Shopping Bag With Deteachable Coupon

Abstract

Shopping bag with detachable coupon portion for advertising communication and shopping convenience.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an advertising combination and more particularly to an advertising communication or vehicle and an article of merchandise to which the advertising communication is removably attached.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is particularly directed to new and novel shopping bags which may be, for example, of the paper bag variety especially adapted for use in grocery and department stores and the like where check-out counters are provided.

Description of the Prior Art

Heretofore "premium" or store coupons have been used as a part of an advertising system designed as an incentive for the retail salesman to sell, or the consumer to buy a particular brand of merchandise. These coupons have been inserted in the package by the manufacturere, inserted in magazines, newspapers, etc., or handed out by the manufactuere through other mediums. Retailers at times have used clip-out coupons in local ad sheets to offer a premium discount locally on various products.

None of the methods have been completely satisfactory because the nationally published coupons have not benefited equally well all retail merchandisers, have not reached a substantial part of the public since magazines and the like are not available to all shoppers, and have lent themselves to various forms of fraud on the advertiser as well as the local retailer. Therefore a new method of advertising and article of merchandise are needed to more effectively utilize the premium coupon system.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the invention claimed, a new and improved method of advertising communication and articles of merchandise are provided which more effectively utilize the premium coupon advertising system. The vehicle for accomplishing the invention is the shopping bag, which is provided with removable portion or portions which either contain a coupon or stamp or open a pocket which contains said coupon or stamp.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a new and improved method of advertising communication and article of merchandise for accomplishing said method.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved shopping bag with tear away portion for containing or concealing an advertising communication.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved shopping bag with perforated tear away coupons forming a part thereof.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved paper shopping bag with perforated tear away portions around at least a part of the mouth of the bag containing coupons or stamps for "cents off" purchases of and/or redeeming merchandise.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved paper shopping bag having a tear away pocket on the base of the bag.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a label, coupon or stamp which may be readily grasped for easy detachment.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention may be more readily described by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shopping bag showing the perforated tear away coupon portion along the edge of one side of the mouth of the shopping bag;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of the bag shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of the shopping bag shown in FIG. 1 with the tear away portion partially removed from the mouth of the bag;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modification of the shopping bag shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in collapsed form with a tear away pocket on the outside of the bottom of the bag;

FIG. 4 is a modification of the pocket for a shopping bag shown in FIG. 3 wherein a portion of the outsde flap of the pocket is perforated partly along its length;

FIG. 5 is a further modification of the pockets for the bottom of shopping bags wherein the opening end of the pocket is partially glued on a portion of the length and opposite end; and

FIG. 6 is a still further modification of the pocket for the bottom outside surface of shopping bags wherein a tear away perforated strip is arranged along substantially the center line of the outside pocket surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference, FIG. 1 discloses a shopping bag 10 which may be formed of any suitable material such as, for example, paper which is composed of, when in its collapsed or extended position, substantially two coplanar surfaces or panels 11 and 12, one of which may be called a front surface and the other a back surface. As shown in FIG. 1, these surfaces 11 and 12 are vertically extending above the bottom or base panel or member 13 of the shopping bag and interconnected by end surfaces or panels 14, 15 and 16, 17. The end panels 14, 15 and 16, 17 are joined by fold lines 18 and 19, respectively, extending longitudinally of the bag. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the ends of the bags further comprise the insert panels 20 (only one of which is shown) which permit the bag to be collapsed as shown in FIG. 3.

This disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular shopping bags or their folding characteristics but is directed to the modifications of known shopping bags and bag designs so as to utilize new and improved advertising opportunities by modifying the known shopping bags in such a manner as to provide a new, different and useful article having the familiar outline of the known bags.

FIGS. 2 and 3, although modifications of the bag shown in FIG. 1, have similar parts and where they are similar are given like reference characteristics.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shopping bag 10 in FIG. 1 and 10a in FIG. 2 are provided with removable portions 25 and 25i a, respectively, which may be along one or both sides of the mouth of the bag. Even though the portions 25 and 25a are shown in detail along only one side of the mouth of the bag, it should be recognized that it is within the intent and scope of this invention to arrange these portions along one or both sides and/or the ends of the bag.

These strips or portions may be formed by perforating the width and ends of the bags as shown at 26, 26a in FIGS. 1 and 2, and along the intersection of the portions with the ends of the bag as shown at 27, 27a and 28, 28a and between various portions of the strip as shown at 29, 29a and 30, 30a. Thus, this tear away portion or parts thereof may comprise advertising material, communications, stamps or coupons 31, 32 and 33 of one type or another on the front panel of the bag and coupons 31', 32' and 33' on the back panel of the bag as shown in FIG. 1, or coupons 34 and 35 with a bonus stamp 36 of one form or another arranged within the tear away strip or portion of the bag as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates a modification of the shopping bags shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein shopping bag 10b is provided with a patch pocket 37 on the outer surface of its base 13. This pocket comprises an outer surface 38 which is sealed to the bottom of the bag along at least a part of its edges as shown by the surfaces identified by reference characters 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d and 40e. The adhesive surfaces 40a, 40b and 40c may be glued surfaces firmly fixing the outer surface 38 to the bottom or base 13 of the bag. The end 41 of the pocket may be detachably sealed to the bottom of the bag in any suitable manner and by any suitable material.

As shown in FIG. 3 the pocket is intended to conceal when closed advertising material of any type such as one or more coupons 42 which may be retreived by grasping the finger hold of the pocket formed by the notch 43 in surface 38 and tearing the inside portion of the pocket along the perforations 44, as shown. The front tear away portion 38' of surface 38 or all of surface 38 can be a detachable advertising redeemable item, if so desired.

As noted from FIG. 4, the pocket 45 formed on the outside surface of the bottom of bag 10b may be selaed permanently along both sides 46 and 47 and its end 48, as shown, with its other end 49 open. This pocket contains the same type of perforations 44 shown in FIG. 3 for permitting the outer surface 50 of the pocket to be torn at least partially to open one end of the pocket to retrieve coupon 42.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the pockets shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein pocket 51 comprises an outside surface 52 which is sealed or glued uniformly along a like part of each of its sides at 53 and 54 and along its end 55. The mouth of the pocket 56 is detachably connected to the bottom of the bag as shown in FIG. 3 to seal the pocket. In this modification part of the sides of the pocket in areas 57 and 58 are unattached so that the retriever of coupon 42 merely lifts up end 59 to detach the end of surface 52 from the pocket to open the pocket and expose its contents.

FIG. 6 illustrates a still further modification of the pocket structures shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 wherein the pocket 60 comprises an outer surface 61 sealed to the outside surface of the bottom of the bag along the sides 62 and 63 and its end 64. The mouth of the pocket is also sealed at end 65. The center of outer surface 61 of pocket 60 is provided with a tear away strip 66 which is formed by perforating surface 61 along lines 67 and 68. This strip may also contain or comprise one or more stamps or coupons 70.

When the retriever of the coupon wants to reach the coupon 42, he merely grasps the outer sheet 61 of pocket 60 by thumb notch 69 formed in one end of the tear away strips and pulls back on the tear away strip to open the pocket.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1-6, the standard shopping bag is so modified that it serves as an advertising medium and vehicle for delivering coupons to the public of given stores or generally to customers of bag distributors in such a manner that the stamps are easily noticed, removed from the bag and used without destroying the bag.

If the bags are nor preprinted, the tear or cut away portions of bags 10 and 10a may be stamped by the individual stores. The pockets of bags as shown in FIG. 3 may be stuffed automatically when the bag is made or later if so desired for general, regional, district or local distribution. It should be recognized that the outer sheets 38, 50, 52 and 61 of FIGS. 3-6 may contain advertising coupons, if so desired.

Although but a few embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may ue made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bag formed of flexible material defining:

a front panel,

a rear panel,

at least a pair of side panels connecting the side edges of said front and rear panels, and

a bottom member for connecting one end of the front, rear and side panels into an open ended bag,

the other ends of said front, rear and end panels defining an open mouth of said bag,

said bottom member having a removable portion containing an advertising redeemable item secured thereto,

said removable portion comprises a protective sheet secured to the outside surface of the bottom member by adhesive means arranged along a part of its periphery,

said sheet being provided with two parallel lines of perforations extending longitudinally of said sheet inwardly of one edge of said sheet and at least one line of perforations extending laterally between said two parallel lines inwardly of said one edge of said sheet to provide a tear away strip,

said strip being provided with a flap at said one edge of said sheet for

2. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said pocket comprises a panel

4. The bag set forth in claim 1 in further combination with an advertising sheet arranged inside of the pocket formed by said sheet and the bottom of

5. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said tear away strip comprises at least one advertising redeemable item.