Packaging for decorative frangible ornaments
Packaging for enclosing and displaying frangible items has a base, tray and cover. The base has bottom and side walls that are opaque with their inner surfaces being mirroro-like. A tray sits in the base and is made of a transparent material and has recesses for supporting the items in a position wherein they extend above the side walls of the base. A cover extends beyond the side walls of the tray and extends over the tops of the items and is made of a transparent material enabling the items to be substantially fully viewed through the cover by virtue of the transparent cover, transparent tray and light reflecting side walls of the base.
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to packaging for holding and displaying frangible items such as holiday ornaments.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Decorative items such as holiday ornaments are customarily packaged in boxes that enable the ornaments to be only partially viewed without removing them from the packaging. Typically, the packaging includes a base, tray and cover. In some prior art packaging of this type, the base and cover are made of one piece of opaque material such as cardboard. Typically, the cover has a transparent plastic window, and the ornaments are supported on a tray inside the base. In other such prior art packaging, the base and cover are separately fabricated, and the cover made of a transparent material extends over the side walls of the base so that the ornaments inside the packaging can only be viewed through the top of the cover. In both forms of prior art described, the trays are made of opaque material, and the trays are provided with recesses that receive the ornaments in a position which leaves half or more of the surface of the ornament hidden from view.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONIn accordance with one aspect of this invention, the packaging enables substantially all of each ornament in the package to be viewed through the cover as the tray which supports the ornaments is made of a transparent material and the inner surface of the base is light reflective or mirror-like. In accordance with another aspect of this invention the ornaments sit in a relatively high position above the top of the side wall of the base, and the cover enables the ornaments to be viewed through the side as well as the top of the packaging. The elevated position of the ornament and the light properties of the materials from which the various components are made allow substantially all sides of the ornaments to be viewed through the cover without opening or removing the ornaments from the packaging.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
The packaging of the present invention includes three major elements, namely, a base 10, cover 12 and tray 14. The tray has one or more recesses 16 that receive the ornaments to be displayed in the packaging. As broadly described, packaging composed of a box, cover and tray are well known in the art. However, the packaging of the present invention includes modifications of several parts that markedly enhance the display of the glass ornaments or other products placed in the packaging.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the inner surfaces 17 of the base of packaging 10 are dark, and preferably black, and are light reflective, that is, they have a mirror-like quality that will reflect the ornaments or other items disposed before the surface. The base may be made of heavy paper, cardboard or other sheet product that preferably possesses enough stiffness to maintain the side walls of the box in a generally perpendicular position with respect to the base bottom wall.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the base 10 is made of cardboard cut as a single sheet in the configuration shown in
The tray 14 is made of transparent material such as PVC plastic and preferably is thermoformed. The tray is sized to fit within the base 10 and is complementary shaped so as to just fit within the base. The tray has side walls 36 whose lower edges 38 preferably rest on the base bottom wall 20 and flanges 32, and the side walls are of a height to support the top wall 40 of the tray at or just below the rim 42 of the base. The wells 16 are shaped to complement the shape of the ornaments 44 or other items to be displayed in the package, and in the embodiment shown, as the ornaments are essentially round, the wells 16 are approximately hemi-spherical in shape. In the specific embodiment shown, as the wells are designed to receive decorative ornaments 44 that include a spherical body 46 and a short cylindrical collar 48 carrying the rings 50 by means of which the ornaments are hung, the wells 16 have generally semi-cylindrical extensions 52 that receive the collars. It is to be appreciated that while three wells are shown in the drawings, essentially any number may be provided, depending only on the size of the packaging and the size of the ornaments to be contained therein.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the ornaments 44 extend above the rim 42 of the base 10. The portions of the ornaments extending above the tray 14 and base 10 are, however, enclosed by the cover 12.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the cover 12 is in the form of a sleeve (see
In accordance with the embodiment of cover shown in
While the preferred embodiment of the cover has been described in detail, it should be appreciated that other embodiments of covers made of transparent material may be used and achieve many of the advantages of the preferred embodiment described.
For example, if the cover is of the same shape in plan view as the base and is sized to slip over a portion or all of the side and end walls of the base, and if this embodiment of cover is made of a transparent material, at least with respect to that portion of the cover which lies above the rim of the base, and further if the side walls of the cover extend above the top edges of the side walls of the base, the ornaments packaged therein will be easily viewed just as is described in connection with the preferred embodiment. However, such a cover would not provide a degree of protection provided by the preferred embodiment, and it may be too easy for a customer to open the box and handle the ornaments, and upon deciding to purchase the product, he/she may select another box as opposed to that which the customer opened.
Alternative constructions are also available for the base. While in the preferred embodiment, the base is very conveniently erected without the use of any adhesive material. More conventional constructions may be employed with separate end and side walls on all sides thereof with such walls being cemented together. It is however, important that the inner surfaces of the walls including the bottom wall be mirror-like to enhance the visibility of the ornaments.
It is also most advantageous to have the side walls of the tray made of a transparent material so as not to diminish the light reflecting quality of the inner surfaces of the base. However, as an alternative, the inner surfaces of the side walls of the tray may be made of a mirror-like material so as to substitute for the reflective qualities of the side walls of the base that are covered by the tray side walls.
Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
Claims
1. Packaging for holding and displaying one or more ornaments comprising
- a base having a bottom wall and a side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom wall, the upper surface of the bottom wall and the inner surface of the side wall being light reflective, mirror-like surfaces,
- a tray on the base having a transparent top wall disposed above and spaced from the bottom wall of the base,
- at least one recess in the top wall for holding an ornament,
- and a transparent cover forming a continuation of the side wall of the base and extending upwardly above the base and spaced above the tray for enclosing ornament disposed in the recess,
- the transparent tray and cover and the inner surfaces of the side wall and bottom wall of the base enabling an ornament in a recess in the tray to be viewed substantially in its entirety through the cover.
2. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the walls of the base are opaque.
3. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the tray top wall is disposed in a plane in close proximity to the plane of the upper edge of the side wall.
4. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the tray has at least one side wall that is disposed adjacent the side wall of the base and supports the tray top wall on the base bottom wall.
5. The packaging of claim 4 wherein the tray side wall and top wall are integrally formed of a transparent plastic.
6. The packaging of claim 5 wherein the tray top wall is disposed in a plane in close proximity to the plane of the upper edge of the side wall.
7. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the recess is sized for supporting the ornament so that it extends above the upper edge of the side wall of the base.
8. The packaging of claim 7 wherein the cover has a side wall and a top wall,
- said cover side wall being transparent whereby an ornament in a recess of the tray may be viewed through the top and side walls of the cover.
9. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the recesses are shaped to conform to receive approximately one half of an ornament to be displayed in the package.
10. The packaging of claim 8 wherein the cover completely encloses the base and tray.
11. The packaging of claim 10 wherein the cover is formed as a sleeve that receives the base and tray with or without an ornament or ornaments in the recesses.
12. The packaging of claim 11 wherein the cover has flaps on the ends of the sleeve to further enclose the base and tray.
13. The packaging of claim 12 wherein the base is a paper product and the tray and cover are made of plastic.
14. Packaging for containing and displaying decorative objects comprising,
- a base made of a cardboard-like material and having bottom and side walls with inner and outer surfaces, said inner surfaces being made of a light reflective material,
- a thermoformed transparent tray having a top wall disposed at a height substantially at the level of the top of the side walls, said top wall having a least one recess for receiving a decorative object in a snug fit so as to releasably hold the object in a fixed position on the tray,
- and a cover in the shape of a sleeve removably receiving the base and tray and forming a closure for the package, said sleeve having a top wall overlying and spaced above the tray and made of a transparent material for enabling portions of the object on the tray both above and below the plane of the tray to be viewed with the cover in place enclosing the base and tray.
15. Packaging for containing and displaying decorative objects comprising,
- a base having bottom and side walls, said walls having mirror-like inner surfaces,
- a transparent tray disposed on the base above the bottom wall of said base for carrying at least one decorative object in place on the tray,
- and a cover having a top wall disposed above the tray, said cover enabling at least the upper and side portions of the object to be viewed while the object is on the tray and completing an enclosure for the objects when attached to the base.
16. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the base bottom and side walls are formed of one piece and are held in erect configuration by the tray free of any form of adhesive.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 15, 2004
Publication Date: Jul 7, 2005
Applicant: New England Pottery Co., Inc. (Foxboro, MA)
Inventor: Bernard Seligson (New York, NY)
Application Number: 10/868,559