter Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: Baxter International Inc
Priority date: 1972-08-21
Filing date: 1972-08-21
Publication date: 1974-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-04

Abstract

The present application discloses a dispensing container for supporting therein a tray providing structure for supporting a plurality of elongated bands. The container includes a dispensing opening through which one-by-one the bands may be removed.

Description

United States Patent [191 Keilman 1 June 4, 1974 DISPENSING CONTAINER [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Baxter Laboratories Inc., Morton Grove, Ill.

[22] Filed: Aug. 21, 1972 [21] Appl. N0.: 282,512

Michael R. Keilman, Algonquin, 111.

[52] U.S. Cl 206/72, 206/498, 229/17 R,

' 229/51 TS [51] Int. Cl 865d 1/36 [58] Field of Search 206/45.l 1, 45.12, 45.14,

206/45.l9, 46 H. 56 AC, 65 F, 72; 229/9-11. 17 R, 19-20, 51 TS; 248/152, 176, 371

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.103.241 12/1937 Bell 206/45.14

2,710,484 6/1955 McGinnis 206/56 AC 3,124,248 3/1964 Geoffrion et a1. 206/65 F 3,286,830 11/1966 Robb, Jr 206/56 AC Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Richard G. Kinney; Samuel B. Smith, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT The present application discloses a dispensing container for supporting therein a tray providing structure for supporting a plurality of elongated bands. The container includes a dispensing opening through which one-by-one the bands may be removed.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 DISPENSING CONTAINER The present invention relates to an improvement in packaging systems. The invention particularly relates to a system including a packing sleeve and a tray member received by the sleeve for supporting in confined relation 21 number of articles to be dispensed. The sleeve may have an opening for dispensing individually the articles supported by the tray.

Packages and packaging systems are known which function to support and dispense articles of many types. In fact, paperboard containers are available and are being used in increasing quantities for the packaging of a host of items. However the prior art, as far as is known, does not provide a suitable type package or container with an internal support member upon which may be disposed a plurality of elongated band-type articles and which may be dispensed individually.

The present invention serves to fill this need in packaging systems, and according to a first aspect provides a package or container which may be fabricated from a blank of paperboard orother materialsuitable for such fabrication. A member capable of supporting articles for removal is received by the container. The support member is formed such that the articles are disposed in somewhat stacked overlapping relation whereby the articles may be removed individually. The container may provide an opening initially closed by a removable tab through which the articles may be removed.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the support member may be provided-with a plurality of fiat individual surfaces which are inclined to the axis of the support. Each surface serves to support a portion of the elongated article which may be a clip or fastener of a band. The band length extends toward one end of the member. Bands of substantial length may be passed around the end of the member thereby to reside between the support and the container inner wall surface. Each fiat surface and the side walls of the member include a plurality of abutments or projections. These serve to somewhat immobilize the article as supported. The article may, however, be dispensed in the fashion outlined above. i

As an additional aspect of the present invention, the container may be provided with indicia or a suitable color code. The color code may be incorporated on the blank during manufacture or else may be in the form of an adhesive strip for application to the container. For example, the strip may be affixed to an end flap. Color coding maybe desired particularly if the packaged article is to be dispensed only on a particular day. In this connection a plurality of colors are selected each of which arbitrarily designates a particular day. The article will be similarly coded to match the container.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that willbe described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of otherdevices for carrying out the sev- 2.. eral purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Specific embodiments of the invention have been chosen for the purpose of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the dispensing sleeve and the support tray member partially received therein;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of thetray member and a plurality of supported articles;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the tray member of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view in section as seen along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the unformed sleeve blank.

The packaging assembly 10 may be seen to best ad vantage in FIG. 1. The assembly includes a sleeve member 12 and a rack or tray member 14 which is slidably received in the sleeve.

The sleeve may be formed as a molded item or of paperboard material from a flat blank 16, as is seen in FIG. 5. Anyparticular board material which may be first stamped to the pattern of the Figure and thereafter folded to form a sleeve or container may be used. One necessary characteristic, however, is that the material be sufficiently sturdy to support itself and the internal contents including the member 14. A blank formed of solid bleached sulfate, either regular or low density, or clay coated newsback may be used. The paperboard material may be of a thickness of from 0.014 to 0.024 points. However, the preferred thickness is 0.016 points and the preferred paperboard material is solid bleached sulfate. Either low or regular density solid bleached sulfate may be used.

The stamped blank is provided with a plurality of

score lines

18, 20, 22 and 24'thereby to define a pair of opposed-

side panels

24 and 26, a top panel 28 and a bottom panel 30. A side seam flap 32 is provided for forming the sleeve or container. The blank is provided at each end with

additional scoring

34 and 36. The manner and technique of scoring is carried out in accordance with conventional practices.

A dispensing opening 38 is formed in the top panel. Preferably the opening of both ends is die cut with the cut joined by parallel lengths of scoring. A finger opening 40permits the user to grasp the closure 42 where upon a slight pulling force will enable its removal, opening the container for article removal.

The container is fabricated in a manner as should be apparent. The panels and end tabs are folded about the respective score lines. The integrity of the sleeve is established by adhesively or otherwise securing the side seam 32 to the side panel 24. The closure flaps 44 and 46 are received by the end tabs to close completely the sleeve or container. A further flap 47 is formed at one end. This fiap may be utilized for color coding.

As noted, the tabs formed at the ends of the side panels are provided with an inclined edge. The edges are suitably formed to facilitate receipt of the flap between the inner surface of the respective top and bottom panels and the tabs themselves.

The rack or tray member 14 may be seen to best advantage in FIGS. 2-4. The tray is preferably formed of The rack includes a pair of spaced

side walls

48 and 50, an end wall 52 and a channel area 54. Each of the walls is hollow (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The base of the channel area throughout a major portion of the length of the tray is stepped so as to include a plurality of flats 56. The remainder of the length of the base of the channel area forming an extension of the last flat comprises an inclined ramp 58 which terminates in an end shoulder or edge 60. Each flat is provided with a central dimple 62. A pair of upstanding abutments64 are disposed at opposed sides of the flat removed from the end 52. The abutments are preferably molded in the side walls. Means for detenting a portion of an article are provided, which means includes a projection 66 spaced from the flat molded in one side wall.

The particular packaging system which has been described may contain and dispense individually one of a plurality of band members having a clip or clasp which serves as a grasping portion in removing the article. This clasp or clip arrangement is at one end thereof. Such a band may be used for a host of purposes such asidentification of patients in a hospital environment.

The Figures illustratethe packaging of an article of this type. More particularly, individual clips 68 are disposed'on the individual flats 56 from the open end to the closed end. Provision may be made for the support of any number of clips and their associated band length which is passed around the shoulder 60 to the underside of the tray. The projections 64 secure each clip against movement toward the open end while each projection 66 prevents rotation of the clip in one direction. Rotation in the other direction is prevented by the underside of the closure 42 which prior to removal interacts with dip portion 72. The dimple 62 will provide a well into which a-rivet or other means used to attach the band with the clip is received.

Theindividual articles may be dispensed after removal of the closure tab 42, one article at a time from left to right (FIG. 3).

It is contemplated that other forms of packaging could also be employed to support'and dispense like articles. To this end the tray 14 could be enclosed with a flat lid thereby to obviate the need for the sleeve. Appropriately the rack or tray 14 would be closed at both ends in a manner as is end 52 (FIG. 2) and for strength the walls rather than being of hollow construction will then be solid. Preferably the construction of the tray will be in the form of a tub. A flat lid will be heat sealed to the surface 74 which in the embodiment frames all four sides of the open central area. As apparent, the surface will extend outwardly on each side of the area.

A further form contemplates a tray or rack as in the preceding paragraph which may be closed by a sliding lid. To this end the tray may be formed to present a flat frame surrounding the central area on at least the opposed elongated sides. The slide along these opposed sides may have an edge doubled under the surface to form a track for sliding over the flat frame. To prevent the slide from moving past a closing position an end may also provide a frame portion to interact with a further doubled under edge.

Other modifications and forms will readily become apparent. Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In combination: at least a first, second and third-strip-like article each of which has a grasping portion and a thin strip extending therefrom and a package for said articles, said package comprising:

at least an elongated rack member, said rack member having an upper surface and a lower surface and including at least a first, a second and a third receiving portion sequentially spaced longitudinally along the upper surface of the rack, said receiving portions being adapted to receive an end portion of one of said articles; and wherein: said first article has its end portion received in said first receiving portion with its strip portion extended longitudinally along the upper surface of said rack to overlay said second and third receiving portions; said second article has its end portion received in said second receiving portion to overlay the strip portion of said first article and said second article has its strip portion'also extended longitudinally along the upper surface of said rack overlaying said third receiving portion and at least a portion of the strip portion of said second article; and said third article has its end portion received in said third receiving portion to overlay thereat the strip portions of said second and first articles and said third article has its strip portion extending longitudinally along the rack to overlay at least in part the strip portions of said second and third articles, whereby said articles are compactly packed together in layers but said articles may be easily removed one at a time without substantially disturbing an adjacent article. 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the overlayed strip portions of the articles are folded around the transverse end of the rack member to also lie longitudinally along the lower surface of the rack member.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein each of said articles include a clasp'at said end portion, and said rack member includes, at each receiving portion, means for detenting a received clasp so that the clasp is prevented from movement and any underlying strip portions are releasably captivated therein.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said package also includes an outer cover surrounding both said rack member and said articles; and

said rack member is made of plastic and includes a pair of longitudinal side walls which extend upward to provide a channel extending over the height of the clasps and downward to provide a channel to receive the folded-over strip portions.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein said receiving portions on said .rack member are adjacent to one another and are formed with raised edge portions such that the strip portion of at least some of said articles lie over raised edge portions as well as being under the detented clasps of certain adjacent articles.

* =k in 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 814:, 236 Dated June 4, .1974

Inventor(s) Michael R. Keilman It is certified that: error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the specification, column 2, line 49, cancel "of" and insert after "opening" at golntnni iine 51, cancel "the rack or"; line 54, after "construction of the" insert rack or Signed and sealed this 7th c lay of January 1975 (SEAL) Attest: v v

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. 0. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents F ORM PO-lOSO (10-69)

Claims

1. In combination: at least a first, second and third strip-like article each of which has a grasping portion and a thin strip extending therefrom and a package for said articles, said package comprising: at least an elongated rack member, said rack member having an upper surface and a lower surface and including at least a first, a second and a third receiving portion sequentially spaced longitudinally along the upper surface of the rack, said receiving portions being adapted to receive an end portion of one of said articles; and wherein: said first article has its end portion received in said first receiving portion with its strip portion extended longitudinally along the upper surface of said rack to overlay said second and third receiving portions; said second article has its end portion received in said second Receiving portion to overlay the strip portion of said first article and said second article has its strip portion also extended longitudinally along the upper surface of said rack overlaying said third receiving portion and at least a portion of the strip portion of said second article; and said third article has its end portion received in said third receiving portion to overlay thereat the strip portions of said second and first articles and said third article has its strip portion extending longitudinally along the rack to overlay at least in part the strip portions of said second and third articles, whereby said articles are compactly packed together in layers but said articles may be easily removed one at a time without substantially disturbing an adjacent article.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the overlayed strip portions of the articles are folded around the transverse end of the rack member to also lie longitudinally along the lower surface of the rack member.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein each of said articles include a clasp at said end portion, and said rack member includes, at each receiving portion, means for detenting a received clasp so that the clasp is prevented from movement and any underlying strip portions are releasably captivated therein.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said package also includes an outer cover surrounding both said rack member and said articles; and said rack member is made of plastic and includes a pair of longitudinal side walls which extend upward to provide a channel extending over the height of the clasps and downward to provide a channel to receive the folded-over strip portions.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein said receiving portions on said rack member are adjacent to one another and are formed with raised edge portions such that the strip portion of at least some of said articles lie over raised edge portions as well as being under the detented clasps of certain adjacent articles.