Patent Publication Number: US-11661232-B2

Title: Dual compartment dispensing box with lateral slide openings

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/576,729, entitled “Dual Compartment Dispensing Box with Lateral Slide Openings,” filed Sep. 19, 2019, which claims priority to provisional application No. 62/733,557 filed Sep. 19, 2018 entitled “Dual Compartment Dispensing Box With Lateral Slide Openings,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Major food and candy manufacturers employ high-speed packaging automation systems to form, fill and seal flat box blanks (FBB) to produce packages filled with solid pourable product in mass volume. The majority of FBBs typically have the bottom end folded and sealed, then the boxes are filled with product such as mints, small candies or nuts prior to sealing the top end, finishing the manufacturing process. Fill and seal boxes often incorporate re-closable openings, which are favored by consumers, and are formed as part of the FBB itself. 
     One popular type of re-closable box known in the art is typically formed from a cardboard FBB capable of rapid folding, and which offers a re-closable, sliding opening incorporated into the unassembled FBB, and which is constructed during the folding process prior to sealing. Up to now, such boxes have been limited in that they include a convenient sliding re-closable opening, but have only one such sliding opening, and thus can contain only one product. 
     While closable boxes are known to have slide openings, including slides that move up and down at the top of the box and include a catch mechanism to prevent the slide from dislodging, such boxes have certain drawbacks. For example, manipulating such a box to facilitate movement of the slide with a single hand is difficult because the slide moves away from the top of the box, and thus generally requires that a user utilize both hands to operate the slides. While using two hands to operate such a box, a user may not engage in multiple tasks, and thus opening, closing and pouring out contents of the box is inconvenient. 
     Therefore, there remains a need for a box having two compartments and that offers a convenient dual lateral slide opening for easily dispensing of a solid pourable or a similar product, wherein the box is easy to manufacture on a mass production scale using conventional high-speed packaging machines, and which is constructed in such a way that avoids any slide insertion step, but that incorporates multiple independently operable slide openings. There is further a need for such a box having these characteristics while also having the same appearance and handling characteristics as a conventional box, wherein the lateral slide flaps are operated by one hand and individually dispense the contents according to preference, and which is made from a single FBB. 
     SUMMARY 
     A package or box for separately dispensing different types of pourable product which may be made of a single cardboard blank having panels extending lengthwise, an outer front panel, a back panel, an inner front panel, a separator panel and a top panel, all connected together and folded to form a box which has a first compartment and a second compartment. The inner front panel may have a first opening and a second opening, a first slide and a second slide connected to the outer front panel but detachable. The slides are preferably foldably connected to side panels between the front and back panels of the box. The outer front panel is positioned to overlay the inner front panel such that the first and the second slides overlay a first opening and second opening in the inner front panel. Further, the top panel has corresponding openings and preferably is positioned to overlay and encapsulate the first and second slides. The slides are moveable laterally such that dispensing paths are formed through the substantially aligned openings in the top panel and the inner front panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a flat pattern view of a cardboard blank which can be folded to form a dual compartment box with lateral slide openings; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the cardboard blank showing a first assembly step toward forming the dual compartment box with lateral slide openings; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the cardboard blank showing a second assembly step toward forming the dual compartment box with lateral slide openings; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the dual compartment box with lateral slide openings, with the bottom flaps open; and 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of a fully assembled dual compartment box, showing two lateral slides opened for accessing each of the two compartments. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     As defined herein, an opening may refer to an aperture, an opening, a hole cut from a blank, or any variety of similar understanding.  FIG.  1    illustrates a die cut paper or cardboard blank  10  that may be used to form a box  12  ( FIGS.  4  and  5   ) with re-closable openings. The cardboard blank  10  has a top end  14  and a bottom end  16  and is configured for folding such that the box  12  has a first compartment  124  ( FIGS.  2 - 5   ) and a second compartment  126  ( FIGS.  3 - 5   ), preferably adjacent one another. Major folding portions of the cardboard blank include an inner tab  18 , separator panel  20 , first container front panel  22 , front minor side  24 , inner front panel  26 , third minor side  28 , back panel  30 , first side panel  32 , outer front panel  34 , and second side panel  36 , all arranged in series and preferably in a foldable relationship to one another. 
     Still referring to  FIG.  1   , inner tab  18  is foldably connected to the separator panel  20  along an inner tab fold line  38 . The separator panel  20  is foldably connected to the first minor side  22  along a dual compartment separator panel fold line  40 , the first compartment front panel  22  is foldably connected to the front minor side  24  along a first compartment front panel fold line  42 , and the front minor side  24  is foldably connected to the inner front panel  26  along a first minor side fold line  44 . The front minor side  24  includes a first top tab  46  foldably connected to the top end  14  of the front minor side  24  along a first top tab fold line  48 , and a first bottom tab  50  is foldably connected to the front minor side  24  along the bottom end  16  of the front minor side  24  along a first bottom tab fold line  54 . The first bottom tab  50  includes a first bottom notch tab  52  opposite the first bottom tab fold line  54 . 
     The inner front panel  26  is foldably connected to the third minor side  28  along a dual compartment front panel fold line  66 . The inner front panel  26  includes a first opening  56  and second opening  58  by which a user may access the first compartment  124  and second compartment  126 , respectively, when the box  12  is completed. The inner front panel  26  also includes a second bottom tab  60  foldably connected along the second bottom tab fold line  64  which includes a second bottom notch tab  62  located on the second bottom tab  60  opposite the second bottom tab fold line  64 . 
     The third minor side  28  is foldably connected to the back panel  30  along the second minor side fold line  68  and includes a second top tab  70  foldably connected to the third minor side  28  along a second top tab fold line  72 . The third minor side  28  also includes a third bottom tab  74  foldably connected to the third minor side  28  along a third bottom tab fold line  76 , and a third bottom notch tab  78 . The back panel  30  is foldably connected to the first side panel  32  along a back panel fold line  80  and includes a lid  82  foldably connected to the back panel  30  along a dual compartment lid fold line  84 . The lid  82  has a dual compartment front flap fold line  88 , and includes a third opening  90  and a fourth opening  92 . A fourth bottom tab  94  is foldably connected to the back panel  30  along a fourth bottom tab fold line  96  and includes two fourth bottom tab appendages  98  shaped such that the fourth bottom tab  94  interfaces complimentary to the second bottom tab  60  and the second bottom notch tab  62 . 
     Still referring to  FIG.  1   , the first side panel  32  is foldably connected to the outer front panel  34  along a third minor side fold line  100  and includes a first compartment side flap  102  defined about a first cut line  104  parallel to the top end  14  of the first side panel  32 , and a first compartment fold line  106  perpendicular to the top end  14  of the first side panel  32  such that the first cut line  104  and first compartment fold line  106  form a substantial right angle with each another. The outer front panel  34  is foldably connected to the second side panel  36  along a front panel fold line  108  and includes a first slide  110  defined by a second cut line  112 , and a second slide  114  defined by a third cut line  116 . In a preferred embodiment, the first slide  110  and second slide  114  are located at the top end  14  of the outer front panel  34  and laterally oppose each other. 
     The second side panel  36  includes a second compartment side flap  118  defined about a fourth cut line  120  parallel to the top end  14  of the second side panel  36 , and a second compartment fold line  122  perpendicular to the top end  14  of the second side panel  36  such that the fourth cut line  120  and second compartment fold line  122  form a substantial right angle with each another. As shown by the arrow in  FIG.  1   , a first step in assembling the box  12  from the cardboard blank  10  may be folding the inner tab  18 , separator panel  20 , first container front panel  22 , and front minor side  24  all at substantially right angles such that the first compartment  124  is formed. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the first compartment  124  partially covers the inner front panel  26  with the inner tab  18  preferably reverse folded to extend away from the first compartment  124  and adhesively adhered or otherwise affixed to the inner front panel  26 . As shown by the arrow in  FIG.  2   , a second assembly step may be folding the inner front panel  26  (including the first compartment  124  formed by the separator panel  20 , first container front panel  22  and front minor side  24  over the back panel  30 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3    the second compartment  126  is formed by folding the inner front panel  26  (including the first compartment  124 ) over the back panel  30 . In this configuration, the third minor side  28  is folded along the dual compartment front panel fold line  66  and second minor side fold line  68  such that the third minor side  28  is at a right angle respective to the inner front panel  26  and back panel  30 . The underlying first compartment  124  and second compartment  126  are indicated by a vertical broken line as shown on the inner front panel  26 . As shown by the horizontal arrow, a third assembly step of the box  12  may be folding the outer front panel  34  over the inner front panel  26 . In this configuration, the first side panel  32  and second side panel  36  are at substantial right angles respective to the outer front panel  34  along the third minor side fold line  100  and front panel fold line  108 , respectively. With the exception of the second compartment side flap  118 , the second side panel  36  may thereafter be adhesively adhered or otherwise affixed to the third minor side  28 . Additionally, with the exception of the first compartment side flap  102 , the first side panel  32  may be adhesively adhered or otherwise affixed to the front minor side  24 . In this configuration, the second slide  114  and the first slide  110  are folded over the second opening  58  and first opening  56   
     As shown by the top arrow in  FIG.  3   , the top panel or lid  82  may be folded over the outer front panel  34  and is preferably adhesively adhered or otherwise affixed thereto. Preferably, upon folding down the lid  82 , the lid  82  and back panel  30  are at substantial right angles respective to the back panel  30 . The lid  82  constitutes the top portion of the box and the front flap having the apertures. Preferably, the lid  82  is folded over the inner front panel  26  such that the first opening  56  substantially aligns with the third opening  90  with the first slide  110  positioned therebetween, and the second opening  58  substantially aligns with the fourth opening  92  with second slide  114  positioned therebetween. In various embodiments, the first opening  56  and third opening  90 , and the second opening  58  and fourth opening  92  may be of differing sizes to facilitate dispensing of a pourable product. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4   , the outer front panel  34  has been folded over the inner front panel  26  and the lid  82  has been folded over the outer front panel  34 , forming the box  12  with the bottom yet to be assembled. The first slide  110  is represented by broken lines adjacent the top end  14  of the box  12  and is positioned atop the first opening  56  ( FIG.  3   ), and the third opening  90  is positioned atop the first slide  110 . Similarly, the second slide  114  is represented by broken lines adjacent the top end  14  of the box  12  and is positioned atop the second opening  58  ( FIG.  3   ), with the fourth opening  92  positioned atop the second slide  114 . As represented by vertical broken lines across the outer front panel  34 , the underlying first compartment  124  and second compartment  126  are positioned beneath the outer front panel  34 . 
       FIG.  5    illustrates the box  12  in complete assembly. Once the box  12  has been filled with a pourable product, box  12  assembly continues with the fourth bottom tab  94  folded inward, followed by the third bottom tab  74  and first bottom tab  50 . To complete assembly, the second bottom tab  60  is folded over the first bottom tab notch  52  and third bottom tab notch  78 , and inserted within the interior of the box  12  by way of space created between the fourth bottom tab appendages  98 . 
     Still referring to  FIG.  5   , the first compartment side flap  102  and first slide  110  are extended laterally to an outward position from the box  12  so that the first opening  56  and third opening  90  are unobstructed, creating access to the first compartment  124 , and thus allowing a solid pourable product to be dispensed from first compartment  124 . The first slide  110  is preferably sized such that it does not become disengaged from the lid  82  upon lateral extension away from the box  12 . 
     Still referring to  FIG.  5   , the second compartment side flap  118  and second slide  114  are extended laterally to an outward position from the box  12  so that the second opening  58  and fourth opening  92  are unobstructed, creating access to second compartment  126 , and thus allowing a solid pourable product to be dispensed from the second compartment  126 . The second slide  114  is preferably sized such that it does not become disengaged from the lid  82  upon lateral extension away from the box  12 . 
     While particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the appended claims. 
     Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawing disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the inventions are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional inventions is reserved.