US2961140A - Food container - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 22, 1960 R. M. HOLMES FOOD CONTAINER Filed June 20, 1958 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

RAYNOR M. HOLMES FIG. 7

H S ATTORNEYS United States Patent FOOD CONTAINER Raynor M. Holmes, Newark, N.Y., assignor to Bloomer Bros. Company, Newark, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 20, 1958, Ser. No. 743,264

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-14) This invention provides a method for packaging foods, particularly for freezing operations, and container means for carrying out such method. It has been a common practice to package food products in paperboard containers of retail or home consumption size, with a bag lining made of one of the known vapor-proof, plastic compositions for protecting the contents against subjection to vapors and changing atmospheric humidity. Such bag lining materials are flexible and incapable of maintaining a desired shape as at the top opening through which the bag is to be filled, and various expedients have been employed for positioning the bag liner in the container in position to be filled, such as funnels, shaping or mandrel implements, paperboard liners and the like. One object of the invention is to provide a more convenient method for shaping and filling the bag liner and sealing the same in condition for storage or freezing.

Another object is to provide such a method capable of being employed more easily, quickly and conveniently, particularly in home use and with a minimum of packaging devices.

Another object is to provide improved container means for carrying out the above method, of a more simple, convenient and expeditious nature and requiring a minimum number of container parts.

Still a further object is to provide container means adapted to be economically manufactured and to be stored and transported in conveniently collapsed and flat condition.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts and method steps, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cardboard container used in carrying out the present invention and showing its top flaps open;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, but showing the top flaps folded outwardly and downwardly and held against the container sides by a rubber band;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing the bag liner inserted and with its open top turned down over the container flaps;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3 with opposite sides of the carton bulged outwardly to produce a top opening of hexagonal shape;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the carton and bag liner as shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3, except with the top of the liner gathered, twisted and held by a rubber band, and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the carton.

The method of the present invention is best disclosed in connection with a description of the container means for carrying it out. Such means preferably comprises a Patented Nov. 22, 1960 paperboard carton indicated generally at 10, of rectangular oblong shape with one pair of opposite side walls 12 and 14 of greater width than the other, as shown and as commonly employed in good containers of retail size or intended for home use. The top and bottom of the carton are closed by overlapping flaps of known or suitable construction such as the flaps 16 and 18 foldably connected with the tops of the sides of greater width and the flaps 20 and 22 on the intermediate sides of the carton, flap 16 being provided with a tongue 24 for insertion in slits 26 in flap 18, as shown. The opposite sides of the carton, 12 and 14, are each formed with fold lines of weakening or scoring 28 extending midway between the opposite corners of each side, from the bottom of the carton upwardly across the foldably connected flaps 16 and 18, for a purpose hereafter described.

The top flaps, 16 to 22, inclusive, are opened, folded outwardly and downwardly across the respective sides and, if found desirable, may be secured in such position, as by means of an elastic band 39, as shown in Fig. 2, preparatory to insertion of the bag liner. The liner 32 is of any known flexible, vapor-proof, sheet material, such as rubber, polyvinyl, or other known plastic composition, and is of the same general shape as the interior of the container or carton but of greater height, so that its top extends substantially above the top of the carton. The liner is inserted into the carton and the carton sides of lesser width, 34 and 36, intermediate the sides 12 and 14, are then pressed inwardly at the upper portion of the carton while the upper portions of the sides 12 and 14 are pressed inwardly, to contract the carton top and assist in folding the top edges of the bag liner outwardly and downwardly over the carton flaps, as shown in Fig. 3, to assist in holding the flaps folded down and to fully open the top of the bag. The carton sides of lesser width, 34 and 36, intermediate the sides 12 and 14, are then pressed inwardly at the upper portion of the carton with the result that the sides 12 and 14 are folded along the lines 28 and bulged outwardly, to expand the open tops of the carton and bag into hexagonal shape, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thus enlarging the minimum dimension of the open tops so that the contents can be readily inserted to fill the bag, thereby expanding it to closely fit the interior of the carton. The bag is filled to a level slightly below the top of the carton, to allow for expansion when freezing and the top edges of the bag are then brought together, twisted and bound tightly together by winding around them the rubber band 35), to tightly seal the bag opening. The top of the bag is then pressed down level with the top of the carton and the carton flaps are folded over it and interlocked to securely close the carton top.

The invention thus supplies a method of packaging which is easy to accomplish, rapid and convenient, with minimum soiling of apparatus or hands and with the use of a minimum of packaging parts. The container means for carrying out the method requires a minimum number of parts capable of being readily and economically manufactured and of storage and transportation in conveniently collapsed or fiat form, the paperboard carton being readily collapsible by opening its end closure flaps and collapsing it about the corners between its side walls, as well understood in the art. The container means thus eliminates the labor and expense of employing auxiliary equipment parts such as funnels, shaping or mandrel means, or additional liners, and the contents are held in satisfactory condition for freezing and preservation.

A modified form of the paperboard container, shown in Fig. 7, has its opposite side walls, as 40, formed, with lines of weakening 42 extending down only to about the ce e f the s d and the e IIid by lines of weakening 46 and 48 extending outwardly to the edges or corners of the side walls. These lines are continued s ef e, th ough the conne ted c osur flaps a 44, and pressure -is applied, as described above, to the intermediate side walls of lesser width to first contractand then bulge the top of the container and bag outwardly, substantially as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, except that the outward bowing of the sides occurs to a greater degree in the upper portion of the container which, with its bag liner, is filled and manipulated as described above.

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects and while it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of preferred embpdiments, it is, to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense, as it :is contemplated that various modifications in the materials and method steps will readily occur to those skilled in the art, Within the spirit of the invention and the sc pe of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a container for food products, a carton having pairs of opposite side walls and an open top, closure flaps foldably connected to the tops of said side walls for overlapping of opposite flaps to form inner and outer pairs of flaps to close the carton top, meanson opposite outer ones of said closure flaps for detachably securing said closure flaps together in carton closing position, said flaps being adapted for folding outwardly and downwardly to lie against the outer sides of the respective side walls, a bag of flexible, vapor-proof material lining the interior of said carton with an open top and having sides at said top extending above the tops of said carton side walls and adapted to be folded outwardly and downwardly over said outwardly and downwardly folded carton flaps, to hold said carton flaps in said outwardly and downwardly folded positions during access to said bag, and lines of weakening extending across a pair of opposing carton side walls and across the top flaps connected thereto to produce outward bowing of the upper portions of said weakened side walls by pressure against the other pair of said carton side walls to expand said open tops of said carton and bag into hexagonal shape and facilitate access to the interior and the contents thereof.

2. In a container for food products, a carton having pairs of opposite side walls with one pair of greater width than the other and having an open top, closure flaps foldably connected to the tops of each of said side walls for overlapping of opposite flaps to form inner and outer pairs thereof, cooperating tongue and slit means on opposite flaps of said outer pair of said closure flaps for detachably securing said closure flaps together in position to close the carton, said flaps being adapted for folding outwardly and downwardly to lie against the outer sides of the respective side walls, a bag of flexible, vapor-proof material lining the interior of said carton with an open top and having sides extending above the tops of said carton side walls and adapted to be folded outwardly and downwardly over said outwardly and downwardly folded carton flaps, to hold said carton flaps in said outwardly and downwardly folded positions during access to said bag, and lines of weakening extending across a pair of opposing carton side walls and across the top flaps connected thereto to produce outward bowing of the upper portions of said weakened side walls by pressure against the other pair of said carton side walls to expand said open tops of said carton and bag into hexagonal shape and facilitate access to the interior and the contents thereof.

3. In a container for food products, a paperboard carton having pairs of opposite-side walls and an open top, 9195mm flap f ldably sonn ed t9 the en of a d side walls for overlapping of opposite flaps to form inner and outer pairs of flaps to close the carton top, means on opposite outer ones of said closure flaps for detachably securing said flaps together in carton closing position, said flaps being adapted for folding outwardly and downwardly to lie against the outer sides of the respective side walls, a bag of flexible, vapor-proof material lining the interior of said carton with an open top and having sides at said top extending above the tops of said carton side walls and adapted to be folded outwardly and downwardly over said outwardly and downwardly folded carton flaps, to hold .said carton flaps in said outwardly and downwardly folding positions during access to said bag, lines of weakening extending across a pair of opposing carton side walls and across the top flaps connected thereto to produce inward bowing of the upper portions of said weakened side walls by pressure against said carton sidewalls to contract the open top of said carton to facilitate said outward folding of the top of said bag over said carton flaps, said weakened side walls being bowed outwardly by .pressure against its other side walls to expand said open tops of said carton and bag into hexagonal shape and facilitate access to the interior and contents thereof, and elastic means for holding said bag top and flaps in said outwardly and downwardly folded position and for securing the top of said bag in gathered and closed position after filling thereof with contents.

4 In a container for food products, a paperboard carton having pairs of opposite side walls and an open top, closure flaps foldably connected to the tops of said side walls for overlapping of opposite flaps to form inner and outer pairs of flaps to close the same, means on opposite outer ones of said closure flaps for detachably securing said closure flaps together in carton closing position, said flaps being adapted for folding outwardly and downwardly to lie against the outer sides of the respective side walls, a bag of flexible, vapor-proof material lining the interior of said carton with an open top and having sides at said top extending above the tops of said carton side walls and adapted to be folded outwardly and downwardly over said outwardly and downwardly folded carton flaps, to hold said carton flaps in said outwardly and downwardly folded positions during access to said bag, lines of weakening extending upwardly from the central portion to the top of a pair of opposing carton side walls and across the top :fiaps connected thereto, and auxiliary lines of weakening extending from the lower end of said central lines upwardly and outwardly to the side edges of the weakened sidewalls, to produce outward bowingof the upper portions of said weakened side walls by pressure against the other pair of said carton side walls, to expand said open top into hexagonal shape and facilitate access to the interior of said carton and bag and the contents thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 536,162 Stiefel Mar. 19, 1895 869,515 Potter Oct. 29, 1907 1,234,483 Luke June 24, 1917 1,674,724 House June 26, 1928 1,888,133 Kronquest Nov. 15, 1932 2,176,912 Luckett Oct. 24, 1939 2,296,664 Hall Sept. 22, 1942 2,361,876 Schell Oct. 31, 1944 2,556,321 Denton June 12, 1951 2,557,576 Simmons June 19, 1951 2,865,498 Ringler Dec. 23, 1958

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