U.S. patent application number 12/136702 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-11 for packaged item along with container for use therewith.
This patent application is currently assigned to SUMMER INFANT, INC.. Invention is credited to John Lord.
Application Number | 20080302680 12/136702 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40094850 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080302680 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lord; John |
December 11, 2008 |
PACKAGED ITEM ALONG WITH CONTAINER FOR USE THEREWITH
Abstract
A packaged item for display to a consumer including an item
having a construction which comprises a selected material and a
container receiving the item that is formed at least partially from
a tactile panel that corresponds to the selected material. The
packaged item may include a display card that includes indicia,
such as an arrow, configured to draw the consumer's attention to
the tactile panel whereby the consumer may perceive a tactile
representation of the item without compromising integrity of the
container.
Inventors: |
Lord; John; (Denver,
CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael R. Henson & Associates, LLC
5613 DTC Parkway, Suite 240
Greenwood Village
CO
80111
US
|
Assignee: |
SUMMER INFANT, INC.
Denver
CO
|
Family ID: |
40094850 |
Appl. No.: |
12/136702 |
Filed: |
June 10, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60934044 |
Jun 11, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/232 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 3/00 20130101; B65D
33/04 20130101; A45C 2200/10 20130101; B65D 33/004 20130101; B65D
33/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/232 |
International
Class: |
B65D 77/00 20060101
B65D077/00 |
Claims
1. A packaged item for display to a consumer, comprising: a) an
item having a construction which comprises a selected material; and
b) a container receiving said item and formed at least partially
from a tactile panel that corresponds to said selected
material.
2. A packaged item according to claim 1 wherein said tactile panel
is formed of said selected material.
3. A packaged item according to claim 1 wherein said container
includes at least one viewing panel formed of a transparent
material.
4. A packaged item according to claim 1 wherein said container
includes at least one viewing panel formed of a transparent
material and said tactile panel is formed of said selected
material.
5. A packaged item according to claim 4 wherein said packaged item
includes a display card interposed between said viewing panel and
said item, wherein said display card includes indicia configured to
draw the consumer's attention to said tactile panel whereby the
consumer may perceive a tactile representation of the item without
compromising integrity of said container.
6. A packaged item according to claim 1 wherein said container
includes a closure releasably closing said container.
7. A packaged item according to claim 6 wherein said closure is
selected from the group consisting of a zipper, cooperative hook
and loop materials, and a snap fastener.
8. A display container for displaying a soft good to a consumer,
wherein said soft good includes a soft material, said display
container comprising: a surrounding wall structure having an
interior for receiving the soft good and including at least one
tactile panel formed of said soft material and at least one viewing
panel formed of a transparent material.
9. A display container according to claim 8 including a display
card interposed between said viewing panel and said soft good,
wherein said display card includes indicia configured to draw the
consumer's attention to said tactile panel whereby the consumer may
perceive a tactile representation of the soft good without
compromising integrity of said surrounding wall structure.
10. A display container according to claim 8 wherein said
surrounding sidewall structure includes a closeable opening for
receiving said soft good into said interior.
11. A display container according to claim 10 wherein said opening
is releasably closed with a zipper.
12. A packaged item for display to a consumer, comprising: a) a
soft good having a construction which comprises a first material
and a second material; b) a bag receiving said soft good in an
interior thereof, said bag including: i) a base panel and a
closeable top panel, ii) front and back panels; and iii) first and
second side panels wherein said first side panel is formed from
said first material and said second side panel is formed from said
second material; and c) a display card supported by the bag that
includes indicia configured to draw the consumer's attention to
said first and second side panels whereby the consumer may perceive
a tactile representation of the packaged item without compromising
integrity of said bag.
13. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said display card
is interposed between said soft good and said front panel.
14. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said front and
back panels are formed from transparent vinyl.
15. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said closeable
top panel is releasably closed with a zipper.
16. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said first and
second side panels are rectangular.
17. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said closeable
top panel includes a handle.
18. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said first
material is fleece.
19. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said second
material is nylon shell.
20. A packaged item according to claim 12 wherein said indicia
includes at least one arrow.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Each year a tremendous amount of resources are expended to
promote and sell consumer goods and services. Indeed, many entities
allocate money, personnel and devote other resources toward the
packaging and display of goods so that they will be more appealing
to would-be purchasers or other interested persons. In retail
stores, for example, companies compete for optimum shelf space or
display regions within the store which statistically attract more
consumers.
[0002] While location within a store can be indispensable to the
marketing of products to consumers, it is not the only
consideration. The packaging of goods in a manner which is
appealing to a consumer, coupled with a display campaign for
maximizing exposure, can provide a competitive advantage. Among the
various considerations involved in designing a well packaged
product is to create a packaging design which both educates the
consumer about the item he/she may wish to purchase, while at the
same being easy to comprehend and not overwhelming. To this end, it
is quite common to display the product itself on packaging, as well
as illustrate the product in use and provide information about its
various features. Another manner of displaying a product is to
package it in such a way that the consumer can actually see the
product through the packaging. For example, many goods are packaged
in transparent or semi-transparent bags, or with viewing windows,
to enable the consumer to actually visualize the product. Still
another approach is to provide an opening through the packaging
through which on can insert his/her hand and feel a material swatch
of the product, such as one adhered to an insert card within a
bag.
[0003] It is not uncommon for consumers who still remain curious as
to what they may actually purchase to open packaged goods to
actually feel or confirm the contents of the package. This is
prevalent in the soft goods industry where the goods may be towels,
sheets, linens, pillows, or the like. A particular segment of the
soft goods market, commonly referred to as the baby soft goods
market, is particularly susceptible to consumers who penetrate
packaging. This is perhaps the case because parents are
instinctively concerned about the quality of products which they
buy for their children.
[0004] Once packaging has been penetrated, however, it can have a
disheveled look or not be placed back on the display properly,
thereby detracting from the original purpose of providing a
presentation which is appealing to a would-be consumer. This can
translate into lost sales. To combat this, such as in the soft
goods market, manufacturers might neglect packaging altogether
(e.g., towels, pillows) or provide an opening in the packaging so
that a consumer can insert his/her hand and obtain a tactile
representation of the product. Still another approach is to provide
a packaging which can be easily opened and closed, such as through
the use of a zipper, so that at least the risk of damage to the
packaging is reduced if the consumer removes the product. Each of
these approaches, however, has the attendant drawback that either
the integrity of the packaging, its display, or the packaged item
can be jeopardized.
[0005] Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a new and
improved way of packaging certain types of goods, such as soft
goods, in a way which enables a potential consumer to gain
additional tactile knowledge about the packaged item without the
risk of jeopardizing the integrity of the product itself, its
display, or its container. These and other objects will become more
readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the
following detailed description when taken together with the
accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0006] Provided herein is a packaged item, such as a soft good, for
display to a consumer including an item having a construction which
comprises a selected material and a container receiving the item
that is formed at least partially from a tactile panel that
corresponds to the selected material. Also contemplated is a
display container for displaying a packaged item to a consumer.
[0007] The container includes at least one viewing panel formed of
a transparent material and the tactile panel may be formed of the
selected material. The container may be in the form of a bag that
includes a base panel and a closeable top panel; front and back
panels; and first and second rectangular side panels. The item may
be a soft good comprised of first and second materials such as
fleece and nylon, for example. Accordingly, the first side panel
may be formed from the first material and the second side panel may
be formed from the second material. The container includes a
closure releasably closing the container which may be any of a
zipper, cooperative hook and loop materials, a snap fastener, or
the like. The closeable top panel may also include a handle.
[0008] The packaged item may include a display card supported by
the container and may be interposed between the viewing panel and
the item. The display card includes indicia, such as an arrow,
configured to draw the consumer's attention to the tactile panel
whereby the consumer may perceive a tactile representation of the
item without compromising integrity of the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
packaged item;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded front view of the packaged item in
FIG. 1, and showing a portion of the item itself folded back to
reveal its material construction;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the flexible bag for use in
packaging the item of FIGS. 1 and 2; and
[0012] FIGS. 4a and 4b are partial cross-sectional views of the
flexible bag in FIG. 3 to illustrate representative panel portions
thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Provided is a packaged item for display. The item can be
displayed to a would-be buyer at a retail store or any other
interested party such as at a tradeshow, during a presentation or
any other venue where potential consumers or interested parties
might be found. Also provided is a container for use in creating
the packaged item. In the exemplary embodiments described herein,
the item or good which is packaged is representatively illustrated
as an infant car seat cover which is conveniently designed to
provide comfort to an infant during travel. As such, the
representative item falls broadly within the category of soft goods
and more particularly within the category of baby soft goods. Of
course, the ordinarily skilled artisan will appreciate from the
description to follow that the concepts described herein can be
applied to any of a variety of other soft goods (example linens,
towels, pillows, etc.) as well as non-soft good items. Accordingly,
the exemplary embodiment is for illustrative purposes only.
[0014] Initial reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 to show that
packaged item 10 broadly comprises a container in the form of a
flexible bag 20 having an interior 22 within which is received the
infant car seat cover 30 in folded form. Since the item itself is
representative, its particular construction need not be described
in detail other than to explain that it is fabricated from at least
one, and preferably, a plurality of different materials. For
example, and without limitation, item 30 may have a water and wind
resistant shell 32 made of polyester or nylon and a breathable soft
fleece liner 34 (see FIG. 2).
[0015] Also provided is a display card 40 which may be inserted
into the bag. Display card 40 has a front display panel 42
interposed between the carrier cover item 30 and the bag 20. Once
inserted, the open end of the flexible bag may be releasably closed
via a zipper construction 24 or other suitable closure means. Bag
20 also includes a handle 26 providing convenient handling of the
packaged item as well as display of the packaged item on a peg
hook, for example, so that it may be viewed by a would-be
purchaser.
[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, flexible bag 20 is
substantially made from a vinyl material. To this end, vinyl bag 20
includes a rectangular base panel 51, a rectangular and closeable
top panel 52, left and right tactile side panels 53 and 54,
respectively, and front and back panels 55 and 56,
respectively.
[0017] As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the left and right
tactile side panels 53 and 54 are not made from vinyl as are the
other panels in the bag. Instead, these panels are fabricated from
materials which correspond to those characteristic of the item
itself. That is, left side panel 53 preferably comprises the same
fleece interior material as the item 30, while right side panel
preferably comprises the same material as the item's outer shell
(i.e. polyester or nylon). As can be seen in various ones of the
figures, the left and right side panels are sewn to the other
portions of the bag to create seam margins.
[0018] With the above construction in mind for packaged item 10, it
can appreciated that a would-be consumer, or other interested
party, not only has the advantage of visually perceiving the item
30 through any of the transparent panels of the vinyl bag 20, but
has the added ability to perceive a tactile representation of the
product by feeling the left and right side panel materials. For
convenience, the insert card 40 may have left and right arrows, 41
& 43, respectively, for directing the would-be purchaser to
these two materials. Accordingly, the would-be purchaser or other
interested party could gain additional knowledge about the good,
preferably sufficient enough to make a purchasing decision, without
the need to unzip the top of the bag and physically remove the
item. In the event the consumer does not purchase the item, then
its display characteristics have not been tampered with which will
help to maintain the aesthetic appeal of a seller's display.
[0019] With an understanding of the above, it should be appreciated
that various modifications or adaptations could be made to the
packaged item without departing from the inventive concepts
contained herein. For example, in other embodiments the container
for the item could be flexible, rigid, semi-rigid or of any
suitable construction for packaging a particular item.
Advantageously, the container can have a viewing portion to allow a
would-be consumer to visualize the packaged item, although this is
certainly not necessary. Preferably, at least a portion of the
package which is exposed to the consumer is formed from a material
corresponding to at least one of the materials present in the item
itself. Preferably, also, only a portion of the package has this
characteristic, while a remainder of the package is of different,
and preferably customary, packaging material, such as vinyl,
corrugated board, cellophane or the like. The term "corresponds" in
this context does not mean that the materials are necessarily
identical, although this is preferred, but that they have
sufficient characteristics such that the exterior material on the
container has a tactile resemblance to material associated with the
item itself. In an even more preferred form, there are a plurality
of different materials which are exposed to the would-be purchaser
and form at least one or more portions of the item's container,
with each of these materials corresponding to a material
characteristic of the item itself.
[0020] Accordingly, the present invention has been described with
some degree of particularity directed to the exemplary embodiments
of the present invention. It should be recognized, however, that
the present invention is defined by the following claims construed
in light of the prior art so that modifications or changes may be
made to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention without
departing from the inventive concepts contained herein.
* * * * *