Patent Grant
7494015
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging assemblies and, more particularly, to packaging assemblies having a product display window and means to prevent removal of the product through the window.
2. Background of the Invention
Typically, warehouse shopping clubs, such as Costco and Sam's Club, require manufacturers to ship products according to very strict guidelines. These guidelines ensure that products are adequately protected during shipment, yet are convenient to handle on the warehouse floor and ready to display. To conform to the physical set-up of these warehouse clubs and to minimize their operational costs, the warehouse clubs prefer product packaging that enables a large number of product units to be placed at one time at the point-of-sale, with easy access to and viewing of the product. Typically, these clubs receive bulk products shipped and packaged on pallets. The clubs place the pallets directly on the sales floor.
In following these packaging guidelines, the challenge for the manufacturers is in striking the appropriate balance between adequately protecting the products from damage and minimizing the amount of handling necessary to display the products on the store floor. Further complicating this balance, the manufacturers generally favor plastic individual product packaging, such as clamshell packages or blister packs, because it is inexpensive and deters theft. Plastic packaging has the additional benefit of enabling the actual product to be viewable by consumers. Such packaging, however, is more susceptible to shipping damage and more difficult to display in bulk form (e.g., typical clamshells were originally intended to hang and will not stand up on their own). As a result, manufacturers and warehouse clubs are in a constant search for packaging that ships and protects the inexpensive plastic individual product packaging, and allows the easy handling and display of the products on the store floor.
A packaging assembly aimed at meeting the guidelines of warehouse clubs was described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,979,662; 6,050,420; 6,152,305; 6,367,632; and 6,427,842. This assembly has two distinguishing features. First, it requires that the plastic individual product packaging provide the support which allows multiple assemblies to be stacked on top of each other. Second, it relies on pairs of slots in the side panels of the base of the assembly alone to hold the plastic individual product packaging in place.
In order for the individual product packaging to provide support for the assembly, it must be strengthened beyond what is necessary to perform its primary functions of product protection, display, and theft deterrence. In order for the base of the assembly alone to hold the individual product packaging, it must also be strengthened beyond what is necessary to support and protect the assembly. Strengthening both the individual product packaging and the base of the assembly increases the overall cost and complexity of the packaging assembly. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that a substantial need exists for packaging assemblies that meet the guidelines of warehouse clubs and produce the lowest overall increase in packaging costs and complexity.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a packaging assembly for containing a product is provided. The packaging assembly includes an inner member that has a body portion for containing the product, wherein at least part of the body portion is configured to reveal the product contained within, and an extension portion extending from the body portion. An outer member is further provided that is configured to receive the inner member. The outer member includes a window portion that is configured to reveal the body portion of the inner member when the inner member is placed within the outer member and a retention portion that is configured to engage the extension portion of the inner member, whereby the inner member is prohibited from being removable through the window portion of the outer member.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a packaging assembly for containing a product is provided that includes an outer member that is substantially defined by a front side, a back side, a top side, a bottom side, a left side, and a right side. The outer member includes a window portion on the front side and at least one retention portion located on one or more of the top, bottom, left, and right sides, and configured to be foldable from the front side toward the back side. The packaging assembly further includes an inner member that is configured to be placed within the outer member and includes a see-through front surface that reveals at least part of the product contained within the inner member through the window portion of the outer member. The inner member further includes at least one extension portion that extends from the see-through front surface and is configured to be secured by the at least one retention portion of the outer member to prevent the inner member from being removable through the window portion of the outer member.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a packaging assembly for containing a product includes a box that is substantially defined by a front side, a back side, a top side, a bottom side, a left side, and a right side. The box includes a window on the front side that extends to at least one of the top, bottom, left, and right sides. The box also includes a retention flap located on the at least one of the top, bottom, left, and right sides to which the window extends and the retention flap is configured to be foldable from the front side toward the back side so that it comes into contact with the at least one of the top, bottom, left, and right sides to which the window extends. The packaging assembly further includes a shell that is substantially defined by a front portion and a back portion. The shell includes a cavity defined by either the front portion, the back portion, or both, that contains the product and at least the front portion is made of a transparent or translucent material. The shell further includes an extension flap that extends from the front portion and is configured to be sandwiched between the retention flap of the box and the at least one of the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the box to which the window of the front side extends, so that the shell is not removable through the window of the box.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a packaging assembly for containing a product includes an outer container having a base panel with a first edge, a second edge, a third edge opposite the first edge, and a fourth edge opposite the second edge. A first side panel has a lower end adjoining the first edge and an upper end. A first engagement member is attached to the upper end of the first side panel and extends toward the base panel. The outer container further includes a second side panel that has a lower end adjoining the second edge, a third side panel that has a lower end adjoining the third edge, and a fourth side panel that has a lower end adjoining the fourth edge. A window opening is defined in the outer container opposite the base panel. The packaging assembly further includes an inner container that contains the product and is viewable through the window opening. The inner container has a second engagement member disposed in between the first side panel and the first engagement member such that the inner container is prohibited from being removed through the window opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for displaying a product is provided. In the method, a product is encased in an inner member and at least one side of the inner member is extended to include an extension flap. The inner member is inserted into an outer member having a window and the extension flap of the inner member engages with a retention portion of the outer member, whereby the inner member is prevented from being removed from the outer member via the window.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method for displaying a product is provided in which an outer container is formed with four side panels extending from a base panel. A portion of at least one of the side panels is folded toward the base panel to form a retention flap. An inner container is formed to enclose the product and a portion of the inner container is folded toward a front surface of the inner container to form an extension flap. The retention flap of the outer container engages with the extension flap of the inner container so that the inner container is prevented from being removed from the outer container through an opening opposite the base panel.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for displaying a product is provided. The method involves forming a shell having a front portion and a back portion to contain a product and extending an extension flap from the front portion of the shell. A box is formed having six sides and a window in a front side that extends to at least one other side, and a retention flap is extended from the at least one other side to which the window extends. The retention flap extends toward a side opposite the front side. The shell is inserted into the box, thereby preventing the removal of the shell through the window by sandwiching the extension flap between the retention flap and the side from which it extends.
Other objects, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The description as set out herein illustrates an arrangement of an embodiment of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.
The inner member 14 includes a body portion, or shell, that contains the product 36 such that it is displayed through the packaging. The inner member 14 has a front portion 28 (see
The front 28 and back 30 portions may be sealed together by fusing the edges together. Alternatively, the two portions 28, 30 of the inner member 14 may fit together without a permanent seal and thus be completely separable. Each of the edges of the front 28 and back 30 may be sealed together to create a permanent and secure enclosure. The front 28 and back 30 portions may alternatively be provided with inter-locking indents 282, 302 so that an interference fit is established between the two portions to hold them together and allow them to be separable. Holes 292 of the insert 29 are provided to facilitate engagement of indents 282, 302.
When the front 28 and back 30 portions of the inner member 14 are fused together, the fused seal may be located along any one or several of the sides of the inner member 14. For example, the fused seal may be located along one side, such as the top side, as shown in
The inner member 14 includes an extension portion 34 (see
The packaging assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention further includes an outer member 12. The outer member 12 is generally box-shaped and may be made of corrugated cardboard or another suitable material having a high strength-to-weight ratio. The outer member 12 may have six panels: top 16, bottom 18, front 20, back 22 (sometimes referred to herein as the “base panel”), left 24, and right 26, and includes a window portion 21 on a front side so that the inner member 14 is visible through the window portion 21 when the packaging assembly 10 is assembled. Thus, the front panel 20 may be of reduced size so as to allow a window portion 21. The window 21 would therefore extend to, for example, the top 16, left 24, and right 26 panels and to the top edge of the front panel 20.
The outer member may alternatively have five or fewer panels.
The side panels of the outer member 12, 112 may be tapered so as to enhance visibility of the inner member 14, 114 through the window portion 21, 111, or they may be of constant width.
Bottom panel 18 has a surface area large enough so that the packaging assembly 10 stands on its own while being transported or displayed and supports weight placed on the top of the assembly. When sold in warehouse shopping clubs, the product is typically both transported and displayed on a pallet. The packaging assemblies 10 may be packed on a pallet by providing a first level of packaging assemblies 10 standing on their own on bottom panel 18. A tray or other flat layer suitable as a level divider may then be placed on the tops of the first level of packaging assemblies 10 so as to provide a flat surface for supporting the next level of packaging assemblies 10. The pallet may be wrapped in shrink wrap or otherwise contained during shipment and is then unwrapped and displayed for sale in, e.g., a warehouse shopping club. As consumers remove the packaging assemblies 10 from the pallet, each level divider may be successively removed so that the next level of packaging assemblies is displayed. The construction of the outer member 12 in accordance with the present invention provides sufficient supporting strength to support pallet packing and displaying in this way by virtue of the bottom panel 18 having a large surface area. The top panel 16 may be of reduced surface area in order to enhance the display of the product 36 or the top panel 16 may have the same surface area as the bottom panel.
To prevent the inner member 14 from being removed from the outer member 12 through the front window portion 21, the outer member 12 includes retention portions, or flaps, 32 that engage with the extension portion, or flap, 34 located on the inner member 14. In the embodiment shown in
In the preferred embodiment shown in the Figures, left 24 and right 26 side panels have retention flaps 32 located thereon. The retention flaps 32 are attached along the front edge of the side panels 24, 26, and folded inward into the outer member and toward the back panel 22, as described above. Accordingly, the inner member 14 may be slid into the outer member 12 by opening the bottom panel 18 (or top panel 16). When the inner member 14 is inserted into the outer member 12, extension portions 34 slide within the fold created by retention portions 32 and are sandwiched between the retention portion 32 and the inside of the panel 24 or 26, thereby preventing the removal of the inner member 14 in the forward direction through the window portion 21.
Alternatively, the top 16 and bottom 18 panels may have the retention flaps 32. In that case, the inner member 14 may be slid into the outer member from the side by opening either the left 24 or right 26 side panel to permit access.
In a further embodiment, the inner member 14 is inserted into the outer member 12 through an opening provided in the back panel 22 of the outer member 12. One, two, three, or all of the top 16, bottom 18, left 24, and right 26 panels may have a retention portion 32 thereon, and one, two, three, or all of the corresponding top, bottom, left, and right sides of the inner member 14 may have extension portions 34 thereon. In this embodiment, increased security may be provided by as many as four pairs of engaging retention 32 and extension 34 portions to prevent the removal of the inner member 14 from the outer member 12 through the front window opening 21.
As shown in
The inner member 14 may also be configured so that the product insert 38 is positioned between the front portion 28 and the back portion 30. In such a configuration, if the front portion 28 and back portion 30 of the inner member 14 are fused, sealed, or otherwise held together, the product insert 38 may be sealed therein as well so that all of the product materials are contained within the inner member 14.
The product insert 38 may also be configured to fit underneath the back portion 30 of the inner member 14. In this case, the product insert 38 may be placed underneath the back portion 30 in a space provided therein (e.g., by molding the back portion to allow such space) prior to the inner member 14 being inserted into the outer member 12. In this case, the intermediate insert 29 may be utilized to conceal the product insert 38 from view through the window portion 21.
While specific embodiments have been described above, it will be appreciated that the subject of the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as described. The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.
This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/774,241 entitled Clear Window Packaging, filed Feb. 17, 2006.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2993587 | Stone et al. | Jul 1961 | A |
| 3670881 | Dutcher | Jun 1972 | A |
| 3776375 | Rohdin | Dec 1973 | A |
| 4180165 | Kuchenbecker | Dec 1979 | A |
| 4739353 | Heuer et al. | Apr 1988 | A |
| 4848577 | Hoffman et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
| 5871099 | Mellenthin et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5979662 | Green | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6039495 | Zimmerman et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6050420 | Green | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6152305 | Green | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6367624 | Szczepanski et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6367632 | Green | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6427842 | Green | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6581777 | Thibault | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 20060113215 | Clements et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 80006903 | Mar 1980 | DE |
| 43 17 021 | Nov 1994 | DE |
| 2 871 142 | Sep 2005 | FR |
| WO 02002420 | Oct 2002 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070193922 A1 | Aug 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60774241 | Feb 2006 | US |
