Abstract:
Wrapping material incorporating removable items such as bite-sized candies, small toys, or prizes. The small items are incorporated between sheets of flexible material such as paper or plastic. The items can be positioned in the wrap to form geometric patterns or artistic designs. The wrap can also be used to make bags, boxes and envelopes.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to wrapping materials. More particularly this invention relates to a flexible laminate incorporating removable items such as bite-sized candies, small toys, or prizes which is used to wrap gifts or other packages.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Gifts and other packages are often covered with a decorative wrap. These wraps are available in a variety of materials, including paper, foil and cellophane, which may be transparent or opaque. Wraps also come in a variety of colors and printed designs. For gifts it is conventional to match the gift wrap design with the gift inside. For example, birthday cake designs are printed on gift wrap used to wrap birthday gifts; Christmas trees and Santa designs are printed on gift wrap used to wrap Christmas gifts; hearts and roses are printed on paper used to wrap Valentine&#39;s Day gifts. This outer covering often makes a package more appealing because of the attractive colors or by creating anticipation by disguising what&#39;s inside. Despite its initial appeal, however, the wrap is torn off the package and then disposed of, forgotten in light what&#39;s inside. It is desirable to provide a package covering that is, itself, appealing and enjoyable.  
           [0003]    The material used for the wrap must be flexible enough and come in sheets large enough to wrap around and substantially cover the package. Gift wrap is usually sold in single sheets long enough to cover several packages, and rolled up into a roll. Some gift wrap is also sold in sheets that have been folded into squares to more easily fit on store shelves. Wrapping materials are also used to form bags, envelopes and boxes to be used as receptacles for the desired objects, as opposed to being used to wrap the objects. Stiffer wrapping materials that are self-supporting, such as cardboard, are used to form boxes.  
           [0004]    The concept of including prizes with food products is known in the art. For example, prizes of various sorts are included in boxes of Cracker Jack® snacks; baseball cards are included in packages of bubble gum; and small toys are often included in cereal boxes. The prior art describes methods to manufacture food packages that contain single prizes, however, the prior art does not include wrapping materials that incorporate multiple prizes, particularly for use as the outer wrap. It is desirable to have a wrap or packaging material that has candies, toys or other prizes incorporated throughout.  
           [0005]    Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a wrapping material that incorporates gifts or prizes in the wrap itself. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wrap that is flexible enough to wrap around other objects, such as gifts or boxes. It is yet another object to provide a wrap that can be formed into bags, envelopes, and boxes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention is wrap incorporating removable items such as bite-sized candies, small toys, or prizes. The small items are incorporated between sheets of flexible material such as paper or plastic. The items can be positioned in the wrap to form geometric patterns or artistic designs. The wrap can also be used to make bags, envelopes and boxes. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet of wrapping material of the present invention showing prizes incorporated into the wrap in a geometric pattern.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 illustrates a sheet of wrapping material of the present invention showing candies incorporated into the wrap in heart-shaped patterns.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 illustrates a sheet of wrapping material of the present invention showing candies incorporated into the wrap in a star-shaped patterns.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 taken along line  4 - 4  illustrating the prizes encased between layers of the wrap laminate.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the present invention showing a detailed view of the prizes encased between layers of the wrap laminate.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 illustrates a sheet of wrapping material of the present invention showing candies incorporated into the wrap corresponding to a design printed on the wrap.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing method of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing method of the present invention showing the resultant sheet of wrapping material.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 is a bag formed from a sheet of the wrapping material.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 is an envelope formed from a sheet of the wrapping material.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 is a gift box formed from a sheet of the wrapping material. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    Referring to FIGS.  1 - 11  there is illustrated the present invention, designated generally as  10 , which is a sheet of flexible wrapping material incorporating removable items. FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet of the wrap  12  containing many small items, referred to herein as prizes  11 , in a geometric pattern. The prizes are any items, both edible and nonedible, small enough to be encased within the wrap. Nonedible prizes include toys; printed comics or fortunes; condoms; coins; flower petals and seeds; beads; etc. Edible prizes include candies and gum; seeds, nuts, and cereal; etc. The candies may be wrapped or unwrapped; hard, soft, or hard-shelled.  
         [0019]    The prizes can be formed into designs on the sheets. This is particularly useful for coordinating the prizes with the wrapped object. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a sheet of the gift wrap likely used for wrapping Valentine&#39;s Day gifts, with cinnamon-flavored candies  21 , known colloquially as red-hots, formed into heart-shaped designs  22  in the wrap  12 . FIG. 3 illustrates a sheet of the gift wrap having candies  21  formed into a star-shaped design  23  in the wrap  12 .  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sections of the wrap, illustrating the prizes encased in the wrap. The wrap  12  is a laminate of one or more sheets of flexible materials such as paper; plastic, polystyrene or other polymeric material; fabric; or foil. The wrap  12  is manufactured by sealing a first sheet  41  to a second sheet  42  at a plurality of locations  43 , encasing a prize  11  in each of a plurality of interstitial spaces  44  formed between the sealed locations. If the prizes are extremely small, such as seeds or beads, several prizes may be encased into a single space. Additional sheets may be laminated to the wrap.  
         [0021]    The sheets can be translucent or opaque, with opacity created by printing on the sheet or simply due to the inherent opacity of the material used for the sheet. The sheets can have an outer surface that is highly receptive to printing or be metallized, with a very shiny, high gloss surface appearance. FIG. 6 illustrates a sheet of the wrap with candies  11  incorporated into the wrap  12  with a corresponding design  61  printed on the wrap which indicates the flavor of each candy prize. Preferably the first sheet  41  is translucent polypropylene and the second sheet  42  is opaque polypropylene. Preferably the sheet is flexible enough to be folded around an object given as a gift or around a box holding the desired object. Alternatively, the wrap is made stiff enough to be self-supporting and is formed into a box. Such wrap may include a multi-layer laminate, cardstock, paperboard, cardboard, or laminated paper.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a method of manufacture of the wrap. One embodiment of an apparatus used to make this wrap uses a first roller  51  and a second roller  52 , between which the first and second sheets,  41  and  42  respectively, travel and are sealed together around prizes  11  that are dropped into place between the sheets prior to sealing. Gravity-fed funnels  53  above the intersection point A feed prizes  11  into the intersection point prior to sealing. A sealer  54  causes the first sheet  51  to attach to the second sheet  52  at spaced locations, sealing the sheets together around the prizes. Typically, arms  55  of the sealer are forced toward each other by mechanical or hydraulic pressure, as shown by the arrows. Sheets of the present invention are large enough to cover several objects. The wrap can be rolled into rolls for storage or sale. The wrap can be further processed to form receptacles to hold objects. FIGS.  9 - 11  illustrate a bag  71 , an envelope  81 , and a box  91 , respectively, formed from the wrapping material. The box  91  is made of a wrapping material that has been made stiff enough to be self-supporting.  
         [0023]    In the preferred embodiment, a sheet of wrapping material is formed with bite-sized candies incorporated between a translucent sheet of polystyrene and a substantially opaque, colored sheet of polystyrene. A piece of gift wrap is cut from the sheet to a size appropriate for wrapping a desired gift. The piece of wrap is folded around the gift and sealed at the edges. The recipient receives the gift and opens the gift wrap at the edges or between the prizes by tearing the wrap. The prizes are then removed from the gift wrap and eaten.  
         [0024]    While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.