Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6681983
-
Patent Number
6,681,983
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, September 12, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 27, 200420 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 229 1621
- 229 1623
- 206 4591
- 206 4595
- 206 831
- 040 312
- 040 674
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A paperboard box has removable identifying indicia. In a first embodiment, the top of the box has a central opening that may be rectangular in shape. Each corner of the opening has a removable tab and each of the tabs carries a different message. For example, the messages can relate to different kinds of pies such as, for example, “apple”, “cherry”, and “blueberry”. One of the tabs may be provided with a line to provide a location where an identifier may be handwritten using any suitable writing instrument. As an alternative example, the writing on each tab may relate to an occasion such as “Happy Birthday”, “Happy Anniversary”, “Congratulations” or “Bon Voyage”. A product is placed into the box and the cover is closed thereover. All of the tabs are removed with the exception of the remaining tab that accurately describes either the contents of the box or the occasion being celebrated or observed or other message. In a further embodiment, a box may be provided with a central opening having triangular or parallelogram-shaped tabs partially obscuring the opening. Each tab, as before, has indicia thereon concerning an occasion, the contents of the box or other message.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paperboard box with removable identifying indicia. In the baking industry, it is often necessary to hand mark a box, in a visible location, with indicia identifying the contents of the box, whether by type of pie, occasion celebrated, flavor or the like. Often, pies and cakes are mass produced and placed in identical containers. Thus, a system permitting easy identification of the contents of a box and an easy way of providing that marking would be helpful and would increase efficiency.
In the prior art, it is known to provide markings or indicia on boxes to facilitate identification of the contents of a box. Applicant is aware of the following United States Patents:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 711,240 to Zaring discloses a box having indicia that may be covered to obscure indicia not indicative of the contents of the box.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 2,054,596 to Ford discloses a carton having indicia printed on the side thereof and a flap that may be used to cover the indicia to change the indicated number.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,882 to Eisman et al. discloses a carton with interchangeable identification means consisting of a foldable tab.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,691 to Wihksne discloses a glove package box with interchangeable identification consisting of display windows that may be removed on perforations to reveal indicia behind the windows.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,896 to Brauner et al. discloses a paperboard food carton having a lid with indicia printed thereon and with shutter panels that may be swung to reveal the desired indicium.
(6) Reissue Patent No. Re. 33,979 to Cortopassi discloses a content-identifying carton structure wherein a flap on the lid of the carton includes indicia and the body of the carton has tuck-tabs aligned with each indicium so that the tabs may be pivoted to reveal a desired indicium.
(7) U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,273 to Jensen discloses a paperboard container with indicia tabs wherein a tab may be folded to change the indicated identifier.
(8) U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,315 to Eiteneer et al. discloses a multi-layered gaming device wherein pieces are peeled off to reveal information located thereunder.
(9) U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,997 to Jensen discloses a paperboard clamshell construction in which a container lid has a peelable tab that, when removed, reveals indicium thereunder.
(10) U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,881 to Clements et al. discloses a contest container blank including tabs that may be peeled back to reveal information contained thereunder.
(11) U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,181 to Cai discloses a french fry carton with indicia hidden under a tab that may be torn away to reveal the indicia.
The present invention differs from the teachings of these patents as contemplating a paperboard container in which a plurality of separate tabs are provided on which are written different always visible indicia and wherein all of the areas except one are removed from the container at scoring lines to leave the remaining indicium on the container which accurately describes the contents thereof or provides a salutation, greeting or other message.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to embodiments of a paperboard box with removable identifying indicia. The present invention includes the following interrelated objects, aspects and features:
(1) In a first aspect, the present invention is intended to be incorporated into a box such as a paperboard box made from a sheet of card stock and appropriately scored and configured so that it may be bent at different areas thereon to form the bottom and cover, together comprising the box. Of course, the principles of the present invention may be equally well practiced with boxes made of other materials.
(2) In a first embodiment of the present invention, the top of the box or cover has a central opening that may, if desired, be rectangular in shape. Each corner of the opening has a removable tab and each of the tabs has written thereon a different message. For example, the messages can relate to different kinds of pies such as, for example, “apple”, “cherry”, and “blueberry”. One of the tabs may be provided with a line to provide a location where an identifier may be handwritten using any suitable writing instrument.
(3) As an alternative example, the writing on each tab may relate to an occasion such as “Happy Birthday”, “Happy Anniversary”, “Congratulations” or “Bon Voyage”.
(4) In using the inventive box, a product is placed into the box and the cover is closed thereover. All of the tabs are removed with the exception of the remaining tab that accurately describes either the contents of the box or the occasion being celebrated or observed or other message.
(5) In a further embodiment, a box may be provided with a central opening having triangular or parallelogram-shaped tabs partially obscuring the opening. Each tab, as before, has indicia thereon concerning an occasion, the contents of the box or other message. In operation of this embodiment, as before, all of the tabs are removed except for the tab that identifies the contents of the box or relates to the occasion being celebrated or observed or provides the desired message.
(6) In either embodiment of the present invention, the opening of the box cover may include a clear covering such as, for example, a transparent plastic covering designed to facilitate sealing the interior of the box to retard spoilage of the contents.
As such, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a paperboard box with removable identifying indicia.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device wherein a box has a central opening with a plurality of tabs thereon and all of the tabs except one are removed so that the remaining tab describes the contents of the box or a pertinent occasion or message.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a device wherein the tabs are substantially rectangular.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide such a device wherein the tabs are triangular or comprise parallelograms.
These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
shows a top view of a paperboard box blank in a flat configuration before it is folded to form a paperboard box.
FIG. 2
shows a portion of the view of
FIG. 1
but with modifications showing a second embodiment.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference, first, to
FIG. 1
, a blank used to make a paperboard box is generally designated by the reference numeral
10
and includes a bottom region
11
, a top region
13
, and a transition region
15
.
The bottom region
11
is used to form the bottom of a finished paperboard box and includes an area
17
surrounded by scored lines that will comprise the bottom of the paperboard box, areas
19
and
21
that will comprise side walls of the finished box, and an area
23
that will comprise the front wall of the box. The transition area
15
will comprise the rear wall of the box.
As should be understood, the area
23
has attached thereto tabs
25
and
27
that will be folded at the scored lines shown so that they can be adhered to the areas
19
and
21
, respectively, to assemble the bottom of the box together. The tabs
29
and
31
are folded at the scored lines shown and are adhered to the transition area
15
to complete assembly of the bottom of the box. In a similar fashion, the top region
13
includes a central area
33
that will eventually become the top wall of the cover of the box, areas
35
and
37
that will comprise side walls of the top of the box, and an area
39
that will comprise a front wall of the top of the box. Tabs
41
and
43
laterally disposed with respect to the area
39
are adhered to the areas
35
and
37
, respectively, to complete assembly of the top of the eventual box.
With further reference to
FIG. 1
, the area
33
is seen to include an opening generally designated by the reference numeral
45
and which may, if desired, be covered by a transparent covering
47
such as, for example, cellophane or other thin, flexible, transparent plastic. Each corner of the opening
45
includes a tab, with the tabs being designated by the respective reference numerals
49
,
51
,
53
, and
55
. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the tabs
49
,
51
and
53
have indicia thereon indicative of a type of pie intended to be contained within the box made from the blank
10
. Thus, the tab
49
includes the wording “apple”, the tab
51
includes the wording “cherry”, and the tab
53
includes the wording “blueberry”. The tab
55
includes a line
57
which may or may not be included with the intent that the user may write a message above the line
57
such as a name for a pie that is not printed on any of the tabs
49
,
51
or
53
. If desired, instead of pie names, the printing on the tabs
49
,
51
,
53
or
57
may instead comprise identification of an occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or general congratulations or a general message.
As seen in
FIG. 1
, each of the tabs is releasably affixed within the opening
45
of the area
33
by scoring, including the scoring
59
for the tab
49
, the scoring
61
for the tab
51
, the scoring
63
for the tab
53
, and the scoring
65
for the tab
55
.
In the operation of the embodiment of
FIG. 1
, a product is placed within the container formed from the blank
10
. Of the four tabs, three of them are removed from the opening
45
at the respective scoring shown, leaving only a single tab remaining attached to the area
33
. The remaining tab is the one that includes indicia printed thereon (or written thereon in the case of tab
55
) relating to either the contents of the box, the occasion celebrated or general congratulations or a message, as examples. In this way, the baker or eventual retailer may easily provide descriptive information concerning the product contained within the box or the occasion to be celebrated in an easy fashion.
With reference to
FIG. 2
, a second example of the present invention is seen, with like elements being referred to using like primed reference numerals. In
FIG. 2
, the area
33
′ has an opening
45
′ partially obscured by tabs
71
,
73
and
75
. Between the tabs
71
and
73
, a trapezoidal opening
77
is provided. Between the tabs
73
and
75
, a trapezoidal opening
79
is provided. The tabs
71
and
75
are generally triangular in shape, whereas the tab
73
comprises a parallelogram.
The tab
71
is affixed to the area
33
′ by scoring
81
. The tab
73
is affixed to the area
33
′ by scoring
83
. The tab
75
is affixed to the area
33
′ by scoring
85
.
As seen in
FIG. 2
, each tab has indicia thereon relating to an occasion such as “Congratulations” (the tab
71
), “Happy Birthday” (the tab
73
), and “Happy Anniversary” (the tab
75
). Of course, if desired, these indicia may easily be replaced with indicia relating to a description of the contents of the box or any other desired indicia.
In the embodiment of
FIG. 2
, the food product or other item is placed within the paperboard box made from the blank
70
, and two of the three tabs
71
,
73
and
75
are removed from the area
33
′ leaving a single remaining tab having printed thereon a description relating to the contents of the box or the occasion to be celebrated or other information. Of course, if desired, one of the tabs may be provided with an area where the user may hand write descriptive information or have such information suitably printed thereon.
Of course, the teachings of the present invention may be applied to containers made of any desired material including thin plastic.
As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments thereof, which fulfill each and every one of the objects of the present invention as set forth hereinabove, and provide new and useful embodiments of a paperboard box with removable identifying indicia of great novelty and utility.
Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof.
As such, it is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. An improved package, comprising:a) a body forming an enclosed space; b) a plurality of tabs removably attached to said body by L-shaped scoring, at least two of said tabs having printed indicia thereon visible from outside said package; c) said printed indicia on said tabs describing one of (1) alternative descriptions of products adapted to be placed in said package, (2) alternative occasions to be celebrated or observed, (3) alternative greetings or salutations, or (4) alternative slogans, whereby a user may remove all but one of said tabs, said one of said tabs providing a desired product description or message.
- 2. The package of claim 1, wherein said body comprises a folded paperboard container, said container having a top surface carrying said tabs.
- 3. The package of claim 2, wherein said top surface includes an opening, said tabs being located adjacent said opening.
- 4. The package of claim 3, wherein said tabs are attached to a periphery of said opening by said scoring.
- 5. The package of claim 1, wherein a top surface of said container includes an opening, said tabs being located adjacent said opening.
- 6. The package of claim 1, wherein said tabs are rectangular.
- 7. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one tab is triangular.
- 8. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one tab is a parallelogram.
- 9. An improved package, comprising:a) a body forming an enclosed space; b) a plurality of tabs removably attached to said body, at least two of said tabs having printed indicia thereon visible from outside said package and at least one additional tab being devoid of indicia whereby desired indicia may be written thereon; c) said printed indicia on said tabs describing one of (1) alternative descriptions of products adapted to be placed in said package, (2) alternative occasions to be celebrated or observed, (3) alternative greetings or salutations, or (4) alternative slogans, whereby a user may remove all but one of said tabs, said one of said tabs providing a desired product description or message.
US Referenced Citations (19)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
934095 |
Oct 1955 |
DE |