U.S. patent number 3,669,341 [Application Number 05/072,356] was granted by the patent office on 1972-06-13 for dispenser for continuous business forms.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Westvaco Corporation. Invention is credited to William W. Hughes.
United States Patent |
3,669,341 |
Hughes |
June 13, 1972 |
DISPENSER FOR CONTINUOUS BUSINESS FORMS
Abstract
A container for packaging, shipping, and dispensing continuous
business forms having top panels and side panels which are flared
outwardly to open the container permitting access to the interior
thereof with a locking means on the top panels to retain the
container in an open condition during the dispensing operation.
Inventors: |
Hughes; William W.
(Eggertsville, NY) |
Assignee: |
Westvaco Corporation (New York,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
22107066 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/072,356 |
Filed: |
September 15, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/125; 229/123;
229/130; 229/143; 229/127; 229/151 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/22 (20130101); B65D 5/6632 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
5/66 (20060101); B65D 5/64 (20060101); B65D
5/20 (20060101); B65D 5/22 (20060101); B65d
005/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/33,30,34R,17S |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Norton; Donald F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A shipping and dispensing container for continuous business
forms constructed from a one-piece blank of foldable material such
as corrugated paperboard, cut and scored to comprise:
a. a centrally located, rectangular shaped bottom panel with a
series of panels at each side thereof, separated therefrom and from
one another by scored fold lines;
b. the first single side walls connected along opposed side edges
of said bottom panel folded up at right angles to said bottom
panel;
c. side wall extension flaps hingedly attached along the side edges
of said first single side walls and folded inwardly at right angles
to said first side walls;
d. double panel side walls, including inner panels and outer panels
with said outer panels being connected along the remaining opposed
sides of said bottom panel and folded up at right angles to said
bottom panel, said inner panels being connected to said outer
panels along spaced, parallel fold lines, and folded over and
inwardly about said spaced fold lines to enclose the side wall
extension flaps in the space created therebetween;
e. locking slots located along the fold lines connecting the outer
panels to said bottom panel and locking tabs located along the free
edges of each inner panel whereby the double panel side walls are
locked in their upright position;
f. irregularly shaped slots located along each of the spaced fold
lines connecting said double panels to one another and lying along
the upper edge of said double panel side walls;
g. top closure flaps hingedly attached along the free edges of said
first single side walls;
h. locking closure tabs connected to the extreme side edges of each
top closure flap, and extending through the irregularly shaped
slots and into the space formed by the double panel side walls;
i. arcuate cut-outs in each side wall extension flap for
accommodating the locking closure tabs in the space between said
double panel side walls; and,
j. necked down portions at each end of said irregularly shaped
slots for locking the closure tabs in position when the container
is opened for dispensing.
Description
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a container for dispensing connected
sheets of material arranged in a stack to provide sequential
feeding of each sheet from the stack in response to movement of the
immediately preceding sheet away from the stack. In particular, the
invention is directed to a novel container for shipping and
dispensing a supply of manifolded business forms, to permit
successive withdrawal of the forms one at a time. The container is
formed from a one-piece blank of material which is cut, scored and
folded so that it may be set up into the finished container by a
simple operation.
Manifolded business forms of many kinds are in very common use and
in many different environments. Generally the business forms are
packaged in regular slotted boxes and must be dispensed therefrom
the best possible way depending upon the circumstances. Often the
machines that operate upon the business forms are arranged such
that the business forms must be taken from their packages and
stacked on the floor thus creating an unsightly and undesirable
situation. In order to overcome these and other problems, the
container of the present invention was designed.
In accordance with the present invention, a container adapted to
contain a supply of manifolded, continuous business forms, to
permit the successive withdrawal of the forms, is set up from a
one-piece blank of corrugated paperboard or the like. The blank is
cut, scored, and folded to comprise a rectangular bottom panel
centrally located in the blank and integral with a series of panels
on each side thereof and separated therefrom by scored fold lines.
The adjacent side panels on two opposed sides of the bottom panel
comprise a pair of double panel side walls and the adjacent side
panels on the other two opposed sides comprise single integral side
walls and top closure flaps. The single side walls attached along
the second opposed sides of the bottom panel have end flap
extensions attached to the side edges thereof, and these end flap
extensions are each folded to lie in the space created by the
double panel side walls of the first opposed sides of the bottom
panel in the erected condition. In addition, the top closure flaps
include locking tabs attached along the side edges thereof which
are also inserted in the space created by the double panel side
walls and which are locked in the open condition of the container
to permit dispensing of the business forms.
It is an object of this invention then to provide a shipping and
dispensing container for continuous business forms that may be used
in any environment including a drawer or shelf provided therefor.
The container of this invention with its cover panels partially
opened and locked in place could also be used in restricted
vertical height areas.
Another object of this invention is to provide a container for
shipping and dispensing serially packaged continuous business forms
for use with automatic dispensing equipment.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a container for
continuous business forms that can be stored in knocked down
condition but which can easily be erected for packaging. After
packaging with business forms, the container is easily and swiftly
sealed and when made ready for dispensing, can be used without
removing the cover.
Thus a simple and effective shipping and dispensing container is
provided which may be manufactured in blank form on available
equipment including a simple die-cut press. Only slightly more
material is needed to make the container of this invention than
would be needed for a regular slotted container of equivalent
volume and dimensions. In the preferred embodiment, the container
can be folded to partially completed condition from the blank form
without the need of additional tape, staples or other securing
means. The container is filled with the business forms or other
matter to be dispensed and the cover panels are then inserted into
position so that the container may then be taped shut. To open the
container and put it in condition for dispensing only requires the
cutting of the taped closure and the outward and upward movement of
the cover panels to their locked-in-position partially open
condition. At this time, the initial serially connected business
form or the like is pulled from the container and the remaining
forms follow as the need arises. Thus the contents of the container
are readily accessible, yet the partially opened cover panels
prevent the entry of any unwanted extraneous material and other
debris that could mar the appearance and condition of the remaining
forms. At any time during a lull in the use of the business forms
or for overnight storage, the cover panels could easily be pushed
back to their closed position while leaving part of the next form
extended out of the opening.
Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent
from the following description, claims and drawing, which by way of
illustration, shows a preferred embodiment of the invention and the
principles thereof in what is now considered to be the best mode
contemplated for applying the principles. Other embodiments of the
invention employing the same or equivalent principles may be used
and structural changes may be made as described by those skilled in
the art without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the blank from which the container is
made;
FIG. 2 illustrates a front side view of the container in its early
stages of formation;
FIG. 3 shows a side view similar to that of FIG. 2 of the container
now ready to be filled with the business forms or other
product;
FIG. 4 shows a view like that of FIGS. 2 and 3 with one cover panel
folded into the closed position;
FIG. 5 shows a front side view of the container which is filled and
closed and ready to be taped shut;
FIG. 6 illustrates the container of FIG. 5 in the open, dispensing
condition with the cover panels locked in position;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the container in its open,
dispensing condition; and,
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the business forms being
withdrawn from the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawing, and in particular, to FIG. 1, the
blank will be seen to comprise a rectangular shaped bottom panel 10
centrally located in the blank and integral with the adjacent
panels at all four sides. The front and back of the blank and the
two side walls of the blank respectively are identical in
construction, hence similar reference numerals have been used to
indicate correspondingly similar panels to overcome any possibility
of confusion in the description. In addition the terms front, back
and side panels and walls will be used throughout the specification
as a matter of convenience only since the container does not have
any specific orientation when set-up. Accordingly, for the sake of
this description, the double paneled walls 11, 14 will be
considered the front and back walls whereas the walls 12 are to be
considered side walls.
Referring once again to the blank of FIG. 1, outer front and back
wall panels 11 are shown as being attached along fold lines 21 to
the bottom panel 10, and the single side wall panels 12 are
attached to bottom panel 10 along the fold lines 22. The next
adjacent front and back wall panels 14 are attached to the free
edge of the panels 11 along a pair of fold lines 25, 26. These
attachment fold lines 25, 26 are spaced apart from one another an
amount equal to the thickness of the material from which the
container is constructed so as to accommodate the end flap
extensions along with the locking tabs of the cover panels in the
erected condition. The top of the container is closed by a pair of
cover flaps 15 attached along the free edges of the side walls 12
along fold lines 27.
The remaining elemental parts of the blank include the side wall
end flap extensions 13 attached at each side edge of each single
side wall 12 along fold lines 23. A cut line 24 is located adjacent
the outer edges of the outer front and back wall panels 11 to
permit the end panel extensions to be folded along their fold lines
23. Thus the end panel extensions 13 remain integral with the blank
structure since they are attached to side walls 12 along the fold
lines 23. Finally, locking closure tabs 16 are shown attached to
the extreme end edges of the top cover flaps 15 along fold lines
28. These locking closure tabs are illustrated in this preferred
embodiment as being hook shaped so as to include a locking hook and
slot 31.
It is also noted that the blank structure includes certain specific
cut-outs and slots for accommodating the different elements of the
container in the erected condition. Thus the inner front and back
wall panels 14 include tabs 17 at their outer free edges which are
locked in the slots 18 located along fold lines 21 when the front
and back walls of the container are set-up. Similarly, there are
irregularly shaped slotted areas 20 located along the paired fold
lines 25, 26 for accepting the top locking closure tabs 16. Each of
the slotted areas also include narrow portions 30 at each end
thereof for engaging the slots 31 on each locking hook of each
closure tab 16. Finally, the side wall flap extensions 13 each
include other irregular shaped arcuate cut-outs 19 for permitting
relative movement of the hook shaped closure tabs 16 when the
container top closure flaps 15 are manipulated for opening the
container.
With reference now to FIG. 1 taken with FIGS. 2-5, in cutting the
blank, the several slots, tabs and panel extensions of the body
forming parts of the blank are so designed and correlated, that the
blank may be folded and the different tabs engaged in their
respective slots as follows. The container is set-up with the
bottom panel 10 on a flat surface and the respective side walls 12
are folded up 90.degree. about fold lines 22. In this position, the
side wall end extension flaps 13 are then folded inwardly at right
angles to the side walls 12 along the fold lines 23. Next, the
front and back double panel walls of the container are formed by
initially folding the outer panels 11 upwardly at a right angle to
the bottom panel 10 along fold lines 21. FIG. 2 illustrates the
container partially folded as set forth above when viewed from
either the front or rear of the container. Note the position of
inner panel 14 with the side wall extension flaps 13 located
directly behind and parallel with the outer panel 11. The side
walls 12 and cover panels 15 are shown as continuous and vertically
aligned to leave the partially formed container open at the
top.
The next step in the set-up of the container is the orientation of
the inner panel 14 of the double panel front and back walls to
enclose the side wall flap extensions 13 in the space between the
inner panel 14 and outer panel 11. FIG. 3 shows the container thus
formed by folding panel 14 at the scored lines 25, 26 180.degree.
so as to lie parallel and adjacent the side wall flap extensions
13. When this fold is made, the irregularly shaped slot 20 remains
open along the upper edges of the front and back walls and the tab
element 17 on inner panel 14 is snugly engaged in the slot 18
formed along the fold line 21. As a next step, the locking tabs 16
attached to the top cover panels 15 are folded inwardly about their
fold lines 28 to assume the position shown in FIG. 3.
At this stage of the fabrication of the container, the body of the
package is completely set up with a bottom and four side walls
without the aid of additional securing means and/or props.
Accordingly, the container is now ready to be packed with its
contents which, in the preferred embodiment, comprises sequentially
stacked, continuous business forms. Generally these business forms
will comprise a continuous strip of material in which each
individual form is separated from each adjacent form by a line of
perforations by means of which one form may be severed from the
next succeeding form. Sometimes the forms even include additional
slots or holes which permit them to be filed on commercially
available filing devices. The individual forms are preferably
arranged in a zig-zag fashion and arranged in a stack. They may
then take the form of duplicate sheets, or be single manifolded
forms, or even manifolded in triplicate or quadruplicate as needed.
Accordingly, the stack of manifolded forms as described is then
placed in the carton in a position such that the line of
perforations connecting each adjacent form lies parallel with the
opening in the top of the container. FIG. 8 illustrates the
business forms as they are preferably stacked in the container and
removed therefrom.
After the container is packed as described above, the condition is
as shown in FIG. 3. Subsequently it is only necessary to fold the
top closure flaps 15 downwardly into the closed position as shown
in FIGS. 4 and 5. Referring more particularly to the latter two
Figures, it should be noted that the locking hook tabs 16 are
inserted into the irregularly shaped slots 20 at each of the front
and back double panel walls of the container. Since the two panels
11 and 14 that form the double panelled front and back portions of
the container are separated from one another by the paired,
slightly separated fold lines 25, 26, there is enough space between
the two panels to accommodate the thickness of each hooked closure
tab 16. In addition, since the side wall extension flaps 13 are
already occupying the space within the wall panels 11, 14, the
necessity for cutting out the arcuate area 19 in each side wall
extension flap 13 is made obvious by the illustration in FIGS. 4
and 6.
Initially, the side wall extension flaps 13 give the container the
necessary integrity and continuous wall construction that is needed
when the container is opened for dispensing. In reality, however,
the side wall extension flaps 13 really serve as extension members
between the double panel front and back walls and the side walls 12
in the open condition of the container. Secondly, the cut-out areas
19 of side wall extension flaps 13 are generated to take a shape
that will permit the top closure panel hook tabs 16 to move within
each double panel 11, 14 of the front and back walls. Further, the
extreme tips 29 of each flap 13 also help force the locking hooks
16 into their respective locking slots 30 at the ends of slots 20.
Note in FIG. 6 wherein the tips 29 are shown as urging the locking
tabs 16 into their locked engagement with edge slots 30. In
addition, the shape of side wall extension flaps 13 are so designed
that the upper edges thereof engage the upper edges of the double
panel front and back walls when the container is open as shown in
FIG. 6. Thus the preferred construction defined above wherein the
front and back walls comprise double panels 11 and 14 offers a
novel construction for accommodating both the side wall extensions
13 and the locking tabs 16. The double panels limit the movement of
the side wall extensions 13 to a single plane thus preventing the
flaps 13 from hinging inwardly about their foldable connection 23
with the side walls 12. Further, the motion of the locking tabs 16
is also restricted by the double panels 11 and 14 and in addition,
by the cut-out shape in the side wall extension flaps 13. These
different elements each co-act together to limit the outward
pivotal movement of the side walls 12 when the container is opened
for dispensing.
Thus once the container is filled and closed as shown in FIG. 5,
the container is taped closed for shipment to the user. As
described hereinbefore, when it is desired to dispense the business
forms from the container, it is only necessary to break the seal
along the top of the container and then by grasping the open top
near the top closure panels 15, pull the panels 15 outwardly and
upwardly to the open position as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. In this
open condition as shown particularly in FIG. 8, the supply of
continuous, manifolded business forms may be withdrawn one at a
time in the desired manner.
From the foregoing description, it is believed apparent that a
simple, economical and functional container has been developed
which can be set up from a one-piece blank and which is adapted to
contain a supply of manifolded, continuous business forms to permit
the successive withdrawal of the forms one at a time as needed.
Hence while there has been illustrated and described the preferred
embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this is
capable of variation and modification, and therefore should not be
limited to the precise details set forth, but should be subject to
changes and alterations within the scope of the following
claims.
* * * * *