Abstract:
Novelty dispensing packages ( 20, 66, 102 ) are provided which include a base ( 22, 68, 104 ) presenting one or more concavities ( 40, 86, 88 ) adapted to receive a stack ( 28, 74, 76, 110 ) of individually dispensable, image-bearing, adhesive tabs ( 30 ). The packages ( 20, 66, 102 ) also include preferably transparent upper covers ( 24, 70, 106 ) which mate with the bases ( 22, 68, 104 ), as well as image-bearing panels ( 26, 72, 108 ) which are sandwiched between the bases ( 22, 68, 104 ) and the covers ( 24, 70, 106 ). Preferably, the visible images on the panels ( 26, 72, 108 ) relate to the images provided on the individual tabs ( 30 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is concerned with novel dispenser packages allowing the ready, one-by-one dispensing of preprinted, adhesive-bearing tabs. More particularly the invention is concerned with such packages which can be easily designed and modified to convey desired images or advertising messages, without the need for complete redesign of the packages. The packages of the invention preferably include a preprinted, separate panel which mates with a transparent upper cover of the package, and the individual tabs are imprinted with images or text which is related to the panel design.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Elongated, adhesive tabs or flags have long been used as markers on typewritten sheets or the like. For example, tabs bearing the words “Sign Here” together with a pointer arrow are commonly applied to letters or other documents to make apparent where signatures are required. Generally, such tabs are formed paper stock or synthetic resin material and have a portion of the underside thereof covered with a removable or repositional adhesive. Such adhesive may be of the microsphere variety, or a pressure sensitive, hot-melt adhesive applied in the form of small spaced dots or islands.  
         [0005]     In order to facilitate use of such tabs, they have commonly been provided in the form of stacks placed within specially designed dispenser packages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,825 discloses a tab dispenser wherein the tab stack is situated within an elongated package permitting the stack to shuttle back and forth during dispensing of individual tabs. Normally, the top cover of such packages is substantially transparent, so that the user can see the tabs.  
         [0006]     A problem with such prior tab dispensers is that only the tabs themselves are visible through the package cover. This inherently limits the nature and extent of the imagery and/or advertising message that can be conveyed with the package.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above, and provides an improved dispenser package having a degree of design flexibility not achievable with prior packages. The packages of the invention include a base presenting an elongated concavity, together with a light-transmitting (preferably translucent or substantially transparent) cover disposed over the base and having a dispensing slot in communication with the base of concavity. A stack of elongated, adhesive-bearing tabs are located within the concavity beneath the cover and are constructed and oriented such that one end of the topmost tab extends through the dispensing slot, and ends of underlying tabs are pulled through the slot during dispensing of immediately proceeding tabs so that respective tabs of the stack can be successively dispensed through the slot. An imprinted panel is located beneath the cover and is visible therethrough, with the panel preferably being separate and structurally distinct from the cover and the tab stack, and of a size to substantially completely cover the area of the package cover.  
         [0008]     In preferred form, the tabs are also imprinted with indicia related to that presented on the package panel. The tabs may be imprinted identically, or different tabs may have different indicia thereon. For example, the panel may be imprinted with an animal or human likeness whereas the tabs may be imprinted with indicia representing an anatomical feature of the animal or human likeness. Alternately, the package may be substantially rectangular and the size of a deck of cards; in such case the panel may be imprinted with playing card-related indicia whereas the tabs may be imprinted with different card suit and denomination indicia. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a dispenser package in accordance with the invention, with the uppermost tab of a tab stack extending through the package dispensing slot in a first tab orientation;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view similar to that of  FIG. 1 , but showing an alternate tab extending through the dispensing slot and assuming an orientation opposite to that of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the components making up the dispenser package of  FIGS. 1-4 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another dispenser package having a pair of side-by-side tab stacks, each with the uppermost tab extending through an associated package dispensing slot;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary, enlarged vertical sectional view illustrating the construction of the  FIG. 6  package and one of the tab stacks therein;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a fragmentary view illustrating the use of one of the tabs from the  FIG. 6  dispenser, adhered to a sheet;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8A  is a plan view of a tab in accordance with the invention, showing the underside thereof having partial coverage with a repositionable adhesive;  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is an elevational view of another dispenser package in accordance with the invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0020]     Turning now to the drawings, an exemplary dispenser package  20  is depicted in  FIGS. 1-5 . Broadly speaking, the package  20  includes a base  22 , cover  24 , imprinted panel  26  and tab stack  28 . The package  20  is designed to permit successive dispensing of individual adhesives-bearing tabs  30  making up the stack  28 . The tabs  30  can be releasably applied to sheets of paper or the like to give emphasis to a particular region of the sheet. This utility is depicted in  FIG. 8  where a tab  30  is applied to the side margin of a sheet  31  as a marker or flag.  
         [0021]     In more detail, the base  22  is integrally formed of substantially transparent vacuum formed or injection-molded synthetic resin material, and includes a top wall  32 , depending peripheral sidewalls  34 , interior, depending sidewalls  36  and a bottom wall  38  extending between the lower ends of the interior sidewalls  36 . As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the interior sidewalls  36  cooperatively defined a substantially rectangular, open top concavity  40 .  
         [0022]     Cover  24  is designed to mate with base  22 , and is likewise integrally formed of substantially transparent vacuum formed or injected-molded resin material. The cover  24  includes a top wall  42  and depending sidewalls  44 ; the latter are designed to snugly fit against sidewalls  34  of base  22  when the package  20  is assembled. The top wall  42  also includes a transversely oriented dispensing slot  46  which communicates with concavity  40  when the package is assembled.  
         [0023]     The panel  26  is preferably formed of flexible material such paper stock or metallic material and has an imprinted upper surface  48 . The peripheral contour of the panel conforms with the base  22  and cover  24 , so that the panel essentially covers the underside of cover top wall  42 . The panel has a dispensing slot  50  formed therein which is in registry with slot  46 . In the depicted embodiment, the surface  48  is imprinted with a stylized monkey face  52 , with the slot  50  located at the mouth region of the monkey face.  
         [0024]     The stack  28  is made up of a plurality face-to-face adhesively interconnected tabs  30 . Referring to  FIG. 8  and  8   a , each tab  30  is preferably of generally rectangular configuration and presents an upper imprinted face  54  and an opposed lower face  56 . The lower face  56  has repositional or removable adhesive  58  applied to one end thereof so that the tab has an adhesive end  60  and a free end  62 . As illustrated, the adhesive  58  covers only a minority of the surface area of lower face  56 , typically on the order of 40-45% of the total surface area.  
         [0025]     The tabs  30  are oriented so as to permit one-by-one dispensing thereof from stack  28 . Thus, the tabs  30  are alternately arranged, i.e., the adhesive end  60  of each tab is adhered to the free end  62  of the next adjacent tab, on the imprinted upper face  54  thereof. The stack  28  is designed to be received within the base concavity  40 , and is preferably adhered in place therein. During manufacture of the stack  28 , material in roll form is preferably provided with strips of adhesive, using a gravure roller or the like, images are imprinted on the non-adhesive side of the roll material, the roll is cut into individual sheets, the sheets are collated, and the individual stacks are die cut from the collated sheets. In one embodiment of the invention the adhesive layer on the bottom most tab  30  of the stack  28  will secure the stack  28  to the bottom wall  38  of cavity  40 . In the alternative, adhesive layer  29  of paper or plastic may be provided on the bottom tab of each stack  28 , with a layer of adhesive being affixed to the outside surface of the stack  28  to adhesively affix stack  28  to bottom wall  38  of the cavity  40 . It is preferred that the backing layer be incorporated with the sheets of the time of collation thereof. Thus, the backing layer  29  of each stack  28  is of the same dimensions as each sheet of the individual stacks  28 . Additionally, the transverse end walls defining the cavity  40  are closely spaced relative to the ends of the stack  28 . In this fashion, the stack  28  is held in place within the cavity  40  so as to prevent any substantial translatory movement of the stack.  
         [0026]     In the illustrated embodiment, the tabs  30  are each imprinted primarily on the free end  62  of upper face  54  with a stylized tongue  64  which relates to the monkey face  52  provided on panel  26 . Preferably, the tabs  30  are alternately placed in stack  28  with a “tongue down” image  64   a  ( FIG. 1 ) and a “tongue up” image  64   b  ( FIG. 2 ). In addition, each of the tabs has an inscription on the upper face thereof at the adhesive end  60  which reads “Stop Monkeyin&#39; Around.” 
         [0027]     When the package is assembled as depicted in  FIGS. 1-4 , the panel  26  is sandwiched between top wall  38  of base  22  and the inner face of top wall  42  of cover  24 . The slots  46  and  50  are in registry as shown. The stack  28  is seated and adhesively secured within concavity  40  with the free end  62  of the uppermost tab thereof extending through the slots  50 ,  46  for ready dispensing. In use, the free end  62  of the uppermost tab is grasped and pulled through the slots. This action serves to pull the free end  62  of the next adjacent tab  30  through the slots so as to make the next tab ready for dispensing. This causes the tabs to alternately present “tongue down” image  64   a  as shown in  FIG. 1 , and the “tongue up” image  64   b  as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0028]     The invention is susceptible to a number of variations, depending upon the desired visual imagery and text.  FIGS. 6-7  illustrate one such alternative in the form of a package  66  generally sized and configured to mimic a deck of cards. To this end, the package  66  includes a base  68 , cover  70 , imprinted panel  72  and two individual stacks  74  and  76  of imprinted tabs  30 .  
         [0029]     The base  68  has a lowermost panel  78  formed of cardboard paper stock or the like together with a vacuum formed or injection molded synthetic resin body  80  secured to the upper face of panel  78 . The body  80  includes a peripheral sidewall  82 , a top wall  90 , and internal sidewalls  84  depending from top wall  90  that define a pair of spaced juxtaposed, open-top concavities  86  and  88 .  
         [0030]     The cover  70  includes a top wall  92  and a depending sidewall  94  terminating in a lower peripheral flange  96  secured to the upper face of panel  78 . The cover  70  is integrally formed of substantially transparent resin material and has a pair of dispensing slots  98  and  100  formed therein, respectively in communication with the concavities  86  and  88 .  
         [0031]     The panel  72  is substantially rectangular and is designed to snugly fit within cover  70 , in a sandwiched relationship between the later and top wall  90  of base body  80 .  
         [0032]     The stacks  74  and  76  are identical with the stack  28  previously described except that the upper faces  54  of the respective tabs are imprinted with different images. In particular, the tabs of the stacks  74 ,  76  have the upper faces  54  of the adhesive ends  60  ( FIG. 8 ) thereof imprinted with different card suits and denomination indicia; correspondingly, the upper faces  54  of the free ends  62  are imprinted with generic playing card-related indicia. Thus, as the user draws individual tabs from the stacks  74  and  76 , different card suit and denomination images are provided. In  FIG. 8 , the tab is imprinted with the Ace of Diamonds imagery. Other tabs within the stacks would bear different suit and denomination indicia.  
         [0033]     A still further embodiment of the indicia is depicted in  FIG. 9 , with the invention having a different form of artwork or advertising image theron as a part of package  102 . The package  102  as shown in  FIG. 10  has a base  104  presenting a tab stack-receiving concavity  116  and includes a slotted, substantially transparent, vacuum formed or injection molded cover  106 , and a slotted panel  108  imprinted with the selected image or images sandwiched between the underside of cover  106  and base  104 . A stack  110  of imprinted tabs  30  are positioned within the base concavity  116  with the uppermost tab  30  extending outwardly through the aligned slots  111  of the panel  108  and cover  106 . Further structural details of the package  102  are readily apparent from the drawings, and are similar to those of package  66 .  
         [0034]     In this embodiment, the package base, and panel are cooperatively designed and imprinted to represent a pair side-by-side medicament bottles  112  and  114 , with the aligned slots  111  oriented adjacent the bottle tops and transverse to the longitudinal axes of the depicted bottles. The individual tabs  30  may be imprinted with a plain color or with indicia representing a type of medicament corresponding to that shown on the bottles  112 ,  114 .  
         [0035]     It will thus be seen that the invention affords a means of providing a variety of whimsical and/or advertising messages through proper selection of the configuration of the package components and the images imprinted on the panels and individual tabs. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is thus limited only by the imagination of the designer.