LINER FOR PRODUCT DISPLAY CARTON

Abstract

A display carton for displaying a plurality of packaged products for retail sales includes a liner having a rectangular center portion with a length and width to fit within the cartons and left and right upwardly extending sides integrally formed and depending from the center portion. The liner is inserted within the carton with the left and right upwardly extending sides abutting against the side walls of the carton. Inwardly extending protrusions depend from the left and right upwardly extending sides of the liner and are integrally formed therewith. The protrusions are arranged in corresponding opposite pairs and are equally spaced along the upwardly extending sides of the liner. Each protrusion has a generally trapezoidal cross-section with a front side of each protrusion being generally perpendicular to the side respective side of the liner, a rear side that is tapered from front to back and a bottom side that is tapered from top to bottom.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to point-of-sale containers or cartons for holding and displaying merchandise placed upon a shelf or other flat surface and more specifically to a liner to be used in such point-of-sale cartons that maintain a plurality of packages containing merchandise in an upright position, even when some of the individual packages are removed from the point-of-sale carton.

2. State of the Art

Various attempts have been made in the art to provide individual containers in the form of an elongate cardboard carton for the shipping and displaying of merchandise packages at the point of sale. This is especially the case with merchandise packages that are not self-supporting in a vertically standing position. For example, many products are packaged in a clear, vacuum formed plastic that surrounds the product in a case-like fashion. Product labels can be attached to the outside of such packaging or disposed within the packaging and viewed through the packaging. Such product packages are often in a “clam-shell” form in which a perimeter flange extends around the product. Depending on the product and the configuration of the package, it is often the case that such product packages are not configured to be self-standing in a vertical orientation.

As such, there have been various attempts in the art to provide a plurality of slots within the cardboard cartons to maintain the vertical orientation of the products in a horizontally stacked arrangement, one behind the other. One such attempt is illustrated and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,662 to Green. Green discloses a packaging assembly, and method of packaging a plurality of products, for shipping and displaying a plurality of products. The packaging assembly includes a display stand, a plurality of display packs holding the plurality of products and a shipping cover. The display stand is constructed from cardboard, and includes a rectangular base panel, a front panel having a gap for viewing, and two parallel side panels. Each side panel includes a plurality of slots that correspond with slots in the other side panel. Each display pack is an approximately planar assembly formed from front and rear portions of transparent, vacuum-molded plastic. The front and rear portions are each configured with a flange, the flanges each forming conforming notches allowing the two portions to be adjoined and heat sealed or glued together. The display pack includes a product chamber configured to hold the product, and further contains a product display card. The corresponding pairs of slots are configured to receive the display pack flanges to support and display the products in the product chamber. The display packs are inserted into succeeding corresponding pairs of the slots. The front and rear portions include frames configured to adjoin with the frames of adjacent display packs to provide structural support to each succeeding display pack.

The problem with such display stands, such as the display stand disclosed in Green, is that each product package is vertically held within one pair of corresponding slots. As the product packages are removed from the display stand, which typically occurs in a front to back fashion, the next available product for purchase moves further and further from the front of the display stand. Such display stands are typically arranged on store shelving. As the next available product for purchase moves toward the back of the display stand, the store shelving tends to look depleted of inventory and the remaining product packages that are at the back of the display stand may become obscured from view by other adjacent products. As such, at the end of each day, it is often necessary for store employees to move the individual remaining product packages from the back to the front of the display stand.

It is also the case that many products that are sold in elongated cartons that can hold a plurality of products, do not have any means of retaining the position of the product packages to the carton. Thus, as product packages are removed from the carton, the remaining products simply lay in the carton in various orientations and are thus not displayed in the best manner for enticing consumers to purchase the product. As such, there is a need in the art to provide a product display carton that is capable of maintaining the vertical orientation of products contained within the cart and that allows store employees or product vendors responsible for stocking products at the point of sale to easily keep unsold products at the front of the display carton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a display carton for displaying a plurality of packaged products for retail sales includes an elongate box having a plurality of walls including a rectangular bottom, front wall, a back wall, a left side wall and a right side wall, the plurality of walls defining a top opening. A liner having a rectangular, flat center portion having a length and width to substantially match the rectangular bottom, and left and right upwardly extending sides integrally formed and depending from the center portion is inserted within the elongate box with the left and right upwardly extending sides of the liner abutting against the left and right side walls of the elongate box. A plurality of inwardly extending protrusions depending from the left and right upwardly extending sides of the liner and integrally formed therewith are arranged in corresponding opposite pairs and equally spaced along the upwardly extending sides of the liner. Each protrusion defines a corresponding recess on an outward side of the liner and has a generally trapezoidal cross-section with a front side of each protrusion being generally perpendicular to the respective side of the liner, a rear side that is tapered from front to back and a bottom side that is tapered from top to bottom.

In one embodiment, the liner includes a plurality of perforations between the center portion and each of the left and right upwardly extending sides. The perforations are separated by a plurality of living hinges integrally formed with the liner to allow bending of the liner between the center portion and the left and right upwardly extending sides and for biasing the left and right upwardly extending sides toward the left and right side walls of the elongate box.

In another embodiment, the tapered rear and bottom sides of each protrusion allows the protrusion to inwardly flex into the recess formed in the back side of the liner that corresponds to the protrusion.

In still another embodiment, a plurality of product packages are inserted within the liner. Each product package has first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the product package. The first and second flanges of each product package are disposed between adjacent protrusions on opposite sides of the liner.

In yet another embodiment, the plurality of product packages each has a front surface and a rear surface with the first and second flanges disposed adjacent the front sides of opposite protrusions. The front surface of the forward most product package abutting against the front wall of the elongate box.

In still another embodiment, the plurality of product packages have a front surface and a rear surface and wherein a space is formed between a forward most package and the front wall of the carton. The space is large enough to accommodate at least one product package in an upright position. The plurality of product packages can be slid within the carton past the protrusions until the front surface of the forward most product package abuts the front wall of the elongate carton and each of the plurality of product packages engages with the front sides of corresponding opposite pairs of protrusions to hold the product packages in an upright position.

In another embodiment, the front side of each product package behind the forward most product package abuts against a back side of an adjacent product package.

In yet another embodiment, each perforation of the plurality of perforations has a length approximately equal to a distance between slots defined between each adjacent pair of protrusions.

In still another embodiment, an identification mark is formed in the front portion of the liner to identify the front and top side of the liner.

In yet another embodiment, when one or more product packages positioned within the carton are removed from the box, any remaining product packages can be slid forward within the carton until the forward most product package abuts against the front wall of the box. All remaining product packages abut against each other and each product package engages with a respective corresponding opposite pair of protrusions that hold the remaining product packages in an upright position.

In another embodiment, a liner for a display carton for maintaining a plurality of packaged products in a vertical orientation at a point of sale is comprised of a rectangular sheet of plastic. A first plurality of equally spaced protrusions extend from the front side of the sheet and are arranged in a row proximate a right side of the sheet. A second plurality of equally spaced protrusions extend from the front side of the sheet and are arranged in a row proximate a left side of the sheet. The second plurality of protrusions are of the same size, shape and spacing as the first plurality of protrusions and each is positioned directly opposite a corresponding protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions. A first plurality of elongate perforations are disposed proximate the first plurality of protrusions and extend generally parallel thereto. A second plurality of elongate perforations are disposed proximate the second plurality of protrusions and extending generally parallel thereto. The first and second plurality of perforations define a rectangular center portion of the sheet, a left side wall, a right side wall and a plurality of living hinges disposed between the center portion and the left and right side walls to allow the left and right side walls to be upwardly bent at approximately a right angle to the center portion. Each of the first and second plurality of protrusions have a front side that is generally perpendicular to the sheet, a top side that is generally perpendicular to the sheet, a bottom side that is tapered from an inside surface of the protrusion to the sheet and a back side surface that is tapered from an inside surface of the protrusion to the sheet so that each protrusion has a generally trapezoidal cross-section.

In yet another embodiment, the liner is configured for being inserted into a display carton and retained therein by friction fit with the center portion residing against a bottom of the carton and the left and right side walls residing against and biased toward left and right side walls of the carton.

In still another embodiment the tapered back and bottom sides of each protrusion allows the protrusion to inwardly flex relative to the sheet.

The foregoing advantages and characterizing features will become apparent from the following description of certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. The above-described features and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional features and advantages, will be set forth or will become more fully apparent in the detailed description that follows and in the appended claims. The novel features which are considered characteristic of this invention are set forth in the attached claims. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the present invention may be learned by the practice of the invention, or will be obvious to one skilled in the art from the description, as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments for carrying out the invention. Like reference numerals refer to like parts in different views or embodiments of the present invention in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of a first embodiment of a display carton liner to be used with a product package and carton.

FIGS. 2A-2E are respective top side, front side, back side, right side and bottom side views of a display carton liner in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a side view of a display carton and carton liner vertically supporting a plurality of product packages in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the display carton and carton liner shown in FIG. 3A with some of the vertically supported product packages having been removed therefrom.

FIG. 3C is a side view of the display carton and carton liner with some of the vertically supported product packages having been removed therefrom shown in FIG. 3 with the remaining product packages having been slid forward within the carton.

FIG. 4A is a partial side view of a display carton and carton liner vertically supporting a plurality of product packages in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a partial top view of the display carton and carton liner shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is a partial side view of the display carton and carton liner with the remaining product packages having been slid forward within the carton.

FIG. 4D is a partial top view of the display carton and carton liner shown in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 5A is a partial top view of a display carton and carton liner vertically supporting a plurality of product packages in accordance with the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 5B is a partial top view of the display carton and carton liner with the remaining product packages being slid forward within the carton.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a display assembly, generally indicated at 10, in accordance with the principles of the present invention for displaying a plurality of product packages 12 in an upright or vertical orientation relative to the display assembly 10. The display assembly 10 includes an elongate cardboard carton 14 and a carton insert or liner 16 sized to fit within the carton 14. The insert may be formed from a sheet of clear PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or RPET, which is recycled polyethylene terephthalate. The insert has a thickness of approximately 0.0125 inches and is formed, as by vacuum forming, to form a plurality of inwardly extending projections 20. As such, each inwardly extending projection 20 forms an inwardly extending recess 20′ on an opposite side of the liner 16. When folded into the U shape as illustrated, the liner 16 has a relatively flat bottom 22 and upwardly extending sides 24 and 26, each of the projections 20 being disposed on the sides 24 and 26. The relative thinness of the insert 16 allows it to be used in existing display cartons 14 that are configured to receive a product package 12 of a particular width. When inserted into the carton 14, the liner 16 and the carton 14 provide a relatively rigid display stand for the product packages. The elongate vertical sides 28 and 30 of the carton 14, due to the fact of its cardboard construction, allows some outward bowing of the sides 28 and 30. In addition, the sides 24 and 26 of the liner 16 can also flex outwardly with the sides 28 and 30 of the carton 14 while remaining relative rigid.

The carton 14 is provided with a display window opening 32 at its front end 34 to provide viewing of the package label 36 disposed on the front face 38 of the product package 12. As such, even when the front face 38 of the product package 12 is abutted against the inside of the front wall 40 of the carton 14, the package label 36 is visible through the window 32. This provides for optimal display of the product package 12 within the carton. The carton 14 and liner 16 of the present invention provide a way for the product packages 12 to be maintained in a position in which at least one of the product packages 12 can be positioned adjacent the front wall 40 even when the carton 14 is not completely full of product packages 12.

The product package 12 may also be formed from PET or RPET and constructed in a clam-shell type package that is common in the retail industry. The product package 12 includes a front portion 41 that forms a closure lid and a rear portion 42 that includes one or more product chambers 43 for receiving and retaining the product. The front and rear portions 41 and 42 are hinged via a living hinge 44 integrated along the lower edge 46 of the product package 12 to allow the front portion 41 to open relative to the rear portion 42 to allow access and removal of the product (in this case a mass of scented wax that is disposed in the product chamber 43). In addition, the front potion 41 defines a rectangular recess defined by the inside surface of the front portion 41 for receiving a corresponding mating raised rim on the front of the rear portion 42. The rim and recess engage in an interference fit to form a secure closure between the front and rear portions 41 and 42. Each of the front and rear portions 41 and 42 include a respective perimeter flange 51 and 52 that laterally extends around the product package 12. The flanges 51 and 52 are substantially coextensive around the product package perimeter 54 along the vertical sides 56 and 58 of the package 12.

The inwardly extending protrusions 20 of the liner 16 each have a generally rectangular configuration with a trapezoidal cross-section. The protrusions 20 are equally spaced along the sides 24 and 26 of the liner 16 from the front 59 to the back 60 of the liner 16. Each protrusion 20, except for the protrusions closest to the back 60 of the liner 16, has a substantially identical configuration. Each protrusion 20 has a corresponding protrusion positioned directly across from the protrusion 20 so as to be equally spaced from the front 59 of the liner 16, with each pair of protrusions 20 cooperating to retain a package 12 in a vertical orientation. Each protrusion 20 defines a front wall 62 that is generally perpendicular to the plane of the side wall 24, a rear wall 64 that is tapered or slanted from front to rear, a bottom wall 66 that is tapered or slanted from top to bottom and a top wall 68 that is generally perpendicular to the plane of the side wall 24.

As will be described in more detail herein, the configuration of each protrusion 20 provides vertical support for a product package 12 when the front wall 62 engages with the perimeter flange 52 of the package 12. The spacing between front walls 62 of adjacent protrusions 20 is approximately equal to the lateral width or thickness of the package 12 (i.e., the distance between the front face 38 and the back surface 70 of the rear portion 42), which may be for example approximately one inch. When two or more product packages 12 are stacked together within the liner 16, the front face 38 of the rear package 12 abuts against the back surface 70 of the forward package 12 with the flange 52 along the sides 56 and 58 of the package 12 abutting against and being vertically retained by the front faces 62 of the corresponding engaged protrusions 20, with the spacing of adjacent protrusions (i.e. between front faces 62 of adjacent protrusions 20) being approximately equal to the thickness of the product package. As product packages 12 are vended and thus removed from the carton 14 and liner 16, typically being removed from the front of the carton 14 first, the remaining product packages 16 will retain their vertical orientation within the carton 14 since each product package 12 is being held in vertical orientation by a pair of corresponding protrusions 20, In order to move the remaining product packages 12 to the front end 34 of the carton 16, the rearmost product package 12 is grasped and slid within the carton 14, without having to change is vertical orientation or vertical position within the carton 142, toward the front end 34 of the carton 14. Any intermediate product packages 12 within the carton 14 will correspondingly be slid along the carton until the forward most product package 12 abuts against the inside of the front wall 40 of the carton 14. At this point, each of the product packages 12 will be retained by the respective front walls 62 of opposite corresponding protrusions 20 of the liner 16. The product packages 12 can be slid within the carton 14 because the rear and bottom walls 64 and 66 of the protrusions 20 are sloped, which allows the flanges 51 and 54 along the sides 56 and 58 of the product package 12 to slide past each protrusion 20. The liner 16 as well as the product package 12 and carton 14 are formed from semi-rigid materials that allow some resilient flexing as the product packages 12 are slid within the carton 14. That is, because the package 12 is formed from a relatively thin plastic material, the flanges 51 and 52 can laterally bend or flex relative to the package 12 as then pass over each protrusion 20. In addition, because the liner is also formed from a relatively thin plastic material, each protrusion 20 can compress as the flanges 51 and 52 pass over the protrusions 20. Also, because the carton 14 is formed from cardboard, the sides 28 and 30 of the carton can bow outward slightly as the flanges 51 and 52 pass over the protrusions 20 which can force the sides 28 and 30 slightly outward. Once the flanges 51 and 52 pass over the protrusions 20 and are seated adjacent the front walls 62 of a respective pair of protrusions 20, the flanges 51 and 52, liner protrusions 20 and carton sides 28 and 30 will return to their pre-flexed or bent positions in order to provide a relatively rigid support for maintaining the vertical orientation of the product packages 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2E, there is illustrated various views of another embodiment of a carton liner, generally indicated at 100, in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The liner 100 is comprised of a single sheet of plastic material that is formed with a relatively flat center portion 102 and first and second rows of a plurality of protrusions 111-130, each row disposed along a respective side 104 and 105 of the liner 100. Each row contains an equal number of protrusions that form corresponding opposite pairs that are laterally aligned along the length of the liner 100. For example, protrusion 111 is laterally aligned with protrusion 121, protrusion 112 is laterally aligned with protrusion 122 and so on. The rear most protrusions 130 and 120 are configured to have a generally box-like configuration since the product packages adjacent the protrusions 130 and 120 do not slide over the protrusions when moving the packages from the back to the front of the liner 100.

Because each protrusion 111-119 and 121-129 is configured with a trapezoidal cross-section having a relatively flat front side surface and a tapered back surface, the liner 102 must be oriented within a display carton with the protrusions 111 and 121 at the front of the carton, the liner may be labeled with an identification mark in the form of the letters F, R, O, N and T formed (as by vacuum forming) into the front portion 140 of the center portion 102 of the liner 100. This clearly identifies the front of the liner 100 to the user so that the liner 102 can be properly inserted into the carton so that the liner 100 will function properly. In addition, the word FRONT formed in the liner 100 identifies the front and the back of the liner so that the word FRONT appears on the top surface of the liner 100 when properly installed in the carton.

In order to properly bend the liner 100 into a U-shaped configuration (see FIG. 1) so that it will properly and relatively snugly fit, as with an interference fit, within the carton, first and second rows 142 and 144 of perforations 151-160 and 161-170, respectively, are formed in the liner 100 along the length thereof with the distance between rows 142 and 144 being approximately the width of the inside bottom surface of the carton into which the liner 100 is to be inserted. Each perforation 151-170 forms an elongate slit through the liner 100 with each perforation being separated by a small connecting piece, such as interconnecting piece 172, that spans between each adjacent pair of perforations. For a product package having a one inch thickness, the front or leading edges or sides of each protrusions 111-130 will be spaced approximately one inch apart. Thus, the spacing between front sides of each protrusion 11-1130 will match the thickness of the product package to be retained therein. In addition, the distance between the front ends of adjacent perforations will be approximately the same as the spacing between front sides of the protrusions. For a one inch distance between front ends of the adjacent protrusions, each corresponding perforation will have length of approximately 15/16 inch with the interconnecting pieces, such as interconnecting piece 172, having a length of approximately 1/16 inch. Since each protrusion 111-130 is uniformly spaced along the length of the liner 100 and each protrusion 111-119 and 121-129 has a width that is less than the distance between front ends of adjacent protrusions, such as protrusions 111 and 112, a gap or space 176 is formed between each adjacent pair of protrusions. When packages are inserted into the liner 100 in its folded configuration (see FIG. 1), the engaging sides of the package will be disposed in these spaces and held in an upright position by the respective protrusions. However, as described in more detail herein, when the packages are slid forward within the insert, the engaging sides of the package compressing the protrusions as they pass by. In order to provide relief in the liner 100 at each protrusion, each perforation 151-170 is positioned directly below each protrusion 111-140 and has a width that is wider than a width of the corresponding protrusion. As such, each connecting piece is positioned below and approximately in the center of the space between each protrusion. As such, as the engaging sides of the package passes over a protrusion causing compression of the protrusion, the slit below the protrusion provides a relief by allowing the edge of the perforation closest to the protrusion to outwardly bow relative to the opposite side of the perforation. The interconnecting pieces 172 are positioned between the protrusions since there is little or no outward force on the sides of the liner when the engaging sides of the package are positioned between protrusions. Once the engaging sides of the package passes over the protrusion, the resilient nature of the liner material causes the bowed side of the perforation to return to its pre-flexed state so as to be parallel to the opposite side of the perforation. The interconnecting pieces, such as interconnecting pieces 172 and 174, provide structural coupling between the center portion 102 and the sides 180 and 182 of the liner 100 as well as forming living hinges to allow the sides 180 and 82 to be sharply folded along the perforations 151-160 and 161-170 at about ninety degrees for fitting of the liner 100 within a display carton.

Each slit can be formed by cutting through the liner without removing any material, such as by a knife cut that simply cuts a narrow slit into the liner 100. Connecting pieces, such as end connecting piece 174, are disposed between an end of the outermost perforation and the adjacent edge of the liner 100. The perforations 151-170 define the lower edges of the side walls 180 and 182 of the liner so that bending will occur along the perforations. In this embodiment, the perforations are elongated and have a length approximately equal to the spacing between adjacent protrusions. As such, each connecting piece 172 and 174 forms a living hinge between the center portion 102 and each side wall 180 and 182 to allow and provide ninety degree bending between the center portion 102 and the side portions that contain the protrusions 111-130 and form the side walls 180 and 182 of the liner 100. As such, a plurality of living hinges is integrally formed in the liner 100 along each side of the center portion 102 so that the liner 100 can be bent to fit within the carton. In addition, because of the resilient nature of the living hinges, the side walls 180 and 182 will be outwardly biased when placed within the carton so that the side walls will abut against and maintain contact with the inside walls of the carton when the liner 100 is inserted into the carton.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, there is illustrated a side view of an insert liner 200 positioned within a carton 202 according to the principles of the present invention. A plurality of product packages 221-230 is disposed within the carton 202 in a vertical arrangement. In this embodiment, the liner 200 and carton 202 are configured to receive ten individual product packages 221-230 with the front side 231 of package 221 abutting the inside front surface 232 of the carton 202 and the back side surface 234 of package 230 abutting the inside back surface 236 of the carton 202. Each of the remaining packages 222-229 are abutted against each other in a stacked manner with their respective front and back surfaces abutting against adjacent back and front surfaces of the other product packages. When the product packages 221-230 completely fill the carton 202, they can be supported by the carton 202 alone since they fill the space between the ends of the carton 202. As shown in FIG. 3B, however, as product packages are sold or otherwise removed from the carton 202, space is created between the front inside surface 232 of the carton 202, once occupied by packages 221, 222 and 223. The remaining packages 224-230 are held in relative relation to the carton 202 by the protrusions 243-250. That is, taking package 224 as an example, the gap 252 between each protrusion 243 and 244 defines a slot 254 within which the laterally extending flange 256 of the package 224 resides. The engagement of the flange 224 with the walls 258 and 260 of the adjacent protrusions 243 and 244 that form the slot 254 maintains the package 224 in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the carton 202. The engagement of the flanges of the other packages with respective slots in the liner 200 maintains the other packages 225-230 in a substantially vertical orientation as well.

As shown in FIG. 3C, because of the configuration of each protrusion 241-249 that includes tapered back and bottom side walls, such as tapered back and bottom side walls 262 and 264, the flanges, such as flange 256 of package 224 can slide over the protrusion 241 until the flange engages the front side wall 266 that is substantially perpendicular to the side wall surface 268. Accordingly, the backmost package 230 can be grasped and slid along the carton 202 toward the front 232 causing each of the other packages 224-229 to move forward until the flange of each package engages with a respective front wall of a respective protrusion. As the packages 224-230 are slid forward, one can hear the flanges snap past the protrusions and can feel them lock into place relative to the liner 200. Accordingly, as packaged products 221-230 are sold from the front of the carton 202, the remaining product packages can be easily slid forward within the carton in unison until the remaining forward most package 224 abuts against the front surface of the carton 202. When released, the remaining packages 224-230 will maintain their vertical orientation relative to the liner 200 due to the engagement between the packages and the liner protrusions.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B, when a first product package (not shown) is removed from the front 302 of the of the carton 300, an open space 304 is created at the front 302 of the carton 300. The liner 306 includes a plurality of corresponding pairs 310, 311 and 312 of inwardly extending protrusions positioned on the inner side walls 314 and 316 of the carton 300. Each protrusion has an abrupt front side defining a substantially perpendicular wall 318 extending inwardly from the inner surface of the liner 306, a substantially planar inside surface 319 that extends a longitudinal distance along the liner 306 and a tapered back end 320 that extends from the inside surface 319 to a point reward of the back edge of the inside surface 319. The tapered back end 320 essentially forms a ramp that leads to the inside surface 319 with the front wall 318 forming an abrupt edge surface for retaining a flange 322 or other edge of the package 324. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom end 321 of the protrusion is tapered from the inside surface 319 toward the bottom edge of the liner 306 to form a ramp from the lower edge of the protrusion 310 to the inside surface 319. The tapered lower surface 321 and back end surface 320 meet along the lower back corner of the protrusion 310 so as to form tapered surfaces along the entire back and bottom sides of the protrusion 310. Because the packages 324 are configured with a living hinge 327 at its lower rend and the configuration of the front lid 329 and product chambers 331cause the product package to be more rigid along the lower end of the package 324, the lower surface 321 and back surface 320 are both tapered to allow the protrusion 310 to flex inwardly as the product package passes over the protrusion 310 without causing damage to the protrusion or making it more difficult to slide the package over the protrusion 310. Essentially, the two ramped surfaces allow the protrusion to inwardly flex at the lower back corner of the protrusion while maintaining the relative rigidity of the leading edge of the protrusion for forming a more rigid support for the product package.

The spacing between adjacent pairs of protrusions 310 and 311 and pairs of protrusions 311 and 312, form slots within which the laterally extending edges or flanges of the product packages can reside to hold the packages in a substantially vertical orientation. Because there is some spacing between the protrusions, however, the flanges of the product packages can reside at any position within the respective slots. Thus, there may be some limited tipping of the product packages when positioned within the liner 306 when one or more packages are removed from the carton 300.

As shown in FIGS. 40 and 4D, however, the remaining packages 324 and 325 can be pulled forward within the carton 300 until the flanges 322 and 323 of the packages 324 and 325 engage with the leading edges of the forward most pairs of protrusions 310 and 311. Once in this position, the front package 324 is securely held in a vertical orientation due to the front surface 330 of the package 324 abutting against the inside front surface 302 of the carton 300 and the flange 322 abutting against the front walls 318 of the pair of protrusions 310. Likewise, because the spacing between the front walls 318 and 332 of adjacent pairs of protrusions 310 and 311 is approximately the same as the width W of the product packages 324 and 325, when the front wall 334 abuts against the back surfaces 336 of the adjacent package 224 and the flange 322 of the package 324 is positioned in front of the front wall 318 of the protrusions 310, the flange 323 of the package 325 will be properly positioned to be directly in front of and abutting the front wall 332 of the protrusions 311. As such, both packages 324 and 325 will be held in vertical relationship to the carton 300 and each other and can be easily moved to the front of the carton 300 without having to remove the packages from the carton 300 or the liner 306.

Finally, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a display carton liner 400 in accordance with the principles of the present invention is configured with a plurality of inwardly facing protrusions 401-406. Each protrusion 401-406 has a ramped configuration with a leading front face 410 that is generally perpendicular to the inside surface 412 of the liner 400. It should be noted that while reference has been made hereto to relationships that are “generally perpendicular”, due to the nature of the vacuum forming process by which the liners of the present invention may be molded there will likely and necessarily be a slight angle between such structures as a result of the molding process by which the liners are formed. That is, even if the mold itself is configured with mold features that are at right angles, when a sheet of plastic is vacuum formed using such molding techniques, the resulting formation in the sheet may not form exactly to the contour of the mold. Likewise, where features in the resulting product are generally at right angles, the molds themselves are often configured with angles slightly more than ninety degrees to allow the resulting molded product to be easily removed from the mold. As such, the term “generally perpendicular” should be interpreted to mean at a relatively abrupt angle that may be more or less than 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the angle between the inside surface 414 of the protrusion 401 and the front face 410 is more than ninety degrees, but is considered herein to be generally perpendicular so as to from a relatively abrupt angle between the front face 410 and the inside surface 414. Such an abrupt angle creates structural rigidity in the structure so as to limit bending of the protrusion at this point. Conversely, the angle between the inside surface 414 and the back side 416 of the protrusion 401 is substantially more obtuse so as to form a slighter angle change between the surface 414 and the side 416. This allows the protrusion 401 to flex inwardly at the intersection or edge between the surface 414 and the side 416. Also, because the liner 400 is formed form a relatively thin plastic sheet, the protrusion 401 can resiliently flex inwardly and then return to its normal shape. By spacing the back ends of each protrusion closer to the front ends of each adjacent protrusion, the space between the front end and the back end of each adjacent protrusion forms a relatively narrow slot 420 for holding each package 422 in a vertically upright position. When a package is removed from the front portion 424 of the carton 426, the remaining packages 422 and 423. As the respective outer perimeter flanges 428′ and 428″ of the package 422 and flanges 430′ and 430″ of the package 423 are slid within the carton 426 toward the front 427 of the carton 426, the flanges 428′, 428″, 430′ and 430″ will rearwardly flex as they compress the back portions of each projection 401, 402, 404 and 405 they engage. This allows the packages 422 and 423 to be slid forward until the flanges 428′ and 428″ pass the front faces 410 and 411 of the protrusions 401 and 404 and the front surface 432 of the package 422 abuts against the inside front surface 434 of the carton 426. Likewise, since the front surface 436 of the package 423 abuts against the rear surface 438 of the package 422, the package 423 will continue to move forward until the flanges 430′ and 430″ snap past the protrusions 402 and 405, which will hold the package 423 in a vertical orientation.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides for economical bulk displaying of individual product packages packaging in the cartons within which they are shipped. In addition, the present invention provides an economical setup of an appealing product display in a form that allows products to be maintained in a vertical orientation while being moved to the front of the display carton as products are removed from the front of the carton.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some other liner structures could be employed in a similar manner maintaining the vertical orientation of products within a point-of-sale container without departing from the inventive concepts herein. Thus, while there have been described various embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further changes and modifications may be made thereto without department from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention. It is also understood that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural reference, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise,

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. While various methods and structures of the present invention are described herein, any methods or structures similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. In addition, while the foregoing advantages of the present invention are manifested in the illustrated embodiments of the invention, a variety of changes can be made to the configuration, design and construction of the invention to achieve those advantages including combinations of components of the various embodiments. Hence, reference herein to specific details of the structure and function of the present invention is by way of example only and not by way of limitation.

Claims

1. A display carton for displaying a plurality of packaged products for retail sales, comprising:

an elongate box having a plurality of walls including a rectangular bottom, front wall, a back wall, a left side wall and a right side wall, the plurality of walls defining a top opening;

a liner having a rectangular, flat center portion having a length and width to substantially match the rectangular bottom, and left and right upwardly extending sides integrally formed and depending from the center portion, the liner inserted within the elongate box with the left and right upwardly extending sides of the liner abutting against the left and right side walls of the elongate box; and

a plurality of inwardly extending protrusions depending from the left and right upwardly extending sides of the liner and integrally formed therewith, the plurality of protrusions arranged in corresponding opposite pairs and equally spaced along the upwardly extending sides of the liner, each protrusion defining a corresponding recess on an outward side of the liner and having a generally trapezoidal cross-section with a front side of each protrusion being generally perpendicular to the respective side of the liner, a rear side that is tapered from front to back and a bottom side that is tapered from top to bottom.

2. The display carton of claim 1, wherein the liner includes a plurality of perforations between the center portion and each of the left and right upwardly extending sides, the perforations being separated by a plurality of living hinges integrally formed with the liner to allow bending of the liner between the center portion and the left and right upwardly extending sides and for biasing the left and right upwardly extending sides toward the left and right side walls of the elongate box.

3. The display carton of claim 1, wherein the tapered rear and bottom sides of each protrusion allows the protrusion to inwardly flex into the recess formed in the back side of the liner that corresponds to the protrusion.

4. The display carton of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of product packages inserted within the liner, each product package having first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the product package, the first and second flanges of each product package disposed between adjacent protrusions on opposite sides of the liner.

5. The display carton of claim 4, wherein the plurality of product packages have a front surface and a rear surface with the first and second flanges being disposed adjacent front sides of opposite protrusions and the front surface of the forward most package abutting against the front wall of the elongate box.

6. The display carton of claim 4, wherein the plurality of product packages have a front surface and a rear surface and wherein a space is formed between a forward most package and the front wall of the carton, the space being large enough to accommodate at least one product package in an upright position, and wherein the plurality of product packages can be slid within the carton past the protrusions until the front surface of the forward most product package abuts the front wall of the elongate carton and each of the plurality of product packages engages with the front sides of corresponding opposite pairs of protrusions to hold the product packages in an upright position.

7. The display carton of claim 6, wherein the front side of each product package behind the forward most product package abuts against a back side of an adjacent product package.

8. The display carton of claim 2, wherein each perforation of the plurality of perforations has a length approximately equal to a distance between slots defined between each adjacent pair of protrusions.

9. The display carton of claim 1, wherein an identification mark is formed in the front portion of the liner to identify the front and top side of the liner.

10. The display carton of claim 1, wherein when one or more product packages positioned within the box are removed from the box, any remaining product packages can be slid forward within the carton until the forward most product package abuts against the front wall of the box, all remaining product packages abut against each other and each product package engages with a respective corresponding opposite pair of protrusions that hold the remaining product packages in an upright position.

11. A liner for a display carton for maintaining a plurality of packaged products in a vertical orientation at a point of sale, comprising:

a rectangular sheet of plastic having a front side and a back side;

a first plurality of equally spaced protrusions extending from the front side of the sheet and arranged in a row proximate a right side of the sheet;

a second plurality of equally spaced protrusions extending from the front side of the sheet and arranged in a row proximate a left side of the sheet, the second plurality of protrusions being of the same size, shape and spacing as the first plurality of protrusions, each positioned directly opposite a corresponding protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions;

a first plurality of elongate perforations disposed proximate the first plurality of protrusions and extending generally parallel thereto; and

a second plurality of elongate perforations disposed proximate the second plurality of protrusions and extending generally parallel thereto, the first and second plurality of perforations defining a rectangular center portion of the sheet therein between, a left side wall, a right side wall and a plurality of living hinges disposed between the center portion and the left and right side walls to allow the left and right side walls to be upwardly bent at approximately a right angle to the center portion;

each of the first and second plurality of protrusions having a front side that is generally perpendicular to the sheet, a top side that is generally perpendicular to the sheet, a bottom side that is tapered from an inside surface of the protrusion to the sheet and a back side surface that is tapered from an inside surface of the protrusion to the sheet so that each protrusion has a generally trapezoidal cross-section.

12. The liner of claim 11, configured for being inserted into a display carton and retained therein by friction fit with the center portion residing against a bottom of the carton and the left and right side walls residing against and biased toward left and right side walls of the carton.

13. The liner of claim 11, wherein the tapered back and bottom sides of each protrusion allows the protrusion to inwardly flex relative to the sheet.

14. The liner of claim 12, wherein when a plurality of product packages are inserted within the liner, each product package has first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the product package, the first and second flanges of each product package disposed between adjacent protrusions on opposite sides of the liner.

15. The liner of claim 14, wherein the plurality of product packages have a front surface and a rear surface with the first and second flanges being disposed adjacent front sides of opposite protrusions and the front surface abutting against the front wall of the carton.

16. The liner of claim 14, wherein the plurality of product packages have a front surface and a rear surface with the first and wherein a space is formed between a forward most package and the front wall of the carton, the space being large enough to accommodate at least one product package in an upright position, and wherein the plurality of product packages can be slid within the carton past the protrusions until the front surface of the forward most product package abuts the front wall of the carton and each of the plurality of product packages engages with the front sides of corresponding opposite pairs of protrusions to hold the product packages in an upright position.

17. The display carton of claim 16, wherein the front side of each product package behind the forward most product package abuts against a back side of an adjacent product package.

18. The display carton of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second plurality of perforations defines an elongate slit through the sheet having a length greater than a length of a corresponding protrusion of the first and second plurality of protrusions.

19. The display carton of claim 11, wherein an identification mark is formed in the front portion of the liner to identify the front and top side of the liner.

20. The display carton of claim 14, wherein when one or more product packages of the plurality of product packages are removed from the carton, any remaining product packages can be slid forward within the carton until the forward most product package abuts against a front wall of the carton, all remaining product packages abut against each other and each product package engages with a respective corresponding opposite pair of protrusions that hold the remaining product packages in an upright position.