U.S. patent number 3,695,514 [Application Number 05/091,283] was granted by the patent office on 1972-10-03 for single sheet plastic box.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Plastofilm Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joseph A. Mascetti, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,695,514 |
Mascetti, Jr. |
October 3, 1972 |
SINGLE SHEET PLASTIC BOX
Abstract
A box has two long sides, two short sides, and two ends and is
molded from a single sheet of plastic. On the sides adjacent the
ends are configurations which define a reentrant pocket on the
exterior face, and a corresponding protuberance on the opposite
face. When the blank is folded into the box these protuberances
meet together to define the ends of the box. At the distal edges of
the distal sides of the blank are flaps for securing the distal
edges together when the blank is formed into a box. One flap can
have molded buttons and the other flap mating molded sockets; or,
alternatively, the flaps can be heat welded to each other. Where
the blank is to be folded between the sides there are longitudinal
grooves on the inner side to provide a hinge. On the face of the
sides between the end configurations are a plurality of depressions
which add rigidity to the sides. These depressions can be in a form
to provide cut-outs or molds for children.
Inventors: |
Mascetti, Jr.; Joseph A.
(Geneva, IL) |
Assignee: |
Plastofilm Industries, Inc.
(Wheaton, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22226995 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/091,283 |
Filed: |
November 20, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/406;
206/527 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
75/225 (20130101); B65D 81/368 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
81/36 (20060101); B65D 75/22 (20060101); B65D
81/00 (20060101); B65D 75/04 (20060101); B65d
001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/45.34,45.19,46FC,65R ;229/2.5,29M,44R,14C ;220/60 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moorhead; Davis T.
Claims
I claim:
1. A blank for forming a box having a plurality of connected sides
and two ends, said blank having one face to be the exterior of the
box and another face to be the interior of the box, each side
adjacent one end of the box having a configuration defining a
reentrant pocket on said one face and a corresponding protuberance
on said other face, said configuration having two spaced walls, one
being the external wall at the end and the other being the interior
wall at the end, said configuration having a connecting band
between said walls at the sides and base of the pocket, said
configuration being of a form such that, when the sides are folded
to assume the shape of the box, the band of each side mates with
the bands of other sides and the configurations mate together to
define a closed box end, whereby said blank may be molded from a
sheet of relatively thin plastic and yet provide relatively secure
end which does not require any special assembly after the blank is
molded, said blank having two distal portions defining sides and
each of those distal portions have a distal edge, said blank
including means adjacent distal edge for connecting said distal
portions together along said distal edges when said blank is folded
to form the shape of the box, said means including a flap extending
from each distal edge, one flap having a button and the other flap
having a mating socket, said button and socket each being an
integral part of the respective flap and molded from the material
of the sheet, said flaps being folded inwardly as said blank is
folded to form the box whereby they assume a particular position
inwardly at the corner of the box, said distal sides having
inwardly projecting pockets at said position to facilitate applying
pressure to the button and socket to snap them together.
2. A blank as set forth in claim 1, wherein along said other face
and between the proximal edges of adjacent sides is a groove
extending the length of said other face of said adjacent sides to
form a hinge to facilitate the folding of the blank into the
box.
3. A blank for forming a box having a plurality of connected sides
and two ends, said blank having one face to be the exterior of the
box and another face to be the interior of the box, each side
adjacent one end of the box having a configuration defining a
reentrant pocket on said one face and a corresponding protuberance
on said other face, said configuration having two spaced walls, one
being the external wall at the end and the other being the interior
wall at the end, said configuration having a connecting band
between said walls at the sides and base of the pocket, said
configuration being of a form such that, when the sides are folded
to assume the shape of the box, the band of each side mates with
the bands of other sides and the configurations mate together to
define a closed box end, whereby said blank may be molded from a
sheet of relatively thin plastic and yet provide relatively secure
end which does not require any special assembly after the blank is
molded, along said other face and between the proximal edges of
adjacent sides being a groove extending the length of said other
face of said adjacent sides to form a hinge to facilitate the
folding of the blank into the box.
4. A blank as set forth in claim 3, wherein said faces are
generally planar between said configurations at least one side has
a plurality of depressions on a first face and corresponding
protuberances on the second face and positioned between said
configurations to add rigidity to said side.
5. A blank for forming a box having a plurality of connected sides
and two ends, said blank having one face to be the exterior of the
box and another face to be the interior of the box, each side
adjacent one end of the box having a configuration defining a
reentrant pocket on said one face and a corresponding protuberance
on said other face, said configuration having two spaced walls, one
being the external wall at the end and the other being the interior
wall at the end, said configuration having a connecting band
between said walls at the sides and base of the pocket, said
configuration being of a form such that, when the sides are folded
to assume the shape of the box, the band of each side mates with
the bands of other sides and the configurations mate together to
define a closed box end, whereby said blank may be molded from a
sheet of relatively thin plastic and yet provide relatively secure
end which does not require any special assembly after the blank is
molded, said band on one side being convex, and the adjacent
portion of the band on an adjacent side being concave.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the method of forming a box from a
single sheet of relatively thin plastic and to a box configuration
particularly adapted to be so made.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view of one side and one end of an embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the other side and end of the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a section taken at line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a section taken at line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a partial section as viewed at line 5--5 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a view of the molded blank for forming the box of FIG. 1,
with the blank partially opened up or laid out;
FIG. 7 is a partial end view of the molded blank in the flat
condition in which it was originally molded;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the
invention; and
FIG. 9 is an end view, partially broken away, of the embodiment of
FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
The following disclosure is offered for public dissemination in
return for the grant of a patent. Although it is detailed to ensure
adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice
that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive
concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by
variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims
at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this
purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out
the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive
concepts are found.
The box, illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, has four sides 10-13 and two
ends 14, 15. At each end of each side is a configuration which
defines a recess on the exterior face of the box and a
corresponding protuberance at the interior face of the box. Thus,
side 12 has a configuration at one end comprising truncated
triangular walls 17 and 18 connected by a band 19. At the base of
this protuberance the band 19 forms a relatively planner surface
19a. Within this planner surface is a protrusion 20. At the other
end 15, the configuration of side 12 has truncated triangular walls
22 and 23 connected by a band 24. Likewise, this band defines a
flat base 24a having a protrusion 25 therein.
At end 14 of side 10 is a configuration defined by truncated
triangular walls 27, 28 and a connecting band 29. The base 29a is
relatively flat with a socket 30 therein, which socket mates with
protrusion 20. At the opposite end, side 10 has a configuration
defined by walls 32 and 33 connected by band 34. Band 34 has a flat
base 34a with a socket 35 therein. Socket 35 and protrusion 25 mate
with each other.
The configurations at the ends of sides 11 and 13 are triangular.
That is, side 13 has one end configuration comprising triangular
walls 37 and 38 connected by band 39, and a configuration at the
other end comprising triangular walls 40 and 41 connected by band
42. Similarly, side 11 has triangular walls 43, 44 connected by a
band 45 defining the configuration at one end and triangular walls
46, 47 connected by band 48 defining the configuration at the
other.
Particularly from FIG. 3 it will be noted that the end
configurations are molded inwardly from the actual ends of the
sheets so that the sides extend beyond the configuration in the
form of flanges. These flanges stiffen the outer walls (e.g., 23,
33, 38, etc.) defining the configuration.
As best seen in FIG. 6, sides 12 and 13 are the two distal sides
formed from the sheet (as hereinafter described). Along the distal
edges of these sides are flaps 51 and 52, respectively. Flap 51 has
a plurality of buttons 53 molded to protrude therefrom. Flap 52 has
a corresponding row of sockets 54 molded therein. These fit
together to hold the box in its folded configuration, as best
illustrated in FIG. 5. To facilitate engaging or snapping each
button into its pocket, side 12 has a plurality of depressions 55
molded therein opposite the buttons, and side 13 has a plurality of
molded depressions 56 opposite the sockets.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 there are a plurality of
depressions which have a supplemental use of providing molds for
children to create various figures. For example, there are
depressions 57 and 58 which will serve as molds for the front and
back sides, respectively, of a female figure. There are depressions
69 and 70 which will form two sides of an animal; etc. From the
standpoint of the structure, depressions such as these, or even
relatively shallow depressions on one face forming longitudinal
ridges on the other, serve to give rigidity to the sides which
would otherwise be rather flexible due to the thin plastic material
employed. Depressions such as 57-60 can be molded in the various
sides in a manner so as to fit about an object to be packaged in
the box and provide cushioned support for that object and to
protect it against damage that otherwise might be incurred during
shipping.
The box blank (e.g., FIG. 6) is formed from a flat sheet of
thermoplastic resin material (plastic). When it is formed all of
the sides 10-13 lie in a common plane. The plastic sheet to form
the blank is placed over a mold having the positive configuration
that would be assumed if the blank of FIG. 6 were spread out flat,
and through the use of heat and vacuum (a conventional technique) a
box blank of the desired configuration is produced. It will be
noted that all of the configurations at the ends of the sides, as
well as the various depressions, have "draft," i.e., the sides are
sloping outwardly. This greatly facilitates the extraction of the
blank from the mold upon which it was made. As best seen in FIG. 7,
grooves 62 are molded in the sheet between the adjacent sides and
between the sides and the flaps. These serve as hinges to
facilitate the folding of the molded sheet into the box
configuration.
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 comprises four sides 65-68
each having end configurations (pocket on the external face and
protrusion on the internal face) which meet together to form closed
box ends in the manner described in connection with the embodiments
of FIGS. 1-6. One alternative illustrated in the embodiment of
FIGS. 8, 9 is that the mating protrusions need not meet along
straight lines but can meet along curved lines. In other words, the
configurations on the ends of sides 65 and 67 are convex and the
configurations on the ends of sides 66 and 68 have concave parts to
mate therewith.
Another alternative that is illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 is that the
flaps 69, 70 on the distal edges of sides 65 and 68, respectively,
project outwardly in the finished box and are heat sealed together.
As a matter of fact, the end configurations of the sides can be
heat sealed together by inserting heated sealing irons in the
pockets defined by the end configurations, i.e., sealing irons 72,
73, and applying heat and pressure either all along the juxtaposed
bands or at spaced intervals therealong to secure these bands to
each other. Such a sealed box can have an inserted dispensing flap
74 (of conventional construction) emplaced in one of the sides so
that the contents of the box can be removed.
* * * * *