Containers with opening means

Claim 1

IN A CONTAINER TO BE OPENED ONLY BY DIRECT, FINGERAPPLIED TENSION COMPRISING SHEET MATERIAL DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE FOR RETAINING A PRODUCT, AND A WEAKENED LINE DEFINING THE PERIPHERY OF A TEAR-OUT AREA, AND IN WHICH THE THICKNESS OF THE SHEET MATERIAL AND DEPTH OF THE WEAKENED LINE ARE SUCH THAT THE WEAKENED LINE AND MATERIAL WILL WITHSTAND NORMAL STRESSES OF MANUFACTURE AND HANDLING WITHOUT RUPTURE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: A RELATIVELY SHORT MINUTE, CUT-SCORE SLIT FORMING A RELATIVELY IMPERCEPTIBLE PORTION OF SAID WEAKENED LINE AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID MATERIAL AND DEFINING A TEAR-INITIATION POINT IN SAID WEAKENED LINE, SAID SLIT COMPLETING SAID WEAKENED LINE AND FORMING ONLY A RELATIVELY SHORT PORTION THEREOF. A TAB HAVING A PORTION PERMANENTLY SECURED TO THE TEAROUT AREA IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND OVERLYING SAID SLIT ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL AND HAVING A FREE, THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL AND HAVING A FREE, BEING SO LOCATED ADJACENT SAID SLIT WHEREBY FORCE IS INITIALLY APPLIED DIRECTLY TO SAID SLIT WHEN SAID TAB IS PULLED AWAY FROM SAID TEAR-OUT AREA, AND A PATCH ADHERINGLY SECURED ON THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL IN UNDERLYING RELATION OVER SAID MINUTE, CUT-SCORE SLIT WITH A MARGIN EXTENING ON ALL SIDES OF SAID SLIT AND SUFFICIENTLY THEREBEYOND TO PREVENT LEAKAGE THEREBY AND THROUGH SAID MINUTE SLIT, SAID PATCH BEING RELEASABLY SECURED TO SAID TEAR-OUT AREA IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND SLIT, SAID PATCH HAVING A RELATIVELY SMALL AREA AS COMPARED WITH THE OVERALL AREA OF SAID TEAR-OUT AREA.