Abstract:
A convenience fast food package is provided with at least one removable printed premium that is rendered through the use of high resolution imaging equipment on a central area or portion of the package. The premium is defined in one face of a panel of the package through the use of lines of weakness that allow the premium to be readily removed and utilized by a consumer. The food package of the present invention is produced in accordance with a customer retention and development program.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     None.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention pertains to a consumer food product container having at least one removable premium that is integral with and separable from the receptacle. More particularly, this application is directed toward an erectable blank of material that may be prepared by producing a subsequently detachable area from the surface of the blank. The area is preferably printed using high color graphics and generally having a resolution greater than about 150 lines per inch. The remainder of the blank may be printed using lower resolution imaging and in one to two colors. The removable area may be used to create various remembrance articles, collection pieces, souvenir items and other pictorial and graphic illustrations that aid in retention of customers and promotion of various products and services.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Printed products, such as pieces that are intended to be used in business communications, can be delivered in a wide variety of formats, constructions and configurations. Normally, one of the most significant limiting factors for a manufacturer being able to produce a particular construction or expand product capabilities is the equipment the manufacturer has on hand to generate such printed pieces.  
         [0004]     There are a number of promotional and premium type consumer give away activities ranging from direct mail offerings to in store promotions to direct consumer package application. Many of these offerings provide some sort of nominal premium by which to engender a consumer to the particular product being offered. Some of these opportunities may require the individual to collect coupons, points and even submit a small remuneration in order to obtain the premium that is offered. Other applications provide for immediate gratification of the consumer at the point of sale location, however such applications also increase the possibility of theft and product damage, particularly if the premium has any real or perceived value to a passerby.  
         [0005]     Consumer food packages, such as ready to eat (RTE) cereals are generally well known and are produced from a blank of paperboard material. Often such RTE packages are provided with premium cradles, portions integrated with the blank of material that are used to carry a toy, CD or other trinket designed to promote purchases of the product. In other instances, such RTE packages may have a toy or other premium deposited within the package itself to prevent the premium from being removed by anyone other than the purchaser of the product.  
         [0006]     In other constructions, RTE packages have also been provided with posters, signs and the like that typically require the user to cut the item from the package, which may in turn destroy the package leaving the contents to spoil in the event the consumable food product contained within the receptacle have not been previously consumed.  
         [0007]     Other consumer food product packages, particularly those that are provided in connection with take out or delivery food service applications have generally not benefited from such promotional opportunities. This may be due to one of several possible reasons, ranging from the type of material that is used in manufacturing the consumable food product to the cost associated with producing a product having a premium connected or otherwise associated with the food container.  
         [0008]     In the former situation, corrugated cardboard is often used to construct pizza type boxes and other similar fast food types. The corrugated material cannot be processed through high resolution imaging equipment due to its thickness and thus some entrepreneurial individuals have begun adhering additional materials to the surface of the container in order to create some marketing and advertising activity.  
         [0009]     In addition, as in the case of a pizza delivery box, the food contents more often than not will contact with the container causing spoiling of the container as grease or other food products or derivatives may contaminate the corrugated material, thus disincenting the supplier of such products from wanting to spend more money on the container.  
         [0010]     Moreover, most fast food and convenience food containers, such as a pizza box, are normally obtained by consumers in a hurry largely due to societal trends that have limited the amount of time an individual or family may have in order to engage in meal time activity. In such a situation, the consumer simply cares more about the contents of the container rather than the package of the container itself. Most such containers are printed typically using one or two colors of ink at a relatively low image quality resolution. The printing generally may depict the name of the establishment, phone number and perhaps a less than accurate image of the food product contained in the package.  
         [0011]     Convenience food providers have for many years attached advertising sheets externally to the food package container. Such sheets often provided coupons toward future purchases, announced special food product offers and limited time availability of certain specialty food products. While some of these sheets have been printed using high color graphics, the sheets are commonly overlooked by consumers as unneeded collateral material. In addition, such sheets may be difficult to remove as the adhesive permanently secures a portion of the sheet to the carton or alternatively, the adhesive is applied in a hap-hazard fashion making removal of the sheet difficult and often resulting in tearing of the sheet.  
         [0012]     In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, many small to medium sized establishments that may offer delivery or take out type services to their clientele will often purchase generic food containers and receptacles from a food service company. This is largely due to the cost associated with obtaining a small production run of personalized food packages for these businesses as the volume of packages required is simply not large enough to obtain a quality product at a reasonable price.  
         [0013]     Flexography is one exemplary conventional technology that is commonly used today for the printing of decorative items, because of the ability to print multiple colors. Flexographic technology is commonly used in the rendering of packaging, marketing communications and normally will utilize a series of plates and one or more stations, containing inks; to apply colored images to the web as the web traverses the press. Through improvements in ink qualities and other modifications and enhancements in the technology, the image quality in flexographic presses and resulting products has improved to about 150 lines per inch.  
         [0014]     Typically, for a point of reference, screens that have rulings of about 60 to 100 lines per inch are normally used to make halftone printed images for newspapers. Screens with about 120 to 150 lines per inch are commonly used today to produce images for magazines and commercial printing. Such screens are regularly produced by electronic dot generation.  
         [0015]     Electronic dot generation is normally performed by computers that use unique screening algorithms in cooperation with electronic scanners and image setters to produce halftone images that are to be subsequently used to render an image. The pixels of digitized images are first assembled into dots that are then used to form shapes, sizes, rulings, etc. which create the ultimate image produced on the substrate.  
         [0016]     While such conventional technology such as flexography is desirable for use in such printing due to the economies that can be achieved when compared with other types of printing processes, such as lithography, there are a number of drawbacks in utilizing this process for certain applications. Initially, the quality is limited, despite improvements in the technology to about 150 lines per inch. This can make some complicated graphics appear “grainy”. Other images such as those that use flesh tones or deep or rich colors, may look faded or “washed out”. The effects of this level of image resolution can detract from the product appearance which may diminish the value of the technology and the products produced particularly for the prime label market. With increasing sophistication of consumers, as well as technology and expectations from each, such effects may be undesirable to potential end users.  
         [0017]     Thus, there is a need for a corrugated consumer convenient food package for fast food and delivery applications that provides the outlet with an aesthetically pleasing package and which can be used in the promotion of products and services for small to medium sized business applications and one which will provide a removable premium that increases customer retention and repeat consumer businesses for such establishments.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.  
         [0019]     Surprisingly it has been found that there is a demand for convenience or fast food delivery packages having one or more removable premiums to distinguish a product offering from more generic packages that have customarily been used in connection with servicing the food delivery industry.  
         [0020]     The present invention relates to a unique, convenient food delivery package that can be produced with a removable premium that is created through printing at a relatively high resolution, one greater than about 150 lines per inch. The removable premium is intended to be part of a collector series or to provide other memorabilia to drive customer retention and acquisition. The package is preferably constructed from a corrugated material and may be provided with protective material on one face that is opposite the face or surface used in connection with the premium.  
         [0021]     In one exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, a corrugated consumer convenient food package, is presented and includes a substantially planar blank constructed preferably from corrugated material. The blank has first and second panels with each blank having first and second longitudinally extending sides and first and second transversely extending edges. Each of the panels has first, second and third peripherally extending wings hingedly connected to each of the panels about the first and second longitudinally extending sides and the first transversely extending edge. The panels are joined to one another by a hinged spine connected to each of the panels along the second transversely extending edges.  
         [0022]     Each of the panels has first and second faces directly opposed to one another with the second face of the first panel overlying the second face of the second panel when the blank is folded about the spine.  
         [0023]     A central portion is provided in the first face of the first panel and is defined by a line of weakness that extends about a periphery of the central portion. The central portion is printed with graphics that has a resolution of greater than about 150 lines per inch. The graphics along with a portion of the package create at least a first removable premium that is used for consumer retention and the graphics do not include discounts or coupons.  
         [0024]     The shape created by the line of weakness and defining the removable premium may be selected from any suitable configuration including geometric, animate, inanimate, and alpha and numeric characters.  
         [0025]     A protective material may also be provided in connection with the construction of the present invention. The protective material is preferably used to prevent contamination of the carton or package by the food product, such as oil or grease that may be present with the particular food product. The protective material is selected from a group that includes coatings, such as wax and other barriers, synthetic films, metal foils, cellulosic based materials like wax paper or parchment paper and the like.  
         [0026]     The carton or package may also be provided with a second removable premium which may for example be used on the second panel first face so that additional pieces may be provided in connection with a collection series or alternatively a wholly distinct collection series.  
         [0027]     In a still further exemplary embodiment, a convenience food package having at least one removable premium is presented and includes a first substantially planar panel that has first and second longitudinally extending sides, first and second transversely extending edges and first and second faces. Each of the longitudinally extending sides has a hinged flap that extends outwardly from the sides and runs substantially along each of the longitudinally extending sides. The first panel has a hinged flap that extends outwardly from the first transversely extending side and runs substantially along the transversely extending edge.  
         [0028]     A second substantially planar panel that has first and second longitudinally extending sides, first and second transversely extending edges and first and second faces. Each of the longitudinally extending sides has a hinged flap that extends outwardly from the sides and runs substantially along each of the longitudinally extending sides. The second panel has a hinged flap that extends outwardly from the first transversely extending side and runs substantially along the transversely extending edge.  
         [0029]     A third planar panel is provided and is substantially smaller than each of the first and second panels. The third panel has first and second faces, first and second longitudinally extending sides and first and second transversely extending edges.  
         [0030]     The first panel is connected to the third panel along the first transversely extending edge and the second panel is connected to the third panel along the second transversely extending edge.  
         [0031]     At least one removable premium area is provided on the first face of the first panel. The removable premium area is defined by lines of weakness that extend completely about the removable premium area and create a periphery. The removable premium area is printed with graphics depicting a collectable image with a resolution of greater than 150 lines per inch.  
         [0032]     In a yet still further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a food delivery carton having a detachable printed premium is presented and includes a blank of substantially planar corrugated material. The blank has first and second substantially quadrate panels and each of the panels having first, second, third and four edges. The panels each have first and second faces and the panels are connected to one another along one of the edges of each panel.  
         [0033]     A printed collection piece provided as part of a continuing collection series and is printed on the first panel first face and is surrounded by a line of weakness that defines a periphery of the collection piece. The collection piece is produced with a resolution of greater than about 150 lines per inch.  
         [0034]     A protective material is disposed on the first panel second face and positioned so as to be substantially directly opposed to the collection piece on the first panel first face.  
         [0035]     The removable premium that is provided in connection with the food delivery package will preferably consume more than fifty percent of the available printed area of the face or surface of the panel on which it is printed. It should however be understood that the collection piece may occupy all of the available printable space or a much smaller portion. In addition, the premium may include a single element or may have several elements, such as for example collectors cars provided in the area of the premium.  
         [0036]     These and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0037]     These, as well as other objects and advantages of this invention, will be more completely understood and appreciated by referring to the following more detailed description of the presently preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0038]      FIG. 1  depicts a front view of the food convenience package of the present invention showing removable premiums;  
         [0039]      FIG. 2  provides a rear view of the food convenience package of the present invention illustrating the protective material used in preventing contamination of the premium from the contents; and  
         [0040]      FIG. 3  presents a front view of convenience food package that has been assembled or erected for delivery to a consumer in connection with an order or request for a particular food product. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0041]     The present invention is now illustrated in greater detail by way of the following detailed description which represents the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention. However, it should be understood that this description is not to be used to limit the present invention, but rather, is provided for the purpose of illustrating the general features of the invention.  
         [0042]     The term “food grade” sheet or material as used herein refers to sheets of material that may be used in direct contact with consumable food products such as parchment paper, aluminum foils, wax paper, wax coatings, synthetic films, metal foils and other materials.  
         [0043]     Consumer or convenient food packages as used herein include delivery and take out packages, such as pizza delivery boxes, cartons and the like which are preferably constructed from corrugated materials and may be erected from a substantially planar blank of material to form a food container for consumer use.  
         [0044]     The term “premium” as used herein includes a portion of the food package or carton this is printed with significantly higher resolution and image quality than any surrounding printing and is intended to be of such quality that a consumer would like to retain the item after removal from the panel or surface to which it is printed. The premium of the present invention is preferably part of a series that encourages collections of multiple premiums that are delivered in successive time periods or may be obtained in a random configuration in order to promote customer retention and acquisition. In addition, the premium may be provided with personalized indicia such as the name of the customer or particular specifics relating to the individual premium as well as static printing indicia such as the name of the establishment offering the premium.  
         [0045]     The term “personalized information” refers to information that is printed or imaged onto a substrate or document which is generally variable or unique and which may change from document to document or segment to segment so as to create a customized message or communication for each recipient. Examples of personalized information may include names, addresses, descriptions, plans, coding, numbering, promotional text, etc. that may have been acquired from the intended recipient through surveys, questionnaires or answers given to various inquiries generated in response to a request for goods or services.  
         [0046]     The term “static or fixed” information refers to printed or imaged information that generally does not change from document to document or segment to segment and may include a general description or body of information about particular products, services, places, etc. that may be of interest to the intended recipient and represents a standard message that the manufacturing or supplier wishes to convey to an end user or customer of the offering.  
         [0047]     The shape created by the line of weakness and defining the removable premium may be selected from any suitable configuration including geometric, animate, inanimate, and alpha and numeric characters. For example, in connection with a racing promotion, the periphery created by the lines of weakness may include an outline of a stock car or other racing vehicle. Other shapes provided in connection with promotions may resemble animals, such as a promotion promoting the preservation of wildlife, or may be other inanimate objects such as famous castles of the world. The shape may also be generally quadrate, round, triangular or square so that pictures of scenery, people, events and the like may be created.  
         [0048]     Examples of image generating or high quality printing devices that are suitable for use in practicing the invention include high resolution imaging devices such as Indigo®, available from Hewlett Packard of Palo Alto, Calif. or Karat available from KBA of Williston, Vt. Ideally, the present invention seeks to provide a segment or intermediate with a series of segments that has a quality of about 150 or more lines per inch and preferably more than 300 lines per inch, which is approximately equal to about 2500 to 3500 dots per inch (“DPI”) in order to create a high quality image that is intended to be aesthetically appealing to the consumer.  
         [0049]     Reference is now directed to  FIG. 1  of the present invention in which a convenience food delivery package is generally referenced by numeral  10 . The package is preferably constructed of a corrugated material but other materials are of course suitable for the practice of the present invention including paper board and other relatively thick cellulosic based board stock.  
         [0050]     The package  10  has a first panel  8  that is substantially planar. The first panel  8  includes first and second longitudinally extending sides  12  and  14  and first and second transversely extending edges  16  and  18 . Each of the longitudinally extending sides  12  and  14  have flaps  20  and  22  extending peripherally outwardly from the sides and the first transversely extending edge  16  has a further flap  24  that extends peripherally outwardly from the edge. The flaps  20 ,  22  and  24  are hingedly connected to each of the respective sides or edges by a score in the corrugated material that allows the flaps  20 ,  22  and  24  to be folded upwardly or downwardly, depending on the construction being produced, about the periphery so as to form short walls when the blank is erected into the food package.  
         [0051]     The first panel  8  also includes a central area  11  that is printed with a high resolution image, in this example a racing car. The central area  11  that will form the premium is surrounded by a line of weakness  13  that defines the periphery of the removable premium. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the line of weakness  13  generally follows the contours of the shape of the printed premium. The premium in the central area  11  will preferably be printed with a resolution of greater than about 150 lines per inch and more preferably at about 300 lines per inch.  
         [0052]     The panel  8  may also be printed with other indicia  15  which may show the origin of the carton or package  10  as well as other suitable or related graphics. Typically, this additional printing  15  will be provided in a much lower resolution and often in only a single color.  
         [0053]     A spine or third panel  26  is connected to the first panel  8 . The panel  26  has first and second longitudinally extending sides  25  and  29  and first and second transversely extending edges  27  and  28 . The panel  26  is hingedly connected to the first panel  8  along a first transversely extending edge  27 . That is, due to a score in the material forming the blank  10 , the panel  26  can be folded upwardly or downwardly to form a back wall for the contents of the container. As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , panel  26  is substantially smaller than either panel  8  or  30  and is roughly equivalent in size to the flaps surrounding the periphery of the blank.  
         [0054]     The blank  10  is provided with a second panel  30  which includes first and second longitudinally extending sides  32  and  34  and first and second transversely extending edges  36  and  38 . Each of the longitudinally extending sides  32  and  34  have flaps  40  and  42  extending peripherally outwardly from the sides and the first transversely extending edge  36  has a further flap  44  that extends peripherally outwardly from the edge. The flaps  40 ,  42  and  44  are hingedly connected to each of the respective sides or edges by a score in the corrugated material that allows the flaps  40 ,  42  and  44  to be folded upwardly or downwardly, depending on the construction being produced, about the periphery so as to form short walls when the blank is erected into the food package.  
         [0055]     The second panel  30  also includes a central area  31  that is printed with a high resolution image, in this example a substantially quadrate area depicting a castle. The central area  31  that will form the premium is surrounded by a line of weakness  33  that defines the periphery of the removable premium. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the line of weakness  33  generally follows the contours of the shape of the printed premium, a geometric square. The premium in the central area  31  will preferably be printed with a resolution of greater than about 150 lines per inch and more preferably at about 300 lines per inch.  
         [0056]     The panel  30  may also be printed with other indicia  35  which may be personalized indicia and  37  which may be static printing. The printing may be used to indicate the number of collectible pieces in a series. Typically, this additional printing  37  will be provided in a much lower resolution and often in only a single color.  
         [0057]     Attention is now directed to  FIG. 2  of the presently described invention which provides the reverse side of  FIG. 1  of the blank  10 . The first panel second face  50  has been provided with a protective coating  52  which for convenience is shown as covering substantially all of the second face  50 . The protective coating  52  will preferably be a food grade material that is suitable for direct food contact. In addition, the material will also preferably be impervious to grease, oil, moisture and other potential contaminates that may spoil the premium that has been printed on the first face as described in connection with  FIG. 1 . The area occupied by the premium, or the outline of the premium is shown in  FIG. 2  and is represented by the lines of weakness  54  that extend all the way through the corrugated material that makes up the blank  10 .  
         [0058]     The second panel second face  56  is also shown in  FIG. 2  as having been provided with a protective material  58  again which covers substantially all of the interior of the face of the second face  56 . The area occupied by the premium that has been printed on the reverse side is represented by numeral  60 .  
         [0059]     It should be understood that the protective material may only be applied to one face of one panel in the event only one premium is provided and the material may also only be provided in the area that the premium occupies on the reverse side. Quadrate areas of the protective coating have been drawn for convenience only. In the even that the protective material is coated onto the surfaces  50  and/or  56 , such as may be the case of a wax based coating, upon removal of the premium, which is accomplished by tearing, punching or cutting along the lines of weakness the consumer may simply wipe off any moisture, grease or oil that may have accumulated on the surface as the wax based coating will be impermeable to such substances so as to protect the image from being contaminated.  
         [0060]     Alternatively, a sheet of metal foil, parchment paper, wax paper may either be adhered or placed over the face of the panels so as to protect the premium from contamination. In such instances, the sheet is then simply removed from the panel and discarded allowing the consumer to utilize the premium that has been provided.  
         [0061]      FIG. 3  of the presently described embodiment shows a erected convenience food package and is referenced by numeral  70 . The first face of the first panel  72  is provided with a printed premium  74 , again using the race car example from  FIG. 1 , and a line of weakness  76  extending about the periphery of the premium  74  to allow for removal of the premium from the carton  70 . The carton  70 , first face  72  may also be provided with indicia related to the premium offering designated by  78  and more generic or static indicia  80  relating to the type of product or showing origin of the food product. In addition, the carton  70  may be printed with personalized indicia directly on the surface  72  of the carton  70  which relates to the specifics of an order, such as a phone number and delivery address as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0062]     Through use of the present invention one or more premiums may be printed and provided to aid in customer retention or acquisition. The premiums may be readily removed and accumulated by a consumer and the collection used and enjoyed by the consumer as opposed to simply discarding the entire convenience food package. The present invention, thus allows food delivery applications the opportunity to enhance the ordering experience and to potentially enhance the appearance of the product in front of the customer.  
         [0063]     It will thus be seen according to the present invention a highly advantageous consumer convenient food package having at least one removable high quality printed premium has been provided. While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, and that many modifications and equivalent arrangements may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products.  
         [0064]     The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of their invention as it pertains to any apparatus, system, method or article not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.