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
  • B65D1/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/22—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents
  • B65D1/24—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents with moulded compartments or partitions
• • 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
  • B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
  • B65D25/02—Internal fittings
  • B65D25/10—Devices to locate articles in containers
  • B65D25/107—Grooves, ribs, or the like, situated on opposed walls and between which the articles are located
• • 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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/20—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for incompressible or rigid rod-shaped or tubular articles
  • B65D85/24—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for incompressible or rigid rod-shaped or tubular articles for needles, nails or like elongate small articles
• • 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
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/30—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
• • 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
  • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
  • B65D2251/10—Details of hinged closures
  • B65D2251/1016—Means for locking the closure in closed position
  • B65D2251/1033—Protuberances and cavities provided on a horizontal flange respectively of the container or base and the closure, and penetrating one into the other, e.g. of the press-button type

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a container for packaging bundles of filaments, and more particularly, to a plastic container for packaging a plurality of bundled tapered filaments.
• Tapered filament applications are primarily toothbrushes, paint brushes and cosmetic brushes. Tapered filaments are especially useful for toothbrushes.
• the tapered tips are able to reach difficult areas such as recesses between teeth and at the transitional area from gum to teeth. The tapered filaments more effectively remove dental plaque from these difficult to reach areas than filaments that are not tapered.
• the current practice for packaging tapered filaments is wrapping a bundle of filaments, optionally with a rubber band then, wrapping the bundle with a paper strip, and securing the wrapped bundle with a rubber band. Then the wrapped bundles are packed in a paper pouch. The paper pouch is packed in to a paper container and the paper containers are stacked in a carton.
• This means of packaging is poor for tapered filaments.
• the ends of the tapered filaments are sensitive to very small forces and easily broken or bent. The filament ends are not protected with the current packaging.
• the slippery surface of the filament makes the bundles difficult to handle during packing and unpacking causing increased susceptibility to breaking or damage.
• an improved multi-compartmentalized container for holding bundles of filaments comprising a receiving section having a plurality of wells and a cover for the receiving section.
• the cover may have a plurality of wells with the open end of the wells aligned with the opening of the plurality of the wells in the receiving section to form a receptacle for a filament bundle.
• an improved container for filament bundles wherein the container is formed by vacuum forming, thermoforming or injection molding.
• a process for removing tapered filaments bundles from a multi- compartmentalized container for holding bundles of filaments comprising a receiving section having a plurality of wells and a cover for the receiving section.
• the cover contains a plurality of wells in an array such that when the cover is in place, an open end of each of said plurality of wells in the cover is aligned with an open end of a corresponding well in the receiving section to form a receptacle for holding a filament (e.g. fiber) bundle.
• the filament bundles fit into the depth of cover wells and the depth of the corresponding receiving section wells when the cover is closed over the receiving section.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the filament container according to the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a side view of a receiving well
• Figure 3 is a side view of a cover well. While the present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
• well denotes a compartment or recessed area.
• cover well denotes a well in the cover.
• receiving well denotes a well in the receiving section.
• tip denotes a chemically or
• array denotes a rectangular arrangement in rows and columns.
• PET poly(ethylene
• PETG poly (1,4-cyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate).
• HIPS high impact polystyrene
• OPS oriented polystyrene
• PVC polyvinylchloride
• PC polycarbonate
• PMMA poly (methyl
• PP polypropylene
• rib denotes a long, narrow member projecting from the surface of a well serving to guide the filament bundles when inserting the filament bundle in to the well.
• multi-compartmentalized denotes containing at least two separate recessed areas for holding filament bundles.
• mm as used herein denotes millimeters.
• a container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a multi-compartmentalized container for packaging bundles of tapered filaments having a bottom receiving section and a cover.
• the receiving section has a plurality of wells. Typically, the number of wells in the receiving section will depend on the size of the bundles and the number of bundles to be packaged. Typically, the wells in the receiving section are arranged in an array (i.e. a well-regulated and arranged order)..
• the cover may or may not contain wells depending on the length of the bundles and the depth of the wells in the receiving section.
• the cover wells are in an array such that, when the cover is in place, the open end of each well in the cover is aligned with the open end of a well in the receiving section to form a receptacle for a fiber bundle.
• the multi-compartmentalized container can be made from a thermoplastic polymer.
• the thermoplastic is selected from PET 1 PETG, HIPS, OPS, PVC, PC, PMMA and PP.
• HIPS high-density polyethylene
• K-resin ® a clear HIPS produced by Phillips 66.
• the multi-compartmentalized container can be formed in a variety of ways including vacuum forming, thermoforming, or injection molding.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the filament container 10 according to the present invention.
• the embodiment shown in Figure 1 generally defines a rectangular container having a bottom receiving section 12 containing a plurality of filament bundle receiving wells 18 and a top cover 14
• the cover and receiving section are optionally connected by a hinge 16.
• the wells in the receiving section 12 have a depth of at least 66% of the total filament length.
• the cover is a flat sheet.
• the wells in the receiving section 12 have gradually tapered ribs 26, as shown in Figure 2, that guide the bundled filaments into the receiving well 18.
• the ribs 26 begin and are widest at the base 28 of the well 18 in the receiving section 12.
• the ribs 26 gradually taper as they extend axially up the sides of the receiving well 18 not to exceed 50% of the total receiving well 18 height.
• the ribs 26 aid in receiving the filament bundle to be stored therein.
• the well diameter is sufficient to allow the bundles to fit securely into the receiving well 18. The close fit of the well diameters keeps the bundles securely in place thus, decreasing filament susceptibility to damage or breaking.
• the well diameter is generally at least 30 mm in order to accommodate common filament bundle sizes.
• Figure 3 shows a side view of a well 20 embodiment in the cover
• the depth of the wells 20 in the cover 14 is from 0 to 33% of the total filament length. If the depth of the wells 20 on the cover 14 equals 0 then the cover is a flat sheet, which can be replaced with paperboard.
• One advantage to having cover wells 20 with a depth greater than 0 is easy removal of the tapered filament bundles.
• the bundles can be difficult to remove from the container from the tipped ends side of the filaments.
• the tipped ends are susceptible to breaking and the slippery nature of the ends makes the bundles difficult to grasp.
• the new packaging overcomes this problem by placing the larger untipped ends of the filament bundle in the receiving wells 18. When the bundles are to be unpacked, the container is turned upside down such that the receiving section 12 is on top and the cover 14 is on the bottom. The receiving wells end is lifted to open the container 10 exposing the untipped ends. Then, the bundles can be easily removed from the cover wells 20 of the container by grasping the untipped ends protruding therefrom.
• a cover 14 containing wells 20 is also an advantage for filaments that have both ends tipped since the depth of the cover wells 20 is up to 33% of the total filament length, at least 66% of the filament bundle length is protruding from the cover wells 20 when the container is inverted. As such, the bundles are easily grasped even when both filament ends are tipped.
• the cover 14 may be fastened to the receiving section 12 using any suitable device known in the art such as hinges, studs, and fasteners Preferably, a cooperating press-stud-fastening device is used.
• the cover 14 then comprises a convex stud 24 projecting outward from the
• the receiving section 12 comprises a concave stud 22 projecting inward to the interior of the receiving section 12 and is arranged to engage with the stud 24 on the cover 14.
• the press-stud fastening device can be located along the free edges of the container.
• the container can have 1-4 press-stud-fastening devices on each free side depending on the length of the free side.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=37969600

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2006
  • 2006-12-08 CN CNA2006800454328A patent/CN101460365A/zh active Pending
  • 2006-12-08 CA CA002628602A patent/CA2628602A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-12-08 WO PCT/US2006/047167 patent/WO2007067804A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-12-08 KR KR1020087016429A patent/KR20080082680A/ko not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-12-08 EP EP06845176A patent/EP1957373B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-12-08 JP JP2008544577A patent/JP2009518250A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-12-08 US US11/636,204 patent/US20070151973A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-12-08 DE DE602006019902T patent/DE602006019902D1/de active Active

Patent Citations (2)

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