PACKAGING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging system for groups of products, where this packaging system includes a packaging sleeve arranged to at least partially surround the group of products to be packaged. The invention also includes at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve which is adapted to prevent the group of products surrounded by the sleeve from being removed from the sleeve. Preferably the packaging system also includes at least one locating tray configured to locate a group of products in a fixed arrangement relative to one another when located within the packaging sleeve. The invention also encompasses a method of positioning the group of products packaged on a display surface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an improved packaging system which may be used to implement shelf-ready packaging, in addition to a method of delivering sets of products to a shelf.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved packaging system, preferably configured to perform in shelf ready packaging, applications.

The stocking of shelves is a business cost currently borne by retailers. In particular, supermarkets need to employ staff specifically tasked with maintaining stock levels on their shelves, where these staff may need to work outside of normal business hours and potentially late at night to avoid inconvenience to the retailer's customers. Shelf stockers need to remove a retailer's products from protective shipping packages, normally by cutting products out of cardboard cartons or boxes, or by cutting plastic film away from small collections of products. Products then need to be positioned on a shelf in a tidy manner to maximise the number of products displayed and to present the front face of the products to the front of the shelf.

The employment of shelf stockers increases the operating costs of retailers, and in particular the costs of supermarkets with high product turnover rates. These employees are also at risk of workplace accidents through the need to use a cutting device such as a knife to cut through plastic film and/or cardboard when extracting the products to be shelved.

For example, one common form of packaging employs products deployed on a locating base or tray with plastic film wrapped around the products and tray together to bind the collection of products into a single transportable article. It takes a shelf stocker a relatively long period of time to remove this plastic film, and usually requires the use of a cutting device or knife with all the attendant risks associated with using same. Shelf stockers are also exposed to the risk of strain injuries in relation to this type of packaging as they still need to pull partially severed or cut film from their products. Furthermore they may need to bend down and lift individual products to a shelf surface numerous times to stock a shelf.

Once the enclosing plastic film has been removed the products will then sit loosely on the remaining base tray of this form of packaging. It is possible that these trays can collapse or be knocked during shelf stocking, resulting in a spillage the products over the retailer's floor, which can damage the products and taking even more time to finally stock the shelf. All of the packaging involved then needs to be discarded after use and the products correctly aligned to the front of the shelf individually to suit the aesthetic requirements of a retailer.

Shelf-ready packaging has been developed to speed the delivery of collections of products to the shelf, while also attempting to minimise the potential risks shelf packers are exposed to through the need to use a cutting device.

Known forms of shelf-ready packaging in general employ an existing shipping or transportation carton, which at the shelf can be reconfigured so that the entire carton can be lifted and positioned onto a shelf while still holding all its products. The reconfiguration of the carton allows consumers to see the products still retained in the carton and also to retrieve a product or products. A representative example of this existing prior art form of shelf-ready packaging carton is disclosed in Australian Patent Application No. AU2005100550. This reference is provided by way of example only and is not considered to anticipate or render obvious the subject matter of the invention claimed herein.

However, existing shelf-ready packaging cartons still need to be designed so as to allow a clear line of sight to the products they are to display and also to allow easy access to the products by consumers. The design of these shelf-ready cartons must also take into account aesthetic considerations in that they will form part of the display of a product.

Shelf-ready cartons also still take time for a shelf stacker to reconfigure, usually through the need for frangible tear lines formed in a carton to be broken open, and for sections or part of the carton to be folded or reconfigured to provide viewing windows or access ports into the carton. Packaging designers also aim to provide shelf ready packages which can be reconfigured for a shelf without the need for a cutting tool, but this requirement may not necessarily be met if a shelf stocker has limited manual dexterity or is not strong enough to tear through the frangible portions of a carton. Therefore these types of shelf ready cartons may still require the use of a cutting device with all the attendant risks to a shelf stocker employing same. In addition, where frangible tear lines are provided, relatively tough materials may still need to be torn open which may eventually result in strain injuries.

These types of shelf ready cartons are also relatively slow to deploy on a shelf as a significant amount of time is required to open up a carton and then reconfigure its components to allow a customer line of sight to and access to the products it contains. Furthermore, large amounts of cardboard or other carton materials can have a detrimental affect on the aesthetics of the products displayed and may limit the quality of the presentation of the products and hence their sales for a retailer.

It would therefore be desirable to have a shelf-ready packaging system and/or a method of delivering sets of products to a shelf in a minimal number of operations which overcome at least one of the deficiencies of prior art shelf-ready cartons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a packaging system for a group of products, said packaging system including:

a packaging sleeve arranged to at least partially surround the group of products, and

at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve adapted to prevent a group of products surrounded by the sleeve from being removed from the sleeve.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a packaging system substantially as described above which includes at least one locating tray configured to locate the group of products in a fixed arrangement relative to one another.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of positioning a group of products on a display surface, said group of products being surrounded by a packaging sleeve with at least one retention structure being associated with the packaging sleeve, said method being characterised by the steps of;

i. positioning the group of products on or adjacent to the display surface, and

ii. disengaging at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve, and

iii. sliding the packaging sleeve away from the group of products.

Preferably a packaging sleeve employed in accordance with the present invention may be arranged to surround the side walls, top and bottom faces of the group of products while leaving the front and end faces of the group of products free.

Preferably a retention structure may be provided by a portion of the body of the sleeve arranged to project into the volume of space surrounded or defined by the packaging sleeve.

Preferably a locating tray incorporated into the packaging system may be formed from a semi-rigid tray which defines a retention area or position for each member of the group of products to be packaged.

In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term “comprising” has the non-exclusive meaning of the word, in the sense of “including at least” rather than the exclusive meaning in the sense of “consisting only of”. The same applies with corresponding grammatical changes to other forms of the word such as “comprise”, “comprises” and so on.

The present invention is configured to provide a packaging system for a group of products. This packaging system may be used to quickly and effectively deliver an entire grouped collection of products onto a display shelf, preferably without the need for a box cutting knife or other similar tool to be used.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the group of products delivered, packaged or positioned in accordance to the present invention may be any form of physical product which needs to be deployed on a shelf. Reference in general throughout the specification will be made to the invention being used to package collections of grocery items such as jars of sauce, pickles or other similar products arranged in groups of four, six or potentially twelve individual products packaged together. However those skilled in the art should appreciate that both other forms of products, in addition to various numbers of such products may employ the present invention.

The present invention includes or provides a packaging sleeve arranged to surround a group of products. In a preferred embodiment the sleeve may be arranged so as to surround the sides, top and bottom of a group of products, leaving exposed the front and end faces of the group. However, in other embodiments the sleeve may be arranged so as to surround the side, end and front faces of the group—leaving the top and bottom faces exposed. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the invention may be used flexibly in a range of different embodiments depending on the group of products to be packaged and positioned.

For example, in one alternative embodiment the sleeve may be formed so as to provide a single open face only. In such an embodiment the opposite end of the sleeve to its open face may be closed through the provision of an additional sidewall or closed face.

A packaging sleeve may be formed from a range of different materials depending on the application the invention is used within and the groups of products to be packaged. For example, in one preferred embodiment a substantially rectangular packaging sleeve may be formed from corrugated card, with the internal dimensions of the sleeve arranged so as to firmly engage the interior of the sleeve with the group of products.

However in other embodiments, materials such as solid cardboard or alternatively plastic sheeting may be used to provide or form the packaging sleeve. For example, in various embodiments the sleeve may be formed from corrugated paperboard, corrugated plastic board, solid core cardboard or rigid plastic sheet. The present invention may therefore employ a range of materials which can be fabricated into a sleeve which has an interior surface which can closely contact the group of products to be packaged.

Reference throughout the specification will now be made to a packaging sleeve being formed from corrugated cardboard. However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that alternative forms and materials may be employed.

Preferably at least one retention structure is associated with the packaging sleeve. A retention structure can be used to secure or locate a group of products inside the packaging sleeve while these products are transported to a destination. In a further preferred embodiment a retention structure may be configured to block or close at least one open face or end of the packaging sleeve, preventing the group of products from being slid out of this open face or side of the sleeve.

In a preferred embodiment the present invention may include a plurality of retention structures associated with each open end of the packaging sleeve. For example, for such an embodiment a retention structure may be formed from a cut through inverted corner section of the upper end face of the sleeve. This type of a retention structure can be engaged by pushing on the corner of the sleeve until the cut through section projects into the interior of the sleeve. In such embodiments two opposed corners of the sleeve may include such cut through mechanisms, and in further preferred embodiments three or potentially four of the corners of the sleeve may be cut through to allow these corner sections to project into the interior of the sleeve. In other embodiments an open face or end of the sleeve may incorporate a single retention structure only if required. Furthermore, in a number of embodiments an additional cut through corner projection or projections may be provided at the opposite open end of the sleeve so that both ends of the sleeve can be blocked or closed.

In other embodiments a retention structure may not necessarily be formed by a cut through projecting corner section of the sleeve as described above. For example, in other embodiments a cut out section or frangible perforation may be applied to a side wall or face of the sleeve. Pressure on this section of the sleeve will therefore cause a portion of the sleeve to project into the interior of the sleeve, or at the end of the sleeve. In yet other embodiments a retention structure may be formed from an article separate to or independent of the sleeve, such as for example a strap or loop of material placed around the sleeve to close its open ends or faces. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that a range of retention structure may be employed in conjunction with the present invention.

Preferably any retention structure employed in the present invention may be configured so as to be engaged or disengaged as required. When a retention structure is disengaged it will allow the entry or exit of a group of products into or out of the interior space defined by the packaging sleeve. Conversely when a retention structure is engaged it may at least in part work to prevent the removal of a group of products from the interior volume defined by the packaging sleeve.

In a preferred embodiment the packaging system of the present invention may incorporate or include at least one locating tray. A locating tray can be provided to locate the group of products packaged in a fixed arrangement relative to one another. A locating tray may define a retention area or position for each member of the group of products involved. In a preferred embodiment at least one packaging tray may be retained with the group of products when they are ultimately displayed.

In a preferred embodiment the packaging system may include two locating trays configured to engage with the top and bottom ends of the group of products when inside the sleeve. The provision of two opposed trays can securely locate together the group of products, particularly when these trays are in turn surrounded by the packaging sleeve. Furthermore once the products are delivered to and positioned on a display surface the upper or top locating tray may be removed. Conversely, the lower tray may stay in place to maintain the orientation and arrangement of the group of products.

However, in other alternative embodiments a pair of upper and lower trays may not be employed by the packaging system as discussed above. For example, in one alternative embodiment a single lower tray may be provided, whereas in yet another alternative embodiment four trays may be provided to locate the top, bottom and an array of side walls of the group of products required. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that any applicable number of trays may be provided in accordance with the present invention, and in some embodiments the present invention may also be implemented without the use of a tray or trays.

A locating tray may be formed from any material which is preferably rigid or semi-rigid so as to allow this material to prevent movement of individual products relative to one another. For example, in one preferred embodiment a locating tray may be formed from a semi-rigid lightweight plastic tray well known in the packaging industry. However, in other embodiments a locating tray may be formed from solid or corrugated cardboard erected or assembled to define a series of retention areas or positions for each product to be located. A locating tray provided in accordance with the present invention may for example be provided through any form of plastic, including vacuum formed, injection or blow moulded plastics if required. Such trays can also be formed from a range of materials ranging from corrugated paperboard or plastic board, through to solid core cardboard if required. Reference in general throughout this specification to the use of semi-rigid lightweight plastic locating trays should in no way be seen as limiting.

Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that the present invention may be used in some embodiments without incorporating a locating tray. For example, in some alternative embodiments the products to be packaged may be provided through cartons or boxes which can be stacked, aligned or otherwise arrayed in regular forms and located by the interior walls of the sleeve. Those skilled in the art should appreciate the references to the use of a locating tray or trays in conjunction with the present invention should not be seen as limiting.

The present invention encompasses both a packaging system for a group of products in addition to a method of positioning the group of products on a display surface such as a retailers' display shelf. The construction of the packaging system facilitates this method of positioning provided in accordance with the preferred embodiment as discussed below.

The present invention aims to allow collections or groups of products be quickly placed on a shelf with a minimum number of operations executed by a person stacking or stocking the shelves.

Initially the products located within the packaging system can be positioned on a shelf or adjacent to a shelf on which they are to ultimately be displayed.

Next, one or more retention structure used to hold the products inside the packaging sleeve can be disengaged. In such embodiments only the retention structure blocking a single open end of the sleeve need to be disengaged at this stage.

Once at least one end of the packaging sleeve is open the packaging sleeve can be slid away from the group of products, allowing the products to be rested on and supported by the shelf, preferably while still being located or arranged by one or more locating trays.

Lastly any excess locating trays can then be removed from the group of products. In some embodiments a locating tray positioned underneath the products may be retained on the shelf to keep the products in a tidy and regular arrangement while ensuring the front faces the products faced towards the front of the shelf.

This method of positioning facilitated by the present invention allows groups or collections of products to be positioned on a display shelf very quickly when compared with existing prior art packaging systems. The packaging sleeve of the invention can function as a delivery mechanism, securing together members of the group of products as they are lifted or positioned on to, or adjacent to a shelf. This packaging sleeve can then be readily slid away from the products, or the products pushed out of the sleeve, leaving them free to be viewed and accessed by consumers.

The present invention may therefore be employed to eliminate the need for a cutting device or knife to be used by a shelf stocking employee. In addition an entire collection of products may be deployed on a shelf in a relatively small number of operations, again reducing risk to the health of shelf stocking employees exposed to repetitive strain injuries either through repetitive lifting or attempts to force open packaging components.

The present invention can also allow for the rapid stocking of shelves, potentially decreasing the wages costs of a retailer. As products are finally deployed on a shelf in a single collection and then subsequently released from the packaging sleeve there is no need to restack or reposition products on the shelf nor is there any risk of a base tray collapsing and spilling any products on the floor prior to being lifted individually on to a shelf. Through the removal of the sleeve the present invention may have a very minimal impact on the quality of the presentation of products, thereby allowing the individual packaging of each product to be the dominant aesthetic feature encountered by customers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a packaging system provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment with the system being displayed in association with a group of products; and

FIGS. 2a-d show side end perspective and bottom views of the packaging system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a retention structure employed in the embodiment shown with respect to FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the packaging system of FIG. 1 when a group of products are inserted into, retained within and slid out of the packaging sleeve.

FIG. 7 shows the packaging system of an alternative embodiment to that of FIG. 1 which includes a pair of cover elements.

FIGS. 8, 8(a), 8(b) and 8(c) show a packaging system implemented in accordance with a further embodiment to those discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 to 7 which packages boxed products without a provision of a locating tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a packaging system (1) provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment, with the packaging system being displayed in association with a group of products (2).

FIGS. 2a-d show side, end, perspective and bottom views of the packaging system when engaged with the group of products (2).

In the embodiment shown with respect to these figures, the packaging system (1) includes a packaging sleeve (3) which in use is arranged to surround the top, bottom and two side walls of the group of products. These products are formed in this embodiment by a collection of produce jars (2).

The packaging system (1) also includes a pair of locating trays (4a), (4b) which define a retention area or position (5) for each product or jar to be packaged. The bottom locating tray (4a) in use sits underneath each of the jars while the top locating tray (4b) sits on top of the jars when grouped together. The arrangement of these two trays act to hold together the group of jars (2) relative to one another and also to retain the jars so that any labels applied to the jars will face in the same direction.

The packaging system (1) also incorporates a set of retention structure (6) shown in detail with respect to FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown a single retention structure is formed by a cut or perforation made at an end corner of the sleeve (3). FIG. 3 shows a solid outline of the arrangement of this retention structure when disengaged, and a ghosted outline of this component when engaged.

As can be clearly seen from FIGS. 2b and 2c, the sets of retention structure (6) provided in association with the sleeve can be pushed inwards into the interior of the sleeve to block the passage of the jars (2) out of that end of the sleeve. When the jars (2) are to be transported each of the three retention structure (6) located at either open end of the sleeve (3) can be engaged to hold the group of jars (2) within the interior of the sleeve.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the packaging system (1) of FIG. 1 when a group of products are inserted into, retained within, and slid out of the packaging sleeve.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, each of the retention structure (6) is in a disengaged configuration allowing the group of jars (2) located by the pair of trays (4a), (4b) to be slid into the interior of the sleeve (3).

Once the jars (2) are safely inside the sleeve (3) each of the retention structure (6) can be engaged as shown with respect to FIG. 5. The packaging system provided is then ready for dispatch and transportation to a retailer.

FIG. 6 illustrates the basic process behind the method of positioning the jars (6) on a display surface or shelf (7) as provided by the invention. As can be seen from FIG. 6 the retention structure (6) furthest from the shelf (7) can remain engaged, while the retention structure adjacent to the shelf are disengaged. This allows the packaging system (1) to be lifted up or positioned adjacent to the shelf (7) and the products or jars can be slid out directly onto the shelf (7) in one single operation or step. Once the jars (2) are on the shelf the packaging sleeve can then be discarded, as can the upper locating tray (4b). The lower locating tray (4a) can be retained on the shelf to maintain the relative positioning and orientation of each of the jars.

FIG. 7 shows the packaging system of an alternative embodiment to that of FIG. 1 which includes a pair of retention structures formed by cover elements (8). These cover elements can be formed from pop out cut through sections of the sleeve prior to the sleeve being erected from a card or cardboard blank. At assembly allowing the cover elements can be depressed to project into the interior volume defined by the sleeve.

Two cover elements (8) are shown in FIG. 7, but in yet further alternative embodiments different numbers of cover elements are employed. These cover elements can be used as a back up mechanism to the retention structure of the sleeve, and in one further alternative embodiment are to be used to contain the collection of products in relation to the sleeve if no upper or top tray is indisposed on top of the product.

In the embodiment shown with respect to FIG. 7, the size and positioning of the cover elements (8) are arranged to block line of sight to identifying bar codes applied individually to each product within the sleeve. The individual product bar codes can be blocked by a cover element (8) to prevent miss reads of these barcodes instead of barcodes applied to the sleeve to manage the transport and distribution of entire sleeves full of products.

FIGS. 8(a) through 8(c) illustrate steps involved with loading or filling a packaging system, securing the filled packaging system for transportation, and a subsequent unloading of the packaging system. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art the packaging system illustrated incorporates the same elements as those discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 through 7 but does not incorporate a loading tray.

In embodiment shown with respect to FIGS. 8(a) through 8(c), each of the products to be packaged is provided through a box or carton—where the dimensions of the sleeve are such that these cartons securely engage with the sidewalls of the sleeve and are held in place by the dimensions of the sleeve.

FIGS. 8(a) through 8(c) also illustrate a sleeve formed through corrugated cardboard and illustrate the design and orientation of the corrugation when utilised within each of the retention structures employed. As can be seen from FIGS. 8(a) through 8(c) the corrugations used are aligned horizontally so as to run along the width of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A packaging system for a group of products, said packaging system including:

a packaging sleeve arranged to at least partially surround the group of products; and

at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve adapted to prevent a group of products surrounded by the sleeve from being removed from the sleeve.

2. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes at least one locating tray configured to locate the group of products in a fixed arrangement relative to one another.

3. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a packaging sleeve arranged to surround the side walls, top and bottom faces of the group of products while leaving the front and end laces of the group of products free.

4. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sleeve is arranged to surround the side, end and front faces of the group of products and leave the top and bottom faces of said group of products exposed.

5. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which is adapted to package collections of grocery items.

6. A packaging system as claimed in claim 2 wherein a locating tray is formed from a semi-rigid tray which defines a retention area for each member of the group of products to be packaged.

7. A packaging system as claimed in claim 2 which includes a locating tray formed from a semi-rigid lightweight plastic tray.

8. A packaging system as claimed in claim 2 which includes two locating trays configured to engage with the top and bottom ends of the group of products when located inside the sleeve.

9. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a packaging sleeve formed from corrugated card

10. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a substantially rectangular packaging sleeve with the internal dimensions of the sleeve arranged so as to firmly engage the interior of the sleeve with the group of products.

11. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a retention structure configured to block or close at least one open face of the packaging sleeve to prevent the group of products from being slid out of this open face of the sleeve.

12. A packaging system as claimed in claim 11 which includes a retention structure provided by a portion of the body of the sleeve arranged to project into the volume of space surrounded by the packaging sleeve.

13. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a plurality of retention structures associated with each open end of the packaging sleeve.

14. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a retention structure formed from a cut through inverted corner section of an open end face of the sleeve.

15. A packaging system as claimed in claim 14 which includes a retention structure engaged by pushing on the corner of the sleeve until the cut through section projects into the interior of the sleeve.

16. A packaging system as claimed in claim 14 which includes two retention structures at each open face of the sleeve formed by opposed cut through sections.

17. A packaging system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a retention structure formed from a strap placed around the sleeve to close the open faces of the sleeve.

18. A method of positioning a group of products on a display surface, said group of products being surrounded by a packaging sleeve with at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve, said method being characterised by the steps of:

i. positioning the group of products on or adjacent to the display surface, and

ii. disengaging at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve, and

iii. sliding the packaging sleeve away from the group of products.

19. A method of positioning a group of products on a display surface as claimed in claim 18 further characterised by the additional subsequent step of:

iv. removing excess locating trays from the group of products.

20-21. (canceled)