Patent Application
20180086496
This patent claims the benefit of Provisional Patent 62088657, filed on 2014 Dec. 7 with an extension filed on 2015 Dec. 7. Provisional Patent filed by Eduardo E. Drake, Registration #40594.
A portion of this patent document contains material subject to copyright protection from the inventors' original provisional patent, 62088657, which had a copyright claimed in 2014 with the copyright holders consisting of Jeanne H. Etem, Julie M. Etem and Sherrie L. Sullivan.
The present invention relates generally to flat-folding box covers, with specific emphasis on tissue box covers.
Decorative boxes, specifically tissue boxes, typically are created by adding designs on the cardstock tissue box at the tissue box, or cardstock manufacturer. A second approach to offering decorative tissue boxes are rigid tissue box covers as evidenced in design patents, D390391, D494859, and D514928. The tissue boxes with a decorative design have graphics but they don't have the sheen of laminated paper, nor the flexibility to customize the box look. Another issue is that the tissue boxes need to be glued, limiting their use to one-time. If the tissue boxes could be folded and reconfigured without adhesive, but rather had flaps and slots for assembly, they could be reused a limited number of times before the box configuration lost its crispness and consequently its decorative appeal. In an effort to give a more decorative permanent look numerous rigid box covers with more upscale designer looks have come onto the market. They are placed over the tissue box with versions available for both the square and rectangular tissue boxes. These rigid boxes for the most part cannot be customized, and their bulk also makes them expensive to ship. The present inventors saw three specific issues they wanted to address, one the need for a decorative, reusable box cover that could ship flat, two the need for a decorative reusable box cover that would not have its appearance degrade when it was taken apart and then reassembled and would therefore have a long life, and three a product design that would allow users to customize their box with their own designs.
Prior art descriptions are listed below.
1. Tissue boxes that have a waste receptacle built into the box. U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,062. This patent is based on a standard tissue box and doesn't have a decorative element, nor does it disclose a box that doesn't require adhesive or a box that can be folded together and then unfolded for later reuse.
2. 20130097834 claims a tissue box that is designed for production, with the emphasis on how they can be filled with tissues from the top or bottom.
3. Patents that detail a layout on a one piece blank for a box to simplify graphic production, US20060049067A1 or a graphic design on a one piece blank that can be folded into a box, U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,876. U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,876 is probably the closest invention to the invention claimed in this application. The difference is that the box is folded together with one piece of the cutout going into a slot or other holding mechanism in another part resulting in the lessening of the crisp box look and the loss of rigidity each time the box is constructed. The product is designed for one-time use as a gift box.
4. Tissue box covers that retain a three dimensional shape and do not go flat; they are rigid boxes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,628 and US D390391.
5. US D514928 claims a tissue box cover from a one piece paper cutout that folds together. This patent claims a different one piece paper layout than the product claimed in this application, and is not designed for multiple reuses.
6. US D494859 claims a triangular tissue box, and not a tissue box cover.
7. 20020067038 claims a tissue box cover that has inserts for photos or other decorative elements. The box has a rigid three dimensional shape and does not go flat when not in use.
8. 20030205613 claims a tissue box with a laminated piece that covers the tissue box orifice so that tissue does not get damaged. The application also discloses a flat sheet layout for production that folds into a tissue box. This flat layout is not the same as the product claimed in the current application.
9. 20090212096 claims a foldable box, made out of a flat sheet cutout, folding without the use of adhesives. The 20090212096 application relies on a decorative tab that is inserted into a cutout in the cardstock that holds the box together. The product claimed in this application does not have parts that fold into each other but instead uses magnets or other fasteners to hold the box cover together.
Other pertinent patents.
The prior art does not address the combination of all of the following points that led to the development of the product claimed in the current application.
The flat-folding box cover of this invention has several features, with no one single feature alone responsible for the invention's desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the invention that will be described in the claims, prominent features will be discussed. The preferred embodiment of the flat-folding box cover consists of a top panel with an aperture and four hinged side panels, all made of decorative or plain cardstock covered with plastic transparent laminate on the outside, and all four side panels and the top supported with stiffening pieces. One side of each side panel has magnets embedded into the stiffening pieces, with magnets of one polarity placed so that no sets of magnets of one polarity will be adjacent upon assembly. Each side panel has two sets of flaps, one set of flaps that fold over the magnets of one polarity embedded in the stiffening pieces. The other flap has magnets of the opposite polarity positioned so that on assembly the magnets align with the magnets of one polarity embedded into the stiffening pieces.
Tab liners, are positioned over the magnets of opposite polarity on the side flaps. An end flap folds over the bottom of the side panels for a better decorative effect. The entire cardstock with magnets may be covered in some embodiments by an inner lining that covers the magnets as well as the interior surface. When assembled the flaps with magnets of the opposite polarity reside against the edge of the adjacent side panel with magnets of one polarity to form a magnetic bond that holds the box in place. The cardstock cutout piece is produced in one piece and is able to lie flat and can be formed into a box shape. The interfaces between the box top and four sides are scored or creased to facilitate folding. In the preferred embodiment of the folding box cover, the aperture will have a decorative ring around its edge. The box cover can be configured to cover all standard tissue box sizes and configured to go into other box shapes. Box covers can be configured to fit over dispensers for paper hand towels, moist hand wipes, cosmetic wipes, baby wipes etc.
In additional embodiments, the flat-folding box cover with a top panel and four side panels may be made of paper, cardboard, foam board, plastic and other materials.
In additional embodiments, the decorative designs might be furnished by the end user either to the manufacturer or the selling entity for use as decoration for either or both top panels and side panels.
In additional embodiments, the end user may select to customize some aspects of the configuration by choosing from a set of design options provided by a seller.
In additional embodiments the laminate might have slots where photos or other items could be inserted by the eventual purchaser.
In some embodiments, the flat-folding box cover might be embellished with various materials such as beads, trim, borders, stickers and other decorative materials.
In some embodiments, the plastic transparent laminate material is not used.
In some cases a coating might be applied to the decorative pattern to add decorative appeal, or water resistance or strength to the cardstock, or all three.
In some embodiments the flat-folding box cover fasteners may be snaps, hook and loop, or other fastening devices. The number, size and placement of the fasteners may vary.
In some embodiments the aperture on the top of the flat-folding box cover will not have a decorative ring.
In some embodiments the cardstock cutout may have different layouts to create the flat-folding box.
In some additional embodiments the flat-folding box cover will be produced in a kit format. Some of the potential kit embodiments are:
The method or steps for constructing a finished box cover from the flat-folding cardstock cutout are comprised of:
The five most prominent advantages of the invention are:
The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in
