Display Card

Abstract

A one-piece display card for elongate articles is disclosed. The new card includes upper and lower pockets having a bellows-type structure and an intermediate bridging section between the pockets. A flap member is provided at the rear portion of the upper pocket to facilitate the insertion and removal of an article to be packaged.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a one-piece article display card constructed from a paperboard blank. More specifically, the display card of the invention is advantageously adapted to retain, without concealing, elongate objects such as scissors, and includes retaining pockets for securely holding both ends of the elongate object.

The new display card provides a lower pocket for retaining the handle portion of a pair of scissors, or like object, and an upper pocket for retaining the pointed or narrower end. The intermediate portion of the object is not engaged by the display card and is visible to potential customers when the card is mounted on a display rack.

The assembled display card of the invention, which is made up from a one-piece paperboard blank, comprises four basic sections. From top to bottom these are, a top end section having an aperture for receiving a display rod, an upper portion retaining pocket, an intermediate bridging section and the lower portion retaining pocket. The top end section and intermediate bridging section are uni-planar and are made up of front and rear paperboard plies. The upper and lower retaining pockets are formed by portions of the paperboard bent rearwardly and forwardly out of the plane of the top end and intermediate bridging sections to form bellows-like pocket structures. Both pockets include suitable openings for receiving and retaining the elongated article to be packaged.

The one-piece paperboard blank from which the new card is assembled has a rectangular configuration with long side edges and short end edges. In accordance with the invention, when the card is set up, the short end edges overlap and form a portion of the rear wall of the top retaining pocket. The inner one of the overlapping short end edges is the terminal portion of the rear ply of the two-ply top end section which also forms the major portion of the rear wall of the upper retaining pocket. The outer one of the overlapping short end edges is the terminal portion of the rear ply of the intermediate bridging section and forms a rigid wall in front of which the inner one of the short end edges may be tucked after the article is inserted to hold the top portion of the packaged article in position.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its attendant advantages, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the one-piece blank of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a display card in accordance with the invention including a packaged article in place;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the display card of FIG. 2 taken along line 3--3 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawing, the display card blank indicated generally by the numeral 10 includes a plurality of consecutive panels separated by score lines upon which the blank is folded in setting up the card. The two-ply top end section 11 of the card is formed by adjacent panels 12 and 13 which are separated by the fold line 14. The panels 12 and 13 include apertures 15, 16, that register when the panels are folded into a face-to-face relationship along the score line 14. The apertures 15, 16 are suitable for accepting the hanging rods typically used in the retail display of card mounted merchandise.

The upper article retaining pocket, which takes the form of a bellowed structure in the set up carton, is formed by the lower portion of the panel 13, the panel 18 and the back panels 19 and 20. The lower portion of the panel 13 and the panel 18 are cut out in an appropriate shape 21 to retain the packaged articles. In the case of scissors, the cut out 21 preferably takes the form of a tear drop, which, as shown in FIG. 3, encloses and retains the point of the scissors with minimum concealment. The tear drop shaped cut out for retaining the point of a scissor-like article is particularly effective in providing for ease of insertion of the article during packaging.

The intermediate bridging section 22 between the upper and lower pockets is a two-ply section having a front portion 23 and a rear portion 24. In accordance with the invention, the rear portion 24 includes an extension lip 25 continuous therewith, that overlaps the panel 20, providing for easy insertion and removal of the packaged article by engaging or disengaging the panel 20 with the extension lip 25.

As shown best in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the lower retaining pocket is also of a bellows-type structure with, however, a rigid back portion comprising the lower section 26 of the panel 24. The bottom of the lower retaining pocket is composed of two panels 27, 28 arranged in a V-like configuration. The front facing panel of the V-configuration, 28, forms a retaining lip to secure the portion of the packaged article that is inserted into the die cut opening 29 of the lower retaining pocket.

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention, the front portion of the lower retaining pocket includes the panel 30, which is contiguous with the front portion 23 of the intermediate bridging section and separated therefrom by short score lines 31, 32. The short score lines 31, 32 extend from opposite edges of the blank, inwardly to the die cut opening 29. The die cut opening 29 includes an inner section 33, that remains in the plane of the panel 23 when the display card is set up and die cut lines 34--36. The die cut lines 34, 35 are generally symmetrical and may be of any configuration appropriate to the packaged article. The die cut line 36 extends across the bottom of the die cut opening 29.

The display card of the invention is set up from the blank 10 by folding the panels 12 and 13 along the score line 14 into a face-to-face relationship and fastening with an appropriate adhesive strip 37. The panels 24, 27 are folded along score line 38 to form the lower pocket V-configuration and to bring panels 23, 24 into a face-to-face relationship with the lip 25 extending above the score line 41. The panel 23 is fastened to panel 24 by appropriate adhesive strips 39, 40. The dimension of the panels making up the blank 10 is such that the set up card, before article insertion, is flat for ease and economy of shipment.

The new and improved display card is very well suited for packaging elongate pointed articles, such as the pair of scissors shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The relatively wide handle portion of the scissors sits in the V-shaped well formed by the panels 27, 28 at the bottom of the lower retaining pocket. The pointed end of the scissors is inserted into the tear drop shaped opening in the upper retaining pocket and is securely held therein by the lower section of the panel 13 which extends below the score line 17. The rear flap of the upper retaining pocket fits along the inner surface of the extension lip 25 and provides easy manipulation of the upper portion of the card for insertion and removal of the packaged article.

In its preferred form, the display card of the invention provides a simple, inexpensive and attractive means for the retail packaging of elongate articles. Before insertion of the article to be packaged, the new display card can be in a flat condition for economy of shipment yet can be set up instantaneously. The new carton is particularly attractive for the retail display of merchandise since the article retaining portions of the card cover up only a small portion of the article at both ends, thereby permitting the consumer to clearly see what he is buying.

It is to be understood, of course, that the specific embodiment of the invention herein illustrated and described is intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A display card formed from a one-piece elongated paper board blank for displaying and retaining an elongated article, said card being configured to lie flat prior to insertion of said article, and comprising

a. an upper pocket for receiving and enclosing the top portion of an article to be packaged,

b. a lower pocket for receiving the bottom portion of said article, said lower pocket comprising a front panel having a die cut-out portion, a rear panel, and a V-shaped bottom panel,

c. a two-ply intermediate bridging section extending between said upper and lower pockets with adhesively formed front and rear panels,

d. a two-ply top end section with the front and rear panels thereof being adhesively formed,

e. a back flap extending downwardly from the rear panel of said top end section, said flap having a fold line across the center thereof for forming the rear wall of said upper pocket enclosure, and

f. an upper edge extension extending upwardly from said rear panel of said intermediate section for locking engagement with said back flap upon insertion of an article in said display card.