US2992119A - Food package - Google Patents

Description

J. S. GAPINSKI July 11, 1961 FOOD PACKAGE Filed March 50, 1960 F 4 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH S. GAPINSKI ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,992,119 FOOD PACKAGE Joseph S. Gapinski, 133 Oak St., Brooklyn 22, N.Y. Filed Mar. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 18,589 6 Claims. (Cl. 99179) This invention relates to wrappers, and more particularly, concerns wrappers for plastic substances such as edible, materials including butter, margarine, cheese and the like.

Conventional wrappers for butter, margarine or other plastic products, formed from paper, metal foil, films or composites thereof, tend to cling to the wrapped material, rendering it somewhat diflicult to separate the wrapper from the wrapped material. In many instances, particularly in the case of margarine or butter, in bar or other suitable form, paper and foil wrappers adhere to the wrapped material with such tenacity as to require the use of finger nails to lift wrapper portions away from the wrapped material, which is a messy and undesirable op eration.

. Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a wrapper structure for plastic substances such as butter, margarine or the like, which lends itself to simple, orderly manipulation to readily separate the wrapped material from its wrapper.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved wrapper of the character described, which may be used with conventional wrapping machinery; is economical; and which may be manipulated in a manner to effect opening of the wrapper and simultaneous separation of the wrapped material from the wrapper.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved wrapper for bars of butter, margarine or the like, wherein a simple folded structure thereof, which does not increase the bulk of the wrapper or unduly modify the conventional appearance thereof, and includes the usual folded end tabs, may be easily and quickly manipulated through said end tabs to effect an automatic release of the bar from its wrapper.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in par-t hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a wrapper embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a bar to be wrapped, placed on said wrapper;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wrapped bar; and

FIG. 4 is a view showing the wrapper opened to release the contents thereof.

Essentially, the wrapper of the instant invention comprises a sheet of conventional wrapping material, such as paper, foil or the like, which has been folded in a manner to provide a zone of extensibility in a longitudinal direction. The Wrapper is applied to the bar of material to be wrapped, in a conventional manner, with longitudinally extending overlapped edge portions and folded end tabs. Upon lifting a pair of end tabs, respectively on the opposite ends of the wrapped bar, and pulling such tabs in opposite directions, the resultant extension of the wrapper in its zone of extensibility, is effective to simultaneously open the wrapper and release the contents therefrom.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, designates a wrapper embodying the invention. The same comprises a sheet ll of thin paper, metal foil, film, or laminates thereof, which is quite limp and somewhat flaccid. The sheet 11 may be ractangular in shape with parallel side edges 12, 13 and end edges 14. 15.

The sheet 11 is folded in a manner to provide an extensible portion medially disposed between end edges 14,

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15. To this end, sheet 11 is folded along parallel lines 16, 17, 18 and 19 to provide a median panel strip 20 and a pair of side panel strips 21, 22 folded away from each other at adjacent fold lines 18, 19. Side panel strips 21, 22 are connected to median panel strip 20 by fold lines 16, 17.

The sheet 11 is of such dimensions as to allow the same to be folded about an elongated body A, which may be of rectangular cross section, and take the form of a bar of butter, margarine or the like. The sheet 11 is of a length to provide the usual end tabs as an incident to the wrapping operation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bar A is placed on sheet 11 with the panel strips 20, 21 and 22 innermost and the substantially abutting fold lines 18, 19 outermost. The sheet 11 is then folded about bar A in a conventional manner, using wrapping machinery well known in the art. Thus, side edges 12, 13 are disposed in overlapping relation along one face of bar A. The projecting end portions of the sheet 11 are folded to form successive end tabs 23, 24, 25 and 26.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the wrapped bar A appears no different from a conventionally wrapped bar, except for the fold lines 18, 19 disposed medially of the ends of the bar.

To effect separation of bar A from its wrapper 10, the wrapped bar is held in a horizontal position, with overlapped side edges 12, 13 facing downwardly. The top end tabs 26 at the opposite ends of the bar are lifted away from the ends of the bar, to a substantially horizontal position.

The end tabs 26 are then pulled in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4. The panel strips 21, 22 are pulled away from each other, and such action is effective to separate the overlapped edges 12, 13 from each other. The end tabs 24, 25 are also opened and bottom tab sections 23, 23A become separated as edges 12, 13 separate. As a consequence, the bottom portion of wrapper 10 is opened and bar A is free to fall away from the wrapper.

Thus, it is apparent, that the wrapper 10 allows for simple manipulation thereof through the end tabs, to quickly and easily remove bar A from its wrapper, in a simple and fastidious manner.

While wrapper 10 is shown with a specific arrangement of fold lines to form the overlapping panel strips which constitute the extensible portion of said wrapper, it is understood that alternative fold arangement may be used, such as a Z fold, or the like, to provide the desired extensible wrapper portion.

As various changes might be made in the embodiment of the invention herein shown, without departing from the spirit thereof, it is understood that all matter herein shown or disclosed, shall be deemed illustrative and not limiting except as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent:

1. In combination, a bar of butter and a wrapper for said bar, said wrapper comprising a sheet of material with the inner surface thereof in clinging relation to the opposed surface portions of said bar, said sheet of material having end and side edges and being folded along lines extending transversely of the side edges thereof to provide overlapping, longitudinally extendible portions, said sheet material being folded about said bar with the side edges thereof in longitudinal overlapping relation and opposite end portions thereof folded against the respective ends of said bar to provide end tabs, said end tabs being liftable away from the ends of said bar to provide grasping means extending longitudinally from the ends of said wrapper whereby said end tabs may be pulled longitudinally in opposite directions to simultaneously displace said overlapping extendible portions, separate the longitudinal overlapping portions of said Wrapper, separate the clinging inner surfaces of said wrapper from said bar and thereby allow said bar to separate from said wrapper.

2. In combination, a bar of soft, plastic edible material and a wrapper for said bar, which tends to adhere to the surface of said bar said Wrapper comprising a sheet of material having side and end edges, said sheet being folded along parallel lines extending transversely of said side edges to provide an extensible portion intermediate the end edges thereof, said sheet being wrapped about said bar to dispose the opposite side portions in longitudinally extending, overlapping relation and tend por tions of said sheet being folded about the ends of said bars to provide integral tabs, tabs on opposite ends of said wrapper being adapted to be pulled in opposite directions to extend the extensible portion of said wrapper and break the bond between the Wrapper and the bar whereby to separate the overlapping side edges of said wrapper and to allow said bar to be separated from said wrapper.

3. The combination, as in claim 2, wherein said extensible portion of the sheet comprises a pair of panel strips folded. away from each other and a median panel strip connecting said pair of panel strips along parallel fold lines.

4. In combination, a bar of soft, plastic edible material, a wrapper for said bar comprising a thin sheet of flaccid material having a tendency to cling and adhere to said material, said sheet being folded along parallel lines to provide an extensible portion intermediate the ends of said bar, said wrapper having opposite edge portions in overlapping relation extending longitudinally of said bar and folded end tab portions folded against the ends of said bar, end tabs at opposite ends of said bar being liftable to positions to allow the same to be pulled in opposite directions whereby the extensible portion of said wrapper is extended longitudinally of the bar to displace the overlapped edge portions of the Wrapper from each other, break the bond between the adherent surface portions of the wrapper and the bar and to allow the bar to automatically separate from the wrapper.

5. The combination as in claim 4 wherein the extensible portion of said wrapper comprises a pair of panel strips respectively folded away from each other and a median panel strip connected to said pair of strips along opposite folded edges.

6. The combination as in claim 5 wherein the first mentioned folded edges of said pair of strips are adjacent each other and on the outer surface of said wrapper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,699 Durham Jan. 20, 1931 1,848,119 Fairchild Mar. 8, 1932 2,296,951 Rosen et a1 Sept. 29, 1942 2,628,764 Rubinstein et al. Feb. 17, 1953 2,633,986 Vogt Apr. 7, 1953

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION, A BAR OF BUTTER AND A WRAPPER FOR SAID BAR, SAID WRAPPER COMPRISING A SHEET OF MATERIAL WITH THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF IN CLINGING RELATION TO THE OPPOSED SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID BAR, SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING END AND SIDE EDGES AND BEING FOLDED ALONG LINES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SIDE EDGES THEREOF TO PROVIDE OVERLAPPING, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDIBLE PORTIONS, SAID SHEET MATERIAL BEING FOLDED ABOUT SAID BAR WITH THE SIDE EDGES THEREOF IN LONGITUDINAL OVERLAPPING RELATION AND OPPOSITE END PORTIONS THEREOF FOLDED AGAINST THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID BAR TO PROVIDE END TABS, SAID END TABS BEING LIFTABLY AWAY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BAR TO PROVIDE GRASPING MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID WRAPPER WHEREBY SAID END TABS MAY BE PULLED LONGITUDINALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPLACE SAID OVERLAPPING EXTENDIBLE PORTIONS, SEPARATE THE LONGITUDINAL OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF SAID WRAPPER, SEPARATE THE CLINGING INNER SURFACES OF SAID WRAPPER FROM SAID BAR AND THEREBY ALLOW SAID BAR TO SEPARATE FROM SAID WRAPPER.

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