WO1999007609A1

WO1999007609A1 - Product package having turntable display

Info

Publication number: WO1999007609A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/008955
Authority: WO
Inventors: William R. O'keefe
Original assignee: Mattel, Inc.
Priority date: 1997-08-12
Filing date: 1998-05-04
Publication date: 1999-02-18
Also published as: AU7279098A

Abstract

A six-sided carton (11) is formed largely of rigid cardboard or paperboard and defines top (12), bottom (18), front (13) back (17) and side (15, 16) surfaces. The top and front surfaces define openings (20, 21) which are covered by a transparent plastic sheet to form a transparent window (22) in the carton. Within the carton, a molded plastic platform (30) supports a pair of vehicles (50, 51) on either side of a center turntable (40). The turntable is rotatably supported and a third toy vehicle (52) is secured thereto. The front surface of the transparent window defines an elongated aperture (24) through which the outer edge of the rotatable turntable extends. The consumer is able to rotate the turntable by moving the outer edge thereof.

Description

PRODUCT PACKAGE HAVING TURNTABLE DISPLAY

SPECIFICATION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to packaging of small articles and particularly to those packages intended for product display to the consumer which house small articles such as toys.

Background of the Invention

Generally speaking, the basic objectives of product packaging for small items such as toys or the like include adequate means for product protection or integrity, attractive display of the product, eye- catching emphasis of product features and reasonable costs. Toward this end, practitioners in the packaging arts have employed various brightly colored and attractive printing images on packaging with the intention of catching the potential consumer's eye. In addition and in a similar respect, practitioners of the packaging art have employed innovative shapes for packaging which differs substantially from conventional rectangular packaging. One of the more successful innovations in product packaging has been the use of one or more transparent "windows" on the package to allow viewing of the package interior and direct viewing of the product. The latest development in such product packaging has included the now pervasive blister pack in which a substantially rigid planar backing usually bearing brightly colored images thereon supports a five-sided clear plastic blister within which the product is supported.

One of the most recent innovations in product packaging with respect to increasing product attractiveness and eye appeal within the display has been the so-called "try me" feature. This feature often used in connection with battery-powered toys such as sound producing toys or those having movable components involves providing a package within which the product is supported wherein the package includes one or more transparent viewing windows together with a conveniently located aperture in the packaging. The function of the aperture is to provide access to the potential consumer to activate the toy within the package without the need to remove it hence the name try me.

US Patent 4,905,828 issued to Dods sets forth a PACKAGE FOR TRADING CARD AND MODEL VEHICLE in which a combination of a trading card including a picture of a vehicle and a model of the same vehicle are packaged within a blister pack. The backing of the blister pack further supports images and information relating to the vehicle represented in the playing card and the model .

US Patent 4,185,739 issued to Wilford sets forth RETENTION OF ARTICLES ON A SHEET in which the assembly of an article, for example, a toy vehicle, to be retained on a sheet in which the article is located on one side of the sheet provides a retainer which comprises a body portion on the opposite side of the sheet from the article. The body portion includes projections which extend from the body portion and engage recesses in the article as for example in the wheels of a toy vehicle.

US Patent 4,595,097 issued to Herstein sets forth TOY PACKAGING for providing secure open front display of the packaged vehicle. The package is constructed of carton-forming sheet material having top, bottom and sidewalls and a rear wall defining a toy vehicle receiving enclosure with an open front through which the toy vehicle is insertable and displayable. The bottom wall is provided with a bottom flap configured for being folded inwardly of the enclosure to define an enclosure floor. The flap provides a vehicle engaging configuration.

US Patent 5,411,138 issued to Klawiter sets forth PACKAGING FOR A TOY having a body defining a bottom wall which in turn defines a slot. The packaging includes top, bottom, front, back and sidewalls defining a box sized to receive the toy and a key. The bottom surface of the box has an opening aligned with the toys slot such that the key may be passed through the bottom opening of the box into the toy slot.

While the above-described prior art devices and those set forth in the above-described patents have in some instances provided improvement in the art and in certain cases enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved interesting and attractive product packaging for small items such as toys or the like. Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved product package for small items such as toys or the like. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved product packaging which attractively and interestingly displays the packaged items. It is a still more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved product package which in addition to attractively displaying the article therein, provides an interactive product manipulation for the consumer without the need of compromising packaging integrity or product security.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a package for supporting and displaying a small article comprising: a carton defining an enclosure and a viewing opening; a platform supported within the enclosure; a light transmissive window formed of a thin clear material secured to the carton and covering the opening and defining an aperture; a turntable rotatably supported upon the platform having an outer edge positioned to extend a portion of the outer edge through the aperture; and a small article secured to the turntable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements and in which:

Figure 1 sets forth a perspective view of a product package constructed in accordance with the present invention illustrating a typical use by the consumer; and

Figure 2 sets forth a section view of the product package of Figure 1 taken along section lines 2-2 therein.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Figure 1 sets forth a perspective frontal view of a package constructed in accordance with the present invention and generally referenced by numeral 10. Package 10 is fabricated for the packaging and display of a plurality of toy vehicles. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the use of toy vehicles within the present invention packaging is merely illustrative of the package use and that virtually any small item may be packaged using the present invention. Package 10 includes a carton 11 preferably fabricated of a stiff paperboard or cardboard material. Carton 11 is a six-sided carton defining a top 12, a front 13, opposed sides 15 and 16, a back 17 and a bottom 18. The basic shape of carton 11 is that of a rectangular prism. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other carton shapes may be provided utilizing the present invention packaging system. Front 13 and top 12 of carton 11 join to form a right angle corner 14. Top 12 defines an opening 20 while front 13 defines a similar opening 21. Openings 20 and 21 combine to provide a two-sided window through which the interior of carton 11 is visible. In the preferred fabrication of the present invention, a transparent window 22 preferably formed of a clear sheet material or the like is formed to define a corner 23 generally aligned with corner 14 of carton 11. By means set forth below in greater detail, transparent window 22 extends beyond openings 20 and 21 and is secured to the interior of carton 11 as set forth below in Figure 2. Suffice it to note here that the overlapping portions of transparent window 22 are secured to the interior of top 12 and front 13 using conventional means such as adhesive or the like.

In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, transparent window 22 defines an elongated aperture 24. In further accordance with the present invention, a raised platform 30 is supported within the interior of carton 11 and defines an angled floor surface 36 together with a pair of vehicle stands 31 and 32 on each end of the platform. In further accordance with the present invention, platform 30 supports a rotatable turntable 40 upon which a toy vehicle 52 is secured by means set forth below.

In further accordance with the present invention, turntable 40 is positioned with respect to transparent window 22 such that the outer edge 41 of turntable 40 extends through aperture 24. To further enhance the attractiveness of package 10, a pair of angled sidewalls 34 and 35 are positioned behind vehicle stands 31 and 32 and a back wall 33 extends behind vehicle stands 31 and 32 and turntable 40. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, sidewalls 34 and 35 and back wall 33 are aesthetically pleasing and may, for example, support mirror-like surfaces formed of a shiny mylar coating or the like. Alternatively, sidewalls 34 and 35 and back wall 33 may support colorful images having a theme relationship to vehicles 50, 51 and 52.

The attachment of vehicle 52 upon turntable 40 is set forth below in Figure 2 in greater detail. While not shown in Figure 2, it will be understood that vehicles 50 and 51 are secured to the upper surfaces of vehicle stands 31 and 32 respectively using the same attachment apparatus as shown in Figure 2 for securing vehicle 52 to turntable 40. It will be equally apparent to those skilled in the art that other means of attachment may be provided such as the well known "twist ties" or "tie downs" presently used in conventional packaging for securing small articles such as toy vehicles or the like.

In operation, with toy vehicles 50, 51 and 52 supported within package 10, the presence of transparent window 22 facilitates easy viewing of the attractively displayed toy vehicles. The fabrication of platform 30 within carton 11 providing vehicle stands 31 and 32 further enhances the attractiveness of the display. Of particular importance to the present invention is the accessibility of turntable 40 as edge 41 extends through aperture 24. Thus, the user is able to view vehicles 50, 51 and 52 through transparent window 22 in a similar fashion to conventional packaging. However, in contrast to conventional packaging, the potential consumer is able to operate turntable 40 in the manner shown by simply touching edge 41 and rotating turntable 40 in either direction as indicated by arrows 53 and 54. The use of a turntable for such interactive capability of the present invention package is particularly well suited to toy vehicle display in that it closely resembles the turntables often seen in auto shows or other vehicle display. Because the user is directly operating turntable 40, there is no need to provide battery power within package 10. Thus, a virtually endless number of consumers may manipulate turntable 40 and view vehicle 52 in an attractive and interesting manner from all sides without compromising the protection of toy vehicle 52.

The extension of edge 41 of turntable 40 outwardly beyond transparent window 22 through aperture 24 is accommodated in the present invention package by providing a front surface 13 which as is better seen in Figure 2 is angled rearwardly from bottom to top. This rearward angle minimizes the glare upon transparent window 22 but more importantly avoids the extension of edge 41 of turntable 40 beyond the "footprint" of bottom surface 18 of carton 11. As a result, a plurality of similarly configured packages may be conveniently boxed and stacked without concern for the potential damage to edge 41 of turntable 40.

Figure 2 sets forth a section view of package 10 taken along section lines 2-2 in Figure 1. As described above, package 10 includes a carton 11 having a top 12, a back 17 and a bottom 18. As is also described above, carton 11 is preferably formed of a rigid paperboard or cardboard material. However, it will be recognized that other materials may be utilized such as plastic or the like without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As is also described above, top 12 defines an opening 20 while front 13 defines an opening 21. A transparent window 22 preferably formed of a clear plastic sheet material or the like is sized to extend beneath openings 20 and 21 and forms a corner 23. Transparent window 22 may be secured to the undersurface of top 12 and to the interior surface of front 13 using conventional adhesive attachment or the like.

Package 10 further includes an interior liner 37 having a back wall 33 and sidewalls 34 and 35 (the former seen in Figure 1) . As mentioned above, sidewalls 34 and 35 and back wall 33 of liner 37 are preferably decorated with aesthetically pleasing images or, alternatively, covered with a mirror-like coating of mylar to enhance the presentation of product within package 10.

Package 10 further includes a platform 30 preferably fabricated of a plastic material having an angled floor 36 which in turn defines an angled pedestal 42. Pedestal 42 defines an aperture 61 through which a pivot pin 60 extends. An annular flat bearing 63 formed of a nylon material or the like is received upon pivot 60 and rests upon the upper surface of pedestal 42. A circular turntable 40 defines a center aperture 62 which is received upon pivot 60. Pivot 60 is a two-headed pin enlarged at both ends to captivate turntable 40 upon bearing 63 and secure turntable 40 to pedestal 42 in a rotatable attachment. Pivot 60 may thus be fabricated using a conventional rivet in which one head is preformed and the opposite head is "rolled over" during the riveting or assembly process.

In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, transparent window 22 defines an elongated aperture 24. In further accordance with the present invention, turntable 40 defines an outer edge 41 which extends through aperture 24 beyond transparent window 22 and thus is accessible to potential consumers for the above-described rotation of turntable 40.

As mentioned above, toy vehicle 52 is secured to turntable 40 using conventional attachment apparatus. For purposes of illustration, a multiply curved metal clip 56 is secured to turntable 40 and defines an upwardly curved hook end which engages axle 55 of toy vehicle 52. In the preferred fabrication of the present invention, clip 52 extends behind rear wheel 54 and thus is substantially invisible being obscured by the rear wheel. A similar clip 57 is operative upon the front axle of toy vehicle 52 (not shown) . Clip 57 also extends behind front wheel 53 of toy wheel 52 to provide a minimum of visibility for the attachment apparatus. While a pair of clips as shown in Figure 2 is sufficient to secure toy vehicle 52, in the preferred practice of the present invention, a second pair of identical clips are secured to turntable 40 and the front and rear axles of toy vehicle 52 in the same manner as shown for clip 56 secured to rear axle 55 beneath rear wheel 54. It will also be recalled that the preferred fabrication of the present invention utilizes an identical attachment clip set to secure vehicles 50 and 51 upon vehicle stands 31 and 32 respectively (seen in Figure 1).

What has been shown is a product package having a viewable turntable display which facilitates the manipulation of the turntable by the potential purchaser without the need of battery-powered apparatus. The product package utilizes relatively low cost packaging materials and provides a novel user operable turntable which maintains the security of the article within the package and the package integrity while facilitating the viewing of the product from all sides. The cost of providing extensive plastic windows about additional facets of the package is avoided due to the ability of the turntable to allow the consumer to view all sides of the article. The package shown is illustrated in the packaging of a plurality of toy vehicles. However, the present invention package shown in readily used in packaging other small items.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A package for supporting and displaying a small article comprising:

a carton defining an enclosure and a viewing opening;

a platform supported within said enclosure;

a light transmissive window formed of a thin clear material secured to said carton and covering said opening and defining an aperture;

a turntable rotatably supported upon said platform having an outer edge positioned to extend a portion of said outer edge through said aperture; and

a small article secured to said turntable.

2. A package as set forth in claim 1 wherein said platform includes a raised pedestal for supporting said turntable.

3. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein said raised pedestal is angled and supports said turntable with its front lower than its rear.

4. A package as set forth in claim 3 wherein said small article is a toy vehicle.

5. A package as set forth in claim 4 further including a pair of raised vehicle stands formed on said platform on each side of said turntable.

6. A package as set forth in claim 6 wherein said carton defines six sides including a front and a top and wherein said opening is formed in said front and top.

7. A package as set forth in claim 6 wherein said aperture is formed in front.

8. A package comprising:

a carton having a front portion and a top portion;

a plastic covered viewing window formed in said front and top portions;

an aperture defined in said carton; and

a rotatable turntable supported within said carton for supporting a toy vehicle and having an outer edge portion extending through said aperture.