US2971641A - Commodity confining and display band - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1961 M, E RI M 2,971,641

COMMODITY CONFINING AND DISPLAY BAND Filed July 28, 1958 (Hlll' United States Patent i COMMODI'I'Y CONFINING AND DISPLAY BAND Milton E. Griem, Milwaukee, Wis., assiguor to Milprint, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 28, 1958, Ser. No. 751,359

4 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) The present invention relates in general to improvements inthe art of protectively wrapping commodities in order to facilitate handling and merchandising thereof, and it relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of protective confining and display bands for diverse types of enwrapped commodity packages.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved band adapted to be applied about a relatively flat flexible article or group of articles so as to protectively confine the commodity while visibly displaying the contents of the final package.

It is well-known procedure, especially in the food merchandising industry, to enclose groups of edgewise overlapping slices or individual layers of diverse commodities such as sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, or the like, in sealed highly flexible transparent wrappers, and to confine the enclosed product within or to mount the same upon a stifier support of cardboard or the like, in order to prevent undesirable disturbance of the contents due to rough handling. When slices or layers of commodity have been thus enwrapped, the sealedmarginal edges of the wrappers usually extend some distance beyond the confined materials so that it is desirable in order to produce an aesthetic final package to cover these sealed edge portions and to merely provide a local window opening in the protective support through which the contents are visible. Then too, in order to prevent the protective support from becoming detached, it isalso preferable to lock the same to or about the enwrapped commodity by a normally invisible latch which should, however, be readily releasable for removal of the contents of the package, and in any event, the protective hand must be inexpensive and readily manipulable.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a simple commodity confining and display band especially applicable to one or more layers or slices of product wrapped in a transparent sealed wrapper, which may be readily applied to or removed from the sealed package.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a relatively stiff support for flat flexible packages loaded with diverse commodities, which will efiectively protect the packages against unintentional breakage or disfiguration due to rough handling.

A further important object of the invention is to provide an improved protecting collar for embracing relatively flat packages containing commodity visibly cou- 2,971,641 Patented Feb. 14, 1961 An additional important object of this invention is to provide an improved composite commodity package comprising a relatively flat commodity-laden and confining relatively thin and flexible inner wrapper snugly embraced by a more durable and rigid outer wrapper capable of being conveniently applied to or removed from the commodity.

These and other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description from which it will be noted that the gist of the improvement is the provision of a protective commodity confining and display band comprising a unitary blank of cardboard or the like having a commodity supporting panel and a window opening bounded along one side by an edge of the panel and along its opposite side by a flap connected to said panel edge by spaced opposite end bounding strips for the window, the flap and strips beingfoldable over edge portions of the commodity resting upon the panel and the flap having thereon a locking tongue projecting into the window of the fiat blank but which is interlockable with the panel when the band is assembled.

A clear conception of one commercial embodiment of the invention and of the mode of applying the same in an assembled composite package, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a flat unitary blank forming a commodity embracing band and support, and embodying the improvement;

Figure 2 is a top View of the same blank partially folded and having a commodity-laden package provided with a transparent wrapper, disposed upon the main panel of the blank;

Figure 3 is another view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing the protective baud further folded about the commodity-laden package; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the final band-embraced composite commodity package assembly with portions broken away in order to more clearly reveal the band locking means.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being advantageously applicable to package assemblages wherein the commodity comprises a group of overlapping slices of meat or the like confined within a transparent pouch of wrapping material, it is not intended to limit the use of the improved protective band support to such commodity enclosures, and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive-terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the actual disclosure. 7

Referring to the drawing, the improved commodityconfining and display band shown therein, comprises a unitary fiat blank of sheet material having a commoditysupporting panel 6 provided with a T-shaped slit 7 and also having therein a window opening 8 bounded along one side by an edge 9 of the panel remote from the slit and along its opposite side by a flap 10 which is connected to the'edge 9 of the panel by spaced opposite ends bounding strips 11 for the window; and a locking tongue 12 formed integral with the flap 10 and being die-cut out of the stock removed in forming the Window openend 14 of substantially the same width as that of the slit 7 and has its opposite end foldably connected to the outer side edge of the flap 10 along a fold line 15, and the inner side edge of this flap 10 is likewise foldably connected to the adjacent ends of the two spaced parallel strips 11 along fold lines 16 while the opposite ends of commodity such as meat, cheese or the like, confined and sealed within a flexible transparent pouch or wrapper 19 usually formed of any suitable type of plastic film and which may be provided with one or more sealed seams 20 extending along its edges. These packages are relatively flat and when carelessly, handled without being provided with a stifier or more rigid support, the commodity slices 18 are apt to become displaced and disarranged.

However, when the improved unitary supporting band has been properly constructed as disclosed in Fig. l, the sealed package containing the slices 18 confined within the pouch 19 by the sealed seams 20, may be initially placed upon the supporting panel 6 and the fiap 10 may be folded against the ends of-the strips 11 along the fold lines 16 so as to somewhat reduce the effective size of the window opening 8 as shown in Fig. 2. The strips 11 with the pre-folded flap 10, may thereafter be folded along the fold lines 17 over the panel 6 and the commodity package resting thereon as illustrated in Fig. 3, to cause the strips 11.to cover and conceal theopposite ends of the package and to also cause the flap 10 to likewise cover and conceal the seam 20 while the tongue 12 projects laterally away from the assemblage. In order to complete the package assembly, it is then only necessary to fold the tongue 12 along its fold line beneath the panel 6 and to insert the widened tongue end 14 through the slit 7 as in Fig. 4, thereby locking the band in place about the food-laden pouch 19.

When thus assembled, the cardboard panel 6 obviously provides a relatively rigid support for the commodity confining package, and the window opening 8 visibly exposes a large medial portion of the pouch 19 to view, while the strips 11 and the flange 10 protectively cover the end edges and seam of the sealed package and press the latter against its mounting panel 6. The locking tongue 12 serves to snugly maintain the supporting and protecting band wrapped around the flat package,

but this tongue 12 may be readily inserted within the slit 7 or removed therefrom, and is normally concealed from view while the contents of the package is being displayed through the window opening 8. By cutting this tongue 12 out of the stock removed in the formation of the window opening 8, minimum waste of sheet stock results and the cost of producing the bands is therefore minimized and the improved compositepackage has proven highly satisfactory and successful and can obviously be produced in various sizes and utilized to protectively pack diverse commodities either directly or confined within wrappers 19 as shown.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction of the wrapper band herein specifically shown and described, since various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A commodity confining and display band comprising, a unitary flat blank of sheet material having a window opening bounded along one side by a commodity supporting panel and along its opposite side by a flap the opposite ends of which are connected directly to the panel ends by window endbounding strips while its medial portion is provided with a locking tongue projecting into the window opening toward the panel, said strips being foldable relative to both said panel and said flap along lines coinciding with opposed sides of said window opening and said tongue being foldable relative to said flap along a line coinciding with the line of fold of said flap.

2. A commodity confining and display band comprising, a unitary flat blank of sheet material having a window opening bounded along one side by a commodity supporting panel and along its opposite side by a flap the opposite ends of which are connected directly to the panel ends by window end bounding strips while its medial portion is provided with a locking tongue projecting into the window opening toward the panel, said strips being foldable relative to said panel to overlie the ends of commodity resting upon the panel and said flap being foldable relative to said strips to engage a side of the commodity while said tongue is foldable relative to said fiap and is interlockable with a medial portion of the panel inwardly of its edge to maintain the band assembled about the commodity.

3. A commodity confining and display band comprising, a unitary fiat blank of sheet material having a window opening bounded along one side by a commodity supporting panel provided with a slit inwardly of its edge and remote from the window and along its opposite side by a flap the opposite ends of which are connected directly to the panel ends by window end bounding strips while its medial portion is provided with a locking tongue projecting into the window opening toward the panel, said strips being foldable relative to both said panel and said flap along lines coinciding with opposed sides of said window opening and said tongue being foldable relative to said flap along a line coinciding with the line of fold of said flap and interlockable with said slit to maintain the band asesmbled. r

4. Acommodity confining and display package assemblage comprising, a unitary blank of sheet material hav ing a window opening bounded along one side by a panel provided with a slit and along its opposite side by a flap the opposie ends of which are connected directly to the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bamber July 13, 1944 Petter Aug. 27, 1957

Images