Abstract:
A personal care product has a plurality of individually wrapped articles and a reclosable package for containing the articles. The package includes a handle portion at an upper end of the package for grasping the package, a back side extending downward toward a lower end, a cover extending downward toward a lower end, and a pocket formed at the lower end of the package and configured to retain the plurality of individually wrapped articles. A lower end of the cover is removably insertable into the pocket to close and reclose the package after an article has been removed from the pocket.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)  
       [0001]     Priority is claimed under U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/832,081 filed on Jul. 20, 2006, entitled “RECLOSABLE PACKAGING FOR INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED ARTICLES”, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a personal care product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a product having a reclosable package to be used for containing more than one individually wrapped personal care article.  
         [0003]     Many types of personal care products are individually wrapped and then packaged in a box or other similar type of packaging. However, many of these types of packaging are not resealable or reclosable once the package is opened. Most personal care products are intended to be portable; but, it is difficult to transport the items in the package without the items falling out once the package is opened. Because most personal care products are disposable and inexpensive, the package that the products come in must also be inexpensive.  
         [0004]     There is a need for a personal care product having an inexpensive, yet attractive, reclosable package for containing individually wrapped articles.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The present invention is a product comprising a plurality of individually wrapped articles and a package for containing the articles. The package includes a handle portion at an upper end of the package for grasping the package, a back side extending downward from the handle portion to a lower end of the package, a cover extending from the handle portion toward the lower end of the package, and a pocket formed at the lower end of the package and configured to retain the plurality of individually wrapped articles. The end of the cover is removably insertable into the pocket to close and reclose the package after an article is removed from the pocket.  
         [0006]     The handle portion is also configured so that the product can easily be displayed for merchandising. The package is small, lightweight, and inexpensive to manufacture, yet still attractive for displaying and carrying when traveling. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective front-view of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective back-view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1  with the cover of the package in the open position, and one of the individually wrapped articles removed from the package.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the blank which forms the package shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the blank shown in  FIG. 4  as the blank is being assembled to form the package shown in  FIGS. 1-3 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the package (formed from the blank shown in  FIG. 4 ) in the assembled position, with a label configured to wrap around a bottom portion of the package. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective front-view of product  10  including package  12  and individually wrapped articles  14 , shown inside package  12 . Package  12 , having upper end  16  and lower end  18 , includes front handle portion  20 , cover panel  22 , front pocket panel  24 , first side panel  26 , second side panel  28  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), bottom panel  30  (shown in  FIG. 4 ), back panel  32  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), feet  34   a  and  34   b , seal  36 , and perforation  37 , which separates front handle portion  20  from cover panel  22 . Cover panel  22  extends in an arc downward toward lower end  18 . Back panel  32  includes back handle portion  38  at upper end  16  and lower portion  40  at lower end  18  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ; see  FIG. 2 ).  
         [0014]     Front handle portion  20  and back handle portion  38  are fixed together to form handle  42 , which may be used for grasping product  10 . In this particular embodiment, front handle portion  20  and back handle portion  38  are fixed together using adhesive. It is recognized that front handle portion  20  and back handle portion  38  could be fixed to one another in an alternative manner. Handle  42  also includes aperture  44  that can be used for hanging product  10  on display for merchandising.  
         [0015]     Feet  34   a  and  34   b  are formed on bottom panel  30  and are configured so that package  12  is able to stand upright, with bottom panel  30  resting on a horizontal surface. It is recognized that alternative features could be formed on bottom panel  30  to make package  12  stand upright.  
         [0016]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , cover panel  22  is in a closed position in which end  46  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) of cover panel  22  is tucked into front pocket panel  24 , and seal  36  is placed over a portion of cover panel  22  and a portion of front pocket panel  24 . (Seal  36  is optional since cover panel  22  will remain tucked into front pocket panel  24  until cover panel  22  is manually pulled out of front pocket panel  24  into an open position.)  
         [0017]     Package  12  also may include label  48 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Label  48  may be configured in a variety of ways. In one embodiment label  48  has a backing side with adhesive on it, and is wrapped around package  12  near lower end  18 . More specifically, in this embodiment first end  50  of label  48  is first placed over first side panel  26  such that label  48  is then wrapped around first side panel  26 , front pocket panel  24 , second side panel  28  and lower portion  40  of back panel  32 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective back-view of product  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , including second side panel  28 , and back panel  32  having back handle portion  38  (which forms handle  42 ) and lower portion  40 . Back panel  32  is substantially flat and extends downward to lower end  18 . Label  48  is shown wrapped around second side panel  28  and lower portion  40  of back panel  32  such that second end  52  of label  48  is close to first end  50  of label  48 . (Label  48  can be better seen in  FIG. 6 .)  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of product  10  shown in  FIG. 1  with cover panel  22  in an open position and one individually wrapped article  14   a  removed from package  12 . To move cover panel  22  from a closed position ( FIG. 1 ) to an open position, a user slides cover panel  22  out of front pocket panel  24 . (If package  12  includes seal  36 , the user first releases seal  36  from engagement with cover panel  22 .) In the open position, cover panel  22  extends upward from perforation  37 .  
         [0020]     To remove one individually wrapped article  14   a , the user holds package  12  in first hand H 1  with one or more fingers F 1  supporting cover panel  22  in the open position. Using second hand H 2  having fingers F 2 , the user removes one individually wrapped article  14   a  from package  12 . The user can then return cover panel  22  to the closed position with two individually wrapped articles  14   b  and  14   c  remaining inside package  12 . These steps can be repeated to remove individually wrapped articles  14   b  and  14   c  at a later time.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  shows first hand H 1  holding package  12  with fingers F 1  in a particular configuration and second hand H 2  holding article  14   a  with fingers F 2  in a particular configuration. It is recognized that second hand H 2  could hold package  12  and first hand H 1  could remove article  14   a , and that various configurations of fingers F 1  and F 2  could be used to support package  12  and article  14   a.    
         [0022]     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , product  10  has three individually wrapped articles  14   a - 14   c  originally contained inside package  12 . However, it is recognized that more or less individually wrapped articles are within the scope of this invention. Articles  14  could be a variety of personal care products, which typically are disposable. In one embodiment, articles  14  are disposable wipettes that are individually foil-wrapped.  
         [0023]     Because package  12  is small, lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture, yet still attractive, product  10  can be offered for sale, or offered as a complimentary sample or promotional product.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of blank  54  which is configured to form package  12  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . Blank  54  is made from a single piece of material. Blank  54  includes cover panel  22  having end  46 , perforation  37 , front handle portion  20 , back panel  32  having back handle portion  38  and lower portion  40 , bottom panel  30 , feet  34   a  and  34   b , front pocket panel  24 , first side panel  26  and second side panel  28 .  
         [0025]     Additional components of blank  54 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , that are not visible when blank  54  is in an assembled form as package  12  ( FIGS. 1-3 ), include: first fold  56  separating front handle portion  20  from back handle portion  38 ; second fold  58  separating lower portion  40  from bottom panel  30 ; third fold  60  separating bottom panel  30  from front pocket panel  24 ; fourth fold  62  separating first side panel  26  from front pocket panel  24 ; first tab  64  extending from first side panel  26 ; fifth fold  66  separating second side panel  28  from front pocket panel  24 ; second tab  68  extending from second side panel  28 ; first flap  70  extending from first side  72  of lower portion  40  of back handle portion  38 ; sixth fold  74  having first slit  76  and separating first flap  70  from lower portion  40 ; second flap  78  extending from second side  80  of lower portion  40 ; and seventh fold  82  having second slit  84  and separating second flap  78  from lower portion  40 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of blank  54  as it is being assembled to form package  12  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . To assemble blank  54  into package  12 , the first step is to fold front handle portion  20  and cover panel  22  over back panel  32  along first fold  56 . The second step is to fold first flap  70  inward along sixth fold  74  and fold second flap  78  (not shown) inward along seventh fold  82  (not shown). The third step is to fold bottom panel  30  (not shown) upward along second fold  58  (not shown) such that bottom panel  30  is perpendicular to back panel  32 . The fourth step is to fold front pocket panel  24  upward along third fold  60  such that front pocket  24  is perpendicular to bottom panel  30  and parallel to back panel  32 . The fifth step, which is shown in progress in  FIG. 5 , is to fold first side panel  26  upward and inward along fourth fold  62  such that first side panel  26  is placed on first flap  70 , and fold second side panel  28  upward and inward along fifth fold  66  such that second side panel  28  is placed on second flap  78 . The sixth step is to insert first tab  64  into first slit  76  and second tab  68  into second slit  84  (not shown).  
         [0027]     It is recognized that the steps outlined above can be performed in a variety of different sequences.  
         [0028]     In the assembled position, lower portion  40  of back panel  32 , bottom panel  30 , front pocket panel  24 , first side panel  26  and second side panel  28  form pocket  86  for retaining individually wrapped articles  14 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of package  12  (formed from blank  54  shown in  FIG. 4 ) in the assembled position, with label  48  configured to wrap around pocket  86 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , label  48  is a single piece of material with one side coated with adhesive, and is sized and configured so that first end  50  of label  48  is placed over first side panel  26 . Label  48  then wraps around first side panel  26 , front pocket panel  24 , second side panel  28 , and lower portion  40  of back panel  32 . Label  48  is configured such that second end  52  is positioned on lower portion  40  at an end near first side panel  26 .  
         [0030]     A benefit of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6  is that different labels can be printed to correspond to different individually wrapped articles. As such, label  48  can be used to differentiate product  10  without requiring changes to package  12 .  
         [0031]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.