Collapsible Sanitary Container And Container Liner

Abstract

A package receptacle of book-fold type containing a disposable waterproof (e.g., plastic) liner bag for the package receptacle when opened provides a sanitary container useful as a pet animal toilet station. The package receptacle comprises means in its side and/or end walls whereby, when the opened package is lined with the disposable liner bag such that the walls of the open end of the liner bag are folded over the top edge of the side and end walls of the opened package receptacle, a portion of the folded over portion of the liner bag is securely held in place by said means to effectuate a useful sanitary container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sanitary container or toilet station to be used by pet animals in the home or other place where a neat and convenient sanitary container is required.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,052 discloses a disposable foldable toilet for pet animals made of paperboard which is designed for use without any disposable leakproof liner. This entire container is usually disposed of after a relatively short period of use.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,137 discloses a non-foldable animal toilet comprising a rigid rectangularly shaped receptacle with a disposable thermoplastic liner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a collapsible sanitary container useful as a pet animal toilet station comprising a package receptacle of book-fold type containing a disposable water-proof liner bag for the package receptacle when opened. The package receptacle comprises means (e.g., serrated perforations) in its side and/or end walls whereby, when the opened package receptacle is lined with the disposable liner bag such that the walls of the open end of the liner bag are folded over the top edge of the side and end walls of the opened package receptacle, a portion of the folded-over portion of the liner bag is securely held in place (e.g., tucked into an adjacent serrated perforation in the receptacle) to effectuate a useful sanitary container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible package receptacle, as embodied herein, in a fully opened position.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a blank adapted for forming the receptacle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a disposable gussetted bag useful for lining the opened package of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a ready for use sanitary container embodiment of FIG. 1 with a disposable liner bag in place.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a collapsible package receptacle in a fully closed book-fold position.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, in FIG. 1 there is shown a fully opened box-like receptacle having bottom panels 10 and 10' divided by hinge 11 defined by fold lines 11' that extend to the upper or free margin of oppositely disposed upstanding side wall panels 13 and 13'. The receptacle contains upstanding end wall panels 18 and 18', each of which has, at each end, a corner tab (i.e., 20, 20', 20', and 20'") that is adhered (as by being glued) to its adjacent inner surface of the side walls 13 and 13'. As shown, each of the upstanding walls contains a serrated perforation 15 adapted, when the inside of the receptacle is lined with a disposable liner bag such that the ends of the open mouth of the bag overlap the upper margins of the walls 18, 18', 13 and 13', the overlapped portions of the bag can be tucked into the perforations 15 to hold the liner in place.

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of a blank useful for forming the package receptacle of FIG. 1 from a single rectangular blank, cut and scored as shown. The blank contains substantially parallel spaced apart fold lines 11' to provide hinge 11 and a pair of substantially parallel spaced apart fold lines 16 and 16', substantially perpendicular to hinge 11. Fold line 16' divides the blank in a manner to provide panels 20. 13' and 20' on one side of fold line 16', panels 18, 10', 10 and 18' in between fold lines 16 and 16', and panels 20", 13' and 20'" on the other side of fold line 16. As shown, panels 20 and 20" are tabs at each of the end portions of panel 18, and 20' and 20'" are tabs on each of the end portions of panel 18'. Each of the tabs (i.e., 20, 20', 20" and 20'") is provided with a fold line 21, as shown, and, as further shown, panels 13 and 13' are also provided with fold lines 14 and 14' respectively.

By use of a blank as shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle of FIG. 1 can be formed by folding the blank at folds 17 in a manner such that panels 18 and 18' form substantially upstanding walls perpendicular to bottom wall portions 10' and 10 and by folding each tab (20,20', 20" and 20'") at its fold line 25 inwardly such that each of the tabs is substantially perpendicular to its adjacent portion of panel 18 and 18'. The blank is then further folded at lines 16 and 16' to provide upstanding walls 13 and 13' substantially perpendicular to bottom panels 10 and 10' such that tabs 20, 20', 20'" are disposed adjacent their corresponding inside surface of panels 13 and 13'. By gluing, or other appropriate means, each of the tabs is adhered to its adjacent inner surface of panels 13 and 13' to form the corners of the receptacle when fully opened. The receptacle, when it is desired to collapse it into a book-fold receptacle, can be provided in collapsed form, by forcing oppositely disposed end panels 18 and 18' towards each other whereby fold lines 14 and 14' collapse inwardly, and upon folding at hing 11 such that walls 18 and 18' are forced towards each other, the receptacle in book-fold form (as shown in FIG. 5) is provided.

Although, as an embodiment, means 15 are shown as serrated perforations in the walls of the package receptacle of FIG. 1, such means may be of other configurations of slits or holes. Non-limiting examples of types of attaching means include straight, arced or angled smooth slits at horizontal or skew orientations, serrated or saw-tooth slits at horizontal or skew orientations, round holes, and others. Such means may be in both the side and end walls or in either the side or end walls of the package receptacle. A preferred embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 1, disposition of means 15 substantially in the center of each of end walls 18 and 18', in one end portion of side panel 13 and, in side panel 13'.

FIG. 3 of the drawings shows a perspective view of a disposable gussetted waterproof liner bag 22 for use in lining the opened package receptacle of FIG. 1. Such a bag 22 may be produced from any suitable material with a particularly suitable material being a thermoplastic material such as polyethylene. Specifically, the liner bag may be fabricated from a long tubular section of thermoplastic material, folded, cut and heat sealed such that gusset folds 23 and 23' are formed and the bottom closed end of the bag sealed at 24. The liner bag side walls 28 should be long enough such that, when the bag 22 is placed inside the fully opened package receptacle of FIG. 1, they overlap the side walls 13 and 13' and end walls 18 and 18' of the package (as shown in FIG. 4).

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a ready for use sanitary container comprising the fully opened collapsible package receptacle of FIG. 1 with a disposable liner bag 22 as described in FIG. 3 in place. The package receptacle is lined with the bag such that the side walls 28 of the open end of the liner bag are folded over the top edge of the side walls 13 and 13' and end walls 18 and 18' of the package. Portions 26 of the folded over portion of the liner bag are securely held in place to effectuate a useful sanitary container by tucking said portions 26 into their adjacent attaching serrated perforation means 15.

FIG. 5 of the drawings shows a perspective view of a collapsible package receptacle, of the embodiment of FIG. 1, in a fully closed position. The package receptacle in this position is substantially flat and compact and is convenient for storage in the home or on a store shelf when being sold. It is shown in this drawing how side wall panels 13 and 13' fold in toward the center of the package receptacle when segments 12 and 12', comprising bottom panels 10 and 10' and end panels 18 and 18', respectively, are brought together in a collapsing manner about hinge section 11. End wall panels 18 and 18' also fold in toward the center of the package receptacle when it is closed.

In the collapsed form of FIG. 5, a suitable liner (as the bag of FIG. 3) or a plurality of such liners can be stored inside of the collapsed receptacle. The liners are held inside of the collapsed receptacle substantially between the bottom panels 10 and 10' and the inwardly folded side wall panels 13 and 13' and end wall panels 18 and 18'. Such a combination of the collapsed receptacle with a plurality of liner bags held inside of the collapsed receptacle is a highly suitable means combination for marketing, shipping or other handling of the receptacle-liner combination. To prevent undesired opening of the receptacle when it is desired to maintain it in collapsed form, the receptacle may be kept in the collapsed form of FIG. 5 by use of type 27 or other suitable means, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, to restrain the receptacle against opening.

It will be appreciated that the sanitary container useful as a pet animal toilet station illustrated and described herein is a particularly neat and useful item in that it makes any necessary handling of any absorbent materials normally used in such containers much more convenient. The sanitary container is self-packaging and can be provided at a very low cost. Since only the liner bag need be disposed of, the package receptacle of book-fold type, which may be made of stiff paperboard sheet material and the like, may be used repeatedly with liner bag replacement. This sanitary container will be found to be particularly useful when traveling or vacationing with pets.

Although the present invention has been described with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be restored to, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A sanitary container in collapsed book-fold form openable to a rectangular shaped receptacle having a substantially flat bottom surface and upstanding side and end walls, and a disposable waterproof bag-like structure packaged inside of said container when in collapsed form, said bag-like structure when open having a vertical side wall dimension greater than the vertical dimensions of said side and end walls of said receptacle in open position such that, when the bag structure is used for lining the inside surfaces of said receptacle in open form, the end portions defining the open mouth of said bag overlap the walls of said receptacle, said receptacle being further characterized by having restraining means, disposed in the outside wall surfaces of said receptacle when in open form, to engage said overlapped portions of said liner bag and restrain said liner bag against being pulled to the inside of said receptacle when in open form with the liner bag disposed as aforesaid in the open receptacle.

2. A sanitary container, as defined in claim 1, wherein the liner bag is a side gussetted bag made of thermoplastic material.

3. A sanitary container, as defined in claim 1, wherein said restraining means are serrated perforations in at least two oppositely disposed wall portions of said receptacle, said restraining means being adapted for engaging adjacent overlapped portions of said liner bag outside of said receptacle through said serrated perforations to the inside of the receptacle.

4. A sanitary container, as defined in claim 3, wherein said restraining means are disposed in each of the four walls of said rectangular receptacle.