Abstract:
A package and lock combination includes a package having an unopened state and including an aperture, and a lock contained within the package. The lock includes a first portion and a second portion moveable relative to the first portion for operating the lock. The first portion is substantially fixed within the package, and the second portion extends through the aperture so that the lock is operable while the lock is contained within the package and the package is in the unopened state.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Provisional Patent Application No. 61/000,355 filed Oct. 25, 2007, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to product packaging, such as retail sale packaging, and to locks, such as deadbolts. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention provides packaging that allows a consumer to “test drive” the product. More particularly, the invention provides retail packaging for a deadbolt, the packaging allowing a consumer to see the components of the deadbolt and to retract and throw the bolt, so that the consumer can feel the quality of the product. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the thumbturn of the deadbolt is exposed so that the consumer can manipulate the thumbturn to retract and throw the bolt, while the lock is positioned in the packaging. 
     The invention also provides a package and lock combination including a package having an unopened state and including an aperture, and a lock contained within the package. The lock includes a first portion and a second portion moveable relative to the first portion for operating the lock. The first portion is substantially fixed within the package, and the second portion extends through the aperture so that the lock is operable while the lock is contained within the package and the package is in the unopened state. 
     The invention also provides a method of packaging a lock including a first portion and a second portion that is moveable relative to the first portion for operating the lock. The method includes providing a package defining an aperture, positioning the lock inside the package and substantially fixing the first portion of the lock within the package. The method further includes closing the package with the lock inside the package, and extending the second portion of the lock through the aperture to permit operation of the lock while the lock is inside the package and the package is closed. 
     The invention further provides a package and lock combination. The package includes an outer layer having indicia printed thereon and having a closed state. The outer layer includes a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side surfaces extending between the front and rear surfaces. The front, rear and side surfaces substantially define a rectangular solid that forms an outer perimeter of the package and lock combination. The outer layer defines a first window that extends across a portion of the first side surface, and the package also includes an inner layer comprising a substantially transparent clamshell having therein an aperture. The lock is contained within the package and is substantially fixed within the clamshell. The lock includes an exterior housing, an interior housing having a thumbturn moveable relative to the exterior housing for operating the lock, and a bolt moveable with respect to the interior housing and the exterior housing in response to movement of the thumbturn. The exterior housing, the interior housing and the bolt are held together and operational in the clamshell without the use of fasteners. The thumbturn is recessed from the outer layer and extends through the aperture adjacent the first window, such that the thumbturn is accessible through the first window and is graspable and rotatable to thereby move the bolt to operate the lock while the lock is contained within the package and the package is closed. The interior housing and bolt are contained within the clamshell and are viewable through the first window such that movement of the bolt is viewable through the first window. 
     Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a first front perspective view of the packaging in use. 
         FIG. 2  is a second front perspective view of the packaging in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the packaging in use. 
         FIG. 4  shows a box blank. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a plastic clamshell including two portions. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the plastic clamshell with a deadbolt lock assembly having a thumbturn. 
         FIG. 7  is a view of the plastic clamshell and the deadbolt lock assembly with the thumbturn in a first position. 
         FIG. 8  is a view of the plastic clamshell and the deadbolt lock assembly with the thumbturn in a second position. 
         FIG. 9  is a view of the plastic clamshell and the deadbolt lock assembly with the thumbturn in a third position. 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of the packaging including a reset key. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
       FIGS. 1-3  illustrate a package  10  including an outer layer  12  that houses an inner layer  14 , which in turn houses a deadbolt lock assembly  16 . The illustrated outer layer  12  includes front and rear surfaces  18 ,  20 , left and right surfaces  22 ,  24  and top and bottom surfaces  26 ,  28  that are substantially planar and define a rectangular solid  30  that surrounds and substantially encases the deadbolt lock assembly  16 . The outer layer  12  includes an inside  29  and an outside  31  (see  FIG. 10 ). In one embodiment, the outer layer  12  comprises a cardboard box and has a plurality of indicia  35  printed on the outside  31 . The term “cardboard” is used herein to encompass any paper-like material or any material that can be used in the place of a paper-like material to form a box. The illustrated inner layer  14  is a clear plastic or transparent clamshell that supports the deadbolt lock assembly  16  within the box  12 . The term “clamshell” is used herein to encompass any structure including two portions or halves that are put together to close around, support and contain an object. 
     The box  12  is substantially opaque and defines a first window or opening  32  that extends across a portion of the left surface  22 , across the front surface  18  and across a portion of the right surface  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 . The first window  32  permits a consumer to view the deadbolt lock assembly  16  through the clear plastic clamshell  14  while the lock  16  is contained within the package  10  and the package  10  is in an unopened or closed state. The box  12  also defines a second window  34  positioned on the rear surface  20  (see  FIGS. 3 and 4 ). The second window  34  permits viewing of one or more keys  36  positioned within the package  10 . The box  12  further defines a third window  38  on the rear surface  20  spaced from the second window  34 . The third window  38  permits a consumer to view the deadbolt lock assembly  16  while the lock  16  is contained within the package  10  and the package  10  is unopened or closed. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the box  12  as a blank  13 , prior to folding. The blank  13  can be folded along the illustrated dotted lines. Material is removed from the blank  13 , such as by punching, to form the first window  32 , the second window  34  and the third window  38 . Indicia  35  (see  FIG. 2 ) can also be printed on the blank  13  prior to folding the blank  13 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-3  and  6 - 10 , the deadbolt lock assembly  16  includes an interior housing assembly  40 , an exterior housing assembly  42  and a latchbolt assembly  44 , all of which are supported by the clamshell  14 . The interior assembly  40  includes an interior faceplate  46  and an interior actuator, such as thumbturn  48 . The thumbturn  48  is coupled to a driver  52  and is rotatable with the driver  52  (see  FIG. 6 ). Fasteners can extend through respective first and second apertures  56  in the interior faceplate  46  to couple the interior assembly  40  to the exterior assembly  42  and the latchbolt assembly  44 . 
     The exterior assembly  42  includes an escutcheon or housing  58  that substantially surrounds a lock cylinder  60  and supports the lock cylinder  60  for rotation within the housing  58 . The lock cylinder  60  includes a key slot  62  that receives the key(s)  36 . The lock cylinder  60  is also coupled to the driver  52 , to cause the driver  52  to rotate in response to rotation of a key  36  therein. The exterior housing assembly  42  includes a collar  102 . The collar  102  is sized to a standard door width, such that when installed, the collar  102  can retain the lock  16  within the door. The collar  102  includes left and right side recesses  104 . 
     The latchbolt assembly  44  includes a bolt  66 , a yoke collar  68  and a plate  70 . The bolt  66  is slidable inside the yoke collar  68 , such that the bolt  66  can extend out of the yoke collar  68  in a locked position (shown in  FIG. 7 ) and be substantially contained within the yoke collar  68  in an unlocked position (shown in  FIG. 9 ). The yoke collar  68  defines an aperture  72  through which the driver  52  extends, to thereby couple the driver  52  to the bolt  66 . Rotation of the driver  52  in response to rotation of the thumbturn  48  or rotation of the key  36  in the key slot  62  causes the bolt  66  to extend and retract to thereby lock and unlock the lock  16 . The yoke collar  68  further defines apertures  74  through which fasteners can extend to couple the latchbolt assembly  44  to the interior assembly  40  and the exterior assembly  42  upon installation. The yoke collar  68  can extend out of either the left or right side recesses  104  of the collar  102 , depending upon the orientation of the lock  16  in the door upon installation. The plate  70  can define apertures  76  that receive fasteners that couple the plate  70  to a door. Various fasteners  78  are used to facilitate installation (see  FIGS. 7-9 ). 
     The clamshell  14  is more clearly illustrated in  FIGS. 5-9  and includes a first clamshell portion  80  and a second clamshell portion  82  that substantially mate to support the lock  16  with respect to the box  12 . The illustrated clamshell  14  comprises a clear plastic material, such as polyvinylchloride, or PVC. The first clamshell portion  80  supports the exterior housing assembly  42  and the second clamshell portion  82  supports the interior housing assembly  40 . 
     The first clamshell portion  80  includes an inside surface  81  and an outside surface  83  (see  FIGS. 6 and 10 ). The outside surface  83  contacts the inside surface  29  of the box  12 . The inside surface  81  includes a recess  84  that is sized to receive the exterior housing assembly  42 . The clamshell portion  80  defines an aperture  86  adjacent the lock cylinder  60  and aligned with the third window  38  to permit a tool, such as a reset key  88  ( FIG. 10 ), to be inserted into the key slot  62  to reset or re-key the deadbolt assembly  16  while it is contained within the package  10 . In other words, the deadbolt assembly  16  can be re-keyed without removing it from the package  10 . The deadbolt assembly  16  can be re-keyed with a reset key included in the package  10 , or it can be re-keyed with other keys or with other types of re-keying tools, any of which can be inserted through the aperture  86 . In the illustrated embodiment, the reset key  88  is contained within a recess  90  in the top of the clamshell  14  (see  FIG. 10 ). This permits a user to open the box  12  and remove the reset key  88  from the recess  90  without removing the clamshell  14  or the lock  16  from the box  12 . The user can then insert the reset key  88  into the key slot  62  through the third window  38  and the aperture  86  to reset the lock cylinder  60 . For information on how a reset key  88  can be used to reset the lock cylinder  60 , reference can be made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/138,950, filed Jun. 13, 2008, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference. In other embodiments, the aperture  86  and reset key  88  are not included, or just the reset key  88  is not included. Also, the recess  90  can be located elsewhere on the clamshell  14 , although it is preferably on top so that the key  88  is easily accessible without removing the clamshell  14  from the box  12 . It may be desirable to have the recess  90  entirely on one portion of the clamshell, such as on the portion  82  above the bolt  66 , so that the recess  90  does not span the junction between the clamshell portions  80  and  82 . 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 5-9 , the inside surface  81  of the first clamshell portion  80  includes a key recess  92  that supports the key(s)  36  adjacent the second window  34 . The first clamshell portion  80  further includes a recess  94  that is sized to support various loose components, such as screws, washers and a bolt collar, that facilitate installing the deadbolt lock assembly  16  on a door. In another embodiment, the various loose components can each be positioned in individual recesses. The first clamshell portion  80  also includes a channel  96  that supports the yoke collar  68  against the inside surface  81 , and a surface  98  adjacent the plate  70 . The first clamshell portion  80  further includes a recess or space  100  that permits free movement of the bolt  66  between its extended and retracted positions while the lock  16  is contained within the package  10 . 
     The second clamshell portion  82  can be coupled to the first clamshell portion  80  in any known way, such as by mating protrusions and recesses, by use of fasteners, or simply held together by compression in the box  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, one such protrusion  106  and one such mating recess  108  are illustrated. Additional protrusions and mating recesses are utilized to retain the clamshell portions  80 ,  82  together, such as at each corner of the clamshell portions  80 ,  82  and optionally along the left and right sides. These protrusions and recesses have a snap fit engagement to retain the clamshell portions  80 ,  82  together. 
     The second clamshell portion  82  includes an inside surface  101  and an outside surface  103  (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The outside surface  103  includes a planar front  116  that contacts the inside  29  of the box  12 , to support the clamshell  14  within the box  12 . The second clamshell portion  82  includes (see  FIG. 2 ) a recess  112  that extends inward from the planar front  116  and toward the interior faceplate  46 . The illustrated recess  112  is defined by an angled circular wall that forms a substantially truncated cone shape. The illustrated truncated cone shape extends around about two-thirds of a circle. The second clamshell portion  82  also includes a recessed planar portion  114  such that the inside surface of the recessed planar portion  114  contacts the faceplate  46 . The inside surface  101  of the second clamshell portion  82  includes a rim  115  extending around the perimeter of the recessed planar portion  114 . The rim  115  surrounds and engages the faceplate  46  to position the lock  16  in the package  10 . The recess  112 , the recessed planar portion  114  and the rim  115  support the faceplate  46  spaced inward from the box  12 . 
     The interior assembly  40 , the exterior assembly  42  and the latchbolt assembly  44  are secured together by the clamshell  14  without the use of fasteners, such that the lock  16  is operational while contained within the clamshell  14 . The recessed portion  114  includes an aperture  50  through which the thumbturn  48  extends. The lock  16  is fully contained within the clamshell  14  except for the thumbturn  48 . The thumbturn  48  extends out of the package  10  so that a consumer can grasp and rotate the thumbturn  48  while the lock  16  is contained within the package  10  to observe the “feel” of the lock  16  prior to purchasing the lock  16 . This permits a consumer to purchase a lock based upon appearance and the feel of the lock without having to remove the lock  16  from its package  10  and without having to assemble the lock  16 . 
     Assembly of the package  10  can include placing the first clamshell portion  80  on an assembly line, such as on a conveyor. The outside surface  83  of the clamshell portion  80  is positioned on the assembly line such that the inside surface  81  faces upward. The clamshell portion  80  functions as a tray to contain the components of the deadbolt lock assembly  16 , as the deadbolt lock assembly  16  travels along the assembly line. First, the exterior housing assembly  42  is positioned in the recess  84  in the clamshell portion  80  adjacent the inside surface  81 , such that the recesses  104  in the collar  102  are facing to the right and left sides, respectively. The latchbolt assembly  44  is then positioned on the exterior housing assembly  42  by inserting the driver  52  through the aperture  72  in the yoke collar  68 . The latchbolt assembly  44  is retained in the clamshell portion  80  by a snap fit engagement between the yoke collar  68  and the channel  96 . The interior housing assembly  40  is the positioned over the latchbolt assembly  44  and is supported by the collar  102  and the driver  52 . The thumbturn  48  is rotated to an intermediate position (see  FIG. 8 ), such that the thumbturn  48  will align with the aperture  50  in the second clamshell portion  82  as described below. 
     The key(s)  36  are inserted into key recess  92  and the various loose components, such as fasteners  78  are inserted into recess  94 . The second clamshell portion  82  is placed over the first clamshell portion  80 , with the inside surface  101  of the second clamshell portion  82  contacting the interior faceplate  46 , and such that the thumbturn  48  fits through the aperture  50 . The protrusions (one of which is  106 ) are pressed into a snap-fit engagement with the mating recesses (one of which is  108 ) to fix the clamshell portions  80 ,  82  together. The clamshell portions  80 ,  82  containing the lock  16  are then inserted into the box  12 . The reset key  88  is optionally positioned in recess  90  and the top flap  26  of the box  12  is folded down to close the box  12 , see  FIG. 10 . 
     The interior housing assembly  40 , exterior housing assembly  42  and latchbolt assembly  44  are held together by the clamshell  14  and are operational within the clamshell  14 , without the use of fasteners. The bolt  66  is viewable through the first window  32  and the clear plastic clamshell  14 . The thumbturn  48  is graspable through the first window  32  to move the bolt  66  between locked and unlocked positions, while the lock  16  is in the package  10 . 
     Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.