Display package

A display package for displaying an article contained therein in a plurality of positions. The package has a base, a lid hingedly mounted on the base, and a lock mechanism for securing the lid in a locked position on the base. The lid has a top wall formed with a plurality of mounting recesses adjacent an endwall and a sidewall for receiving the legs of a hanger therein. Each leg extends outwardly from a diamond-shaped body, and includes an upper portion coplanar with the body, a lower portion and a stepped shoulder extending between the upper and lower portions. Each lower portion also includes a foot extending toward the other leg. Each recess includes a flange extending over a portion thereof, and each flange has a nub extending outwardly therefrom. The foot of each leg is slidably received within a respective recess and slides past the nub which removably retains the hanger in a selected pair of recesses. The hanger is selectively positioned in a selected pair of recesses adjacent the endwall or the sidewall so that the display box may be oriented in at least two different positions to provide optimum viewing of the article enclosed therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
The invention relates generally to display packages of the type for holding 
merchandise in retail stores such as game cartridges, audio and video 
cassettes, and software. More particularly, the invention relates to 
display packages which are suspended from a display hook. Specifically, 
the invention relates to display packages which may be suspended from a 
display hook in a variety of predetermined positions. 
2. Background Information 
Audio and video cassettes and compact discs have increased in popularity 
over the past several years and have become an important segment of the 
recording and movie industry. Similarly, software and optical discs, as 
well as game cartridges have become increasingly popular as the 
compatibility of the electronics has increased while the price of 
electronics has continued to decrease. These general types of recording 
media, while drastically different in shape, generally perform the 
function of transferring information from the recording media to the user 
via audio and/or visual output. 
In recent times, recording media has become interactive further increasing 
the popularity and profitability of merchandising these products. These 
general types of recording media are displayed in retail stores for sale 
and/or rental in a variety of display packages. It is important in the 
recording media market, and especially in the game cartridge market, to 
repackage the media in a display package which reduces theft of the 
package and/or contents from the retail store. While various types of 
display packages have been developed, each such package is generally 
limited to retaining a media having a specific size and configuration. 
Moreover, the display packages which have been developed generally may 
only be displayed in one preselected position substantially reducing the 
retail store's ability to customize a display area to increase it's 
attractiveness to customers, or to optimize the store's available 
merchandising space, or to properly orient the graphics on the article 
contained within the package. 
Although known display packages are presumably adequate for the purpose for 
which they are intended, they present a number of additional problems. 
Specifically, each style security package is often opened with a separate 
key increasing the number of keys that must be manufactured by the 
supplier and stocked for use by the retailer, substantially increasing 
operating cost. 
Similarly, many existing display packages, whether or not the package will 
lock, are manufactured to be displayed in a preselected position. The 
retailer thus utilizes one display package to display items in a vertical 
position, and a second display package when displaying products in a 
horizontal orientation which significantly increases costs to the 
retailer. Specifically, known display devices are generally formed with a 
hanger attached to either an end portion or a side portion of the package 
to suspend the display package from a display hook in either the vertical 
or horizontal direction. Known display packages do not permit relocation 
of the hanger from one position to another position on the package so that 
the display package may be suspended with a single hanger selectively 
attached either adjacent an endwall or adjacent a sidewall of the package. 
Therefore, the need exists for an improved display package for displaying 
merchandise for sale, including audio and video cassettes, game cartridges 
and software in which the merchandise is maintained in its usual 
packaging, but when placed in the security display package, may be 
suspended from a display hook in a variety of preselected positions to 
better display the package or to properly orient the graphics within the 
package for ease of review by a prospective purchaser. Moreover, the need 
exists for a display package which includes a single hook which may be 
removably positioned adjacent either an end wall or a sidewall of the 
display package to assure that the product enclosed within the display 
package is properly oriented for merchandising. Further, the need exists 
for a display package wherein both the hook and display box are reusable, 
and wherein the hook may be repeatedly moved from adjacent an endwall to 
adjacent a sidewall of the display package for selectively orienting an 
object enclosed within the display package to the correct merchandising 
position. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Objectives of the invention include providing an improved display package 
which can be suspended from a display hook in one of a plurality of 
preselected positions. 
Another objective of the invention is to provide such an improved display 
package in which a single hanger may be removably fastened to the display 
box in a plurality of predetermined locations such that the display 
package may be suspended from a display hook, both of the single peg and 
hoop configurations, in a variety of orientations relative to the display 
hook. 
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide such a display package 
which will house items having a variety of sizes and configurations, 
including game cartridges and software packages for various game and 
computer systems. 
A still further objective of the invention is to provide a display package 
which permits the display package to be suspended in such a manner that 
the enclosed object, including the enclosed graphics, is correctly 
oriented for a customer to view. 
A further objective of the invention is to provide a display package which 
is lockable to prevent removal of the contents therefrom. 
Still another objective of the invention is to provide a display package 
for housing an object which is reusable, and in which the hanger is 
movable between two positions on the display package such that the same 
hanger may be repeatedly moved between these two positions to correctly 
orient the display package for each particular article housed therein. 
A further objective of the invention is to provide such a display package 
which is of a relatively simple construction, yet which achieves the 
stated objectives in a simple, effective and inexpensive manner, and which 
solves problems and satisfies needs existing in the art. 
These and other objectives and advantages are obtained by a display package 
for housing an item, the general nature of which may be stated as 
including a display box having a side and an end; a hanger removably 
attached to the display box; and mounting means formed in the display box 
adjacent one of the side and end for removably mounting the hanger to the 
display box adjacent said one of the side and end.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The display package of the present invention is indicated generally at 1, 
and is shown particularly in FIG. 1 suspended from a usual loop type of 
display hook A. Display package 1 includes a display box 2 and a hanger 3. 
Display box 2 includes a base 4 and a lid 5 hingedly attached to base 4 by 
a plurality of hinges 6. Base 4 is rectangular and includes a pair of 
parallel and spaced apart sidewalls 7, a pair of parallel and spaced apart 
endwalls 8 perpendicular to sidewalls 7, and a bottom wall 9 perpendicular 
to sidewalls 7 and endwalls 8. Similarly, lid 5 includes a pair of 
parallel and spaced apart sidewalls 10, a pair of parallel and spaced 
apart endwalls 11 substantially perpendicular to sidewalls 10, and a top 
wall 12. 
Hinges 6 are connected to one of the sidewalls 7 and 10 to provide hinged 
movement between base 4 and lid 5. A lock mechanism indicated generally at 
13 operates between the other of the sidewalls 7 and 10 (FIG. 1). Lock 
mechanism 13 may take a variety of configurations, and operate in a 
variety of ways. In the preferred embodiment, lock mechanism 13 is of the 
type described in pending patent application Ser. No. 08/008,632 entitled 
"Security Container and Release Key Therefor", the contents of which are 
fully incorporated herein by reference. Lock mechanism 13 includes a 
plurality of key holes 14 formed in lid 5, a plurality of trapezoid shaped 
slots 15 formed in sidewall 7, and a plurality of catch areas 16 to 
facilitate the opening of lid 5 with respect to base 4. 
In accordance with one of the main features of the present invention, top 
wall 12 of lid 5 is formed with a pair of rectangular recesses 20 adjacent 
one sidewall 10 and another pair of recesses 20 formed adjacent one end 
wall 11. Referring to FIG. 3, each recess 20 includes a lower half 21 and 
an upper half 22 which are formed by an inner sidewall 23 and an outer 
sidewall 24, with sidewall 24 being appropriately twice the length of 
sidewall 23. A right angle flange 25, coplanar with top wall 12 of lid 5 
extends outwardly from inner sidewall 23 toward sidewall 24 and over a 
portion of upper half 22 of recess 20. Each flange 25 includes a nub 26 
which extends outwardly from an outer edge 41 thereof, and towards outer 
sidewall 24. Each recess 20 is formed with an L-shaped hole 27 in upper 
half 22 thereof which is located adjacent flange 25. 
In accordance with another of the main features of the present invention, 
and referring specifically to FIGS. 2 and 4, hanger 3 includes a 
diamond-shaped body 30 having a central similarly shaped opening 31 for 
receiving a display hook. A pair of spaced parallel legs 32 extend 
downwardly from diagonal corners of body 30. Each leg 32 includes an upper 
section 33 coplanar with body 30, and a lower stepped section 34. Section 
34 includes a right angled shoulder 35 extending between upper section 33 
and a lower planar foot 40. Shoulder 35 is substantially perpendicular to 
section 33 and foot 40 and is substantially equal to the depth of recess 
20. Each foot 40 extends outwardly beyond an inner edge 42 of leg 32 
towards the other leg 32. Hanger 3 preferably is formed of a plastic 
material. 
Lower half 21 of each recess 20 is complementarily shaped to accept a 
respective leg 32 (FIGS. 3 and 6). Similarly, upper half 22 of each recess 
20 is sized to receive foot 40 of each leg 32 with the extended end 
portion of foot 40 extending under flange 25 and the remaining portion of 
foot 40 extending between edge 41 of flange 25 and outer sidewall 24. 
The distance between edges 41 of flanges 25 and sidewalls 24 is equal to 
the width of legs 32 such that when hanger 3 is in the position shown in 
FIG. 4, inner edges 42 of legs 32 are in contact with flange edges 41, 
shoulder 35 is in contact with recess 20 and foot 40 extends under flange 
25. As shown in FIG. 4, each boss 26 extends outwardly from flange 25 and 
into upper half 22 of recess 20 beyond inner edge 42 of a respective leg 
32 to trap hanger 3 in the recess. 
In operation, hanger 3 is positioned over display box 2 such that foot 40 
of each leg 32 is positioned over lower half 21 of each recess 20 as shown 
in FIG. 6. Thereafter, hanger 3 is moved in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 
7) until foot 40 of each leg 32 is in a respective lower half 21 of each 
recess 20. Referring then to FIG. 8, hanger 3 is moved along the direction 
of arrow B until each shoulder 35 is in contact with an upper wall 36 of 
recess 20. 
As hanger 3 is moved in the direction of arrow B, from the position shown 
in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, shoulder 35 of each leg 
32 will move past each nub 26. Once each shoulder 35 has passed nub 26 and 
has moved to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, hanger 3 is retained in 
position via the engagement of each nub 26 with shoulder 35. While 
shoulder 35 slides over nub 26, the extended ends of each foot 40 moves 
into upper half 22 of recess 20 beneath flange 25. This provides a 
generally snap-fit mounting of hanger 3 in recess 20. 
Hanger 3 of display package i may be removably mounted in recesses 20 
adjacent endwall 11, or alternatively hanger 3 may be removably mounted in 
recesses 20 adjacent sidewall 10. The mounting position of hanger 3 
relative to display box 2 is entirely dependent upon the object or article 
to be displayed therein. If the graphics of the enclosed article is best 
displayed when hanger 3 is positioned adjacent sidewall 10, for example 
when the product is wider than it is tall, then hanger 3 is so positioned. 
Alternatively, if the graphics of the object enclosed in display box 2 is 
best viewed when display package 1 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1, 
hanger 3 is positioned adjacent endwall 11, for example when the object 
enclosed in display box 2 is taller than it is wide. 
Likewise, the horizontal distance between the two inner corners of hanger 3 
is substantially equal to the separation of the two rods which form loop 
hook A, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, which enables hanger 3 to slidably hang 
display box 2 therefrom in a stable position. Also, the topmost inner 
corner of hanger 3 receives the rod (indicated at B in FIG. 4) of a single 
hook for suspending display box 2 therefrom in a self-centering manner 
when only a single rod type of display hook is used. 
Display package 1 is preferably manufactured of a transparent or 
translucent material to permit visual inspection of the article enclosed 
within display box 2. 
In summary, display package 1 includes a display box 2 and hanger 3, such 
that an article is enclosed within display box 2, hanger 3 may be 
selectively positioned adjacent sidewall 10 or alternatively adjacent 
endwall 11. In this manner, hanger 3 may be positioned on display box 2 in 
the manner which orients box 2 in the position most favorable for viewing 
the article enclosed therein. Moreover, hanger 3 may be selectively moved 
easily from a position adjacent sidewall 10 to a position adjacent endwall 
11 on display box 2 as objects having different sizes and configurations 
are subsequently housed within the display box. 
Likewise, lock mechanism 13 will securely retain the article, which is 
easily viewed through the transparent walls of box 2, within package 1 
until opened by a key at a checkout counter. 
Accordingly, the improved display package for housing an object is 
simplified, provides an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficient device 
which achieves all the enumerated objectives, provides for eliminating 
difficulties encountered with prior devices, and solves problems and 
obtains new results in the art. 
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, 
clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be 
implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art, because such 
terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly 
construed. 
Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of 
example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact 
details shown or described. 
Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the 
invention, the manner in which the improved display package is constructed 
and used, the characteristics of the construction, and the advantageous, 
new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, 
elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in the 
appended claims.