US3825149A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Easy opening container having shoulders to safeguard all severed edges
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-12-06
•
Granted: 1974-07-23
•
Expires: 1992-12-06
Abstract
Abstract The sheet material of the container wall is offset to form a channel that conforms to the periphery of the tear portion of the wall. The channel has longitudinal side walls connected by a transverse web and a score groove defining the tear portion is formed in the web centrally thereof. The two longitudinal walls of the channel are in the form of two rounded shoulders to safeguard respectively the sharp edge of the severed tear portion of the container and the corresponding sharp severed edge of the remaining fixed portion of the container wall.
Inventors
- 👤 O Brown
- 👤 J Schubert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 15:53
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D17/00; B65D17/28; B65D17/401; B65D17/4011; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S220/00; Y10S220/906
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
In an easy opening container, the combination of: a container wall of sheet material; a line of weakness in the container wall defining a tear portion of the container wall inwardly of the line of weakness that is at least partially removable from the remaining fixed portion of the container wall that lies outwardly of the line of weakness; means attached to said tear portion to sever the sheet material generally along said line of weakness to at least partially sever the tear portion from the remaining fixed portion of the container wall, the container wall being formed with offsets spaced from the two opposite sides respectively of the line of weakness with the two offsets forming two blunt shoulders in the container wall to safeguard the two sharp edges that are produced by severance of the sheet material along the line of weakness.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
In an easy opening container, the combination of: a container wall of sheet material; a line of weakness in the container wall defining a tear portion of the container wall inwardly of the line of weakness that is at least partially removable from the remaining fixed portion of the container wall that lies outwardly of the line of weakness; means attached to said tear portion to sever the sheet material generally along said line of weakness to at least partially sever the tear portion from the remaining fixed portion of the container wall, the container wall being formed with offsets spaced from the two opposite sides respectively of the line of weakness with the two offsets forming two blunt shoulders in the container wall to safeguard the two sharp edges that are produced by severance of the sheet material along the line of weakness.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
149 words
A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said line of weakness is a scored groove in the outer surface of the container wall; and in which said severing means is a tab attached to the outer face of the tear portion in a hinged manner to permit one end of the tab to serve as a handle to swing the other end of the tab in a short arc towards the scored groove for severance of the sheet material, said other end of the tab being formEd with a leading edge to move along said arc, said leading edge being initially slightly offset relative to the scored groove outward towards said remaining fixed portion of the container wall, so that the arcuate movement of said leading edge causes the leading edge to shift towards the scored groove to stress the sheet material at the scored groove.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A combination as set forth in claim 2 in which the initial outward offset of the leading edge of the tab relative to the scored groove is of such magnitude as to cause the leading edge to enter the scored groove into positive engagement therewith to facilitate the severance of the sheet material at the scored groove.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said transverse web is thinner than the rest of the sheet material of the container wall.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the two offsets form a channel having opposite side walls that form the two blunt shoulders in confronting relationship with each other.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which the scored groove is positioned substantially midway between the two blunt shoulders.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which said channel is open to the outer face of the container wall and said severing means initially extends between said confronting longitudinal shoulders in a position intersecting the medial plane of the container wall.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
115 words
A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which the channel opens onto the inner face of the end wall of the container so that the blunt safeguard shoulder of the tear portion lies axially inwardly of the sharp edge of the severed tear section and the blunt safeguard shoulder of said remaining fixed portion of the container wall lies axially outward of the sharp edge of the fixed portion that is produced by severance of the sheet material along the line of weakness so that the two blunt shoulders reduce the hazard to the user of wiping contents of the container from the inner faces of said two portions of the container wall.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
90 words
A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which said channel opens onto the outer face of the end wall of the container so that the sharp edge of the tear portion produced by severance of the sheet material along the scored groove lies inwardly of the medial plane of the tear section and the sharp edge of said remaining portion of the container wall that is produced by the severance of the sheet material lies inwardly of the medial plane of said remaining portion of the container wall.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A combination as set forth in claim 9 in which the two channel walls flare outwardly with the minimum width of the channel at said transverse web.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
84 words
A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which the sheet material that forms each of the two side walls of the channel is formed with two bends with the sheet material bent back towards itself twice, one of said two bends forming a blunt safeguard shoulder on the periphery of the tear portion of the container wall, the other of said two bends forming a blunt safeguard shoulder on the inner margin of said remaining fixed outer portion of the container wall.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
62 words
A combination as set forth in claim 11 in which said channel opens towards the outer face of the container wall, so that initial inward pressure of said depressing means against the transverse web of the channel tends to bow the web to place the web under transverse tension to facilitate initial severance of the sheet material along the line of weakness.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A combination as set forth in claim 11 in which the two opposite side walls of the channel are reentrant with a maximum width of the channel at said transverse web.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A combination as set forth in claim 13 in which said channel is open to the inner face of the container wall.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
A combination as set forth in claim 13 in which the channel is open to the outer face of the container wall.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
A combination as set forth in claim 11 in which the line of weakness is formeD by a scored groove in said web so that by virtue of said double bends the medial plane of the material at the bottom of the scored groove is spaced by more than twice the thickness of the sheet material both from a face of said tear portion of the container wall and from a face of said remaining fixed portion of the container wall.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
A combination as set forth in claim 16 in which said face of the two portions of the container wall are the inner faces thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
A combination as set forth in claim 16 in which said faces of the two portions of the container wall are the outer faces thereof.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-07-22 | 1978-01-21 | 1978-07-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-07-22 | 1982-01-21 | 1982-07-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-07-22 | 1986-01-21 | 1986-07-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |