DISPLAY STAND FOR SHIPPING AND DISPLAYING CONSUMER GOODS
A display stand for shipping and displaying goods is disclosed. The display stand preferably eliminates the need for separate inner boxes in a shipping container, resulting in less waste and less time being spent stocking shelves with products.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/851,161 filed on Oct. 11, 2006, entitled “A DISPLAY STAND FOR SHIPPING AND DISPLAYING CONSUMER GOODS”, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to product packaging. More particularly, this invention relates to efficiently packaging products in a form to be displayed on display shelves.
2. Description of the Related Art
Consumer products are typically shipped in an external container, e.g., a corrugated cardboard box, that encloses multiple inner boxes, e.g., cardboard boxes, each of which contains individual packages containing one or more products to be sold as a unit to a consumer. In some instances, the external container is opened at a distribution center and the inner boxes are sent to one or more retail stores. In other instances, the entire external container is sent to the retail store. Once at the retail location, the inner boxes are opened. In some instances, the individual packages of consumer goods are taken out of the inner boxes and then put on display shelves, e.g., hung on a display peg that is an integral part of a display wall or shelf where they can be purchased by consumers. In this instance, the inner-boxes are not used in the display of the individual product packages, and are disposed of once the product packages have been removed. In other instances, the inner boxes are partially disassembled and a portion of the inner box is used to hold the products when the partial inner box is put on a display shelf. In this instance, only a portion of the inner box is disposed of at the time the products are placed on the shelf, and the remainder is disposed of when the display portion is emptied of the product. However, the entire inner box still contributes to waste that must be disposed of by the retailer. In addition to the physical waste that these shipping containers create, the amount of time for a store clerk to unpack the external container and the inner boxes wastes time that could be used for other money making things (e.g., customer service). Even when the inner boxes are used to display the goods, typically only a portion of the inner box is used, requiring the person stocking the shelf to remove most of the inner box, requiring time and generating waste. What is needed is a method of packaging consumer goods that reduces the amount of waste and reduces the amount of time to unpack and display the individual product packages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn embodiment provides a method of providing efficient packaging of products, for example, consumer goods, whereby waste materials associated with unpacking are reduced and time associated with displaying the consumer goods at a place of retail is reduced. The method comprises providing a plurality of product packages, providing one or more display stands, preferably peg stands configured with one or more pegs to support one or more of the plurality of the packages, the display stands being further configured such that an integer number of the display stands fit securely into a shipping container while supporting the consumer products, and loading the integer number of display stands holding the consumer products into the shipping container in preparation for shipping.
Another embodiment provides a kit for providing efficient packaging of consumer goods, whereby waste materials associated with unpacking are reduced and time associated with displaying the consumer goods at a place of retail is reduced. The kit comprises a plurality of consumer product packages, a shipping container, and one or more display stands, preferably peg stands configured with one or more pegs to support one or more of the plurality of packages, the display stands being further configured such that an integer number of the display stands fit securely into the shipping container while supporting the consumer products.
A method and apparatus for providing efficient packaging, unpacking and display of products is provided. An embodiment includes a display stand and multiple individual product packages, wherein a single container houses both the display stand and the individual product packages, preferably eliminating the need for inner boxes. The individual product packages, in some aspects, can be pre-installed onto the display stand. In a preferred embodiment, the display stands are peg stands configured with one or more pegs to support the product packages. The container housing the display stand and the individual product packages can be a shipping container, e.g., a corrugated cardboard box. By enabling a person to unpack the display stand and the individual packages at the same time, store shelves can be stocked in a more efficient manner. In addition, the lack of inner boxes, in some aspects, reduces the waste associated with the unpacking process. Other advantages and benefits will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
The display stand 100 also includes one or more vertical members 115 connecting the peg 105 to a base portion including one or more cross members 120 and a center member 125. The cross members 120 provide lateral stability allowing the display stand to be free standing and resist tipping over in a direction generally perpendicular to the peg 105. The center member 125 provides longitudinal stability preventing the display stand 100 from tipping forward as a result of the weight of the individual packages being positioned near the end 110 of the peg 105. The center member 125 can advantageously be generally parallel to the peg 105. In one embodiment, the peg 105 is longer than the vertical member 115.
The vertical member 115 is sized to allow the individual packages to hang from the peg 105 without contacting, or significantly contacting, the center member 125. The center member 125 can be sized to fit onto store shelves. The center member 125 and the peg 105 preferably extend in the same direction, generally orthogonal to and separated by the vertical member 115.
The display stand 100 can also include a posting sign 130 that can be used, for example, to display product and/or price information. The example posting sign 130 is shown at a back end of the peg 105. However, the posting sign 130 can also be positioned at the front of the center member 125 or near the end 110 of the peg 105. It should be noted that positioning the posting sign 130 at the end 110 of the peg 105 can interfere with sliding packages onto the peg 105. In this configuration packages can be attached to the peg 105 with hooks. The individual packages can also include a hole formed in a tab connected to the package or a part of the package. The tab can include a slit that allows the package to be forced over the peg 105 without sliding the hole over the end 110.
The example container 150 also includes a top 160 that fits over the top of or otherwise closes the container 150, thereby enclosing the display stands 100 and individual packages 155. Other forms of container tops (e.g., multiple flaps attached to the top edges of the container 150) known to those of skill in the art can also be used. While the example container 150 of
The display stand 200 also includes a base portion connected to the vertical members 215. The base portion includes cross members 220 connected to center two center members 225, where the cross members 220 and center members 225 provide stability preventing the display stand from tipping over during shipping and during display on a shelf. Each of the cross members 220 includes two pads 230. The pads 230 can prevent slippage on a shelf and/or prevent damage to a shelf (e.g., to a wooden shelf). The base portion and the peg members 205 are preferably generally parallel to each other and are preferably generally parallel and extend in the same direction from the vertical members 215.
The display stand 200 offers an advantage because the pair of peg members 205 can result in added stability when multiple display stands 200 are stacked within a shipping container such as the container 150 of
The base panels 320 and 420 shown in
The base panels 320 and 420, in
The display stands 100, 200, 300 and 400 can be formed of any suitable material including plastics or other polymers, metals, paper, cardboard, biodegradable plastics or polymers, wood etc. The material and amount of material in each member should be chosen to provide sufficient structural integrity to support the displayed products and to take the impacts that can be experienced during shipping. The materials can be recyclable, but are preferably biodegradable. Several biodegradable materials are discussed in the paper “Biodegradable Polymers: A Rebirth of Plastic,” written by Shellie Berkesch, and published online by the Institute of Packaging Professionals. Biodegradable materials include soy based plastics which are discussed in “Biofibres, Biodegradable polymers and Biocomposites”, by A. K. Mohantya, b, M. Misraa, b, G. Hinrichsen, Technical University of Berlin, Institute of Nonmetallic Materials, Polymer Physics, Englische STR. 20, D-10587 Berlin, Germany (Sep. 27, 1999, revised Mar. 2, 2000); or as discussed by E. S. Stevens at the Greenplastics website. The above references are herein incorporated by reference.
The display devices 100, 200, 300 and 400 can be manufactured as a single piece (e.g., molded plastic) or in separate pieces that are connected by techniques known in the art. Individual pieces can be connected by adhesives, glues, fasteners, welds, bonding, etc.
An embodiment of a method for delivering products with the display stands discussed above will now be discussed. The individual packages are configured to be displayed by hanging on one of the display stands 100, 200, 300 and 400 discussed above. In one aspect the individual packages are pre-hung on the display stand. One or more display stands 100 containing pre-hung individual packages 155 are then loaded into a container such as the container 150 in
The two horizontal members 506 provide stability such that the second display stand 510 does not tip to one side or the other. In another embodiment, display stands with a single horizontal member (such as the display stand 300 shown in
The container 500 also includes a top 515 that fits over the top of the container 500, thereby enclosing the display stands 510 and 515 and individual packages (not shown). Other forms of container tops (e.g., multiple flaps attached to the top edges of the container 200) known to those of skill in the art can also be used.
The shipping containers discussed above illustrated a single row of 3 display stands in
In one embodiment, the individual display stands 100, 200, 300 and/or 400, and the products which they support, are enclosed in enveloping means prior to being loaded in the containers 150 or 500. The enveloping means can include any type of wrapping material, preferably a shrink wrap and more preferably a biodegradable shrink wrap, or any other enveloping means. The enveloping means serves to secure the product from moving around during shipping and possibly falling off the peg member of the display stand, particularly in the embodiment where the shipping container is opened at a distribution center and individual stands are shipped to retail stores or other places of display/sale. The enveloping means can also serve to provide strength and stability to the display stands that are arranged in rows and/or stacked in the shipping containers, such as those illustrated in
The dimensions of display stands illustrated in
Waste material associated with packaged products typically comprises two types. A first type of packaging waste is the waste associated with the packaging that holds the product, which in a retail setting is taken home by the consumer after purchasing the product (“consumer waste”). A second type of packaging waste is the waste that remains at the place of display/sale, typically a retail store (“retailer waste”). The embodiments of methods and systems for containing, shipping and displaying products described herein preferably reduce the amount of this second type of waste material, the “retailer waste.” Embodiments of the packaging methods and systems described above can result in the amount of packaging waste remaining at the place of display/sale (“retailer waste”) being reduced by an amount that is, is about, is at least, is at least about, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50% less than the amount of standard packaging comprising a cardboard inner box. The comparison can be made by measuring the amount of “retailer waste” generated to ship and display a given number of product packages using an embodiment of the instant invention, and dividing that amount by the amount of “retailer waste” generated to ship and display the same number of product packages using standard cardboard inner boxes. These values of “retailer” packaging waste reduction can be measured in terms of volume or weight. A reduction in the volume of waste can reduce the costs associated with storing the waste before it is picked up by recyclers and/or waste management services. A reduction in the overall weight of the packaging waste can result in a reduction of the cost involved in disposing of the packaging waste, as well as shipping the product. In the retail setting where hundreds of products are shipped and unpacked every day, even small reductions in waste can be significant when considering all the stores in a retail chain, or when considering a single stores waste over a given period of time.
While the invention and embodiments disclosed herein are often discussed in terms of consumer goods, retail stores, and consumers, one of skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not so limited. The place of unpacking the inner box can be any location that receives the goods to be displayed and/or sold, and is not limited to retail stores. Examples of locations other than retail stores which must contend with packaging waste and time associated with unpacking include, for example, office supply rooms, hospital supply rooms, and individual's homes when products are purchased in bulk. Thus, “consumers” include, for example, workers in the office, hospital staff, or people living in the home, that remove the individual product package from the display for use. Therefore, “consumer,” “retailer,” “consumer waste,” “retailer waste,” etc. as used herein are descriptive terms that are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the retail store setting where product packages are purchased by a consumer and taken from the store.
Therefore, it is understood that the foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. It should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A method of providing efficient packaging of products for display or sale, whereby waste materials associated with unpacking are reduced and time associated with displaying the products at a place of display or sale is reduced, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of product packages;
- providing one or more display stands, each display stand configured to support one or more of the plurality of the product packages, the display stands being further configured such that an integer number of the display stands fit securely into a shipping container while supporting the consumer products; and
- loading the integer number of display stands holding the product packages into the shipping container in preparation for shipping.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display stands each comprise one or more support pegs configured to support the product packages and the product packages each comprise one or more hanging means configured to fit over the one or more pegs of the display stand, the method further comprising attaching the product packages to the one or more pegs via hanging means prior to loading the display stands into the shipping container.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the hanging means comprises a hook.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the display stands comprises a base member configured to support the one or more support pegs and to provide stability.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the base member comprises a substantially flat panel.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein loading the integer number of display stands holding the products packages into the shipping container comprises stacking one of the display stands on top of another one of the display stands.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein there is no additional structural support material between the stacked display stands.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the display stand is at least partially formed of one or more biodegradable materials.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the biodegradable materials comprise a soy-based plastic.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the retailer waste is reduced by about 5% by weight compared to standard packaging comprising a corrugated cardboard external container enclosing cardboard inner boxes.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising surrounding at least one of the display stands and the supported packages using an enveloping means prior to loading.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the enveloping means comprises shrink wrap.
13. A kit for providing efficient packaging of product packages, whereby waste materials associated with unpacking are reduced and time associated with displaying the product packages at a place of display or sale is reduced, the kit comprising:
- a plurality of product packages;
- a shipping container; and
- one or more display stands, each display stand configured to support one or more of the plurality of packages, the display stands being further configured such that an integer number of the display stands fit securely into the shipping container while supporting the product packages.
14. The kit of claim 13, wherein the display stands each comprise one or more support pegs configured to support the product packages and the product packages each comprise one or more hanging means configured to fit over the one or more pegs of the display stand.
15. The kit of claim 14, wherein the hanging means comprises a hook.
16. The kit of claim 14, wherein each of the display stands comprises a base member configured to support the one or more support pegs and to provide stability.
17. The kit of claim 16, wherein the base member comprises a substantially flat panel.
18. The kit of claim 13, wherein the display stand is at least partially formed of one or more biodegradable materials.
19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the biodegradable materials comprise a soy-based plastic.
20. The kit of claim 13, wherein the retailer waste is reduced by about 5% by weight compared to standard packaging comprising a corrugated cardboard external container enclosing cardboard inner boxes.
21. The kit of claim 13, further comprising enveloping means configured to surround at least one of the display stands and the one or more supported product packages.
22. The kit of claim 21, wherein the enveloping means comprises shrink wrap.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 10, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 17, 2008
Inventor: Sharidan L. Stiles (Redding, CA)
Application Number: 11/870,348
International Classification: B65B 5/00 (20060101);