Patent Publication Number: US-2011062224-A1

Title: Dual-Product Package

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to improvements in packaging. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in the construction and manufacture of cardboard packaging for a first product in combination with a second, smaller package for a second product. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Product packaging is an important component of the marketing strategy for essentially every product on the market. One aspect of product packaging growing in importance is the cross-promotion of related products in connection with a primary product. Product manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to introduce consumers of the company&#39;s products to newly-designed or revamped product lines. Providing a free sample of a particular newly-designed or revamped product may entice the customer to come back and purchase that product at a later time. 
     One example of the cross-promotional strategy is frequently employed in the food industry and, more specifically, in connection with products sold at grocery stores. Many such products are frequently sold with free samples of new products made by the same manufacturer. For example, the maker of a certain pasta product may have recently introduced a line of sauces to accompany the pasta. To help promote the new sauces, the same manufacturer may include samples of the new sauces with the pasta with the hope that the consumer will enjoy the product and return to purchase the new sauce product at a later date. 
     One method of cross-promoting is to package a sample packet or a smaller sample box of one product in the primary product container of another. In the context of the prior pasta and sauce example, a distributor or manufacturer may include a sample packet of one new sauce with the pasta product. It is also known to put the sample product on the outside of the box of the other product, but this raises a risk that the sample will be tampered with or destroyed. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide product packaging, especially cardboard packaging, that would allow a manufacturer or distributor to include a promotional product in a separate box coupled with the primary product box. It would further be desirable if this second box could easily be separated from the primary product box and used separately with the second box serving as a useful container for the product package. The present invention addresses these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a dual-box product packaging which comprises a first and a second box. The first and second boxes are hingedly connected along an edge of each respective box. In some embodiments, the first and second boxes may be glued together. In other embodiments, it is preferred that the depth of the second box is approximately one-half the depth of the first box to facilitate in stacking multiple units of dual box products together. 
     It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS 
       A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and preferred embodiment when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows. 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the disclosed dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top elevation view of the disclosed dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom elevation view of the disclosed dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the disclosed dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the disclosed dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an elevation view of a cardboard blank which may be used to manufacture a dual-product package as contemplated by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure illustrates one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein. The appended claims are intended to more fully and accurately encompass the invention to the fullest extent possible, but it is fully appreciated that certain limitations on the use of particular terms is not intended to conclusively limit the scope of protection. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 6 , the structure of the two connected boxes can be described. The first box  120  is depicted as part of a larger dual-box packaging  100 . The dual-box packaging  100  also includes the second box  140 . The first box  120  as depicted in a preferred embodiment has a total of four sides  122 ,  124 ,  126 , and  128 . The first box  120  also has a top  125  and a bottom  127 . The second box  140  also has four sides  142 ,  144 ,  146 , and  148  as well as a top  145  and a bottom  147 . In the depicted embodiments, the first box  120  and the second box  140  are hingedly connected along the edge  155  between sides  124  and  126  of the first box  120  and sides  146  and  148  of the second box  140 . 
     As can be better seen in  FIG. 5 , in a preferred embodiment the first box  120  and the second box  140  may freely swing away from one another around the hingedly connected edge  155 . Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the hingedly connected edge  155  is perforated. If the hingedly-connected edge  155  is perforated, it will be easy for an end purchaser to separate the first box  120  and the second box  140  from one another. In other preferred embodiments of the present invention, the width of side panel  148  is selected to be approximately one half of the width of the side panel  124  of the first box  120 . If this relationship to size is selected, it provides advantages in stacking for pallet configuration, distribution, and display purposes. 
     Looking now at  FIG. 6 , a cardboard blank  200  used to construct the preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The cardboard blank comprises four side panels  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128  of the first box  120  and four side panels  142 ,  144 ,  146 ,  148  of the second box. An interior flap  131  is glued to the interior of side panel  126  to faun the first box  120  while an interior flap  151  is glued to the interior of side panel  146  to form the second box  140 . 
     In the depicted embodiment, the hingedly connected edge  155  is located between side panel  126  of the first box  120  and side panel  146  of the second box  140 . The top  125  and bottom  127  of the first box  120  extend from side panel  126  while the top  145  and bottom  147  of the second box  140  extend from side panel  146 . Also provided are a plurality of smaller flaps  129  for the first box  120  which may be folded and glued to hold top panel  125  and bottom panel  127  in place. Similarly, a plurality of smaller flaps  149  are provided for second box  140  which may be folded and glued to hold the top panel  145  and bottom panel  147  in place. 
     As noted, the embodiments depicted herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number of different embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to more fully encompass the scope of the present invention.