Patent Publication Number: US-7905351-B2

Title: Padlock display package

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/400,938, entitled “PADLOCK DISPLAY PACKAGE” and filed on Mar. 10, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,743,917, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/635,732, entitled “PADLOCK DISPLAY PACKAGE” and filed on Dec. 7, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,843, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/749,324, entitled “DISPLAY PACKAGE” and filed Dec. 7, 2005, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to display packaging and more specifically to a display package for use in displaying and retaining a product. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Products are packaged for a variety of retail and commercial purposes, such as for example, for storage, transportation, and display. One type of package known in the art is display card and blister packaging. This type of packaging is used for many products, including, for example, padlocks, such as key operated padlocks and combination padlocks. Conventional packaging typically encapsulates or surrounds the entire product and is sealed closed to prevent removal of the product, for example, to inhibit or deter theft of the product from a retail location. However, this type of packaging, designed to prevent removal of the product from the packaging at the store, may also make it difficult or time consuming for a consumer to remove the product from the packaging after purchase. Also, with most or all of the product encapsulated by this conventional packaging, pre-purchase inspection of the product by a consumer may be inhibited, as a potential buyer may be unable to see or feel many or most of the surfaces of the product. 
     SUMMARY 
     As described in the present application, a display package may be configured to securely retain one or more items for display while increasing the areas of the item that may be touched or grasped by a user, such as a potential purchaser, and/or reducing the amount of packaging materials that must be cut, torn, or otherwise separated in order to access the packaged item. In one such embodiment, a display package for an item may include a hasp defining a slot for receiving a loop portion of the item, such as a strap, band, link, or shackle, to secure the item to the package. In an exemplary embodiment, a padlock display package includes a card having a front side and a back side and a hasp extending from the front side of the card to define a slot. The padlock is attachable to the display package by inserting the padlock&#39;s shackle through the slot and locking the shackle with the lock body. 
     As further described in the present application, a display package may further include a post onto which a loop portion may be positioned. In an exemplary embodiment, a display package for an item having a loop portion includes a card having a front side and a back side, a post extending from the front side of the card, and a hasp extending from the front side of the card to define a slot. The item may be attached to the display package by positioning the loop portion of the item around the post and through the slot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a display package, showing a padlock retained on the display package; 
         FIG. 2  is a front exploded view of the display package of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the display package of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a right side view of the display package of  FIG. 1 , showing a padlock retained on the display package; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a display package having a pocket for storage of at least one accessory; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another display package having a pocket for storage of at least one accessory; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a display package configured to retain two attached items; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a display package configured to retain three attached items; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a display package configured to retain four attached items. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as described is broader than and unlimited by the preferred embodiments, and the terms used have their full ordinary meaning. 
     The present application will primarily describe display packages for use with padlocks. It should be understood that inventive aspects of the present application may also be used with display packages for other items, such as other items having loop portions, including, for example, wrist watches and carabiners. 
     According to an inventive aspect of the present application, a display package may be configured to securely attach an item having a loop portion to a hasp extending from a display card. As described herein, a “hasp” may include any type of projection at least partially defining a hole, opening, or other such slot, while a “loop portion” may include any segment or portion of material at least partially defining an opening in an item, such as, for example, a strap, band, link, tag, or a shackle. A hasp or loop portion may comprise many different shapes, including, for example, straight, arcuate, or circular segments. For items having a loop portion that separates or opens, such as a padlock or carabiner, the hasp may be integral with the display card. While the display card may be a substantially flat component to which one or more items may be mounted, for example, to hang the items from a rack, the shape, size, thickness, and contours of the display card may be varied to suit the item being packaged, the types of indicia or other information to be included on the display card, and the intended environment for display of the item. 
     According to another inventive aspect of the present application, a display package may include a display card having a post extending from a front side of the display card. The post may be sized such that a loop portion of an item may be positioned over the post, for example, to secure the item to the display package or to limit movement of the item while attached to the display package. In one embodiment, an outer perimeter of the post may be sized to match or closely fit with an inner perimeter of the loop portion, for example, to further limit movement of the attached item with respect to the display package. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate a padlock display package  10  made in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The package  10  may be suitable for various display methods at a retail environment, including hanging on a rack or hook and resting on a shelf or platform. The package may be constructed of plastic, corrugate, or any other material of suitable strength.  FIGS. 1 and 4  illustrate a padlock  20  in phantom lines as retained on the display package  10 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 1 , the package  10  can be formed from several pieces or as a uniform single piece. The exemplary package  10  includes a display card  11 , a knob or post  18  extending from a front side of the card  11 , and a hasp  16 , extending from the front side of the card  11  and to define a slot  17 . As illustrated, a portion of the hasp  16  may also extend from the post  18 , with the post  18  defining a portion of the slot  17 . As shown, the slot  17  may be sized to receive the shackle  22  therethrough, and an outer perimeter of the post  18  may be sized to correspond with or closely match an inner perimeter defined by the shackle  22  and lock body  21  of the padlock  20 , which may serve to limit movement of the padlock  20  with respect to the package  10  in a direction substantially parallel to the display card  11 . Movement in a direction substantially parallel as used herein may include movement of the padlock relative to the face of the card  11  by an offset angle, such as, for example, the offset angle α as shown in  FIG. 4  and described below. 
     The exemplary display package  10  may be configured to further limit movement of the padlock  20  with respect to the package  10  in a direction substantially perpendicular to the display card  11 . For example, the display package  10  may include one or more projections  15  extending from the front side of the card  11  to engage a rear facing portion of the loop portion or shackle  22  of the attached padlock  20 , effectively limiting movement of the shackle  22  within the slot  17 . As another example, the display package  10  may be configured to engage a front facing surface of the shackle  22  to limit forward rotation of the padlock  20  about the slot  17 . While many different configurations may be used to provide engagement with the front surface of the shackle  22 , including, for example, prongs extending from the front side of the display card or tabs extending from the sides of the post (not shown), in the illustrated embodiment, a separate retaining member or anchor  30  may be inserted between the post  18  and an upper surface of the lock body  21 . The illustrated post  18  includes a downward extending lip  19  that retains the anchor  30  when the padlock  20  is attached to the display package  10 . The anchor  30  includes outward extending tabs  33  that engage the front surface of the shackle  22 . The engagement between the anchor  30  and the shackle  22  and post  18  limits forward rotation of the padlock  20  about the slot  17 . The exemplary anchor  30  remains retained between the post  18  and the padlock  20  until the padlock  20  is removed from the display package  10 . 
     A display package with an attached item may be configured to be displayed either by placement on a shelf or platform or by hanging from a rack or hook. Where the attached item  20  is a free standing item (such as, for example, a padlock with a flat bottom surface), the display card  11  may be sized such that a bottom surface  24  of the item  20  extends below the bottom of the card  11 , such that the bottom surface  24  may be directly supported by the shelf or platform X, as shown, for example, in  FIG. 4 . 
     The display card may also include a cut-out portion  13  that aligns with a portion of the attached item (for example, the lock body  21  of the illustrated padlock  20 ) to allow the attached item to extend beyond the back side of the display card  11 . This may allow for improved visibility and access to the rear facing surfaces of the attached item  20 . Further, in one embodiment, the display package may be configured such that the display card  11  is maintained in an angled (non-parallel) vertical orientation with respect to the item, for example, to aid in visibility of indicia or other markings on the front side of the display card  11  when the display package  10  and item  20  are placed on a shelf below eye level. For example, projections  15  from the display card  11  may hold a middle portion of the shackle  22  further away from the display card  11 , while an anchor  30  retains a lower portion of the shackle  22  closer to the display card  11 , thereby orienting the display card  11  at an angle α with respect to a vertical center line Y of the attached padlock  20 . In one embodiment, the center line Y and the display card  11  form an angle α of approximately 10°. The slot  17  may also be sized to retain the padlock  20  and display card  11  at the desired angle α with respect to each other. 
     To hang the display package  10  from a rack or hook (not shown), the display card  11  may further define a punch hole or other such opening  12 . The hole  12  may be positioned on the card  11  to align with the item  20  to be attached to the display package  10 , which may be offset from the center of the card  11 , such that the display package  10  with attached item  20  will hang in a straight (non-crooked) orientation. 
     To attach a padlock to the exemplary display package  10  of  FIGS. 1-4 , the shackle  22  of the unlocked padlock  20  is inserted through the hasp  16  and positioned around the post  18 . The shackle  22  is then locked into engagement with the lock body  21 . To remove the padlock from the display package  10 , the padlock  20  is unlocked, and the shackle is withdrawn from the hasp  16 . In the illustrated embodiment, no additional packaging materials need to be cut, torn, or otherwise separated to remove the padlock  20  for use. However, in other embodiments, additional packaging materials may be used. For example, wrappings may be used to protect the displayed item from the environment. 
     According to another aspect of the present application, a display package may also be configured to secure one or more accessories associated with or corresponding to the attached item, such as, for example, one or more fasteners, batteries, or padlock keys. In one embodiment, the display card may include a pocket configured to at least partially receive and retain the accessory. For example, the pocket may include a cavity  14   a  extending from the front face of the display card  11 , as shown in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 5 . As another example, the pocket may include a slotted or hollow projection  14   b  extending from the front face of the display card  11 , as shown in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
     In the exemplary padlock display package, deterred access to a padlock key may be desirable, as the padlock  20  may be easily removed from the exemplary package  10  by unlocking the padlock  20  and withdrawing the shackle  22  from the hasp  18 . Many different configurations may be utilized to deter access to this accessory. For example, the key K may be stored in a cavity  14   a , as shown in  FIG. 5 , that is covered by a display label  40  adhered to the front side of the display card  11 , such that the label  40  must be peeled or torn from the display card  11  to access the key, which may cause obvious damage to the packaging to identify tampering. In one such examplary embodiment, a portion of the label  40  is transparent, such that the stored key K is visible. As another example, the key K may be attached to the display card by a fastener  50 , such as, for example, a post and lock tab arrangement as shown in  FIG. 6 , requiring tools and/or effort to remove the key for use. 
     In other embodiments, a display package may be configured to retain and display multiple items, such as, for example, multiple padlocks. While many different configurations may be used to retain multiple items, in one embodiment, a display package may be provided with multiple hasps, wherein each hasp is configured to retain one item. For example,  FIGS. 7 ,  8 , and  9  illustrate padlock display packages  100   a ,  100   b ,  100   c  configured to accommodate two, three, and four padlocks, respectively. The features of each display package  100   a ,  100   b ,  100   c , such as, for example, the hasps  116  and posts  118 , may, but need not, be consistent with the features of the display packages of  FIGS. 1-6 . In another embodiment (not shown), a display package may be configured to retain multiple items by including an elongated hasp through which loop portions of multiple items may be inserted, and an elongated post, over which loop portions of multiple items may be positioned. As shown in  FIGS. 7-9 , a larger display package  100   a ,  100   b ,  100   c  may include multiple punch holes  112  to provide additional support for the display packages when hanging. 
     While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, circuits, devices and components, software, hardware, control logic, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention, the inventions instead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.