Display box and method for packaging an article in the box

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6460703
  • Patent Number
    6,460,703
  • Date Filed
    Monday, May 21, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 8, 2002
    21 years ago
Abstract
A box includes bottom, opposed side, front, top, and rear panels, which define an interior space of the box. The box has a display opening and an invertible panel that includes a top edge. The invertible panel may include a first section coplanar with the front panel and a second section coplanar with a side panel when the invertible panel is in an unflexed position. In the unflexed position, a vertical passageway is formed behind the invertible panel and in front of the top panel. An article having a body depending from an elongated support can be packaged in the box by placing the support in the vertical passageway and positioning the body in the display opening. Force is applied to the article and/or the invertible panel whereby the invertible panel is moved into a second position and the article is contained within the interior space of the box.
Description




CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS




Not Applicable.




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH




Not Applicable.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to boxes for displaying a product sold at retail, such as a lamp, and more particularly, to a display box that is configured to provide for a cost effective product packaging process at the place of product packaging.




2. Description of the Related Art




After being manufactured, retail products, such as lamps and the like, are commonly packaged in a box for containing, transporting, and preferably, displaying the product at a retail location. Frequently, retailers want to display such products so that the appearance of the product can be viewed by prospective buyers. While manufacturers are certainly interested in providing a box that attractively displays their product, manufacturers are also concerned with the manufacturing costs associated with loading the product into the display box at the manufacturing or distribution site. A box that provides optimum product display characteristics may not provide for a cost effective packaging process at the manufacturing or distribution site.




Therefore, there is a continuing need for product display boxes having improved product display characteristics and having a configuration that allows the box to loaded with a product at a manufacturing site using a cost effective packaging process.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The foregoing needs are met by a box according to the invention which includes a bottom panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, a front panel, a top panel, a rear panel, a display opening having a perimeter, and an invertible panel. The bottom panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, the top panel and the rear panel define an interior space of the box. The first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, and the rear panel are foldably joined at their lower edges to the bottom panel and are foldably joined at their upper edges to the top panel. The first side panel and the second side panel are foldably joined at their front edges to the front panel and are foldably joined at their rear edges to the rear panel. The display opening is formed between at least a portion of the first side panel and at least a portion of the front panel.




The invertible panel of the box includes a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposed side edges, and is located above the display opening. The majority of the top edge of the invertible panel is not joined to any panels of the box and the majority of the bottom edge of the invertible panel is not joined to any panels of the box. One side edge of the invertible panel is foldably joined to the front panel and the other side edge of the invertible panel is foldably joined to the first side panel so that the invertible panel can be moved between a first position and a second position that is nearer a central portion of the interior space of the box than the first position.




In one form of the box, the invertible panel includes a first section and a second section wherein the first section is substantially coplanar with the front panel and the second section is substantially coplanar with the first side panel when the invertible panel is in the first position. In this form, the top panel is dimensioned such that a vertical passageway is formed behind the invertible panel when the invertible panel is in the first position. This form of the box allows the box to loaded with an article at a manufacturing site using a cost effective packaging process. Specifically, a person packaging the article is provided with this form of the box and an article having a body and a movable elongated support. The elongated support is placed into the vertical passageway such that a portion of the elongated support is above or rests on the top edge of the invertible panel. The body of the article is then positioned in the display opening of the box. A force is then applied to the article and/or the invertible panel whereby the invertible panel is moved into the second position and the article is contained within the interior space of the box.




It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a box that allows retailers to display a product so that the appearance of the product can be viewed by prospective buyers.




It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a box having improved product display characteristics and having a configuration that allows the box to loaded with a product at a manufacturing site using a cost effective packaging process.




These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1A

is a top view showing a flat planar sheet of box material, such as cardboard, that is cut, creased and assembled to form a display box in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 1B

is a top view showing another flat planar sheet of box material, such as cardboard, that is cut, creased and assembled to form another display box in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 2

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention produced from the sheet of box material shown in

FIG. 1A

, the box having the invertible panel pushed inward;





FIG. 3

is a right side elevational view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 5

is a front view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 6

is a rear view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 7

is a left side elevational view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 7B

is a left side elevational view of another display box in accordance with the invention produced from the blank shown in

FIG. 1B

;





FIG. 8

is a bottom plan view of the box of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 9

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of the display box of

FIG. 2

with the invertible panel pulled outward;





FIG. 10

is a right side elevational view of the box of

FIG. 9

;





FIG. 11

is a plan view of the box of

FIG. 9

;





FIG. 12

is a plan view of the box of

FIG. 9

;





FIG. 13

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention being loaded with a first component of a product;





FIG. 14

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention being loaded with a second component of the product;





FIG. 15

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention being further loaded with the second component of the product;





FIG. 16

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention loaded with the product;





FIG. 17

is a front perspective view from above and to one side of a display box in accordance with the present invention having the product packaged therein;





FIG. 18

is a cross-sectional view taken along line


18





18


of

FIG. 17

; and





FIG. 19

is a cross-sectional view taken along line


19





19


of FIG.


17


.




It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.




Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of the drawings.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Referring now to

FIG. 1A

, a display box in accordance with the invention can be formed from a single planar rectangular blank of box material indicated generally at


10


. The box material may be cardboard, corrugated paperboard, stiffened plastic sheeting, or other any other conventional box material. The blank


10


can be formed by the use of a single die having sharp blade edges to make cuts through the box material, as illustrated by the solid lines in

FIG. 1A

, and blunted edges that are pressed into the box material to form crease lines, as illustrated by the dashed lines in FIG.


1


A. Any of the crease lines depicted in

FIG. 1A

or any of the other Figures may be a crease line or the combination of one or more crease lines and one or more cuts. The blank


10


can then be folded along the crease lines and selected flaps of the blank


10


can be secured to selected panels by conventional means, such as gluing or stapling, to form the display box.




The blank


10


includes a front panel


20


, a right panel


40


, a left panel


60


, a rear panel


80


, a bottom panel


42


and a top panel


45


. When the blank


10


is assembled into a display box in accordance with the invention, the front panel


20


, right panel


40


, left panel


60


, rear panel


80


, bottom panel


42


and top panel


45


form the front, right, left, rear, bottom and top sides of the display box. It should be understood that when describing the panels of the blank or the sides of the display box, the terms front, right, left, rear, bottom and top have been used for convenience and do not imply that the display box must be arranged with the front of the display box facing a viewer. However, in an example use for the display box, a viewer facing the display box would be looking at the front panel of the box, with the bottom panel of the box typically resting on a display surface. In addition, when the term “substantially” is used herein with reference to the shape of flaps or panels, the term “substantially” means that the flap or panel may vary slightly from the general geometric shape such as by the rounding or chamfering of corners.




The front panel


20


is. hinged to the left panel


60


by a crease lines


23


and is hinged to the right panel


40


by a crease line


27


. The right panel


40


is hinged to the rear panel


80


by a crease line


46


. The substantially trapezoidal top panel


45


is hinged to the right panel


40


by a crease line


44


and the substantially rectangular bottom panel


42


is hinged to the right panel


40


by a crease line


41


. The perimeter of the top panel


45


is formed by edges


45




a


,


45




b


,


45




c


and


45




d


and may include chamfered or rounded corners at the intersection of any of the edges


45




a


,


45




b


,


45




c


and


45




d


. The perimeter of the bottom panel


42


is formed by edges


42




a


,


42




b


, and


42




c


and may include chamfered or rounded corners at the intersection of any of the edges


42




a


,


42




b


and


42




c.






Assembly flaps


82


,


22


,


64


,


66


,


25


and


85


are arranged around the blank in strategic locations to allow for assembly of a display box in accordance with-the invention. Substantially trapezoidal assembly flap


82


is hinged to the bottom of the rear panel


80


by a crease line


81


. Substantially trapezoidal assembly flap


22


is hinged to the bottom of the front panel


20


by a crease line


21


. Substantially trapezoidal assembly flap


64


is hinged to the side of the left panel


60


by a crease line


63


. Substantially trapezoidal assembly flap


66


is hinged to the top of the left panel


60


by a crease line


65


. Substantially rectangular assembly flap


25


is hinged to the top of the front panel


20


by a crease line


24


. Substantially trapezoidal assembly flap


85


is hinged to the top of the rear panel


80


by a crease line


84


.




The blank


10


includes an invertible panel


30


that is arranged between the front panel


20


and the right panel


40


. A left section


301


of the invertible panel


30


is hinged to the front panel


20


by a crease line


26


and a right section


30




r


of the invertible panel


30


is hinged to the right panel


40


by a crease line


43


. The upper edge of the invertible panel


30


comprises upper edge


391


and upper edge


39




r


that are spaced apart by notch


49


. The lower edge of the invertible panel


30


includes spaced apart lower edge


31


and lower edge


33


. A display hole


70


is defined in the blank


10


by the invertible panel


30


, a curvilinear inner edge


72


of the front panel


20


, and a curvilinear inner edge


73


of the right panel


40


.




Extending downward from the invertible panel


30


is a left retention tab


32


that is hinged to the left section


301


of the invertible panel


30


by a crease line


37


. Also extending downward from the invertible panel


30


is a right retention tab


34


that is hinged to the right section


30




r


of the invertible panel


30


by a crease line


38


. At the center of the invertible panel


30


, there is a crease line


36


that runs from the notch


49


to the intersection of crease line


37


and crease line


38


. The right section


30




r


of the invertible panel


30


also includes a crease line


35


that runs from the upper edge


39




r


of the invertible panel


30


to the intersection of the crease line


38


and the lower edge


33


of the invertible panel


30


.




Referring now to

FIG. 1B

, another display box in accordance with the invention can be formed from a single planar rectangular blank of box material indicated generally at


10


B. The blank


10


B includes all of the features of the blank


10


of FIG.


1


A. However, the blank


10


B includes two additional assembly flaps


47


and


48


. Assembly flap


47


is hinged to the top of the top panel


45


by a crease line


57


, and assembly flap


48


is hinged to the bottom of the bottom panel


42


by a crease line


58


.




The blank


10


of

FIG. 1A

can be assembled into the display box


15


shown in

FIGS. 2

,


3


,


4


,


5


,


6


,


7


,


8


,


9


,


10


,


11


and


12


using (among other methods) the following steps (the sequence of which can be altered). The rear panel


80


is folded 90 degrees rearward (i.e., into the plane of the drawing of

FIG. 1A

) along crease line


46


and then the right panel


40


is folded 90 degrees rearward (i.e., into the plane of the drawing of

FIG. 1A

) along crease lines


27


and


36


. The assembly flap


64


is then folded 90 degrees rearward (i.e., into the plane of the drawing of

FIG. 1A

) along crease line


63


. The left panel


60


is then folded 90 degrees rearward (i.e., into the plane of the drawing of

FIG. 1A

) along crease line


23


. The assembly flap


64


may then be secured (such as by gluing) to the interior of the rear panel


80


near the edge


83


of the rear panel


80


.




Next, assembly flap


66


is folded 90 degrees downward along crease line


65


, assembly flap


25


is folded 90 degrees downward along crease line


24


, and assembly flap


85


is folded 90 degrees downward along crease line


84


. Glue may then be applied to the top surfaces of assembly flaps


66


,


25


and


85


, and top panel


45


is folded 90 degrees downward along crease line


44


to secure the top surfaces of assembly flaps


66


,


25


and


85


to the bottom surface of the top panel


45


. Then, assembly flap


62


is folded 90 degrees upward along crease line


61


, assembly flap


22


is folded 90 degrees upward along crease line


21


, and assembly flap


82


is folded 90 degrees upward along crease line


81


. Glue may then be applied to the bottom surfaces of assembly flaps


62


,


22


and


82


, and bottom panel


42


is folded 90 degrees upward along crease line


41


to secure the bottom surfaces of assembly flaps


62


,


22


and


82


to the top surface of the bottom panel


42


.




After this assembly process, the display box


15


will be configured as shown in

FIGS. 6

to


12


. During subsequent processing in a packaging process (as described below), the invertible panel


30


is pressed inward such that the display box


15


is configured as shown in

FIGS. 1

to


8


. In order for the display box


15


to assume the configuration of

FIGS. 1

to


8


, the invertible panel is folded inward along crease line


36


and inward along crease lines


43


and


26


. The angle of the folds along crease lines


26


,


36


and


43


will vary depending on the dimensions of the invertible panel


30


. The left retention tab


32


and the right retention tab


34


may also be folded inward along crease lines


37


and


28


respectively during subsequent processing in a packaging process.




The blank


10


B of

FIG. 1B

can be assembled into another display box


15


B which is identical to the display box


15


in the views of

FIGS. 2

,


3


,


4


,


5


,


6


,


8


,


9


,


10


,


11


and


12


but has a side view as shown in FIG.


7


B. The sequence of assembly steps is the same as above for display box


15


except that (i) when securing the top surfaces of assembly flaps


66


,


25


and


85


to the bottom surface of the top panel


45


, assembly flap


47


is folded 90 degrees downward along crease line


57


and secured (such as by glue) to the top portion of the left panel


60


, and (ii) when securing the bottom surfaces of assembly flaps


62


,


22


and


82


to the top surface of the bottom panel


42


, assembly flap


48


is folded 90 degrees upward along crease line


58


and secured (such as by glue) to the bottom portion of the left panel


60


. It can be appreciated that the assembly flaps


47


and


48


can be located in an alternative position on the top panel


45


and the bottom panel


42


respectively such that the assembly flaps


47


and


48


are secured to the top and bottom portion of the rear panel


80


.




Looking at

FIGS. 2-12

, it can be seen that the invertible panel


30


can flex along crease line


36


(which is intermediate and preferably centered between the opposed side edges or crease lines


26


and


43


of the invertible panel


30


) when the invertible panel


30


is moved between a first (unflexed) position as best shown in

FIG. 9 and a

second (inwardly flexed) position as best shown in FIG.


2


. Referring to

FIG. 9

, it can be seen that the left section


301


of the invertible panel


30


is substantially (i.e., almost completely) coplanar with the front panel


20


and the right section


30




r


is substantially (i.e., almost completely) coplanar with the right panel


40


when the invertible panel


30


is in the first position. In addition, the top panel


45


is dimensioned such that a vertical passageway


55


is formed behind the invertible panel


30


and in front of edge


45




a


of the top panel


45


. With this configuration of the top panel


45


and the invertible panel


30


, an elongated object can be inserted downward into the vertical passageway


55


when the invertible panel


30


is in the first position.




After the object is inserted in the vertical passageway


55


, pressure may be applied to the invertible panel


30


such that the invertible panel


30


flexes along crease lines


26


,


36


and


43


. Upon the application of pressure, the invertible panel


30


is placed in the second position as shown in

FIG. 2

which is nearer a central portion of the interior space of the display box


15


or


15


B than the first position. It can be seen that the top panel


45


is dimensioned such that the vertical passageway


55


does not exist behind the invertible panel


30


when the invertible panel


30


is in the second position. With this configuration of the top panel


45


and the invertible panel


30


, the invertible panel


30


and the top panel


45


provide a means to contain the elongated object in the interior space of the box


15


or


15


B.




Having detailed the construction of a display box according to the invention, the use of the display box in packaging and displaying an article can be described. In order to illustrate the use of a display box according to the invention, a process for packaging a hanging mosquito lantern assembly has been shown in

FIGS. 13-19

. Looking at

FIG. 18

, the hanging mosquito lantern assembly includes a number of elongated cylindrical pole segments


93


, a number of tubular connector sleeves


94


, a curvilinear elongated hanger support


92


, and a volatile dispenser (or lamp)


90


with an attached hanger


91


. The volatile dispenser


90


with a hanger


91


is fully shown and described in PCT International Publication Number WO 00/78135 A2 which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. The cylindrical pole segments


93


(which are held together by tape


95


when boxed) are assembled into a pole using the connector sleeves


94


and the hanger support


92


is assembled to the top of the pole using a connector sleeve


94


. The pole may be inserted into the ground and the volatile dispenser


90


then depends from the hanger support


92


by way of the hanger


91


. It should be understood that the display box


15


is suitable for holding other articles, such as those having a body and a movable elongated support.




The steps for packaging the components of the hanging mosquito lantern assembly into the display box


15


are best shown in

FIGS. 13-16

. In

FIG. 13

, a group of cylindrical pole segments


93


(which are held together by tape


95


) is placed by movement in direction A into the vertical passageway


55


that is formed behind the invertible panel


30


of the box


15


. When packaging certain products, this step may be omitted depending on the number of components of the product. Next, as shown in

FIG. 14

, the curvilinear elongated hanger support


92


, which is shown supporting the attached hanger


91


of the volatile dispenser (or lamp)


90


, is placed by movement in direction B into the vertical passageway


55


that is formed behind the invertible panel


30


of the box


15


. The hanger support


92


is placed into the vertical passageway


55


such that a portion of the hanger support


92


is above or rests on the top edges


39




l


,


39




r


of the invertible panel


30


. Preferably, the hanger support


92


rests on or is above the notch


49


in the top edges


39




l


,


39




r


of the invertible panel


30


.




Thereafter, the volatile dispenser (or lamp)


90


is placed by movement in direction C into the display opening


70


of the box


15


as shown in FIG.


15


. The user then applies a force F


3


to the volatile dispenser


90


and/or forces F


1


, F


2


to the invertible panel


30


as shown in FIG.


16


. As a result, the invertible panel


30


is thrust back into the interior space of the box


15


, inverting and carrying the top of the volatile dispenser


90


to its final position in the box


15


as shown in FIG.


16


. The left retention tab


32


and the right retention tab


34


automatically spring downward to clip within the top of the volatile dispenser


90


to secure the volatile dispenser


90


within the box


15


. In one example arrangement, the invertible panel


30


preferably remains flexed at crease lines


26


,


35


,


43


(shown in

FIG. 1A

) causing the portion of the invertible panel


30


between crease lines


26


and


35


to form a generally, continuous, smooth, curved surface.




After the hanging mosquito lantern assembly is packed into the display box


15


, the box and hanging mosquito lantern assembly are arranged as shown in

FIGS. 17-19

. It can be seen that the invertible panel


30


is arranged such that the invertible panel


30


is set back from a first plane formed by the front panel


20


and a second plane formed by the right panel


40


. The hanger support


92


is positioned above or on the top edges


39




l


or


39




r


of the invertible panel, and preferably on or above the notch


49


in the top edges


39




l


,


39




r


of the invertible panel


30


. The hanging mosquito lantern assembly is contained within the interior space of the box


15


such that at least a portion of the volatile dispenser


90


is displayed through the display opening


70


of the box


15


. The left retention tab


32


and the right retention tab


34


of the invertible panel


30


preferably both contact a top portion


112


of the volatile dispenser


90


as shown in

FIGS. 18 and 19

and preferably both contact a rear lip


111


of the top of the volatile dispenser


90


in order to secure the volatile dispenser


90


in the display box


15


against both up and down movement and forward to back movement.




It can be appreciated that the display box according to the invention provides cost advantages when packaging a product, especially a product having a body depending from a movable elongated support. The display box may be delivered to a packaging assembly line fully assembled with all joints and ends glued as is shown in FIG.


9


. In this “pre filling” configuration, the invertible panel is in an initial unflexed position. The product may then be packaged in the box by one person using the steps detailed above. When using prior boxes, multiple handling steps and multiple people were needed to pack such a product into a conventional box as the conventional box had end panels that were open to allow the product to be inserted from an end. The end panels then had to be closed and securely fastened to retain the product. When using a display box according to the invention, the packaging process can be accomplished in fewer steps using fewer people.




Although the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.




INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY




The invention relates to a box for containing and displaying a product sold at retail, and to product packaging processes using the box.



Claims
  • 1. A box for containing and displaying a product, the box comprising:a bottom panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, a front panel, a top panel, a rear panel, a display opening having a perimeter, and an invertible panel, the bottom panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, the top panel and the rear panel defining an interior space of the box, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, and the rear panel being joined at their lower edges to the bottom panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, and the rear panel being joined at their upper edges to the top panel, the first side panel and the second side panel being joined at their front edges to the front panel, the first side panel and the second side panel being joined at their rear edges to the rear panel, the display opening being formed between at least a portion of the first side panel and at least a portion of the front panel, and the invertible panel including a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposed side edges, the invertible panel being located above the display opening, the majority of the top edge of the invertible panel not being joined to any panels of the box, the majority of the bottom edge of the invertible panel not being joined to any panels of the box, one side edge of the invertible panel being joined to the front panel and the other side edge of the invertible panel being joined to the first side panel such that the invertible panel can be moved between a first position and a second position, the second position being nearer a central portion of the interior space of the box than the first position.
  • 2. The box of claim 1, further comprising:at least one tab extending downward from the bottom edge of the invertible panel.
  • 3. The box of claim 1, further comprising:a pair of tabs extending downward from the bottom edge of the invertible panel.
  • 4. The box of claim 1, wherein:the top edge of the invertible panel includes a downwardly extending notch.
  • 5. The box of claim 1, wherein:the invertible panel can flex along a longitudinal fold line intermediate the opposed side edges of the invertible panel when the invertible panel is moved between the first position and the second position.
  • 6. The box of claim 1, wherein:the invertible panel includes a first section and a second section, the first section being substantially coplanar with the front panel and the second section being substantially coplanar with the first side panel when the invertible panel is in the first position.
  • 7. The box of claim 1, wherein:the top panel is dimensioned such that a vertical passageway is formed behind the invertible panel when the invertible panel is in the first position.
  • 8. The box of claim 7, wherein:the top panel is dimensioned such that a vertical passageway does not exist behind the invertible panel when the invertible panel is in the second position.
  • 9. A one-piece blank for forming the box of claim 1.
  • 10. A boxed article comprising the box of claim 1, andan article having a body and a movable elongated support, wherein the elongated support is positioned above or on the top edge of the invertible panel, and the article is contained within the interior space of the box such that at least a portion of the body of the article is displayed through the display opening.
  • 11. The boxed article of claim 10, wherein:the top edge of the invertible panel includes a downwardly extending notch, and the elongated support rests in the notch.
  • 12. The boxed article of claim 10, wherein:the body depends from the movable elongated support.
  • 13. The boxed article of claim 10 wherein:the invertible panel includes at least one tab extending downward from the bottom edge, and each tab contacts a top portion of the body of the article.
  • 14. The boxed article of claim 10 wherein:the body of the article is a lamp and the support is a hanger support.
  • 15. A method for packaging in a box an article having a body and a movable elongated support such that the body of the article is displayed, the method comprising:providing a box having a bottom panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, a front panel, a top panel, a rear panel, a display opening having a perimeter, and an invertible panel, the bottom panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, the top panel and the rear panel defining an interior space of the box, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, and the rear panel being joined at their lower edges to the bottom panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the front panel, and the rear panel being joined at their upper edges to the top panel, the first side panel and the second side panel being joined at their front edges to the front panel, the first side panel and the second side panel being joined at their rear edges to the rear panel, the display opening being formed in at least a portion of the first side panel and at least a portion of the front panel, and the invertible panel including a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposed side edges, the invertible panel being located above the display opening, the majority of the top edge of the invertible panel not being joined to any panels of the box, the majority of the bottom edge of the invertible panel not being joined to any panels of the box, one side edge of the invertible panel being joined to the front panel and the other side edge of the invertible panel being joined to the first side panel such that the invertible panel can be moved between a first position and a second position, the second position being nearer a central portion of the interior space of the box than the first position, the invertible panel being initially in the first position, the top panel being dimensioned such that a vertical passageway is formed behind the invertible panel when the invertible panel is in the first position; providing an article having a body and a movable elongated support; placing the elongated support into the vertical passageway such that a portion of the elongated support is above or rests on the top edge of the invertible panel; positioning the body of the article in the display opening of the box; and applying a force to the article and/or the invertible panel whereby the invertible panel is moved into the second position and the article is contained within the interior space of the box.
  • 16. The method of claim 15 wherein:the top edge of the invertible panel includes a downwardly extending notch, and the elongated support rests in the notch when the elongated support is placed into the vertical passageway.
  • 17. The method of claim 15 wherein:the invertible panel includes at least one tab extending downward from the bottom edge, and each tab contacts a top portion of the body of the article when the article is contained within the interior space of the box.
  • 18. The method of claim 15 wherein:the body depends from the movable elongated support.
  • 19. The method of claim 15 wherein:the body of the article is a lamp and the support is a hanger support.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
616548 Mason Dec 1898 A
3517801 Cote Jun 1970 A
3750870 Cote Aug 1973 A
3770116 Cote Nov 1973 A
3777883 Hackenberg Dec 1973 A
4171050 Murray et al. Oct 1979 A
4242984 Smith Jan 1981 A
4848563 Robbins Jul 1989 A
5205730 Capdeville Apr 1993 A
5332085 Fraser Jul 1994 A
5495937 Fraser Mar 1996 A
5826727 Fraser Oct 1998 A
6033212 Bonnema et al. Mar 2000 A
D455956 Thompson et al. Apr 2002 S
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
WO0078135 Dec 2000 WO