Freshness-preserving container

• US 4,948,038 A
• Filed: 04/11/1989
• Issued: 08/14/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moeller, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US07/336,418
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 229/160.1, 229/146, 229/149, 229/125.37, 206/268, 206/270, 206/271, 206/273
• US Class Current: 229/146
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4291 Containers provided with an acoustic device, e.g. for indicating opening of the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6611 the lid being held in closed position by application of separate elements, e.g. clips, hooks, elastics
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6685 formed by extensions hinged to the upper edge of a container body formed by erecting a blank to U-shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6691 the container being provided with an internal frame or the like for maintaining the lid in the closed position by friction

Abstract

A freshness-preserving container is disclosed. The container includes a lid and a base which are connected and which pivot about a hinge line along their rear walls. The front wall of the lid has an inward facing surface disposed toward an outward facing surface on the fornt wall of the base. Between the inward and outward facing surfaces is a freshness-preserving element for preserving the freahness of the contents of the container. The freshness-preserving means includes a flap mounted on either the lid or the base which engages a shoulder on the other part of the container. As the container closes, the flap slides across the shoulder effecting a latch closing and making a clicking sound indicating the freshness-preserving characteristics of the container. An adhering element also may be provided, such as tape or magnetic pieces, for resealing the container when it is closed. In addition, the lid may overlap the base of the container, further contributing to its freshness-preserving characteristics.

Claims

1. A freshness-preserving container having a container height and comprising:

a lid member and a base member, said lid member and said base member each having a front wall and a back wall parallel to said front wall, the back walls of said lid member and base member being connected along a hinge line, said lid member and said base member being pivotable about said hinge line between a closed position in which said front walls of said lid member and said base member are next to each other and an open position in which said front walls of said lid member and said base member are spaced apart, said lid member and said base member each having respective side walls, said front and back walls of said lid member being wider than said front and back walls of said base member for enabling the side walls of the lid member to overlap the respective side walls of the base member when said lid and base members are in said closed position, said front wall of said lid member having an inward facing surface thereon disposed toward said back wall of said lid member, said front wall of said base member having an outward facing surface thereon disposed away from said back wall of said base member, and said inward and outward facing surfaces being next to and facing each other when said lid and base members are in said closed position; and

freshness-preserving means between said inward and outward facing surfaces for preserving the freshness of contents of said container when said lid and base members are in said closed position.

2. The freshness-preserving container of claim 1 wherein said freshness-preserving means comprises indicating means for producing a sound for reminding the user of the freshness-preserving characteristics of the container.

3. The freshness-preserving container of claim 2 wherein said indicating means comprises a flap on one of said inward and outward facing surfaces and a shoulder on the other of said inward and outward facing surfaces, said flap and said shoulder being positioned for engaging to produce a clicking sound as said lid and base members are pivoted between said open and closed positions.

4. The freshness-preserving container of claim 1 wherein said freshness-preserving means comprises adhering means for at least partially resealing said container when said lid and base members are in said closed position.

5. The freshness-preserving container of claim 4 wherein said adhering means comprises adhesive tape disposed on one of said inward and outward facing surfaces for contacting and adhering to the other of said inward and outward facing surfaces when said lid and base members are in said closed position.

6. The freshness-preserving container of claim 4 wherein said adhering means comprises a first magnetic strip associated with said inward facing surface and a second magnetic strip associated with said outward facing surface and positioned next to said first magnetic strip when said lid and base members are in said closed position, said first and second magnetic strips being for adhering to each other in said closed position.

7. The freshness-preserving container of claim 1 wherein said freshness-preserving means comprises latching means for preventing the flow of air between said front walls of said lid and base members when said lid and base members are in said closed position.

8. The freshness-preserving container of claim 7 wherein said latching means comprises a flap disposed on one of said inward and outward facing surfaces and a shoulder disposed on the other of said inward and outward facing surfaces, said flap and shoulder being positioned and shaped for latching when said lid and base members are in said closed position.

9. The freshness-preserving container of claim 8 wherein said back walls of said lid and base members each have a respective back wall height and said front walls of said lid and base members each having a respective front wall height, the sum of said respective back wall heights equalling said container height and the sum of said respective front wall heights being greater than said container height, said front wall of said lid member overlapping said front wall of said base member.

10. The freshness-preserving container of claim 9 wherein said lid member further comprises a top wall connected between said front and back walls of said lid, said base member further comprising a bottom wall connected between the front and back walls of said base, said top wall being larger than said bottom wall.

11. The freshness-preserving container of claim 9 wherein said outward facing surface of said front wall of said base has a shoulder opening defined therein for providing said shoulder, said flap being on said inward facing surface of said front wall of said lid.

12. The freshness-preserving container of claim 8 wherein said base member further comprises an inner frame including an inner front wall extending toward said lid member for defining said outward facing surface.

13. A blank for the formation of a freshness-preserving container, said blank having a hinge line defined thereon and including a lid defining portion on one side of said hinge line and a base-defining portion on another side of said hinge line opposite said lid-defining portion, wherein:

said lid-defining portion and said base-defining portion each comprises a respective plurality of panels, each panel having a respective length in a direction perpendicular to said hinge line;

the panels of each portion being foldably connected to each other along score lines defined on said blank and parallel to said hinge line;

said lid-defining portion and said base-defining portion each comprising a respective back wall panel, the respective back wall panels being connected to each other along said hinge line;

said lid-defining portion further comprises a top wall panel connected to said back wall panel of said lid-defining portion, a lid front wall panel connected to said top wall panel, and a lid flap panel connected to said lid front wall panel;

said base-defining portion further comprises a bottom wall panel connected to the back wall panel of said base-defining portion, a base front wall panel connected to said bottom wall panel, and engaging means on said base front wall panel for engaging said lid flap panel;

the sum of the lengths of said lid front wall panel and said base front wall panel exceeds the sum of the lengths of said lid back wall panel and said base back wall panel by an overlap length, and the length of said top wall panel slightly exceeds the length of said bottom wall panel, whereby said lid front panel overlaps said base front panel by said overlap height in a freshness-preserving container erected from said blank, said lid flap panel being foldable toward the engaging means for being engaged upon the closing of said freshness-preserving container; and

said lid-defining and base-defining portions each comprise respective side wall panels foldably connected to at least one of the respective front and back wall panels along side-defining score lines defined on said blank and perpendicular to said hinge line, the respective front and back wall panels of said lid-defining and base-defining portions each having a respective width in a direction parallel to said hinge line, the widths of said front and back wall panels of said lid-defining portion exceeding the widths of said front and back wall panels of said base-defining portion for enabling the side panels of said lid-defining portion to overlap the respective side panels of said base-defining portion when the container erected from said blank is closed.

14. The blank of claim 13 wherein the length of said top wall panel is sufficiently greater than the length of said bottom wall panel to enable said lid front panel and said base front wall panel to be parallel when the container erected from the said blank is closed.

15. The blank of claim 13 in which said engaging means comprises a base flap panel connected to the base front wall panel, said base flap panel being foldable toward said lid flap panel for engaging said lid flap panel upon the closing of said freshness-preserving container.

16. The blank of claim 13 wherein said base front wall panel has a shoulder opening defined therein, said engaging means comprising one edge of said shoulder opening, said side of said shoulder opening being for engaging said lid flap panel upon the closing of said freshness-preserving container.