Self-sealing foldable container

Abstract

A foldable container and method of using the same that includes one or more strips of adhesive material with one end fixed to the container's exterior surface and the other end inserted through slits in the flaps of the container such that the free ends of the strips of adhesive material are held in place on the container. A foldable container and method of using the same that features a release liner attached to the side of the foldable container such that strips of adhesive material can be peeled off of a surface of the container and applied to and used to seal the top and bottom surfaces of the container.

Claims

1. A method of storing adhesive material with packing material using a foldable container having an interior, an exterior, a plurality of side surfaces and a plurality of flaps attached to said side surfaces comprising: providing the container with at least one release liner featured on a surface of the foldable container; and releasably attaching the entire length of at least two strips of adhesive material to the at least one release liner such that the at least two strips of different lengths of adhesive material can be placed anywhere on the container.

2. A method of storing adhesive material with packing material using a foldable container having an interior, an exterior, a plurality of side surfaces and a plurality of flaps attached to said side surfaces comprising: providing the container with at least one release liner on a side surface of the foldable container, releasably attaching the entire length of at least two strips of adhesive material to the at least one release liner such that the at least two strips of adhesive material can be placed anywhere on the container.

3. A method of storing adhesive material with packing material using a foldable container having an interior, an exterior, a plurality of side surfaces and a plurality of flaps attached to said side surfaces comprising: providing the container with at least one release liner on a flap of the foldable container; and releasably attaching the entire length of at least two strips of adhesive material to the at least one release liner such that the at least two strips of adhesive material can be placed anywhere on the container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first disclosed embodiment of the foldable container prior to being sealed;

(2) FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the same container in closed, but unsealed state;

(3) FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the same container with a first strip of adhesive material removed;

(4) FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the same container being sealed with a first strip of adhesive material;

(5) FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the same container being sealed with a second strip of adhesive material;

(6) FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the same container sealed with a second strip of adhesive material;

(7) FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the foldable container in knock-down position featuring a second embodiment of the container;

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the foldable container after it is unfolded, but not sealed; and

(9) FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the method of sealing a foldable container featuring the second embodiment of the container.

(10) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the foldable container featuring a release liner attached to a side surface of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) FIG. 1 demonstrates the first improved version of the inventive foldable container 121 that includes two large mid-ply release liners 125 attached to two flaps 123 of the container 121. In this embodiment, the strips of adhesive material 124 are removed from the mid-ply release liner 125 and then placed over the folded flaps 123 that comprise the top and bottom of the sealed container 121. As a result, their initial placement does not dictate their final placement in any manner. A skilled artisan will realize that the mid-ply release liner 125 can be attached to any of the side surfaces 122 or the flaps 123 of the foldable container 121. Each foldable container 121 features a release liner 125 large enough to accommodate at least one strip of adhesive material 124. The strip(s) of adhesive material 124 can vary in size depending on the number of strips and how long they need to be to properly seal the foldable container 121. Preferred embodiments of this foldable container 121 feature strips of adhesive material 124 that are five (5), six (6), seven (7), nine (9), ten and a half (10.5), twelve (12), thirteen (13) and fifteen (15) inches long. In addition, preferred embodiments of this foldable container 121 feature strips of adhesive material 124 that are two (2), three (3) and three and a half (3.5) inches wide.

(12) In this version of the foldable container 121, a single side surface 122 or flap 123 can feature a mid-ply release liner 125 with two or more strips of adhesive material 124; each strip of adhesive material 124 ideally being separated from the adjacent strip(s) of adhesive material by approximately one-eighth () of an inch, i.e. 0.125 inches. Other variations on this embodiment include more than one side surface 122 or flap 123 featuring a release liner 125 with one or more strips of adhesive material 124 attached. Further, any surface of the container 121, i.e. the minor flaps 123a or the major flaps 123b can feature a release liner 125 with one or more strips of adhesive material 124 attached.

(13) FIG. 1 also shows the initial step in sealing a foldable container with this embodiment of the foldable container 121. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a foldable container 121 featuring two minor flaps 123a, two major flaps 123b and four side surfaces 122. In addition, the foldable container 121 in FIG. 1 features release liners 125 on each of two major flaps 123b located at the first end 135 and second end 136 of the side surface 122 closest to the viewer. First, the minor flaps 123a are folded down such that they are substantially perpendicular to the side surfaces 122 of the foldable container 121. The user then folds the major flaps 123b down over the minor flaps 123a such that they are substantially perpendicular to the side surfaces 122 of the foldable container 121. At this point, the user has a foldable container with a top 126 or bottom surface 127 ready to be sealed. This same process is used to close and form the opposing top or bottom surface of the foldable container.

(14) FIGS. 2 through 6 show the same foldable container 121 with the top surface 126 and bottom surface (not shown) formed from the folded flaps 123. The user peels a strip of adhesive material 124 off of the mid-ply release liner 125 located on flap 123 that is still exposed to the user. Note, this is one of the advantages to attaching the release liners 125 to the major flaps 123b as they are typically still exposed to the user after the flaps 123 have been folded over one another. After removing the strip of adhesive material 124 from one of the major flaps 123b of the foldable container 121, the strip of adhesive material 124 is placed or laid over the top surface 126 of the foldable container 121. As discussed previously, there are advantages to placing the strip(s) of adhesive material 124 over the free edges 131 of the major flaps 123b, but the strips of adhesive material 124 can be placed in virtually any orientation over the surface(s) of the foldable container 121 that the user desires to seal.

(15) Next the user the user removes a second strip of adhesive material 124 from the release liner 125 on a flap 123. After removing the strip of adhesive material 124 from the flap 123 of the foldable container 121, the strip of adhesive material 124 is placed or laid over the top surface 126 of the foldable container 121 formed from the folded flaps 123. As with previously described embodiments, each of the strips of adhesive material 124 can be placed such that they meet and form an overlapping portion 133 of adhesive material. This overlapping portion 133 oftentimes makes it easier to remove the strips of adhesive material 124 as it is easier to peel the adhesive material away from the back surface of the strip of adhesive material 124 than from the foldable container 121, especially when said container 121 is made of cardboard or other paper based material.

(16) The user then repeats these steps using the strips of adhesive material 124 attached to the release liner 125 located on the other flap 123 featuring the release liner 125 and strips of adhesive material 124 to seal the bottom surface 127 of the container 121.

(17) Referring now to the second embodiment of the container disclosed in this application, FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of a foldable container 121 in a knock-down state or position, i.e. the container 121 is flattened for transport. The container 121 in FIG. 1 has four side surfaces 122 only two of which are viewable from the current perspective. The other side surfaces 122 of the container 121 that are not viewable from this perspective feature the same elements and structures as the side surfaces 122 that are visible in FIG. 7. However, it is possible for the opposing surfaces of the container 121 to feature any or all of the elements and structures described in the various embodiments above and below, i.e. they are not required to be identical to each other, but in preferred embodiments the opposing side surfaces 122 and their respective flaps 123 are identical to each other.

(18) In this embodiment, each of the side surfaces 122 features a flap 123 at either end of each side surface 122. More specifically, each side surface 122 has a flap 123 located at a first end 135 of the side surface 122 and a second flap 123 located at a second end 136 of the side surface 122. FIG. 1 also shows slits 130 in the container 121, each of which traverses the container 121 from the interior (not shown) of the container 121 to the exterior 132 of the container 121. While other embodiments may feature the slits 130 in a different location, such as the side surfaces 122 of the container 121, FIG. 1 shows slits 130 in the flaps 123. More specifically, the foldable container 121 in FIG. 7 features two opposing side surfaces 122, each of which feature two flaps 123, and each of those flaps 123 features a slit 130. Further, FIG. 1 shows two strips of adhesive material 124 attached to the side surface 122 of the container 121 below the flaps 123 that feature slits 130. Each strip of adhesive material 124 has a first end 128 and a second end (not shown). The first end 128 is attached to the side surface 122 of the container 121. The second end 129, featuring a release liner 125, is inserted through the slit 130 in the adjacent flap 123.

(19) Referring now to FIG. 8, the foldable container 121 is shown in an unfolded state prior to the top or bottom being sealed. FIG. 2 shows two strips of adhesive material 124 inserted through the slits 128 in each of two side surfaces 122. Each strip of adhesive material 124 has a first end 128 and a second end 129. The first end 128 of each strip of adhesive material 124 is attached to the exterior 132 of the container 121adjacent to a flap 123, and the second end 129 of each strip of adhesive material 124 has been inserted through a slit 130 in the flaps 123 of the container 121. The second ends 129 of the strips of adhesive material 124 are inserted into a slit 130 located on the flaps 123 such that they traverse the foldable container 121 from its exterior 132 to its interior 131.

(20) While each strip of adhesive material 124 can be attached to any of the four side surfaces 122 of the foldable container 121, it is preferable to attach the strips of adhesive material 124 to the side surfaces 122 that feature minor flaps 123a. As shown below, this configuration allows the user to place the strips of adhesive material 124 over one or both of the top or free edges 134 of the flaps 123 visible from the outside, i.e. the major flaps 123b, of the container 121 to seal the foldable container 121. The foldable container 121 is thus prepared for use.

(21) FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing each of the steps necessary to seal the foldable container 121. In Step 1, the second end 129 of each of the strips of adhesive material 124 is pulled out of the slits 130 in each of the minor flaps 123a. In step 2, the minor flaps 123a are folded down such that they are substantially perpendicular to the side surfaces 122 of the foldable container 121. The first end 128 of the strips of adhesive material 124 remain attached to the side surfaces 122.

(22) In Step 3, the user then folds the major flaps 123b down over the minor flaps 123a such that they are substantially perpendicular to the side surfaces 122 of the foldable container 121. Next the user removes the release liner 125 that is present on the second end 129 of the strip of adhesive material 124. In Step 4 the user places the second end 129 of the strip of adhesive material 124 from which the release liner 125 has been removed over the top surface 126 of the container 121. Similarly, in Step 5, the release liner 125 is removed from the second end 129 of a strip of adhesive material 124 and the second end 129 is placed over the top surface 126 of the container 121. This figure demonstrates why it is preferable to place the strips of adhesive material 124 on the side surfaces 122 that feature the minor flaps 123a. Doing so allows the user to place the strip of adhesive material 124 over the free edges 134 of the major flaps 123b thus sealing the top of the foldable container 121.

(23) When the second ends 129 of each of the strips of adhesive material 124 are in place the second ends 129 overlap forming an overlapping portion 133 of adhesive material. The overlapping portion 133 facilitates opening the container 121 after it is sealed as discussed previously. A skilled artisan will immediately appreciate that while desirable, the overlapping portion 133 of adhesive material is not required for the container 121 to be sealed. This same process is also repeated with the second ends 129 of the strips of adhesive material 124 on the opposite end, i.e. bottom surface (not shown) of the container 121 such that both the top and bottom of the container 121 are sealed.

(24) The final illustration in FIG. 9 demonstrates the initial step in opening or unsealing of the foldable container 121. More specifically, the user peels back the second end 129 of one of the strips of adhesive material 124 starting at the overlapping portion 133 pulling that strip of adhesive material 124 away from the major flaps 123b. Next the same action is performed with the second end 129 of the strip of adhesive material 124 located attached to the opposing side surface 122 thus freeing the free edges 134 of the major flaps 123b.

(25) FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of the presently disclosed container 121 showing the release liner 125 attached to a side surface 122 of the container.

(26) While the above description details the preferred embodiments of the container, there are other embodiments that are anticipated by the Inventor. More specifically, the container can be any foldable container and need not be a cardboard box, nor does the container need to be a four sided structure. In addition, just as the container need not have four side surfaces, it need not incorporate four to eight flaps. The container can have only one flap or even a separate lid. In addition, the strips of adhesive material do not have to be fixed to the side surfaces of the box in the locations shown in the figures. They could be placed anywhere on the side of the container regardless of whether they are positioned to overlap the free edges of the major flaps. In addition, each strip of adhesive material is generally made of packing tape, i.e., tape that is made of a polypropylene or polyester backing, but can be any number of adhesive materials including other types of tape like duct, electrical, acetate or masking tape.

(27) Furthermore, it is worth noting, sealing the top and bottom surfaces of the foldable container is accomplished through identical meansthat is to say, the top surface of the foldable container and the bottom surface of the same container are sealed in the same manner using the same structures.

(28) The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, the ability to purchase packing materials in the exact proportions or quantities needed to fulfill the user's purposes. In addition, the container makes storing pacing materials together very simple and convenient. The disclosed container creates a simple to use, single piece container available for packing tangible property. It also makes for a simpler means of opening a sealed foldable container. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this application represent a significantly more efficient way of transporting foldable containers with adhesive materials attached to them, without the strips of adhesive material becoming snagged or hung up or accidentally removed from the container during transport.

(29) Reference throughout the specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout the specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

(30) The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.

(31) Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

(32) It is understood that the above described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment, including the best mode, is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, if any, in conjunction with the foregoing description.

(33) While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.