Abstract:
The invention provides a device and a method for packaging of one or more neckties for retail display. The device includes a hanger part for hanging neckties on a rack, and a fastener part for holding the neckties together so as to maintain an orderly appearance. The device is inexpensive, convenient to use, and offers enhanced opportunity for brand identification and advertisement.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention is concerned with merchandising, and in particular with packaging and retail display of neckties. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A modern necktie has a front side comprising seamless cloth with a pleasing pattern and a backside with a lengthwise seam, and includes a wide section and a narrow section.  FIG. 1  depicts two views of a typical modern necktie  100  of the prior art showing: (A) the front side  101  of the wide section and the backside  102  of the narrow section of the necktie with seam  103 ; and (B) the front side  104  of the narrow section and the backside  105  of the wide section of the necktie with seam  106 . A cloth strip  107  is usually attached to backside  105  of the wide section of necktie  100  via stitching at each end of the cloth strip so as to form a first “loop” through which the narrow end of the necktie may be inserted to keep it out of sight and out of the way. A second strip of cloth  108  displaying a logo or brand name may also be attached to backside  105  via stitching at each end so as to form a second loop that may also serve the same function as the first loop. Only one such loop is needed to practice the present invention and no distinction with respect to the type of loop is made. The terminology presented in this paragraph is used throughout this document. 
         [0005]    Packaging and retail displays for neckties need to be attractive and readily maintained in an orderly condition. Consumers often disassemble necktie packaging and leave unpackaged neckties lying about, which degrades the appearance of the display and may result in lost or confusing pricing information. Available tamper-resistant packaging offers limited opportunities for creating attractive packaging and for brand advertisement. There is a need for economical necktie packaging that is attractive, discourages disassembly, and offers enhanced opportunity for brand advertisement. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention provides a device and a method for packaging a necktie having a narrow section and a wide section and including at least one loop on the backside of the wide section of the necktie, and for packaging a plurality of such neckties together in one package. The device comprises a hanger part for hanging the device, and the necktie or neckties installed therein, on a rack, and a fastener part for holding the wide and narrow sections of the necktie or neckties together. The hanger part comprises a hook attached to a frame that supports one or a plurality of internal bars over at least one of which a necktie is installed. 
         [0007]    The fastener part is fabricated from a sheet of a cardboard or a plastic material, for example, and comprises: an open-ended enclosure having a quadrangular cross-section whose four sides form a conduit opening; and a rectangular tab strip which is an extension of a tab side of said open-ended enclosure and includes a rectangular tab strip fold line at a predetermined location. In one embodiment, the fastener part further comprises a linear slit in the tab side, which is substantially perpendicular to the long sides of the rectangular tab strip and is sufficiently wide to accommodate insertion of the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip. In another embodiment, the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip is semi-permanently attached to the tab side, via an adhesive or one or more staples, for example, so that the linear slit is not necessary. However, another means of attachment may be used in addition to the linear slit to provide a more secure and/or better aligned attachment. The fastener part is fabricated by an appropriate combination of operations selected from the group consisting of cutting, creasing, stamping, folding and joining. 
         [0008]    In the method of the invention, each necktie to be installed on the hanger part and packaged together is folded to produce a necktie middle fold, for which the front side of the necktie faces outward, and the end of the narrow section of the necktie preferably passes through a loop on the backside of the wide section of the necktie and is located substantially short of the end of the wide section. Each necktie is installed on the hanger part such that the necktie middle fold and the two ends of each necktie are on the same side of the hanger part and the necktie middle fold and the end of the narrow section are located substantially short of the end of the wide section of the necktie. The necktie middle fold and the ends of the wide and narrow sections of each necktie installed on the hanger part are inserted through the conduit opening until the fastener part is located close to the hanger part. The unattached end of the rectangular tab strip is then inserted through a loop on the backside of the wide section of the packaged necktie contiguous with the rectangular tab strip, the rectangular tab strip is folded at the rectangular tab strip fold line, and the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip is attached to one or both of a bottom area of the tab side or a top area of the rectangular tab strip. The unattached end of the rectangular tab strip may be attached via an adhesive or one or more staples, for example, or may be inserted into a slit in the tab side, or both. 
         [0009]    The device of the invention is inexpensive, convenient to use, and offers enhanced opportunity for brand identification and advertisement. The fastener part of the invention holds the packaged neckties together in an attractive package that can be imprinted with a brand name or other advertisement. Since the procedure for disassembly of the package of the invention is not readily apparent, customers are discouraged from opening the package so that a necktie display employing the device and method of the invention tends to remain orderly and attractive. In one embodiment, the package is held together via an adhesive, one or more staples or another type of semi-permanent attachment so that undesirable disassembly is further discouraged. 
         [0010]    Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  depicts two views of a typical modern necktie of the prior art showing: (A) the front side of the wide section and the backside of the narrow section of the necktie; and (B) the front side of the narrow section and the backside of the wide section of the necktie. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  depicts a front view (A) of a hanger part of a device according to the invention, as well as two side views (B and C) illustrating two embodiments of the device. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  depicts a preform for fabrication of the fastener part of a device according to the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  depicts front (A), back (B), side (C) and top (D) views of a fastener part of a device according to the invention, fabricated from the preform of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  depicts a preferred necktie configuration for use with the device of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  depicts a front view (A) and a side view (B) of a preferred hanger part of the device of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  depicts front (A) and side (B) views of one preferred device according to the invention with two neckties installed therein. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  depicts a side view of a second preferred device according to the invention with two neckties installed therein. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    These figures are not to scale and some features have been enlarged for better depiction of the features and operation of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The invention provides a device and a method for packaging a necktie or a plurality of neckties, each having a narrow section and a wide section and at least one of which includes at least one loop on the backside of the wide section. The device comprises a hanger part for hanging the device and the necktie or neckties packaged therein on a rack, and a fastener part for holding the packaged necktie or neckties together and providing brand identification and advertising. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  depicts a front view (A) of a hanger part of a device according to the invention, as well as two side views (B and C) illustrating two embodiments of the device. Hanger part  200  comprises a hook  201  attached to a frame  202  that supports one or a plurality of internal bars over at least one of which a necktie is installed.  FIG. 2A  depicts two such internal bars  206  and  208  which, in conjunction with frame  202  delineate a larger open area  203  and two smaller open areas  204  and  205 . Internal bars  206  and  208  also include optional discontinuities  207  and  209  that, respectively, divide internal bar  206  into sections  206   a  and  206   b  and internal bar  208  into sections  208   a  and  208   b , so that a portion of the bar may be temporarily deformed (pushed to the side) to facilitate installation of a necktie. Discontinuities  207  and  209  are preferably slanted, at a 45° angle, for example, relative to the axes of internal bars  206  and  208 . One or more of the internal bars may be tapered (not shown) in the vicinity of the discontinuity to further facilitate installation of a necktie. 
         [0022]    The hanger part may be of any suitable shape, size and thickness, including variable thickness. One or more internal bars, for example, may have a transverse cross-section with a thickness greater than the thickness of the frame.  FIG. 2B  depicts a side view of hanger part  200  wherein internal bars  206  and  208  have a transverse cross-section that is circular with a diameter greater than the thickness of frame  202  (and hook  201 ). The transverse cross-section of the internal bars may also include a semicircle, for example, and may be different in shape or size for different internal bars within the same frame. One or more of the internal bars may also be tapered, overall or locally. Hook  201  of hanger part  200  may also be thicker, overall or in some areas, than frame  202  to add strength or improve appearance. As illustrated in  FIG. 2C , the hanger part may also be of uniform thickness. The frame of the hanger part may have any suitable geometric shape, including rectangular, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , circular or elliptical. Some or all of the corners and sharp edges of the hanger part may be rounded. Grooves or other recesses may be incorporated in the hanger part to conserve material or for structural reasons. 
         [0023]    The hanger part may be monolithic or comprise separate parts attached via an adhesive or other suitable means, and may be fabricated by any suitable method from any suitable material or materials. Preferably, the hanger part is monolithic, comprises a plastic material, and is fabricated by injection molding. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  depicts a preform  300  for fabrication of the fastener part of a device according to the invention. Preform  300  is fabricated from a sheet of a material, which may include a surface finish, printing at predetermined locations, or both. For example, a brand name or other advertisement may be printed (as indicated) on panel  303 , which becomes the front side of the finished fastener part of the device. Preform  300  is divided into four sides ( 301 ,  302 ,  303  and  304 ) and a joiner tab  305  delineated by fold lines  307 ,  308 ,  309  and  310 . Preform  300  also includes a rectangular tab strip  306 , which is an extension of a tab side  301  and includes a rectangular tab strip fold line  311  at a predetermined location. A brand name or other advertisement (not shown) may be printed upside down on the lower backside of rectangular tab strip  306 , which will appear upright on the backside of the fully assembled fastener part. Optionally, tab side  301  may also include a linear slit  312 , which is substantially perpendicular to the long sides of rectangular tab strip  306  and is located substantially above the top of rectangular tab strip  306 . Linear slit  312  is sufficiently wide to accommodate insertion of the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306 . The predetermined location of rectangular tab strip fold line  311  is sufficiently closer to linear slit  312  than to the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  that the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306 , when rectangular tab strip  306  is folded along rectangular tab strip fold line  311  at an approximately 180° angle, can be inserted in linear slit  312  and be securely held in place. 
         [0025]    Alternatively, the end of folded rectangular tab strip  306  may be semi-permanently attached to a bottom area of tab side  301 , or to the top area of rectangular tab strip  306 , or both so that linear slit  312  is not necessary. In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined location of rectangular tab strip fold line  311  is sufficiently closer to the bottom edge of tab side  301  than to the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  that the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306 , when rectangular tab strip  306  is folded along rectangular tab strip fold line  311  at an approximately 180° angle, overlaps a bottom area of tab side  301  to form an overlap region of sufficient area that the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  may be semi-permanently attached to the bottom portion of tab side  301  via an adhesive (including one-sided or two-sided tape), one or more staples, or any other suitable means. The unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  may also be attached, exclusively or partly, to the top portion of rectangular tab strip  306 . For these alternative cases, linear slit  312  may be omitted or simply not be used, or may be used with the semi-permanent attachment. 
         [0026]    A fastener part may be fabricated from preform  300  by making an approximately right angle fold at each of the fold lines  307 ,  308 ,  309  and  310 , and joining joiner tab  305  to the edge of side  301  using an adhesive or any other suitable attachment means, one or more staples, for example. The fold lines are preferably creased to facilitate folding. 
         [0027]    Preforms for the fastener part of the invention are preferably fabricated from a sheet of a cardboard or plastic material by a stamping operation, which simultaneously cuts the outline of the preform and the linear slit in the tab side (if needed), and provides creases along the fold lines to facilitate folding. Fastener part preforms may also be fabricated by separate cutting and creasing operations. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  depicts front (A), back (B), side (C) and top (D) views of a fastener part  400  of a device according to the invention, fabricated from preform  300  of  FIG. 3 . Fastener part  400  comprises: an open-ended enclosure having a quadrangular cross-section whose four sides  301 ,  302 ,  303  and  304  form a conduit opening  401  ( FIG. 4D ); a rectangular tab strip  306 , which is an extension of tab side  301  of said open-ended enclosure and has an unattached end, and includes a rectangular tab strip fold line  311  at a predetermined location; and optionally a linear slit  312  in tab side  301 , which is substantially perpendicular to the long sides of the rectangular tab strip  306  and is sufficiently wide to accommodate insertion of the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306 . For clarity, rectangular tab strip  306  is depicted in the unfolded state in  FIG. 4A  but in its folded state (inserted in linear slit  312 ) in  FIGS. 4B ,  4 C and  4 D. Note that joiner tab  305  is preferably joined to the backside (inside) of tab side  301  via an adhesive, but may be joined to the frontside (outside) of tab side  301  or may be joined by any other suitable means. The necktie brand name (or other advertising) may be printed on either the front side of fastener part  400  (outside of side  303 ) or the backside of fastener part  400  (outside of tab strip  306 ), or both. 
         [0029]    Numerous variations in the geometry of the fastener part  400  are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, side  303  (front side) and tab side  301  (backside) may be of different lengths so that open-ended enclosure opening  401  has a trapezoidal cross-section rather than the rectangular cross-section of  FIG. 4D . Also, sides  302  and  304  may be rectangular so that their bottom edges are horizontal (perpendicular to the other sides) rather than sloping (see  FIG. 4C ). 
         [0030]    The method of the invention for packaging a necktie or a plurality of neckties, each having a narrow section and a wide section and at least one of which includes at least one loop on the backside of the wide section, comprises the steps of: (1) providing a hanger part comprising a hook attached to a frame that supports one or a plurality of internal bars over at least one of which a necktie is to be installed; (2) folding each necktie to be installed on the hanger part to produce a necktie middle fold for which the front side of the necktie faces outward, and the end of the narrow section of the necktie preferably passes through a loop on the backside of the wide section of the necktie and is located substantially short of the end of the wide section; (3) installing each necktie to be installed on the hanger part such that the necktie middle fold and the two ends of each necktie are on the same side of the hanger part and the necktie middle fold and the end of the narrow section are located substantially short of the end of the wide section of the necktie; (4) providing a fastener part fabricated from a sheet of a material, comprising an open-ended enclosure having a quadrangular cross-section whose four sides form a conduit opening, a rectangular tab strip which is an extension of a tab side of said open-ended enclosure and includes a rectangular tab strip fold line at a predetermined location, and, optionally, a linear slit in the tab side, which is substantially perpendicular to the long sides of the rectangular tab strip and is sufficiently wide to accommodate insertion of the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip; (5) inserting the necktie middle fold and the ends of the wide and narrow sections of each necktie installed on the hanger part through the conduit opening until the fastener part is located close to the hanger part; (6) passing the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip of the fastener part through a loop on the backside of the wide section of the necktie contiguous with the rectangular tab strip of the fastener part; (7) folding the rectangular tab strip of the fastener part at the rectangular tab strip fold line; and (8) attaching the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip to one or both of a bottom area of the tab side or a top area of the rectangular tab strip. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, these steps are preferably, but not necessarily, performed in the order given. Preferably, one necktie is installed on each internal bar of the hanger part but fewer neckties may be installed than the number of internal bars. 
         [0031]    The unattached end of the rectangular tab strip may be attached in Step (8) to one or both of a bottom area of the tab side or a top area of the rectangular tab strip via any suitable means, comprising, for example, use of an adhesive, including one-sided or two-sided tape, or one or more staples. If the optional linear slit is provided in Step (4), Step (8) may comprise inserting the unattached end of the rectangular tab strip into the linear slit in the tab side of the open-ended enclosure of the fastener part. An adhesive or one or more staples, for example, may also be used to provide a more secure or better aligned attachment when the end of the rectangular tab strip is inserted in a linear slit. 
         [0032]    The term “substantially short of” in Step (3), and elsewhere, means that the necktie middle fold and the end of the narrow section of the necktie are sufficiently short of the end of the wide section of the necktie to be hidden behind the wide section of the necktie. The distances separating the necktie middle fold and the end of the narrow section from the end of the wide section are preferably small so that the length of the packaged tie is relatively small but these distances may be any desired distance, from a millimeter or two to ten centimeters or more. 
       DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0033]    A preferred embodiment of the invention is a device for packaging two neckties together in the same package. A preferred method of the invention is described in the preceding paragraph. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  depicts a preferred necktie configuration for use with the device of the invention. Prior to installation on the hanger part, necktie  500  is preferably folded to produce a necktie middle fold  501  for which the front side of the necktie faces outward, and the end of the narrow section  104  of necktie  500  preferably pass through loops  107  and  108  on the backside of wide section  105  of necktie  500  and is located substantially short of the end of the wide section  105 , which is according to Step (2) of the method of the invention. Installation of necktie  500  on the hanger part according to Step (3) involves folding necktie  500  along broken line  502  and inserting the loose ends of necktie  500  into the open spaces on either side of a internal bar of the hanger part (see  FIG. 2 ) so that the backside of wide section  105  of tie  500  rests on the internal bar approximately along broken line  502 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  depicts a front view (A) and a side view (B) of a preferred hanger part  600  of the device of the invention, which has two internal bars  206  and  208  with circular transverse cross-sections and discontinuities  207  and  209 , respectively, to facilitate installation of two neckties. Preferred hanger part  600  is similar to hanger part  200  of  FIG. 2  except for tapered areas  606   a  and  606   b  on internal bar  206  in the vicinity of discontinuity  207  and tapered areas  608   a  and  608   b  on internal bar  208  in the vicinity of discontinuity  209 , which are intended to further facilitate installation of the two neckties. Preferred hanger part  600  also has grooves  610  and  612  on the backsides of internal bars  206  and  208 , respectively, which imparts more flexibility to the internal bars in the direction perpendicular to frame  202 . In addition, hook  201  of preferred hanger part  600  has a widened bottom rim  615 . Preferred hanger part  600  preferably comprises a plastic material and is fabricated by injection molding. 
         [0036]    With reference to  FIG. 6 , preferred hanger part  600  has a square frame  202  that is 90×90 mm overall with a square open area of 76×76 mm (7 mm frame width). Internal bars  206  and  208  have an overall circular transverse cross-section of 8 mm diameter and are positioned so that open areas  204  and  205  are 8 mm wide and larger open area  203  is 44 mm wide. The diameter of the circular opening in hook  201  is 18 mm, and the distance from the top of open area  204  to the top of hook  201  is 35 mm. The thickness of frame  202  is 1.5 mm. The thickness of hook  201  is also 1.5 mm, except for widened hook rim  615  which is 3.5 mm thick and 1 mm wide. Grooves  610  and  612  are 2 mm wide and 2 mm deep. Discontinuities  207  and  209  are 2 mm wide, and are slanted at a 45° angle relative to the axes of internal bars  206  and  208 . The tips of internal bars  606   b  and  608   b  are 17 mm from the inside edge of frame  202 . Tapered areas  606   a ,  606   b ,  608   a  and  608   b  extend 9 mm from the tips of sections  206   a ,  206   b ,  208   a  and  208   b , respectively, along the axes of internal bars  206  and  208 . All dimensions given are approximate and can vary widely within the scope of the invention. 
         [0037]    A preferred fastener part is depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . With reference to  FIG. 3 , approximate width and height dimensions, respectively, for component areas of the preferred fastener part are: 88.5×37.6 for side  301  (not including rectangular tab strip  306 ); 82.0×54.6 mm for side  303 , 10.3×37.7 mm for joiner tab  305 , and 50.7×250 mm for rectangular tab strip  306 , which is centered relative to the bottom edge of side  301 . Sides  302  and  304  are each 17.2 mm wide and have bottom edges slanted at a 45° angle. Linear slit  312  is 53 mm wide and is centered relative to rectangular tab strip  306  and located 6 mm from its top edge. Fold line  311  is located 111 mm from the bottom edge of rectangular tab strip  306 . Note that the width of side  303  is shorter than the width of side  301  so that conduit opening  401  (see  FIG. 4D ) has a trapezoidal transverse cross-section. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  depicts front (A) and side (B) views of a preferred device according to the invention, comprising preferred hanger part  600  ( FIG. 6 ) and preferred fastener part  400  ( FIG. 4 ), with two neckties  701  and  711  installed therein. For clarity, sides  302  and  304 , which would otherwise be visible in  FIG. 7A  since side  303  is narrower than side  301 , have been omitted in  FIG. 7A . The brand name and optionally other advertising are preferably printed on the front side  303  (as shown) and the backside  301  (not shown) of fastener part  300 . 
         [0039]    With reference to  FIG. 7 , one preferred embodiment of the device of the invention for packaging together neckties  701  and  711 , each having a narrow section and wide section and two loops on the backside of the wide section (loops  702  and  703  on necktie  701 , and loops  712  and  713  on necktie  711 ), comprises: 
         [0000]    (1) a hanger part  600  comprising a hook  201  attached to a frame  202  that supports an internal bar  606  closer to hook  201  and an internal bar  608  farther from hook  201  over which, respectively, neckties  701  and  711  are installed, each necktie first being folded to produce a necktie middle fold for which the front side of the necktie faces outward and the end of the narrow section passes through both loops on the necktie and is located substantially short of the end of the wide section of the necktie, such that the necktie middle folds and the two ends of both neckties are on the same side of hanger part  600  and the necktie middle fold and the end of the narrow section for each necktie are located substantially short of the end of the wide section of the respective necktie; and
 
(2) a fastener part  300  fabricated from a sheet of a material, comprising an open-ended enclosure having a quadrangular cross-section whose four sides form a conduit opening, a rectangular tab strip  306  which is an extension of tab side  301  of said open-ended enclosure and has an unattached end, and includes a rectangular tab strip fold line  311  at a predetermined location, and a linear slit  312  in tab side  301  that is substantially perpendicular to the long sides of rectangular tab strip  306  and is sufficiently wide to accommodate insertion of rectangular tab strip  306 , wherein the necktie middle folds and the ends of the wide and narrow sections of neckties  701  and  711  installed on hanger part  600  are inserted through the conduit opening until fastener part  300  is located close to hanger part  600 , and the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  is then passed through loops  702  and  703  on the backside of the wide section of necktie  701 , rectangular tab strip  306  is folded at rectangular tab strip fold line  311 , and the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  is inserted into linear slit  312  in tab side  301  of the open-ended enclosure.
 
         [0040]      FIG. 8  depicts a side view of a second preferred device according to the invention with two neckties installed therein. This device is identical to that of  FIG. 7  except that linear slit  312  has been omitted and the unattached end of rectangular tab strip  306  has been attached to a bottom area of tab side  301  using an adhesive  801 . 
         [0041]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above. Modifications and additional embodiments, however, will undoubtedly be apparent to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts or connections might be reversed or otherwise interchanged, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of other features. Consequently, the exemplary embodiments should be considered illustrative, rather than inclusive, while the appended claims are more indicative of the full scope of the invention.