[IP Encyclopedia] ‘Milk carton’ was not invented at the first by Korean?

YTN Life Program ‘Insaeng Gosu’ Episode of the chairman Seok-kyun Shin [Photo provided = YouTube]

Patent Application : Gable top carton (US1123628A)

Year : 1913

Nation : The US

Region : Toledo Ohio

Name : John R Van Wormer

Commonly milk carton is known that it was invented in Korea. However the patent year and invention episode are a little bit different from what we have heard. In today’s IP encyclopedia we are going to clear up the controversy over milk carton and look into the first patent of milk carton.

From many mess media we have heard that the inventor of milk carton was Korean. It is a story about Seok-kyun Shin the chairman of Korea Invention Association. He appeared on one of the shows on cable channels and told us his episode about the invention of milk carton.


He fled to Busan during the Korean war in 1953 and used the wrapping paper of snacks named wafer which were sold in the US military base to get some milk. The paper was made of oiled paper so he made it to a bag-shaped and it did not leak or get soaked when he poured some liquid in it. After that he made paper packages that can carry liquid and the US military came by and bought them.

It was a hard time to apply for patents or manufacturing products due to the war and refuges so he was not able to apply for patent. However Chairman Shin did not have the patent but one of foreigners offered buying the idea and spread it to the US.


However there is not enough evidence to support the truth of the story. Because it was in the war time and there is no data related to patents the right to the invention cannot be guaranteed even he may have invented it. Even that the patent of milk carton recorded in the US patent Office was applied in 1915 way long ago from the Korean war.

The patent at the time pretty looks similar to today’s milk carton. This patent was made by John R Van Wormer who was running the toy company in Toledo Ohio that he came up with it from his daily life. He was about to leave for work after finishing his breakfast as usual.


At that time milk was commonly contained in glass jar his wife was passing the bottle to him and he accidentally dropped the bottle on the floor. As soon as it crashed on the floor the milk splattered all over the place and his pants got soaked with milk. He did not have much time left so he went to work and his smelly pants was not really welcomed by his employees all day at work.

He just stayed at his office quietly not going anywhere he saw a bunch of documents that his secretary brought to him just then he thought “what if I make a milk container with paper?”. He was sitting in his office and folding the milk container and finally succeeded in making ‘Gable top carton’ that shaped like a triangular roof.


Carton in English means cardboard box or paper container in Korean. The triangular roof is called ‘Gable’ in architectural terms. In other words triangular roof shaped milk container is ‘Gable top carton’.

In 1952 Ruben Rausing the CEO of the Swedish food packaging company suggested new milk containers. The container so-called ‘Tetra Pak’ came from the word ‘Tetra’ which means number 4. It is a form of tetrahedron and triangular pyramid and consists of 75% of paper 20% of polyethylene and 5% of aluminium foil. It was an innovative container that is safer than glass bottle and able to cost down.


In 1962 sterilized milk package was invented and the expiration date was extended. Triangular pyramid shaped Tetra Pak was faded away as it returned to a rectangular shape that has a lot of sides for aseptic packaging and finally settled for the today’s milk container. Of course plastic containers have been developed well and replacing some part of milk containers at this present. However since the environmental issues have been on the rise due to plastic trash eco-friendly containers are being developed.

The chairman Seok-kyun Shin the Korean Edison who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for about 5000 inventions that he invented after the war 1700 cases of patents and utility models and 2 international invention awards. However in this milk container case it will just be confined to invention if there is no patent which is essential to be protected.

The importance of patent is widely known already. Invention can be manufactured in bulk and recognized its value when it is known to the public once they are protected as patents. We learn the lesson that to protect inventors during the extreme difficulties such as wars the role of government to judge and register the patents is important.

The patent of milk carton by John R Van Wormer [Photo provided = Google patents]

Milk [Photo provided = ImageToday]

Gable top carton [Photo provided = Tetra Pak Official Website]

Tetra Pak [Photo provided = Tetra Pak Official Website]

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