Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MLT,HOD_S_AND_D.EEICES_RELATING_TQJERO_DJICT_PACKAGINGASD,,msney
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to product packaging and product display, and more
particularly to
methods and devices for providing low cost product retainment during shippingr
and enhanced
display characteristics at retailer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Retailing or shopping as a concept extends at least as far back as ancient
Greece. Where the agora
served as a marketplace for merchants to sell their goods. In ancient Rome a
similar marketplace
known as the forum existed. Throughout history fairs and markets have a long
histOry that started
when humans felt the desire to exchange goods and services where people world
shop. Such
markets are frequently weekly whilst fairs were typically less frequent.
Subsequently, shops
began to be pemianently established when market traders stayed in one location
and were
traditionally specialized, e.g. a bakery, a butchery, a grocer, where the
customer would be served
by the shopkeeper, who would retrieve all the goods on their shopping list.
Shops would often
I 5 deliver the goods to the customers homes.
Then in the 1930s supermarkets appeared in the United States during the Great
Depression as
customers became price sensitive in a manner never seen before. In
supermarkets, and their
larger cousins the hypermarkets, customers select goods, retrieve them off the
shelves using self-
service, and may even scan the items to generate their bill and pack their own
goods. Customers
deliver their own goods. Subsequently, online retailing has been added to the
options for
customers via the Internet where after selection and purchase the goods are
delivered to their
homes.
Within each of these different retailing models, be it individual retailers,
superrnarkets, or online
retailing operations, there exists another retailing concept, business-to-
business (B2B) retailing
wherein one business acts as the customer to another business, For example, a
supermarket, such
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as Krogers, Safeway, Wal-Mart etc, sources the products it sells either
directly from multiple
producers such as PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever, Kraft, and General Mills or from
food distributors
such as Sysco Corporation who purchase and manage logistics for the retailer.
Since the Industrial Revolution products have been shipped in bulk from a
manufacturer to a
$ retailer in a variety of packaging display vehicles. The package display
vehicles need to be
attractive, stand up to the rigors of shipment, requiring minimal handling at
the retail level and
provide easy access to the product. They also need to be cost effective. With
the recent drastic
changes in the retail environment over the past few years with low cost
supermarkets /
hypermarkets and big box retailers these retailers no longer want to even cut
cases for display or
unpack goods onto the shelves. Excess protective packaging such as increase
board strength,
using double wall versus single wail, dividers, corner boards, slip sheets,
layer pads or trays
between layers of packages, all add additional material, labor and freight
costs to the
manufacturer, retailer and the consumer. These cost variables can frequently
be overlooked but
can add to significant excess costs. The constant competitive pressure to
drive costs down on the
manufacturing and retail sides, while, at a minimum, maintaining profitability
present challenges
which the embodiments of the invention address.
At the same time retailers demand packaging that facilitates high sales
turnover within the
allocated space in the shortest amount of time. They demand that the products
be ready to shop
once the pallet hits the retail floor and any perimeter protective packaging
is removed. The next
time they want to touch the packaging display vehicle is to recycle it once
empty. To compound
matters, many of the large retailers and warehouse clubs, have varying
requirements for special
promotions, graphics, packages, sizes, and counts etc. which make long
production runs less
feasible, Adding to these factors, there is constant pressure to reduce the
costs to retailers and as
the life cycles of a product package size, structure, quantity, graphics,
merchandising, etc.
become shorter then these reduce the feasibility for long term packaging
machinery expenditures
by the manufacturer. in many instances, the retailer does not want to do
anything more than
remove part of the packaging the products are shipped in to yield the product
display the
customer interacts with.
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At the same time retailers and customers alike do not want products that have
been damaged in
transit, storage or on display as well as ensuring other problems are overcome
to avoid
deleterious effects on the product that, in turn, might impair its
marketability. Likewise, retailers
and manufacturers alike do not want the costs associated with returns where
the product has been
damaged even if the packaging appears unaffected. This has tended to result in
increased
packaging around the product in order to attain the necessary strength and
rigidity. Of the
packaging display vehicles used for such packaging, it has heretofore been
necessary, in many
instances, for them to be formed of heavy gauge costly material and/or to
utilize special
reinforcing inserts to be positioned within the packaging display vehicle.
Numerous multiple 90
and 180 degree folds are required to lock reinforcement features in place
adding additional labor
costs, production displays and additional opportunities for repetitive stress
injuries to occur.
Further, the weight and current designs of the superimposed stacked
arrangement of product
packaging in storage, display, shipment, etc. certain external packaging is
subjected to
substantial compressive forces leading to use of thicker cardboard etc. in
packaging in order to
avoid the collapse or distortion of the lower packaging sometimes nesting
inside the container it
was supposed to be superimposed and stacked on, resulting in sidewall
deflection, tearing of
adjoining interlocking supports and panels, accidental exposure of product and
in some cases,
pallet loads collapsing. To overcome this, some packaging designs use display
trays with smaller
footprints and a smaller number of products per display in order to minimize
twisting, torque and
other disfigurement resulting from excessive stress when extra products are
added. This results in
an increased unit cost per package as the cost of the display and assembly is
prorated over fewer
pieces.
Most prior art packaging efforts focus on getting the product safely from the'
plant, to the
retailers' distribution center and ultimately to the retail floor. In some
cases, minimal effort
seems to be placed on designing a package that will withstand the rigors of
how it is actually
shopped on to the retail floor. At this stage, the removal of product(s) from
the packaging should
leave the remainder intact and presenting an appealing image to the customer.
The retailer does
not want to pay employees to individually reposition each product item on
display in a mariner
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that is both appealing to the customer and safe for the product nor do
custbmers want to
rummage through a product display to ascertain the product in front of them or
find one that
appeals to them. Accordingly, many products are packaged in packaging format S
that provide a
stable base but result in increased packaging volume and therefore reduced
prOduct count per
package. Embodiments of the invention address these issues.
At the same time, lead times are continuing to shrink such that varying
product packaging
requires manufacturers can mix-and-match a small number of elements to provide
the desired
flexibility in packaging options and desired response time of retailers
Embodiments of the
invention address these issues.
Within the prior art there are a large number of patents that address
different aspects of product
packaging but none address all of the issues identified above nor do any of
these prior art
packaging approaches provide an adequate solution to retailers evolving
demands Further, most
of these prior art approaches tend to address products that are small,
lightweight, and
approximately constant in their three dimensions. Solutions for high aspect
ratio products are far
less common.
Accordingly, there is a need for a packaging solution that allows a common
package footprint to
handle multiple different products_
There is further a. need in the art for a container with improved strength
characteristics to
withstand the collapsing or lateral deflection of vertical container walls
which may result when
forces are applied to such containers without requiring complex assembly or
design.
There is further a need for a container that is optimally adapted for pallet-
type marketing, namely
retail sale of products displayed in bulk in the containers in which they are
shipped in bulk.
There is a further a need for a container which is easy to manipulate and easy
to assemble.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
those ordinarily
skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific
embodiments of the
invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures,
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate limitations within the
prior art relating to
product packaging and product display, and more particularly to methods and
devices for
providing low cost product retainment during shipping and enhanced display
characteristics at
retailer,
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a method
comprising;
providing a first packaging support comprising a predetermined first count of
first platfolins,
each first platfoim being defined by a predetermined width;
providing a second packaging support comprising a predetermined second count
of second
platforms, each second platform being defined by a predetermined width;
inserting the first and second packaging supports into an outer carton;
inserting a predetermined third count of products into the outer carton,
wherein
the first and second packaging supports provide for stable positioning of the
predetermined third
count of products during shipment to and display at a retailer's
establishment.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a method
coMprising;
receiving a product of a plurality of products at a location for display
within a shipment carton,
the shipment carton comprising:
a first packaging support comprising a predetermined first count of first
platforms, each
first platform being defined by a predetermined width;
a second packaging support comprising a predetermined second count of second
platforms, each second platform being defined by a predetermined width;
an outer shell;
displaying the product of the plurality of products at the location within a
display carton, wherein
the product of the plurality of products are inserted within the outer shell
and are restrained by
the first and second packaging supports and the first and second packaging
supports
provide for stable positioning of the product of the plurality of products
during shipment
and display.
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According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method
for shipping
products in an outer carton having at least two facing opposite side walls in
which the products
are to be displayed following shipping at a reseller's establishment
comprising;
providing a first packaging support comprising a plurality of first raised,
parallel platforms, each
first platform being defined by a predetermined width;
providing a second packaging support comprising a plurality of second raised
parallel platforms,
each second platform being defined by a predetermined width;
inserting the first and second packaging supports into the outer carton such
that the first
packaging support rests adjacent to one of the carton's at least two facing
opposite side
walls and the second packaging support is spaced-apart from the first
packaging support
and rests adjacent to the other of the carton's at least two facing opposite
side walls,
wherein the plurality of first platforms of the first packaging support faces
the plurality of
second platforms of the second packaging support;
inserting a count of products into the outer carton between the spaced apart
first and second
package supports such that opposite ends of each product of the count of
products rest
between a pair of the first platforms of the plurality of first platforms on
the first
packaging support and a pair of the second platforms of the plurality of
second platforms
on the second packaging support, wherein
the first and second packaging supports provide for stable positioning of the
count of products
during shipment to and display at the reseller's establishment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method for displaying
products in an outer carton having at least two facing opposite side walls in
which the products
are to be displayed following receipt at a reseller's establishment
comprising;
opening an upper surface of the carton, above the at least two facing opposite
side walls,
exposing the product within the carton, and displaying the product within the
carton
following receipt at a reseller's establishment, wherein the carton comprises:
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a first packaging support comprising a plurality of first raised, parallel
platforms, each first
platform being defined by a predetermined width;
a second packaging support comprising a plurality of second raised parallel
platforms, each
second platform being defined by a predetermined width;
wherein the first and second packaging supports are located in the outer
carton such that the first
packaging support rests adjacent to one of the carton's at least two facing
opposite side
walls and the second packaging support is spaced-apart from the first
packaging support
and rests adjacent to the other of the carton's at least two facing opposite
side walls,
wherein the plurality of first platforms of the first packaging support faces
the plurality of
second platforms of the second packaging support;
a count of products located in the outer carton between the spaced apart first
and second package
supports such that opposite ends of each product of the count of products rest
between a
pair of the first platforms of the plurality of first platforms on the first
packaging support
and a pair of the second platforms of the plurality of second platfoims on the
second
packaging support, wherein
the first and second packaging supports provide for stable positioning of the
count of products
during display at the reseller's establishment.
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Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
those ordinarily
skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific
embodiments of the
invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example
only, with
reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
Figures 1 and 2 depict a prior art approach to product packaging according to
US Patent
6,386,366;
Figure 3 depicts a prior art approach to product packaging according to US
Patent 7,004,379;
Figures 4A and 4B depict typical packaging formats within the prior art;
Figure 4C depicts a typical retailer shelf for products with high aspect
ratio,
Figure 5 depicts a packaging methodology according to an embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 6 depicts a packaging methodology according to an embodiment of the
invention;
Figures 7A and 7B depict packaging methodologies according to embodiments of
the invention;
Figure 8 depicts packaging methodologies according to embodiments of the
invention;
Figure 9 depicts packaging methodologies according to embodiments of the
invention;
Figure 10 depicts packaging methodologies according to embodiments of the
invention;
Figure 11 depicts packaging methodologies according to embodiments of the
invention; and
Figure 12 depicts packaging methodologies according to embodiments of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is directed to product packaging and product display,
and more
particularly to methods and devices for providing low cost product retainment
during shipping
and enhanced display characteristics at retailer.
The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiment(s) only, and is not
intended to limit the
scope, applicability or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing
description of the
exemplary embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling
description for
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exemplary embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling
description for
implementing an exemplary embodiment.
A "package," "box," "container," or "carton" as used herein and throughout
this disclosure,
refers to an outer packaging employed in the packaging, shipment, storage, and
display of
products which are packaged or unpackaged within.
Referring to Figure 1 there is depicted a prior art packaging approach as
disclosed within US
Patent 6,386,366. As depicted a container 101 which is currently used to
transport and store
several individually packaged products P is depicted. The container 101
includes a body 102
having a bottom panel 103 and two side panels 104 extending upward from
opposite sides of the
bottom panel 103. Openings 105 are provided in opposite sides of the body 102
and permit
limited viewing of one face of the packaged products P. The container 101 also
includes a
removable lid 106. In order to display the packaged products P loaded within
the container 101,
the lid 106 is removed. Thereafter, each individually packaged product P must
be removed from
the body 102 and properly positioned in a display location. This, however, is
a labor-intensive
process, as previously described.
Alternatively, after the lid 106 is removed, the body 102, with the packaged
products P loaded
therein, can be positioned in a display location. In order to permit access to
the packaged
products P by a consumer, a bottom flap 107 and side flaps 108 of the body 102
must also be
opened. In this state, however, the body 102, appears unkempt and only permits
limited viewing
of one face of the packaged products P. In addition, when the bottom flap 107
and the side flaps
108 are opened, the body 102 no longer provides adequate support for the
packaged products P.
For example, if the packaged products P are packaged as individual bags or
soft-side packages,
the side flaps 108 and, especially, the bottom flap 107 no longer provide
vertical or lateral
support for the packaged products P. The packaged products P, therefore, can
easily fall through
one of the openings 105. Consequently, positioning of the body 102 in a
display location, with
the packaged products P loaded therein, results in a product display which is
generally
unappealing and unattractive to a consumer.
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An embodiment of a prior art shipping and display container 100 according to
the prior art
packaging approach according to embodiments of the invention as disclosed
within US Patent
6,386,366 are depicted in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the tray 100 of the
shipping and
display container includes a bottom panel 110, a back panel 120 extending
upward from the
bottom panel 110 along a back edge thereof, a front panel 130 extending upWard
from the
bottom panel 110 along a front edge thereof, and a pair of bottom side flaps
112 extending from
opposite sides of the bottom panel 110. The back panel 120 and the front panel
130 are each
preferably oriented generally pexpendicular to the bottom panel 110. The
bottortilside flaps 112
extend upward from the bottom panel 110 and are also preferably oriented
generally
perpendicular to the bottom panel 1.10. As such, the tray 100 is generally L-
shaped.
Further, as shown in Figure 2, an upper edge 114 of the respective bottom side
flaps 112 is
preferably linear, extending generally parallel with a lower edge 116, such
that the bottom side
flaps 112 are relatively uniform in height. Alternatively, however, the upper
'edge 114 can
assume other configurations, either linear or non-linear, such that the bottom
side' flaps 112 can
have shapes, either regular or irregular, other than that shown in Figure 2.
The tray 100 also
includes a pair of back side flaps 122 extending from opposite sides of the
back panel 120 and a
pair of front side flaps 132 extending from opposite sides of the front panel
130, The back side
flaps 122 extend forward from the back panel 120 and are preferably oriented
generally
perpendicular to the back panel 120. The front side flaps 132 extend rearward
from the front
panel 130 and are preferably oriented generally perpendicular to the front
panel 130. As such,
each of the bottom side flaps 112 are secured to an adjacent one of the back
side 'flaps 122 and
the from side flaps 132. The bottom side flaps 112 can be secured to the back
side [flaps 122 and
the front side flaps 132 by, for example, adhesive, tape, or staples.
The front panel 130 includes a back face (not shown) facing toward the back
panel 120 and a
front face 134 facing away from the back panel 120 opposite the back face, As
shown in FIG. 5,
the front face 134 provides a display area adapted to receive indicia 136
thereon. The indicia 136
generally includes information identifying the packaged products P positioned
on the tray 100
and can be, for example, printed directly on the front face 134 or a label
affixed to the front face
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=
134. Also as shown in Figure 2, the cover 200 includes a top panel 210 and a
front panel 220
extending downward from the top panel 210 along a front edge thereof, The
front panel 220 is
preferably oriented generally perpendicular to the top panel 210. As such, the
cover 200 is also
generally L-shaped.
The cover 200 also includes a pair of top side flaps 212 extending from
opposite sides of the top
panel 210, a back flap 214 extending from a back edge of the top panel 210,
and a pair of front
side flaps 222 extending from opposite sides of the front panel 220. The top
,side flaps 212
extend downward from the top panel 210 and are preferably oriented generally
perpendicular to
the top panel 210. The back flap 214 is configured to extend generally
downward from the top
panel 210 and is pivotable relative to thc top panel 210 about the back edge
thereof. The front
side flaps 222 extend rearward from the front panel 220 and are preferably
oriented generally
perpendicular to the front panel 220. As such, each of the top side flaps 212
are secured to an
adjacent one of the front side flaps 222 by, for example, adhesive, tape, or
staples.
Referring to Figure 3 there is depicted a prior art approach to product
packaging according to US
Patent 7,004,379 wherein the folded and glued preform after the automatic
folding and gluing
steps and prior to shipment are depicted by assemblies 310 as well as prior to
folding and gluing
with preform 320. The preform 320 employs multiple panels that form the corner
posts which are
folded over each other about fold lines in order to form a corner comprised of
two layers of sheet
material. The fold line, however, extends from the top of the corner to
approximately three-
quarters of the way down the corner and is then cut to form a foot. Thus, when
the panel is
folded over to overlay another panel, the foot remains extending outward. Also
when the panel is
folded over so as to overlie the other panel, a smaller panel at the free end
of the corner panels
overlies the edge of the inner surface of the side wall and is glued thereto
to form a side corner
wall and the main portion of panel overlying the other panel forms a front
corner 'wall, Each of
the other corners is formed in the identical manner. Shoulder forming panels
and pOsitioning tabs
are pre-cut and formed at the uppermost part of the panel forming the side
walls and include old
lines and die-cut sections. At the manufacturer, the top end of the panel
forming the side wall is
folded over along a fold line and the inner surface of the panel is glued to
the inner surface of the
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side wall. Once assembled the assembly 310 allows for robust stacking of
assemblies 310 for
shipment etc but poor display options to the customer as the assemblies 310
must be displayed
transversely for ease of access.
However, both prior art packaging solutions as depicted in Figures 1 through 3
are typical of
those within the prior art and address the provisioning of packaging shells
within which discrete
product packages are presented to the customer, where as depicted in Figure
4A, such prior art
packaging options exploit packages for each individual product that are
inherently stable due to
their exploitation of packaging dimensions that are approximately constant in
each axis and have
large bases upon which each individual product package sits. Referring to
Figure 4B a prior art
packaging technique is depicted wherein the outer shell of the packaging
incorporates a series of
slots within which the cardboard back sheet of the product packaging are
inserted. However, as
evident, the manufacturer does not exploit this for all of their products and
a typical display of
products without large product package bases is depicted in area 430 with
product packages
lying down. Each display package is designed specifically to the product
displayed and
accordingly first display package 410 for 3 packs of halogen lights is
different to second display
package 420 for single pack incandescent lights Similarly. Figure 4C shows a
typical display
within a big box retailer for decorative floor registers for air conditioning
vents l wherein each
display package simply has the floor registers leaning against the back wall
of the display
package initially until customers remove one or more wherein they may lean
forward, slide
down, etc.
Accordingly, referring to Figure 5, there is depicted a packaging methodology
according to an
embodiment of the invention for products wherein a standard box 520 when
assembled has
product unit 510 inserted within it which is then sealed to yield shipment box
530. At the retailer,
the first to fourth flaps 520A to 520D may be removed leaving carton 520E with
product unit
510 visible, allowing the customer to remove each product 510A.Once all
product 510A is
removed, the carton 520E and Packaging Supports 510B may be disposed of
Optionally,
Packaging Supports 510B may be recycled along with carton 520E as they are
both based upon
similar materials, e.g. paper based or plastic, or they may be recycled
separately as they are
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formed from different materials, e.g. a cardboard box for carton 520E and
plastic Packaging
Supports 510B. Alternatively, the manufacturer may work with the retailer to
recover the
Packaging Supports 510B by collecting these at the next delivery of further
products. Now
referring to Figure 6 there is depicted a product unit 510 in expanded view
with first and second
Packaging Supports 610A and 610B at two ends of a set of products 620. Whilst
Figures 5 and 6
depict a packaging methodology according to an embodiment of the invention for
shipment and
retail display it would be evident that the concept may also be used solely
for shipment with the
retailer removing products from the packaging prior to display or cutting off
the front of the box
520 and merely removing the four flaps 520A to 520D and Packaging Support 610A
for display.
Referring to Figures 7A and 7B there are depicted packa.ging methodologies
according to
embodiments of the invention. As depicted in Figure 7A a perspective view of
Packaging
Support 700 is shown comprising a base plate 730 with a plurality of platforms
720 which define
between them a plurality of zones 710 which are dimensioned to fit one end of
a product to be
packaged for shipment and retail display. Figure 7B depicts plan and front
elevation views of
Packaging Support 700. As depicted, the number of platforms 720 may be varied
for a given
base plate 730 to suit the product being packaged. In this manner, the
manufacturer may
standardize the carton within which the Packaging Supports 700 and products
are assembled
such that all aspects of palletization, shipments, display are consistent
irrespective of whether the
product being shipped is for example a thin vent grill or a deep floor
register.
This being evident in Figure 8 wherein first and second Packaging Supports
800A and 800B
according to embodiments of the invention are depicted. First Packaging
Support 800A
comprising M platforms of width W1 with zones Gi between them. Second
Packaging Support
800B comprising AT platforms of width W2 with zones G2 between them. As
depicted in
Figure 9, first and second Packaging Supports 900A and 900B are depicted in
cross-section
showing that the platforms rnay be solid or formed from a sheet so that the
platforms are hollow.
Beneficially ,the second Packaging Support 900B allows a large number of
Packaging Supports
to be stacked and shipped to the manufacturer for use from their supplier. As
discussed supra, a
Packaging Support may be formed from a variety of materials including, but not
limited to,
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stamped cardboard, cut-and-folded cardboard, molded paper pulp, molded fiber,
expanded
polystyrene, vacuum formed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl
chloride (PVC),
polyethylene, polypropylene, as well as molded and / or shaped foams. In some
embodiments of
the invention the Packaging Supports may be metal should the product warrant
it through
considerations such as cost, weight, ctc,. Cardboard and molded pulp variants
may be made
waterproof through the spray application of a wax, for example. In other
embodiments of the
invention the Packaging Support may be machined, laser cut etc from a pre-
form.
Now referring to Figure 10, there are depicted packaging methodologies
according to
embodiments of the invention with first to third Packaging Supports 1000A to
1000C. As
depicted with first and second Packaging Supports 1000A and 1000B
respectively, the platforms
may be offset at a predetermined angle to an axis of the first and second
Packaging Supports
1000A and 1000B respectively. Accordingly, upon the retailer shelving the
first and second
Packaging Supports, 1000A and 1000B respectively provide for the products 1110
to sit against
the rear of the carton 1120 such as depicted in first retailer cross-section
1100A in Figure 11 or
the bottom of the carton 1120 and be sloped slightly such as depicted in
second retailer cross-
section 1100B in Figure 11. Alternatively, when displaying products vertically
no angle may be
employed.
Third Packaging Support 1000C in contrast is designed to engage with large
products within a
carton, e.g. air filters which are large surface area but thin, large area
grills, and other products.
As depicted in Figure 12 with first and second cross-sections 1200A and 1200B
respectively, a
Packaging Support 1210 may be employed with thin product 1220 and thick
produCt 1230. If the
spacing of the platforms within the Packaging Support 1210 is greater than the
thickness of the
product then each zone between the platforms may be employed to hold a
product. In other
embodiments of the invention only a portion of the zones between the platforms
may be
employed such that for example the same Packaging Support 1210 is employed
with a range of
products for packaging, shipment and display.
Within the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the invention in respect
of Figures 5
through 12 it may have been assumed by the reader that the Packaging Supports
at either end are
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identical. However, they may be different in order to accommodate the
particular product
packaging. It would also be evident that multiple sets of Packaging Supports
may be employed
within a single container or carton with or without additional flat sheet or
shaped dividers.
Similarly, a Packaging Support may according to the requirements of the
manufacturer or retailer
have platforms of different dimensions within a single Packaging Support. Fix
example, a
product may require 2 elements, e.g. a floor register and air filter which
have different
dimensions. Rather than these being disposed in adjacent cartons with, for
example 20 registers
in a first carton and 80 filters in a second carton the display packaging may
comprise 16 registers
with 16 filters alternating within the same carton. Accordingly, this may
provide for reduced
waste and / or eased inventory management at the retailer. In other
embodiments a product may
exploit two or more zones within a Packaging Support at one side of the
product and a different
number of zones in a Packaging Support at the other side of the product.
Within embodiments of the invention the Packaging Supports have been described
as separate to
the box within which the products are shipped and / or displayed. However, it
would be evident
that within other embodiments of the invention the Packaging Supports may be
integral to the
box either through attachment prior to insertion of the products, e.g. by
glue, tape, staples, etc, or
integrally formed within the box at its manufa,cture.
The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention
has been
presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to
be exhaustive or to
limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and
modifieations of the
embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the
art in light of the
above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the
claims appended hereto,
and by their equivalents.
Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present invention,
the specification may
have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a
particular sequence of
steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the
partietilar order of
steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the
particular sequence of
steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other
sequences of steps
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CA 02821761 2015-08-25
may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the
specification should
not be construed as limitations on the claims.
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