Package for protection and display of clocks and the like

A package for protection and display of an object such as a clock which includes a base having narrow pedestals extending upwardly along the lateral edges, pedestals having respective overhanging portions extending horizontally inward. The spacing between the pedestals is substantially the same as the lateral dimension of the object and the inside height of the overhanging portions is substantially the same as the height of the object. Embossments are provided on the base presenting a pair of retaining edges spaced inwardly with respect to the front and back edges of the base, the spacing between the embossments being substantially the same as the depth dimension of the object, the base pedestals and embossments being formed of resilient foamed plastic so that the object is held captive and cradled against movement in any direction with respect to the base. The base is enclosed by an inverted cup-shaped shell of transparent plastic having a lower edge snugly conforming to the profile of the base. In the preferred form of the invention the base has a vertical parting plane for separation of the base into two halves facilitating insertion of the object into seated position, addition of the shell causing the two halves to be securely clamped together. Means are provided for securing the shell to the base to discourage disassembly of the shell from the base and tending to insure that the object is viewed only through the shell and remains untouched and in new condition until the time of sale.

In the packaging of various small objects such as toys and toilet articles 
it is known to employ a rectangular base with a superimposed transparent 
shell of inverted cup-shape. Examples of this include U.S. Pat. Nos. 
2,498,757--High, 2,563,157--Castelli, 3,185,296--Schlage, 3,533,503--Wood 
and 4,075,786--van Zyl. Such prior packages do not, however, provide 
cushioned protection in all three directions combined with full visibility 
of the goods. It is also known to employ packages utilizing a two-piece 
support for holding an object to be shipped with a sleeve for holding the 
parts of the support together. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 
2,860,768--Smithers, 3,048,267--Starzec and 4,071,043--Carlson. Such 
patents, however, do not disclose use of a transparent fitted shell or 
cover for display purposes. Finally it is known to employ resilient 
plastic foam in various configurations for floatingly mounting an object 
in a packing case. Examples of this include U.S. Pat. Nos. 
3,040,879--Planitzer, 3,564,811--Freeman, 3,750,871--Cook, 
3,938,661--Carmody and 3,930,579--Kurtz. Such devices do not, however, 
have any provision for display of the goods. 
It is, accordingly, an object to provide a package for the storage, 
shipment and display of a fragile object such as a clock which provides a 
high degree of protection combined with a high degree of visibility for 
display purposes. It is a more specific object to provide a protective and 
display package in which the object is held captive and resiliently 
cradled against movement in any direction but in which the object is 
nevertheless substantially in full view through a transparent shell so 
that there is no necessity for removing the object from the package for 
purposes of inspection prior to sale. Consequently there is no possibility 
of the object becoming shop worn and it remains untouched and in new 
condition until it is in the possession of the final purchaser. 
It is still another object of the invention to provide a protective and 
display package for a clock or the like which is inherently strong, having 
an inner member including a base and pedestals for cushioning the object 
in three directions and an outer member in the form of a shell, with the 
inner and outer members being mutually supportive to provide a high degree 
of strength and durability in the face of rough handling. In this 
connection it is an object to provide a package for a clock or the like 
made of transparent and foamed plastic and which may be manufactured 
economically using a minimum of plastic material while nevertheless 
providing a degree of protection which is in excess of that provided by 
more conventional shipping and display packaging. 
It is still another object of the invention to provide a protective and 
display package which, notwithstanding the fact that it provides support 
in all three directions of movement, is extremely simple, consisting of a 
minimum number of parts, with the structure presenting negative clearances 
yet accommodating the separation required for inserting the object into 
its seated position quickly and easily, regardless of whether the packing 
is done manually or by automatic machinery on a production line basis. 
It is a related object to provide a protective and display package for a 
clock or the like which, in its final assembled state, is substantially 
sealed against entry of dust or moisture, thereby protecting the object, 
and preserving its appearance, even during storage for a long period or 
under adverse conditions such as a humid or dusty environment. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a protection and 
display package which permits integrated stacking and which includes 
provision for accommodation, within the base portion, of an accessory, 
such as a line cord in the case of a clock or other electrical device. 
It is a general object of the invention to provide a package for a clock or 
the like which in addition to its protective and display aspects is itself 
highly attractive to the extent of enhancing and glamorizing the 
appearance of the displayed object, attracting attention and sparking 
interest thereby promoting a sale. Indeed, it is an object to provide a 
protective and display package which invites handling by a prospective 
customer, and therefore close viewing, satisfying the curiosity of the 
customer while keeping the object itself protected and sealed in factory 
fresh condition.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred 
embodiments, it will be understood that we do not intend to be limited to 
the particular embodiments but intend, on the contrary, to cover the 
various alternative and equivalent forms of the invention included within 
the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
Turning now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a package 10 for the 
protection and display of an object such as a clock 11, which is shown as 
being of conventional rectangular shape having a face 12, a top surface 
13, a bottom surface 14 and side surfaces 15, 16. The package is made up 
of an inner assembly 17 which is preferably molded of foamed plastic 
material with a superimposed shell or cover 18 formed of a plastic which 
is not only clearly transparent but also strong and durable. 
In accordance with the present invention the inner assembly 17 is in the 
form of a rectangular base which, in the preferred embodiment, is in two 
sections which are either identical or mirror images of one another and 
which have been designated 17a, 17b. The piece 17a is illustrated in 
detail in FIG. 2. 
The inner assembly, taken as a unit, includes a flat base 20 having a front 
edge 21 and back edge 22 and left and right-hand lateral edges 23, 24. The 
base 20 has a central supporting area 25. 
Positioned along the left and right-hand lateral edges are relatively 
narrow pedestals 30 each having a vertical portion 31 with a presented 
outer surface 32 and an overhanging portion 33 extending inwardly at the 
top end thereof. The vertical portions 31 of the pedestals are of 
elongated generally trapezoidal profile, with inwardly sloping edges 
facing forwardly and rearwardly, the edges either being straight, as 
shown, or concaved slightly. Moreover, the pedestals may be narrower than 
illustrated to provide additional visibility of the sides of the clock, as 
a compromise with the desired degree of protection, without departing from 
the invention. 
In carrying out the invention the horizontal spacing W between the vertical 
portions 31 of the pedestals (FIGS. 1 and 3) is substantially equal to the 
width dimension of the clock. Similarly the inside, or contained, height 
of the overhanging portions 33 of the pedestals, indicated at H in FIG. 2, 
is equal to or just slightly greater than the height dimension of the 
clock. Finally, front and back embossments 35, 36 are provided which 
present a pair of retaining edges spaced inwardly with respect to the 
front and back edges of the base and which, between them, define the front 
to back or "depth" dimension D of the central supporting area 25, the 
dimension D being substantially the same as the depth dimension of the 
clock. Thus when the package is assembled together the clock is held 
captive and cradled against movement in any direction withe respect to the 
base. 
In carrying out the invention the transparent shell or cover 18 which is of 
inverted cup shape has a top surface 40, front and back surfaces 41, 42 
and left and right-hand lateral surfaces 43, 44, the lower edges of the 
surfaces being dimensioned to conform to the profile of the base. In the 
preferred and illustrated form of the invention the shell on all four 
sides has "draft" as indicated at .alpha. (FIG. 3) which may, in a 
practical case, be on the order of 3-5 degrees. Further in accordance with 
the invention the outwardly presented surfaces 32 of the pedestals are 
flush with the lateral edges 23, 24 of the base and are tapered at an 
angle substantially equal to the angle of draft. Thus when the shell is in 
place there is cooperation between the presented outer surfaces of the 
pedestals and the inner wall of the shell, preferably "area" contact, to 
provide mutual reinforcement. Also the headroom within the shell, and 
which is indicated at HR in FIG. 3 is preferably equal to the overall 
pedestal height to provide reinforcing engagement between the ceiling of 
the shell and the overhanging portions 33 of the pedestals, strenghtening 
the assembly still further. 
With the clock or other object dimensionally related to the package as 
described above, a condition of "negative clearance" is achieved in which 
the clock is cradled resiliently against movement in all three directions. 
It is one of the aspects of the present invention, in its preferred form, 
to provide a vertical parting plane which permits separation of the inner 
assembly 17 into two opposed half-portions such as 17a, 17b which may be 
identical to one another and which enable the clock to be pocketed in 
place without deforming any of the parts. When the shell is subsequently 
applied, the two halves of the base are clamped together with the clock or 
other object being locked between them yet substantially in full view. In 
the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the parting plane, 
indicated at P, runs vertically front-to-back along the centerline. 
However, the invention is not limited thereto and, if desired, the parting 
plane may extend through the base and pedestals vertically from left to 
right along a median plane in a position indicated at P' in FIG. 1. In 
either event the base is formed of halves which are of a shape which 
permits economical molding by use of simple molds, maximum economy being 
achieved where the halves are identical. 
It is one of the features of the invention in its preferred form that the 
shell does not extend all the way to the foot of the base but the base is, 
instead, provided with a continuous horizontal ledge which is spaced 
upwardly from its bottom surface as indicated at 45 in the drawing. The 
term "continuous" as applied to the ledge 45 is not intended necessarily 
in the sense of "endless" but is used to indicate the fact that the ledge 
is elongated. 
As a further feature of the present invention, each package has a shallow 
recess 50 (FIG. 2) in its underside having a reduced dimension which 
substantially matches the top surface 40 of the shell so that, when the 
packages are stacked, the base of each unit nestingly receives the top of 
the unit below it for integration of the stack (FIG. 3). This tends to 
assure safe and orderly stacking. 
It will be apparent that assembly of the unit described above is extremely 
simple: The clock or other object is simply sandwiched between the two 
portions of the base by bringing the two portions into alined engagement 
with one another with the result that the clock is captive against 
movement in all directions. Subsequently applying the snugly-fitted shell 
clamps the two portions of the base semi-permanently together, the draft 
of the shell serving to provide mechanical advantage. When using shallow 
draft frictional engagement can if desired be relied upon. It is 
preferred, however, to secure the shell to the base in more positive 
fashion thereby to discourage disassembly and insuring that the object is 
viewed only through the shell. The securing means may be in the form of 
adhesive tape as will be discussed in connection with the alternate 
embodiment or may, if desired, be in the form of a fastener which 
penetrates the shell and base in the region of overlap and which has a 
head which lies intimately adjacent the outer surface of the shell, 
permitting extraction upon insertion of the point of a knife or prying 
tool. One simple form of fastener meeting this description is the staple 
51 which is illustrated in FIG. 1. 
ALTERNATE FORM OF INVENTION 
An alternate form of the present invention is disclosed in FIGS. 5-10 
inclusive where similar reference numerals have been used to designate 
similar parts with addition of subscript a. 
Thus the base 20a is in two halves separated by a parting plane P', each of 
the halves mounting relatively narrow pedestals 30a having a vertical 
portion 31a which presents an outer surface 32a and having, at the top, an 
overhanging portion 33a extending inwardly from the top end thereof. The 
pedestals differ in construction from those of the preceding embodiment in 
that they occupy diagonally related corner positions and, in addition, 
each of the pedestals has an angular recess for nestingly receiving the 
presented corner edge of the clock or other object. Referring more 
specifically to FIG. 6 it will be seen that the pedestal 30a, in addition 
to the wall 31a, has a second wall 36a arranged at 90 degrees thereto, the 
two walls, together, forming an angular recess 37a into which the corner 
of the clock is fitted. The second wall 36a of the pedestal, in confining 
the backside of the clock, performs the same function as the embossment 36 
of the earlier embodiment and may be conveniently considered as an 
embossment on the base which has been integrated into, that is, forms a 
part of, the pedestal. 
The benefits of the alternate structure are substantially the same as 
described: A clock or other contained object is resiliently cradled 
against movement in all three of the possible directions. Because of the 
presence of the parting plane P' assembly is equally simple. The two 
portions of the base are brought together in alignment, either manually or 
automatically by an assembling machine, with the clock being captured 
between them. Subsequent application of the shell or cover 18a serves to 
permanently clamp the inner assembly together, thereby locking the clock 
in its protected, yet viewable, position. 
To maintain the shell seated upon the ledge 45a of the base, a strip of 
adhesive tape 60 may be used, preferably provided in the form of a cross 
having tabs 61-64 as shown in FIG. 8. With the shell fitted in position 
the assembly may be superimposed over the tape 60, sticky side up, and the 
tabs 61-64 are folded upwardly for adhesion to the lower portion of the 
shell on all four of its sides; preferably, however, the package is 
inverted before applying the tape. The tape may, if desired, be imprinted 
with advertising or identifying information. While the tape is of 
"cross"configuration, it will be understood that such shape may be formed 
by use of two single strips of tape arranged at right angles to one 
another. The tape, in addition to keeping the assembly intact, may serve 
the further purpose of confining, in the recess 50a on the underside, 
instructional or advertising material. It will be apparent that the 
adhesive tape may be modified by increasing the width of the tabs 
becoming, in the extreme, a rectangular piece of tape notched at the 
corners, thereby providing a full encircling strip of advertising display 
space. 
In accordance with one of the more detailed features of the invention the 
shell recess 50a (FIG. 6) may have, at its center, a deeper recess for 
storing and protecting an accessory which, in the case of an electric 
clock, might be a line cord. The deeper recess, indicated at 70 in FIGS. 9 
and 10 is preferably provided with a closure 71 (see FIG. 10) which may be 
a sheet of transparent plastic dimensioned to fit in the shallow recess 
50a and secured therein by any desired means. 
With regard to materials of construction, the plastic foam used for the 
base and pedestals, which are integrally molded, is preferably of the 
polystyrene type, commonly used as a packing material, either in its 
natural state or surface-finished. Foam of this type is rather stiffly 
resilient and it is one of the features of the invention that, due to 
separation at a parting plane, there is no need to bend or otherwise 
stress the material in order to overcome the negative clearances which 
perform the confining function. 
Nevertheless it is one of the features of the present construction that the 
parting line is not essential to the invention in its broader aspects. By 
use of a relatively soft foam, by reducing the sectional thickness of the 
pedestals and by designing for lesser amounts of negative clearance (as, 
for example, by reducing the amount of overhang) it is possible to insert 
the clock or other object into position by bending the pedestals 
outwardly, thereby permitting the clock to be squeezed in between them 
into its seated position. After the clock occupies such position the 
subsequent application of the shell, which serves to maintain the 
pedestals in their vertical position, has the effect of locking the clock 
in place, overcoming any positional hysteresis effect. As an alternative 
to outward bending of the pedestals, one of the embossments, for example, 
the embossment 36 (FIG. 2) may be made of reduced height and forcibly 
by-passed during assembly, thereby maintaining the clock in position by 
detenting action. 
With regard to the material of the outer shell, it is preferably made of 
transparent polystyrene because of its strength combined with its good 
molding and optical properties, although other, equivalent, materials may 
be employed. Because of the mutual reinforcement which occurs in the 
present construction, as described, a minimum of plastic material is 
required per unit resulting in a high degree of economy. Economy is 
maximized by making the two halves of the base portion (illustrated in 
FIGS. 2 and 6) of identical construction. Nevertheless it will be 
understood that the term "halves" does not imply identity and the two 
cooperating pieces may be of unlike size or may be mirror images of one 
another. It will also be understood that the term "parting plane" is used 
for convenience as denoting a surface of separation, which surface may, if 
desired, be jogged or non-planar, without departing from the invention. 
It will be apparent that the objects of the invention have been amply 
fulfilled: The clock or other object is clearly and almost fully 
displayed, the front, back and top of the device being virtually free of 
confinement, while the sides are confined only to slight degree, a degree 
which may be even further reduced by narrowing the dimension of the 
pedestals. The package may be handled, and close inspection provides to 
the curious all of the information which would be provided by handling the 
object itself. The attractiveness of the package enhances and provides a 
jewel-like setting for the object which is particularly effective when the 
packaged object is of relatively small size. Yet the package provides a 
degree of protection which exceeds that of the usual foam-plus-fiberboard 
carton. No "outside" covering is necessary and the package is all that is 
required for shipment, storage and subsequent handling by a stock person 
or customer. 
Since there is no need to remove the clock or other object from the package 
until the time of actual use, the dealer has the assurance that goods in 
stock will not become shop worn, and the customer has the incomparable 
assurance of a factory-sealed package. 
One of the advantages of having a downwardly facing recess 70 for cord 
storage, with the cord penetrating the parting plane, is that the cord may 
be removed for plugging into a wall outlet on either a continuous or 
momentary basis to demonstrate electrical features of the clock without 
requiring disassembly of the package. 
FURTHER ALTERNATE FORM OF INVENTION 
In a third form of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 11-15 inclusive, the 
pedestals occupy both of the rear corner positions and an insert of thin 
sheet material is sandwiched between the base and the shell for the 
purpose of carrying a decorative instructional display which is visible 
through the shell. Similar reference numerals have been used to designate 
similar parts with addition of subscript b. 
The base 20b is in two halves separated by a parting plane p", each half 
mounting pedestals 30b which are mirror images of one another having a 
vertical portion 31b and having, at the top, an overhanging portion 33b 
extending inwardly in two directions. As in the case of the previous 
embodiment, each pedestal has walls arranged at 90.degree.. 
For the purpose of keying together the two halves of the base, each half is 
provided with a protuberance, or embossment, 38b at the parting plane as 
well as a recess 39b of corresponding size (see FIG. 12). 
The base further includes a cord storage recess 70b which is formed in the 
top of the base, centered in the supporting area, and dimensioned to be 
hidden from sight when the clock is in position. This leaves the underside 
of the base free for affixation of an adhesive instructional label 60a 
(FIG. 13) which is generally centered with respect to the parting plane 
and which serves as a hinge between the two halves of the base enabling 
spreading movement between the pedestals 30b when the shell is removed to 
free the clock from the base while, nonetheless, keeping the halves of the 
base connected together, as indicated by the dot-dash lines. Normally the 
pedestals are clamped inwardly, and prevented from spreading, by the 
presence of the shell 18b. 
In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention there is, 
interposed between the surfaces of the base and shell, an insert of thin 
sheet material, the insert being conformingly limited to the surfaces of 
the base and pedestals which are in area-engagement with the shell. The 
insert, generally indicated at 80 in FIG. 14, is in the form of a closed 
ring 81 of rectangular configuration dimensioned to extend around, and 
embrace, the base and having integral upright portions 82 which conform to 
the profile of the pedestals for sandwiching between the pedestals and the 
shell. The ring 81 and portions 82 together provide instructional display 
area, clearly visible through the shell, for instructional information and 
the like relating to the clock or other contained object. The insert 
performs a number of functions: It is not only decorative and informative 
but it provides a neater and more finished effect than the rather raw, 
hard to print surface of the foamed base. It effectively hides the joint 
at the parting plane, resulting in a more integrated appearance. The loop 
in addition serves to hold the two halves of the base together when the 
shell is removed. Finally it serves as a filler or gasket, with the 
thickness of the cardboard stock being selected to insure a snug fit 
between the shell on the one hand and the base including its pedestals on 
the other. 
The decorative insert 80, made of relatively thin and inexpensive stock, 
and the message which is printed upon it, may be provided in several 
versions depending upon the model and features of a particular clock and 
may be readily changed, in different manufacturing runs, to be appropriate 
to the season. Notwithstanding the fact that the insert may be made of 
thin cardboard stock having little integrity and normally subject to 
curling and the like as a result of atmospheric changes, the insert in its 
flatly sandwiched condition constantly presents a neat and tailored 
appearance, consistently with the jewel-like setting in which the clock or 
other object is displayed.