Display pack and packaging method and apparatus

• US 7,726,480 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Winterborne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Winterborne Incorporated
• Inventors: Nazari, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Pickett; J. Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERREAULT, ANDREW D
• Application Number:
  US11/374,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20070062836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 206461-471, 206/703, 206/705, 206/484, 206/531, 428/59, 428182-184, 108/51.3
• US Class Current: 206/461
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 51/14 by reciprocating or oscillating members B65B51/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 73/0092 combined with a preformed enclosure, e.g. a bulb

Abstract

A display pack for a consumer product is made of two sheets of corrugated cardboard and a clear plastic container with a flat insertion portion sandwiched between the cardboard sheets. The two cardboard sheets are adhered together in a peripheral area of the package by a heat-sensitive adhesive, and the corrugations of the cardboard sheets are crushed and flattened in the peripheral area. To seal the package, the peripheral area of the two cardboard sheets is subject to sufficient pressure to crush the corrugations inside the cardboard sheets and flatten them in that area. Heat is applied to the outer side of the cardboard sheets in the peripheral area and conducted to the adhesive material between the two sheets to activate the adhesive material. A sealer machine with a heated sealing press or parallel sets of heated rollers may be used to carry out the sealing process.

Claims

1. A display pack for a product, comprising:

a first and a second overlaying corrugated cardboard sheets, the first cardboard sheet having a first upper facing, a first lower facing and a first inner corrugated member with first corrugations between the first upper and first lower facings, the second cardboard sheeting having a second upper facing, a second lower facing and a second inner corrugated member with second corrugations between the second upper and second lower facings, the first and second overlaying corrugated cardboard sheets having an outer peripheral edge and an original thickness, at least one of the cardboard sheets defining at least one opening;

at least one container having a flat insertion portion and a chamber portion for holding the product, the insertion portion being sandwiched between the two cardboard sheets and the chamber portion protruding from a plane of the cardboard sheets via the opening, the overlaying cardboard sheets having an inner portion extending around the opening and covering the insertion portion, and a peripheral area extending from the inner portion to and including at least a segment of the outer peripheral edge; and

an adhesive between the first and the second corrugated cardboard sheets in at least a portion of the peripheral area to adhere the two corrugated cardboard sheets,

wherein the inner portion has substantially the original thickness, and the peripheral area of the first and second overlaying corrugated cardboard sheets having a portion of the first upper facing, the first inner corrugated member, the first lower facing, the second upper facing, the second inner corrugated member, and the second lower facing is crushed more than approximately 50% of the original thickness.

2. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a heat-sensitive adhesive material.

3. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the container is made of a clear plastic material.

4. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the first and second corrugated cardboard sheets are 200 lb test E-flute cardboard sheets.

5. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the corrugations in the first and second corrugated cardboard sheets are parallel to a vertical direction when the display pack is stood on its side when being displayed or transported.

10. A display pack of claim 1 wherein the crushed peripheral area extends from the outer peripheral edge of the overlaying cardboard sheets inwardly approximately one-half inch.

6. A display pack for a product, comprising:

a container having a chamber portion for holding the product and a flat insertion portion surrounding the chamber portion;

a first and a second cardboard sheets, the first cardboard sheet having an opening, each cardboard sheet having an upper facing, a lower facing and an inner corrugated member with corrugations between the upper and lower facings, the first and second cardboard sheets being in a stacked configuration forming an outer peripheral edge, with the chamber portion of the container protruding from the opening and the flat insertion portion sandwiched between a surrounding portion of the stacked configuration that surrounds the opening, the flat insertion portion having an outer edge, the surrounding portion having an inner perimeter at the opening and an outer perimeter at or beyond the outer edge of the insertion portion of the container, the stacked configuration also having a generally flat peripheral area that extends from the outer perimeter of the surrounding portion to and including at least a segment of the outer peripheral edge; and

an adhesive between the cardboard sheets in at least the peripheral area,

wherein the corrugations of the cardboard sheets in the surrounding portion define air gaps, and the corrugations of the cardboard sheets in the peripheral area are crushed to substantially eliminate air gaps, wherein the cardboard sheets of the stacked configuration have an original thickness and the crushed peripheral area is crushed to more than approximately 50% of the original thickness.

7. A display pack of claim 6, wherein the surrounding portion is generally flat.

11. A display pack of claim 6 wherein the outer perimeter of the surrounding portion extends outwardly to the outer peripheral edge of the stacked first and second cardboard sheets approximately one-half inch.

13. The display pack of claim 6, wherein the adhesive is a heat-sensitive adhesive material.

8. A display pack for a product, comprising:

at least one container having a chamber portion for holding the product, and a flat insertion portion surrounding the chamber portion, the flat insertion portion having an outer edge; and

a first and a second cardboard sheet, each cardboard sheet having an upper facing, a lower facing and an inner corrugated member with corrugations between the upper and lower facings, the cardboard sheets overlaying each other, the overlaying cardboard sheets defining an outer peripheral edge, at least one of the corrugated cardboard sheets having at least one opening; and

an adhesive,

wherein the chamber portion of the container protrudes through the opening and the cardboard sheets jointly define an uncrushed area having an inner perimeter at the opening and an outer perimeter at or beyond the outer edge of the insertion portion of the container, and a crushed peripheral area extending from the outer perimeter to and including at least a segment of the outer peripheral edge, the flat insertion portion of the container being sandwiched in the uncrushed area, and the adhesive being between the cardboard sheets in at least the crushed peripheral area, wherein the crushed peripheral area has a thickness less than about 50% of the uncrushed area.

9. A display pack of claim 8, wherein the crushed peripheral area is generally free of air gaps in the corrugated cardboard sheets.

12. A display pack of claim 8 wherein the crushed peripheral area extends from the outer peripheral edge of the overlaying cardboard sheets inwardly a distance of approximately one-half inch.

14. The display pack of claim 8, wherein the adhesive is a heat-sensitive adhesive material.