International Paper Company

International Paper

Jonathan T Beales

David E Stier

Paul D Richardson

Walter A Krajci

A bottle carrier is formed of one or more panels of paperboard and includes a plurality of bottle neck receiving openings. The periphery of each opening is defined by the tips of a plurality of radially extending fingers, the tips engaging beneath a portion of an abutment associated with each bottle neck. Each finger is bent upwardly at about 45 degrees after insertion of a bottle into a respective opening. Each radial finger is provided at its widest portion with a base slit extending thouugh the paperboard. Another and intermediate slit is located about half way along the length of each finger, the intermediate slit also extending through the paperboard. These slits are of lesser width than that of their respective fingers and are parallel to each other and are at right angles to the length of the finger. The base slit permits bending of each finger upwardly upon bottle insertion, while the intermediate slit facilitates removal of each bottle from its respective opening.

Paperboard bottle carrier

A folded wrapper for a food product such as a taco or sandwich, the wrapper formed from a unitary circular blank of paperboard. In order to accommodate the thickness of the food product without squeezing it, the wrapper is provided with two major parallel fold lines at a generally diametrical fold location. The spacing between these lines is generally that of the thickness of the food product. When folded however about these fold lines, the wrapper would fold about only one or the other of them, thereby squeezing the product. Further, the ends of the folds would be open and thus permit pastes of other semi-liquid or liquid components of the product to escape. To seal the ends of the fold, and also to prevent folding about only one of the major parallel pairs of fold lines, the major parallel fold lines are shortened and a pair of shorter fold lines, located midway of the parallel fold lines and extending radially inwardly from the wrapper periphery, are provided. The wrapper is releasably latched at the peripheries of the two folded halves by interengaging ears and slots. Alternatively, the wrapper is releasably latched by oppositely facing peripheral ears each provided with a sticky coating. Further, the perpheries may be releasably secured together by both sticky mating ears and bent tabs.

Sandwich holder

A collapsible container is fashioned from a unitary blank of paperboard. The container is in the general form of a lower and truncated tray having a top closure lid hingedly secured to the top of the rear wall of the tray. After glueing of the lower tray, the tray is collapsed by bowing its side walls inwardly so that the entire tray may assume a substantially flattened configuration. The flattened container may then be shipped to a retail establishment, such as a fast food outlet, for subsequent set up or erection by merely unfolding the tray and pushing its sidewalls outwardly. In order to overcome the natural tendency of the sidewalls to resume their inwardly bowed configuration, having been stored in this shape for, typically, a substantial length of time, the sidewalls are provided with a novel latching slit and corner tab configuration which maintains the sidewalls in their desired substantially planar form. The container also exhibits a novel top latching arrangement wherein a latching tongue may be inserted into a complementary latching recess in either of two different ways.

Paperboard box with locking tab

A folded wrapper for a food product such as a taco or sandwich, the wrapper formed from a unitary circular blank of paperboard. In order to accommodate the thickness of the food product without squeezing it, the wrapper is provided with two major parallel fold lines at a generally diametrical fold location. The spacing between these lines is generally that of the thickness of the food product. When folded however about these fold lines, the wrapper would fold about only one or the other of them, thereby squeezing the product. Further, the ends of the folds would be open and thus permit pastes of other semi-liquid or liquid components of the product to escape. To seal the ends of the fold, and also to prevent folding about only one of the major parallel pairs of fold lines, the major parallel fold lines are shortened and a pair of shorter fold lines, located midway of the parallel fold lines and extending radially inwardly from the wrapper periphery, are provided. The wrapper is releasably latched at the peripheries of the two folded halves by interengaging ears and slots.

A paperboard container which displays particular utility for the packaging of fast food products is formed from a unitary blank of paperboard. The blank, typically, employs an automatic bottom, i.e., a bottom which is automatically formed upon opening the container from a folded or flattened configuration. The container is characterized by side webs between the top edges of the end panels and the top cover panel. Upon folding the top cover panel down to close the container, after being loaded with food, each side web forms a point or apex along its edge, this apex then tucked into a complementary slit in a respective end panel. Each side web is in frictional, surface to surface engagement with a respective end panel. Further, the top closure cover is provided with a friction latch cooperating with the front wall panel to thereby yield three points of frictional engagement to maintain the container in its closed position prior to being opened by the consumer.

Web tuck paperboard carton

An eat-in paperboard container for frozen or refrigerated foodstuffs is provided with lateral flanges and triangular sections at its forward two corners. The package is opened by a tear strip which frees an edge of the top cover for lifting and access to the foodstuff. In use, the triangular sections rigidify the tray when the top cover is ripped up to open the container and when the consumer grasps one of the lateral flanges during eating out of the container.

Container for foodstuffs

A tray formed from a unitary paperboard blank. The tray has a locking tab at each corner, each latching tab projecting beyond the next adjacent tray wall. Two such trays may be latched together to form a closed container. The tray structure is such that two of the trays may be latched together in only one of four possible angular relations of the trays. The tray is rectangular and may be square or oblong.

Locking trays

A paperboard article carrier suitable for modular construction. The complete carrier is adapted to carry four cans or bottles (a four pack) and is formed by assembling two identical two pack article carriers. The two pack article carriers are each formed of a single blank of paperboard which is folded and glued. Each two pack carrier includes a lower basket like portion and an upper, centrally positioned, handle fashioned from two layers of paperboard. One portion of each handle contains a pair of projecting friction latch tabs. The lower or basket portion of each two pack carrier is provided with a latching tongue and a latching recess, the tongue and recess of each being positioned at opposite ends of the basket. Each carrier may be separately employed as a two pack carrier. If desired, the carriers may be assembled to form a four pack carrier by placing the latching tongues into respective latching slots and by securing the friction latching tabs of the handle portions together. In a modification, the projecting friction latching tab carried by the handle is of a single thickness of the paperboard.

Modular article carrier

A wrap-around carrier to package a linear series of gable-top liquid cartons is formed from a one piece paperboard blank conformed so that an end flap will cover a major area of an end of the erected carrier to inhibit damage, loss, or pilferage of an object such as a straw temporarily secured to an otherwise exposed side of a contained carton. The top panel is provided with a longitudinally running tear strip, conveniently wide enough to form a returnable card or a coupon, the coupon provided with advertising or other indicia on one or both of its surfaces.

Gable top carton wrapper

A clamshell carton formed from two integral blanks of sheet material. The front wall of the upper clamshell carries a latching aperture. The front wall of the lower clamshell half carriers a latch release panel, the latter carrying a horizontally despaired latching tongue normally engaged in the latching aperture to maintain the clamshell in a closed configuration. The latch release panel is normally resiliently biased to maintain the latch tongue engaged. The front wall of the upper clamshell half is provided with a recess along a free edge, the recess permitting direct finger force to be applied to the latch release panel to open the carton by disengaging the latch.

Clamshell type carton

A paperboard partition having particular utility as a partition for spacing and supporting items in a paper bag or any suitable holder is formed from a unitary blank of paperboard. The blank is die cut and provided with a plurality of fold lines. The die cuts define a plurality of locking tabs and also define apertures for receiving the locking tabs when the partition is erected. Two of the panels defined by the fold lines and die cuts are each provided with a spot of glue or other adhesive. Upon initial folding of the blank those panels, termed adhesive panels, which have been provided with glue spots, are attached to corresponding panels. The partition is formed in such a manner that it is collapsed to flat configuration for shipment and/or storage. For use, the user erects the folded partition by unfolding, i.e., spreading several of the panels apart from each other, with the partition then being placed into a paper bag or other holder. The partition defines two diagonally located cells, with each cell having a bottom shelf of at least partial double thickness. Upon erection, the uppermost of each bottom shelf panel becomes latched or locked, by virtue of a locking tab carried thereby becoming engaged with a respective locking aperture.

Growing community of inventors

Memphis, TN, United States of America

Jonathan T Beales