U.S. patent number 3,750,931 [Application Number 05/263,865] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-07 for carton opening means.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hoerner Waldorf Corporation. Invention is credited to Raymond S. Dick.
United States Patent |
3,750,931 |
Dick |
August 7, 1973 |
CARTON OPENING MEANS
Abstract
A pair of opposed flaps are provided in closure flaps connected
to a panel of a paste end carton to permit the passage of retaining
fingers while squaring up the cartons from a flat folded state as
the cartons are withdrawn from a hopper.
Inventors: |
Dick; Raymond S. (Minneapolis,
MN) |
Assignee: |
Hoerner Waldorf Corporation
(St. Paul, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
23003572 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/263,865 |
Filed: |
June 19, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/132; 221/211;
493/316; 53/564; 229/900; 229/917 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/0227 (20130101); B65D 5/42 (20130101); B31B
2120/30 (20170801); Y10S 229/90 (20130101); B31B
50/802 (20170801); B31B 2100/00 (20170801); Y10S
229/917 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B31B
5/80 (20060101); B31B 5/00 (20060101); B65D
5/02 (20060101); B65D 5/42 (20060101); B65d
005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;93/53R,53SD
;229/DIG.8,37 ;211/132,72,73 ;221/211 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moorhead; Davis T.
Claims
I claim:
1. A carton comprising:
front and rear panels foldably connected by side panels,
front and rear closure flaps hingedly connected to an edge of said
front and rear panels respectively and adapted to fold into
superimposed relation,
said front panel closure flap including a first slit extending from
the edge of said front panel closure flap toward the line of hinge
connecting the same to said front panel and perpendicular thereto,
said slit terminating short of the line of hinge,
a second slit extending generally parallel to said line of hinge
and intersecting the end of said first slit, whereby the area
between said second slit and said edge of said front panel closure
flap froms a pair of end abutting tabs.
2. The structure of claim 1 and including lines of fold parallel to
said first slit and connecting the ends of said second slit to said
edge of said front panels closure flap.
3. The structure of claim 1 and in which said second slit extends a
substantially equal distance on either side of said first slit.
4. The structure of claim 2 and in which said second slit extends a
substantially equal distance on either side of said first slit.
5. A carton for use in combination with a carton hopper adapted to
contain a series of flat folded cartons in face contact, a pair of
lugs engaging opposite ends of the foremost carton to retain the
cartons in the hopper, and suction cup means movably supported
toward and away from the hopper and engageable with the front
surface of the foremost carton in the hopper to remove the same
from the hopper, the carton including:
a front panel and a foldably connected side wall in coplanar
relation in flat condition of said carton, and a rear panel and a
foldably connected second side wall in coplanar relation in flat
condition of said carton, said front panel being foldably connected
to, and in face contact with, said second side wall and said rear
panel being foldably connected to, and lying rearwardly of, said
first side wall panel,
closure flaps hingedly connected to the opposite ends of said front
panel, said rear panel, and said first and second side walls along
hinge lines,
the front closure flaps hingedly connected to front panel having
lug receiving gates therein in the ends of said front closure flaps
comprising:
first slits extending into the end edges of said front closure
flaps in aligned relation intermediate the parallel sides of said
front closure flaps, said slits extending normal to the front
closure flap ends and terminating short of the lines of hinge
connecting said front closure flap to said front panel,
second slits centrally intersecting the ends of said first slits
most remote from the end edges of said front closure flaps, said
second slits extending generally parallel to the lines of hinge
connecting said front closure flaps to said front panel,
whereby
the area between said second slits and the adjacent end edges of
said front closure flaps providing opposed end abutting tabs
foldable out of the plane of said front closure flaps so that the
lugs may pass therebetween in the squaring of the carton from its
flat folded condition.
6. The structure of claim 5 and including parallel fold lines
connecting the ends of said second slit to the end edges of said
front closure flaps said fold lines being parallel to said first
slit.
Description
This invention relates to an improvement in carton opening means
and deals particularly with a construction useful in improving
carton tightness.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the opening of flat folded cartons, usually of the "paste end"
type, the flat folded cartons are usually placed in face contact in
a suitable hopper. The cartons are urged toward the discharge end
of the hopper by suitable means. This may be some sort of carton
follower which urges the stack of cartons toward the open end of
the hopper, or the hopper may be supported on angle which is either
vertical or sufficiently inclined so that the stack of cartons will
slide toward the open end of the hopper by gravity. In order to
open the cartons from their flat state, suction cups are often used
to pull the foremost carton from the stack and to direct it between
suitable guides capable of folding it into tubular rectangular
form.
In removing the flat cartons from the hopper, suction cups are
often used to pull the foremost carton from the stack, these
suction cups often tend to bow both sides of the carton instead of
the front side only, causing the cartons to jam rather than to
open. In order to prevent this from occurring, generally U-shaped
notches are often cut into the closure flaps of one of the foremost
panels, and fingers are provided in alignment with these notches;
these fingers engaging one of the closure flaps on the rear side of
the carton rather than the forward side thereof. As a result, when
the suction cups engage the front side of the foremost carton, the
rear side of the carton is slightly retarded to overcome the
tendency of the rear side of the carton to bow with the forward
side thereof as the front of the carton is engaged by the suction
cups. These fingers are usually adjustably fixed in position, and
as the carton squares up, the closure flaps on the rear side of the
carton may merely flex sufficiently to pass by the restraining
fingers.
In closing the cartons, the notched flaps of the cartons are
usually folded beneath an opposing flap in order to conceal the
notch when the cartons are closed. When the cartons are rectangular
rather than square, the notches are usually formed in the closure
flaps of one of the wider panels as this simplifies the opening
operation. The notches thus usually occur between the ends of the
closure flaps on the side walls of the carton which are first
folded into coplanar relation before the wider flaps are folded.
This results in an opening in the flap structure which simplifies
the sifting of the carton contents. It is this problem which the
present structure is designed to eliminate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have found that by substituting a foldable tab structure for the
notches normally used, an improved carton structure may result. In
the present structure, the U-shaped or generally semi-circular
notches are eliminated and in their place, the closure flaps on the
foremost walls are cut to provide a pair of opposed tabs foldably
connected to the flaps in such a manner as to provide a pair of end
abutting doors. This is accomplished by providing a cut line at
right angles to the end of the closure flaps midway between the
side edges thereof, and providing a second cut line intersecting
the inner end of the first cut line and extending generally
parallel to the end edge of the closure flaps in question. This
provides a pair of end abutting tabs or doors which may be folded
out of the plane of the flaps in which they are formed. The cut
lines are arranged so that the carton retaining fingers engage the
center portions of the flaps so that when the carton panels on the
forward side of the foremost carton of the stack are engaged by
suction cups, the retaining fingers may merely fold the tabs apart
sufficiently to allow the retaining fingers to pass therebetween,
and to engage the opposite flap on the rear side of this carton. As
the cartons are squared up, filled and closed, the normal
resiliency of the paperboard tends to return the tabs into edge
abutting relation, eliminating the opening through this flap which
was previously caused by the notch formed therein. The adhesive on
the under side of outer flap adheres pin or finger opening to outer
flap which further improves carton tightness.
These and other objects and novel fetures of the present invention
will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following
Specification and Claims .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a carton in squared up
position forwardly of a stack of flat folded cartons.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view of a series of flat folded
cartons in a hopper showing the front carton in partially opened
position as it is engaged by the suction cups.
FIG. 3 diagrammatically illustrates the foremost carton as it is
being opened up, and showing diagrammatically a pocket into which
the squared up carton is to be drawn.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an end of the carton after three of
the four flaps have been closed.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank illustrating the
construction thereof.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the tabs or doors
32.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following description, the depiction of the apparatus for
squaring up the carton is merely diagrammatic. Apparatuses for
accomplishing this operation are well known, and the apparatus
varies with different manufacturers. The illustration is designed
merely to indicate the purpose of the carton construction which is
the subject of the present invention.
The carton A illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawing is generally
conventional in design. The carton includes a front panel 10, a
side wall panel 11, a rear wall panel 12, and a second side wall
panel 13. A glue flap 14 is hinged to one end of the blank as to
the front panel 10. The various panels and the glue flap are
connected by parallel fold lines 15.
Top closure flaps 16, 17, 19 and 20 are foldably connected to the
upper edge of the wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 respctively along a
fold line 21. Similar closure flaps 22, 23, 24 and 25 are foldably
connected to the lower edges of the panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 along
a fold line 26. The fold lines 21 and 26 are parallel and at right
angles to the fold lines 15. The terms "upper edge" and "lower
edge" are merely for simplicity of description, as the wall panels
may extend horizontally or vertically.
Cut lines 27 may extend into the closure flaps 16 and 22 in right
angular relation to the upper and lower edges 29 and 30 of the
blank. These cut lines 27 extend only a short distance into the
flaps terminating in spaced relation to the fold lines 21 and 26.
Second cut lines 31 intersect the inner ends of the cut lines 27
and extend parallel to the fold lines 21 and 26. The cut lines 31
normally extend an equal distance on opposite side of the cut lines
27 in order to provide a pair of tabs or doors 32 of rectangular
form between the cut lines 31 and the adjoining blank edge 29 or
30. Actually, it is not necessary that the cut lines 31 extend
parallel to the fold lines 21 and 26 as they could be V-shaped in
form or rounded in form as long as they form opposed end abutting
tabs or doors. If desired, the ends of the cut lines 30 may be
connected to the edges 29 or 30 of the blank by parallel fold lines
33. Whether or not the fold lines 33 are employed depends upon the
flexibility of the paperboard, as if the paperboard is sufficiently
flexible, the tabs will flex when engaged to produce the same
result. Whether or not the fold lines 33 are used also depends upon
the length of the cut lines 31, as any increase in the length of
these cuts lines correspondingly increases the flexibility of the
tabs 32.
To diagrammatically illustrate the purpose of the construction
described, FIGS. 1 to 3 disclose a hopper which is indicated
generally by the letter B. The hopper includes sides 34 between
which the carton blanks A are stacked. Obviously, in the
arrangement illustrated, the hopper must include a bottom support
such as 35. A retaining pin 36 is supported at the forward end of
the hopper projecting upwardly from the end of the bottom support
35. A similar retaining pin 37 projects downwardly from a support
39 which is connected to the hopper in any suitable manner, not
illustrated in the drawings. These pins are designed to engage the
flaps 16 and 22 and extend along the cut lines 27, the pins 36 and
37 terminating short of the cut lines 31.
Suction cups 40 are mounted upon tubular supports 41 normally
mounted on the ends of arms 42 pivotally supported at a remote
point 43. Means are provided to oscillate the arms 42 in a manner
to move the suction cups 40 toward and away from the stack of flat
folded cartons A in the hopper. As the suction cups 40 are
oscillated away from the hopper, the carton blanks are squared up
by means of suitable guides 44 and 45. As the cartons reach
rectangular form, they are normally engaged in pockets 45 mounted
upon a conveyor 46. When the cartons are drawn into the pockets 45,
the suction cups 40 are disengaged from the carton blanks by
releasing the suction, and the cartons are carried to the closing
and filling apparatus.
As previously stated, the only purpose of the description of the
apparatus is to show the purpose of the carton structure. As
indicated in FIG. 2, as the foremost carton blank A is engaged by
the suction cups 40, the retaining pins 36 and 37 flex the tabs or
doors 33, permitting the front wall of the carton to be drawn
forwardly while the retaining pins still engage the flaps on the
rear side of the carton to restrain it in place until the cartons
are at least partially open. Continued movement of the carton will
cause the retaining pins to flex the rear flaps 19 and 24
sufficiently to allow the carton to pass the retaining pins. The
retaining pins will not pass the rear flaps until the carton is
opened sufficiently to insure the proper squaring of the tubular
cartons.
In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the
principles of construction and operation of my improvement in
CARTON OPENING MEANS; while I have endeabored to set forth the best
embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious
changes may be made within the scope of the following Claims
without departing from the spirit of my invention.
* * * * *