US patent application for 'Folding Box with Removable Handle' in approval process; package for product includes single sheet that is foldable into shell with rear opening and shell is sized to receive product inside through the opening

Elyse Blye

ATLANTA , January 9, 2014 (Politics & Government Week) – A patent application by the inventor Begim, Moshe Yair (East Rancho Dominguez, CA), filed on August 26, 2013, was made available online on January 2, 2014, according to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by VerticalNews correspondents.

This patent application has not been assigned to a company or institution.

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Blister packaging for small electronics goods is well known. One type of such display packaging consists of a pair of corrugated cardboard sheets joined together with a clear PVC plastic insert showing the product, and is popular with manufacturers and consumers. Consumers can see the product when contemplating a purchase, and for manufacturers the double cardboard layer package is rugged for protecting the product during shipping, and the sealed edges provide tamper resistance. See, for example, Nazari, U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,480.

"There are environmental concerns with this popular type of packaging, however, as the cardboard and plastic portions are individually recyclable but must be separated for recycling. Even if designed to be separable, most consumers fail to make the effort. This is because the packaging is typically difficult to open and so consumers resort to using a knife or scissors to cut the plastic portion and extract the product, leaving the plastic and cardboard together upon disposal. Accordingly, a better package is needed for displaying the product in a tamperproof fashion and that is environmentally friendly, as well as inexpensive to make.

"Another issue with blister packaging for consumer products, having two sheets of corrugated cardboard and a clear plastic container sandwiched between them, is that this type of conventional packaging uses hot melt glue typically applied by hand and difficult to control due to the drying time and placement of the glue. Also, the corrugated sheets of the cardboard are visible on the side edges of the finished packaging which is aesthetically unappealing.

"Other conventional blister packaging uses one sheet of corrugated cardboard and one or two flat sheet of paper, adhered together by adhesive. Since only one cardboard sheet is used, this type of packaging sometimes lacks sufficient structural strength when multiple display packs are stood on their sides in a container. When the weight of the top package is supported directly by the packs in the bottom bundle, they must have sufficient structural strength and rigidity to prevent them from bending.

"Folding cardboard boxes are known in the art, including folding display cardboard boxes made of a single cardboard sheet. Displays of these types of packages may be stacked, but are typically hung on pegs or similar display structures for ease of installation and retrieval by users. One benefit of hanging packaging of this type is that a handle may be incorporated into the package, allowing a user to easily carry it after purchase, obviating the need for a bag.

"One example of this type of packaging was disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/869,867 for a Display Cardboard Folded Package with Periphery Sealed Edges, of which this application is a continuation-in-part. A manufacturing benefit of such packaging is that it can be easily constructed from a single cardboard sheet. Although formed by a single sheet, product packaging must be able to function as an attractive container for a product prior to purchase, and should ideally be able to serve as a container for a product for storage and other purposes alter purchase.

"Notably, the handle portion of this type of folding packaging, frequently becomes superfluous once the package is brought home from a store. Additionally, the handle makes the package difficult to manage since it presents a physical obstacle when trying to organize or arrange multiple packages tightly together. For this reason, there is a need for a folding display package made from a single sheet of cardboard, which has a handle for displaying and carrying the package, but which also may be removed to form a conventionally shaped box."

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent application, VerticalNews journalists also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent application: "A package for a product includes a single sheet having one side with an image of the product printed thereon and an opposing blank side. The sheet is foldable into a shell having a rear opening, and the shell is sized to receive the product inside the shell through the opening. The shell has a front panel with an image of the product. The sheet further includes a top panel next to the shell, a rear panel to cover the shell, and the shell has outer edges adhered to outer edges of the rear panel, so that the product may be placed inside the shell and is sealed inside the package. The package has crushed edges around a majority of the perimeter of the package.

"In various embodiments, the rear panel may extend to cover the top panel. The sheet s preferably made of corrugated cardboard, including a cut-out in the top panel corresponding to a cut-out the rear panel, for forming a handle for the package. Preferably the sheet includes a crushed area between the outer edges of the shell and the outer edges of the rear panel.

"To create the shell, the foldable sheet includes a first set of opposing side panels and a second set of opposing side panels adjoining a front panel, the front panel bearing an image of the product. The second set of opposing side panels includes tabs disposed distally from the front panel, and when the sheet is folded such that the tabs and the top panel align with the rear panel to form a common peripheral edge, an enclosure for the product is formed.

"To form the package, a single sheet of foldable material is provided and an image of the product printed on only one side of the sheet. The sheet is folded to create a shell sized to hold the product and a top panel, and folded to create a rear panel for enclosing the shell and covering the top panel. The outer edges of the rear panel are adhered to corresponding outer edges of the top panel and the outer edges of the shell, and the outer edges are crushed. A product may be inserted into the shell prior to the adhering the outer edges together, and adhesive may be applied between the rear panel and the top panel inward of the outer edges. To form a handle for hanging or carrying, holes may be formed in the top panel and correspondingly through the rear panel.

"In another embodiment, a box for a product is made from a single sheet of corrugated cardboard foldable into an enclosure with a rear opening. The enclosure is sized to receive the product through the rear opening, and the product may be arranged and visibly seen through a window formed in the box. The window can be of clear cellophane or a similar plastic material, or in some embodiments omitted altogether. The sheet of corrugated cardboard is also foldable into a rear panel for covering the rear opening, thereby forming a complete and sealable enclosure.

"For displaying the box in an attractive manner and to conveniently carry the box, a series of handle members are incorporated into the cardboard sheet. The enclosure includes a first handle member removably attached, near a top panel of the enclosure, and the rear panel includes a second handle member removably attached to the rear panel. When the cardboard sheet is folded, the first handle member and second handle member come together in an overlaying configuration to form a box handle. Holes in the handle members form a structure through which users may insert their fingers for carrying the box.

"The first handle member and second handle member are attached to the enclosure and rear panel, respectively, by a perforated area, allowing them to be easily separated. The first handle member is attached to the top of the box so that by pulling it away from the box, a clean line of separation is created at the edge of the enclosure. In contrast, the second handle member is attached to the rear panel so that when second handle is removed, a flap overhanging the enclosure is created. In this manner, when the handle is removed, the flap may be tucked into the enclosure so that no part of the cardboard sheet extends away from the box.

"In various embodiments, the outer edges between the first handle member and second handle member may be crushed and glued together. Also, the enclosure may be crushed at the edge of the window. Since the flap, once tucked into the enclosure, may make opening the rear panel difficult, the rear panel may include a finger hole for pulling open the package.

"To create the box with a removable handle, a single sheet of foldable material is first obtained. The sheet is preferably die-cut into a predetermined shape having fold lines for creating the enclosure, including various flaps for forming the enclosure in a desired shape, and a rear panel which may have side flaps. Using the flaps and fold lines, an enclosure and a roar panel are created. At this stage a product may be introduced into the box.

"A first handle member is attached to the enclosure, and a second handle member is attached to the rear panel. These handle members are overlaying, sized to have a common periphery, and when brought together form the completed handle. Ideally, holes formed in the handle members come together to form a single hole for accommodating a user's fingers. Preferably, the handle members are formed on top of the box for hanging and carrying.

"In order to make the handle removable, perforations are formed along as line between the enclosure and the first handle member, and along a line between the second handle member and rear panel. The perforations alone the second handle member are formed such that when removed, the second handle member leaves a flap overhanging the enclosure. In one embodiment, the perforations may end at the hole in the handle for ease of removal and to create a clean line.

"Preferably, once the product is inserted into the enclosure and the box closed, the handle members are adhered together. To aid in adhering the handle members together, an adhesive may be applied between the handle members, including around the peripheral edges of the handle members. In this manner, the peripheral edges of the handle may be crushed to form a tamper-resistant and attractive display package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

"FIG. 1 is a plan view, flat pattern of the printed side of a cardboard sheet.

"FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the blank, side of the cardboard sheet.

"FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cardboard sheet folded into a package.

"FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section view through the side of the package.

"FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of a box having a detachable handle.

"FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of a box having a detachable handle.

"FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a box with a detachable handle in an open configuration.

"FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a box with a detachable handle, with the front tab being removed.

"FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a box with a detachable handle, with the rear tab being removed.

"FIG. 10 is a perspective front view of a box with the handle removed.

"FIG. 11 is a perspective rear view of box with the handle removed and a flap inserted into the enclosure to close the box.

"FIG. 12 is a perspective rear view of the box with the handle removed and a flap inserted over the top of the enclosure."

URL and more information on this patent application, see: Begim, Moshe Yair. Folding Box with Removable Handle. Filed August 26, 2013 and posted January 2, 2014.

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