US20110233106A1 - Bulk package for confections - Google Patents
Bulk package for confections Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110233106A1 US20110233106A1 US13/123,801 US200913123801A US2011233106A1 US 20110233106 A1 US20110233106 A1 US 20110233106A1 US 200913123801 A US200913123801 A US 200913123801A US 2011233106 A1 US2011233106 A1 US 2011233106A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- band
- package
- container
- lid
- bands
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 235000009508 confectionery Nutrition 0.000 title description 4
- 239000003292 glue Substances 0.000 claims description 20
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 16
- 235000015218 chewing gum Nutrition 0.000 claims description 5
- 229940112822 chewing gum Drugs 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000004831 Hot glue Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011324 bead Substances 0.000 description 28
- 239000012943 hotmelt Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000005022 packaging material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008707 rearrangement Effects 0.000 description 2
- 101000801619 Homo sapiens Long-chain-fatty-acid-CoA ligase ACSBG1 Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 102100033564 Long-chain-fatty-acid-CoA ligase ACSBG1 Human genes 0.000 description 1
- 244000299461 Theobroma cacao Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000010634 bubble gum Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000013736 caramel Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000019219 chocolate Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000000796 flavoring agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000019634 flavors Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007761 roller coating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000015149 toffees Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
- B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
- B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
- B65D77/062—Flexible containers disposed within polygonal containers formed by folding a carton blank
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/60—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for sweets or like confectionery products
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to bulk packaging for storing and dispensing consumable products and in particular confectionery products.
- a package containing consumable products includes a container having a plurality of walls that includes a front wall, a rear wall and left and right side walls.
- the plurality of walls defines an opening which typically will be located in a top or generally upper portion of the container.
- a lid is provided and adapted to selectively cover the opening, typically being operable between open and closed positions.
- a plurality of bands are disposed inside the container, including a first band disposed adjacent and adhered to one of the walls, a second band disposed adjacent and adhered to another of the walls and at least one intermediate band disposed between the first and second bands.
- Each band has an at least substantially closed periphery and an open top facing the opening of the container, the bands being adhered to one another in a stacked or side-by-side configuration.
- side means any surface that bounds or limits the article (e.g., a cube has six sides).
- a plurality of consumable products is contained in each band, the products arrayed in the band so that a consumer can grasp and separately remove each of the consumable products from the bands and the container.
- an adhesive will be employed to releasably adhere a plurality of consumable products that are contained in a respective band to an inner surface of that band.
- the adhesive may be a relatively weak adhesive such that each of the consumable products can be readily removed from the respective band by a consumer grasping one of the consumable products and pulling it from the band.
- the adhesive provides a sufficient retention force so that the consumable products will not fall from the container, such as by gravity and preferably will not fall from the container even if the container is inverted and shaken vigorously.
- Each of the consumable products can be individually wrapped and may be, for example, a stick or tab of chewing gum.
- the adhesive employed may be any suitable adhesive and can be, for example, a wax.
- the lid of the container is connected to the container at a first hinge, which may be a fold line, the lid being configured to articulate about the first hinge between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the lid does not cover the opening.
- the lid includes a tab that is configured to be inserted into a slot located in the container to releasably retain the lid in the closed position.
- the hinged lid can further include a second hinge and a third hinge, the first and second hinges defining a top lid segment and the second a third hinges defining a middle lid segment and a tab lid segment comprising the tab, with the tabbed lid segment being capable of articulation about the middle lid segment at the third hinge to allow the tab to be inserted into the slot at an oblique angle with respect to the front wall of the container.
- the first band is disposed adjacent and adhered to the front wall.
- a suitable adhesive which may be a hot melt and/or another type of adhesive as desired. It can be advantageous to use a hot melt adhesive to adhere the first band to the front wall to facilitate production of the package in accordance with the invention as described in more detail hereafter.
- the second band can be disposed adjacent and adhered to the rear wall. Again, this is accomplished by means of a suitable adhesive.
- the intermediate bands which may comprise one, two, three or more bands, is adhered to the adjacent bands, which may be the first (i.e., front) and second (i.e., rear) bands. This prevents the intermediate bands and respective consumable product contained in the bands from unintended falling out of the package.
- each band contains a linear array of consumable products, which may be, for example, a plurality of consumable products in stick or tab form arrayed in a side-by-side relation.
- the plurality of consumable products contained in a band may be in a plurality as desired, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven or more, for example.
- the number of bands may be three, four, five, six or more, as desired.
- packages may be constructed that contain a relatively large number of consumable product pieces that can be individually wrapped, such as, 6 (2 ⁇ 3), 9 (3 ⁇ 3), 12 (3 ⁇ 4 or 4 ⁇ 3), 15 (3 ⁇ 5 or 5 ⁇ 3), 16 (4 ⁇ 4), 18 (3 ⁇ 6 or 6 ⁇ 3), 20 (4 ⁇ 5 or 5 ⁇ 4), 21 (3 ⁇ 7 or 7 ⁇ 3), 24 (4 ⁇ 6 or 6 ⁇ 4), 25 (5 ⁇ 5), 27 (3 ⁇ 9 or 9 ⁇ 3), 28 (4 ⁇ 7 or 7 ⁇ 4), 30 (5 ⁇ 6 or 6 ⁇ 5), 32 (4 ⁇ 8 or 8 ⁇ 4), 33 (3 ⁇ 11 or 11 ⁇ 3), 35 (5 ⁇ 7 or 7 ⁇ 5), 36 (6 ⁇ 6 or 4 ⁇ 9 or 9 ⁇ 4), where the first number in the array is the number of bands and the second number in the array is the number of product pieces in a band.
- the invention provides a package and method for making such a package that has a desired number of consumable products that will be retained in the package until the consumer desires removal of one or more of the consumable products.
- the consumable products may each be the same type of product or can be composed of different products, which may include different flavors, sizes or other configurations. In the case of different product sizes, such as a gum tab or stick that is, for example, double wide, then the number of product pieces in a particular band would be adjusted accordingly.
- a side of each of the bands is adjacent and adhesively secured or adhered to the left side wall and/or the right side wall of the container. This helps to retain the bands and the consumable products within the container until a consumer desires removal of one or more of the consumable products from the container.
- the band which provides an at least substantially enclosed lateral perimeter and an open top may be in the form of a band having an enclosed bottom and an open top.
- FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention including a container and a stack of bundles of consumable products, adapted to be adhered within the container according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1 and illustrating a stack of bundles, each bundle including a plurality of consumable products contained within a pouch.
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of a container blank adapted to be formed into a container.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention and wrapped inside a clear overwrap to be provided to the consumer.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the package of FIG. 4 with the overwrap removed.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the package of FIG. 4 , wherein the articulation of hinged lid for insertion of the tab into the slot is illustrated.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the package of FIG. 4 , wherein the tab is inserted into the slot of the container.
- FIG. 8 is a side view of a stack of bundles.
- FIG. 9 is an exploded side view of the stack of bundles of FIG. 8 , showing glue beads.
- FIGS. 10-19 illustrate various glue configurations useful in accordance with the invention.
- FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a bundle, showing wax beads on an inner surface of a pouch.
- FIG. 21 is an alternative arrangement of the invention, from the embodiment of FIG. 20 , illustrating an exploded perspective view of a bundle, showing a layer of wax on an inner surface of a pouch in place of wax beads.
- FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a stack of bundles, showing the location of wax beads relative to consumable products in the assembled bundles.
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an alternative configuration of a stack of bundles, including a retention strip.
- a consumable product package 10 includes a container 12 , container 12 having a hinged lid 14 configured to be inserted into a slot 16 , and at least three bands or pouches, in this embodiment, five (5) bands or pouches 17 a - e, contained within container 12 .
- Each band or pouch 17 a - e is configured to contain a plurality of, in this case seven (7), consumable products G, each band or pouch 17 a - e containing seven (7) associated products G in respective bundles 18 a - e.
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the edges of bundles 18 a - e, illustrating how each pouch 17 a - e is configured from a sheet folded once around the bottom of products G and again at each end of bundle 18 a - e to form edge folds 20 a - e.
- pouches 17 a - e containing products G are adhered to one another in a stacked configuration to form a stack 22 of bundles 18 a - e, as shown in perspective view in FIG. 1 and in side and exploded side views in FIGS. 8 and 9 .
- a container blank 23 is shown, from which container 12 may be formed.
- Dotted lines C in FIG. 3 indicate creased fold lines
- dot-dash lines P indicate perforated fold lines
- S refers to score lines.
- the fold lines and perimeter of blank 23 define a plurality of regions and features of container 12 , namely, a back face 24 , a bottom face 26 , bottom flaps 28 , side faces 30 , side flaps 32 , top flaps 34 , a front face 36 , a first lid hinge 37 , a lid top segment 38 , a second lid hinge 39 , a lid middle segment 40 , a third lid hinge 41 , and tab 15 of hinged lid 14 .
- Glue is applied as desired or needed to form package 10 .
- a bead of glue 42 is applied to back face 24 for adhering rear pouch 17 e to back face 24 , beads 44 to side faces 30 for adhering interior pouches 17 b - d to side faces 30 , and beads 46 to front face 36 for adhering side flaps 32 and front pouch 17 e to front face 36 .
- bundle stack 22 is adhered to container 12 .
- beads 48 are applied to side faces 30 below beads 44 , for adhering bottom flaps 28 to side flaps 30
- hot-melt glue beads 50 are applied to front face 36 below beads 46 for adhering front face 36 to side flaps 32 .
- container blank 23 retains its form as container 12 .
- hot-melt beads 50 are applied in addition to beads 46 , which also adhere side flaps 32 to front face 36 , because hot-melt glue typically sets more quickly than cold glue, thus quickly adhering side flaps 32 to front face 36 to generally retain the form of container 12 while the remaining glue beads are setting.
- FIG. 4 a completed package 10 including overwrap 52 as shown may be transparent and can have printing thereon as desired. Overwrap 52 is wrapped around generally the entire package 10 to generally retain hinged lid 14 folded down over front face 36 of container 12 as shown in a closed configuration. In this manner, package 10 may be provided to the consumer in a tamper-evident, closed state without the need to adhere hinged lid 14 to front face 36 .
- FIG. 5 is an illustration of package 10 after overwrap 52 has been removed by a consumer, allowing hinged lid 14 to swing open, exposing consumable products G and permitting the consumer to remove separately each individual consumable product G. As illustrated in FIG.
- hinged lid 14 permits a consumer to articulate hinged lid 14 for easy insertion of tab 15 into slot 16 , at an oblique angle with respect to front face 36 , for reclosure of container 12 .
- FIG. 7 is a depiction of container 12 in its reclosed state with tab 15 inserted into slot 16 .
- pouches 17 a - e are adhered to one another to form a bundle stack 22 .
- each pouch 17 a - e is adhered to each adjacent pouch 17 a - e.
- Stack 22 is shown in side elevation view in FIG. 8 , and in exploded side elevation view in FIG. 9 , revealing interior glue beads 54 applied to one side of all but one of pouches 17 a - e, so that each pair of adjacent interior faces 56 may be adhered together.
- interior glue beads 54 may be applied to each of the pouches 17 a - e (not shown).
- glue beads 54 may be applied to any combination of interior faces 56 , provided that at least one glue bead 54 corresponds to each pair of adjacent interior faces 56 .
- glue beads 54 may be applied to any suitable portion of the area of interior faces 56 , in a sufficient quantity to maintain an adhesive bond between each interior face 56 and its adjacent interior face 56 throughout the normal useful life of package 10 ; that is, the period between purchase and when the last consumable product G has been removed from package 10 .
- hot-melt glue beads 58 may be applied in addition to glue beads 54 for faster adhesion.
- FIGS. 10-19 several examples of suitable sizes, shapes and orientations of glue beads 54 , and where applicable, of hot-melt glue beads 58 , on interior face 56 of a pouch according to the invention are shown in front elevation view.
- the present invention provides for removably adhering a plurality of consumable products G to the inside of each pouch 17 a - e.
- This allows a consumer to remove a consumable product G without inadvertently removing adjacent consumable products G, and generally prevents accidental spilling of consumable products G from container 12 .
- a relatively weak adhesive may be applied to inner surface 60 of each pouch 17 a - e, including wax, for example, or any other suitable weak adhesive.
- any suitable array of wax beads 62 may be applied to surface 60 so that at least one wax bead 62 removably adheres each consumable product G to surface 60 , as illustrated in FIG. 21 with respect to pouch 17 a.
- a generally uniform layer of wax or other suitable adhesive could be applied to surface 60 for removably adhering consumable products G.
- substantially the entire sheet is coated with a thin layer of wax 62 ′, except a perimeter portion 63 of the sheet is not coated with wax.
- the wax may be applied by any suitable method and apparatus, such as, for example, roller coating or spraying. Otherwise, the embodiment of FIG. 21 is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20 .
- Retention band 64 that is wrapped around stack 22 to help retain bundles 18 a - e in a compact configuration.
- Retention strip 64 may be included instead of or in addition to side glue beads 44 and 48 .
- a band (not shown) similar to band 64 may be substituted for each of pouches 17 a - e, that encircles each group of seven (7) consumable products G.
- Bulk packages according to the present invention have several significant advantages over current packages for consumable products. For example, as compared to one current chewing gum package which includes a container housing two bundles similar to the bundles of the present invention, the illustrated package 10 including five bundles 18 achieves about a 40% reduction in mass of adhesive per gum stick, and about a 27% reduction in total mass of packaging material per gum stick, when consumable products G are gum sticks. Moreover, package 10 provides 150% more gum than the current two-bundle package, thus allowing the consumer to carry significantly more gum in a single convenient package.
Abstract
An improved bulk package for removably containing consumable products is provided. The package includes a container and at least three bands, which may be in the form of pouches, adhered to one another and to the inside of the container, each band adapted to removably contain a plurality of consumable products. Additionally, the container includes a hinged lid insertable into a slot for reclosing the container. The container may be provided to the consumer with the hinged lid outside of the slot and a clear plastic overwrap around the container, holding the hinged lid against the front face of the container in a closed position
Description
- The present invention relates generally to packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to bulk packaging for storing and dispensing consumable products and in particular confectionery products.
- There is a need for attractive, effective and convenient packaging for consumable products in relatively large quantities or in bulk. It is also desirable to reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the cost of packaging material used in providing consumable products to the consumer. A need therefore exists for convenient bulk packaging that reduces the packaging materials used in packaging consumable products, and particularly confectionery products, which may, for example, include chewing gum, bubble gum, toffees, caramels, chocolates, or other hard or soft candies.
- In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a package containing consumable products is provided. The package includes a container having a plurality of walls that includes a front wall, a rear wall and left and right side walls. The plurality of walls defines an opening which typically will be located in a top or generally upper portion of the container. A lid is provided and adapted to selectively cover the opening, typically being operable between open and closed positions. A plurality of bands are disposed inside the container, including a first band disposed adjacent and adhered to one of the walls, a second band disposed adjacent and adhered to another of the walls and at least one intermediate band disposed between the first and second bands. Each band has an at least substantially closed periphery and an open top facing the opening of the container, the bands being adhered to one another in a stacked or side-by-side configuration. As used herein, the term “side” means any surface that bounds or limits the article (e.g., a cube has six sides). A plurality of consumable products is contained in each band, the products arrayed in the band so that a consumer can grasp and separately remove each of the consumable products from the bands and the container. Typically, an adhesive will be employed to releasably adhere a plurality of consumable products that are contained in a respective band to an inner surface of that band. The adhesive may be a relatively weak adhesive such that each of the consumable products can be readily removed from the respective band by a consumer grasping one of the consumable products and pulling it from the band. However, the adhesive provides a sufficient retention force so that the consumable products will not fall from the container, such as by gravity and preferably will not fall from the container even if the container is inverted and shaken vigorously.
- Each of the consumable products can be individually wrapped and may be, for example, a stick or tab of chewing gum.
- The adhesive employed may be any suitable adhesive and can be, for example, a wax.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the lid of the container is connected to the container at a first hinge, which may be a fold line, the lid being configured to articulate about the first hinge between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the lid does not cover the opening. Preferably, the lid includes a tab that is configured to be inserted into a slot located in the container to releasably retain the lid in the closed position.
- The hinged lid can further include a second hinge and a third hinge, the first and second hinges defining a top lid segment and the second a third hinges defining a middle lid segment and a tab lid segment comprising the tab, with the tabbed lid segment being capable of articulation about the middle lid segment at the third hinge to allow the tab to be inserted into the slot at an oblique angle with respect to the front wall of the container.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the first band is disposed adjacent and adhered to the front wall. This can be conveniently accomplished by means of a suitable adhesive, which may be a hot melt and/or another type of adhesive as desired. It can be advantageous to use a hot melt adhesive to adhere the first band to the front wall to facilitate production of the package in accordance with the invention as described in more detail hereafter.
- The second band can be disposed adjacent and adhered to the rear wall. Again, this is accomplished by means of a suitable adhesive.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the intermediate bands, which may comprise one, two, three or more bands, is adhered to the adjacent bands, which may be the first (i.e., front) and second (i.e., rear) bands. This prevents the intermediate bands and respective consumable product contained in the bands from unintended falling out of the package.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, each band contains a linear array of consumable products, which may be, for example, a plurality of consumable products in stick or tab form arrayed in a side-by-side relation. The plurality of consumable products contained in a band may be in a plurality as desired, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven or more, for example. Similarly, the number of bands may be three, four, five, six or more, as desired. Thus, packages may be constructed that contain a relatively large number of consumable product pieces that can be individually wrapped, such as, 6 (2×3), 9 (3×3), 12 (3×4 or 4×3), 15 (3×5 or 5×3), 16 (4×4), 18 (3×6 or 6×3), 20 (4×5 or 5×4), 21 (3×7 or 7×3), 24 (4×6 or 6×4), 25 (5×5), 27 (3×9 or 9×3), 28 (4×7 or 7×4), 30 (5×6 or 6×5), 32 (4×8 or 8×4), 33 (3×11 or 11×3), 35 (5×7 or 7×5), 36 (6×6 or 4×9 or 9×4), where the first number in the array is the number of bands and the second number in the array is the number of product pieces in a band. It will be appreciated that other product configurations and numbers of product pieces can result in a package in accordance with the invention, as desired. Thus, the invention provides a package and method for making such a package that has a desired number of consumable products that will be retained in the package until the consumer desires removal of one or more of the consumable products. It is also to be understood that the consumable products may each be the same type of product or can be composed of different products, which may include different flavors, sizes or other configurations. In the case of different product sizes, such as a gum tab or stick that is, for example, double wide, then the number of product pieces in a particular band would be adjusted accordingly.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a side of each of the bands is adjacent and adhesively secured or adhered to the left side wall and/or the right side wall of the container. This helps to retain the bands and the consumable products within the container until a consumer desires removal of one or more of the consumable products from the container.
- In each of the foregoing embodiments, the band which provides an at least substantially enclosed lateral perimeter and an open top may be in the form of a band having an enclosed bottom and an open top.
-
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention including a container and a stack of bundles of consumable products, adapted to be adhered within the container according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion ofFIG. 1 and illustrating a stack of bundles, each bundle including a plurality of consumable products contained within a pouch. -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a container blank adapted to be formed into a container. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention and wrapped inside a clear overwrap to be provided to the consumer. -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the package ofFIG. 4 with the overwrap removed. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the package ofFIG. 4 , wherein the articulation of hinged lid for insertion of the tab into the slot is illustrated. -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the package ofFIG. 4 , wherein the tab is inserted into the slot of the container. -
FIG. 8 is a side view of a stack of bundles. -
FIG. 9 is an exploded side view of the stack of bundles ofFIG. 8 , showing glue beads. -
FIGS. 10-19 illustrate various glue configurations useful in accordance with the invention. -
FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a bundle, showing wax beads on an inner surface of a pouch. -
FIG. 21 is an alternative arrangement of the invention, from the embodiment ofFIG. 20 , illustrating an exploded perspective view of a bundle, showing a layer of wax on an inner surface of a pouch in place of wax beads. -
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a stack of bundles, showing the location of wax beads relative to consumable products in the assembled bundles. -
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an alternative configuration of a stack of bundles, including a retention strip. - An improved package for containing and dispensing a plurality of consumable products is described in this section.
- With reference to the Figures generally and particularly to
FIGS. 1-9 , aconsumable product package 10 is illustrated.Package 10 includes acontainer 12,container 12 having a hingedlid 14 configured to be inserted into aslot 16, and at least three bands or pouches, in this embodiment, five (5) bands or pouches 17 a-e, contained withincontainer 12. Each band or pouch 17 a-e is configured to contain a plurality of, in this case seven (7), consumable products G, each band or pouch 17 a-e containing seven (7) associated products G in respective bundles 18 a-e.FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the edges of bundles 18 a-e, illustrating how each pouch 17 a-e is configured from a sheet folded once around the bottom of products G and again at each end of bundle 18 a-e to formedge folds 20 a-e. As explained below in more detail, pouches 17 a-e containing products G are adhered to one another in a stacked configuration to form astack 22 of bundles 18 a-e, as shown in perspective view inFIG. 1 and in side and exploded side views inFIGS. 8 and 9 . - Referring to
FIG. 3 , a container blank 23 is shown, from whichcontainer 12 may be formed. Dotted lines C inFIG. 3 indicate creased fold lines, dot-dash lines P indicate perforated fold lines and S refers to score lines. The fold lines and perimeter of blank 23 define a plurality of regions and features ofcontainer 12, namely, aback face 24, abottom face 26, bottom flaps 28, side faces 30, side flaps 32, top flaps 34, afront face 36, afirst lid hinge 37, alid top segment 38, asecond lid hinge 39, alid middle segment 40, athird lid hinge 41, andtab 15 of hingedlid 14. Glue is applied as desired or needed to formpackage 10. In this embodiment, a bead ofglue 42 is applied to backface 24 for adheringrear pouch 17 e to backface 24,beads 44 to side faces 30 for adheringinterior pouches 17 b-d to side faces 30, andbeads 46 tofront face 36 for adhering side flaps 32 andfront pouch 17 e tofront face 36. In this manner, bundlestack 22 is adhered tocontainer 12. Additionally, in thisembodiment beads 48 are applied to side faces 30 belowbeads 44, for adheringbottom flaps 28 to side flaps 30, and hot-melt glue beads 50 are applied tofront face 36 belowbeads 46 for adheringfront face 36 to side flaps 32. In this manner, container blank 23 retains its form ascontainer 12. To facilitate forming completedpackage 10, hot-melt beads 50 are applied in addition tobeads 46, which also adhereside flaps 32 tofront face 36, because hot-melt glue typically sets more quickly than cold glue, thus quickly adhering side flaps 32 tofront face 36 to generally retain the form ofcontainer 12 while the remaining glue beads are setting. - Referring to
FIGS. 4-7 , various aspects and the functionality ofpackage 10 is illustrated. InFIG. 4 , a completedpackage 10 includingoverwrap 52 as shown may be transparent and can have printing thereon as desired.Overwrap 52 is wrapped around generally theentire package 10 to generally retain hingedlid 14 folded down overfront face 36 ofcontainer 12 as shown in a closed configuration. In this manner,package 10 may be provided to the consumer in a tamper-evident, closed state without the need to adhere hingedlid 14 tofront face 36.FIG. 5 is an illustration ofpackage 10 afteroverwrap 52 has been removed by a consumer, allowing hingedlid 14 to swing open, exposing consumable products G and permitting the consumer to remove separately each individual consumable product G. As illustrated inFIG. 6 , the three-hinge design of hingedlid 14 permits a consumer to articulate hingedlid 14 for easy insertion oftab 15 intoslot 16, at an oblique angle with respect tofront face 36, for reclosure ofcontainer 12.FIG. 7 is a depiction ofcontainer 12 in its reclosed state withtab 15 inserted intoslot 16. - With reference to
FIGS. 8-19 , in addition to being adhered to the inside ofcontainer 12, pouches 17 a-e are adhered to one another to form abundle stack 22. Thus, each pouch 17 a-e is adhered to each adjacent pouch 17 a-e.Stack 22 is shown in side elevation view inFIG. 8 , and in exploded side elevation view inFIG. 9 , revealinginterior glue beads 54 applied to one side of all but one of pouches 17 a-e, so that each pair of adjacent interior faces 56 may be adhered together. In another embodiment,interior glue beads 54 may be applied to each of the pouches 17 a-e (not shown). In accordance with the present invention,glue beads 54 may be applied to any combination of interior faces 56, provided that at least oneglue bead 54 corresponds to each pair of adjacent interior faces 56. However, applyingglue beads 54 to the same side of all but one pouch 17 a-e ofstack 22 as shown inFIG. 9 is particularly advantageous in that it facilitates the mechanized manufacture ofpackages 10, as will be explained in more detail below with regard to the packaging method of the present invention. In addition,glue beads 54 may be applied to any suitable portion of the area of interior faces 56, in a sufficient quantity to maintain an adhesive bond between eachinterior face 56 and its adjacentinterior face 56 throughout the normal useful life ofpackage 10; that is, the period between purchase and when the last consumable product G has been removed frompackage 10. Moreover, hot-melt glue beads 58 may be applied in addition toglue beads 54 for faster adhesion. Referring toFIGS. 10-19 , several examples of suitable sizes, shapes and orientations ofglue beads 54, and where applicable, of hot-melt glue beads 58, oninterior face 56 of a pouch according to the invention are shown in front elevation view. - In addition to adhering pouches 17 a-e to one another and to
container 12, the present invention provides for removably adhering a plurality of consumable products G to the inside of each pouch 17 a-e. This allows a consumer to remove a consumable product G without inadvertently removing adjacent consumable products G, and generally prevents accidental spilling of consumable products G fromcontainer 12. To this end, preferably a relatively weak adhesive may be applied toinner surface 60 of each pouch 17 a-e, including wax, for example, or any other suitable weak adhesive. Referring toFIG. 20 , any suitable array ofwax beads 62 may be applied to surface 60 so that at least onewax bead 62 removably adheres each consumable product G to surface 60, as illustrated inFIG. 21 with respect topouch 17 a. Alternatively, a generally uniform layer of wax or other suitable adhesive could be applied to surface 60 for removably adhering consumable products G. - Referring to
FIG. 21 , in one embodiment, in place ofwax beads 62, substantially the entire sheet is coated with a thin layer ofwax 62′, except aperimeter portion 63 of the sheet is not coated with wax. The wax may be applied by any suitable method and apparatus, such as, for example, roller coating or spraying. Otherwise, the embodiment ofFIG. 21 is similar to the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 20 . - Referring to
FIG. 22 , it is within the scope of the present invention to include aretention band 64 that is wrapped aroundstack 22 to help retain bundles 18 a-e in a compact configuration.Retention strip 64 may be included instead of or in addition toside glue beads - In addition, a band (not shown) similar to
band 64 may be substituted for each of pouches 17 a-e, that encircles each group of seven (7) consumable products G. - Bulk packages according to the present invention have several significant advantages over current packages for consumable products. For example, as compared to one current chewing gum package which includes a container housing two bundles similar to the bundles of the present invention, the illustrated
package 10 including five bundles 18 achieves about a 40% reduction in mass of adhesive per gum stick, and about a 27% reduction in total mass of packaging material per gum stick, when consumable products G are gum sticks. Moreover,package 10 provides 150% more gum than the current two-bundle package, thus allowing the consumer to carry significantly more gum in a single convenient package. - While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements, and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.
Claims (20)
1. A package containing consumable products comprising:
a container having a plurality of walls including a front wall, a rear wall and left and right side walls, the plurality of walls defining an opening with each of the plurality of walls having an interior surface, and a lid adapted to selectively cover the opening;
a plurality of bands disposed inside the container, including a first band disposed adjacent to one of the walls, a second band disposed adjacent to another of the walls, and at least one intermediate band disposed between the first and second bands, each band having an at least substantially enclosed lateral perimeter; and
a plurality of consumable products contained in each band, the products arrayed in the band so that a consumer can grasp and separately remove each of the consumable products from the each of the bands and from the container.
2. The package of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive to releasably adhere a plurality of consumable products that are contained in a respective band to an inner surface of that respective band.
3. The package of claim 2 wherein each of the consumable products is individually wrapped.
4. The package of claim 2 , wherein each band is a pouch.
5. The package of claim 1 ,
wherein the container further comprises a slot,
wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the container at a first hinge, the lid configured to articulate about the first hinge between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the lid does not cover the opening, the lid comprising a tab configured to be inserted into the slot to releasably retain the lid in the closed position.
6. The package of claim 5 , wherein the hinged lid further comprises a second hinge and a third hinge, the first and second hinges defining a top lid segment and the second and third hinges defining a middle lid segment and a tabbed lid segment comprising the tab, and the tabbed lid segment being capable of articulation about the middle lid segment at the third hinge to allow the tab to be inserted into the slot at an oblique angle with respect to the front wall of the container.
7. The package of claim 1 wherein the first band is disposed adjacent and adhered to the front wall.
8. The package of claim 7 wherein the second band is disposed adjacent and adhered to the rear wall.
9. The package of claim 1 wherein one intermediate band is disposed between the first and second bands.
10. The package of claim 1 where at least two intermediate bands are disposed between the first and second bands.
11. The package of claim 1 wherein each band contains a linear array of consumable products.
12. The package of claim 11 wherein the consumable product is chewing gum.
13. The package of claim 12 wherein at least 5 pieces of chewing gum are in each band.
14. The package of claim 13 wherein the plurality of bands is at least four.
15. The package of claim 1 wherein a side of each of the bands is adjacent and adhesively secured to the left side wall and the right side wall of the container.
16. The package of claim 7 wherein the side of the container is adhered to the first wall with a hot melt adhesive.
17. The package of claim 7 wherein the side of the container is adhered to the front wall with a hot melt adhesive and a cold adhesive.
18. The product of claim 16 wherein the second band is adhered to the rear wall with a cold glue.
19. A package containing consumable products comprising:
a container having a plurality of walls, the plurality of walls defining an opening with each of the plurality of walls having an interior surface, and a lid adapted to selectively cover the opening;
a plurality of bands disposed inside the container, including a first band disposed adjacent to one of the walls, a second band disposed adjacent to another of the walls, and at least one intermediate band disposed between the first and second bands, each band having an at least substantially enclosed lateral perimeter; and
a plurality of consumable products contained in each band, the products arrayed in the band so that a consumer can grasp and separately remove each of the consumable products from the each of the bands.
20. The package of claim 19 , wherein each band is a pouch.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/123,801 US20110233106A1 (en) | 2008-10-14 | 2009-10-09 | Bulk package for confections |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US19603408P | 2008-10-14 | 2008-10-14 | |
US13/123,801 US20110233106A1 (en) | 2008-10-14 | 2009-10-09 | Bulk package for confections |
PCT/US2009/060122 WO2010045110A2 (en) | 2008-10-14 | 2009-10-09 | Bulk package for confections |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20110233106A1 true US20110233106A1 (en) | 2011-09-29 |
Family
ID=42107154
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/123,801 Abandoned US20110233106A1 (en) | 2008-10-14 | 2009-10-09 | Bulk package for confections |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20110233106A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2346749A4 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102186746A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2740402A1 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2011116654A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2010045110A2 (en) |
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USD792784S1 (en) * | 2015-02-20 | 2017-07-25 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Confectionery package with small flap |
WO2017160737A1 (en) * | 2016-03-14 | 2017-09-21 | Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company | Reclosable multi-article confectionary product packaging and methods with multi-layer graphic branding |
US20170297761A1 (en) * | 2004-04-06 | 2017-10-19 | Yoichiro Ishikawa | Comestible product dispensers and methods of making and using same |
USD801803S1 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2017-11-07 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack |
US10407208B2 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2019-09-10 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack, a blank for forming the pack, and a method of making the pack |
USD866311S1 (en) * | 2017-04-18 | 2019-11-12 | Fdk Corporation | Packaging for batteries |
USD866312S1 (en) * | 2017-04-18 | 2019-11-12 | Fdk Corporation | Packaging for batteries |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US9573719B2 (en) * | 2014-05-16 | 2017-02-21 | General Mills, Inc. | End load carton with closure system |
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- 2009-10-09 EP EP09821055A patent/EP2346749A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2009-10-09 US US13/123,801 patent/US20110233106A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-10-09 CA CA2740402A patent/CA2740402A1/en not_active Abandoned
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USD866312S1 (en) * | 2017-04-18 | 2019-11-12 | Fdk Corporation | Packaging for batteries |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2010045110A2 (en) | 2010-04-22 |
EP2346749A4 (en) | 2012-12-26 |
CA2740402A1 (en) | 2010-04-22 |
WO2010045110A3 (en) | 2010-07-22 |
EP2346749A2 (en) | 2011-07-27 |
CN102186746A (en) | 2011-09-14 |
RU2011116654A (en) | 2012-11-10 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY, ILLINOIS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:FLUEGEL, HEATHER;STACY-RYAN, RUSSELL L.;REEL/FRAME:026241/0990 Effective date: 20110421 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |