US 4,948,038 AGranted

Freshness-preserving container

AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated

InventorRobert E. Moeller

Life of this patent

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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.

Claims16

Dependent claims

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.

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.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/336,418Filed 11 Apr 1989
Granted: 14 Aug 1990
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B65D 5/6691
Formed by extensions hinged to the upper edge of a container body formed by erecting a blank to U-shape: the container being provided with an…
B65D 5/4291
Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks: containers provided with an acoustic device, e.g. for indicating opening of…
B65D 5/6611
Formed by folding one or more extensions hinged to the upper edge of a tubular container body: the lid being held in closed position by…
B65D 5/6685
Hinged lids: formed by extensions hinged to the upper edge of a container body formed by erecting a blank to U-shape