Sleeve Container For Lamp Bulbs Or The Like, And Resulting Package

Abstract

A pair of lamp bulbs are retained within an open-ended tubular wrapper of stiff paperboard by a partition which includes a pair of hinged flaps that are displaced by the inserted bulbs. The partition is slit and scored and secured to the walls of the sleeve in such a manner that it controllably buckles and provides a "floating" action which securely locks the bulbs within the sleeve without rupturing the partition or causing the sides of the sleeve to bulge. Bulb retention is also enhanced by using flaps which are contoured to provide tubular segments on the partition which engage and press the bulbs against the sleeve walls.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates to the art of packaging and has particular reference to an improved container for packaging a pair of fragile articles, such as electric lamp bulbs, and to an improved dual-lamp package which utilizes such a container.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is the common practice in the lamp industry to package incandescent lamp bulbs for shipment by inserting a pair of bulbs into a wrapper or container of corrugated paper that is divided into two compartments by a partition which physically separates the bulbs. It has been found that the dimensions of such containers are quite critical. If the container and compartments are too large, the inserted lamp bulbs will easily slip and fall out of the container when the lamp package is being handled in the factory or store. On the other hand, if the container and compartments are too small, then the partition will rupture when the bulbs are inserted into the container, thus permitting the bulbs to again slip out of the package and break. If the partition does not rupture, the resulting tight fit causes the sides of the container to bulge outwardly. This is undesirable since it increases the chance that lamp breakage may occur when the packages are placed side by side in the shipping carton. It also prevents the lamp packages from being neatly stacked on store shelves by the dealer.

A duplex lamp container in which the aforementioned bulb-retention and bulging problems are solved by means of a partition having a pair of hinged flaps that provide openings for the bulbous parts of the packaged lamp bulbs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,008 issued Dec. 18, 1962 to Dugre. An improved duplex lamp container of this type having specially shaped flaps that engage the container walls and support the container in erected position is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,256 issued June 23, 1964 to Miessler.

While dual-lamp containers constructed in accordance with the teachings of the aforementioned patents adequately protect the packaged lamps and prevent bulging of the container walls, it has been found that they can still permit the inserted bulbs to slip and fall out of the package under certain conditions. Since bulb-retention in such containers is largely dependent upon frictional contact between the lamp envelopes and surrounding walls of the container and the partition, the bulb-slippage problem has been somewhat alleviated by reducing the dimensions of the container compartments to effect a tighter fit with the inserted lamp bulbs. However, the proper degree of force-fitting is very difficult to control and it sometimes happens that the partition wall ruptures when the lamp bulbs are initially inserted into the container in the lamp factory. When the partition remains intact, the tight fit frequently causes the container walls to bulge outwardly and become distorted.

These bulging and rupturing problems become more pronounced when the length of the container is shortened to its minimum dimension in an effort to conserve packaging material and reduce lamp packaging costs.

It would accordingly be very desirable to provide a duplex lamp container which would provide a sufficient degree of bulb-retention to prevent the lamp bulbs from falling out of the package and, at the same time, automatically protect the partition from rupturing and eliminate the undesirable outward bulging of the container walls. It would also be desirable to provide a wrapper or container of this type which will accommodate electric lamp bulbs that have "pear-shaped" envelopes as well as those which have tubular-shaped envelopes so that a standardized container can be used for both lamp types -- thereby reducing the cost of packaging such lamps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The desired improvement in the bulb-retention characteristics of such dual-lamp containers and the standardization of container design are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a container which has a partition wall that flexes and controllably buckles in such a manner, when the lamp bulbs are inserted, that it nestingly accommodates and presses the inserted bulbs into tight frictional engagement with the walls of the container. This controlled flexing and buckling is achieved by making the width of the partition wall greater than the spacing between the walls of the container to which it is attached and by scoring and slitting the partition panel and gluing it to the container walls in such a fashion that the partition "floats" and easily conforms to the shape of the inserted lamp bulbs without rupturing or decreasing the frictional grip of the container on the bulbs.

The flaps in the partition are also contoured in such a way that the container will receive and retain lamps having either pear-shaped or tubular-shaped envelopes and, in addition, will provide depending "finger-like" tabs that press the inserted lamp bulbs firmly against the opposite walls of the container.

The invention thus provides a standard wrapper or container that can be employed for both types of lamps and increases the degree of bulb retention without causing the partitions to rupture or the walls of the container to bulge outwardly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will be better understood from the following description of the exemplary embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the precut and prescored blank of corrugated packaging material from which the container of the present invention is formed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the partition wall portion of the container blank shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled and erected container with the partition wall in bulb-retaining configuration, portions of the container being broken away for illustrative purposes;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the container after a pair of lamp bulbs have been inserted therein to form a duplex lamp package; and,

FIG. 5 is an end view of the lamp package along line V--V of FIG. 4, in the direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The duplex-lamp wrapper or container of the present invention is fabricated from stiff packaging material, preferably single-free corrugated paper, that is cut and scored to form a blank B of the type shown in FIG. 1. The blank B, as illustrated, is divided into four rectangular side wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 and an end panel 14 by a series of parallel-spaced score lines 15, 16, 17 and 18. The rectangular end panel 14 is subdivided by a pair of additional parallel score lines 19 and 20 into an anchoring panel 21, a partition wall panel 22 and a glue panel 23 -- all of which are also rectangular. The glue panel 23 has a strip or bead 24 of suitable adhesive deposited thereon at a predetermined distance outwardly from the score line 20 which defines the proximate side edge of the partition wall panel 22.

As will be noted, the score lines 19 and 20 which define the side edges of the partition wall panel 22 are interrupted by a pair of slits 25 and 26 that extend along the central portion of the partition panel 22 on opposite sides of another score line 27 that longitudinally bisects the partition panel and extends along a pair of hinged flaps 28 and 29 that are coined from the panel by cut lines 30 and 31 of identical arcuate configuration. The opposite end of the blank B is provided with two additional strips 32 and 33 of suitable adhesive which are spaced predetermined distances inwardly from the free end of the side wall panel 10 and, thus, the associated end of the blank B.

In accordance with the present invention, the width dimension (dimension x in FIG. 1) of the partition wall panel 22 along its entire length is greater than the width dimension (dimension y in FIG. 1) of the side wall panel 13. Since this side wall panel constitutes one of the narrow side walls of the rectangular sleeve or container that is formed when the blank B is assembled, it determines the spacing between the wider pair of side walls to which the partition wall is attached, as will be hereinafter described.

As is shown with greater clarity in FIG. 2, the cut line 30 which defines the flap 28 is such that a pair of arcuate tabular segments 34 and 35 extend transversely toward each other from the merged score-and-cut lines 19-25 and 20-26 that define the side edges of the partition wall panel 22. Since the cut line 31 is of substantially identical configuration, a similar pair of tabular segments 36 and 37 extend transversely from the side edges of the partition wall panel 22 toward the sides of the associated flap 29.

In order to permit the partition wall panel 22 to conform more readily to the shape of the inserted lamp bulbs, regardless of their shape, the cut line 30 is terminated by a diagonally oriented or slanted straight cut 38 that is aligned with a similarly oriented straight cut 39 which terminates the other cut line 31, as shown in FIG. 2. However, these cuts 38 and 39 are spaced from one another (as are the opposite ends of the cut lines 30 and 31) so that there is a medial portion of the partition wall panel 22 which remains intact and extends transversely across the panel from approximately the center of slit 25 to the center of the other slit 26. Hence, each of the flaps 28 and 29 are hinged to and are swingable about the central portion of the partition wall panel 22 but can be readily displaced from the panel along the respective arcuate cut lines 30 and 31.

The blank B is assembled into wrapper or container form by first fastening the glue panel 23 to the corrugated surface of the side wall panel 12 with the strip of adhesive 24 so that the score-and-cut line 20-26 extends along the center line of the wall panel 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The blank B is then successively bent along the other score-and-cut line 19-25, the score lines 18, 17, 16 and 15 and the side wall panel 10 is fastened by the strips 32 and 33 of adhesive to the smooth side of the anchoring panel 21 with the free edge of the side wall 10 aligned with the score line 18 -- thus providing a container C of the type shown in FIG. 3 that is of tubular sleeve-like configuration and open at both ends. The container C is shown in erected position with the flaps 28 and 29 and partition wall 22 in the positions which they occupy when the container is loaded with a pair of lamp bulbs.

As will be noted in FIG. 3, the partition wall 22 is attached to the oppositely disposed wider pair of side walls 10, 12 of the container C and divides the rectangular cross-sectional sleeve into a pair of lamp-receiving compartments of equal size. As will also be noted, the blank B is assembled into sleeve configuration in such a manner that the corrugated side of the paperboard constitutes the inner surface of the container C. Due to the fact that the width dimension of the partition wall 22 along its entire length is greater than that of the narrow side walls 11 and 13 (and, accordingly, greater than the spacing between the wide pair of side walls 10 and 12 of the erect container), the partition wall 22 is automatically buckled along the central score line 27 in opposite directions (as shown) when the lamp bulbs are inserted into the respective compartments. The flaps 28 and 29 are also automatically displaced by the bulbs in the same direction as the portions of the partition wall 22 from which they are cut.

The central slits 25 and 26 also permit the central portion of the partition wall 22 to be displaced and conform to the shape of the inserted lamp bulbs and thereby provide a "floating" action that accommodates the bulbs. Since the glue strips 24 and 33 are located predetermined distances inwardly from the ends of the glue panel 23 and side wall panel 10 as above described, the portions of the anchoring panel 21 and glue panel 23 that extend along the score-out lines 19-25 and 20-26 remain unfastened and thus provide flexing elements f which are free to move along with the partition wall 22 and thus increase its "effective" width dimension and ability to "float".

As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the container C is erected and set up for use and the partition wall 22 is controllably flexed and buckled by the inserted lamp bulbs (which also displace the hinged flaps 28 and 29), the pairs of arcuate tabular elements 34-35 and 36-37 remain intact and extend transversely from the walls of the container toward each other into the respective openings formed by the displaced flaps 28 and 29.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the oppositely oriented electric lamp bulbs L are inserted into the container C to form a duplex-lamp package P, the upstanding non-buckled tabular segments (only 35 and 37 of which are shown in this Figure) resiliently press against the bulbous portions of the lamp envelopes and act as "pressuring fingers" that push the lamps L against the oppositely disposed walls of the container C -- thus markedly increasing the frictional grip of the container on the loaded lamp bulbs. Such pressuring, in conjunction with the mechanical interfitting fitting of the bulbous portions of the lamps L with the openings formed in the partition wall 22 by the displaced flaps 28 and 29, securely locks the bulbs in their inserted positions within the container C.

Moreover, the "floating" action provided by the flexing elements f and the controlled buckling of the partition wall 22 along the score lines 19, 20 and 27, slits 25 and 26, and diagonal cut lines 38 and 39 automatically causes the partition wall to conform to the shape of the bulbs and snugly grip them in the manner depicted in FIG. 5. This controlled flexing and internal buckling of the partition wall 22 permits the lamp bulbs L of either the pear-shaped variety (shown here) or tubular-shaped type to be readily inserted into and automatically locked in tight-interfitting relationship with the container C without bulging any of the walls of the container or rupturing the partition. The walls 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the container C thus remain substantially flat even though the length of the container is such that the latter barely encloses the ends of both of the packaged lamps L (as shown in FIG. 4).

Claims

We claim:

1. A container for packaging a pair of fragile articles such as electric lamp bulbs, said container comprising;

four interconnected walls of stiff packaging material that define a tubular sleeve,

a partition wall of the same type of material fastened to oppositely disposed walls of the sleeve and dividing the interior of said sleeve into two article-receiving compartments, and

a pair of hinged flaps cut from said partition wall and swingable in opposite directions into the respective article-receiving compartments about a medial transversely-extending part of the partition wall,

said flaps being cut from medial portions of said partition wall and being of such configuration that parts of the partition all define tabular segments that extend transversely from the side edges of the partition wall into the openings formed by the displaced flaps and thereby constitute resilient article-engaging and pressuring means.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein only the end portions of the partition wall are fastened to the walls of the sleeve and the central portion of said partition wall is thus movable and adapted to conform to the shape of articles inserted into the container.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein the width dimension of said partition wall along its entire length is greater than the spacing between the two oppositely-disposed walls of the sleeve to which it is attached.

4. The container of claim 2 wherein;

said sleeve and partition all constitute parts of an integral cut-and-scored blank of packaging material,

one side of said partition wall is fastened to the associated wall of the sleeve by a first panel that is glued to said associated wall of the sleeve,

the other side of said partition wall is fastened to the other associated wall of the sleeve by a second panel that is glued to said other associated wall of the sleeve, and

the portions of said first and second panels that adjoin and extend along the sides of said partition wall are free of glue and thus comprise flexing elements that are adapted to move with the partition wall and thereby enhance the mobility of said partition wall.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein;

said sleeve is of generally rectangular cross-section, open-ended, and collapsible,

said partition wall is fastened to the wider pair of oppositely disposed walls of the sleeve, and

said sleeve and partition wall are fabricated from a piece of single-face corrugated paper the corrugated side whereof comprises the inner surface of the sleeve.

6. The container of claim 5 wherein;

the width dimension of said partition wall along its entire length is greater than the spacing between said wider pair of sleeve walls, and

said partition wall is separated from said wider pair of sleeve walls by a pair of slits that extend along the side edges of the central part of the partition wall, and the ends of the partition wall are hingedly connected to said wider pair of sleeve walls along score lines that are aligned with said slits and extend along the sides of the partition wall from said slits to the respective ends of the sleeve.

7. The container of claim 6 wherein said partition wall has a longitudinally extending score line that induces the partition wall to buckle in a predetermined manner when the container is erected and loaded with said articles.

8. A package comprising;

a pair of bulbous-shaped fragile articles disposed in side-by-side substantially oppositely oriented relationship,

a tubular open-ended paperboard sleeve of generally rectangular cross-section snugly enclosing said articles, and

means locking said articles within said sleeve comprising (a) a partition wall that is fastened to oppositely disposed walls of the sleeve and is located between and physically separates said articles, and (b) a pair of hinged flaps cut from portions of said partition wall and displaced in opposite directions by the bulbous parts of said articles,

the width dimension of said partition wall along its entire length being greater than the spacing between the walls of the sleeve to which it is attached, the central portion of said partition wall being separated from and movable with respect to the said oppositely disposed walls of the sleeve, and said partition wall being buckled along score lines in directions such that the partition wall nestingly accommodates and frictionally grips the bulbous parts of said articles without rupturing.

9. The package of claim 8 wherein;

said articles comprise a pair of electric lamp bulbs, and

said sleeve and partition wall are fabricated from a cut-and-scored blank of single-face corrugated paper the corrugated side whereof constitutes the inner surface of the sleeve.

10. The package of claim 9 wherein

said flaps are cut from medial portions of the partition wall and are of such configuration that portions of the partition wall define tabular segments that extend from the respective walls of the sleeve into the openings in the partition wall produced by the displaced flaps, said tabular segments being in pressured engagement with the parts of the lamp bulbs located in the respective openings in the partition wall and thereby enhancing the retentive grip of the sleeve on the lamp bulbs.

11. A container for packaging a pair of fragile articles such as electric lamp bulbs, said container comprising;

four interconnected walls of stiff packaging material that define a tubular sleeve,

a partition wall of the same type of material fastened to oppositely disposed walls of the sleeve and dividing the interior of said sleeve into two article-receiving compartments, and

a pair of hinged flaps cut from said partition wall and swingable in opposite directions into the respective article-receiving compartments about a medial transversely extending part of the partition wall,

only the end portions of said partition wall being secured to the said walls of the sleeve and the central portion of the partition wall being movable and providing a floating action that permits the partition wall to accommodate and frictionally grip the inserted articles without rupturing.

12. The container of claim 11 wherein the width dimension of said partition wall along its entire length is greater than the spacing between the walls of the sleeve to which it is attached.

13. The container of claim 12 wherein the said end portions of the partition wall are movable along score lines that extend along and define the side edges of the partition wall, and along another score line that longitudinally extends along the central portion of the respective end portions of said partition wall.

14. The container of claim 12 wherein said partition wall is secured to the said walls of the sleeve by a pair of panels that have segments which are movable relative to the associated sleeve walls and thus constitute flexing elements that enhance the mobility of the partition wall.