GB1577593A - Container having multiple independently unsealable compartments - Google Patents

Description

(54) CONTAINER HAVING MULTIPLE INDEPENDENTLY UNSEALABLE COMPARTMENTS (71) We, MEIJI SEIKA KABUSHIKI KAISHA and DAI NIPPON INSATSU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, both companies organized and existing under the laws of Japan, of 8, Kyobashi, 2-chome, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo-To, Japan, and 12, Kaga-cho, 1chome, Ichigaya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-To, Japan, respectively, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates generally to container structures comprising a plurality of independent, sealed compartments in integrally interlinked state.

Containers of this type have been used for packaging purposes and, in general, have been sealed by a cover or lid, which, upon being removed for opening, unsealed the entire container, thereby causing all of the accommodated goods to be exposed. For this reason, these known containers have been unsuitable for containing products which readily absorb moisture, products which easily oxidize, and products which undergo changes in characteristics or deteriorate when exposed to air, particularly in cases where these products are not used at once immediately after unsealing of the container but are consumed over a relatively long time.

In view of this problem, some products of the above mentioned nature have heretofore been packaged in independent bags, which in a plural number are accommodated in an outer package such as a box. After the outer package has been opened, each of these bags can be opened independently of the other bags. In most instances, however, since bags are made of flexible materials, they lose much of their function as convenient containers with easy access to their interiors once they are opened. This feature may render such bags inconvenient in the cases where the packaged product is a granular article or a product such as candy or biscuits, and it is desired to keep this product in the package container until it is completely consumed. In such cases, individual compartments with relatively stiff walls with openable upper lids may be more convenient for easy access to the product.

It is an object of this invention to solve the above described problems by providing a container comprising a plurality of mutually independent, sealed compartments in integrally interlinked state each of which can be individually opened independently of the other compartments, which can be left in their sealed state, and various aspects of the invention are defined in the claims which follow.

The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description with respect to a preferred embodiment of the invention and modifications thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one example of a container according to this invention; Figures 2, 3, and 4 are perspective views for a description of the opening and unsealing of a single compartment of the container independently of the other compartments; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the example container illustrated in Figures 1 through 4; Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective and edge view showing a joggled depressed edge part; Figure 7 is a planar view showing the development of a precut sheet of cardboard for forming an outer box; Figure 8 through 14 are perspective views for a description of the use of the outer box; and Figures 15A and 15B are respeotively a fragmentary planar view corresponding to the lower middle part of Figure 7 and a fragmentary perspective view correspanding to the front middle part of Figure 14 showing a modified shape of the slit to leceive a tab when the lid of the outer box is closed.

Referring to Figure 1, the main structure 5 of the example of the container according to this invention shown therein is formed from a sheet of a synthetic resin by vacuum molding to have a shape as shown wherein a plurality of concavities or hollow recept- acles 1 are formed in a row and interconnected by connective rim flanges 2.

These receptacles 1, which are to become container compartments upon being closed and sealed by a lid sheet 6, have a common longitudinal rim flange 3 along each of their front and rear sides. The receptacles at the ends of the row have respective side end rim flanges 4 along their end peripheral parts.

The front longitudinal rim flange 3 is provided at its outer edge at its juncture with the connective rim flanges 2 with joggled depressions 7, see also Figure 6.

The lid sheet 6 is made of a uniaxiallystretched, polyethylene film and is adapted to be placed flush against all of the flanges 2, 3, and 4 of the container main structure 5 for sealing as described hereinbelow. This lid sheet 6 is provided with slits 8 at its edge at positions corresponding respectively to the centers of the depressions 7.

For sealing the container of this invention after a product to be packaged has been placed in the receptacles 1 of the container main structure 5, the lid sheet 6 is placed on the upper flange surface of the main structure 5 as shown in Figure 2 so that the slits 8 register with the corresponding depressions 7, and the lower surface of the lid sheet 6 is sealingly attached to the upper surfaces of the front and rear, side end, and connective rim flanges 3, 4, and 2 by a method such as adhesive bonding or heat sealing. Thus, the receptacles 1 are rendered into sealed compartments containing the product.

When one of the compartments of this container is to be opened, a finger tip is introduced into the pertinent depression 7, and the free corner part of the lid sheet 6 adjacent the pertinent slit 8 is lifted by the finger tip. This part of the lid sheet 6 is thus pulled away from the main structure 5 as shown in Figure 3 thereby to tear off this part of the lid sheet 6 along substantially the centerline of the nearest connective rim flange 2, the uniaxial characteristic of the lid sheet 6 being utilized. As a result, the compartment is unsealed and opened as shown in Figure 4.

While, in the above described embodiment of this invention, a uniaxially-stretched polyethylene film is used for the lid sheet 6, it is possible to use for this sheet materials such as another synthetic resin film or a paper material which tears more easily in one direction. Furthermore, when a material having no directivity is used, lines of perforations or the like 9, shown in Figure 5, for facilitating tearing along intended lines may be formed in the front-to-rear direction in the lid sheet 6 along paths joining the slits 8 and coinciding with the centerlines of the rim flanges 2 of the main structure 5.

The material of the container main structure 5 is not limited to a synthetic resin, it being possible to use, according to necessity, other materials such as papers coated with wax, aluminium foil, and papers formed by suitably laminating materials such as synthetic resin and aluminium foil. Furthermore, in the case where a synthetic resin material is used, the main structure 5 may be formed by any suitable process such as blow molding or injection molding.

Because of the construction of the container of this invention as described above, wherein the container main structure comprises a plurality of mutually independent receptacles arranged in a row, it can be covered and sealed simply by a lid sheet to form mutually independent compartments.

Furthermore, because of the provision of depressions in specific positions in the edge flange of the container main structure and slits cut in the corresponding edge parts of the lid sheet any one of the compartments thus sealed can be unsealed and opened by tearing off the corresponding lid sheet part from the nearest slit while leaving the other compartments as they are. Thus, a necessary quantity of the product can be unsealed and used.

While the container of the above description according to this invention has ample utility as it is for packaging or otherwise containing certain products sealed in mutually independent compartments, this container is most advantageously used in a state wherein it is further accommodated within and in combination with an outer box.

One example of such an outer box will now be described with reference to Figures 7 through 15. In the outer box 24 shown as a development plan view in Figure 7, the box can be assembled from a single integral blank of sheet material. This blank comprises a lid front flap 11, an upper lid wall 12, a rear wall 13, a bottom wall 14, a front wall 15, lid end flaps 16, rear end flaps 17, bottom end flaps 18, and front end flaps 17a, which are interconnected as shown along fold lines. These walls and flaps are of their respective shapes as shown in Figure 7 and of respective dimensions such that when the blank 24 is folded to form the outer box, the interior space of this outer box will be suitable for accommodating and being used in conjunction with the aforedescribed container as described hereinafter.

The lid front flap 11 is provided at its middle part with a projecting tab 19 formed by cutting therein a slit extending continuously along its upper part and two sides.

The front wall 15 is provided at its middle part with a slit 20 for receiving and retaining the projecting tab 19 of the lid front flap 11 when the upper lid wall 12 and the lid front flap 11 has been once opened as described hereinafter. The front wall 15 is further provided at the outer edge thereof with cutouts 21 which are mutually spaced apart and are disposed symmetrically on the opposite sides of the slit 20 at positions to coincide with respective depressions 7 when the outer box 24 is assembled to package a sealed container comprising the container main structure 5 and the lid sheet 6.

The lid front flap 11 is provided along its central portion horizontally from one side to the other, except for a marginal part at both sides, with a tearable "zipper" strip 22 formed and defined by a line of perforations, which joins the two ends of the slit forming the projecting tab 19. Furthermore, two perforation lines 23 joined to and starting from 'the ends of the "zipper" strip 22 extend (downwardly as viewed in Figure 7) across the upper lid wall 12 parallelly to and spaced apart from their respectively nearest fold lines between the upper lid wall 12 and the side walls 16, terminating at the fold line between the upper lid wall 12 and the rear wall 13.

In packaging the aforedescribed container 5 containing a specific product and covered and sealed by the lid sheet 6 within the outer box, this container 5 is placed in coinciding alinement on the bottom wall 14 of the outer box blank 24, and the peripheral rear and front walls 13 and 15 and the rear end, front end, and bottom end flaps 17, 17a, and 18 are raised by bending along the appropriate fold lines as shown in Figure 8. Next, the upper lid wall 12 and the lid front flap 11 are bent inward along their fold lines, and the outer horizontal edge part of the lid front flap 11 is adhesive bonded to the bottom portion of the outer wall surface of the front wall in a manner such that no adhesive is applied to the "zipper" strip 22.

Then the inner surface of each side wall 16 is adhesive bonded to the rear and bottom end flaps 17 and 18, whereupon the assembly of the entire package is completed as shown in Figure 9.

When this package is to be unsealed and used, the "zipper" strip 22 is first torn away as indicated in Figure 10. This leaves the upper part of the lid front flap 11 in a free and openable state. This upper part of the lid front flap 11, including the projecting tab 19, is then raised, together with the upper lid wall 12 between the side perforation lines 23, thereby tearing the side end portions of the front flap 11 and the lid wall 12 along these side perforation lines 23. When the lid wall 12 is thus fully torn away from the side end portions 25 thereof, the opened outer box 24 is in the state illustrated in Figure 11.

The side end portions 25 thus left as a part of the vessel structure of the outer box 24 constitute retaining flanges, by which the container main structure 5 is held at its side ends and prevented from easily slipping out of the outer box 24.

Then the lid sheet 6 of the container at its portion covering a compartment which is to be opened is opened by lifting its free corner at the slit 8 and further tearing the lid sheet portion away from the container main structure 5. Thus, only one compartment can be unsealed and opened for extraction of the product contained therein without unsealing the remaining compartments, as shown in Figures 12 and 13.

The upper lid wall 12 and the upper part of the lid front flap 11 with the projecting tab 19 can be closed with the container and outer box 24 in the above described condition. In this case, the projecting tab 19 is fitted into the slit 20 in the front wall 15, whereby the outer box 24 housing the container 5 is placed in a neatly closed state as shown in Figure 14.

In a modification of the above described example of the outer box 24 according to the invention, the simple slit 20 in the front wall 15 for receiving and retaining the projecting tab 19 of the lid front flap 11 is replaced by a cutout 20b and two slits 20a communicating with the cutout 20b in the front wall 11 as shown in Figure 15A.

The slits 20a are made arcuate in plan shape, and the inner edge of the cutout 20b is also made arcuate to form a smooth arcuate curve with the slits 20a, whereby a tab-like part 20c is formed on the front wall 15.

When this tab-like part 20c is bent very slightly outward, it functions as a guide and facilitates the insertion of the projecting tab 19 of the lid front flap 11 into closed state as illustrated in Figure 15B.

It will thus be seen that, while the container of this invention possesses ample utility as it is, it can be further protected by its combination with the outer box 24.

Moreover, the advantageous feature of convenient unsealability of any selected compartment of a plurality of compartments without disturbing the other compartments is fully retained in the combination of the container and the enclosing outer box 24.

Furthermore, the retaining flanges 25 at the side ends of the outer box hold the container main structure 5 in the outer box, thereby facilitating the unsealing of a selected compartment.

Another useful feature of the combination of the container and the outer box 24 is that the product in the still sealed compartments and left-over portions of the product in an unsealed compartment, if any, can be protected and stored by reclosing the lid wall 12 and the lid front flap 11 and retaining them in this reclosed state by the insertion of the projecting tab 19 in the slit 20 or a modified form thereof.

Claims (3)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A container comprising a container main structure having a plurality of hollow receptacles for containing portions of a product or products in sealed state, adjacent receptacles being integrally connected at their adjacent rims by a common connective rim flange, other outer rims of the receptacles having outer rim flanges, a lid sheet sealingly attached to the connective rim flanges and the outer rim flanges thereby to seal the interiors of the receptacles and thereby to form individually sealed compartments, and tear-facilitating means provided at edge parts of said lid sheet at positions coinciding with said connective rim flanges and each position including a slit cut into the edge of the lid sheet at each of said positions and thus forming two adjacent free corners of the lid sheet each of which can be pried and pulled upwards to partially tear off the lid sheet, one of said outer rim flanges being formed at its outer edge with a plurality of mutually isolated outer rim flange rigidifying joggled depressions each disposed at said position coinciding with one slit and covering only the region of said two adjacent free corners of the lid sheet in such a manner that said one rim flange is separated from the lid sheet only in said region to facilitate prying up of a selected free corner of the lid sheet.

2. A container according to Claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of mutually isolated joggled depressions is formed in the shape of a semi-circle.

3. A container substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.