The present application is directed to blister cards, and more particularly, to sandwich-type blister cards where the blister contains an item such as a tool with a part such as a handle extending outside the blister. The blister may have a flange, a portion of which may be wrapped around the handle.
Merchandise items are often packaged on blister-type display cards. Such display cards may include a plastic blister to hold the product, and a printed paperboard card describing the product. The blister may be attached to the card, or may enclose the card. When tools are packaged in such display cards, it may be desired to have a portion of the tool exposed. This may be especially true with tools such as pliers, scissors, and the like where a handle may be left outside the blister so that a prospective purchaser may move the handle and observe the action of the tool. U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,805 to Fethke discloses a scissors housed in a blister attached to the front of a single card, with one of the scissors handles outside the blister. U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,551 to Theros discloses a clamshell blister that wraps around a card and pliers, with the handles of the pliers extending outside the clamshell blister at the bottom of the package. U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,417 to Seaton discloses a clamshell blister that wraps around a pair of gardening shears, with one handle extending sideways outside of the blister.
The present invention involves a blister whose perimeter flange is sandwiched between two cards, with one or more openings in the blister through which part or parts of the product (such as handles) may extend. A portion of the blister flange may wrap around a part of the product (such as the handle.
In one aspect a blister card is disclosed for holding a content item, the blister card including a front panel with a window therein created by at least partly separating a cutaway portion from the front panel; a back panel attached to the front panel; a blister including a blister cavity and a peripheral flange, the blister cavity protruding through the window and the peripheral flange received between the front and back panels; wherein the cutaway portion is positioned between the blister and the back panel; and wherein an opening is formed in the blister cavity through which a portion of the content item may protrude. Additionally a portion of the blister flange, in the area of the opening in the blister cavity, is wrapped around the protruding portion of the content item.
In another aspect, a method is disclosed for making a blister card holding a content item, the method including providing a front panel with a window therein defined by a cutline, and a back panel hingedly attached to a lower edge of the front panel; separating the cutaway portion from the front panel leaving a window in the front panel, and placing the cutaway portion onto the back panel in mirror registry with the window; placing into the window a blister having a cavity sized to receive at least part of the content item, the blister having a peripheral flange and a side wall, the side wall having a first opening and a second opening; inserting a content item into the blister card by threading a first portion of the content item through the first opening, with a second portion of the content item being received in the blister cavity and a third portion of the content items extending through the second opening; folding the back panel over upon the front panel, with the peripheral flange between the panels; sealing together the front and back panels around their periphery; sealing together the front and back panels just outside the cutaway portion; and sealing together the back panel and the cutaway portion where the cutaway portion extends beyond the blister. Additionally a strap portion of the blister flange, in the area of the opening in the blister cavity, is wrapped around the protruding portion of the content item and the end of the strap is sealed between the panels, in a gap provided in the flange.
Other aspects of the disclosed packaging structures will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
The attached Figures show blister cards including a blister sandwiched between a pair of cards.
As various embodiments of the blister card are described, reference will be made to the attached Figures. Certain parts of the blister cards are denoted by reference numerals. Where there is more than one of the same feature, sometimes only one will be denoted by a reference numeral. Where assembly steps are described, these steps are exemplary and are not to be limiting as to the sequence of operations used to arrive at the final blister card. Also, directions such as up, down, top, bottom, front, back, etc. are used for convenience in describing the structure and are not meant to be limiting. In most cases the blister cards described here are made from one or several blanks (that is, the cut sheet parts from which the blister cards are made by folding and other steps). However, it should be understood that certain unitary blanks may be provided instead as more than one part, and certain blanks may be combined into single blanks, while still arriving at the same finished package.
The cutaway section 1114 may be flipped over and transferred (as per arrow A1) onto the back panel 1120 into a mirrored position (
The blister flange 1132 may have a gap 1131 to receive a fold-around strap 1142 whose proximal portion may be attached to the blister at a strap fold or strap hinge 1144. The fold-around strap 1142 may be folded or wrapped around a part of the content item T, such as handle H1. The distal end of fold-around strap 1142 may be received into gap 1131. (Gap 1131 may also be omitted, but having the gap 1131 leaves the ‘flange’ area to have a single thickness at the gap 1131, which otherwise would be a double thickness of flange that might be more difficult so securely seal. A portion 1132A of the blister flange 1132 may continue after the gap 1131 (as shown in
One assembly method is shown in
Another assembly method is shown in
The cross section view of
The lightly shaded areas 1154 of
The size, position, and shape of the window, the blister, and the blister opening or openings for the handle(s) may be set according to manufacturing preference.
Although the blanks may typically originate as single pieces, as shown, they may also be provided as multiple pieces. The blanks may be made of a sheet material such as paperboard, or of a tear-resistant paperboard such as MeadWestvaco NATRALOCK®.
Blister 1130 may be made with common thermoform plastics such as PVC or APET but may also include a recycled material such as RPET or a biodegradable material such as PLA. However other materials including other plastics or paperboard may also be used. Besides thermoforming, the case or blister may be formed by injection molding or other manufacturing methods.
One blank may be used, as shown in the examples, or more than one blank may be used. Where more than one blank is used, the blanks may be assembled in various stages, including assembling a unitary blank into a package, assembling separate blanks and then joining them to form a package, and joining two or more blanks together, for example by heat sealing, gluing, mechanical fastening, or otherwise and then forming the combined blanks into the package.
The packages described herein may be assembled in stages at various locations, for example partially constructing the package, moving or shipping it to one or more other locations, and completing the assembly of the package. For example, a package may be formed into a flattened or collapsible structure, then moved or shipped to another location for final forming, filling, and closure.
Portions of the blister cards may be made of one, two, or more layers of material. It is to be understood that additional layers of material may be used based on manufacturing preferences. Portions of certain panels may be folded over or around the portions of other panels, creating multiple layers of material.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/100,587, filed on Jan. 7, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4165805 | Fethke et al. | Aug 1979 | A |
4714159 | Linden | Dec 1987 | A |
4872551 | Theros | Oct 1989 | A |
5234106 | Transue | Aug 1993 | A |
5279417 | Seaton | Jan 1994 | A |
5284244 | O'Toole | Feb 1994 | A |
5291996 | Linden | Mar 1994 | A |
5435447 | Weatherford | Jul 1995 | A |
5542539 | Early | Aug 1996 | A |
5601189 | Roshdy | Feb 1997 | A |
6814236 | Roshdy | Nov 2004 | B2 |
7789234 | Clark | Sep 2010 | B2 |
8251214 | Wade | Aug 2012 | B2 |
8800768 | Corbat | Aug 2014 | B2 |
20090065386 | Hasegawa | Mar 2009 | A1 |
20130319896 | Corbat et al. | Dec 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
WO2012012015 | Jan 2012 | WO |
WO2012067757 | May 2012 | WO |
WO2012094467 | Jul 2012 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160194130 A1 | Jul 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62100587 | Jan 2015 | US |