GB2297080A - Package - Google Patents

Abstract

A package comprises a box having a closure flap 20 and an information sheet 18, the information sheet 18 being creased to permit it to be folded to lie flat against a face of the box, and the flap 20 being extended so that it can simultaneously cover the folded information sheet 18, and thereby retain it in position, and close the box.

Description

DESCRIPTION PACKAGE The present invention relates to product packaging.

The packages in which products are presented to the public normally bear, on their outer surface, printed information - trade marks, advertising, warnings, instructions for use etc. While this can be an effective and economical way of displaying such information, it does suffer from certain disadvantages. In particular, the amount of information that can be displayed is limited by the surface area of the package, and may be inadequate if, for example, lengthy instructions or details of a product range are required.

The well known alternative method of presenting such data is to include a folded sheet or leaflet loose within the package. While this method can normally provide ample surface area for presenting the information, it too has some drawbacks. Most importantly, the leaflet is likely to be discarded or lost once the package has been opened. In addition, the leaflet must be inserted and appropriately arranged within the package during assembly thereof, which in itself requires an additional step in the packaging process.

A third known method is to attach a folded leaflet to the exterior of a package, but such leaflets are vulnerable to damage, prone to unfolding at inappropriate times and difficult to neatly refold, making the package awkward to handle.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a package which makes possible presentation of a considerable amount of information without the above described problems associated with the prior art.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package comprising a box, which comprises and is adapted to be closed by a flap, and a sheet bearing printed information, the sheet being attached to a first face of the box and being creased so that it can be folded to lie against the first face, and the flap being adapted to simultaneously close the box and substantially cover the folded sheet, thereby retaining the folded sheet against the first face.

The package thus formed provides ample surface area for displaying information, with no risk that the said information will be lost. Indeed, the information bearing means are brought to the user's attention each time the package is opened, which is highly advantageous for advertising/instructional purposes.

The sheet preferably comprises paper or similar thin, foldable material.

Still more preferably, the sheet is formed as a strip of such material which is creased to be "concertina" folded.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, the sheet is star folded or crossfolded.

Preferably, the box comprises cardboard or similar sheet material.

Still more preferably, the flap and the remainder of the box are integrally formed from a single piece of such material.

Preferably, the flap meets the remainder of the box at a crease extending along an edge of the first face of the box.

In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a second face of the box, which intersects said first face, is penetrated by an opening or is wholly open for access to the interior of the box, and the flap is creased so that when positioned to close the box it overlies both the first and second faces.

Preferably, the edge of the first face at which the flap meets the remainder of the box is remote from the second face.

Preferably, the flap comprises a tab which can be inserted into the box to frictionally retain the flap in the closed position.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package comprising : a box having adjoining first and second faces, the first face having an opening or being entirely open for insertion/removal of goods; foldable information bearing means, a portion of which is attached to said second face; a flap hingedly attached to said box along an edge of said second face, said flap being creased to form a cover portion and a closure portion; and flap retention means, the package being reconfigurable between a closed configuration, in which the information bearing means are folded and are sandwiched between the second face and the cover portion of the flap, the closure portion of the flap lies over and at least substantially closes the first face, and the flap is retained in place by the flap retention means, and an open configuration in which the flap is rotated about its hinged attachment to uncover the front face and the information bearing means.

Preferably, the flap meets the box along an edge of the second face which is remote from the first face.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first package constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second package, constructed in accordance with the present invention and comprising a transparent window; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a third package constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a cuboidal box formed, by known techniques, from folded cardboard or similar sheet material and having a square or rectangular base panel 2. The side and rear edges of the base panel 2 are joined via vertical, peripheral side and rear walls 4, 6 respectively to the corresponding edges of an upper panel 8, which is identical in shape to the base panel 2. The rear wall 6 is formed, in conventional manner, from three wall flaps, as the Figure shows. The interior of the box so formed is accessible via an aperture 10 defined by the front edges 12, 14 of the base panel 2 and the upper panel 8, along with front edges of the two side walls 4.

In conventional manner, two small flaps 16 extend from the front edges of the said two side walls 4.

The box is provided with a leaflet 18, shown partly unfolded. According to the present embodiment, the leaflet is "concertina" (or "fan") folded - that is, it consists of an elongate, rectangular strip of paper or cardboard folded back and forth to form a "stack" of paper/card several layers deep, the length and breadth of which is slightly smaller than the length and breadth of the upper panel 8. The bottom layer of this "stack" is cemented or otherwise attached to the upper panel 8.

Note that other fold patterns, including the known star fold and concertina and crossfold, could be used for the leaflet 18.

The box further comprises a main flap 20 adapted to cover and contain the leaflet 18, and to close the aperture 10. The main flap 20 is substantially rectangular, having a rear edge (seen at 28) and a front edge 21, and is creased to form three panels-a cover 22, a closure 24 and a retaining flap 26, as will now be described.

The cover 22 is substantially the same shape as the upper panel 8, and is attached along its rear edge to the rear edge of the upper panel 8 via a first crease 28 which acts as a hinge. The cover 22 can be folded down to a closed position in which it lies parallel to and just above the upper panel 8, the folded leaflet then being sandwiched between the cover and the upper panel and so being neatly stored and protected. When the cover 22 is lifted, as in the figure, the leaflet is revealed and can be unfolded and studied.

The front edge of the cover is formed by a second crease 30 in the main flap 20, forward of which is the closure 24. When the main flap 20 is in the closed position, the crease 30 lies parallel and adjacent to the front edge 14 of the upper panel 8, and the closure 24 can be folded down to cover the aperture 10 and so close the box.

At its front edge, the closure 24 meets, in a third crease 31, the retaining flap 26 which can be tucked into the box to retain the entire main flap 20 in the closed position. The retaining flap 26 then lies adjacent to the base panel 2 and is frictionally restrained by contact with the small flaps 16.

The box according to the present invention illustrated in Fig. 1 can be simply constructed from a single-piece cardboard net (the leaflet being additional).

The second package illustrated in Fig. 2 is similar to the package of Fig. 1 but includes, in the cover (which is labelled 100 in Fig. 2 but corresponds to cover 22 of Fig. 1) a window 102 through which (when the cover overlies the folded leaflet 104) the uppermost surface 106 of the folded leaflet can be seen.

The window 102 comprises an aperture in the cover 100. This aperture may be covered by a sheet of transparent material (eg plastics) or may simply be open.

Further, the uppermost surface 106 of the folded leaflet bears identifying information (in the illustrated embodiment this takes the form of a bar code 108). It is particularly advantageous for this information to be in machine readable form. A side 110 of the package bears identical or related identifying information (in the illustrated embodiment, a bar code 112).

This type of package allows for confirmation, at any stage of the packing process or subsequently, that the leaflet applied to the box correctly corresponds to the box itself and to its contents. It is therefore particularly well suited to use in the pharmaceutical industry, where any mistakes in the packing or labelling of drugs could have dangerous consequences and must therefore be prevented.

Fig. 3 illustrates a package embodying the present invention and constructed rather differently from the packages of Figs. 1 and 2. The type of construction in question is particularly well suited to long or tall packages, such as a box in which a bottle of whisky is presented.

As shown, the package comprises a box 200 of largely conventional construction. The illustrated box is cardboard, although other materials could be used. Access to the interior of the box is obtained through an aperture 202 at its upper face, and this aperture can be closed by tabs 204 and a main flap 206.

The main flap 206 differs from conventional flaps. Like the main flap of the two previously described embodiments, it is folded to provide a cover 208, a closure 210 and a retaining flap 212. In addition, the main flap 206 comprises an attachment tab 214 which meets the cover 208 in a further crease, at the edge of the cover remote from the closure 210.

The attachment tab 214 is joined by glue, cement, mechanical fasteners or other suitable means to one of the long side faces 216 of the box 200. A leaflet 218 is similarly joined to the same side face 216 at a location between the attachment tab 214 and the upper face of the box.

As for the previously described embodiments, the main flap 206 can be used to simultaneously cover and retain the leaflet 218 and close the box 200. When the box is opened, the leaflet is revealed.

Claims (18)

1. A package comprising a box, which comprises and is adapted to be closed by a flap, and a sheet bearing printed information, the sheet being attached to a first face of the box and being creased so that it can be folded to lie against the first face, and the flap being adapted to simultaneously close the box and substantially cover the folded sheet, thereby retaining the folded sheet against the first face.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet comprises paper or similar thin, foldable material.

3. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet is creased to permit "concertina" folding thereof.

4. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet is creased to permit star folding or cross folding thereof.

5. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the box comprises cardboard or similar sheet material.

6. A package as claimed in claim 5 wherein the flap and the remainder of the box are integrally formed from a single piece of cardboard or similar sheet material.

7. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flap meets the remainder of the box at a crease extending along an edge of the first face of the box.

8. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a second face of the box, which intersects said first face, is penetrated by an opening or is wholly open for access to the interior of the box, and the flap is creased so that when positioned to close the box it overlies both the first and second faces.

9. A package as claimed in claim 8, wherein the edge of the first face at which the flap meets the remainder of the box is remote from the second face.

10. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flap comprises a tab which can be inserted into the box to frictionally retain the flap in the closed position.

11. A package as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flap is attached or adhered to an outer face of the box.

12. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flap is provided with a window through which, when the flap is used to close the box, the folded sheet can be seen.

13. A package as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sheet bears identifying information which is visible through the window when the flap is used to close the box.

14. A package as claimed in claim 13, wherein the exterior of the box bears identifying information corresponding to the identifying information borne by the sheet.

15. A package comprising : a box having adjoining first and second faces, the first face having an opening or being entirely open for insertion/removal of goods; foldable information bearing means, a portion of which is attached to said second face; a flap hingedly attached to said box along an edge of said second face, said flap being creased to form a cover portion and a closure portion; and flap retention means, the package being reconfigurable between a closed configuration, in which the information bearing means are folded and are sandwiched between the second face and the cover portion of the flap, the closure portion of the flap lies over and at least substantially closes the first face, and the flap is retained in place by the flap retention means, and an open configuration in which the flap is rotated about its hinged attachment to uncover the front face and the information bearing means.

16. A package as claimed in claim 15, wherein the flap meets the box along the edge of the second face which is remote from the first face.

17. A package as claimed in claim 15, wherein the flap is adhered or attached to an outer face of the box.

18. A package substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying figure.