Abstract:
A gabled, gussetted resealable lined container having an outer carton with foldable closure flaps and a liner within the carton. The upper inner surfaces of the liner are releasably sealed together after filling with product and the upper outer edges adhered to the closure flaps on the carton whereby when the closure flaps are opened, the inner liner is pulled opened and when the closure flaps are closed, the inner liner is resealed to maintain product freshness.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to paperboard containers and more particularly to a gabled container having reclosable end closure flaps and resealable inner bag in combination through which when opened the container and the sealed inner bag are simultaneously opened and, when closed, reseals the inner bag. 
     Prior art reclosable paperboard containers are known to the art. A number of folded containers are known to the prior art which include inner liners as well. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,653, to Palmer, shows a package having an inner container. U.S. Pat. No. 2,307,559, to Angus, shows a typical combined bag and box. U.S. Pat. No. 2,321,681, to Hultin, provides for a carton with a flat top and liner assembly as does U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,357, to Egger et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,060, to Bergstein, provides for a carton with a self-sealing end closure which lies within the confines of the closure and U.S. Pat. No. 4,6609,737, shows a carton and pouch system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,701, to Ackerman et al, does not show a carton, but an envelope-type container with an inner bag. The two lateral walls of the outer envelope have no moving parts. 
     None of the prior art provides for a gusseted, gabled container having fold over closure flaps which extend above the confines of the container and run the length of the gable which opens the inner line when opened and, when closed, seals the inner liner thereby offering the advantages of double sealing to keep the contents of the container fresh. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is among the various objects of the present invention to provide a paperboard container which can be resealed to keep the contents fresh. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide such a container that has a resealable inner liner. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide such a container that has a gusseted, gabled configuration whereby the closure extends above the confines of the container. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide such a container that has closure flaps which extend the length of the gable which can fold over and seal the container. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a lightly sealed inner liner, the upper walls of which are adhered to the closure flaps whereby when the flaps are opened, they simultaneously open this inner liner. 
     In accordance with the invention, generally stated, a gusseted, gabled resealable lined container is provided having opposing side body panels and narrower opposing end panels defining an inner chamber. The tops of the end panels each termination in a gusset. The upper ends of side body panels are connected by the gussets so that when the gussets are folded, the upper ends of the side body panels angle inwardly forming a gable. An opposing pair of sealing flaps extend the length of the body panels forming a ridge along the gable. A liner can be positioned in the inner chamber of the container. The upper end of the inner liner, when filled and sealed, assumes a complementary gabled configuration. The upper gabled end of the sealed liner extends out of the chamber. The top sealing flaps adhere to the top of the liner so that when the sealing flaps are opened, the sealed liner is pulled open. When the container is closed, the sealing flaps are folded over one side of the gable, securing the closed liner therebetween for sealing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention in a closed, sealed gabled configuration; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention in an open configuration; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional, exploded view of gable resealable lined container of the present invention showing the relationship between the liner and the container carton; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross sectional view of the access end of the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention in a closed and sealed configuration; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cross sectional view of the access end of the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention in an opened configuration; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged, cross sectional view of the access end of the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention in a closed configuration with the outer closure opened with the inner liner remaining sealed; and 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the locking tab feature of the closure for the gabled resealable lined container of the present invention. 
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding structures throughout the various drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The gabled resealable lined container of the present invention is indicated generally in the drawings by reference number  10 . It will be appreciated that the container  10  is designed as a container for any number of products to maintain freshness and purity. For example, container  10  can contain storage and use food products for man or beast, such as cereals, snacks, condiments of the like. Furthermore, the container can be used for non-edible products which may be granular or powdered chemicals. Hence, the ultimate contents of container  10  are not necessarily related to the scope of the invention. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that container  10  includes an outer semirigid carton  11  with an inner liner  12 . The carton  11  is constructed from a folded paper board blank (not shown) which is conventionally stamped from sheet stock using a cutting die as is known to the art. Carton  10  includes first side wall  13  and a second opposed side wall  14  (FIGS.  3 , 5   a ). The side walls  13  and  24  include fold lines  15  which allow the upper portions  13 A and  14 A of side walls  13  and  14  respectively, to be folded inwardly, as shown in FIG.  1  and as will be explained below. The carton  12  includes a first end wall  16  and an opposed, identical second end wall  18 . It will be noted in the illustrated embodiment, the side walls  13  and  14  have a greater width than the end walls  16  and  18 . However, the walls can be constructed in any acceptable dimensions. As shown in FIG. 3, first side wall  13  includes, at a lower end, a bottom wall flap  20 . Second side wall  14  also includes, at a lower end, a bottom wall flap  22 . The bottom wall flaps  20  and  22  are folded into an overlapping relationship and glued or appropriately secured to create a bottom wall  24 . The first and second side walls  13  and  14 , the end walls  16  and  18  and bottom wall  24  define an inner carton chamber  26 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, each end wall  16  and  18  includes, at the top edge, a gusset  28 . Gusset  28  includes a first inwardly angled fold line  30  and a second inwardly angled fold line  32 . See also, FIG.  2 . The gussets  28  at the top of each end wall allow the tops of the end walls to be folded inwardly, thus drawing the top portions  13 A and  14 A of side walls  13  and  14  respectively, inward to form a gable indicated generally by numeral  34 . It can be seen that a curved scored gusset line is provided at  33 . 
     The upper portion  13 A of side wall  13  includes a fold line  36  defining a sealing flap  38 . The upper portion  14  A of side wall  14  includes a fold line  40  defining a first sealing flap  42 . To provide for sealing, a first sealing flap  42  includes a fold line  44  which defines a second sealing flap  46 . A locking tab  48  is formed at the fold line  44 . The locking tab  48  is positioned to engage a locking tab slot  55  formed in the upper segment  13 A of side wall  13  when the container is in a closed and locked configuration, as shown in FIG.  1 . Slot  55  is formed by a Π shaped slit  55 A through the paperboard and fold line  55 B. The relationship between the locking tab  44  and slot  55  is shown in greater detail in FIG.  7 . As can be appreciated, the locking tab  48  can be inserted into slot  55  and engaging wall segment  13 A. It will be noted that this tab-slot locking arrangement is designed to be used after the container is opened the first time to keep the container  10  closed. It will be understood that when the container is filled for the first time, by the manufacturer, the sealing flaps are adhered to the wall segment  13 A with an appropriate adhesive  60 , as illustrated in FIG. 4, and as will be explained below. 
     As stated previously, the container  10  includes an inner liner  12 . Inner liner  12  is a lightly sealed or an open ended bag or the like configured having contiguous side walls and a bottom to rest within chamber  26 . It will be appreciated that line  12  is constructed from a durable, moisture and air resistant material such as waxed paper, cellophane, foil or any appropriate material. During production the liner  12  is filled with desired contents. The inner surfaces of upper edges  12 A and  12 B then are sealed together, if it is an opened liner, as shown in FIG. 6 by a light adhesive  62 . The adhesive  62  can be any appropriate adhesive that will secure the upper edges to the liner together The filled liner  12  is inserted into chamber  26 . The gussets  28  are collapsed inwardly drawing the upper segments  13 A and  14 A of the side walls into the gabled configuration. The sealing flap  38  and sealing flap  42  are adhered to the outer surfaces  12  and  12 A respectively with an adhesive  64 . (F.  6 ). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the adhesive  64  is designed to have greater adhesive strength than adhesive  6   s  of adhesive  60 . The various sealing flaps are folded over, as shown in FIG. 4, and sealing flap  38  is adhered to upper side wall segment  13 A. Due to the presence of adhesives  60 ,  62  and  64  the container  10  is sealed in a closed configuration for shipment and storage. 
     In use, the consumer can grasp flap  46  and pull sealing flap  38  away from adhesive  60  and move the various sealing flaps into an upright or rigid configuration as shown in FIG.  6 . The user can then grasp flaps  38  and  46  and exert an outward pressure to break the seal between upper liner edges  12 A and  12 B. Since the adhesive strength of adhesive  64  is greater than that of adhesive  62 , the upper edges  12 A and  12 B of line  12  will remain adhered to flaps  38  and  42  respective and allow the liner to be pulled open for access to the contents as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     To close the container after access and use, the gussets  28  are collapsed and the gable formed. Because adhesive  62  retains its adhesive properties, the upper edges of the liner are resealed. The various sealing flaps are folded into their closed position (FIG.  4 ). The upper edges  12 A and  12 B of the liner  12  are sandwiched between flaps  38  and  42 . Moreover, the liner is pinched at the flap fold area F to more completely seal the liner, resulting in a closed container that retains the freshness of its contents by forming relatively air impervious seals between the liner edges  12 A and  12 B, as well as at fold area F. When closed after the first usage, the various flaps are secured in their folded and sealed arrangement by inserting tab  48  into slot  55 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications may be made in the container of the present invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are intended to be illustrative only and should not be construed in a limiting sense.