Patent Grant
11470988
This invention generally relates to flat pack boxes integrated into a point of sale display, more specifically to flat pack boxes that are stackable and interconnected to form a free standing display unit.
A point-of-sale display (POS display) is a specialized form of sales promotion that have been given the name as they are often found near, on, or next to a checkout counter (i.e. the “point of sale”). They are found throughout commercial establishments. They are intended to draw the customers' attention to products, which may be new products, or on special offer, and are also used to promote special events, e.g. seasonal or holiday-time sales. POS displays can include free standing display units, shelf edging, dummy packs, strut cards, standees, hanging signs, counter display units (CDU), display packs, endcaps, display stands, mobiles, posters, and banners. POS, in a separate context not relevant for this application, also refers to systems used to record transactions between the customer and the commerce.
The present invention is primarily directed to free standing display units which are generally designed to attract the attention of customers and promote key retail products or messages. They are often placed strategically within the customer journey, and utilize bright colors and graphics to stand out visually and encourage shoppers to buy. Free standing display units are generally made from cardboard which reduces production costs, and makes them easy to transport and assemble, at the same time as being robust enough for use in a busy retail environment. Cardboard may refer to a variety of heavy paper-like materials, however within the meaning of this application the term cardboard will reference card stock, corrugated fiberboard, or paperboard.
As a brief history on cardboard boxes, the first commercial paperboard box, which was not corrugated, is sometimes credited to the firm M. Treverton & Son in England in 1817. (Marketing Communications, Volume 6, Issues 7-12, United Business Publications (1981)). Cardboard box packaging was also made the same year in Germany. The pre-cut cardboard or paperboard flat pack box was invented in 1890. The advent of lightweight flaked cereals, such as popularized by the Kellogg Company, greatly increased the commercial use of cardboard boxes. The first corrugated cardboard box manufactured in the US was in 1895 and by the early 1900s, wooden crates and boxes were being replaced by corrugated paper shipping cartons. The U.S. Patent system has long illustrated the ingenuity of flat pack containers, such as the 1894 U.S. Pat. No. 529,053 for a “Paper Pail”, which was later emblazoned with the graphical image of a pagoda, and has become well known as the now ubiquitous “Chinese food” take out container.
The phrase “flat pack” within the meaning of the present application references products assembled from a one or more planar components that are assembled to the desired product. The phrase “flat pack” is often used in referencing furniture. In the field of the present invention, namely boxes, trays and bases, this phrase “flat pack” can be equated with the phrase “knock down.” See, for example, the “Corrugated Plastic Knockdown Tray” sold by Minnesota Diversified or the “Knock Down Storage Box” sold by Bigso Box of Sweden. The terms “Collapsible” and “Foldable”, and similar terms, have also been used in this industry to convey the same concept and can also accurately describe aspects of the present invention.
The terms “boxes”, “trays” and “bases” as used herein do not have consistent and precise definition in the art. The terms boxes and trays have been interchangeably used together with the terms container, bin, receptacle, crate, chest, trunk, carton, and a host of other similar terms. A “box” within the meaning of this application will generally describe a structure with a bottom, top and sides forming a container. A “tray” within the meaning of this application will generally describe herein a structure with a bottom and sides, but no top, forming a container. Even with these working definitions there is some overlap in the terms, for example, a box with a separable lid can be converted to a tray within the meaning of this application with the removal of the lid.
Within the meaning of the present application the phrase “storage box” or “storage tray” defines a container with substantially vertical sides (+/−7 degrees), and the phrase “flared sided box” or “flare sided tray” defines a container with non-vertical sides that extend upward at an angle of more than 7 degrees from vertical and less than 75 degrees from vertical. Flared sided trays may be nested together. Additionally there is what is known as a “knock out display” box that is a product shipping box that includes a removable panel, aka knock out panel, to allow easy access for the products stored in the box through a window formed by removal of the knock out panel, whereby the shipping box is typically placed directly on a store shelf or within a point of sale display and the panel is removed.
In many commercial establishments there is a requirement to elevate products, mostly food products, on sale off of the floor, such as on store shelving. Free standing display units must also incorporate these requirements to elevate products the requisite distance. Some free standing display units use a base to accommodate this requirement. The term base, within the meaning of this application, will define a structure that can raise boxes or trays incorporated into a free standing display unit this minimal distance off of the floor. It should be apparent that a base need not be on a floor and that a base of a free standing display unit could be positioned on a counter (where such a base structure may not technically be required, but it is used as it is part of the overall free standing display unit design)
There remains a need in the art to design cost effective, efficient and effective flat pack boxes that are stackable and interconnected to form a free standing display unit.
The various embodiments and examples of the present invention as presented herein are understood to be illustrative of the present invention and not restrictive thereof and are non-limiting with respect to the scope of the invention.
The present invention provides a point of sale display incorporating stackable and unstackable product transport boxes.
One aspect of the present invention provides a point of sale display comprising at least two stacked product transport boxes each having a planar bottom and planar top; at least a pair of locking tabs on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, each locking tab having a hinge on one end and sides extending from the hinge; at least a pair of receiving openings on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, wherein the pair of receiving opening on one of the stacked boxes align with the pair of locking tabs on the other of the stacked boxes such that the locking tabs on the stacked boxes are selectively pivoted through the openings of the adjacent box to interconnect the boxes and prevent relative sliding in the point of sale display, and wherein the pair of locking tabs has one of straight sides or an inwardly tapered trapezoidal shape extending from the hinge to allow the boxes to be separated by pulling up on an upper box of the assembled and interconnected boxes.
One aspect of the invention provides A point of sale display comprising at least two stacked product transport boxes each having a planar bottom and planar top; at least a pair of locking tabs on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, each locking tab having a hinge on one end and sides extending from the hinge; and at least a pair of receiving openings on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, wherein each receiving opening is formed by receiving tabs each having a hinge, wherein each of the receiving openings on one of the stacked boxes align with one of the locking tabs on the other of the stacked boxes such that the locking tabs on the stacked boxes are selectively pivoted through the openings of the adjacent box to interconnect the boxes and prevent relative sliding in the point of sale display, wherein the receiving tabs have hinges on an opposite side from the location of the hinges of the associated locking tabs.
One aspect of the invention provides a point of sale display comprising at least two stacked product transport boxes each having a planar bottom and planar top; at least a pair of locking tabs on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, each locking tab having a hinge on one end and sides extending from the hinge; At least a pair of receiving openings on one of the planar bottom or planar top of each box, wherein each of the receiving openings on one of the stacked boxes align with one of the locking tabs on the other of the stacked boxes such that the locking tabs on the stacked boxes are selectively pivoted through the openings of the adjacent box to interconnect the boxes and prevent relative sliding in the point of sale display, and wherein the hinges on at least two of the locking tabs are angles relative to each other.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiments taken together with the attached figures.
The present invention provides a point of sale display 100 incorporating stackable and unstackable product transport boxes 20.
The base 10, boxes 20 and tray 30 are each preferably flat pack or knock down products assembled from a single generally die cut planar component. The base 10, boxes 20 and tray 30 can be made of any suitable material although cardboard, plastic, corrugated plastic cardboard is preferred and cardboard is most preferred as it is efficient and cost effective and the ease of recycling offers a distinct advantage.
As further detailed below, the boxes 20 when integrated within the free standing display unit 100 yield a non-sliding six sided box with a top and a bottom, and can have window opening on its walls formed by a removable knock out panel 62 to allow user's to be able to reach inside to access the products (not shown). The bottom surface of the non-sliding boxes 20 (and on the tray 30) have at least two pre-cut locking tabs 66 that are flat with the surface. The locking tabs 66 have folding lines so they can be pushed out and swing out of the box 20. On the top surface of non-sliding boxes 20 (and on the base 10) and aligned with the locking tabs 66 on the bottom of the adjacent box 20 or tray 30, are pre-cut receiving tabs 64 or at least openings (which openings are formed by the tabs 64).
When a user stacks one non-sliding box 20 on top of another same non-sliding box 20 (or on the base 10), and the boxes 20 (or box 20 and base 10) are aligned with each other, the flat locking tabs 66 on the bottom of upper box 20 (or tray 30) will align and seat right on top of the flat receiving tabs 64 of that are on top of the box 20 under it. When two structures and their tabs 64 and 66 are aligned and stacked on top of each other, and the locking tabs 66 from one box 20 (or upper tray 30) are pushed and swing out, they will push and swing-in the receiving tabs 64 from the other box 20 (or base 10), and they will also will be positioned within the other box 20 (or base 10). This way, when the boxes 20 are stacked on each other, and the tabs 64 and 66 are activated and pushed out and in to the other box 20, the boxes 20 cannot slide on top of each other. In order to separate the boxes 20, the user need only lift directly up, whereby the tabs from one box 20 or tray 30 will withdraw from the other box 20 or base 10.
A key aspect of the present invention is the formation of the interconnecting structure between adjacent boxes 20, or between the top tray 30 and the top box 20 or the bottom box 20 and the base 10. The modified box of
The locking tabs 66 are shown as inwardly tapered trapezoidal shapes to allow the boxes 20 to be separated by pulling up on the upper box 20 (or tray 30) of the assembled and interconnected boxes 20. A straight sided locking tab 66 could also be used but the inward tapered as shown is preferred. A circle tab or outwardly tapered tab would have the lower portion of the tab impinge when the box 20 is lifted up for unstacking the boxes 20 and could rip and tear preventing reassembly of another replacement box 20 in the free standing display unit 100 (unless the tabs 66 are manually reset as discussed below in connection with the embodiment of
The receiving tabs 64 are also formed with a living hinge and a shape commentary to the locking tab 66 and a position aligned with the locking tabs of an adjacent box 20 or tray 30. Preferably the receiving tabs 64 have a living hinge opposite from the side of the living hinge on the locking tabs 66 as detailed further below. As noted above, when tabs 64 and 66 of adjacent boxes 20 are aligned and stacked on top of each other, and the locking tabs 66 from one box 20 (or upper tray 30) are pushed and swing out, they will push and swing-in the receiving tabs 64 from the other box 20 (or base 10), and they will also will be positioned within the other box 20 (or base 10). This way, when the boxes 20 are stacked on each other, and the tabs 64 and 66 are activated and pushed out and in to the other box 20, the boxes 20 are removably interconnected and cannot slide on top of each other.
There can be some movement if only one locking tab 66 is deployed, as the interconnected upper box 20 can move slightly relative to the lower box 20 in a direction perpendicular to the living hinge of the tab 66. For this reason the living hinges of each of the two tabs 66 are non-parallel and angled relative to each other (generally perpendicular) and the deployment of the two tabs 66 with perpendicular living hinges will securely hold the adjacent structures without even minimal relative lateral movement.
The invention includes access openings 68 on the inner side top flanges 52 and the inner side bottom flaps 58 that align with the tabs 66 and 64 and allow operation without interferences. The shape of these opening must be sufficient to allow easy operation of the tabs 64 and 66 and can take generally any form.
The tray 30 can be formed in a conventional fashion except that the lower portion or bottom includes locking tabs 66 as in the box 20 discussed above and which cooperate with the receiving tabs 64 of a lower adjacent box 20. In a similar manner the construction of the base 10 is generally known except for the inclusion of receiving tabs 64 in an upper surface thereof as in the box 20 discussed above and which cooperate with the locking tabs 66 of an upper adjacent box 20.
The general concepts discussed above can be employed with a number of variations. For example the stacked boxes 20 of a free standing display unit 100 may have predetermined offset between the adjacent boxes to create a desired effect, such as a clockwise or counter clockwise twist to the boxes creating a helical look to the associated display unit 100. The graphics on the exterior of the box can be created to enhance such a desired effect. An alternative offset is that the upper boxes 20 are set back a predetermined amount to create a slight stairway effect. The offset backward stair effect could be coupled with a slight forward pitch to the base that creates a gravity feed fronting aspect within the boxes 20 and tray 30 of a unit. An alternative offset is that the upper boxes 20 are set forward a predetermined amount to create a distinctly different forward leaning effect, which could be offset with a compensating rearward pitch to the base resulting in a general horizontal display unit 100 with each tray 30 and box 20 having a slight incline to the rear of the box 20 or tray 30 for a gravity collection of the products (desired for some loose products).
Further the boxes according to the present invention need not all be deployed in associated free standing display units 100, as they could easily be placed on shelves and used as a point of sale display in that fashion. The users (often product delivery drivers) can elect not to interconnect the boxes 20 in a display 100 or only activate two of four interconnecting elements to save time as they see fit. The present invention is intended to allow them to give the customer/store owner whatever is appropriate for the give store without increasing the costs of the display unit 100 or boxes 20. The present invention does not add costs to the overall system and yield a flexible design with wide variability. The present invention provides an efficient, effective, flexible point of sale display incorporating stackable and unstackable product transport boxes. The present invention creates solid display 100 from loose pieces that can be unstacked and restacked with the same or different elements.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. For example the present invention could be implemented in vertical coupling of side by side boxes of a display to prevent vertical movement.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/101,888 filed May 21, 2020 titled “Non-Sliding stackable Boxes” which is incorporated herein by reference.
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