Patent Application
20050092637
This patent relates to a modular packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. More particularly, this patent relates to a system for packaging multiple products, including irregularly-shaped products, on a pallet to be shipped to a retailer, who then may display the products in the packaging in which they are shipped.
Mass merchandising retailers, such as “club store” retailers, often display their products on the pallets on which the products were shipped from their vendors. The products in their primary packages (what the consumer actually buys) are arranged in multiple layers using secondary packaging systems. The primary purpose of the secondary packaging system is to contain and organize sub-groups of primary packaging, as well as improve the stacking strength of the palletized unit. There are two types of secondary packaging systems: those in which multiple trays are supported by the products themselves, and those in which the trays supported wholly or partly by partitions.
The use of partitions between each tray can help improve stacking strength. However, club store shoppers can find it difficult to view products on palletized displays due to the partitions and other secondary packaging elements that obscure the products. Another disadvantage of partitions is that they add to the packaging cost and can result in poor sales appeal for the club store operators.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging system for the shipping and display of palletized products that increases stacking strength, enhances product visibility and reduces packaging waste which, in turn, reduces material cost.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging system that enables the point of purchase mass merchandiser to raise the level of the remaining product layers when the top layers have been emptied of products.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
The present invention is a modular packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. The system comprises vertically stacked trays for holding the products, hollow spacer sleeves affixed over openings in each tray such that their hollow interiors communicate with the openings, and support posts inserted inside the spacer sleeves and through the tray openings to lock the trays together. The bottom tray rests on a standard pallet. The entire assembly may be wrapped in transparent plastic film to protect the products from dust and damage.
The system is strong enough not only to support the weight of the products on the trays and withstand the vibration and impact forces that can occur during shipping, but to withstand the weight of one or more units stacked on top. The system is particularly suited for shipping and displaying irregularly shaped items and items that cannot withstand vertical stacking forces, such as soft-packaged goods, since the system can bear the entire stacking load.
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in
The trays 12 preferably are formed from corrugated board, although any suitable material may be used. Each tray 12 has die-cut openings 24 disposed therein which are large enough to accommodate the support posts 18 but smaller than the spacer sleeves 16. The number of openings 24 in each tray 12 is a function of the number of support posts 18 used. Typical modular packaging systems 10 include four post, five post, six post, seven post and eight post layouts, as shown in
The support posts 18, and thus the die-cut openings 24, may be arranged in any suitable fashion, although it is preferred that there be an opening 24 at each corner of the trays 12. In the five post layout (
Each tray 12 comprises a bottom panel 13 for supporting the products 14 and short side panels 15 extending upward from the perimeter of the bottom panel 13. The bottom panel 13 and/or side panels 15 may be printed or otherwise decorated in any desirable fashion to increase the aesthetic appeal of the display.
Additional means for helping to keep the products 14 in place may be employed. For example, optional dividers (not shown) may be placed around the individual products 14 on each tray 12, although these dividers need not be load bearing. Openings may be die cut into the tray bottom panels 13 to allow the products 14 to sit into the trays 12 and extend below the tray bottom panels 13. Inserts with die cut openings for receiving the bottoms of the products 14 may be placed in the trays 12. Sticky clean peel adhesive sheets may be placed on the trays 12 under the products 14 to help keep the products 14 secure.
The spacer sleeves 16 evenly space the trays 12 apart and provide a platform on which additional trays 12 may be placed. The height of the spacer sleeves 16 is determined by the height of the products 14 in their primary packaging or, more particularly, the desired height between trays 12. The spacer sleeves 16 may be pre-attached to the trays 12 in some fashion, such as by adhesive, tape or staples, and are over each opening 24 so that their hollow interiors communicate with the openings 24.
Preferably, the spacer sleeves 16 are hollow paper tubes formed into a desired shape, such as those marketed by Sonoco Products Company of Hartsville, S.C. and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,054; 5,593,039; 6,059,104 and 6,186,329, incorporated herein by reference. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures and as shown in
The support posts 18 must be small enough to slide inside the spacer sleeves 16 and through the openings 24 in the trays 12. Like the spacer sleeves 16, the support posts 18 may be wound paper tubes such as those manufactured by Sonoco Products Company. The support posts 18 may have any suitable cross-sectional shape, including but not limited to triangular, and should fit snugly inside the spacer sleeves 16.
The length of the support posts 18 is a function of the length of the support posts 16 and number of trays 12. The support posts 18 must be long enough to extend through more than one set of support posts 16 in order to hold multiple trays 12 together. For example, in the four layer system illustrated in the figures and described in detail below, two sets of support posts 18a, 18b are used. The bottom set of support posts 18a are long enough to extend through two and one-half spacer sleeves 16, and the top set of support posts 18b are long enough to extend through about one and one-half spacer sleeves 16.
Any number of product display layers can be achieved with the invention. By way of example only, and without limitation as to the scope of the invention, to assemble the four layer packaging system 10 of
The vendor then inserts a second set of support posts 18b into the upper portion of the spacer sleeves 16c of the third layer 12c and repeats the stacking process for layer four. When finished, the second set of support posts 18b extend through the upper portion of the third layer spacer sleeves 16c and through all or part of the fourth layer spacer sleeves 16d.
An optional fifth tray (without attached spacer sleeves) may be placed over the fourth tray 12d to serve as a top cap 26 by inverting the fifth tray 26 so that its side panels 15 extend downward and securing the top cap 26 to the upwardly extending spacer sleeves 16d by fitting the spacer sleeves 16d snugly within the top cap side panels 15. Finally, the entire assembly 10 may be wrapped in transparent plastic film 22 (see
An added benefit of the present system is the ability of the point of purchase mass merchandiser to raise the level of the remaining trays 12 when the top trays 12 have been emptied of products 14, thereby bringing the products 14 closer to the consumer's eye (and purchasing) level. For example, in the system 10 of
When the next tray 12c is emptied of products 14, the bottom two trays 12a, 12b may be raised by removing the empty tray 12c (and the spacer sleeves 16c), lifting the bottom two trays 12a, 12b, spacer sleeves 16a, 16b and support posts 18a off the pallet 20, sliding the support posts 18a out of the spacer sleeves 16a, 16b, placing the empty tray 12c (with spacer sleeves 16c) on the pallet 20, inserting the support posts 18a into the spacer sleeves 16c, and placing the product laden trays 12a, 12b onto the upwardly extending support posts 18a such that the posts 18a extend at least partway through the spacer sleeves 12a, 12b. The rearranged system will then appear as shown in
Thus there has been described a modular packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. The system enhances product visibility by eliminating the need for dividers or partitions and by enabling the point of purchase retailer to raise the level of the display trays to a better viewing and purchasing height. The system reduces packaging waste and material costs by eliminating the need for dividers and other support structures. The system is strong enough not only to support the weight of the products on the trays and withstand the vibration and impact forces that can occur during shipping, but also to withstand the weight of one or more units stacked on top. The system is particularly suited for shipping and displaying irregularly shaped items or items that cannot withstand vertical stacking forces, such as soft-packaged products, since the system can bear the entire stacking load.
Other modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated that do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications that fall within their scope.
