U.S. patent application number 10/633561 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-10 for dispensing container with side opening.
Invention is credited to Abernathy, Paul Benjamin.
Application Number | 20050029335 10/633561 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34115863 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050029335 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Abernathy, Paul Benjamin |
February 10, 2005 |
Dispensing container with side opening
Abstract
A food package storage and dispensing container having a top,
bottom and sides. At least one side has a structure defining a
potential dispensing opening. The opening includes an openable line
defining a downwardly extending U-shaped path. The opening of the
container is provided along the openable line in which a flap is
formed that turns about a transverse line thereabove. In the
absence of an object passing through the opening, the flap
naturally turns about the transverse line to extend generally
downwardly to generally cover the opening.
Inventors: |
Abernathy, Paul Benjamin;
(Randolph, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STITES & HARBISON PLLC
1199 NORTH FAIRFAX STREET
SUITE 900
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
34115863 |
Appl. No.: |
10/633561 |
Filed: |
August 5, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/122 ;
229/110 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/2033 20130101;
B65D 5/4608 20130101; B65D 5/721 20130101; B65D 77/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/122 ;
229/110 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A food package storage and dispensing container adaptable to
store and contain a plurality of food packages inside of the
container, said container being: box-like and having a top, a
bottom, and sides; and at least one of said sides having a
structure defining a potential dispensing opening, including an
openable line defining a downwardly extending U-shaped path, such
that by opening the container along the openable line, a flap is
formed which turns about a transverse line thereabove, to form an
opening of a size sufficient for a human hand to reach through,
wherein, in the absence of an object passing through the opening,
the flap naturally turns about said transverse line to extend
generally downwardly to generally cover the opening.
2. The container of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of food
packages disposed inside of the container, said packages being of a
size to be retrieved individually through the opening.
3. The container of claim 1, wherein said downward extending
U-shaped path is in the shape of a downward convex path forming
said flap with a downward convex shape.
4. The container of claim 1, wherein a single panel substantially
forms a top surface of the container.
5. The container of claim 4, wherein said single panel is
permanently affixed to the container.
6. The container of claim 1, wherein said transverse line is below
a junction of said top and the side having said flap.
7. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is generally
rectangular.
8. The container of claim 1, wherein two opposing sides of the
container each have a structure defining a potential slot opening,
each said potential slot opening providing a handle for ones hand
to grasp.
9. A food package storage and dispensing container adaptable to
store and contain a plurality of food packages inside of the
container, said container being: box-like and having a top, a
bottom, and sides; and at least one of said sides having a
structure defining a potential dispensing opening, including an
openable line defining a downwardly extending U-shaped path, such
that by opening the container along the openable line, a flap is
formed which turns about a transverse line thereabove, said
transverse line being below a junction of said top and the side
having said flap, wherein, in the absence of an object passing
through the opening, the flap naturally turns about said transverse
line to extend generally downwardly to generally cover the
opening.
10. The container of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of
food packages disposed inside of the container, said packages being
of a size to be retrieved individually through the opening.
11. The container of claim 9, wherein a single panel substantially
forms a top surface of the container.
12. The container of claim 9, wherein said downward extending path
is in the shape of a downward convex path forming said flap with a
downward convex shape.
13. The container of claim 9, wherein two opposing sides of the
container each have a structure defining a potential slot opening,
each said potential slot opening providing a handle for ones hand
to grasp.
14. A food package storage and dispensing container adaptable to
store and contain plurality of food packages inside of the
container, said container being: box-like and having a top, a
bottom, and sides; at least one of said sides having a structure
defining a potential dispensing opening, including an openable line
defining a downwardly extending U-shaped path, such that by opening
the container along the openable line, a flap is formed which turns
about a transverse line thereabove; and a plurality of food
packages disposed inside of the container, said packages being of a
size to be retrieved individually through the opening, wherein, in
the absence of an object passing through the opening, the flap
naturally turns about said transverse line to extend generally
downwardly to generally cover the opening.
15. The container of claim 14, wherein two opposing sides of the
container each have a structure defining a potential slot opening,
each said potential slot opening providing a handle for ones hand
to grasp.
16. The container of claim 14, wherein the flap forms an opening of
a size sufficient for a human hand to reach through the
opening.
17. The container of claim 14, wherein said downward extending
U-shaped path is in the shape of a downward convex path forming
said flap with a downward convex shape.
18. The container of claim 14, wherein a single panel substantially
forms a top surface of the container.
19. The container of claim 18, wherein said single panel is
permanently affixed to the container.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a food package storage and
dispensing container, and in particular, such a container with a
side opening flap.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Food products such as cookies and other snacks may be
packaged in individual single serving snack packages for
convenience. These single serving snack packages may be displayed
on store shelves in a box container with a removable, cut-away or
otherwise openable top, thereby allowing a customer to select
individual food packages from the box container for individual
purchase. Alternatively, a consumer may purchase the entire box
container of food packages. One disadvantage of conventional box
containers is that once the top is removed or opened, the
structural integrity of the box container is compromised, thereby
limiting the utility of a box container for transporting and
storing the remaining food packages.
[0003] Other disadvantages of some other conventional containers
are that they are not convenient and are not designed for the
storage dispensing and transport of food packages. For example,
such containers may lack a reclosable opening which opens to gain
access to the food contents inside and then closes after some of
the food contents have been removed. Therefore, these containers
fail to be suitable to dispense and transport food packages once
these containers have been opened.
[0004] Some conventional box containers have side access openings
in the form of an upwardly extending flap which folds down and out
from the container, thereby allowing access to the contents inside
the container. Typically, these dispensing containers with upwardly
extending flaps are used to dispense stacked items such as
beverages as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,681 to Arneson et al
and U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,581 to Dutcher or planar articles such as
diapers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,236 to Roccaforte.
[0005] These aforementioned dispensing containers with side flaps
are not ideally suited for storing and dispensing food packages
since they fail to provide an adequate structure to retain the
remaining food packages once the dispensing container has been
opened since the upwardly extending flap will remain down and
thereby possibly lead to inadvertent spilling of food packages out
of the dispensing container.
[0006] Due to these and other limitations with present containers,
a need exists for a food storage and dispensing container which
provides structural integrity once the container is opened and also
provides adequate protection against inadvertently dropping food
packages from the container is needed.
[0007] There is also a need for a convenient storage, dispensing
and transport container for food products such as snack food
packages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved box container for individual food products such as snack
packages, in which the container provides structural integrity once
opened, while concurrently facilitating the individual removal of
food packages from the box container which has a re-closeable side
opening, thereby limiting inadvertent spillage of food packages
from a once opened container.
[0009] This purpose is achieved, in part, by providing a suitable
container for individual food packages in combination with a side
opening defined by a downwardly extending U-shaped path of a
weakened line forming a flap. The U-shaped path of the weakened
line can be completely curved path or the path may have right
angles so long as the path extends down and then back up. Once the
weakened line is broken, the flap turns about a transverse line
located above the flap. As a result of the flap's configuration, in
the absence of an object passing through the opening, the flap
naturally turns about the transverse line via its own weight and
the resiliency of the material of which the container is formed to
extend generally downwardly to generally cover the opening.
[0010] In various further alternative forms of the container, the
transverse line is below a junction of the top and the side having
the flap, and a plurality of food packages are disposed inside the
container wherein the packages are of a size to be retrieved
individually through the opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will now be described in detail with respect
to preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food package storage and
dispensing container in a closed configuration in accordance with
the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 in a
partially opened configuration;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 in an
opened configuration and showing a hand gaining access to the
contents of the package; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a different food package
storage and dispensing container in accordance with the present
invention in a closed configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring now to the drawings, like numbers represent like
elements throughout the several views.
[0017] Referring now specifically to FIGS. 1-3, a rectangular
box-like container 10 has a top 12, bottom 14, and two pairs of
opposing sides 16,18 and 20,22. Top 12 is formed of a single panel
that substantially forms the entire top surface 50 of container 10.
As a result, top surface 13 provides a continuous uninterrupted
surface for graphics or other indicia.
[0018] Side 16 has an openable line defined by perforations 24
(indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1) in the shape of a downwardly
extending U-shaped path. A transverse fold line 26 extends along
the length of the side 16 spanning between perforation end 24a and
perforation end 24b.
[0019] Although the openable line of perforations 24 is a
symmetrical arc path, the operable line can be any downwardly
extending U-shaped path. For example, the U-shaped path may be
composed of two substantially vertical portions connected by a
substantially horizontal portion thereby defining a U-shaped path
having right angles. Alternatively, the U-shaped path can have any
shape so long as the U-shaped path extends below and connects to
the ends of the transverse fold line 26.
[0020] Flap 28 is formed by tearing the side 16 along the
perforations 24 as depicted in FIG. 2. The flap 28 turns upwardly
about the transverse line 26 and forms an opening 30 in the
container 10 having a sufficient size for a human hand to reach
through. Flap 28 can be pivoted, i.e., turned either inward towards
the center of the box-like container 10, depicted as flap 28b in
FIG. 3, drawn with broken lines, or outwards away from the box-like
container 10 as shown at flap 28a of FIGS. 2 and 3, drawn with
solid lines.
[0021] After flap 28 has been turned upwardly about transverse line
26, a plurality of food packages such as snack packages 32 become
hand accessible for individual retrieval through opening 30. The
snack packages may be a plastic, foil or other bag-like structure
containing the food product. The body of container 10 is formed of
a suitable material such as cardboard which acts with the
composition and the quantity of the bag-like food packages to
advantageously accommodate turning of flap 28.
[0022] After one has reached one's hand 34 into the container 10
and removed a snack package 32 from the container 10, flap 28
naturally turns about the transverse line 26 to extend generally
downwardly to generally cover the opening 30. The natural turning
of flap 28 occurs via the mass of flap 28. Since the flap is
pivotally connected to the side 16 from above the flap 28, the
force of gravity and the resilient memory of the flap to return to
its original position urge the flap 28 downward to generally cover
the opening 30. The closing of the opening 30 via the flap 28 can
be further assisted by one's hand 34.
[0023] After flap 28 is returned to substantially cover the opening
30, the weight of the flap 28 and its resilient memory prevent flap
28 from turning, thereby preventing remaining snack packages 32
from inadvertently falling or spilling out of container 10 when
container 10 is transported or otherwise disturbed.
[0024] A pair of handles, including handle 38 formed in side 20 and
a corresponding handle (not shown) formed in side 22 provide
structures for one to grasp and use to transport the container 10.
Handle 38 is formed in side 20 via perforations 40 which, once
separated, forms a flap 42 which pivots along fold line 44 thereby
forming a slot 46 which acts as a handle for one to grasp. As a
result, one can use handle 38 along with a similar handle formed in
side 22 to transport container 10. Top 12 is preferably permanently
affixed to container 10 via glue or other suitable material
including staples.
[0025] The container of the present invention can have many
different shapes. As one example of a different shape, FIG. 4
depicts a dispensing container 410 similarly numbered as container
10 with the numerals raised by 400. Container 410 differs from
container 10 in that container 410 has a polygonal shape body
rather than the rectangular shape. Other than the different shape,
in all other aspects, container 410 is configured and operates
identically to that of container 10 with flap 428 formed by opening
side 416 along perforation line 424. Turning flap 428 along
transverse line 426 provides an opening to container 410. The
opening allows one to withdraw individual food packages from inside
container 412. Like container 10, one may easily transport
container 412 using slot handle 438 formed in side 420 and a
similarly formed handle formed in side 422.
[0026] It will now be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art
that containers 10, 410 offer substantial features and advantages
not found in previous snack package dispensing containers. The
present containers provide a reclosable flap 28, 428 which pivots
to close an opening and thereby prevents remaining food products
from inadvertently spilling out of the container. Further, the
non-opening top provides rigidity to the containers which assists
in providing support and integrity for storing and transporting the
containers. As a result, the containers are highly adaptable for
transporting the food products such as snack packages and
dispensing the food products on location such as tailgate parties,
children's sporting events, picnics, and the like. Further, the
reclosable flap 28, 428 provides for a container well suited and
convenient for toting any remaining snack packages home again from
such events as the flap 28, 428 will help prevent snack packages
from inadvertently spilling out of the container.
[0027] Although the invention has been described in detail with
respect to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent
to one of ordinary skilled in the art that the invention is capable
of numerous modifications and variations within the scope and
spirit of the invention.
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