US3434645A

US3434645A - Instant gift package

Info

Publication number: US3434645A
Application number: US656590A
Authority: US
Inventors: Biagio Prisco
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-07-27
Filing date: 1967-07-27
Publication date: 1969-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-25

Description

March 25, 1969 B. FRISCO 3,434,645

INSTANT GIFT PACKAGE Filed July 27, 1967 INVENTOR. ems/o PE/ 5 c o BY Mada/W United States Patent 3,434,645 INSTANT GIFT PACKAGE Biagio Prisco, 811 NE. 70th St., Miami, Fla. 33138 Filed July 27, 1967, Ser. No. 656,590 Int. Cl. B65d /32, 65/12 US. Cl. 2298 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A predecorated package including a box top and bottom each of which are separately covered with a decorative overlay to permit separation thereof without disturbance of the overlay, said overlay including specially folded and overlying portions to give the appearance of a unitarily wrapped package, and a box specially folded to give the appearance of a unitarily wrapped package are disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Description of the prior art Efforts have been made previously to provide a package which simulated the appearance of a neatly wrapped gift package without the necessity of wrapping after the box is closed with the contents therein. Such efforts have been directed to the inclusion of ribbons on the top portion of the box or to ribbons on both the top and the bottom. However, in all cases heretofore the box retains its original appearance rather than the appearance of a wrapped container for the reason that no folds appear to give the appearance of a wrapped gift package. Efforts have been made to provide a decorative coating directly upon the surface of a box or other container but in this case, as in the previously described case, the sought after effect has not been achieved because of the absence of folds and overlays which inherently and characteristically result from the proper gift wrapping of a box or other package. It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an instant gift package comprising a box having top and bottom portions each of which are wrapped with decorative paper or other sheet material to form actual folds and overlays to substantially duplicate the appearance of a gift wrapped package, said wrapping being secured individually to the top and the bottom portions such that the tops and the bottoms may be separated without disturbing the gift wrapped appearance.

SUMMARY Briefly and without intending to limit the scope of the invention, the instant gift package of this invention comprises, in one embodiment, separate top and bottoms for a box of any convenient size and shape, each of the top and bottom being wrapped with a decorative paper or other sheet material to expose on the sides thereof an unfolded wrapped appearance and to expose on the ends thereof folded and overlaid portions of the wrapping material to give the appearance of a unitarily wrapped package, said top and bottom being individually wrapped to permit separation without disturbance of the wrapping.

3 ,434,645 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 In another embodiment, a decoratively coated box is formed by folding and overlaying the ends of the top of the box to give a distinct and pleasing folded appearance without the necessity of providing a separate overlay wrapping. It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a separable gift box having the appearance of a single unitarily Wrapped package.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a gift box wherein the box material is folded and overlaid to give the appearance of a gift wrapped package.

Yet an additional object of the invention is the provision of a box having a specially formed overlay wrapping to give the distinctive appearance of a single unitarily wrapped package wherein the folds and overlays are disposed at the ends of the box and the sides thereof exhibit only a smooth wrapped appearance.

A further object is to provide a fold system and means for decorating boxes and packages.

The specific combinations, elements, and relative construction as disclosed hereinafter constitute further and important objects of the invention.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the specification which follows and from the drawings to which reference is now made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the invention showing a top and a bottom for a box with the overlay wrapped thereon.

FIGURE 2 is a partial view of an end of the top of the box showing the fold and overlay arrangement of the sheet wrapping material thereon.

FIGURE 3 is a partial view of a corner of the bottom of the box showing the fold and overlay arrangement for covering the bottom portion of the box.

FIGURE 4 is an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the decorative features are coated directly on the box top and the box top is folded to give a gift wrapped appearance.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the blank for forming the box of FIGURE 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following description is given with reference to a square or rectangular box, the square being a special case of the rectangle, but it will be understood that boxes of any size or shape may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a hexagonal or octagonal box may be used according to the teachings andscope of this invention to provide a pleasing appearance of a unitarily wrapped gift package. It is, accordingly, expected that the description which follows will be viewed as exemplary and not limiting.

In a preferred embodiment, the package comprises a top 10 and a bottom 12 of a box, both of which may be of conventional construction. The top 10 includes a top side portion 14 with depending

sides

16 and 18 and depending ends 20 and 22 extending downwardly therefrom. The corners of the

sides

16, 18, 2t) and 22 may be glued or otherwise secured together in any conventional manner. A wrapping is provided, as best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, reference now being made to FIGURE 2 in particular, one edge 24 of which issecured interiorly along the side 16 and another edge of which is secured interiorly along the side 18, as shown respectively in FIGURES 2 and l. The wrapping may be of any desired material. In common practice, printed or otherwise decorated paper will be most often used; however, any flexible sheet material such as decorated plastic may be used if desired without departing from the scope of the invention. The only requirement is that the sheet material be quite 3 flexible, capable of being folded easily, and have a decorative appearance.

Folds and overlying portions are formed at the

ends

20 and 22 of the box top. FIGURE 2 shows the arrangement for folding and overlaying the wrapping material on the end 22; however, it will be understood that the same arrangement is utilized on the end 20 of the box.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, a careful study of the figure will indicate that the wrapping is generally rectangular in shape having edges which are secured at 24 and 26 as described and having one or more flaps, shown at 28 and 30, extending from the sides proximate each end thereof. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2,

flaps

28 and 30 are adapted to extend across the end of the box to cover or to substantially cover the end to give the desired decorative appearance. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the

flaps

28 and 30 partially overlie each other when they are in position on the end 22 of the box. Fold lines 32 and 34- permit the fiap 28 to lie with the decorated side exposed outwardly and, similarly,

Holds

36 and 38 permit the outer decorated side of flap 30 to be exposed, in overlying relationship with respect to flap 28. If desired, a portion of the

flaps

28 and 30, shown at 40 and 42, extend out and are folded along the line corresponding to the edge of the box top.

A fold line 44 is substantially cOlinear with the edge of the box top and is intersected by a diagonal fold line 46 and, in similar manner, a fold line 48 and a diagonal fold line 50 are provided on the ends of the covering sheet material. An additional fold line 52 defines a flap 54 which is secured to an end portion 56 to permit adhesion of the fla-p inside the box top. The outer decorated surface of the end portion 56, and

portions

58 and 60, as well as the

flaps

28 and 30, are exposed when the fold is completed and the flap 54 is glued or otherwise secured inside the depending Wall 22. This configuration is best shown with respect to the end wall 20 in FIGURE 1 wherein the various portions are denominated by corresponding primed numbers. Thus, in looking at the end 20 of the box top, the central area is covered by an end portion 56 which is held in place by a strip 54'. Flaps 28' and 30' are exposed underneath

portions

58 and 60. It will be apparent that the same appearance is given as if the entire box has been wrapped according to conventional practice.

The box bottom 12 is constructed in a similar manner and has a bottom wall 70 and upwardly extending

side walls

72 and 74 and upwardly extending

end walls

76 and 78, the side walls being glued or otherwise secured together according to conventional practice. A covering is provided on the bottom portion in a manner similar to that previously described with respect to the box top except that no extending flaps are required in this embodiment. A rectangular sheet of decorative material is glued, as by a line 80, along the ends for example in 78, of the box and extends beyond the side 74 thereof. The extended portion is provided with a crease shown at 82 and a diagonal crease shown at 84 to permit the extension to lie against the side wall 74. A creased line 86 is provided which runs diagonally from the bottom corner of the box bottom. An additional crease line 88 runs parallel to the box bottom and defines a flap 90 which is used for securing the extension inside the Wall 74. The flap 90 is secured by the (fold line 88 to the extension portion 92 which, as best shown in FIGURE 1, lies against the side 74 with the exterior decorated side exposed. Thus, as best shown in FIGURE 1, the decorative sheet covering material is exposed on the ends and on the side, the side being substantially covered by the portion 92 with only a small portion 94 being exposed as the result of the configuration of the

creases

82, 84 and 86. An overlapping double crease is provided along line 96 in the center of the bottom of the box for taking up any slack and to give the appearance of the joined edges of the wrapping material. Thus, when viewed from the top, the completed box gives the appearance of a single layer of wrapping, as would a unitarily wrapped box. When viewed from either side, a similar appearance is given, as is the case with a unitarily wrapped box. When viewed from the bottom, the double crease with an overlying tongue gives the appearance that results when the edges of the wrapping material are folded together. When viewed from either end, the box gives the appearance of folds in the wrapping as would appear in a unitarily wrapped package. The package appears, then, in all respects to be the same as a unitarily wrapped package; however, since the edges of the wrapping material on the top or the bottom are secured on the interior sides of the side walls, the top and the bottom may be separated from each other without disturbing the wrapping.

While, heretofore, a decorative box has been utilized in department stores and the like, it has always been necessary to provide an additional gift wrap counter to give the genuine appearance of a Wrapped article. This is no longer necessary by utilization of the principles and the constructions disclosed herein. An instant gift package is always available to the clerk. All that is necessary is to place the article in the package and combine the top and the bottom according to conventional practice and the gift package has the appearance from all angles of a unitarily wrapped gift package, thus decreasing the time involved for the clerk and obviating the necessity of providing a separate gift wrap counter with string, paper, tape, etc. While not shown, because it is of universal practice, it is possible and convenient to provide ribbons over the prewrapped top and bottom to complete the decor. This latter practice is known in the prior art and disclosed, for example, in United States Patent No. 1,777,716, issued to Case.

While the preceding embodiment is most advantageous, an alternative embodiment is disclosed and is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. In this embodiment, the top 100 and the bottom 102 fit together as in conventional practice. The bottom is conventional in that it includes a bottom wall and upwardly extending side walls and ends 106, 108, and 112. The cardboard is coated with an adherent or bonded decorative material. It may be a decorative coating applied in fluid condition directly on the cardboard or it may be an overlay bonded with the cardboard. The top 100 includes a top wall portion 114, side wall and end

wall portions

116, 118, and 122.

In this embodiment, the decorative coating is applied to the cardboard of which the box is formed and the folds are made in the cardboard. A blank for forming the top is shown in FIGURE 5. The top wall and the

side wall portions

114, 116, and 118 are formed as in conventional practice. The end wall 122, however, is formed in a specially designed folded configuration to give the same appearance as would appear in a wrapped package. It will first be noted that

tabs

124 and 126 extend oppositely from the sides adjacent to the end of the blank. Similar tabs extend at the other end of the blank but are not shown for purposes of clarity. It will be understood that the other end of the blank is similar in all respects to that described with respect to FIGURE 5. A crease corresponding to the tab, shown at 128, is provided to define the end of the box top. A pair of relatively diverging diagonal crease scores extend from the intersection of tab 124 with the side 116, indicated at 130 and 132. Similar diverging diagonal crease scores extend from the intersection of side 116 with the top wall 114, as shown at 134 and 136. Similiarly, diverging crease scores 138 and 140 extend from the intersection of top wall 114 and side wall 118, while diverging crease scores 142 and 144 extend from the intersection of the tab 126 with the side wall 118.

The crease scores 130 and 132 and, respectively, 142 and 144 permit the

respective tabs

124 and 126 to be folded so as to extend inwardly toward each other across the end of the box top. The crease scores 134 and 136 and, respectively, 138 and 140 permit the end portion to overlie the tab portions to define an overlapping folded area, as best shown in FIGURE 4. As illustrated in FIG- URE 4, the end of the box top shows a portion 146 defined between creases 136 and 138 with portions of the triangular segments defined between creases 130 and 132, indicated at 148, and between creases 142 and 144, indicated at 150. Portions of

tabs

124 and 126 are also exposed. Thus, there are three overlapping layers of material which define a folded overlying area which gives an exact duplicate of the appearance had the package been wrapped in the conventional manner. The second embodiment is highly advantageous where thin cardboard, or its equivalent plastic or any foldable material, is utilized. Where the cardboard or other material is heavy or where great strength is required, the embodiment of FIG'UR'ES 1 through 3 is preferred.

It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are exemplary of the invention and that the invention has been abstracted and summarized. Certain variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in View of the foregoing disclosure. One of the more apparent expedients would be the substitution of boxes of one size or shape or boxes of another size or shape utilizing the principles and practices disclosed herein to give the desired distinctive appearance.

I claim:

1. A prewrapped decorative package comprising:

a box top having a top wall and a plurality of depending sides and end walls;

a box bottom having a plurality of upwardly extending side and end walls; said box top and bottom being substantially rectangular in configuration and of complementary size and shape to provide that said up wardly extending side and end walls of said box bottom will be snugly received within the corresponding depending side and end walls of said box top;

a covering of decorative material on said box top, said covering being formed of a generally rectangular sheet of flexible foldable material and having a portion extending across said top wall of said box tOp and having folds and creases overlying at least two of said depending side walls to give the box top a wrapped appearance, said covering being secured inside said depending Walls to permit the box top to be separated from the box bottom without discurbing the covering;

at least one flap secured adjacent one end of said sheet extending from a side;

at least one second flap secured adjacent the other end of said sheet extending from a side, said flaps being formed of decorative material adapted to extend across at least a portion of the end of said box top;

means securing the edges of the sheet sides to the interior of the depending sides of the box top;

means securing an edge of said flaps, respectively, along the interior of the depending ends of the box top;

a plurality of folds in the ends of the sheet and the flaps arranged and disposed to enclose the respective depending ends of the box top in a fiat overlying folded configuration;

means securing the end edges of the sheet, respectively,

interiorly of the box top;

said package further comprising a pair of flaps at each end of the sheet cooperating to substantially cover the depending ends of the box top, said flaps normally underlying the folded ends of the sheet;

said tsiheet of flexible foldable material having sides and en s;

oppositely extending tabs secured to the sides adjacent each end of the sheet;

folds substantially parallel to the sides of the material defining depending side walls;

depending end walls formed of said tabs which extend inwardly toward each other at the respective ends and folded overlying end portions of the sheet secured to said tabs;

a second covering of said decorative material wrapped on the box bottom for giving the box bottom a wrapped appearance which corresponds to the wrapped appearance of the box top; and

said second covering having a double crease formed therein defining a longitudinal tongue which overlies a portion of the second covering to give the appearance of interfolded edges of wrapping material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DAVIS T. MOORI-LEAD, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.