US3483967A - Package for sheet material articles - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1969 A. VERSH 3,483,967

PACJKAGE FOR SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLES Filed Aug. 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 92 INVENTO'R Dec. 16, 1969 A. VERSH PACKAGE FOR SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1968 INVENTOR BY 2 I 11 fi w ATTGFZNEYS @Zam, W

States 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package for containing sheet-material articles such as greeting cards and envelopes. The articles are arranged in a convenient stack within the package and the envelopes have distinctive interior surfaces which are not visible from the exterior of the package. The package includes a container for accommodating the stack of sheet-material articles. This container of the package carries a tab means which includes a portion overlying the stack of articles for releasably retaining the latter within the container. This tab means has an exterior distinctive surface portion matching that of the inner surface of the envelopes, so that in addition to releasably retaining the articles in the container the tab means also serves to indicate the distinctive inner surface of the envelopes. Thus, an envelope need not be removed from the package in order to indicate the distinctive inner surface of the envelope.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to packages.

In particular, the present invention relates to packages for sheet-material articles such as greeting cards and envelopes.

It is conventional to arrange a stack of such sheet-material articles within a suitable container of the package. Also, it is customary to provide the envelopes of the stack with a distinctive inner surface in the form, for example, of a predetermined decorative pattern of a given color or combination of colors.

When the package is purchased, or when a purchase is made of part of the contents of the package, the purchaser will wish to know the appearance of the inner surface of the envelopes, and thus before a purchase is made it is necessary to remove an envelope from the package so that a prospective purchaser can determine whether or not the distinctive inner surface of the envelope suits his particular purposes. This requirement of removing an envelope from the package before purchase of the latter or part of the contents thereof represents a considerable inconvenience. In the first place the stack within the package is disturbed, and it becomes necessary to return the removed envelope to the stack. The result is that such packages soon become untidy and shop worn, so that they no longer have their initial fresh appearance and are difiicult to sell. It is to be noted that the problem cannot be satisfactorily solved simply by having on hand a loose envelope which is indicated to a prospective purchaser as being an envelope matching that in the interior of the package. This latter procedure on the one hand involves a great possibility of error and on the other hand requires the purchaser to accept on faith the assertion that the loose envelope matches that within the package. Many purchasers simply will not believe such statements and will insist on breaking open a package so as to see for themselves the nature of the articles therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a package which will avoid the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to proatcnt O ICC vide a package which will indicate from its exterior appearance the distinctive inner surface of envelopes within the package, even though these envelopes cannot be seen, at least at their inner surfaces, from the exterior of the package.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide an indication of the distinctive inner surface of the envelopes in the package with a structure which serves additional functions.

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an indication of the distinctive inner surface of envelopes within a package with a structure which in any event will be used in the package, so that additional structure simply for the purpose of indicating the distinctive inner surface of the envelopes is not required.

According to the invention the package includes a container in which a stack of sheet-material articles such as greeting cards and envelopes is located. The envelopes have a distinctive inner surface which is not visible from the exterior of the package. The container of the package carries a tab means which coacts with a stack of sheetmaterial articles in the container for releasably retaining them within the container. This tab means has an exterior surface portion which matches and has the same distinctive appearance as the interior of the envelopes, so that simply by looking at this exterior portion of the tab means the distinctive appearance of the interior of the envelopes will be known without requiring any envelope to be removed from the package.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partly broken-away perspective illustration of a package of the invention shown in an upstanding position;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section of the package of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and schematically indicating the interior space occupied by the stacked articles;

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows and also indicating only schematically the space occupied by the stacked articles;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a blank from which a tab means of the invention is made;

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of the package of the invention indicating how the tab means coacts with a container of the package; and

FIG. 6 shows in a partly broken-away elevation an envelope particularly at the region where its distinctive inner surface is located.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a package 10 of the invention. This package 10 includes a container 12 made of any suitable sheet material such as cardboard. The container 12 has a rear or bottom wall 14 and side walls 16, 18, 20, and 22 connected to each other to form corners, as indicated in FIG. 1, with these side walls extending from the rear or bottom wall 14. The container 12 is of a generally rectangular configuration with the opposed parallel side walls 16 and 18 being longer than the opposed parallel side walls 20 and 22. The container may be set up in a display position as shown in FIG. 1 where the side wall 18 rests on a suitable supporting surface, or when shipped, for example, the wall 14 may form the lowermost part of the container. The container is open opposite to its wall 14 so that the edges of the walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 define a container opening through which free access may be had to the interior of the container 12.

This container 12 of the package 10 is adapted to accommodate in its interior a stack of sheet-material articles such as a series of greeting cards 24 situated one next to the other and a series of envelopes 26 arranged in the stack behind the greeting cards 24.

A tab means 28 is carried by the container 12 for re leasably retaining the stack of sheet- material articles 24, 26 within the container 12. This tab means 28 has an elongated tubular portion 30 filling the space between the wall 18 and the stack of articles 24, 26, so that the wall 18 extends along the elongated portion 30 of the tab means 28 while the tab means 28 itself extends along one side of the stack 24, 26. This tab means 28 includes a projecting portion 32 projecting from the elongated portion 30 to a location overlying the stack 24, 26 so as to releasably retain the stack within the container 12. If desired a suitable transparent cover, made of a clear plastic, may be removably situated over the opening defined by the edges of the side walls distant from the wall 14.

The tab means 28 has a wall 34 forming the exterior visible part of the elongated portion 30, and this wall 34 is connected by a fold line 36 to a wall 38 which extends along the stack. The projecting portion 32 is cut from the wall 38, and the projecting portion 32 extends from and is situated in the same plane as the wall 34, so that in this way the wall 38 is left with the opening 40 visible in FIG. 3. The entire tab means 28 may be made of sheet material which may be the same as that used for the container 12, and the elongated tubular portion 30 has a rectangular cross section, as is apparent from FIG. 2 in particular. FIG. 2 schematically indicates the space above the elongated portion 30 over the wall 38 thereof which is occupied by the stack of greeting cards and envelopes.

The tab means 28 is formed from a one-piece sheetmaterial blank shown in FIG. 4. This sheet-material blank is provided with the fold lines 36, 44, 46, 48, and 50. The part of the blank shown in FIG. 4 above the fold line 36 is formed with a slit 51 passing therethrough and having the configuration indicated in FIG. 4, so that when the wall portions 38 and 34 are folded at the fold line 36, the tab projecting portion 32 will remain in the plane of the wall portion 34 while the folded wall 38 will have the opening 40 indicated in FIG. 3. The blank includes a wall 52 between the fold lines 44 and 46 and folded at the fold line 44 with respect to the Wall 34 so as to extend parallel to the wall 38. Between the fold lines 46 and 48, the blank has a wall portion 54 which becomes situated parallel to and located opposite the wall 34 when the wall 54 is folded at right angles to the wall 52 along the fold line 46. The wall 56 is folded at the fold line 48 so as to extend along and engage the inner surface of the wall 38, and it will be noted that part of the wall 56 is visible in FIG. 3 through the opening 40. Finally the wall '58 is folded with respect to the wall 56 along the fold line '50 and extends along and engages the inner surface of the wall 34. Thus, the outer wall 34 which is visible at the exterior of the package and the wall 38 which directly engages the stack are respectively reinforced by the walls 58 and 56. These walls 56 and 58 may, for example, be adhesively connected to the inner surfaces of the walls 38 and 34, so that the elongated portion 30 of the tab means 28 will have the hollow tubular construction of rectangular cross section clearly apparent from FIGS. 1, 2, and 5.

As may be seen from FIG. 5, the tab means 28 need only be inserted into the container 12 in the direction of the arrows. With a stack of sheet-material articles within the container next to the wall 16 thereof, and with the Wall 14 in a horizontal position at the lowermost part of the container, it is a simple manner to introduce the tab means 28 downwardly with respect to the container 12 so that the tab 32 will overlie the stack of articles, and then when the container is set up for display purposes, where the wall 18 will be in a horizontal position resting on a suitable horizontal supporting surface, the projecting portion 32 of the tab means will releasably retain the stack of articles within the container and these articles will simply rest on the wall 38 as result of the filling of the space between the wall 18 and the stack by the elongated portion 30 of the tab means.

In the case where the stack of sheet-material articles includes greeting cards 24 and envelopes 26, these envelopes 26 will conventionally have an inner distinctive surface 60 shown most clearly in FIG. 6. Thus, this inner distinctive surface 60 may take the form of a predetermined decorative pattern having a given color or combination of colors. In the illustrated example the inner surface 60 is in the form of a striped pattern having stripes of one color alternating with stripes of another color. As is apparent particularly from FIG. 1, the envelopes 26 are not apparent at the exterior surface of the package, and even if they were, the closed envelope flaps 62 would necessary prevent the inner distinctive surfaces 60 from being visible. Therefore, a prospective purchaser would have no way of knowing the appearance of the inner surface 60. The result is that such a prospective purchaser would seek to remove an envelope from the package so as to open the envelope and viewthe inner surface thereof.

In order to avoid this latter undesirable procedure, the tab means 28 has an exterior distinctive surface portion 64 (FIG. 1) which matches the distinctive inner surfaces 60 of the envelopes. Moreover, the projecting portion 32 of the tab means is given a configuration which enables the projecting portion 32 to simulate part of an envelope illustrated at the exterior visible surface of the tab means as simulating the envelope when viewed from the rear with its flap open, so that the distinctive inner surface of the envelope is visible. Thus, by providing the exterior surface portion 64 which matches the inner surface 60 of the envelopes, a prospective purchaser will immediately perceive upon viewing the tab means of the invention the nature of the distinctive inner surface 60 of the envelopes. It thus becomes unnecessary to remove an envelope from the package, and a prospective purchaser will immediately know the appearance of the inner surfaces of the envelopes.

It will be noted that no special structure is required for this purpose. The tab means 28 is required in any event for releasably retaining the stack in the package, and simply by providing the tab means with a simulation of the envelopes within the package, it is possible to eliminate the requirement of removing an envelope from the package prior to purchase thereof.

It is to be noted that the projecting portion 32 of the tab means 28 is situated between and at a substantial distance from the opposed ends of the elongated portion 30 of the tab means, so that the single projecting portion 32 can effectively retain the stack within the package both when the package 10 is in a horizontal position with the wall 14 forming a bottom wall thereof or in a vertical display position, as shown in FIG. 1, where the wall 14 forms a rear wall for the package.

Thus, the packages of the invention are initially manufactured with the tab means 28 of various packages having different distinctive exterior surface portions 64. When the -sheet-material articles are packed into the package to form a stack therein, care is taken to have the particular distinctive surface portions 64 of the tab means match the particular distinctive surface portion 60 of the articles in the stack. Of course, the exterior surface of the Wall 34 beyond the portion thereof which simulates an envelope .may have any desired printed matter located thereon.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a package for sheet-material articles such as greeting cards and envelopes, wherein the articles are arranged in a stack with the envelopes having distinctive inner surfaces which cannot be seen from the exterior of the package, a container for the stack of sheet-material articles, and tab means carried by the container and extending over a stack of sheet-material articles therein for retaining the stack releasably within the container, said tab means having a visible distinctive exterior surface portion matching the distinctive inner surfaces of the envelopes, so that without removing an envelope from the package the distinctive inner surface thereof Will be apparent from the tab means.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said tab means has an elongated portion situated in the interior of the container to extend along one side of a stack of sheet-material articles therein, and said tab means having a projecting portion projecting from said elongated portion to a location overlying a stack of articles in the container, said portion of said tab means which overlies the stack having a configuration simulating at least part of an envelope.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein the part of the envelope simulated by said projecting portion of said tab means includes at least part of an envelope flap in an open position as seen from the back of the envelope vto indicate the inner surface thereof.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the simulation of an envelope extends from said portion of said tab means which overlies the stack onto said elongated portion of said tab means which extends alongside the stack.

5. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said tab means includes an elongated tubular sheet-material member forming the elongated portion of the tab means with the projecting portion thereof cut from one wall of the tubular member and projecting from another wall thereof, said walls of said tubular member being interconnected by a fold line thereof.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said container has a side wall extending along said tubular portion of said tab means with the tubular portion filling the space between said side wall of said container and the stack.

7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said tubular portion of said tab means has a rectangular cross section and includes a top Wall from which said projecting portion of said means extends away from said side wall of said container into said location overlying said stack.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said elongated tubular portion of said tab means has a pair of opposed ends between which said projecting portion of said tab means is located.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1947 Hansom 312 XR 12/1929 Goodbar 229-68

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