Patent US3638834A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3638834A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Collapsible sanitary container
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1969-10-24
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Granted: 1972-02-01
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Expires: 1989-10-24
Abstract
Abstract A generally rectangular polyethylene container for liquids such as milk having a collapsible spout along one corner of the top and having an integral foldable handle on the top, the container being adapted to be folded to collapsed condition by folding which is so arranged that the spout and handle are enclosed within the folds and accommodated in recesses between folded portions, the container being automatically opened out when it is filled with liquid and being self-supporting when thus filled. The foldable handle has an inclined outer edge and the handle is adapted to open out so that its inclined edge tilts the container toward the spout when the container in the dispensing cabinet is partially emptied, and the handle has an opening in a corner which is adapted to receive the dispensing tube during transit of the filled container.
Inventors
- 👤 Eugene E Goodrich
- 👤 Paul J Daniels
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 06:38
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D37/00; B65D1/00; B65D1/12; B65D1/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
208 words
A collapsed generally rectangular container of flexible material having a generally rectangular top and having a first generally rectangular sidewall, a spout projecting from a corner between said top and said first sidewall, said container having three other generally rectangular sidewalls and having a generally rectangular bottom, the sidewall opposite said fIrst generally rectangular sidewall being inverted into substantial contact with said first wall and between the other two sidewalls, and said other sidewalls having fold lines intermediate their width, with said walls providing doubled infolded side portions folded over the side edges of the inverted sidewall and terminating short of meeting to provide a recess therebetween, and there being a top portion which carries the handle infolded form one end over part of the inverted sidewall, and there being a bottom portion infolded from the opposite end over another part of the inverted sidewall, said infolded portions being folded toward one another but short of meeting to provide a spout recess therebetween which is also bounded by the edges of infolded side portions, and said infolded end portions being also folded over one another into superimposed condition with said spout recess receiving and protecting said spout in confined and hidden condition between layers of the collapsed container.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
208 words
A collapsed generally rectangular container of flexible material having a generally rectangular top and having a first generally rectangular sidewall, a spout projecting from a corner between said top and said first sidewall, said container having three other generally rectangular sidewalls and having a generally rectangular bottom, the sidewall opposite said fIrst generally rectangular sidewall being inverted into substantial contact with said first wall and between the other two sidewalls, and said other sidewalls having fold lines intermediate their width, with said walls providing doubled infolded side portions folded over the side edges of the inverted sidewall and terminating short of meeting to provide a recess therebetween, and there being a top portion which carries the handle infolded form one end over part of the inverted sidewall, and there being a bottom portion infolded from the opposite end over another part of the inverted sidewall, said infolded portions being folded toward one another but short of meeting to provide a spout recess therebetween which is also bounded by the edges of infolded side portions, and said infolded end portions being also folded over one another into superimposed condition with said spout recess receiving and protecting said spout in confined and hidden condition between layers of the collapsed container.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
A collapsed generally rectangular container as claimed in claim 1 in which the top portion has a handle which is concealed in the recess between the infolded side portions and is folded into parallelism with the top portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A collapsed generally rectangular container as claimed in claim 1 in which the infolded bottom portion at one end is shorter than the infolded top portion at the other end and extends within the collapsed container from one end of said collapsed container to a position short of the spout.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
169 words
In a liquid container of molded plastic material having a front and having a top, and having a spout projecting from a corner between said front and top, the improvement comprising: a plastic handle integrally molded with said top extending toward the spout and normally projecting outwardly from the top a substantial distance beyond the spout, said handle being foldable into parallelism with said top, said handle having a tendency to straighten up from folded position so that when the container is in inverted position in a dispensing cabinet, resting on the container top and on the folded handle, the handle will tend to straighten out after a predetermined amount of liquid weight has been removed, the handle having an outer edge which, when the handle is in straightened-out position, projects beyond any portion of the spout and which is inclined inwardly toward the spout in a direction to cause tilting of the container toward the spout for better draining of the remainder of the contents of the container.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
169 words
In a liquid container of molded plastic material having a front and having a top, and having a spout projecting from a corner between said front and top, the improvement comprising: a plastic handle integrally molded with said top extending toward the spout and normally projecting outwardly from the top a substantial distance beyond the spout, said handle being foldable into parallelism with said top, said handle having a tendency to straighten up from folded position so that when the container is in inverted position in a dispensing cabinet, resting on the container top and on the folded handle, the handle will tend to straighten out after a predetermined amount of liquid weight has been removed, the handle having an outer edge which, when the handle is in straightened-out position, projects beyond any portion of the spout and which is inclined inwardly toward the spout in a direction to cause tilting of the container toward the spout for better draining of the remainder of the contents of the container.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A container for liquid as claimed in claim 4 in which the handle is of sufficient thickness to support the nearly drained container after it has straightened out, the tendency to straighten out being inherent in the integrally molded handle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A container for liquid as claimed in claim 5 in which there are lines of weakness on the handle near the junction with the container to facilitate foldable collapse.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
152 words
A liquid container of strong, flexible plastic material, said container being a rectangular prism and having sidewalls and a top and there being corner edges between said sidewalls and top, part of said plastic material on one corner edge providing an obliquely disposed quadrilateral base panel for a spout, which panel is of less length than and positioned obliquely on said corner edge intermediate the length of said edge, a spout integral with and projecting from an intermediate portion of said base panel, marginal flexing areas which are bounded by flex lines surrounding said base panel, two of said areas extending transversely of the corner edge on opposite sides of said base panel, said flex lines providing for inward buckling movement of said marginal areas when pressure is exerted on the base panel whereby the panel may be moved inwardly on selected flex lines to selectively alter the position of the spout.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
152 words
A liquid container of strong, flexible plastic material, said container being a rectangular prism and having sidewalls and a top and there being corner edges between said sidewalls and top, part of said plastic material on one corner edge providing an obliquely disposed quadrilateral base panel for a spout, which panel is of less length than and positioned obliquely on said corner edge intermediate the length of said edge, a spout integral with and projecting from an intermediate portion of said base panel, marginal flexing areas which are bounded by flex lines surrounding said base panel, two of said areas extending transversely of the corner edge on opposite sides of said base panel, said flex lines providing for inward buckling movement of said marginal areas when pressure is exerted on the base panel whereby the panel may be moved inwardly on selected flex lines to selectively alter the position of the spout.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
A liquid container as claimed in claim 7 in which each of said oppositely disposed, transverse marginal flexing areas is divided bY an oblique flex line into two triangular portions which flex relative to one another.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
A liquid container as claimed in claim 7 in which each of said marginal flexing areas is a truncated triangle in plan view.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-01-31 | 1975-08-02 | 1976-02-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-01-31 | 1979-08-02 | 1980-02-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-01-31 | 1983-08-02 | 1984-02-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |