Patent Application
20240286819
The invention relates to a multifunctional and reusable packaging system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a functional packaging system that combines functions of wearable hand covering implements and related tools with functions of packaging to store utensils, tools, or other accessories.
The packaging industry in the United States is one of the fastest-growing packaging markets in North America.
According to the National Retail Federation, industry sales in retail reached about $4 trillion in 2020, and are expected to increase in the years to come. There is also an increased demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products and packaging options. Companies in all sectors of the market, including retail, promotional and e-commerce, are looking to find creative solutions for sustainable and reusable packaging.
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to gloves and mitts. The following includes a list of art deemed relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting the existing prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0052656 to Poznick is directed to a kitchen mitt having an elongated body with a pair of mitt style hand pockets. The mitt can have one or more pockets on the outside to house kitchen utensils. The mitt also has a handle on the middle of the body such that it can be hung when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,681,945 to Nijmeh is directed to a kitchen glove made with two separately detachable half sections intended to be worn on a user's hand when joined and alternatively used with one or both hands as potholders when separated. The two glove half sections are attached by a zipper around the outer periphery except for the opening for a user's hand to be inserted. All claims of this patent require a front glove section and a rear glove section, and a reversible joinder means capable of reversibly attaching the front and rear sections to one another.
CN205456677U is a Chinese patent directed to a glove wallet with a sealable pocket on the outside for housing coins, etc. The glove also has zippers at the wrist opening and the thumb opening and matching snap closures at the top finger portion and bottom wrist portion. When the glove is not in use, the wrist zipper can be closed and the glove can be used as a wallet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,438 to Ragsdale is directed to an insulated kitchen mitt with a kitchen utensil removably attached to the mitt's palm piece via a pocket such that the utensil can be used while wearing the mitt.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,806,195 to Kalliontzis et al. is directed to a mitt for protecting a user's hand during performance of dirty tasks, having a carrier attachable to the user's body and designed to hold the mitt spaced apart from the user's body. The mitt has a resealable pouch at its wrist end for insertion of a rigid member designed to keep the mitt open such that the user can slide their hand into the mitt without touching it. The mitt can also have a pocket on the outside to house small items like dog toys.
U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0155076 to Charette is directed to dog walking winter glove that houses a retractable leash and allows extrusion of the leash while wearing the glove. The glove has an opening for the user's hand that can be adjusted in size to accommodate different wrist sizes. The glove also includes a leash opening with a zipper through which the retractable leash holder is inserted into the glove. The glove further includes a resealable external pocket for housing small items such as dog treats.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,458,814 to Voto is directed to a cookie cutting glove having a cookie cutter attached to an outside of the glove to allow one to cut cookie shapes with minimal motor skill effort.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,590 to Duncan is directed to a hand grip and arm protection glove that extends over a user's hand, wrist and arm. The glove has an inner part and an outer part, with the outer part being cut off in the finger region to allow the inner part to extend therethrough. The glove also has a cinch mechanism at the arm end for cinching around the user's upper arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,614 to Eichelbaum is directed to a biodegradable disposable glove with a disposable sanitary item placed in a pocket positioned on the outside surface of the glove.
CN205456294U is a Chinese patent directed to a winter glove with a resealable pocket on the outside for a warming packet. The winter glove also has a resealable opening for allowing a user's fingers to extend to be able to use touch screen devices such as a smart phone.
Packaging is one area of waste that is common when distributing goods to consumers. “Over packing” packages and adding unnecessary packaging adds cost to every level of the retail transaction from manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, to consumer. It also creates a large amount of waste, making it unfriendly to the environment.
Furthermore, there is a real need from a consumer and business perspective for innovative solutions in eco-friendly packaging. Eco-friendly packaging complements the public's desire to purchase their products in an environmentally friendly manner with a company's desire to meet sustainability goals and cost saving measures.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system that reduces the amount of packaging needed to bring a product to the consumer, and furthermore packaging that might be incorporated into the retail product itself where the product itself becomes part of the packaging. It would also be advantageous to provide a system that allows packaging to be manufactured at the same time and in the same general location as the retail product itself.
Furthermore, in the promotional market, where companies put their name and logo on products for the purpose of branding and marketing their company or organization, often times their name or logo is printed only on the packaging. In these cases, it is common for that branded packaging to be discarded after opening, and the company's name and logo is gone. Turning the product into the actual packaging ensures the name and branding last and provide another benefit to the consumer.
What is desired is a system that allows a functional item such as a mitt or glove or washing implement to act as both its own standalone product as well as reusable packaging for other products, and that such a system allow other retail products to become the components of the system they are incorporated into. Further desired is a system that improves on the presented prior art.
These objectives are achieved by providing a functional reusable packaging system that includes a hand covering implement, wherein the hand covering implement has an internal or external cavity configured to accommodate a user's hand and a wrist opening through which the user's hand is inserted into the internal or external cavity; and a sealable mechanism configured to close off the wrist opening to substantially seal the internal cavity to form packaging that houses at least one of utensils, tools, or accessories placed within the internal cavity.
In a configuration of the invention, the functional packaging system is provided that contains a sealable mechanism that is at least one of a zipper, cinch string, snap, hook-and-loop fastener, button, slide lock, Velcro or magnet.
In another configuration of the invention, the hand covering implement is at least one of a pot holder, double pot holder, oven mitt, grilling mitt, auto cleaning glove, dusting glove, gardening glove, makeup remover glove, sliding glove, baseball glove, painters mitt, polishing mitt, exfoliating mitt, application mitt, work glove, ski glove, or pet grooming glove.
In another embodiment, the hand covering implement of the functional packaging system is formed of a heat-insulative material. In further embodiment, the hand covering implement is formed of a soft, absorbent material.
In yet another configuration of the invention, the hand covering implement of the functional packaging system has a shape of a mitten, or has a shape of a glove.
In some embodiments of the invention, the hand covering implement has an outer wall and at least one pocket positioned on the outer wall, said at least one pocket configured to house at least one additional utensil, tool or accessory.
The objectives of the present invention are further achieved by providing a functional packaging system that includes an assembly having a main body with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end has a first hand covering implement and the second end has a second hand covering implement, and a sealable mechanism positioned along an outer periphery of the main body, wherein the assembly has a packaging configuration, in which the main body is folded in half and the sealable mechanism joins two halves of the main body to form an internal cavity configured to house at least one of utensils, tools, or accessories.
In one embodiment of the functional packaging system, each of the first hand covering implement and the second hand covering implement has a wrist opening configured to receive a user's hand.
It is contemplated that a system may be provided wherein the wrist openings do not close via the sealable mechanism.
In another embodiment of the functional packaging system, the main body has a first side and a second side, with the wrist openings being positioned on the first side, and wherein two halves of the first side face each other when the assembly is in the packaging configuration.
In some embodiments, the main body has a first side and a second side, with the wrist openings being positioned on the first side, and wherein two halves of the second side face each other when the assembly is in the packaging configuration.
In further embodiments, at least one of the first hand covering implement and the second hand covering implement form an external pocket when the assembly is in the packaging configuration to house at least one additional utensil, tool or accessory.
It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the functional packaging system, the sealable mechanism is at least one of a zipper, cinch string, snap, hook-and-loop fastener, button, slide lock, Velcro or magnet. Furthermore, it is contemplated that in one embodiment of the functional packaging system the assembly includes at least one of a fabric, rubber, silicone, or polymer-based material.
In one embodiment of the invention, the assembly can transform from packaging into an oven mitt assembly which can be used by a user to withstand hot temperatures. In another embodiment of the invention the assembly can transform from packaging into a microfiber wash mitt which can be used by a user to clean or wipe a car or dust a house.
Thus, provided is a system that reduces the amount of external packaging needed to bring a product to the consumer because the product itself becomes the actual packaging, and furthermore items that might be incorporated into the retail product itself. Also provided is a system that allows packaging to be manufactured at the same time and in the same location as the retail product itself. Further provided is a system that allows a functional item such as a mitten or washing implement to act as packaging, and that such a system allow other retail products to become the packaging for the system they are incorporated into.
The term “mitt” as used herein includes various types of hand covering implements of all kinds, including gloves, mittens, or gauntlets, and is not limited to any particular type of hand covering implement.
The term “packaging” as used herein can include terms such as “wrapping,” “wrappers,” “packing,” “cover,” “covering,” or other terms used to denote an ability to wrap, consolidate or protect goods, as well as material used to enclose or contain something.
Other objects of the invention, its particular features, and advantages will become more apparent from consideration of the following drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers designate corresponding structure throughout the views. The following examples are presented to further illustrate and explain the present invention and should not be taken as limiting in any regard. Likewise, the illustrations and drawings are not provided to scale and are provided to further explain and illustrate the novel features of the invention.
The functional product packaging system has a resealable mechanism 106, e.g., a zipper, configured to close off the wrist opening 104 to substantially seal the internal cavity 102 in order to form packaging that can house utensils, tools, or accessories 202 within the internal cavity 102. In different embodiments of the invention the sealable mechanism 106 can be snaps, hook and loop fastener material, buttons, slide lock, magnets, Velcro or another suitable type of closure mechanism. The closure mechanism 106 is designed to be closed off to securely contain items and become the reusable packaging vessel for the items or components inside the internal cavity 102 in a packaging configuration. The closure mechanism 106 can then be opened to remove the items and to allow a user to insert his/her hand into the internal cavity 102 for use in a hand covering implement configuration.
In different embodiments of the invention, the hand covering implement 100 can be a potholder, double potholder, oven mitt, grilling mitt, auto cleaning glove, dusting glove, makeup remover glove, sliding glove (baseball), painter's mitt, polishing mitt, exfoliating mitt, application mitt, work glove, ski glove, pet grooming glove, or other type of glove or mitt or hand covering that can become reusable kits.
In the embodiment shown in
The internal cavity is substantially sealed in the packaging configuration to securely contain the utensils, tools or accessories 404 therein. This way, the functional reusable product packaging system may be transported and/or displayed in a retail location with the packaged items safely secured therein. It is envisioned that the sealable mechanism may in some instances be provided with a tamper proof element when the system is in the packaging configuration to prevent theft of items packaged in the system. Any known and suitable tamper proof mechanism may be utilized. The tamper proof mechanism can be removed once the item is purchased by a consumer to allow the resealable mechanism to be opened into a use configuration.
Another exemplary embodiment of the inventive functional product packaging system is shown in
The first side 602 and the second side 604 of the mitt 600 are secured together to form an internal cavity 102, as shown in
Once the wash mitt 600 is purchased by a consumer, the internal cavity 102 is opened via the sealable mechanism 106 and the items packaged therein are removed. A user's hand 502 is then placed inside the internal cavity of the hand covering implement 100 such that the functionality of the wash mitt 600 may be utilized to clean a surface, such as a car. Once the wash mitt is no longer being used, it can once again transform into reusable packaging for holding items related to its use, such as soap, detergent, wax, or other materials related to its product function, for storage.
Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.
