GB2526782A - Gift packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

A gift container 300 is attached 344 to a transport container 400. Each has a top, bottom and sides and the transport container can enclose the gift container. Ideally the attachment is in the form of a strip with tear tape 340 adjacent perforations 338. Ideally the containers are cartons formed from individual corrugated cardboard blanks with the gift container having microflutes and the transport container having higher impact resistance. The base of the inner container may be both narrower and shorter than the outer container. Accessing the inner container may require reconfiguring the outer container. Ideally the inner container is printed, coloured, patterned or decorated and there are slits to hold a card or for decoration. An alternative gift pack can be formed of a blank having five panels, two having flaps hinged to them and tabs hinged to the flaps; the two hinges on each flap being perpendicular. A packaging combination can be formed by forming an inner container from one blank and forming an outer container from another blank around the first container. A gift container can be formed from a blank and closed by engaging two tabs which are each attached to flaps.

Description

Gift packaging The present invention relates to packaging, and in particular, packaging which is used both for containing products used for transport or shipment and for the purposes of presenting the contents of the package as a gift.

It is known that when purchasing products from, say, an online retailer, the products are usually placed into a pack which is suitable for transport. In such a case, this pack is found to be durable to withstand damage during delivery and plain to hide the value of the contents therein. If it was the desire of the person receiving the package to give the products enclosed as a gift, or in the case that the products were delivered directly to a gift recipient, the transport packaging is unsuitable as a gift wrapping. Therefore, it is known that many retailers offer a gift wrapping service, where the products are gift wrapped prior to placing inside the transport packaging.

Much of the time, this gift wrapping will involve the cutting and folding of paper or card and the application of adhesive tape to secure the gift wrap before the wrapped product is then placed in the transport packaging. This is a much slower process than the placing of the object directly in a transport pack and this is reflected in the price, with retailers often charging more than their premium postage option for such a service. For low cost items, this can even result in the cost of gift wrapping being greater than the product to be gifted. Its cost is thus a potential deterrent for consumers, whereby they might not take advantage of the gift wrapping service.

Therefore, there exists a need to provide a packaging system which can fulfil the requirements of providing suitable transport packaging, but which also provides an appropriate gift package or gift wrap, and ideally this must be achieved with a faster or easier gift wrapping process for the retailer/packer so as to enable a cost saving, e.g. one for the retailer, or more preferably one which may be passed onto the consumer.

The present invention provides packaging, or a packaging system, for transport of products, the packaging, or packaging system, comprising: a transport container having a top, a bottom and a plurality of sides (preferably it is a box with four sides, i.e. the box having a base and a lid, and front, side and rear edges); and a gift container (or gift wrap) which sits on top of the bottom of the transport container, where the gift container (or gift wrap) has a top, a bottom and a plurality of sides (preferably it is a box with four sides, i.e. the box having a base and a lid, and front, side and rear edges), wherein: the width and length of the bottom or base of the gift container is smaller than that of the bottom or base of the transport container; the gift container has an inner space which may enclose one or more products; the transport container has an inner space sized to enclose or restrain the gift container, such that access to the gift container is only possible by reconfiguration of the transport container; and the gift wrap container is attached to the transport container.

Preferably the gift container is a decorative gift wrap product, e.g. with an aesthetically pleasing appearance once closed.

Hereinafter, gift container or gift wrap will be used interchangeably, unless where clearly inapplicable.

Preferably the internal volume of the gift container is less than that of the transport container. This will be the case when the gift container is fully housed within the transport container.

Preferably one or both of the containers are formed from a corrugated material.

Preferably one or both of the containers are formed from a card stock material.

Preferably the transport container is formed from corrugated cardboard.

The material of the containers may differ, or they may be different styles of the same material, e.g. printed cardboard for one and plain cardboard for the other.

Preferably the transport container is formed of a resilient material.

The transport container is preferably made from materials typically used for postal deliveries -it will advantageously withstand the typical forms of handling that occur during postal transport. This may include being dropped, stacked or rubbed against other objects. As such, the material is beneficially resilient to tearing and denting, and yet still lightweight, i.e. not a steel box.

The transport container or gift container can be a box.

The front, the preferably two sides and the rear of the box may be the height of the combined thickness of the lid and base -e.g. formed by the fold therebetween, or they may formed as specific front, side and rear walls for defining a larger internal volume, or there can be a combination thereof. Since a product to be placed inside the container may be substantially flat (e.g. an envelope or a card based, or card mounted, product), or of various sizes or thicknesses, a variety of sizes and forms of container can be provided, and blanks for forming these containers may be creased or marked for folding into a variety of shapes and thicknesses.

Preferably the gift container is formed from corrugated cardboard or card stock. The material of the gift container may be thinner or more flexible or less resilient than the material of the transport container, since it might not have to withstand the direct forces of transportation -the transport packaging will instead typically be required to withstand those typical forces.

If formed of corrugated material, it may be preferred that the corrugate of the gift container is micro fluted, i.e. having a corrugation height (amplitude) of no more than 2mm, and preferably no more than 1mm.

Preferably the thickness of the material used for the gift container is between 500 and 800pm, inclusive.

Preferably the material of the gift container has been printed / coloured / patterned or otherwise decorated. This increases the aesthetic appearance of the gift container to better allow it to be used as a gift wrap product.

Preferably the gift container has one or more slot cut on its outside surface for sliding a corner of a card through.

Slots may be positioned to hold multiple corners of a piece of card. For example, there may be two slots for holding opposing corners of a gift card, business card or gift voucher/gift receipt.

Preferably the gift container has a tab cut on its outside surface. This tab could have a message printed on it, or under it, or otherwise be folded to add a three dimensional element to the package.

The present invention also provides a method of assembling a transport container, the transport container having an additional gift wrap container fastened to it, wherein the gift wrap container is used for holding one or more products within the transport container and as a gift wrap for said product or products, the method comprising: providing a gift wrap blank on a transport blank, the gift wrap blank being for forming the gift wrap container and the transport blank being for forming the transport container: folding the gift wrap blank to form the gift wrap container; folding the transport blank around the folded gift wrap blank to form the transport container around the gift wrap container; and securing the transport container in that folded condition.

Preferably the transport container is secured in that folded condition by the use of adhesive tape or glue.

The gift wrap container is also preferably secured in its folded condition before folding the transport blank. Preferably that is achieved by use of a hook, catch, fold or interengagement mechanism, or by adhesive tape or glue, or a hook and loop tape such as Velcro ®. Preferably though it is provided by way of an integrated or included part of the blank, such as interengaging tabs, a pre-applied adhesive strip, a pre-positioned clip or a resilient pair (or more) of engagement flanges.

Preferably the containers or gift wrap / transport blanks are each formed from individual or separate blanks, although they can be formed from a single blank.

If the same material is to be used for both, the gift and transport containers may be formed of the same blank and separated, or folded over one another, e.g. at a frangible hinge line.

Preferably the gift container is fastened to the transport container at a tearable joint.

Preferably this fastening is to the inside of the transport container. The tearable joint is preferably pre-perforated. The fastening may be a result of the above folding over, or as a separate joining step.

The gift container may have a lip or tab for the purpose of fastening to the transport container.

Preferably the fastening of the gift container to the transport container is by glue, tape or other such means of adhering.

In the preferred embodiments, when fastened together, the blank for the gift container is wholly contained within the perimeter of the blank for the transport container. This protects the gift container during transport or handling of the blanks -they may be pre-stacked in a bale for distribution.

Preferably the gift container may be fastened to the transport box prior to folding.

Preferably the gift container is partially folded and adhered before delivery to a client, This can be for allowing rapid produce packing into the gift container.

The folding may create a slot, and produce packing may be by slotting the produce into the slot, it thus being positioned at least partially inside the internal volume of the gift container.

Preferably the partially folded (and optionally adhered) gift container is sized to sit wholly within the surface area of the blank for the transport container. This may even allow a larger initial blank to be used (i.e. in perhaps one orientation) compared to the blank for the transport packaging, while still having the blanks to be delivered flat and safe (i.e. the gift packaging being protected from transport damage). The arrangement can then be subsequently packed with products and assembled into containers at the destination.

Preferably the fold retention mechanisms are provided on the blanks so that the gift container and transport container can be folded/assembled around a product or products without the need for additional fastening.

Preferably the edges of the gift container's blank are kept within the perimeter of the transport blank during any transport thereof (when stacked on the blank for the transport container) so as to keep it at a lower risk of delivery damage (e.g. during delivery of the blanks to the packing company).

Preferably the gift container may be unfastened from the transport container by means of a tear strip, or "zip". The "zip" may be provided by two lines (parallel) of perforations..

There may be a reinforcement within or on or under that zip, e.g. a string or ribbon of a tougher material than the blank.

Preferably the tear strip comprises lines which include perforations and/or cuts and/or creases. This allows easy removal of the tear strip.

Preferably the gift container, for example once folded, has at least a portion with a double skin surface. This allows additional design elements such as cut outs to be incorporated therein without exposing the product therein. This may be only one surface of the product, such as the lid, and it might only be partially double skinned.

The present invention enables the gift container to be gift ready, in that the gift can be removed from the transport packaging and, with no additional configuration, is in a suitable aesthetic condition for gifting to a recipient, perhaps even with a printed message thereon if fed to the packer from a printing unit (e.g. under the outer layer of the double skin, or elsewhere. More usually, however, a pre-printed label may accompany the gift to be wrapped therein, which label can be applied to the gift container by the packer.

Preferably the transport container is closed by the use of one adhering line. The adhering line may be glue or tape.

Preferably the adhering means will be pre-applied on the lid or base.

There can be a double line for stronger joints, or in the case of adhering tape, there may be more than one strip where not all of them are used, e.g. for allowing a first opening and then a subsequent reclosing of the bo4package. This allows the container or containers to be opened when first received and then reconfigured into a box once again, i.e. after the initially adhered surfaces have been broken apart during opening, perhaps for returning the product if it is not required -product returns are common in the mail order business.

Preferably the transport container may comprise a tear strip to assist with opening once the container is closed and retained in that closed position. The tear strip will typically be formed in the overlap of the lid and base prior to the adhered surface.

Preferably a tear strip for removal of the gift container from the transport container is provided. It may be of finer or smaller cuts than the tear strip for opening the transport container. Small or fine cuts result is a more aesthetic, less rough edge, after separation, and this is more important for the gift container than the transport container since the gift container is to be used as a gift wrap product.

The present invention also provides a stacked blank arrangement for use in the above methods.

The present invention also provides a blank for a gift container (or a gift container formed from such a blank), the blank comprising foldable panels for forming a base, sides and a top of the container, and a closing mechanism, the closing mechanism comprising at least two flaps, the flaps having a tab extending therefrom, the flaps being connected to two separate panels that together form a top, bottom or side of the gift container, once assembled, the flaps being attached to the respective one of the two separate panels along respective first hinge lines, and the tabs being attached to the respective flaps at respective second hinge lines that are at a preferably perpendicular angle to the respective first hinge lines.

A perpendicular angle works for a square box gift container.

Preferably the tabs abut the panel from which its respective flap extends.

Preferably the abutment lies at a cut-line between the panel and the tab.

Preferably hinge-lines extend towards a common node. and at least one of the hinge lines has a short cut or score at the node so as to terminate the hinge line just prior to the node, for example between 0.5mm and 4mm before that node. Preferably the short cut or score has a length exceeding a half thickness of the material of the blank, and preferably it has a length greater than the thickness of the material of the blank.

Preferably the combined sum of the angles at the nodes for the two flaps and tabs, when measured between the first hinge line and the second hinge line, and the second hinge line and the cut line, for each flap! totals about 360°. Preferably the total is 1800 for each of the two flaps, but they may differ from one another.

The present invention also provides packaging comprising a gift container and a transport container, wherein the gift container is enclosable and fastened within the transport container where a product is inside the gift container and where the gift container is detachable from the transport container by a strip.

The present invention also provides a method of closing a gift container, the gift container formed from a blank comprising foldable panels and a closing mechanism, or being as defined above, the closing mechanism comprising: at least two flaps, the flaps having a tab extending therefrom; wherein the tabs are foldably reconfigurable to interengage with one another to hold the flaps in position thus closing the container.

Preferably the short cut or scores are provided at the nodes of the hinge lines, and when interengaging the tabs, the two nodes interengage or mesh together at the respective short cut or scores thereof.

Preferably the flaps are formed of a resilient material, the resilience allowing a retention of the flaps in their folded, closed configuration. Alternatively, the resilience allows the interengaging or meshing nodes to grip one another.

Preferably the respective panels are such a length that their edges would meet underneath the two opposing flaps to form a lid, the interengaging flaps and tabs/nodes holding that lid closed.

Preferably the tabs that extend from the flaps are tabs that have a length that does not exceed the width of the flaps. They may be the same, however.

Preferably the width of the tabs do not exceed the length of the flaps. They may be the same, however.

Preferably the combined measurement of the length of the tabs and the width of the flaps is the same as the width of the panel from which they extend.

Preferably each tab is formed by a cut extending from one edge of the panel from which its flap extends. Preferably the cut extends just beyond halfway across the width of the panel. Preferably it extends just beyond the node between the respective hinge lines.

The cut may be continuous, although preferably there is a shod notch at or near the starting edge of the panel for holding the tab in a common plane with the panel until it is to be engaged with the opposing tab of the other panel.

Preferably the cuts start on opposite sides of the opposing panels.

Preferably the cuts extend perpendicularly across the width of the panels.

Preferably the cuts extend parallel to each other.

Preferably there tabs have at least two free edges, which may be perpendicular to each other, and preferably a node therebetween is rounded or chamfered.

Preferably the tabs may be folded such that they are able to pass each other during the interengagement of the tabs.

Preferably, when interengaged so as to close the container, the tabs can be manipulated and lifted or bent away from the underlying panels from which they are extending via the flaps so as to give a voluminous or three dimensional shape to the closing mechanism. Since the gift container is desirably aesthetically pleasing, the tabs and flaps could together form some kind of a three dimensional effect, much like a ribbon or bow.

The tabs and/or flaps may be cut in various styles or shapes to give further effects. To add to the aesthetics of the gift packaging, the tabs and flaps may be cut in various patterns, such as to simulate a ribbon, bow, star or flower more closely.

The present invention also provides a blank comprising a closing mechanism as defined above.

These and other features of the present invention will now be described in further detail, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a first form of blank for forming a gift container of the present invention; Figure 1A shows a detail from Figure 1 -the preferred cuts at the nodes between the hinge lines; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a first form of blank for forming a transport container of the present invention; Figure 3 shows an elevated view of the partially assembled gift container using a blank similar to that of Figure 1 and an unassembled container using a blank similar to that of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the assembled gift container using a blank similar to that of Figure 1, sat within a blank similar to that of Figure 2; Figures 5 and 6 show perspective views of the partially assembled gift container using a blank similar to that of Figure 1, sat within a blank similar to that of Figure 2 and steps for engaging the locking tabs; Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the assembled gift container of Figure 4 where the two flaps and two tabs are shaped to together form a star shape; Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the assembled transport container using a blank similar to that of Figure 2; Figure 9 shows a side view of the assembled transport container of Figure 8; Figure 10 shows an elevated or plan view of an additional feature of the partially assembled gift container of Figure 3; Figure 11 shows a plan view of an alternative blank, for forming a different form of gift container; Figure 12 shows a plan view of an alternative blank for forming a different form of transport container; Figure 13 shows a plan view of a partially assembled gift container using a blank similar to that of Figure 11; Figure 14 shows a perspective view of the assembled gift container of Figure 13 using a blank similar to that of Figure 11; Figure 15 shows a side view of the assembled gift container of Figure 13 using a blank similar to that of Figure 11; Figure 16 shows a plan view of a partially assembled gift container of Figure 13 attached to a blank similar to that of Figure 12; Figure 17 shows a perspective view of the assembled gift container of Figure 14 attached to a blank similar to that of Figure 12 -ready for closure; Figure 18 shows a perspective view of the assembled or closed transport container using a blank similar to that of Figure 12.

Various lengths are provided for the illustrated embodiments -in millimetres, as indicated by double ended arrow lines. These are not intended to be limiting in that many alternative sizes -length, width, height -are possible as well. In particular, different proportions and shapes are also permissible within the scope of the various aspects of the present invention.

Referring first of all to Figure 1, an example of a gift wrap blank 10 is shown. This blank is for forming a gift container in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

An assembled view of the gift container 200 from this embodiment of gift wrap blank is shown in Figure 4.

In this first embodiment, the gift wrap blank 10 has crease and cut-crease lines which define panels, and the panels, once folded into the assembled container shape, define the walls of the container. In this embodiment this includes two side walls 12, 14, a front wall 16 and an inner rear wall 18. These walls surround edges of a rectangular base 20 of the container. These four walls are provided in this embodiment in a linear array with four interconnecting fold lines, defined in this embodiment by creases or cut-crease lines.

Since these four walls are rectangular, they each have two opposing pairs of edges perpendicular to each other.

Other shapes for the gift container are also possible, such as a triangular arrangement.

Many such alternative designs can be found in the art.

Crease lines 22 are provided between the side walls and the base and also the front wall and the base 20 to assist with the folding of the walls to form the gift container 200.

Cut-crease lines 24 are provided between the inner back wall and the base 20 to assist with the folding to form the back wall.

Cut-crease lines are particularly useful when extending across the ridges of the corrugations -they facilitate easier folding. Simpler crease lines, however, may instead be adequate for assisting with the folding of the blank, especially where the material is not a corrugate, or if the lines are extending parallel to the corrugations.

Different types of creases and cuts may be used to define the sections of the containers. In the present invention, cut-creases and creases are used, where a crease is an indentation in the material or corrugations showing where folds will take place and easing the initiation of the fold. A cut-crease has an indentation in the material, along with through-cuts spaced along the indentation.

In addition to the use across corrugations, a cut-crease will also often be beneficially used along a line between two sections or panels which are to be folded further than perpendicular to one another. This assists the assembler of the container and will allow for a faster packing process -the cuts facilitate that additional folding. However, where significant strength is required, or where the folds are up to a perpendicular angle, a crease fold is often used instead. It does not leave a cut in the card, i.e. there isn't the significant reduction in the tear strength of the material.

Other creases, cuts or area demarcation may also be used, either instead of or in addition to the creases and cuts suggested above, such as printed lines on the blank, or perforations and scores, to show where to fold.

The front wall 16 has a flap 30 extending from it to from the top 30 of the container 200.

Once each of the side walls 12, 14, front wall, 16 and the inner rear wall 18 is folded perpendicular to the base, the lid 30 is folded perpendicular to the front wall 16 along cut-crease lines 32 such that the lid 30 is above the base 20.

The lid 30 has a further distally extending flap, defined in this example by a cut-crease line 34. This flap is to form an outer rear wall 36. When the outer rear wall is folded perpendicular to the lid 30 along the cut crease line 34, it will sit adjacent to the inner wall 18 such that their top and bottom surfaces touch respectively or vice versa.

The inner rear wall 18 is adhered to the outer rear wall 36. Conventional glues, tape or staples as is known in the art may be used for this purpose. It may even be pre-glued and covered with a pull-off strip for ready assembly at a client's premises.

The inner rear wall 18 may have a further tab 38 extending from the edge opposed to that of the base 20 which may be used for further adhesion to the lid 30 or outer rear wall 36. The tab 38 may be folded along a cut-crease line 40 which defines its border with the inner rear wall 40.

Surfaces of the inner rear wall 18, the outer rear wall 16 and the tab 38 may be used for adhesion. As such the adhesive material may be placed on some or all of these surfaces such that the inner rear wall 18 and the outer rear wall 36 are held in place adjacent to one another.

In this embodiment, there are four walls and an additional rear wall overlapping as a joining surface, as is conventional. However, other containers are known in the art and could instead be provided for combining with a transport container blank so as still to provide that aspect of the present invention.

If more walls are to be provided, additional tabs may be provided in the linear array.

The side walls, 12, 14 both have flaps or panels 26, 28 extending from them in a distal direction in relation to the base 20. These panels 26, 28 will form a top cover for the container to obscure the view of the surface of the lid 30. The panels 26, 28 are attached to the panels that form the side walls 12, 14 by crease lines 42. Thus the panels may be folded along these crease lines 42 such that they are perpendicular to the side walls 12, 14 and lay on top of the lid 30.

The panels 26, 28 have attached thereto a closing mechanism according to a further aspect of the present invention. This is optional in respect of some of the other aspects of the present invention since other types of gift wrap blank can instead be used.

However, in this embodiment that closing mechanism comprises locking flaps 60, 70 extending distally in relation to the base 20 from the panels 26, 28. This closing mechanism will be discussed in more detail below. Other closure mechanisms may instead be provided, such as adhesive strips or poppers (as known in the art). Such mechanisms may even be applied later on, i.e. after the folding of the gift wrap.

The outer rear wall 36, on the opposing edge thereof to the cut-crease line border 34 with the lid 30, has a tear strip 44 bordered by perforated cuts 46 for joining it to the outer rear wall 36 and an attachment tab 48 on the other edge. The perforated cuts 46 may differ to the other cuts of borders of the container, in that the perforated cuts 46 are designed to be broken at some point, such that the outer rear wall 36 is no longer attached to the attachment tab 48. As such the perforations may be more frequent, or less joining material may remain, or they may be angled in a different manner to the fold cuts. A design that allows a tear off with a clean edge would be particularly beneficial. An alternative arrangement to achieve this could be two stepped or offset cuts, one on either side of the blank, i.e. rather than perforations.

The attachment tab 48 is adhered through means known in the art such as gluing, taping, stapling, etc. to the blank of Figure 2. The two blanks are thus attached together to provide one of the aspects of the present invention. This linkage can be used for other gift wrap blanks too, thus again arriving at the present invention.

In Figure 2, a transport blank 100 is shown. This blank 100 is for forming a transport container in accordance with that aspect of the present invention, or others. This transport container, once folded or closed, will contain the gift container, for example a gift container formed with the blank of Figure 1.

In this embodiment, the transport blank 100 uses crease, cut-crease and perforated lines to define various panels which will define and form the transport container. These include, in this embodiment, a rectangular base 102, on which three of its edges are creases 104 and panels 106, 108, 110 defining the side walls and rear wall. As for the gift wrap blank, various forms of crease/fold line are possible between the panels.

The two side wall panels 106, 108 extend from opposing edges of the base 102. The side walls of the container are formed when the panels are folded perpendicular to the base 102 along the adjoining crease lines 104. The side wall panels 106, 108 both also have further panels 109, 112, 114 further extending away from the base 102 that can form an s-fold (with the side wall panels) and top flaps 112 and 114. These top flaps 112, 114 are connected to the side wall panels 106, 108 via spacing panels 109 by cut/crease lines 116, 118 to allow folding. The spacing panels 109 allow the sides to fold in an S shape to provide a variable height or form for the assembled container and also a resistance to forcing of the top flaps 112, 114 out of the container once it is assembled -they can form an over-centre arrangement for the sidewalls.

The two pairs of cut or crease lines 116, 118 are preferably parallel to one another, as shown, for providing a generally rectangular side profile for the transport container.

The use of multiple cut-crease lines to form the sides and top flaps 106, 108, 109, 112, 114 allow for a number of options when forming the container. It will allow for the side walls 106, 108 to be more sloped when forming the side walls of the container. The side walls may even be folded back on themselves such that their inner surfaces sit on the base 102. They may be adhered by some manner in this position (e.g. by a glue strip (selectively useable by being covered by a removable, for example). Then the spacing panels 109 might instead effectively become the side walls of the container.

On the opposing edge of the rear wall panel 110 to that which the crease line 104 joins it to the base 102, the rear wall panel has a further crease line 120 joining it to a top panel 122 which forms the top surface 122 of the transport container. Thus when the top 122 is folded along crease line 120 such that it is perpendicular to the rear wall 110, the top 122 will form a lid of a container with the top flaps 112, 114 underneath it.

The blank extends further distally from the top panel 122 to define (in this order of extension) a front wall panel 124 and attachment flap 126, with a tear strip 128 and attachment tab 130. The front wall panel 124 is bordered by two crease lines 132, one joining it to the edge of the top panel 122 and the other to the edge of the attachment flap 126.

The attachment flap 126 is provided to fold around the base 102 of the transport container when the transport container is being closed.

It should of course be appreciated that "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "base", "side" and "lid" as examples, are relative terms and depend upon the orientation of the product. They are used herein in a non-limiting fashion, and simply assist to determine relative positions within the product, rather than necessarily in real space.

The attachment tab 130 extends from the attachment flap 126 (after the tear strip) and is used for adhering or joining that flap 126 to the base 102. This attachment can be via various means known in the art such as gluing, taping, stapling, etc. Separating the attachment tab 130 and attachment flap 126 is the tear strip 128. This is bordered by peiforated lines 134 which are designed to be separated by pulling on the tear strip 128, detaching the flap 126 from the base -the transport container can then be opened. The tear strip can be conventional, and may have reinforcement ribbon to facilitate tearing. As such, this transport container may be conventional as a stand-alone product. When combining it with the gift wrap blank, however, an aspect of the present invention is arrived at.

There may be more points to adhere the blank of the transpoit container to itself for forming a container than the one adhering point on the attachment tab 130. However, in the interest of speed when packing the containers, it is preferred that there are as few folds and joints as possible. Thus! as much gluing or other form of fixation is carried out, or pre-applied, by machine prior to the packing of products and closing of the containers as possible. This can involve the use of peel off strips on the adhesives, or touch adhesives (e.g. applied to adhere when two surfaces touch, each surface perhaps being applied with a non-tacky part of the adhesive that join together when engaged together).

In Figure 3 we see a preferred embodiment of one aspect of the present invention where there is an attachment of the gift wrap blank 10 of the gift container to the transport blank 100 of the transport container. Here, the attachment tab 48 of the gift wrap blank 10 is adhered to the base 102 of transport blank 100.

The attachment of the gift container to the transport container is maintained throughout the packing of the gift container with the product, the sealing of both containers into a transport condition, and the delivery of the assembled package to the recipient. The recipient will then open the transport container by the use of the tear strip 128. They will then be able to release the gift container from the transport container packaging by the use of the connecting tear strip 44.

This arrangement is considered to offer significant advantages over conventional two-component wrapping products, i.e. a separate gift wrap followed by a secondary transport packaging. It is quick to use and less costly to provide.

Figure 3 also shows that the gift container has been partially assembled, such that the inner rear wall 18 of the gift container (not visible in Figure 3) is already attached to the outer rear wall 36 of the gift container to form a loop for defining a pocket into which product can be slipped. Furthermore, for the purpose of transport space efficiency, the cut/crease lines 32, 34 of the lid 30 and the perforated lines 46 of the tear strip 44 are folded to allow this partially assembled container to be generally flat -the pocket is flattened. This is beneficial since it is preferred to complete as much assembly of the containers as possible before transport of the product to a client that undertakes the packing of gift products within the pocket, but yet for the purposes of transporting the pre-assembled packaging, it is beneficial also that as little space as possible is used.

Having the pocket preformed but folded flat achieves both of these aims, and the pocket is easily opened for insertion of the gift product as well -by lifting the cut-crease line 32 at the proximal end of the assembly shown in Figure 3.

It will nevertheless be appreciated, however, that the gift container blank and the transport container blank may be non-assembled before delivery to the first customer/client, and furthermore they may not be stacked on one another. This flexibility allows a range of client requirements to be met.

Since the gift container formed from the gift wrap blank 10 is to be used for gift packaging, it is also of importance not to damage the appearance of the gift container.

Since the material of the gift container is likely to be foldable, if unprotected during transport the gift container may become damaged, e.g. through damage to the blank, such as its edges or outer surface. In Figure 3 we can see that the partially assembled blank 10 of the gift container fits mostly within the footprint of the blank 100 of the transport container. Therefore, risk of damage to the gift container is reduced since the more durable transport container blank 100 will protect the edges from knocks during transport to the client. The cut-crease 32 (and parts of its respective attached panels) is the only part not falling within that foot print. This facilitates opening of the pocket. A preferred arrangement, however, would have the gift container sized slightly smaller, or the transport container slightly bigger, such that the footprint of the part-assembled gift container blank fits wholly within the footprint of the blank for the transport container -the creases are still easily foldable to open the pocket.

In Figure 4 the fully assembled gift container 200 is shown along with the locking mechanism for the flaps 26, 28 forming a top cover for the gift container. Once printed (during manufacture for example), the locking mechanism can present an attractive design, such as a ribbon or a bow.

In this embodiment, the locking mechanism or closing mechanism comprises two flaps 60, 70, the flaps having a tab 62, 72 extending therefrom, the flaps 60, 70 being connected to the two separate panels 26, 28 that together form a top of the gift container, as described previously. The flaps are attached to the respective one of the two separate panels 26, 28 along respective first hinge lines 64, 74, and the tabs 62, 72 are attached to the respective flaps 60, 70 at respective second hinge lines 66, 76, and in this embodiment the respective hinge lines are perpendicular to one another.

Other angles are possible too.

A perpendicular angle works well for this square or rectangular box gift container, as would other angles, where the opposing angles between the two respective flaps, total 1800.

As shown, in this embodiment the tabs 72, 72 are folded up to no longer abut the panels 26, 28 from which their respective flaps 60, 70 extends. This is to provide a decorative appearance to the closure mechanism -like a bow or ribbon.

In more detail, as shown in Figure 4, one of the top panels 26 extends in the opposing direction from the crease line 42 of the side wall 12 and has a flap 70 on its end. The flap has extending therefrom a tab 72, the flap 70 and tab 72 forming two parts of the locking mechanism -one is a holding flap 70 and the other is a locking tab 72. Along the edge of the top panel 26, which borders the flap 70 is a crease line 74 (connecting the holding flap 70), and a through cut 78 (which borders -or separates an abutment of -the locking tab 72. The locking tab 72 and holding flap 70 share a crease-cut line 76 between them. Thus the locking tab 72 is able to pivot around the crease-cut line's axis.

The opposite panel 28 has a similar flap and tab 60, 62 extending from it, as shown in Figure 1A, although the holding flap 60 is positioned at the diagonally opposite end of its panel 28 to the flap 60 of the first top panel 26.

Still referring to Figure 1A -a detail view of one pair of the flaps and tabs from Figure 1, it can be seen that prior to the folding of the shape for the closing mechanism as shown in Figure 4, the tabs 62, 72 abut the panels 26, 28 and that abutment lies at the cut-line 68, 78 between the panel 26, 28 and the tab 62, 72. A notch 69, 79 is provided in the cut line to hold the tab 62, 72 in the plane of the panel 26, 28 prior to that folding, although this is optional. The notch in this example is 1.5mm long so that it is easy to break. Longer or shorter notches are possible too for stronger or weaker attachments.

As shown, the hinge-lines (64, 66 in Figure 1A) extend towards a common node 67. A similar note is provided for both flaps 60, 70, although Figure 1A only shows the one.

This node is advantageously cut in the manner described below, although it is possible for only one of these nodes to be cut in the following manner.

At least one of the hinge lines 64, 66 (the thick line in Figure 1A) has a short cut or score (the thin line in Figure 1A) at the node so as to terminate the hinge line just prior to the node, for example between 0.5mm and 4mm before that node. In this illustration they are both cut by about 2mm. Preferably the short cut or score has a length exceeding a half thickness of the material of the blank, and preferably it has a length greater than the thickness of the material of the blank. In this example it is cut for a length exceeding the thickness of the material -about 1mm in this example. This cut or scope allows the intermeshing of the tabs and flaps at their bases (in the node) so as to provide a secure closure of the gift container. The resilience of the material causes a bias that needs to be overcome upon the engagement of the nodes, and likewise when opening the container by manipulation of the flaps and tabs, thus giving a premium feel to the closing mechanism.

As discussed before, the angles between the hinge lines 64, 66 and preferably 90°, such that all four angles in the nodes on the tabs and flaps total 180° in each pair and 360° when combined together. By being 3600, the closing mechanism provides a complete covering of the top of the container. It is possible for this also to be achieved by providing different angles at the nodes between the hinge lines and the cut line.

Preferably the combined sum of the angles at the nodes for the two flaps and tabs, when measured between the first hinge line and the second hinge line, and the second hinge line and the cut line, for each flap, totals about 3600. Preferably the total is 1800 for each of the two pairs of flaps/tabs, but they may also differ from one another.

Changing the angles can change the appearance of the assembled closing mechanism.

Figures 5 and 6 show the process for engaging the locking tabs 62, 72 to result in the assembled gift container 200 as shown in Figure 4. In a first step, the locking tabs 62, 72 are folded perpendicular in relation to the holding flaps 60, 70. The locking tabs 62, 72 are then able to slide past each other. These steps are shown in Figure 5. Once the locking tabs 62, 72 have fully passed each other, the panels 26, 28 can sit flat on top of the lid 30. The locking tabs 62, 72 are then able to be folded down from their perpendicular position as shown in Figure 6. Once complete, the panels 26, 28 are held in position by the crossing of locking tabs 62, 72, for example due to the resilience of the material. Any attempt to open the gift container 200 without reversing the locking process, perhaps by pulling at the sides, will result in the locking tabs 62, 72 having an opposing force on one another. Thus the material will have to yield to allow such access.

The preferred resilience allows more than one opening/closing action to be carried out, although with card stock and corrugate, it might only be one or two open and close cycles before notable or undesirable deformations occur at the nodes.

As shown in Figure 4, the locking tabs 62, 72, once engaged, do not have to sit flush on the surface of the gift box, but may be partially elevated. Since this container is for the aesthetic packaging of a product, possibly as a gift, this elevated condition is preferred as it may further add to the aesthetic, representing, perhaps, a bow, especially if printed with appropriate imagery. Packers are thus encouraged to lift the flaps and tabs at least once prior to packing in the transport container so as to give them a general upwards bias from the resilience of the fold/material.

Although the locking tabs and flaps have been shown as being substantially rectangular, albeit with a rounded free corner, in other embodiments of the present invention, the locking tabs and holding flaps may be cut in a variety of shapes, further adding to the aesthetics of the gift container. A further embodiment with a varied locking tab and holding flap pattern is shown in Figure 7. This design represents a star and may be suitable for Christmas packaging, as an example. Further designs could be seasonal, such as a heart for Valentine's Day, or a flower or bow.

Once the gift container 200 has been closed via the locking tabs, the transport container blank 100 can be assembled around it as described above. The assembled transport container 201 is shown in Figure 8. Here the attaching tab 130 has been adhered to the base 102. To open the transport container, the tear strip 128 may be used which will separate the attachment tab 130 from the attaching flap 126, thus allowing opening of the box. Other closure/opening mechanisms are also possible, such as those found in the art for conventional packaging.

Figure 9 shows the assembled transport container 201 of the preferred embodiment from a side view. Panel 122 is now uppermost, whereas in Figure 8, panel 102 was uppermost.

As with conventional transport packaging, the fully assembled package is not necessarily perfectly rectangular, even though the crease lines may be straight -the contents commonly cause a variance in that shape -here it is bowed in its middle.

In this embodiment, the only adhering to close the transport container is along the attachment tab 130 (not visible in Figure 9-see instead Figure 8). Thus, the side walls 106, 108 have not been glued or otherwise attached to panel 122 in any manner. It can be seen that the side wall panel 108 is at an angle and the spacing panel 109 leading to the top flap 114 forms a deeper or recessed side wall instead. This offers flexibility for restraining different sized gifts in the transport package -the recessed sides hold a narrower gift container, but a wider gift container may instead be desired. This dual hinge arrangement can also be of importance since the recessing of the side walls into the body of the transport container can also help to prevent easy access to the product through the pulling out of the unadhered top flaps 112, 114 -the dual fold can have an over-centre effect.

Furthermore, the top flaps 112, 114 may be of such length that they cannot be easily pulled from under the top 122 anyway. That length is flexible at the time of manufacture of the blank.

These features therefore can reduce the likelihood of successful tampering with packages during transport to get access to the products inside. With this first embodiment, however, since the gift is already attached to the transport container by the gift blank's attachment thereto, and since the gift container is also not openable while within the transport container, tampering is hindered anyway.

Further tamper resistance can nevertheless be provided -useful in particular for forms of the invention where the gift container is less secure (e.g. the second embodiment where the sides of the gift container are accessible), or even for embodiments where the gift wrap is not secured to the transport container blank (i.e. as with conventional transport containers) -by having joints or glued areas between the flaps or tabs 112, 114 and the lid 122, e.g. by applying glue on the flaps or tabs, or by using interfacing slots and tabs between the lid and the flaps or tabs. With touch adhesives, this can be arranged to be implementable with no additional packing steps, and some tab/flap interengagements can likewise be easily achievable.

As also already touched upon, with the gift packaging of the present invention, there is an added resistance to tampering in that if access through the side was achieved, the package is inside another container, and one which is held inside the transport container with a tear strip 44. And, as shown in Figure 4, the side walls 12, 14 are locked in place by the locking tabs 62, 72. Whilst the gift container 200 is inside the assembled transport container 201, there is not enough room to move the locking tabs 62, 72 to open the gift container, thus the products are further secured.

An additional feature of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 10. Here there are diagonal slits 41 cut in the lid 30 of the gift container. As shown in Figure 10, these can be to hold a card, such as a gift card. The diagonal slits 41 could be spaced differently or arranged in greater numbers, so as to be suitable to hold various sized objects. The objects might be square, rectangular, triangular, round or other shapes.

These slots are useful for purposes such as holding a card containing a personalised message, or a greetings card, a discount card or a loyalty card. Furthermore, this allows for further personalization of the gift by adding something extra in the body of the container -there could be a card in an envelope with another gift, or a DVD. The folding of the panels 26, 28 over these diagonal slots 41 to close the container adds a further layer of security for the card or further gift, ensuring it cannot slide out of the packaging.

On Figure 1, it can be seen that on the lid panel 30 there are curved cut-outs 50 on the free edges. These curved cut-outs 50 can also be seen on Figure 3 with the gift container 200 in its partially assembled form. When the top panels 26, 28 are removed, these curved cut-outs 50 allow some access to products within the gift container 200. If the gift container 200 is sized to fit a DVD case -a preferred size of the container being one that is suitable for generic packaging of CD, DVD or Blu-ray boxes -the curved cut-outs 50 would be useful to help with the initial removal of a DVD case from the packaging -useful since the DVD case may have a firm fit (the cut-outs provide a fingertip access to the DVD box to help a user to initiate the sliding of the DVD case out of the pocket. Any shape may be used instead of a curved cut-out to ease removal of products within the gift container.

A variant of the current invention is shown in Figure 11 which shows a gift wrap blank 300. This blank is likewise used for forming a gift container, but this time of a different shape -more of a pillow shape than a rectangular box.

An assembled view of the gift container 500 is shown in Figure 14.

In this variant, the gift wrap blank 300 has crease and cut-crease lines which define the edges and surface panels of the gift container. This includes a base 310, a lid 315 and two side walls 312, 314. There is also a further panel 320 for overlying the lid 315 once assembled.

The base 310 is formed of three sections, each defined by crease lines. The inner section of the base 310, has a middle rectangular section 316, which is defined by two opposite edges being the free edge of the base 310 and the remaining two edges being crease lines 322 which travel the length of the base 310. From these crease lines 322, extending away from the middle rectangular section 316, are two trapezoidal sections 318, 319 with curved ends. One of these sections 318 is defined by bordering the lid 315, the border being opposite the crease line 322 to the middle rectangular section 316. The cut-crease line 324 which borders the lid 315 and the curved section 318 is shorter than the crease line 322 of the middle rectangular section 316, as such, it is necessary for the free edges of the base 310 at the curved section 318 to curve or at least not be parallel with the free edges of the middle rectangular section 316. On the opposite crease line 322 of the middle rectangular section 316 extends the other trapezoidal section 319 in the opposing direction to the trapezoidal section 318 bordered by the lid 315. Similarly, this trapezoidal section 319 extends to a cut/crease line 326, where the cut-crease line 326 is shorter than the crease line 322 of the opposing edge. As such, it has two free edges which are angled or curved to border the curved section 319. The cut-crease line 326 of this curved section 319 borders with a top surface 320.

The cut-crease lines 322 assist with a clean (relatively uncreased) bending of the base 310 -the bend is perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations as indicated by the cut-away decal 323.

The curved free edges of the trapezoidal sections 318, 319 and the straight free edge of the middle rectangular section 316 result in the base 310 having a free edge with an almost convex appearance. Other shapes are also possible, with a varying number of creases, such as a wave appearance on the free edge, or a simple rectangular shape.

However, the curved effect of the ends gives the folded box a premium appearance, due to the eventual overhanging nature of those edges (as explained below), which is ideal for use as a gift container.

The lid 315 has two edges 330 adjacent to the cut-crease line 324 which adjoin it to the base 310. These edges 330 curve inward at their centre, thus the lid 315 has a concave shape once formed. These edges 330 each border the side wall panels 312, 314 of the gift container 500, although the side wall panels 312, 314 are slightly shorter than the length of the edge 330 since they will fold inside the top and base panels once assembled. A cut-crease line 328 is used where the edges 330 adjoin the side wall panels 312, 314. The side wall panels 312, 314 both extend away therefrom and have an opposing free edge that generally mirror the cut/crease line 328 so as to be outwardly curved, such that the side walls 312, 314 have a convex shape on both edges. The outer edges 317, however, have a finger recess 321 to facilitate opening of the sides after the assembly of the box.

Different shaped walls 312, 314 are likewise possible and dependant on the shape of the edges of the lid 315, for instance, for their shape. For example, the side walls may be rectangular if the gift container is to have rectangular ends. Additional side panels would then be located in the blank either side of the lid or either side of the base 310.

The top surface 320 in this embodiment is designed to overlay the lid 315 once the box is assembled, and similarly to the base 310, it is divided into three sections. Again, like the base 310, there is a rectangular middle section 332 bordered by two trapezoidal sections 334, 336 with curved free edges resulting in a generally convex shaped edge.

These edges (one at each end) together with the corresponding edges of the base 310 overhang the closed side panels in the assembled box, thus completing the premium appearance of the ends of the assembled box.

Extending from the edge of the top surface 320 that is most distal to the base 310 is a perforated line 338 bordering a tear strip 340. As with tear strips discussed previously, the perforations are designed to leave an aesthetic or clean finish when the tear strip is removed. The perforations thus may be fine, long (with small tags between them), straight or angled, or may preferably be replaced with over and under cuts.

Extending from the tear strip 338 is a pivot section 342 which then extends to a further crease line 346. That then joins against an attachment tab 344. The attachment tab is for attaching this gift wrap blank 300 to the transport container (which may be similar to that of the previous embodiment, although Figure 12 shows a more appropriately sized transport container blank).

To fold the gift wrap blank 300 to form the gift container 500, the lid is folded along the cut-crease line 324 such that is lies on top of the base 310. This cut-crease line 324 forms the rear edge of the gift container 500. On the lid 315 glue lines 350 are shown.

These glue lines may be points where tape or adhesive is applied. In preferred embodiments the glue may be manually applied (e.g. by the user), or applied in an automated process (e.g. in the factory that produces the blank).

The top surface 320 is then folded along the cut/crease line 326 so that it lies on top of the folded lid 315. The cut-crease line 326 forms the front edge of the gift container 500. The top section 320 is adhered to the glue lines 350 of the lid 315, or is held down via some other means (e.g. tape or string/ribbon). Using the pre-applied glue or tape, however, allows a more rapid closure of the gift container.

Figure 13 shows the folded blank 300 with the lid 315 attached to the top surface 320 underneath the top surface 320 (and it is thus not visible). The gift container 500 is still able to be configured to be flat at this paint since the side wall 312, 314 are not tucked into the pocket. This allows the partially assembled gift blank 300 to take up less space during transportation to clients.

Although glue lines 350 are shown for attaching the overlying surfaces of panels 315 and 320 together, the attachment may be made at other points on the container, and it can use joining methods other than glue (or tape -e.g. double sided tape). For instance, staples around the edges may be used to attach the lid to the top surface, or other popper type connections or Velcro ®.

Figure 12 shows a transport blank 400 for forming a transport container 510 that is sized readily to accommodate the pillow shaped gift container, or other larger containers. As such it is also in accordance with this variant of the present invention.

The transport container 510 will preferably be used to contain the gift container 500 formed from the gift wrap blank 300 of Figure 11.

The transport blank 400 has crease lines which, once assembled, define the edges of the walls of the container. In this embodiment the transport container comprises two side walls 412, 414, a front wall 416 and a rear wall 418. These walls surround a base 410. These four walls are rectangular and have two opposing pairs of edges perpendicular to each other.

Although rectangular walls are described, other shapes are possible for the transport container.

Crease lines 420 are provided at the border between the base 410 and the side walls 412, 414, the front wall 416 and the rear wall 418. These assist with the folding of the walls to form the transport container 510.

Each of the side walls/frontlrear walls is provided at its outer edge, i.e. the edges opposite the crease lines 420 which border the base 410, with a further crease line 422 bordering a further extension. The side walls 412, have side flaps 424, 426 extending from this crease line 422. The front wall 416 has a front flap 428 extending from the crease line 422. From the rear wall 418 extending from the crease line 422 is the lid 430 of the container. This lid 430 will form the top of the container. It can attach to, or overlie, the flaps 424, 426, 428.

The lid 430 further extends in a direction opposite to the crease line 422 to a tear strip 432 which is bordered by perforation lines 434. These perforation lines 434 allow the tear strip to be separated from the bordering sections of the blank by breaking the material remaining between the perforations.

Attached to the perforation line 434 opposite the lid 430 is an attachment tab 436. This attachment tab is used to secure the blank 400 in its assembled condition once it has been configured into a transport container 510. Attachment means may be glues, tapes, staples or other adhesive means, as before.

Figure 16 shows the partially formed gift container from the gift wrap blank 300 attached to the transport blank 400. The attachment is via the attachment tab 344 of the gift wrap blank 300, which is adhered to the base 410 of the transport blank. The detachment of the gift container 500 from the transport container 510 is via the tear strip 340, which, with the finer perforations of perforation lines 338 (or suitable alternative cuts) will leave an aesthetically pleasing edge upon its separation.

The combined blanks of Figure 16 is the likely configuration the blanks would take upon delivery to the client. In this configuration: 1. they are substantially flat, to aid with transportation space; 2. the gift wrap blank 300 sits within the surface area of the transport blank 400 thus protecting it from damage; and 3. there is only one surface to be glued or otherwise adhered to form the combined containers, and this will save time when the client comes to packing and configuring the containers.

To form the gift container 500 from the gift wrap blank 300 shown in Figure 16, the side walls 312, 314 must be folded along cut-crease lines 328. Upon folding these side walls 312, 314, the base 310 will bend along crease lines 322 to form an arc shape and similarly the top surface 320 which is attached to the lid 315 will arc in the opposite direction. This results in a side view of the gift container 500 having a similar convex shape as the side walls 312, 314. This can be seen in Figure 15.

In this variant of the present invention, it is noted that when considering the distance from the front edge 326 to the rear edge 324, the lid 315 is shorter than the base 310 which in turn is shorter than the top section 320. The shorter length of the lid 310 allows it to attach to the top surface 320 but still bend without distorting the outer surface of the container. The greater length of the top surface compared to the base 310, enables the gift container 500 to hinge around the perforation line yet remained fastened to the transport blank 400 at the attachment tab 344. This is shown in Figure 17.

A cut-crease is seen in places such as on the front edge 326 and rear edge 324 of the gift container 500, where the blank is folded completely back on itself whilst it is in the flattened form as shown in Figure 16. However, where significant strength is required, or where the folds should not leave cuts in the card, creases are used, such as the creases 322 on base defining the sections.

Other creases or cuts may be used as is known in the art.

Referring to Figures 12 and 17, to form the transport container 510 from the transport blank 400, the side walls 412, 414, front wall 416 and rear wall 418 are folded perpendicular to the base 410 along the crease lines 420. The side flaps 424, 426 are then folded perpendicular to the side walls along their crease lines 422 followed by the front flap 428 also being folded perpendicular such that its surface lies partially on top of and covers the side flaps 424, 426. Finally the lid 430 (and tear strip 432 and attachment tab 436) is folded over all of the flaps, covering them. A glue strip on the attachment tab 436 will then be used to attach the lid 430 to the front flap 428 forming the transport container 510 as seen in Figure 18.

The order described in which the folding takes place results in the front wall 416 being constrained from folding in further than the perpendicular fold by the side flaps 424, 426. These side flaps 424, 426 are constrained by the side walls 412, 414 they are attached to being prevented from folding further in by the gift container 500. Although other folding orders are possible. In this configuration, the attachment tab 436 will be wholly attached to the outside surface of the front flap 428, thus, the side walls 412, 414 are held in position by the length of the side flaps 424, 426 being constrained under the fastened lid 430. Such an arrangement will make access to the contents of container through the opening of the side walls 412, 414 difficult. Although additional glue lines or other means of adhesion may be used to restrain the side flaps 424, 426 further.

When the tear strip 432 of the transport container 510 of Figure 18 is removed, the attachment tab 436 will remain adhered to the front flap 428. It may be desirable to allow recipients of the container to reuse it to perhaps return the unwanted contents.

Therefore an additional tape line may be provided on the lid 430 to adhere it once again to the front flap 436. There will be no tear strip to assist with opening if closed by a second glue line, although this is not an issue since it is likely that it will be returned to the company which packed the container.

The gift container 500 is intended to be detached from the transport container 510 by using the tear strip 340 and then passed to a gift recipient.

Referring to figures 11 and 17, as an added feature, in the top surface 320 there is a semi-circle cut 362 with the bisect of the semi-circle being a crease line 364. This allows the semi-circle 360 to be folded away from the top surface 320 revealing the lid 315 underneath it. This is shown in Figures 14 and 17. This semi-circle may form a three dimensional effect to the surface of the gift container and may be decorated as such. Printed on or under the semi-circle 360, or even on the part of the lid 315 revealed by lifting the semi-circle 360 there may be a message, perhaps personalized for the gift recipient.

There is an additional semi-circle 366 cut at the apex of the semi-circle 360, as seen in Figures 14 and 16. This additional semi-circle 366 provides a finger tab to allow easy lifting of the semi-circle 360, which is additionally useful if there is some form of personalization underneath, so as to allow the recipient easy access to lift the semi-circle to see it.

Although a semi-circle has been described, further shapes may be used, perhaps a heart shape for Valentine's Day.

The present invention has therefore been described above by way of example. It provides packaging for transport and gifting of a product wherein the product sits inside a gift container (200) which is sealed by locking tabs (62, 72) and where the gift container is releasably fastened inside a transport container (201). Modifications in detail may be made to the invention within the scope of the claims appended hereto.