US20130341230A1

US20130341230A1 - Space-saving product packaging container

Info

Publication number: US20130341230A1
Application number: US13/528,559
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruce Michael Brandel; Todd Michael Brandel
Original assignee: EXCEL RETAIL SOLUTIONS LLC
Current assignee: EXCEL RETAIL SOLUTIONS LLC
Priority date: 2012-06-20
Filing date: 2012-06-20
Publication date: 2013-12-26

Abstract

A product packaging container including a housing; a packaging tray; a cold seal adhesive configured to hold together the housing and the packaging tray; the packaging tray including a blister portion configured to secure a product by conforming to a surface area portion or a volume of the product; a flange portion that extends from the blister portion, out in a plane, the plane including a perimeter of the blister portion; the housing having an exterior surface having a width; wherein the flange portion of the packaging tray extends from the blister perimeter in one of a vertical or horizontal direction of the plane formed by the base of the blister perimeter; wherein the flange portion includes a top flange portion and a bottom flange portion; wherein the blister perimeter has a width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This disclosure relates to the following concurrently filed patent application titled, “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PRODUCT PACKAGING CONTAINER.”
The above-identified patent application is assigned to the same entity, and concurrently filed with this application. The entire disclosure of the above-referenced application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates to product packaging containers.

BACKGROUND

Conventional packaging for the retail sale of consumer products has evolved to include display packs that not only allow unobstructed viewing of a product without opening the packaging, but also prevent tampering with the product, deter theft of the product, and limit retailer costs of an unsaleable product due to damage to the packaging. Among the types of consumer packaging developed to address these needs is a clear plastic blister pack in combination with a cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, or paperboard frame that encloses the outer edges of the blister pack. The product is enclosed inside the blister pack, and the combination of the blister pack and the corrugated frame prevents easy access to the product. This type of packaging deters theft by providing a bulky package, and it also provides a protective shield to the enclosed product while still allowing a consumer to view the product.
Traditionally, the corrugated frame used in combination with plastic blister pack is made up of two sheets of material adhered together with an adhesive, such as a hot melt glue, a heat-sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive contact adhesive. However, these adhesives and their respective application processes have several disadvantages. For instance, hot melt glues are typically difficult to apply in a controlled fashion and the quality of the resulting seal varies accordingly. Heat-sensitive adhesives often provide ineffective seals when used with corrugated substrates because the corrugated sheets are poor heat conductors. Such adhesives are also difficult to use in a high volume manufacturing process where corrugated frames must be stacked in an efficient manner because the adhesive is slow to dry and is also susceptible to smearing when coming into contact with another surface. Furthermore, as the corrugated frames are stacked higher and higher, the accumulation of weight in the stack increases the possibility of the frames adhering to each other once the adhesive has been applied. Finally, conventional cohesive contact adhesives also suffer from these and other drawbacks in that they are applied over the entire interior surface of the corrugated packaging, creating waste, slowing the production process, and inevitably leaving an undesirable adhesive residue on the plastic blister pack that impacts the recyclability of the blister pack when separated from the corrugated frame.
The abovementioned conventional adhesives create excess waste both during the manufacturing process and when the product is removed from the packaging by a consumer. In recent years, there has also been an increased awareness of the environmental impact from the manufacture, use and disposal of product packaging. While both the plastic blister pack and corrugated frame used in conventional packaging are separately recyclable, the adhesive is not and can impact the recyclability of the rest of the packaging. It is therefore desirable to use an adhesive that causes a minimal environmental impact when disposed.
Accordingly, a need exists for an adhesive for product packaging that reduces the amount of adhesive needed, can be applied at high production rates, enables corrugated frames coated with adhesive to be stacked, shipped, and handled prior to final assembly of the packaging without adhering to one another, and enables an application method that avoids contact between the adhesive and the plastic parts of the packaging.
Another consideration is that a store wants retail packaging to provide good visibility of the packaged products to a customer when the customer is walking around inside the retail store. The retail store sets aside a particular amount of shelf space to provide visibility of the packaged products. A retail store has a business incentive to provide visibility to as many products as possible on its retail shelves. Conventional retail packaging encloses a product in a plastic that holds the product at or near the center of the plastic, while a card is used to surround the plastic to provide additional structure. The conventional combination of plastic and card packaging allows the product to, either, be hung on a pegboard or placed in a tray on a retail shelf. Thus, the conventional plastic and card packaging, or “carded blister pack,” is taller and wider than the product it contains and for which it provides visibility. Thus, conventional retail packages takes up too much valuable visibility space of the retail store shelves. A need exists for retail packaging that provides better use of the visibility space of retail store shelves in combination with all or any of the above described considerations.

SUMMARY

A product packaging container including a housing; a packaging tray; a cold seal adhesive configured to hold together the housing and the packaging tray; the packaging tray including a blister portion configured to secure a product by conforming to a surface area portion or a volume of the product; a flange portion that extends from the blister portion, out in a plane, the plane including a perimeter of the blister portion; the housing having an exterior surface having a width; wherein the flange portion of the packaging tray extends from the blister perimeter in one of a vertical or horizontal direction of the plane formed by the base of the blister perimeter; wherein the flange portion includes a top flange portion and a bottom flange portion; wherein the blister perimeter has a width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing.
A product packaging container including a housing; a packaging tray; a cold seal adhesive configured to hold together the housing and the packaging tray; the packaging tray including a blister portion configured to secure a product by conforming to a surface area portion or a volume of the product; a flange portion that extends from the blister portion, out in a plane, the plane including a perimeter of the blister portion; the container further including the housing having an exterior surface having a width; wherein the flange portion of the packaging tray extends from the blister perimeter in one of a vertical or horizontal direction of the plane formed by the base of the blister perimeter; wherein the flange portion includes a top flange portion and a bottom flange portion; wherein the blister perimeter has a width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing; a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange; wherein the first fold-over flange is configured to fold at a first tray line of weakness, and the second fold-over flange is configured to fold over at a second tray line of weakness; wherein each of the first and second fold-over flanges is configured to fold to a closed position, wherein the interior surface of the first fold-over flange is set toward the product, and the interior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the exterior surface of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the interior surface of the housing; wherein the top flange portion includes a first hole that defines a first securing flange portion having a first securing flange perimeter; wherein the bottom flange portion includes a second hole that defines a second securing flange portion having a second securing flange perimeter; wherein a first adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere a first top housing portion to a first bottom housing portion; wherein a second adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere a second top housing portion to a second bottom housing portion; wherein the container includes a first recycling allowance gap between the first adhesive region and the first securing flange perimeter; wherein the container includes a second recycling allowance gap between the second adhesive region and the first securing flange perimeter; wherein the first fold-over flange and the second fold-over flange each have at least an attachment device configured to attach the second fold-over flange to the first fold-over flange; wherein the attachment device includes a first button of the first fold-over flange and a second button on the second fold-over flange; wherein the first button and the second button interlock; and wherein the housing includes placement hole configured to capture a portion of the attachment device to secure the attachment device to the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The described embodiments and other features, advantages and disclosures contained herein, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and the present disclosure will be better understood by reference to the following description of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a product packaging container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B shows an exterior view of an unfolded housing for a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C shows an interior view of an unfolded housing for a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D shows the product tray of FIG. 1A without the housing;

FIG. 1E shows a cross-sectional view, taken across line V-V, of a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1F shows a cross-sectional view, taken across line VI-VI, of a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A shows another embodiment of a product tray of a cold seal product packaging container according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view of a product packaging container according to FIG. 1A, taken across line V-V, using the alternative product tray embodiment of FIG. 2A in place of the product tray embodiment of FIG. 1D;

FIG. 2C shows a cross-sectional view of a housing for a product packaging container according to FIG. 2B wherein the product tray has fold-over sides that have a narrower width;

FIG. 2D shows another embodiment of a product tray of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A shows another embodiment of a product tray of FIG. 2D;

FIG. 3B shows an interior view of an unfolded housing for a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A shows another embodiment of a product tray of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view, taken across VII-VII, of an opened product tray according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C shows a cross-sectional view, taken across VII-VII, of a closed product tray according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4D shows a cross-sectional view, taken across line V-V of a container according to FIG. 1A instead using the closed product tray of FIG. 4C;

FIG. 5A shows a semi-opened product packaging container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B shows an exterior view of an unfolded housing of a product packaging container according to FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C shows a cross-sectional view, taken across V-V, of a closed product tray including a housing embodiment according to FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of an attachment device that may be used with a product packaging container embodiment.

Like reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts throughout the several figures.
An overview of the features, functions and configuration of the components depicted in the various figures will now be presented. It should be appreciated that not all of the features of the components of the figures are necessarily described. Some of these non-discussed features, such as various sizes, thickness, widths, materials, etc., as well as discussed features are inherent from the figures. The drawings are not drawn to scale. Other non-discussed features may be inherent in component geometry or configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.
The disclosure of the present application provides a cold seal adhesive for product packaging particularly suited for the manufacture a product packaging container made with a plastic blister pack and a corrugated fiberboard enclosure, which results in a container that is strong, tamper-proof, recyclable, and cost-effective to produce. Though the product packaging container may be commonly used with retail consumer products, it will be appreciated that the product packaging container is not limited to use with these specific types of products or distribution outlets and, consequently, may be used to package any article. Further, though the cold seal adhesive may be particularly suited for product packaging, it will be appreciated that the cold seal adhesive is not limited to use in product packaging.
A cold seal adhesive for product packaging according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a quick-drying, latex-based adhesive that, once dried, will create a no-tack surface and will only adhere to other surfaces coated with the same adhesive when placed under high pressure. Consequently, the cold seal adhesive has the properties of both cohesive and pressure-sensitive adhesive materials and is capable of being applied to a substrate material at a relatively high rate and of being dried relatively quickly. As a result, the cold seal adhesive enables the manufacture of packaging materials for consumer products at production rates much faster than conventional adhesive materials used in the art. Further, the cold seal adhesive may be applied using a high speed printing process to reduce film thickness of the adhesive to as little as 10-20% of conventional packaging adhesive, further enabling the manufacture of a product packaging container at production rates much faster than conventional adhesive materials used in the art. In additional, the properties of the cold seal adhesive enable further advantages and characteristics as described herein.
The cold seal adhesive is specially formulated to provide that characteristics described herein. The cold seal adhesive is an emulsion of natural and/or synthetic latex rubber in aqueous solution of ammoniated water with a solids content between 15 and 65 percent by weight. The viscosity of the cold seal adhesive may be between 10 and 450 centipoise (cP) at 20 revolutions per minute and 23 degrees Celsius (° C.) per ASTM D1084 Test Method B. Further, the density of cold seal adhesive may be between 8.0 and 9.0 pounds per gallon (lb/gal) at 25° C., and the basicity or pH may be between 9.5 and 12 pH. The composition of cold seal adhesive may contain dispersants, surfactants, tackifiers, isocyanates, and antifoaming agents, as is well known in the art, without deviating from the scope of the disclosure. In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, cold seal adhesive has the following properties: the solids content is 57.5 percent by weight, the viscosity is 75 cP at 25° C., the density is 8.3 lb/gal, and the pH is 10.0. In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the adhesive has a solids content between 45 and 58 percent by weight, a viscosity between 75 and 200 cP at 23° C., a density between 8.3 and 8.7 lb/gal at ° C., and a basicity between 10 and 11 pH. Viscosity may be measured using ASTM D1084 Test Method B using the Brookfield viscometer or ASTM D1084 Method D using Zahn Cups.
Being a latex-based adhesive, the viscosity of the cold seal adhesive increases dramatically under processing conditions that induce shear stress in the adhesive, causing shear thickening or agglomeration. Likewise, the cold seal adhesive exhibits high shear viscosity, which is a measure of resistance to flow at the high shear rates imposed by the application process. However, to reduce shear sensitivity, the cold seal adhesive has significantly lower viscosity and solids content than conventional cohesive adhesives used in the product packaging art. Further, the low viscosity and solid content enable the cold seal adhesive to be applied and effective at a film thickness between 0.007-0.002 inches (in.), and typically 0.0015 in., with about 0.0122 dry grams of adhesive per square inch of substrate. Nonetheless, various processing issues must be overcome to prevent inducing shear stress in the adhesive and achieve the noted film thickness range during application at high production rates.
Traditionally, high speed printing press processes, for example, flexographic printing, are anticipated to induce shear stresses in a material used for printing, generally inks, on a substrate. Because inks are not generally adversely affected by the levels of shear stress induced by the these processes, operators have not had a need to modify their high speed printing press processes to reduce the shear stresses induced. However, some adhesive materials, such as the cold seal adhesive, are sensitive to shear as described above. Consequently, conventional high speed printing processes are not capable of applying the cold seal adhesive without inducing the shear stress responsible for agglomeration of the adhesive. As a result, various modifications must be made to a conventional flexographic printing press to enable continuous, high speed application of the cold seal adhesive, as disclosed herein. In total, the cold seal adhesive enables productions not possible using conventional packaging adhesives. For example, the cold seal adhesive may be applied at a production rate of 3,300 feet per minute (ft/min), compared to 45 ft/min for conventional application processes and adhesives. Further, the cold seal adhesive may be applied prior to a die cutting operation, unlike conventional adhesives, thereby allowing the die cutting operation to be included within the application process and provide additional production efficiencies.
Another processing issue related to the composition and application film thickness of the adhesive is the sealing process. As described above, the cold seal adhesive exhibits cohesive characteristics; however, the cohesive characteristics of the adhesive are not highly pressure sensitive, meaning significant pressure must be applied to the substrate to be bound to initiate cohesion of the adhesive. As a result, the adhesive has essentially no tack, to itself or uncoated surfaces or substrates, under common handling and processing conditions, which enables economic shipping and handling of the finished product as disclosed herein. Further, due to the reduced pressure sensitivity and thin film thickness of the cold seal adhesive, conventional product packaging sealing processes used for conventional cohesive adhesives are not adequate to create a satisfactory bond between two surfaces coated with the cold seal adhesive. Consequently, to produce a satisfactory cohesive bond between two surfaces coated with the cold seal adhesive, a sealing pressure of more than 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi), and typically about 19,000 psi, must be applied to the surfaces to be sealed. The resulting seal yields 12-14 pounds-force and greater than 50% substrate failure (i.e., fiber tear), and typically 100%, when 2 in. wide seal sections are subjected to a 180°-peel test at a rate of 20 inches per minute.
The properties, application, and distinguishing advantages of the cold seal adhesive are best made more advantageous in combination with its use with an improved product packaging container. Accordingly, an improved product packaging container is disclosed.
FIG. 1A shows a cold seal product packaging container 10 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1A, the product packaging container 10 includes a housing 20, which encloses and retains a product tray 30. The container may be held together with a cold seal adhesive 40. The container 10 is configured to enclose one or more articles (not shown), such as consumer products, within the tray 30 and to protect products from damage, blemish, or theft. To adequately protect products, the adhesive 40 must seal the housing 20 around the edges of tray 30 with sufficient strength and durability to securely support the products' weight during shipping, handling, and display of the product and to discourage tampering with the container 10 and its contents. In FIG. 1A, housing 20 is shown in a folded configuration as a part of the container 10, which is the final configuration once container 10 has been fully formed and sealed.
Referring to FIGS. 1B-1C, housing 20 is initially manufactured in an unfolded configuration prior to assembly into, for example, the embodiment of the container 10 of FIG. 1A. The housing 20 is bounded by a leading edge 22, trailing edge 24, and first and second side edges 26 and 28, respectively, and includes an exterior surface 23 and an opposing interior surface 25, as shown in FIG. 1C. Further, the housing 20 is capable of being folded at a perforated line of weakness 21 which may be located substantially equidistant from leading edge 22 and trailing edge 24. The line of weakness 21 may define a top portion 27 and a bottom portion 29, which may contact one another at the interior surface 25 when the housing 20 is in the folded configuration.
According to at least one embodiment of a product packaging container 10 according to the present disclosure, the housing 20 may include at least one opening (not shown) formed through the exterior and/or interior surfaces 23, 25, that may be used, for example, to hang the container 10 in a retail space. The exterior surface 23 may include graphic indicia 39 identifying or advertising the product contained within container 10, or displaying regulatory nutrition information, a universal product code or matrix barcode, or any other information relevant to the product. The indicia 39 may be printed on the exterior surface 23 by a suitable process or may be applied as a label to the exterior surface 23 or any other part of the container 10.
The housing 20 may be formed of corrugated fiberboard, such as E flute corrugated fiberboard, paperboard, cardboard, chipboard, corrugated plastic board, or any planar material suitable for the requirements of a product packaging container 10 as disclosed herein. Though the housing 20 is shown with a rectangular shape, the perimeter of the housing 20 could form any desired shape and size. The container 10 is shown as being a combination of the product tray 30 and the housing 20.
In at least one embodiment of a product packaging container 10 according to the present disclosure, the tray 30 includes a blister portion 32 and a flange portion 34 (e.g., a top and bottom flange portion 34 a, 34 b) as shown in FIG. 1D. The terms “top” and “bottom” are used to more easily identify elements in the drawing embodiments when defining different units and are not meant as limiting in each embodiment, and so may be substituted for the terms such as “first and “second.” The blister portion 32 may be formed to define a product volume 37, or a portion of a product surface area, and a blister perimeter 33 appropriately sized to accept and conform to a specific product to be packaged within the container 10. The blister portion 32 may conform to a portion of the surface area of the retail product so as to hold the product securely in the container 10. The blister perimeter 33 may conform to a perimeter of the product. The flange portion 34 may extend in a plane that begins from the blister perimeter 33 and may define a flange perimeter 35. The total flange portion 34 may include one or more equal or smaller flange portions, e.g., 34 a, 34 b. The flange portions are shown in FIG. 1D to extend from the blister perimeter to one of a vertical or horizontal direction in the plane. The flange portion 34 enables the tray 30 to be trapped between the top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 of the housing 20, when the housing 20 is in the folded configuration, and it may allow the blister portion 32 to project through what may be considered an opening 36 of the closed container 10.
In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1E, 1F, the opening 36 of the closed housing 20 may be formed to a size in between the blister perimeter 33 and the flange perimeter 35, further enabling secure handling and display of the product within container 10. FIG. 1B shows the housing to include two sets of top and bottom portions 27, 29 (e.g., a first top housing portion 27 a and a first bottom housing portion 29 a, and a second top housing portion 27 b and a second bottom housing portion 29 b). Another embodiment of the housing may have a different number of top and bottom portions, 27, 29, e.g. one set or four sets, etc.
The width of the flange portion 34 may vary with the size and weight of the product to be secured within the container 10. The respective flange portions 34 a, 34 b, 34 c, 34 d that make up all the total flange portion 34 area may vary with respect to the different edges 22, 24, 26, 28 of the housing 20 so that the total flange perimeter 35 (e.g., perimeter that surrounds entire flange area of 34 a, 34 b, 34 c, 34 d) may also vary respective to different embodiments of the product tray. FIG. 1D shows a top flange portion 34 a and bottom flange portion 34 b that are symmetric. FIG. 1D also shows a left flange portion 34 c and a right flange portion 34 d that are symmetric. The respective flange portions 34 do not have to be symmetric. Larger and heavier products may generally require a wider flange portion 34 to adequately distribute the weight of the product to the housing 20 and to securely retain the total flange portion 34 between the respective top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 in the folded configuration.
The left flange portion 34 c and the right flange portion 34 d may be negligible is size so as to have the flange perimeter 35 at the left and right side of the tray run alongside the blister perimeter 33. Other embodiments may have a small width for each of the left flange portion 34 c and the right flange portion 34 d. For example, there may be little or no left flange portion 34 c and/or right flange portion 34 d in an effort to increase the product visibility area in proportion to the total container visibility area. A visibility area may be defined as the area of the product, container, etc. that is visible to a customer when viewing the packaged product as it is contained in the product packaging container embodiments described herein. The respective width of the left flange portion and the right flange portion are negligible or nonexistent to enable the blister or flange perimeter (e.g., 33 or 35) to have the width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface 23 of the housing 20 or a width of the container 10.
The tray 30 may be made of any material suitable for secure shipping, handling, and display of the product within the container 10. Exemplary materials may include clear plastic materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, that can be molded or thermoformed into a shape generally conforming to the product to be secured within the container 10.
As mentioned above, adhesive 40 binds top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 and seals product tray 30 within product packaging container 10. The product tray may be trapped between the top portion 27 and the bottom portion 29 of the housing as the area between the adhesive region 42 and the leading edge 22 may form a trap area 62. Also, a second trap area 64 may be formed between a second top adhesive region 44 and the trailing edge 24. The trap areas 62, 64 may each trap or hold the product tray (e.g., by trapping a flange portion, for example, flange portions 34 a, 34 b) in a closed housing 20. The trap area may be formed to allow a space, e.g. recycling allowance gap 50, to exist between the product tray 30 and the adhesive 40. Adhesive 40 is a quick-drying, latex-based adhesive that, once dried, will create a no-tack surface and will only adhere to other surfaces coated with the same adhesive when placed under high pressure.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1C, adhesive 40 is applied to interior surface 25 within a first upper (when in closed configuration) adhesive region 42, a first lower adhesive region 43, a second upper adhesive region 44 and a second lower adhesive region 45. When housing 20 is folded at weakness 21, the adhesive 40 in the upper adhesive region 42 will bond with the adhesive 40 in the lower adhesive region 43, and the adhesive 40 in the second upper adhesive region 44 will bond with the adhesive 40 in the second lower adhesive region 45. The secure bonding of these regions will only occur once high pressure of at least 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi) has been applied to the adhesive by a cold seal compressor of the present disclosure or other sealing device.
Because adhesive 40 dries quickly and is only applied to the interior surface 25 of housing 20, the use of adhesive 40 allows multiple housings to be stacked on top of one another during the manufacturing process, as the exterior surface 23 of one housing will not adhere to the interior surface 25 of another housing. This greatly improves the manufacturing process as compared to prior art processes using conventional adhesives in which the adhesives were slow to dry and were susceptible to smearing when corning into contact with the other surfaces. Prior art manufacturing processes were also limited in the number of housings that could be stacked together, as each accumulation of weight in a stack of housings increased the possibility of the housings adhering to each other. The properties and application of adhesive 40 also allow the adhesive coating to be applied prior to cutting housing 20, as an entire sheet of housings could pass through the machinery without adhesive 40 smearing or leaving residue on the machinery.
As mentioned above, in at least one embodiment of a product packaging container 10 according to the present disclosure, the adhesive 40 may be applied in specific adhesive regions on the interior surface 25 of the housing 20. As depicted in FIGS. 1C and 1E, the adhesive 40 may be applied along two sides of the housing 20 within an upper adhesive region 42 and a lower adhesive region 43 that extend along and parallel to each of the leading and trailing side edges 22, 24 and the line of weakness 21, whereby the upper adhesive region 42 on the top portion 27 substantially contacts the lower adhesive region 43 on the bottom portion 29 when the housing 20 is in the folded configuration. Because the adhesive will only adhere to itself under high pressure, any adhesive region located on the top portion 27 of housing 20 should have a corresponding adhesive region on the bottom portion 29. As shown in FIG. 1C, the adhesive region 42 may extend from the an edge 26 to an edge 28 and may be spaced a distance that allows for a recycling allowance gap 50 to be formed in between the flange perimeter 35 along V-V of the product tray 30 to avoid contact between the adhesive 40 and the tray 30.
In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, each respective gap 50 may be a size to prevent any contact between the adhesive 40 and the tray 30, which facilitates recyclability of the container 10 by enabling easy separation of the tray 30 from the housing 20 without leaving contaminating adhesive 40 on the tray 30. Regardless, to facilitate recyclability of container 10, the upper and lower product adhesive regions 44, 45 should be located so as not to contact the tray 30.
In addition to facilitating recyclability of container 10, the total area of the interior surface 25 occupied by the perimeter adhesive regions, or first top adhesive region, first bottom adhesive region, second top adhesive region, second bottom adhesive region, (e.g., 42, 43, 44, 45) may be reduced to minimize the amount of adhesive 40 included in the container 10. Minimizing the adhesive region (e.g., 42, 43, 44, 45) reduces the cost of container 10 by both reducing the amount of materials used and increasing the rate of production of the housing 20. Nonetheless, a suffice amount of adhesive 40 must be used to ensure the top and bottom portions 27, 29 of housing 20 are sealed together with sufficient strength and durability as required for a specific container 10 as disclosed herein. In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the adhesive 40 may be applied to the interior surface 25 of the housing 20 by an adhesive application method as described in corresponding application, titled “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PRODUCT PACKAGING CONTAINER.”
FIG. 2A shows another embodiment of a product tray 30 of a cold seal product packaging container 10 according to the present disclosure. This embodiment of the product tray 30 includes one or more fold-over sides 202. A fold-over side 202 may be part of the tray 30 and may extended to form a fold-over flange 204 in a plane that extends from an outermost point 280 from the blister perimeter 33 or that extends from an outermost point 282 from a flange perimeter 35 to a point 402 of a perimeter 400 of the tray 30. The product tray 30 may have a line of weakness 240 that corresponds to each fold-over flange 204 that it may have. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, tray 30 may have a first line of weakness 240 a and a second line of weakness 240 b. When the first and second fold-over flanges 240 a, 240 b are configured to fold over their respective tray lines of weakness, 240 a, 240 b. When folded over, the tray 30 will be in a closed position, wherein the interior surface 70 of the first fold-over flange 240 a may be set toward the product 1, and the interior surface 74 of the second fold-over flange 204 b may be set toward the exterior surface 72 of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange may be set toward the interior surface 25 of the housing 20.
For example, as is the case with flange 34 of FIG. 1A, fold-over flange 204 does not have to be symmetric, as shown. The proportions of each flange 34 or fold-over flange 204 may vary according to product placement requirements. Regardless, the fold-over flange 204 may be an exaggerated flange (e.g., up to 2″ or 3″ wide each) that could be folded under the product. A fold-over flange 204 may fold at a line of weakness 240 of the tray 30. The interior of the fold-over flange 204 may rest against the back of the product when the tray 30 is closed, while the exterior of the fold-over flange 204 may rest against a card housing 20 when the tray 30 is closed, thus making it difficult to remove the product from the tray pack 30 without tearing the product packaging container 10.
FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view of a product packaging container 10 using the product tray 30 embodiment of FIG. 2A in combination with the housing 20 embodiment of FIG. 1B, 1C. As depicted in FIG. 2B, the adhesive 40 binds top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 of the housing 20 to allow the tray 30 to hold the product securely in the container 10. FIG. 2B illustrates the case where the two side flanges 204 are of an equivalent length 250. The length 250 and width 230 of a side flange 204 may be any length and width that works best to secure the product in the container 10. Again, the particular characteristics of the product may call for different sizes and configurations of each of the fold-over flanges 204 as well as each of the earlier described flange portions 34. For example, FIG. 2C illustrates a tray 30 that has a narrower width 230 for each of the fold-over side flanges 204 so that the respective areas of the fold-over side flanges 204 a, 204 b do not cross over.
FIG. 2D illustrates an another side flange 204 embodiment wherein the fold-over side flange 204 has a length 250 that extends from a first longitudinal or length-defining blister perimeter point 220 to a second longitudinal or length-defining blister perimeter point 221. Alternatively, the length may be defined from a flange perimeter 35 point (not shown). The length 250 of the fold-over flange 204 may be made to any length or width that causes the product to remain in the container 10 securely. For example, a width or length of each of the first and second fold-over flanges 204 a, 204 b may less than or substantially equal to the length or width of the housing 20. For example, a width or length of each of the first and second fold-over flanges 204 a, 204 b may less than the length and the width of the housing 20. In another embodiment, the flanges throughout the specification may have a tapered shape extending from the blister perimeter 33.
FIG. 3A shows another embodiment of a product tray 30 of FIG. 2D wherein a securing flange portion 340 has a hole 300. The area of the hole 300 may be any size so long as it allows for a respective securing flange portion 340 internal perimeter 310 to be formed. A die cutting process may form the hole 300. The size of the hole 300 may be such that the tray 30 may be properly secured by the sealed upper portion 27 and lower portion 29 of the housing 20. This may allow for the respective sealed portions, 27, 29 of the housing 20 and the respective securing flange portion 340 to more effectively “trap” the blister or product tray 30 into place to hold the product more securely inside the container 10.
FIG. 3B shows an interior view of an unfolded housing for a product packaging container according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A. On particular, FIG. 3B shows how the first adhesive region 42, 43 between the first top housing portion 27 a and the first bottom housing portion 29 a may be configured to have an area that allows for a first recycling gap to exist between the adhesive area and the first securing flange perimeter. Likewise, for the second adhesive region 42, 43. For example, see the recycling gaps 50 as illustrated in FIG. 4D.
FIG. 4A shows another embodiment of a product tray of FIG. 3A, wherein the tray has formed buttons 404 or more generally, an attachment device 402. The attachment device 402 may be any type of attachment device that enables a plurality of fold-over flanges (plurality of 204) to interlock or attach to one another. For example, a first fold-over flange 204 a may have one or more bottom button devices 404 a, 404 b. The product tray 30 may also have a second fold-over flange 204 b with a respective first top button device 404 c and a second top button device 404 d. When the fold-over flanges 204 a, 204 b are folded over at their respective line of weakness 240, the fold-over flanges 204 a, 204 b may attach or interlock to form a more secure container 10 for holding a retail product. The attachment device 402 may be top/bottom button devices, e.g., 404 a, 404 b, 404 c, 404 d that are shaped so as to physically interlock together when pressure is applied. The button device 404 may stay together as a result of, for example, frictional forces, etc. Other attachment devices 402 may be used to hold the fold-over flanges 204 together securely. Other sizes and configurations of fold-over flanges 204 may be used with other types of attachment devices 402 so long as the tray 30 and the housing 20 form a container 20 that employs the cold seal adhesive in a way that secures the retail product properly to enable the combined benefits of visibility, security, and better use of retail shelf space.
For example, another attachment device embodiment may be used that that produces less of a depth, as illustrated in FIG. 6. First fold-over flange 204 a may overlap with the second fold-over flange 204 b area. The first fold-over flange 204 a may have a slit 700, while the second fold-over flange 204 b may have two slits that form a tab 702 so as to form an interlocking type of attachment device 402. FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view, taken across VI-VI, of an opened product tray 30 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C shows a cross-sectional view, taken across VII-VII, of a closed product tray 30 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4D shows a cross-sectional view, taken across line VII-VII of a container 10 that has the closed product tray 30 of FIG. 4A in a housing, such as housing 20 of FIGS. 1B and 1C.
FIG. 5A shows a semi-opened cold seal product packaging container 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A shows a retail product 1 sealed within a product tray 30 of the embodiment in FIG. 4A and a housing 20 that is semi-opened. FIG. 5A has a housing 20 that has a securer device 500 or in other words an attachment device 500. As shown in FIG. 5B, securer device 500 may be a first attachment opening 502 a and a second attachment opening 502 b that are made to catch or allow an attachment device 402, such as the respective first/ second button devices 404 a and 404 b, to pass through to provide further stability of the product 1 in the packaging 10. FIG. 5B shows an exterior view of an unfolded housing 20 of a product packaging container 10 according to FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C shows a cross-sectional view, taken across V-V, of a closed product container 10 having the housing 20 embodiment shown in FIG. 5B used in combination with the product tray 30 embodiment of FIG. 4A.
Embodiments described herein may be manufactured using a method including a Starview rotary platen machine that applies 2,000 to 25,000 psi. The method uses cold seal adhesive with around a 2 second weld time to affect an acceptable seal. Conventional hot melt manufacturing methods use 4-7 seconds to affect a seal. The associated method may not produces any visible crushing of the housing 20.
Additional disclosure is found in the concurrently filed provisional patent application titled, “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PRODUCT PACKAGING CONTAINER,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments according to the above disclosure may reduce the amount of housing 20 material used for a cold seal product package container 10. Conventional trapped blister packs utilize a front and back card that effectively trap the blister inside. Embodiments of the container 10 disclosed herein may remove approximately 40% of the paper or other housing material that is used by conventional trapped blister packs. It should be noted that containers of the aforementioned design may also be adapted with other adhesive systems, such as hot seal or heat sensitive adhesive systems.
As stated above, embodiments of the disclosed invention may reduce the amount of shelf-space required to display and secure the retail product. Conventional trapped blister packs are anywhere from 50-200% wider than the product it contains. For example, embodiments of the disclosed invention container 10 may have a width that is exactly or substantially as wide as the product it contains.
Another advantage that embodiments of the disclosed invention may have over conventional containers is a speedier throughput during its manufacturing process. Conventional trapped blister packs must be sealed on all 4 sides of a square or rectangular package. Embodiments of the disclosed invention may only require seals on two sides, thus increasing the speed with which the package 10 may be sealed in production.
The adhesive may include: latex emulsion comprising between 15 to 65 percent of the adhesive by weight; and ammoniated water, wherein the adhesive viscosity is between 10 and 450 centipoise at 25 degrees Celsius, the density is between 8.0 and 9.0 pounds per gallon at 25 degrees Celsius, and the basicity is between 9.5 and 12 pH; wherein the adhesive is capable of being applied on the housing by a Starview rotary platen processing method at a rate of substantially or least 3,300 linear feet per minute of the housing without agglomeration of the adhesive; and wherein further, when applied and dried within the first adhesive region and the second adhesive region, the adhesive may be compressed with a sealing pressure of about or between 2,000 and 25,000 pounds per square inch to produce a cohesive bond between the first adhesive region and the second adhesive region, and wherein the housing remains visibly uncrushed or between 65-70% of the original thickness during the processing method.

Claims

Claimed is:

1. A product packaging container comprising:

a housing;

a packaging tray;

a cold seal adhesive configured to hold together the housing and the packaging tray;

the packaging tray including

a blister portion configured to secure a product by conforming to a surface area portion or a volume of the product;

a flange portion that extends from the blister portion, out in a plane, the plane including a perimeter of the blister portion;

the housing having an exterior surface having a width;

wherein the flange portion of the packaging tray extends from the blister perimeter in one of a vertical or horizontal direction of the plane formed by the base of the blister perimeter;

wherein the flange portion includes a top flange portion and a bottom flange portion;

wherein the blister perimeter has a width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing.

2. A product packaging container of claim 1,

wherein the housing is configured to include a first line of weakness positioned parallel to a leading edge of the housing and a second line of weakness positioned parallel to a trailing edge of the housing,

wherein the housing is configured to close at each line of weakness to secure the packaging tray over the product;

wherein, the housing includes a first top housing portion and a first bottom housing portion, and a second top housing portion and a second bottom housing portion;

wherein the first top housing portion and the first bottom housing portion include respective first top adhesive region and first bottom adhesive region,

wherein each first top and bottom adhesive region runs parallel to the leading edge and each is located at an interior surface of the housing so that, when the housing is in a closed configuration, the housing forms a first trap area that is configured to trap the product tray to the housing;

wherein the second top housing portion and the second bottom housing portion include respective second top adhesive region and second bottom adhesive region,

wherein each second top and bottom adhesive region runs parallel to the trailing edge and are located at an interior surface of the housing so that when the housing is in a closed configuration the housing forms a second trap area that is configured to trap the product tray to the housing;

the first trap area is between the first top adhesive region and the leading edge;

the second trap area is between the second top adhesive region and the trailing edge;

wherein the flange portion includes a left flange portion and a right flange portion;

wherein the respective width of the left flange portion and the right flange portion are negligible or nonexistent to enable the blister perimeter to have the width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing.

3. A product packaging container of claim 1,

wherein the housing includes a first top housing portion and a first bottom housing portion,

wherein the housing includes a second top housing portion and a second bottom housing portion;

wherein a first adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere the first top housing portion to the first bottom housing portion;

wherein a second adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere the second top housing portion to the second bottom housing portion;

wherein the container includes a first recycling allowance gap between the first adhesive region and the top flange portion;

wherein the container includes a second recycling allowance gap between the second adhesive region and the bottom flange portion.

4. A product packaging container of claim 1,

wherein the container includes a second recycling allowance gap between the second adhesive region and the bottom flange portion; and

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange.

5. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the first fold-over flange is configured to fold at a first tray line of weakness, and the second fold-over flange is configured to fold over at a second tray line of weakness;

wherein each of the first and second fold-over flanges is configured in a closed position, wherein the interior surface of the first fold-over flange is set toward the product, and the interior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the exterior surface of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the interior surface of the housing.

6. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein each of the first and second fold-over flanges is configured in a closed position, wherein the interior surface of the first fold-over flange is set toward the product, and the interior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the exterior surface of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the interior surface of the housing;

wherein a width or length of each of the first and second fold-over flanges is less than the length of the housing.

7. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein a width and length of each of the first and second fold-over flanges is less than the length of the housing.

8. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein each of the first and second fold-over flanges is configured to fold to a closed position, wherein the interior surface of the first fold-over flange is set toward the product, and the interior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the exterior surface of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the interior surface of the housing;

wherein a width and length of each of the first and second fold-over flanges is less than the width of the housing.

9. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein each of the first and second fold-over flanges is configured to fold to a closed position, wherein the interior surface of the first fold-over flange is set toward the product, and the interior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the exterior surface of the first fold-over flange, while the exterior surface of the second fold-over flange is set toward the interior surface of the housing.

10. A product packaging container of claim 1,

the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the top flange portion includes a first hole that defines a first securing flange portion having a first securing flange perimeter;

wherein the bottom flange portion includes a second hole that defines a second securing flange portion having a second securing flange perimeter.

11. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

12. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the bottom flange portion includes a second hole that defines a second securing flange portion having a second securing flange perimeter;

wherein a first adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere a first top housing portion to a first bottom housing portion;

wherein a second adhesive region includes the cold seal adhesive configured to adhere a second top housing portion to a second bottom housing portion;

wherein the container includes a first recycling allowance gap between the first adhesive region and the first securing flange perimeter;

wherein the container includes a second recycling allowance gap between the second adhesive region and the first securing flange perimeter.

13. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

14. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the container includes a second recycling allowance gap between the second adhesive region and the first securing flange perimeter;

wherein the first fold-over flange and the second fold-over flange each have at least an attachment device configured to attach the second fold-over flange to the first fold-over flange.

15. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the first fold-over flange and the second fold-over flange each have at least an attachment device configured to attach the second fold-over flange to the first fold-over flange;

wherein the attachment device includes a first button of the first fold-over flange and a second button on the second fold-over flange.

16. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

17. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the attachment device includes a first button of the first fold-over flange and a second button on the second fold-over flange;

wherein the first button and the second button interlock.

18. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the first button and the second button interlock.

19. A product packaging container of claim 1, the product packaging container further comprises:

a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the first button and the second button interlock; and

wherein the housing includes placement hole configured to capture a portion of the attachment device to secure the attachment device to the housing.

20. A product packaging container comprising:

a housing;

a packaging tray;

the packaging tray including

the container further comprising:

the housing having an exterior surface having a width;

wherein the blister perimeter has a width that is substantially equivalent to the width of the exterior surface of the housing;

the packaging tray including a first fold-over flange and a second fold-over flange;

wherein the first button and the second button interlock; and