US3227359A - Package - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 4, 1966 J. F. HANLON 3,227,359

PACKAGE Filed July 5, 19

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. s flf/awzw J. F. HANLON Jan. 4, 1966 PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1964 INVENTOR c/ JEPH/F film/z o/v ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1966 J, HANLON 3,227,359

PACKAGE Filed July 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Tlcli.

Z/d INVENTOR.

(1555 19 f/lr/vzc/v United States Fatent Cfiice Filed July 3, 1964, Ser. No. 380,191

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-66) This invention relates to an improved package and more particularly to a package comprising a bag of tearable material such as paper in which a commodity is contained and which is provided with means to facilitate tearing out a panel of the bag to permit ready removal of its contents. i

The invention has been illustrated in connection with the packaging of square surgical sponges which by way of example are packaged in say, quantities of two hundred (200), in long narrow bags. Such sponges are usually selected for use in multiples of ten or twenty and to 'this end, the machine which makes them acts automatically to displace every tenth or twentieth sponge edgewise slightly out of its normal position in the stack to serve as a marker. When such sponges are packaged in standard bags only the top sponge is exposed when the bag is opened at the top, as is usual and accordingly the facility of selection as reflectedin the displacement of every tenth or twentieth sponge isjlost.

In accordance with the invention, a bag is made from a blank of tearable material such as paper longitudinally sealed to form a tube and folded to provide front and rear face panels with an intermediate gusset section inter- 3 ,227,359 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 packaged material, i.e., one edge of the gauze sponges in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, thus enabling desired portions of the contents to be grasped.

A better understanding of the invention may be had from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package equipped with the present improvements;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag of FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which parts are folded but prior to the time the folded over bottom portion is secured in place;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one face of a bottom end section of a tube blank before folding with one panel partly broken away to show the infolded gusset portions;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the opposite face of the bag shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates folding the tube blank transversely and backwardly along itself;

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of the bag after completion of the folding operation and adhesion of a portion of the exposed panels to the outside of the underlying adjacent face panel;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bottom end portion of the package shown in FIG. 1 but without contents;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the bottom end portion of a .package without content with the bottom panels connecting the lateraledges of the panels and which is infolded along a longitudinal line midway between the lateral edges of the panels to provide gusset portions lying flat between the face panels. A tube thus folded is severed transversely'into appropriate lengths to form bags. In thus severing the tubes, there is formed a semicircular tab centrally located along a transverse terminal edge of one panel of the tube. The tube then is folded transverselyback upon itself for a distance equal approximately to half the gusset dimension, the direction of fold being such that a portion of the panel adjacent the terminal edge which presents the tab may be secured as by adhesion to the underlying adjacent exterior surface of the other tube panel. Adhesion preferably is effected entirely across the panel except for the portion defined by the tab. When such a bag is fully packed, the tab portion protrudes beyond the bottom of the package where it may be readily grasped between thethumb and index finger for tearing.

Also, in accordance with the invention, thereis pro-,

vided in that portion of the bag which in use is the bottom panel, a series of pairs of slits disposed with one slit of each pair in one group and the other slit of each pair in another group, the said groups being located substantially symmetrical about a median plane through the bag perpendicular to the transverse line of fold. The slits in each pair angle outwardly fromthe median plane and away from the tab and, starting with the pair nearest the tab become progressively more separated, the last pair of slits being close to the marginal edges of the bottom panel. The inner extremities of each pair of slits are more closely spaced than the outer ends of the pair of slits next nearer the tab. According to such an arrangement, pull on the tab causes tears in the material of the bag which diverge toward the lateral edges of the package and as the pull is continued, tears occur along the panel close to the lateral edges thereof being directed or assisted usually by the grain of the paper so that a large section of the panel is readily removed. This exposes the follded but not adhered;

FIG. 10 is an elevation of the bottom of the package looking from outside and with various of the parts removed to show what lies beneath;

FIG. 11 is an elevation of the bottom of the package looking from theinside;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the package with the bottom panel partially torn away;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the package reversed top for bottom as regards FIG. 12 and with the bottom panel tear continued into a face panel; and

FIG. 14 is a perspectiveview of a different embodiment of the invention in which means are provided for limiting the extent to which the face panel may be torn to expose the contents.

The invention has been illustrated in connection with the packaging of gauze sponges S which are substantially square in area. The sponges are packed facewise, and since substantial pressure is used to squeeze air out of the sponge stack, a package of sponges results which is substantially square in cross section (FIG. 1). Such a package may comprise a tube blank 10 having a first face panel 11 and a second face panel 12 equally spaced throughout their areas when in package form and joined together by side panels in the form of a gusset 13 which is folded longitudinally and inwardly so as to present half gusset portion 13a, 13b resting facewise against inner faces of the panels 11, 12 to which the gussets are connected along their lateral edges (FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The blank 10 is made by joining longitudinal edges of a blank strip together along marginal portions thereof as at 14 and then infolding sections of the tube to produce the gussets just described.

The tube is then severed transversely, usually by tearing against a serrated edge, to provide a longitudinal section 10 appropriate for the manufacture of the completed bag. The severing operation is such that a semicircular tab 15 is provided which projects beyond a trans verse cut 16 at one end of the first panel 11 of the blank and which is reflected by a complementary notch 17 in J the same panel at the other end of the blank. The second panel 12 of the blank is cut away in the vicinity of tab 15 to expose an underlying portion 18 of the inner face of first panel 11 and to this exposed portion of the panel there is applied an adhesive in nearly all portions thereof except the tab for a reason which presently will appear. Portions 18a of panel 12 near the folded edges also may have adhesive applied to it.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a dimension X which approximates the width of gusset 13. Blank is folded back along a transverse line 19 which is a distance a or one-half the gusset dimension X from the transverse edge 16 of the blank. After folding has been accomplished, the exposed portion 18 of panel 11 to which the adhesive has been applied is attached to the adjacent outside surface of face panel 12 by activation of the adhesive. Tab is devoid of adhesive and accordingly remains unattached (FIG. 6).

When the bag has been completed and the package filled, a portion of the first face panel 11 will be refiected in the bottom of the package as a first section 11:: with underlying gusset portions 130 and 13d folded diagonally alonglines AE and BE, and a portion of the second panel 12 will be reflected as a first section 12a with underlying gusset portions 132 and 13 folded diagonally along lines GE and FE (FIGS. 8-11).

Bottom sections 11a and 12a extend inwardly toward each other to transverse fold 19 (FIGS. 8, 9). From the transverse fold 19 said first and second panels 11 and 12 with their underlying gusset sections 13g and 13h extend in the form of second panel sections 111) and 12b, in a direction and for a distance to locate transverse terminal edge 16 in substantial coincidence with what now is the lower edge of second panel 12 when the package is completed i.e. line GF. Tab 15 will extend beyond edge GF and consequently project beyond the bottom area of the package where its grasping is facilitated for accomplishing the tearing operation.

From what has been said, it is apparent that the package presents a continuous bottom panel made up of the first and second sections 11a and 11b of the first panel 11. First section 110 overlies the diagonally folded gusset portions 13c and 13d, and second section 11b overlies the second section 121) with the straight folded gusset portions 13g and 13h nesting in between. Second sections 11b and 12:) as a unit overlie first section 12a with its underlying gusset portions 132 and 13 The continuous bottom panel section 11a, 11b, is formed with two groups of slits 20 and 21 (FIGS. 3, 12, 13, 14), each group being disposed symmetrically about what may be considered a median plane extending longitudinally through the package perpendicular to the transverse fold 19. Each group of slits contains a plurality of slits 2.9a, 20b, 20c and 26a, and 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d; all substantially parallel and disposed at about an angle of 40 with the lateral side edges of the bottom panel. The slits comprising the pair 20a and 21a nearest tab 15, have their inner ends within the lateral confines of the tab as defined by slits 22 and 23 which extend perpendicularly inwardly from the transverse terminal edge 16 at the base of tab 15. The slits 26a, 21a, diverge toward the lateral edges of the bottom panel where they terminate with their outer ends beyond the lateral confines of the tab. Said slits 20a and 21a have their outer ends disposed farther from the median plane than the inner ends of the next adjacent pair of slits 20b, 21b and the same holds true with respect to the remaining pairs of slits 28c, 21c and 20d, 21d, i.e. the outer ends of each pair of slits are located more remote from the median plane than the inner ends of the next adjacent pair of slits and also more remote from the transverse edge 16. As shown in FIG. 7 these slits pass only through the outermost bottom panel and while the outer ends of the pair of slits most remote are fairly close to the lateral edges of the bottom panel, such ends preferably terminate about one-quarter of a gusset dimension 12 away from the edge AB of the bottom section 11a where it meets the first face panel 11. With such an arrangement, there will be always some portion of the bag, either a gusset or a panel section, which will underlie the slit so as thereby to discourage infiltration of dust or dirt.

From what is said it is thought that the manner in which the invention operates will be perfectly clear. Referring to FIG. 8, and assuming the package is intact, one desiring to gain access to the contents thereof may grasp tab 15 where it extends beyond the terminal edge GF of the bottom panel and apply a tearing tension. The bag material from the base of slits 22, 23 will tear along the grain of the material until the tears meet the first pair of slits 20a, 21a (FIGS. 12 and 13). Continued pull starts a tearing action from the outer ends of slits 20a, 21a until the tear lines intersect the second pair of slits 20b, 2112. This action may be continued until from the outer ends of the slits 20d, 21d, tearing will follow lines 24, 25 quite close to the lateral edges of the package and these tear lines will continue along first face panel 11 following the grain of the paper until any desired portion of the contents of the package have been exposed. Assuming the package contains gauze sponges S and that each tenth one thereof has been partially displaced to indicate multiples of ten sponges, the contents of the package may be readily removed in desired amounts.

In FIG. 14 there is illustrated another modification of the invention which in all respects is similar to the modification previously described except that along toward the end of the first panel 11 there are provided two other groups of slits 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d and 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d, preferably symmetrically placed about the median plane of the package and which are similar to the slits previously described in the sense that they over-lap, but different in the sense that the first pair of slits 30a, 31a have outer ends to intercept the lines of tear adjacent the lateral edges of the panel while succeeding slits are progressively nearer to the median plane. The innermost ends of the last pair of slits 30d and 31d are sufficiently close to enable a tear readily to connect these ends to facilitate removal of the torn away section of the panel.

The invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof but many modifications are included within its spirit. The invention therefor is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A package of commodities comprising a bag in which the commodities are contained and with opposite first and second face panels interconnected along their lateral edges by intermediate gussets normally folded between said face panels when the bag is empty, but unfolded when extended by the commodities contained in the bag to form side panels therefor, and a bottom for the bag including, when the gussets are unfolded, a first section of each face panel with its contiguous gusset portions folded diagonally and in underlying relation thereto, said first sections extending in opposite directions inwardly to a generally common transverse line disposed at right angles to the lateral edges of the face panels, and a second section of each face panel extending in the same direction outwardly from said common transverse line to a transverse terminal edge and with their contiguous gusset portions in between, the first and second sections of said first panel constituting a continuous outer bottom panel for the bag and being secured along a portion of said transverse terminal edge to said second face panel, a plurality of slits disposed in groups in the continuous bottom panel of the bag and located one group on each side of a longitudinally median plane disposed at rightangles to said transverse fold and with the slits of each group, starting with the slit nearest the transverse terminal edge of the bottom panel located progressively further fromsaid transverse edge and progressively nearer a lateral edge of the bottom panel, all of said slits. overlying said gusset portions folded diagonally in underlying relationship to said continuous outer bottom panel, and a tab formed in said bottom panel adjacent the transverse edge thereof and protruding therebeyond, the width of said tab being at least as wide as the inner extremities of the slits nearest said transverse edge whereby continuous tension applied to the tab will cause the bag to tear along said outer bottom eral edges of said first face panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,363,957 11/1944 Goff 22985 2,385,647 9/ 1945 Poppe 22957 3,104,047 9/ 1963 Weeks 22966 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,253 9/1955 Canada.

10 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner.

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