NZ270921A - Packaging container; comprises component packaged with the container as a marketing inducement - Google Patents

Description

?;/ fc * ;/• ;WN ;V wmmb' ;• r st "■ " ;No: 270921 ;Date: 11 April 1995 ;NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 ;COMPLETE SPECIFICATION IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO PACKAgINO OF CONSUMABLES ;ICE RAYMOND BIRCHLER a New Zealand citizen of Road, R D 5, Palmerston North. New Zealand do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement ;BUTtTUliON CF tfPI UNDER! ;*rvcei<— j r MAUg AnriPirs, This invention relates to improvements in packaging of consumables.

More particularly the present invention is directed to packaging for regularly used consumables whereby the packaging provides a vehicle for the distribution of components able to be combined into an assemblage.

The marketing of regularly used consumables is generally of a highly competitive nature and marketers are constantly on the lookout for moans of attracting a customer to their particular product. There are many different forms of marketing inducements. Examples of these are competitions, the so-called "scratchies", hidden codes, numbers or discs and "added values" by including additional product in, say, oversize packaging.

The aim of the present invention is to provide enhanced packaging for finished goods for consumer sale whereby the packaging conveys to the consumer items of perceived worth to the consumer.

Broadly in one aspect therefore the present invention comprises packaging for consumable products characterised in that there is incorporated therewith a component being one of a series of discrete components which are combinable to form an assemblage.

In a preferred form, of the invention the component forms part of the packaging. According to one form the component can be detachably mounted with a closure element of the packaging. Alternatively it can form an integral but removable part of the packaging. The component can be removed from the packaging by cutting the packaging after it has at least in part been emptied.

The following will more particularly describe the invention in accordance with embodiments thereof and reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is an elevation view of a known type of closure element of a container having detachably mounted therewith a said component, Figure 2 is an underside plan view of the closure element of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an elevation view of a packaging container incorporating in the wall construction thereof a said component.

In accordance with the invention the items or components included with the packaging can be either positioned within the product contained in the packaging or attached to it so as to be detachable or removable. The concept behind the invention provides for the customer to collect a plurality of different components which are combinable to form at least part of an assemblage. The assemblage does not need to be produced solely by combining 2709 components derived from the packaging according to the present invention. Customers may be able to purchase or obtain components which may be too small or large or of incompatible materials with which the components with the packaging can be combined to form an assemblage such as to produce an entire object representing a recognisable form.

The components provided with the packaging may be visible or invisible to the purchaser (customer). Such components may also be identified (by numbering, coding or colouring) to assist in the collection of each necessary component to form or complete an assemblage.

The assembled object formed by the combining of components may be either two or three dimensional and can be either solid or hollow. It can represent a recognisable form such as a human figure, a bird, animal or the like, a structure, etc or it can simply provide something such as a design, geometric form or the like.

It is proposed that the components be manufactured out of the same material as the packaging itself. Typically the components can be stamped, injection moulded, snap-off or cut-off sections or appendages to the packaging item. When the components are so located as to be within or able to become located within the product contained in the packaging item the components, it is envisaged, will be large enough to be safe with young children yet small enough or so positioned as to not interfere with packaged volumes or contents.

The assemblage of components or incorporating the components can form an object useable either for ornamental purposes and/or be used when the complete object has been formed as a means of obtaining from the producer a reward such as money or something of money's worth, eg bonus product or another of the producer's products free of charge. The number of components and/or the assemblage v.11 thus be determined by what reasonably relates to typical consumption rates for the product delivered within the packaging.

The actual size of the component may be adjusted relative to the package size or could be of uniform size with possibly multiple components within each package. Thus when product is sold in different quantities or volumes a single component could be incorporated with the packaging of the smallest packaging unit in the range while a multiple of components could be incorporated with the packaging unit of the greatest size/volume.

Th-e packaging according to the present invention has particular application in the marketing of food especially items of regular consumption such as milk or dairy products. The packaging according to the present invention is, however, not limited to food items and can equally be used in non-food items which are consumed/used on a regular basis.

Furthermore, components for forming or completing an assemblage do not need to be provided solely by packaging items for a single product type. They could form part of packaging items within or across product ranges as it is envisaged that this may encourage a consumer to try another product in a manufacturer' s range of products so as to collect a missing component.

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a removable lid for a container such as a plastics milk or drink container. The lid 10 is of conventional construction which includes a peripheral wall 11 incorporated a screw thread or the like to enable the lid 10 to be placed on the neck of the container. As illustrated a small sealing wall 12 can be spaced inwardly with the peripheral wall but concentric thereto.

According to the present invention a three dimensional component 14 is detachably incorporated within the area defined by the inner wall 12. The component 14 can be mounted to the lid 10 via, for example, snap-off or severable connectors 15.

Upon the packaging item being opened by removal of lid 10 the consumer will simply snap off or sever the component 14 from the lid in order to combine the component with 7 270 other components collected by the consumer in order to form or complete an assemblage of components. As previously described the consumer could be left to independently determine the manner in which the components are combined to form or complete the assemblage or else the components could be colour coded, numbered or the like so that the consumer can determine the correct combination of components possibly with the aid of assembly instructions provided by the producer.

According to another form of the invention as shown in Figure 3 a two dimensional component 16 could be provided in, say, the wall construction of a plastics, cardboard or other suitable material container 17. The component 16 could be stamped, moulded or otherwise formed as part of the wall of the container and be able to be removed from the container when the container has at least been partially emptied by, say, cutting the component from the wall.

Alternatively, the component could be surrounded by a weakened wall area 18 (eg a reduced wall thickness) which would be sufficient to maintain the integrity of the wall during normal handling of the container but which would separate or sever upon specific manipulative pressure being applied thereto by the consumer when the container has been emptied or at least partially emptied. 270921 Such two dimensional components would generally be combined to form or complete an assemblage in a similar fashion to a jigsaw puzzle.

Other means of incorporating components in a packaging item will be evident to those skilled in the art and the foregoing is given solely for the purposes of example and further description of the present invention.

Claims (12)

I 9 WHAT I CLAIM ISi-

1. Packaging for consumable products characterised in that there is incorporated therewith a component being one of a series of discrete components which are combinable to form an assemblage.

2. Packaging as claimed in claim 1 wherein the component forms part of the packaging.

3. Packaging as claimed in claim 2 wherein the component is detachably mounted with a closure element of the packaging.

4. Packaging as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the component forms an integral but removable part of the packaging.

5. Packaging as claimed in any one of the claims 2 to 4 wherein the component is removable from the packaging by cutting after the packaging has at least in part been emptied.

6. Packaging as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the component includes identification coding means.

7. Packaging as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the component is coupled to part of the 10 packaging by one or more snap-off or severable connectors.

8. Packaging as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the component is incorporated in a wall section of the packaging.

9. Packaging as claimed in claim 8 wherein at least part of the periphery of the component is coupled to the wall via an area of reduced wall thickness.

10. Packaging as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the component is in a form suitable for coupling to another component in the fashion of a jigsaw puzzle.

11. Packaging as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 10 wherein the component is formed from the same material as that part of the packaging with which it is formed.

12. Packaging substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. MAURICE RAYMOND BIRCHLER By his Attorney END OF CLAIMS