Special receptacle or package – Article housing attached to panel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-01-09
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Article housing attached to panel
C206S462000, C206S471000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170663
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to packages for containing and displaying products and, more specifically, to so-called clamshell packages in which the product and an insert of associated graphics material are contained between two clamshell halves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Packaging for containing and displaying many consumer products is often formed as clamshell packaging or blister packs comprised of either one or two plastic members. These plastic members may have one or more bubbles, blisters or pockets which house the product and any associated product accessories. Often times, a singular plastic sheet may be held to a cardboard sheet having various printed product information, illustrations, advertising for consumer marketing purposes and having a slot or hole to allow suspension of the package from a hook of a display rack. Some blister packages incorporate flat display cards contained between two transparent clamshell halves.
Especially when using completely transparent clamshell halves, it may be desirable to expose certain portions of a product, while concealing other portions of the product or product accessories so that they are not visible to the customer. For example, the wiring, batteries or other electrical components of a portable audio product may not be desirable as display items, while the main portion of a product, such as an audio unit, should be visible to consumers. Current packaging configurations of the clamshell or blister pack type can conceal too much or too little of the product. For instance, in a conventional clamshell packaging configuration for electrical consumer products, a planar paperboard insert may be used to conceal portions of the product from frontal view. However, this type of insert will not conceal the view from the sides, bottom or rear of the packaging. Therefore, the consumer can still see a large portion of the associated electrical hardware, such as electrical cords, electrical adapters, etc., and will focus less of their attention on the main product itself.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a clamshell package for containing and displaying only the main portion or portions of a product, and preventing accessories from being viewed from the front and sides and preferably, the bottom. Optionally, it would be desirable to selectively conceal the view of a portion of the product from the rear. In general, it would be desirable to combine a transparent clamshell package with three-dimensionally shaped pockets or blisters for holding a product with a three-dimensional insert that obscures the consumer's view of at least certain product components from more than just a frontal view.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one general aspect, the present invention therefore provides a clamshell package for holding and displaying a product and facilitating the general objective of combining clamshell halves with a three dimensional insert, such as a paper or plastic material insert, that obscures view of at least certain portions of the product from the front as well as the sides. More preferably, portions of the front, sides and bottom of the package contents are obscured from view. In yet another aspect of the invention, at least a certain portion of the rear of the package contents is obscured from view by a rear panel associated with the insert.
More specifically, the invention generally comprises a clamshell package including a first outer clamshell member having a first three dimensional pocket area for holding at least a portion of a product. The first outer clamshell member includes a front portion, a pair of side portions and a bottom portion, each preferably being transparent. A second outer clamshell member includes a second three dimensional pocket area for holding at least another portion of the product. As used herein, the term product encompass a main product, such as a portable audio unit, and any other product accessories or components. An insert is positioned within at least one of the first and second outer clamshell members and includes a front panel, a pair of side panels and a bottom panel connected together. The front panel is disposed adjacent the front transparent portion of the outer clamshell member. The side panels are respectively disposed adjacent the side portions of the first outer clamshell member and the bottom panel is disposed adjacent the bottom portion of the first outer clamshell member. In accordance with this general package configuration, at least the first clamshell member may be formed of completely transparent material, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), and various portions of the product may be obscured from view in three dimensions. The insert may include an aperture for allowing a desirable portion or portions of the product to be viewed from the front, while the remaining portions of the front panel, side panels and bottom panels may prevent a customer from viewing other less cosmetically appealing important portions of the product from the front, sides and bottom of the package.
In the preferred embodiment, each of the first and second outer clamshell members is formed entirely from a transparent material such as PVC. Each clamshell member includes a central, three dimensionally molded portion and these central portions align to form at least one pocket area for holding the product. The clamshell members further include mating surfaces positioned peripherally outside of the central portions. These mating surfaces are adapted to be sealed together, such as through an adhesive, heat, or ultrasonic sealing method. To facilitate a free-standing package structure, two of the mating surfaces may define a bottom sealing edge which forms a lower support edge and the bottom portion of the front panel can further include at least two feet that combine with the lower support edge to allow the package to be free-standing. The two clamshell members may further include aligned apertures in upper portions thereof for receiving a hook to allow the package to be suspended and displayed.
As a more specific feature of the insert, the front panel may be curved or angled in a nonplanar manner to generally conform to the front portion of the first transparent outer clamshell member. The side panels of the insert can likewise include angled or curved front edges to follow the shape of the front panel. The front panel may further include at least one aperture for exposing at least a portion of the product contained in the package. To facilitate easy manufacturing of the insert, the insert is preferably comprised of a single sheet of material, such as paper, paperboard, cardboard or plastic, with the side and bottom panels folded relative to the front panel.
In another embodiment, the insert may further comprise a rear panel which is connected and folded relative to one of the other panels, such as the bottom panel. In each embodiment, the front, bottom, side and rear panels are preferably formed from an opaque material, which may have graphics on outer surfaces thereof, to obscure at least a portion of the product from the corresponding front, bottom, side and/or rear portions of the package.
Additional features, advantages and objectives of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Fidei David T.
Sony Corporation
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
LandOfFree
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