ELECTRONIC DEVICE SECURE PACKAGE

A display package for securing an electronic consumer product includes a blister sheet with a plastic blister and raised ridges partially surrounding the plastic blister, a cut resistant sheet overlapping the blister sheet to cover at least the back of the plastic blister, and a housing for encasing the blister sheet and cut resistant sheet, the housing having an aperture through which the plastic blister protrudes. The housing has an adhesively sealed peripheral edge for sealing the package. The raised ridges are located inward of the peripheral edge to assist with sealing, while the cut resistant sheet may be adhesively sealed to the peripheral edge to impart tear resistance and rigidity to the package.

BACKGROUND

Blister packaging for electronic consumer products is known in the art. Since electronic components are often small but expensive items, larger packaging for hanging from a peg or displayed in a similarly visible and accessible manner is used for advertising and sale, and to prevent easy theft (e.g., customers putting the items in their pockets or purse and leaving the store without paying for the items). Blister packaging typically involves vacuum forming a thermoplastic material, and placing the form inside a two-sheet paper or cardboard housing, such that the form extends through a display portal in one sheet, while a flat lip of thermoplastic material around the form remains trapped between the two sheets. The sheets are often made from one blank of material, which is folded over to have matching edges, and the edges glued or otherwise sealed to prevent access to the interior of the package. Often, the edges are compressed as well to add rigidity to the periphery of the package.

Such traditional blister packaging is less secure from tampering for several reasons. The lip of the thermoplastic material around the vacuum formed portion typically extends only slightly inward from the display portal, and pulling the form away from the display portal can result in the form dislodging from the package, releasing its contents. If a person bends the edge of the housing sufficiently to cause the edge of the cardboard to fray and separate, the housing can be opened to reach the contents of the package. Additionally, because the blister is open to the interior of the package, the sheet of cardboard opposite the display portal may be compromised, allowing direct access to the contents of the package.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a blister-type package that resists access to an electronic item or other asset contained therein. Another object of the invention is to provide a blister-type packaging that prevents the blister from dislodging through the display portal of the package. Another object of the invention, is to provide a blister-type package wherein the housing is reinforced to prevent bending the package. Another object of the invention is to provide blister-type package having soft and stretchable, but resilient and cut resistant characteristics to prevent unauthorized cutting into the edges or surfaces of the package. These and other objects of the invention are more fully disclosed in the following description and drawings.

SUMMARY

A display package for securing an electronic consumer product includes a plastic blister for housing and displaying the electronic consumer product. The plastic blister is formed in a blister sheet. In addition to the plastic blister, the blister sheet has raised ridges at least partially surrounding the plastic blister. The package also includes a cut resistant sheet for overlapping the blister sheet and covering the back of the plastic blister and a housing for encasing the blister sheet and cut resistant sheet. The housing has an aperture through which the plastic blister protrudes and includes a peripheral edge for adhesively sealing the package. In one embodiment, the peripheral edge of the housing is compressed to remove air and impart tear resistance at least partially around the housing.

The plastic blister is preferably made from a transparent thermo-formable plastic, and the raised ridges may be contoured around the plastic blister. Preferably the raised ridges are disposed inward of a first peripheral area of the blister sheet, allowing it to remain flat. The cut resistant sheet includes a second peripheral area overlapping the first peripheral area of the blister sheet, and is made of a material with tear-resistant properties such as vinyl and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The housing is preferably made of corrugated cardboard.

The housing preferably also includes a fold line separating a first half and a complimentary second half which are glued together. In one alternative embodiment, the cut resistant sheet is glued to the peripheral edge of the housing. In another alternative embodiment, the blister sheet is glued to the peripheral edge of the housing. The assembled display package may also include a peg hole for suspending it on a display peg. In such an embodiment, the peg hole preferably extends through the blister sheet and the cut-resistant sheet to impart tamper resistance.

A method of manufacturing the secure blister package for an electronic consumer product includes providing a thermo-formable blister sheet, forming in the blister sheet a plastic blister suitable for housing the electronic consumer product, and forming raised ridges in the blister sheet at least partially surrounding the plastic blister. The cut resistant sheet is provided, sized for overlapping the blister sheet, and the housing is provided, including the first half, complimentary second half and aperture.

The blister sheet is placed on the first half, and the cut resistant sheet is placed on the second half. The plastic blister may be formed prior to, or during these assembly steps. The housing is then folded along the fold line to encase the cut resistant sheet and the blister sheet within the housing with the plastic blister protruding through the aperture. Preferably during this process, the first half and the complimentary second half are glued together.

DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIG. 1, the electronic device securing package (package)10appears as a typical blister-type packaging. The package10includes a transparent substantially three-dimensional plastic blister12for holding an electronic consumer product or device (not shown). A substantially two dimensional housing14supports and surrounds the plastic blister12. The housing14is preferably made of paper-based stock, including corrugated cardboard. The housing14includes a peripheral edge26, which is sealed to retain the plastic blister12and guard against tampering.

Still referring toFIG. 1, the housing14may also include a peg hole16for hanging one or more packages10on a display11, including the ability to hang several packages10serially on a single peg18for display and sale after assembly. Preferably the plastic blister12comprises a rigid, thermo-formable clear biodegradable or similar recyclable plastic, and the housing14comprises a thin to thick paper or cardboard, rigid enough to resist bending or folding. Thus, in the absence of the peg hole16, multiple packages can be palletized for transport and standing display.

Referring toFIG. 2, the housing14is preferably a single folding sheet, including a fold line15bisecting the housing14into a first half17and a complimentary second half19of substantially equal size and shape, such that folding the housing14along the fold line15brings the first half17and the second half19into peripheral contour with each other sharing the peripheral edge26. The housing14also includes an aperture20through which the plastic blister12protrudes.

Still referring toFIG. 2, the plastic blister12is formed in a blister sheet22which may include raised ridges24for added resiliency. The raised ridges24preferably contour around the plastic blister12as shown, although they may also be formed in any other pattern effective to impart bending and tearing resilience to the blister sheet22. The blister sheet22is characterized by a first peripheral area23, and the raised ridges24preferably do not extend into the first peripheral area23.

In addition to the housing14and blister sheet22in which the blister12is formed, the package10includes a cut resistant sheet28. A second peripheral area29is located on the cut resistant sheet28. The first peripheral area23of the blister sheet22and the second peripheral area29of the cut resistant sheet28may be located inward of the peripheral edge36of the housing14to enable clean glued sealing at the peripheral edge36. In another preferred embodiment, the first peripheral area23of the blister sheet22and the second peripheral area29of the cut resistant sheet28may extend substantially up to the peripheral edge26of the housing14. In yet another embodiment the blister sheet22may be slightly smaller than the cut resistant sheet to permit sealing the peripheral edge26of the housing14to the cut resistant sheet28while facilitating easy removal of the blister sheet22from the housing14for recycling. The peg hole16may extend through the blister sheet22and cut resistant sheet28in addition to the first half17and second half19of the housing14.

The cut resistant sheet28is preferably a soft plastic stretchable and sealable material, such as vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that makes cutting the cardboard of the housing14difficult, and prevents persons from peeling away a portion of the peripheral edge26of the housing14to open the package10. In the embodiment wherein the peripheral edge26of the housing14is glued onto the cut resistant sheet28, it may be also compressed to make the peripheral edge26rigid and enable to package10to be stacked in open-topped flats (not shown). When gluing and sealing the peripheral edge26of the package, an adhesive compatible with the cut resistant sheet28is preferably used. Compression at the peripheral edge also removes air and imparts tear resistance to the package10.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the package10is assembled by placing the blister sheet22on the first half17of the unfolded housing14, and placing the cut resistant sheet28on the second half19of the unfolded housing14with the fold line15separating them. With the blister sheet22and the cut resistant sheet28in position, the housing14can be folded over thereby forming a peripheral edge26surrounding the blister sheet22and cut resistant sheet28. The blister sheet22is oriented so that the plastic blister12extends through the aperture20.

The cut resistant sheet28may be oriented to overlay the blister sheet22when the housing14is sealed, thereby providing a backing to the open side30of the blister12in addition to adding resilience to the peripheral edge. By extending across the blister sheet22and over the open side30, the cut resistant sheet28prevents tampering from cutting into the side of the package10at the peripheral edge26, and also prevents puncturing the housing14on the side of the package10opposite the plastic blister12to reach the item held therein.

In order to construct the secure blister package10, the thermo-formable blister sheet22is provided and formed to include the plastic blister12and raised ridges24. The plastic blister12is preferably sized for housing the electronic consumer product, and the raised ridges24preferably at least partially surround the plastic blister12. The cut resistant sheet28is also provided and may be sized for overlapping the blister sheet22. The housing14having the first half17, complimentary second half19and aperture20is also provided, with the fold line15between the first half17and complimentary second half19.

The housing14is initially unfolded, with the blister sheet22placed on the first half17, and the cut resistant sheet28placed on the complimentary second half19. The plastic blister12and raised ridges24may be formed in the blister sheet22prior to, or during these assembly steps. The housing14is then folded along the fold line15to encase the cut resistant sheet28and the blister sheet22within the housing14with the plastic blister12protruding through the aperture20. The first half17and the complimentary second half19are adhered together to seal the package10. In various embodiments, the first peripheral area23of the blister sheet22and the second peripheral area29of the cut resistant sheet28may be glued to the housing14near the peripheral edge26.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the Invention is sufficient in detail to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is understood, however, that the detail of the preferred embodiment presented is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, in as much as equivalents thereof and other modifications which come within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification.