US2980311A - Container - Google Patents

Description

F. C. BASELT CONTAINER April 18, 1961 Filed Dec. 6, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

FREDERICK C. BASELT ATTORNEYS F. C. BASELT Apri]18,1961

CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1957 7X 77 if INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent G CONTAINER Frederick C. Baselt, New York, N. assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 6, 1957, Ser. No. 701,066

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-37;

The present invention relates to containers for the packaging and delivery of liquids, such as milk, fruit juices and the like and has particular reference to fibre containers having bevel corner panels and necked-in body portions securing end closure members to the container bodies.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a container for milk and other liquid products wherein the body of the container is generally square in configuration for ease in handling and is provided with bevel corner panels which result in an increase in the volume or capacity of such a container over a square container made from a blank of the same length thereby permitting the use of a blank of less height which results in a container of reduced height for the same volume or capacity and a resultant saving in material used for each container.

Another object is the provision of such a container in which the corner panels permit of a particular folding of the body material for cooperation with necked-in portions disposed along the marginal end edges of the body for the attachment of end closures thereto. This results in a natural or unstressed bending of the body material without tucking or tight compression of the material into sharp corners.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the provision of relatively narrow corner panels permits of less binding of the body material at the corners as compared with sharp cornered square containers and thereby results in a structurally stronger body with bend lines of less depth and panels flexed only 45 degrees'instead of 90 degrees.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the use of corner panels provides for greater protection through less protrusion of the tucked under lip of the friction plug closure element usually attached to such containers. This results in less danger of displacement of the tucked under lip during shipment and storage of the containers.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sealed container embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along a horizontal plane indicated by the lines 22 in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary perspective views of one corner of the container shown in Fig. 1, with Fig. 3 showing the manner of folding the necked-in portions of the container body and Fig. 4 showing the folds in a completed condition;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a corner portion of the blank from which the container body is made, the view illustrating crease lines in the body to effect the folds shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views taken substantially "ice along the lines 6-6, 77 in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively, with parts broken away;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary bottom plan view taken along a plane indicated by the lines 8-8 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9 in Fig. 8, with parts broken away;

Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary sectional views taken along planes indicated respectively by the lines 1010,' 1111 in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is a composite schematic plan view showing the contour of a square container in dotand dash lines superimposed upon the contour of a container of the instant invention in full lines to illustrate the difference in volume or capacity when the two containers are made from blanks of the same length.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instanti'nvention the drawings illustrate a generally square or rectangular container of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,085,979, issued July 6, 1937, to John M. Hothersall on Container. Such a container comprises afibre tubular body 21 (Fig. 1) closed at its ends with top and bottom end closure members 22, 23 secured in place by end seams 24. The top closure member 22 preferably is provided with a dispensing opening having a friction plug cover 25 hingedly secured in place by a staple 26. The plug cover 25 preferably is formed with a lip 27 which extends along and is tucked under the portion of the end seam 24 adjacent the dispensing openin to protect the plug cover against accidental opening during shipment and storage.

The container body 21 preferably is formed from a single flat sheet or blank of fibrous material folded along vertical-crease lines 31 to provide four right'angularly disposed relatively wide side walls 32 (see also Fig. 2) and four, intervening relatively narrow beveled corner panel walls 33, and having the side edges of the blank overlapped and adhesively secured together tov provide a side seam 34.

The width of the beveled walls 33 preferably is about one fifth the width of the side walls 32 and are designed to increase the volume or capacity of the container over a square or rectangular container having sharp degree corners where both containers are made from blanks of the same length. This comparison is shown in Fig. 12 where a square container outlined in dot and dash lines is superimposed upon a bevel corner panel container outlined in full lines. With such a beveled corner panel container the height of the container can be reduced for the same volume as a square container and hence a substantial saving may be made in the amount of material used in the container bodies.

The body side walls 32 adjacent their top and bottom ends are necked-in or formed with inwardly obliquely extending wall sections 37 (see also Figs. 4 and 9) which merge into horizontally disposed channel or U shaped flanges 38 which surround and are adhesively secured to the outer peripheral edge portions of the top and bottom end closures 22, 23 to form the end seams 24 and to thus provide a seat for and hold the closures in place on the body (see also Figs. 8, 10 and 11). To facilitate bending the oblique trapezoidal wall sections 37 and the channel shaped flanges 38 into place, the flat blank from which the body is made, preferably is provided with horizontal crease lines 41, 42 43 disposed longitudinally along the edge portions of the blank as'shown in Fig. 5.

At the beveled panel walls 33 the oblique wall sections and channel shaped flanges are continued to produce a continuous end seam entirely around the end closures 22, 23, but this continuation is effected in a manner which permits of a natural or unstressed folding of the body material and thus prevents undue compression or crushing of the material which would result in a weakening 1 tral'crease'lines 46 (FigL- of hecontainer structure. "For this purpose the .flat

d7 wbich'are substantially continuations of the crease lines 41, 42, 43am in addition is. providediwith . pairs'of crease lines 48, 49, the lines of'ach. pair,-48 or d9, ex-

' tending outwardly'from vertically aligned points on the crease lines 45, 47 and converging atfa point on the cen- Also at ends; of the body the blank is provided with vertical ereaselines151 leading from the crease line 47 and the .point of connection with the lines 48, 49 and with connecting inwardly sloping crease. lines 52- leading from thecrease, line 47 to the edge ofthe blank. a t Hence when the blank is formedinto tubular body 7 shape to produce the body 21 and this body necked-in atits top and bottom ends, the material Let, the may 'blank as shown in Fig. 5 in the region of the bevet'panel walls 33 is provided with horizontal crease lines 45,46,

shipment and storage. In addition to'these important features, the instant structure at the :ontainer provides for a natural folding .of the body material in the neckedin sections thereof and thus greatly increases the strength tainers.

It is thought that the invention and many oft-ts attendant [advantages will be understood from the foregoing denat'urallyiolds along the creaselines abov described and produces the oblique trapezoidal wall. sections 3 7 ;ir i"the. side-walls 32 and similar substantially continuingoblique; rt'rja'pezoidal wall sections 55 inTthebfiv led panel uses.

The oblique trapezoidal'wall sections 55 merge. into'horizontau disposed channel or U-shapedflanges'56' which surround and are adhesively secured to the outer peripheraledge portions of the top and bottom end closures scription, and it will be apparentthat various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing'from-the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advan- V tages,*the form hereinbefore described being merely a' preferred embodiment thereof,

Iclaim: 1 1 a l a i e 1. A, fibre container comprising a, tubular polyhedral body having an'even vnuinlzrer of relatively wide vertical 7 side walls and an equal numberof relatively narrow ver tical panel walls disposed alternately around the body perimeter, each wall aand panel'being bounded laterally 22,123 at the beveled panel wall 33 and thus provide continuity of the end seams 24.

, ,Where the oblique trapezoidal wall sections 55 in the panelssa connect with the adjacent oblique trapezoidal wall sections 37 in the side walls 32, the crease lines 48,

tionsSS into'the. oblique wall sections 37 and similarly merge theadj'acent channel wall section 56 into the adiacent channel wall section 38,

- in thefini'shed container as viewed in Figs. :4 and 7,'

, 49define and provide two small obtuse triangular wall sections 58 (Fig.3) which are connected along the crease ,line 42 and which gradually merge'thea oblique wall secangular Wall section 58 remains as a slight protuberance on, each side of the panel walls 33 and presents a smooth merger of the oblique wall section 55 into, the adjacent oblique wall sections 37 in the sidewalk in a natural smooth fold which enhances the appearance of the heckled-in sections and more importantly provides a structurally strong necked-in formation. a

"In a simil'ar manner, the crease linesSl, 52' in the outer channel wall sections 56. set off small triangular vvjall sections 59 which produce under-folds as shown in Figs. 7, 8 andr9,'in the outer flangesection of the end seam 2,4 and which provide a smooth continuous connection between the outer channel wall sections 56 of the bevel panel walls 33 and the outer channel Wall sections 38 of the side walls 32.

With such a construction of containers, the body bevel by vertical crease linesjiand atleast one end thereof by a first horizontalcrease line, said first horizontal crease lines lying in a first horizontal plane spaced from an'end of said body, a. second series vof horizontal crease lines lying in a second horizontal plane disposed between said first horizontal plane and said end of the body and setting ofi a continuous flange at the end or the body, a pair of diverging crease lines startingat each point of intersection between a said vertical crease line and a said first horizont'al crease line, said pairs of diverging lines terminating atpoints on saidsecondhorizontalcrease lines and setting ofi between said'first and second series of horizontal crease lines a series of inclinedftrape'zoidal wall sections each merging-at one side with a saidvertical wall and at the opposite s'idee vvith said flange and ase'ries of obtuse tritrapezoidal wall sections,'the fibre along said vdiverging crease, lines being bent inalternately opposite directions,

1 and jan endclosure secured to said flange at said end of corner panel walls 33, aside from increasing the capacity of thecontainer with a reduction or saving in material used for agiven volume, also provide for adjoining walls having more gradual and smoother 45 degree bends instead of sharp 90 degree'corners while at the same time preserving the general square or rectangular configuranon which facilitates handling of the containers during the body, whereby a strong andrelatively unstressed necked-in formation lies between said vertical walls and said end closure.

. '2. A fib're container of the character defined in claim 1 wherein a second series of obtuse triangular wall sections are defined by a second series of similar but reversely directed paired divergingcrease lines in said flangev that meet corresponding lines of said first mentioned pairs of diverging crease lines to set oft" a second series of trapezoidal sections, and whereby said first and second series of trapezoidal andobtu'se triangular section'srmer'ge with each other and with 'said vertical walls and flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stoller et al. Jan. 14,1958

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