PAPER BOARD SECURITY PACKAGE WITH LOCKING NOTCH
Paperboard security packages are disclosed wherein a case or blister is contained between two cards and held in place by a retaining feature such as a notch in the case or blister.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/438,520 filed on Feb. 1, 2011 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 holding a container or case by way of a notch, slot or groove in the case. In one embodiment the package is a security card/package predominantly formed from paper board.
The design involves one or more paperboard cards and a case or blister (acrylic for example) having a continuous form including a larger part and a smaller part. The case has a notch, slot or groove such that when the smaller part is lowered through a corresponding small aperture in the paperboard card, the case may then be slid sideways (parallel to the card) so that the notch receives a portion of the perimeter of the small aperture, locking the case onto the small aperture, in the sense that the case cannot be moved upward relative to the card (that is, in a direction perpendicular to the card). A second card with an aperture corresponding in size to the larger part of the case may then be positioned over the larger part, and the two cards sealed together trapping the case so that it cannot any longer slide sideways, which means the notch cannot move out of the smaller aperture; thus the entire case is locked into the card. Such a structure eliminates the need for a disposable case, so that a reusable case may be used which includes a special feature (such as the notch) to secure the case to the card or cards. After the package is purchased, the consumer may remove the case from the card and then use the case separately, or recycle the case separately from the card. Thus the new package is beneficial from both an aesthetic and an environmental standpoint.
In one embodiment, a package is disclosed which includes a first card with a first aperture, a second card with a second aperture, and a case with a first and second portion, the case having a retaining feature to engage at least one of the first and second cards, while the case first portion protrudes outward from one surface of the cards and the second portion protrudes outward from the other surface of the cards.
In some embodiments the retaining feature may be a slot, slit, or groove in the case and may receive or engage a locking portion of at least one of the first and second cards.
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.
When a plastic blister is used with a card-based package, the blister often has a flange that is adhered to the card, or has a trapped between layers of card. After opening the package, the flanged blister may be of limited use for containing the product, in which case it may be recycled. However for recycling it is sometimes advantageous to separate the blister and card, but with a flanged blister, at least portions of the flange may remain trapped in the card, or adhered to the card. It would be useful to have a security package that has utilizes a case that is easily and cleanly separable from the card, and possibly reusable after opening.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, a package is disclosed which includes a first card with a first aperture, a second card with a second aperture, and a case with a first and second portion, the case having a retaining feature to engage at least one of the first and second cards, while the case first portion protrudes outward from one surface of the cards and the second portion protrudes outward from the other surface of the cards. The retaining feature may be a slot, slit, or groove in the case and may receive or engage a locking portion of at least one of the first and second cards.
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 as shown do not all contain product items, however, it will be understood that the package can contain a variety of items. The packages as shown utilize rounded cards, but the cards may be any desired shape. The cases as shown include a smaller lower portion in the form of a rounded or hemispherical shape, and a large upper portion also in the form of a rounded or hemispherical shape. However, it should be understood that the shape and size of the two portions may be adjusted according to manufacturing preference. While the examples show two cases of equal size and shape, it should be understood that the number of cases, and their individual sizes and shapes, may be chosen according to manufacturing preference.
To open package 1, a portion or all of the first card 10 or second card 20 may be removed so that cases 50 may be removed or detached from the cards. The package may be designed so that even after the cases have been removed, they may still be repositioned onto one or both cards, for example to provide easier storage (e.g. on hang hole 14), or make the cases easier to locate (e.g. as part of the larger package).
Instead of the translational (side to side) movement of the case relative to one or both cards to cause locking portions 16, 26 to be received into notches 58, 59, other movements may be utilized.
The aperture 12 with protrusions 13 may be sized and shaped to receive the cross section of the case 60 as it appears in
The shapes of case 60 and cards 10, 20 in
The material used for the cards 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 to face outwards on the finished package, while the tear-resistant or heat-seal surfaces may face inwards. If more than one card 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.
The packages here may comprise paperboard or plastic, and may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. While several of the packages have been shown as oval or circular cards holding a case with two combined hemispherical shapes, it should be understood that other shapes of cards and cases may be used to form similar 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 may be folded over or around the portions of other cards, creating multiple layers of material.
Claims
1. A package for holding an item, the package comprising:
- a first card comprising a first aperture;
- a second card comprising a second aperture; and
- a case comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a retaining feature to engage at least one of the first and second cards;
- wherein said first and second cards are in facing contact with one another and together have a first outer surface and a second outer surface,
- wherein the case first portion protrudes outward from one of said first and second outer surface and the case second portion protrudes outward from the other of said first and second outer surface.
2. The package of claim 1, wherein the retaining feature is a slot, slit, or groove in the case.
3. The package of claim 2, wherein the retaining feature receives or engages a locking portion of at least one of the first and second cards.
4. The package of claim 4, wherein the retaining feature having received or engaged the locking portion, the case is prevented from moving apart from the cards in a direction perpendicular to the first surface.
5. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second apertures engages the case and prevents the case from moving in a direction parallel to the first surface.
6. The package of claim 1, wherein the first and second card are made from separate pieces of material.
7. The package of claim 1, wherein the first and second card are made from a single piece of material.
8. The package of claim 7, wherein the first and second card are connected by a single fold line.
9. The package of claim 7, wherein the first and second card are connected by a plurality of fold lines and one or more additional portions of material.
10. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second card comprise paperboard.
11. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second card are formed of a tear resistant material.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2012
Publication Date: Dec 5, 2013
Inventor: Charlotte Hanks (Toronto)
Application Number: 13/982,921
International Classification: B65D 75/32 (20060101);