US2309500A - Package for merchandise - Google Patents

Description

Jan; 26, 1943. .1. B. CLAVETTE 2,309,500

. PACKAGE FOR MERCHANDISE Filed March 5, 141` has' W1?.

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 PACKAGE FOR MERCHANDISE John B. Clavette, North Attleboro, Mass., assignor to The Mason Box Co mpany, Attleboro Falls,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 5, 1941, Serial No. 381,829

7 Claims.

This invention pertains to packages for merchandising small elongate articles, and relates more particularly to a package for phonograph needles or the like. Such needles are customarily sold in small paper packets or folders, each containing six needles. This packet externally resembles the ordinary match packet in appearance and construction, commonlyT consistingof a piece of flexible cardboard folded to form a short front wall and a longer rear wall, said walls being substantially parallel and spaced apart to accommodate the needles between them. The rear wall is provided with an integral extension constituting a front closure ilap which is normally turned down to cover and protect the needles and Whose lower edge is snapped behind the upper margin of the front wall to retain it in closed position. Within the fold which unites the front and rear walls is disposed a socket member consisting of a piece of heavy cardboard or the like (corresponding in position to the butts of the matches in a match packet) the front and rear walls and the socket member being permanently united, for example, by a staple or other suitable fastening means. The socket member has transversely spaced sockets extending downwardly from its upper edge in which the butts of the needles are seated with the points of the needles directed upwardly toward the fold which unites the back to the front closure ap.

For convenience in handling, the packets which are in common use and which are recognized by the purchasing public as more or less standard in size, are substantially longer than is really necessary to receive the needles, and in consequence the tips of the needles are spaced substantially from the inner surface of the fold which unites the rear wall and front flap. Ordinarily the sockets are not very deep, for instance they may be deep enough to receive only one-half the length of the needle butt, and as the needle butts do not t tightly in the sockets it is possible for a needle to slide lengthwise (for example, if the packet be held upside down) so as to escape from its socket and fall out of the packet. A

The present invention has for its principal object the provision of a packet of the class described, but comprising means for preventing accidental loss of the needles therefrom. A iur-- ther object is to provide a needle packet having needle-retaining means which is operative so long as the packet is closed, but which automatically releases the needles when the packet is opened. A further object is to provide a packet and comprising a portion packet having needle-retaining means but which does not substantially differ in external appearance from the usual more or less standard packets to which the trade is accustomed, and which may be made at a cost not unduly exceeding that of the usual packet.

In the accompanying drawing wherein one desirable embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example,

Fig. l is a iront elevation of a packet embodying the present invention, showing the packet closed;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the packet of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the packet fully opened to expose the needles;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the packet with the front flap partly open; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, to larger scale, substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral i designates the improved packet, such packet comprising a length of thin, stiffly flexible cardboard or other appropriate sheet material of a width corresponding to the desired width of the completed 2 which constitutes the front wall of the packet. rllhe material is scored or bent along'parallel fold lines 3 and 4 to form the bottom wall or fold 5,-the material extending upwardly from the front line 4 in substantially parallel relation to the iront Wall 2 to form the rear wall 6 which extends to a substantial distance above the upper edge 'l of the front wall. The material is also provided with scores or fold lines 8 and 9 dening the top wall or fold l0 and normally extends downwardly from the fold line 9 to form the front closure flap Il whose lower edge I2 is normally disposed behind the upper margin of the front wall 2 of the packet so as to maintain the closure flap in closed position. Preferably the material is, as above suggested, somewhat resilient so that when the lower edge l 2 `of the closure flap is disengaged from behind the iront wall 2 the closure ap tends to swing upwardly and forwardly as indicated in Fig. 4, the top wall or fold lli then being inclined upwardly and forwardly from the fold line 8.

Interposed between thev front wall 2 and the lower portion of the rear wall 6 is the socket member I3. This socket member may be a piece of heavy stiff cardboard or the like and is provided with transversely spaced sockets I extending downwardly irom its upper edge for the reception of the butt portions l5 of the needles. The socket member I3, the front wall 2, andthe lower portion of the rear wall 6 are permanently secured together by means of a wire staple I6 or other suitable fastening means, it being noted that the upper portion or margin of the front wall 2 is free from the socket member so as to accommodate the lower edge l2 of the front ilap l I.

In accordance with the present invention there is interposed between the socket member I3 and the inner surface of the rear wall S a piece l'! of stiiliy iiexible material, for example cardboard, which may be like that used to form the outer portions of the packet. This material I'l may be of substantially the same Width as that which forms the front and rear walls of the packet and is anchored to the socket member by the staple IS. This member Il extends up and substantially in contact with the inner surface of the rear wall E to a point just above the level of the tips T of the needles where it is provided with a score or fold line I8, the material then extending forwardly to form the needle retainer i9 which normally closely overlies the tips T of the needles. The forward edge of the retainer I9 is defined by another fold line 29 from which the material extends upwardly forming the actuator element 2| which is of such length that its upper edge engages the top wall or fold l of the packet substantially at the fold line 9. The material forming the retainer I9 and the actuator 2l is, as above described, flexibly resilient so that when the packet is open or partially open, as shown in Fig. 4, the retainer I9 tends to assume the upwardly and forwardly inclined position shown in Fig. 4.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4 or in the fully open position indicated in Fig. 3, the member i9 is spaced from the tips T of the needles so as to oiTer no opposition to the free removal of the needles from their sockets. On the other hand, when the closure iiap Il is swung downwardly from the fully open position of Fig. 3 through the partially closed position of Fig. 4, to the fully closed position of Figs. 2 and 5, the upper edge 22 of the actuator 2l is caused, by engagement with the inner surface of the top wall or fold I of the packet, to move downwardly, thus swinging the retainer I9 about the hinge joint at the fold line I8 until the retainer assumes the position of Figs. 2 and 5, where it is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the rear wall of the packet and closely overlies the tips T of the needles so that the latter cannot escape from their sockets.

It will be obvious from the'above description that the positioning of the retainer in operative relation to the needles, and its removal from such position, is entirely automatic and in response to the operations involved in closing and opening the packet, so that no additional manipulation upon the part of the operator is necessary in placing the retainer in position or removing it therefrom than are concerned in the manipulation of the ordinary and stand-ard type 0f packet.

While one desirable embodiment of the 1nvention has herein been illustrated by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to this precise embodiment, but is to be regarded as broadly inclusive of any and all equivalent constructions falling within the terms of the app-ended claims.

I claim:

1. A packet adapted to contain articles and comprising front and rear walls, the rear wall extending to a substantial distance above the upper edge of the front wall, a front flap hinged to the upper portion of the rear wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which said articles are removably received, a retainer hinged at one edge and so located and of such dimensions as closely to overlie and thereby to retain said articles in said sockets when the packet is closed, said retainer being so constructed and arranged that it automatically swings away from the articles when the packet is opened, and motion transmitting means hinged to the opposite edge of the retainer and operative to transmit motion from said front iiap, as the latter is being closed, to said retainer, thereby to restore the latter to article-retaining position when the packet is closed.

2. A packet adapted to contain articles and comprising front and rear walls, the rear wall extending to a substantial distance above the upper edge of the front wall, a front flap hinged to the upper portion of the rear wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which said articles are removably received, and means for retaining said articles in said sockets when the packet is closed, said retaining means comprising a retainer which is of such dimensions and so located as closely to overlie the articles when the packet is closed, resilient hinge means supporting said retainer and operative automatically to move the latter away from the articles when the packet is opened, and an actuator element hinged at one end to the retainer and which moves the retainer into the article overlying position as the packet is being closed, the opposite end of said actuator element being arranged for engagement by the front iiap and being constructed and arranged to transmit motion from the latter to the retainer as the ap is closed.

3. A packet adapted to contain phonograph needles and the like, which packet comprises front and rear walls, the rear wall extending to a substantial distance above the upper edge of the front wall, a front iiap hinged to the upper portion of the rear wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which the butts of said needles are removably received, and means retaining the needles in said socket when the packet is closed, said retaining means comprising a retainer which closely overlies the tips of the needles when the packet is closed, said retainer being resiliently hinged about its rear edge so that it tends to swing upwardly away from the tips of the needles when the packet is opened, and an actuator element which engages the front iiap of the packet and is so constructed and arranged as to transmit motion from the front iiap to the retainer thereby to move the retainer into said needle overlying position as the front flap is closed.

4. A packet adapted to contain phonograph needles and the like, which packet comprises front and rear Walls, the rear wall extending to a substantial distance -above the upper edge of the front wall, a front flap hinged to the upper portion of the rear wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which the butts of said needles are removably received, and means retaining the needles in said sockets when the packet is closed, said retaining means comprising a retainer which closely overlies the tips of the needles when the packet is closed, said rerainer being constructed and arranged automatically to move away from the needles when the packet is opened, and an actuator element for the retainer operative to move the retainer into the needle overlying position as the packet is being closed.

5. A packet adapted to contain phonograph needles and the like, which packet comprises front and rear walls, the rear Wall extending to a substantial distance above the upper edge of the front wall, a front flap hinged to the upper ,portion of the rear wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which the butts of said needles are removably received, and means retaining the needles in said sockets when the packet is closed, said retaining means comprising a retainer of such dimensions and so located as closely to overlie the tips of the needles when the packet is closed, said retainer being constructed and arranged automatically to move away from the needles when the packet is opened, and means operative to transmit motion from the front flap to the retainer as the front flap is closed thereby to move the retainer into said needle overlying position.

6. A packet adapted to contain phonograph needles and the like, which packet comprises iront and rear walls, the rear wall extending a substantial distance above the upper edge of the front wall, a top wall connected along one edge to the upper edge of the rear wall, a front flap connected to the other edge of the top wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which the butts of said needles are removably received, a retainer which projects forwardly from the rear Wall of the packet and closely overlies the tips of the needles when the packet is closed, said retainer normally tending to swing upwardly about its rear edge, and an actuator which is united to the front edge of the retainer and extends upwardly into engagement with the top wall of the packet and is of such length that the movement of the front iiap and top wall in closing the packet depresses the actuator causing it to move the retainer out of its normal position into the position overlying the tips of the needles.

v7. A packet adapted to contain phonograph needles and the like, which packet comprises front and rear walls, the rear wall extending a substantial distance above the upper edge of the iront wall, a top wall connected along one edge to the upper edge of the rear wall, a front iiap connected to the other edge of the top wall and adapted to engage the front wall when the packet is closed, a member interposed between said front and rear walls and having sockets in which the butts of said needles are removably received, and a piece of stify flexible sheet material interposed between the socket member and the rear wall of the packet, said stifily flexible piece of material extending upwardly along the rear wall to a point slightly above the level of the tips of the needles in the sockets, said piece of material having a definite transverse fold line at said point and extending beyond said fold line to form a retainer of a Width substantially equalling the distance between the rear wall and the front flap when the packet is closed, said piece of material having a second denite transverse fold line dening the forward edge of said retainer, the piece of material extending beyond said second fold line to form an actuator for the retainer, the actuator being of such a length between said second fold line and its free upper edge as to engage the top wall of the packet when the packet is closed, so that the movement of the front iiap and top wall in closing the packet depresses the actuator causing it to move the retainer downwardly into contact with the tips of the need-les when the packet is closed.

JOHN B. CLAVETTE.

Images