US3765976A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for producing container with composite walls
Assignee: Erca SA
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Filing: 1970-07-06
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Granted: 1973-10-16
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Expires: 1990-07-06
Abstract
Abstract A container is formed from sheet material in a female mold which has an open top and a bottom that is multi-perforate. The bottom moves relative to the side walls of the mold and is advanced to the open top of the mold to contact the sheet material. Vacuum is then applied through the holes of the mold bottom to draw the sheet flat against the mold bottom, after which the mold bottom is retracted to the bottom of the mold to draw the sheet material down into the mold. Heated thermoplastic sheet material can then be laminated to the sheet material in the mold and the container completed. The sheet material thus drawn into the mold is accurately positioned, which is advantageous when the sheet material is printed so that correct registry is important.
Inventors
- 👤 J Nasica
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 00:31
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C51/00; B29C51/16; B29C51/165; B65; B65D; B65D25/00; B65D25/34; B65D25/36; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S229/00; Y10S229/922; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1028; Y10T156/1036; Y10T156/1038; Y10T156/1052; Y10T156/1062; Y10T156/107; Y10T156/12; Y10T156/125; Y10T156/1317; Y10T156/1322
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
261 words
A method for producing composite containers by means of a polygonal female mold having an open end, four side walls that meet each other at the corners of the polygonal mold, and a flat bottom element movable with respect of said side walls, said flat bottom element having substantially the same size and shape as the bottom of the mold and being provided with air passages communicating with and distributed over the inner surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of a. imparting relative movement to said mold and bottom element so that the latter projects slightly above the open end of said mold, b. positioning a flat reinforcing sheet adjacent the inner face of said bottom element, said reinforcing sheet having been precut to the shape of a box blank having a rectangular bottom and flaps that overlap in the completed container to define corners of the completed container, c. applying suction through said bottom element thereby to hold said reinforcing sheet flat in position on said flat bottom element, d. imparting relative movement to said mold and bottom element with the bottom element moving at all times in parallelism to itself and centered in the mold so as to draw said reinforcing sheet into the cavity of said mold and so that said reinforcing sheet folds in the corners of the polygonal mold and said bottom element and mold are lined by said reinforcing sheet, e. positioning said mold adjacent a sheet of thermoplastic material, and f. expanding said thermoplastic sheet within said reinforcing sheet into conforming engagement therewith.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
261 words
A method for producing composite containers by means of a polygonal female mold having an open end, four side walls that meet each other at the corners of the polygonal mold, and a flat bottom element movable with respect of said side walls, said flat bottom element having substantially the same size and shape as the bottom of the mold and being provided with air passages communicating with and distributed over the inner surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of a. imparting relative movement to said mold and bottom element so that the latter projects slightly above the open end of said mold, b. positioning a flat reinforcing sheet adjacent the inner face of said bottom element, said reinforcing sheet having been precut to the shape of a box blank having a rectangular bottom and flaps that overlap in the completed container to define corners of the completed container, c. applying suction through said bottom element thereby to hold said reinforcing sheet flat in position on said flat bottom element, d. imparting relative movement to said mold and bottom element with the bottom element moving at all times in parallelism to itself and centered in the mold so as to draw said reinforcing sheet into the cavity of said mold and so that said reinforcing sheet folds in the corners of the polygonal mold and said bottom element and mold are lined by said reinforcing sheet, e. positioning said mold adjacent a sheet of thermoplastic material, and f. expanding said thermoplastic sheet within said reinforcing sheet into conforming engagement therewith.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
300 words
Apparatus for producing containers comprising a polygonal female mold having four side walls that meet each other at the corners of the polygonal mold and an open top and a separately movable flat bottom wall, said flat bottom wall having substantially the same size and shape as the bottom of the mold and having a plurality of openings extending through the upper surface thereof and said flat bottom wall being movable from a lower position closing the bottom of said mold to an upper position in which its upper surface is disposed above the top edges of said side walls, means for positioning a flat sheet of material at least partially precut to the shape of a container blank having reinforcing corner flaps that overlap the sides of the container to define corner construction in the completed container, in spaced relation above the open top of said mold, means for moving said flat bottom wall into its upper position above the open top of said mold and into flat face contacting engagement with said central area of said sheet material and for returning said bottom wall to the bottom of said mold, the said bottom wall moving in parallelism to itself at all times and being at all times centered in the mold, and means for applying vacuum to said openings whereby said central area of said flat sheet of material is drawn and held against the top surface of said bottom wall while said bottom wall is in its upper position by the vacuum in said openings and the areas of said sheet material which are disposed about said central area thereof are drawn down against the side walls and fold in the corners of said mold when said bottom wall is returned to the bottom of said mold.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
300 words
Apparatus for producing containers comprising a polygonal female mold having four side walls that meet each other at the corners of the polygonal mold and an open top and a separately movable flat bottom wall, said flat bottom wall having substantially the same size and shape as the bottom of the mold and having a plurality of openings extending through the upper surface thereof and said flat bottom wall being movable from a lower position closing the bottom of said mold to an upper position in which its upper surface is disposed above the top edges of said side walls, means for positioning a flat sheet of material at least partially precut to the shape of a container blank having reinforcing corner flaps that overlap the sides of the container to define corner construction in the completed container, in spaced relation above the open top of said mold, means for moving said flat bottom wall into its upper position above the open top of said mold and into flat face contacting engagement with said central area of said sheet material and for returning said bottom wall to the bottom of said mold, the said bottom wall moving in parallelism to itself at all times and being at all times centered in the mold, and means for applying vacuum to said openings whereby said central area of said flat sheet of material is drawn and held against the top surface of said bottom wall while said bottom wall is in its upper position by the vacuum in said openings and the areas of said sheet material which are disposed about said central area thereof are drawn down against the side walls and fold in the corners of said mold when said bottom wall is returned to the bottom of said mold.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein reciprocable punch means is disposed above the open top of said mold and arranged to form a layer of thermoplastic material inside said mold and sheet material from a flat preheated thermoplastic sheet interposed between said reciprocable punch means and the open top of said mold after said flat bottom wall is moved downwardly to the bottom of said mold.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-15 | 1977-04-16 | 1977-10-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-15 | 1981-04-16 | 1981-10-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-15 | 1985-04-16 | 1985-10-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |