WO2014014721A1 - Slider and sleeve package - Google Patents

Description

PATENT APPLICATION

SLIDER AND SLEEVE PACKAGE

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of United States provisional application serial number 61/673,280 filed on July 19, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Disclosed is a slider and sleeve packaging system that according to one embodiment includes an inner slider for carrying a product and an outer sleeve for covering the slider and product. Both of the inner slider and the outer sleeve are formed as tubular or box-like structures made of a plurality of creased panels. The inner slider and outer sleeve may be formed around one or more content items, or may be at least partially formed before one or more content items is loaded into the packaging system. The slider has at least one opening for access to its product contents, and the sleeve has at least one open side or end through which the slider may move. The sleeve may also have an actuator cutout opposite from the open side by which a user may push or move the slider out of the sleeve. The slider and the sleeve may be joined together by a bi-stable toggle panel adapted to preferentially hold the slider either in a closed or an open position.

[0003] The outer container or sleeve is adapted to receive and contain the at least slightly smaller inner slider. The sleeve includes a plurality of creased panels that are folded to form a box structure. The creased panels may include a left panel, back panel, and right panel, with the actuator opening cut out area extending over one or more of these three panels. The top and bottom of the sleeve may be closed by top and bottom flaps. The front of the sleeve may be open to provide for outward and inward travel of the slider. [0004] The inner container or slider is adapted to receive or contain a product item or items. The slider may include left and right panels, front and back panels, and a bottom panel. The slider top may be left open for access to the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a single-piece paperboard blank that can be formed into a packaging system comprised of an inner slider and an outer sleeve.

[0006] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate perspective views of the blank of Figure 1 during initial steps of its being formed into a package around a product.

[0007] Figures 3A and 3B illustrate perspective views of the blank of Figure 1 during initial steps of its being assembled into a package.

[0008] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate perspective views of a product being inserted into the slider.

[0009] Figures 5A and 5B illustrate perspective views of additional steps in the assembly of the package of Figure 4.

[0010] Figures 6A - 6C illustrate perspective views of the package being transitioned from a closed to an intermediate to an open configuration.

[0011] Figures 7A and 7B illustrate perspective view of the package being opened according to one mode of operation.

[0012] Figures 8A and 8B illustrate perspective view of the package being opened according to another mode of operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates a single piece paperboard blank 100 that can be formed into a packaging system comprised of an inner slider and an outer sleeve according to one embodiment. [0014] The paperboard blank 100 is divided into two main sections. The first section includes the elements that comprise the inner slider, which are generally numbered in the 100's. The second section includes the elements that comprise the outer sleeve, which are generally numbered in the 200's. Once assembled the inner sliders fits within the outer sleeve, the two parts being connected through a toggle hinge panel 160.

[0015] Starting from the top of Figure 1, the elements of the blank may be described as follows. Slider right panel 110 is shown at one end of the blank 100. A hinge clearance opening 105 is provided in slider right panel 110. Slider right panel 1 10 is connected by fold line 115 to slider back panels 120, which in turn is connected by fold line 125 to slider left panel 130. This panel in turn is connected through fold line 135 to slider front panel 140, which is connected through fold line 145 to slider glue flap 150. Formed in glue flap 150 is a toggle hinge 160 which is connected to the glue flap 150 through hinge fold 155 and to the sleeve right panel 210 through hinge fold 165. The ends of toggle hinge 160 are formed by cut lines 158. Extending away from hinge fold 165 to the edge of the blank are cut lines 162. Thus the toggle hinge 160 is hingedly (foldably) connected to the glue flap 150 (and thence to the slider) and also hingedly (foldable) connected to the sleeve right panel 210 (and thence to the sleeve).

[0016] The sleeve includes sleeve right panel 210 which in turn is connected through fold line 215 to sleeve back panel 220, which is connected through fold line 225 to sleeve left panel 230. Extending from the ends of sleeve right panel 210 via fold lines 21 1, 213 are sleeve right bottom flap 212 and sleeve right top flap 214. Likewise, extending from the ends of sleeve left panel 230 via fold lines 231, 233 are sleeve left bottom flap 232 and sleeve left top flap 234.

[0017] Actuator cutout 240 is provided in the sleeve, for example extending across one or more of sleeve right panel 210, sleeve back panel 220, and sleeve left panel 230. The size, shape, and location of actuator cutout may be chosen according to manufacturing preference.

[0018] Certain panels of the slider (or sleeve) may be provided with beveled edges, for example beveled edges 102, 132, 152 which will be shown to produce a beveled corner on the finished slider. Certain panels may also be provided with clearance cuts, for example clearance cuts 154 that may provide easier action of the toggle hinge 160.

[0019] Extending from the ends of sleeve right panel 210 are sleeve right bottom flap 212 and sleeve right top flap 214

[0020] Figure 2A shows how the blank may be folded or wrapped around a product P (in effect using the product as a mandrel around which the panels are folded) for example according to the motion shown by arrow W. Wrapping the blank around the product may create a more tightly wrapped product. Slider right panel 1 10, slider back panel 120, slider left panel 130, and slider front panel 140 may be wrapped around product P, and portions of slider right panel 1 10 fastened to glue flap 150 (for example by adhesive) to form the slider into a tube containing the product P as shown in Figure 2B. Toggle hinge 160 is left unglued. The result is a tubular slider that may be hingedly moved (through toggle hinge 160) with respect to the sleeve right panel 210. The sleeve panels may then be folded around the slider to achieve the structure in Figure 5A.

[0021] Instead of forming the package around a product P used as a mandrel, Figures 3 - 4 show how the blank may be folded into a tubular form which at certain stages may be capable of taking on either a flattened or open form. The transition from Figure 1 to Figure 3 A may be achieved by folding the slider portion on fold lines 1 15, 125, 135, 145 which will form a four-sided tube with glue flap 150 in facing contact with the free edge of slider right panel 110. Glue flap 150 may then be fastened to slider right panel 110, for example by adhesive. However, toggle hinge 160 is left unglued. The result is a tubular slider that may be hingedly moved (through toggle hinge 160) with respect to the sleeve right panel 210. As shown in Figure 3A, the partially constructed blank may be flattened at this point, allowing for easy shipping and handling.

[0022] Figure 3B is similar to Figure 3A, except that the sleeve has been opened into a tubular form so that a product can be put into the sleeve.

[0023] Figure 4A shows a product P being placed into the sleeve. Since the sleeve is an open-ended tube, the product can be slid in from either end. In this example, the product is slid in a first direction X from the bottom of the slider. Although not shown in this example, the sleeve could be made with top and or bottom ends closed or partly closed (at least after loading with product). However, providing closed ends this might require more paperboard and complicate the assembly. The product could also have been placed within the package before or during forming of the slider as shown in Figure 3 A.

[0024] Figure 4B shows the product P fully inserted into the slider. The product P is illustrated by way of example as a package of cigarettes, where the beveled edges 102, 132 (of the slider right panel 1 10 and slider left panel 130 respectively) may provide easier access to product items at one side of the package. Although the product P is shown as an open container, it would typically still be sealed at this point in the process.

[0025] The sleeve may now be formed around the slider as shown in Figures 5A-5B. Folding the slider (from the configuration shown in Figure 4B) upward and toward the right, along fold lines 215, 225, results in the structure shown in Figure 5A, with the slider partially enclosed within the sleeve. Next, as shown in Figure 5B (which is flipped end for end relative to Figure 5A), the sleeve top flaps 212, 214 may be folded into facing contact and fastened together. Likewise the sleeve bottom flaps 212, 232 may be folded into facing contact and fastened together. This creates a sleeve with an open front end (through which slider front panel 140 is visible). The actuator cutout 240 is provided on the sleeve sides 210, 230 and/or sleeve back 220 for operation as will be described next.

[0026] Figure 6A shows a perspective view of the completed package, again with slider front panel 140 visible through the open front of the sleeve. As shown in Figure 6B, if a force is applied to the slider in a second direction X through the actuator cutout 240, the slider may move forward and out of the sleeve. Note that although it is not a requirement, here the direction X is perpendicular to the direction Y shown in Figure 4A. Even if the slider has an open bottom and top (as is the case with this example), the closed sleeve top flaps 214, 234 and closed sleeve bottom flaps 212, 232 help hold the product in the sleeve.

[0027] The slider is attached to the sleeve through toggle hinge 160. The toggle hinge 160 as shown in the Figures may be connected along fold line 165 to the front edge of sleeve right panel 210. The size and position of the toggle hinge, and the thickness of the paperboard may be chosen by manufacturing preference to give a toggle hinge that is strong enough to generally hold its shape under compression, while the sleeve right panel 210 is forced by toggle hinge 160 to bow outward under tension as the slider moves from a first stable position (or relaxed position) where the toggle hinge 160 lies flat between the slider and sleeve, and in a plane parallel to the plane of the adjacent sleeve panel (closed position in Figure 6A) through an intermediate, unstable position (or interference position; Figure 6B) where the toggle hinge has rotated about 90 degrees and is under compression and approximately perpendicular to the sleeve right panel 210 and slider right panel 110, and on to a second stable position (or relaxed position; the open position in Figure 6C) where the toggle hinge has rotated an additional 90 degrees and now lies flat against the slider right panel 110 and in a plane parallel to the plane of the adjacent sleeve panel. The slider may be designed so that in the closed position (Figure 6A) access to the product is generally restricted, while in the open position (Figure 6C) access to the product is relatively unrestricted. To close the package, the slider may be pushed back into the sleeve, reversing the actions seen in Figures 6A-6C. Advantageously the width of the toggle hinge 160 between fold lines 155, 165 is large enough to provide a 'toggle' or 'snap' action to the toggle hinge as it moves past the intermediate or interference position), but not so large as to require excessive force to open or close the toggle hinge, which might permanently bend or deform either toggle hinge 160 or sleeve right panel 210.

[0028] Figure 7A shows how the package may be held in the hand H with the open front of the sleeve facing the user, and finger pressure F placed against the slider through actuator cutout 240, so that the slider is pushed toward the open front of the sleeve and slides open as shown in Figure 7B.

[0029] Figure 8A shows another mode of opening, where the package may be held in the hand H with the open front of the sleeve facing up, and thumb pressure T exerted against the slider through actuator cutout 240, so that the slider is pushed upward toward the open front of the sleeve and slides open as shown in Figure 8B.

[0030] It is believed that the present invention includes many other embodiments that may not be herein described in detail, but would nonetheless be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the disclosures made. Accordingly, this disclosure should not be read as being limited only to the foregoing examples or only to the designated embodiments.

Claims

Claims:

1. A packaging system having an open configuration and a closed configuration, the system comprising: an inner slider comprised of a plurality of creased panels that are folded to form a tubular structure including: a right panel, back panel, left panel and front panel foldably joined together ; an outer sleeve comprised of a plurality of creased panels that are folded to form a tubular structure including a first and second side panels, joined through one or more back panels, the outer sleeve having at least one top or bottom flap; and a toggle hinge connecting the slider and the sleeve.

2. The packaging system of claim 1 wherein the toggle hinge comprises a panel which in the closed configuration lies between the slider and sleeve.

3. The packaging system of claim 1 wherein the toggle hinge comprises a panel which in the closed configuration lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the adjacent sleeve panel.

4. The packaging system of claim 1 wherein the toggle hinge comprises a panel which in the open configuration lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the adjacent sleeve panel.

5. The packaging system of claim 1 wherein the toggle hinge rotates to a position perpendicular to the adjacent sleeve panel as the slider moves between the closed and open configurations.

6. The packaging system of claim 1 wherein the sleeve includes an actuating opening in at least one of the back and side panels.

7. The packaging system of claim 6, wherein the actuating opening extends across the first and second side panels and the back panel.

8. The packaging system of claim 1, wherein the toggle hinge is connected by a fold line to a front edge of the first or second side sleeve panel.

9. A paperboard blank that can be manipulated to form a packaging system having an inner slider adapted to fit within an outer sleeve, the paperboard blank comprising: a first section comprised of a first plurality of panels including: a right panel, back panel, left panel and front panel joined together along fold line, the first plurality of panels capable for being folded along their fold lines to form the inner slider as a tubular structure; a second section comprised of a second plurality of panels including: first and second side panels and one or more back panels joined together along fold lines, the second plurality of panels capable of being folded along their fold lines to form the outer sleeve as a tubular structure; and a toggle hinge connecting the first plurality of panels and the second plurality of panels.

10. The paperboard blank of claim 9 wherein the second plurality of panels further includes one or more top or bottom flaps.

11. The paperboard blank of claim 9 wherein an actuating opening is provided in one or more of the second plurality of panels.

12. The paperboard blank of claim 1 1 wherein the actuating opening extends across the first and second panels and the back panel.