US2866569A - Cold cream jars - Google Patents

Description

D. 3o, 195s c. c. MORRISON 2,866,569

cL CREAM JARS Filed sept. 24. 1954 INVENT OR mq, C, Wm BY/Um, CML /VM YZdML ATTORNEYS United States Patent coLn CREAM JARS Charles Chambers Morrison, Shelter Island, N. Y., as-

signor to F. N. Burt Company, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 24, 1954, Serial No. 458,211

1 Claim. (Cl. 21S-12) This invention relates to containers for cream lotions and other semi-fluid or pasty materials and is generally s1milar in subject matter to that of my Patent 2,413,726, for Cold Cream Jar, granted January 7, 1947, on an application filed October 3, 1944, and my co-pending application, Serial No. 373,279, for Cold Cream Jars," which was filed Aug. 10, 1953.

In the above-mentioned patent and application 1 disclosed a cosmetic container consisting of a relatively plain inner receptacle and an ornamental and protective outer casing telescopingly receiving a major portion of the receptacle, in which various means was provided for preventing relative rotation between the receptacle and casing, such as nibs or teeth projecting laterally from the receptacle wall which wedged in the inner surface of the casing and mating parts formed on the receptacle and casing. Further research and experimentation in this field has revealed the fact that the receptacle may be fixed or retained within the casing with equal or better eectiveness by the use of adhesive and a substantial reduction in the costs of constructing and assembling such containers thereby elfected since this expedient eliminates the need for expensive special molds and machinery necessary to form engaging parts on the components as well as waste resulting from breakage during handling, processing and assembling. ln order to obtainthe proper union between receptacle and casing, even with the use of the relatively eicient adhesives available at the present time, it is essential that a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle walls extend parallel to the corresponding inner surface of the casing walls and be in tight frictional engagement or contact therewith, even in the absence of the adhesive coating.

For reasons of aesthetic appeal and appearance such that the item might be competitive with the much more costly containers currently available to the trade the receptacle should be provided with an outwardly directed flange or shoulder having a generally horizontal lower surface, which when the elements of the container are assembled constitutes a seat for the lip or edge of the casing, over lying and virtually completely hiding the same from View. In View of the extremely low production costs and obvious potential of such a container, it was most discouraging when it developed that assembly of the receptacle within the casing, which is accomplished at a tremendous rate of production by mechanical means wedging or' forcing the receptacle into the casing, caused the upper marginal portion of the casing to spread or bulge outwardly so that the lip projected laterally past the overlying bead, and was exposed to'view, presenting an unsightly'and definitely unpleasing appearance. Fortunately, however, I discovered that this undesirable circum. stance could be prevented if an inwardly directed yperipheral groove or recess were formed in the receptacle wall immediately subjacent the outwardly directed shoulder and laterally adjacent the casing lip. This groove apparently enables the extreme upper portions of the casing to contract somewhat when it approaches the region of the frice overlying shoulder during assembly, the casing being formed of fibrous material and consequently possessing a small amount of natural elasticity or resiliency, so that any tendency for the lip to spread is wholly avoided, it being fully concealed by the overlying shoulder. v

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a container consisting of an outer casing and an inner receptacle tting within said casing and adhesively united thereto, the receptacle having an outwardly projecting shoulder overlying the casing lip and concealing the same, in which the casing lip lits closely and neatly beneath the overhanging shoulder and does not project therebeyond.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container having a fracture-resistant casing of brous material and an inexpensive receptacle of frangible material substantially enclosed and protected by the casing, the receptacle having a substantial portion of its outer peripheral surface parallel to and in tight frictional contact with the corresponding inner surface of the casing and adhesively united thereto.

For the purpose of affording a more complete understanding of the novel aspects of the present invention, reference is now made to the following detailed description and the drawings forming a part of the same, in

which: Figure 1 is a view of the assembled container provided with a lid; v

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the axis of the container; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the casing apart from the inner receptacle.

In these drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates an inner receptacle having side walls 11 and a bottom 12 which is substantially enclosed by a protective and supporting casing 13 formed by side walls 14 and a bottoni wall 15. In the assembly of the container, the inner re ceptacle is telescopingly received in the outer casing and supported and retained in normal operative position thereby. Although the container has been illustrated as being of circular cross-sectional configuration when viewed transversely of its axis, it will be understood that the shape of the container is capable of wide variation de. pending upon the appearance desired-in the assembled product. t t

- As disclosed in my prior patent and application, the inner receptacle is constructed of a material that is substantially impervious and inert with respect to the substance to be contained thereby, examples of suitable materials being glass, certain of the well known plastics. and the like, ilint glass being considered particularly advantageous due to its relatively low cost. In the construcg tion of the outer casing 13, iibrous materials, such as cardboard, paper board, fiberboard, and the like, are preferably utilized by reason of the fact that these materials possess the necessary strength to adequately sup-4 port the inner receptacle and yet' are sufficiently resilient to cushion the relatively fragile receptacle and protectthe same from breakage. The materials employed for boththe casing and receptacle shouldn be selected with va view to their'adaptability for mass'production. Furthermore, the material intended for use in the construction of the casing should be such'that it will substantially retain a given sizeand' shape soas to beable to receive the' inner receptacle in' close relationship and to'form a'v tight pressure t upon'assembly, it`being particularly the lower portion of casing 12, the extreme lower portion of the casing being reversely bent or folded back upon itself, as at 16, to retain the bottom in place.

When the receptacle and casing are assembled in fashion indicated in Figure 2, the upper portion of the receptacle extends beyond the extreme uppertermination of the casing and as `this portion is exposed, and is liable to be subjected to sudden shock or strain, it is `preferably made somewhat thicker than is the remainder of the receptacle, this increased thickness being indicated at 17. There is formed on this thickened portion an inclined external thread 18 for the reception of a lid or closure 19 internally threaded for engagement with thread 18. Lid 19 may be constructed of metal, paper, plastic or any other suitable material.

Adjacent the lower edge of the thickened portion is an outwardly projecting tiange or shoulder 20, the annu' lar extent or radius of which is at least equal to the thickness of the casing material. The under surface 21 of the lip 20 extends generally horizontally when the container is in its normal upright position and it is against this surface that the upper lip or edge of casing 12 seats when the receptacle and casing are fully assembled. Thus, the lip of the casing is concealed by the overhanging shoulder 20 and the container presents to view a neat, pleasing, unitary appearance. Being concealed, the lip of the casing need not be finished off with a rolled edge or bead but may be and is preferably left in a "raw or unfinished condition.

Immediately below or subjacent the shoulder 20 and laterally adjacent the lip of the casing is an inwardly directed peripheral groove or recess 22 which is free from adhesive or other material and is not directly engaged by any portion of the casing. The purpose of this groove is to permit the extreme upper portion of the casing, during the final moments of the assembly of the casing and receptacle, to contract slightly so that it fits neatly and tightly against the receptacle and does not protrude past the lateral peripheral edge of shoulder 20. Were it not for the presence of this groove, there would be a tendency for the casing lip when it is forcefully seated against the under surface 21 of shoulder 20 to be spread or expanded outwardly beyond the shoulder 20 such that it would be exposed to view. If such a condition were allowed to remain uncorrected, the container would have a cheap, unfinished appearance and be of practically no value as a commercial tem.

A substantial portion of that part of the outer peripheral surface of side walls 12 which is enclosed by casing 13, i. e., the section between groove 22 and bottom 12, extends parallel to and in close contact with the inner surface of the corresponding section of casing 13,`as at 23. In the simplest embodiment of the invention, depicted in Figure 2, these parallel surfaces will be disposed more or less vertically; however, where a tapered container is desired, they may be inclined with respect to the vertical. As a step of the assembling operation just prior to the final stage in which the receptacle is forcefully inserted within the casing, the outer parallel surface 23 is coated with any suitable adhesive so that when the container is assembled there is interposed between the surface 23 and the corresponding inner surface of the casing a thin coat of adhesive, designated by the numeral 24. Since these surfaces are in close contact, only a very light coating of adhesive is required but the amount of adhesive need not be controlled or metered to a fine degree for the reason that any excess collects at the point where the lower end of the receptacle diverges from the casing, which is indicated at 25. The tight fit between the parallel surfaces develops a satisfactory bond therebetween without the application of external pressure.

It has already been mentioned that the receptacle and casing is to be assembled by mechanical means and to assist in obtaining proper registration of these parts for purposes of assembly, the receptacle is provided below the parallel peripheral portion 23 with an inwardly inclined portion 26 and lower terminal portion 27 of reduced diameter. The smaller portion 27 eliminates the need for accurate pre-alignment of the casing and receptacle and once this portion has been located within the casing the components are self-aligning during the remainder of the assembling operation.

As a final step in the manufacture of the container of the present invention, the outer surface of the casing is painted, lithographed or otherwise provided with decorative ornamentation, the final result being particularly attractive, pleasing to the eye and quite capable of competing favorably with the jars and containers costing many times as much to produce.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my improved container may be varied in design and detail and, accordingly, my invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described but only by the spirit and scope of the claim hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A container for pasty or semi-fluid materials comprising a receptacle of frangible material that is open at the top so that the upper edge thereof constitutes a lip and a supporting and protective casing of elastic fibrous material for said receptacle telescopingly receiving and enclosing the same, said casing having a lip thereon, said receptacle having an outwardly directed shoulder thereon intermediate the upper and lower extremities thereof, the annular extent of said shoulder being at least equal to the annular thickness of said casing so as to overlie and substantially completely hide the casing lip, the undersurface of said shoulder being substantially horizontal to provide a seat for said lip, said receptacle also having an inwardly directed peripheral groove immediately subjacent said shoulder, and laterally adjacent said casing lip, a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle that is Ysubjacent said groove being parallel to and in tight frictional contact with the inner surface of the corresponding portion of said casing, which surfaces are adhesively bonded together, said casing lip engaging said receptacle shoulder and enclosing said groove, said receptacle having an inwardly tapering peripheral surface below said vertical surface to assist in registering said receptacle and casing during assembly thereof, the lip of said elastic fibrous casing tending to contract within said peripheral groove thereby avoiding the tendency of the lip of said casing to spread such that said lip is concealed by said shoulder, said receptacle including a lid wherein mating elements are provided on said lid and the upper portion of said receptacle for re taining said lid on said receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 254,947 Fisher Mar. 14, 1882 1,944,920 Bramsen Jan. 30, 1934 2,076,549 Conner Apr. 13, 1937 2,212,440 Irelan Aug. 20, 1940 2,413,726 Morrison Jan. 7, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 221,801 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1942

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