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US 7,571,835 B2Granted
Bag-in-box beverage container
AssigneeSmurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsWebb LeRon Hill, Karen M. Chiera, Robert James Crosland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bag-in-box beverage container and dispenser is provided, incorporating an outer shell fabricated preferably from corrugated paperboard material, and a plurality inner liquid containing bags, fabricated from a suitable plastic material. The carton includes ready assembly features, as well as at least one internal ramp structure for prompting flow of liquid toward a plurality of dispensing apertures disposed in the outer shell. A recessed handle structure is also provided, as are alternative embodiments of the internal ramp structure.
Claims18
A dispensing container, operably configured to be positioned upon a substantially flat, horizontal surface, for the facilitated dispensing of fluent material, the dispensing container comprising:
- a generally tubular body comprising a front wall, a rear wall and two opposing sidewalls, the generally tubular body defining a vertical axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall, a depth axis extending substantially perpendicular to the front wall, and a transverse axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall and substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, the generally tubular body further comprising an upper portion forming an upper opening;
- a closure structure disposed proximate the upper opening, the closure structure comprising a handle structure, the handle structure positioned substantially parallel with the depth axis in a recessed position within the upper opening and extending substantially parallel with the vertical axis no higher than an upper edge of the generally tubular body;
- a plurality of spout apertures operably disposed in one of the sidewalls;
- at least one inner flow prompting ramp operably positioned within the generally tubular body, the at least one inner flow prompting ramp comprising a lower end disposed adjacent the sidewall of the generally tubular body in which the plurality of spout apertures are disposed, a higher end disposed adjacent a sidewall opposite the sidewall having the lower end adjacent thereto, and an inclined surface extending between the lower end and the higher end, the lower end of the at least one inner flow prompting ramp being disposed at a distance above a bottom of the generally tubular body approximately equal to a distance between the bottom of the generally tubular body and a bottom peripheral region of the plurality of spout apertures,
- wherein the at least one inner flow ramp is formed from a separate second blank of foldable material insertably received into the generally tubular body, the second blank being a substantially cruciform blank comprising:
- a central rectangular panel;
- rectangular panels emanating from front and rear edge regions of the central panel;
- trapezoidal panels emanating from side edges of the central panel;
- and
- foldable support panels emanating from side edges of the panels emanating from the front and rear edge regions of the central panel;
- and
- the generally tubular body being formed from a first blank of at least one of paper, paperboard, and corrugated paperboard.
9 more elements
A dispensing container for the facilitated dispensing of fluent material, said dispensing container comprising:
- a body comprising a front wall, a back wall and two opposing sidewalls, the body defining a vertical axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall, a depth axis extending substantially perpendicular to the front wall, and a transverse axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall and substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, the body further comprising an upper portion including an upper opening and an upper edge;
- a closure structure disposed proximate the upper opening, said closure structure including a handle structure positioned substantially parallel with the depth axis in a recessed position within the upper opening and extending substantially parallel with the vertical axis no higher than the upper edge;
- a plurality of spout apertures operably disposed in one sidewall of the two opposing sidewalls;
- and
- an inner flow ramp formed from a separate second blank of foldable material insertably received into the body, the second blank being a substantially cruciform blank comprising:
- a central rectangular panel;
- rectangular panels emanating from front and rear edge regions of the central panel;
- trapezoidal panels emanating from side edges of the central panel;
- and
- interlocking bottom panels emanating from side edge regions of the trapezoidal panels.
7 more elements
A dispensing container, operably configured to be positioned upon a substantially flat, horizontal surface, for the facilitated dispensing of fluent material, the dispensing container comprising:
- a generally tubular body comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and two opposing sidewalls, the generally tubular body defining a vertical axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall, a depth axis extending substantially perpendicular to the front wall, and a transverse axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall and substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, the generally tubular body further comprising an upper portion forming an upper opening;
- a closure structure disposed proximate the upper opening, the closure structure comprising a handle structure, the handle structure positioned substantially parallel with the depth axis in a recessed position within the upper opening and extending substantially parallel with the vertical axis no higher than an upper edge of the generally tubular body;
- a plurality of spout apertures operably disposed in one of the sidewalls;
- and
- at least one inner flow prompting ramp operably positioned within the generally tubular body, the at least one inner flow prompting ramp comprising a lower end disposed adjacent the sidewall of the generally tubular body in which the plurality of spout apertures are disposed, a higher end disposed adjacent a sidewall opposite the sidewall having the lower end adjacent thereto, and an inclined surface extending between the lower end and the higher end, the lower end of the at least one inner flow prompting ramp being disposed at a distance above a bottom of the generally tubular body approximately equal to a distance between the bottom of the generally tubular body and a bottom peripheral region of the plurality of spout apertures,
- wherein the inner flow ramp is formed from a separate second blank of foldable material, insertably received into the generally tubular body, the second blank being a substantially cruciform blank comprising:
- a central rectangular panel;
- rectangular panels emanating from front and rear edge regions of the central panel;
- trapezoidal panels emanating from side edges of the central panel;
- and
- inwardly folding triangular gusset panel pairs foldably connecting side edge regions of the rectangular panels emanating from the front and rear edge regions of the central panel to end edge regions of the trapezoidal panels emanating from the side edge regions of the central panel;
- and
- wherein the generally tubular body is formed from a first blank of at least one of paper, paperboard, and corrugated paperboard.
10 more elements
A dispensing container, operably configured to be positioned upon a substantially flat, horizontal surface, for the facilitated dispensing of fluent material, the dispensing container comprising:
- a generally tubular body comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and two opposing sidewalls, the generally tubular body defining a vertical axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall, a depth axis extending substantially perpendicular to the front wall, and a transverse axis extending substantially parallel with the front wall and substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, the generally tubular body further comprising an upper portion forming an upper opening;
- a closure structure disposed proximate the upper opening, the closure structure comprising a handle structure, the handle structure positioned substantially parallel with the depth axis in a recessed position within the upper opening and extending substantially parallel with the vertical axis no higher than an upper edge of the generally tubular body;
- a plurality of spout apertures operably disposed in one of the sidewalls;
- at least one inner flow prompting ramp operably positioned within the generally tubular body, the at least one inner flow prompting ramp comprising a lower end disposed adjacent the sidewall of the generally tubular body in which the plurality of spout apertures are disposed, a higher end disposed adjacent a sidewall opposite the sidewall having the lower end adjacent thereto, and an inclined surface extending between the lower end and the higher end, the lower end of the at least one inner flow prompting ramp being disposed at a distance above a bottom of the generally tubular body approximately equal to a distance between the bottom of the generally tubular body and a bottom peripheral region of the plurality of spout apertures,
- wherein the at least one inner flow prompting ramp is formed from a separate second blank of foldable material, which is insertably received into the general tubular body, the second blank comprising:
- a central rectangular panel;
- trapezoidal side panels emanating from outside edges of the central panel;
- rectangular bottom panels emanating from outside edges of the trapezoidal side panels;
- center support panels emanating from outside edges of the rectangular bottom panels;
- inside inclined planes emanating from outside edges of the center support panels;
- and
- a pivotable interlocking tab disposed in one of the rectangular bottom panels and an aperture disposed in the other of the rectangular bottom panels for receiving the pivotable interlocking tab, the interlocking tab and the aperture configured to maintain the blank in its articulated configuration,
- wherein the ramp is formed upon successive inward folding of the outermost ones of the panels such that the trapezoidal side panels are folded perpendicular to the central rectangular panel, the rectangular bottom panels are folded perpendicular to the trapezoidal side panels, the center support panels are folded perpendicular to the rectangular bottom panels, and the inside inclined panels are folded perpendicular to the center support panels and in underlying parallel juxtaposed relation to the central rectangular panel;
- and
- wherein the generally tubular body is formed from a first blank of at least one of paper, paperboard, and corrugated paperboard.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.