Abstract:
A carded pinwheel package for displaying multiple units of information about a product packaged attached to the card. A front section has a display opening adapted to display product information located on a pinwheel positioned between the front section and a back section, wherein the pinwheel is rotatably attached to the front section or the back section. Each image can be selectively viewed through the display opening by rotating the pinwheel, and a customer may interactively display each unit of information as desired.

Description:
[0001]     The present invention relates to a carded package for displaying multiple units of information about a product packaged on the card and more particularly to a carded package for displaying multiple units of information about the product packaged on the card, wherein a customer may interactively display each unit of information as desired.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Small items such as tubes or bottles of adhesive are often displayed using a packaging card that attaches to the product and contains product information such as the product name, manner of use, and price. The product may then be placed on a shelf where the product and the upstanding packaging card are visible to prospective purchasers. Alternatively, a hole may be punched in the packaging card so that the card can be hung from a rod projecting from a vertical panel. In both manners of display, prospective purchasers can easily view both the product and information pertaining thereto. This manner of displaying small items is in widespread use.  
         [0003]     The area of the package card that is not obstructed by the attached product is generally used to display information about the product. In particular, with reference to a glue, information is commonly displayed regarding the glue such as the type of glue, e.g. super glue, color, transparent/opaque, indoor/outdoor, setting time and applications for which the glue is designed. Manufacturers would like to provide as much information as possible to potential consumers, and in an attractive format. In order to accomplish this objective, a larger package card may be used, or additional fine print may be added to the card in the unobstructed, viewable area. Neither solution is practical or desirable for providing a large amount of information. A larger package provides more real estate space for attractive and eye-catching information display, but at the expense of increased packaging, shipping and display costs. Providing additional fine print does not incur the drawbacks associated with the larger package card, however, consumers are often disinclined to read fine print, and fine print is certainly not very eye-catching from an advertising point of view.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     To overcome these problems, the present invention comprises a packaging card including a front section having a display opening adapted to display product information and a back section attached to the front section. A pinwheel is positioned between the front section and the back section and rotatably attached to the front section and/or the back section. The pinwheel has a plurality of product information image areas arranged in a circular fashion, wherein each image can be selectively viewed through the display opening by rotating the pinwheel.  
         [0005]     It is, therefore, a principal objective of the present invention to provide a packaging card for displaying increased units of information related to a product in a visually pleasing manner without increasing the size of the packaging card.  
         [0006]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a packaging card that presents units of information related to the product in a consumer-interactive manner.  
         [0007]     It is still another object of the invention to provide a packaging card for displaying increased units of information related to a product in a visually pleasing manner at low cost. 
     
    
       [0008]     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof and from the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a frontal inside view of an unfolded packaging card according to the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 1B  is a frontal view of an advertising pinwheel suitable for use with the packaging card of  FIG. 1A ; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a frontal view of the card of  FIG. 1  in a folded configuration having an attached product. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0012]     Reference is now made to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same. The present invention comprises a packaging card for interactively displaying multiple units of product information to a consumer through an opening via a pinwheel.  
         [0013]      FIGS. 1A-1B  show a packaging card  10 , in an unfolded configuration, and a pinwheel  12  according to the present invention. The packaging card  10  includes a front section  14  and a back section  16 . The front section  14  and the back section  16  are, in this embodiment, connected at a fold line  18 . The front section  14  has an opening  20  through which product information may be displayed when the packaging card  10  and the pinwheel  12  are fully assembled. The front section  14  also includes a front support opening  22  which, in the fully assembled state, aligns with a back support opening  24  though which a support rod may be positioned.  
         [0014]     In the fully assembled state, the pinwheel  12  occupies an unobstructed, i.e. adhesive free, space between the front section  14  and the back section  16  depicted by the area within the first dashed line  26  and the second dashed line  28 , where the front section  14  has been folded over the back section  16  and the pinwheel  12  along the fold line  18 . In the fully assembled state, the pinwheel  12  is preferably fastened to the front section  14  with a fastener, e.g. a rivet, through a front section fastener hole and a pinwheel fastener hole  32  located at the center of the pinwheel  12 . The front section  14  can be secured to the back section  16  via adhesives, or other means, outside the areas defined by the dashed lines  26  and  28 .  
         [0015]     In a preferred embodiment, the pinwheel  12  will have a plurality of information images  34  printed on the front surface  36  of the pinwheel  12 . Each of the images  34  will be approximately the same shape and size as the display opening  20 , and the images  34  will be arranged in a circular fashion on the pinwheel  12  so that each image will be presented, in turn, through the display opening  20  as the pinwheel is rotated about its center. To facilitate ease of rotating the pinwheel  12 , the front section  14  includes a cutout  38 , and the back section  16  includes a cutout  40 , wherein the cutouts provide more gripping area on the exposed portion  42  of the pinwheel  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0016]     The above-described arrangement advantageously expands the amount of information that can presented to a consumer in an attractive and interactive format. For example, with reference to  FIG. 2 , where a fully assembled package card  10  with an attached product  44  is shown, a consumer can readily grip the pinwheel  12  and interactively view the product information provided in the information images  34  through the display opening  20 . This configuration makes it easy to show, for example, multiple uses for the product  44  in a graphical or pictorial form that will catch a consumer&#39;s eye, whereas the same information in fine print might go unnoticed.  
         [0017]     In the preferred embodiment, the display opening  20  and the images  34  are depicted in a circular shape, however, any shape can be used that fits on the pinwheel. For example, the opening and images can be shaped in the outline of a house if all uses for the product are home related. The display widow  20  can also be elongated along the circular path of the images to accommodate panoramic images. Nor is the location of the display window  20  fixed to the left side of the package card  10 . It can be located to either side of the product or above or below the product with equal efficacy.  
         [0018]     The pinwheel can be any substantially flat insert. A paperboard or plastic flat disc, octagon or other rotatable shape are all appropriate. The pinwheel may have multiple illustrations visible through the window  20  and corresponding illustrations or text visible at the gripping area exposed portion  42 . The pinwheel  12  does not need to be fixed to the card at its center  32 . It may be free floating within the confines of the front and the back cover.  
         [0019]     In the above-described preferred embodiment, the front section  14  and the back section  16  are described as being connected along a fold line  18 . In alternate embodiments, the front section  14  and the back section  16  can be separate pieces that are affixed to each other with adhesives, or by other means, in the fully assembled state. It is also possible to provide the back section  16  with a display opening similar to the front section display opening  20  so that product information images  34  can be provided on both sides of the pinwheel  12  to essentially double the amount of product information that can be displayed. In fact, it is not necessary to have a back section. The back section  16  can be omitted in some embodiments in order to reduce the cost of the packaging, particularly in situations where the package card is suspended on a rod and the consumer would normally only view the front of the package.  
         [0020]     The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. The invention has also been described with respect to several alternate embodiments. These and other variations and modifications of the invention will occur to others upon the reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended that all such variations, alterations and modifications, be included insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.