EP0227752A1 - Improved package for footwear - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoebox generally having the shape of a conventional shoebox is molded from plastic material and can be either transparent or translucent, so that the shoes placed inside the box can be seen from the outside of the box, still opaque. The box (10) and the cover (11) both have a conical construction, so that several boxes, as well as several covers when detached from the box, can fit together. In one embodiment, the cover is a jaw cover and in another embodiment the cover is fixed by hinges to the box but can be detached from said box. An edge or groove (17) around the top of the lid associates with the bottom side of another box to prevent adjacent boxes from slipping when multiple boxes are stored on top of each other. The grooves can be placed inside the box, in order to allow one or more dividing walls to extend across the width of the box, thus dividing said box into smaller compartments intended to receive shoes of sizes smaller. In one embodiment, a handle is provided for transporting the box and its contents. The handle is placed in a recess arranged in one of the ends of the box, so as to obtain a nestable handle, which can be pivoted into a position of use from which it emerges from the recess.

Description

IMPROVED PACKAGE FOR FOOTWEAR The present invention relates generally to the packaging of articles and more particularly to an improved package for footwear. Traditionally, many types of footwear such as shoes and boots have been packaged in rectangular cardboard shoe boxes open at one side with a lid for closing that side. Although shoe boxes of this type have been in use for many years, they suffer from several disadvantages particularly in connection with the storage of shoes in such boxes prior to sale. Generally the shoe boxes are stacked in rows, one on top of the other, either in a store room or in the sales area. As such, the lower rows of shoe boxes are subjected to relatively heavy loads by the upper rows, leading to a tendency for the cardboard boxes to crush. This problem is magnified due to the constant handling of the boxes due to purchasers requirements to try on a selection of sizes and styles before buying. The crushing of the shoe box can lead to damage of the shoes contained therein by scuffing and the like. Furthermore, storage of shoes in the above manner and with boxes of the type described cause handling problems. For example, difficulties can be encountered in removing a shoe box from a lower row. This is usually done by gripping the lid which generally results in the lid tearing. As such it has not been the practice in the past to try and reuse the boxes and this can create relatively large waste disposal problems particularly if the purchaser does not want the shoe box. Another problem with shoe boxes of this type is providing appropriate identification material as to size, colour, style etc. This is generally done by providing a sticker with the required identification material on the outside of the box. Thus it will be appreciated that only one box is suitable for one type of shoe. Again this can be a problem when shoes are being constantly removed from and replaced in the boxes when being tried on since any error in repackaging of the shoes cannot be easily detected. A further problem in stacking the boxes is that, when stacked, the stack tends to be unstable due to the constant removal and replacement of the shoe boxes. Yet another problem is that the boxes are totally unsatisfactory for display purposes as they do not enable the customer to have any knowledge of what the shoe looks like other than the information provided on the label. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved footwear package which alleviates one or more of the foregoing disadvantages. Accordingly, the invention provides a shoe box comprising a box shaped housing open at one side thereof and into which footwear can be placed, and a lid for covering said open side, characterized in that, said housing and lid are formed of a plastics material moulded to the desired shape and have some flexibility when moulded, and sufficient rigidity to support thereon a considerable number of like shoe boxes containing footwear, when said boxes are stacked one on top of the other, said housing is of tapered shape such that it has a slightly increasing cross-section towards said open side whereby a plurality of housings, with lids removed, are nestable. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, particular embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a shoe box and lid according to one embodiment of the invention with lid raised; Figure 2 is an underside view of the box shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view from below of the shoe box shown in Figure 1 with lid removed; Figure 4 is a sectional side elevation of the box and lid shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective front view from above of a shoe box and lid according to another embodiment of the invention with lid closed; Figure 6 is a perspective rear view from above of the shoe box of Figure 5; Figure 7 is the same view as Figure 5 with lid in the open position, and Figure 8 is the same view as Figures 5 and 7 with lid unattached. Referring now to the drawings and firstly to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, the shoe box or package is shown to consist essentially of a box-shaped housing 10 and a lid 11 which is shown separate from the housing 10, that is, in the open or removed condition. The housing 10 and lid 11 are formed of a clear plastics material such that the package is transparent enabling goods packaged therein to be viewed from outside the package. Since the package is of necessity very thin walled, ribs 12 are provided around the housing 10 for the purpose of providing additional strength and furthermore an enlarged section 13 is provided around the top of the housing again for providing additional strength. The box-shaped housing 10 is turned outwardly around the top edge thereof which defines an open side of the housing to form a lip 14 for engagement with the lid 11 as will be apparent hereinbelow. Baffle members 15 define vertical slots inside the housing 10 at one end thereof for the purpose of enabling a card to be slid inside the box and retained in position. The card may have display information which is visible through an end wall of the housing 10. A ridge 16 on the inside of the base of the housing 10 provides a heel stop for retaining shoes in position within the housing 10. As is evident in Figures 1 and 4 the lid 11 has a continuous groove 17 which extends around the perimeter thereof on the outer side. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 3, the bottom of the housing 10 has a right angled ridge member 18 adjacent each corner thereof and the arrangement is such that when one package is stacked on top of another, the ridge members 18 on the underside of one package fit into the groove 17 on the lid of the package t erebelow for the purpose of preventing sliding movement between packages in a stack such that the stability of the stack is considerably improved. As will be evident to persons skilled in the art the groove 17 on the lid 11 could equally be a raised ridge member which could be positioned to fit immediately outside the ridge members 18 and the same result would be achieved. As is more evident in Figure 4, the box-shaped housing 10 has a tapered construction which is exaggerated for the purposes of illustration in Figure 4. In other words, the housing 10 has greater dimensions at the top than at the bottom such that the sides incline inwardly a slight amount. The purpose of this tapered construction is to enable one box-shaped housing 10 to fit inside another housing 10 so that a plurality of such housings may be stacked one inside the other, thus occupying minimum space during packaging and transportation or minimum space for storage after use or storage for disposal purposes. In other words, the housings are nestable and the lid 11 is similarly tapered so that a plurality of the lids are also nestable. The package according to this particular embodiment is 300 mm long, 150 mm wide and 100 mm deep although it will be evident that other sizes may be used to accommodate different shoes such as womens' and childrens' shoes. Figure 4 shows the lid 11 to be very similar to a conventional box- type lid with the exception that it is formed out of the same plastics material as the housing 10. If it is preferred the lid 11 may have an inwardly directed ridge (not shown) around the inside of the downwardly depending sides 19 thereof to engage the lip 14 of the box so as to hold the lid firmly in place when it is arranged on the box 10. Alternatively, the lid may be as shown in Figure 4 in which case it merely slides over the lip 14 or, if desired, in this situation the lip 14 may be omitted. The'plastics housing 10 and lid 11 may be manufactured by injection moulding or any other suitable method. Whilst the package described above is produced in transparent plastics material enabling the contents thereof (shoes) to be viewed from outside the package, clearly it could be made in translucent or opaque plastics material. The package may be manufactured in plastics of various different colours. Obviously the strengthening ribs 12 and the enlarged section 13 may be varied according to strength requirements and the particular material or process being used to manufacture the package and if is only important that the final product have sufficient strength to support a reasonable load of similar packages thereon. Generally, the package should be able to withstand a load of 3.2 kgs thereon without collapsing. The inside of the housing 10 may have support means (not shown) for supporting an insert which enables shoes therein to be displayed in the box particularly in cases where the plastics material is translucent or opaque. Such an insert would raise the shoes in a manner which is generally known per se. Reference should now be made to Figures 5 - 8 which show another embodiment of the invention wherein the lid 11 is connected to the housing 10 by flexible hinges 20 arranged at one end of the lid 11. The hinges 20 are moulded as part of the lid and connect to the housing 10 by passing through slots formed by brackets 21 which are affixed to one end of the housing 10. The brackets 21 may be glued or otherwise attached to the housing or may be moulded integral therewith. The hinges 20 are hook-shaped as shown and require minor distortion in order to pass through the slots whereby they are retained in position. The box or package of Figures 5 - 8 is moulded of plastics material and in the case of both the housing 10 and lid 11 the thickness of the material is greater than in the previous embodiment. Thus a box or package of stronger construction is obtained and the need for the ribs 12 is obviated. As is evident in the drawings a handle 22 is arranged at the opposite end of the housing 10 to the hinge brackets* 21. The handle 22 is accommodated in a recess formed in the end of the housing 10 by means of inturned wall portions 23. The inturned wall portions 23 provide added strength to the housing and provide surfaces to which the handle is pivotally connected by hinge pins (not shown). In a retracted position the handle fits totally within the recess so that the nestable feature of the housing 10 is not prevented by the inclusion of a handle. The handle 22 is held in the retracted position by bumps or protrusions (not shown) on the wall portions 23 which engage the sides of the handle. These bumps or protrusions (not shown) also serve to engage the sides of the handle 22 when it is pivoted through 90° to the extended or usable position (not shown), for the purpose of retaining the handle in the usable position until it is forced back to the retracted position. According to the embodiment of Figures 5 - 8 the plastics material is opaque and thus it is not possible to view the contents of the box from outside when it is closed. Therefore, a label 24 or alternatively a label holder (not shown) may be provided on the front of the box within the handle recess. As is evident in Figures 7 and 8 the housing 10 has ribs 25 formed on the inner wall of opposed sides. Each pair of closely spaced ribs 25 define a groove for accommodating the edge of a baffle member (not shown) which is adapted to slide downwardly into the opposed grooves to extend across the width of the housing. Thus a single baffle member may be used to extend across the housing between either the opposed grooves towards the front of the box or alternatively the opposed grooves towards the rear of the box to thereby reduce the size of the space therein used to accommodate a pair of shoes. With one baffle in place as aforementioned the box is adapted to accommodate maids or youths shoes for example. With two baffles in place within the housing the central space between the baffles is adapted to accommodate shoes for very small children. Of course with no baffles in place the box accommodates adult shoes. The ribs 25 may be moulded integrally with the housing 10 or may be subsequently affixed thereon. The lid 11 of this embodiment has a raised perimeter portion 26 defining a central recess 27. The central recess is adapted to accommodate the base of a further similar shoe box when stacked thereon so as to prevent sliding movement between boxes in a stack similar to the groove 17 and ridge members 18 of the earlier embodiment. Blocks 28 inside the downwardly depending side 19 of the lid 11 at the front of the lid co-operate with tapered blocks 29 arranged on the front end of the housing 10 adjacent the top thereof for the purpose of latching the lid 11 in a closed position. It is merely necessary to apply a slight pressure to the front of the housing 10 adjacent the blocks 29 in order to release the lid. It should be evident that the present invention provides considerable improvement over conventional shoe boxes. For example, the box or package in simplest form is extremely cheap to manufacture, enables the goods to be viewed from outside the container if desired and is readily stored one inside the other for storage or disposal purposes. Furthermore, the indexing arrangement which allows the bottom of one box to engage in the top of another box provides considerable stability when the boxes are stored one on top of the other. Viewing of the shoes within the box from outside enables a salesman or prospective purchaser to select goods from a stack without necessarily removing a box or package. Whilst two embodiments of the invention are disclosed above, it is readily apparent that many other combinations of the various features disclosed may be used to provide many differing embodiments. Clearly the shoe box of Figures 5 - 8 is more expensive to produce than the shoe-box shown in Figures 1 - 4 but it should be noted that the greater structural integrity together with the hinged lid and carry handle render this version suitable as a carry container for the shoes obviating the need for a separate carry bag such as a plastics carry bag normally provided free by the shopkeeper to the purchaser. Also, the shoe-box may be retained as a permanent storage for the shoes when not in use. " It will be evident that the use of plastics material for construction and the nestling feature render the shoe box or package of this invention both economical in manufacture and storage.

Claims

1. A shoe box comprising a box shaped housing open at one side thereof and into which footwear can be placed, and a lid for covering said open side, characterized in that, said housing and lid are formed of a plastics material moulded to the desired shape and have some flexibility when moulded, and sufficient rigidity to support thereon a considerable number of like shoe boxes containing footwear, when said boxes are stacked one on top of the other, said housing is of tapered shape such that it has a slightly increasing cross-section towards said open side whereby a plurality of housings, with lids removed, are nestable.

2. A shoe box according to claim 1 wherein said lid is a shallow box, characterized in that the sides of said lid are inclined outwardly slightly whereby a plurality of said lids are nestable.

3. A shoe box according to claim 2, characterized in that, the outer face of said lid and the underside of said housing have co-operating surfaces which prevent sliding movement between the base of one such shoe box and the top of another when said boxes are stacked one on top of the other.

4. A shoe box according to claim 3, characterized in that, said co-operating surfaces include a continuous groove in said outer face of said lid adjacent the perimeter thereof and ridge members on said underside of said housing, which ridge members are adapted to fit into said groove when one said shoe box is placed on top of a like shoe box to thereby prevent said sliding movement.

5. A shoe box according to claim 3, characterized in that, said co-operating surfaces include a raised perimeter around said outer face of said lid, which raised perimeter is adapted to enclose a base portion of said housing when one said shoe box is placed on top of a like shoe box to thereby prevent said sliding movement.

6. A shoe box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, said plastics material is either transparent or translucent enabling footwear inside said shoe box to be viewed through the box.

7. A shoe box according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 5, characterized in that said lid has hinges depending therefrom, which hinges are adapted to engage respective loop members on one end of said housing whereby said lid may be connected to said housing and hinged between open and closed positions by flexing of said hinges.

8. A shoe box according to claim 7, characterized in that a recess is provided in an end wall of said housing and a handle is provided in a storage position within said recess, and said handle is pivotally connected to said housing within said recess and is adapted to be pivoted to a usable position wherein it extends from said recess.

9. A shoe box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, grooves are provided on opposite sides of said housing on the inside thereof whereby baffles may be slid within opposed grooves so as to extend across the width of said shoe box to thereby divide the inside of the box and provide a smaller compartment for accommodating shoes of smaller sizes.

10. A shoe box according to any one of the preceding claims 2 - 9, characterized in that, an inwardly directed lip is formed around the sides of said lid adjacent the open side thereof and a similar lip extends around said housing in an outwardly extending direction adjacent the open side thereof, whereby in closing said lid the lip therein must be forced over the lip on the housing to pivotally hold the lid in a closed condition.