Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paperboard box – Having means to facilitate opening the box by severing box...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-23
2001-05-01
Elkins, Gary E. (Department: 3727)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paperboard box
Having means to facilitate opening the box by severing box...
C229S117300, C229S117350
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223981
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to a corrugated board box, and more particularly relates to a corrugated board box for use with a flexible, collapsible bag and also to means for providing access to the spout of the bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Corrugated board boxes have long been used for packing and shipping almost any type of product or material. These corrugated board boxes are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and have sufficient strength and rigidness. One example of the use of a corrugated board box is the delivery of fluids contained in an impermeable plastic pouch. These fluids include beverages such as soft drink syrup, milk, and water. This arrangement of the fluid pouch in the corrugated board box is known in the soft drink industry as a “bag-in-box.”
FIG. 1
shows a prior art blank for a corrugated board box
10
for use with a soft drink syrup “bag-in-box.” The soft drink syrup is placed in the impermeable plastic bag
20
. The bag
20
is generally a pillow shaped bag with a spout
30
on one end as shown in FIG.
2
. The box
10
is constructed by bending the corrugated board
40
along the score lines
50
(the dashed lines) and gluing the respective flaps
60
in place until an open-ended box is formed. The bag
20
is placed within the box
10
and the open flaps
60
are glued together such that the box
10
is sealed. The box
10
is then shipped to the customer.
To access the syrup bag
20
, the customer opens a spout flap
70
on the box
10
and reaches in to find the spout
30
. The spout flap
70
is defined by a series of perforations
80
in one or more layers of the corrugated board
40
. The customer grasps the spout
30
and attaches a line from the customer's dispensing machine (not shown) or otherwise empties the syrup bag
20
. The corrugated board box
10
thus provides for ease of shipment and also provides a support container for the syrup bag
20
while the syrup bag
20
is attached to the dispensing machine.
The drawbacks with this known box design are several. First, many customers find the known perforated spout flap
70
difficult to open. Because the spout flap
70
is on the top of the box
10
, there is little structure or rigidness at that location for the customer to push down and open the perforations
80
. Further, some customers find it difficult to push through the two (2) layers of the corrugated board
40
on the top of the box
10
. Customers therefore have used various types of blunt objects to force the perforations
80
open. The use of such blunt objects, however, sometimes results in the perforation of the syrup bag
20
.
Second, customers often find it difficult to locate the spout
30
after the spout flap
70
is opened and removed. Due to the nature and design of the typical syrup bag
20
, the spout
30
tends to be located near the top corner of the box
10
rather than under the spout flap
70
on the top of the box
10
. The customer therefore would search into the box
10
in attempting to find the spout
30
. This searching also occasionally resulted in the perforation of the syrup bag
20
.
What is needed therefore is a corrugated board box for use with a fluid pouch that is both easy for the customer to open and easy for the customer to use. The box must provide sufficient rigidness to ensure the safe delivery and use of the enclosed pouch while being easy to open without undue force or perforation of the pouch. Further, the box must provide easy access to the pouch and the spout.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a box for enclosing a flexible, collapsible bag having a closed spout. The box has a first panel, a second panel intersecting the first panel, and a plurality of other panels intersecting with the first panel and the second panel to form an enclosure. A spout access flap is formed at the intersection of the first panel and the second panel and extends substantially radially along these panels. The spout access flap is positioned directly over the closed spout of the flexible, collapsible bag such the closed spout is accessible when the spout access flap is opened.
Specific embodiments of the present invention include making the box out of corrugated board. The spout access flap is defined by a series of perforations in the corrugated board. The spout access flap is substantially larger than the closed spout of the flexible, collapsible bag. The spout access flap further includes a thumb opening positioned on the second panel. The first panel of the spout access flap is a top lid having an outer flap overlapping an inner flap. The second panel of the box and the outer flap of the spout access flap are formed from a single sheet of the corrugated material. The bag has a first and a second side and a first and a second end. The spout is positioned on the first side of the bag adjacent to the first end. The spout access flap is positioned over the first side and the first end of the fluid bag.
The method of the present invention provides for the transport and use of a bag with a spout in a bag-in-box package. The method includes the steps of enclosing the bag within the corrugated box. The corrugated box has a first panel intersecting with a second panel at a corner and further includes a spout access flap extending along the first panel and the second panel from the corner. The spout access flap has a thumb opening on the second panel. The method further includes the steps of transporting the bag within the corrugated box, grasping the corrugated box along the corner, inserting a finger within the thumb opening, lifting the spout access flap along the second panel, lifting the spout access flap along the first panel to form a spout opening, reaching within the spout opening, and grasping the spout. The method may further include the steps of removing the spout access flap, filling the bag with a soft drink syrup, and hooking the spout up to a line of a soft drink dispensing machine.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved bag-in-box.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a corrugated board box that is easy to open.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a corrugated board box for the transport and use of a bag for a bag-in-box.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a corrugated board box that provides easy access to the spout of a bag.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reviewing the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
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patent: 3090526 (1963-05-01), Hamilton et al.
patent: 3173579 (1965-03-01), Curie et al.
patent: 3318505 (1967-05-01), Garrison et al.
patent: 3756471 (1973-09-01), Wissman
patent: 3908864 (1975-09-01), Capper
patent: 4623075 (1986-11-01), Riley
patent: 5048691 (1991-09-01), Heuberger et al.
patent: 5054644 (1991-10-01), Greenslade
patent: 5069385 (1991-12-01), Färber
patent: 5083678 (1992-01-01), Waring
patent: 5143278 (1992-09-01), Petriekis et al.
patent: 5176313 (1993-01-01), Curry et al.
patent: 5195661 (1993-03-01), Light
patent: 5197625 (1993-03-01), Mullaney
patent: 5494216 (1996-02-01), Van Suntenmaartensdijk
patent: 5566878 (1996-10-01), Peiffer et al.
patent: 713420 (1965-07-01), None
Elkins Gary E.
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
The Coca-Cola Company
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