US3144193A

US3144193A - Merchandise container

Info

Publication number: US3144193A
Application number: US805858A
Authority: US
Inventors: William L Geist; Hamilton W Putnam; Ross A Easter
Original assignee: RC Can Co
Current assignee: RC Can Co
Priority date: 1959-04-13
Filing date: 1959-04-13
Publication date: 1964-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-11

Description

A g- 1964 w. L. GEIST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Original Filed Jun 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A g- 1964 w. L. GElST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER O riginal Filed June 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 14' TTOENEY,

11, 1964 w. GEIST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed June 10, 1953 1, 1964 w. GEIST ETAL 3,144,193

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Original Filed June 10, 1955 4 Sheets-She t 4 ATT /eA United States Patent 3,144,193 MERCHANDISE CONTAINER William L. Geist, St. Louis, Mo, Hamilton W. Putnam, .leifersonville, Ind., and Ross A. Easter, Minneapolis, Minn, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to RC Can Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Continuation of application Ser. No. 360,658, June 10, 1953. This application Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 805,858 13 Claims. (Cl. 229--51) The present invention relates to merchandise containers having a body of superposed walls made from sheet material for a variety of products including biscuit dough bodies, and has particular reference to means which facilitate opening the container body for removal of the product contained therein.

The present application is a continuation of our previously filed application, Serial Number 360,658, entitled Merchandise Containers and filed in the United States Patent Office June 10, 1953, now abandoned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container having an inner body wall with a separation line extending from one end thereof to the other and an outer reinforcing wrapper unit superposed around the inner body wall but provided with a removably peelable portion detachably adhered to the inner body wall and disposed in overlying relation to said separation line.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container of a generally cylindrical body constructed of a pair of superposed body wall units the inner body wall having a helically disposed separation line and the outer body wall providing a reinforcing wrapper unit and be ing detachably adhered to the inner body wall to permit removal of the outer wrapper unit by peeling the same from the inner body wall and facilitate opening of the container along said helical separation line.

It is another important object of the invention to provide a container having a generally cylindrical body formed from an inner wall unit having a separation line extending from end to end of the container and an outer reinforcing wrapper unit wound about the inner wall unit and detachably adhesively connected therewith on opposite sides of the separation line and the outer wrapper unit having a free unattached outer extreme marginal edge portion adjacent a removably peelable portion of the outer wrapper unit to facilitate initial peeling of the outer wrapper unit from the inner wrapper unit.

It is a further object to provide a generally cylindrical container having an inner body wall unit and an outer wrapper unit detachably held in superposed reinforcing relation around the inner wall and having a circumferential cut formed therein substantially adjacent at least one end of the container to facilitate peeling off the outer wrapper unit from the inner body wall unit to thus weaken the container and facilitate opening thereof at a weakened separation line provided in the inner body wall unit.

It will, of course, be understood that these and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following descriptions made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the merchandise container embodying the features of my invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the container showing the first step taken to open the container by pulling on the edge of the label like wrapping.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 showing the flap end of the label wrapping;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the label wrapping pulled away from its adhesive connection with the outer wall on one side of the abutting edges thereof;

3,144,193 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4 showing the label wrapping as pulling one edge portion of the outer wall away or unwrapped from the inner wall;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the outer label pulled away from the inner wall to expose the abutting edges thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing the outer wall pulled away from contact with threequarters of the circumference of the inner wall;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention with part of the container broken away and showing the outer reinforcing wrapper unit partially unwrapped; and,

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the container shown in FIG. 8 with the outer wall nearly all unwrapped and showing the abutting edges of the inner wall as partially separated.

in the drawings, the numeral 10 designates, generally, a tubular container body which is preferably circular in cross-section.

The tubular container body 10 comprises helically wound tubing which is cut into sections of desired container lengths to form the generally cylindrical body wall.

The container can be used for food products such as the biscuit dough 11 shown in FIG. 9 which is usually divided into separate and individual preformed biscuits. The container body It) consists of an inner wall unit A, including, in the form shown, an inner wall 12 with a suitable inner liner 13 adhered thereto, and an outer reinforcing wrapper unit B which, in the form shown, includes an outer wall 14, with a label-like wrapping 15 adhered thereto.

The liner 13 which is helically wound with over-lapped edges is, in the form shown, made from aluminum foil, or other suitable liner material.

The inner wall unit A, either with or without the liner, may be made from a layer of suitable sheet material having a weakened separation line formed therein and extending from end to end thereof. In the form shown this inner wall 12 is made from news line straw chip paper board stock which includes a short fiber news line layer provided on the outer surface thereof. The separation line is formed by helically winding the inner wall unit with the

edges

16 and 17 abutted in edge to edge relation. When liner 13 is used, it covers the separation line and forms a seal therefor as well as serving to provide limited reinforcement therefor. The liner applied to the inner surface of the body 12 forms a readily ruptured reinforcing film which bridges the separation line so that when the container is used for confining a material such as the preleavened biscuit dough 11, the pressure of the dough exerted on the inner wall would cause the relatively weak bridging film formed by the liner 13 to rupture substantially simultaneously throughout the entire length of the separation line and release all portions of the dough confined therewithin substantially simultaneously and prevents extrusion of the dough, thus maintaining the predetermined shape of the dough as packed within the container.

The outer wrapper unit B may be made from helically wound layers such as the outer wall 14 of news line straw chip paper board material having a layer of short fiber news line material on the outer surface and being wound around the inner wall unit A in such a manner as to produce helically disposed abutting

edges

18 and 19 and having the outer wrapping 15 applied therearound.

The helical separation line formed by the abutment of the

edges

16 and 17 of inner wall 12 is concealed by the helically wound outer wall 14 superposed therearound and the helical line of abutment of

edges

18 and 19 of the outer wall 14 is out of register with said separation line of the inner wall 12. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 7 inclusive, the superposed inner and

outer walls

12 and 14 are not adhesively connected and the outer wall 14 is helically Wound upon the inner wall 12 without any adhesive substance therebetween.

The label-like wrapping 15 may be made from a heli cally wound strip of suitable paper material wound in the same direction as the outer wall 14, as shown, and substantially the same width as the strip forming the outer wall 14.

In use, one end closure designated 23 is secured to the container body 10 which is then filled with the desired product. After filling, the container is sealed by the attachment of a similar closure 24 at its other end. Both closures are, in the form shown, made from sheet metal and are crimped to the respective ends of the body 10.

The outer wrapper unit B including the label-like wrapping 15 and the outer wall 14 are circumferentially cut, as at 25, to divide the wrapper unit A into two body parts, the one part being relatively narrow at the upper end of the container body. This cut 25 forms a free, unattached triangular pull tab 28 in the wrapping 15 where said wrapping intersects the cut 25. The relatively narrow part of the container body is not disturbed in opening the body. The longer of the two parts of the outer reinforcing wrapper unit B is removed from the inner wall 12 when the container body is opened. The label-like wrapper 15 and the outer wall 14 are removed as a unit.

Opening of the container body 10 to release the contents thereof is effected by first lifting the pull tab 28 and then the free unattached label flap 22 at the upper portion thereof as shown in FIG. 2. This separates the helical peeling flap portion 21b of the label 15 from the corresponding news line layer at the outer facial area 21a of the outer wall 14, as shown in FIG. 4. From this point, further pulling on the label will start pulling the outer wall 14 from contact with inner wall 12, as shown in FIGS. and 6. When the outer wall 14 has been spirally unwrapped from the inner wall 12 to the position shown in FIG. 6, the

abutting edges

16 and 17 of the inner wall will be exposed. Further pulling of the label 15 and outer wall 14 as a unit away from the inner wall 12 will expose more of the

abutting edges

16 and 17 of the inner wall 12 so that they may be forced to separate by pressure within as shown in FIG. 9, by expansion of the sealed product 11 which ruptures the liner 13 on the line of abutment of the inner wall 12. Twisting the container body in opposite drections from opposite ends thereof will unwrap the container from the dough. The helical abutting edges of the inner and outer walls preferably extend completely around one turn of the body.

In FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings, we have shown a modification of the invention in which the outer wall 14 is provided with a strip of adhesive designated 26 and applied to the inside thereof in overlying relation to the butt joint formed by

edges

16 and 17. The outer wrapper unit B is shown away from the inner body wall to expose the line of abutment formed by the

abutting edges

16 and 17 of the inner body wall 12. This adhesive 26 tends to hold the

abutting edges

16 and 17 together by securing them to the outer wall 14, thereby tending to prevent internal pressure leaks along the separation line of the inner body wall 12. The outer news line layer on the inner body permits the outer wrapper unit B to be easily removed even when attached at 26.

As shown in FIGS. 2 through 9 of the drawings, the outer face and abutting end face portions of the outer body wall 14 may be provided with a paraffin coating 27 to prevent the

abutting edges

18 and 19, respectively, from welding together by the adhesive that secures the label wrapping to the outer body wall 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the label 15 and the outer body wall 14 are circumferentially cut through at the bottom as well as at the upper cut 25, as shown at 29 adjacent the end closure 24, similar to cut 25, thus permitting the wrapping 15 and outer body wall 14 disposed between the

icircumferential cuts

25 and 29 to be spirally removed from the inner body wall 12 without necessitating tearing of the outer wrapping unit A along the edge of the crimped end closure 24 as would otherwise be done.

The many advantages of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains, and it will be observed that outer reinforcing wrapper unit B is constructed to permit easy removal thereof from the helical separation line formed by the butt joint between

edges

16 and 17 of inner body 12.

It is thought that the invention hereindescribed and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that 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 advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise container particularly designed to permit easy substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising inner and outer body walls of fibrous material detachably bonded together, each wall having opposed helical abutting edges respectively forming innerand outer separation lines, an outer wrapping surrounding said outer body wall and adhesively connected thereto, said wrapping and said outer body wall having a circumferential cut therein in closely spaced relation to one end of the container, said outer wrapping having a free edge portion to provide a pull flap to facilitate removal of the outer wrapping and the outer body wall as a unit from the inner body wall.

2. A substantially cylindrical container particularly designed to permit easy full length opening thereof, said container comprising a pair of helically wound body walls each having the edges thereof abutted in side by side relation to respectively form inner and outer separation lines positioned out of registry with each other, the outer body wall being removably wound about said inner body wall and having a circumferential weakness line in closely spaced relation to one end of the container to facilitate unwrapping of a major portion of said outer body from said inner body.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 and means for sealing the circumferential weakness line.

4. A substantially cylindrical container particularly designed to permit easy opening thereof, said container comprising a pair of superposed helically wound layers of sheet material, the inner layer having a generally helically formed separation line, and an outer wrapping adhesively connected to the outer of the two layers and detachably adhesively binding said two layers together in superposed position but permitting removal of the outer wrapping and the outer layer from the inner layer to expose said inner separation line and permit opening of the container at said inner separation line.

5. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy, substantially full-length opening thereof,

said container comprising a lined, inner, substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separation line formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of the container, an outer reinforcing layer having a separation line out of register with the separation line of the inner body wall and substantially coextensive therewith, the outer wrapping being removably adhesively bonded to the inner wall over the separation line of the inner wall to positively hold said separation line together, the outer wrapping being removable from the inner body'wall to permit the container to be opened at the separation line of the inner wall, and closure means at each end of the container.

6. A container particularly designed to permit easy substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising a generally cylindrical inner body having a weakened separation line extending substantially the full length thereof, liner material adhered to the inner surface of said inner body and bridging across the weakened separation line to provide an inner seal and reinforcement at said separation line, closure means for the ends of the container, an outer reinforcing wrapping superposed about said inner body and constructed and arranged to have at least a substantial portion thereof readily removable from the portions of said inner body adjacent said separation line on both sides thereof to expose the separation line throughout substantially the entire length thereof while permitting the inner body and liner to remain in closed material confining relation but weakening said container at said separation line to permit easy and substantially simultaneous full length opening thereof by rupturing the inner liner material at said separation line to provide an opening extending the full length of the container, while said end closure means remain attached to the ends of the container.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6 and said outer wrapping including a free unattached flap portion adjacent the removable portion thereof to facilitate peeling off of the removable portions from the underlying inner body to facilitate exposure of the separation line prior to opening of the inner body.

8. The structure set forth in claim 6 and said separation line being helically formed in said inner body.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8 and said helically formed separation line being pitched to extend around substantially the entire circumference of the inner body to facilitate unwrapping of the container without removal of the container ends.

10. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy, substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising an inner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separation line formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of the container, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the inner body wall, substantially the entire outer wrapping being integrally peelaby removable from the inner body wall, adhesive means between the outer wrapping and the inner body wall forming the bond therebetween at least along the marginal area of the inner body wall on both sides of the separation line to securely hold the separation line together before removal of the outer wrapping, the removable outer wrapping having a free marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portion of the container to facilitate the integral peeling of substantially the entire outer reinforcing wrapping from the inner body wall to permit the container to be opened at the separation line of the inner body wall and closure means at each end of the container.

11. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy, substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising an inner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separation line formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of the container, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the inner body wall, substantially the entire 6 outer wrapping being integrally peelably removable from the inner body wall, the removable outer Wrapping having a free marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portion of the container to facilitate the integral peeling of sub stantially the entire outer reinforcing wrapping from, the inner body Wall to permit the container to be opened at the separation line of the inner body wall and closure means at each end of the container, and one edge of said outer wrapping overlapping the other edge in free unattached relation thereto to form said free unsecured marginal edge portion.

12. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy, substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising an inner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separation line formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of the container, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the inner body wall, substantially the entire outer wrapping being integrally peelably removable from the inner body wall, the removable outer wrapping having a free marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portion of the container to facilitate the integral. peeling of substantially the entire outer reinforcing wrapping from the inner body wall to permit the container to be opened at the separation line of the inner body wall and closure means at each end of the container, and said free marginal edge extending substantially the full length of the container.

13. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising an inner substantially cylindrical body wall helically formed with adjacent edges thereof abutted to provide a generally helical butt joint and form a weakened separation line extending substantially from one end of the container to the other, an outer reinforcing wrapping superposed about said inner body wall and having at least the portion thereof overlying said helical separation line detachable and bodily removable therefrom to expose said separation line throughout substantiaily the entire length thereof and said outer wrapping including a free unattached flap portion adjacent said removable portion to facilitate integral removal of said removable portion from the underlying body Wall structure adjacent said separation line to permit full length opening of the body Wall at said separation line, said outer reinforcing wrapping being helically Wound about said body wall and said free overlying flap portion forming a generally helically disposed free flap extending substantially the full length of the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,932,169 Allen et a1. Oct. 24, 1933 1,936,417 Ware Nov. 21, 1933 2,051,923 Vogt Aug. 25, 1936 2,073,537 La Bombard Mar. 9, 1937 2,793,126 Fienup et a1. May 21, 19,57

Claims

1. A MERCHANDISE CONTAINER PARTICULARLY DESIGNED TO PERMIT EASY SUBSTANTIALLY FULL LENGTH OPENING THEREOF, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER BODY WALLS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL DETACHABLY BONDED TOGETHER, EACH WALL HAVING OPPOSED HELICAL ABUTTING EDGES RESPECTIVELY FORMING INNER AND OUTER SEPARATION LINES, AN OUTER WRAPPING SURROUNDING SAID OUTER BODY WALL AND ADHESIVELY CONNECTED THERETO, SAID WRAPPING AND SAID OUTER BODY WALL HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CUT THEREIN IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO ONE END OF THE CONTAINER, SAID OUTER WRAPPING HAVING A FREE EDGE PORTION TO PROVIDE A PULL FLAP TO FACILITATE REMOVAL OF THE OUTER WRAPPING AND THE OUTER BODY WALL AS A UNIT FROM THE INNER BODY WALL.