EP1375363A2

EP1375363A2 - Display packaging

Info

Publication number: EP1375363A2
Application number: EP03014361A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michael Cox
Original assignee: Swedish Match UK Ltd
Current assignee: Republic Technologies UK Ltd
Priority date: 2002-06-28
Filing date: 2003-06-26
Publication date: 2004-01-02
Also published as: NO20032952L; GB0214936D0; EP1375363A3; GB2390083A; NO20032952D0

Abstract

A package for displaying a plurality of items (13), the package comprising item retention means (14), said retention means comprising a plurality of elongate tabs (14), which engage in corresponding slots in the items, to hold the items in an upright position. The item retention means comprises at least first and second tabs and each item is held by a first tab, inserted into a first slot in the item and a second tab, inserted into a second slot in the item. The package has a base, first and second sides and at least one end, enclosing the items. The tabs extend upwardly from the base of the package, from an elongate strip, the axes of the tabs being perpendicular to the long axis of the strip. The package has a first strip (16), including a plurality of tabs (14), the strip being secured parallel to the first side of the package and a second strip, including a plurality of tabs, the strip being secured parallel to the second side of the package. The tabs are arranged in pairs such that each tab of the first strip is directly opposite a corresponding tab of the second strip.

Description

The present invention relates to packaging for displaying a plurality of tall, narrow items.
Retail products are often supplied to shops packed together in trays, which can be placed directly on the shelves at the retail outlet. The display is quick and easy for the retailer to set up, as each item does not have to be individually placed on the shelf. For tall items, with bases of small cross-sectional area, it is desirable for the largest face of the product to be on display to the consumer. However, when such items are placed upright, on one of their smaller faces, they are very unstable. When a tray is full, the products are all held upright by the enclosing sides of the tray. However, once the first item has been removed from the front of the tray, there is a gap between the next item and the front wall of the tray, and therefore nothing to hold the next item upright. There is a great tendency for the products to fall over, obscuring their front face from the view of the consumer. When a product falls over its "stand out" on the shelf is reduced, therefore it is less likely to catch the eye of the consumer, causing greater difficulties for the consumer to find the desired product.
According to the present invention there is provided a package for displaying a plurality of items, the package comprising item retention means, said retention means comprising a plurality of elongate tabs, which engage in slots in the items, to hold the items in an upright position.
Preferably the item retention means comprises at least first and second tabs and each item is held by a first tab, inserted into a first slot in the item and a second tab, inserted into a second slot in the item.
Preferably the package has a base, first and second sides and at least one end, enclosing the items.
The item retention means may be separate from the sides of the package. Alternatively the item retention means forms part of the sides and base of the package.
Preferably the tabs extend upwardly from the base of the package.
Preferably the item retention means comprises a plurality of tabs that extend from an elongate strip, the axes of the tabs being perpendicular to the long axis of the strip.
According to the present invention there is provided method for displaying a plurality of items in an upright position comprising the steps of:
arranging the items side by side in a row,
inserting a tab into a slot in each item, said tabs extending from an
elongate strip,
folding the said strip to form a tab part and a securing part and
securing the securing part of the strip to the base of a package.
Advantages of the present invention are that the items are maintained upright and it is simple to assemble the items within the display packaging directly after production. The products are closely packed, so there is no wastage of space in the packaging. The package can be made from cheap, recyclable materials such as cardboard. The front of the package can be left completely open, so the whole face of the product is visible to the consumer.
A package embodying the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the display packaging, partially filled with cartons for display,
Figure 2 is a side view of the tabs extending from a strip,
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a carton to be displayed,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the carton of figure 2,
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a strip having been partially inserted into a row of cartons, and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of two strips, having been fully inserted into a row of cartons, and the spine of the strips having been folded over.
Referring to figure 1, the base of the package is a rectangular tray 10, having a pair of side walls 11, and a front and back wall. Cartons 13 are held upright in the tray by tabs 14, inserted into the end closures of each carton. The tabs project, from an elongate spine 15 like the teeth of a comb. The teeth have width corresponding to the item. The strip is secured to the inside of the base of the tray. Referring to figure 2, the strip 16 has a plurality of flat, parallel teeth or tabs 14 projecting from one of the long edges of the strip's spine 15. In this embodiment the strip is made of cardboard, but it could be made of any flat, rigid material. The strip can be cut or punched out from a single piece of cardboard.
The base tray does not require a front wall to hold the cartons upright in the tray, therefore the front of the package can be left open, displaying the whole of the front face of the product to the consumer.
Figure 3 shows the type of box or carton 13 to be displayed using the packaging of the display packaging of figure 1. The carton is a flat cuboid, having two long sides and a short width. Flat boxes are best displayed to the consumer when standing on one of their narrow faces, with their largest surface 12 facing forwards, but they are very unstable in this orientation.
The tabs 14 are inserted into slots formed by the end closures of the cartons. The open ends 17 of the cartons may be closed by folding a first flap 18 over the opening, applying adhesive to outer surface of the flap and folding a second flap 19 over the first and gluing it to the first. Alternatively, referring to figure 4, a fold over tuck flap closure can be used. A flap 20 is attached to one of the long edges of the open end 17, the flap being the same size and shape as the open end 17. The flap 20 has an end portion 21, which extends from its outside long edge. The flap 20 is folded over the opening and the end portion tucked into the opening at the opposite long edge of the opening. Side flaps 22 extend from the two short edges of the opening to firmly hold the end flap between the flaps 22 and the edge of the display face 12.
In this embodiment the end faces 14 of each carton have tuck flap closures, as shown in figure 4, and the opposite faces of the cartons have glued flaps, as shown in figure 3. Both of the end faces of a closed carton, as described in this particular embodiment, have slots 23 at the top and bottom of each face, allowing the insertion of flat tabs, between the outer flaps and the internal or side flaps 18.
Other methods, which leave a slot for insertion of a tab can be used to close the end faces of the cartons. Objects other than cartons or boxes, also having slots for the insertion of a tab, can be displayed using the display packaging of figure 1.
Figure 5 shows a plurality of flat boxes 13, having been packed upside down in a temporary tray, each resting upright on one of its narrow faces. They are packed face to face, with the largest surfaces of one box 12 (the display face) adjacent to the back face (opposite face to the display face) on the next box, with no spaces left between the boxes. A strip 16 having the same number of teeth as the number of cartons is brought towards the row of cartons and the teeth are inserted, along the direction of the arrow, into the slots at the top of the carton end faces. The teeth of an identical strip are inserted into the slots at the top of the opposite end face of each carton.
The width of each tab 14 of the strip should be just less than the width of the carton, such that the tab fits tightly into the slot 23. The length of each tab should be less than the height of the carton to be supported, but long enough that tab can be inserted a substantial distance into the box, so that the carton will be held securely by the tabs. The extreme end of each tab should be rounded or tapered so that it is easy to insert into the slots in the end closures of the cartons.
After the two strips have been inserted into the slots in the carton end closures, the spine 15 of the strips are folded in, over towards the bottom faces of the cartons, as shown in figure 6. Adhesive is applied to the exposed faces of the strips and a preformed tray 10 is then placed over the strips, the inside of the base of the tray being stuck to the strips using the adhesive. The base of the tray has the same width as the base length of the cartons and the same length as the total length of the row of cartons. The sides of the tray, as shown in figure 1, should be the same height or taller than the teeth. The sides of the tray also help to keep the boxes stable. The tray is placed on the retailer's shelf, so that the boxes are displayed the right way up. The boxes are easily removed by lifting them off the upturned teeth.
Alternatively the strips could be glued to the inside of the tray and the boxes inserted onto the teeth of the strips at a later stage. Items other than boxes or cartons, having a slit into which the teeth can be inserted can be held upright by the display packaging described here.

Claims

A package for displaying a plurality of items, the package comprising item retention means, said retention means comprising a plurality of elongate tabs, which engage in corresponding slots in the items, to hold the items in an upright position.
A package according to claim 1 wherein the item retention means comprises at least first and second tabs and each item is held by a first tab, inserted into a first slot in the item and a second tab, inserted into a second slot in the item.
A package according to any preceding claim wherein the package has a base, first and second sides and at least one end, enclosing the items.
A package according to claim 2 wherein the item retention means is separate from the sides of the package.
A package according to claim 2 wherein the item retention means forms part of the sides and base of the package.
A package according to any of claims 2-5 wherein the tabs extend upwardly from the base of the package.
A package according to any preceding claim wherein the item retention means comprises a plurality of tabs that extend from an elongate strip, the axes of the tabs being perpendicular to the long axis of the strip.
A package according to claim 7 wherein the package has a first strip, including a plurality of tabs, the strip being secured parallel to the first side of the package and a second strip, including a plurality of tabs, the strip being secured parallel to the second side of the package.
A package according to claim 8 wherein the tabs are arranged in pairs such that each tab of the first strip is directly opposite a corresponding tab of the second strip.
A method for displaying a plurality of items in an upright position comprising the steps of:

arranging the items side by side in a row,

inserting a tab into a slot in each item, said tabs extending from an elongate strip,

folding the said strip to form a tab part and a securing part and

securing the securing part of the strip to the base of a package.
A method for displaying a plurality of items in an upright position according to claim 10 wherein first and second tabs are inserted into first and second slots in each item, said first tabs extending perpendicularly from the axis of a first elongate strip and said second tabs extending perpendicularly from the axis of a second elongate strip.