Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/546,226 filed Oct. 12, 2011, entitled “Package With Cutter Held in Package”. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to packaging monofilament line. More particularly, the invention relates to a package for a roll of monofilament line with a cutting tool embedded in the package for cutting monofilament line being dispensed from the package. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Monofilament lines are well known in the art and are commonly defined as strings made from a single fiber. Common examples of monofilament lines include, but are not limited to, vegetation trimmer or cutting lines, pulling lines, fishing lines, and utility lines. Such monofilament lines may be made from single component filaments or from multi-component filaments, and may be produced by any of a variety of methods known in the art, including, but not limited to, molding, extruding and/or spinning. Many types of monofilament lines are made from polymeric materials. 
     Typically, such monofilament lines are packaged in bulk form. That is, typically, the monofilament lines are produced as continuous lines of a single or multi-component filament that are wound or otherwise placed into containers for holding the monofilament lines. One such plastic container or package commonly used for vegetation trimmer line or weed cutting line is known in the industry as a “donut package” due to the general appearance of the monofilament line that is wound within the cavity of the container. The cavity of the package, as well as the monofilament line wound within it, resembles the shape of a donut. 
     Heretofore, users of flexible wound monofilament line packaged in plastic containers have had to use auxiliary cutting devices such as, for example, knives, scissors, blades, or wire cutters, to cut the line to a desired length. The reliance on such auxiliary cutting devices is undesirable since the user, first, must possess a cutting device suitable for and capable of cutting the monofilament line and, second, must keep the cutting device close at hand or within the proximity of the user to enable the user to cut the line at a time of convenience when needed. In addition, many cutting devices, such as knives or blades, are known to be dangerous to the user due to the exposed sharp edges of these devices. 
     It is known in the art to attach a monofilament line cutting tool to the container holding the monofilament line to address the foregoing problem. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,908,953 a cutting tool for cutting monofilament line is attached to the package. The cutting tool comprises a base member having a groove adapted to receive the flexible line when the cutting tool is in use and a blade recessed within the groove, the blade being adapted to cut the flexible line when the line is forced into the blade during use of the cutting tool. The cutting tool further includes an arm member in operative relationship with and complementary to the base member, which arm member is capable of producing and applying mechanical advantage in a manner that forces the flexible line received within the groove against the blade to thereby sever the flexible line. 
     One drawback to attaching the cutting tool to the package not addressed in the &#39;953 patent is that the cutting tool being attached to the exterior of the package lends to the cutting tool being pilfered or easily removed from the exterior of the package at the point of sale. Additionally, if the cutting tool is not attached securely to the package over time the cutting tool may loosen and fall off the package. As such, there is a need for a means for securely attaching the cutting tool to the package that is theft-proof, reliable and easy to manufacture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In an embodiment, there is provided a package for storing a roll of monofilament line and dispensing a length of monofilament line from the package in combination with a cutting tool embedded in the package for cutting the length of monofilament line from the roll, including a package formed from two opposing clamshell portions made from sheets of film, a recess formed in each of the clamshell portions that collectively form a chamber when said two clamshell portions are in a closed configuration, the chamber configured to store said roll and allow a length of monofilament line to unwind from the roll during dispensing, and a cutting tool at least partially disposed between the two clamshell portions when in the closed configuration configured to attach the cutting tool to the package, wherein at least a portion of the cutting tool is accessible from outside the package for cutting a length of monofilament line being dispensed from the package. 
     In an embodiment, there is provided a package for storing a roll of monofilament line and dispensing a length of monofilament line from the package in combination with a cutting tool embedded in the package for cutting the length of monofilament line from the roll, including a package formed from two opposing clamshell portions made from sheets of film and pivotally connected together, the two clamshell portions being pivotal between open and closed configurations, a recess formed in each of the clamshell portions that collectively form a chamber when the two clamshell portions are in the closed configuration, the chamber configured to store and allow a length of monofilament line from the roll, and a cutting tool disposed in a second pocket formed in one of the clamshell portions, the cutting tool including a body portion that is completely contained in the pocket and a cavity in the main body having a slotted opening, wherein the slotted opening is aligned with a complementary slotted opening formed in the opposing clamshell portion, wherein the monofilament line is inserted through the opening in the clamshell portion into the cavity and urged against a blade disposed in the cavity to cut the length of monofilament line being dispensed from the roll in the chamber of the package 
     In an embodiment, there is provided a cutting device for cutting a length of monofilament line from a roll of monofilament line line stored in a package, including a body portion that protrudes through an opening in one of two clamshell portions forming the package such that a blade portion disposed on the body portion is exterior to the package, a base portion sandwiched between the two clamshell portions when the clamshell portions are sealed together, and a slotted cavity formed on the main body and disposed exterior of and accessible only from the exterior of the the package, wherein a length of monofilament line is inserted into the cavity and pressed against a blade in the cavity to cut the length of the monofilament line being dispensed from the roll stored in the package. 
     In an embodiment, there is provided a method of dispensing and cutting a length of monofilament line from a package storing the monofilament line, including the steps of: advancing a length of monofilament line from a roll of monofilament line stored in a compartment formed in the packaged, inserting the monofilament line in the region where the monofilament line is to be cut through a first sidewall of the package into a cavity of a cutting device disposed in a pocket formed in a second opposing sidewall of the package, urging the monofilament line against a blade disposed in the cavity to cut the length of monofilament line from the roll, and removing newly cut ends of the length of monofilament line and the roll of monofilament line from the cavity of the cutting device and back through the opening formed in the first sidewall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a package for monofilament line having an embedded cutting tool; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cutaway front view of the cutting tool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of partial cutaway portions of two clamshell portions that form the package of  FIG. 1  and the cutting tool sandwiched between the clamshell portions; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a cutaway cross-section of a portion of the package of  FIG. 1  in the vicinity of the cutting tool showing the cutting tool embedded between clamshell portions forming the package; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a package for monofilament line having an embedded cutting tool installed in a pocket formed in a clamshell portion partially forming the package; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of partial cutaway portions of two clamshell portions that form the package of  FIG. 5  and the cutting tool exploded from the pocket formed in one of the clamshell portions; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a cutaway cross-section of a portion of the package of  FIG. 6  in the vicinity of the cutting tool showing the cutting tool installed in the pocket formed in one of the clamshell portions; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a package for monofilament line having an embedded cutting tool; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the cutting tool of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of partial cutaway portions of two clamshell portions that form the package of  FIG. 8  and the cutting tool embedded between clamshell portions forming the package; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the package of  FIG. 5  with two clamshell portions in an open or unsealed configuration, shown without the cutter  500 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in  FIG. 1  an exemplary embodiment of a package  100  for storing a spool of monofilament line and dispensing the monofilament line therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment, the package  100  is shown as a plastic, thermoformed container commonly referred to in the monofilament line industry as a “donut package” inasmuch as the cavity  150  storing the monofilament line within the package  100  is said to resemble a donut. The package  100  is made from transparent plastic thereby allowing the spool of monofilament line to be viewed. It is to be appreciated that a variety of known plastics may be utilized to thermoform the package  100  or housing of the present disclosure including but not limited to Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), High impact polystyrene (HIPS), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled Polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), copolymers of Polyethylene terephthalate such as PETG, Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC); Polyurethanes (PU) and Polycarbonate (PC). Some of the above plastics can also be blow molded or thermoformed into a suitable package. 
     In an embodiment, the package  100  may be made of one-piece (clamshell) or two-piece construction, wherein the package  100  includes opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  that generally form a housing or container defining a cavity  150  for storing flexible wound line M. The opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  may be thermoformed and cut from pieces of material, or otherwise molded from the same mold and, thereby have the same identical shape and size, or may be cut, molded or thermoformed from different molds and, thereby, not have the same identical shape or size. 
     In an embodiment, the opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  may be pivotally attached to a base  130  made from the same or a different material. The opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  may be integrally molded with the base  130 , or if formed as separate pieces, attached to the base  130  using glue, thermal fusing, or other attachments means. The base  130  may have a flat bottom surface  131  that may be positioned on a horizontal surface for supporting the package  100  in a vertical position as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Adjacent to the flat surface  131  are folds  111  and  121  that connect the clamshell portions  110  and  120  to the base  130 . 
     The opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  (reference may be made to  FIG. 11  hereinafter which illustrates a package  200  nearly identical to the one shown in  FIG. 1  but illustrates the otherwise identical features of package  100  with more clarity) may be different such that one of the clamshell portion  110  is thermoformed, cut or molded with a substantially flat outer planar wall  112  with a outwardly facing recess  114  radially extending from its center partially forming the cavity  150 , while the other clamshell portion  120  is thermoformed, cut or molded with a substantially flat outer planar wall  122  with a outwardly facing recess  124  radially extending from its center partially forming the cavity  150 . The recesses  114  and  124  collectively form the cavity  150  when the clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the sealed or closed configuration as shown in  FIG. 1 . An opening  116  is formed in the center of the recess  114  for allowing the monofilament line M to be dispensed from within the cavity  150 . The base  130  may be triangular shaped so that tapered walls  117  of the clamshell portions  110  and  127  of the clamshell portion  120  mate with the respective tapered portions  130   a ,  130   b  allowing the clamshell portions  110 ,  120  to fold compactly into each other and then be sealed together as shown in  FIG. 1 . The clamshell portions  110  and  120  may include orthogonal lips  113  and  123  along the side edges for giving the clamshell portions  110  and  120  rigidity in the planar direction. 
     In an embodiment, the opposed clamshell portions  110  and  120  may be affixed or sealed together above the cavity  150  using a plurality of reversible snap-type fasteners  115  or other fastening means including adhesives. The snap-type fasteners  115  illustrated are formed from a projection  115   a  in the sidewall  112  that snaps into a complementary dimple  115   b  formed on the sidewall  122 . The reversible snap-type fasteners  115  are disposed above the cavity  150  and spaced to provide maximum sealing effectiveness of the opposing clamshell portions  110  and  120 , and yet the consumer can disassemble the package for ease of recycling after using the monofilament line. A looped handle  105  may be formed in the top of the opposing clamshell portions  110  and  120  for transporting the package  100  or hanging it on a display rack in a retail store, etc. The looped handle  105  is formed from cutouts  105   a  in the clamshell portion  110  and  105   b  in the clamshell portion  120  (see  FIG. 11 ). 
     It will be appreciated, however, that other forms of packages or containers may be used in conjunction with the concepts of the present invention, and the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described herein and illustrated in the drawings, the breadth of the invention being determined by the scope and spirit of the attached claims. For example, the package  100  may alternatively be cut, extruded, molded, blow molded, injection molded or thermoformed into any desired container shape or size known in the art. The package  100  may be made from hard plastic, thin plastic, thermoformed plastic, molded plastic, cut plastic, paper, cardboard or even may be made from metal or aluminum or combinations of any of these. Still further, the package  100  may be made so that the monofilament line M contained therein is wound onto a spool, or may be made such that no spool is necessary for the wound line. Alternatively, the package  100  may be made as a loop package. Loop packages typically contain 3 to 50 feet of line. In contrast, spools may be used to hold up to 5 pounds of line. Essentially any size or shape container will be suitable as the package  100  provided it can contain and store flexible wound line M as shown in the drawings. However, in one embodiment, the package  100  is made of non-metal. In another embodiment, the package  100  is made solely of polymeric materials. 
     Flexible wound line M may be essentially any line known in the art, including but not limited to, vegetation trimmer or cutting line, fishing line, pulling line, utility line, and the like. While it is preferably monofilament line, it will be appreciated that multi-filament lines, e.g., yarns, ropes, etc., may also be included as flexible wound line. Similarly, while the line is preferably polymeric, it will be appreciated that line made from non-polymeric materials, e.g., wire, cable, etc., may also be included as flexible wound line. Still further, tubing or other continuous filaments having a hollow core may also be included as flexible wound line for the purposes of this invention. However, in one embodiment, the present invention is a package  100  containing a flexible wound line that is devoid of filaments having hollow cores. In another embodiment, the present invention is a package  100  containing flexible wound line that is devoid of multi-filaments. And in yet another embodiment, the present invention is a package  100  containing polymeric flexible wound line. 
     Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , a cutting tool  500  is embedded in the package  100 . By the term “embedded,” it is meant that the cutting tool  500  is attached to the package  100  in some manner such that at least a portion of the cutting tool  500  is disposed in the interior of the package  100  and not merely mounted on the exterior of the package  100 . The cutting tool  500  is of the type where a looped portion M′ of the monofilament line M is inserted into a U-shaped cavity  515  foil led in the housing  510 . The housing  510  is generally U-shaped and has a U-shaped sidewall  511  partially forming the cavity  515 . A planar sidewall  512  encases the sidewall  511  on one side and a planar base  522  encases the sidewall  511  on an opposing side. The base  520  has overlapping edges  522  for the purposes described below. A cutting blade  518  sits atop a centrally positioned projection  516  for cutting the monofilament line M when inserted into the cavity  515  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The cutting tool  500  may be made from any material known in the art. In one embodiment, the cutting tool  500  is made entirely of plastic. In another embodiment, the cutting tool  500  is molded entirely of plastic except for the blade  518 . In yet another embodiment, the cutting tool  500  is molded from a combination of materials, including plastic, metal and aluminum. A more detailed description of the cutting tool  500  and its operation may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,305,910, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cutting tool  500  is mounted to the package  100  by being sandwiched between the sidewall  112  of clamshell portion  110  and the sidewall  122  of the clamshell portion  120 . The housing  510  of the cutting tool  500  is inserted into an opening  118  in the sidewall  112  for securing the cutting tool  500  to the sidewall  112  while allowing the housing  510  to be exposed on the exterior of the sidewall  112 . The opposing clamshell portion  120  has a recess  125  formed in the sidewall  122  sized and shaped to receive the base  520  of the cutting tool  500  when the opposing clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the sealed or closed configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . An adhesive may be used to facilitate adhering the base  520  to the recess  125 . A pair of projections  115   a ,  115   a  on the sidewall  112  of the clamshell portion  110  near the opening  118  are aligned for engaging a complementary pair of dimples  115   b ,  115   b  on the sidewall  122  on the opposing clamshell portion  120  near the recess  125  to secure the cutting tool  500  between the sidewalls  112  and  122 . The overlapping edges of the planar base  520  of the cutting tool  500  prevents the cutting tool  500  from being pulled through the opening  118  in the clamshell portion  110 . Similarly, the planar base  520  being seated in the recess  125  prevents the housing  510  of the cutting tool  500  from being pulled through the opening  118 . As a result, the cutting tool  500  is securely attached to the package  100  when the clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the secured or closed configuration. Additional details of the cutting tool  500  being sandwiched between the sidewalls  112  and  122  may be seen in  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5-7  and again  FIG. 11 , shown is another embodiment of a package  200  having the cutting tool  500  embedded in an integrally formed pocket  175  in the clamshell portion  120  of the package  200  such that the cutting tool  500  is entirely contained within the interior of the package  200 . In this embodiment, the cutter  500  shown in  FIGS. 6  and  7  is identical to the cutter in  FIG. 2  except without the flange  522 . A segment of the monofilament line M may be cut from the spool (not shown) contained in the cavity  150  by passing a looped portion M′ of the monofilament line M through a slit  119  in the clamshell portion  110  and the opening  516  into the cavity  515  of the cutting tool  500 . The monofilament line M may be dispensed from the cavity  150  through an opening  116  in the recess  114  of the clamshell portion  110 . The portion of the monofilament line M′ is urged against the cutting blade  518  in the cavity  515  thereby cutting the portion of the monofilament line M′ from the spool (not shown). The cut ends of the portion of the monofilament line M′ may now be removed from the cavity  515  through the opening  516  and the slit  119  in the clamshell portion  110  of package  200 . 
     The cutting tool  500  is inserted into the pocket  175  in the clamshell portion  120  through an opening  128  in the sidewall  122 . The pocket  175  is integrally formed by thermoforming or other means in a sidewall  127  that is sized and shaped to receive the cutting tool  500 . The sidewall  127  may project outwardly from the outer side of the sidewall  122  of the clamshell portion  120 . The pocket  175  may be integrally formed in the sidewall  122  by any known means such as thermoforming, formed as a separate component and attached thereon or other means. The cutting tool  500  is secured in the pocket  175  when the clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the sealed or closed configuration using the snap-type fasteners  115  in the vicinity of the pocket  175 . The projections  115   a  in the clamshell portion  110  snap fit into the dimples  115   b  in the clamshell portion  120  to seal the clamshell portions  110  and  120  together. When the clamshell portions  110  and  120  are sealed together, the slit  119  in the clamshell portion  110  is aligned with the opening  516  into the cavity  515  of the cutting tool  500 . The portions of clamshell  110  overlapping the cutting tool  500  around the opening  516  prevent the cutting tool  500  from exiting the pocket  175 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 8-10  and again  FIG. 11 , shown is another embodiment of a package  300  having a cutting tool  550  embedded in at least a portion of the package  300 . A segment of the monofilament line M may be cut from the spool (not shown) contained in the cavity  150  by inserting a portion of the monofilament line M′ into a slot  572  in the cutting tool  550  and urging a lever  575  against the monofilament line M′ to urge the monofilament line M′ into a cutting blade (not shown) in the slot  572 . The monofilament line M may be dispensed from the cavity  150  through an opening  116  in the recess  114  of the clamshell portion  110 . A more detailed description of the cutting tool  550  and its operation may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,908,953, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting tool  550  is mounted to the package  300  by being partially sandwiched between the sidewall  112  of the clamshell portion  110  and the sidewall  122  of the clamshell portion  120 . The housing  571  of the cutting tool  550  is inserted through an opening  318  in sidewall  112  for securing the cutting tool  550  to the sidewall  512  while allowing the housing  571  to be exposed on the exterior of the sidewall  112 . The opposing clamshell portion  120  has a recess  325  formed in the sidewall  122  sized and shaped to receive the base  570  of the cutting tool  550  when the opposing clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the sealed or closed configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . An adhesive may be used to facilitate adhering the base  570  to the recess  325 . A pair of projections  115   a ,  115   a  on sidewall  112  of the clamshell portion  110  near the opening  318  are aligned for engaging a complementary pair of dimples  115   b ,  115   b  on the sidewall  122  on the opposing clamshell portion  120  near the recess  325  to secure the cutting tool  550  between the sidewalls  112  and  122 . The overlapping edges of the planar base  570  of the cutting tool  550  prevents the cutting tool  550  from being pulled through the opening  318  in the clamshell portion  110 . Similarly, the planar base  570  being seated in the recess  325  prevents the housing  572  of the cutting tool  550  from being pulled back through the opening  318 . As a result, the cutting tool  550  is securely attached to the package  300  when the clamshell portions  110  and  120  are in the secured or closed configuration. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.

Technology Category: b