Package making – Methods – Opening only
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-08-07
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Opening only
C053S381200, C053S381400, C053S382100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269613
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the field of perforated articles, and in particular to a method of bursting perforation in the article, such as a box, for accessing the interior without damaging the article.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Packages having perforations that must be broken to access the interior compartment are widely used in the product supply chain. The shipment of some photosensitive products, such as X-ray film, is widely accomplished in corrugated boxes having a perforated lid for accessing the X-ray film product therein. The perforations along the perforated lid and the main body of the corrugated box must be at least partially burst so that access to the product can be easily achieved. Presently, such perforations along the perforated lid are burst by any one of several ways including manually by hand or by equipment that applies opposing forces to an end of the corrugated box body and the perforated lid. In some instances, products such as X-ray film may be shipped in a corrugated box having the perforated lid pre-separated from the main body of the box. However, experience indicates that each of the aforementioned practices of shipping products in a package with a perforated lid has well known shortcomings and, therefore is undesirable for select applications, such as where an adhesive product label is used to rejoin the separated perforated lid with the main box body.
Removing the perforated box lid manually by hand is known to introduce unacceptable ergonomic problems for the operator. Suppliers who ship the corrugated boxes with the perforated lid removed introduce an expensive alternative because the product, i.e., the X-ray film, would have to be introduced into the box and then a product label applied. Moreover, in this latter instance, the perforated lid may not properly align with the main body of the corrugated box when it is desirable to reseal the box.
Known methods and apparatus for opening a lid of a box include that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,562, by Nagaoka et al., Nov. 8, 1994, and titled, “Method And Apparatus For Opening Lid Of Box” in which a gas is injected into the upper lid of the box that causes the lid to separate from the body of the box. Nagaoka et al., however, does not teach or suggest removing a perforated lid from a corrugated box.
Therefore, there persists a need for an apparatus and method for bursting perforations on an article, such as a corrugated box, that solves the aforementioned problems in the art.
Therefore, there persists a need for an apparatus and method for bursting perforations on an article, such as a corrugated box, that solves the aforementioned problems in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method opening a perforated article by applying a controlled impact force to the perforations.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method that uses dual burst members for bursting perforations arranged on the box.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for bursting perforation includes applying a peel strip to the removed perforated lid so that the perforated lid can be reattached to the box for use by the end user.
To achieve one or more of the objects, features and advantages of the invention, there is provided a method of opening a perforated article having a main body portion and a perforated lid, said perforated lid being separable from said main body portion at perforations along the periphery of said main body portion, said method comprising the steps of:
arranging the article for exposure to an impact force;
providing a means for bursting said perforations by applying an impact force to a portion of said perforated article;
moving the means for bursting into engaging contact with at least an end portion of said perforated lid for at least partially bursting said perforations;
removing the means for bursting from said perforated lid after at least partially bursting said perforations;
moving a separator member into secure engaging contact with said perforated lid;
retracting said separator member having said perforated lid securely engaged thereto away from said at least partially burst perforations thereby separating said perforated lid from said main body portion along said at least partially burst perforations.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3889442 (1975-06-01), Grahn et al.
patent: 3903677 (1975-09-01), Bowman et al.
patent: 4817260 (1989-04-01), Martin
patent: 5361562 (1994-11-01), Nagaoka et al.
patent: 5407116 (1995-04-01), Nishishita et al.
patent: 5452506 (1995-09-01), Biedermann et al.
patent: 5568750 (1996-10-01), Galen
patent: 6050063 (2000-04-01), Ford et al.
DePoint, Jr. John
Juskiewicz Marion T.
Spina John A.
Bailey, Sr. Clyde E.
Eastman Kodak Company
Tawfik Sam
Vo Peter
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