Videocassette shipping container

• US 5,285,918 A
• Filed: 12/10/1992
• Issued: 02/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autronic Plastics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alpha Enterprises, Inc. (Nexpak Corporation)
• Inventors: Burdett, Ronald K., Gallagher, Christopher G., Weisburn, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Jimmy G.
• Application Number:
  US07/988,894
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 206/1.5, 206/387, 206/309, 206/310, 206/444, 206/807, 220/265, 220/315, 220/324, 220/326
• US Class Current: 220/265
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/06 Deformable or tearable wires, strings, or strips containers specially constructed to be opened by tear-strips, strings or the like B65D17/00; caps or cap-like closures with tear-strips B65D41/32; Use of seals , e.g. destructible locking pins B65D55/022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0233 Containers for a single cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/807 Tamper proof

Abstract

A container for shipping and storing an article such as a video cassette has a base formed by a pair of spaced end walls, and a pair of spaced side walls. Integrally molded to the base is a lid having at least one destructible locking tang formed thereon which passes through an aperture formed in one of the side walls of the base. When the locking tang is inserted through the aperture, a shoulder on the tang engages the base wall and may only be disengaged from the wall by destructibly removing the locking tang from the lid. A tear groove preferably is formed in a hinge portion of the tang to facilitate removal of the tang from the lid. Also, provided on the lid and base are a plurality of projections to provide at least one snap-fit engagement between the lid and the base to latch the lid and the base together once the locking tang has been removed. A plurality of shock absorbing tabs are formed in the storage compartment to space the video cassette from the walls to reduce damage thereto during shipment.

Claims

1. A container for storing an article including:

a base having a storage compartment formed by a pair of spaced end walls and a pair of spaced side walls;

a closure lid for said storage compartment;

hinge means for movably connecting the closure lid to the base;

a locking aperture formed in one of the lid and base;

a locking tang formed on the other of the lid and base, a portion of said tang being insertable through the aperture into the storage compartment for locking said lid and base in a closed position;

tab means on said locking tang located exteriorly of the storage compartment for destructive separation from said tang to permit unlocking of the lid from the base; and

latch means formed on the lid and base for releasably latching said lid and base int he closed position after the locking tang has been destructively separated from the tab means.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said locking tang has a stem portion which is integrally connected to said tab means and substantially perpendicular thereto, adapted to pass through said aperture.

3. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein said stem has a tip at a free end thereof with a camming surface extending outwardly therefrom which joins said stem at an extending shoulder, said stem being flexed by engagement of said camming surface with a portion of the base or lid surrounding said aperture, thereafter returning toward its original position, with said shoulder engageable with said portion of the base or lid.

4. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said lid and said base are integrally molded as a single unit, with the hinge means being a living hinge providing relative movement therebetween.

5. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said lid and said locking tang are integrally molded with a tear groove providing relative movement therebetween.

6. A container as defined in claim 1 including means formed on the base for absorbing shock to protect the enclosed article.

7. A container as defined in claim 6 wherein said means to absorb shock is provided by at least tow upwardly extending tabs molded integrally with said base.

8. A container as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said upwardly extending tabs are supported by at least one gusset spaced between said tab and an adjacent wall of the base.

9. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein the latch means is a snap-fit latch provided between said lid and said base for releasable securing the lid in the closed position.

10. A container as defined in claim 9 wherein said snap-fit latch is created by a first camming member provided on said lid and a second camming member provided on said base which slide over each other when said lid is moved to the closed position.

11. A container as defined in claim 10 wherein said snap-fit latch also includes a blocking projection formed on said lid which is spaced from said camming surface to trap an edge of one of the base side walls therein to prevent the inward movement of said one side wall.

12. The container defined in claim 1 in which the aperture is formed in one of the base side walls;

in which the locking tang is formed on the lid and includes a locking tip, said tip being insertable through the aperture;

in which a tear groove is formed on the tang for destructively removing said tang from the tab means; and

in which said tear groove hingedly connects the tang to the lid.

13. The container defined in claim 12 in which the locking tip includes a camming surface to facilitate insertion of the tip through the aperture, and a shoulder preventing removal of said tip from the aperture.

14. The container defined in claim 1 in which two locking apertures are formed in a spaced relationship in one of the base walls;

and in which two locking tangs are joined to the lid by tear grooves which provide for the destructive separation of the tangs.