Recyclable package
A fully recyclable, tamper resistant package having a folded inner box comprising a recess for receiving a product, the recess having a depth slightly less than the thickness of the product, the inner box being insertable into a transparent plastic outer box that is permanently sealed with a destruction bond seal following insertion of the inner box. A thermoformed plastic tray is preferably used to seat and stabilize the product inside the recess in the inner box.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fully recyclable packaging for a product, the packaging having a transparent outer box with a destruction bond seal, and more particularly, to a tamper resistant package in which the product is disposed inside a full-thickness recess in a folded inner box that is insertable into a substantially transparent, plastic outer box, which outer box is then sealed. The invention also relates to use of a transparent thermoformed tray to support the product within a recess in the inner box.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, tamper resistant clamshell display packages have become widely used in the retail marketing of consumer goods. So-called “big box” retailers favor use of the packages because they facilitate display in tray-packs or case-packs and significantly reduce shrinkage attributable to shoplifting, pilfering and employee theft. Conventional clamshell packages are typically thermoformed from transparent PVC resin and have two halves that are hinged and can be folded together and sealed after inserting one or more products into recesses formed in one or both sides of the clamshell. Display cards with appropriate graphics or instructions are typically inserted into the packages before they are sealed. Because the PVC is tough and durable, and because the edge closures are typically bonded together by an RF seal, clamshell packages are extremely difficult to open without destroying the package.
Disadvantages of the conventional clamshell packages to manufacturers include the facts that they are expensive to make, are relatively heavy, are not recyclable, and making the RF seal needed to produce the “destruction bond” consumes time and energy. Consumers, particularly children and senior citizens, are frustrated by conventional clamshell packages because they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to open following purchase, invite injury from accidental use of sharp or pointed tools needed to access the products, present a disposal problem in that they are neither easily handled nor recyclable. Because clamshell packages typically have irregular thicknesses and tend to have relatively sharp edges, they are also difficult to gift-wrap when the subject products are purchased as gifts.
An alternative package is therefore needed that is similarly transparent, durable and tamper resistant, but is also less expensive, is recyclable and does not require an RF seal. Such a package is disclosed herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONUnlike conventional PVC clamshell packages, the package of the invention can be characterized as tamper resistant, durable, lighter in weight, and totally recyclable, with a rectangular shape and substantially uniform thickness that facilitate assembly, handling, storage, shipping, display and gift-wrapping. The subject package provides excellent product visibility on the front, sides and back, provides ample space for printed text and graphics, and can be made faster and at less expensively than comparable clamshell packages. Perhaps most significantly, consumers purchasing products disposed inside the packages of the invention will be able to access those products more safely and then dispose of the package so as to permit recycling.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a package is provided that preferably comprises a foldable, folded, or pop-up inner box made of paper board, clay coated newsback, corrugated board, plastic, or another similarly effective material, having a window in at least one major surface of the box. Most preferably, a transparent polymeric tray is receivable into the window, the tray defining a recess having sufficient depth to receive a product having a thickness not substantially greater than the thickness of the box. The package further comprises a substantially transparent polymeric outer box member into which the inner box member is slidably insertable, the outer box member having foldable end closures that are permanently sealable with a destruction bond adhesive, most preferably a transparent, polyurethane reactive adhesive. One or more die-cut slots can optionally be provided in the bottom wall of the tray member adjacent to a side or end wall of the tray member to receive a header card of a prepackaged product.
According to one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a package is made as described above, with the tray member having a sidewall and an outwardly extending flange disposed at the top of the sidewall to provide abutting contact against a portion of the major surface of the inner box and thereby stabilize the position of the tray member relative to the window in the major surface.
According to another particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a package is made as described above but also comprising a window in a second major surface of the inner box, the first and second windows being aligned to provide visibility with respect to both the top and bottom surfaces of the product disposed inside the tray member.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a package is made as described above, with the tray member further comprising sidewalls disposed away from the corresponding sidewalls of the product, and positioning elements disposed inside the tray member to maintain a desired spacing between the tray member and product sidewalls, to provide visibility with respect to the product sidewalls.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a package is made as described above, with the window of the inner box further comprising foldable flaps defining a plurality of flexible sidewalls hinged to edges of the window. Depending upon the material selected for use in making the inner box, the side and end walls of the window in the inner box can be rolled or folded in any of several different configurations to lend additional strength and rigidity to the resultant package.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a package is provided that does not comprise a tray member and preferably comprises a foldable, folded or pop-up inner box having at least one window disposed in a major surface of the inner box and a plurality of rolled or folded flaps defining a plurality of sidewalls to the window, the window and sidewalls defining a recess having sufficient depth to receive a product having a thickness not substantially greater than the thickness of the inner box, and a substantially transparent polymeric outer box into which the box is slidably insertable, the sleeve having foldable end closures that are permanently sealable with a polyurethane reactive adhesive. As used herein, the term “permanently sealable” means the end closures cannot subsequently be reopened by the application of manual force alone without the use of a hand-held tool.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe apparatus of the invention is further described and explained in relation to the following drawings wherein:
A first preferred embodiment of the invention is described herein in relation to
Although package 10 is depicted without graphics in the accompanying drawings, it should be appreciated that any or all surfaces of inner box 12 or outer box 64 can have text and graphics printed on them or otherwise applied to them using any available printing technology known to those of skill in the art. For example, and without limitation, inner box 12 can be printed or label laminated prior to assembly and insertion of tray member 14, or the plastic sheet used in making outer box 64 can be inside or outside printed as desired. Text and graphics printed on the outwardly facing surfaces of inner box 12 will desirably remain visible through outer box 64 after inner box 12 is sealed inside the outer box to complete recyclable package 10. It should also be appreciated that the number and shape of tray members 14 and the number and shape of product recesses inside each tray member 14 can vary within the scope of the invention.
Inner box 12 is preferably made of any suitable recyclable, cellulosic or plastic material. Bleach board, clay coated newsback, corrugated board, label-laminated corrugated, whiteface corrugated, or other similarly effective materials, are particularly preferred for use in the invention. It is also preferred that the material used to fabricate inner box 12 be relatively inexpensive, foldable or easily erectable, and have printable outwardly facing surfaces. The material used to make inner box 12 will desirably be rigid enough to maintain its shape when a sheet of the material is die cut and folded to produce inner box 12, and when inner box 12 is subsequently inserted into outer box 64. When corrugated material is used to make inner box 12, inner box 12 can be preassembled as a “pop-up” box, then stored flat and erected into its use position just prior to insertion of the product(s). Inner box 12 is typically opaque, although for some applications, a translucent or transparent, recyclable polymeric material can also be used in making inner box 12. Tray member 14 is preferably made of a substantially transparent, recyclable, thermoformable polymeric material, with low density polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) being particularly preferred. Outer box 64 is preferably made of a durable, substantially transparent, recyclable polymeric sheet material such as clear polypropylene. PET is also clear and recyclable, and can likewise be used in making package 10, but is more likely to shatter, particularly at low temperatures.
The component parts of package 10 are now further described in relation to all of
An aperture such as finger hole 38 is desirably provided in end wall 36 to assist assembly personnel in inserting inner box 12 into outer box 64 and to assist consumers in removing inner box 12 from outer box 64 following purchase of package 10. Apertures 38 also facilitate the pass-through of air out of or into the sealed end of outer box 64 as inner box 12 is inserted or removed, respectively.
Referring to
Referring to
The height or thickness of tray member 14 and inner box 12, as distinguished from their respective gauges or wall thicknesses, are preferably such that the thickest part of product 16 as positioned inside tray member 14 will not extend more than about one-eighth inch (0.125″) above the top of flange 50 when product 16 is fully seated inside tray member 14 and tray member 14 is fully seated inside inner box 12. Most preferably, product 16 will extend about one-sixteenth inch above flange 50 to exert slight pressure against outer box 64 after insertion, and to facilitate grasping of product 16 by the consumer for removal from tray member 14 following purchase.
Although product 16 is depicted as a rectangular solid in the drawings, it should be appreciated that the products sealed in package 10 of the invention may or may not themselves be pre-packaged inside another box or container as shown in the drawings. Tray member 14 may have one or a plurality of recesses, and one or a plurality of products may be placed in a single recess. Similarly, products having irregular or non-polygonal shapes can likewise be disposed inside tray member 14, provided that tray member 14 is at least as deep as the tallest or thickest portion of the product or products as positioned inside tray member 14.
The construction of outer box 64 is further described and explained in relation to
If desired, sombrero-shaped apertures 97, 99 and 96, 98, or functional equivalents, can be provided in inner box 12 and outer box 64, respectively, to render the packages “peggable,” and die-cut support feet 88, 90, 100 can be included for use in standing package 10 upright on one end for display purposes. Referring to
Referring to
Alternatively, various types of cavities or ledges known to those of skill in the art of package design may be used in inner box 112 to provide additional bottom support to products 138, 140, particularly where products 138, 140 are relatively heavy. For example,
Form tray member 152 is made as previously described for tray 14, and comprises bottom wall 202, side walls 204, 206, end walls 208, 210, and positioning blocks 214, 216 adapted to provide spacing at the sides and corners, respectively, between product 154 and the end and side walls of the tray. Tray member 152 differs from tray member 14 in that slots 213, 212 are provided in bottom wall 202 closely adjacent to the bottom of end walls 208, 210, respectively, to allow a header card of a prepackaged product to extend beyond the tray walls, but remain inside the walls of outer box 64′ as shown in
Once tray member 152 is installed in inner box 150 and products 154 are installed in tray member 14, package 151 is assembled by sliding inner box 150 into outer box 64′ and thereafter sealing and previously described in relation to the embodiment of
The packages of the invention are made of totally recyclable materials, are tamper resistant, and are characterized by their uniform shape, low cost, and, when made in accordance with
Other alterations and modifications of the invention will likewise become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this specification in view of the accompanying drawings, and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventor is legally entitled.
Claims
1. A package for a product having a thickness, the package comprising an inner box having a major surface containing a window, a substantially transparent polymeric tray member receivable into the window, the tray member defining a recess having a maximum depth approximating the thickness of the product when placed in the tray member, and a substantially transparent polymeric outer box into which the inner box is slidably insertable, the outer box having foldable closures that are permanently sealable with a destruction bond adhesive.
2. The package of claim 1 wherein the destruction bond adhesive is a polyurethane reactive adhesive.
3. The package of claim 1 wherein the inner box is made of a cellulosic material or plastic.
4. The package of claim 3 wherein the inner box is made of a material selected from the group consisting of paper board, bleach board, clay coated newsback, and corrugated board.
5. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray member is made of a polymeric material selected from the group of low-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
6. The package of claim 5 wherein the tray member is made of low-density polyethylene.
7. The package of claim 1 wherein the outer box is made of a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
8. The package of claim 7 wherein the outer box is made of polypropylene.
9. The package of claim 1 wherein the inner box comprises first and second opposed major surfaces, with a first window disposed in the first major surface and a second window disposed in the second major surface.
10. The package of claim 9 wherein the first and second windows are aligned.
11. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray member comprises a bottom, a sidewall, and a flange projecting outwardly from the top of the sidewall.
12. The package of claim 11 wherein the flange supports the tray member inside the window.
13. The package of claim 11 wherein the flange stabilizes the tray member inside the window.
14. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray member comprises a plurality of recesses and at least one divider separating each recess from each other recess.
15. The package of claim 1 wherein at least two sides of the product are visible when the product is disposed inside the package.
16. The package of claim 9 wherein both the top and bottom of the product are visible when the product is disposed inside the package.
17. The package of claim 1 wherein the entire package is recyclable after removal of the product.
18. The package of claim 1 wherein the inner box further comprises a plurality of foldable flaps hinged to the window.
19. The package of claim 1 wherein the outer box further comprises a foot support member.
20. The package of claim 1 wherein the inner box and the outer box further comprise aligned apertures facilitating display of the package on a pegboard.
21. The package of claim 1 wherein the inner box comprises an end wall having an aperture having a diameter large enough to receive a fingertip.
22. The package of claim 11 wherein the bottom of the tray member comprises at least one slot disposed adjacent to a sidewall, wherein a header card attached to the product is insertable through the slot.
23. The package of claim 18 wherein the inner box has a bottom wall and the flaps have a bottom edge that contacts the bottom wall of the inner box.
24. The package of claim 18 wherein the inner box has a bottom wall and the flaps have a lower section that is rolled under and forms a flange contacting the bottom wall of the inner box.
25. The package of claim 18 wherein the inner box has an end wall and a sidewall and a bottom wall, wherein the flaps have a lower section that is rolled under and the lower section contacts one of the end wall and the sidewall.
26. A package for a product having a shape and a thickness, the package comprising an inner box having a major surface containing a window conforming substantially to the shape of the product and a plurality of foldable flaps hinged to the window to define a recess having a depth sufficient to receive substantially all the thickness of the product, and a substantially transparent polymeric outer box into which the inner box member is slidably insertable, the outer box having foldable closures that are permanently sealable with a destruction bond adhesive.
27. The package of claim 26 wherein the destruction bond adhesive is a polyurethane reactive adhesive.
28. The package of claim 26 wherein the inner box is made of a cellulosic material.
29. The package of claim 28 wherein the inner box is made of a material selected from the group consisting of bleach board and clay coated newsback.
30. The package of claim 26 wherein the outer box is made of a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
31. The package of claim 30 wherein the outer box is made of polypropylene.
32. The package of claim 26 wherein the entire package is recyclable after removal of the product.
33. The package of claim 26 wherein the inner box further comprises a plurality of foldable flaps hinged to the window.
34. The package of claim 26 wherein the outer box further comprises a foot support member.
35. The package of claim 26 wherein the inner box and the outer box further comprise aligned apertures facilitating display of the package on a pegboard.
36. The package of claim 26 wherein the inner box comprises an end wall having an aperture having a diameter large enough to receive a fingertip.
Type: Application
Filed: May 24, 2005
Publication Date: Nov 30, 2006
Inventor: Steve Young (Plano, TX)
Application Number: 11/135,684
International Classification: B65D 25/54 (20060101);