DECORATIVE PACKAGING KIT AND METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE THEREOF
A decorative packaging kit includes at least one element of a package for a container and at least one item to be packaged in the container. Methods of producing and using the kit are disclosed.
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.
All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) pertains. All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications referenced in any portion of this application are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual patent or publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
All of the articles and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the articles and methods of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.
As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings:
The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects. For example but not by way of limitation, when the term “about” is utilized, the designated value may vary by plus or minus twelve percent, or eleven percent, or ten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or six percent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or two percent, or one percent. The use of the term “at least one” will be understood to include one as well as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term to which it is attached; in addition, the quantities of 100/1000 are not to be considered limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactory results. In addition, the use of the term “at least one of X, Y and Z” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well as any combination of X, Y and Z. The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between two or more items and is not meant to imply any sequence or order or importance to one item over another or any order of addition, for example.
As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.
As used herein, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance completely occurs or that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs to a great extent or degree. For example, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs at least 90% of the time, or at least 95% of the time, or at least 98% of the time.
The term “padded filled material” as used herein will refer to any material that may be disposed within a container and contribute to the packaging of one or more objects in the container. The padded filler material may serve to cushion, support, and/or decoratively present the object(s) within the container as well as fill at least a portion of the container. Non-limiting examples of padded filler material utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include decorative grass, grass-like material, packing material, combinations thereof, and the like. Particular examples of padded filler material are well known in the art, and therefore no further description thereof is deemed necessary.
The term “covering” as utilized herein includes any type of cover or wrapper that is positionable about a container for decoratively packaging the container. Any type of covering known in the art or otherwise contemplated herein capable of functioning as disclosed herein is encompassed within the scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of coverings utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include a sheet of wrapping material, a roll of wrapping material, a bag, a sleeve, combinations thereof, and the like. Particular examples of coverings are well known in the art, and therefore no further description thereof is deemed necessary.
The term “renewable polymer material” as used herein will be understood to refer to environmentally-friendly materials that are renewable and/or sustainable. The terms “renewable polymer material” and “sustainable polymer material” are therefore used herein interchangeably. Renewable polymer materials are known in the art and have been developed to replace petrochemical polymer materials and reduce carbon emissions. Renewable polymer materials are formed from crop or raw materials such as, but not limited to, wheat, potatoes, corn, farmed wood, plant-derived sugars or lipids, soy or castor oil, and the like. Examples of polymers formed from these crop or raw materials include, but are not limited to, starch-based polymers, Polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and the like. In addition, the term “renewable polymer materials” utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) will also be understood to include copolymers of any of the above.
Particular examples of renewable polymer materials that may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include, but are not limited to, a starch polymer such as MATER-BI® (Novamont, Novara, Italy); a Polylactic acid, such as NatureWorks® PLA (Nature Works/Cargill, Minneapolis, Minn.); a PHA, such as MIREL™ (Metabolix, Cambridge, Mass.); and the various materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,421, issued to Brinton, Jr. on Oct. 21, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,216, issued to Tomka on Sep. 2, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,771, issued to Tokiwa et al. on Dec. 30, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,171, issued to Naito et al. on Oct. 30, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,379, issued to Wang on Jul. 13, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,536, issued to Tomka on Jan. 6, 1998; the contents of each of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, the above-referenced materials are provided for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited to use of such materials, but includes any renewable polymer materials known in the art that are capable of functioning in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).
The term “biodegradable polymer material” as used herein will be understood to refer to environmentally-friendly materials that are degradable and/or compostable. Such materials may be degradable/compostable by various living organisms or by exposure to light and/or oxygen. Therefore, the term “biodegradable polymer material”, as used herein, will be understood to include materials that are oxobiodegradable, photobiodegradable, and microbial biodegradable. Such materials may also be referred to as “bioplastics” within the art, and therefore the term “bioplastic” may also be used interchangeably herein with the term “biodegradable polymer material”.
Examples of biodegradable polymer materials that may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include, but are not limited to, bioplastics made with plastarch material (PSM), and polylactic acid (PLA), certain aliphatic-aromatic co-polyester compounds such as succinates and adipates, and the like. In addition, the term “biodegradable polymer materials” utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) will also be understood to include copolymers of any of the above.
The degradation products of biodegradable polymer materials utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may be recycled or subjected to proper disposal methods, such as but not limited to, incineration or landfill disposal. If the degradation products are suitable for recycling, the biodegradable polymer material may also be described as a renewable polymer material, as described in detail herein above.
The term “bonding material” when used herein refers to an adhesive, frequently a pressure-sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or any adhesive/cohesive combination having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to connect a packaging material disclosed and claimed herein (such as a covering, decorative grass/packing material, securing element, and/or a label) to a container or other desired object. Since the bonding material may comprise either an adhesive or an adhesive/cohesive combination, it will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesives are known in the art, and both are commercially available. When the bonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with the cohesive material. The term “bonding material” also includes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied to affect the seal. The term “bonding material” also includes materials which are sonically sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes a heat sealing lacquer or hot melt material which may be applied to the material and, in this instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied to effect the sealing.
The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any type of material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connecting described herein. For example but not by way of limitation, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as the bonding material. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similar substrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. The cold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does not cause a residue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting much more rapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles and reducing labor costs. A cold seal adhesive binds quickly and easily with minimal pressure, and such a seal is not readily releasable. This characteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitive adhesive.
The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any heat or chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or other electrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials, mechanical, or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-type characteristics of the film, or materials incorporated in material which can cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots, grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, and any type of welding method.
The term “label” as used herein will be understood to include any piece of material capable of attachment to an object(s) (or attached and/or integrally formed with an object(s)) and either having information disposed thereon or providing an area upon which information may be disposed. Non-limiting examples of labels that may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include a card, a tag, a gift tag, a sticker, a ticket, and the like, as well as combinations and variations thereof.
The term “securing element” as used herein will be understood to include any element that is capable of securing a covering about a container as described or otherwise contemplated herein. Any securing element known in the art or otherwise capable of functioning as described herein may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of securing elements include rubber bands, elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire, plastic, shrink films, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twist ties, stretch film, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesive materials, barbs, slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heat seals, chemical seals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.
The term “packaging” as used herein will be understood to include any element(s) that associate the content(s) of the kits contemplated herein with one another. Non-limiting examples of packaging that may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) include a bag, a wrapper, adhesive, cohesive, tape, a flexible container, a rigid container, stretch wrap, shrink wrap, and combinations thereof.
The term “associate” as used herein will be understood to refer to the direct or indirect connection of two or more items.
Turning now to the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s), decorative packaging kits and methods of production and use thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the kit includes at least one element of a package for a container and at least one item to be packaged in the container. The element of a package for a container may include one or more of a covering, a padded filler material, a securing element, and/or a label. In certain embodiments, the kit may contain two of the package elements, or three of the package elements, or all four of the package elements. The kit may also include a plurality of a single element, i.e., two or more coverings, two or more securing elements, etc. In a particular embodiment, the kit includes a covering for placement about a container and a padded filler material for placement into the container; in this embodiment, the padded filler material may be further defined as a grass and/or grass-like material.
Any object(s) that could be included within a kit and that are desirable for packaging within a container fall within the scope of items to be packaged in the container in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of item(s) that may be included in the kits for packaging within a container include at least one of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy (such as but not limited to, shovels and scoops); a plush toy; a plant seed and/or bulb; a tool (such as but not limited to, gardening tools); egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/or story book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof. Multiple items may be disposed together in a kit, and the plurality of items may be the same type of item or different types of items (or a combination thereof). For example but not by way of limitation, the kit may contain one or more eggs, as well as one or more items capable of disposal within an egg.
In another embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s), a kit is provided that includes a covering positionable about a container, a decorative grass disposable within the container about which the covering is positionable, at least one item disposable on the grass disposable within the container about which the covering is positionable (the item(s) being as described herein above), and a securing element capable of securing the covering in a position about the container. The kit may further include a label, and the label may be attached to at least one of the above items and/or disposable thereon. The kit also includes packaging in which the above items are disposed.
The decorative grass may be formed by any method disclosed herein or otherwise known or contemplated in the art. For example but not by way of limitation, the decorative grass may be directly extruded into strips, or the decorative grass may be produced by slitting and/or cutting a sheet or web of material. In addition, the decorative grass may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials. The layers of material may be laminated together or connected together by any method known in the art. The decorative grass may be formed of any material(s) known in the art, including but not limited to, paper, crepe paper, polymeric material, laminated polymeric material, wax paper, paper having a shape sustaining agent applied to at least one side, paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side, renewable/biodegradable polymer materials, as well as any combination or lamination thereof.
Any of the elements described herein above (i.e., coverings, decorative grasses, etc.) may be provided with at least one of a color, a design, and a decorative pattern disposed on at least a portion thereof. The color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be disposed on the element(s) by any method known in the art, including but not limited to, printing, etching, embossing, texturing, flocking, coating, lacquering, application during extrusion, and the like. The color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be applied to the element(s) separately or simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent, optical effect, paper like, cloth like, or other similar qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination and may be applied to a portion of any surface of the element(s). Moreover, when the element(s) is formed of two or more layers of material, each of the layers of material may vary in the combination of such characteristics.
In addition, when two or more design(s) and/or pattern(s) are provided on the elements(s), the design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be in register with one another or out of register with one another. Alternatively, a portion of the two or more design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be in register with one another, while another portion of the two or more design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be out of register with one another.
In addition, the color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be oriented along a length and/or a width of the element(s). The color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be complete in either or both directions, (i.e., length and width), or the color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be incomplete (i.e., cut-apart) in one or both directions.
The term “optical effect material” as used herein is to be understood to mean any material capable of changing appearance, such as perspective and/or color, as the angle of view of such material changes. Optical effect materials include, but are not limited to, iridescent materials, materials having one or more holograms, and the like.
The term “cloth-like” will be used interchangeably herein with the term “texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth”. Examples of decorative grass having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth have previously been disclosed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,967, issued Jul. 30, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,735, issued Jan. 28, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,422, issued Jan. 6, 2004; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,644, issued Jun. 7, 2005. The contents of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
The term “paper-like” will be used interchangeably herein with the term “texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of paper”. Examples of decorative grass having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of paper have previously been disclosed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,960, issued Oct. 9, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,651, issued Jun. 18, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,997, issued Dec. 10, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,198, issued Apr. 29, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,408, issued Nov. 11, 2003; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,242, issued Nov. 18, 2003. The contents of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In addition, any of the element(s) present in the kits of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may have a scent disposed thereon or therein. The scent may be disposed on or in the element(s) by any methods known in the art. Non-limiting examples of decorative grass having a scent disposed therein have been previously disclosed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,593, issued Dec. 2, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,161, issued May 18, 2004; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,764, issued Mar. 8, 2005. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Any of the decorative grass constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may be provided with one or more distortions formed therein. Such distortions may include, but are not limited to, curls, crimps, corrugations, and combinations thereof. The distortions may be formed by any method known in the art or otherwise contemplated therein. Non-limiting examples of methods of disposing distortions in decorative grass include contact with a distortion-forming surface (such as but not limited to, a curl bar), stretch lamination of a smaller sheet of material to a larger sheet of material, application of a shape sustaining or stiffening agent or a differentially contracting or expanding agent to a portion of the decorative grass and/or material from which the decorative grass is formed, or by any other methods known in the art. Particular methods of forming a curl in a decorative grass have been previously described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,887, issued Mar. 17, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,620, issued Dec. 30, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,408, issued Nov. 11, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,324, issued Aug. 20, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,286, issued Apr. 6, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,765, issued on Mar. 8, 2005; and in US Patent Application No. 2009/0305861, published Dec. 10, 2009. The entire contents of the above-referenced patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In addition, the decorative grass utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may have at least one corrugation/fold formed therein. Methods of forming corrugations/folds are known in the art, and any method known in the art or otherwise contemplated therein may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of forming folded, corrugated grass have been previously described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,178, issued Jan. 24, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,615, issued Feb. 3, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,584, issued Oct. 28, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,675, issued Jun. 11, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,241, issued Apr. 2, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,472, issued Aug. 21, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,000, issued Apr. 24, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,783, issued Feb. 20, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,574, issued Jun. 6, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,907, issued Jul. 13, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,432, issued Feb. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,008, issued Aug. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,352, issued Dec. 22, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,013, issued Jul. 28, 1992. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. However, the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited to forming corrugated decorative grass in the manner disclosed in the above patents, but rather encompasses corrugated decorative grass formed by any method known in the art. The methods of forming distortions described herein above are provided for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be regarded as limiting. Any methods of forming distortions in a decorative grass or packing material (or the material from which the decorative grass or packing material is formed) may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).
Packing materials constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may be formed by any of the methods disclosed herein above or otherwise known in the art. Particular, non-limiting examples of prior packing materials known in the art are disclosed in U.S. Pats. No. 6,561,356; 6,534,136; 6,401,436; 6,390,300; and 6,253,921. The contents of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The label may be integrally formed with any of the covering, decorative grass, the at least one item, the securing element, and/or the packaging. Optionally, the label may be separate from the other components of the kit. When the label is formed separately, a bonding material may be disposed thereon.
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) includes a method of providing a decoratively wrapped package. Any of the decorative packaging kits described or otherwise contemplated herein may be utilized in the method. For example, but not by way of limitation, at least one object may be placed within a container, and the at least one element of a package for a container is disposed in and/or about the container to provide the decoratively wrapped package.
In another particular embodiment of the method, the packaging in which the various elements are disposed is opened, and the decorative grass is disposed within a container. The at least one item is disposed on or in the decorative grass (which may occur before or after the decorative grass is disposed within the container). The covering is then positioned about the container before or after the decorative grass and/or at least one item is disposed therein. The covering is secured in a position about the container via the securing element, thereby providing a decoratively wrapped package.
While examples of sequences of method steps are provided herein, it is to be understood that the method steps, as well as the order of the steps, may vary. Any combination of method steps and sequence thereof may be utilized so long as the kits described herein are utilized to produce a decoratively wrapped package in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).
Turning now to the Drawings, shown in
Additional packaging may be disposed within the packaging 22 for maintaining certain elements of the kit 10 together and/or within a certain portion of the packaging 22. For example but not by way of limitation, the plurality of eggs 16 is depicted in
The depiction of the eggs 16 in
The kit 10 may further include a bonding material present on any of the elements contained therein. For example but not by way of limitation, a bonding material may be disposed on at least a portion of at least one of a covering (such as, but not limited to, the roll of wrapping material 12), decorative grass 14, and/or the item(s) to be packaged (such as, but not limited to, the plurality of eggs 16). In a particular embodiment, a bonding material may be disposed on at least a portion of the label 20.
Shown in
Shown in
In addition to the embodiments described herein above, a kit produced in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may include element(s) for a package and multiple items for packaging in a container about which the element(s) is disposed.
The depiction of the combination of eggs 86 and confetti 88 is also provided as a non-limiting example of a kit containing a first item(s) for disposal within a container, along with a second item(s) that may be disposed into the first item(s). That is, the confetti 88 may be disposed within one or more of the eggs 86, such as, for example, to form cascarones or confetti eggs. However, the depiction of confetti 88 is for purposes of example only, and any item(s) capable of being disposed within an egg (i.e., stickers, decals, temporary tattoos, toys, etc.) may be included within an egg-containing kit constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).
While the kits depicted herein will find particular use with Easter baskets, it is to be understood that the kits of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) are not limited to such use. Indeed, the scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) includes kits that may be utilized within any type of container that is desirable for packaging one or more items there within, including containers used for all holidays and seasons. Non-limiting examples of other containers that may be utilized with the currently disclosed and claimed kits include Christmas stockings and/or gift baskets, Valentine's baskets, summer activity baskets and/or buckets, pool/beach themed containers, back to school containers (i.e., bags, backpacks, lunchboxes, lockers, etc.), Halloween themed containers, Thanksgiving themed containers, winter/snow-themed containers, and the like.
Thus, in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s), there has been provided decorative packaging kits, as well as methods of producing and using same, that fully satisfy the objectives and advantages set forth hereinabove. Although the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) has been described in conjunction with the specific drawings, experimentation, results and language set forth hereinabove, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the various components, elements, and assemblies described herein, as well as in the steps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) as defined in the following claims.
Claims
1. A kit, comprising:
- (a) a covering positionable about a container;
- (b) a decorative grass disposable within the container about which the covering is positionable;
- (c) at least one item disposable on the grass disposable within the container about which the covering is positionable;
- (d) a securing element capable of securing the covering in a position about the container;
- (e) a label attached to at least one of (a)-(e) and/or disposable thereon; and
- (f) packaging in which (a)-(e) are disposed.
2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the covering is further defined as a sheet and/or roll of wrapping material.
3. The kit of claim 1, wherein the covering is further defined as a bag or sleeve.
4. The kit of claim 1, wherein the label is integrally formed with at least one of (a)-(d).
5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the label is separate from (a)-(d).
6. The kit of claim 5, wherein the label has bonding material disposed thereon.
7. The kit of claim 1, wherein the securing element is selected from the group consisting of rubber bands, elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire, plastic, shrink films, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twist ties, stretch film, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesive materials, barbs, slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heat seals, chemical seals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.
8. The kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one item is selected from the group consisting of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy; a plant seed and/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/or story book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof.
9. The kit of claim 8, wherein the at least one item is at least one egg, and wherein the kit further comprises at least one additional item capable of disposal within the at least one egg.
10. A method of providing a decoratively wrapped package, the method comprising the steps of:
- opening the packaging of the kit of claim 1;
- disposing the decorative grass within a container;
- disposing the at least one item on or in the decorative grass;
- positioning the covering about the container; and
- securing the covering in position about the container via the securing element, thereby providing a decoratively wrapped package.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the covering is further defined as at least one of a sheet of wrapping material, a roll of wrapping material, a bag, and a sleeve.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the label is integrally formed with at least one of (a)-(d) of the kit.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the label is separate from (a)-(d) of the kit, and wherein the method further comprises the step of disposing the label within and/or attaching the label to the decoratively wrapped package.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the label has bonding material disposed thereon.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the securing element is selected from the group consisting of rubber bands, elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire, plastic, shrink films, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twist ties, stretch film, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesive materials, barbs, slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heat seals, chemical seals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.
16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one item is selected from the group consisting of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy; a plant seed and/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/or story book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one item is an egg, and wherein the kit further comprises at least one additional item capable of disposal within the egg.
18. A kit, comprising:
- (a) at least one element of a package for a container; and
- (b) at least one item to be packaged in the container.
19. The kit of claim 18, wherein (a) is selected from the group consisting of a covering, a padded filler material, a securing element, a label, and combinations thereof.
20. The kit of claim 19, wherein the covering is at least one of a sheet of wrapping material, a bag, and a sleeve.
21. The kit of claim 18, wherein (a) comprises a covering for placement about a container and a padded filler material for placement into the container, and wherein the padded filler material is further defined as a grass and/or grass-like material.
22. The kit of claim 18, wherein the at least one item to be placed into the container is selected from the group consisting of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy; a plant seed and/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/or story book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 6, 2013
Publication Date: Dec 11, 2014
Inventor: Andrew Weder (Highland, IL)
Application Number: 13/911,340
International Classification: B65D 67/00 (20060101); B65B 5/06 (20060101); B65D 75/00 (20060101);
