US2801039A - Disposable container - Google Patents

Description

July so, 1957 E. L. ARNESON 2,801,039

DISPOSABLE CONTAINER Filed May 11, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

' Ida/[72L 80126502 United States atent Office 2,801,039 Patented July 30,1957

DISPOSABLE CONTAINER Edwin L. Arneson, Morris, 111., assignor, by mesne asslgnments, to Federal Paper Board Company, inc., Bogota, N. L, a corporation of New York Application May 11, 1955, Serial No. 507,555

1 Claim. (Cl. 2295.7)

The. present invention relates generally to a container made from relatively stilf material having applied thereto at either end thereof a separate preformed rim capable of supplying the required rigidity to the ends of the container and capable of retaining closure means in sealing relation with the container body. More specifically the present invention is directed toward a preformed rim suitable for use with a relatively stiff container body portion and capable of fixedly retaining a bottom panel in sealing relation to one end of the container body portion and removably retaining a top panel at the other end thereof.

Disposable type containers are put to many varied uses. Among prevalent uses is that of packaging foods, for example ice cream and the like. In forming disposable containers, it is desirable to utilize relatively inexpensive material and yet at the same time provide a properly sealed container of suflicient strength to efficiently carry out its. intended function. In this connection it is also desirable to make use of containers having a clean, pleasant and neat outward appearance. Normally, in the manufacture of such containers, the body portion is formed from relatively stiff paper material and suitably preformed rim elements are supplied to theeclges of the body portion to supply the requisite rigidity. The rims also have additional functions in that they are often used to carry top and bottom panels for the purpose of completely enclosing and sealing the container.

In the past rims have appeared in various forms and have usually been made from a metallic material in order to be capable of supplying the desired properties to the formed container. Some of the rims have by necessity been rather elaborate in design and construction in order to be capable of receiving a removable top closure. In many instances the rim used at the top of the container greatly varies in design and construction from that used at the bottom of the container. This difference has been considered necessary inasmuch as the upper rim performs different functions from that of the lower rim. The lower rim has two main functions, namely, that of supplying the requisite rigidity to the lower portion of the container body along with the function of permanently holding the bottom closure into sealing contact with the container body. The upper rim has a similar function of supplying therequisite rigidity to the upper portion of the container body and has an additional function of removably receiving the top closure to allow opening and closing of the container. The differences in function between the top and bottom rims, as previously mentioned, necessitate diiferences in design. Such differences require variations in manufacturing methods which in turn results in higher manufacturing costs.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rim which is adapted for use at either the top or bottom portions of the container body without requiring modification in design or the provision of additional parts.

It is a further object to provide a rim of relatively simple construction which may be molded, stamped or machined without the use of complicated or expensive manufacturing apparatus.

Another object is to provide a disposable container of a clean, pleasant appearance suitable for use in merchandising edible products, the container being supplied with the improved rim of the present invention and exhibiting the requisite rigidity requirements and capable of low-cost manufacture.

Other objects not specifically set forth will become apparent in the following detailed description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled container of the present invention having a portion of the top closure and side wall cut away to illustrate the operative position of the top rim;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section of the container shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a Vertical section of the rim of the present invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2, a container is shown as having a container body portion 10, top and bottom rims 11 and 12. A top panel or closure disk 13 is held by the top rim 11 and is provided with a tab 14 to allow removal of the top panel 13 from association with the top rim 11. As can be seen in Fig. 2, bottom rim 12 contains associated therewith a bottom panel or closure disk 16 which is sealed against the inner surface of the container body portion 10 near the bottom edge thereof. The body portion 10 is provided with an upper band or collar 17 and a lower band or collar 18. The bands 17 and 18 can be formed by the outward and downward folding of the edges of the body portion 10, as illustrated by the drawings, or can be supplied to the body portion 10 by suitably fastening strips of material about the outer surfaceof the body portion 10 near the edges thereof. The body portion 10 can be made from any suitable material; however in the production of a disposable type container relatively stiff paper material is normally utilized. The outer edges of the upper and lower bands 17 and 18 are preferably flush with the outer edges of the container body portion 10 to provide a greater surface area about the edges of the body portion 10 for sealing purposes.

Referring in particular to the rim construction which forms the essence of the present invention, reference is made to the various figures of the drawing which illustrate the rim 11 as including a flange or rib 24) which is located along one of the edges of the rim and which extends inwardly about the entire inner periphery of the rim. Laterally spaced from the flange 20 is an additional flange or rib 21 which is located intermediate the edges of the rim 11. The flange 21 extends inwardly about the inner periphery of the rim 11 and, as can be seen in Fig. 2, is of greater Width than flange 2t). Extending about the inner periphery of the rim and near the remaining edge opposite. thevedge. adjacent the flange 2% is an inwardly directed head 22 which is of arcuate shape. The inward projection of the flanges 2i) and 21 form therebetween a channel or slot 24, the function of which will hereinafter be described. An additional channel or slot 25 is formed in between the flange 21 and the bead 22. In describing rim 11, a vertical section of which is shown in Fig. 3, it should be understood that the rim 12 is of similar construction but merely has a slightly different function when utilized at the bottom of the container body portion 16.

With particular reference to rim 12, as shown in its operative position in Fig. 2, it can be seen that the channel 24 receives the lower band 18 and the flange 20 cooperates with the top edge of the lower band 18 to fixedly attach the rim 12 to the bottom of the body portion 10. The bottom panel 16 is positioned within the body portion 10 near the bottom edge thereof and is restrained from movement past the bottom edge of the body portion by the upper edge of the flange 21. The bottom panel 16 is preferably of a greater diameter than the inner diameter of the body portion 10 thereby providing a force fit with relation thereto. In this manner the bottom panel 16 not'only alleviates leakage of the'contents fromwithin. the container but also prevents inward collapse; of; the body portion 10. This arrangement providesa tight seal as the outer edge of the bottom panel 16 is wedged against 7 the innerburface of the body portion 10 and the outer portion'of the bottom surface of thepanel16 is forced downwardlyagainst the upper surface of the flange 21.

Referring to the rim 11 which is positioned at the top portion of the container 10, it can be seen that this'rim is fastened to the container body portion 1.0 similarly to the bottom rim 12. Here again the upper band 17 fits into the channel 24 and the rim 11 is held on'the container body portion 10 by a snug fit between the edges of upper band 17 and the opposing edges of the flanges 20 and 21. A suitable seal is provided between the rim 11 and the container 10 by the close association of the lower edge of the flange 21 with the upper edges of the upper band 17 and the container body portion 10. The top panel 13 is received within channel of the rim 11 and is introduced thereinto by forcing the panel 13 past the bead 22. In sealing relation, the top panel 13 is urged against the upper edge of the flange 21 by the arcuate shape of the bead 22, thereby effectuating a tight seal. The diameter of the top panel 13 is slightly greater than the inner diameter of the head 22, thereby reqniringa slight forcing of the panel 13 past the bead 22 into the channel 25. The tab 14 is provided on the panel 13 to allow ready removal of the panel 13 out of association with the channel 25 and past the bead 22. V

The rims 11 and 12 can be interchangeably used and can be made from any suitable material. 'Due to their relatively simple construction, it has been found that rims made from plastic material function properly in association With the container body portion 10 and also present a very desirable appearance. By utilizing plastic, various colors can be supplied to the container and the 'rims can be molded without requiring expensive machining operations. Metallic material can also be used in the manufacture of the rims and in the instance where malleable metallic material is used, the manufacturing operation would merely require the use 'of a simple stamping process.

Many advantages reside in the use of rims constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The rims are readily placed in position on'the ends of the containers and do not require further tooling such as bending' or the like to be made ready for use. a The rims are readily interchangeable thereby reducing manufacturing costs and alleviating the pairing up of top and bottom rims of diiferent design during the container assembly operation. The simplicity of structure is of extreme importance where disposable containers are desired. It is clear that only relatively small quantities of plastic or other material are required in producing the rim of the present invention. The small quantity of material utilized further aids in reducing the total weight of the finished container. As each end of the body portion 10 is of similar design there is no difliculty in determining which end receive 4 I a the top or bottom panels. Either end is adapted to be provided with the top or bottom panels. 'This further aids in assembling the container. 7 7 Obviously many modifications and variations of th invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without a departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claim.

I claim:

A container including a cylindrical body portion of flexible cardboard type material having removable top and bottom closure disks associated with the ends thereof, said body portion being provided with reversely folded end margins defining at both the top and bottom of said body portion an integral outwardly carried collar, identical one-piece rigidity imparting rims carried by said body portion at the top and bottom thereof surrounding and tightly engaging said collars, said rims being formed from substantially rigid non-flexible material to establish and maintain the cylindrical shape of said body portion in tight engaging relation with the top and bottommar ginal portions thereof, each of said rims includinga first inwardly directed rigid flange extending aboutthe inner periphery thereof and near one edge thereof, a second inwardly directed. rigid flange extending about theinner periphery thereof and positioned intermediate the edges.

flange of the rim carried by the bottom of said body portion supporting the circumferential marginal portion of said bottom closure 'disk which is received within the bottom of said body portion, the outermost circumferential surface of the second flange of the rim carried by the top of said body portion supporting said removable top closure disk which is forcibly movedpast the bead of said top rim into a circumferential slot definedby 'andbetween the bead and second flange of said top rim, said top closure disk beingprovided with an integral tab projecting upwardly from said top 'rim for grasping to forcibly remove said top closure disk outof saidlast named slot past said last named bead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McMann May 10,1932

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