The present invention relates generally to a blister package for accommodating and dispensing consumable products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a blister package used to dispense gum pieces and which permits viewing of the pieces through an opening in a blister sleeve.
There exists in the prior art numerous packages which contain consumable products such as chewing gum pieces. One type of package is a blister package which includes a blister tray holding the gum pieces which is inserted within a blister sleeve. Many blister packages provide both aesthetic and functional features which make the package desirable to the consumer. Certain of the desirable features include an aesthetically designed packaging which permits viewing of the contents. Certain of the functional features include the ability to retain the gum pieces in the package which allow for convenient individual dispensing of the gum pieces.
It is desirable to provide improved gum packaging which, while maintaining the aesthetically pleasing appearance, provides superior functionality to the consumer.
The present invention provides a comestible package includes a comestible holder having a plurality of spaced comestible retainers adapted to retain a plurality of comestible pieces. A sleeve has first and second opposed panels forming a sleeve interior. The comestible holder is selectively insertable and removable from the sleeve interior. The first panel includes a first opening therein. The first opening extends over a plurality of comestible retainers to permit viewing of a plurality of the comestible pieces.
The present invention further provides a blister package that includes a blister tray having a plurality of upwardly opening blister depressions. Each blister depression supports a consumable product. A blister sleeve receives the blister tray. The blister sleeve includes a first and second planar wall spaced from each other to form a sleeve interior. The first planar wall has a first opening therein and the second planar wall has a second opening therein. The first and second openings are at least partially aligned with each other and with a portion of at least one of the blister depressions to enable dispensing of the consumable product without removal of the blister tray from the sleeve.
The present invention still further provides a gum piece package that includes a blister tray having a plurality of manually deformable depressions for retaining pieces of gum. A sleeve has first and second opposed panels forming a sleeve interior. The blister tray is selectively insertable and removable from the sleeve interior. The first panel includes a first opening formed therein to permit viewing of the gum pieces, and a portion of the first panel forms a perimeter of the first opening. One of the side walls includes an aperture therein to permit viewing of a side of the blister tray.
The present invention provides a package for enclosing and dispensing a plurality of products, preferably consumable products. More particularly, the present invention is designed to contain and dispense confectionery products such as gum pieces. While multi-layered gum pieces are shown in the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it may be appreciated that the package disclosed herein may be used to dispense a wide variety of consumable products such as gum pieces or confectionaries in many forms. It is contemplated that the package of the present invention may be used to contain and dispense gum pieces in various shapes, including slabs, sticks, pellets, pillows and the like. In addition, unwrapped gum slabs are shown in the preferred embodiments herein and it is within the contemplation of the present invention that the individual gum pieces may be wrapped or unwrapped.
Referring now to
The blister sleeve 14 includes a pair of planar wall panels 20a and 20b which are joined by side walls 22 and 24 along opposed sides of the blister sleeve. The wall panels 20a and 20b and side walls 22 and 24 form a sleeve interior 21 for receiving the blister tray 12. The remaining opposite ends 23 of the blister sleeve are open to allow slidable insertion and removal of the blister tray 12 therein. To facilitate removal of the product, one of the panels may include a notch 17 formed therein to permit the blister tray to be grabbed by a user.
One of the panels 20a includes an aperture or opening 25 formed therein, which when the blister tray 12 is inserted therein, exposes the blister depression 16 and the gum pieces 18 supported therein for viewing by the user. The opening 25 is perimetrically bounded about its entire periphery by a portion of panel 20a. The opening 25 creates a frame surrounding the blister depressions 16 and product 18 retained therein. Indicia related to marketing the product may be printed on the sleeve all around the opening. Accordingly, purchasers may see the product they are buying even when the blister tray 12 is fully inserted in the sleeve 14. In the present embodiment, since the opening 25 is large enough to permit viewing of all the blister depressions 16, one can also determine how many pieces 18 remain without removing the blister tray 12 from the sleeve 14.
In the present illustrative embodiment, the opening 25 is co-extensive with at least portions of all of the blister depressions 16 contained within the blister tray 12. However, other shapes, sizes and arrangements of the opening are contemplated. The opening 25 may be covered by a transparent window 26 formed of plastic or the like.
Furthermore, as shown in
The sleeve 14 having a blister tray 12 therein may be covered with a removable overwrap (not shown) to protect the contents of the package 10. A user may remove the overwrap to access the blistery tray 12 and gum pieces 18 therein.
A further embodiment of the present invention is shown with respect to
The sleeve 14′ may be formed from a flat die cut blank 30 as shown in
Various alternative packaging referred to generally with reference number 60 having openings 62 are shown in
In one embodiment, the wall panels may include opening which are aligned with each other when the sleeve is formed. Blanks used to form such sleeves are shown for example in
Since the openings formed in the sleeve panels permits viewing of the blister tray, the blister depressions 16 may be formed in a variety aesthetically pleasing configurations. One configuration of blister depressions 16 on a blister tray 66 for example is shown in
Various changes to the foregoing described and shown structures would now be evident to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the particularly disclosed scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/269,325 filed on Jun. 23, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US10/39652 | 6/23/2010 | WO | 00 | 3/12/2012 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61269325 | Jun 2009 | US |