Dispenser Container Having A Tear-out Sight Gauge

Abstract

A container of the class wherein fluent materials such as chemicals are packaged in transparent or translucent plastic bags encased in a relatively rigid rectangular paperboard container for shipping and dispensing purposes. For dispensing purposes the container is inverted and a retractable spout on the plastic bag is pulled through an opening provided in the flap-closed end, or top, of the paperboard container. To permit the fill level of the contents to be followed the side wall of the container is provided with a tear-out sight gauge. In the preferred embodiment this tear-out sight gauge is combined with a tear-out opening in the top of the container through which the spout of the plastic bag is pulled for dispensing purposes so that the container can be opened and provided with a sight gauge in one tearing operation.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in containers of the class wherein fluent materials such as chemicals are packaged in liner bags composed of transparent or translucent plastic material, and the substantially filled bag is encased in a relatively rigid rectangular paperboard container for shipping and dispensing purposes.

Containers of this type are generally well-known and for dispensing purposes the container is inverted and a retractable spout on the plastic bag is pulled through an opening provided in the flap-closed end, or top, of the paperboard container. Up to the present time, such containers have not been provided with a sight gauge through which the fill level of the contents can be viewed. Accordingly, such known containers are not suitable for use in automatic or semi-automatic replenishment systems where it is necessary for the user to be able to replace one container with another at the time or before the first becomes completely empty.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser container of the above mentioned type having a tear-out sight gauge for visually checking the fill level of the liner plastic bag.

A further object is to provide a dispenser container of the above mentioned type in which the top of the outer container is provided with a tear-out opening through which the pouring spout of the bag extends for dispensing purposes and which spout opening and sight gauge are so arranged as to be formed by a single tearing operation.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing container constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention inverted to the position in which it is used for dispensing purposes and with the container opened for use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outer paperboard container opened at the top for receiving a plastic bag filled with a fluent material;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the paperboard blank from which the container shown in FIG. 2 is formed up; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an inner liner for the outer container to give the same added rigidity.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the complete container includes a bottle or bag 10 made of a suitable flexible plastic material, e.g. polyethylene, which is inert to the fluent material with which it is to be filled. Such bottles, commonly referred to by the tradename "Cubitainer," have a pouring spout 11 which, when the container is upright, is folded down inside of the outer case 12 in which the bottle or bag is encased for shipping and handling purposes. The outer case 12 is made of a heavy paperboard, e.g. corrugated board, and is generally rectangular in shape and has a top 13 provided with a tear out opening 14 through which the spout of the bag may be extended, as shown, for dispensing purposes. Contiguous with the opening 14 in the top of the container, there is a sight gauge opening 15 which extends up the side wall of the container and through which one can view the fill level of the plastic bag or bottle. The opening 14 in the top of the container and the sight gauge opening 15 in the side wall thereof originally exist only as a weakened tear out section until the container is opened for use so that the plastic bag or bottle is completely protected during shipment and handling prior to use. When in use, the container is supported on a rack or other support, not shown, in the inverted position shown in FIG. 1, the outer case or container 12 being sufficiently rigid to prevent the plastic bag from being deformed due to its weight.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the blank from which the container is formed, and the formed-up container open for receiving a plastic bag or bottle 10, are shown. The blank 16 from which the container 12 is formed is died out of a heavy paperboard, e.g. corrugated board, and includes four panels 17, 18, 19 and 20 which when folded along fold lines 21, 22 and 23 form the side walls of the container. A narrow flap 24 separated from panel 20 by a fold line 25 folds in against the inside face of panel 17 and has an adhesive applied thereto to hold the panels in an erected condition. The bottom of the container is formed by folding in four flaps 26, 27, 28 and 29 along fold lines 30, 31, 32 and 33 and cementing them in superposed relation.

Connected to the top edge of panels 18 and 20 by fold lines 34 and 35 are top flaps 36 and 37, respectively, which extend the full width of the container and are therefore referred to as full flaps. Each of these two full flaps is provided with a circular opening 38 and 38' so arranged in their respective flaps that after the blank is formed up to the shape shown in FIG. 2 and these flaps are folded down on top of one another to close the container the two openings 38 and 38' come into alignment to allow the spout of the plastic bag 10 to extend therethrough.

Connected to the top edge of panels 17 and 19 by fold lines 40 and 41 are half flaps 42 and 43, respectively, so called because they are only half as wide as the box and meet in the middle thereof when they are folded in on top of the container. Half flap 43 and panel 19 have a removable section 44 circumscribed by a contiguous weakened line 45 which may consist of a series of serrations or slits which do not penetrate through the thickness of the paperboard. When the half flap 43 is folded in on top of the full flaps, the enlarged portion of the removable section 44 aligns with the openings 38 and 38' in the full flaps 36 and 37. To facilitate removal of removable section 44 when the container is to be opened for use, a portion of the weakened line 45, preferably the arcuate end lying in side panel 19, is cut completely through the thickness of the board. This allows this end of the removable section 44 to be pressed inwardly, since there is nothing behind it but the flexible plastic bottle, to form a tab which can be grasped and pulled outwardly to remove the removable section 44 in one continuous tearing operation. In this manner the top of the container is provided with an opening through which the spout on the plastic bag or bottle can be pulled for dispensing purposes and the side wall formed by panel 19 is provided with the tear-out sight gauge 15 in one tearing operation.

After the paperboard blank 16 is formed up into an open-ended box as shown in FIG. 2, a filled plastic bag or bottle 10 is dropped into the open end thereof and the spout is folded in or retracted below the top edges of the side walls. Full flaps 36 and 37 are then folded down into superposed relation in either order to close the end of the box and finally the half flaps 42 and 43 are folded down on top of the full flaps. The container can be sealed shut by applying adhesive to the underside of half flaps 42 and 43 or by applying a strip of adhesive tape over the abutting ends of the half flaps and down over the side walls 18 and 20 of the container. When the container is thus closed, the plastic bag or bottle within it is completely covered and well protected for shipment. To ready the container for use, it is only necessary to press in on the arcuate end of the sight gauge portion of the removable section 44 to form a tab which can be grasped and pulled upwardly to remove the section 44 in one tearing operation. Removal of section 44 provides an opening aligned with circular openings 38 and 38' through which the spout of the plastic bag or bottle may be grasped and pulled out to ready the container for dispensing purposes and at the same time provides a sight gauge in the side wall at the end of the container through which the spout extends and through which one can watch the fill level of the inner container or bag.

Should it be found necessary to increase the rigidity of the side walls of the container over that which can be obtained with a single thickness of paperboard which can be readily handled, this can be done by the use of an inner liner formed from a paperboard blank of the type shown in FIG. 4. For use in a square container as shown, this inner liner comprises a blank 50 of paperboard having four equal sized panels 51, 52, 53 and 54 having a depth and width equal to the inside dimensions of the side walls of the container formed from blank 16. When these panels 51-54 are folded inwardly along fold lines 55, 56 and 57 separating them, a square sleeve is formed which will slide down inside of the container formed up from blank 16. The panel 53 of the inner liner has an arcuate-ended elongated notch 60 extending in from one free edge thereof, which notch has a shape and size corresponding to the sight guage opening 15 in the side wall of the container formed by panel 19. The inner liner 50 will be slipped into the open-ended container shown in FIG. 2 before the filled plastic bag 10 is put therein and the packer must make sure that the liner is oriented in the container so that the notch 60 aligns with the sight gauge portion 15 of the removable section 44 otherwise the sight gauge opening when torn out will open onto a wall of the inner liner and be useless.

While in the embodiment of the container shown and described four flaps, two full and two half, have been used to close the open end thereof, the present invention is not limited to such a construction. For example, instead of using four flaps as described, three full flaps could be foldably connected to the top edge of three side walls. Two of these flaps which are to be folded in first would have the circular openings 38 and 38' which would come into alignment and the third flap and the side wall to which it is hinged would have the removable section 44 formed therein, the enlarged portion thereof being arranged to align with the circular openings in the other two flaps. The uppermost full flap could then be sealed to the full flap immediately beneath it to seal the container closed, or the uppermost flap could be sealed down by a strip of adhesive tape connecting it to one or more of the side walls of the container. It will be readily appreciated that the container need not be square as shown and described, but could be rectangular or of other suitable polygonal shape as its use might dictate.

This invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A dispensing container adapted to encase an inner enclosure containing a fluent material to be dispensed and having a retractable spout and a substantially transparent portion extending depthwise thereof through which its contents can be viewed, said container comprising a rectangular paperboard box having four side walls and a bottom; two opposed pairs of flaps hinged to the upper ends of said side walls and secured together in overlapping relation to form top closure flaps; one opposed pair of said two opposed pairs being full top flaps each separately extending across the area between said side walls in superposed relation to close the container, the other opposed pair of said two opposed pairs being half top flaps covering the full top flaps and secured in covering relation with said full top flaps to seal the container closed; each of said full top flaps provided with means for defining an opening through which the spout of the inner enclosure is adapted to extend for dispensing purposes when the container is inverted, each of said opening defining means being adapted to extend around a peripheral portion of said spout; and one of said half top flaps and the side wall to which it is hinged being provided with a contiguous tear-line circumscribing a removable section defining an opening in the half flap aligned with the openings in said full top flaps and a sight guage extending up the side wall thereof through which the transparent portion of said inner enclosure can be viewed to follow the fill level of fluent material in said inner enclosure.

2. A dispensing container as defined in claim 1, wherein a portion of said tear-line is cut completely through to provide a tab which can be grasped between the fingers for tearing said removable section from said half flap and the adjoining side wall.

3. A dispensing container as defined in claim 1, including an open-ended, rectangular inner liner sleeve within the container to reinforce the same, the bottom edge of the wall of said inner liner adjacent the side wall in which said sight gauge is formed provided with a cutout aligned with said sight gauge.

4. A dispensing container adapted to encase a transparent or translucent plastic bag having a retractable spout through which a fluent material in the bag may be dispensed, said container comprising a rectangular paperboard box having four side walls and a bottom, flaps hinged to the upper ends of at least three of said side walls and secured in overlapping relation to form the cover of said container; , two of said flaps defining inner flaps and including means for defining an opening through which the spout of the plastic bag is adapted to extend for dispensing purposes when the container is inverted, each of said opening defining means being adapted to extend around a peripheral portion of said spout; a third one of said flaps defining outer flap, said outer flap and the side wall to which it is hinged being formed with a contiguous tear-line circumscribing a removable section defining and opening in the flap aligned with the openings in said inner flaps and a sight gauge extending up said side wall through which the plastic bag can be viewed to follow the fill level of fluent material therein as it is dispensed.