Abstract:
This invention relates to a reusable billboard applied to a plurality of containers in a manner that permits reuse and recycling of the most substantial and visible part of a package of containers.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/000,596, filed 26 Oct. 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates to a reusable package billboard for providing both a substantial billboard area and a unitization feature for two or more containers. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0005]    Bottles, cans and similar containers are typically used for soda, juice and similar beverages. Conventional container carriers are often used to unitize a plurality of similarly sized containers, such as cans, bottles and/or similar containers that require unitization. Flexible plastic ring carriers having a plurality of container apertures are one such conventional container carrier. 
         [0006]    One complaint regarding such conventional plastic ring carriers is the inherent lack of billboard area for marketing, promotional and informational purposes. However, to accommodate such billboard area, such carriers would generally require substantially more material that, if not recycled, would ultimately result in substantially more solid packaging waste. Therefore, although capable, traditional plastic ring carriers have not included such billboard area in the interests of minimizing solid packaging waste. 
         [0007]    It may be one desirable object of the subject invention to combine the attributes of conventional container carriers for use with a reusable billboard that will not enter the waste stream but rather be reused following individual sale of the relevant package. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    A reusable billboard according to this invention is used to engage with a plurality of containers for retail sale. Preferably, the reusable billboard is removable at or after the point of purchase and may be reused in association with an additional plurality of containers, either by the retailer or, upstream in the process, at the bottler. This process may be repeated continuously thereby resulting in complete recycling of the most substantial and visible portion of the packaging in the package described herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a reusable billboard according to one preferred embodiment of this invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a package prior to engagement with a reusable billboard, according to one preferred embodiment of this invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the package shown in  FIG. 2  during engagement with the reusable billboard; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the package shown in  FIG. 2  following engagement with the reusable billboard. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]      FIGS. 1-4  show various preferred embodiments of a reusable billboard  10  preferably for use with a conventional flexible carrier.  FIGS. 2-4  show a preferred embodiments of a package utilizing a flexible carrier and a reusable billboard for unitizing and carrying multiple containers. 
         [0015]      FIGS. 1-4  show reusable billboard  20  for carrying one or more containers  80 , according to various preferred embodiments of this invention. Containers  80 , such as those shown in packages  90  in  FIGS. 2-4 , are preferably, though not necessarily, single serve PET, HDPE or similar bottles, such as those accommodating 12 ounces, 16 ounces, 20 ounces or other suitable quantities of product, such as soda or juice. Although bottles are shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , similar containers  80  may be used with reusable billboard  20  and carrier  10  according to this invention. Containers  80  are preferably like-sized within a single carrier  10  and reusable billboard  20 . 
         [0016]    Carrier  10  unitizes one or more containers  80  to create package  90 , such as package  90  shown in  FIGS. 3-4 . Carrier  10  preferably comprises a flexible plastic material preferably constructed from a flexible, resilient material such as, in one preferable embodiment, low density polyethylene. Carrier  10  further includes a plurality of container receiving apertures, each for receiving a container  80 . Following application, carrier  10  preferably unitizes the plurality of containers  80  into a tight compact grouping suitable for sale and transport. However, as shown in  FIG. 2 , absent additional features, carrier  10  does not present a prominent display space for marketing, promotional, informational and similar material that is helpful in the merchandising of containers  80 . 
         [0017]    Reusable billboard  20  preferably comprises a flexible plastic sheet  30  constructed from a flexible, resilient material such as, in one preferred embodiment, low density polyethylene. For most applications, the sheet  30  may have a thickness of about 3-50 mils, suitably about 5-30 mils, commonly about 10-20 mils. 
         [0018]    Plastic sheet  30  of material is preferably cut, using means known to those skilled in the art, such as a stamping die, to form the perimeter and one or more apertures  60 ,  70  and/or other features as described below. As shown in  FIG. 1 , billboard  20  preferably comprises sheet  30  having foldline  40  dividing the sheet into a first display panel  50  and a second display panel  55 . Foldline  40  may additionally include slit  45  extending at least partially across foldline  40 . 
         [0019]    According to one preferred embodiment of this invention, best shown in  FIG. 1 , at least one lower aperture  60  is preferably positioned in sheet  30 , so that one lower aperture  60  is positioned on either side of foldline  40 . Lower apertures  60  are preferably sized to engage a lower portion of container  80 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 1 , lower aperture  60  may comprise a generally octagonal shape to engage a lower extremity of a bottle. Lower aperture  60  may alternatively comprise any other suitable shape capable of engaging and/or cooperating with a lower portion of container  80  including oval, elliptical, round, square, etc. 
         [0020]    In addition, at least one upper aperture  70  is preferably positioned in sheet  30  at each extremity of sheet  30 . Upper apertures  70  are preferably sized to engage an upper portion of a container  80 . Specifically, upper apertures  70  may be engageable with a neck of a bottle. Upper aperture  70  may alternatively comprise any other suitable shape capable of engaging and/or cooperating with an upper portion of container  80 . As a result of the described configuration, a lower aperture  60  and an upper aperture  70  are preferably positioned at opposite sides of each of first display panel  50  and second display panel  55 , thereby resulting in one preferred embodiment of reusable billboard  20  having a pair of lower apertures  60  and a pair of upper apertures  70 . More lower apertures  60  and/or upper apertures  70  may be positioned within reusable billboard  20  depending on a size of package  90  and/or containers  80 , configuration of package  90  and/or containers  80  and other related factors. 
         [0021]    According to one preferred embodiment of this invention, removal portion  75  is positioned adjacent each upper aperture  70 . Removal portion  75  preferably enables placement on and removal from containers  80  as herein described and best shown in  FIG. 3 . Specifically, removal portion  75  permits a user to grasp and stretch upper aperture  70  around an upper portion of container  80  for placement of reusable billboard  20  onto package  90  and/or removal of reusable billboard  20  from package  90 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , removal portion  75  may comprise tab  76  and/or finger aperture  78 . 
         [0022]    Transition section  58  is located between first display panel  50  and second display panel  55  of billboard  20 . Transition section  58  preferably tapers into both the first display panel  50  and second display panel  55 . As a result, transition section  58 , following placement on package  90  extends underneath package and below at least two adjacent containers  80  within package  90 . 
         [0023]    A resulting package  90  thereby preferably includes a flexible carrier  10  having a plurality of apertures; a plurality of containers  80 , each engaged with an aperture; and a reusable billboard  20  engaged with at least one container  80 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , in one preferred embodiment of the invention, lower apertures  60  engage a bottom of middle containers  80  and upper apertures  70  engage a top or neck of those same respective containers  80 . The resulting package  90  thereby includes a prominent display on each side, specifically, first display panel  50  on a first side of package  90  and second display panel  55  on a second, opposite side of package  90 . An underside of package  90  accordingly includes foldline  40  and/or slit  45  generally bisecting billboard  20 . 
         [0024]    In practice, billboard  20  is preferably applied to containers  80 , for instance bottles, underneath unitized containers  80  and terminating on each side around a neck of one or more container  80 . Package  90  is then preferably displayed in a retail setting for viewing and purchase by customers. Following sale of package  90 , billboard  20  may be removed at the point of sale and/or following sale and billboard  20  may then be routed either within the retail location at which the sale occurred and/or back to a location where package  90  was originally assembled, a location that may or may not be consistent with the point of sale location. 
         [0025]    Regardless of the application and removal location, it is one preferred embodiment of this invention that package  90  include two or more containers  80  unitized within carrier  10  and including reusable billboard  20  extending around package  90 . Such an arrangement permits prominent display of billboard graphics and information and also permits removal and reuse of a substantial amount of material used in package  90 . 
         [0026]    While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that reusable billboard  20  and the related method of use and manufacture are susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.