PAPER BOARD SECURITY CARD WITH FORMED CONTENT RETAINING ELEMENTS
Paperboard security packages are disclosed wherein content items are contained between two cards and held in place by one or more straps.
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REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/391,548 filed on Oct. 8, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe present application is directed to security packages and, more particularly, to a paperboard security card with formed content-retaining elements. In one embodiment the package is a security card/package predominantly formed from paper board.
In one embodiment the package includes straps and full or partial cavities that in combination with main opposing cards or panels retain, secure and display content. The opposing cards or panels may be made of paper board and can include a non paper based layer that prevents or limits tearing, access and or disassembly of the package to gain access to package. The package may include one or more formable elements to be integrally formed as a portion of the card. The formable element may be folded and positioned over an opening or flap area that is formed in the card and or panels of a card. The formable elements of the card can also be made formed as a separate card that is placed, bonded and or attached over an opening or flap formed the card or panel. The formable element may be positioned and or placed in such a way that one side is fixed and a portion is allowed to move and slide into and through the opening and or flap into a desired form.
Another embodiment includes one or more straps that extend from the card or panels. These straps may be trap sealed between tear resistant cards to secure a product item, to allow primary package visibility and at the same time protect against product tampering and theft. The package has a reduced number of components and removes the need for a vacuumed form structure as may typically be used in blister card security packaging. The package may be shipped to a converting and finishing location in a partially preformed state and or in a flat or semi flat state. The package may be formed from a single sheet or card that is then folded, formed and bonded into a finished structure.
The strap or straps may include crease or score lines to conform to the contents, such as a tubular container. The strap may be tipped on opposite sides of the front and back cards so that when the seal tool comes into contact with the package, the straps may slide in a wrapping movement around the contents (such as a tubular container). The tool seal pattern may be stepped to contact the package at different heights, to accommodate the thickness of the package at various points such as the perimeter seals, the strap seals, and the product border. The strap or straps may be printed with graphics such as SKU graphics which may mask certain parts of the product, such as masking or covering a UPC code on the product. The straps or straps may be situated to avoid covering the end or ends of the product, for example to leave visible the cap of a tubular container and allow its color or other characteristic to be seen.
Manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods, such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, health and beauty products and the like, typically package their products in tamper resistant security packages. For example, many consumer goods are packaged in blister or clamshell packages formed by positioning a consumer good in a flanged blister made from various polymeric and/or paperboard materials and sealing the flanged blister between two paperboard substrates. Consumers have voiced disapproval of such packages because of the difficulty of opening the same and the potential for being cut on a rough edge especially of plastic blisters. Packages may therefore be made based largely on paperboard, for example, NATRALOCK packages. Packaging made primarily of paperboard is more sustainable than packaging made from petroleum-based plastics. The paperboard used in such packages may be tear-resistant as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,635.
It would be useful to have a security package that has provides tear-resistant, tamper-resistant, and theft-resistant features, allowing visibility of a product without necessarily using a transparent blister material such as plastic.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, a package is disclosed which comprises a containment region for holding an item, the package formed of sheet material and comprising an opening through which an item may be placed into or removed from the containment region.
Other aspects of the disclosed packaging structures will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Reference will be made to
The packages are shown holding example contents in the form of a cylindrical container; however, other shapes of contents including non-container items may also be held in the packages. One content item is shown in each package; however two or more content items may be held be appropriate modifications to the package, such as larger apertures and straps, or multiple apertures and or straps.
If the attached strap ends are on opposite sides of the package, for example if the front strap 20 is affixed to the left side of front card 10, and rear strap 30 is affixed to the right side of rear card 40, then as the straps contact the container 50, any friction existing between the straps and the container may tend to rotate or “roll” the container (in this case, probably counterclockwise viewed from the lower end of the package, since frictional forces from both straps will tend to be applied in the same angular direction. This may be beneficial, for example, if at least a portion of the strap surface in contact with the container 50 has a coating or substance that is relatively tacky or rough or has a relatively high coefficient of friction, which might tend to better secure the container or keep the container from rotating in the finished package.
On the other hand, if the attached strap ends are on the same side of the package, then any friction existing between the straps and the container may tend not to rotate or roll the container, but instead the straps may “skid” across the container, since the frictional forces from the two straps will be in opposite angular directions. With such a configuration it may be beneficial to provide on at least a portion of the strap surfaces in contact with the container a coating or substance that is relatively smooth or has a relatively low coefficient of friction, for example to avoid scuffing is surface.
When the front card 10 and rear card 40 have been thus brought together, as shown in
The material used for the cards and straps may be coated on one or both surfaces. For example, one surface may have a graphics-receptive coating, while the opposite surface may have a coating for heat sealing and/or tear resistance. It may sometimes be desirable to have the graphic-receptive surfaces of the cards and straps to face outwards on the finished package, while the tear-resistant or heat-seal surfaces may face inwards. If more than one card and/or straps are formed from a single blank, for example hingedly joined together, the blank may be designed so as to place the respective surfaces on the desired outward or inward orientation in the finished package.
With finished package 1 as shown in FIG, 3 (and likewise, package 1A which is not shown in finished form), the container 50 protrudes approximately equally through both the front and rear cards. However, the size of card apertures 12 and 42, and the lengths of straps 20 and 30, may be adjusted so that container 50 in the finished package protrudes further forward or backward. For example, with a cylindrical container 50 as depicted, reducing the width of rear card aperture 42 (or omitting rear card aperture 42) may cause the container 50 to move forward in the package. Front strap 20 may be lengthened if necessary to accommodate its longer wrapping path, and rear strap 30 may be omitted if rear card aperture 42 is omitted.
While
It may be advantageous to preform strap or straps 20, 30 before the item or container 50 is loaded. Preforming of the straps may be done by a machine process such as tamping or stamping the strap to shape prior to loading of the item. This may be particularly well suited for products that may otherwise not be rigid enough to form the strap during product loading or sealing. Furthermore, performing the strap to shape before loading provides a nest position for positive placement of a product item such as container 50. By preforming the strap or straps may be shaped to match the contour of the product item, for example in a cylindrical shape for container 50 as shown in
Straps 20, 30 as shown in
The straps 20, 30 may be nestled between their respective cards and the inward-protruding end tabs 12a, 42a as shown, or the straps may be simply placed upon the cards without interacting with end tabs 12a, 42a.
When the front card 10 and rear card 40 have been thus brought together, as shown in
Finished package 2A is shown in
Finished package 3 is shown in
Finished package 4 is shown (from the front side now) in
Package 5 as shown depicts a package that will accommodate a container 50A which a larger diameter to length ratio than the containers previously illustrated. Furthermore the container 50A has a larger diameter relative to the width of front card 10 and rear card 40, so that it may be advantageous to have straps 20, 30 that are longer than the width of the cards, in order that the straps in the finished package will be long enough to wrap around the container 50A.
Referring again to
For larger diameter items, as shown in
The packages here may comprise paperboard or plastic, and may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. While the packages have been shown holding a cylindrical container 50, it should be understood that other shapes of contents, including non-container items, may be housed within the packages.
The features described for various packages herein may be alone or in combination with other described features. It is to be understood that a variety of materials may be used to form these packages. However, for sustainability purposes, a paperboard based material may be used and for improved theft deterrence a tear resistant paperboard may be used. Package materials may include tear-proof materials such as DURAFOLD paperboard, tear-resistant materials such as NATRALOCK paperboard, as well as other types of paperboard or plastic materials. The packages may be made of one or more layers of material, including but not limited to one, two, three or more layers of material. Different parts of the packages may comprise different materials and/or different numbers of layers.
Packages made of tear-resistant material may be difficult to open without first initiating a tear, which can often most readily be done by using a knife or scissors. However, a package may be provided with a pre-cut tear initiation point, such as a perforation or a notch cut into the tear-resistant material, for example near its periphery. In such a case, to avoid unauthorized opening of the package before it is sold, a security tag may be used to cover up the tear initiation point. Use of a security device to cover a tear initiation point is also described in U.S. Provisional Application 61/025,102 filed on Jan. 31, 2008 and in International Application PCT/US09/32321 filed on Jan. 29, 2009, both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties.
The packages disclosed herein may be comprised mostly of paperboard, for example as described in International Application PCT/US08/051245. The paperboard used in such packages may be tear-resistant as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,635. However, the packages disclosed herein may also comprise plastic materials.
The packages disclosed herein may be made from one or several blanks (that is, the cut sheet parts from which the package components are made by folding and other steps). However, it should be understood that certain unitary blanks may be provided instead as more than one part, and certain blanks may be combined into single blanks, while still arriving at the same finished package.
Where more than one blank is used, the blanks may be assembled in various stages, including assembling a unitary blank into a package, assembling separate blanks and then joining them to form a package, and joining two or more blanks together, for example by heat sealing, gluing, mechanical fastening, or otherwise and then forming the combined blanks into the package.
Portions of the packages may be made of one, two, or more layers of material. It is to be understood that additional layers of material may be used based on manufacturing preferences. Portions of certain cards or straps may be folded over or around the portions of other cards or straps, creating multiple layers of material.
Claims
1. A package for holding an item, the package comprising:
- a front card comprising a front card aperture;
- a rear card; and
- at least one strap positioned between the front and rear cards;
- wherein said item protrudes at least partly through said front card aperture and
- wherein said strap is wrapped around a protruding portion of said item and retains said item within the package.
2. The package of claim 1, further comprising an aperture in said rear card.
3. The package of claim 1, further comprising an additional strap.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the front card, rear card, and strap are formed from separate pieces of material.
5. The package of claim 1, wherein at least two of the front card, rear card, and strap are hingedly joined together.
6. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap comprises a plurality of arms and at least one strap aperture.
7. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap is formed with one or more creases, score lines, folds, perforations, or cuts.
8. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of said front card, rear card, and strap are formed of a tear resistant material.
9. The package of claim 1, further comprising a rear card aperture in said rear card, and at least one additional strap.
10. The package of claim 9, wherein position of said item relative to said front card is determined at least in part by the widths of said front card aperture and said read card aperture.
11. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of said front card, said rear card, and said strap comprise paperboard.
12. The package of claim 1, wherein said front card, said rear card, and said strap all comprise paperboard.
13. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap is an extension of a label attached to said item.
14. The package of claim 13, wherein said label is at least partly wrapped around said item.
15. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap is preformed to match a contour of said item.
16. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap has an item-facing surface in contact with said item, and at least part of said item-facing surface has a high coefficient of friction.
17. The package of claim 1, wherein said strap has an item-facing surface in contact with said item, and at least part of said item-facing surface has a low coefficient of friction.
18. The package of claim 1, wherein said front card and rear card are curved about an axis.
19. A package for holding an item, the package comprising:
- a front card and a rear card joined together along a hinge region;
- a pliable area disposed along the hinge region and extending at least partly into each of said front and rear cards,
- wherein said item is wrapped and contained within said pliable area when said front card and said rear card are folded together about said hinge region.
20. The package of claim 19, wherein said pliable area comprises a window region.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 20, 2011
Publication Date: Apr 12, 2012
Applicant: MEADWESTVACO CORPORATION (Richmond, VA)
Inventors: John A. Gelardi (Midlothian, VA), Michael P. Wade
Application Number: 13/237,554
International Classification: B65D 73/00 (20060101);