Patent Application
20190298086
This disclosure relates to a display assembly for resting upon a support surface, and more particularly, to a display assembly having a main body and a collapsible pocket for holding floral, candy, and/or novelty arrangements.
There are many occasions in which an individual may wish to give a gift to another. Many people enjoy giving gifts for holidays, weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. Some also give gifts as an expression of friendship, love, and gratitude. Typically, gifts are wrapped or packaged in some form. For some gifts, however, it is difficult to provide acceptable packaging due to the shape, size, and type of the gift.
Certain stores, for example, grocery stores, drug stores, convenient stores, and florists, have prepared and packaged gifts on display and available for consumers to purchase. These gifts typically include flowers and/or candy arrangements that are assembled on site by an employee. It is difficult, however, to provide such gifts in an attractive display that is also affordable and easy to assemble. For example, some offer candy or flowers in baskets, mugs, or vases. However, baskets, mugs and vases are bulky and difficult to ship and store in large quantities. Further, these items can add significant costs to the arrangement making the gift cost prohibitive for consumers. Baskets are not typically water resistant and may be damaged easily by exposure to moisture from flowers or plants contained therein. Additionally, some consumers prefer items that have a packaged appearance; baskets, mugs and vases alone do not provide the appearance of gift packaging.
A low cost display assembly that is easy to ship and store is needed. Also, a display that is attractive and easy to assembly is needed. A display assembly that is stable without additional support is also needed.
The present disclosure provides a display assembly for resting upon a support surface having a main body and a collapsible pocket.
In one configuration, a display assembly for resting upon a support surface is provided comprising a main body having self-supporting rigidity and substantially disposed in a first plane, the main body having an upper end and a lower end, a collapsible pocket, moveable between a collapsed configuration and an open configuration, the collapsible pocket having four side walls and a bottom wall wherein at least one of the bottom wall and the four side walls includes a fold line. The collapsible pocket is formed of a material of a different thickness than the main body. The display assembly also includes a coupler interconnecting the collapsible pocket and the main body, wherein the collapsible pocket in the open configuration and the main body are self-supporting in an upright orientation with the first plane being substantially perpendicular to the support surface.
In another configuration, a display assembly is provided comprises a main body having self-supporting rigidity and substantially disposed in a first plane, a collapsible pocket, moveable between a collapsed configuration and an open configuration, the collapsible pocket having four side walls and a bottom wall wherein the bottom wall is formed by a plurality of planar flaps moveable between a first planar orientation in the collapsed configuration and a second planar orientation in the open configuration. The display assembly in this configuration includes a coupler interconnecting the collapsible pocket and the main body, wherein the collapsible pocket in the open configuration and the main body are self-supporting in an upright orientation with the first plane being substantially perpendicular to the support surface.
In yet another configuration, a display assembly for resting upon a support surface comprises a main body having self-supporting rigidity and substantially disposed in a first plane, the main body having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end comprising a first edge engaging the support surface and a collapsible pocket, moveable between a collapsed configuration and an open configuration. The collapsible pocket has four side walls and a bottom wall wherein at least one of the bottom wall and the four side walls includes a fold line for collapsing the collapsible pocket, wherein the collapsible pocket is formed of a material of a different thickness than the main body, and wherein at least the bottom wall of the collapsible pocket in the open configuration and at least the bottom edge of the main body are self-supporting in an upright orientation with the first plane being substantially perpendicular to the support surface.
The foregoing features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following description of the drawings in which:
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical structural elements of the invention. While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiment, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment.
Furthermore, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials, and modifications described and as such may vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular elements only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.
Referring to the Figures,
The main body 12 may be in the form of a decorative shape. For example, the main body 12 may be shaped as a heart, oval, vector frame, start, etc. In one configuration, the main body 12 is shaped according to a theme, for example, a musical theme, sports theme, holiday theme, etc. The shape of the main body 12 may further include an inner area 18 formed by removing a portion of the material of the main body 12. The inner area 18 of the main body 12 may be created by stamping, die-cutting, or press forming, among other technics. As shown in
As shown in
The collapsible pocket 14 is preferably constructed of a water resistant, single sheet of a fibrous material such as paperboard, cardboard or similar material. The collapsible pocket 14, however, is preferably a material having a thickness less than the thickness of the main body 12. In one configuration, the collapsible pocket 14 is made of a coated paperboard. In another configuration, the collapsible pocket 14 is a folding carton board having a calipers ranging from 12 pt through 28 pt and that is FDA certified for contacting dry or aqueous foods. An example of a material that can be used is a double clay-coated SBS, such as the EVEREST® Folding Carton Board made by International Paper having its global headquarters at 6400 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tenn. 38197. The collapsible pocket 14 may include an opening 62. The opening may include a clear protective layer forming a window 64. For example, in one configuration, the collapsible pocket 14 includes a polyvinyl chloride window. It should be appreciated, however, that other materials may be suitable for forming the window. Further, windows may be included on all sidewalls or any combination of sidewalls.
As shown in
Sidewalls 30, 32 are symmetrical and include fold lines that enable the pocket to be collapsed. In a configuration, sidewalls 30, 32 each include a center fold line 40 that extends vertically from an upper perimeter edge 42 of the collapsible pocket 14 toward a lower perimeter edge 44 of the collapsible pocket 14. In a configuration, the center fold line 40 extends vertically beyond the mid-point of each sidewall 30, 32. The sidewalls 30, 32 further include two additional fold lines 46, 48 extending diagonally from, and intersecting, at intersection 50 of the center fold line 40 to the lower corners 52, 54 of the sidewalls. The fold lines 40, 46, 48 form an inverted Y-shape on each of the sidewalls 30, 32 and are preferably double-fold lines on the outer face of the collapsible pocket 14. An additional fold line 56 extends vertically from the end point 50 of the center fold line 40 to the lower perimeter edge 44 of the sidewalls 30, 32. Fold line 56 is a double fold line on the inner face of the collapsible pocket 14.
A double fold line 60, as shown in
Referring to
In a configuration of the invention, the blank 100 further includes corner flaps 120, 122. Corner flap 120 is defined by the longitudinally extending fold line 102 and the intersecting, transversely extending fold line 108. Corner flap 122 is defined by the longitudinally extending fold line 104 and the intersecting, transversely extending fold line 108. Corner flap 120 is positioned between sidewalls 32 and 34 and interconnected thereto, while corner flap 122 is positioned between sidewalls 30 and 34 and interconnected thereto. Each corner flap 120, 124 may further include a diagonal fold line 124, 126 extending from a perimeter edge 120 of the blank 100 to the intersection of the respective fold lines 102, 108 and 104, 108, respectively. In a configuration, the diagonal fold line 124, 126 is longer than each of the portion of fold lines 102, 104,108 forming sidewalls 30, 32, and 34. The diagonal fold lines 124, 126 define corner flap portions 120A, 120B and 122A, 122B, which are hingedly coupled along diagonal fold lines 124, 126, respectively. Corner flap portion 120A is also hingedly coupled to transversely extending fold line 108, while corner flap portion 120B is also hingedly coupled to longitudinally extending fold line 102. Corner flap portion 122A is hingedly coupled to longitudinally extending fold line 104, while corner flap portion 112B is hingedly coupled to transversely extending fold line 108.
In another configuration, however, corner flaps 120, 122 and/or corner flaps 110, 112 include a cut away portion 130 and opposing tabs 132, 134. Having cut away portions 130 reduces the bulkiness of the material within the pocket 14, while still providing structural stability. Accordingly, in one configuration, an outer face of each opposing tab 132, 134 is moved adjacent to the other to further form the pocket 14. The opposing tabs 132 may be attached or adhered to each other as described in more details below. In an alternative configuration, the pocket 14 is further formed by the diagonal fold lines 124, 126 of corner flaps 120, 122 being forced inwardly, wherein the outer face of corner flap portions 120A and 120B are moved adjacent to each other and the outer face of corner flap portions 122A and 122B are moved adjacent to each other.
It should be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that the direction of the folding can be facilitated by the type of fold line used and the face location of such fold line. For example, a double fold line used on an inner face of a blank between two sidewalls will promote the two sidewall faces to move towards one another. A double fold line used on the opposite side that is on the outer face of the sidewalls will promote the two outer faces of the sidewalls to move together.
Once assembled, the collapsible pocket 14 may be moved between a collapsed and an open position. To collapse the pocket 14, inward pressure is applied to sidewalls 30, 32, causing the sidewalls 30, 32 to move inwardly along double fold line 40. Pressure applied to the bottom wall 38 along double fold line 60 forces the bottom wall 38 to fold inwardly and the sidewalls 30, 32 to then fold along double fold lines 46, 48. As the bottom wall 38 moves upwardly into the interior space of the pocket 14, the angle at intersection 50 decreases, and the sidewall 34 moves toward sidewall 36. In the fully collapsed position, sidewall 34 is adjacent sidewall 36, with sidewalls 30 and 32 collapsed and positioned between sidewalls 34 and 36. Thus, the sidewall 30 moves between a planar orientation in an open configuration to a second planar orientation in the collapsed configuration.
As shown in the figures, the collapsible pocket 14 may be secured to the main body 12. For example, the sidewall 36 of the collapsible pocket 14 may be fixedly secured to the main body 12 using rivets, pins, staples, adhesive, tape, and the like. In one configuration, the corner flaps 110, 112 are also secured to the sidewall 36 and corner flaps 120, 122 are secured to the sidewall 34 to help maintain the form of the pocket 14 in the assembled configuration. In an alternative configuration, two sets of opposing tabs 132, 134 may be secured to the sidewall 34. The blank 100 may include apertures for receiving rivets. For example, as shown in
The present disclosure contemplates that many changes and modifications may be made. Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the assembly has been shown and described, and several modifications and alternatives discussed, persons skill in the art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing form the scope of the disclosure, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15609416 | May 2017 | US |
| Child | 16442654 | US |
