U.S. patent application number 10/690449 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-21 for packaging box and method of point of purchase display.
Invention is credited to Terwelp, Al.
Application Number | 20050082179 10/690449 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34521655 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050082179 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Terwelp, Al |
April 21, 2005 |
Packaging box and method of point of purchase display
Abstract
A shoe display assembly and method for point of purchase display
is presented that includes a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box
having a box body and a lid covering an opening in said box body.
The box body has a width dimension and a height dimension, the
width dimension being less than the height dimension. The box body
further is configured to releasably receive a handle. The assembly
further includes a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe
boxes. The shoe rack comprises at least one shelf having a lip to
retain the boxes on the shelf. The plurality of shoe boxes are
rested on the shelf with the lid of each shoe box being mounted to
a bottom surface of the shoe box. A first shoe is disposed within
each shoe box and a second shoe is disposed on the first shoe such
that the first and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked
arrangement.
Inventors: |
Terwelp, Al; (Lawrence,
KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LATHROP & GAGE LC
2345 GRAND AVENUE
SUITE 2800
KANSAS CITY
MO
64108
US
|
Family ID: |
34521655 |
Appl. No.: |
10/690449 |
Filed: |
October 21, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/278 ;
229/117.25 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/187 20130101;
B65D 5/46024 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/278 ;
229/117.25 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/18; B65D
005/46 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A shoe display assembly comprising: a plurality of shoe boxes,
each shoe box including a box body and a lid covering an opening in
said box body, the box body having a width dimension and a height
dimension, the width dimension being less than said height
dimension, the box body further being configured to releasably
receive a handle; a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe
boxes, the shoe rack comprising at least one shelf having a lip,
wherein said plurality of shoe boxes are rested on the shelf with
the lid of each shoe box being mounted to a bottom surface of the
shoe box, and wherein a first shoe is disposed within each shoe box
and a second shoe disposed on said first shoe such that said first
and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked
arrangement.
2. The shoe display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein each shoe
box further comprises an insertion slit on opposite ends of the
shoe box and a handle, the handle comprising two ends, each end
being selectively mateable with the insertion slit of the end of
the box.
3. The shoe display assembly of claim 1 wherein the shelf is
mounted at an incline to the rack at a mounting end of the shelf
such that the lip of the shelf is oriented vertically below the
mounting end.
4. The shoe display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein for at
least one box of said plurality of shoe boxes, said lid is disposed
below and about a lower part of said box body to expose said second
shoe stored in said shoe box.
5. The display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of
shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and adjacent
to one another.
6. The display assembly of claim 1 wherein the width of the shoe
box is sufficiently wide to receive the width of a shoe.
7. A method of point of purchase display for a pair of shoes, the
method comprising, providing a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe
box containing a pair of shoes and having a box body and a lid
covering an opening in said box body, the box body having a width
dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension being less
than said height dimension, the box body further being configured
to releasably receive a handle, providing a shoe rack for
displaying the plurality of shoe boxes, the shoe rack comprising at
least one shelf having a lip displaying the plurality of shoe boxes
on the shelf such that the lid of the shoe box is disposed below
and about a lower part of said box body to expose one of said pair
of shoes stored in said shoe box, and such that the plurality of
shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and adjacent
to one another.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of providing a plurality
of shoe boxes further includes providing shoe boxes such that each
shoe box further comprises an insertion slit for receiving a
handle.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:
providing a handle releasably securable to the shoe box, and
securing the handle to shoe box such that the shoe box is
transportable through holding the handle, the handle being secured
to the shoe box after selection and removal of the shoe box from
the shoe rack.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:
repositioning the lid from the bottom of the lower part of shoe box
to an upper part of the shoe box to cover the shoes.
11. A shoe box for storing a pair of shoes in a vertically stacked
arrangement, the shoe box comprising; a box body having a pair of
opposite side walls, a pair of opposite end walls, a base wall, the
pairs of side walls and end walls defining an interior for
receiving the pair of shoes, the pairs of end walls further
defining a box body width, the box body width being operably
configured to receive only one shoe width, the pairs of end walls
and side walls further defining a box body height, the width of the
box body being less than the height of the box body; and a lid
covering the interior of said box body, the lid being frictionally
retained on said box.
12. The shoe box of claim 11 wherein the shoe box further comprises
a handle and wherein the box body is operably configured to receive
the handle.
13. The shoe box of claim 12 wherein the box body further comprises
an insertion slit on the end walls of the box body and the handle
is selectively mateable with the box body and comprises an engaging
member for insertion and retention in the insertion slit.
14. The shoe box of claim 13 wherein the engagement member
comprises engagement walls that engage end walls of the shoe box as
the engagement member is inserted in the insertion slit to thereby
retain the handle in the box body.
15. The shoe box of claim 12 wherein the handle is secured to the
box body by a rivet.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to a packaging box and a
method for efficiently displaying the interior of the packaging
box, and, more particularly, to a shoe box for holding the shoes in
a vertically stacked arrangement such that the box has a greater
height than width, and a method for displaying the shoes by
aligning the shoe boxes adjacently along a shoe rack and
selectively mounting the handle to the shoe box upon purchase.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] It is well known that men's, women's and children's shoes
incorporate a number of design features that are both functional
and aesthetic. These design features are frequently visible on the
outside of the shoe and represent a significant source of marketing
value. In footwear retail establishments, it is traditional to
display shoes on slanted shelving. And, in the discount shoe retail
industry, in order to manage the number of employees per store, the
shoes typically are displayed in their respective box to enable the
customer to select a desired shoe and take the shoes in the box to
the counter for purchase without the need for assistance.
[0003] Typically, one or both members of a pair of shoes are
displayed in a normal right-side-up orientation with the soles in
contact with the bottom of the box or, alternatively, in a
side-by-side relationship with the soles facing opposing side walls
of the box. For space-saving purposes, the shoes in the
side-by-side relationship have the toe area of one shoe opposing
the heel area of the other shoe such that the shoes are nested. The
lids of the boxes are placed on the bottom of the box to reveal the
contents of the boxes as the boxes are rested on the slanted
shelving.
[0004] A problem with this typical shoe display arrangement is the
inefficient use of the shelving space. It is desirable to maximize
the number of shoes being displayed on each shelf. Placing the
shoes in a side-by-side arrangement requires the box width to be
sufficiently wide as to accept this side-by-side shoe orientation.
Either side-by-side arrangement (i.e., upwardly facing or nested)
consumes more shelf space along the length of the shelf than a shoe
box arrangement that is formed with a single width of vertically
aligned shoes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides a shoe display assembly
comprising a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box having a box
body and a lid covering an opening in said box body. The box body
has a width dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension
being less than the height dimension. The box body further is
configured to releasably receive a handle. The assembly further
includes a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes.
The shoe rack comprises at least one shelf having a lip to retain
the boxes on the shelf. The plurality of shoe boxes are rested on
the shelf with the lid of each shoe box being mounted to a bottom
surface of the shoe box. A first shoe is disposed within each shoe
box and a second shoe is disposed on the first shoe such that the
first and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked
arrangement.
[0006] In another aspect, a method of point of purchase display for
a pair of shoes is provided. The method comprises the steps of
providing a plurality of shoe boxes, providing a shoe rack for
displaying the plurality of shoe boxes, the shoe rack comprising at
least one shelf having a lip, and displaying the plurality of shoe
boxes on the shelf such that the lid of the shoe box is disposed
below and about a lower part of said box body to expose one of said
pair of shoes stored in said shoe box, and such that the plurality
of shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and
adjacent to one another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of adult and children
shoe boxes of the present invention showing a pair of shoes in a
vertically stacked arrangement;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a top view of the shoe boxes as the shoe boxes
would be viewed on a display rack with the lid removed;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shoe box of the present
invention with a handle attached thereto;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a shoe box of the
present invention with a handle attached thereto;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of shoe boxes of the
present invention as the shoe boxes would be viewed on a display
rack with the lid removed; and
[0012] FIG. 6 is a partial view of the engagement member of the
handle of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the packaging box
equipped with a handling structure of the present invention. The
packaging box 10 has a box body 12 made of a cardboard such as
corrugated fiberboard or paperboard. The thickness of the cardboard
paper stock preferably is between 0.47 mm up to 0.95 mm in
thickness or between 350 lb. to 700 lb stock. The box body 12
further includes a lid 14 that is releasably secured to the box
body. The packaging box 10 is formed of an approximately
rectangular parallelepiped box with two pairs of opposite side
walls 12a and 12b, base wall 13 and lid 14. These walls combine to
define an interior 16, which may accommodate shoes or the like.
[0014] Lid 14 is selectively removable from box body 12 and
likewise comprises two pairs of opposite sidewalls 14a and 14b. Lid
14 is mountable to either the top portion of box body to facilitate
transfer of the box without losing the contents or lid 14 may be
mounted to the bottom of box body 12 to display the interior of the
shoe box and thus the contents therein. Lid 14 preferably is
configured with semicircular notches 24 in the pair of opposite
side walls 14b that form the end surface in the longitudinal
direction of the box body 12.
[0015] To one pair of the respective opposite side walls 12a and
12b and preferably to the pair of opposite side walls 12b that form
the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the box body 12, a
bandlike handle 18 is insertable and engages respective ends of the
box body. The handle 18 is formed by a band or the like made of
paper or synthetic resin with a predetermined thickness, elasticity
and rigidity. The box body thus comprises an insertion slit 20
preferably formed at a position above approximately the midline of
the side walls 12b in the vertical direction. The insertion slit 20
has on both ends an upwardly concave or bent recess path 22 for
preventing the cracking of the insertion slit 20 and for
facilitating the insertion of the tip of the handle 18 and also for
securing its engagement with an engaging part provided on the end
of the handle 18. The insertion slit 20 has a breadth which is
slightly narrower than the breadth of the handle 18, and is formed
by an incision that is substantially horizontal or curved convexly
upward. The insertion slit 20 may also be formed by an oblong
aperture with a fixed vertical width.
[0016] It is to be understood that handle 18 alternately may be
mounted to side walls 12b by adhesive or by riveting and further
that the handle may be constructed of other material, such as rope.
In a preferred embodiment, however, both ends of the handle 18 are
provided with engaging members 21. Each engaging member 21 is
formed, as illustrated in FIG. 6, by forming an area of reduced
cross-section or neck 22 in handle 18 immediately adjacent the
engaging member 21. The engaging member thus forms a convexly
circular portion 21a and a pair of retaining walls 21b extending
outwardly from each side of neck 22. Engaging member 21 extends for
a span 24 from neck 22 to the farthest extending portion of
circular portion 21a. This span 24 is less than the length of the
incision and the semi-circular shaped member 22 is thus insertable
into side wall 12b of the box body 12 at the insertion slit 21 by
inserting engaging member 21 sideways into slit 20. The retaining
walls 21b of engaging member 21 prevent the engaging member from
slipping-out of slit 20 because the slit length is less than the
width of the retaining member and walls 21b engage box body 12. It
is to be understood that the entirety of the handle 18 need not
necessarily be formed into a bandlike form, and a gripping section
at the central part in the longitudinal direction of the handle may
be made narrower having a circular cross-section.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the handle, when lifted, fits snugly
against the lid 14 of the box. The notches 24 permit the handle to
exit the box body 12 and fit snugly against lid 14.
[0018] It is to be understood that the shoe box of the present
invention for containing vertically stacked shoes may be used on
its own or in conjunction with a shoe rack for displaying the novel
shoe box. For a typical shoe store location, numerous racks,
indicated generally at 30 are set up throughout the store. Each
rack 30 includes a rack wall 32 having numerous metal shelves 34
vertically separated and extending downwardly from the rack wall at
about a 45 degree downward angle. Each shelf has a turned-up lip 36
to hold the boxes 10 on the shelf. The shoes are presented on the
shelves in the shoe box 10 according to size and the lid 14 of each
box is placed on the bottom of the box body 12. The handle 18 is
not mounted to the box body 12 to further maximize the shelf space
and to provide an unimpeded view of the interior 16 of the shoe box
10. The array of boxes are placed in close proximity to each other
in order to maximize the number of shoe boxes that can be presented
along the longitudinal length of the each shelf. It is to be
understood that the shoe boxes may be arranged according to other
parameters (e.g. styles) without departing from the scope of the
present invention.
[0019] To transport the packaging box 10 from the retailer, the
consumer selects the desired shoe and transports the shoe box 10 to
the purchasing counter. At the counter, the lid 14 is placed on the
box body 12. The handle 18 will be mounted to the box body 12 by
the sales representative. The consumer can thus grasp the handle
and transport the packaging box 10 and the contents. To reach the
contents, the consumer grasps handle 18 and pulls downwardly such
that handle 18 is placed away from the lid 14, if necessary and
then removes the lid from the box body 12.
[0020] It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the
shoe box with handle of the present invention has a number of
advantages, some of which have been described above. Also, obvious
modifications and variations can be made to the handle fitting
structure of the present invention without departing from the scope
of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not
limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.
* * * * *