U.S. patent number 3,669,257 [Application Number 05/000,076] was granted by the patent office on 1972-06-13 for package for a plurality of articles.
Invention is credited to Joseph A. Janicke.
United States Patent |
3,669,257 |
Janicke |
June 13, 1972 |
PACKAGE FOR A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES
Abstract
A package for a group of caramel apples incorporates a pair of
locating strips having resilient projections engageable with the
opposite end indentations of an apple, the surrounding package
structure maintaining sufficient confinement pressure to preserve a
deflected condition of the projections.
Inventors: |
Janicke; Joseph A. (Kalamazoo,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
21689804 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/000,076 |
Filed: |
January 2, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/119; 206/589;
426/115; 426/110; 426/124 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/5088 (20130101); B65D 5/4204 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
5/50 (20060101); B65D 5/42 (20060101); B05d
071/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;99/180,171TC,171LP,171
;229/14C,38 ;217/26.5 ;206/65Y,65,46FR |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Leclair; Joseph R.
Assistant Examiner: Caskie; John M.
Claims
I claim:
1. In combination with a plurality of articles of similar axial
length and having opposite end-indentations, a container for said
articles comprising: a spaced pair of strips having similarly
spaced deflectable projections extending outwardly from a side
thereof and deflectible relative thereto in a direction normal to a
plane containing the side edge portions of said strips; said
projections being engaged with said end-indentations; a housing
enclosing said plurality of articles and pair of strips; and
opposed side walls of said housing engaging said strips along a
side thereof opposite said projections and maintaining a deflecting
stress on at least some of said projections.
2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing has a
fixed tubular periphery, and closeable flap means at least at one
end thereof.
3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said projections
are integral with said edge portions.
4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said edge portions
are rounded at least at one end thereof in a plane parallel to said
edge portions.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Packaging and handling caramel apples has always presented a
problem. The sticky exterior of these tasty articles of confection
makes the initial problem that of holding it in the hand while it
is being eaten. The classic solution has always been the well-known
"apple-on-a-stick," which is nothing more than a handle formed by
jamming a pointed stick axially in the one end of the apple. These
sticks have also been used to facilitate the enrobing of the
caramel on the apple. Whether or not ground nuts are added to the
carameled surface of the apple, the resulting item has two
objectionable characteristics. The first of these is that the
piercing of the apple with the stick initiates a fermentation in
the interior of the apple, which has the effect of releasing the
security of the stick. The second problem is the resulting
shortening of the shelf life of the finished article. In spite of
these shortcomings, the desirable taste and nutritional
characteristics of caramel apples has resulted in the continued
marketing of hundreds of thousands per day. Frequently, large
groups of the "apples-on-a-stick" are assembled either handle-up on
a large tray, or inverted, with handles sticking through holes in a
panel. It is obvious that the presence of the stick presents space
requirements that make efficient handling of an inventory, to say
nothing of sanitation problems, almost impossible.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,308 has provided a solution to the problem of
packaging single caramel apples without generating the problems
associated with the stick. The caramelled apple is handled without
contaminating the hands through the use of conical papers at the
opposite end indentations, so that the apple can be grasped between
the ends of the thumb and a finger. Such an arrangement eliminates
the need for the stick, which also eliminates the spacing problems
and the problems resulting from the fermentation associated with
piercing. The result has been a much more economical package,
together with a vast increase in shelf life. The arrangement shown
in this patent, however, is not readily applicable to the
multiple-article packaging requirements current in the present day.
The cost per article of the package containing more than one is
obviously less than that associated with individually packaging
each item. The system described by this patent locates and
maintains the position of the apple within the package by a
resilient pressure applied to projections which engage the
end-indentations of the apples. Applying this principle to a
multiple-unit package presents obvious difficulties in assembling
the contents preparatory to loading, and in maintaining the
necessary resilient deflection of the locating projections so that
the spacing of the caramel apples with respect to each other and
also with respect to the walls of the package continues to be
maintained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a multiple-unit package for caramel apples
and similarly-shaped items by providing opposite locating strips
bearing against opposite walls of a surrounding housing. The
dimensions of the housing are selected with respect to those of the
packaged items so that resilient projections on the locating strips
are maintained under constant pressure in engagement with the end
indentations, thus providing a resilient support and continuing
locating effect for the contents of the package. In the preferred
form of the invention, the housing of the package has a tubular
configuration with a fixed transverse periphery, thus facilitating
the maintenance of confining pressures on the contents. Preferably,
the locating strips have a closely fitting relationship with
respect to the transverse dimension of the housing such that the
forces transferred from the locating strips to the package are
applied closely adjacent to the wall of the package to minimize a
tendency to deflect the supporting wall on which the spacing strips
rest. Technically speaking, the closer the bearing relationship of
the edge portions of the spacing strip can be made to the side
walls of the housing, the less will be the bending moment applied
to the top and bottom walls against which the spacing strips bear
directly.
The spacing strips are preferably manufactured of a heat-deformable
plastic material in which the resilient projections can be formed
by displacing portions of the material of the strips laterally
under heat and pressure into a predetermined configuration
established by a suitable die. The structural features of this
package system make it possible to prepare a sub-assembly including
the upper and lower spacing strips, a set of conical papers
interposed between the ends of the apples and the resilient
locating projections on the spacing strips, and the apples
themselves in proper engagement with these components. This
sub-assembly is conveniently slipped into the open end of the
housing portion of the package under sufficient pressure to deflect
the projections, with this deflected condition being maintained by
the cross-sectional dimensions of the housing. A side-opening
housing can be used, if means are incorporated for maintaining the
peripheral confinement of the contents. This usually involves an
additional taping or sealing operation after the package assembly,
which normally results in an over-all increase in cost over that
associated with a housing which has its cross-sectional periphery
determined by seams that are secured prior to the loading of the
package.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The several features of the invention will be analyzed through
reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one of the locating strips
incorporated in the preferred form of the package.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the papers applied to
the ends of the packaged articles.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the locating strip illustrated in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 illustrates the sub-assembly of the caramel apples, the
holding papers, and the locating strips.
FIG. 5 illustrates the loading procedure associated with the
preferred form of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a section through the loaded package, on a transverse
plane 6'-6 of FIG. 4 through the axis of one of the caramel apples,
showing the resilient projections at a maximum degree of
extension.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 6, showing
a somewhat larger caramel apple, illustrating the accommodation of
the package to the slight variation in sorted size which will still
result in the maintenance of the spacing of the articles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, the spacing strip 10 is preferably formed
integrally from a selected plastic material generally accepted for
use in conjunction with food products. Various forms of polystyrene
are apparently acceptable for this purpose. The initially flat
strips are subject to heat deformation in a die to produce the
lateral displacement forming the locating projections 11-13. Each
of these is generally conical in cross-section, the elements
forming these annular surfaces being preferably either straight
lines (terminating in a rounded point), or being slightly concave
on the side engaging the caramel apples, as shown in the various
figures in the drawings. These projections are connected to the
flat portions of the locating strip by generally radially
corrugated portions 14-16, respectively. These portions are not
truly radial, in that they have a somewhat flatter conical
configuration than that of the projections 11-13. The portions
14-16 function in the manner of compression springs, with the
radial corrugations providing a degree of peripheral
compressibility, together with radial stiffness, which
predetermines the deflection characteristics, and prevents a random
crinkling action which would be associated with a continuous and
non-corrugated surface connecting the projections with the edge
portions 17 and 18. For the ordinary size of caramel apple, it is
desirable that the corrugated portions 14-16 provide at least a
quarter of an inch of resilient movement of the projections 11-13
in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the edge portions
17-18. This will normally give a sufficient spring action with a
material of the strip selected in the neighborhood of ten- to
twenty-thousandths of an inch in thickness. The thickness of the
material in the deformed portions, notably that of the projections
11-13, will of course, be reduced in thickness as a result of the
forming procedure.
FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the locating strips shown in
FIG. 1 are assembled, together with the holding papers shown in
FIG. 2, to form a sub-assembly insertable in a package housing.
Caramel-coated apples 19-21 are provided with the holding papers at
the opposite ends, as shown at 22-27 in FIG. 4. Each of these
papers has the conformation illustrated in FIG. 2, which permits
initially flat paper to be deformed into a conical configuration by
virtue of the generally radial pleats 28. Preferably, an un-pleated
portion 29 remains in the central area. The end papers are normally
applied during the enrobing process which deposits the caramel on
the apples, with the papers being adhesively retained in place by
the effect of the caramel itself. With the sub-assembly prepared as
shown in FIG. 4, a degree of pressure applied between the spacing
strips 10 and 10a will produce a resilient pressure applied against
each of the three caramel apples, regardless of the fact that one
might be slightly longer than the other. This resilience will
maintain the position of the apples by virtue of the engagement of
the projections 11-13 with the normal end-indentations on the
apples. It is preferable that Jonathan, Wealthy, or Winesap apples
be used for this type of caramel apple packaging, as these provide
the most desirable cross-sectional configurations and taste
characteristics in combination with caramel.
The loading of the sub-assembly shown in FIG. 4 into the housing
portion of the package is illustrated in FIG. 5. The tubular
section of the housing indicated at 30 has a fixed periphery
determined by an adhesive seam shown at the corner 31. This
construction produces a housing best able to maintain the
transverse pressures necessary to produce continuing force against
the locating projections. For marketing purposes, a transparent
window 32 is preferably incorporated in the housing 30. These
windows are normally adhesively secured all around their margins,
and thus are able to cooperate in maintaining the peripheral
continuity of the stress-transfer. The vertical dimension of the
tubular portion 30, as shown in FIG. 5, is selected to be slightly
less than the un-compressed distance between the locating strips 10
and 10a, so that compression of the sub-assembly sufficient to
permit insertion into the package, as shown in FIG. 5, will produce
the desired degree of confinement. After the sub-assembly has been
slipped in, the flap 33 can be closed in the usual manner.
The resulting complete package presents the characteristics shown
in FIGS. 6 and 7. The apple 34 is somewhat smaller than the apple
35. The end papers 36 and 37 are forced into general conformity
with the locating projections 38 and 39 of the strips 40 and 41.
The apple 34 is sufficiently small so that a minimum of deflection
has developed in the opposite locating strips, but the apple is
still securely retained in position. Obviously, the locating
projections 38 and 39 would have to move completely out of
engagement with the end indentations in the apple before the apple
would be released. The coating of caramel indicated at 42 is thus
kept in isolation from the walls of the housing 30 as well as from
adjacent apples. In FIG. 7, the larger axial length of the apple 35
has resulted in deflection of the material supporting the locating
projections 43 and 44 to a greater degree than that shown in FIG.
6. The same housing 30, however, is fully able to accommodate this
slight difference in size, with the result that the article is
still maintained in isolation from its neighbors and from the wall
of the package to protect the caramel coating 45.
Particularly in cases where relatively large degrees of deflection
are required for insertion in the package housings, it is desirable
to round the edges of the locating strips as shown at 46 and 47 in
FIG. 1. This facilitates the insertion of the sub-assembly of FIG.
4 into the housing, under the procedure illustrated in FIG. 5. This
is largely due to the relatively close clearance between the
marginal edges 17 and 18 with respect to the side walls 48 and 49,
as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. This closeness results in the
transfer of forces from the locating strips over to the side walls
at positions sufficiently close to the walls that a minimum of
bending moment is induced in the top and bottom walls 50 and
51.
* * * * *