U.S. patent application number 12/041667 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-10 for blister display pack using molded pulp as backing material.
Invention is credited to Joseph Nazari.
Application Number | 20090223840 12/041667 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41052485 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090223840 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nazari; Joseph |
September 10, 2009 |
BLISTER DISPLAY PACK USING MOLDED PULP AS BACKING MATERIAL
Abstract
A blister display pack includes two generally flat backing
sheets joined together by an adhesive, and a clear plastic
contained having a flat insertion portion held between the two
backing sheets. A produce is housed in a protruding portion of the
plastic container. The two backing sheets are made of a molded pulp
material. Raised and/or recessed features are formed in the backing
sheets to provide enhanced strength and rigidity.
Inventors: |
Nazari; Joseph; (Glendale,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YING CHEN;Chen Yoshimura LLP
255 S. GRAND AVE., # 215
LOS ANGELES
CA
90012
US
|
Family ID: |
41052485 |
Appl. No.: |
12/041667 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/216 ;
206/459.5; 206/462 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 73/0092
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/216 ;
206/462; 206/459.5 |
International
Class: |
B65D 75/30 20060101
B65D075/30; B65D 79/00 20060101 B65D079/00; B65D 85/00 20060101
B65D085/00; B65D 75/36 20060101 B65D075/36 |
Claims
1. A display pack for a product, comprising: a first and a second
backing sheet made of a molded pulp material, at least one backing
sheet defining at least one cutout, the first and the second
backing sheets being join together by an adhesive material; and at
least one container having a flat insertion portion and a chamber
portion for holding the product, the insertion portion being held
between the two backing sheets and the chamber portion protruding
from one of the backing sheets via the cutout.
2. The display pack of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first
and second backing sheets have raised or recessed features formed
thereon.
3. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the first and second
backing sheets each have a raised feature extending along all edges
of the backing sheets.
4. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the container is made of a
clear plastic material.
5. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is a
heat-sensitive water based adhesive material.
6. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is
applied between the first and second backing sheets in at least a
peripheral area of the backing sheets.
7. The display pack of claim 1, further comprising a polyethylene
(PE) or polylactic acid (PLA) material applied to at least a
peripheral area of the first and second backing sheets.
8. The display pack of claim 1, further comprising a coating
applied to at least a peripheral area of the first and second
backing sheets.
9. The display pack of claim 1, further comprising a print sheet
adhered to the first or the second backing sheet.
10. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the backing sheets
contains plant seeds embedded in the molded pulp material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to product packaging, and in
particular, it relates to packaging for products suitable for store
merchandising.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A conventional blister pack for product packaging and
display typically has a clear plastic container with a flat
insertion portion held between two flat sheets and a chamber
portion protruding from a cut in one or both of the flat sheets for
holding the product being sold or displayed. The flat sheets are
typically made of corrugated cardboard, SBS board and/or other
materials, and at least one sheet provides structural support for
the display pack. The flat sheets are of a size that makes the
package suitable for store display. The product may be removed by
separating the two flat sheets or by cutting open the flat sheet or
the plastic container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to an improved blister
display pack.
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a blister
display pack that uses a molded pulp backing material.
[0007] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the descriptions that follow and in part will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention
will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed
out in the written description and claims thereof as well as the
appended drawings.
[0008] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described, the present invention provides a display pack for a
product, which includes a first and a second backing sheet made of
a molded pulp material, at least one backing sheet defining at
least one cutout, the first and the second backing sheets being
join together by an adhesive material; and at least one container
having a flat insertion portion and a chamber portion for holding
the product, the insertion portion being held between the two
backing sheets and the chamber portion protruding from one of the
backing sheets via the cutout. One or both of the backing sheets
may have raised or recessed features formed thereon to enhance
strength and rigidity.
[0009] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display pack according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display
pack of FIG. 1 taken along the direction A-A.
[0012] FIGS. 3A and 3B show the display pack of FIG. 1 in an
unassembled state.
[0013] FIGS. 4A-4C schematically illustrate the cross-sectional
shape of the raised or recessed features on the display pack.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Embodiments of the present invention provide a blister
display pack that uses molded pulp as the backing material. FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a display pack according to an embodiment
of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional
view of the display pack of FIG. 1 taken along the direction A-A
(In FIG. 1B, the gaps between the various parts are exaggerated for
clarity). FIGS. 3A and 3B show the display pack of FIG. 1 in an
unassembled state. As shown in FIGS. 1-3B, the display pack 10
includes two generally flat backing sheets 11 and 12 adhered to
each other to form a support panel. Each backing sheets 11, 12 has
a cutout portion 11a, 12a (backing sheet 11 is shown in FIG. 3A and
3B). The display pack also includes two containers 13 and 14 each
having a flat insertion portion 13a, 14a held between the two
backing sheets 11 and 12 and a chamber portion 13b, 14b protruding
from the cutout portion 11a, 12a, respectively, to form a space to
house the product 20. Although FIGS. 1A and 1B show two containers
13 and 14 forming one space to house the product, the display pack
10 may alternatively have only one container protruding from one of
the two backing sheets 11 and 12, in with case the other backing
sheet does not have a cutout. As another alternative, the display
pack 10 may have more than two containers protruding from a
corresponding number of cutouts on one or both backing sheets. The
number of containers and their arrangements on the backing sheets
depend on the product being packaged.
[0015] The containers 13, 14 are preferably made of a clear plastic
material. In one preferred embodiment, the clear plastic material
is vacuum formed plastic made of recycled water bottle flakes.
[0016] The backing sheets 11 and 12 are made of molded pulp. Molded
pulp, also referred to as molded fiber, is a packaging material
typically made from 100% recycled corrugated board and/or
newspaper. The recycled corrugated board or newspaper is soaked and
formed into a paper pulp, and molded into a desired shape. Molded
pulp is widely used for protective packaging and for food service
trays and beverage carriers. Preferably, due to environmental
concerns, the pulp used in this application is unbleached. The
molded pulp backing sheets 11 and 12 may have any suitable
thickness, depending on the size of the display pack 10. In one
particular example, each molded pulp backing sheet is about 1/16
inches thick for a display pack of about 6 by 10 inches in
size.
[0017] The molded pulp backing sheets 11 and 12 are formed into
desired shapes to provide enhanced strength and rigidity for the
display pack 10. Preferably, raised or recessed features 11b and
12b are formed in the backing sheets 11 and 12. Viewed from a
direction perpendicular to the backing sheets, these raised or
recessed features 11b and 12b preferably have elongated shapes
extending across a substantial portion of the backing sheets. In
the example shown in FIG. 1A, a raised feature 11b is shown as
extending along and near the four edges of the display pack 10. In
one particular example, the backing sheets are about 10 by 63/8
inches in size, and the raised feature around the edges is about
1/2 inches wide and about 3/8 inches from the edges. The
arrangement of the raised or recessed features will depend on the
shape of the backing sheets 11 and 12 and the sizes and locations
of the outputs 11a and 12a.
[0018] The cross-sectional shape of the raised or recessed
features, viewed along the plane of the backing sheets, may be a
variety of shapes, some of which are schematically illustrated in
FIGS. 4A-4C. FIG. 4A shows a portion of the two backing sheets 11
and 12 having respective raised features 11b1 and 12b1, which
correspond to each other in locations and are indented (protrude)
in opposite directions in the assembled display pack, forming a
hollow channel therebetween. The cross-sectional shape of the
raised features shown in FIG. 4A is rounded, but it may also be
triangular or rectangular, or any other suitable shape. FIG. 4B
shows a portion of the two backing sheets 11 and 12 having
respective raised features 11b2 and 12b2, which correspond to each
other in locations but are indented in the same directions so that
one is nested in the other in the. As a result, the assembled
display pack has a raised feature on one surface and a
corresponding recessed feature on the opposite surface. FIG. 4C
shows a portion of the two backing sheets 11 and 12 having
respective raised features 11b3 and 12b3, where the raised feature
11b3 corresponds to a flat area of the backing sheet 12 and the
raised feature 12b3 corresponds to a flat area of the backing sheet
11. In FIGS. 4B and 4C, the cross-sectional shapes of the raised
and recessed features are rounded, but they may also be triangular,
rectangular, or any other suitable shape. In this respect, although
the backing sheets are described as being generally flat, they may
have many non-flat features or areas.
[0019] In the assembled display pack, the backing sheets 11 and 12
are adhered together by an adhesive material. In a preferred
embodiment, the adhesive is a heat sensitive water based adhesive.
One example is an adhesive made by Coating and Adhesive
Corporation, product No. 207-C-Enviroshell. A heat sealer device
may be used to activate the adhesive and seal the two backing
sheets 11 and 12 together. Other suitable adhesives may be used.
The adhesive material is applied to at least a peripheral area of
the backing sheets near the edges of the display pack. It may
additionally be applied to other (interior) areas of the backing
sheets, or over the entire area of the backing sheets.
[0020] Preferably, the edge portions of the backing sheets are
treated to increase their tear resistance of the display pack. In
one embodiment, the adhesive material used to seal the two backing
sheets is selected such that it increases the tear resistance of
the display pack. The water based adhesive mentioned above achieves
such a result. In another embodiment, polyethylene (PE) or
polylactic acid (PLA) is applied (e.g. sprayed) around the edges of
the backing sheets or over the entire backing sheets. It may be
applied on the inside or the outside surface of the backing sheets
and on either or both sides of the display pack. The material may
be applied before or after sealing. As mentioned above, the PE or
PLA materials can be used to increase tear resistance, but they
should be used as little as possible so that the display pack is
more environmentally friendly.
[0021] Optionally, for a better appeal, printed sheets such as
paper may be adhered to the backing sheet on one or both sides of
the display pack, preferably in the flat areas of the backing
sheets. The molded pulp backing sheets can also be directly printed
on. The display pack may be pegged for retail sale or be insert in
trays for club stores. As another option, small plant seeds may be
embedded in the molded pulp backing sheets so that the backing
sheets can be planted after use. There have been products such as
greeting cards where small plant seeds are embedded in the paper,
making it suitable for planting.
[0022] As compared to conventional blister packs, blister packs
using molded pulp backing sheets according to embodiments of the
present invention use more recycled materials and are more
environmentally friendly.
[0023] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modification and variations can be made in the display packs of the
present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the
invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover
modifications and variations that come within the scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
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