Dispensing/filling Container

Abstract

A novel container construction is presented which is formed from two separate blanks of material that are cut and scored for assembly at the point of use without external fasteners. The lower portion of the container comprises a tubular container body which may or may not be lined, and the upper portion of the container comprises a detachable top closure unit which includes an integral swing-in access panel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel container fabricated from corrugated paperboard or the like, and which has multiple use applications because of its simple and economical construction. The container is formed from two separate pieces of cut and scored material and is adapted for assembly at the point of use.

In particular, the novel container described herein may be used as a wastebasket but it would be equally useful as a covered dispensing container or other similar article. The top closure element for the container comprises the essentially novel feature of the invention, and since the top closure is arranged to be readily detachable from the bottom portion of the container, the container is easily filled or emptied.

The invention is described herein in detail for use as a wastebasket and as such it comprises two separate cut and scored blanks of corrugated paperboard or the like which may be shipped and stored in a flattened condition for assembly at the point of use. The lower portion of the container preferably comprises a simple tubular outer shell with four side walls and a self locking bottom structure. It is within the scope of the present invention that fewer or greater numbers of side walls could be employed in the lower container configuration should a different shape be desirable or required for a particular purpose. In addition, the self locking bottom construction has been chosen for the sake of convenience only. A lower container unit having integral or add-on leg portions could also be incorporated into the present construction within the scope of the invention herein described.

The upper portion of the container includes the novel swing-in panel to form a convenient dispensing or filling opening. It is formed from a single blank of cut and scored corrugated paperboard or the like that is easily set up and placed over the lower portion of the container described above. The preferred shape of the upper portion of the container as disclosed for use as a wastepaper basket, is of a wedge configuration although as in the case of the lower unit, any convenient shape could be chosen within the scope of the invention as described herein. When used as a wastepaper basket, it is desirable to line the lower portion of the container with an impervious material. Accordingly, the upper unit is also adaptable to hold a bag element in position for lining the lower unit. By providing suitable tabs on the upper unit to cooperate with slots on the lower unit, and by extending the top portion of the bag over the upper edge of the lower unit, the two units when fitted together effectively hold the bag liner in position.

Numerous forms of dispensing and filling containers have been produced in the past but none have incorporated the simplicity and convenience attendant with the present novel container. For use as a wastebasket, the container of the present invention is designed to replace conventional metal wastepaper receptacles or cans and accomplishes this purpose with the additional advantage of incorporating a unique cover to retain the waste material in the container until it is emptied. The container of the present invention is also designed to replace the currently used rigid and unattractive stands for Papercan bags. "Papercan" is the registered trademark of Westvaco Corporation, the assignor herein, to identify their paper trash bags. Accordingly it is the specific although not limited purpose of the present invention to incorporate a disposable paper bag liner into the container which would render the container reuseable and economical. In its preferred form, the blank material used to construct the container would be coated with both a protective wax coating and a fire retardant material. These steps would insure that the container could be reused with a minimum of care and would help assure a safe use without the risk of destruction by fire or other environmental elements. The outer walls of the container could also be imprinted with graphic design material to render the container pleasing to the eye and acceptable for different uses. Advertising slogans or other public service announcements could also be imprinted on the outer walls of the container for the same purposes.

When employed as a dispensing container the novel container of this invention could find use as a covered feeding device for animals or as a covered parts receptacle for the convenient storage of small items. In addition, the container described herein could take the form of an attractive display and dispensing station for unit sales of hardware, personal use commodities or even grocery items. For these instances, the necessity of the bag liner would not be required although a plastic liner could be employed if needed, in place of the Papercan bag preferred for the container when used as a wastebasket. The container of this invention when used as a single or multiple unit dispensing container would be easy to fill, would remain clean and sanitary, and because of the top cover, would tend to discourage pilferage. Other novel uses are contemplated within the scope of the invention wherein one requires a dispenser of simple and economical construction with a covered top and pivoting access door. Competition is very keen in marketing containers of the sort described herein, and the provision of a container which is economical to purchase, easy to assemble and which has a multitude of uses will assure its success in the market. The multiple use capability of the container described herein particularly enhances its marketing potential and will challenge the ingenuity of prospective purchasers.

Accordingly, it is a feature of this invention to provide an improved dispensing container for dispensing unit items in an efficient manner.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a dispensing container which is inexpensive to manufacture, capable of being shipped and stored in knocked down condition for assembly at the point of use, and which may be used to dispense a variety of items.

Another feature of this invention resides in its multiple use capability wherein not only can the container be used as a dispensing unit, but it may find particularly advantageous use as a container for filling, i.e., as a wastebasket.

Hence another important feature of the present invention resides in its use as the outer structure for a reuseable wastebasket having a Papercan bag lining element.

It is another feature of this invention to provide an inexpensive yet strong weather and fire resistant outer structure for a Papercan bag waste receptacle.

Another feature resides in the provision of a novel upper unit closure for a Papercan bag waste receptacle.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide an outer structure for a Papercan bag waste receptacle which may be printed in a variety of colors and with graphic designs designs and/or public service slogans and advertisements to present an attractive, pleasing appearance to the user.

A particular feature of the present invention when used either as a dispensing container or a waste receptacle is in the novel construction of the upper unit closure which is formed from a single blank of material and which includes a convenient swing-in panel access means.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide an improved high strength, reuseable dispensing/filling container that is constructed from two separate cut and scored blanks of foldable material which are fitted together during assembly without requiring separate fastening means.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing/filling container having one or more of the novel features as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of novel blanks for making the improved dispensing/filling container described herein.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a reading of this description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates in blank form the preferred lower unit construction;

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical blank from which the upper unit of the container may be formed;

FIG. 3 shows the completely formed upper and lower units prior to being connected together for the final assembly;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial view in section along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3 showing the assembled container with the upper and lower units positioned around a typical Papercan bag installation; and

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the novel container disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the various features of this invention are hereinafter described as being particularly adaptable for a Papercan bag waste receptacle, it is to be understood that the elements of the invention could be utilized singly or in combination to provide a dispensing/filling container for other operations as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited only to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing because the drawing is merely utilized to illustrate one of the wide variety of uses for the invention. Hence, in the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawing, an improved Papercan bag waste receptacle is illustrated, as well as an improved blank structure, for making such a container. The lower unit 10 is adapted for externally surrounding and supporting the Papercan bag element while the upper unit 40 is constructed for permitting easy access to the lower unit via the novel integral swing-in panel element 45. In this example the upper and lower units 40, 10 are adapted to be nested together without external fasteners to retain the papercan bag element 75 in position within the container.

As seen particularly in FIG. 1 of the drawing a blank element constructed from corrugated paperboard or the like is illustrated which has a plurality of straight side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18 separated from one another by fold lines 13, 15, 17 and 19. The wall 14 is shown as being a front wall since it contains the slots 25 for accepting tabs 42 of the upper unit 40. The slots 25 are preferably formed by a pair of vertical cut lines 23, 24 with a fold line 22 at the upper edge and a cut line 21 at the lower edge of each slot. The flap portions 26 of each slot 25 are folded inwardly to allow the tab elements 42 of upper unit 40 to be inserted in the slots, and, to retain the Papercan bag in position during use. FIG. 4 illustrates gripping action of flaps 26 and tabs 42.

A glue flap 20 is hingedly attached to wall 18 along fold line 19 and is fixed to the free edge of wall 12 in the assembled condition for form a substantially tubular shaped parallelepiped lower unit 10. The bottom structure of the lower unit 10 is illustrated as comprising a plurality of flap elements 30, 32, 34 and 36 separated from their respective side walls by fold lines 31, 33, 35 and 37. The shape and orientation of the bottom closure flaps is designed to achieve a typical self locking closure which is strong and easy to set up. Of course, any other design could be used to satisfy the same purpose without the exercise of invention. In order to set up the illustrated bottom closure, the proper sequence of steps would be to initially square the container which has been previously taped, glued or stitched at the closure flap 20. Secondly flap 30 would be folded inwardly about fold line 31 to a position perpendicular to the side wall 18. Thirdly, the two bottom flaps 32 and 36 would be folded inwardly along fold lines 33 and 37 respectively into an overlapping relationship with flap 30. Finally, the bottom closure flap 34 would be folded inwardly along fold line 35 so that the tab 38 on the extreme end of flap 34 could be inserted in the cut out 39 of flap 30. For carrying out the final step of the bottom closure assembly, it would be necessary to initially force all of the closure flaps into the interior of the container so that the tab 38 could be inserted in the cut out 39 without bending or otherwise mutilating the tab. Once the bottom closure is thus set up, the natural tendency for the corrugated paperboard is to spring back to its original position so that a strong and integrated bottom is formed. If the bottom closure of the lower unit 10 had integral or add-on leg structures, the sequence of folding and securing the different panels would be changed.

The upper unit 40 or top closure for the container of the present invention is illustrated in blank form in FIG. 2. The basic parts of the blank comprise the front panel 41 which would overlap the wall 14 of the lower unit 10 in the assembled condition; a pair of side panels 52, 54 overlapping walls 16 and 12 of lower unit 10 when assembled; a rear panel 66 overlapping wall 18 of lower unit 10 when assembled; and an upper panel 50 which in the assembled condition would be slanted to give the top closure unit 40 its typical wedge-shape configuration. The novel swing-in panel 45 is shown as being cut from panel 41 in a pattern defined by the substantially U-shaped cut line 46. This shape and size is chosen for convenience only and could be varied without exceeding the scope of the invention. The panel 45 is hingedly connected to the upper unit blank structure along a fold line 47. Note that the fold line 47 is offset with regard to the fold lines 48 dividing front panel 41 and top panel 50. This off-set relationship is provided so that as assembled, the swing-in panel 45 will have an effective length which is longer than the distance between an imaginary line connecting the fold lines 48 and the bottom edge of the cut out defined by cut line 46. This geometrical configuration thus allows the swing-in panel 45 to be pivoted inside the top closure, but provides a means whereby the swing-in panel is prohibited from pivoting out beyond the face of the front panel 41. The bottom part of the cut out 46 acts as a stop mechanism to accomplish this result. It is further advisable when preparing the blank for the upper unit 40 that the score line 47 connecting the panel 45 to panel 41 be applied in a direction parallel to the flutes when corrugated paper board is used to fabricate the unit. Corrugated paperboard has more resiliency when scored parallel to the flutes than when the score is applied perpendicular to the flutes. The added resiliency at the critical fold line 47 is important in forming the container of this invention since the container is meant to be reused and the panel 45 would be required to operate efficiently and without functional difficulty a multitude of times during the life of the container. In addition, if it were found desirable or necessary, a reinforcement element could be added to the hinge connection at fold line 47 to extend the life of the upper unit.

Front panel 41 of the upper unit 40 includes, in addition to the swing-in panel 45 and front wall engaging tab elements 42, a pair of securing tabs 43 at each side of the front panel 41 and hingedly attached thereto along fold lines 44. Each of these securing tabs 43 are shaped and positioned so as to engage cooperating slots 59, 60 in the upper unit side panels 52, 54. The side panels 52, 54 are joined to the sloping top panel 50 of upper unit 40 along fold lines 49 and 51, and they are each designed to provide a means whereby the upper unit 40 can be assembled into a more or less rigid structure. To obtain the desired wedge-shaped configuration of the upper unit 40, the side panels 52, 54 are each shown as being constructed of triangular shape and they each include an elongated tab element 56, 58 attached to their leading edges along fold lines 55, 57. FIG. 2 illustrates this preferred construction and further shows the position of the slots 59 and 60 along the fold lines 55, 57 which accommodate the securing tabs 43 of front panel 41.

Along the rear portions of panels 52, 54, a pair of retaining flaps 65 are located which are separated from the panels 52, 54 by fold lines 61, 62. The function of these retaining flaps 65 is to give the rear portion of the upper unit 40 some strength and integrity in the assembled condition. The rear portion of the upper unit includes a first panel 66 attached to the top panel 50 along a fold line 63; an intermediate panel 68 attached to the free edge of panel 66 along a fold line 67; and a second panel 70 attached to the free edge of panel 68 along a fold line 69. The second panel 70 also includes a pair of securing tabs 71 which are inserted in slots 64 of top panel 50 in the assembled condition. The intermediate panel 68 has only a fractional width necessary to provide a space for the retaining flaps 65 when the rear portion of the upper unit is assembled for use.

The upper unit 40 is assembled for use by initially folding the blank along the fold lines 47, 48, 49, 51 and 63. The front portion is then secured together by folding tabs 43 along their fold lines 44, and elongated tabs 56, 58 along their fold lines 55, 57 so that the tabs 43 can be inserted in the accommodating slots 59, 60. The rear portion is secured together by tucking retaining flaps 65 inside of and adjacent the first panel 66 prior to folding the intermediate panel 68 about fold line 67 and finally, the second panel 70 about fold line 69. In this configuration, the retaining flaps 65 fit between panels 66 and 70 and the final step in the assembly is accomplished by inserting the tabs 71 in the slots 64 provided therefor in top panel 50. Thus the upper unit 40 is completely assembled and ready for engagement with the fully assembled lower unit 10.

FIG. 3 shows the completed assembly of both units and includes the preferred Papercan bag liner element 75. In order to secure all of the parts together, the liner element 75 is partially draped over the outside of the container side walls and the upper unit 40 is tilted forward to engage the tabs 42 in their respective slots 25. This step more or less fixes the bag 75 in position and it is then firmly fixed in position by rotating the upper unit 40 back so that the side panels 52, 54 and rear panels 66, 70 overlap the lower unit side walls 12, 16 and 18. The front panel 41 of upper unit 40, being of a slightly smaller dimension than the other upper unit panels, also overlaps the front wall 14, but to a lesser degree than the other upper unit panels.

Note the sectional view illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein the overlapping feature of the upper unit is clearly shown. The Papercan bag liner element 75 is shown as being securely wedged between the overlapping sections of the upper and lower units and the orientation of the swing-in panel 45 is apparent.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein the container may employ more than one swing-in panel in a single unit. For this embodiment, it is presumed that the container would be used primarily in its dispensing role and accordingly the lower unit 10' has been shown as having a shallow depth and a dividing element 27. The other elements of the container of FIG. 5 are similar to those shown in the FIG. 1-4 embodiment and the like elements have been given the same reference characters with the addition of a prime mark. The erection and assembly of the FIG. 5 embodiment would precede substantially like the FIG. 1-4 embodiment hence no new detailed description is deemed necessary.

Thus it is seen that an improved container has been provided by this invention which is of simple and economical construction. It is to be noted that terms such as "bottom," "top," "side," and the like have been utilized throughout this disclosure for ease of description and to define the position of various panels and walls as shown in the drawing. It will be appreciated that such terms should not be considered as limiting the scope of this invention in any way.

The container disclosed herein, when constructed with the improved blanks illustrated, is easily formed and assembled and is extremely rugged in construction so as to resist the destructive forces encountered during use. Accordingly, while only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A dispensing/filling container comprising in combination:

a. a lower portion constructed from corrugated paperboard and having a plurality of side walls connected to one another along fold lines, a plurality of bottom closure flaps connected to the lower edges of said side walls along fold lines, and a closure flap connected to the free edge of one of said side walls and secured to the free edge of another of said side walls to form an open top container body of tubular cross-section in the assembled condition; and,

b. an upper portion constructed from corrugated paperboard and including a top panel with a plurality of side panels foldably attached to each edge thereof, one of said side panels including an integral swing-in access panel formed by a cut line of substantially U-shape and hingedly connected to said top panel along a fold line closely adjacent to but spaced from the fold line connecting said side panel to said top panel, whereby said access panel is prohibited from pivoting out beyond the face of said side panel, said side panel further including pairs of tab elements at each side thereof and along the lower edge thereof for cooperating with respective slots in other side panels and with slots in a coextensive side wall of said lower portion to form an integrated top closure for said lower portion tubular container in the assembled condition.

2. A dispensing/filling container formed from separate blanks of foldable sheet-like material such as corrugated paperboard comprising:

a. a first blank of corrugated paperboard for forming a lower portion container body of tubular cross-section having an open top, a plurality of side walls, and a plurality of bottom closure flaps;

b. a second blank of corrugated paperboard for forming a detachable upper portion top closure for the lower container body portion having a top panel and a plurality of side panels connected to said top panel, one of said side panels including an integral swing-in access panel substantially U-shaped in configuration and hingedly connected to said top panel along a fold closely adjacent to but offset from the fold line connecting said top panel to said side panel for providing access to the lower container body portion but prohibiting said access panel from pivoting out beyond the face of said side panel;

c. each of said upper portion side panels being arranged to partially overlap said lower portion side walls in the assembled condition; and,

d. means comprising integral tab elements located along the lower edge of at least one of said upper portion side panels to cooperate with other means comprising cooperating slots in at least one of said adjacent lower portion side walls to detachably secure the upper portion top closure to the lower portion container body.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein said lower container body portion is lined with a removable liner element which overlaps the upper edges and cooperating slots of said container body side walls so that with the integral tab elements engaged in said cooperating slots, said liner element is thereby releasibly fixed between the container body side walls and the overlapping portions of the top closure side panels and the integral tab elements.

4. The container of claim 3 wherein said blanks of foldable material are treated to be water and fire retardant and the upper portion blank is cut and scored so that the hinged connection of said swing-in access panel lies parallel with the corrugated flutes.

5. A dispensing/filling container formed from separate blanks of foldable material such as corrugated paperboard comprising:

a. a first blank of corrugated paperboard for forming an open top lower portion container body of tubular cross-section having a plurality of side walls connected to one another along fold lines, a plurality of bottom closure flaps connected to the lower edges of said side walls along fold lines, and a closure flap connected to the free edge of one of said side walls and secured to the free edge of another of said side walls in the assembled condition; and,

b. a second blank of corrugated paperboard for forming a detachable upper portion top closure for the lower container body portion, said second blank including an upper panel with a pair of side panels foldably connected along the side edges thereof, a front panel foldably connected along the front edge thereof and a plurality of rear panels foldably connected along the rear edge thereof, said front panel including an integral swing-in access panel hingedly connected to said upper panel along one edge thereof at a fold line that is closely adjacent to but spaced from the fold line connecting said front panel to said upper panel, whereby said access panel is prohibited from pivoting out beyond the face of said front panel, said front panel further including pairs of tab elements located at each side edge thereof, and along the lower edge for cooperating respectively with slots in said side panels and slots located in one of the walls of said lower portion container body, said side panels further including retaining flaps foldably attached along the rear edges thereof and adapted to be inserted between the folded rear panels of said top closure in the assembled condition.

6. The container of claim 2, wherein the lower portion container body is divided into two or more compartments and said upper portion top closure includes two or more integral swing-in access panels cut therein to provide access to each compartment in said lower portion container body.