Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paperboard box – Decoration or novelty feature
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-09
2003-07-29
Elkins, Gary E. (Department: 3727)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paperboard box
Decoration or novelty feature
C040S312000, C206S459500, C229S921000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The marking of a parcel for shipment or inventory in the past has traditionally involved random marking by means of single or multiple labels positioned to be visible on one or multiple sides of a box parcel having six sides. Some labels have more than one portion, or billboard, each serving a different purpose or providing different information. While some attention has been paid to develop multiple billboard designs, they are typically applied to the center of a single side and are sometimes saddled over a single edge between corners. For some time now, manufacturers and parcel shippers have allowed random placement of labels, so there is no location on a parcel where one can readily expect to find the pertinent information.
The difficulty in quickly finding desired labels on the parcel is compounded because a parcel's lifecycle presently requires dice-like repeated flipping and rotation of each parcel in the warehouse, transportation vehicle, loading dock, and parcel delivery center. As a parcel continues to move from the production facility or other point of origin down the belts to be routed onto the proper paths for delivery trucks, for what may be one of several delivery events, and then into warehouses after delivery, a parcel will continue to require the same repetitious and repeated rotational labor to find the most current or applicable label of value to meet the needs of the handler. Such a label will generally indicate the parcel's direction toward the consumer or other recipient with stops at distribution centers and stores, urgency in terms of delivery date, storage conditions, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, location of and/or contents information otherwise coded. Each time a parcel is handled so that a label can be scanned or read for sorting, the difficulty in finding the desired label adds a significant amount of time to the processing of that parcel over its lifecycle.
Currently, time-critical information markings, such as delivery urgency, as well as markings regarding shelf life and storage conditions, are frequently positioned indiscriminately rather than purposefully, or are difficult to locate and then understand by consumers or other inexperienced persons having a need to know.
All current inventory, merchandise, or parcel labels are known to suffer from a number of disadvantages, including wasted time in finding a label on a parcel since traditional shipping labels are visible on only one side of a parcel. This is especially evident when observing checkout in a grocery store as the cashier will be seen rotating for a scan of a barcode applied in random positions about the hundreds of thousands of different parcels. Then, the purchaser will frequently be rotating to view instructions for preparing and nutritional information again applied at random.
Also, the random application of a required hazardous materials, storage condition, food dating, or “Fragile” label to a parcel's side, perhaps not adjacent to the address label on a parcel in transit, will increase likelihood of an accident and/or financial loss. For example, if a parcel label indicating hazardous contents is affixed to the top of a parcel and thereafter becomes hidden from view and due to the dice-like flipping and rotating nature of parcel handling, the label may never be seen or hidden from view when stacked. This improper labeling or a failure to see a hazardous contents label can cause dangerous storage conditions in warehouses and during one of the parcel's transportation events. This unacceptable risk may be responsible for causing personal injury, environmental pollution, warehouse storage site damage, aircraft, ship, truck, or other transportation vehicle damage, as well as toxic reactions, death, or fire.
Prior-art parcel labels featuring multiple billboard segments are designed to only expose only the address. However, persons may need to apply or locate additional information on a parcel. This additional information may be related to: directions about address on parcels, delivery urgency, contents, declared hazardous materials, bar-codes, 2D bar-codes, RFID's, instruction to the consumer, storage conditions, , model numbers, serial numbers, critical shelf life, green-directions for safe environmental disposal, or time dated for safe usage or disposal of said materials.
SUMMARY
The above-discussed disadvantages are overcome by an improved method of marking an object, such as a parcel, for exterior labeling and then provides for easily locating such information in a manner that anyone can quickly find. In a first embodiment, an object is marked by capturing at least two corners of the parcel and connecting them by ink. In alternative an embodiment, the two corners are captured using a structural edge or by otherwise marking an edge, thereby providing an information focal edge, or IFE. Applying an IFE to a parcel identifies a location on the object where information and labels should be located so that they can be quickly found no matter how the object is viewed.
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