HOSIERY DISPLAY PACKAGE
A hosiery display package includes a support panel joined with a base for supporting displayed hosiery, and a sleeve movably coupled to the base. The sleeve is movable between a closed position in which the hosiery is secured within the package, and an open position in which hosiery is removable from the support panel.
Latest WOLVERINE WORLD WIDE, INC. Patents:
This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/095,128, filed Sep. 8, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a hosiery display package, and more particularly to a hosiery display package that facilitates securement of and access to displayed hosiery merchandise.
There are a variety of hosiery display packages. A simple hosiery display package includes a band adhered around a folded hosiery item. A plastic hanger is inserted between the fold and the band to support the product at the fold. The hanger includes a hook adapted to hang from a peg or a display. The band typically includes an adhesive that retains the product and a label providing product information. Typically, however, the adhesive creates multiple issues for retailers and consumers. For example, the adhesive may stick to the product and leave a residue after being removed. In some cases, the consumer may be required to remove the adhesive residue from the product. This can be unnecessarily burdensome. Alternatively, the adhesive may possibly damage the product when the band is removed. This is particularly problematic with fine mesh fabrics.
Another conventional hosiery display package includes a paperboard sleeve that surrounds the hosiery. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,522 to Thorneburg discloses a paperboard hosiery display hanger package including a hanger panel that is fixedly and immovably joined with a side panel, a front panel and yet another side panel. The front panel and two side panels form a sleeve within which folded socks can be forcibly inserted and secured in place. While this provides a holder for the socks if the sleeve is improperly sized too large, the socks can unintentionally slide out of the sleeve. On the other hand, if the sleeve is improperly sized too small, the socks can be difficult to remove from the sleeve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA hosiery display package is provided that can move between a closed mode, in which the hosiery is at least partially concealed, and an open mode, in which the hosiery is at least partially exposed.
In one embodiment, the display package includes a support panel joined with a base for supporting displayed hosiery, and a sleeve movably coupled to the base. Specifically, the sleeve can be movable between a closed position in which the hosiery is secured within the package, and an open position in which hosiery may be removed from the support panel.
In another embodiment, the base can include a front panel and a rear panel. At least one of the front panel and the rear panel can define a track. The sleeve can be slidably positioned at least partially within the track so that the sleeve moves relative to the base, and optionally the support panel.
In still another embodiment, the support panel can be foldably joined with the base front panel. Optionally, a second support panel can be joined in opposing relation to the support panel. Optionally, the support panels can be joined directly with the base front panel. The hosiery can be folded over one or both of these support panels along a fold line to support the hosiery.
In yet another embodiment, the sleeve can include a front panel, opposing side panels, and a rear panel joined with the front panel via the opposing side panels.
In a further embodiment, the sleeve can include at least one slider panel. Optionally, the slider panel can be positioned within the track so that the track of the base guides the slider panel and thus the sleeve relative to the base.
In yet a further embodiment, the slider panel can be joined with the side panels of the sleeve and positioned a preselected distance away from the rear sleeve panel to define a cavity between the slider panel and the rear sleeve panel. The base rear panel can be disposed within that cavity. The slider panel can be positioned to hold the sleeve front panel and the base front panel a preselected distance away from one another so that the hosiery or other merchandise can fit therebetween when the display package is in a closed mode.
In a further embodiment, a method is provided which can include: providing a hosiery display package including a sleeve slidably joined with a base, the base including at least one support panel that supports hosiery folded along a fold line, the hosiery being at least partially concealed by the sleeve in a closed mode; sliding the sleeve and base relative to one another to expose at least a portion of the support panel and the hosiery in an open mode; and removing the hosiery from the support panel. Optionally, the base can include a second, opposing support panel that can be folded over the hosiery first portion to further secure the hosiery relative to the package. Further optionally, the method can include the step of moving the second support panel away from the other support panel and the supported hosiery to expose the hosiery, thereby enabling it to be removed from the support panel.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the invention and the drawings.
A current embodiment of the present hosiery display package is illustrated in
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6-9, the base 20 can include a base front panel 22 and a base rear panel 26. The base front panel 22 and base rear panel 26 can be separated from one another a preselected distance 28. This distance can be altered, but generally can be about ¼ inch, an ⅛ inch, 1/16 inch, 1/32 inch or any other dimension as desired. At least one of the base front panel 22 and base rear panel 26 can be joined by an upper panel 27 and a lower panel 29. These panels 27, 29 can separate the base front panel 22 and the base rear panel 26 the preselected distance 28 as desired. Optionally, the upper and lower panels 27, 29 can be absent altogether with the ends of the base front panel and base rear panel simply adhered or otherwise joined together, with a remainder of the base front panel and base rear panel disconnected to provide a sliding track 24 therebetween.
The upper panel 27 can define an aperture 25 within which an optional hook 50 can be positioned. Optionally, this construction can be substituted with a configuration wherein the base front panel and/or base rear panel 22, 26 define a die cut corresponding to a hook 50 so that hosiery display package can be positioned on a peg for display (
Moving to
While two support panels 32 and 34 are shown in the illustrated embodiments, any suitable number of support panels 30 can be included in the display package 10. For example, multiple support panels 30 could be included on each side of the base 20. Further, the support panels 30 can be formed in any shape suitable to support the hosiery 100 or other article that may be desired to be displayed in the package 10. For example, the support panels 30 can be generally rectangular in shape with rounded edges, as shown in the illustrated embodiments, or they could be square, circular, oval, or in the shape of character.
As shown in
Optionally, at least one of the panels 41, 42, 43 and 44 of the sleeve can be die cut or otherwise formed in any suitable, desired shape. For example, as shown in
The sleeve 40 can further include a slider panel 46 as shown in
Alternatively, the slider panel 46 can be absent from the sleeve. In this construction, the rear panel 44 of the sleeve can be positioned within the track 24 of the base and adapted to slide within the track. Optionally, the rear panel 44 can include a tab or a stop or a recess adapted to engage a corresponding tab, stop or recess of the base 20 to restrict sliding movement of the sleeve beyond a desired configuration. Alternatively, the track 24 could also be absent from the base 20. In this construction, the sleeve 40 could be movably joined with another potion of the base 20. For example, the sleeve 40 could be foldably or pivotally joined with the base front panel 22, such that the sleeve 40 could fold or pivot between the closed and open modes.
As desired, any portion of the surfaces of any of the panels of the sleeve and/or base can be used as an information area to display product or other information such as by applying labels or printing directly on those surfaces. The thickness of each of the panels can be selected based on the desired rigidity of the package or other material cost concerns.
With reference to
To open the package, a user can slide the sleeve 40 upward, within the track 24 (
As the sleeve 40 slides upward in the direction of the arrows shown in
Moving to
As shown in
The above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any references to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
Claims
1. A hosiery display package comprising:
- a base including a track and a first support panel adapted to support at least a portion of a hosiery article along a fold line of the hosiery;
- a sleeve including a sleeve front panel and a slider panel, the slider panel slidably joined with the track;
- wherein the sleeve is adapted to slidably move relative to the first support panel from a closed mode in which the sleeve at least partially conceals the hosiery to an open mode in which the hosiery is exposed a sufficient amount to enable a user to remove the hosiery from the first support panel.
2. The display package of claim 1 wherein the base includes a base front panel and a base rear panel, wherein the track is defined between the base front and base rear panels.
3. The display package of claim 2 wherein the first support panel is movably joined with the base front panel.
4. The display package of claim 3 wherein a second support panel is movably joined with the base front panel in opposing relation to the first support panel.
5. The display package of claim 4 wherein the first and second support panels at least partially overlap when in a folded position.
6. The display package of claim 2 wherein the sleeve includes opposing sleeve side panels, and a sleeve rear panel joined with the sleeve front panel by the opposing sleeve side panels.
7. The display package of claim 6 wherein the slider panel is joined with the sleeve side panels and positioned a preselected distance away from the sleeve rear panel to define a cavity between the slider panel and the sleeve rear panel.
8. The display package of claim 7 wherein the base rear panel is disposed within the cavity between the slider panel and the sleeve rear panel.
9. The display package of claim 8 wherein the slider panel is positioned to hold the sleeve front panel a preselected distance away from the base front panel, wherein the first and second support panels and at least a portion of the hosiery can fit within the preselected distance when the first and second support panels are in a folded position.
10. The display package of claim 4 wherein the second support panel includes an inner surface facing the hosiery and an opposite outer surface, wherein an inner surface of the sleeve is adapted to engage the outer surface of the second support panel in the closed mode.
11. A hosiery display package comprising:
- a base including first and second support panels, wherein at least one of the first and second support panels is adapted to support at least a portion of a hosiery article along a fold line of the hosiery;
- a sleeve movably joined with the base, wherein the sleeve is adapted to move relative to the first support panel from a closed mode in which the sleeve at least partially conceals the hosiery, to an open mode in which the hosiery is exposed a sufficient amount to enable a user to remove the hosiery from the first support panel.
12. The display package of claim 11 wherein the first and second support panels are foldably joined to the base on opposing sides of the base.
13. The display package of claim 12 wherein the second support panel overlaps at least a portion of the first support panel in a folded position.
14. The display package of claim 11 wherein the sleeve includes a sleeve front panel, opposing sleeve side panels, a sleeve rear panel, and a slider panel movable relative to the base.
15. The display package of claim 14 wherein the slider panel is joined with the sleeve side panels and is positioned a preselected distance relative to the sleeve rear panel to define a cavity between the slider panel and the sleeve rear panel.
16. The display package of claim 15 wherein the base includes a base front panel and a base rear panel disposed within the cavity between the slider panel and the sleeve rear panel.
17. The display package of claim 16 wherein the slider panel is positioned to hold the sleeve front panel a preselected distance away from the base front panel, wherein the first and second support panels and at least a portion of the hosiery can fit within the preselected distance when the first and second support panels are in a folded position.
18. A method of displaying hosiery comprising:
- providing a hosiery display package including a sleeve slidably joined with a base, the base including a first support panel that supports hosiery folded along a fold line, the hosiery being at least partially concealed by the sleeve in a closed mode;
- sliding the sleeve and the base relative to one another to expose at least a portion of the support panel and the hosiery in an open mode; and
- removing the hosiery from the support panel in the open mode.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the base includes a second support panel, wherein the method further comprises sliding the sleeve and the base relative to one another to at least partially enclose the first and second support panels and the hosiery.
20. The method of claim 19 further including the step of moving the second support panel away from the first support panel and the supported hosiery to expose the hosiery when in an open mode.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 20, 2009
Publication Date: Mar 11, 2010
Applicant: WOLVERINE WORLD WIDE, INC. (Rockford, MI)
Inventor: James Lindars (Huntington, VT)
Application Number: 12/544,770
International Classification: B65D 85/18 (20060101);