Abstract:
Packaging for shoes provides an open tray fitting within a clear bag. The tray is sized to support the shoes and protect them from crushing while the bag allows the shoes to be viewed by the consumer within the bag.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application 60/648,782 filed Feb. 1, 2005, hereby incorporated by reference. 

   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to packaging for shipping and storing products, and in particular to packaging for shoes. 
   Shoes are typically packaged and shipped in shoeboxes fabricated of cardboard, with a lid, hinged or sliding into place over one side of the box. The shoes may be wrapped in a paper sheet for protection before being inserted into the shoebox and paper may be stuffed in the shoe to prevent deformation of the shoe inside the box. 
   At a retail store, the shoeboxes containing the shoes may be stacked on a shelf with labels on the ends of the shoeboxes identifying the type and size of the shoe. 
   Despite the almost universal adoption of the shoebox for shipping and storing shoes, shoeboxes have some drawbacks. The rigid box can be wasteful of space when the size of the contained shoes is considered. Shoeboxes must be carefully stacked for efficient shipping, and to prevent their contents from becoming dislodged and jumbled. At the retail level, the boxes hide product from direct view, losing the opportunity to promote the produce to the casual consumer and forming a barrier to efficient identification of desired shoes. Retail stores must often dedicate one shoe for display purposes representing a lost sale. 
   Shoeboxes are also expensive to construct, and because of their bulk and rigid construction, impractical to ship and store. 
   To address some of these problems, it has been proposed to package shoes in clear bags that may be suspended on hangers or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,975 describes such a bag that may be used for shipping and displaying shoes. In order to prevent a crushing or deformation of the shoes in transit, inflated bladders are placed within the shoes and pressurized to hold the shoes against crushing. 
   While such a design provides a number of advantages, the use of the bladders adds complexity and expense to the packaging technique that may limit its adoption in the shoe industry. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a packaging for shoes that uses a combination of a clear bag fitting around an open tray of stiff material. The bag allows the consumer to see the product without opening the bag while the tray protects the shoes from crushing and damage and keeps them organized. Without the constraint of the bag, the tray may fold flat so that the entire packaging system may be readily shipped to a manufacturing site. 
   Specifically then, the present invention, provides a tray of stiff material having a bottom surface and at least two opposed upstanding side walls, the upstanding side walls being separated across the bottom surface by a distance to allow the shoes to be placed side by side against the bottom surface, to lie substantially below a plane defined by the upper edges of the side walls. A sealable transparent bag is sized to fit over the shoes and tray so that the shoes remain visible through the bag as supported in the tray. 
   Thus, it is one object of at least one embodiment of the invention, to provide low-cost packaging for shoes that allows the shoes to be viewed in the package while protecting them and organizing them within the package for proper display. 
   The upstanding sidewalls may be hinged to opposite sides of the tray so that the tray may be shipped in flattened form with the bag fitting to hold the sidewalls of the tray in upstanding orientation. 
   Thus, it is another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a packaging system that may be effectively pre-manufactured and shipped. 
   The bottom surface of the tray may be rectangular, and there may be four upstanding sidewalls, one at each edge of the bottom surface. 
   It is thus another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a tray that remains open for viewing and yet which provides good protection of the shoes against crushing. 
   The upstanding sidewalls may include printed labels. 
   It is another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to allow the consumer to readily determine the specific size of the shoe through the bag. 
   The bag may be resealable. 
   It is therefore another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a packaging system that allows the consumer to remove and replace different shoes, to try them on, and/or to use the packaging for storing their shoes in the home. 
   The bag may include a drawstring for resealably closing one end of the bag. 
   It is thus another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a simple resealing mechanism. 
   The packaging system may include a label insertable into the bag on top of the shoes adjacent to the bag wall. 
   It is thus another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a protected label viewable from the angle that the consumer would view the shoes. 
   The tray may be corrugated cardboard. 
   It is thus another object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a stiff, low-cost tray material. 
   These particular objects and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded, perspective view of the package of the present invention showing a tray holding shoes and fitting within a resealable clear bag; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the tray of  FIG. 1  before being folded for insertion into the bag, showing placement of the shoes thereon; 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary plan view of the bag of  FIG. 1  as closed with a drawstring; and 
       FIG. 4  is a figure similar to that of  FIG. 3  showing an alternative closure providing a hangtag on one end of the bag and a molded zipper. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a shoe package  10  of the present invention provides a four-sided tray  12  having a generally rectangular bottom panel  14  sized to receive a pair of shoes  16  side by side in heel-to-toe orientation. 
   Hingeably attached in opposition to two sides of the bottom panel  14  are upstanding sidewalls  18  and  20  extending along the long axis of the rectangular bottom panel  14 . At least one hingeable endwall  22  may extend upright from one end of the bottom panel  14  spanning the sidewalls  18  and  20 . 
   Referring momentarily to  FIG. 2 , the tray  12  may be advantageously fabricated from die-cut corrugated cardboard with hinge lines  23  scored or pressed at the connections between bottom panel  14  and each of sidewalls  18 ,  20  and endwall  22 . In this way, the tray  12  may be shipped in flat form with the sidewalls  18 ,  20  and endwall  22  folded upward as indicated by arrows  25  prior to use. 
   Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the height of the sidewalls  18 ,  20  and endwall  22  is such as to reduce undesired crushing of the shoes  16  and to provide support for the stacking of the shoe packages  10 . The upper surface of the tray  12  is open to allow the shoes  16  to be viewed from the top and front. An outer surface of the sidewalls  18 ,  20  and endwall  22  may include printed labeling  27  identifying particular features of the shoes  16  not evident from their visual inspection such as shoe size. Alternatively or in addition, a placard  24  may span the upper edges of the sidewalls  18  and  20  near the endwall  22  glued to those walls or otherwise fastened or wrapped around the tray  12  or placed loosely on top of the shoes  16 . In one embodiment, the placard  24  may be a ring serving to temporarily hold the shoes  16  in place with the sidewalls  18  and  20  extending upwardly. 
   The tray  12 , with the sidewalls  18 ,  20  and endwall  22  folded up and the shoes  16  placed therein, may fit inside a three-sided clear plastic pouch  26  with the upstanding endwall  22  abutting a base  28  of the pouch  26 . The pouch  26  includes an opening  30  allowing the shoes  16  to be easily accessed through the opening  30  without removal of the four-sided tray  12 . 
   Alternatively, the tray  12 , as properly folded, may be inserted into the pouch  26  as described, and the shoes  16  inserted as a secondary operation. The flexibility of the pouch  26  allows the shoe package  10  to more closely conform to the volume of the shoes  16 , reducing shipping costs. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the pouch  26  may include a drawstring  31  at opening  30  for closing the opening  30  of the pouch  26  and retaining the tray  12  and shoes  16  therein. 
   Alternatively, and referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the pouch  26  may include a molded plastic integral zipper  32  of a type well known in the art allowing the pouch to be opened and resealed as necessary for access to the shoes  16 . In this embodiment, the pouch  26  at opening  30  may further include a hanging hole  34  and/or hang tab  36 , the latter which may also include a printed legend. These features allow the shoe package  10  be hung on a peg or the like. In addition or alternatively, the pouch  26  may be printed directly. 
   Unlike empty cardboard shoeboxes, which are difficult to effectively ship for large distances, the components of the present invention may be premanufactured flattened and shipped effectively to a manufacturing site and assembled as described above. 
   It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims.