Abstract:
Packaging for providing a convenient, efficient and economical medium for storing, protecting and shipping a product, as well as providing advertising and retail display for the product. A container and a method of packaging is provided whereby the packaged product may be easily and efficiently secured and subsequently removed. In addition, the present invention provides an aesthetically unique and compelling package for presenting products at retail.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THENVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The present invention relates in general to packaging, and in particular, to containers and methods for packaging, storing and displaying an object for retail sale.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Packaging and storage containers are generally known. Typically, a package is fabricated and designed for simply holding and carrying its contents during transportation, shipping and/or storage. A means for sealing or allowing closure of the package may be provided to enclose the contents and prevent them from falling out. Typical packaging material may comprise cardboard or other paper products which may include areas on its exterior surface for placement of shipping labels/information, etc.  
         [0005]     Prior art shipping packages are limited, however, in their lack of ability to display and/or advertise their specific contents. Generally, shipping packages are impractical for display and/or advertising purposes. For example, the actual contents of a shipping package generally have to be removed for proper display, sale, etc. This increases labor costs overall. Therefore, a need exists for an efficient, effective and economical way for simultaneously permitting a product to be shipped, displayed and advertised while reducing material and labor expenses.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is directed to packaging for providing a convenient, efficient and economical medium for storing, protecting and shipping a product, as well as providing advertising and display for the product.  
         [0007]     It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a container in which a product can be packaged, distributed, stored, presented, and displayed for sale.  
         [0008]     It is another aspect of the invention to provide a container and a method of packaging whereby the packaged product may be easily and efficiently secured and subsequently removed.  
         [0009]     According to an aspect of the present invention, a package for shipment and display of an article is provided comprising a first panel adjoined to a second panel by a first fold line, the first panel having a transparent window for display of the article. A sealing panel is provided adjoined to the first panel by a second fold line. At least two side panels are provided adjoined to the first panel by third and fourth fold lines, wherein the side panels are adhered to the back panel to form the package.  
         [0010]     Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote similar elements throughout the views:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a back view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an unassembled package according to an aspect of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     Media which cannot be displayed in an upright position alone, such as, e.g., mousepads, desk protectors, and other non-rigid and/or thin media, encounter special problems in handling and particularly, in retail display due to their inability to be stood upright e.g., for display and/or the nature of the material itself (e.g., being a transparent material which is not easily visible). It is to be noted that the present invention as described herein provides an efficient, compact and effective means for storing, shipping, displaying and advertising such materials in particular.  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example of an assembled package  100  according to an aspect of the present invention. Package  100  includes a front panel  101  which includes at least one window  103  for allowing at least a portion of the contained product to be visibly displayed. The window  103  may be, for example, plastic film, mylar, waxed paper, or any other transparent material and may be positioned at any location on preferably the front panel  101 . It is to be noted that the surface area of the window preferably covers less than about 20% of the overall surface area of the front panel  101 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, the window  103  is rectangular having dimensions of about 2″×4″ and is located in an upper right hand corner of the front panel  101  as shown. Although shown rectangular, the window  103  can be made of any shape to provide sufficient viewing of the product.  
         [0018]     The package  100  includes a rear panel  301  (see  FIG. 3 ) adjoined to the front panel  101  along a first fold line  111 . The front panel  101  includes a sealing panel  105  attached at a second fold line  113  for folding over and attaching to the rear panel  301  to seal the package  100  closed. The sealing panel  105  preferably includes an adhesive strip  302  ( FIG. 3 ) for providing sealing and a perforated edge  106  for facilitating opening of the package  100 . Side panels  303  are further provided which are adjoined to the front panel  101  along each of third and fourth fold lines  110  and  112 , respectively.  
         [0019]     It is to be noted that the front, rear, side and sealing panels are preferably constructed of e.g., cardboard, oaktag, or other paperboard material which may or may not be laminated and/or padded.  
         [0020]     It is to be noted that the exterior face of at least the front panel  101  includes written material, graphics, photographs, illustrations, etc. advertising the product contained within. Such advertising material is generally customized to the product/article contained within the package  100 . In addition, the placement and/or shape of the window  103  may be customized as desired in accordance with, e.g., the type/material/portion of the product which is desired to be displayed/viewed inside the package  100 . However, it is desirable to limit the size of the window  103  (as discussed above) to prevent theft, removal and/or damage of the product contained within.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary illustration of a front view of the retail package  100  according to an aspect of the present invention, showing fold lines  110 ,  111 ,  112  and  113  as well as window  103 , top sealing flap  105  and at least one perforated edge (perforations)  106 . It is to be noted that perforated edge  106  is longitudinal to the second fold line  113 . It is further to be noted that in the assembled package  100 , each of the side panels  303  are attached to the rear panel  301  via e.g., an adhesive to secure the front panel  101  with the rear panel  301  to form the assembled package  100 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the assembled package  100  according to an aspect of the present invention. Package  100  includes an adhesive strip  302  for sealing the panel  105  to the back panel  301 . It is to be noted that the adhesive strip  302  may comprise, e.g., a permanent adhesive or alternatively, a fugitive glue or other temporary adhesive so as to removably adhere the internal surface of the flap  105  to the back panel  301 . Such a temporary adhesive is advantageous in allowing a customer to inspect and handle the contents of the package  100  while at the same time preventing the package  100  from become unsightly after initial opening and repeated re-storage of the contents.  
         [0023]     In addition, side sealing flaps  303  (which are, e.g., extensions of the front panel  101 ) are adjoined at each of the fold lines  110  and  112  for providing a paperboard seal for permanently sealing sides of the front panel  101  to the back panel  301 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an unassembled package  400  according to an aspect of the present invention. Front panel  101  includes side sealing flaps  303  adjoined at each of third and fourth fold lines  110  and  112 , and a rear sealing panel  105  adjoined at the second fold line  113 . The unassembled package  400  is folded along fold line  111  such that the rear panel  301  is flat adjacent to the interior surface of the front panel  101 . Side sealing flaps  303  can then be sealed to the back panel  301  for forming the assembled package  100 .  
         [0025]     While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.