US2181150A - Moistureproof container - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 28, 1939. P. s. PlTTl-:NGER

MOISTUREPROOF CONTANER Filed, Jan. 2, 1936 \NVENTO.R

BY M/w #im x www l ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED a STATES f PATENT oil-Fics harp & Dohme, Incorporated, Pa., a corporation of Maryland Philadelphia,

Application lJanuary 2, .1936, Serial No. 57,102

3A claims.

IIhis invention relates to hermetically sealed containers or tins.. It includes containers or tins which are completely moistureproof, yet are provided with frangible or easily perforable wall sections, which, when fractured or pierced to open the containers, oer no sharp cutting edges which might cut the fingers, etc.

One object of the present invention is to pro- .vide a sealed container with `a frangible wall section, which is nevertheless completely moistureproof. The only moistureproof, containers of which I am aware are containers having no porous or permeable wall sections, and iniwhich 'all seams arehermetically sealed. Containers having wall sections of paper, parchment, regenerated cellulose, or the like are not moistureproof.

It has been proposedfto provide containers or tins with wall sections fr as paper or parchment, .seamed to the other sections of the container. Such wall sections,

E however,

do not prevent the ingress of moisture, but only retard it. Even paper or parchment coated with parain falls to prevent the entrance of moisture completely. 'Ihe problems encountered due to this penetration of moisture are particularly acute where the containers are used Vfor shipping and ,storing hygroscopic materials such as hard candies, coughdrops, coffee, etc., which deteriorate in the presence of moisture, and which are shipped or stored in tropical climates, where they maybe exposed to air a1- most saturated with water vapor at relatively high temperatures for prolonged periods of time. For such use, containers which rely upon a wall surface of paper or the like, even socalled moistureproof paper, are not sumciently moisturea resistant to properly preserve such hygroscoplc materials.

Accordingly,

package and ship hygroscopic materials in containers having all metal surfaces, hermetically sealed. Where it is desirable to aiord means for opening the container without resort to a canopener, or the like, it has been common to seal the container by means of taggers tin or the like, and to provide either a key with which to remove a section`of thecitainer wall, or to provide an auxiliary cover equipped with a cutter adapted to remove the sealed top of the container by cutting-.. Such containers, when opened, have a sharp` jagged edge and frequently are responsible for painful cuts, etc.

It hasv also been proposed to provide con= tainers with a wall section ofmetal foil. to pro` angible material, such it has been common practice to,

vide a readily frangibleopening. Such` foil, however, in order to' allow economical handling, and to be capable of forming a tight seal with the other sheet metal of lwhich the container is made, for practical and large-scale operation,v -6 musthave .appreciable thickness and be quite heavy, and hence its use is relatively expensive. This is particularly true in cases where it is desired to print or lithograph on the foil, as it must then be made of aluminum or the like of sulcient l0 weight to burnish and polis My invention provides a container with a wall section which is completely moistureproof.' which is frangible.' andv may be removed or fractured without the use of a. cutting tool, which'vmay. 15 carryaprinted or lithographed matter, which .is economical 'and easily handled and shipped, and which may be hermetically sealed in place by a simple operation.

'I'he containers'produced in accordance with 2o the present invention have the further advantage that they may be lled before. the frangible top 'f' or section is applied. Thus, as inthe usual case, the container may be made with a bottom and sides,then lled, and the frangible section applied as the top, and sealed in place.

Containers heretofore provided with a frangible l top, as of paper or the like, Ysealed in place, have generally been assembled by forming the top and sides, filling the container from the bottom, and then sealing the bottom inplace. 30

The frangible section in such containers has been generally used to insure that the product in the container is that originally packed there,4 and is not spurious. Such seals have generally 35 been secured by interior seams, and have not been relied upon to protect the material in the container from, moisture. Containers of this type not only, have the' disadvantage of having to be filled from the bottom, but also must be made with a bottom seam, whereas, in my con- 40 tainers, -the bottom and sides` of the container may be madefrom a single sheet of metal, stamped in a single operation.

I use for the frangible wall section 'a composite or laminated sheet of material, composed of an extremely thin sheet of metal, fastened securely to a sheet of paper, and backed by cardboardv or a heavy paper. The metal foil attached to paper is commercially available and is relatively cheap'. The metal foil which I use is extremely thin and is so frangible that withoutthe paper to which it is fastened it cannot be handled or shipped, at least without such precautionsas to render the cost ofits use for .any purpose prohibitive.

This thin metal foil, however, in spite of its extreme thinness, possesses the desirable property of being moistureproof.

This metal foil consists of an extremely thin sheet of metalwhich may be produced by cold rolling a suitable alloy, i. e., an alloy having the property of cold flow without cracking. One suitable foil is produced from an` aluminum alloy, and is rolled to extreme thinness. It is iiexible and highly polished. It is well adapted for printing or lithographing. It is to be understood that the process by which the foil is made, or its composition, is no part of my invention,

' but that any foil having the desired properties be handled with facility,

periphery container may may be used.

'I'he foil and paper to which it is fastened are mounted upon cardboard or heavy, to provide a sheet which is suiciently stiff to and sufliciently thick to allow proper sealing. Very .thin sheets can not be used with any assurance where a moistureproof seal is required, as chanical operations of rolling and crimping, or double sealing, may result in an improper seal, whereas with the sheet material which I use, the cardboard or heavy paper backing acts as a compressible gasket and insures a proper The laminated sheet, of metal foil, paper, and reinforcement, is preferably about 11g inch thick.

While it is necessary to have the cardboard or heavy paper backing for the wall section at the of the section, where it is sealed, I find it is also advantageous not to have the reinforcement coextensive with the section, but to have a portion of suitable size With no reinforcement, i. e, to have a suitable section in which the wall consists only of the metal foil and the paper to which it is attached. Such a construction is of great advantage, in that it affords a container which is readily opened, only pressure of the ngers being required at the unreinforced section to burst it and expose the contents of the container. It is also desirable, where on unreinforced portion of the wall section is provided, to indicate in a suitable manner the location of the unreinforced portion, as by printing or lithographing, so that no difficulty in opening the be encountered. For this reason,

' the thin, burnished metal which I use is advantageous, because of its suitability for printing or lithographing. It is desirable, where such construction is used, to provide a protection for this weak wall section, as by a friction cover, or the like.

'Ihe invention will be further illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawing, which j illustrates a container which embodies the invention, although the invention is not limitedthereto. In the drawing, f

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container bottom and sides, adapted to receive a frangible section for a top; Y

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the bottom of a frangible section adapted for use as the top of the container of Fig. 1; n

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional viewcfthe frangible section of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled`- container; and

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing an alternate method of seaming.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, broken, fragmentary, vertical, transverse section through the laminated sheet I6. l

Referring to Fig. l, I0 represents a stamped relatively thin` sheet Sti paper,

variations in the me- I Ametal hermetic seal.

sheet metal box, open at the top, intended to form the bottom and sides of a rectangularcontainer for hygroscopic materials, etc. It has a bottom I I, and sides I2, integrally formed from a single sheet of thin metal. The bottom and sides have corrugations I3, intended to strengthen the container and increase its rigidity, so as to allow metal to be used, land still have sufficient strength to withstand the pressure exerted in crimping and rolling tlie upper edges of the box. An internal shoulder or bead I4, is formed near the top of the box by an inward fold of the side walls. The side walls project above this shoulder a short distance, as shown at I5.

Adapted to rest on shoulder I4, and to fit snugly into the top opening of the box is the laminated sheet I6 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and in broken, fragmentary, vertical, transverse sec'- tion in Fig. 6. This sheet is formed from an extremely thin sheet of highly polished aluminum alloy fastened to a sheet of paper by means of This dual sheet, consisting of thin and flexible paper I1a, is backed and supported by cardboard, or heavy stiff paper I8 `(see Fig. 6). This backing is not coextensive with the composite metal-paper sheet, but is formed .from a sheet of cardboard or heavy paper of the same outside dimensions as the composite paper-metal sheet, but with a hole in the center, so that the composite backed at its periphery, but has a weak or unreinforced portion at the center, which facilitates opening the container. the backing is shown at I9 in Figs. 2 and 3. Top section I6 is turned up at the edges to form a ange, with the cardboard -on the outside, as shown at 20, so that, when it is dropped in place in the container box, with the metal foil side up, the flange lies against the sides of the box for a short distance above the shoulder I4.

Fig. 4. illustrates the assembled container, showing the details of securingthe frangible top in place, in the preferred manner. Here I0 represents the bottom formed from a single sheet of metal, with an adhesive. metal foil I1 sheet is supported or'A This cut-out section of strengthening corrugations I3. Frangible section I6, composed of a thin metal foil I1 with paper backing Ila, supported by heavy paper or cardboard center, as shown at I9, rests on shoulder I4, with the flange 20 lying against the sides I5 of the box. The upward extensions of the sides, above the shoulder, are bent.`over and crimped against the metal of the composite sheet, and so as to compress the thick cardboard or paper backing, as shown at 2|, to form a tight, moistureproof, all- A sheet metal cover, 22, friction fit, is then applied to the sealed box.

Fig. 5 illustrates another manner in which the frangible top may be sealed into the container.

In this embodiment of the invention, the fran- -gible section 23 is of the same construction as that of Figs. 2 and 3, except that it is not provided with an up-turned flange at the periphery. The section fits snugly into the box, and rests upon shoulder I4, the upper edge of the box being rolled over and crimped down upon the frangible section as shown at 24 to form a tight seal. The compression of the cardboard or thick paper support, and the tight iit of the metal foil with the crimped edge "of the box insures a continuous metal seal.

Containers produced in" accordance with this invention have many advantages, and may be I8 at the periphery, but not at the used for diverse purposes in various embodiments. They are of particular advantage for use with hygroscopic materials, or materials which it is important to protect from ingress of moisture or air, such as various food and medicinal products, candies, etc. which are desirably marketed in hermetically sealed, moistureproof containers, which, while they eiectively protect the contents, are nevertheless easily opened without resort to can-openers or the like, and which, when opened, are free from sharp cutting edges.

The new containers have the further advan tage -that the frangible sections' may be applied after the container is lled, and may be the last section applied in assembling the container, and before applying the cover. Further, the containersare 'simple and easy to produce and are particularly advantageous where containers of inconsiderabledepth are desired, as all of the' container, save the frangible section,` may be stamped from a single sheet of metal, and the container may be free from seams except where the frangible section is secured in place.

1. A hermetically sealed, moistureproof container having a bottom, sides and a top, having a wall section comprising extremely thin polished metal foil, said metal foil having insuiicient stiiness and strength for use as a wall section without reinforcement, adapted for printing and lithographing, adhesively fastened to flexible brous material and reinforced by heavier brous material, said reinforcement extending around the entire periphery of said section, but not over the entire area of said section, said unreinforced area having a strength such that it may beburst by the pressure of the fingers alone.-

2. A frangible wall sectionadapted for use in a hermetically sealed, moistureproof container comprising a sheet of extremely thin polished metal foil, said metal foil having nsuilcent stiifness and strength for use as a wall section without reinforcement, -adapted for printing and lithographi-ng, adhesively fastened to a sheet of paper lreinforced by cardboard or heavy sti paperl for a substantial portion of its area including the peripheral portion, but having a substantial portion not so reinforced, said unreinforced portion having a strength such that it may be burst by the pressure of the ngers alone.

3. A frangible wall section adapted for use in a hermetically sealed, moistureproof comprising a sheet of extremely thin polished metal'foil, said metal foil having insumcient sti7- ness and strength for use as a wall section without reinforcement, adapted for printing and lithographing, adhesively fastened to a sheet of paper,V reinforced by cardboard or heavy stiff paper for a, substantial portion of its area, including the peripheral portion, but having a substantial portion not so reinforced, said unreinforced portion having a strength such Vthat it may be burst by the pressure of the fingers alone, the edges of said section being turned up to form a ange, with the cardboard or heavy paper on the outside of the iiange.

aUL s. PI'I'rENGER container

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