Container having a recipe-selecting label thereon

Nov. 18, 1958 h. j. barnum, jr 2,860,431

CONTAINER HAVING A RECIPE-SELECTING LABEL THEREON

Filed Dec. 29, 1953

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INVENTOR.

HOWARD J. BARNUM.JR

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United States Patent Office

2,860,431

Patented Nov. 18, 1958

2,860,431

Container having a recipe-selecting

LABEL THEREON

Howard J. Barnum, Jr., Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Maine

Application December 29,1953, Serial No. 400,847 2 Claims. (CI. 40—61)

This invention relates to improvements in packaging foods and the like and it relates more particularly to improvements in food containers facilitating their display, sale and use.

Foodstuffs, beverages and the like are packaged in containers such as cans, cartons, boxes, bottles and the like. These containers usually have labels of a decorative and utilitarian character stating the contents of the package and, in many instances, bearing recipes or suggestions for the use of the contents of the container. Usually the ornamental or identifying printed matter on the carton, can or label therefor, takes up so much space that little space is left for recipes and the like. Moreover, in most instances, the recipes, if any, must be printed in small type and even then there usually is not enough space available to receive a large enough picture of the finished foodstuff to enable the purchaser of the container to obtain any idea of the appearance of foodstuff produced with the recipe.

The present invention involves a novel type of package for foodstuff including a selector mechanism by means of which recipes for foodstuffs utilizing the contents of the package can be selected and displayed together with a picture of the foodstuff made with the recipe.

More particularly, I have provided a food package such as, for example, a can of shortening having a label on its surface provided with pictures of a plurality of various foodstuffs such as cakes, waffles, cookies and the like in which shortening is used. The label also bears, at a different zone, a series of recipes utilizing the contents of the can to produce the foodstuffs pictured elsewhere on the label. Cooperating with the label on the container or can is a shiftable sleeve having openings therein which are used to display the pictures of the finished food product one at a time, and simultaneously to expose the recipe required for producing the foodstuff.

Inasmuch as the inner label carries the pictures and recipes and otherwise is free of advertising and ornamental material, the recipes and the pictures may be printed large enough to render them readily readable and visible. The outer movable label, being free of recipes and the like if desired, can be devoted entirely to advertising and ornamental material, except at the areas of the openings. In this way a greatly expanded area is available not only for the recipes but for advertising and ornamenting the container. By proper utilization of the outer and inner labels of the package it is possible to provide a much more attractive package than heretofore was possible while at the same time having greatly increased areas for ornamentation, advertising, recipes and the like.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical container embodying the present invention with a portion of the outer label or sleeve broken away to disclose the underlying label and;

Figure 2 is a view in section taken on line 2—2 of Figure 1.

Illustrative of the present invention, the drawings disclose a metal can 10 of the tear strip key collar type commonly used for shortening. It will be understood that the contents and the shape and dimensions of the container may be varied and that the invention is ap1° plicable to cans of all types including key opening cans, plug top cans, and cans which must be opened by a can opener, as well as to cartons, bottles, boxes and the like of many different shapes, sizes, and types having many kinds of comestibles packed therein. The can 10 is pro¹⁵ vided with the usual rolled bottom seam or bead 11, a top seam or bead 12 and, since the can illustrated in the drawings is of the tear strip key collar type, the usual intermediate bead or rib 13 which is formed in spaced relation to the upper end of the can so as to provide a ²θ support for the collar which protects the sharp edge of the can exposed by removal of the tear strip. The can 10 also has a lid 14 which can be removed by removing the tear strip or with a can opener.

Mounted on the side of the can 10 is an inner label ²⁵ 15 either formed of paper or the like which is glued or pasted to the can or lithographed onto the can. The inner label, as illustrated, may be provided with a series of pictures 16, 17, 18 etc. of various foodstuffs such as cakes, pies and the like and which require shortening in their preparation. The various pictures 16, 17 and 18 may be arranged in a row around one end of the can so that they can be displayed successively through an opening or cutout 20 in a sleeve 21 which is mounted _3g for rotation in a position overlying the label 15. The outer sleeve 21 may be formed of lightweight cardboard, heavy paper or the like and preferably is opaque so that all but one of the pictures 16, 17, 18 etc. are covered or concealed by the label.

The label 15 also is provided with a row of recipes 22, 23 and 24 which are used for preparing the foodstuffs represented by the pictures 16, 17 and 18. Thus, when the outer sleeve 21 is rotated to expose the picture 16 of a layer cake in the opening 20, the upper opening 25 in the label exposes the recipe 24 which is used in making the cake shown in the picture 16. The recipe of course, will include the shortening packaged in the can 10.

The other recipes 22, 23 etc. also correspond to the 5θ pictures 17, 18 etc. so upon rotation of a sleeve 21, any picture and its corresponding recipe can be displayed and rendered visible through the openings 20 and 25. It will be seen that with the exception of the openings 20 and 25 in the outer sleeve 21, it is wholly free of _0g space-obscuring matter so that the label can be used almost completely for ornamentation, the name or trademark of the product and, if desired, even additional recipes utilizing the contents of the container. In this way, due to the fact that the pictures and recipes are on θΟ ^an underlying label and are exposed one at a time through relatively small openings in the label, a greatly extended space for reception of the recipes and for ornamental and advertising material is made available on the face of the container. The advantages of such an 65 arrangement from the standpoint of display purposes, sale of the package and the use of the contents of the package will be appreciated.

It will be understood that the same procedure and general principles of operation may be embodied in other 70 types of cans and in containers other than metal cans. Thus, cardboard containers may be manufactured in a like fashion and in this case, it is possible to print the

2,860,431 pictureand the recipes directly on the carton and use only a relatively movable sleeve to expose the pictures and the recipes through openings therein.

The sleeve-21 may .be. made of materials other than paper or cardboard. For example, it may be made of flexible, transparent plastic which is opaqued by dyes, decalcomanias, or the like, except at the areas for exposing or viewing the recipes and pictures. The sleeve 21 may extend over all or part of the side areas of the container as desired. In the can illustrated it extends only over a part of the side area to avoid damaging it by removal of the tear strip but in other types of cans or containers it may extend from top to bottom.

The invention may also be practiced with containers which are of non-circular cross-section, for example, hexagonal, octagonal, square or the like, by using a flexible outer sleeve or a sleeve formed of flexible material which enables it to flex and slide around the corners of the container and accommodate itself to the contours of the container. Moreover, it will be recognized that the invention may be used with many other food products or comestibles, such as flour, prepared icings, desserts, beverages or components thereof, vegetables, fruits and the like without departing from the invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above-described embodiment of the invention should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.