U.S. patent application number 11/144458 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-08 for transparent packaging with imprint applied after closing.
Invention is credited to Eisenbraun, Kenneth D..
Application Number | 20050269232 11/144458 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35446515 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050269232 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Eisenbraun, Kenneth D. |
December 8, 2005 |
Transparent packaging with imprint applied after closing
Abstract
A package for small electronic articles and the like comprises
forward and rear sections formed of transparent sheet plastic. The
edges of the sections are joined and sealed to secure the article
in the package. An imprinted display card is secured to the rear
wall of the rear section by tabs arrayed about the rear wall so
that the printing on the forward side of the card, which is not
blocked by the article, is visible through the front of the
package.
Inventors: |
Eisenbraun, Kenneth D.;
(Bloomfield Village, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GIFFORD, KRASS, GROH, SPRINKLE & CITKOWSKI, P.C
PO BOX 7021
TROY
MI
48007-7021
US
|
Family ID: |
35446515 |
Appl. No.: |
11/144458 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60576900 |
Jun 3, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/461 ;
206/463; 206/471 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/461 ;
206/471; 206/463 |
International
Class: |
A45C 011/26; B65D
073/00 |
Claims
Having thus described my invention, I claim:
1. A method of packaging and distributing articles in transparent
sheet plastic containers having forward and rear sections which may
be joined to secure the articles therein comprising: securing said
articles in such containers and sealing the pairs of sections at a
first facility; and transmitting the closed and sealed containers
to a plurality of second facilities where imprinted cards are
secured to the outer side of the rear section of each closed
container, the imprinted cards being printed on both sides so that
those portions of the forward side not blocked by the article are
visible through the forward side of the container and the rear side
is visible from the rear side of the container.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the imprinted cards are secured to
the rear of the containers by means of clips which project inwardly
from spaced points along the edges of the periphery of the rear
section of the container.
3. The method of claim 1 in which the forward and rear sections are
joined at edges by an integrally formed hinge section.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the imprinted cards secured to
certain of the closed containers are imprinted differently from
cards secured to other of the containers.
5. The method of claim 1 in which the container sections are formed
by vacuum forming.
6. The method of claim 1 in which the container sections are
composed of polycarbonate.
7. The method of claim 1 in which at least a portion of one of the
container sections is imprinted, leaving a clear window through
which the imprinting on the secured card is visible.
8. A package for an article, comprising: a container comprising a
forward section formed of transparent sheet plastic having a cavity
formed on its rear side for reception of said article and a rear
section formed of transparent sheet plastic adapted to have its
forward side secured to the rear side of said forward section to
secure said article in the container, said rear having a flat,
central section on its rear wall; and a flat card imprinted on both
sides, retained against the flat, central section of the rear wall
of said rear section so that those portions of the forward side of
the card not blocked by the article are visible through the forward
side of the container and the rear side of the card is visible from
the rear side of the container.
9. The package of claim 8 wherein the rear side of the rear section
of the container is formed with clips on its periphery which
project inwardly from spaced points to secure the imprinted card
against the rear side.
10. The package of claim 8 wherein the imprinted card is adhered to
the central, flat section of the rear side of the rear section of
the container.
11. The package of claim 9 wherein both the rear and forward
sections of the package are rectangular, the imprinted card is
rectangular, and the height and width of the imprinted card is such
that it fits within the area defined by the clips.
12. The package of claim 8 wherein the forward and rear sections of
the container are joined to one another by an integral hinge formed
at complementary edges of the sections.
13. The package of claim 12 wherein the forward and rear sections
of the package and the integral hinge are formed by a vacuum
forming process.
14. A package for an article comprising: a container formed of a
rectangular forward section of a transparent polycarbonate plastic,
formed with a cavity on its rear side for reception of said
article, and a rectangular rear section of a transparent
polycarbonate plastic having a central, flat section on its back
side surrounded by a series of inwardly projecting clips, the
forward and rear sections being joined at complementary edges by an
integrally formed hinge section so that the forward and rear
sections may be positioned in an open arrangement to allow
insertion or removal of said article in the cavity on the rear side
of the forward section, or a closed arrangement to secure said
article in the container; and a flat card, imprinted on at least
its forward side, having dimensions complementary to the area
defined by said clips, retained with its forward side against the
central, flat section on the rear of the rear section of the
container with the edges of the card retained by the clips so that
the printing on the forward side of the card which is not blocked
by the article is visible on the forward side of the container,
through the rear and forward sections of the container.
15. The package of claim 14 in which the clips are arranged about
all four sides of a rectangular area and the imprinted card is
rectangular with dimensions complementary to the area defined by
the clips.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/576,900 filed Jun. 3, 2004, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to transparent packaging for small
devices such as electronic components formed of a pair of sections
which may be separate or joined by an integral hinge. The two
sections may be constructed of a transparent sheet plastic shaped
by vacuum forming or a like process, or may be partially opaque
with matching transparent windows. At least one of the sections has
a recess for retaining the product and the product may be inserted
into that section while the sections are in an open position. The
other section is then joined to the first section to seal the
package and may be secured by adhesives, heat sealing, a hinge and
snap fit arrangement, or other suitable means. In the prior art an
imprinted display card is secured within the package before closure
so as to be visible through the front of the closed package.
[0003] This type of packaging which is formed with a hinge is known
as a clamshell because of the provision of two sections hinged
relative to one another.
[0004] Often a distributor may order large quantities of products
packaged in such containers for sale through a number of retailers,
each of which requires a separate imprinted display card. In the
past it has been necessary to package these different inserts at
the point of insertion of the product and closing the package.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It would be desirable to purchase these closed packages with
the inserted product, without the display cards, and insert the
imprinted cards at an intermediate distribution point. This would
allow the use of imprints conforming to the area of distribution in
terms of retailer's identification, languages, warranties, etc. The
present invention is directed toward a packaging construction which
enables this type of operation. In essence, the package of the
present invention is formed in a two-step operation. In the first
step the product is inserted into the packaging and the unit is
closed and sealed. It is then shipped to an intermediate
distribution point, where a display card, printed on both sides
with the necessary promotional information, is attached to the
exterior of the rear wall of the package so that one side of the
card is visible through the front of the package and the other side
is visible on the rear. This imprinted product insert is secured to
the outer side of the rear wall of the clamshell packaging,
preferably by means of inserting the card under undercut tabs which
extend inwardly from the opposed rear walls of the outer side of
the rear of the packaging so as to engage the opposed edges of the
imprinted card. A clear adhesive may be coated on the outer side of
the container or the abutting side of the card before the two are
joined to securely retain the card in place on the outer wall of
the rear side of the clamshell packaging. In this way it is
unnecessary to open the sealed packaging at the distribution point
where the imprinted cards are joined to the packaging. The packages
may be filled and sealed at an initial manufacturing point, without
imprinted cards, and then appropriate imprinted cards may be later
joined to the units without opening the packaging.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] A preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clamshell package in open
form;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a rear view, from the outer side, of the back of a
clamshell packaging section formed in accordance with the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a sectional view through one of the tabs for
retaining the imprinted product identification card on the rear of
the outer side of the clamshell packaging, taken along line 3-3 of
FIG. 2;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a view of the rear of one of the imprinted product
identification cards suitable for use with the present invention;
and
[0011] FIG. 5 is a view of the front of a closed package formed in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] While the present invention is applicable to packaging in
which the front and back are formed separately, or alternatively to
integrally hinged containers (clamshell packages), a preferred
embodiment employs a clamshell container. Referring to FIG. 1, a
clamshell pack formed in accordance with the present invention
generally consists of a front section 10 and a rear section 12
joined by an integral plastic hinge 14. The two sections 10 and 12,
and the integral hinge 14, are formed of clear sheet plastic such
as polycarbonate shaped by vacuum forming. The front section 10 has
a peripheral edge 16 which is capable of mating with a peripheral
edge 18 formed on the inner side of the rear member 12 to close the
package. The two may be joined together by adhesives, sonic
welding, or some combination thereof. The forward section 10
includes a recess 20 for retaining a product to be secured in the
package. After the product is disposed in the recess 20, the rear
section 12 is folded against the front section and the package is
sealed.
[0013] The outer side of the back member 12 is preferably formed
with spaced recessed clips 22 along its inner edges. In the
preferred embodiment illustrated there are six of these clips, two
on each elongated side of the back and one at each of the ends. The
detailed configuration of a clip member is illustrated in FIG. 3.
The rear surface of the back member 12 is indicated at 24, with an
extreme edge at 26. Each clip 22 extends outwardly from the backing
member to form a section 28 which includes a recessed portion 30
that is adapted to receive an edge of an imprinted backing card 32.
The rear side of the card 34 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The card 32
is preferably rectangular and has a height and width which allow it
to fit flat against the outer side 24 of the back 12, with its
edges retained within all of the recesses 30 of the tabs 22. The
backing card 32 is preferably imprinted on both sides. The card 32
is inserted into abutment with the rear side of the back 24. The
portions of the forward side of card 32, which are not blocked by
the packaged article, are then visible from the forward side of the
completed package, while the entire rear side of the imprinted card
is visible from the rear side.
[0014] A clear adhesive may be coated on either of the surfaces of
the imprinted card or the backing member 24 which contact one
another to retain the card in position under the clips 22.
[0015] In this manner an article to be packaged in the clamshell
packaging may be inserted in one facility, the clamshell package
may be closed and sealed, and shipped to another distribution
facility, where imprinted cards of suitable configuration may be
secured to the back of various clamshells for distributional
purposes.
[0016] The same system may be employed with packages formed of two,
unjoined sections. In alternative embodiments of the invention,
sections of the packaging may be imprinted so as to be opaque,
leaving only a transparent window in the front section through
which a portion of the imprint on the side of the card 32 abutting
the rear section 24 may be seen from the front.
* * * * *