US1347530A - Packaging of tobacco products - Google Patents

Description

J'. E. WILLIAMSON, F. POPKEN AND'A. G. VALE. PACKAGING OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. I917.

1 ,347, 5 3O Patented July 27, 1920..

/ 2 INlfENTORi 070'! g. B) THEIR ATTORNEYS,

' 1'! ite O n, Jiarz detainer of the sealed wrapped type.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WILLIAMSON, OF YONKERS, AND HARRY F. POPKEN AND ALFRED G. VALE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, A CORPORA- 'lION OF NEW JERSEY.

PACKAGING 0]? TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1917.. Serial No. 168,913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JoI-IN E. VVILLIAM- soN, HARRY F. .POPKEN, and ALFRED Gr. VAL-n, all citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Yonkers, New York, and New York, in the counties of lVestchester and New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Packaging of Tobacco Products, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relatesto. improvements in the packaging of tobacco products, pertaining more particularly to the production of packages of the sealed wrapped type.

As is well-known, tobacco products, are affected to a more or less extent by air and moisture conditions which tend to vary some of the original characteristics of the tobacco, especially as respects aroma, flavor, moisture, etc. Deterioration of the product, due to these changes in characteristics results from continued exposure, of the prodnot to these conditions for a considerable length of time, the short period generally required in retailing the contents of a package not materially affecting this condition. However, the length of time which may elapse between the time of packaging by the manufacturer and the time when the package is opened by the dealer, may extend over a considerable period, so that unless precaution is had, deterioration'of stock in the hands of the dealer might result, so that the dealer is less liable to carry a suflicient stock on hand owing to possibility of decrease in the value of the product.

The effect of these conditions can be practically avoided by employing an air and moisture proof container for the product, and this effect can be produced by a con- However, containers of this type, as known to us, are more or less expensive inmanufacture, and require considerable manipulation in producing the sealed condition as well as when the package is being opened. Since increase in cost of container and the cost of manipulating the container in packaging necessarily affects the margin of profit of the manufacturer, the question of cost is of considerable importance'in producing a package for this purpose.

The present invention is designed to meet these conditions by the production of a container from a simple form of blank, which blank can be readily shaped into the container form, the container having a configuration which will enable the sealed wrapped condition to be provided by the application of a strip-which may form the label for the packagethe completed package being of a form which canbe readily opened but which will be practically air and moisture proof prior to the time when vending of the contents of the package begins.

While the invention is designed more particularly for use in connection with the packaging of tobacco products, it is applicable for other uses and the right to employ it for such other uses is reserved herein.

.To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said inven tion consists in the blank, the sealed wrapped container, and the method of pro ducing the package, all as hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views Figure 1 is a perspective view of a completed package.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of container blank which may be employed for the purpose.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the package of Fig. 1 opened, the contents having been removed.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44t of Fig. 1.

' A preferred embodiment of the blank from which the container is formed is shown 'in'Fig. 2 wherein the dotted lines represent Patented July 27, 1920.

7 of the container to be closed by the top flaps 13, these flaps having a combined width sufficient to substantially cover the open top, a preferred arrangement being to provide an overlapping ofthese flaps, as indicated in Fig. 4, although it will be understood that the flaps need not overlap but may be in abutting relation or may have a combined width slightly less than the width of the open top providing a narrow space bet-ween the opposing edges. It should also be noted that while we have shown the top flaps as of substantially equal width, this may be varied if desired, it being desirable, however, that two flaps be employed in order that the joint between the flaps may be spaced from the plane of a side wall, thus taking the joint away from the side of the package.

After the open container has been filled with the commoditypackages of cigarettes for instanceflaps 12", if employed, are folded inwardly on to the top of the contents, and the top flaps folded down, after which a label 14 is applied to the opposite ends and the top, it being secured to one end, brought across the top and down over the other end. i

As will be obvious, the label may contain suitable indications, as for instance. advertising or designating matter, in which case theportion of the label extending over the ends may have the form of a distinguishing end label, while that portion extendin over the top may carry a different form of advertising matter, the entire label being in strip form. The width of the label may equal that of the container or it may be less than such width, it being preferable. however. to provide a width sufi'icient to extend some distance on opposite sides of the top flap joint.

As will be seen. when the label has been applied, practically no crevices for the passage of air or moisture remain. the body of the container being so formed as to close the crevices in the body portion. while the label covers those points where the closing of thetop flaps may leave crevices. Consequently the package, produced from the container blank and the label applied in this manner, complete the sealed wrapped package which will preserve the original characteristics so long as the package remains sealed.

When it is desired to open the package it is necessary only to rupture the wrapper lengthwise of the top along the joint of the readily raised, 7 the raising movement rupturing thesingle thickness of the label which overlies the corner of the end and top flaps. V

' As heretofore indicated, the flaps 12 may be omitted if desired. V

As will be seen, the sealed wrapped packagemay be produced in an exceedingly that the sealing and labeling-of the package may be provided by the same operation.

While we have shown oneor more ways in which the general invention may be carried out, it will. be understood that changes and modifications therein may be found necessary or desirable to meet thevarious exigencies of use, and we desire tobe understood as reserving'the right to make any and all such changes and modifications in so far as the samemay fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims, it also being understood that while the invention is especially designed for the particular use above indicated, it is not limited'to this field and may be employed in 7 connection with the packaging of other commodities. f V r As shown in Fig. 2 we prefer, where flaps 12 are employed, that these flaps be more or less tapered,- the slot between top flap 13 and flap .12? being preferably tapered} As indicated in Fig. 8, this arrangement tends to reduce liability of flaps l2 beingsubjected to pressure of the side walls when the package is closed.

Having thus, described our invention, what We claim as new, is

1. A box-like container having a bottom, parallel side walls and parallel end walls in substantially continuous contact with each other along their meeting edges to form a of a pair of oppositely foldable flaps united with the side walls but normally free from.

'hesively attached to both flaps and to the ends of the container, said sealing strip being of substantially the width of the top of the container and substantially sealing the connections between the top flaps and between said flaps and the ends of the c0ntainer, the construction being such that the ends and one longitudinal edge of said flaps form guide means along which the strip may be readily ruptured.

2. A boX-like container having sides, ends and bottom sealed together along their meeting edges, a cover therefor comprising a pair of oppositely foldable flaps united with the side walls but normally free from each other and from the end walls, and adapted when in closed position to have their free longitudinal edge portions parallel to and intermediate the side walls of the container, and

a sealing strip overlying the longitudinal edges of the top flaps and extending across both ends of said flaps onto the ends of the body portion to seal the flaps to each other and to said container ends, the sealing strip being of substantially the width of the top of the container and substantially sealing the connections between the top flaps and between said flaps and the ends of the container. I

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN E. WILLIAMSON.

HARRY F. POPKEN.

ALFRED Gr. VALE.

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