IE930286A1 - Suspension member - Google Patents

Abstract

A suspension member for a carton having a first wall connected to a second wall by a fold defining an edge of the first wall, the suspension member having an anchorage portion adapted for insertion into the carton for engagement with the fold or second wall, and a display 10 portion connected to the anchorage portion as to overlie the first wall after insertion of the anchorage portion into the carton.

Description

L ^.^g^imentj to a display carton for articles to enable — th° ^Pftnn to Jbe suspended from a support.

According to one aspect of the present invention there 5 is provided a suspension member for a carton having a first wall connected to a second wall by a fold defining an edge of the first wall, the suspension member having an anchorage portion adapted for insertion into the carton between the first and second walls for engagement with the 10 fold or second wall, and a display portion connected to the anchorage portion as to overlie the first wall after insertion of the anchorage portion into the carton.

Preferably the display portion is generally planar and is arranged such that its plane extends generally parallel 15 to the direction of insertion of the anchorage portion. Preferably the anchorage portion is generally planar and is arranged to be generally parallel to the display portion to define a gap therebetween for receiving the first wall.

Preferably a suspension portion is connected to the 20 anchorage and/or display portion, the suspension portion extending outside beyond the edge of the first wall when the suspension member is attached to the carton.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a suspension member for a carton, the suspension 25 member including a suspension portion, an anchorage portion adapted for connection to the carton and a display portion laterally spaced from the anchorage portion to define a gap SUSPENSION MEMBERS Λ · preselit invention relates to a suspension member OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION UNQER SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 JNL.N0..../M.....or^ *4 r 9 3 0 2 8 6 ' therebetween for receiving a wall portion of the carton, so that when attached to the carton, the suspension portion extends in one direction beyond an edge of said wall and the display portion extends in an opposite direction from said edge to overlie said wall.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a carton including a suspension member as defined above.

Various aspects of the present invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a suspension member according to one embodiment of the present invention attached to a carton;· Figure 2 is a front view of the suspension member shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a rear view of the embodiment shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing presentation of a suspension member to a carton in readiness for insertion; Figures 6a,6b are diagrammatic representations of progressive stages during insertion of the suspension member into the carton.

Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown a sock carton 200 formed from a folded card to have a front wall Γ 930286 201 and a rear wall 202. In use a pair of socks (not shown) are located between the front and rear walls and attached thereto by for example a tag (not shown). The upper portion of the front and rear walls may or may not be secured together by for example glue.

A suspension member 100 according to the present invention is attached to the folded card and includes a suspension portion 101 which is preferably in the form of a hook 103 to enable the suspension member 100 to be suspended from a support such as a rail. It will be appreciated that the suspension portion 101 may be defined by a formation other than a hook, for example a planar wall having an aperture for receiving a rail.

The suspension member 100 further includes a display portion 110 which is arranged to overlie the upper portion of the front wall 201. Preferably the display portion 110 have an external front face 206 to permit indicia to be displayed thereon. This may be achieved by printing directly on to the surface 206, forming indicia integrally with the face 206 eg by stamping techniques or by moulding techniques, or may be achieved by adhering printed labels onto the face 206. If printing directly onto the face 206 is to be performed, it is preferred that the face 206 is planar.

The display portion 110 preferably has an upper edge 207 which is substantially contiguous with the upper edge 208 of the front wall. The remainder of the display portion 110 extends downwardly from the upper edge 208 to t 9 J 0 2 8 8 ' overlie the front wall 201 so that the majority of the display portion is located within the peripheral boundaries of the front wall.

This is advantageous in that the size of the display portion can be chosen bearing in mind the information required to be displayed thereon without affecting the height of the suspension portion 100 above the upper edge 208 of the front wall 201. This is advantageous since shelf space can be maximised irrespective of the size of the display portion. In addition, since the display portion is located within the boundaries of the front wall 201, the display portion is unlikely to snag against adjacent cartons. This is advantageous since it facilitates loading or unloading of rails and also reduces the possibility of damage to the cartons caused by twisting of the suspension members if snagged. Since the display portion 110 overlies the front wall 201 the indicia carried thereby is given a visual dominance relative to indicia on the front wall 201 since it is located nearer to an observer. This effect may be utilised to advantage in order to give emphasis to the indicia carried by the display portion.

For example, it is envisaged that the suspension member 100 according to the present invention will be utilised to display unique information to a carton carrying generic information. For example the front wall 201 may be printed with a manufacturers/retailers name and describe the goods, eg socks, yarn mixture etc and the display F' 9 3 02 86 portion may be marked to give unique information such as size. This marking could be achieved by use of a colour coding if desired eg a red display portion indicates one size, a blue display portion indicates another size, etc.

Since the display portion stands proud of the front wall 201 it is given visual dominance and so makes it easier for a perspective purchaser to identify a size and make an appropriate choice.

The peripheral shape of the display portion 110 is shown to be generally rectangular in the drawings. It will be appreciated that any desirable round or polygonal shape may be adopted.

The suspension member 100 includes anchorage means 300 for securing the suspension member 100 to the folded card. Preferably the anchorage means 300 comprises a planar base portion 51 connected to the suspension portion 101.

The base portion 51 includes a central body portion 52 which is connected at its upper end to the suspension portion 103 and which has a lower edge 53. A pair of resilient tongues 55 extend upwardly and outwardly from the lower region of the body portion 52 to terminate beneath a pair of shoulders 58 which project laterally from the suspension portion 101.

The width dimension W between the terminal ends of the resilient tongues is chosen to be greater than the length of the lower edge 53. This enables the suspension member 100 to be secured to the card by inserting the lower end of the body portion into a slot 90 formed in the card (Figures r 930286 ,6a, 6b). The length of the slot 90 is in excess of the length of the lower edge 53 but is less than the width dimension W. Thus as the base portion is inserted into the slot, the tongues 55 are resiliently deflected inwardly by engaging the ends of the slot. Once the base portion 51 has been fully inserted through the slot, the terminal ends of the tongues clear the slot and return to their original undeflected position to underlie marginal portions of the card adjacent to the ends of the slot.

Preferably the width dimension WU of the upper portion of the body portion 51 is chosen to be substantially the same or slightly less than the length of the slot 90 so as to resist movement of the suspension member along the length of the slot. ' Preferably the sides of the body portion 52 include chamfered portions 60 and the tongues are preferably of rounded cross-section in order to cooperate with the chamfers during insertion to enable the tongues to ride over the body portion.

Preferably the lower edge 53 projects beneath the lower edge 220 of the display portion 110. This enables the suspension member to be more easily inserted into a card by providing an initial location and lead in for the base portion 51. A preferred method of insertion is illustrated in Figures 5,6a and 6b.

Initially the card is arranged with the front and rear walls 201,202 located at 90° to one another. The slot 90 is formed by a slit so that on folding of the card about fold line 215 (which eventually forms the upper edge 208) the slot 90 and a flap 91 are formed.

Initially, the suspension member 100 is presented to the slot 90 whilst the front and rear walls 201,202 are located at 90® and the lower portion of the body portion 52 is inserted into and through the slot 90 (Figures 5,6a).

Prior to the lower edge 220 of the display portion engaging the front wall 201, the front wall is folded toward the rear wall (as indicated by the broken-line arrow in Figure 6a). This enables insertion of the suspension member 51 to continue by enabling the display portion 110 to pass over the outside of the front wall 201 (Figure 6b) . Preferably the inside face of the display portion 110 has a chamfer 225 at its lower portion to facilitate entry of the front wall into the gap between the display portion and the body portion during insertion.

Preferably the base portion 51, suspension portion 101 and display portion 110 are each planar and are arranged with their planes extending in the same direction. This enables the suspension member to be easily stacked in a column. Preferably the base portion and suspension portion 101 are co-planar.

It will be appreciated that the portion of the front wall located between the body portion 52 and display portion 110 is supported thereby against folding and so enables thinner card to be used.

It is envisaged that the suspension member 101 may be moulded in one piece from a suitable plastics material. Alternatively, the display portion may be formed separately 93028« and subsequently secured to the suspension or base portion.

In the illustrated embodiment the display portion 110 is connected along its marginal edge portion to shoulders and the upper portion of the body portion 52 via a 5 connection or web portion 230 and that shoulders 58 engage the upper edge 208 to limit insertion of the suspension member. Alternatively, it is envisaged that the display portion may be connected to the suspension portion 101 by a connection portion extending within the end boundaries WU of the upper portion of the body portion so as to be capable of contacting side edge 91 of the slot to limit insertion of the suspension member. With such an arrangement it is possible to locate the upper edge 207 of the display portion below the upper edge 208 of the front wall.

The carton 200 illustrated is a folded card to which articles for display are attached.

It is to be understood that the invention also relates to cartons which define a container.

In certain applications, it is envisaged that the display portion may be secured to the anchorage means only and that the suspension portion may be omitted entirely.

Claims (7)

1. A suspension member for a carton having a first wall connected to a second wall by a fold defining an edge of the first wall, the suspension member having an anchorage portion adapted for insertion into the carton between the first and second walls for engagement with the fold or second wall, and a display portion connected to the anchorage portion as to overlie the first wall after insertion of the anchorage portion into the carton.

2. A suspension member according to claim 1, wherein the display portion is generally planar and is arranged such that its plane extends generally parallel to the direction of insertion of the anchorage portion.

3. A suspension member according to claim 2, wherein the anchorage portion is generally planar and is arranged to be generally parallel to the display portion to define a gap therebetween for receiving the first wall.

4. A suspension member according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the anchorage portion has a base portion which projects beyond the display portion.

5. A suspension member according to claim 4, wherein a lower portion of the display portion facing the base portion is chamfered to facilitate entry of the first wall.

6. A suspension member according to any preceding claim, wherein a suspension portion is connected to the anchorage and/or display portion, the suspension portion extending outside beyond the edge of the first wall when the suspension member is attached to the carton. r 930286 -10

7. A suspension member according to hereinbefore described with reference claim 1, substantially as to the accompanying drawings.