Patent Application
20210309412
The present invention generally relates to product packaging, and more specifically, relates to shipping and display containers for food products and their associated methods of use.
Shelf-ready packaging (also referred to as SRP) is a growing portion of the packaging industry for various types of consumer products. The purpose of shelf-ready packaging is to store and protect product both during transportation and during display on a store shelf. The shelf-ready packaging may typically be converted between first and second configurations designed for transportation and display, respectively. One overall goal in the packaging industry is to make such packaging easy to use but also reliable for the end goals of protecting the products during shipping and displaying the products in a desirable manner when the packaging is placed on a store shelf for consumers.
To this end, several conventional packaging designs have been developed for such a convertible SRP. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,440,764 and 10,421,580 show convertible box-like packagings that move between shipping and display configurations. The products within these packaging are understood to remain in the same position in both configurations, e.g., the display configuration is defined simply by a removal of what is typically a top portion of the packaging, so as to reveal the products contained therein. Another example of a conventional shelf-ready packaging is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 10,131,462.
Such types of known SRP designs are used with varying types of consumer products sold in the retail setting. In some environments, such as food retail, the competition for product space is significant and additional space constraints may be placed on product manufacturers by the stores having display shelves of a certain length or size. This constraint is particularly true for food products that must be stored and displayed in a refrigerated setting, e.g., for dairy products and the like. As a result, known SRP designs have not been adopted as much as possible within the food product packaging industry.
Therefore, further improvements are desired in this field of SRP. To this end, it would be desirable to provide a shelf-ready packaging that maximizes storage capacity for shipping while also being tailored for display use in retail settings where space constraints and limits are present.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a shelf-ready packaging is provided for transporting and displaying food products. The packaging includes a cover element and a base tray. The base tray has first and second tray portions connected to one another and defining a storage space for the food products. The base tray defines an open top that is covered when the cover element engages the base tray in a first transport configuration of the packaging. The first tray portion is removable from the second tray portion such that the packaging is converted from the first transport configuration to a second display configuration by lifting the cover element from the base tray and removing the first tray portion from the second tray portion. The packaging defines a first length when in the first transport configuration and a second length shorter than the first length when in the second display configuration. This arrangement of the configurations advantageously allows for maximizing storage capacity for food products during shipping while still allowing for the shelf-ready packaging to be sized to fit on standard retail shelves used in stores.
In one embodiment, the first length is sized such that the packaging stores a plurality of rows of the food product when in the first transport configuration. At least one of the plurality of rows of the food product sits directly upon the first tray portion when in the first transport configuration. The second length is sized such that only a partial portion of the plurality of rows of the food product can sit directly upon the second tray portion when in the second display configuration. To this end, the packaging requires some movement of the at least one row of food products when converting between the configurations, which can result in an advantageous/desirable initial display of more of the products in the second display configuration.
In another embodiment, the second length is at least 50% of the first length. This allows for a majority of the food product to be supported by the second tray portion in both configurations.
In a further embodiment, the cover element and the base tray collectively define a rectangular box shape when in the first transport configuration, the rectangular box shape having top and bottom surfaces, opposing side surfaces, and opposing front and rear end surfaces. The base tray in the second display configuration is open along the top surface and the front end surface to provide access and visibility to the food products. In this regard, the second display configuration provides convenient visibility and access into the storage space so that the food products can be reviewed and removed for purchase by consumers.
In yet another embodiment, the base tray includes a tear line extending between the first and second tray portions. This tear line renders the first tray portion removable from the second tray portion by separating along the tear line.
In one embodiment, the base tray includes only one tear line. As such, separation of the first and second tray portions is performed with just one tear action by an operator. This feature enables rapid reconfiguration between the first transport configuration and the second display configuration, which is easy for retail personnel such as restocking clerks to accomplish.
In another embodiment, the base tray includes a bottom wall, two side walls extending from the bottom wall, and two end walls extending from the bottom wall and between the two side walls. The tear line extends across the bottom wall and the two side walls in such an embodiment. More specifically, the tear line may be oriented generally parallel to the two end walls at the bottom wall, and then angled along each of the two side walls so as to be oriented non-parallel to the two end walls along each of the two side walls. Such a configuration of the tear line beneficially forms an open front of the packaging for visibility of the food products therein when in the second display configuration.
In yet another embodiment, the packaging includes a plurality of vent apertures formed in the cover element and in the base tray. The tear line extends across at least one of the vent apertures. This positioning of the tear line limits the amount of tearing action required to separate the first and second tray portions.
In a further embodiment, the tear line is configured to produce a smooth-edge break between the first and second tray portions such that the second tray portion presents a smooth front edge when the packaging is displayed in the second display configuration.
In another embodiment, the base tray is formed from a generally planar tray blank having several panel portions connected by linear fold lines and/or the tear line. For example, the base tray is made out of a cardboard material with such features in the blank. Such a formation from a blank enables easy manufacturing of the shelf-ready packaging, and quick assembly with known packaging equipment.
According to other embodiments of the invention, a method is provided for transporting and displaying a food product. The method includes transporting a shelf-ready packaging containing the food product to a retail store shelf where the food product is to be displayed. The packaging remains in a first transport configuration during the transporting. The packaging includes a base tray with first and second tray portions removably connected to each other and a cover element that covers an open top defined by the base tray in the first transport configuration. The method further includes converting the packaging to a second display configuration, specifically by lifting the cover element from the base tray, and removing the first tray portion from the second tray portion to reveal the food products within the packaging. The packaging defines a first length when in the first transport configuration and defines a second length less than the first length when in the second display configuration. The method allows for maximized storage space during transport and a desirable display of product that still fits on a standard retail store shelf following the reconfiguration of the packaging.
In one embodiment, the step of converting the packaging to the second display configuration further includes after lifting the cover element from the base tray, moving at least one of the plurality of rows of the food product within the base tray to sit on top of other ones of the plurality of rows of the food product, and such that none of the rows of food product sit directly upon the first tray portion following this step. The first tray portion may then be removed from the second tray portion after movement of the at least one of the plurality of rows of the food product.
In another embodiment, the at least one of the plurality of rows of the food product are moved to sit on top of other rows of the food product located closest to a front end of the packaging to position those food products in a readily-accessible position for retrieval by consumers when the food product is displayed on a retail store shelf with the packaging in the second display configuration. For example, in embodiments where only one row of the food product sits directly on the first tray portion when in the first transport configuration, this one row of the food product is moved on top of the frontmost row of the food product sitting directly on the second tray portion when converting the packaging to the second display configuration.
In a further embodiment, removing the first tray portion from the second tray portion also includes tearing, along a tear line extending between the first and second tray portions, the base tray into separated first and second tray portions. When the tear line extends across a bottom wall and two side walls of the base tray, the first and second tray portions are separated along the bottom wall and the two side walls. This separation can open a front end of the base tray in the second display configuration such that the second tray portion provides high visibility and access to the food products stored in the packaging when in the second display configuration. To this end, this embodiment of the method results in an aesthetically desirable and sales-producing display of food product.
In yet another embodiment, the base tray includes only one tear line, and removing the first tray portion from the second tray portion includes producing a smooth front edge along the bottom wall and the two side walls for the second tray portion in the second display configuration. Such a step allows for the packaging to present a uniform front-facing appearance when displayed on the retail store shelf.
The steps and elements described herein can be reconfigured and combined in many different combinations to achieve the desired technical effects.
Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of one or more illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the one or more embodiments of the invention.
With reference to
Now turning with reference to
The tear line 20 is a single tear line in this illustrated embodiment, and it extends between the first side panel first portion 30 and the first side panel second portion 32, then between the bottom panel first portion 24 and the bottom panel second portion 26, and finally between the second side panel first portion 34 and the second side panel second portion 36. The fold lines 18 are provided along the junctions between several panel portions, including but not limited to: the junctions between the bottom panel first portion 24 with each of the first side panel first portion 30, the first end panel 22, and the second side panel first portion 34; and the junctions between the bottom panel second portion 26 with each of the first side panel second portion 32, the second end panel 28, and the second side panel second portion 36. The tear line 20 is used when converting the SRP 10 between the first transport configuration and the second display configuration after assembly, while the fold lines 18 are generally used to define different walls out of the panels when assembling the SRP 10 in initial construction of the packaging.
The tray blank 14 and its panel portions are formed with a plurality of vent apertures 38. For example, in
The tray blank 14 is assembled into the base tray 16 in the illustrated embodiment as follows. First, the first end panel 22 and the second end panel 28 are bent upwardly along the corresponding fold lines 18 to be generally perpendicular to the bottom panel first and second portions 24, 26. Next, the first side panel first and second portions 30, 32 are collectively bent upwardly along the fold lines 18 to be generally perpendicular to each of the bottom panel first and second portions 24, 26 as well as the first and second end panels 22, 28. Likewise, the second side panel first and second portions 34, 36 are collectively bent upwardly along the fold lines 18 to be generally perpendicular to each of the bottom panel first and second portions 24, 26 as well as the first and second end panels 22, 28. This creates a general open-box shape with (as of yet) unconnected corners. Next, end tab portions 40 defined as an integral part of each of the first side panel first and second portions 30, 32 and the second side panel first and second portions 34, 36 are bent to form corners adjacent the junctions of the first and second side panels with the first and second end panels 22, 28 and are then connected to an inward-facing side of the first and second end panels 22, 28 such as with adhesive or another connection element. In some embodiments these end tab portions 40 may also be separated from the remainder of the side panel portions by fold lines 18, but such fold lines 18 are not necessary as shown in the illustrated example. It will also be understood that the end tab portions 40 could alternatively be adhered to an outer-facing surface of the first and second end panels 22, 28 in further non-illustrated embodiments of the SRP 10. Following this securing connection of the end tab portions 40 to the first and second end panels 22, 28 (two end tab portions 40 on each end panel 22, 28), the base tray 16 of this embodiment is fully assembled and ready to receive food products. Such a fully assembled base tray 16 is also visible in
The base tray 16 in fully assembled form is show in further detail in
The cover element 54 of this embodiment is shown in further detail in
Further details of the SRP 10 of this embodiment will now be described in accordance with a description of a method of use, which is shown in steps in
Once the SRP 10 is transported to the site of final sale/retail, the SRP 10 may be converted from the first transport configuration to a second display configuration. In this regard, the cover element 54 is first lifted from the base tray 16 to disengage these elements from one another. The cover element 54 is shown being lifted from and removed from the remainder of the SRP 10 in
Some of the food products 50 are shown in phantom in
It can be readily seen in
The first tray portion 80 is then removed from the second tray portion 82 by tearing these elements apart along the tear line 20 extending across the base tray 16. As initially described above, one of the vent apertures 38 may be located along the tear line 20 to reduce the total amount of tearing action that needs to be completed by a user to separate the first and second tray portions 80, 82. With this one tearing action along a single tear line 20 (which is only located along three walls of the base tray 16) in the illustrated embodiment, the base tray 16 is split into the first tray portion 80 and the second tray portion 82, making this step of the reconfiguration of the SRP 10 easy and quick to implement for retail employees. The first tray portion 80 can then be removed from the SRP 10 as shown schematically by arrow 84 in
At the point where the tear line 20 intersects with the upper edges of the first and second side walls 62, 64, a cutout 86 may be provided in each of the first and second side walls 62, 64 as most clearly shown in
As shown in
As with the cover element 54 and the first tray portion 80, once the food products 50 have been sold off the retail store shelf 52 to empty the SRP 10, the second tray portion 82 may also be discarded or recycled, and the process begun anew with a new SRP 10 loaded with food products 50 and transported to the retail store for the restocking. By allowing for a rapid and easy reconfiguration between the first transport configuration and the second display configuration, the SRP 10 of this embodiment improves the packaging field by making the packaging work better in both the shipping and restocking/retail settings. Thus, cup containers and many other types of food products 50 can be efficiently transported and then displayed for sale to customers using this design.
This functionality and the technical benefits of the SRP 10 of this embodiment is also further revealed in the side cross sections shown in
Thus, the SRP 10 as shown in the illustrated embodiment and other embodiments of this invention improves the packaging field for food products and similar items that are sold on retail store shelves 52. To this end, the SRP 10 provides the normal benefits of being “shelf-ready” because the package can be placed immediately after transport onto a store shelf 52 and then be used to display the food products 50 to consumers in the retail setting. However, unlike conventional SRP designs, the SRP 10 changes length when conducting a simple-to-implement conversion from a first transport configuration to a second display configuration, thereby allowing more space for shipping the goods to the retail store while still fitting properly on a standard store shelf 52 when on display. Furthermore, the tear line 20 of the SRP 10 is configured to make it easy to separate the first and second tray portions 80, 82 from one another while leaving a smooth front edge 88 that creates an open front surface and an open top surface to provide maximum visibility and access to the food products 50 when in the second display configuration. To this end, the visibility and access is similar to that of food products that are completely removed from shipping boxes and individually placed on the retail store shelf 52, which is a much more time and labor-intensive process for retail restock employees.
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of various preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. The various features discussed herein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept.
