The present invention relates to a product hang tag or sell tag, and more specifically to multi-page or multi-leave hang tag and method of making such a hang tag.
Point of sale presentation is often one of the most important yet underappreciated aspects of successful marketing of retail goods. When product features are easily visible and clearly displayed a potential buyer quickly and easily gains an understanding of the product, its advantages over a competitor's goods, and insight into unique product features which could prove useful in the purchasing decision. It is a well accepted principle that the retail display of products is a substantial factor in marketing success. Where product features, usefulness, advantages and the like can be easily discerned using an economical arrangement carried by the product, sales will typically be greater and returns less.
With certain products, providing an efficient and successful means to display the product and its key features has proved challenging. For example, some school or office products, such as binders or organizers, often have their most useful components and features inside the binder or organizer. Many of the most recent advances in these products have included new and useful internal compartments and attachments. These products, however, are usually packaged and displayed in stores in a manner such that the binder or organizer is packaged in a manner that keeps it closed; making it impossible for a prospective purchaser to see what is inside.
In certain instances, in order to allow a consumer to view the internal components of a binder or organizer, the binder or organizer is packaged, shelved and displayed in a manner such that that a user can manipulate and open the binder to view the internal components. Such an unrestricted display arrangement, however, is not desirable. The constant opening and manipulation of the product by consumers leads to a poor shelf life. As subsequent consumers repeatedly open and view the product, some units can become damaged or deteriorate to the point where they can no longer be offered for sale. Furthermore, loose internal components can be lost or separated from the commercial goods resulting in a high rate of returns and exchanges. Such damaged or deficient products can lead to a lower profit margin for both the retail store and the manufacturer of the product.
In order to prevent the constant consumer manipulation, some binders, organizers or other book like products have been packaged in a manner wherein the product cannot be easily opened at the retail store. In such circumstances, cardboard, paper, plastic or other known packaging material is wrapped around the product such that the product may not be easily opened. In other instances, the product may be packaged in a box, a clamshell package or another type container. Such packaging, however, is also not desirable because the internal components of the packaged product are not easily visible to the consumer. As a result, the advantages of the product over others may not be fully comprehended or appreciated by the consumer.
Furthermore, while some packaging may list or show some of the features, this approach requires considerable consumer effort to ascertain the specific advantages of the packaged product. Furthermore, such a listing of features does not often provide a consumer with an adequate understanding of the spatial arrangement of the featured internal components.
What is needed is a display hang tag that is more versatile and which enables more information to be displayed in a given area. What is also needed is a display hang tag of multi-leaved or multi-page construction that is of economical construction.
The invention is directed to a multi-page hang tag that is configurable so as to display, for example in one preferred embodiment, the inner components of a book-like or compartmentalized product such as a binder. The hang tag has an overlay sheet that includes a pair of pages hingedly connected to a spine by a web of material that preferably is laminate material of transparent construction. The spine of the multi-page overlay sheet is attached to a backing sheet which is configured to be attached to a binder or other product.
At least one side of the backing sheet includes indicia relating to the product to which the hang tag is attached. At least one side of each page includes indicia of a like nature and in a preferred embodiment both sides of each page contain product-related indicia. As a result of a hang tag constructed in accordance with the present invention having at least one multi-page overlay sheet, increased product-related information is presented using a minimum of hang-tag and product display space or area.
The invention is further directed to a method of manufacturing such a hang tag, including in particular, making the multi-page overlay sheet from a single sheet of paper or card stock. The method includes forming two generally rectangular elongate gaps or interruptions in the sheet, defining a spine separating a pair of pages. Forming carried out in this method step leaves at least one bridge of sheet material connecting each page at least to the spine, if not one another. Forming preferably is performed by punching or stamping the sheet such as using a die, a press, a laser cutter, a fluid injection cutter, or another suitable cutting arrangement.
A material webbing is applied to at least one side of the formed overlay sheet so as to contact at least a portion of each page and at least part of the spine with at least part of the webbing extending across each gap or interruption. In a preferred method, the webbing material is transparent, at least where it contacts each page. In a currently preferred embodiment, the webbing material is flexible, clear and bondable to the overlay sheet. A particularly preferred webbing material is laminate material, such as laminate material made of a polymeric material such as a plastic or the like. If desired, such webbing can be composed of vinyl, polyethylene, polypropylene, or another suitable material that preferably is used as laminate material.
In a preferred method, the formed overlay sheet is laminated on both sides covering substantially the entire surface area of both sides of each page and the spine. Laminate material thus extends on both sides across the gap providing a region of less thickness and stiffness that defines a page hinge therealong. Such a construction produces a durable, aesthetically attractive and yet economical hang tag multi-page overlay sheet.
Additional forming is performed to remove each bridge. This forming step preferably is performed after the laminating step but can be carried out substantially coextensive therewith if desired. When bridge removal is completed, a multi-page overlay sheet constructed in accordance with the invention is produced having a hinge between each page and the spine that is defined by interconnecting laminate material in each corresponding gap.
In one preferred embodiment, the method of manufacturing a hang tag having pages hingedly attached to a spine includes the steps of providing a piece of paper stock that includes a first page, an second page and spine between the first and second page. First and second oblong or rectangular gaps are generated along opposite sides of the spine with one gap disposed between the spine and one page and the other gap disposed between the spine and the other page. Further defining each gap is an upper or lower bridge of paper stock that connects the spine to at least one of the pages. In one preferred embodiment, each gap is defined by an upper bridge and a lower bridge with the upper bridge connecting the top of the spine to the top of at least one page and the lower bridge connecting the bottom of the spine to the bottom of at least one page. The paper stock is then laminated. Following lamination, the bridges are removed leaving each page connected to the spine only by laminate material extending across the gaps.
In a preferred embodiment, the first gap and the second gap are generated by punching the paper stock with a die. In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes the step of attaching the spine with one or more staples to a precut backing sheet configured for attachment to a commercial product such as a binder. In another preferred embodiment, the attached commercial product is a binder that includes multiple internal sections connected to a ring and the pages of the hang tag include graphical representations of the internal sections printed upon them.
In one preferred embodiment, a hang tag having pages hingedly attached by laminate to a spine is made by the process of providing a first piece of card stock, generating two elongate slits in the card stock such that the slits have an upper and a lower end that define bridge portions located above the upper end and below the lower end of the slits, laminating the card stock and removing the bridge portions such that the pages are pivotable along the laminated slits between said pages.
In one preferred embodiment a product display hang tag includes a backing sheet configured for attachment to a commercial product and a front sheet attached to the backing sheet. The front sheet includes a spine, first and second pages hingedly connected to the spine by a laminate layer applied across the first page, second page and spine. In a preferred embodiment, the front sheet is attached to the backing sheet by staples inserted through the spine of said front sheet into the backing sheet and both sides of the front sheet and the backing sheet include printed graphics. In another preferred embodiment, the first page, second page, and spine are all cut from a single piece of paper stock.
In one preferred embodiment, a method of manufacturing a product hang tag includes providing a backing sheet having a front and back side formed from a first sheet of paper stock. A second sheet of paper stock is also provided. First and second vertically aligned elongate gaps are punched within a central region of the second sheet of paper stock. The gaps define a spine between first and second pages, an upper bridge and a lower bridge. The second sheet of paper stock is laminated such that the laminate extends across the first page and the second page and between the first and second gaps. The laminated second sheet of paper stock is then punched to remove the upper and lower bridges, and the second sheet of paper stock is attached to the front side of the backing sheet.
In one preferred embodiment, a method of manufacturing a product display tag from a single sheet of card stock includes punching two elongate slits in the card stock, laminating the card stock and removing the excess laminated card stock above the upper end of said slit and said lower end of said slit.
Objects, features and advantages of the invention include a laminated multi page product hang tag equipped with a multi-page overlay sheet having a hinge that is mountable to a backing sheet of the hang tag that allows a consumer to view the internal components of a binder, including in their appropriate spatial relationship, without opening the binder; a multi-page product hang tag arrangement that includes the pages and spine formed of a board of single laminated sheet; a multi page hang tag hang arrangement with hinges that alleviates the need of a consumer to open a binder to view the internal components of the binder or organizer; and a hang tag arrangement that is of economical construction, that is robust, that is reliable, that is long-lasting, that is more durable, that is of simple construction, and which is economical to apply and otherwise use.
Various other features and advantages of the present invention will also be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings.
The drawings illustrate the best mode currently contemplated of practicing the present invention. One or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout and in which:
Before explaining one or more embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Binder 22 is of a conventional type known in the art and is depicted in
Binder side wall 32 is generally comprised of an upper half 34 connected to the front cover 26 and lower half 36 connected to the back cover 28 of binder 22. Releasably connecting the halves 34, 36 of the side wall 32 is a zipper 38. Zipper 38 can be used to secure binder halves 34, 36 together thereby securing and keeping the contents housed within binder 22 together.
Binder 22 defines an internal cavity (not shown). The internal cavity of binder 22 preferably includes a plurality of sections or compartments attached to binder rings. The binder rings may be formed on the inner portions of the spine 30 or alternatively may be attached to the sides of the internal cavity. The internal binder cavity may include, for example, multiple sections such as a zippered pencil pouch, a compact disk storage case, a daily planner, numerous bound folders or other organizational dividers and other related organizational compartments. Preferably, each of the aforementioned sections are attached in some way to the binder 22 thereby facilitating organization and ease of use. Furthermore, the multiple sections of the internal cavity may be accessed by turning each section on attached binder rings. Thus a user can simply flip each section within the binder on the rings as if they were reading a book. Such compartmentalized ring type organizational binders are known in the art and are disclosed in, for example commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 10/816,362, filed Mar. 31, 2004, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference.
Referring additionally to
The backing sheet 40 is formed of a sheet of material 82 (
In one preferred embodiment, the sheet material 82 (
In the preferred embodiment shown in
To increase durability and help preserve indicia 60, each sheet 40 and 42 includes at least one layer 70 of webbing that preferably is a laminate material of transparent, e.g. clear, construction. In the preferred embodiment depicted in
Although backing sheet 40 is illustrated in the preferred embodiment as a generally rectangular member, it is understood that backing sheet 40 could be cut in any variety of shapes, depending on the desired application and associated product. In the illustrated embodiment, backing sheet 40 is cut in a manner such that a graphical representation of the opened binder 22 is printable on its front 44. If desired, such indicia (not shown) can depict the interior of the binder 20, including the inside surface of the front cover 26 and back cover 28 along with any associated features included therein. To provide additional realism, the backing sheet 40, as well as the overlay sheet 42, can be formed, preferably by cutting, to mimic the shape of the article to which the hang tag 20 is attached. In the preferred embodiment depicted in
Attached to the front side 44 of the backing sheet 40 is at least one multi-page overlay sheet 42. In the preferred embodiment, the overlay sheet 42 is configured to mimic part of a binder, e.g., binder 22, including some part of its interior. The overlay sheet 42 includes a pair of pages 64 and 66 with a spine 74 therebetween joined due to laminate material, e.g. 70 and/or 72 (
Referring additionally to
First 64 and second 66 pages are symmetric generally rectangular members cut from printed paper stock or cardboard 82 (
Graphics or indicia (not shown) are preferably printed on both the front side 62 and back side 68 of the first 64 and second 66 pages. In at least one preferred embodiment, graphics are printed on each side of the paper stock of the first 64 and second 66 pages such that each side 62, 68 of the pages 64, 66 graphically represent separate sections or compartments of the internal cavity of the binder 22. For example, the back side 68 of first page 64 may have a graphical representation of a compartment such as a CD or DVD case and the front side 62 of the first page 64 may have a representation of another section or compartment such as of a type found in a student planner of the like.
Preferably, both sides of paper stock 82 (
Spine 74 is a rectangular member cut from the same piece of paper stock 82 used to form first 64 and second 66 pages. Spine 74 also includes a front side 84 and a back side 86. Spine 74 also has top, bottom, and side edges as is shown in
Between the side edges of the spine 74 and the inner edges of the pages 64 and 66 are generally rectangular elongate gaps bridged by laminate material 70 and/or 72. The laminate layers 70 and 72 extends across these gaps between the spine 74 and each page 64 and 66 and thus hingedly connects first and second pages 64 and 66 to spine 74. The laminate provides a suitable coating for paper stock while allowing the first and second pages 64 and 66 of each attached overlay sheet 42 to be repeatedly flipped back and forth without cracking or tearing. Such laminate material can be, for example, composed of plastic, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, etc., another type of polymeric material, a synthetic material of wholly different origin or another material suitable for laminate use.
A simulated binder portion, i.e., overlay sheet 42, preferably is manufactured from a single sheet of paper stock 82 (
A material removal process is employed during this forming step. For example, the forming operation preferably is performed by die cutting, punching or by using another suitable cutting process. In a currently preferred embodiment and method implementation, die cutting or punching is employed to remove sheet material to form the slot-shaped gaps 88 bounding each side edge of the spine 74′.
As is shown in
Referring to
In a preferred implementation of making the overlay sheet, a layer of laminate material is applied to both outer surfaces of the intermediate formed sheet 42′ shown in
Thereafter or concurrently therewith, another forming operation is performed to remove each bridging section 90, 92, 94 and 96 to produce a finished multi-page overlay sheet 42 in accordance with the invention substantially in accord with that depicted in
The final forming step removes the bridging sections 90, 92, 94 and 96 and enough of the oversized portions of the intermediate sheet 42′ that each gap 88 preferably is substantially uninterrupted by any sheet or stock material. In the preferred embodiment shown in
After that, the formed multi-page overlay sheet is attached to the backing sheet preferably completing assembly of the hang tag 20. As previously discussed, the overlay sheet is mounted to the backing sheet using a plurality of fasteners, preferably staples, that engage the spine of the overlay sheet and part of the backing sheet. Thereafter, the hang tag is attached to a retail displayable product such as by using fasteners such as attachment tabs 24 or the like.
It is also to be understood that, although the foregoing description and drawings describe and illustrate in detail one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention, to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates, the present disclosure will suggest many modifications and constructions, as well as widely differing embodiments and applications without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Various alternatives are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2757793 | Deitz | Aug 1956 | A |
3206225 | Oleson | Sep 1965 | A |
3346104 | Marsh | Oct 1967 | A |
3541698 | Cole | Nov 1970 | A |
3605306 | Diambra et al. | Sep 1971 | A |
5873513 | Ong | Feb 1999 | A |
6439611 | Chen | Aug 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070085323 A1 | Apr 2007 | US |