BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a multiple-product carrier package and more particularly to a multiple-product carrier package for display at a point of sale.
A wide variety of specialized packages for containing products or articles for display at the point of purchase are known. Products for which such packaging is often used include individual servings of applesauce, yogurt, pudding and other such products. These packages may include cards or packages formed from paperboard which display the products while retaining them. These types of packages may provide a simple, efficient and economical solution to consumer and retail packaging and merchandising needs.
However, from a user's perspective, many of these types of packages are not user friendly. For a user to access or retrieve only one of the products from the package, the entire package must be compromised. This typically requires the user to remove all of the products from the package and find appropriate storage for the unused products. Consumer product packaging which does not suffer from these above described and other problems is often expensive to produce, difficult to economically pack, ship and/or store multiple such packages and/or minimizes the display and commercial appeal of the product at the point of sale.
Moreover, many of these types of packages are displayed to customers for retail sale. Common displays in retail establishments include suspending or hanging the packages from a hook or supporting the packages on a shelf or rack for display. A single package design which could be displayed at a point of sale in these and other arrangements is highly desirable. A versatile package such as this will provide more in-store and sale opportunities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objectives have been attained by this invention which in one embodiment is an improved package formed from a folded paperboard carrier blank which includes one or more openings for insertion of the packaged articles.
The package of this invention in one embodiment is formed from a paperboard blank having two panels foldably connected together. One panel has formed therein openings which are configured to the shape of a product which is inserted into the opening so as to be held, yet displayed, thereby. When the blank is folded, a rim portion of the product will be sandwiched between the panels and a body portion will extend through one of the openings.
In one embodiment, this invention is a package with a plurality of products each having a body and a rim projecting outwardly from the body. The rim of each product is proximate an upper face of the product. The package includes a paperboard carrier with a first carrier panel and a second carrier panel. Each carrier panel has a front face and a back face. The first carrier panel front face is juxtaposed in face-to-face relation to the second carrier panel back face in the formed package. The first and second carrier panels may be joined together along a common edge of the panels by a carrier panel fold line. After the carrier panels are folded about the fold line, they are joined together by glue, interlocking tabs, staples or other means to secure the products in the package.
A number of product receiving holes are formed in the first carrier panel in which each of the products is received in one of the product receiving holes with at least a portion of the product body projecting rearwardly from the first carrier panel back face. Each product receiving hole is sized and configured to receive passage of the body of the associated product from the first carrier panel front face through to the first carrier panel back face. A dimension of the product receiving hole is less than a dimension of the rim of the associated product to thereby inhibit the rim from passing through the product receiving hole. At least a portion of the rim of each product is sandwiched between first carrier panel front face and the second carrier panel back face to thereby retain the product in the associated product receiving hole.
One embodiment of this invention includes a number of flaps in the second panel in which each flap is aligned with one of the product receiving holes in the first carrier panel and superimposed over the upper face of the product in the associated product receiving hole. Each flap is at least partially removable from the second carrier panel so as to allow for removal of the associated product from the package. A plurality of flap tear lines in the second carrier panel define, at least in part, each of the flaps.
Another aspect of various embodiments of this invention is product indicia on the upper face of each product and carrier indicia on each flap. The carrier indicia substantially corresponds to the product indicia and substantially overlies the upper face of the associated product in the package. The package may include a display hook receiving hole in at least one of the first and second carrier panels by which the package may be suspended on a display hook. The package may also include a number of utensils removably mounted to the package, each for use by a user of one of the products after removal from the package.
Another aspect of this invention is a blank for forming a carrier to hold a number of products each having a body and a rim projecting outwardly from the body. The blank may include a first panel and a second panel, each panel having a front face and a back face. The first panel front face is adapted for juxtaposition in face-to-face relation to the second panel back face. A number of product receiving features or holes is in the first panel in which each of the products is to be received in one of the product receiving features with at least a portion of the product body projecting rearwardly from the first panel back face. At least a portion of the rim of each product is adapted to be sandwiched between first panel front face and the second panel back face to thereby retain the product in the associated product receiving feature.
The blank may include a number of flaps in the second panel in which each flap is aligned with one of the product receiving features in the first panel and adapted to be superimposed over an upper face of the product in the associated product receiving feature. Each flap is at least partially removable from the second panel so as to allow for removal of the associated product from a package formed from the blank. The flaps may be formed from flap tear lines in the second panel. Tabs in the second panel may be included, each of which is associated with one of the product receiving features such that a user manipulates the tab to tear the second panel and thereby release the associated product from a package formed from the blank.
Another aspect of the invention is an upper face of each product bears product indicia and the blank may include carrier indicia on the second panel. The carrier indicia substantially corresponds to the product indicia and substantially overlies the upper face of the associated product in the package formed from the blank.
The first and second panels of the blank may be joined together along a common edge of the panels by a panel fold line. A perimeter edge of the first panel may substantially coincide with a perimeter edge of the second panel when the panels are in face-to-face juxtaposition. Each product receiving feature may be a hole in the first panel sized and configured to receive passage of the body of the associated product from the first panel front face through to the first panel back face. A dimension of the hole may be less than a dimension of the rim of the associated product to thereby inhibit the rim from passing through the hole. The blank may include a display hook receiving hole in at least one of the first and second panels by which a package formed by the blank may be suspended on a display hook. The blank may also include a plurality of utensils removably coupled to one of the panels, each utensil being for use by a user of one of the products after removal from the package formed by the blank.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a product container carrier package according to this invention suspended on a display hook along with other such packages;
FIG. 2 is a blank used to form a carrier of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a product container being inserted into the blank of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the package formed from the blank and carrier of FIGS. 1-3 with the product containers therein;
FIG. 4A is a back perspective view of the package of FIG. 4 showing utensils mounted on the carrier according to one aspect of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing one of the product containers of the package being removed from the carrier;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a blank according to another embodiment of this invention used to form a carrier;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a blank according to further embodiment of this invention used to form a carrier;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a blank according to a still further embodiment of this invention used to form a carrier;
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a blank according to another embodiment of this invention used to form a carrier; and
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a blank of yet a further embodiment of this invention used to form a carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a package 10 according to one embodiment of this invention is shown suspended on a display hook 12 for display at a retail establishment or other environment. The package 10 is suspended on the display hook 12 with the display hook 12 inserted through a display hook receiving hole 14 in the package 10. Although FIG. 1 depicts the hole 14 as a cutout, a slot or slit may also be used. As demonstrated in FIG. 1, multiple packages may be suspended in a similar orientation from the display hook 12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the receiving hole 14 is located proximate to a longitudinal end of the package 10 to provide for a generally vertical orientation of the suspended package 10. The receiving hole 14 may be provided at other locations on the package 10, including proximate a side of the package 10 for suspension in a generally horizontal orientation on the hook. Moreover, in other embodiments of this invention, a plastic or other material hanger may be included on the package 10 in lieu of the hole 14.
In one embodiment, the package 10 includes a paperboard carrier 16 holding a number of products 18 which are intended to be sold together to a retail consumer. As shown in FIGS. 1-6 and 9-10, various embodiments of this invention may include the carrier 16 with three similarly oriented and arranged products 18 for display. In other embodiments, the carrier 16 and associated package 10 may hold two products 18 (FIG. 7), four products 18 (FIG. 8) or any number of products 18 as is desired.
As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, one exemplary product 18 suitable for use in this invention is a retail food item such as applesauce, yogurt, pudding or any other product material. As shown in the drawings herein, the exemplary product 18 includes a product container 20 such as a cup containing the product material, applesauce, yogurt, pudding or the like. The cup 20 includes a product body 22 extending downwardly from an outwardly extending circumferential rim 24 around the top edge of the body 22. The cup 20 is closed by a lid 26 removably sealed to the rim 24. As is well known, the lid 26 and other areas of product 18 may include indicia 28 such as descriptive or informative text and graphics relating to the product 18.
Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of the carrier 16 according to this invention is formed from a carrier blank 30 which may be constructed of paperboard or other suitable material which in one exemplary embodiment is 0.016 carrier board.
The blank 30 of FIG. 2 includes a first panel 32 and a second panel 34 which according to one embodiment are joined together along a common edge of the panels 32, 34 by a fold line 36. The first and second panels 32, 34 each have a front face 32a, 34a and a back face 32b, 34b opposite from one another. The carrier blank 30 is adapted to be folded about the fold line 36 such that the front face 32a of the first panel 32 is juxtaposed in face-to-face contact and covered by the back face 34b of the second panel 34. After the carrier panels are folded about the fold line, they are joined together by glue, interlocking tabs, staples or other means to secure the products in the package. In one embodiment of this invention, the perimeter, profile and dimensions of the first and second panels 32, 34 are substantially the same with minor exceptions which will be noted herein below. The fold line 36 may be perforated, scored or otherwise designed to fold in a pre-determined line. In alternative embodiments of this invention, the first and second panels 32, 34 are not joined together along a fold line and may be discrete sheets of material, but are compatible to be joined together according to aspects of this invention. Further, although FIGS. 2, 3, and 6-10 depict fold line 36 as residing along the vertical/side edge of package 10, fold line 36 may alternatively be located along the horizontal/bottom edge of package 10, or along the narrower edge of package 10.
A number of product receiving features 38 are formed in the first panel 32 of the blank 30. In various embodiments of this invention, the product receiving features 38 are holes sized and configured according to the product dimensions. The product receiving holes 38 in the first panel 32 of the blank 30 in FIG. 2 are generally circular and adapted to receive the body 22 of the product 18 through the hole 38. However, the hole 38 is sized such that the rim 24 of the product 18 does not pass through the hole 38, but rests on the front face 32a of the first panel 32 as shown in FIG. 3. The product receiving holes 38 as shown and described herein are generally circular due to the configuration of the product 18 shown and described herein. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the product receiving feature or hole may have a variety of sizes and configurations to accommodate different product shapes and sizes within the scope of this invention.
The second panel 34 of the blank 30 in various embodiments includes a number of product retainers which may be flaps 40, each defined at least in part by a flap tear line 42 in the second panel 34. The flaps 40 and associated tear lines 42 each correspond to one of the product receiving features 38 in the first panel 32 such that when the first and second panels 32, 34 are folded together in face-to-face juxtaposition about the fold line 36, each flap 40 is super-imposed over one product receiving feature 38 and the product 18 positioned therein. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, each flap 40 is positioned on top of the generally planar lid 26 of the product 18 when the first and second panels 32, 34 are folded together. As such, the rim 24 of the product 18 is sandwiched between the back face 34b of the second panel 34 and the front face 32a of the first panel 32 to thereby retain the product 18 in the carrier 16. In an alternative embodiment, the flap 40 may be torn along tear line 42 and still remain attached to the package 10 via a foldable bridge or the like while still allowing for removal of the product 18. In other embodiments of this invention as will be described later herein, the product retainer may be of a different shape, a ring of material, may not be separable from the second panel 34 or may not be defined by a tear line.
Referring to FIG. 4A, the bottom or back side of the package 10 is shown in which the body 22 of each product 18 is exposed on the back face 32b of the first panel 32 of the carrier 16. According to one embodiment of this invention, utensils 44 may be removably mounted to the back face 32b of the first panel 32 by adhesive or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, each utensil 44 is a spoon wrapped in a protective sleeve 46 which is removably adhered to the carrier 16. The utensil 44 can be removed from the package 10 by a user to consume the product 18 as desired.
In alternative embodiments, the utensil 44 may include a straw for drinking the product 18 from the cup 20 and the corresponding lid 26 may include a score line and corresponding graphics to indicate where the straw is to be inserted. Also, the package 10 may include secondary packaging containing secondary food items, such as flavor ingredients, granola, spices, gummy worms™ or other candy, or non-food items such as toys.
Removal of the product 18 from the package 10 according to one embodiment is shown in FIG. 5 in which the flap 40 is removed from the second panel 34 by at least partially tearing along the tear line 42 forming the flap 40 and at least partially removing the flap 40 from the carrier 16 to allow for removal of the product 18 from the carrier 16. The flap 40 may or may not remain attached to the package 10. The size and configuration of the flap 40 is greater than the rim 24 of the product 18 and the product receiving hole 38 such that a lip 48 is formed as shown in FIG. 5. The lip 48 retains the rim 24 of the product 18 in the carrier 16. When the flap 40 is at least partly removed, as shown in FIG. 5, the product 18 likewise may be removed from the carrier 16 for individual consumption as desired. According to one aspect of this invention, each flap 40 includes a tab 50 adjacent a longitudinal perimeter edge of the carrier 16. The tab 50 may be conveniently grasped by a user to pull the flap 40 from the carrier 16 by tearing it along the tear line 42. Each tab 50 may be joined to the remainder of the flap 40 by a tab fold line 52 which promotes the convenient bending and subsequent tearing of the flap 40 from the carrier 16. Corresponding and aligned notches 54 in the first panel 32 provide convenient gripping access to the flap tab 50 according to another aspect of this invention. When the first and second panels 32, 34 are folded into face-to-face juxtaposition, the perimeter edges and profiles of the panels 32, 34 generally correspond to one another with the exception of the tabs 50 and corresponding notches 54 according to one embodiment of this invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, each flap 40 may include indicia 56 on the front face 34a of the second panel 34 and the flap indicia 56 may correspond substantially, identically or at least in part to the indicia 28 on the lid 26 of the product 18. As such, display of the package 10 as shown in FIG. 1 likewise displays the flap indicia 56 and in a similar fashion the indicia 28 on the flap 40 for convenient viewing by the user and marketing purposes. One aspect of embodiments of this invention is the added benefit of not having to orient product 18 in carrier 16 so that indicia 28 is properly aligned for consumer to read, as indicia 56 will be aligned in the printing of the package 10. This presents a more appealing and easily appreciated presentation of the package 10 to the consumer. Moreover, indicia 56 may be aligned and oriented according to the merchandising scheme and location of the receiving hole 14 for the point of sale display to be employed. Additionally, the indicia 56 for each product 18 in the package 10 may be different one from another to provide different graphics, such as each representing a different flavor in a variety pack of products. Moreover, while the product 18 is retained in the carrier 16, a portion of the product 18 itself projects rearwardly from the carrier 16 and is exposed for convenient viewing unencumbered by the carrier 16 while still being securely retained. In various embodiments, printed material may be included on the back face 34b of the flap 40, which may include promotional redemption codes, coupons, QR codes, games, fun facts or other material.
As shown in FIGS. 6-8, alternative embodiments according to this invention include a different configuration for the display hook hole 14 in the carrier 16 and the carrier 16 is adapted to retain different numbers of products 18 as desired.
Another aspect of this invention is that the package 10 allows for the convenient and attractive display in a retail setting and also allows for the compact and efficient stacking of multiple packages 10, for example, horizontally one on top of the other. Likewise, the packages 10 may be stacked by inverting each adjacent package such that the top face 34a of the second panel 34 is juxtaposed to the top face 34a of the second panel 34 of an adjacent package for convenient and efficient packing purposes.
A still further embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 9 in which each of the panels 32, 34 of the blank 30 include product receiving features or holes 38 such that the dimension of each product receiving hole 38 in the panels 32, 34 is less than the dimension of the rim 24 on the product 18. The body 22 of the container 20 may be inserted into one of the holes 38 in either one of the panels 32, 34 and the panels 32, 34 are folded about fold line 36 to be in face-to-face juxtaposition thereby capturing the product rim 24 between the panels 32, 34 for secure retention in the package 10. Removal of the individual products 18 from the package 10 is accomplished by tearing a flap tear line 42 to at least partially remove a product retainer or flap 40 in communication with a perimeter edge of the package 10 and thereby allow for manipulation and removal of the product 18 from the package 10. The flap tear lines 42 and associated flaps 40 may be included in each of the panels 32, 34 and juxtaposed to one another to provide for egress of the product 18 from the package 10. A notch 54 may be provided adjacent one of the perimeter edges of one of the panels 32 or 34 to allow for easy gripping of the flap 40 for separation along the flap tear line 42 to remove the product 18. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the indicia 28 on the product 18 would be substantially visible in the assembled package 10 thereby indicating that the orientation of the various products 18 in the package 10 should be similarly aligned for proper presentation and display at the point of sale. One advantageous feature of the invention shown in FIG. 9 is the reduction of paperboard utilized in the blank 30 due in large part to the dual holes 38 for each product 18 in the package 10. Further, although FIG. 9 depicts holes 38 as having the same diameter in panel 32 as in panel 34, the reader should appreciate that holes 38 may have different shapes or diameters. In particular, providing holes 38 with smaller diameters in panel 34 than holes 38 in panel 32 may help retain product 18 within package 10. Moreover, FIG. 9 shows various alternative embodiments for the configuration of the tear lines 42a, 42b, and 42c according to aspects of this invention, although other configurations of the tear line are also encompassed within this invention.
Referring to FIG. 10, a still further embodiment of a blank 30 according to this invention is shown. The blank 30 of FIG. 10 includes the first and second panels 32, 34. The first panel 32 of the blank 30 in FIG. 10 includes individual product receiving features or holes 38 for each product 18. A perforation or tear line 43 extends from each product receiving hole 38 to a perimeter edge of the first panel 32. Arcuate or curved tear lines 45 are provided in each panel 32, 34 extending between the fold line 36 and the opposite lateral perimeter edge of the panel 32, 34 as shown in FIG. 10. Although FIG. 10 depicts arcuate or curved tear lines 45, the reader should appreciate that tear lines may alternatively be straight or include angled portions. When the first and second panels 32, 34 are folded about the fold line 36 to be in face-to-face juxtaposition, the respective tear lines 45 in each panel 32, 34 are superimposed upon one another. This allows for a user to tear the package 10 along one of the sets of tear lines 45 to remove the adjacent product 18 and associated portion of the package from a remainder of the package 10. In addition to the tear line 43, a knife cut 47 or other severable feature is also provided between the product receiving hole 38 and the curved tear line 45 in the first panel 32. When the product 18 and surrounding portion of the package are severed along the associated curved tear lines 45 from the remainder of the package 10, the product 18 can be removed from the adjacent portions of the package by tearing along the lines 43, 47 to allow for manipulation and removal of the product 18. Sets of arcuate or curved tear lines 45 are provided between each adjacent pair of products 18 in the package 10 for removal of the individual products as described. In this embodiment, the product retainer may be considered the portion(s) of the panel(s) 32 and/or 34 adjacent to the product 18 and/or the hole 38. The product retainer 40 in the blank 30 of FIG. 10 may be considered a portion of the second panel 34 juxtaposed to the lid 26 of the product 18 as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 10. In various embodiments, the panels 32, 34 of the blank 30 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 are wider than those of the other embodiments of FIGS. 1-9 to allow for increased rigidity and stability to the package 10.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. For example, various lines for severing the panels 32, 34 are shown and described herein and any appropriate feature may be utilized within the scope of this invention to obtain the function described. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
Patent Application
20150014199
