Dispenser box and snap open/snap shut closure therefor

An aperture formed through a spring member increases the size of the angle of inclination which the spring member assumes relative to a vertical side wall of a dispenser box. The spring member is utilized in a box closure for opening and closing the box.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention generally relates to a dispenser box and a closure 
therefor and, more particularly, to a snap open/snap shut discharge spout 
assembly for use on said box. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,100, I disclosed a closure for a dispenser 
box having a hinged wall which was snapped open or closed in response to 
manual pressure exerted on a tensioned spring strip, one end of which was 
attached to a side wall of the box, and the other end of which was 
attached to the hinged wall. The spring strip was tensioned by a 
longitudinal bend to a so-called straight position. When pressure was 
applied on the longitudinal bend in a direction generally perpendicular 
thereto so as to reverse the longitudinal bend, the strip snapped into a 
so-called bent or bowed position in which a transverse bend was formed. 
The spring strip was tensioned by the transverse bend to stay in said bent 
position. If pressure was then applied to the strip along said 
perpendicular direction so as to reverse the transverse bend, then the 
strip snapped back into the straight position. These two positions of the 
spring strip were advantageously used to snap closed and snap open the 
hinged wall of the box. 
Although generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, experience has 
shown that the closure described in my aforementioned patent was not 
altogether satisfactory in the following respects: 
First of all, the angular distance through which the other movable end of 
the strip, i.e. the end that was attached to the hinged wall, was not 
large enough to pour all types of products to be dispensed. The angular 
distance was too small to rapidly pour certain granular products and to 
pour certain bulky products. Hence, my patented closure was not well 
suited for those applications where a large discharge opening was desired. 
Secondly, the hinged wall was die-cut out of the side wall of the box. 
Sometimes, when the strip was moved from the closed to the open position, 
the hinged wall impeded such movement because the hinged wall frictionally 
bound with the adjacent die-cut edges of the side wall of the box. 
Insufficient mechanical clearance therefore existed between the hinged 
wall and the adjacent die-cut edges of the side wall, and this lack of 
clearance prevented a free and easy opening of the box. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
1. Objects of the Invention 
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to overcome the 
aforementioned drawbacks of dispenser boxes and closures therefor. 
It is another object of this invention to increase the angular distance 
through which the other movable end of the aforementioned spring strip is 
moved. 
It is a further object of this invention to more rapidly pour products from 
dispenser boxes than heretofore. 
Still another object of this invention is to pour bulkier products from 
such boxes than heretofore. 
Yet another object of this invention is to resist frictional binding 
between the die-cut edges of a discharge opening and a hinged wall of a 
box during opening of the same. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a discrete spout assembly 
which is mountable as a unit on a dispenser box, and which can easily be 
removed from the box and mounted on another dispenser box. 
A still further object of this invention is to provide a snap open-snap 
shut closure which is reliable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, 
and easy to use. 
2. Features of the Invention 
In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent 
hereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a 
closure for a dispenser box of the type having a box wall formed with a 
discharge opening which lies in a plane, and preferably the same plane as 
the box wall itself. The closure comprises an elongated spring member or 
strip having opposite end portions and an apertured intermediate portion 
between the end portions. 
The spring member is tensioned and assumes a so-called straight position by 
a longitudinal bend which extends lengthwise along the elongation of the 
spring member. One of the end portions is stationarily mounted on the box 
wall. The other of the end portions is movable relative to the box wall 
between closed and open positions in response to manual pressure exerted 
on the apertured intermediate portion in a direction generally normal to 
the longitudinal bend in order to reverse the same at the region of the 
apertured intermediate portion. Sufficient pressure is applied to form a 
transverse bend which extends widthwise across the elongation of the 
strip. The strip is thus tensioned by the transverse bend and assumes a 
so-called bent position. 
In the aforementioned closed position, the other end portion of the strip 
overlies and closes the discharge opening. In the aforementioned open 
position, the other end portion extends outwardly at a predetermined angle 
of inclination relative to the plane of the discharge opening. 
The other end portion is returnable by snap-type action from the open 
position to the closed position in response to manual pressure being 
exerted on the other end portion along said normal direction in order to 
reverse the transverse bend and form the longitudinal bend again at the 
apertured intermediate portion. The other end portion is resiliently 
maintained under tension by the longitudinal and transverse bend in the 
closed and open positions, respectively. 
In accordance with one aspect of this invention, the apertured intermediate 
portion is provided with an opening which extends through the strip. The 
presence of this opening increases the angular magnitude of said angle of 
inclination than that which would otherwise exist if the opening were not 
present. Thus, in my previous patent, whereas the angular magnitude of 
said inclination angle was on the order of 20.degree. relative to the 
vertical, the presence of the opening in the instant invention causes the 
angular magnitude to be about 40.degree. to 90.degree.. This feature 
provides for a large discharge opening for the box, and permits products 
to be dispensed from the box more rapidly than heretofore, and also 
permits bulkier products than heretofore to be dispensed. In addition, the 
closure is more affirmatively maintained in the closed position than 
heretofore so as to more positively prevent the entry of contaminants and 
vermin. 
The aforementioned opening can be of any shape, i.e. the opening can be a 
circular hole, an oval aperture, a slit, a slot and, for that matter, any 
interruption extending through the intermediate portion of the strip could 
be employed. 
Although the closure, in its broadest aspect, can include a single strip, 
it is also contemplated by this invention to provide a backing member and 
a frontal member disposed at opposite sides of, and sandwiching, the 
strip, thereby constituting a discrete spout assembly which is mountable 
as a unit on the box wall adjacent the discharge opening. Thus, a 
conventional dispenser box can be easily equipped with the closure of this 
invention and, in fact, a consumer can convert an existing box with such 
closure to improve its opening/closing characteristics. For that purpose, 
this invention also contemplates providing the spout assembly with 
different sizes so as to accommodate different sized discharge openings on 
different boxes. 
In view of the discrete nature of the spout assembly, it is possible to 
prevent the frictional binding problem of the prior art by providing the 
backing member with a substantially planar base portion underlying the 
movable other end portion of the strip, and a pair of side wing portions, 
both extending generally normal to the base portion. The base and wing 
portions form a generally flattened, U-shaped channel through which a 
product to be dispensed is poured from the box. The transverse distance by 
which the wing portions are spaced apart is deliberately designed to be 
slightly less than the transverse distance by which side edges of the 
discharge opening are spaced apart. This permits unimpeded movement of the 
backing member together with the strip between the closed and open 
positions. 
Another feature of this invention is embodied in an overlay sheet which is 
removably mounted over the box wall and the spout assembly in the closed 
position. The overlay sheet resists movement of the strip to the open 
position until the overlay sheet is removed, and serves as a safety 
feature, particularly during transport and display of the dispenser box. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, best will be understood 
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally identifies an 
improved dispenser box in which a product 12 to be dispensed is stored. 
The product 12 may be any wet or dry, pourable substance, e.g. sugar, 
coffee, milk, rice, flour, salt, detergent, bleach, etc. The box 10 has a 
generally parallelepiped shape, and is formed with planar front 14, rear 
16, top 18 and side 20 walls. A discharge opening 22 lies in the same 
plane as that of side wall 20 in which the discharge opening 22 is formed. 
The discharge opening 22 advantageously has a rectangular outline, and is 
cut out of the side wall 20. 
A closure 24 for the box 10 is operative to open or to close the discharge 
opening 22. The closure 24 includes, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an 
elongated spring member or strip 26 having opposite end portions 28, 30, 
and an apertured intermediate portion 32 between the end portions. The 
strip 26 is tensioned to a so-called straight position, as shown in FIG. 
4, by a longitudinal bend 34 which extends lengthwise along the elongation 
of the strip. The strip 26 is initially formed of a planar blank which is 
folded along the longitudinal bend. The bend 34 can be linear, as shown, 
so as to impart a shallow, V-shaped cross-section for the strip. 
Alternatively, the longitudinal bend can be slightly curved so as to 
impart an arcuate or bowed cross-section to the strip. Other 
cross-sections for the strip are also within the spirit of this invention. 
When the apertured intermediate portion 32 is manually pressed in a 
direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal bend 34, the bend 34 
is caused to be reversed until eventually the strip 26 snaps into the 
so-called bent position of FIG. 5. In the bent position, the strip 26 is 
tensioned by a transverse fold 36 which extends widthwise across the 
elongation of the strip, and is formed in the region of the apertured 
intermediate portion 32. The strip may be returned to the straight 
position of FIG. 4 by exerting a manual pressure on the end portion 28 
along the aforementioned perpendicular direction until the transverse fold 
36 is reversed, at which time, the strip will snap back into th straight 
position. 
The movement of the strip between its straight and bent positions is 
utilized to close and open the box 10. The strip 26 is advantageously 
sandwiched between a backing member 38 and a frontal member 40. The 
backing member 38 has an upper planar base 42 underlying the end portion 
28 of the strip, and a pair of side wings 44, 46 spaced transversely apart 
from each other and extending generally perpendicular to the base 42. The 
base and wings form a generally flattened U-shaped channel through which 
the product 12 may be poured. 
The frontal member 40 advantageously has indicia thereon for advising a 
user how to open the closure 24. The indicia include an instructional 
message 48, e.g. the words "press red spot", including a spot 50 overlying 
the apertured intermediate portion 32. The instructional message 48 may 
also include an arrow pointing to the spot 50. 
The backing member, the strip and the frontal member together form a 
discrete spout assembly which is mounted as a unit on the box wall 20 
adjacent the discharge opening 22. Put another way, no part of the spout 
assembly is of a one-piece, integral construction with the box 10. The 
transverse distance between the side wings 44, 46 is deliberately designed 
to be slightly smaller, e.g. on the order of one mil, as compared to the 
corresponding transverse distance between the vertical side edges of the 
discharge opening 22. Hence, there is no binding or mechanical 
interference during movement of the spout assembly between the open and 
closed positions. 
With the strip 26 in its straight position, the spout assembly is mounted 
on the box wall 20 so that the lower end portion 30 of the strip, as well 
as lower end portions of the backing and frontal members, are stationarily 
mounted, e.g. by an adhesive, to the portion of the side wall 20 
immediately below the discharge opening 22. The upper end portion 28 of 
the strip, as well as upper end portions of the backing and frontal 
members, overlay and close the discharge opening 22 in the closed position 
shown in FIG. 1, and in solid lines in FIG. 3. 
As noted previously, when pressure is exerted on the apertured intermediate 
portion 32 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, the strip snaps to the 
open position, shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3, and the upper end 
portions of the frontal and backing members participate in this movement. 
In the open position, the end portion 28 of the strip extends outwardly at 
a predetermined angle of inclination B relative to the plane of the 
discharge opening 22 and to the plane of the side wall 20. To return the 
strip to the closed position, one urges the end portion 28 in a direction 
generally parallel to arrow A until the strip snaps back to the straight 
position. Due to the tension supplied by the longitudinal and transverse 
bends, the strip is resiliently maintained under tension in the closed and 
open positions until counteracted by sufficient manual pressure exerted by 
a user to reverse said respective bends. 
In my previous patent, the inclination angle B was small, and was 
approximately 20.degree. relative to the vertical, as represented by the 
vertical side wall 20. Now, I have found that by forming an aperture such 
as circular hole 52 through the intermediate portion 32, the inclination 
angle B is approximately doubled in magnitude and is on the order of 
40.degree. to 90.degree.. This creates a larger discharge channel through 
which the product can be more rapidly poured, and also permits bulkier 
products than heretofore to be dispensed. This also renders the tension 
exerted by the strip in the closed position to be more affirmative, so 
that the closure 24 is more affirmatively resiliently maintained in the 
closed position to help prevent entry of contaminants and vermin. The 
aperture need not be circular as the hole 52, but, instead, can be of any 
shape or outline, e.g. an oval, a slit, a slot, polygonal, etc. Any 
interruption through the intermediate portion 32 will provide the 
increased inclination angle proposed by this invention. 
In order to resist the spring strip from being inadvertently moved to the 
open position, an overlay sheet 54 is removably mounted over the box wall 
20 and the spout assembly 24 in the closed position. The overlay sheet 
restricts movement of the spout assembly to the open position, and retains 
the assembly in approximately the same plane as the side wall 20. The 
overlay sheet is advantageously used during transport and display of the 
box. To initiate dispensing, the overlay sheet 54 is peelably removed from 
over the assembly 24. 
Due to the discrete nature of the spout assembly 24, it can be individually 
sold in various sizes to convert existing boxes of different sizes to ones 
which are equipped with the novel closure proposed herein. 
The spring strip itself may be made of any springy material, and includes 
such materials as metals and plastics. The closure need not be of the 
multi-part construction shown in the drawings, but may also be constituted 
of a single spring member. 
The discharge opening 22 may also be located in other planes than the 
vertical plane of the side wall. For example, it may be located on the top 
wall of the box, which is particularly advantageous for pouring liquids, 
such as milk. 
The term "box" as employed herein is intended to broadly cover all types of 
containers, such as cartons or cans. 
In order to resist tampering with the product, the overlay sheet 54 is made 
in sections. Side sections 56, 58 on opposite sides of the closure are 
permanently attached to the side wall, preferably with a permanent 
adhesive. Main section 60 overlying the closure is peelably attached to 
the side wall, and can be removed easily prior to use. The visual presence 
of the side sections prior to removal by the authorized user indicates 
that prior tampering may have occurred. 
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or 
more together, also may find a useful application in other types of 
constructions differing from the types described above. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an 
improved dispenser box and snap open/snap shut closure therefor, it is not 
intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications 
and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the 
spirit of the present invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, 
therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended 
within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.