Easy opening folder

May 6, 1958

2.833,461

L. V. BROM

EASY OPENING FOLDER

Filed March 29, 1957

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United States Patent Office

2,833,461

Patented May 6, 1958 i

2,833,461

EASY OPENING FOLDER

Lawrence V. Brom, Greensboro, N. C., assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, HI., a corporation of Delaware

Application March 29,1957, Serial No. 649,552

Claim. (CI. 229—85)

The present invention relates to easy opening folders or envelopes and more particularly to folders or envelopes of this type designed to be delivered in flat, unglued form to the user and which may be folded around the contents and thereafter secured in a simple and effective manner to keep the contents protected.

An object of the invention is to provide a folder or envelope of the class described which is particularly designed for valuable and fragile merchandise, such as fine hosiery, scarves, handkerchiefs and the like, whose individual pairs or pieces have very slight thickness when packaged, and which, after being secured around the merchandise, will retain it in clean and dust free condition, the folder having such construction that it may be readily opened by the purchaser who also can inspect the closure of the package and be satisfied that it has not previously been opened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, sturdy form of pilfer-proof folder or envelope of inexpensive form which may quickly and easily be filled and sealed to secure merchandise therein and maintain it in safe, clean condition until ready to be opened, and the closure parts of which while easy to open, due to the provision of weakened tear lines, will not present edges that tend to snag or damage fragile fabric articles upon removal of such articles from the opening formed by releasing the closure.

Other objects as well as the advantages and uses of the invention will be appreciated and understood from the following description.

In the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the folder in closed condition;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the folder showing the closure swung open to give access to the contents; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a preferred form of blank from which the folder may conveniently be formed.

The folder is preferably formed of relatively light weight folding paperboard which is suitably cut and creased or scored to provide a principal panel 5 having a supplemental panel 6 carried on one edge and hingedly related to the panel 5 along fold line 7. A closure member or flaps 8 is hinged to the opposite edge of the panel 5 along fold line 7.

Attaching flaps 10, 10 are provided on the lateral edges of the principal panel 5 and are hinged thereon along fold lines 11,11.

The folder may conveniently be closed by first swinging over the supplemental panel 6 to lie flat upon the principal panel 5. The closure flap 8 is next swung over to lie upon the outer free edge portion of the supplemental panel. The attaching flaps 10 are next folded over to lie flat along the edge portions of panel 6 and are preferably held securely in position by means of adhesive previously applied to flaps 10, indicated by the stippling in Figure 3.

For the purpose of facilitating opening of the folder to remove the contents, the closure flaps 8 is preferably ' ' '' ² formed with tear-off portions or tabs 14, 14, separated from the main body of the closure by weakened lines or lines of severance 15, 15 and 16, 16. The weakened lines 15, 15 are preferably formed as small spaced cuts 5 or perforations and extend approximately parallel to the adjacent edges of the folder. Lines 16,16 are preferably weaker than lines 15, 15 so as to be more readily tom. These lines are formed with somewhat longer spaced cuts separated by small connecting portions or nicks, 10 and they extend from lines 15, 15 at an angle toward the corners of the folder.

The ends of attaching flaps 10, 10 adjacent the tearoff portions 14, 14 are preferably tapered to meet approximately the corners of the folder and to conform to the 15 inclined edges of the tear-off portions. The remaining edges of the attaching flaps are preferably parallel to the edges of the folder and these edges approximately conform to the weakened lines 15, 15 respectively when the attaching flaps are folded over upon the tear-off 20 portions.

The central part of the outer free end of the supplemental panel 6 is preferably cut away to provide an inwardly curving edge 17 and providing extended portions 18, 18 at the corners of the supplemental panel. 25 These extended portions act as shields to underlie the weakened lines between the tear-off portions and main body of the closure and prevent the raw edges formed by the tear from contacting the contents of the folder when the contents are being withdrawn. This is an im30 portant feature when delicate fabrics, such as sheer hosiery, are to be contained in the folder, as rough projections formed by tearing along such weakened lines might otherwise catch in the fabric and tear or pull, its threads.

In the use of the folder it may be shipped conveniently 35 to the packer in flat blank form as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The article to be packed, such as hosiery, handkerchiefs, scarves, small articles of clothing or the like, may be laid flat on the principal panel. The supplemental panel is then folded over the article. Next the closure is 40 folded to lie on the outer face of the supplemental panel and lastly the attaching flaps 10, to which suitable adhesive has been applied, will be folded over and secured to the tear-off portions 14 and to the edge areas of the supplemental panel. The folder is thus made ready for 45 shipment to the retailer. In the sealed condition of the folder, the weakened severance or tear lines 15 extend along the inner edges of the flaps 10 and the tear lines 16 extend along the upper inclined edges of flaps 10, as will be understood from what has been said and as 50 shown in Figure 3.

If desired, the principal panel may be provided with a window opening, not shown, which can be,closed with a transparent sheet in a manner which is well known. The prospective purchaser may examine the package 55 from the printed and other information given thereon and, by inspecting the sealed side of the package, will be able to determine readily whether or not the package has previously been opened. The prospective purchaser can thus be assured of getting clean merchandise as 60 originally prepared by the manufacturer of the article in the package.

When the package is to be opened all that is necessary is for the user to grasp the free edge of the closure flap 8 and lift it. By so doing, the tear-off portions are re65 leased from the main body of the closure as they will be. adhered to the attaching flaps 10, 10. As the flap 8 is lifted it is torn along the tear lines 15 and 16, the tear off corner tabs 14 being held in position by the flaps 10 and .the edges of the latter at the tear lines 15 and 70 16 providing guide means which, in conjunction with the anchorage of tabs 14, facilitates the tearing operation and assures a clean tear without ragged edges such as

3,833,461 .Ο might catch in and damage delicate fabrics as they are withdrawn from the folder. After the closure has been fully opened as shown in Fig. 2, the edge of the article contained in the folder will usually be projecting slightly beyond the edge of the curved central part 17 of the 5 supplemental closure and may be easily grasped by the fingers and pulled from the folder. It is to be noted that the attaching flaps will remain in folded-over position and the tear-off portions will remain between these flaps and the supplemental panel. However, the project- 10 ing corner parts 18, 18 will remain between the tearoff portions and the article contained in the folder and will thus effectively shield the article from the rough edges of the tear-ofi portions during removal.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present 15 invention provides a simple form of folder which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to utilize in packaging fragile articles. An article packed within the folder is substantially protected from dust and moisture and will reach the user in a clean and sanitary condition. 20 Due to the arrangement of the supplemental panel, the closure and the tear-ofi portions, any likelihood that a fragile fabric will be snagged upon its removal is obviated.

While the present description sets forth a preferred 25 embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the 30 appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.