GB2501959A

GB2501959A - Shelf-Ready Packaging

Info

Publication number: GB2501959A
Application number: GB1222420.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Compton
Original assignee: PAC TECHNOLOGY TRADING Ltd
Current assignee: PAC TECHNOLOGY TRADING Ltd
Priority date: 2012-12-13
Filing date: 2012-12-13
Publication date: 2013-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-13
Also published as: GB2501959B; GB201222420D0

Abstract

A shelf-ready packaging unit 10 has a base 14 and opposing side walls 16 pivotable relative to the base 14 to an operative position in which they extend upwardly from (and may be perpendicular to) the base 14. The walls 16 and base 14 define an open-ended compartment for receiving multiple consumable items 20. A retaining band 22 encircles the side walls 16 and open ends to maintain the side walls 16 in the upwardly extending position and prevent unintended removal of the consumable items 20. The base 14 and walls 16 may be integrally formed from a blank of corrugated cardboard. The height of the retaining band 22 may not exceed half the height of the side walls 16, and may be between one fifth and one half the side wall 14 height. The retaining band 22 may move along the side walls 14 towards or away from the base 14, and may be positioned adjacent to the base during normal use. The retaining band 22 may be flexible and inelastic, may comprise a stretch sleeve and may be transparent. A supplementary retaining band 26 may extend under the base 14, across the open ends of the packaging and across the upper surfaces 20a of the consumable items 20

Description

SHELF-READY PACKAGING

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to shelf-ready packaging, and more particularly to shelf-ready packaging which protects consumable items during storage and transportation and enables the items to be displayed for sale in a retail environment without the need for unpacking.

Technical Background

Consumable items are conventionally delivered to retailers in cardboard boxes or similar packaging and require some degree of unpacking before they can be placed on the shelf, ready for sale, in the retail environment. The packing operation uses large volumes of packaging material and the unpacking operation, carried out in the retail environment, is time consuming. Packaging material removed during the unpacking operation must also be disposed of, which is again time consuming, expensive and also environmentally problematic. Shrinkwrap film is one example of a common packaging material that is used to secure packed items in a corrugated tray, but the film has to be removed, collected and disposed of during the unpacking operation.

Shelf-ready packaging (SRP) offers an alternative packaging solution which enables consumable items to be stored, transported and ultimately placed directly on a shelf in a retail environment without the need for unpacking. However, currently available shelf-ready packaging solutions typically still require part of the packaging to be removed and disposed of before the shelf-ready packaging containing the consumable items can be placed on the shelf.

There is, therefore, a need for shelf-ready packaging which overcomes some or all of the drawbacks associated with conventional packaging solutions such as those described above.

Summary of the Disclosure

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a shelf-ready packaging unit comprising: a container comprising a base and a pair of opposed side walls pivotable relative to the base to an operative position in which they extend upwardly from the base, the base and side walls defining a compartment, having open ends, for receiving a plurality of consumable items; and a retaining band encircling thc side walls and open ends to maintain the side walls in the upwardly extending operative position and prevent unintended removal of consumable items from the open ends.

The shelf-ready packaging containing the ready-for-sale consumable items can be placed directly onto a shelf in a retail environment without the need to remove any supplementary packaging material, thus saving valuable time. The expense of providing and disposing of supplementary packaging material is also advantageously eliminated. External surfaces of the sidewalls of the container can be printed with all relevant trade-related information including bar code and description of contents.

The side walls may be substantially perpendicular to the base when in the upwardly extending operative position. This ensures that multiple shelf-ready packaging units according to the present disclosure can be efficiently stacked for transport and placed on a shelf in a retail environment in such a way that the available space is maximised.

The base and side walls may be integrally formed. The base and side walls may be integrally formed from a blank of material. The base and side walls may be formed from a corrugated material and may comprise cardboard. The use of corrugated cardboard is particularly advantageous as it offers a strong but lightweight solution.

Other materials could be used, including carton board or semi-rigid plastics.

A plurality of said retaining bands could be arranged vertically adjacent to each other to encircle the side walls and open ends as aforesaid. It may be more convenient to usc a plurality of retaining bands of smaller height and arranged vertically adjacent to each other than a single retaining band of greater height, equivalent to the combined height of the smaller bands.

The height of the retaining band, or the combined height of the plurality of retaining bands, does not normally exceed 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls. The height of the retaining band, or the combined height of the plurality of retaining bands, may be between 20% and 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls. A retaining band or bands having a height or combined height within this range is sufficient to retain the side walls in the upwardly extending operative position and to prevent unintended removal of the consumable items from the open ends of the compartment.

The retaining band(s) maybe movable along the side walls in a direction towards and away from the base. The retaining band(s) is/are typically positioned at or adjacent to the base end of the side walls during normal use. When positioned adjacent to the base end of the side walls, the retaining band(s) may be spaced slightly from the base end of the side walls. In both cases, the retaining band(s) extend(s) part way up the side walls away from the base end of the side walls. This positioning of the retaining band(s), combined with the limited height as aforesaid, ensures that individual consumable items can be easily removed from the container when the shelf-ready packaging unit is placed on a shelf in a retail environment.

The or each retaining band may comprise a flexible material, for example a plastics materiaL The or each retaining band may be inextensible and may be formed of polypropylene.

The inextcnsiblc nature of the retaining band ensures that it retains the sidewalls in the upwardly extending operative position.

The or each retaining band may alternatively comprise a stretch sleeve, for example formed of polyethylene. Stretching only occurs during application of the stretch sleeve so again the sidewalls are retained in the upwardly extending operative position once the stretch sleeve has been correctly positioned.

The retaining band may comprise a transparent material. This ensures that the consumable items and/or information printed on the consumable items is not obscured by the retaining band and is readily visible to prospective consumers when the shelf-ready packaging unit is placed on a shelf in a retail environment. The retaining band could carry printcd matcrial such as graphics or tcxt.

The retaining band could possibly be formed of paper. Although a paper band would not be transparent, it could carry printed material as aforesaid and could advantageously be recyclable.

The shelf-ready packaging unit may comprise an optional supplementary retaining band which may extend in use along an underside of the base, upwardly at the open ends and across exposed upper surfaces of the consumable items, for example in a dircction parallcl to the base, thercby cncircling thc base and the consumable itcms.

The optional supplementary retaining band usefully provides both a degree of tamper cvidencc and/or may minimisc thc risk of pilferagc of consumable items from the shelf-ready packaging unit. It can be easily removed either before or after the shelf-ready packaging unit has been placed on a shelf in a retail environment.

The supplementary retaining band is typically formed of paper, for example to maximise its visibility, to facilitate its removal, to minimise waste and for recycling p in-poses.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for assembling a shelf-ready packaging unit according to the first aspect, the method comprising: positioning a plurality of consumable items in the container; and encircling the side walls and open ends with said retaining band.

Said positioning step may comprise placing the plurality of consumable items on the base and thereafter pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended compartment in which the consumable items are located.

Said positioning step may alternatively comprise pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended compartment and thereafter placing the plurality of consumable items in said open-ended compartment.

The consumablc itcms arc typically collatcd in a stacked, side-by-side, configuration prior to being positioned in the container.

The assemNy method may further comprise encircling the base and consumable items with a supplementary retaining band as aforesaid, so that the supplementary retaining band extends in use along the underside of the base, upwardly at the open ends and across exposed upper surfaces of the consumable items, thereby encircling the base and the consumable items.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a shelf-ready packaging unit and a plurality of consumabic itcms; Figurc 2 is a diagrammatic perspcctivc view of an assemblcd shelf-ready packaging urnt; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the assembled shelf-ready packaging unit of Figure 2 with an optional supplementary retaining band.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a container 12 forming part of a shelf-ready packaging (SRP) unit 10 (see Figure 2) comprises a base 14 and a pair of opposed side walls 16.

The sidc walls 16 are each pivotabic rclative to the base 14, e.g. about lines of weakness 15, to the illustrated operative position in which they extend upwardly from the base 14 substantially perpendicular thereto. The base 14 and side walls 16 are integrally formed from a blank of corrugated cardboard material and the corrugations extend laterally across the base 14 and upwardly along the side wal Is 16 for maximum strength. The base 14 and upwardly extending side walls 16 together define an elongate U-shaped compartment 18, having open ends 19, for receiving a plurality of consumable items 20 arranged in a side-by-side configuration.

In the illustrated embodiment, the consumable items 20 have a euboid geometry or may be packed in primary packaging which has a cuboid geometry. The SRP unit 10 is particularly suitable for use with consumable items 20 which present a cuboid geometry because they can be stacked neatly in a side-by-side configuration. The dimensions of the container 12 are preferably selected so that the width of the base 14 is about the same as the width of the consumable items 20. This ensures that when the side walls 16 are in the upwardly extending operative position, they abut the side faces of the consumable items 20 as shown in Figure 2. It is further preferable, but not essential, that the dimensions of the container 12 arc selected so that the height H of the side walls 16 is substantially the same as the height of the consumable items 20.

This ensures that the side faces of the consumable items 20 or primary packaging in which they are packed are protected from damage.

The SRP unit 10 thrther includes a retaining band 22 which encircles the side walls 16 and open ends 19 of the container 12. The retaining band 22 is appropriately dimensioned so that it maintains the side walls 16 in the upwardly extending operative position, generally in abutment with the side faces of the consumable items 20. The retaining baud 22 also prevents unintended removal of the consumable items 20 from the open ends 19 of the compartment 18, for example by preventing the consumable items 20 from sliding out or tipping over.

The retaining band 22 comprises a plastics film and is transparent so that the consumable items 20 are readily visible through it. In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining band 22 comprises a strip of substantially inextensiblc polypropylene banding material whose ends are adhered in an overlapping region 24. In another embodiment, the retaining band 22 comprises a polyethylene stretch sleeve dimensioned such that it can be stretched around the side walls 16 and open ends 19 to retain it in place.

In the illustrated embodiment, the height h of the retaining band 22 is 29mm, which is between about 25% and 35% of the height H of the upwardly extending side walls 16.

In practice, the height h of the retaining band 22 needs to be sufficient to achieve the objectives outlined above, namely to maintain the side walls 16 in the upwardly extending operative position and to prevent the unintended removal of consumable items 20 from the open ends 19 of the compartment 18. On the other hand, the height h of the retaining band 22 must not be so great that it impedes the removal of individual consumable items 20 from the compartment 19 by a purchaser when the SRP unit 10 is placed on a shelf in a retail environment. With this in mind, the height h of the retaining band 22 should in general not exceed about 50% of the height H of the side walls 16. Multiple, vertically arranged, retaining bands 22 could be used instead of a single band, for example each band having a height of 29mm. In this case, the combined height of the multiple retaining bands 22 should be within the ranges specified above.

The retaining band 22 is slidable along the side walls 16 in an upward and downward direction, i.e. away from and towards the base 14. In normal use, the retaining band 22 is positioned at the base end of the side walls 16 or adjacent to the base end of the side walls 16 as shown in Figure 2. It is important that the retaining band 22 is not positioned too far from the base end of the side walls 16 since otherwise it could impede the removal of individual consumable items 20 from the compartment 18 by a purchaser as discussed above.

In order to assemble the SRP unit 10, the stacked consumable items 20 are first positioned in the container 12. In one implementation, the side walls 16 are pivoted relative to the base 14 to the upwardly extending operative position before the consumable items 20 are placed in the U-shaped compartment 18. In another implementation, the side walls 16 are pivoted relative to the base 14 to the upwardly extending operative position only after the consumable items 20 have been placed on the base 14, so that the U-shaped compartment 18 is formed around the consumable items 20. Thereafter, a strip of banding material intended to form the retaining band 22 is positioned around the container 12, at an appropriate height up the side walls 16, so that it encircles the side walls 16 and open ends 19 of the compartment 18. The opposite ends of the strip of banding material are then adhered to each other in the overlapping region 24 thereby forming the retaining band 22. In embodiments where a stretch sleeve is used, the sleeve is stretched around the side walls 16 and open ends 19 of the compartment 18. Either way, the assembly process is typically automated using suitable machinery.

The assembled SRP unit 10 lends itself to stacking with other identical SRP units 10 on a pallet or similar support for transportation. When multiple SRP units 10 are stacked, they can be secured in position on a pallet in a conventional manner using a shrinkwrap or stretchwrap film. Thus, it is only this film that needs to be removed and discarded during the unpacking operation, thereby significantly reducing unpacking time and associated costs and avoiding the need to dispose of large amounts of packaging material. The individual SRP units 10 do not themselves need to be individually subjected to an unpacking operation.

Referring now to Figure 3, a supplementary retaining band 26 can optionally be positioned around the base 14 and consumable items 20 so that it extends along the underside of the base 14, upwardly at the open ends 19 of the compartment 18 and across exposed upper surfaces 20a of the consumable items 20, in a direction parallel to the base 14. The supplementary retaining band 26 is typically formed of paper and can be printed with suitable text and/or graphics, for example indicating that the band 26 should be removed prior to display of the SRP unit 10.

It will be understood that the supplementary retaining band 26 is positioned around the base 14 and consumable items 20 after the primary retaining band 22 has been correctly positioned in the manner described above. If formed of paper, the supplementary retaining band 26 can be easily torn and pulled at one end to remove it, for example before or after the SRP unit 10 has been positioned on a shelf in a retail environment.

Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to those embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claims should not bc limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise", "comprising", and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to". -10-

Claims

Claims 1. A shelf-ready packaging unit comprising: a container comprising a base and a pair of opposed side walls pivotable relative to the base to an operative position in which they extend upwardly from the base, the base and side walls defining a compartment, having open ends, for receiving a plurality of consumable items; and a retaining band encircling the side walls and open ends to maintain the side walls in thc upwardly extending operative position and prevent unintended removal of the consumable items from the open ends.
2. A packaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the side walls are substantially pcrpendieuar to the base when in the upwardly extending operative position.
3. A packaging unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base and side walls are integrally formed.
4. A packaging unit according to claim 3, wherein the base and side walls are integrally formed from a blank of corrugated cardboard material.
5. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the height of the retaining band does not exceed 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls.
6. A packaging unit according to daim 5, wherein the height of the retaining band is between 20% and 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls.
7. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band is movable along the side walls in a direction towards and away from the base.
8. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band is positioned at or adjacent to the base end of the side walls during normal use.
9. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band comprises a flexible and inextensible material.
10. A packaging unit according to any of claims I to 8, wherein the retaining band comprises a stretch sleeve.
11. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band comprises a transparent material.
12. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, further comprising a supplementary retaining band which extends in use along an underside of the base, upwardly at the open ends and across exposed upper surfaces of the consumable items, in use thereby encircling the base and the consumable items.
13. A method for assembling a shelf-ready packaging unit according to any preceding claim, the method comprising: positioning a plurality of consumable items in the container; and encircling the side walls and open ends with said retaining band.
14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said positioning step comprises placing the plurality of consumable items on the base and thereafter pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended compartment in which the consumable items are located.
15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said positioning step comprises pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended compartment and thereafter placing the plurality of consumable items in said open-ended compartment.
16. A method according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the method includes collating the consumable items so that they are stacked in a side-by-side configuration prior to said positioning step.

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17. A method according to any of claims 13 to 16 when dependent on claim 12, further comprising encircling the base and consumable items with said supplementary retaining band.
18. A shelf-ready packaging unit substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED AS FOLLOWS: Claims 1. A shelf-ready packaging unit comprising: a container comprising a base and a pair of opposed side walls pivotable relative to the base to an operative position in which they extend upwardly from the base, the base and side walls defining a compartment, having open ends, for receiving a plurality of consumable items; a retaining band encircling the side walls and open ends to maintain the side walls in the upwardly extending operative position and prevent unintended removal of the consumable items from the open ends, the retaining band being movable along the side walls in a direction towards and away from the base; and a supplementary retaining band which extends along an underside of the base, upwardly at the open ends and across an upper region of the container parallel to the base, in use thereby encircling the base and the consumable items.2. A packaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the side walls are substantially perpendicular to the base when in the upwardly extending operative position.3. A packaging unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base and side walls are integrally formed.4. A packaging unit according to claim 3, wherein the base and side walls are integrally formed from a blank of corrugated cardboard material.5. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the height of the retaining band does not exceed 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls. * . * ..* ** *6. A packaging unit according to claim 5, wherein the height of the retaining band is between 20% and 50% of the height of the upwardly extending side walls.7. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band is positioned at or adjacent to the base end of the side walls during normal use.8. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band comprises a flexible and inextensible material.9. A packaging unit according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the retaining band comprises a stretch sleeve.10. A packaging unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining band comprises a transparent material.11. A method for assembling a shelf-ready packaging unit according to any preceding claim, the method comprising: positioning a plurality of consumable items in the container; encircling the side walls and open ends with said retaining band; and fitting the supplementary retaining band around the underside of the base, the open ends of the compartment and the upper region of the container.12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said positioning step comprises placing the plurality of consumable items on the base and thereafter pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended :." compartment in which the consumable items are located.* 13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said positioning step comprises pivoting the side walls so that they extend upwardly from the base to define said open-ended compartment and thereafter placing the plurality of consumable items in said open-ended compartment. * ** .: 14. A method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the method includes collating the consumable items so that they are stacked in a side-by-side configuration prior to said positioning step. * 1515. A shelf-ready packaging unit substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings. * * * * * ******* * * * ** * * * * 0*U * * * *** ** * * * * * **