Patent Application
20070246114
The invention relates to the field of product packaging, and more particularly to a reinforced end cap for a product container.
Product packaging is useful for the distribution, display and sale of products. A particularly useful product package is a product container with an end cap that was co-invented by the inventor of the present application. That product container was the subject of U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2003/0226770, published Dec. 11, 2003, which publication is herby incorporated by reference. The underlying Patent Application for the Publication is U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/164,477, filed Jun. 6, 2002, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,775 on Feb. 21, 2006. That Patent Application and Patent are assigned to the same assignee, that is, MeadWestvaco Corporation, as the present application.
The product container of the above-referenced patent application Ser. No. 10/164,477 includes a sleeve having at least one opening. Inwardly-folded locking tabs extend from the sleeve at the opening. An end cap is closely received by the sleeve. A rim around the perimeter of an end of the end cap prevents the end cap from being fully inserted in the sleeve, beyond the rim. Channels in the end cap engage the locking tabs of the sleeve to inhibit removal of the inserted end cap. The. container is opened by twisting or rotating the end cap and sleeve with respect to one another so that the channels of the end cap and the locking tabs of the sleeve are urged out of alignment with and away from one another.
In another aspect, an end of the container is configured to be non-openable. The container is made non-openable through use of an end cap that is non-twistable or non-rotatable with respect to the sleeve, and hence non-removable from the sleeve. The locking tabs and the cap design that are disclosed in the published application are elements that contribute to the non-openable format.
The operation of the container depends upon the sleeve being flexible and resilient, but at the same time, the end cap (removable or non-removable) being at least slightly more rigid than the sleeve.
Manufacturers and distributors often desire to reduce the cost of packaging. A typical means of reducing the cost of packaging is to use less expensive materials to construct the packaging or parts thereof, or use less expensive manufacturing processes, or both. Less expensive materials are typically thinner or less substantial, and, therefore, less rigid, than their more expensive counterparts. Less expensive manufacturing processes often require the use of less substantial materials or otherwise result in the creation of a product that is less substantial, and, therefore, less rigid, than packaging products produced by more expensive processes. In the case of the sleeve-and-end-cap product container described above, end caps are typically made of expensive materials or by expensive methods.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that it would be useful to have an end cap that possesses sufficient rigidity for use in the above-described container. It can be further appreciated that it would be useful to have an end cap that is produced using less expensive manufacturing materials, or that can be produced by less expensive manufacturing processes, or both, but that possesses sufficient rigidity to be operable in the above-described container.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an end cap is an end closure for a sleeve that has at least one open end, the end closure has a housing that terminates at a first end in a flanged perimeter and has a strut structure extending between regions of the housing so as to reinforce the housing against deformation.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the strut structure extends between regions of the housing proximate the flanged perimeter.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the strut structure is a cover affixed to the flanged perimeter of the housing.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the invention, the cover is affixed to the flanged perimeter of the housing by application of electromagnetic radiation heat energy.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the invention, the electromagnetic radiation heat energy is radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
In alternative embodiments, the strut structure is bonded to the housing with adhesive or attached to the housing with a friction fit. Further alternative embodiments include the package components being constructed of plastic, paper, paperboard, laminates thereof, and the like.
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the words “exemplary” and “illustrative” are used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as illustrations, specimens, models or patterns. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. In other instances, well-known components, systems, materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Referring to
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Referring now to
The housing 102 is reinforced by a strut structure 120 that extends between regions of the housing 102. The strut structure 120 may extend between regions of the housing 102 proximate the opening where the flanged perimeter 104 of the housing 102 is formed. In the exemplary embodiment of the end cap 100 illustrated, the strut structure 120 extends between regions of the housing 102 by being affixed to the flanged perimeter 104 of the housing 102.
Referring simultaneously to
Use of a reinforced end cap, as taught by the present invention, at the non-openable end of the package provides a closure that maintains its form and position without being easily deformed.
An end cap 100, 16 produced in accordance with the teachings of the present invention can be made from a variety of materials and by a variety of manufacturing processes; however, the teachings of the present invention are particularly useful when applied to end caps made by a thermoforming process. Plastics manufacturing that utilizes a thermoforming process typically provides an end product that is less expensive to create than other plastics manufacturing processes, such as injection molding. Thermoforming provides benefits over an injection-molding process. A cost advantage of thermoforming is that less raw material is typically used than in other processes, such as injection molding. Another advantage is the cost saving of making a mold to manufacture the part. The cost of a mold for thermoforming can be as little as 14% of the cost of a mold for injection molding. In addition, there is a yield advantage in that a thermoforming process can produce as many as 3½ times the number of items that can be produced during an injection-mold shift operation.
A potential disadvantage of a thermoformed end cap is that it may lack sufficient rigidity to provide an end closure structure that cannot be breached easily or that will not be deformed easily when twisted. The strut structure 120 provides the necessary rigidity for the end cap to resist deformation. The cover strut structure 120 provides a simple, unitary means for reinforcing the housing 102.
The strut structure 120 can be made and incorporated into the housing 102 by a variety of manufacturing methods or processes. For example, the strut structure can be integrally formed with the housing 102. As a further example, the strut structure can be integrally formed with the housing as a part of a thermoforming process.
The strut structure may be formed separately by a variety of processes, and then affixed to the housing. For example, the strut structure may be independently formed by any process, including thermoforming, and then affixed to a housing. In addition, the strut structure 120 can be formed by cutting or otherwise forming a substrate sheet into a configuration corresponding to the shape of the perimeter of the upper, open end of the housing 120. The substrate can be selected from materials including, but not limited to, plastic, paper, paperboard, laminates thereof, and the like.
The cover strut structure 120 can be affixed to the housing 102 by a variety of processes for joining one article or component to another. Such processes include those processes suitable for joining plastic to plastic, paper to paper, paperboard to paperboard, or joining any combination thereof. In addition, if the housing 102 and cover strut structure 120 are both made by thermoforming, they will both consist of material, such as plastic shaped by thermoforming, suitable for joining to one another by use of radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation heating and sealing. Alternative methods of joining the housing 102 and cover strut structure 120 both formed from plastic include sonic sealing and adhesive bonding. In addition, the housing 102 and cover 120 can be adapted and configured as complementing interlocking parts that can be joined by pressing one into the other.
The strut structure 120 can extend between regions of the housing 102 other than at the upper end of the housing 102, whether or not it is integrally formed with the housing 102.
Another advantage of the present invention when the strut structure 120 is configured as a cover is that, the interior of the housing 102 may be used as a compartment for a complementary article. Another advantage of using a strut structure in the form of a cover 120 is that the outer or inner surface of the interior portion 122 of the strut structure/cover 120 may be used for displaying written or graphic indicia.
The law does not require and it is economically prohibitive to illustrate and teach every possible embodiment of the present claims. Hence, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, and combinations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/743,680 filed on Mar. 23, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60743680 | Mar 2006 | US |
