Patent Publication Number: US-9896235-B2

Title: Box lid

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/173,821 filed Jun. 10, 2015; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Technical Field 
     The disclosure generally relates to packaging for merchandise and, more particularly, packaging formed from foldable materials with a printable surface. Specifically, the disclosure relates to a five-sided device used for packaging or as a portion of merchandise packaging wherein the interior of the major body panel includes an interior panel that has a printable surface that faces the same direction as the other printable surfaces prior to erection so that the entire device can be printed on one side of the blank. 
     2. Background Information 
     Shoe manufacturers seek unique packaging alternatives to the standard folded shoebox. One option is to provide printing on the inside surfaces of the shoebox. The printing can be information about the company that manufactured the shoes or it can be a motivational message. Adding such printing to the inside of the box increases printing costs because the printed material is typically added to both sides of the foldable material in order for the printing to appear of the inside of the box. This requires a printer that can print on both sides of the material or a second pass through a printer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosure provides a foldable lid for a box-type container wherein the lid includes a promotional panel that has a printable surface disposed on the same side of the blank used to create the lid as the other printing surfaces of the lid. When the blank is printed, material can be added to the promotional panel at the same time and with the same equipment as the other surfaces of the lid. When the lid is assembled, the promotional panel is disposed on the inside of the main body panel of the lid facing the cavity of the container. When the user removes the lid, the promotional panel can be viewed. 
     The disclosure also provides a lid for a shoebox type container that has an extra lid panel that provides a finished appearance to the lid and strengthens the lid. 
     The preceding non-limiting aspects, as well as others, are more particularly described below. A more complete understanding of the processes and equipment can be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to indicate relative size and dimensions of the assemblies or components thereof. In those drawings and the description below, like numeric designations refer to components of like function. Specific terms used in that description are intended to refer only to the particular structure of the embodiments selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a blank used to for the lid of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a lid with printing on the promotional panel. 
         FIG. 3  is a section view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a section view of a box with the lid of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the specification. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An exemplary configuration for a box lid is indicated generally by the numeral  10  in the accompanying drawings. Lid  10  can be used with a shoebox-style merchandise container that is typically used for packaging shoes. Lid  10  also may be sized for use with other merchandise packages. Lid  10  is formed from a flat blank of foldable material. The foldable material can be a paper-based material or a polymer. In the exemplary configuration, the foldable material is a 0.024 Solid Bleached Sulphate (SBS) paperboard. 
     Lid  10  generally includes a main body panel  20 , a pair of sidewalls  22 , and a pair of end walls  24 . Each sidewall  22  is formed from an outer sidewall panel  30  and an inner sidewall panel  32  that is connected to outer sidewall panel  30  with a living hinge or fold  34 . When assembled into lid  10 , panels  30  and  32  are secured together with glue to form a sidewall of double thickness. Tabs  36  project outwardly from the ends of outer sidewall panel  30 . Tabs  36  are folded perpendicular to outer sidewall panel  30  when lid  10  is assembled. Tabs  30  are disposed within end walls  24 . Reinforcing tabs  38  project from inner sidewall panels  32  and are folded parallel to tabs  36  and are fit within end walls  24  to strengthen the corners of lid  10 . Each end wall  24  includes an outer panel  40  and an inner panel  42  that is connected to outer panel  40  with a living hinge or a fold  44 . When assembled into lid  10 , panels  40  and  42  are secured together with glue to form end walls of double thickness. 
       FIG. 1  depicts the inner surfaces of the lid panels. The printing that is visible to the user looking at a closed shoe box is added to the other sides of the panels. The disclosure provides a promotional panel  50  that can be printed at the same time and during the same process as the other panels because its printing surface faces the same way and is disposed at the same level as the other panels of lid  10  prior to the assembly of lid  10 . Promotional panel  50  has a length and width that are both less than main body panel  20  so that promotional panel can be folded over and glued to the interior surface of main body panel  20 . Each dimension can be about one sixteenth or an eighth of an inch smaller. A plurality of integral hinges  52  connect promotional panel  50  to main body panel  20 . Hinges  52  are spaced apart and are small compared to the size of panel  50 . For example, in an exemplary configuration wherein promotional panel  50  is twelve inches long, each hinge can be about a quarter inch wide (the hinge&#39;s width being disposed in the same direction as the length of promotional panel in the exemplary configuration). In the areas where hinges are not located, promotional panel  50  is spaced from main body panel  20 . When outer sidewall panel  30  is folded up to a perpendicular position with respect to main body panel  20 , the inwardly-disposed layer of paperboard material is pushed inwardly to define a bead  54  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Hinges  52  span bead  54  and allow panel  50  to lay flat against panel  20 . Hinges are also sized to center panel  50  on panel  20 . 
     Panel  50  can thus be printed at the same time and with the same printing process as the other panels. When panel  50  is folded into the position depicted in  FIG. 2 , the printing is visible to the person who removes lid  10  from its box  60  and looks at the underside of lid  10 . The printing can be a simple solid color, a pattern, artwork, a company logo, information about the product or the company, a marketing message, a coupon, instructions, or a combination of these item. 
     The foregoing description has been made with reference to exemplary embodiments. Modifications and alterations of those embodiments will be apparent to one who reads and understands this general description. The present disclosure should be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or equivalents thereof. 
     The relevant portion(s) of any specifically referenced patent and/or published patent application is/are incorporated herein by reference.