Tear tape openable container

• US 4,558,785 A
• Filed: 10/09/1984
• Issued: 12/17/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Paper Company
• Original Assignee: International Paper Company
• Inventors: Gordon, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US06/659,110
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 206/617, 206/618, 206/606, 206/627, 206/264
• US Class Current: 229/235
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/66 Inserted or applied tearing-strings or like flexible elements

Abstract

A severable wall construction for a tray forming package or carton. One or more circumferential zones is each defined by overlapping wall portions of the package or carton, each zone being Z-shaped in transverse cross-section. A tear strip (filament tape) is positioned along each zone, between the middle and one leg of the Z. The tear strip is pulled to sever the Z at the junction of the middle and one leg and thereby separate the package or carton into two portions. The remaining middle and other leg of the Z forms an edge hem for one of the two separated package or container portions. The hem edge is thus defined by a smooth rim. In one application of the invention, a paper towel roll package is provided with two Z-shaped zones around its circumference. After ripping both Z zones, that portion of the package originally between them is discarded, and two trays for display the paper towel rolls are defined. Kraft paper or paperboard forms the package or container. The invention may also be applied to multiple package carriers, i.e., carriers for cans, for easy container opening and access. The invention also may be applied to a folding carton of rectangular form or a round paperboard can, with the Z fold and tear strip providing a reclosable lid.

Claims

1. A severable wall construction for a closed container having walls, the walls formed of a sheet of foldable, tearable material, such as paper or paperboard, the container having an upper and a lower portion normally integrally joined, the upper container portion having a lower edge and the lower container portion having an upper edge, a border zone circumferentially around the container and forming a boundary between upper and lower container portions, the border zone defined by a partial overlapping between the lower edge of the upper container portion and the upper edge of the lower container portion, the sheet material at the border zone being Z-shaped in a cross-section taken at right angles to the border zone, the Z having an outer leg defined by one of the partially overlapped edges, and having an inner leg defined by the other of the partially overlapped edges, the inner leg being substantially parallel to the outer leg, a filament tear tape positioned between and sandwiched by one of the outer legs and the middle leg of the Z and co-extensive along the border zone, means externally of the container for manually grasping an end of the tear tape, whereby when that filament tape end is grasped and pulled, along the length of the border zone, the junction between the tear tape sandwiching one outer leg and the middle leg of the Z is severed and thereby separates the upper from the lower container portion, and whereby the middle and the other, non-severed outer leg of the Z forms a hem of two layers of the sheet material around one edge of one of the separated container portions, the middle leg of the Z forming the outer layer of the hem, whereby the junction of the middle and non-severed outer legs of the Z forms the upper rim of said one of the separated lower container portions, the middle and that leg of the Z which does not sandwich the tear tape being adhered together in intersurface contact, whereby the middle leg of the Z after separation of the upper and lower container portions remains in intersurface engagement with that leg of the Z to thereby form the hem.

2. The severable wall construction of claim 1 wherein the tear tape is of a lesser width than the cross-sectional length of the middle leg of the Z and is positioned nearer the junction of the tear tape sandwiching leg and the middle leg of the Z than to the junction of the middle and other leg of the Z.

3. A severable container forming blank of a single sheet of foldable and tearable material and a filament tear tape, the blank having at least two parallel rectangular panels each having a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axes being generally parallel, the at least two panels being joined along a respective longitudinal edge of each, the two common longitudinal edges respectively partially overlapped to define a border zone, the border zone in transverse cross-section thereof being Z-shaped with the two partially overlapped panel edges forming the two outer legs of the Z and a portion of the sheet integrally joining the legs of the Z forming the middle of the Z, the filament tape running along the border zone for substantially the zone length, the filament tape positioned between and sandwiched by one outer leg of the Z and the middle leg, the outer and middle legs of the Z being substantially parallel, whereby when the blank is wrapped around one or more articles to be packaged and then sealed, pulling of one end of the filament tape along the border zone, and toward the junction of the middle leg and said one outer leg of the Z, between which the filament tape is positioned, will cause the junction of the middle and that Z leg to sever, that outer leg of the Z not contacting the filament tape being adhered to the middle leg of the Z, the outer and middle legs of the Z being parallel, whereby a hem of two layers is formed, the hem layers being the middle leg and that outer leg of the Z not originally in contact with the filament tape.

4. The severable container blank and filament tape of claim 3 wherein, at one end of the blank, the legs of the Z are angularly cut from a corner of the border zone at said one edge of the blank, the cut extending toward but short of the filament tape, the cut portion of the Z legs defining means to manually grasp and pull that end of the filament tape adjacent said cut portion.

5. The severable container blank and filament tape of claim 3 wherein one end of the blank is provided with a manufacturer'"'"'s flap running transversely of said longitudinal axis, and wherein the Z fold and filament tape are cut transversely of the border zone across the entire width of the border zone, at a location where the border zone intersects the manufacturers'"'"'s flap, and wherein the junction of the sheet and that outer leg of the Z which contacts the filament tape is longitudinally cut, substantially but not completely, across the width of the manufacturer'"'"'s flap.

6. The severable blank and filament tape of claim 5 wherein the legs of the Z are angularly cut from a point of the junction of the manufacturer'"'"'s flap and the blank, where the junction intersects the axis of said sheet cut which is in a direction parallel to the border zone, the angular cut extending toward but short of the filament tape.