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[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/339,640, filed Dec. 12, 2001.
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates generally to bulk containers, and particularly to a bulk container for flowable materials, wherein the container has viewing openings for viewing the level of contents in the container, and a pour spout for dispensing the contents from the container.
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] Containers with viewing openings to view the contents, and dispensing means to dispense the contents from the container, are known in the prior art. These containers generally are relatively small and lightweight in construction, and the provision of viewing openings and/or dispensing means in the walls of the container do not pose any problem with respect to the integrity or strength of the container.
[0006] Bulk containers are also known in the prior art for storing and shipping material in bulk. Many of these containers are made from corrugated paperboard because of its relatively low cost, light weight, and recyclability, and can be designed to hold in excess of 2400 pounds of material. Some of these containers are used for holding flowable materials, and a few have viewing openings and/or dispensing means for dispensing flowable material from the container. However, because of the need to maintain the strength and integrity of these bulk containers, special constructions are employed in the viewing openings and dispensing means. These special constructions add to the expense of the container.
[0007] Closures for beverage containers are currently packaged in small RSCs for shipment to facilities which apply the closures to beverage containers. This requires a considerable amount of time-consuming manual labor at the point of use, since many individual containers must be handled and opened in order to gain access to the closures before the closures can be applied to beverage containers. The result is increased labor and cost. To applicant's knowledge, beverage container closures have not been previously packaged in disposable bulk containers with a corner spout for shipment to a point of use and then dispensed directly from the bulk container.
[0008] Accordingly, there is need for a bulk container that has inexpensive viewing openings and dispensing means for flowable materials, wherein the viewing openings and dispensing means are constructed to maintain the strength and integrity of the container. There is also need for a bulk container for closures for beverage containers, with dispensing means for the closures from the corner of the container, whereby the time and labor involved in removing the closures from the container is drastically reduced.
[0009] The invention comprises a bulk container for storing and shipping material in bulk, and dispensing the material from the container at the point of use. By storing and shipping the material in a bulk container, and dispensing the material directly from the container, handling is significantly reduced, with concomitant reduction in cost. In particular, the bulk container of the invention has inexpensive viewing openings and dispensing means which maintain the strength and integrity of the container.
[0010] The bulk container of the invention is especially designed for storing, shipping and dispensing small parts, such as, e.g., beverage container closures.
[0011] The container of the invention has opposed sidewalls, a bottom formed by inwardly folded flaps, and a flap structure at the top. A lid or cover may be provided to close the top.
[0012] A plurality of elongate, narrow, vertically oriented slots are provided in at least one side wall for viewing the level of the contents of the container. The slots extend parallel to the flutes of the corrugated material, and have a limited length and are offset relative to one another in staggered relationship. Further, in a preferred embodiment the slots are provided in only a bottom half of the container. This arrangement minimizes the effect that the slots might otherwise have on the strength and integrity of the container, and adds virtually no cost, or very little cost, to the container.
[0013] In the particular embodiment disclosed herein, the container comprises an outer carton and an inner carton laminated to the inside of the outer carton. Viewing slots are provided in both the outer and inner cartons, in aligned registry with one another. In a preferred embodiment, the slots in the inner carton are slightly wider and longer than the slots in the outer carton to accommodate any slight misalignment that might occur between the inner and outer cartons when they are being laminated to one another.
[0014] If desired, the viewing openings may be covered on the inside of the container with a two mil sheet of plastic glued in place over the openings, and a printed inventory meter or scale can be placed on the outside of the container next to the openings. Instead of a sheet of plastic covering the openings on the inside of the container, a bag holding the product can be placed in the container.
[0015] A hinged, tear-out pour spout structure is formed in a bottom portion of one of the side walls of the container near one corner to permit the beverage closures, or other small parts or flowable material, to be easily evacuated (dispensed) from the container. The pour spout is designed to minimize any deleterious effect it might have on the strength and integrity of the container, and to this end has minimal cut lines extending across the flutes of the corrugated material. The pour spout comprises a downwardly foldable outer flap in the outer carton, and an aligned upwardly foldable inner flap in the inner carton.
[0016] A length of tear tape is embedded in the side wall a predetermined distance from the bottom, and a tear tab is formed in the side wall in registry with and connected to the tape so that the tear tab can be grasped and pulled outwardly to cause the tear tape to sever the wall of the outer carton along a predetermined line that corresponds to the top end of the outer, downwardly folding pour spout flap. A pair of parallel, spaced apart cuts are made in the outer carton wall, extending from the tear tape to the bottom of the side wall, so that when the tear tape is used to sever the outer carton wall along the predetermined line, the outer pour spout flap may be folded downwardly about its bottom end.
[0017] A pair of parallel cuts are formed in the inner carton wall and are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the cuts defining the sides of the downwardly folding flap in the outer carton wall, and extend from the bottom of the outer carton wall to approximately the line defined by the tear tape. When the outer flap is folded downwardly, the lower end of the inner flap may be grasped and the inner flap folded upwardly to form a dispensing opening through the wall of the container.
[0018] When a desired quantity of product has been dispensed through the dispensing opening, the inner and outer flaps can be folded back into their original positions and, if desired, taped in place to close the container until it is subsequently desired to dispense additional product.
[0019] The placement and configuration of the viewing openings, and location and arrangement of the tear line and cuts forming the hinged tear-out pour spout in a bottom corner portion of the container, result in maintaining the integrity of the container and at the same time allows for ease of opening despite the heavy board combination. Moreover, the construction and location of the pour spout insure that approximately 95% of the contents can be dispensed from the container through the pour spout. The pour spout can be located in any bottom corner portion of the container.
[0020] The foregoing as well as other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0021]
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
[0028] A corrugated paperboard bulk container according to the invention is indicated generally at
[0029] A plurality of viewing openings
[0030] The container comprises an inner carton
[0031] As seen best in
[0032] A pair of spaced apart, parallel, vertical cuts
[0033] The outer carton
[0034] A length of tear tape T is embedded in the walls of the outer carton in predetermined spaced relationship from the bottom edge of the panels
[0035] A pair of elongate, narrow, parallel slots
[0036] A pair of parallel cuts
[0037] As seen best in
[0038] If desired, a thin sheet or film
[0039] In a specific construction of the container according to the invention, wherein the container is particularly adapted for storing and dispensing plastic closure caps for beverage containers, and in a container having a side wall height of about 46 inches and width of 38 inches, the tear tape is located approximately 8 inches from the bottom edge of the container, the outer fold down pour spout flap has a width of about 5 inches, the inner fold up pour spout flap has a width of about 4⅜ inches, the near edge of the outer pour spout flap is spaced from about 2 to about 3 inches from the adjacent corner of the container, and the near edge of the inner pour spout flap is spaced about 2½ inches from the adjacent corner. In a preferred construction for dispensing plastic closure caps, the dispensing opening formed when the pour spout flaps are opened is from about 7½ to 8 inches high and from about 4¼ to 5¼ inches wide.
[0040] In use, a container made from the inner and outer cartons described above is filled with product, e.g., plastic closures for beverage containers, and shipped to a point of use. When it is desired to access the closures, an operator grasps the tear tab and pulls the tear tape to sever the material holding the upper end of the outer pour spout flap, which is then folded downwardly. The operator can then grasp the lower end of the inner pour spout flap and fold it upwardly to form an opening into the interior of the container and through which the contents are dispensed. Normally, following the initial opening of the container, approximately half of the contents are emptied from the container, after which the flaps may be folded to their closed positions and taped in place until ready for subsequent use.
[0041] The vertical orientation of all cuts, parallel to the direction of the flutes of the corrugated material, rather than across them, except where the tear tape forms a cut when the pour spout is opened, and the location of the pour spout in a lower corner portion of the container, has very little deleterious effect on the strength and integrity of the container. The particular size, location and configuration of the pour spout also ensures that approximately 95% of the contents can be dispensed from the container without operator intervention, and the relationship of the upwardly and downwardly folding flaps that form the pour spout results in a strong and secure closure of the pour spout.
[0042] Although particular embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described in detail herein, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.