Slip case package

A slip case package for small articles includes a sleeve member and a drawer being slideably mounted therein. The sleeve member is formed by first providing a blank of relatively lightweight cardboard with graphic designs formed thereon. The blank is formed into a partially assembled sleeve portion and reinforcing member is inserted therein. The reinforced sleeve member has sufficient rigidity to act as a slip case package sleeve, but the graphics may be provided thereon with machine operations and with perfect alignment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates, in general, to an improved container or 
carton for small articles and a method of making the same, and, in 
particular, it relates to an improved slip case package. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Cardboard containers for small articles are well known. One type of such 
container is referred to as a slip case type package. With a slip case 
type package, a portion which might be referred to as a drawer or tray 
receives the articles which are to be contained. This drawer or tray is 
slideably received within a surrounding case or sleeve which provides an 
enclosure for the otherwise open top of the drawer or tray. Since the 
drawer or tray is slideably received within the sleeve, the package 
receives its name of slip case. 
The existing method of making the sleeve of a slip case package starts with 
the formation of a stiff cardboard blank which is formed into a sleeve 
member and which is typically glued to retain its shape. Since slip case 
packages are utilized for the marketing of many products, printed graphics 
are thereafter affixed to the formed sleeve member, which identify the 
products contaided therein. To accomplish the affixation of the graphics, 
the graphics are first printed upon a wrapping material. The wrapping 
material is typically formed in two pieces, a top piece which covers the 
top and sides of the sleeve member of the slip case package and a separate 
bottom piece which is used to cover the bottom of the sleeve. The wrapping 
material is usually made of a thin, lightweight paper which is adhesively 
bonded to the sleeve. This method of construction presents certain 
limitations. 
First, the wrapping material containing the printed graphics to be affixed 
to the sleeve of the slip case package is usually aligned by hand with 
respect to the sleeve and, as a result, tight borders on the graphics 
printed upon the wrap are a problem because of tolerances in alignment by 
hand. Also, because the wraps are made in two separate pieces, it is 
difficult to have graphic designs which have continuous borders. Thus, 
because of this alignment problem, the type of graphics which may be used 
is limited. In addition, the thin paper wraps containing the graphics 
require hand operations that are difficult to mechanize, thus making the 
slip case package expensive to produce. 
While it would be desirable to print the required graphics directly on the 
surface of the stiff cardboard material used to form the sleeve member 
itself, the cardboard does not lend itself to traditional high quality 
printing techniques. 
It would be desirable to provide an improved slip case package and method 
of making the same which did not suffer from the aforementioned 
disadvantages. 
Specifically, it would be desirable to provide an improved slip case 
package and method of making the same which eliminate the necessity of 
employing two piece paper wraps having graphics thereon for applying trade 
information to the package. 
It would be further desirable to provide an improved slip case package and 
method of making the same which did not suffer from the graphic alignment 
problems typical of prior art slip case packages. 
Still further, it would be desirable to provide an improved slip case 
package and method of making the same in which graphics could be affixed 
thereto in highly efficient machine handling operations. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing objectives are achieved by the method of making a slip case 
package in accordance with the present invention. This method comprises 
the provision of a blank of relatively lightweight cardboard having a body 
portion with a plurality of end flaps projecting therefrom, the blank 
having graphic designs formed thereon. In accordance with the present 
invention, the blank is formed into a partially assembled sleeve member, 
the body portion of the blank defining a central cavity of the partially 
assembled sleeve member, the partially assembled sleeve member having at 
least one open end. Next, in accordance with the present method, a 
reinforcing member having the same shape as the central cavity and sized 
to fit within it is inserted through that open end. After the reinforcing 
member has been inserted within the sleeve member, the end flaps at the 
aforementioned end are turned inwardly into the central cavity thus 
securing the reinforcing member therein. Thereafter, a drawer dimensioned 
to fit within the central cavity is provided which slideably engages with 
the sleeve member. 
The provision of the aforementioned reinforcing member provides rigidity to 
the sleeve despite the fact that the sleeve is formed from a blank of 
relatively lightweight material. The blank from which the sleeve is made 
is sufficiently thin and lightweight such as to be amenable to the 
mechanized affixation of high quality graphics thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, the improved slip case package of the 
present invention as well as the method of making the same will be 
described in detail. 
Referring first to FIG. 1, a lightweight cardboard blank approximately 
0.020 inches thick is shown generally at 10. The cardboard blank 10 
includes integral side wings or flaps 12 and 14 abutting the main body 
portion of the blank at fold lines 18 and 20 respectively. The main body 
of the blank 10 includes fold lines 22, 24, 26, and 28 which are 
orthogonal to the fold lines 18 and 20 and which define the ultimate top 
23, bottom 25, and side portions 27 and 29 of the slip case package 
sleeve. 
In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, because 
the slip case package sleeve blank 10 is formed of lightweight cardboard 
material, it may be imprinted directly with high quality graphic designs 
such as, for example, the pattern shown at 32 and the alpha-numeric 
characters shown at 34. These graphic designs may be imprinted upon the 
blank 10 using mechanized procedures. Moreover, because they are printed 
in the flat, the graphic designs such as, for example, the design 32 may 
be formed in locations which span the various fold lines 22, 24, or 26 
such that continuous designs such as 32 may reside on both the top 23 and 
the sides 27 or 29 of the completed slip case package without any problems 
of alignment. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, the first step in the transformation of the blank 
10, having graphics already imprinted thereon, into a slip case sleeve 40 
will be seen. As shown in FIG. 2, the blank 10 is folded along fold lines 
22, 24, 26, and 28 and is glued at flap 42 to yield a partially assembled 
slip case sleeve member having a central cavity therin. Also, as shown in 
FIG. 2, the graphic design 32, which spans the fold line 24, is present on 
both the top 23 and one side surface 29 of the sleeve 40. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the second step in the transformation of the blank 
10 to the sleeve 40 will be seen. As shown in FIG. 3, the end flaps 12 are 
folded inwardly to fully close one end of the sleeve 40. In accordance 
with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, two of the end 
flaps 12 include a finger aperture 44, the purpose of which will become 
apparent below. As shown in FIG. 3, the end flaps 14 are not immediately 
folded inwardly. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the next step in the transformation of the blank 
10 to the slip case package sleeve 40 will be seen. As shown in FIG. 4, 
and in accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, a 
reinforcing member 46 is provided. The reinforcing member 46 includes a 
single piece of relatively stiff, heavyduty cardboard as compared to the 
blank 10. The reinforcing member 46 includes fold lines 22A, 24A, and 26A 
which define a plurality of panels 48, 50, 52, and 54. The panel 48 is not 
affixed to the panel 54, whereas the other panels are joined to adjacent 
panels at the fold lines 22A, 24A, and 26A. In accordance with an 
important aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing member is sized 
to fit within the central cavity of the partially assembled sleeve 40 and 
has dimensions slightly smaller than the sleeve. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, in the next step of the present methods the 
reinforcing member 46 is inserted within the partially assembled sleeve 40 
to provide rigidity to the sleeve. As shown in FIG. 6, once the 
reinforcing member 46 is fully inserted within the partially completed 
sleeve 40, the end flaps 14 are folded inwardly and glued in place, thus 
retaining the reinforcing member 46 in the inserted position. The 
insertion of the reinforcing member 46 provides rigidity to the relatively 
thin, lightweight sleeve member 40. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, the assembly of the completed slip case package 
will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the slip case sleeve 40 having the 
reinforcing member 46 inserted therein is aligned with a slip case drawer 
or tray shown generally at 70. The slip case drawer or tray 70 includes a 
bottom portion 72 and sidewalls 74, 76, 78, and 80 which are all slideably 
received within an open end 82 of the completed slip case sleeve 40. Once 
the slip case drawer or tray 70 is inserted within the completed slip case 
sleeve 40, it may be extracted therefrom by force exerted through the 
finger aperture 44 bearing against the sidewall surface 74 of the drawer 
80. 
While one embodiment of the slip case package of the present invention is 
illustrative, the present invention should be accorded a scope sufficient 
to cover equivalent constructions within the purview of the appended 
claims.