Patent Application
20090057386
The invention is directed to an improvement in outlets for sealed containers, such as the outlets that are used in cartons for milk, juice, and the like.
Milk, juice and other liquids are commonly supplied in gable top cartons having an outlet assembly in the form of a plastic screw-on cap combination. The outlet assembly has a threaded nozzle member sealed onto one of the slanted gables of the carton and an unattached screw-on cap. This screw-on cap combination is injection molded and is costly to make and to install.
More specifically, these outlet assemblies commonly consist of a threaded screw on plastic cap member threaded onto a threaded outlet member having a detachable portion. The threaded outlet member has a flange that is sealably attached to the inside surface of the gable, with a threaded tubular portion of the threaded outlet member passing through a hole in the gable. The detachable portion is commonly at the top of the threaded tubular portion and attached to a molded plastic ring. The threaded screw-on plastic cap member is screwed onto the threaded tubular portion of the threaded outlet member. To open the carton the cap is first unscrewed and a finger is placed in the ring which by pulling the ring tears the detachable portion out of the unit. This rather costly assembly was developed because the gable top carton must have, of course, an outlet hole, and this hole, when cut in to its gable, has a raw edge, unlike the rest of the carton which is coated with a film of polyethylene in order not to absorb the milk or other product contained which could sour or deteriorate with age. The outlet assembly isolates the raw edge with its sealed flange.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,939 B1 describes and illustrates some prior inventions of the inventor of this application and is incorporated by reference herein. That patent discloses a small plastic unit which can be readily sealed or adhesively attached to various cartons, over a pre-made hole. It may be made of high density polyethylene, polyester, or other suitable plastic films. It is very low in cost. FIGS. 57A through 57D of that patent show a unit 2200 that may be made of thermoformed plastic and sealed over a hole on a carton. The unit 2200 has a lower formation 2210 and a cap member 2208. The lower formation 2210 has a detachable member in the form of a breakaway tip 2202 which is sealingly attached to the upper inner surface 2206 of the cap member 2208. The first time that the unit 2200 is opened by lifting the cap member 2208, the detachable member 2202 is automatically broken away from the lower formation 2210 at a fault line intersection between the tip 2202 and the remainder of the lower formation 2210. When the detachable member 2202 is broken away from the remainder of the lower formation 2210, an aperture or outlet 2216 is created. The detachable member 2202 remains sealed to the inside of the cap 2208, which may be used normally to recap the aperture or outlet 2216 and then removed to open the outlet for dispensing or pouring out the contained product.
As shown in FIGS. 59A and 61A of U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,939 B1, it can be seen that in the case of the gable top carton the outlet unit 2200, 2400 is sealed to the outer surface of the gable top. While the outlet units disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,939 B1 are advantageous, the current invention provides a further improvement.
This new invention improves the underlying inventions shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,939 B1 by dividing the unit into two members and by eliminating the hinge and providing a cap which fits over the formation containing a breakaway tip or formation to which it is sealed.
The cap may have any one of a variety of extensions, handles etc. by which it may be pulled off the lower formation whereby it will tear out the breakaway tip (formation) which will remain sealed to its interior and act as a plug to help the closure greatly lowering its cost.
In certain embodiments, the current invention provides an outlet assembly of at least two members, one of which is a flanged member sealably attached to the interior side of the carton and having an outlet formation that projects through an outlet hole in the carton, and the other of which is a cap member mounted on the exterior side of the carton. The outlet formation on the flanged member has a score or fault line on the top of the outlet formation defining a detachable member like a breakaway tip. The cap member has a cover formation that fits over the outlet formation of the flanged member. An inner surface of the cover formation is sealed to the detachable member such that removing the cap member from the outlet formation tears away the detachable portion, thereby opening the carton.
Embodiments such as those described above provide a further improvement over the outlet units disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,939 B1. In that patent, because the outlet unit is sealed only to the exterior surface of the carton, it does not cover the edge of the opening in the carton. Accordingly, if this edge is uncoated or unsealed, the liquid from the carton would be exposed to the raw edge of the paperboard, which would be unacceptable, since if it were milk it would sour and other products deteriorate. With the current invention, the outlet assembly itself seals off the liquid from the raw edge of the paperboard. Further advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description and associated figures.
The cap member 3 has a cover formation that generally fits over the outlet formation of the flanged member 2. An inner surface of the cover formation is sealed to the outer surface of the detachable member 4. It will be appreciated that the seal between the inner surface of the cover formation and the outer surface of the detachable member may be made in any suitable manner, for example by heat sealing or by suitable adhesives.
The cap member 30 has a cover formation 32 that generally fits over the outlet formation 22 of the flanged member 20. The cap member 30 in the embodiment illustrated in
The cap member 30 is mounted on the exterior side of the carton 40. In this illustrated embodiment, the cap member 30 is mounted to the carton 40 in a hinged manner. A tab member 36 is sealed to an exterior surface of the carton, and a hinge line 38 exists between the tab member 36 and the lifting flap 34.
An inner surface of the cover formation 32 is sealed to the outer surface of the detachable member 28. The seal is designated by reference numeral 50 in
Of course, as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the outlet assembly may be mounted to the carton at any suitable stage in the manufacture of the carton. For example, the carton may be made as a flat blank having a series of panels, fold lines, and the outlet hole 42. as known in the art. The carton may be formed, for example, of paperboard, which may be suitably coated or laminated. The coating or lamination protects the contents of the carton and the paperboard and may also provide a surface to which the outlet assembly may be adhered. The outlet formation 22 of the flanged member 20 may be inserted into the outlet hole 42 of the blank from a side of the blank that will be the inside surface of the carton, such that the outlet formation 22 projects through the outlet hole 42 in the carton. The flange 24 of the flanged member 20 may be sealed to the surface of the blank that will be the inside surface of the carton. The cap member 30 may be mounted on the surface of the blank that will be the outside surface of the carton. The inner surface of the cover formation 32 may be sealed to the outer surface of the detachable member 28. Then, the blank may be folded into the carton shape, sealing edges of the blank to provide the carton to be filled, leaving an opening at the top. The carton may then be filled with the liquid to be contained and dispensed. Then edges of the carton at the top may be sealed to seal the container. These blank formation, folding and edge sealing steps will be well understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.
The current invention avoids any issue of exposure of liquid to the cut edge of the carton around outlet hole 42. The sealing of the flange 24 of the flanged member 20 to the inside surface of the carton seals off the liquid from the raw edge of the paperboard. Thus, the outlet assembly 10 provides an easy-opening, low cost outlet that avoids damage to the carton.
It will be appreciated that an outlet assembly according to the invention, due to its simple design, may be made by thermoforming. As compared to injection molded outlets such as those in the prior art having screw threads, a thermoformed outlet assembly according to the invention provides a substantial cost savings. The outlet formation, not needing screw threads, may also be made shorter than prior art outlets, and it may also be made thinner, both resulting in further cost savings. As just an example, and without limitation, the cap member and flange member of an embodiment may be made of high density polyethylene approximately 0.018 inch thick.
It will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art that an outlet assembly according to the invention may be used with other suitable cartons besides gable top cartons. For example, the carton may just have a flat top. Similarly, it will be appreciated that numerous variations may be made to the embodiments shown and described herein. Other variations will be readily envisioned based on the disclosure herein.
The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/935,622 filed Aug. 22, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60935622 | Aug 2007 | US |
