Reclosable packaging device

Oct 18, 1966

HANS-AUGUST PRYM ETAL

3,279,596

RECLOSABLE PACKAGING DEVICE

Filed Aug. 20, 1964

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ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Office

3,279,596

Patented Oct. 18, 1966

3,279,596 RECLOSABLE PACKAGING DEVICE Hans-August Prym, Woodstock, Conn., and Helmut

Schifier, Stolberg, Rhineland, Germany, assignors to William Prym-Werke KG, Stolberg, Rhineland, Germany, a partnership of Germany

Filed Aug. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 391,051 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 19,1963, P 22,499

Claims. (CI. 206—78)

The present invention relates to a reclosable packaging device in general and to a notion package suitable for packaging of small products, in particular.

Such packages are used particularly for the dispensing of novelty items which, preferably, are displayed on retail store counters, in order to enhance their sellability.

Reclosable packaging devices have been proposed before, which comprise a forward display panel having a window-opening, in which a transparent protuberant traylike window member is disposed to extend forwardly of the panel and to provide a three-dimensional display chamber. A pair of backing panels is integrally hinged by creases to opposite margins of the display panel and folded toward one another into contact with and secured to the rear surface of the display panel. The adjacent three edges of the backing panels are in approximately edge-abutting relation in order to close the display chamber. Finally, one of the backing panels is provided with transversely spaced longitudinally extending weakened tear lines which define therebetween from the material in the last named backing panel a tongue-like closure flap, which has an end portion thereof projecting beyond the free edge of the last named backing panel and extends oyer the adjacent edge of the other of the backing panels. Finally, a hinging crease is provided, which connects the inner ends of the lines to provide for movement of the closure flap out of planar relationship with the backing panel defined in the same. It is quite apparent that this structure is rather complicated and requires a double panel design of irregular shape, which cannot avoid that waste in the panel material will occur.

Other packages for novelty items have also been proposed before, which require a plurality of panels and in addition, do not secure a proper retaining of the items contained in the package after the latter has been opened.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a closable packaging device, which is reclosable, so that upon opening and removal of a portion of its contents the remainder may be resealed for future use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide ^a. reclosable packaging device, which is of particularly simple design and which includes a transparent protuberant tray-like window member mounted on a single rectangular panel equipped with appropriate perforations and scoring lines, as well as with slots for receiving a folded oyer-portion of the single panel member to which the window member is secured.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the reclosable packaging device, designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective top view of the device, a flap shown in open position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective back view of the device, shown in closed position;

FIG. 5 is a back view of a second embodiment of the device, designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective back view of the device shown in FIG. 5 in closed position;

FIG. 7 is a back view of a third embodiment of the device, designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective back view of the device in closed position, as shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a back view of a fourth embodiment of the device, designed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective back view of the device shown in FIG. 9 in closed position.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 4, the reclosable packaging device comprises a paper board blank 1, which is divided by a scoring line 2 into an upper portion 3 and a lower portion 4 of the paper board blank 1.

The upper portion 3 is equipped with a suspending hole 5, by which the package may be hung up. A protuberant, tray-like window bubble or blister 6 is secured to the lower portion 4 of the paper board blank 1 by heatsealing, stapling or any other suitable manner.

The lower portion 4 of the paper board blank 1 is equipped with another scoring line 7, which is substantially parallel to the scoring line 2, yet of a shorter length and terminates short of the lateral edges of the lower portion 4. Furthermore, the portion 4 is equipped with lateral perforations 8, which extend downwardly from the ends of the scoring line 7 to terminate in their lower ends into slots 9. Another perforated line 10 is disposed parallel to the scoring line 7 across the lower ends of the perforations 8 with the exception of a curved extension 11 in downward direction, which is cut open so that upon separating the lateral perforations 8 and the lower perforated line 10 with the curved extension 11, a flap 12 is created, which is equipped with a tongue-extension 13, which flap 12 is hingedly connected with the lower portion 4 along the scoring line 7 and thus forms a cut-out, yet hingedly connected portion of the lower portion 4 of the paper board blank 1. Upon turning the flap 12 into a flush position with the lower portion 4, the contents resting in the bubble 6 are retained therein. In order to provide an additional security against dispensing the notion items, as pins or the like, a plain paper strip 14 may be inserted loosely or connected at one edge by any suitable means below the flap 12 and below the lower portion 4 between the latter and the bubble or blister 6.

The upper portion 3 of the paper board blank 1 is of predetermined vertical length, that means, the distance between the upper edge of the portion 3 and the scoring line 2, is substantially identical with the distance between the scoring line -2 and the lower edge of the slots 9, so that upon bending over the upper portion 3 along the scoring line 2 above the lower portion 4, the upper edge 15 will enter the slots 9 of the lower portion 4 and the portion between the slots 9 will overlap on top of the upper portion 3 and, thereby, lock the reclosable packaging device.

The reclosable packaging device is marketed substantially in the form disclosed in FIG. 1 of the drawing, in which only the slots 9 are open, while the scoring lines 2 and 7, and the perforated lines 8 and 10 are provided on the package, yet only the slots 9 and the edge of the flap 13 are completely cut open. Only the user and purchaser of the package will open the flap 12 by cutting through the perforated lines 8 and 10, whereby the flap 12 can be lifted and upon lifting also the paper strip 14, if such paper strip 14 is provided, access to the contents in the bubble or blister 6 is available. If the package is to be reused and only several of the notion items are removed from the bubble or blister 6, the paper strip is inserted again between the lower portion 4 and the bubble 6, whereupon the flap 12 is turned down flush into the

3,279,596 plane of the lower portion 4 of the paper hoard blank 1 and finally, the upper portion 3 of the paper board blank 1 is lowered to be inserted again into the slots 9 and closing the package safely and completely.

Referring now again to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 5 and 6, a second embodiment of the reclosable packaging device is disclosed. This embodiment is substantially identical with the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 4 and comprises a paper board blank 1', which is equipped with a scoring line 2' and also has the scoring line 7' opposite the same bubble, as shown in FIG. 1, as well as lateral perforations 8', the distinction residing merely in an arrangement, according to which the lower perforated line 10' is designed with two upwardly directed tongue formations 11'. The upper edge 15' is in this embodiment equally spaced from the scoring line 2' as the perforated line 10'. In the closed position, as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawing, the tongue formations 11' of the lower portion 4' overlap the edge of the upper portion 3.

Referring now again to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 7 and 8 thereof, a third embodiment of the present reclosable packaging device is disclosed. This embodiment follows also substantially the structure and design of the first embodiment and comprises again a paper board blank I² and is also equipped with the score line 2² to divide the paper board blank I² into an upper portion 3² and a lower portion 4². The lower portion 4² has, as shown in the first embodiment, a score line 7² substantially parallel to the score line 2², yet the lateral perforated lines 8² are inclined downwardly towards each other to terminate in a slot separated tongue portion 11². In addition, the tongue-like projections 11²are slotted out from the lower portion 4² and the distance of .the edge 15² of the upper portion 3² from the scoring line 2² is identical with the distance between the scoring line 2² and the scoring lines 11² amounting to the connection lines of the tongue portions 11² to the lower portion 4². As indicated in FIG. 8 of the drawing, the tongue projections 11² overlap the edge 15² of the upper portion 3² of the paper board blank I². The lateral tongue portions 11² have a base line 11° which coincides with the edge line 15² of the upper portion 3² in its closing position.

Referring now again to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 9 and 10, still a fourth embodiment is disclosed, which is likewise substantially identical with that of FIG. 1 and comprises again a paper board blank I³ being divided into upper and lower portions 3³ and 4³. A scoring line 2³ is arranged as the dividing line between the portions 3³ and 4³. The scoring line 7³ and the perforated lines 8³ and 10³ are arranged similar to the design disclosed in FIG. 1, having again a tongue projection ll³, yet the slots 9 provided in the first embodiment are omitted and instead, slots 9³ extend from the upper edge of the portion 3³ slightly downwardly for a length either identical with or slightly shorter than the height of the tongue projection ll³. As shown in FIG. 10, the portion 3³ is turned over the portion 4³, whereby the lateral portions of the edge of the portion 3³ overlap the lower part of the portions 4³ disposed below the scoring line 10³.

While we have disclosed several embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.