US20080121562A1

US20080121562A1 - Packaging

Info

Publication number: US20080121562A1
Application number: US11/667,219
Authority: US
Inventors: Horst Eising; Thomas Bunz; Reiner Segebarth
Original assignee: Sanford GmbH
Current assignee: Sanford GmbH
Priority date: 2004-11-08
Filing date: 2005-10-19
Publication date: 2008-05-29
Also published as: DE112005003385A5; EP1819606A2; JP2008518855A; WO2006047983A2; KR20070085808A; DE202004017203U1; WO2006047983A3; BRPI0517644A; CN101094794B; CN101094794A

Abstract

Disclosed is a packaging for an object, which is characterized in that the same is provided with a suspension element that is movable in a substantially vertical direction via at least one guiding means. Said suspension element allows a suspension device that is embodied thereupon to be slid out of or into a peripheral edge of the packaging.

Description

The invention concerns a packaging for an object.
The packaging of products that are to be offered and sold is of great importance today. On the one hand the packaging should protect sensitive products and also, on the other hand, should draw the consumer's attention to the product. Known packaging consist, for example, of a plastic shell into which the product is placed and a backing sheet made of cardboard with which the plastic shell is closed. Such a packaging can be set either on the display sale shelf or such a packaging can be hung on a rod with a suitable suspension device in a sales room. For the latter alternative, at least the back cardboard sheet must have a suitable hole or similar through which the rod can be inserted. In the case of such suspended packaging, therefore, the cardboard backing sheet must be somewhat larger in shape, in order to provide, in addition to the intended product information, a sufficient area for the suspension device.
Examples of backing sheets from the state of the art for a packaging consisting of a backing sheet and plastic shell are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Hereby, FIG. 1 shows a backing sheet 1, which can be set on a display sale shelf. The backing sheet 1 comprises an upper section 2, on which product information can be provided, as well as a lower section 3 to which a plastic shell (not shown) that contains a product can be attached.
FIG. 2 shows a corresponding backing sheet 1′, which also has an upper section 2′ and a lower section 3′. However, the backing sheet 1′ is intended for hanging on a sales rod, and therefore it has a hole 4′ in its upper section 2′, preferably a standard hole, through which a sales rod can be inserted. Due to providing this hole 4′, the upper section 2′ of the backing sheet 1′ must have a somewhat larger surface area than the upper section 2 of backing sheet 1 so that, on the one hand, all product information that is to be given in the upper section 2′ can be taken into consideration, and, on the other hand, a sufficiently large area is available for providing the hole 4′.
Thus, depending on the intended placement of the packaging of the state of the art, different forms and shapes are required, although the same product is contained in such a packaging. If rows of products are to be packaged in such packaging, it can be seen easily that each member of this series must have ready two different packaging shapes, which results in a very large number of packagings that must be available.
Thus, it is the task of the present invention to provide a packaging that overcomes the disadvantages of the state of the art, especially to provide a packaging that can be used universally both for a display sale shelf or also for hanging on a rod.
This task is solved according to the invention by the fact that the packaging has a suspension element, which can be moved essentially vertically, with at least one guiding means, with which a suspension device embodied thereupon can be slid out above a peripheral edge of the packaging or slid under the peripheral edge of the packaging.
Hereby it is preferred that the packaging have at least one guide pin extending away from the packaging, which engages in an essentially vertical and elongated hole of the suspension element, through which the suspension element can be moved relative to the guide pin.
It is also preferred that the guide pin have a head with a diameter that is larger than the width of the vertical and elongated hole.
One embodiment provides that the end regions of the vertical and elongated hole are wider than a middle region thereof. As a result of the fact that the end regions of the vertical and elongated hole are made wider than the middle region thereof, the guide pins are practically held in a type of locked position when the suspension element is either slid out completely above the peripheral edge of the packaging or is slid in under the peripheral edge of the packaging. Therefore, in order to move the suspension element from these end positions, a certain amount of force must be applied.
Furthermore it is proposed that the guide pin extend from the back side of the packaging toward the back.
It is especially preferred that the back side of the packaging have a backing sheet arranged on it.
Hereby it can be provided that the backing sheet have at least one fastening means.
It is also preferred that the fastening means be a round hole through which at least one guide pin can engage.
It is especially preferred that the suspension element be arranged between the back side and the backing sheet.
Hereby, according to the invention, it is provided that the suspension element be made of plastic, preferably a transparent plastic.
The suspension element can have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.3 mm.
It is also preferred that the backing sheet be made of cardboard.
Furthermore, it is proposed that the suspension device be a suspension hole.
Finally, it is preferred that the receiving hole be a standard receiving hole.
The invention is based on the surprising finding that the packaging according to the invention can be used universally and flexibly both on a display sale shelf and also for the hanging of such a packaging on a rod. The intended suspension element can, as needed, be slid out above a peripheral edge of the packaging and then be pushed onto a sales rod, or the suspension element can be slid in under the peripheral edge of the packaging, so that the packaging according to the invention can be used without difficulty on a display sale shelf. With the packaging according to the invention, the necessity of providing different packagings, depending on the display location, is avoided. Product information that is arranged on the packaging, for example on a backing sheet, can be presented without difficulty without the suspension element hindering or limiting the display of such information or, basically, without a backing sheet with a larger area becoming necessary.
It is especially preferable that the moveable suspension element be arranged on the packaging in such a way that it can be slid out above an upper peripheral edge of the packaging or be slid in under this.
Naturally, a great variety of guiding means to make the moving of the suspension element possible are known to an expert in the field. In addition to the use of guide pins, tracks can, for example, be arranged on the side of the backing sheet, in which the suspension element can be moved in a limited way. It is especially preferred when the suspension element is arranged between the back side of the packaging and the backing sheet. However, one can also conceive that the suspension element is arranged behind the backing sheet and can be slid in or out again from there. The arrangement of the suspension element between the backing sheet and the back side is advantageous overall for the stability of the packaging. In such an arrangement, the suspension element is preferably transparent in order not to cover information that is presented on the backing sheet.
When using guide pins as guiding means, the guide pins preferably have a mushroom-like shape, that is, the head of the guide pin has a diameter that is larger than its body. Such a configuration makes a relatively secure attachment of the suspension element (and of the backing sheet) to the packaging.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention follow from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment with the aid of schematic drawings, in which

FIGS. 1 and 2 show backing sheets for packagings from the state of the art;

FIG. 3 shows a suspension element to be used in a packaging according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a partial representation of a packaging according to the invention with the suspension element slid in; and

FIG. 5 is a partial representation of a packaging according to the invention with the suspension element slid out.

FIG. 3 shows a suspension element 10, which is preferably manufactured from a transparent plastic, for example polymethyl methacrylate or polycarbonate. The receiving element 10 has in its upper region a suspension hole 11 through which the suspension rod can be inserted. In the lower region of the suspension element 10, two essentially vertical and elongated holes 12 are provided. These holes 12 have end regions 13, which have a larger width than a middle region 14 of holes 12. The purpose of such a design is to fix both end positions of the suspension element 10, that is, an end position in which the suspension element 10 is slid out and an end position in which the suspension element 10 is slid in.
FIG. 4 shows a top view onto a packaging according to the invention in which the suspension element 10 shown in FIG. 3 is present in the slid-in position. The suspension element 10 is arranged hereby in an upper region of a packaging 15 and covers at least a part of the area of the backing sheet 16 (shown with the dotted line) of packaging 15. From packaging 15 guide pins 17 extend, preferably from the back side of the packaging, and can go through the vertical and elongated holes 12 of the suspension element 10 and through round holes (not shown) of the backing sheet 16, in order to arrange the suspension element 10 between the backing sheet 16 and the back side of the packaging 15. Since the suspension element 10 is transparent, information that is given on the backing sheet 16 is not hidden by such a suspension element 10. Such a packaging 15 according to the invention can be set up in a display sale shelf without any problems.
However, if such a packaging 15 is supposed to be hung on a rod, then, as shown in FIG. 5, one merely has to pull out the suspension element 10 along its vertical and elongated holes 12 through guide pins 17 so that the suspension hole 11 is exposed above the upper peripheral edge of the packaging 15 or of the backing sheet.
Thus, the packaging according to the invention can be altered in a simple manner in order to make it possible for it to be displayed either on a display sale shelf or by hanging on a rod, without any significant changes of the packaging according to the invention being necessary. Furthermore, the packaging according to the invention makes it possible that only one packaging be required for both forms of presentation, which can be converted in a simple manner. This reduces the manufacturing costs of such packagings considerably, since especially having different packagings available for one product series is no longer necessary.
The characteristics of the invention disclosed in the present specification, in the claims as well as in the drawings can be essential individually as well as in any arbitrary combination for the realization of the invention in its different embodiments.

Claims

1. Packaging (15) for an object, characterized by the fact that the packaging (15) has an essentially vertical suspension element (10) that can be moved with at least one guiding means (17), with which a suspension device (11) built thereon can be slid out above a peripheral edge of the packaging (15) or can be slid in below the peripheral edge (15) of the packaging.

2. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the packaging (15) has at least one guide pin (17) extending from the packaging as guiding means, the guide pin engaging in an essentially vertical and elongated hole (12) of the suspension element (10), with the aid of which the suspension element (10) can be moved relative to the guide pin (17).

3. Packaging according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the guide pin (17) has a head with a diameter that is larger than the width of the vertical and elongated hole (12).

4. Packaging according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the end regions (13) of the vertical and elongated hole (12) are wider than a middle region (14) thereof.

5. Packaging according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by the fact that the guide pin (17) extends backward from the back side of the packaging (15).

6. Packaging according to one of the previous claims, characterized by the fact a backing sheet (16) is arranged on the back side of the packaging (15).

7. Packaging according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the backing sheet has at least one fastening means (18).

8. Packaging according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the fastening means is a round hole through which at least one guide pin (17) can engage.

9. Packaging according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by the fact that the suspension element (10) is arranged between the back side and the backing sheet (10).

10. Packaging according to one of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that the suspension element (10) is made of plastic.

11. Packaging according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the plastic is transparent.

12. Packaging according to one of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that the suspension element has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.3 mm.

13. Packaging according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized by the fact that the backing sheet (16) is made of cardboard.

14. Packaging according to one of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that the suspension device is a suspension hole (11).

15. Packaging according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that the receiving hole (11) is a standard receiving hole.