Abstract:
A container particularly adapted for small confectionery items and the like has a bottom with a floor and surrounding walls. The rear wall is of reduced height in comparison to the other walls. A cover having a rear wall pivotally affixed to a top edge of the bottom rear wall. When the cover is in a vertical position the cover&#39;s rear wall extends horizontally rearwardly from the bottom rear wall, forming a balcony-like extension to the floor, allowing product to be loaded into the container to be supported thereon during a filling process. When the cover is closed the product on the balcony is directed into the main container volume, allowing a more dense packing of the product to be achieved.

Description:
The present invention relates to a new and improved container construction, and particularly such a container construction which may be used for the packaging of candies, mints, and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Through the late 1970&#39;s, the packaging for breath mints, small confectionery and similar items, such as candies, was exemplified by a cylindrical stack of individually unwrapped items within an outer wrapping. Product consumption was accomplished by the unwrapping of the package to the extent necessary to expose an individual unit for extraction. The packaging was then rewrapped about the remaining stacked items. The wrapping often tore, limiting the ability for rewrapping. In addition, the wrapping could become unintentionally unwrapped, thus allowing the items to fall out or become soiled. 
     In the late 1970&#39;s such products, as exemplified by mints, began to be packaged unwrapped in hard plastic sealed containers with a small opening with a pivotable cover through which the items could be extracted. Often, however, multiple units would be removed from the container when a single item was desired. Other types of packaging provide unwrapped items in a lipped container, which is simply opened and the desired item or items extracted by hand. 
     The forgoing containers are to be carried on or with a person and are often displayed on a desk or table and the like. Such containers must store the products in a sanitary manner, and allow the contents to be easily withdrawn for dispensation. Because the containers are both displayed in a store environment for purchase by the consumer and are in public view by the consumer when a candy or mint is dispensed therefrom, the physical appearance of the container can enhance the marketability of the products contained therein. 
     While an aesthetically attractive container is of commercial benefit, it is as advantageous for the container to be of a construction which allows the container to be easily and properly filled with the product. It has heretofore been difficult to provide a product package which successfully meets the aforementioned criteria, and which can be manufactured economically, particularly when wrapped items are loaded. The wrap for the products increases the volume for each individual item, thus causing underfilling of conventional containers when a fill is determined by contents level. In addition, even when a weight determination is used, the increased size of the individual items can prevent the proper quantity of items to be inserted into the available container volume. 
     It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved rigid container construction of a type especially effective for the packaging of candies, mints and other small objects. 
     It is further a purpose of the present invention to provide such a container which may be manufactured in an economical and effective manner from known plastic compositions. 
     It is a still further purpose of the present invention to provide such a container which can be constructed in a molding process in the form of a unitary construction and which, during the manufacturing process, can be efficiently filled with contents. 
     Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a container which allows complete filling with the desired contents, and particularly with wrapped items. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the foregoing and other objects and purposes, a container construction of the present invention is in the form of a shallow box having a hinged top or cover joined to the main portion of the container and which may be opened for access to the container interior. The rear wall of the container bottom is of lesser height than the other walls, while the cover has a depending rear wall dimensioned to abut the bottom&#39;s rear wall and is hinged thereto. The container includes stop means which prevent opening rotation of the cover with respect to the bottom beyond a predetermined opening angle, which may be for example about 90 degrees. The construction of the stop means are such, however, that upon construction the box may be formed with the top in a fully open position, clear of the bottom, to allow efficient filling thereof. 
     With the cover at the predetermined opening angle, the cover&#39;s rear wall extends horizontally rearwardly from the container bottom&#39;s rear wall, forming a shelf or balcony extension for the container, and effectively extending the bottom surface area of the container. When the container is filled, the loaded items are mounted on the balcony, as well as on the container bottom. 
     The construction of the container allows the container to be preferably formed in a single injection molding or similar process as a unitary blank of plastic construction with a self hinge between the container bottom and cover. The rear wall of container is formed with a relief angle to facilitate the molding process, providing a draft or clearance which allows the molding to be performed with the cover in a full open, flat orientation to limit the necessary height of the mold and simplify the molding process. The cover can then be pivoted to the predetermined open angle for filling a part of an automated production process. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A fuller understanding of the present invention will be accomplished upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment thereof, when reviewed in association with the annexed drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed in accordance with the present invention shown in the closed position; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view depicting the container in the open configuration in which the cover rear wall forms a shelf or balcony allowing the container to be efficiently filled; 
     FIG. 5 is a detail view in section taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 1 showing the hinge and stop mechanism depicting the cover in the vertical position as seen in FIG. 4 and, in phantom, in further rotated positions, the extreme rotated position corresponds to the position in which the container is molded; and 
     FIG. 6 is a partial section view taken along line  6 — 6  further depicting the hinge mechanism and the associated stop mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With initial reference to the Figures and particularly FIGS. 1 and 4, a container  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention may be fabricated from an appropriate plastic using molding techniques as generally known in the trade. The container  10  includes a bottom portion  12  and a cover  14  pivotally affixed to the bottom along a hinge  16 . The bottom  12  comprises floor  18 , a front wall  20 , a pair of opposed side walls  22 , and a rear wall  24 . The cover  14  includes top wall  26  and rear wall portion  28 . A latch mechanism  30  is formed integral with the cover at the front edge thereof and engages a corresponding portion  32  of the bottom front wall  20 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention depicted the hinge  16  is a self hinge, allowing the container to be fabricated as a one-piece construction. 
     As further detailed in FIGS. 3 and 5, the container bottom  12  includes a rear wall  24  which comprises a main lower sloped portion  24   a  extending across the width of the container bottom and a pair of opposed vertical wall side stub portions  24   b  (best seen in FIG. 4) between which is positioned the cover&#39;s rear wall  28 . The sloped rear wall portion  24   a  extends backwardly and upwardly from the container floor  18  and includes at its rear and topmost edge integral hinge portions  34 , formed as a narrowed or necked portion of the construction and which join the top of rear wall  24  to the bottom of rear wall  28  of the cover. Forming bottom rear wall  24  outwardly at the angle “a” in FIG. 5, which may be on the order of 135 degrees, permits the entire container to be injection molded in a known manner in a single, low profile molding process, since a space or draft  36  as shown in FIG. 5 exists between the container bottom, and particularly the rear wall  24 , and the cover, and particularly its rear wall  28 , with the cover in the fully opened configuration for molding, exposing the hinge portions  34  so that they can be properly formed in a single molding step. Conventional container designs, utilizing a vertical rear wall, require complicated and costly molds and/or procedures, particularly to form the narrowed self or live hinge portions  34 . Similarly, by including the rear wall as part of the cover, increased height for the container can be provided without significant loss of interior space which would occur if the slanted rear wall  24  of the container bottom extended the full height. 
     The aforesaid structural features allows the molding for the container to utilize a mold in which the orientation of the cover is in a fully open, horizontally-extending position, as shown in FIG. 5, permitting economical fabrication of the container. In addition, however, foreshortening of the container rear wall  24 , and placement of the hinge below the top surface of the box in conjunction with a cover rear wall allows the effective bottom surface area of the box to be expanded, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, by the creation of a horizontal ledge or balcony extending rearwardly from the hinge  34  formed by the rear wall  28  of the cover when the cover is in the vertical orientation. The positioning of the cover in such a position during the product loading allows product, such as wrapped mints, to be loaded into the box with the balcony serving as an additional extended loading surface for the items in addition to the container floor  18 . The items stacked or loaded upon the balcony are subsequently compressed into the closed box volume when the cover is closed. It has been determined that the loading item, and in particular paper or foil-wrapped items, such as mints, into a conventional box having a top cover hinge is inefficient, since the volume utilized by the items when initially loaded into the container is much greater than the true volume of the product, due to the volume taken by the wraps when the items are randomly loaded into the container. The present invention allows a greater effective volume and quantity of items to be loaded into the container, the items resting upon the balcony which otherwise would not have been directed into the container, being directed forwardly into the main, closed volume of the container when the cover is pivoted forwardly, resulting in a closer pack of the items and allowing a greater volume of items to be loaded. 
     The efficiency of the current package configuration is further enhanced by the use of stop arms to support the cover in the vertical position for loading. As further detailed in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cover includes a pair of stop arms  38  located on its top wall  26  adjacent the side edges thereof and proximate the cover rear wall  28 . The arms each include an outwardly-directed locking tab  40  having a shoulder  42  which engages with the forward-facing surface of the corresponding rear wall side portions  24   b.  The wall portions  24   b  may terminate below the upper edge of the container bottom side walls  22  to form a flat or support  44  for the rear portion of the cover when closed. 
     The locking tabs  40  are also formed with a frontal cam surface  46  which, when the cover is moved from a fully opened position as shown in phantom in FIG. 5, direct the locking tabs and stop arms inwardly to clear the wall portions  24   b,  allowing the cover to pivot counterclockwise in FIG. 5 to the vertical and subsequently to the full closed position. Once the locking tabs  40  have cleared the rear wall portions  24   b  upon such rotation, however, subsequent clockwise rotation (with reference to FIG. 5) to open the cover results in engagement between the rear wall portions  24   b  and the flats  42 , preventing the cover from opening beyond the interference position which may be, for example, on the order of 90 degrees as depicted in FIG.  4 . If full opening is desired, however, gentle inward pressure upon the stop arms, as shown in FIG. 6, allow the stop arms to clear the rear wall edges, allowing full opening of the cover. 
     When the cover is positioned at about the vertical, and preferably at an angle of about 86 degrees counterclockwise from the horizontal as may be dictated by the engagement of the locking tabs, the positions of the stop arms serve as a pair of small side walls for the rear wall portion  28  acting as the bottom surface extension, maintaining loaded product upon the extension and preventing them from exiting the container through the sides as the cover is closed. As the center of mass for the cover is located rearwardly of the hinge with the cover in the vertical position, a clockwise movement exists about the hinge, assisting in maintaining the cover in the vertical position during the fill. 
     The front edge of the cover top wall  26  includes a depending latch or catch member  30  which includes an inwardly-directed, horizontal ridge  48  as seen in FIG.  3 . The front wall  20  of the container bottom  12  is provided with a corresponding recessed area  50  having a forward-extending ridge  52  at the top thereof which, as best seen in FIG. 3, interengages with the ridge  48  on the latch cover to provide a locking mechanism between the bottom and top. Gentle inward pressure on the recessed area  50 , as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, allows separation between the ridge portions, disengage the locking action therebetween and allowing the cover to be pivoted upwardly. The recessed construction in the front wall  20  allows the cover catch  30  to rest flush with the major portion of the front wall  20 , providing a smooth transition between the front wall and the latch. 
     As further seen in the figures, and particularly FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of stops  54  are located on the rear wall  24  adjacent the top edge thereof. The stops  54 , which are also molded integrally with the container construction, provide a backstop for the cover rear wall  28  in conjunction with the flats  44  of the rear wall portions  24   b  when the cover is in the closed position, counteracting inward pressure on the cover, such as might be applied when the container is gripped by the user for opening purposes, and preventing rupture of the more delicate self hinge portion  34 . As depicted in FIG. 3, to further reinforce the hinges, an overlying sheet-like member, such as a portion of an adhesive label  58  for the container and contents, may overlie the hinges. 
     As may be seen in FIG. 4, the side walls  22  of the container bottom may be provided with vertical reinforcement spines  56  which also terminate below the top edge of the side walls  22  and help support the cover when closed. The side walls of the bottom may be of a concave curved configuration, the side edges of the cover top wall  26  having a corresponding and mating curvature. The top edge  60  of the front wall  20  may be slightly depressed above the height of the top edge of the side walls  22  in the same manner as is the top of the rear wall portions  24   b,  the cover top wall  26  being of a width to close interior-wise of the side walls  22  to rest upon the top of the front wall  20  as well as the spines  56 .