EP0554989A1

EP0554989A1 - Printed packages and method of forming printed packaging

Info

Publication number: EP0554989A1
Application number: EP93300431A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Anthony B. Dejoseph; John A. Hoge; Douglas L. Hammersent
Original assignee: Moore Business Forms Inc
Current assignee: Moore Business Forms Inc
Priority date: 1992-01-21
Filing date: 1993-01-21
Publication date: 1993-08-11
Also published as: JPH06278230A; AU3187493A

Abstract

The invention relates to packages (16) preferably cardboard or paperboard parallelepiped boxes, formed on a continuous process line from a web of flexible material, the packages bearing printing (17, 18, 19), preferably some (19) unique to each package, which has been printed directly on the web by an ion deposition printing process or toner technology.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, it has been determined that it is desirable to apply unique variable data or information on outer packaging for goods. For example, according to the invention it is desirable to apply a unique bar code, identification number, scannable information, or a verbal or pictorial personalized message, on an outer package for goods. The information could be in the form of an address for sending the packaging directly to a particular address, or a message particularly directed to people attending trade shows, conventions, or the like. More specifically, if a new breakfast cereal is being introduced, it can be mailed to all of the children, or addressees, in a particular geographic area, with address information, and/or other unique or personalized indicia, printed on the outer package. At a trade show, where the participants or attendees at the trade show are known, a supplier of a new cosmetic may print up samples with the name of every attendee at the trade show on the outer packaging for each of the samples and with a personalized message such as "We wanted you, Jane, to be one of the first to try our new product".
One technique often utilized with magazines for printing variable data, though not necessarily unique data, is to use ink jet printing. However ink jet printing is of relatively low quality, and does not make a good impression. Most companies would not find ink jet printing suitable to portray a message that they wanted to portray directly on the outer packaging for their product, especially since the public has come to accept excellent graphics on a wide variety of outer packagings.
According to the present invention, variable, in fact unique, data can be printed on outer packaging for goods which is very readable, and has excellent appearance, being capable of providing excellent graphics, a wide variety of fonts, colors, pictorial representations, and the like. According to the present invention, a method of forming packaging, utilizing a web of outer packaging material, is provided by printing by ion deposition printing or toner technology variable information on a web of the outer packaging material. It has been thought that ion deposition printing was not particularly useful for packaging materials, such as for cardboard or paperboard, because smearing, slow production, and other significant drawbacks may exist. However, according to the present invention it has been found that conventional outer packaging materials, such as cardboard and paperboard, can be printed with basically the same type of readability and high quality that ion deposition printing is known for in the printing of documents.
After printing of the web with variable information by ion deposition printing according to the invention, the web is cut to form individual packaging web portions each having variable ion deposition printing thereon, and then the individual packaging web portions are formed into complete outer packages each with variable ion deposition printing thereon. The ion deposition printing is preferably of unique information on each of the complete outer (and sometimes inside also) packages finally formed, and is particularly useful where the method is for the production of parallelepiped cardboard or paperboard boxes, such as boxes for cereal, outer packaging for cosmetics, videotapes, or other food, video, personal hygiene, and consumer products. The web may be in roll form, and the printing practiced by printing directly on the continuous form web material, or it may be in sheet form, and practiced by printing directly on the sheets of web material.
According to the present invention an outer package for goods is also provided, comprising an outer package body formed of flexible material such as cardboard or paperboard, with variable ion deposition printing directly on the package body visible from the exterior of the outer package body, and with packaged goods within the outer package body. The ion deposition printing is preferably unique printing for that particular package body, and may be selected from the group consisting of bar codes, identification numbers, and verbal and pictorial messages (including graphics, individual names and addresses, and the like). One particularly useful form of the invention is a parallelepiped cardboard or paperboard box.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the production of individualized outer (and inner) packaging materials having high quality variable (typically unique) data printed thereon. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a schematic showing exemplary method steps practiced according to the present invention to produce an outer package according to the invention; and
FIGURE 2 is a modification of the method and package of FIGURE 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention of the embodiment of FIGURE 1 is practiced utilizing a web 10 of outer packaging material which is initially provided in a roll 11. The material 10 is preferably a flexible material such as cardboard or paperboard, although sometimes films, and plastic bags or wrappings, can be used. The web 10 is directly printed on utilizing ion deposition printing at stage 12. The ion deposition printer may be a variable imaging toner technology printer such as those commercially offered by Siemens or Delphax, and described in an article entitled "Ion Printing, Past, Present and Future" by Richard A. Fotland, March, 1987 IGC Conference, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Preferably the ion deposition printer is a printer used commercially by Moore Business Forms, Inc. of Lake Forest, Illinois known by the trade name MIDAX, particularly a MIDAX 300 print engine.
Ion deposition printing techniques are capable of applying high quality graphics, and pictorial representations, or virtually any type of indicia -- such as bar codes, logos, numbers, etc. -- that are easily readable and scannable (by machine), have a wide variety of fonts, colors, highlighting, symbols, and the like available for use, and provide an excellent appearance so that packaging with the printing thereon makes an excellent appearance to an ultimate consumer, a much better appearance than -- for example -- printing by ink jet technology. The MIDAX engine at stage 12 is interfaced directly into a roll-to-roll press in the practice of FIGURE 1, and can be utilized for printing variable data, and in fact unique data, and individualized data, ultimately providing a printed web 13 (one or both faces printed).
The printed web 13 is fed to a conventional cutter 14 where it is cut to form individual packaging web portions. Then it passes to a conventional former 15, which forms the cut web portions into individual outer packages (containers), such as the parallelepiped cardboard box 16 illustrated in FIGURE 1. Note that the box 16 has a designation for the material/goods packaged thereby (e.g. the "cereal" indicia 17), as well as other graphical or verbal indicia or messages 18, and unique information such as the detailed bar code 19. All of the indicia 17 through 19 need not be printed by the ion deposition printer 12, only the variable data. Thus, typically, the indicia 17 would be pre-printed (or post-printed) onto the packaging web 10, 13, while the bar code indicia 19, and perhaps the pictorial or verbal indicia 18, is variable and/or unique, and is printed by the ion deposition printing at stage 12 according to the invention.
FIGURE 2 illustrates a modification of the method illustrated in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 2 the same basic steps are practiced except that the packaging material web 10 is preferably passed through a sheeter 22 before passing to the MIDAX printing stage 12. At the MIDAX printing stage 12, then, the print engine is interfaced directly into a roll to sheet press. The cutter 14 may be eliminated in some circumstances, but in most circumstances it would still be necessary to effect cutting of the sheets into smaller sheets, or trimming of the sheets to form the final packaging which would be fed to the former 15.
The end packaged product produced according to the method of FIGURE 2 is illustrated generally by reference numeral 24 in FIGURE 2, and again comprises a parallelepiped cardboard box, in this case having different variable and/or unique data thereon than on the box 16 of FIGURE 1. Note that the indicia 25 is typically pre-printed onto the web 10 and is standard indicia, such as the name and trade name of the goods. The MIDAX printing stage 12 in FIGURE 2 printed on the unique address information 26 illustrated in FIGURE 2, as well as a unique identification number 27.
A package 24 for goods according to the invention, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, of course comprises the outer cardboard or paperboard box 28, having the ion deposition printing 26, 27 thereon, visible from the exterior of the outer package body 28. Goods -- in this case the cereal 30 -- are packaged within the outer package body 28 of flexible material, and if desired an inner package -- such as a conventional plastic or cellophane bag 32 -- may be provided. The indicia 26, 27 is of high quality, being readily readable by a consumer or machine, and providing an excellent impression, which is necessary for goods packaging.
It will thus be seen that according to the present invention a method of forming packaging utilizing a web of outer packaging material, and a package for goods, have been provided which are particularly advantageous. While the invention has been herein shown and described in what is presently conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and procedures.

Claims

A method of forming packaging, utilizing a web of outer packaging material, comprising the steps of:
(a) printing variable information on the web of outer packaging material by ion deposition printing;

(b) cutting the web to form individual packaging web portions, each having variable ion deposition printing thereon; and

(c) forming the individual packaging web portions into complete outer packages with variable ion deposition printing thereon, and visible from the exterior thereof.
A method as recited in claim 1 characterised in that the web is of cardboard or paperboard.
A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that steps (a) - (c) are practiced by printing unique printing by ion deposition printing on each of the complete outer packages finally formed.
A method as recited in claim 3 characterised in that the unique ion deposition printing consists of bar codes, logos, identification numbers, and/or personalized verbal or pictorial messages.
A method as recited in any of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that step (c) is practiced to form the web into a parallelepiped box.
A method as recited in any of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the web is in roll form, and wherein step (a) is practiced by printing directly on the continuous form web material, both interior and exterior surfaces of the final package to be produced.
A package for goods, comprising:
an outer package body (17) formed of flexible material;
variable ion deposition or toner technology printing (17, 18, 19) directly on said package body, visible from the exterior of said outer package body; and
packaged goods (30) within said outer package body.
A package as recited in claim 7 characterised in that said printing is unique printing (19) for that particular package, not being provided on any other package of the same type.
A package as recited in claim 8 characterised in that said unique printing comprises bar codes, identification numbers, and/or verbal and pictorial messages.
A package as recited in any of claims 7 to 9 characterised in that said packaging body is cardboard or paperboard.
A package as recited in any of claims 7 to 9 characterised in that said packaging body comprises films, plastic bags, or wrapping, paperboard and/or cardboard.
A package as recited in any of claims 7 to 11 characterised in that said packaging body is a parallelepiped box.