Telescoping container assembly

An assembly of individual disposable sealably closeable reopenable and sealably recloseable double sealed substantially biodegradable containers, having successively next smaller containers of said assembly telescopingly housed within successively next larger containers of said assembly for serial individual use and removal of said containers from said assembly beginning with the most interior and therefore smallest container of said assembly, a manually operated closure portion of each container when actuated having first and second serially disposed seals separating the container contents from ambient air, each container comprising:

• 1. a longitudinally elongated biodegradable rigid hollow paperboard body of smaller diameter at a closed base end and larger diameter at a circular mouth end opposite said base end;
• 2. a closeable, reopenable and recloseable closure at said mouth end of said tapered cylindrical body, comprising:
• a. biodegradable longitudinally elongated foldable hollow cap portion continuously joining said circular mouth end of said cylindrical body about the circumference thereof to define a continuous circular joint therebetween;
• b. said cap portion extending longitudinally from said joint to define a generally rectangular aperture generally transverse to and symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis of said container, said aperture defining an open end of said cap portion remote said circular joint when said first and second seals are inoperative;
• c. said cap portion including a pair of flexible folding hinge portions extending longitudinally on opposite sides of said cap portion in isoceles triangular V-shapes having their triangular bases defined by cap-body juncture with vertices of said Vs at midpoints of respective opposite sides of said rectangular aperture, said flexible folding hinge portions being defined by weakening lines formed in said cap portion for folding of said cap portion therealong including along the legs of said "V", legs of said V-shapes stopping short of said circular joint, said longitudinally extending oppositely opposed surfaces of said cap defined by respective V-shaped flexible hinge portions being foldable at juncture thereof with said body by application of hand pressure to external surfaces thereof inwardly towards each other until reaching positions at which said surfaces are more perpendicular than parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of said cap portion and at which interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said opposing edges of said rectangular aperture, which separate the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs, contact interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by portions of respective edges of said rectangular aperture on either side of said vertices of the Vs, closing said aperture;
• d. pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip means extending circumferentially completely about the interior surface of said cap about said rectangular aperture, for releasably maintaining said cap portion closed and thereby defining said first seal by securing together said contacting (i) interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by opposing edges of said rectangular aperture separating the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs, and (ii) interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by portions of said respective edges of said rectangualr aperture on either side of respective vertices by contact of portions of said pressure sensitive adhesive strip means one with another as said hinge portions are folded towards one another in response to hand pressure applied to external surfaces thereof;
• e. deformable metal band means, a central portion thereof secured to the exterior of said cap generally parallel with and extending past both ends of one of said edges of said rectangular aperture which separates aperture edges containing said vertices of said Vs, for retaining said container closed upon wrapping deformable band end portions about a portion of said cap after said aperture has been closed by contacting (i) said interior pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said opposing edges of said rectangular aperture separating the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs and (ii) said interior pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said portions of said respective edges of said rectangular aperture on either side of said vertices and then hand folding the portion of said cap, which is adjacent said edges which defined said aperture prior to contact of said respective interior pressure sensitive adhesive strip surfaces, at least one time over one another, transverse to the longitudinal axis, about said band and towards said tapered cylindrical body of said container with said folding defining a reopenable and sealingly recloseable seal firstly encountered by contents of said container and said contacting pressure sensitive adhesive strip means defining another reopenable and sealingly recloseable seal serially encountered by contents of said container after encountering said firstly encountered seal upon said contents being removed from said container via said mouth.

An assembly of disposable sealably closeable reopenable and sealably recloseable double sealed substantially biodegradable containers, having successively next smaller containers of said assembly telescopingly housed within successively next larger containers of said assembly for serial individual use and removal of said containers from said assembly beginning with the most interior and therefore smallest container of said assembly, a manually operated closure portion of each container when actuated having first and second serially disposed openable and recloseable seals separating the container contents from ambient air, each container comprising:

• 1. a longitudinally elongated biodegradable rigid hollow parallelepiped paperboard body including a closed base end and an open mouth end opposite said end;
• 2. a closeable, reopenable and recloseable closure at said mouth end of said elongated parallelepiped body, comprising:
• a. a biodegradable longitudinally elongated foldable hollow cap portion continuously joining said mouth end of said body about the periphery thereof to define a continuous joint therebetween;
• b. said cap portion extending longitudinally from said joint to define a generally rectangular aperture generally transverse to and symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis of said container, said aperture defining an open end of said cap portion remote said peripheral joint when said first and second seals are inoperative;
• c. said cap portion including a pair of flexible folding hinge portions extending longitudinally on opposite sides of said cap portion in isoceles triangular V-shapes with vertices of said Vs at midpoints of respective opposite sides of said rectangular aperture, said flexible folding hinge portions being defined by weakening lines found in said cap portion for folding of said cap portion therealong including along the legs of said "V", legs of said V-shapes stopping short of said peripheral joint, said longitudinally extending oppositely opposed surfaces of said cap defined by respective V-shaped flexible hinge portions being foldable at the bases of said triangles by application of hand pressure to external surfaces of said hinge portions inwardly towards each other until reaching postions at which said surfaces are more perpendicular than parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of said cap portion and at which interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said opposing edges of said rectangular aperture. which separate the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs, contact interior strip surfaces of cap bounded by portions of respective edges of said rectangular aperture on either side of said vertices of the Vs, closing said aperture;
• d. pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip means extending circumferentially completely about the interior strip surfaces of said cap about said rectangular portion closed end thereby defining said first seal by securing together said contacting (i) interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by opposing edges of said rectangular aperture separating the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs, and (ii) interior strip surfaces of said cap bounded by portions of said respective edges of said rectangular aperture on either side of respective vertices by contact of portions of said pressure sensitive adhesive strip means one with another as said hinge portions are folded towards one another in response to hand pressure applied to external surfaces thereof;
• e. deformable metal band means, a central portion thereof secured to the exterior of said cap generally parallel with and extending past both ends of one of said edges of said rectangular aperture which separates aperture edges containing said vertices of said Vs, for retaining said container closed upon wrapping deformable band end portions about a portion of said cap after said aperture has been closed by containing (i) said interior pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said opposing edges of said rectangular aperture separating the aperture edges which include the vertices of the Vs and (ii) said interior pressure sensitive contact adhesive strip surfaces of said cap bounded by said portions of said respective edges of said rectangular aperture on either side of said vertices and then folding the portion of said cap, which is adjacent said edges which defined said aperture prior to contact of said respective interior pressure sensitive adhesive strip surfaces, at least one time over one another, transverse to the longitudinal axis, about said band and towards said elongated parallelepiped body of said container with said folding defining a reopenable and sealingly recloseable seal firstly encountered by contents of said container and said contacting pressure sensitive adhesive strip means defining another reopenable and sealingly recloseable seal serially encountered by contents of said container after encountering said firstly encountered seal upon said contents being removed from said container via said mouth.