Patent Publication Number: US-7584854-B2

Title: Shipping and display assembly for complementary products

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/729,143, filed Oct. 20, 2005, the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   This invention relates generally to shipping and display assemblies for off-shelf displaying of products in retail stores. More particularly, the invention relates to assemblies which utilize the shipping box as part of the display assembly. Specifically, the invention relates to a shipping and display assembly that utilizes the lower half of a shipping box to form a first compartment to support elongated retail products, such as wrapping paper, and that includes a second compartment having a plurality of partially enclosed shelves to display complementary retail products such as adhesive tape dispensers. 
   2. Background Information 
   The typical retail store groups related products on shelves or on hanger rods mounted on walls or other upright structures. The shelves typically hold boxed products and other items which are readily supported on the flat upper surface of the shelves. The depth of most shelves is limited so that elongated products do not conveniently fit thereon and must therefore be positioned parallel to the isle. This takes up an unacceptably wide shelf area in most stores. Furthermore, in the case of products such as wrapping paper, the product is typically wrapped around a cylindrical core and there is therefore a likelihood that the product will roll off the shelf and onto the floor. Hanger rods are typically used to display products such as those packaged in lightweight cardboard or plastic and which include hang-tags for hanging them from the hanger rods. Packaged products which are too small to place on shelves or which may be seasonal in nature are frequently hung from elongated clip strips. These are lightweight flexible plastic strips that are about one inch wide and between twenty and forty inches in length. Clip strips are typically die-cut to produce a plurality of upwardly extending single flaps disposed lengthwise along the strip. Each single flap is flanked by a pair of downwardly extending flaps to form a flap group to retain the product. The products are mounted to the clip strip by positioning the upper end of a cardboard backing sheet under the pair of flaps and inserting the single flap through the hanging hole of the backing sheet to support the product. The flap group retains the backing sheet on the clip strip yet allows the product to be easily removed from the clip strip by pulling the product away from the strip to deflect the flaps. The top of the clip strips typically include a hole to wire them to shelf supports and product displays in locations around the store. The clip strips therefore allow for the display of complementary products without requiring shelf space to be utilized for smaller or awkwardly packaged products adjacent the primary products. 
   There are, however, a number of drawbacks to using clip strips. Firstly, attachment of products to the clip strips is labor-intensive, requiring each individual product to be manually mounted to the flaps of the clip strips at the retail store. If the products come pre-mounted to the clip strips from the manufacturer of the product, the products often disengage from the flaps during transport to the retailer. The retailer must then manually reattach the products to the clip strips. This at least partially defeats the purpose of having the products sent to the store pre-attached. Secondly, only a limited number of products may be displayed on a clip strip depending on the number of flaps present, this being typically between about ten and thirty flap groups. Thirdly, when consumers remove the products from the clip strips it is easy to inadvertently disengage other products from the strip at the same time. Fourthly, once the flap group has been used to retain and dispense the product, the flaps tend to become weakened and deformed due to the bending involved in engaging and disengaging the products. Therefore, if the product is reattached, as is the case when the consumer decides against purchasing the product, or when the retailer desires to add additional products to the clip strip, the products may inadvertently fall of the strip because the flap groups cannot adequately support them. Finally, products displayed on clip strips typically look aesthetically unappealing because they tend to hang at various angles from the clip strips rather than neatly aligned with each other. As a result of these disadvantages of clip strips, many retailers are avoiding using clip strips for displays and many chain retailers are banning the use of clip strips in their stores. 
   Seasonal products, such as Christmas wrapping, are typically shipped to retailers in corrugated cardboard boxes. The wrapping paper is frequently displayed in a vertical position within the original shipping box with the top half of the box cut off to expose the rolls of wrapping paper. It is desirable to display the adhesive tape close to the wrapping paper so that the consumer is drawn to purchase the complementary products at the same time. Adhesive tape is typically packaged with a single roll of tape affixed to a backing sheet or with several rolls of tape or tape dispensers packaged in a small cardboard box that may be stood on a shelf or hung from a hung tag. However, the size of single rolls of adhesive tape and the multi-roll packages of tape are small and awkwardly packaged and this makes them difficult to stack easily and neatly on shelves. The adhesive tape dispensers on shelves tend to fall over, will not stay in straight rows and may fall onto the floor. Occupying valuable shelf space with such products is not cost-efficient and the displays tend to look untidy. Retailers therefore tend to hang the single rolls or boxed rolls from hanger rods positioned near the wrapping paper, or may hang the products on clip strips that are disposed near the wrapping paper display. The hanger rods need to be suspended from metal shelving and consequently this limits the retailers&#39; ability to display the adhesive tape in the immediate vicinity of the wrapping paper displays. As mentioned previously, clip strip type displays tend to be untidy, labor intensive and not reusable. Some retailers have consequently resorted to simply providing a large bin near the wrapping paper displays into which they place hundreds of individual rolls of tape, single tape dispensers or packages of multiple rolls of tape or tape dispensers. These bins allow the retailer to position the complementary product close to the free-standing wrapping paper boxes. The bins also allow the consumer to change their mind and replace the product if they decide not to purchase it without having to expend time and energy to do so. The disadvantages of the bins, however, are that the take up valuable floor space, making the display area feel cramped, and the bins also tend to give the retail store an untidy appearance. 
   There is therefore still a need in the art for a shipping and display assembly which allows retailers to display complementary secondary products in the immediate vicinity of displays of primary products, while keeping the products neatly displayed and easily accessible to the consumer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The device of the present invention is a shipping and display assembly for a plurality of complementary primary and secondary products such as wrapping paper and adhesive tape. The assembly includes a box having a first section and a second section which are connected together for shipping and are separable for displaying the products. The first section includes a first compartment for holding and displaying the primary products and a second compartment for holding and displaying the secondary products. The second section of the display assembly restrains the primary and secondary products within the first and second compartments during shipping and is removed from over the first and second compartments when the products are to be displayed. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shipping and display assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of the shipping and display assembly of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the shipping and display assembly showing how the box in the closed position for shipping to the retailer. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-3  there is shown a display assembly in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at  10 . Display assembly  10  comprises a box  12  having a first compartment  14  for displaying a plurality of primary products  16  and a second compartment  18  for displaying a plurality of complementary secondary products  20 . Box  12  preferably is manufactured from corrugated cardboard. The primary products  16  are elongated rolls of sheet material such as Christmas wrapping paper and the secondary products  20  are adhesive tape dispensers or rolls of adhesive tape. 
   As seen from  FIGS. 2 &amp; 3 , box  12  has a top wall  22 , a bottom wall  24  and side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30  and  32 . A plurality of perforations  34  are formed in side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30  and  32  and box  12  may be separated therealong into an upper section  12   a  and a lower section  12   b . Perforations  34   a  in side wall  32  extend downwardly into lower section  12   b  to form a tongue  36  that is integral with upper section  12   a  of box  12 . When upper section  12   a  is separated from lower section  12   b , tongue  36  detaches from lower section  12   b  forming a cutout area  38  in side wall  32  ( FIG. 1 ). Upper section  12   a  covers and restrains the primary product  16  within box  12  during shipping and tongue  36  covers and restrains secondary products  20  within box  12  during shipping. 
   First compartment  14  is formed in lower section  12   b  of box  12  and is defined by a portion of bottom wall  24 , a portion of side walls  26  and  30 , side wall  28  and an intermediate wall  40 . Intermediate wall  40  lies between side walls  28  and  32  and extends from side wall  26  to side wall  30 . Primary products  16  are held within first compartment  14  during shipping and display. 
   Second compartment  18  is formed in lower section  12   b  of box  12  and is defined by a portion of bottom wall  24 , a portion of side walls  26  and  30 , intermediate wall  40  and the part of side wall  32  that remains when tongue  36  is removed. As seen in  FIG. 2 , an upper segment  42  and a lower segment  44  of intermediate wall  40  are folded toward side wall  32 . Upper segment  42  forms the top wall of second compartment  18 . A section  42   a  of upper segment  42  is folded downwardly toward bottom wall  24  of box  12  and is glued or otherwise secured to the inner surface of side wall  32 , but is not secured to tongue  36 . Lower segment  44  of intermediate wall  40  abuts bottom wall  24  of box  12  and is glued or otherwise secured to bottom wall  24 . A plurality of shelves  46  extend between intermediate wall  40  to side wall  32 . Shelves  46  comprise Z-shaped members, each having a first leg  48  glued to intermediate wall  40  and a second leg  50  glued to side wall  32 . Shelves  46  are oriented substantially parallel to bottom wall  24  of box  12  and are adapted to hold a plurality of secondary products  20  thereon. As seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of adhesive tape dispensers  20  are stacked on shelves  46  and the second legs  50  prevent the dispensers from sliding of shelves  46  and out of second compartment  18 . Gaps  52  are formed between section  42   a  and the second leg  50  of the top shelf  46 , and between the second legs  50  of adjacent pairs of shelves  46 . The tape dispensers  20  can be removed from second compartment  18  through gaps  52  ( FIG. 2 ). 
   A pair of holes  54  may be formed in upper segment  42  of intermediate wall  40 . Holes  54  are adapted to receive the legs (not shown) of a display sign (not shown) therein. 
   The display assembly  10  of the present invention is used in the following manner. At the factory, box  12  is formed, the rolls of wrapping paper  16  are inserted into first compartment  14  and the adhesive tape dispensers  20  are inserted into second compartment  18 . Box  12  is sealed so that the rolls of wrapping paper  16  are held securely within first compartment  14  by upper section  12   b  and the adhesive tape dispensers  20  are enclosed within second compartment  18  by tongue  36 . Box  12  is shipped to the retailer who then separates the upper and lower sections  12   a ,  12   b  of box  12  along perforations  34 . Lower section  12   b  of box  12  is placed on a flat surface  56 , such as a floor, so that bottom wall  24  rests on flat surface  56  and the rolls of wrapping paper  16  extend upwardly out of first compartment  14 . This positioning makes it easy for the consumer to remove a roll of wrapping paper  16  from first compartment  14  and to replace the same therein if they change their mind. When upper section  12   a  of box  12  is detached, the tongue  36  is pulled away from side wall  32 , leaving the adhesive tape dispensers  20  both visible and accessible to the consumer. If the consumer wishes to purchase an adhesive tape dispenser  20 , they simply reach into second compartment  18  through one of the gaps  52 , lift a dispenser  20  over the respective second leg  50  and withdraw the dispenser  20  through the gap  52 . If the consumer changes their mind, it is easy to replace the dispenser  20  by pushing the same back through the gap  52  and placing it on a shelf  46 . The display assembly of the present invention therefore makes it easy to ship and display a primary and secondary product together. Because both products are packaged and shipped together, there is no need for any setup on the part of the retailer, other than removal of the upper section  12   a  of the box  12  and positioning of the display  10  in an appropriate location in the store. Furthermore, no valuable shelf space is used to display either of the primary or secondary products. Furthermore, the primary and complementary secondary products are displayed together. Additionally, the display assembly provides for easy access to both the primary and secondary products and for replacement of the same should the consumer change their mind. This display assembly thereby enables the retailer to display the products in a neater and more compact fashion and requires less labor for setup and maintenance. 
   In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
   Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention are an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.