US2488323A - Dispensing carton - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 15, 1949 PARKER 2,488,323

DISPENSING CARTON Filed April 18, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 15, 1949 c. PARKER 2,488,323

DI SPENS ING CARTON Filed April 1a, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 15, 1949 PATENT "(D'F'FI CE ;2,488,3g3 msnE is egw-rgw Henry C. liarkenzwashingtonp. C. v w ie n fi -g$sria1bl -1%???3973 hinge coinciding with-and forming-part ofthe fold ofwsaid ;fi ap, said blank being divided by scoring lines into a central section adapted to-f orm the-bottom of a'pouring spout and side sections adapted tojforrnside walls of said spout, said base being out-away at -either side of said central sectionso that said sidewalls can be bent at right angles thereto, a dispensing opening directly beneath and having-substantially the shape of said centralsection so thatwhen-said side walls are bent inwardly they can be-received-into said opening with the central section flush with the carton .top, Saidcarton top being also advantageously provided with means forspreventing said dispenszing .spout from being pushed all theway into lsaid dispensing .openingand. for holding said side walls .in binding ,engagement when they a are 5 pushed into said opening, t as well as with means gforraising said blank from the carton-top about the'l'hinge asaxbase; all as lmore fully' hereinspatter set forth and. as claimed.

A largenumber "of dispensing tops forcartons have been developed ortsuggestedin the art. In many of these the dispensing spouts ortroughs are formed byzbending a section of the top. In

most of these devices thehinges of the troughs are formed from, a flat portion of the top and,

while some are provided with means for preventing the edges of the troughs-from slipping out-of the dispensing opening usually no provision-is made for holding the troughs indispensing position '-or for 'frictionally' retaining the troughs when folded into closed position.

I have found that a highly satisfactory dispens- Ving spout or trough can-be'formed by suitably bending up a pouring spout blank whioh consti-"' .tutes a flap or section thereof usually having a substantially rectangular outline and using the fold of said fiap-asa hinge, cuts-being provided along said fold at eithei side .ofthe. hinge and blank being separated by, scoring lines ,into' a central section adapted to form. the bottom of the spout and side. sections, adapted to form the side walls of said spout, the bases of the side sections beingdefined by cutsso that saidsections a spout are cut away to make a dispensingvopening, this openingehaving advantageoilslythe general .shapesof the zbottomhof thespQut sothat, when the sideslofzthe spoutlarein upright posi- 5 tionzthese sides-can be received into th QED?!- ing openingtandthe spout foldedflush with the top. .of the box. Wh n i .7 i des re t 4 5 t spout 01; dispensing p rposesone of its side walls can be bent outwardly to a slight eigtentsothat 10 zitsaendzbears against the box top at one side of the i. Qens; ls pe me thi 1 .915 5 th sp i perp ndicu a t h he t n e t Qon fi r e hinge firom autonia many nt 'glosed positionf Sinc'the an mum 9 h fi I 4 v coring lines) tend to fold thespout sides utwariil'y, ther'isfconsiderable tion betwe n the s sides-and thesides of the qis eat as peei l he iih e sides are ng. For this reason the spout ttorn ot the-spout, the forward a '11s of the Spout should be cut 9 ightly at. them tips so that they will readily enter the. opening. "It is also truethat in this e thespout can belpushedall the. way into the eningjinto a position from whi'ch it is diffic'ult reniovfi But. it rlatiyely simple to prevent helespoutirom be ng pushed entirely into the pensi sbpeninei'lhis canb a co pl ed by e qf ifir gvtogs ta qth topof h 09thg which e gages the bottomof the spout as it 6 th seams- -H v a va t eou a dj otclies ateither side 'of the i 1% Wall 7' h po l v k ,ay be ltapered at the top so that n -ide wallsv of thespoutare' forced thereab nding' aetion' pgourswhich holds the spout closed pg ipiqn. T heforward end of the bottom of the Spout extends oyer the tonguea'rid sti e 9 se b eadi e 's ie ngqpasition" by thrusting the finger nail'between the I gtongu'e v the spent; bottomfand then lifting. along the lateral edges and toprof the blank, the

lt isgthus selen that my dispensingspout can be sed 'firnily, when' not r'i eeded;"that it can be I easily raisedinto 'p uring position and that it can be held inthe latter position. 5 inyen on oan'be ex plained more specifically by reference to the a'oooinpa'n'ying drawing which shows several embodiments of mydispensing box p vn. a a

Inthis showing,

L es-"11swea e View 9 e upper e t-P 3 a blank which when folded and pasted forms my box top,

Fig. 1a is a similar view of a slightly modified blank,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the top of the box before being opened,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the box top after opening with the spout in pouring position,

Fig. i is a similar view with the spout in closed position,

Fig. 5 is an expanded view of the upper part of another blank which when folded and pasted forms a second modification of my box top,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the box top after being opened but with the spout in closed position,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the box after being opened with the pouring spout in operating position, I,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the box top before being opened,

Fig. 9 is a partial view of a modified blank,

Fig. 10 is a rear side view of a box top which embodies the modification of Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 is a partial view of a blank for constructing a further modified form of my box top, while Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a box top made from the blank of Fig. 11 with the spout in pouring position.

' Like parts are designated in the various figures by like reference numerals. Fig. 1 shows a blank consisting of the conventional front and back walls I and 2, respectively, and end walls 3 and 4. At one end of the blank the usual pasting strip 5 is provided. These various parts are defined by the usual scoring lines, 6, I, 8 and 9, these lines being shown dotted. The top of the box corresponding to the blank of Fig. 1 has two end flaps shown generally at l0 and I I.

tangular shape but end flap IE] when raised and folded forms the pouring spout of the box. This flap is partly cut away from the end panel 3 at each side of its base as shown at I2. The line I3 "between these cuts is scored and forms the hinge of the pouring spout. It will be noted that this hinge coincides with the folding edge of the box top. The flap is also provided with two longitudinal scored lines I4 which are tapered in such :fashion that the spout formed from the flap is wider at the base than at its pouring end. These 'lines I4 divide the flap into a central portion I5 which forms the bottom of the pouring spout ;and side portions or wings I6 which form the side walls of the spout when these walls are bent downwardly along their scored lines.

The box top whose blank is shown in Fig. 1 may have a single side flap as shown generally at H.

This flap is provided with two pasting strips l8 and I9 which are adapted to be pasted to the side and end walls of the box at the inside, these strips being bent along the scoring lines and '2 I. The center of the flap IT is sufficiently large to cover the entire top of the box but is provided with a cut out which forms the pouring outlet and cooperates with the pouring spout. It will be noted that this cut out is tapered at its edges in a man- ,ner similar to the bottom of the pouring spout and that at its top it has two notches 22 and an intermediate depending lip or tongue 23, the notches being tapered to points at their tops. The distance from the points 24 to the base 25 of the cut out corresponds to the length of the pouring spout, i. e. the length of fiap Ill. The function of the notches 22 is to receive the upper or pouring ends of the side Walls or wings of the pouring spout, as is evident from the showings of Figs. 3 and 4. Owing to the taperof the notches a binding action is produced which holds the spout firmly in closed position, while the lip 23 prevents the spout from being pushed all the way into the in Fig. 2.

out out. The pouring end of the spout is engaged by the lip and notches and held slightly away from the surface of the box top, thus providing a convenient place to insert the finger nail when the spout is to be opened, as shown at 26 in Fig. 4.

The top of the box before it is opened is shown The two end flaps I0 and I I are on top and fit closely at their point of engagement. The cut-out in flap I! is beneath flap II] but is effectively closed by the latter which is pasted to flap I'I. Opening of the box is very simple. It is only necessary to thrust an ordinary table knife beneath fiap Iii and above flap I7 and to pry upwardly to lift flap I0 along hinge I3. This fiap is then hinged at the edge of the box along its scored line IS. The bases of the wings are free due to the cuts I2. When the flap is raised at right angles to the box top, it is then a simple matter to bend the wings downwardly towards the box top, in the manner shown in Fig. 3. These wings then fit in the pouring opening as shown. If the hinge at I3 tends to make the pouring spout close up, this can be prevented by leaving one of the wings outside the pouring opening in which position it presses against the box top and holds the spout in correct position aligned with the end of the box. But the friction of the wings against the pouring opening is usually sufficient to overcome the closing action of the hinge. The hinge at E3 is sufficiently strong to prevent the pouring spout from opening too wide. It is therefore evident that the pouring spout can be readily held in correct pouring position, i. e. at an angle of about 90 to the box top.

the top of the pouring opening and the pouring spout is seated in closed position by pressing it against the box top. The notches bind the wings in this position and the wings tend to spread out inside the box, as shown in Fig. 4 which also serves to hold the spout tightly in closed position. But it can be readily raised by inserting I the finger nail in the slit 26 (Fig. 4) and lifting to prevent the spout from changing its position and since the Weight of the material passing through the spout is small. It is thus seen that thepouring spout remains fully effective until the box is empty.

In Fig. 1 the flaps which are pasted are shown stippled to indicate the paste. In sealing the box thesealing strip is -fiist coated and-the bottom 315 closed in conventional manner. --Then after -tne' carton-is fi lled the flap -11 is coated with paste; the strips;i8 and'l9 are bent inwardly and pasted inside the box and the two-flaps l0 and H .5

arethen pressedagainst the flap l1 thereby closin g the box. Itisalso possible to -fill the box th ough the pouring opening. In this oase'the ist iri llfiien lfieiefimt ee e an v e in {Owing to the fact thattthel topofiap=1:29,.of lathis -embodiment -is-larger than necessany to term I the pouring spout,-asomewhat-modified form of position, the boxis filled and then the top of= hinge andthe-wingslB arebent'downwardly,-the

fiiapll is coated and the iiaps l0 and: II pressed a ains i iSe exPQ ib e .e c ur pee Lthe undersidesofflapslfl and 1 {instead of the .e ,fl l1.

center portion' a forms- -the-bottom of the pouring spout as 1 indicated in Fig. 7.

fihe ut. th eembe men is e e ed ly by; inserting the end of a, knife just beneatlrthe :Theme ifietiw Q L is. l i quite Similar to PQnfi i rb tweeneeut rfifi en n thatlpf l'iig l exceptthat two side flaps ila and .11 .are employed. ,Both of these are provided with cut ou ts i 2 l a and; 2,8, of 1 the same shape as in Fig. I 1 but owing to the {absence of pasting wardly. This swingsthe spout blank about the A ge 1 3a, after which the wings'can' be readily qbentinwe dlrt term th sidewalls o t ee ing spout. Thespeut is closed by compressing -o.s trip s these, cut outs a ee 0pen;ended. When the g h i l i hetthe inside the eu i ,box is,closed these cut outs register, forming the pouring opening. Sincethereis double layer pf paper:therei-idpo needflof the reinforcing actionp1;ovided;by the pastingstrips l8 and IQ of Fig. l.

yrrer de p e s-t ieine 1 th .en li wh statutes what -migi1t. --be called a, pouring spout sl lenk f .ee n mee tek sth mef thin flexible-sheet fl pf fabric or plastic, such fi c ulos ieceteteupaet atth op of h lhlankza its und e rtae h e d of t s sheet-protrudes fromthe end of the box when the spout blank is sealedandserves as a finger grip ;to raise the blank. wThissstrip shouldextend limostofltheqdistanceiacrossthe'top of the blank and 1:asufricientcdistaneetbeneath to prevent it from being pulled. .oifg/beforethe. blank is lifted. ,After-the blank1-islliftedzthe stripcan be re- ,movedifrom the blankaor left onto form a flex- 4" .ible end to: the spout. Sometimes aflexible end .is advantageous. 'Ihebox= is sealed by first clos- :ing flap lla, then- 21 -and finally llaand-lfla whichform the-top lof-i'il'ie-box as before. The

outer-end of-theopening strip- 5|) isleft outside i455 and is not pasted. The pouring spout-blank in this modification-israised'by pulling up on the ;strip; and then the spout isformed in the same manner as that off'ig. 1. ltis evident that the .medifie i nle 11 e ui ea l y smaller area of paper board to cut out the blank.

Pigs. 5vto ashow a modified blank and box top wherein the pour ng spout is at the front of the box ratheri than at yone end. The blank a is. iorrnedpf the isame front .and.end .wall panels as'be ore and is provided with the usualside ,pastingstripj asiwell as thescored folding lines L fi l a andfl. 'lhe-boxrhastwo. end flaps shown generally at'30 tand iil and a-top side flap 29 Zwhich is su-fliciently large to cover the entire toppf the;bo .v 'I he side flaps are tapered and we'ree e idt thet.w e n et i P s i :they leave a pouring opening 2| =.between their ;are: OVi d@d-;with tabsggz zand 3 3-;w hic h are bent d wn d 1 1 8 :t sto e d ng l n T34 and 35,,andxthen 'pasted inside,- the: box against the side wa1l; 2;@ s ee:,Fig.;7. These, pasting strips ire n re g h ;fl n '3 .;-.an a d pr ve them;

a sh w a re l de i wse lth l ex te l i med opening :2 i and then pushing the spout in -flush wi h: t ex tqp- In the embodiment of; Figsx5 ;to 8, as described, there issorne danger that the spout will bepushed In this modification special means are" D .ee ire v i h rw n opening Se that-1H8 "t mean imag Pr ide fwlth n te uen tten ie ei an rewn wh n ,n es fin i th bo tese er r nehme ifie i i-Qn u zieb ee notches 22a, as is evidentirqrn Fig. 10, which ffie t e :It i e icienrrha th ended-t wine te of th rq lfi lint the netehe when th vsrz h lo e Liha t eeenetlehe endth tensi .Bfi .th t i .ve eet iut 1 1 3 .1 er Pr V-v tie th tro 2 3 e n i se te te "i t m th p urin op n n In. the embod m nt e i s-1 w 10 a te h s inei n ed th tab i nfl ir yb e a e il dedev r and a t d neideth bQ .3 2 5 leere .th l eurin openin I ee eee o an th z see b fille throu h I thi eite whi h the. flee 4-3" Ma ie lie-en b eeete 'eedthetopfl n p ess ,onth ep.

In Figseien .2 iwth vIneriif ea e is shown in which the blank is provided with jiour top flaps. End flaps 39 and 410 are conventional but are advantageously of such length that, their ends coincide with the eutsjlibin the top flap .shown generally at QL thQ-Jatten covering the e ntire top of the box. The lower ,side fiap 42jis provided witha cut out 2 I which forms the pewing opening. This cut outat the top is provided with notches/22 l-and. tongue;23. as in the other modifications. vThetopl side flap M is cut at 36b and MD, the cutsu36b.beingvparallel in this. em-

bodirnent in order to form a rectangularspout blank. This makes-ritsomewhat easier to 1ift up the spout blank withaknife.

After the strip 5 is pasted, the two flaps 39 and G0 are-coated and'folded. Flap lzis then pressed down to paste it. The box; is then filled through the pouring opening 2l and finally'the box! is closed by coating the top of flap 42 and pressing flap 4! over it. This forms a strong top construction. The pouring spout is formed and closed in the same manner asin; the other em- 'bodirnents.

While I have disclosed =whatgIl consider to; be

' the most advantageous modifications of mygdis- 7 "pens'ing carton, it is obvious, of course, that various modifications can be made in the specific structures which have been described without departing from the purview of this invention. In .order to secure the advantages of this invention it is only necessary to provide on the top of a box a pouring spout blank which has a hinge which preferably coincides with the fold of one ,of the top flaps, said blank having scoring lines defining the bottom and side walls of the pouring spout, and a pouring opening beneath said blank having a shape corresponding to that of the bottom of the pouring spout, means being advantageously provided to prevent the pouring spout .from being pushed entirely into the said pouring ;cpening. It is evident, of course, that directions can be given on the box for the user'to cut away Lthe hinge of the pouring spout blank at either sidei back to the scoring lines, thus eliminating the necessity of providing the cuts l2, l2a or no in the various modifications. Instead of cuts serving to outline the pouring spout blank, perforations can be employed, if desired. And the cuts l2, [2a and HI: likewise can be substituted byperforations, which would, of course, be equivalent to the cuts. It is advantageous but not absolutely necessary for the pouring spout blank to have at least one of its hinge-free margins coincide with one of the top edges of the box top, so that the blank can be raised easily by thrusting the blade of the knife under the blank at this point; otherwise an opening strip, such as 50, should be provided. When this strip is used the pouring spout blank can be placed, if desired, .even in the center of the carton top. And, of course, this strip, considered as a separate element, is convenient to employ in the case of all types of pouring spouts which are formed from blanks constituting'sections of carton tops. The directions for opening and folding the pouring spout can be placed on this opening strip. In the case of my dispensing box these directions can be made very simple, merely stating, for example. To open box, pull on this tab to lift flap, then fold flap into the shape of a pouring spout. To fclose, insert side walls of spout into pouring open- 3 ing and push the spout closed. Further modifications -of this invention which fall within the scope of the following claims will be immediately evident to those skilled in this art. What I claim is:

1. A dispensing carton comprising a top flap .sealed to 'alower flap, said top flap comprising a pouring spout blank of substantially rectangular shape which is defined by cuts along its sides and across its top and having a base hinge I, coinciding with and forming at least part of f the fold of said flap, said pouring spout blank j being separated by folding lines into a central "section adapted to form the bottom of a pouring spout and side sections adapted to form the side walls thereof, said base being cut away at said fold on either side of said central section at the bases of said side sections leaving said base hinge on said central section, said lower flap having an opening directly beneath and having the general [shape of said central section, said blank being I the said opening being adapted to receive the side walls of the spout to permit it to be folded flushwith' thecarton top thereby closing said opening.

2. The dispensing carton 'of claim 1 wherein notches are provided at the top of said dispensing opening to receive the outer ends of the side walls of said pouring spout, said notches being tapered to provide a binding action when the spoutis closed.

3. A dispensing carton comprising at least two top flaps which are sealed one on top of the other to form the top of the carton, the upper of said flaps comprising a pouring spout blank defined by cuts across the top and along the sides, said blank being divided into a central section forming the bottom of a pouring spout and side sections forming the side walls thereof, said central portion being connected to the box by a hinge at its base, which hinge coincides with the fold of said flap, the bases of said side sections being defined by cuts, said lower flap being provided with a dispensing opening corresponding substantially in shape to the shape of said central section but having notches at the top adapted to receive said side walls when the pouring spout is folded flush with the carton top, said notches being tapered to provide a binding action when the outer ends of said side walls are received therein.

4. A dispensing carton comprising at least two top flaps sealed one on top of the other to form the top of the carton, the upper of said flaps comprising a pouring spout blank adapted to be raised from the top around a hinge at its base and folded into a pouring spout, said hinge constituting at least part of the fold of said upper flap, said blank being separated by scoring lines into a central section adapted to form the bottom of said spout and side sections adapted to form the side walls of said spout, said lower flap being provided with a dispensing opening directly above and corresponding substantially in shape to the shape of the bottom of said spout, a central protruding tongue at the top of said opening mounted on a lower flap and adapted to bear against the bottom of the spout when the spout is folded into the opening with its bottom flush with the carton top, to prevent said spout from being pushed all the way into said dispensing opening, notches being provided on either side of said tongue at the top of said dispensing opening adapted to receive the outer ends of the side walls of said spout and tapered to produce a binding action when said side walls are received therein.

5. A dispensing carton having a top closed by two end and at least one side flap, the end flaps being folded over and sealed on top of said side flap, one of said end flaps forming a hinged pouring spout blank which is divided by scoring lines into a central section adapted to form the bottom of a pouring spout and side sections adapted to form the side walls of said spout, the fold of said flap forming the hinge of said blank, said side flap being provided with a cut-out forming a dispensing opening directly below and having substantially the shape of said central section so that when the side walls of said pouring spout blank are bent inwardly at right angles to the bottom of the spout they can be pushed into said opening and a tongue mounted centrally in the top of said dispensing opening with tapered notches on both sides to receive the outer'ends of the side walls of said spout and to produce a binding action when said side walls are received therein.

6. A dispensing carton having a top closed by end and side flaps, the top side flap comprising a pouring spout blank extending across the top of the carton and being defined by side cuts, with a base hinge formed at the fold of said flap, said blank being separated by scoring lines into a central section adapted to form the bottom of a pouring spout and side sections adapted to form the side walls of said pouring spout, said side sec-- tions being cut away at their bases adjacent said fold so that they can be bent at right angles to said central section, a dispensing opening directly beneath and having substantially the same shape as said central section so that said side walls can be received therein when the pouring spout is closed flush with the carton top, and a tongue mounted centrally in the top of said dispensing opening with tapered notches on both sides to receive the outer ends of the side walls of said spout and to produce a binding action when said side walls are received therein.

7. In a dispensing carton, a pouring spout hinged at its base above a dispensing opening, said pouring spout having a bottom section and side walls and having been formed from a substantially rectangular blank constituting part of the top of the carton, said dispensing opening having substantially the shape of the bottom section of the pouring spout, a tongue mounted at the top of the dispensing opening adapted to prevent the pouring spout from being pushed entirely into the opening, said tongue being defined by tapered notches on either side for receiving the side walls of said pouring spout blank, said notches being tapered to provide a binding action when the outer ends of said side Walls are received therein.

HENRY C. PARKER.

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