US20230038262A1

US20230038262A1 - Premium ships in own container package for consumer-packaged goods

Info

Publication number: US20230038262A1
Application number: US17/789,356
Authority: US
Inventors: Vidhu Nagpal
Original assignee: Mars Inc
Current assignee: Mars Inc
Priority date: 2020-01-16
Filing date: 2021-01-12
Publication date: 2023-02-09
Also published as: CN114981173A; WO2021146167A1; EP4090603A1; EP4090603A4

Abstract

Shipping containers and methods of reducing packaging waste arising from shipping packaged products are disclosed. A shipping container comprises a body defining a receptacle, the body being formed of a shipping container material. A lid encloses the receptacle and is formed of the shipping container material. At least one surface ornamentation is disposed on at least one of the body and the lid and a product is disposed within the receptacle. The product may not include secondary packaging and the receptacle may not include protective shipping materials. In one example, the shipping container may have a shipping configuration and a display or dispensing configuration. The shipping container may be repurposed as a serving or dispensing bowl.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to packaging and methods of producing packaging.

BACKGROUND

Although sustainability remains a high priority for consumer-packaged goods companies, recent growth in e-commerce has given rise to a substantial increase in the use of disposable packaging and shipping materials.
Packaging containers for displaying or dispensing product are generally adorned with expensive, eye-catching ornamentation. Such ornamentation can be in the form of colored prints, dyes, embossed or debossed features, textured features, and so on that are incorporated into product packaging. As these packages are generally intended to sit on shelves and not expected to be individually transported or shipped without additional protective materials, the high cost of ornamentation is generally offset by the use of weaker, flimsier packaging materials such as thin paperboard and plastics that are unlikely to survive shipment on their own.
In turn, containers for shipping and transport are generally made from costly and robust materials designed to survive shipping processes. For example, corrugated cardboard is a particularly common material used for shipping containers, however corrugated cardboard is made up of multiple layers of thicker paperboard to improve rigidity and shock absorption. In addition, traditional shipping containers usually have little to no ornamentation, as they are already costly to use and are likely to suffer wear and tear over the course of shipment.
As such, the current e-commerce practice is to protect fragile decorative product packaging by shipping such packaging in more robust shipping containers. The shipping containers are usually opened and immediately discarded, resulting in enormous amounts of waste that scales with the growth of e-commerce.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a shipping container. The shipping container includes a body defining a receptacle, the body formed of a shipping container material and a lid enclosing the receptacle, the lid formed of the shipping container material. The shipping container further includes at least one surface ornamentation disposed on at least one of the body and the lid, and a product disposed within the receptacle. The product does not include secondary packaging and the receptacle does not include protective shipping materials.
Another embodiment relates to a method of reducing packaging waste arising from shipping packaged products. The method includes producing a plurality of shipping containers formed of a shipping container material and each of the plurality of shipping containers comprising a body defining a receptacle, a lid enclosing the receptacle, at least one surface ornamentation disposed on at least one of the body and the lid. The method further includes filling the plurality of shipping containers with product. The product does not include secondary packaging and the receptacle does not include protective shipping materials.
It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; in some instances, various aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings to facilitate an understanding of different features. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like features (e.g., functionally similar and/or structurally similar elements).

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a container in a closed configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1A in an open configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of corrugated packaging material.

FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of a bowl container in a closed configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3B shows a perspective view of the bowl container of FIG. 3A in an open configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4A shows perspective views of a reversible container in open and closed configurations while in a shipping configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4B shows perspective views of the reversible container of FIG. 4A in open and closed configurations while in a display configuration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram showing a method of producing containers, according to an example embodiment.

The features and advantages of the inventive concepts disclosed herein will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and embodiments of, inventive product containers and methods of producing such product containers. It should be appreciated that various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the disclosed concepts are not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a container 102 according to an example arrangement is shown. The container 102 may be used to store and protect various types of consumer-packaged goods—including foodstuffs, pet food, housewares, clothing, among other products—particularly while the container 102 is being transported through one or more package carriers (e.g., USPS, UPS, Fedex, DHL, and so on). In addition to being sufficiently robust to withstand stresses imposed over the course of shipment, the container 102 may further include various types of ornamentation on one or more surfaces of the container 102, giving rise to an attractive, premium appearance. Consistent through the embodiments of the container 102 discussed herein, the container 102 may further be configured to display, dispense, or make available to consumers products housed within in an attractive manner without the need for separate secondary packaging, as will be discussed in greater detail below. As a result, the inventions described herein significantly reduces packaging materials needed for consumer-packaged goods being sold via e-commerce and transported by package carriers.
The container 102 is shown in a closed configuration 100 in FIG. 1A and in an open configuration 150 in FIG. 1B. The container 102 includes a lid 104, a body 106, and a product 116. The product 116 may be any of a variety of good or goods as mentioned above such as snacks (e.g., pretzels, nuts, trail mix, chips, granola, etc.), confections (e.g., chocolates, gummy candies, hard candies, mints, chewing gum, etc.), foodstuffs (e.g., rice, beans, prepared meals, sauces, spice mixes, etc.), medication (e.g., tablets, capsules, creams, etc.), pet food (e.g., wet food, dry food, treats, etc.), and so on. In some arrangements, the product 116 may be unwrapped and in direct contact with the container 102. In yet other arrangements, the product 116 may include individually packaged goods (e.g., pouches, tins, small boxes, groupings of individual products, and so on) that are disposed within the container 102. In some arrangements, the product 116 includes goods that are disposed within a protective pouch, overwrap, or other protective or retaining material such that the entire product 116 may be easily removed from the container. For example, where the product 116 includes loose items, the loose items may be present within a clear plastic pouch. In such arrangements, the pouch may be removed and the loose items disposed directly into the container 102. Consistent throughout these and other arrangements, there is no need for the product 116 to be collectively disposed within a separate decorative box or display container disposed within the container 102, as the container 102 itself is configured for display. Here the product 116 is shown as loose, individually wrapped foodstuffs.
The container 102 may be formed out of shipping container materials, which may be any suitable materials such as paperboard (e.g., corrugated cardboard, untreated, coated, laminated, etc.), plastics (e.g., petroleum-based, bio-based, etc.), metals (e.g., tin, copper, aluminum, alloys, etc.), or a combination of materials, some or all of which may be biodegradable, recyclable, and/or compostable, so long as the materials used are sufficiently robust to survive reasonably expected stresses experienced over the course of shipping. An example standard for suitable shipping container materials may be found at https://ista.org/docs/6AmazoncomSIOCOverview.pdf, the content of which is incorporated by reference in full herein. The container 102 may be formed from any of a variety of processes known in the art, and may be cut, folded, and glued, or may be blow molded, 3D printed, casted, and so on from suitable materials. Various types of ornamentation such as branding, patterns, colors, logos, images, and so on may be disposed on one or more surfaces of the container 102 materials by any of a variety of methods, such as laminated features, printed features, embossed or debossed features, textured features, dyed features, transparent materials or cutout portions (e.g., so that the product 116 may be seen through the lid 104 or body 106), or three-dimensional features that may be molded, cast, or 3D printed, and so on.
The product 116 may be disposed within the body 106 of the container 102. The body 106 defines a receptacle 114 that is sized and shaped in a manner that accommodates the product 116. In some arrangements, the receptacle 114 does not include protective shipping materials such as bubble wrap, air pillows, inflatable void fills, foam-in-place, and so on. The body 106 may further define an organizer 107 within the receptacle 114. The organizer 107 may be formed of any of a variety of structural features (e.g., walls, columns, bowls, wells, dividers, etc.) that may be used to sort, stack, collect, isolate, protect, or otherwise organize or display the product 116 within the body 106. As such, the organizer 107 may serve similar functions as some arrangements of secondary packaging without including secondary packaging. The organizer 107 may be incorporated into the container 102, and therefore may be built in, integral to, coupled to, added to, or otherwise coupled to or formed from the container 102 itself. Where the container 102 is embodied with an organizer 107, the product 116 may be added to the container 102 into corresponding portions of the receptacle 114 defined by the organizer 107. Here in FIG. 1B, the organizer 107 is shown as a central wall that divides the receptacle 114 into two sub-receptacles, each sub-receptacle housing a portion of the product 116. In some such arrangements, a first type of product 116 may be housed in one sub-receptacle (e.g., a first flavor of confectionery product) and a second type of product may be housed in the other sub-receptacle (e.g., a second flavor of confectionery product).
In some arrangements, the body 106 also includes a shipping label 110, which provides shipping information (e.g., recipient name, address, package class, etc.) for a package carrier. In some arrangements, the shipping label 110 may be a sheet of adhesive containing shipping information. In other arrangements, the shipping label 110 may be written, printed, or otherwise disposed on an exterior surface of the container 102. The shipping label 110 may be disposed underneath the container 102 on a bottom surface such that the shipping label 110 is usually hidden when the container 102 is being used to display or dispense the product 116.
The lid 104 is configured to enclose the product 116 within the receptacle 114 of the body 106 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1A). In the arrangement shown, the lid 104 includes an exterior ornamentation 106, a closure 108, and an interior ornamentation 112. In other arrangements, ornamentation may be present on interior and exterior surfaces of the body 106. The exterior ornamentation 106 is shown in FIG. 1A and may be disposed on an exterior surface of the lid 104 and may include any of a variety of decorative visual designs such as branding, images, colors, and so on. In turn, the interior ornamentation 112 is shown in FIG. 1B and may be disposed on an interior surface of the lid 104 and may or may not be similar to the exterior ornamentation 106. In various arrangements, ornamentation may be present anywhere on interior or exterior surfaces of the container 102 and may be limited to specific locations of the container 102 or may be disposed about entire interior or exterior surfaces of the container 102. In arrangements where ornamentation is to be disposed on an exterior surface of the container 102 during shipment, an overwrap (e.g., shrink wrap, cellophane, etc.) may be applied to the exterior of the container 102 to protect the ornamentation and product 116 within.
The closure 108 may be used to couple at least a portion of the lid 104 to the body 106. The closure 108 may be in the form of a tab configured to be inserted into a corresponding slot on the body 106, a tear strip, a permanent adhesive, a reclosable adhesive, lines of weakening, complementary snap-fit features, and so on. In various arrangements, a portion of the lid 104 defined by the closure 108 or the entire lid 104 may be configured to be removable from the body 106. For example, in some arrangements the closure 108 includes a line of weakening about the perimeter of the lid 104 that facilitates complete separation of the lid 104 from the body 106. In other arrangements, the closure 108 includes lines of weakening that defines a portion of the lid 104 that is smaller than the entire area of the lid 104 and corresponds to an aperture to the receptacle 114 when the lines of weakening are ruptured and the corresponding portion of the lid 104 is removed.
In yet other arrangements, the closure 108 may include components for both separation (e.g., rupturable lines of weakening) and reclosure (e.g., tabs and slots, snap-fit components, etc.). For example, in one arrangement, a rectangular lid 104 coupled to a corresponding body at a top edge, a bottom edge, and two lateral edges includes rupturable lines of weakening along the entire length of each lateral edge (e.g., perforations), a line of weakening in the form of a fold along the entire length of the top edge, and a rupturable line of weakening along the entire length of the bottom edge that further defines a reclose tab. In such an arrangement, the lines of weakening along the lateral edges and bottom edge may be ruptured to separate such edges from the body 106 and the lid 104 may rotate about the fold at the top edge in a hinged manner, and the reclose tab defined at the bottom edge may be used to releasably couple the bottom edge of the lid 104 to the body 106. In an alternative embodiment of such an arrangement, the top edge may be coupled to the body 106 by a rupturable line of weakening. In this arrangement, the lid 104 may optionally be opened and reclosed as described above or removed entirely by rupturing the perforation at the top edge.
In operation in accordance to one embodiment, a seller of consumer-packaged goods may take a fully assembled container 102 configured with an organizer 107 for displaying and serving a confectionery good product 116 disposed within, couple a shipping label 110 to an exterior surface of the container 102, and provide the container 102 to a package carrier. A buyer of the container 102 may receive the container 102 from the package carrier, use a closure 108 to remove a lid 104 from the container 102 and access the product 116 from a receptacle 114 portion of the container 102.
The shipping container 102 may have a shipping configuration (as shown in FIG. 1A) and a display configuration. In one example, the display configuration is the open configuration. In some embodiments, the lid of the container may be removed from the container when the shipping container is in the display configuration. In contrast to shipping containers already known in the art, the container 102 itself may be configured for display and/or dispensing of the product 116, and so the buyer may simply repurpose the container 102 to display or dispense the product 116 to themselves or others without needing outer shipping containers, or separate serving trays, dishes, or bowls. In this way, the user has a convenient method of serving a product. In addition, repurposing the container as a serving bowl is a sustainable way to serve a product instead of using a second container that could get dirty and require washing or using a disposable container that is disposed after use.
The shipping container may include one or more codes (not shown) pursuant to an overall design. In this arrangement, the code may be disposed on any surface of the shipping container. In some arrangements, one or more codes are not visually accessible when the shipping container is in the shipping configuration. In such arrangements, the container must be opened or the code is otherwise initially obscured (e.g., by a sticker, scratch off layer, or so on). A code may be disposed on one or more interior surfaces.
A code may be a marker that corresponds to another piece of information or a location of information and may be presented in the form of a quick-read (QR) code, a bar code, an alphanumeric code, wireless tags (e.g., NFC, RFID, etc.) and so on. The code may be read by a computing device (e.g., a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, a laptop with a scanning apparatus, and so on) or otherwise entered into a computing system to access corresponding information such as websites, videos, images, marketing information, product information, computing device applications (e.g., loyalty program apps, games, tools, augmented reality programs, etc.), and so on that may correspond to the product 116, its manufacturer, one or more graphics on the package, and so on. For example, a consumer may obtain an embodiment of the container with the code embodied as a QR code configured to retrieve a website with a game relating to the product 116. A consumer may use a smartphone with a QR code reader to scan the code, which causes the smartphone to open a web browser displaying the website, allowing the consumer to play a game. In another example, the consumer may use a smartphone with a QR code reader to scan the code, which causes the smartphone to display a personalized message.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , a cross section of a cardboard portion 200 is shown according to an example arrangement. The cardboard portion 200 is an example of a material that may be suitable for forming a container (e.g., the container 102) that can withstand the stresses of being shipped while attractively housing and presenting product (e.g., the product 116). The cardboard portion 200 includes corrugation 202 sandwiched between a first sheet 204 and a second sheet 26. The corrugation 202 may be an undulating sheet of paperboard material that may be coupled to an inner surface of the first sheet 204 at each undulation peak and coupled to an inner surface of the second sheet 26 at each undulation trough. As a result, the corrugation 202 provides structural strength and rigidity to the cardboard portion 200, however at the cost of using more packaging material than other arrangements without corrugation.
In addition, the cardboard portion 200 further includes first ornamentation layer 208 disposed on an outer surface of the first sheet 204 and a second ornamentation layer 210 disposed on an outer surface of the second sheet 206. Each of the first ornamentation layer 208 and the second ornamentation layer 210 may include visually appealing ornamentation (e.g., colors, branding, images, and so on, as discussed above). In some arrangements, either or both of the first ornamentation layer 208 and the second ornamentation layer 210 may be separate sheets containing ornamentation that are coupled to the first sheet 204 and second sheet 206, or may be ornamentation that is otherwise applied to respective surfaces of the first sheet 204 and the second sheet 206 (e.g., by way of printing, dying, embossing, debossing, etc. respective sheets). Ornamentation layers may be present on one, both, or no sheets of the cardboard portion 200. In various arrangements, ornamentation layers 208, 210 may be disposed across entire or almost entire surfaces of one or more sheets 204, 206. In other arrangements, ornamentation layers 208, 210 may only be disposed at limited portions of the surfaces of one or more sheets 204, 206. As a result, various arrangements of ornamentation layers 208, 210 can give rise to container materials that are both robust and highly attractive, however again at the cost of using additional materials compared to traditional shipping containers without ornamentation.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a bowl container 302 is shown in a closed configuration 300 in FIG. 3A and an open configuration 350 in FIG. 3B, according to an example arrangement. The bowl container 302 includes a lid 304 and a body 306 housing a product 310 in a receptacle portion 308 which may be similar in composition and function to the lid 104, body 106, receptacle 114, and product 116 of FIGS. 1A and 1B. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, however, a distinguishing characteristic of the bowl container 302 relative to the container 102 is that the horizontal cross-sectional area of the bowl container 302 decreases overall (i.e., may or may not be in a consistent, linear, or constant fashion) from a top opening of the container (i.e., here, the top opening of the receptacle portion 308, where the lid 304 is disposed in FIG. 3A) to the bottom of the container (i.e., here, the panel opposite of the lid 304). As a result, the body 306 has an overall attractive bowl shape suitable for displaying and dispensing the product 310 when the lid 304 is removed. In arrangements where the product 310 is embodied as loose items, the bowl shape of the body 306 provides the advantage of biasing the product 310 towards a middle portion of the body 306 as individual pieces of the product 310 are removed from the bowl container 302. Although the arrangement shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B show the bowl container 302 as having a body 306 defined by trapezoidal side panels and a flat bottom panel, other arrangements are contemplated as well, including other bowl shapes for example round or ovular bowls, rounded bowls (i.e., with no defined side or bottom panels), bowls with other polygonal shapes, bowls with rounded edges, bowls with patterned, irregular, or undulating edges, and so on.
The shipping container 302 may have a shipping configuration (as shown in FIG. 3A) and a display configuration. In one example, the display configuration is the open configuration. In contrast to shipping containers already known in the art, the container 302 itself may be configured for display and/or dispensing of the product 310, and so the buyer may simply repurpose the container 302 to display or dispense the product 310 to themselves or others without needing outer shipping containers, or separate serving trays, dishes, or bowls. In this way, the user has a convenient method of serving a product. In addition, repurposing the container as a serving bowl is a sustainable way to serve a product instead of using a second container that could get dirty and require washing or using a disposable container that is disposed after use.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show a reversible container 402 in closed configurations 400, 440, and open configurations 420, 460, according to an example arrangement. The reversible container 402 can be presented in a shipping configuration (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4A) and reconfigured to be presented in a display configuration (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4B) where different ornamentation, information, materials, and so on can be visible on the reversible container 402 exterior. The reversible container 402 may for example be formed of die cut paperboard with display ornamentation on a first side and shipping ornamentation on a second side (e.g., with cardboard portion 200 with corresponding ornamentation layers), and with releasable couplers configured for assembly and disassembly (e.g., assembly via removable tabs and corresponding slots, removable pressure adhesive, etc.). In some arrangements, the reversible container 402 includes both permanent (e.g., permanent adhesives, tear strips, lines of weakening, etc.) and removable (e.g., tabs and slots, releasable adhesives, etc.) couplers. As such, the reversible container 402 can first be in a shipping configuration to show information relevant for shipping (e.g., a shipping label) on the exterior while protecting interior display ornamentation and can later be reconfigured into a display configuration to show attractive display ornamentation on the exterior after the reversible container 402 has been safely delivered.
FIG. 4A shows an example arrangement of the reversible container 402 in a shipping configuration. The reversible container 402 includes a lid 404 coupled to a body 406. The lid 404 includes a reclose 403 configured to releasably engage a corresponding portion of the body 406, an exterior-facing shipping surface 405 and an interior-facing display surface 407. In some arrangements, the reclose 403 may include a permanent coupler that may serve as a tamper-evident closure (e.g., a tear strip). The display surface 407 includes decorative lid ornamentation 410. The body 406 is configured to house a product 411 within and may include a shipping label 408 on an exterior-facing shipping surface 409. In the closed configuration 400, the shipping configuration of the reversible container 402 shows the shipping label 408 on the shipping surface 409 of the body 406 for visual access to carriers and recipients of the reversible container 402. In addition, the lid ornamentation 410 is obscured while the reversible container 402 is in the closed configuration 400, and as such the lid ornamentation 410 is protected during transportation.
In FIG. 4B, the reversible container 402 is shown in the display configuration such that the lid ornamentation 410 is visible on the exterior of the reversible container 402 even while in the closed configuration 440.
In operation, for example, a consumer can receive an embodiment of the reversible container (e.g., the reversible container 402) in a shipping configuration (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4A) from a package carrier. The shipping configuration has a shipping label (e.g., the shipping label 408) visible on an exterior surface, however in this arrangement there is little or no other exterior surface ornamentation. The consumer may tear off a tamper-evident tear strip (i.e., a permanent coupler on a reclose 403), remove product within, disassemble the reversible container, reassemble the reversible container into a display configuration (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4B), and dispose the product back into the reversible container. In the display configuration, surface ornamentation is now visible on exterior surfaces of the reversible container.
FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram showing a method 500 of producing containers in accordance with example embodiments. The containers produced through this method may be used for packaging, shipping, and displaying product housed within in an attractive and decorative manner without the need for separate secondary display packaging.
At 502, a container design defining the appearance and structure of corresponding containers is created. The container design may include any of a variety of ornamentation and visually accessible information (e.g., images, pictures, text, codes, branding, product information, shipping information, and so on). In addition, the container design may define the overall shape of corresponding containers, such as cubes, spheres, hemispheres, various geometric shapes, irregular shapes, and so on. In some arrangements, the container design contemplates a bowl shape to attractively display and dispense product housed within. Further, in some arrangements, the container design contemplates a reversible container (e.g., the reversible container 402) having ornamentation that may be present on a first surface of a container panel that is not present on an opposite second surface of the container panel, and may further include releasable couplers that facilitate disassembly and reassembly of the container (e.g., as discussed with respect to FIGS. 4A and 4B). The container design may also contemplate recloses (e.g., releasable tabs, pressure adhesives, etc.) for lid portions, and may further include tamper-evident components. In some arrangements, the container design defines an organizer (e.g., the organizer 107) within corresponding containers.
At 504, containers (e.g., container 102, 302, 402) corresponding to the container design are produced. The containers may be produced by any means known in the art, for example by cutting, folding, and gluing paperboard. Ornamentation corresponding to the container design may be disposed on one or more surfaces of each container by way of lamination, printing, embossing, debossing, texturing, dying, use of transparent materials or cutout portions, or use of three-dimensional features that may be molded, cast, or 3D printed, and so on.
At 506, the containers are filled with product. The product (e.g., product 116, 310, 411) may be in the form of foodstuffs, clothing, or other consumer packaged goods, and may be placed directly into the body of each container without the need for additional decorative secondary packaging. In some arrangements, the product may be disposed within wraps, seals, or other packaging material that may protect each product or organize loose product (e.g., a pouch of loose foodstuffs). In addition, in some arrangements, the product is itself housed within its own packaging, for example packs of gum, tins of mints, pouches of pet treats, and so on that may be disposed within the body of each container.
In some arrangements, overwrap is applied to each container. In some such arrangements, the overwrap (e.g., shrink wrap, cellophane, etc.) may be formed of sustainable materials (e.g., biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, etc.) and may be transparent about the entire product package and offers additional protection to the packaging and product. In arrangements where ornamentation is present on one or more exterior surfaces of containers to be shipped (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1A), the overwrap may be applied to protect the ornamentation during shipment. In some arrangements, the overwrap itself may include ornamentation that is provided in addition to or to complement the exterior ornamentation on the container 102. If overwrap is used, the total amount of packaging materials used for the container would still be far less than traditional shipping containers with separate secondary packaging contained within.
In some arrangements, shipping labels are applied at 508. Each shipping label (e.g., shipping label 110) may be applied to an exterior surface of each container or after overwrap is applied, and may provide shipping information (e.g., recipient name, address, package class, etc.) for package carriers. The shipping label may be a sheet of adhesive, or otherwise may be written, printed, or disposed directly on an exterior surface of each container.
It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure. It is recognized that features of the disclosed embodiments can be incorporated into other disclosed embodiments.
It is important to note that the constructions and arrangements of apparatuses or the components thereof as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other mechanisms and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, unless otherwise noted, any parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
Also, the technology described herein may be embodied as a method, of which at least one example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way unless otherwise specifically noted. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
The claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to that effect. It should be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. All embodiments that come within the spirit and scope of the following claims and equivalents thereto are claimed.

Claims

1. A shipping container comprising:

a body defining a receptacle, the body formed of a shipping container material;

a lid enclosing the receptacle, the lid formed of the shipping container material;

at least one surface ornamentation disposed on at least one of the body and the lid;

a product disposed within the receptacle,

wherein the product does not include secondary packaging and the receptacle does not include protective shipping materials.

2. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface ornamentation is disposed on an interior surface of the shipping container.

3. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface ornamentation is a QR code.

4. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the shipping container is configured to have a shipping configuration and a display configuration.

5. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface ornamentation is disposed on an exterior surface and an interior surface of the shipping container.

6. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the product includes loose items disposed within the receptacle.

7. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the product includes a plurality of individually packaged goods.

8. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the body includes an organizer.

9. The shipping container of claim 8, wherein the organizer separates the receptacle into a plurality of sub-receptacles, each of the plurality of sub-receptacles housing a different product.

10. The shipping container of claim 1, further comprising a reclose disposed on one of the lid and the body that releasably engages the other of the lid and the body.

11. The shipping container of claim 10, further comprising a permanent coupler as a tamper-evident device.

12. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the body defines a bowl shape having a decreasing horizontal cross-sectional area from a top opening of the body to an opposing bottom of the body.

13. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the shipping container is formed of releasable couplers configured for disassembly and reassembly of the shipping container.

14. The shipping container of claim 13, wherein the shipping container defines a shipping configuration and a display configuration wherein at least one surface ornamentation is externally visible in the display configuration.

15. A method of reducing packaging waste arising from shipping packaged products, the method comprising:

producing a plurality of shipping containers formed of a shipping container material and each of the plurality of shipping containers comprising a body defining a receptacle, a lid enclosing the receptacle, at least one surface ornamentation disposed on at least one of the body and the lid; and

filling the plurality of shipping containers with product,

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the body defines a bowl shape having a decreasing horizontal cross-sectional area from a top opening of the body to an opposing bottom of the body.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the shipping containers are formed of releasable couplers configured for disassembly and reassembly of the shipping container.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the shipping containers define a shipping configuration and a display configuration wherein at least one surface ornamentation is externally visible in the display configuration.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the body includes an organizer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the organizer separates the receptacle into a plurality of sub-receptacles, each of the plurality of sub-receptacles housing a different product.