Abstract:
A theft resistant product packaging has a rear shell, a middle shell, and a front shell for containing a product. The front and rear shells have cut resistant contours for resisting cuts therethrough. The middle shell abuts the rear shell such that they may contain the product therebetween. The front shell covers the middle shell such that cut resistant contours of the front shell nest within the cut resistant contours of the middle shell, thereby cooperating to prevent cutting through the front shell to remove the product.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application for a utility patent claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/801,371, filed Mar. 15, 2013. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to product packaging, and more particularly to theft resistant product packaging. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Product packaging contains a product and displays it to the consumer for purchase. For many products it is important that the product packaging impede theft of the product; however, due to the display function of the packaging, it remains important that the product packaging look attractive and enticing to the consumer. Also, as with all components of a product, it is always desirable to provide these functions for a reasonable price. 
     The prior art teaches the use of thermoformed plastic “clamshell” packaging. This form of packaging is popular because it looks attractive, displays the product well, and at a reasonable price. The disadvantage of this form of packaging is that it is relatively easy to slice the clamshell open to steal the product. 
     One alternative to prevent theft is to increase the thickness of the thermoformed plastic. This approach increases the cost of the packaging, and is still not strong enough to adequately prevent theft. 
     A more recent approach, illustrated in Seber et al., U.S. 2012/0318695, is to laminate a cut-resistant fiber into the thermoformed plastic. While this provides resistance to theft, the fibers are unattractive and impede the presentation of the product. 
     The prior art teaches various forms of thermoformed plastic clamshell packaging, and product packaging that includes cut resistant fibers. However, the prior art does not teach a product packaging that is both attractive and also a significant barrier to theft. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further advantages as described in the following summary. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below. 
     The present invention provides a theft resistant product packaging for containing a product. The theft resistant product packaging comprises a front shell having cut resistant contours for resisting cuts therethrough; a middle shell having cut resistant contours for resisting cuts therethrough; and a rear shell. The middle shell abuts the rear shell such that they may contain the product therebetween. The front shell covers the middle shell such that cut resistant contours of the front shell nest within the cut resistant contours of the middle shell, thereby cooperating to prevent cutting through the front shell to remove the product. 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a theft resistant product packaging having advantages not taught by the prior art. 
     Another objective is to provide a theft resistant product packaging that resists cuts through the packaging to prevent theft of the product within the packaging. 
     A further objective is to provide a theft resistant product packaging that provides an attractive display of the product, without obscuring the view of the product with unsightly anti-theft fibers or similar features. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a theft resistant product packaging according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view thereof, illustrating the components of the theft resistant product packaging, including a front shell, a middle shell, a product on a card insert, and a rear shell; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the rear shell of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view thereof taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view thereof taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging that only includes the middle shell and an alternative embodiment of the rear shell; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging, similar to  FIG. 6 , only also including the front shell; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the rear shell of  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view thereof; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rear shell; and 
         FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, theft resistant product packaging  10  for protecting a product  12  from theft while on display in a store or other retail location. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging  10 .  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view thereof, illustrating the components of the theft resistant product packaging  10 , including a front shell  20 , a middle shell  30 , the product  12  on a card insert  40 , and a rear shell  50 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the rear shell  50  of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is a sectional view thereof taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 5  is a sectional view thereof taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 2 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , in this embodiment the product packaging  10  includes the three shells  20 ,  30 , and  50  that fit around the product  12  (and potentially the card insert  40  of similar packaging) and include cut resistant features, described below, to prevent theft of the product  12 . The front shell  20  includes cut resistant contours  22  molded therein for resisting cuts through the front shell  20 . In this embodiment, the front shell  20  includes a generally planar top surface  24  extending to a top perimeter  26 , and a side wall  28  extending downwardly from the top perimeter  26  to a front attachment perimeter  29  that includes an outwardly extending flange  27 . The cut resistant contours  22  of this embodiment are molded into the side wall  28  for resisting cuts through the side wall  28 ; however, the cut resistant contours  22  may also be included in any manner consistent with protecting the product  12  from theft, and those skilled in the art may device alternative arrangements that remain within the scope of the present invention. 
     In this embodiment, the top surface  24  is generally planar to permit easy viewing of the product  12  within the product packaging  10 , although this too may be varied depending upon the design of one skilled in the art. In an alternative embodiment, the cut resistant contours  22  may extend entirely around the front shell  20 , including the top surface  24 , and may include curves similar to those shown, and/or alternative cut-resistant shapes (e.g., the V-grooves described below, and/or any other shapes with similar cut-resistant qualities). The cut resistant contours  22  may also extend to the top perimeter  26 , and even to the flange  27 ; and these contours  22  may interlock with the rear shell  50 . The particular shape, design, configuration of the cut resistant contours  22  may vary, and these and other alternative embodiments are within the scope of the present invention 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , the middle shell  30  is shaped for generally conform to the product  12  for holding the product  12  against the rear shell  50  (or the card insert  40 ). In one embodiment, a portion  32  of the middle shell  30  abuts the rear shell  50  and/or the card insert  40 . In this embodiment, the portion  32  of the middle shell  30  abuts the card insert  40 , but in other embodiments discussed below it may abut (i.e., contact, or be physically located near, even if another element is positioned therebetween) the rear shell  50 . The middle shell  30  prevents the extraction of the product  12  from the product packaging in the event that the front shell  20  is cut open, especially through the top surface  24  of the front shell  20 , which in this embodiment does not include cut resistant contours  22  molded therein. 
     In this embodiment, the middle shell  30  also includes a product cover portion  34  that is shaped to generally conform to the product  12 , to prevent removal of the product  12  as discussed above. The middle shell  30  may extend to a downwardly extending side wall  36  that includes cut resistant contours  38  for resisting cuts through the downwardly extending side wall  28 . The side wall  36  extends to a perimeter  39  that may include an outwardly extending flange  37  or other suitable shape for abutting the front shell  20  and/or the rear shell  50 . 
     The cut resistant contours  22  and  38  of the middle shell  30  and the front shell  20  may nest together to create a secure assembly, and to also provide packaging having twice the thickness of the individual components, so that a potential thief will have to cut through the combined front and middle shells to access the product  12  therethrough. In this embodiment, the cut resistant contours  22  and  38  are formed in the side walls  28  and  36  (or other portion) of the front shell  20  and the middle shell  30 , and may be in the form of a scalloped cross-section, although alternative and/or equivalent shapes may also be used in alternative embodiments. While the scalloped cross-section is illustrated, alternative forms of curves, C-shapes, V-shapes, crenulated portions, and/or combinations of other suitable shapes may be used, as long as they make cutting the shells difficult, noisy, or otherwise deter cutting of the shell(s) and theft of the product  12 . 
     The card insert  40  may be any form of sheet, typically made of cardboard or other suitable material, and printed with information about the product  12  (e.g., photos of the product, the trademark, information about the product, illustrations of the use of the product, etc.). The product  12  may or may not be fastened to the card insert  40 , and those skilled in the art may devise alternative constructions, or the card insert  40  may be omitted, or replaced with alternative structures. 
     The rear shell  50  includes extensive cut resistant contours  52  molded into the rear shell  50  for resisting cuts through the rear shell  50 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , the cut resistant contours  52  of the rear shell  50  are disposed throughout the rear shell  50 , in this case in the form of a generally dome-shaped structure  56  with various three dimensional shapes  58  formed therein. In this embodiment, the three dimensional shapes  58  include a plurality of scalloped portions, although various curves, buttresses, scallops, and other shapes may be included to prevent cutting through the rear shell  50  for removal of the product. Since the rear shell  50  is hidden behind the product  12  and/or the card insert  40  when on display, the appearance of the rear shell  50  is not as important as the front shell  20 , and the product  12  does not have to be clearly visible through the rear shell  50 . 
     The rear shell  50  extends to a rear attachment perimeter  54  that enables the connection of the front and rear shells  20  and  50  (either directly, or with the middle shell  30  therebetween). The rear attachment perimeter  54  may further include perimeter scallops  55  that are shaped to nest with the cut resistant contours  22  and  38  of the middle shell  30  and the front shell  20 . The front attachment perimeter  29  and the rear attachment perimeter  54  may be shaped to be jointed together so that the front shell  20  and the rear shell  50  together surround and contain the middle shell  30  and the product  12 . 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging  60  that only includes the middle shell  30  and an alternative embodiment of the rear shell  62 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , in some embodiments the product packaging  60  does not include the top shell. In this embodiment, the rear shell  50  includes a lattice of molded grooves  64  formed across the rear shell, to impede cuts through the rear shell. The lattice may include lateral grooves  66  and longitudinal grooves  68  that intersect at approximately right angles, or the grooves  64  may have another configuration, as long as they are suitably resistant to cuts. This embodiment may or may not include the card insert  40  (illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 ). 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging  70 , similar to  FIG. 6 , only also including the front shell  20 .  FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the rear shell  50  of  FIGS. 6 and 7 , further illustrating the lattice of molded grooves. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the theft resistant product packaging  90 .  FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view thereof. As illustrated in  FIGS. 9-10 , this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , only the middle shell  30  is shaped to hold the product  12  against the front shell  20 . This embodiment further illustrates the option of including other elements, in this case printed advertisements  14  or similar materials, operably positioned in the product packaging  90 . 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rear shell  100 .  FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view thereof. As illustrated in  FIGS. 11-12 , this embodiment is similar to the rear shell  50  of  FIGS. 6-8 , only instead of molded grooves, a plurality of boxes  102  separated by V-shaped grooves  104  are thermoformed into the rear shell  50  to provide even further resistance to attempts to cut the product packaging. 
     The V-shaped grooves  104  formed between the boxes make it very difficult to cut through, and also make the process very noisy, further dissuading theft. The V-shaped grooves  104  have an acute angle and extend to a depth sufficient to significantly impede cutting attempts. 
     The product packaging may be formed using standard thermoforming processes, using standard materials known in the art (e.g., PVC, APET, RPET, PETG, RPETG, polystyrene, acrylics, PLA, and others known in the art.) The product packaging may also be formed in standard thicknesses, typically 0.010-0.050 inch, preferably 0.020-0.030 inch, although other thicknesses may also be used if desired. 
     For purposes of this application, the terms “front,” “middle,” and “rear” are for labeling convenience only, and do not require that the component be located in a particular orientation; i.e., the front does not have to form the front of the product packaging, the rear does not have to form the rear of the product packaging, and the middle does not have to be between anything. If all three components are included, however, the middle is located between the front and the rear. 
     As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application.