Patent GB-967171-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to containers or packages
IPC: B65D81/24
Filed: 1960-04-05
Abstract: 967,171. Containers with air filters; packages. H. E. CHAPMAN. April 4, 1961 [April 5, 1960; May 4, 1960; May 13, 1960], Nos 12041/60, 15653/60 and 16992/60. Headings B8C, B8P and B8T. [Also in Division A5] A container made of air and water impervious material has at one end a mouth entirely closed by an air sterilizing filter in the form of a flat strip of sponge-like material pretreated with a sterilizing medium to prevent growth of any viable matter in the filter, the strip having greater length than width, its length extending across the container mouth and its sides being connected to opposite sides of the container mouth such that one surface of the filter is adjacent the container interior and another filter surface is adjacent the outside atmosphere. In the embodiment shown at Figs. 1 and 2, a filter strip 3 is placed between two covering strips 4 which are attached to the side 2 of the container 1, which may be made of plastics, laminated plastics, aluminium laminate, or coated paper. The filter strip covering may be made of plastics, paper, metal foil, textile fabric, or the like, and the bonding of it to the container may be by means of heat sealing or adhesive. The container contents may be sterilized after packing by means of an autoclave, ethylene oxide or other gas, or by dry heat. In a modification (Figs. 4 to 6, not shown), a strip of sterilizing filter is surrounded by and bonded to a sleeve-like cover leaving only its two longest edges exposed; this filter unit is attached to the inside of a container mouth. Alternatively, the filter cover may be dispensed with and the filter bonded direct to the container mouth (Fig. 7, not shown). In a further modification, Fig. 8, air enters through 10 and passes to each end of a sterilizing filter strip 3 and thence from each end to the centre of an inert filter strip 8 before entering the container through 12. Fig. 11 shows a filter strip 3 totally enclosed in a cover 4; air passage is permitted by making holes in the webs 19, 20 so as to extend inwardly just beyond the bounding between the two halves of the cover 4. In an embodiment suitable for flat-topped cartons (Figs. 10 to 12, not shown), a flat strip of filter material is enclosed between two strips of covering material which are bonded parallel to the strip length into the top of a carton. Holes are formed in both faces of the cover adjacent the filter strip so that air entering the carton passes through the thickness of the filter. Fig. 16 shows a sheet of transparent material having a number of moulded recesses 31 in a sheet 30. A filter strip is positioned in the mouths of the recesses and a second sheet 33, which may be integral, is folded over and suitably bonded to provide these containers with a single common filter. When the covering of the filter strip includes the formation of side margins, these margins may incorporate magnetic recorder tape for use in conjunction with a magnetic coding device, or holes used in conjunction with a punched card reader, for automatically announcing the container contents.