Product Package Having Self-Contained, Dispensable Carrying Bag

Abstract

There is provided a product package having a deployable carrying bag therein. The carrying bag is placed together with the product in a container. An open end of the carrying bag is accessible through an opening in container. The open end may be pulled through the container opening upon occurrence of an event such as a sale. The opposed closed end of the carrying bag is secured within the container by a retaining disk in the carrying bag. The diameter of the retaining disk is greater than the largest dimension of the opening in the container. The carrying bag may be inverted and pulled over the container. Advertising materials may be displayed on the carrying bag initial interior surface, the advertising materials becoming visible upon deployment of the bag.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/807,693, filed Jul. 18, 2006.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to product packaging, and, more specifically, to a product package containing a partially removable carrying bag for the package.

2. Description of the Related Art

Packaged products sold in retail stores are generally placed in plastic or paper carrying bags for the customer to carry the products in from the store to his home or point of use. The carrying bags are often printed with the name of the store at which the products are purchased, in which case the bags serve an advertising function for the retail store. In other cases, the carrying bags are unprinted and plain, in which case they merely serve the function of facilitating the customer's carrying of the products by hand.

Product manufacturers are desirous of utilizing advertising opportunities for their products. For example, shoeboxes are often printed with the name and trademark of the shoe manufacturer. Manufacturers would obviously prefer that bags into which their packaged products are placed also bear their names, rather than the name of the retail store selling the product. The bags would then provide advertising for the manufacturer rather than the retail store.

A need therefore exists for an apparatus or means for providing bags for packaged products that bear the name of the manufacturer of the products.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the aforementioned need. There is provided a product package having a self-contained and dispensable carrying bag therein. The carrying bag is initially placed together with the product in a suitable, semi-rigid carton. A small portion of the open end of the carrying bag is inserted through an opening in one end of the product carton. After a customer purchases the product, the sales clerk pulls the carrying bag out of the carton through the carton opening. The opposite, closed end of the carrying bag is secured within the carton by a retaining disk in the carrying bag. The clerk then inverts the carrying bag and pulls it over the carton. The manufacturer's name, logo, trademark, or other message is prominently displayed on the carrying bag, providing an advertising function for the product manufacturer in addition to its utilitarian function.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product package having a self-contained, dispensable carrying bag therein. Other objects of the invention are apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following Detailed Description of an Example Embodiment of the Invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a product package of the present invention with the lid of the package open.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the product package of FIG. 1, with the carrying bag fully removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the product package placed within the carrying bag.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the product package of FIG. 1, showing the attachment of the carrying bag to the product package.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the retaining disk of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the product package of the invention showing the opening for removing the carrying bag.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a product package, partially disassembled, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the product package of FIG. 7 with the false bottom in place in the package.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a soft drink package of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partially exploded, cross-sectional view of a portion of the soft drink package taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view, taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 9, of the soft drink package as assembled.

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded perspective view of the cup and lower and upper disks of FIGS. 10-11.

FIG. 13A is a bottom view of a soft drink package according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the soft drink package of FIG. 13A, with the carrying bag partially removed.

FIG. 13C is a perspective view of the soft drink package placed within the carrying bag.

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of a beverage bottle according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the beverage bottle of FIG. 14A placed within its carrying bag.

FIG. 14C is a perspective view of a beverage bottle according to another alternative embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings. In FIG. 1 there is shown in plan view a product package of the present invention, generally designated 10, according to an example embodiment of the invention. Product package 10 includes carton, container, or box 11 and carrying bag 14. In FIG. 1, the lid 12 of carton 11 is open, revealing carrying bag 14 stored inside carton 11. An end wall of carton 11 has a small opening 18. A small portion of the open end 16 of carrying bag 14 is inserted through opening 18 and extends to the outside of carton 11. The actual product (not illustrated), such as shoes, is placed in the carton on top of or along side carrying bag 14. The lid 12 is then closed, and product package 10 is displayed or stored in this condition in a retail store before it is purchased.

After a customer purchases the product, the sales clerk or cashier grasps open end 16 of carrying bag 14 with one hand and pulls carrying bag 14 out of carton 11 through opening 18. FIG. 2 shows carrying bag 14 fully removed, with the exception of the opposite, closed end 20 of carrying bag 14. FIG. 3 shows carrying bag 14 inverted and opened and product package 10 placed within carrying bag 14. A desired message, such as the product manufacturer's name, logo, or other message is prominently displayed on the surface 28 of carrying bag 14, and visible to other shoppers and persons encountered by the purchaser carrying the product to their car or home.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the attachment of carrying bag 14 to carton 11 with carrying bag 14 pulled through opening 18. Retaining disk 22, shown in FIG. 5, is placed within carrying bag 14 before bag 14 is placed in carton 11 and before its open end 16 is inserted through opening 18 in carton 11. The diameter of retaining disk 22 is somewhat larger than at least one of the width or circumferential opening dimension of opening 18 in the end of carton 11, shown in FIG. 6. The opening 18 may have one lateral dimension greater than the diameter of retaining disk 22 if the disk 22 is so arranged that disk 22 will not readily be pulled through opening 18. By way of illustration, opening 18 could be a slot with a length greater than the diameter of disk 22 but a width less than the diameter of disk 22. Therefore, retaining disk 22 inside carrying bag 14 cannot pass through opening 18, and retains closed end 20 of carrying bag 14 in carton 11. The retention of closed end 20 of carrying bag 14 to carton 11 facilitates deployment and use of carrying bag 14 for retaining package 10 and its contents within carrying bag 14.

In the exemplary embodiment, the carrying bag 14 is turned inside-out as it is converted from its stored configuration to its carrying configuration. Accordingly, for a desired message to be displayed in the carrying configuration, the message must be printed on the interior surface 28 of the carrying bag 14 in its initial stored configuration. The initial interior surface of carrying bag 14 is shown as deployed exterior surface 28 in FIG. 3.

As best seen in FIG. 6, opening 18 in carton 11 may be provided by a semi-circular cut 23 through the wall of carton 11. Cut 23 provides a flap 24 in the carton 11 end. Before carrying bag 14 is removed from carton 11, flap 24 remains closed flush with the carton 11 surface. Before removing carrying bag 14, the store clerk presses on flap 24 to bend it inward to provide opening 18 for carrying bag 14 to be removed. Although a semi-circular cut 23 is shown in FIG. 6, it will be understood that cut 23 can take other shapes, such as a rectangular slit (not illustrated).

In example embodiments of the invention, retaining disk 22 is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or high density polyethelene (HDPE). High density polyethelene is recyclable and is often made from recycled materials. The outer diameter of retaining disk 22 may vary in size as long as it is large enough to prevent carrying bag 14 from pulling completely through opening 18 in carton 11. In one example embodiment of the invention, product package 10 is stamped with a control code or lot number for inventory management purposes. In another example embodiment of the invention, product package 10 contains a RFID antennae for distribution, theft prevention, and inventory monitoring purposes.

The product package of the present invention can be used with a wide variety of products. It is particularly well suited for use with any products sold in cardboard or plastic cartons or other semi-rigid packaging. A few examples of products for which the invention is well suited are shoes, foods, and beverages, such as soft drinks, sodas, children's fruit drinks, wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages.

In one embodiment of the invention, carrying bag 14 is oversized somewhat to permit space for other products purchased by the customer to be placed in the same carrying bag.

FIGS. 7-8 illustrate a product package, generally designated 60, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, carrying bag 14 is stored under a false package bottom 62 until it is removed from product package 60 for use. Carrying bag 14 is temporarily secured to the bottom surface 64 of false package bottom 62 by shrink overwrap or film 66, as seen in FIGS. 7-8. In various embodiments of the invention, false package bottom 62 is made of corrugated cardboard, chipboard, or fiberboard material.

Shrink overwrap 66 is wrapped over folded carrying bag 14 and over the edges of false package bottom 62, so that the outer ends of overwrap 66 overlap on the upper surface 65 of false package bottom 62, as seen in FIG. 8. In an alternative embodiment of the invention (not illustrated), shrink wrap 66 is not used, and carrying bag 14 is placed loose in product package 60 underneath false package bottom 62.

FIGS. 7-8 illustrate the placement of false package bottom 62 and carrying bag 14 in product package 60. False package bottom 62 is inverted, so that carrying bag 14 is hidden, and is placed in the bottom of product package 60, creating a “false bottom” of package 60, as seen in FIG. 8. The product is then placed in package 60 over false bottom 62, and the package lid (not illustrated) is then placed over the upper opening of package 60. Referring to FIG. 7, the bottom or floor panel of product package 60 is provided with an opening 70 for removal of carrying bag 14, as described above with respect to product package 10. Carrying bag 14 is extracted over an edge 72 of shrink wrap 66, or through an opening (not illustrated) in shrink wrap 66.

FIG. 9 illustrates a canned soft drink package, generally designated 30, according to another alternative embodiment of the invention. Soft drink package 30 includes carton, container, or box 32 and carrying bag 34. Carrying bag 34 is mostly stored inside carton 32 before it is withdrawn for use. However, a small portion of the open end 36 of carrying bag 34 is inserted through opening 38 in carton 32 and extends to the outside thereof.

FIG. 10 is an exploded, detail elevation view of the portion on soft drink package 30 embodying the present invention. Cup 40, also seen in perspective view in FIG. 12, is generally circular in shape and includes an outer rim 42. Outer rim 42 of cup 40 is attached to the underside of the top wall 44 of carton 32 around opening 38 by an adhesive, by staples, or by any other suitable means. Lower disk or pin base 46, also seen in perspective view in FIG. 12, is attached to the inside bottom 48 of cup 40. Extending upward from the center of lower disk 46 is barbed pin 50 having a pointed barb 52 on its outer end. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, lower disk 46 is omitted and the lower end of barbed pin 50 is attached directly to the bottom 48 of cup 40.

Lower disk 46 and upper disk 54 are used to retain plastic carrying bag 34 in cup 40 when it is stored in soft drink package 30 prior to use. The lower end of carrying bag 34 is punctured by barb 52 of barbed pin 50, so that barbed pin 50 extends through the bottom of bag 34. Bag 34 is then folded and compressed down within cup 40, except for a small portion of its opposite, open end 36. Upper disk 54 is placed over folded bag 34 and barb 52 is inserted and snapped through hole 56 in upper disk 54. Upper disk 54 is seen in perspective view in FIG. 12. When thus attached to barbed pin 50, upper disk 54 retains bag 34 within cup 40, as illustrated in FIG. 11. After soft drink package 30 has been purchased, the store clerk or customer grasps open end 36 of bag 34 and pulls the remainder of bag 34 out of cup 40 through opening 38 in carton 32. Bag 34 in then inverted and package carton 32 is placed inside bag 34 for carrying by the customer, in the manner described above with respect to product package 10. Cup 40, lower disk 46, and upper disk 54 are made from suitable materials, for example, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or high density polyethelene (HDPE).

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate a canned soft drink package, generally designated 80, according to another embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 13A, soft drink package 80 is similar to soft drink package 30 described above, except that its carrying bag 82 is stored entirely inside pouch 84 before it is withdrawn for use. Pouch 84 is attached to the bottom of soft drink package 80 by an appropriate adhesive.

The closed end of carrying bag 82 is retained in pouch 84 by means of a retaining disk (not illustrated) inserted into carrying bag 82, as described above with reference to product package 10. In another embodiment of the invention, the closed end of carrying bag 82 is retained in pouch 84 by a small rod (not illustrated) inserted into bag 82. In another embodiment, the closed end of bag 82 is fastened to the interior of pouch 84 by an appropriate adhesive, thereby retaining the end of bag 82 in pouch 84. In a further alternative embodiment of the invention, carrying bag 82 is not attached to pouch 84 at all, but is completely removed from pouch 84 before it use.

After soft drink package 80 has been purchased, the store clerk or customer pulls tab 86 on pouch 84 to open pouch 84 and release a portion of carrying bag 82 therefrom. The clerk then pulls the remainder of carrying bag 82 from pouch 84, as seen in FIG. 13B. Carrying bag 82 is then inverted and soft drink package 80 is placed inside bag 82 for carrying by the customer, as illustrated in FIG. 13C. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, pouch 84 has perforations in its surface instead of a tab and is opened by pressing or pulling the surface between perforations with a finger.

This embodiment of the invention may also be adapted for use with shipping packages and cartons provided to customers by a shipping service, such as Federal Express. In this application of the invention, the pouch 84 containing the carrying bag 82 is attached to the end or bottom of the shipping carton or package. Before delivering the package at the destination point, the delivery person removes the carrying bag from the pouch, inserts the package therein, and carries the package to the destination point in the bag. In one example embodiment of the invention, the carrying bag is preprinted on its initial interior surface, and post-deployment exterior surface, with the name of the shipping service. In other example embodiments, the carrying bag is preprinted with a message selected by the shipping customer, such as “HAPPY BIRTHDAY,” “HAPPY HOLIDAYS,” OR “CONGRATULATIONS!” In addition to facilitating the hand carrying of the package to the destination point, the carrying bag provides protection to the package and its contents from inclement weather that may be encountered during delivery or when left outdoors for the recipient.

FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate a beverage bottle, generally designated 90, according to another embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 14A, carrying bag 92 for bottle 90 is stored entirely inside pouch 94 before it is withdrawn for use. Pouch 94 is like pouch 84 described above in its materials and construction, and is attached to bottle 90 by an appropriate adhesive.

After beverage bottle 90 has been purchased, the store clerk or customer pulls the tab (not illustrated) on pouch 94 to open pouch 94 and release a portion of carrying bag 92 therefrom. The clerk then pulls the remainder of carrying bag 92 from pouch 94. Carrying bag 92 is then inverted, and beverage bottle 90 is placed inside bag 92 for carrying by the customer, as seen in FIG. 14B.

FIG. 14C illustrates a different embodiment of the invention in which the pouch (not illustrated) is attached to the bottom of beverage bottle 90.

The product package and carrying bag of the present invention, and many of its intended advantages, will be understood from the foregoing description of an example embodiment, and it will be apparent that, although the invention and its advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made in the manner, procedure, and details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims, or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely an exemplary embodiment thereof.

Claims

1. A product package, comprising:

a container having a bag deployment opening therein;

a carrying bag disposed within said container, said bag having an open end and a closed end;

the open end of the bag being accessible through said deployment opening; and

a retainer located in said bag.

2. The product package of claim 1, wherein said retainer having at least one dimension greater than the largest dimension of said deployment opening.

3. The product package of claim 1, wherein:

said bag deployment opening having a circumferential opening dimension;

said retainer having a circumferential retainer dimension; and

said retainer dimension greater than said opening dimension.

4. The product package of claim 2, wherein:

said retainer is a disk, the diameter of the disk being greater than the largest deployment opening dimension.

5. The product package of claim 1, wherein:

said container comprising at least one container wall;

said bag deployment opening including a cut through said at least one container wall; and

said cut defining a flap in said at least one container wall.

6. The product package of claim 1, wherein:

said container comprising a plurality of container walls; and

said cut is through said at least one wall of said plurality of container walls.

7. The product package of claim 1, wherein:

said container including a container floor;

a false bottom disposed in said container;

said bag disposed intermediate said container floor and said false bottom.

8. The product package of claim 7, wherein an overwrap releasably secures said bag to said false bottom.

9. The product package of claim 8, wherein an overvrap deployment opening is provided in said overwrap.

10. The product package of claim 1, wherein:

said bag and said retainer enclosed within a cup; and

said cup contained in said container.

11. The product package of claim 10, wherein:

said retainer comprising a retainer disk having a disk hole therein;

a barbed pin provided in said cup;

said barbed pin extending from a pin base and through said disk hole;

said barbed pin limiting outward movement of said retainer disk in relation to said pin base; and

said barbed pin extending through said bag closed end.

12. The product package of claim 11, wherein:

said container comprising at least one container wall; and

said cup having a cup rim, said cup rim attached to a container wall at said deployment opening.

13. The product package of claim 12, wherein said barbed pin base comprises a bottom surface of said cup.

14. A product package, comprising:

a container having an exterior surface;

a pouch secured to the exterior surface of the container;

a carrying bag disposed within the pouch; and

a device for opening the pouch.

15. The product package of claim 14, wherein the pouch includes an outer surface, and wherein the device for opening the pouch comprises a tab attached to the outer surface of the pouch.

16. The product package of claim 14, wherein the pouch includes an outer surface, and wherein the device for opening the pouch comprises perforations on the outer surface of the pouch.

17. The product package of claim 14, wherein:

said bag having an open end and a closed end;

said pouch having a deployment opening;

the open end of the bag being accessible through said deployment opening; and

a retainer located in said bag; and

said retainer having at least one dimension greater than the largest dimension of said deployment opening.

18. The product package of claim 14, wherein:

said bag having an open end and a closed end;

said pouch having a deployment opening;

the open end of the bag being accessible through said deployment opening; and

said closed end fixedly attached to said pouch.

19. The product package of claim 14 wherein:

said product package comprises a bottle.

20. The bottled product package of claim 19, wherein:

said bottle has a side and a bottom; and

said pouch secured to the side of said bottle.