WO1998039238A1 - Distributeur de produits - Google Patents

Distributeur de produits Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1998039238A1
WO1998039238A1 PCT/US1998/004534 US9804534W WO9839238A1 WO 1998039238 A1 WO1998039238 A1 WO 1998039238A1 US 9804534 W US9804534 W US 9804534W WO 9839238 A1 WO9839238 A1 WO 9839238A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
dispenser
articles
stack
carton
blank
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1998/004534
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Phil B. Sheffer
Original Assignee
Triangle Container Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Triangle Container Corporation filed Critical Triangle Container Corporation
Priority to AU64532/98A priority Critical patent/AU6453298A/en
Publication of WO1998039238A1 publication Critical patent/WO1998039238A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
    • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
    • B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
    • B65D5/725—Incised or pre-scored openings or windows provided in the side wall of containers

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a dispenser formed from an integral flat piece of sheet material, the dispenser having features for serially dispensing articles therefrom.
  • a carton may have disadvantages with respect to its utility for storage, shipping, displaying and dispensing functions, because such functions have different requirements. Another consideration is the expense and ease of erection and packing.
  • a carton made of stock that is suitable for presenting a product in a display may not be optimal for shipping the product.
  • the structural configuration in which a product is arranged (e.g. , stacked) for shipping may be a poor choice for display or may limit access to the product or to sub- containers holding the product that needs to be dispensed.
  • Cartons that stack nicely may have a "footprint" or occupied horizontal cross section that is disadvantageously large.
  • the carton will occupy a correspondingly large horizontal display space, which is disadvantageous, for example, on register countertops and other retail locations where space is at a premium.
  • Loose, relatively small consumable items, such as loose candies, can be loaded in cartons having structures intended to assist in dispensing, such as those depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,899,929 and 4,805,765. These dispensers use chutes leading into lower drawers that can be drawn outwardly to make loose candies available in the drawer for display and for easy access by prospective purchasers.
  • Chute arrangements are less effective for dispensing relatively larger and/or less compactly shaped items.
  • Elongated candy bars for example, are prone to clog a chute and drawer arrangement having a cross section that is comparable to the length of the candy bars.
  • a dispenser that may be unduly large for the retail counterspace generally available but enables the product to flow in the chute. Low-density packing of the product may be required, which is undesirable.
  • chute and drawer cartons generally are formed from more than one blank and are thus more time consuming to assemble and more costly to manufacture.
  • Such cartons are not limited to use for candy.
  • a chute-like carton disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039, 118 is used to dispense loose granular material, such as animal feed.
  • This chute carton is comparable to the chute-and-drawer arrangement discussed above, and would be unsuitable for dispensing densely packed discrete articles or packaged items of comparatively larger size, especially if the items are stacked.
  • a dispenser for produce such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,529, can be formed from two separate pieces or can be formed from rigid plastic, either of which is relatively expensive.
  • the alternative of a rigid plastic dispenser is not well suited for bulk shipment or for use in automated, product-packaging operations that are more apt for paperboard cartons and the like.
  • packages located at the slot in position for removal are aligned in registry with and directly abut the articles above them in the box. This means that users must generally wedge their fingers between the article to be taken out and the other articles in the stack to remove the desired article.
  • the user can engage only the extreme end of the lowermost article with his or her fingers or fingernails. The user may find it difficult or impossible to gain sufficient purchase to overcome friction between the article and adjacent surfaces under the weight of the stack.
  • dispenser which is suitably adapted to serve as a shipping container as well as a display container.
  • a dispenser for articles which has a back and opposite sides defining a space to hold individual articles in a stack.
  • a sloped member extends from the back of the dispenser and into the space for holding the articles, and urges one of the articles outwardly from the stack.
  • the back, opposite sides, and sloped portion are formed from an integral blank of sheet material.
  • the dispenser in another aspect of the invention, includes a front cover which extends between the opposite sides and is part of the integral blank from which the dispenser is formed.
  • the front cover includes an opening located opposite the sloped member and through which the bottom article or articles of the stack are urged forward by the sloped member.
  • the base of the dispenser includes a platform.
  • the platform spaces the bottom article from such horizontal surface, thereby allowing users' hands to more easily grasp the bottom surface of the article being urged forward by the dispenser.
  • the dispenser of the present invention may be used for articles which are substantially flat, such as candy bars.
  • the front, back, and sides of the dispenser are selected so that, when holding a stack of the bars, the shorter sides of the bars are at the front and back of the dispenser, and the longer sides of the bars, at the opposite sides of the dispenser.
  • the sloped member contacts one of the shorter sides of the bars and urges the other shorter side outwardly from the stack of candy bars.
  • a container according to the present invention has a carton suitable for shipping with a carton base and a carton front.
  • a slot is defined in the carton front at the carton base.
  • At least two dispensers are placed adjacent to each other within the carton, each of the dispensers having a back and opposite sides defining a space to hold a stack of individual articles.
  • a sloped member extends from the back of the dispenser and into the space for holding the articles. The sloped members of each of the dispensers are located opposite the slot in the carton. In this way, the bottom article of the stack of each container is projected by the sloped member slightly forward through the slot for easy serial dispensing of the articles from the container, notwithstanding their compact and directly adjacent storage in the containers.
  • the container in one aspect of the invention, contains two different flavors, types, or brands of articles, with each dispenser holding one type of article and the front of the carton including indicia identifying the different types of articles contained therein. In this way, the container simultaneously serves as a means for shipping multiple types of articles and for serially dispensing them.
  • a blank for an article dispenser comprises a first panel which corresponds to the back of the dispenser, the panel having upper and lower transverse edges.
  • Second and third panels corresponding to the opposite sides of the dispenser are foldably connected to the first panel. These second and third panels have edge portions which extend obliquely from the lower transverse edge of the first panel.
  • a fourth panel, corresponding to a sloped member of the dispenser has a first edge foldably connected to the lower transverse edge of the back panel, and has a second edge opposite the first edge.
  • FIGURES la and lb are perspective views of a dispenser for articles according to the present invention, shown without articles therein in FIGURE la and with articles therein in FIGURE lb;
  • FIGURE 2 is a partial side view of the bottom portion of the dispenser of FIGURE lb;
  • FIGURES 3 and 4 are front and back views, respectively, of the dispenser shown in FIGURE la;
  • FIGURE 5 is a perspective cutaway view of a container according to the present invention.
  • FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a blank for making the article dispenser of FIGURE la;
  • FIGURE 7 is top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a blank for an article dispenser.
  • FIGURES 1-4 show a dispenser 21 for articles 33 according to the present invention.
  • the dispenser 21 includes a front 23, a back 25, and opposite sides 27 formed of sheet material, such as paperboard, corrugated craft or the like, defining an internal, three-dimensional space 29 for holding a stack 31 of individual articles 33 for serial dispensing.
  • Stack 31 contains a predetermined number n of articles 33, and individual ones of these articles are referenced herein as article 33a, 33b . . . 33 «, etc.
  • dispenser 21 When dispenser 21 is set up for dispensing product, it has a base 37 at its lower or bottom end as shown in FIGURES 1-4. Located at base 37 is a sloped member 35, preferably in the form of a panel. Sloped member 35 inclines or slopes from back 25 of dispenser 21 toward base 37 and extends from back 25 within space 29 for holding articles 33. In this way, and as best seen in FIGURES lb and 2, sloped member 35 contacts the article located adjacent thereto at bottom edge 36 (FIGURE 2) of the article. In this embodiment, the sloped member 35 is the bottommost one of the articles 33, referred to in FIGURES lb and 2 as article 33a.
  • the bottom article 33a rests on base 37, with the remainder of stack 31 thereon.
  • the length or longitudinal dimension of space 29 in which stack 31 is held is shown by arrow C and is sufficient so that with the exception of the bottom article 33a discussed below, stack 31 is contained within space 29.
  • Sloped member 35 extends from back 25 in the direction of space 29 and thereby causes the length or longitudinal dimension of base 37 shown by arrows D to be less than the length of the articles 33 contained in dispenser 21 , and less than the length indicated by arrow C.
  • sloped member 35 urges the bottom article forward, thereby presenting one article in optimal position to be manually grasped and pulled from the stack.
  • slope member 35 urges the bottom article forward, thereby presenting one article in optimal position to be manually grasped and pulled from the stack.
  • Front 23 of the dispenser 21 optionally comprises a panel which encloses the stack 31, except for an opening 39 defined in the front 23.
  • Opening 39 is located at or near base 37 opposite the sloped member 35 and has a cross-sectional area sufficiently large to allow article 33a to pass therethrough.
  • article 33a is urged out of alignment with stack 31, it is urged forwardly or toward and partially through front 23 , through opening 39. Because a portion of article 33a has been urged through opening 39, users may more readily grasp upper and lower surfaces 41 of article 33a to remove it from the dispenser 21.
  • sloped member 35, opening 39, and space 29 may be adapted for holding a variety of individual articles in a stack
  • articles 33 which are substantially flat as seen in FIGURE 2, such as candy bars, rectilinear boxes and the like.
  • articles 33 are rectangular and have a pair of longer sides 43 and a pair of shorter sides 45.
  • stack 31 has the longer sides 43 of articles 33 adjacent to and opposing the sides 27 of dispenser 21, whereas shorter sides 45 are adjacent to and oppose front and back 23, 25 (FIGURE 2).
  • openings 39 are in the form of slots which are sized for the substantially flat articles to pass through with shorter sides protruding through the opening 39.
  • slope and length of slope member 35 may be selected to urge two or more of articles 33 outwardly from stack 31 at substantially the same time, and opening 39 may be correspondingly sized to allow such two or more articles 33 to pass therethrough. In this way, sets of two or more articles 33 can be serially dispensed.
  • the dispenser 21 as shown can be disposed immediately adjacent similar containers on either or both lateral sides.
  • Base 37 preferably includes a platform 47.
  • platform 47 raises or spaces bottom article 33a from such horizontal surface 50 by an amount equal to the height of platform 47 indicated by arrows A. Because the bottom one of articles 33 remains at a space A from horizontal surface 48, users' fingers can grasp over and under article 33a, passing underneath lower surface 41 due to the space provided between the underside of article 33a and horizontal surface 50. The structure allows the bottom article to be readily grasped and withdrawn from dispenser 21.
  • Platform 47 has a lower surface 49 and an upper surface 51 spaced vertically from lower surface 39 by an amount equal to the height A of platform 47.
  • Platform 47 is preferably formed by providing the back 25 and sides 27 with a series of panels or flaps at their respective lower edges near base 37, so that such flaps are positioned in overlying relationship to provide platform 47 with a height. A preferred arrangement of flaps is discussed below.
  • Dispenser 21 may serve as a stand-alone display from which articles 33 are serially dispensed.
  • the article dispenser of the present invention may also be combined with other containers.
  • a container 101 includes an outer carton 119, preferably made of corrugated material that is suitably durable for shipping when loaded with product.
  • Multiple article dispensers 121 are placed adjacent to each other within carton 119.
  • Dispensers 121 are similar to the dispensers 21 of the previous embodiment, however, fronts 123 of dispensers 121 do not have panels which overlie or cover the stacks contained therein. Rather, fronts of dispensers 121 are "open. "
  • Carton 119 has a carton front 103 comprising a panel and a carton base 105 on which the container 101 rests when placed on a generally horizontal surface.
  • a slot 107 is defined in carton front 103 at carton base 105. In this embodiment, slot 107 extends over the length of carton 119.
  • Dispensers 121 are placed within carton 119 so that when carton 119 is upright as shown in FIGURE 5, dispensers 121 are also upright in a manner similar to the orientation shown for dispenser 21 in FIGURES 1-4.
  • the sloped members 35 of dispensers 121 (of which one is shown in FIGURE 5) are located at base 105 of carton 119.
  • the sloped members 35 extend downwardly as shown in FIGURE 5 from a position near carton back 109 toward carton base 105. Sloped members 35 of each of dispensers 121 are thus aligned with slot 107 at carton front 103 but are located opposite the slot 107 near carton back 109.
  • each of the dispensers 121 holds one set of the articles corresponding to one type, one flavor, one brand, etc. , and the multiple dispensers in the single carton 119 allow the different sets of articles to be simultaneously and serially dispensed from carton 119.
  • each dispenser can be associated with a different brand or type of candy bar from the same or different manufacturers.
  • Carton 119 may be optionally provided with written indicia 110 or others means of identifying the different sets of article being dispensed from container 101.
  • the container 101 serves as a shipping container, display, and serial dispenser for the articles contained therein.
  • any protective wrapping or covering is removed, the container is stood on its base at the desired location, and the articles therein are then ready to be taken by prospective purchasers. As such, very few operations are required to get the shipped container of articles ready for display and dispensing.
  • dispenser 121 is shown within carton 119 in this embodiment, dispensers 121 may also serve as stand-alone display dispensers. When dispensers 121 are used as stand-alone displays, the bottom-most article 133 is projected forward by sloping member 35 as discussed with reference to dispenser 21, and the articles 133 can be serially removed by prospective purchasers.
  • dispensers 21, 121 do not have articles disposed against base 37 during shipment, which would cause those articles to protrude from stacks 31, 131 by virtue of sloped member 35. Such protruding articles would be prone to damage during shipment and, in any event, would interfere with secure wrapping or covering of the dispensers.
  • Dispensers 21 , 121 are preferably formed from a single or integral sheet of paper board stock suitably die-cut and perforated to form multiple, foldably connected panels, such as shown in blank 221 in FIGURE 6.
  • Blank 221 includes a plurality of panels which will be identified by reference numerals corresponding to the reference numerals of the corresponding structures of the erected dispenser 21 shown in FIGURES 1-4.
  • blank 221 includes a panel 25' corresponding to back 25 of dispenser 21 and having upper and lower transverse edges 223, 225.
  • Panels 27' corresponding to opposite sides 27 of dispenser 21 are foldably connected to panel 25'.
  • each of panels 27' has edge portions 227 which extend obliquely from lower transverse edge 225 of panel 25'.
  • Panel 35' corresponding to sloped member 35 has a first edge 229 foldably connected to lower transverse edge 225 of back panel 25' and a second edge 231 opposite edge 229.
  • first edge 229 foldably connected to lower transverse edge 225 of back panel 25'
  • second edge 231 opposite edge 229.
  • Panel 23' corresponding to optional front cover 23 is foldably connected to outer edge 235 of one of the side panels 27' .
  • An additional flap 24' is foldably connected to the outside edge 237 of front panel 23' .
  • flap 24' overlies the outer surface of one of the sides 27 to allow front panel 23 ' to be readily held in place by suitably attaching flap 24' to the outer surface of the sides 27.
  • Panel 23' and 24' are optional and can be dispensed with entirely whenever an open front for dispenser 21 is desired.
  • Blank 221 described above is assembled to form the three dimensional dispenser 21.
  • panels 23', 24' and 27' are folded upwardly from the plane of FIGURE 6 generally in the direction indicated by the arrows B.
  • Panels 47' corresponding to platform 47 are foldably connected at bottom, transverse edges 243 of panels 25' and 27.
  • Panels 47' are suitably inter-engaged when panels 27' are folded towards each other so that the panels 37' form a multi-layer structure corresponding to platform 47.
  • panels 48' are foldably connected at top edges 241 of panels 27' and, when blank 221 is erected, panels 48' are folded into overlying relationship to form the top 48 of dispenser 21.
  • panels 47' and 48' have tabs 245.
  • Tab 245 engage corresponding slots 247 suitably located at top and bottom edges 241, 243 so that the blank 221 is held in an erected state with a minimum amount of additional adhesive or tape needing to be applied.
  • the tabs 245 and corresponding notches 247 thereby form "tapeless" joints. Additional tape or adhesive is applied to blank 221 in a suitable manner as needed.
  • FIGURE 7 an alternative blank 321 is shown which is similar to blank 221 except that the blank is held in its erected state by means of tape or adhesive joints rather than by using "tapeless" joints comprising tabs 245 and corresponding notches 247 as shown for blank 221 in FIGURE 6. Except for this difference, and various dimensional differences reflecting a different application, the blank 321 of FIGURE 7 is similar to the blank 221 and the same reference numerals have been given to corresponding parts in the two embodiments.
  • the dispenser of the present invention may, of course, further vary the dimensions of the dispenser of the present invention to fit any particular application.
  • the three dimensional space 29 may be vertically partitioned so that each dispenser 21 holds two or more adjacent stacks of articles.
  • the present invention allows individual articles to be serially dispensed from a container which uses a minimal amount of horizontal display or counter space.
  • the dispenser 21 of the present invention has a "footprint" which is substantially co-extensive with the horizontal cross section of the stack 31 of articles 33 held therein.
  • the present invention urges one or more of the articles, preferably the bottom-most article or articles, outwardly and out of alignment with the overlying article stack, so that articles urged forward may be taken from the dispenser with minimum demands on the dexterity of the individual.
  • the present invention has yet another advantage of permitting articles having a given cross section to be serially dispensed by a dispenser which has a footprint substantially similar to the cross sectional area of the article being dispensed.
  • the invention has the advantage of being suitable as both a shipping container and article dispenser. As such, the invention has the advantage of allowing different types, brands, or flavors of articles to be simultaneously and serially dispensed from a single shipping carton.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un distributeur (21) de produits, contenant un empilement (31) de produits individuels (33) destinés à être distribués en série à partir du bas de l'empilement. Un élément en dévers (35), situé à la base du distributeur, et incliné en direction du trajet descendant de l'empilement, en vue de venir au moins au contact du produit (33a) de l'empilement se trouvant le plus bas. Ledit élément (35) est orienté dans le but de pousser ce produit hors de l'alignement avec l'empilement se trouvant au-dessus de lui, lorsque le distributeur est positionné avec l'empilement aligné verticalement. Selon un mode de réalisation, le distributeur est enfermé à l'intérieur d'un carton (119) qui peut être utilisé pour l'expédition, le carton étant doté d'une fente (107) située à sa base et sur sa partie frontale (103). Selon un autre mode de réalisation, la fente est une ouverture ménagée dans une paroi frontale du distributeur. On peut disposer au moins deux distributeurs dans un carton, leurs éléments en dévers étant situés à la base du carton de l'autre côté de la fente ménagée dans le carton. Les distributeurs peuvent être associés à différents parfums, marques ou types de produits destinés à être distribués, simultanément et en série, à partir de la fente ménagée dans le carton, par les distributeurs se trouvant dans le carton.
PCT/US1998/004534 1997-03-07 1998-03-09 Distributeur de produits WO1998039238A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU64532/98A AU6453298A (en) 1997-03-07 1998-03-09 Dispenser for articles

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US81473097A 1997-03-07 1997-03-07
US08/814,730 1997-03-07

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1998039238A1 true WO1998039238A1 (fr) 1998-09-11

Family

ID=25215848

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1998/004534 WO1998039238A1 (fr) 1997-03-07 1998-03-09 Distributeur de produits

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU6453298A (fr)
PE (1) PE67899A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1998039238A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2422595A (en) * 2005-01-26 2006-08-02 Paul Forwood A dispenser for packets of crisps
KR200478174Y1 (ko) * 2013-08-08 2015-09-03 녹차원(주) 티백용 포장상자

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1404302A (en) * 1921-09-28 1922-01-24 Duffy A Matot Refrigerator
US1782597A (en) * 1928-05-24 1930-11-25 Parker Pen Co Dispensing cabinet
GB530766A (en) * 1939-07-03 1940-12-19 Barringer Wallis & Manners Ltd Improvements in display and/or delivery stands for use on shop counters or the like
CH274788A (de) * 1949-07-25 1951-04-30 Cafag Cartonnagenfabrik Freibu Entnahmebehälter für Stapelartikel.
FR1211771A (fr) * 1958-10-08 1960-03-18 Tycol Boîte distributrice à tiroirs chargeurs
US4377049A (en) * 1980-05-22 1983-03-22 Pepsico Inc. Capacitive switching panel

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1404302A (en) * 1921-09-28 1922-01-24 Duffy A Matot Refrigerator
US1782597A (en) * 1928-05-24 1930-11-25 Parker Pen Co Dispensing cabinet
GB530766A (en) * 1939-07-03 1940-12-19 Barringer Wallis & Manners Ltd Improvements in display and/or delivery stands for use on shop counters or the like
CH274788A (de) * 1949-07-25 1951-04-30 Cafag Cartonnagenfabrik Freibu Entnahmebehälter für Stapelartikel.
FR1211771A (fr) * 1958-10-08 1960-03-18 Tycol Boîte distributrice à tiroirs chargeurs
US4377049A (en) * 1980-05-22 1983-03-22 Pepsico Inc. Capacitive switching panel

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2422595A (en) * 2005-01-26 2006-08-02 Paul Forwood A dispenser for packets of crisps
KR200478174Y1 (ko) * 2013-08-08 2015-09-03 녹차원(주) 티백용 포장상자

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU6453298A (en) 1998-09-22
PE67899A1 (es) 1999-07-10

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