U.S. patent application number 12/009460 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-23 for packaging unit for articles with opening feature.
Invention is credited to Robert Charles Doherty.
Application Number | 20090184017 12/009460 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40394362 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090184017 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Doherty; Robert Charles |
July 23, 2009 |
Packaging unit for articles with opening feature
Abstract
A packaging unit having a front wall and a back wall sealed
together at a peripheral joint. The front and back walls are formed
of semi-rigid material. The front wall and back wall are spaced
apart from one another to define an article-receiving region
between them. A line of weakness is formed in the back wall. The
line of weakness defines an opening flap to be at least partially
separated from the remainder of the back wall. A raised opening tab
is positioned on the opening flap along the line of weakness and
extends away from the opening flap. The line of weakness is
rupturable by a user by applying a manual force to the opening tab
to at least partially separate the opening flap from the remainder
of the back wall along the line of weakness in order to access the
article-receiving region.
Inventors: |
Doherty; Robert Charles;
(Braintree, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY;Global Legal Department - IP
Sycamore Building - 4th Floor, 299 East Sixth Street
CINCINNATI
OH
45202
US
|
Family ID: |
40394362 |
Appl. No.: |
12/009460 |
Filed: |
January 18, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/469 ;
206/471 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/322 20130101;
B65D 2575/366 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/469 ;
206/471 |
International
Class: |
B65D 73/00 20060101
B65D073/00 |
Claims
1. A packaging unit comprising: a front wall and a back wall sealed
together at a peripheral joint, said front wall and said back being
formed of semi-rigid material and being spaced apart from one
another to define an article-receiving region between them; a line
of weakness formed in said back wall, said line of weakness
defining an opening flap to be at least partially separated from
the remainder of said back wall; a raised opening tab positioned on
said opening flap along said line of weakness, said raised opening
tab extending away from said opening flap; said line of weakness is
rupturable by a user by applying a manual force to said opening tab
to at least partially separate said opening flap from the remainder
of said back wall along said line of weakness in order to access
said article-receiving region.
2. The packaging unit according to claim 1 wherein said front and
back walls are formed of plastic.
3. The packaging unit according to claim 1 wherein said front and
back walls are formed of cardboard.
4. The packaging unit according to claim 1 wherein said line of
weakness comprises perforations.
5. The packaging unit according to claim 1 wherein said peripheral
joint comprises a heat-sealed seam.
6. The packaging unit according to claim 1 wherein said peripheral
joint comprises a radio frequency sealed seam.
7. The packaging unit according to claim 1 further comprising a
hinge in said back wall to facilitate separation of said opening
flap from said back wall.
8. A packaging unit comprising: a front wall and a back wall sealed
together at a peripheral joint, said front wall and said back being
formed of semi-rigid material and being spaced apart from one
another to define an article-receiving region between them; a line
of weakness formed in said back wall, said line of weakness
defining an opening flap to be completely separated from the
remainder of said back wall; a raised opening tab positioned on
said opening flap along said line of weakness, said raised opening
tab extending away from said opening flap; said line of weakness is
rupturable by a user by applying a manual force to said opening tab
to separate said opening flap from the remainder of said back wall
along said line of weakness in order to access said
article-receiving region.
9. The packaging unit according to claim 8 wherein said front and
back walls are formed of plastic.
10. The packaging unit according to claim 8 wherein said front and
back walls are formed of cardboard.
11. The packaging unit according to claim 8 wherein said line of
weakness comprises perforations.
12. The packaging unit according to claim 8 wherein said peripheral
joint comprises a heat-sealed seam.
13. The packaging unit according to claim 8 wherein said peripheral
joint comprises a radio frequency sealed seam.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to a semi-rigid packaging
unit for articles such as razors, articles of personal use and the
like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventional packaging units for articles are made from two
walls secured to one another. The walls are relatively stiff with a
heat seal weld along the peripheral edges or indeed surrounding the
entire periphery. Examples of these packaging units are shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,241 issued to Althaus and U.S. Pat. No.
5,407,066 issued to Grange.
[0003] Blister packs are known to have a plastic blister front and
a cardboard rear wall, the plastic front being glued to the
cardboard, which is opened when the user peels the two halves away
from one another or pulls back a perforated flap or panel on the
cardboard back wall. Examples of these packs are shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,095,691 issued to Iten; U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,417 issued to
Iten et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,194 issued to Iten; and U.S. Pat.
No. 3,933,245 issued to Mullen.
[0004] It is recognized that various disadvantages of these known
packs include they are frequently difficult to open, usually
requiring scissors or considerable force, or do not allow easy
access to the article within, which is inconvenient for the
user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention comprises a packaging unit. The
packaging unit comprises a front wall and a back wall sealed
together at a peripheral joint. The front wall and the back wall
are formed of semi-rigid material and are spaced apart from one
another to define an article-receiving region between them. A line
of weakness is formed in the back wall. The line of weakness
defines an opening flap to be at least partially separated from the
remainder of the back wall. A raised opening tab is positioned on
the opening flap along the line of weakness. The raised opening tab
extends away from the opening flap. The line of weakness is
rupturable by a user by applying a manual force to the opening tab
to at least partially separate the opening flap from the remainder
of the back wall along the line of weakness in order to access the
article-receiving region.
[0006] The front and back walls may be formed of plastic or
cardboard.
[0007] The line of weakness comprises perforations.
[0008] The peripheral joint may comprises a heat-sealed seam, a
radio frequency sealed seam a ultrasonic sealed seam or an
adhesively sealed seam.
[0009] The packaging unit may further comprise a hinge in the back
wall to facilitate separation of the opening flap from the back
wall.
[0010] The opening flap may be completely separable from said back
wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] While the specification concludes with claims particularly
pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is
regarded as forming the present invention, it is believed that the
invention will be better understood from the following description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a front view of a packaging unit of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of the packaging unit of
FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the packaging unit of FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the packaging unit of FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a rear isometric view of the packaging unit of
FIG. 1 with the opening flap partially separated from the back
wall.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a rear view of another packaging unit of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown a packaging
unit 10 for articles. The packaging unit 10 is comprised of two
spaced-apart walls, front wall 11 and back wall 12 that have been
formed to define an article-receiving region 13 between them
commonly referred to as a blister, pouch, pocket or cavity. The
walls can be referred to as a sheet, foil or panel. The
article-receiving pouch shape can be formed into one wall and the
other be flat, but it is preferred that both front wall 11 and back
wall 12 define parts of the article-receiving pouch. The packaging
unit 10 may have a plurality of shapes, including rectangular,
circular or oval; preferably, in general, having a rectangular
shape. The front wall 11 and back wall 12 are formed of semi-rigid
material, which generally retains a shape, e.g. the blister shape,
into which it is formed, and is relatively stiff. Preferably the
front wall 11 and back wall 12 are formed of plastic material,
preferably transparent plastic, to permit viewing of the article
contained therein prior to purchase. However, other non-transparent
materials may be used.
[0019] The semi-rigid plastic material walls 11, 12 can be
thermally formed from plastic materials, preferably polyester
materials. Suitable materials also include, without limitation,
PVC, PET G (extra glycol polyester), PET, PETGAG and PP. In the
case of walls 11, 12 being made of plastic, suitable forming
techniques include vacuum forming and deep drawing, whereby a sheet
of material is drawn down with the assistance of pressure over an
aluminum tool corresponding in shape to the article-receiving
region 13 to be formed, then cooled and set. Alternatively,
although presently less preferred, one wall could be made of
plastic and another wall of cardboard or paperboard. The use of an
all-plastic packaging unit has the advantage that it may be
recyclable without having to separate dissimilar materials, is
strong and provides a good opportunity to view the contained
article. It is understood that the materials can be chosen with
regard to the weight of the article to be packed therein, the
desired resistance to package crushing or deformation, material
cost, and environmental matters such as ease of recycling a package
made of a homogenous material rather than dissimilar materials.
[0020] The packaging unit 10 is sealed along a peripheral joint 14.
The packaging unit 10 is preferably sealed around all peripheral
edges. The sealed packaging unit 10 defines a semi-rigid assembly
which has a good degree of stiffness to protect an article
contained therein and resists accidental opening.
[0021] The peripheral joint 14 may be achieved by use of such
convenient techniques as adhesives, ultrasonic, heat-sealing,
radio-frequency (RF) sealing (also referred to as "high frequency"
HF sealing), or firm mechanical interlock. It is preferred that the
joint be strong enough such that it is not easily peeled apart
(i.e., resists delamination), since it is not necessary for the
consumer to separate the layers of the joint itself. The type of
joint chosen depends on the material of which walls 11, 12 are
made, as is understood in the art. A heat seal or RF seal is
understood in the art to form a firm, "welded" joint in the classes
of preferred plastics such as above mentioned, as is commonly used
in blister packs and well understood in the art. A suitable RF seal
is about 2.5 mm wide in plan view. Adhesives of the isocyanate type
would also "weld" these kinds of plastics, although rubber based
adhesives are not preferred since they are less resistant to being
peeled open. Also alternatively, if one wall were made of plastic
and the other of cardboard, a suitable adhesive can form the joint,
as is well understood in the art.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 3-5, along and inward of the peripheral
joint 14 is a line of weakness or weakened region 15 formed in back
wall 12. Preferably, the line of weakness 15 is approximately
parallel and coextensive with portions of the peripheral joint 14,
and formed by perforations 16. The line of weakness 15 defines an
opening flap 20. A raised opening tab 24 is positioned on the
opening flap 20 along the line of weakness 15. The raised opening
tab 24 extends away from the opening flap 20. By extending away
from the opening flap 20, the raised tab 24 provides a convenient
location for a user to grasp when opening the packaging unit 10.
When the perforations 16 of the line of weakness 15 are ruptured,
which can be done upon application of a moderate manual force of,
more or less, about 2 pounds (in the range of about 1 kg), to the
opening tab 24 the opening flap 20 can be at least partially
separated from the remainder of the back wall 12 allowing for easy
access to the article-receiving region 13. The opening flap 20
separates from the remainder of back wall 12 by pivoting about
hinge 26.
[0023] An advantage of the invention has been determined to exist
in that users intuitively understand to grasp opening tab 24 to
open the packaging unit 10, thus eliminating the need for extensive
opening instructions to be printed on the package, which permits
more of the finite surface area of the package to be available for
viewing the article and communicating substantive information about
vended article itself.
[0024] Perforations 16 can be any convenient weakening and/or
stress-concentrating features such as made by mechanical die
cutting or slitting. The perforations 16 can be formed to extend
through back wall 12 as might conveniently be done with die cutting
or slitting. Depending on the material, as understood in the art
100 percent cuts (slits extending through 100% of the thickness)
could be sufficient. Perforations 16 are formed to completely
extend through back wall 12, such as by cutting fully through the
material's thickness, as is presently preferred. It is presently
preferred to form the perforations as 10 mm long running slits with
1 mm of un-slit portion ("land") between the slits when using PVC,
PET G, PET, PETGAG, or PP sheets of about 0.4 mm thickness, it
being understood that the choice of dimensions would be made by one
of skill in the art in light of the thickness and stiffness of the
wall material. The perforations 16 can be formed subsequent the
formation of the plastic material back wall 12. It is preferred
that perforations 16 be done in the blank for back wall 12 before
the front and back walls 11, 12 are heat-welded together, since
then the wall forming step can be done in one operation; otherwise,
if the perforations 16 were formed after the walls are heat-welded,
that would require an additional processing step.
[0025] The article within packaging unit 10 may be an article of
personal use, such as a razor, a razor blade unit, a shaving unit,
a shaving head, a toothbrush, a battery, an energy or other fuel
cell for an electric or gas powered appliance, or the like.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown another packaging
unit 110 of the present invention. Packaging unit 110 is identical
to packaging unit 10 of FIGS. 1-5, with one distinction. The one
distinction is that line of weakness 115 allows opening flap 120 to
be completely removed or separated from the remainder of back wall
112.
[0027] The line of weakness 115 defines an opening flap 120. A
raised opening tab 124 is positioned on the opening flap 120 along
the line of weakness 115. The raised opening tab 124 extends away
from the opening flap 120. By extending away from the opening flap
120, the raised tab 124 provides a convenient location for a user
to grasp when opening the packaging unit 110. When the perforations
116 of the line of weakness 115 are ruptured, which can be done
upon application of a moderate manual force to the opening tab 124,
the opening flap 120 can be completely separated from the remainder
of the back wall 112 allowing for easy access to the
article-receiving region 113.
[0028] The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be
understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values
recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension
is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally
equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension
disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."
[0029] All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the
Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference;
the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission
that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the
extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document
conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a
document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition
assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
[0030] While particular embodiments of the present invention have
been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims
all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of
this invention.
* * * * *