Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1086693
This invention relates to a cardboard container having
a top closure that can be sealed when the container is initially
loaded, opened to remove a portion of the contents and then con-
veniently reclosed.
The container has use particularly in the packaging
of products such as cookies. Cookies are commonly manufactured
in large volume, packed in sealed containers and widely distribu-
ted for consumption. It is important that the container should
provide a seal and also be reclosable.
A very popular container for cookies is what is known
as a tin tie bag. This container consists of an airtight paper
bag that has a wire tie that extends along one of its top open-
ing edges. In use the top opening of the container is rolled
and the ends of the wire tie are bent around the rolled top
opening. This forms an effective reclosure means for the con-
tainer. The bag is made from several plys of packaging material,
one of which is airtight. The end opening is usually heat sealed
as the container is shipped from the cookie manufacturer. On
initial use the heat seal is broken and the wire tie is used
for reclosure purposes.
The wire tie cookie bag has been very successful and
does have public acceptance but it has for many years suffered
from the inherent disadvantage that it cannot be automatically
loaded. Automatic packaging is becoming more important than
ever in the overall cost of food products that are distributed
to the public with the continually rising cost of labour. The
reason that the standard paper cookie bag cannot be automatically
loaded is that it is too flexible. The material of the bag will
not set up with sufficient rigidity for the use in automatic
loading machinery. It continues to be used however primarily
because of the public acceptance for the appearance of the con-
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tainer. Manufacturers are inclined to suffer the higher costsof packaging as long as they possibly can because of the public
acceptance of the product.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a container
having the advantages and the appearance of the conventional
cookie bag but also having the feature that it can be automatical-
ly loaded. Automatic loading is dependant upon a container con-
struction that has the re~uired physical and functional attri-
butes but which can be made of cardboard which is rigid enough
10 to be used in automatic packaging machinery. Automatic loading,
if these conditions are met, will reduce the cost of providing a
cookie container without affecting the public acceptance of the
conventional cookie bag.
A container according to this invention comprises
a tubular cardboard body with opposed side walls, opposed end
walls, a bottom closure and a top closure; said top closure
being formed from panels at the upper end of each of said side
walls and end walls of said tubular body, said panels being fold-
ably connected to each other in series around the top of the con-
tainer in the open condition; each of said panels having a lipat its outer end; the side panels on the side walls being foldable
from the open condition in a downward direction to meet and form
a top cover with their respective lips in abutting relation and
extending upwardly; the end panels of the end walls being creased
to fold upon themselves and underlie the side panels with their
respective lips folded upon themselves and interposed between
the lips of said side panels as said top panels move downwardly
to form a top cover as aforesaid; means for sealing the lips of
said container when said side panels form a top cover as aforesaid;
the lip on the first one of said side panels having a reclosure
tab hinged thereto, said reclosure tab being folded to lie in
;
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juxtaposed relation to the inner face thereof as the side panels
form a top cover, but being hingeable as aforesaid to overlie
the outer face of the lip on the second one of said side panels
and function as a reclosure tab; the side panel on the second
side wall being formed with means to admit said reclosure tab to
form a locked reclosure.
The invention will be clearly understood after reference
to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with
the drawings.
In the drawings:
Figure l is an illustration of a cardboard blank for
making a container according to this invention;
Figure 2 is an illustration of the container as it
is being loaded with a tray of cookies;
Figure 3 is an illustration of the upper portion of
the container as the top closure is being closed;
Figures 4 and 5 and 5a are sectional views further il-
lustrating the closure;
Figure 6 is an illustration showing the initial steps
in the opening of a sealed container; and
Figures 7, 8 and 9 are views illustrating the manner
in which the opened container can be reclosed.
The blank from which the container i5 made is cut from
cardboard and creased at fold lines in the usual manner. The
blank has side walls 10 and 12, end walls 14 and 16, a wall
securing tab 18, and bottom closure forming flaps 20, 22, 24 and
26 all of conventional design.
The side walls are what is often called of ~ubular
characteristic when the tab 18 is adhesively secured to an edge
of side wall 16 and the top closure is formed from panels at the
upper ends of the walls that form the tubular body as will be
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explained. The top closure is a tubular extension of the tubular
side walls.
The top closure, in the embodiment illustrated, is
formed from panels 28, 30, 32 and 34 each of which has a marginal
lip 36, 38, 40 and 42 respectively along its outer edge. Fanels
28 and 32 are delineated at their base by fold lines 44 and 4o
but no similar fold lines delineate the base of panels 30 and 34.
It is preferred that these latter panels have a rounded fold line
that results as the top closure is formed. This is an aesthetic
consideration with the container.
Panels 28 and 32 are each formed with similar crease
or fold lines as at 48, 50, 52 and 54 for the purpose of articulat-
ing the top closure to a closed position as the base sections
thereof are closed as will be described later.
Numeral 56 refers to a tie tab which is hingedly con-
nected to lip 42 by a weakened line 57 so that it can be manually
separated therefrom in use as will be referred to later and
numeral 58 refers to a reclosure tab which, on manufacture, is
folded flat against lip 38 when the side seam 18 is glued to the
panel 16. Reclosure tab 58 can be swung upwardly to form a
hinged closure tab as will be described later. It has a tongue
60 that engages in a slit that can be formed by opening a per-
forated line 62 at the base of lip 42.
The container is tubular and is shipped from the manu-
facturing plant either in flat form or in tubular form wherein
flap 18 is adhesively secured to a face of side wall 16 as il-
lustrated in Figure 3. In any event, the tubular configuration
must be made before use.
In use, the tubular configuration is set up from its
lay flat condition and the bottom flaps are formed into a bot-
tom closure. This is standard practice.
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The container is cardboard and can be automatically
loaded from its open tubular end. Packaging of biscuits is one
contemplated use and, in such a case, the biscuits would be
loaded onto a tray 64 and the loaded tray would be bodily in-
serted into the open end of the container as shown in Figure 2.
It will be appreciated that the container could also be loaded
through the opposite end before the bottom closure is formed.
The cardboard has a self-supporting characteristic that permits
the container to maintain its form during automatic loading.
This characteristic is not to be found in paper and for this
reason paper containers of similar proportions cannot be loaded
in automatic loading machinery.
Once loaded the top closure of the container would be
formed. This is done by moving panels 28 and 32 downwardly and
inwardly about their base hinge lines 44 and 46 respectively,
as illustrated in Figure 3. As this is done, the panels bend
inwardly about their fold lines 48, 50, 52 and 54 to cause the
lips 36 and 40 thereof to fold upon themselves about hinge
line 54 and assume a position between the lips 38 and 42 of the
side panels; and to operate the panels 30 and 34 to a closed
position. Figures 3, 4 and 5 and 5a show stages in the closure
of the top.
An adhesive is applied to tab 56 and it is secured there-
by to lip 38 as shown in Figure 5. The lip assembly is then folded
downwardly against panel 34 and secured thereto by an adhesive 37
that is spotted on tab 56 as shown in Figure 5a.
The tabs 56 and 58 are of importance to the container.
The tab 56 is adhesively secured to the outside of the closed
lip assembly as shown in Figure 5a on initial closure. It is
joined to lip 42 by means of a perforated line so that a user
can remove the tab 56 from the lip assembly as will be explained.
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To open the container one breaks the adhesive secure-
ment to lift the juxtaposed lips from the panel 34 as illustrated
in Figure 5a to assume the position illustrated in Figure 5. As
this is done the side flaps 30 and 34 will tend to rise and one
can insert a finger or a thumb between the folds of the end flaps
to separate the folded end flaps and raise the end portions of
the side flaps. As this occurs the container tends to open and
the perforated line joining the closure tab 56 and lip 42 of side
flap 34 breaks as illustrated in Figure 6. This procedure is
performed at each end. By this time the perforated line joining
the closure tab 56 to lip 42 has been broken at each end so that
one can then break the unbroken part of the perforated line be-
tween the two breaks by means of running a finger nail along them.
Alternatively, one can strip the tab 56 from the lip 38 by break-
ing the adhesive to remove it. The container can now be fully
opened by moving the flaps to an open position. They are in
tubular relation so that they move together to provide an opening
for the container.
It can also be reclosed by unfolding reclosure tab 58
as illustrated in Figure 8, manipulating the lips to juxtaposed
position and folding tab 58 over the closed lip formation as
shown so that the tab 60 breaks and enters perforated line 62
to lock it closed, as illustrated in Figure 9.
When the container has been sealed as illustrated in
Figure 5a and lips on the closure flaps 38 and 42 are folded
flat against the top of the container so that there are no pro-
jections above the flat top,the container can be easily packed,
shipped and stacked on a store shelf. In this respect the con-
tainer of this invention is the full equivalent of the paper con-
tainer. It is an improvement in many other respects particularlybecause it is cardboard and it is rigid during loading as illus-
trated in Figure 2 so that it can be loaded in conventional auto-
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matic packaging machinery. The appearance of the container isvery difficult to distinguish from the appearance of a paper con-
tainer when it is loaded. On opening it can be conveniently
rPclosed through the use of the reclosure tab 60 on closure flap
58 as explained above. Thus, it has overcome a long standing
disadvantage without giving up any desirable quality.
The closure means described comprises a tab 56 that
is glued into position and that can be removed by severing its
perforated line of connection. Other closure means are possible.
For example, one may replace tab 56 by means of a removable U-
shaped closure molding along the upper marginal portion of the
juxtaposed lips when they are in the closed position. Alterna-
tively, staples may be applied. Still further one might heat
seal the juxtaposed lips when they are in the closed position.
In this connection the container is most likely made from poly-
ethelene coated cardboard and the application of heat and pres-
sure would cause the juxtaposed surfaces to adhere to each other
in sealing relation. If such a method for closure was employed
it would be necessary to apply an ab adhesive to the container
surfaces that abut each other of the reclosure tab 58 and lip
38 when they are in ~he initial position. The ab adhesive would
prevent the heat sealing means from permanently securing re-
closure tab 58 to lip 38 under these circumstances. While the
container is thought to have application to the packaging of
cookies and it has been described as being useful for this ap-
plication, it is contemplated that it would have application to
the packaging of other products. It could be used in any case
where a locking reclosing feature is necessary in a gable type
constructed container.
Embodiments of the invention other than the one illus-
trated will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is not
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intended that this inventlon should be restricted to the fore-
going disclosure of a specific embodiment.
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