Patents Examined by Gary E. Elkins
  • Patent number: 7401715
    Abstract: A rotatable strap arrangement for a load carrier of a transporting vehicle. The load carrier includes an elongate tray with a rotation mechanism coupled thereto, the rotation mechanism permitting rotation relative to the elongate tray. The rotatable strap arrangement has a strap coupled to the rotation mechanism, the strap operable for securing an object to the elongate tray. The rotatable strap arrangement further includes a strap receiving mechanism coupled to the rotation mechanism, the strap receiving mechanism operable for receiving the strap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Thule Sweden AB
    Inventor: Jeffrey R. Edgerly
  • Patent number: 7398913
    Abstract: The present invention is useful with any variety of bulk container designs that incorporate an internal bag within the container. The present invention uses a simple structure formed in the side walls of the container that will not only hold the bag open within the container during filling, but will also keep the bag attached to the container when the container in emptied. The bag catch assembly includes various cut lines that define a bag catch tab. Additionally another cut line(s) forms a bag retainer slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Weyerhaeuser Co.
    Inventor: Jack A. McClure
  • Patent number: 7392932
    Abstract: A foldable tray having a single sheet of material having lines of reduced resistance to bending separating a central base area and first through fourth side areas encircling the base area, the lines of reduced resistance to bending separating the first and second side areas being curved away from each other adjacent a first corner of the base area to cause the base area adjacent the first corner to curve upward when the first and second side areas are bent upward along their respective lines of reduced resistance to bending, each side area having cooperatively disposed fasteners adjacent the adjacent side areas for retaining the side areas when folded upward about the lines of reduced resistance to bending. a tab with an opening may be provided integral with one of the side areas for hanging the tray for storage or display. Various embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Inventor: Charles Robert Bostick, II
  • Patent number: 7392931
    Abstract: The invention relates to a box that has a front wall, a right wall, a left wall, a rear wall, and a bottom in contact with the front, right, left, and rear walls for defining an open-top container. A corresponding lid is also included and where the lid extends from the right wall to the left wall and from the front wall to the rear wall for covering the opening top container. The lid is hingedly attached to the rear wall for opening and closing the box and a detaching mechanism is placed between the lid and rear wall for detaching the lid from the rear wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company
    Inventor: Kristin Issler
  • Patent number: 7389909
    Abstract: A bag-in-box beverage container and dispenser is provided, incorporating an outer shell fabricated preferably from corrugated paperboard material, and an inner liquid containing bag, fabricated from a suitable material. The carton includes ready assembly features, as well as an air cell structure for creating an air space for insulating hot liquids contained within the container. An easy opening feature is provided, to permit direct access to the inner liquid containing bag, and a recessed handle structure is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: R. James Crosland, Karen M. Chiera
  • Patent number: 7389908
    Abstract: A blank for constructing a three-dimensional form is provided. The blank includes a rhomboid panel with three edges and two fold lines, which define a pair of triangular panels. Another rhomboid panel connected to the first rhomboid panel along the common fold line, the other rhomboid panel having three edges and a fold line, which together with the common fold line define another pair of triangular panels. At least one securing flap is connected to one rhomboid edge, the rhomboid panels being foldable towards each other about the common fold line. The pairs of triangles are foldable towards each other and the securing flap is foldable over and connectable to one of the second rhomboid panel edges. A three-dimensional form is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Inventor: Patrice Cohen
  • Patent number: 7383979
    Abstract: A blank for a container lid having at least one layer of corrugated material to which liner material is attached on both sides of the corrugated material. The blank has a central panel. There are side panels attached to each side of the central panel by score lines. Each of the side panels is substantially the same length as the central panel side to which it is attached. The central panel has an annular area conterminous with the score lines attaching the side panels. The annular area is crushed, the liners and corrugated material being crushed together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Weyerhaeuser Company
    Inventors: Charles C. Habeger, Jr., Randall T. Telling
  • Patent number: 7380703
    Abstract: A storage and carrying carton formed of a foldable sheet of material and adapted to be secured in a closed disposition with a flexible closure strap. The sheet of material is configured such that when folded into the carton configuration, it defines an upper flap that cooperates with the closure strap to define a carrying handle. Upon severing the strap to open the carton, the upper end of the carton is configured so as to be selectively folded flat and resealed with a second closure strap or, alternatively, folded so as to define upstanding lateral handles by which the opened carton and its contents can be readily carried.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Tree Island Industries Ltd.
    Inventor: Stephen F. Ogden
  • Patent number: 7380701
    Abstract: A carton is provided for containing brick-shaped containers which has a dispenser in the top permitting the removal of any of the containers while maintaining the structural integrity of the carton through the provision of either a top gusset or middle gusset spanning each end of the carton. The top of the carton serves as a dispenser when the dispenser flap is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Fogle, Raymond R. Spivey, Sr., Jean-Manuel Gomes, Robert L. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 7377420
    Abstract: A two-piece bliss-type container blank and resulting container for easily dispensing products contained within is disclosed. Specifically, the container is designed to have an exterior bottom panel that is essentially flat, while having an internal bottom panel that is inclined toward a front panel. The front panel includes structure to permit the removal of product from within the container. The two-piece bliss-type structure provides a strong and stable container that may be constructed to varying sizes and geometries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Weyerhaeuser Company
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Gardner
  • Patent number: 7374076
    Abstract: A package has an article group of at least one row of substantially cylindrical articles and a carton disposed around the article group. The carton includes a plurality of walls including a top wall, a base wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to side edges of the top wall and side edges of the base wall, and an end wall interconnecting the side walls, and an article dispenser opening formed at the region of intersection of planes of the top wall, the opposed side walls and the end wall. A portion of the article dispenser opening is defined by the end wall terminating along an end wall severance line having all points disposed at elevations at a distance as measured from the plane of the top wall no greater than the diameter of the substantially cylindrical articles that lie in an upper row of the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC
    Inventor: John Murdock Holley, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7367490
    Abstract: A container for shipping and/or storing a stack of paper is disclosed. The container, according to a disclosed embodiment, comprises a bottom wall and first and second upright, opposing side walls extending from respective edges of the bottom wall. First and second shell portions are connected in a pivotal manner to respective edges of the bottom wall. The shell portions are pivotable toward and away from each to close and open the container, respectively. When the container is closed, the stack is securely contained between the shell portions and the side walls for shipping or storing. When the container is opened, at least two opposing sides of the stack are exposed to facilitate removal of paper from the container. A handle for carrying or lifting the container may be coupled to one of the shell portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Boise White Paper, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Christopher G. Forthaus, George I. Nukuto, Scott Belliveau, Dale J. Waite, James L. Pfaffendorf
  • Patent number: 7367466
    Abstract: A container corner fitting provided at each right angle of a container body and connected with other parts of the container body includes a sealing device arranged thereon including a first flange of a predefined length provided on one of an inner side surface and a top or a bottom surface of the corner fitting. A second flange of a predefined length is provided on the other of the inner side surface and the top or the bottom surface of the corner fitting and aligned with the first flange. The seal gasket, provided with circumstance of the container gate, can depend on the first and second flanges while closing the gate, greatly improving container hermetic performance. The thickness of an upper or a lower horizontal container member can be reduced to approximate that of a top or a bottom container plate, obtaining the largest volume without inclining the bottom plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuanda Zhou, Sidong He
  • Patent number: 7364065
    Abstract: A container for a fluid, comprising a pouring element comprises a pouring spout manufactured from a flexible material which is connected by a sealing connection (5) to the container. A pouring spout manufactured from flexible material, for instance plastic foil or a plastic laminate foil with for instance aluminum, is much less expensive than the containers heretofore provided with a pouring spout. According to a preferred embodiment the pouring element is provided with a once-only breakable closure (10) and with a resealable closure (7, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Weasy Pack International Ltd.
    Inventor: Louis Rinze Henricus Adrianus Willemsen
  • Patent number: 7364064
    Abstract: A carton is disclosed. In this carton, a first connection plate is connected to an upper plate, a second connection plate is connected to the first connection plate, and a partition plate is connected to the second connection plate. When the partition plate is pulled outward from the opening, the partition plate moves in the same direction, and is pulled out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Shino Kanamori, Kazuhiro Tokuda
  • Patent number: 7337942
    Abstract: A carton for enclosing a number of products. The carton may include a top panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, and a top panel tab positioned adjacent to the top panel and separated by a top panel fold line. The carton may have a first score line extending across the top panel from the first side panel to the second side panel and a pair of second score lines extending across the top panel from the first side panel and the second side panel to the first fold line, thus forming a first and a second corner flap along the top panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
    Inventor: James J. Wang
  • Patent number: 7337943
    Abstract: Disposable containers include peripheral tabs which are useful for positioning and processing the containers and operate as separators. In a preferred embodiment, the tabs correspond to tabs on a paperboard blank where the tabs are useful for controlling the orientation of the blanks so that printed and shape features may be kept in registration during manufacturing of a disposable servingware container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Albert D. Johns, Mark B. Littlejohn, Jay S. Lester, Mircea Sofronie, Thomas W. Zelinski, William R. Pucci, Richard J. Rogers, Erik J. Sjogren
  • Patent number: 7331505
    Abstract: A carton is provided with side walls that are shaped to securely or tightly enclose a group of tapered cylindrical articles. The curvature of the edges of each side wall is selected to cause the end wall or end closure structure to conform to the tapered shape of articles in the end most row that is disposed adjacent to the respective end closure structure of the carton. More specifically, the edges of each side wall are substantially continuously arcuate and the curvature of the edge is determined such that the maximum width of each side wall is greater than the width of the respective bottom edge of the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: MeadWestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC
    Inventor: John M. Holley, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7331508
    Abstract: A container is disclosed having a plurality of interconnected panels forming sidewalls surrounding a central space. Flaps extend from lower sidewall edges and fold along fold lines to form a bottom. Support flanges are arranged along upper sidewall edges on oppositely facing sidewalls. The support flanges are oriented at right angles to the sidewalls and provide a support surface allowing the containers to be stacked one atop another without collapsing or nesting within each other. Each support flange is supported by a truss formed by a panel segment extending angularly from the support flange to a support panel biased against the sidewall to which the support flange is attached by a retaining flap extending from an inner sidewall layer. Locking tabs at the ends of each panel segment are received within recesses positioned in sidewall panels perpendicular to the support flanges. The container is transformed from a knockdown formed from a unitary blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Innovative Packaging Designs L.P.
    Inventors: Allen Kanter, Peter S. Jaffe, Brian J. Tibbels
  • Patent number: 7331504
    Abstract: A tube includes a structural ply wrapped around an axis of the tube, and adhesive which adheres an outer surface of the structural ply to an inner surface. The inner surface is part of the structural ply, or it is part of a second ply of the tube. The outer surface confronts the inner surface, and the adhesive is arranged in a predetermined pattern so that only a predetermined percentage of the outer surface is substantially adhered to the inner surface (e.g., the tube is only “partially adhered”). The predetermined pattern can include three or more stripes of the adhesive, and the predetermined percentage can be substantially less than 100%. The predetermined pattern is preferably provided by apparatus for applying and/or arranging the adhesive on the ply in a predetermined pattern prior to the ply being formed into the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Sonoco Development, Inc.
    Inventors: Jean Paul Languillat, Johannes Wilhelmus van de Camp