US3057534A - Carton with integral dispensing spout - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1962 s. M. SILVER 3,057,534

CARTON WITH INTEGRAL DISPENSING SPOUT Filed April 28, 196.0 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 34 INVENTOR. 9 FIG .3 Q6

Oct. 9, 1962 s. M. SILVER CARTON WITH INTEGRAL DISPENSING SPOUT Filed April 28, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 87cm In. 5//ver 47' OK/VEV United States Patent l 3,057,534 CARTON WITH INTEGRAL DISPENSING SPGUT Stan M. Silver, 25 Central Park West, New York, NY. Filed Apr. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 25,289 8 Claims. (Cl. 229-17) The present invention relates to a dispensing carton or the like for ready-flowing solids, such as powdered, granular or flaky solids; particularly to such dispensing carton having a pouring spout that is formed integrally with the cardboard blank from which the cart-on is set up; and is an extension and improvement of my invention described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 899,473, filed October 29, 1959.

In my aforesaid co-pending application, I have pointed out that cartons with integral pouring spouts, such as have heretofore been known, have been proven commercially impractical for a number of reasons; namely,

r they were not economical in use of the cardboard material from which they were formed, as compared to cartons of similar capacity formed without any spout; they were not suitable for gluing, folding, setting up, sealing and filling on any of the several standard types of automatic equipment now in use for the purposes aforesaid, without materially modifying or altering such apparatus and of reducing their speed of operation; generally, such integrally-formed spouts were not sufficiently strong to withstand repeated opening and closing during use. Further, the cartons with integral pouring spouts of the prior art have the additional limitation in that, in order to be leakproof, they were limited in the gluing of their vertical edges to one another to a form wherein the gluing strip connecting such vertical edges of the blank was externally disposed; an operation that generally slows down production.

In my said co-pending application I have described and claimed a carton with an integral spout which obviates all of the foregoing disadvantages and permits of economical production with the use of no greater amount of cardboard than similar spoutless cartons of the same capacity, and which further permits of its folding, gluing, setting up and filling on any of the types of apparatus conventionally used for that purpose, with a minimum of adjustment and at standard rates of speed. The carton described and claimed in my said co-pending application is provided with a spout formed of three portions; namely, a central panel forming the floor of the spout, and two quadrant side wings, one of which is olfsettable relative to the central panel into the interior of the carton as the spout is pulled out for opening. Such construction has been found perfectly adequate and satisfactory for use with material that is loosely packaged within the carton; but has been found unsatisfactory for use with cartons in which the carton contents are packaged, as in a bag, because the presence of the bag within the carton interferes with the up-setting of the aforementioned quadrant spout wing.

The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved carton with an integral spout of the character described which, besides having all of the foregoing advantages of the carton of my said co-pending application, possesses the additional advantages that it may be used on cartons intended for receiving their contents packaged in a bag, as Well as those having loosely packaged contents.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carton of the character described which requires even less adjustment of any of the apparatus which is used in its folding, gluing, setting up, sealing and filling, than the carton of my said'co-pending application, and may be processed at even greater speeds.

Patented Oct. 9, 1962 It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a carton of the character described having maximum leakproof characteristics before and after the spout is opened.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide cartons of the character described which are so formed as to facilitate opening of its spout as well as the tear of any overwrap which may be provided on the carton, to expose the carton surface for the convenient opening and closing of the spout.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the dispensing carton of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pair of laterally adjacent blanks, of one form, for the production of the carton of the present invention; the blanks being shown with their lined faces up, in position as cut from a continuous cardboard roll or sheet;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the blanks of FIG. 1,

in glued and folded flat position;

FIG. 3 is a top edge view of the glued and folded blank of FIG. 2, shown as partly opened for setting up;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of the upper end of the glued and folded blank of FIG. 3; shown as fully opened and partly broken away to illustrate the arrangement of the spout-forming portions of the blank;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, showing the fully-opened, glued blank of FIG. 4, after a first step in the sealing of the top thereof;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, showing the fully-opened glued blank of FIG. 4, after a second sealing step;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 6, showing the carton top as fully sealed;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 7, showing the carton top after a first step for the opening of the pouring spout thereof;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8, showing the pouring spout fully open;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of the blank of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to that of FIG. 7, of a carton formed from a blank embodying the modification of FIG. 10.

Generally stated, the present invention, similarly to the invention of my co-pending application aforesaid, contemplates the provision of an integral pouring spout for a carton, in one of the top wall flaps thereof, that is disposed alongside part of one edge of the top wall of the carton and in spaced relation to the other three edges thereof. The present invention, however, departs from the invention of my aforesaid co-pending application in that the spout is of V-shaped cross-section, being formed of two quadrant-shaped wing sections or panels that are connected to one another and disposed at right angles to one another; with one of the quadrants lying in the plane of the top wall and hinged thereon, and the other of the quadrants connected to the first one and extending inwardly into the carton.

The present invention also departs from the disclosure of my aforesaid co-pending application in the arrangement of the portions of the top wall flaps that overlie the spout in a manner to substantially eliminate any seepage or leakage of material from the carton, both, when sealed and when unsealed, as wells in the provision of improved access means to the spout for the opening of the same.

Referring now, in greater detail, to the accompanying drawings, and with particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 thereof, the same show a carton formed of a cardboard blank generally designated as 20, of generally conventional shape and formation. The blank 20 comprises a first side wall panel, 22, at one terminal thereof, an end wall panel, 24, as second side wall panel, 26, and a second end wall panel, 28, at its other terminal, which is provided with gluing tab extensions, 30, along its outer upright edge, substantially the height thereof, and formed with a narrow cut-away, 32, extending longitudinally along its upper edge portion, for a purpose which will be hereafter made clear.

The side and end wall panels 22, 24, 26 and 28 are formed with inwardly foldable, top wall-forming flaps, 34, 36, 38 and 40, respectively, and with bottom wall-forming flaps, 42, 44, 46 and 48, respectively, all defined from the respective wall by scored fold-lines and separated from one another by cut-lines, in the conventional manner; with the top and bottom flaps 34, 38, 42, and 42 of the side wall panels being preferably of a height equal to the width of an end wall 24 and 28. The top and bottom flaps 38 and 46 of the side wall panel 26 may preferably be formed with Van Beuren cars, 48 and 59, respectively, along each longitudinal edge thereof, which may be cut out from the flaps of the adjacent end wall panels 24 and 26, to each side thereof, as clearly shown in FIG. 1.

The outer longitudinal edge of the upper flap 40' of the terminal end wall panel 28 is continuous with the longitudinal outer edge of said end wall panel and carries the spout-forming portions of the carton. Such spout, generally designated as 52, comprises a first, approximately quadrant-shaped wing, 54, which is cut out from the flap 40 and is connected thereto by one of its straight sides, along a fold-line, 56, with its other straight side in alinement with the longitudinal edge of said flap 40'. The fold-line 56 is disposed in spaced parallel relation to the fold-line 58 connecting the flap 40' to its end wall panel 28, a distance equal to the width of the reduced upper portion of the glue tab 30, for a purpose which will hereafter become readily apparent.

Integrally connected to the longitudinal edge of the quadrant spout wing 54, along the fold'line, 60, continuous with the longitudinal edge of the flap 40, is a second quadrant-shaped spout wing, 62, which may be of the same or slightly larger dimensions than the wing 54; but in any event, of a lateral dimension not exceeding twice the mean width of the glue tab 30. The quadrant wing 62 is formed with an extension, 64, that is connected to the upper portion of the top wall flap 40 below the fold-line 56 and may also project slightly laterally beyond the wing 62 to provide a detent, 66.

It may here be stated that by this specific arrangement of the spout in the top fiap 40 of the terminal end wall 28, a number of advantages are attained. The primary advantage is that the second spout wing 62 overhangs the glue tab 30 and, therefore, by making such spout wing 62 of a width not exceeding twice the width of the glue tab 30, the blanks 20 may be produced in contiguous, side by side, inverted relation with the glue tabs abutting, without any waste cardboard between them. Secondly, this arrangement of the spout 52 permits of the cutting of the adjacent Van Beuren ears 48 and 50 from the flap 40, without in any way interfering with the spout formation.

In the setting up of the carton, the flap 40 from which the spout 52 is formed comprises the innermost ply of the top wall of the carton and the flap that immediately overlies it, as 38, is provided with a quadrant-shaped are or section, 68, that will immediately overlie the spout wing 54 when the carton top is sealed, and which is of substantially the same or slightly larger size than said wing 54 and is congruous therewith. The quadrant 68 is connected to the flap by a fold-line, 70, which is arranged to register with the fold-line 56 connecting the spout quadrant 54 to the flap 40. The remainder of the outline of the quadrant area 68 is defined by the upper edge of flap 38 and by a curved tear-line, 72. The quadrant section 68, in the sealing of the carton, is preferably adhesively secured to the spout wing 54, so that it may serve as a re-inforcement and stiffener therefor.

The uppermost of the top wall-forming flaps 34 is provided with a tear-away section, 74, that overlies and covers, when the top wall is formed, the quadrant section 68. In order to render the top wall sift-proof, the tear-away section 74, which is preferably of substantially rectangular shape, is formed to be connected at its base, as by a scored line, 76, to the upper end of the side wall 22, in spaced relation to the three other edges of the flap 34, and the remaining three sides are defined by tear-lines, 78. If desired, the outer edge of the tear-away section 74 is formed with a finger-tab, 80, which is continuous with the section 74 and extends into a cut-out area, 82, formed in the free edge portion of the flap 34. The section 74 and its tab are, in the sealing of the top of the carton, as hereinafter described, left unglued, so that by the engagement of the tab 80, the section may be torn away to expose the quadrant 68.

The carton of the invention is formed from the blank 20 as follows. As the first step, glue is applied to the lined side of the gluing tab 30, and the end wall 28 and the gluing tab 30 are then folded over along the fold-line 86, connecting the former to the adjacent side wall 26, with their lined sides facing outwardly. Thereafter, the terminal side wall 22 is folded along the fold-line, 88, connecting it to the adjacent end wall 24, over said end wall; likewise with its lined surface outwardly disposed. The last folding will bring the marginal edge portion of the side wall 22 over the glued tab 30, to which it becomes adhesively secured. This folding will also bring the edge of the top flap 34 in overlying position over the quadrant spout wing 62. The foregoing gluing and folding operation may be readily accomplished on any conventional apparatus at normal operating speed. The thus glued and fiat-folded blank 20 may be stored and shipped in this form.

In sealing the carton top, in preparation for filling, which may be done on any of the conventional setting-up and sealing apparatus now in general use, the glued and folded fiat blank 20 may be squared, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and set either into a three-sided pocket of the constant motion type filling apparatus, or squared and mounted over the mandrel of a mandrel-type sealing apparatus. In either event, in the course of the squaring operation, the spout wing 62 is offset at right angles to the spout wing 54, to lie against the inner face of the adjacent top wall flap 34. Whatever apparatus for setting up and sealing the carton top may be used, the following procedural steps will be the same.

The top wall flaps 36 and 40 of the end walls 24 and 26, respectively, are first inwardly folded. This automatically moves spout wing 62 into the interior of the carton against side wall 22; its inner edge abutting the longitudinal edge of the cut-out 32 of the glue tab 30. Glue is then applied to the lined, outwardly-disposed surface of the flaps 36 and 40, including the spout wing 54. This may be effected on any one of the types of the timed pattern gluing apparatus.

Following gluing of the inwardly-folded flaps 36 and 40, the top flap 38 of the side wall 26, remote from the spout, is folded thereover and secured to them. The outer, lined surface of the flap 38 is then, in turn, glue-coated; except for the rectangular transverse area encompassing the section 68 and the tear-line 70, which is left uncoated, as indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. The flap 34 is then folded over and secured to the glue-coated surface area of flap 38, to thereby complete the sealing of the carton top.

To use the carton for dispensing through the spout, the section 74 of the flap 34 is pried open by the users engagement of and pulling on the tab 80 thereof, and is torn away along its defining tear-lines 78 to provide an opening which exposes the area which includes the spout wing re inforcing section 68. The torn-away section 74 may be allowed to remain hinged to the side wall 22, or may be torn away therefrom. For the latter purpose, the section 74 may be partly cut through at its base to facilitate the tearing without forming any sifting perforations or cuts. Pressure may be then applied along the perforated tearline defining the curved edge of the double thickness spout wing 54 which is then torn away from the surrounding portions of flap 38 along tear-line, and the spout is pulled out for pouring; the extension 66 on spout wing 62 serving to prevent complete removal of the wing 62 from the interior of the carton. To facilitate the engagement of the edge of the double thickness wing 54 for pulling out a spout into pouring position, a portion of the flap 38- immediately opposite the center of the tear-line 72 may be weakened so as to permit its easy inward depression for opening the tear-line at that point. This may be accomplished in the same manner as described in my said co-pending application for forming a tear-line 90, extending in a radial direction relative to tear-line 72, in the flap 38.

It will be readily apparent that the spout 52 may be reinserted into the carton, to re-close the same, without being pushed into it by the abutment of the straight edge of spout wing 62 against the longitudinal edge of the cut-out portion 32 of the gluing tab 30. It will also be apparent that the opening and closing of the spout may be repeated until the carton is empty, with a minimum risk of tearing or distortion, because of the double thickness provided on the spout wing 54 by the adhesively connected quadrantshaped section 68 that overlies it.

It may here be stated that the formation of the cut-out 42 in the top flap 34 to expose the engaging tab 8t) of the tear-away section 74, provides an edge along which any over-wrap on the carton may be readily and easily torn to expose the tab 80 for grasping, pulling and tearing away of the over-wrap along the edge 78 of the tear-away section 74.

FIGS. and 11 show a modified form of blank in which the tear-away section 174 is arranged over the spout overlying quadrant 68 and the tear-line 72 in such manner that it is torn away longitudinally of the flap, instead of transversely, as in the blank of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the tear-away section is provided with a tab on the edge thereof facing the longitudinal center of the flap 34, rather than its edge, as in FIG. 1, and the cut-out opening, 182, is formed in the flap 34 adjacent and at least partly surrounding the tab 180, through which opening 182 the tab 180 may be engaged for lifting, and along whose edges any over-wrap may be torn away for exposing the tab for lifting.

This completes the description of the dispensing carton of the present invention, the blanks from which it may be formed; and the method by which it may be set up and sealed. It will be clearly apparent from the foregoing that such carton is completely suitable for use with contents that are enclosed in a bag, or the like, as well as for loosely-contained material; the integral spout of the carton being movable into open and closed position without interference with or from such bag or loose contents. It will also be apparent that by the arrangement of the portions of the top wall overlying the pouring spout as described, leakage or sifting of the carton contents is avoided.

It will be likewise apparent that the carton of the present invention is completely practical from the point of view of the carton manufacturer and packer, by reason of its economy in the use of cardboard and its adaptability for folding, sealing, setting up and filling on any of the various types of apparatus available for the purpose by standard procedures and at standard speeds. It will be additionally apparent that such carton is also highly desirable for the consumer because of the ease and convenience with which the pouring spout thereof may be manipulated, and because of the sturdiness and durability of such spout.

It will also be apparent that numerous variations and modifications in the dispensing carton of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity.

I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a carton, comprising side and end walls and a closure at one end thereof, saidclosure comprising flap extensions of said side and end walls inwardly folded and secured over one another, a pouring spout in said closure and integral therewith and movable in and out of pouring position, said pouring spout disposed alongside one edge of said closure and spaced from the other three edges thereof and including a first side defined in the flap of one of said end walls and connected thereto by a straight fold-line in parallel spaced relation to the fold-line connecting said flap to said end wall and with another straight edge thereof continuous with the adjacent free side edge of said flap, and a second, quadrant-shaped spout side foldably connected to said second straight edge of said first spout side, said quadrant-shaped spout side disposed at right angles to said first spout side and extending into said carton, said second spout side is formed with an extension underlying the portion of said closure between said one end wall and said foldline connecting said first spout side to said end wall flap, said extension of a width to have the edge thereof abut a portion of the wall of said carton when said first spout side is disposed flush with said closure.

2. The carton of claim 1, wherein said one wall flap comprises the innermost ply of said closure and the wall flap immediately overlying said one wall flap has a tearaway portion defined therein and connected thereto congruous and in register with said first spout side, said tear-away section adhesively secured to said first spout side.

3. The carton of claim 1, wherein the wall fiap immediately overlying said second-named wall flap has a tear-away section defined therein overlying said tear-away section in said second-named flap, said second-named tearaway section having one edge thereof co-extensive with the inner edge of said last-named flap, said last-named tear-away section non-adhesively disposed over said second-named flap.

4. The carton of claim 1, wherein the wall flap immediately overlying said second-named wall flap has a tear-away section defined therein overlying said tearaway section in said second-named flap, said secondnamed tear-away section having one edge thereof co-extensive with the inner edge of said last-named flap, said last-named tear-away section non-adhesively disposed over said second-named flap, said last-named flap having a cut-out portion formed therein adjacent to and exposing the edge of the tear-away section thereof wherethrough said edge portion may be engaged for lifting and tearing said tear-away section.

5. In a carton, comprising side and end walls and a closure at one end thereof, said closure comprising flap extensions of said side and end walls inwardly folded and secured over one another, a two-sided pouring spout in said closure and integral therewith and movable in and out of pouring position, said pouring spout disposed alongside one edge of said closure and spaced from the other three edges thereof and including a first side defined in the flap of one of said end walls and connected thereto by a straight fold-line in parallel spaced relation to the fold-line connecting said flap to said end wall and with another straight edge thereof continuous With the adjacent free side edge of said flap, and a second, quadrant-shaped spout side foldably connected to said second straight edge of said first spout side, said quadrant-shaped spout side disposed at right angles to said first spout side and extending into said carton, said one spout side facing the interior of said carton and the wall flap immediately overlying said one wall flap has a tear-away section defined therein and connected thereto, congruous and in register with said first spout side, said tear-away section adhesively secured to said first spout side, said overlying flap having at least a portion of the area thereof immediately adjacent said tear-away section facing the carton interior, said portion having a weakened section adjacent the edge of said tear-away section, said weakened section depressible to expose the edge of said tear-away section and the underlying edge portion of said first spout side.

6. The carton of claim 5, wherein said weakened portion includes a tear-line defined in said area in substantially normal relation to the adjacent edge portion of said tear-away section.

7. A blank for a carton having an integral pouring spout, comprising a cardboard strip cut and scored to define alternating side and end walls, a gluing tab at one end of said strip, and inwardly-foldable top and bottom wall-forming flaps at the tops and bottoms of said side and end walls, the top wall-forming flap of one of said end walls having defined therein with one edge thereof continuous with an edge of said flap a separable area hingedly secured to said flap on a line at right angles to said edge thereof, and spaced from and parallel to the adjacent flap edge connecting said end flap to said one end wall, said flap area having a quadrant-shaped section extending therefrom and foldably connected thereto along said first-named edge portion thereof, the portions of said flap surrounding said separable area on another side thereof cut away, the top wall flap of a side wall adjacent to said end wall flap having a tear-away area defined therein and connected thereto congruous with and adapted to register with said area in said end wall fiap, when said blank is folded into a carton, said side wall flap having a tear-line defined therein normal to a portion of the tear-away edge of said tear-away area and adapted to overlie the portion of said one end wall flap cut away from said end wall flap adjacent said separable area.

8. In a carton comprising side and end walls and a closure at one end thereof, one of said end walls and one of said side walls connected edge to edge by a gluing tab on the longitudinal edge of said one end wall, said gluing tab disposed on the interior of said carton, said closure comprising flap extensions of said side and end walls inwardly folded and secured over one another, a pouring spout in said closure and integral therewith, and movable in and out of pouring position, said pouring spout disposed alongside one edge of said closure and spaced from the other three edges thereof, and including a first side defined in the fiap of one of said end walls and connected thereto by a straight foldline in parallel spaced relation to the foldline connecting said flap to said end wall and with another straight edge thereof continuous with the adjacent free side edge of said flap, and a second spout side foldably connected to said second straight edge of said first spout side, said second spout side disposed at right angles to said first spout side and extending into said carton, said space and the adjacent portion of said gluing tab of a width permitting abutment of the edge of said second spout side against the edge of said adjacent gluing tab portion when said pouring spout is in closed position therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,029,888 Metzger Feb. 4, 1936 2,341,397 Smith Feb. 8, 1944 2,417,498 Hultin Mar. 18, 1947 2,634,897 Bord Apr. 14, 1953 2,950,851 Peimer Aug. 30, 1960

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