Patent Application
20100084301
The present invention is directed toward a releasable fastener and, in particular, to toy product/display packaging including a releasable, reusable fastener.
Toys are generally placed in packaging which will provide some protection to the toy and provide a means to easily display the toy. The toys are often held in the packaging by wire ties (also know as “twist ties”) that surround the toy and extend into the packaging, with the ends of the wire tie being braided to hold the toy in place. While this may work well for small toys, large toys require a significant number of wire ties and a significant amount of wire tie material. Thus, safely securing toys within packaging generates a large amount of waste. Furthermore, because of the shape of a toy, it may not be practical to place the wire tie around the toy. The wire tie must therefore be threaded through a portion of the toy or the toy must remain loose in the packaging. Removing a wire-tied toy from the packaging, moreover, is a difficult process for a consumer. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a mechanism to safely secure toys of various shapes and sizes within product packaging, while minimizing the amount of wire utilized and making removal of the toy from the wire ties and the packaging easier for the consumer.
The present invention is directed toward a product fastening system and, in particular, to a mechanism for securing a toy within display packaging. The packaging may include a pliable member or strip, a toy support platform having a channel that receives the pliable strip, and a fastener clip that engages the strip to secure the strip to the support platform. The fastener clip may include a base having a one or more notches configured to releasably capture the pliable strip. In operation, the pliable strip is wrapped around a product such as a toy. The ends of the strip are then inserted into through-holes in the toy platform and positioned within respective notches, becoming secured therein without requiring the braiding or twisting of the ends. To remove the product from the support platform, the fastener clip is urged away from the ends of the strip, drawing the strip's ends out of the notches.
Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure.
The fastening system of the present invention includes a fastening clip and a securing member.
The base 105 further includes one or more notches (140A, 140B, 140C, and 140D) operable to capture the pliable member (discussed in greater detail below). Each notch 140A-D, extending inboard from the perimeter of the base 105, is defined by a first wall or ramp 150A and a second wall or ramp 150B, each extending outward from the front surface 110 of the base 105. The notch 140A-D includes a first or upper end 160 (also called a notch gate) and a second or lower end 170 (also called a notch base). The walls 150A, 150B may converge upon each other such that the outer edges of the walls are generally parallel. In the embodiment illustrated in
The securing member 300 engages the product and becomes releasably captured to the fastening clip 100. The securing member 300 may be formed of any suitable material and possesses dimensions suitable for its described purpose. By way of example, the securing member 300 may be a pliable member adapted to wrap around the product or a portion of the product. By way of specific example, the securing member 300 may be a wire tie or twist tie, a string, a strap, etc. The securing member 300 includes a first end 310 and a second end 320 (seen in
The securing member 300, moreover, may frictionally engage the notches 140A-D of the clip 100. In operation, as shown in
Another embodiment for a notch configuration is illustrated in
The notches 140 may be disposed at predetermined locations along the base 105. Referring back to the embodiment of
The fastener clip 100 may further include a gripping member 190 extending from the front surface 110 of the base 105. The gripping member 190 is configured to permit the gripping and/or manipulation of the fastener clip 100 by the consumer.
The system of the present invention may be utilized with a support platform configured to support and display a product (e.g., a toy product) thereon.
The support platform 500 may be a stand-alone unit, or may be a component housed in display or shipping packaging. For example, the support platform 500 may be housed in a display package including a rear package portion, a front package portion, a first side package portion extending between the rear package portion and the front package portion, a second side package portion extending between the rear package portion and the front package portion, and a bottom package portion. An opening may be provided within the front package portion to permit a user to access the toy at the point of sale. Alternatively, a transparent section may be provided to permit a user to view the product within the display package, while preventing a user from reaching into the display package. As with the support platform 500, the display package may be readily fabricated of conventional paper board, cardboard, flake board, plastic, metal, wood, or other conventional packaging materials. In addition, the display package may completely enclose the toy (e.g. for shipping). With this configuration, the toy product is housed within the display package.
The operation of product packaging in accordance with the present invention is explained with reference to
The product 600 is now secured to the support platform 500, which may be secured to or housed in packaging as described above. Stated another way, when secured to the support platform 500, each notch 140A-140D permits movement of the securing member 300 along the longitudinal axis of the notch, but generally prevents movement of the securing member 300 in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the notch. Thus, the securing member 300 may be axially urged into and removed from the notches 140A-140D, but provides a frictional force sufficient to prevent the securing member 300 from being pulled out of the notch under normal use. As a result, the product 600 remains secured to the support platform 500 during shipping and while on display, but an end user (a customer who purchased the product) can easily separate the product from the support platform 500.
Releasing the product 600 from the packaging is explained with reference to
Alternatively, in the embodiment where the notches 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D are oriented in opposite directions (
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the clip 100 may possess any shape or dimensions, and may be formed from any suitable materials. Although a rectangular base is illustrated, the base may possess other geometric shapes including, but not limited to, squares, circles, etc. By way of further example, the clip 100 may be formed of a generally rigid material such as plastic. Similarly, the securing member 300 may be formed from any suitable materials, possess any shape, and have any suitable dimensions. The support platform 500 may be any size and shape, and be formed of any suitable material. The support platform 500 may support the entire product or only a portion of the product. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is to be understood that terms such as “left”, “right” “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, “height”, “length”, “width”, “upper”, “lower”, “interior”, “exterior”, “inner”, “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration.
