Improvements in or relating to paint roller tube packaging

Abstract

The hanging paint roller tube 102 comprises a display packaging 100 for displaying a paint roller tube. The display packaging 100 comprising a hanging end member 110 including an attachment portion 11

Description

This invention relates to a display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube. It is known to manufacture and sell paint roller tubes separate to a paint roller device so that the paint roller tube can be replaced, e.g. because of wear of the paint roller tube or to use a different style or texture of paint roller tube for different painting tasks. It is understood that the paint roller tube is the tubular roller part which is rotatably secured to a paint roller device and is used to apply paint to a surface. Paint roller tubes, especially when sold individually, are typically stored and displayed via a plastic bag. There is a need to provide a more environmentally friendly packaging solution for paint rollers. The solutions provided for by the invention will reduce the amount of packaging, i.e. eliminate the need for a plastic bag, and, in some embodiments, be able to be made from a single piece of material (such as card). This will make the packaging easier to recycle and have less manufacturing steps to produce the packaging. Many paint roller tubes have a completely hollow core and an outer paint application surface (which may be made from a fabric such as a polyester or polyamide, for example). In such paint roller tubes, a paint roller device would be inserted into the and through the hollow core to rotatably secure the paint roller tube to the paint roller device. Other rollers, typically those over a certain diameter, are fitted with end caps which each receive a pin or separate pins of a paint roller device. In such paint roller tubes, the paint roller tube is rotatably secured to the paint roller device via the end caps. There is, therefore, a need to provide an environmentally friendly packaging solution for both types of paint roller tubes. According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a paint roller tube for display comprising: a display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube, the display packaging comprising a hanging end member including an attachment portion; and a paint roller tube, wherein the paint roller tube comprises an attachment portion that is mutually engageable with the attachment portion of the hanging end member. Preferably, the paint roller tube includes an end cap, the attachment portion of the paint roller tube being part of the end cap, wherein each of the mutually engageable attachment portions includes a threaded member to threadabiy secure the display packaging to the paint roller tube via the threaded members. Optionally the attachment portion of the end cap is configured to receive the mutually engagement attachment portion of the hanging end member. The hanging end member may include a hanging aperture configured to receive a hanging member for displaying the paint roller tube, the hanging end member being considered to be located at a top end of the paint roller tube when the paint roller tube is hung. The end cap may be selectively removeable from the paint roller tube. Aspects of the invention are set out in the following numbered paragraphs. 1. A display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube, the display packaging comprising a hanging end member including a hanging aperture configured to be received by a hanger for displaying the paint roller tube in use, the hanging end member being configured to be secured at one end of the paint roller tube in use to hang the paint roller tube from the hanging end member. 2. A display packaging according to Paragraph 1 wherein the hanging end member includes an elongate body extending from the hanging end member and an end stop at the opposing end of the elongate body to the hanging end member, the elongate body being configured to be received by the paint roller tube in use, the hanging end member and the end stop each having a width wider than the diameter of the paint roller tube to retain the paint roller tube on the elongate body and between the hanging end member and end stop in use, wherein at least one of the hanging end member and the end stop includes at least one folded portion that is foldable to reduce the width of the at least one of the hanging end member and the end stop to a width less than the diameter of the paint roller tube so as to permit the paint roller tube to be slid over the at least one of the hanging end member and the end stop when it is in a folded position, the folded portion being capable of being unfolded into an unfolded position to define a width that extends wider than the diameter of the paint roller tube once the paint roller tube is in situ. 3. A display packaging according to Paragraph 1 wherein the hanging end member includes an attachment portion configured to be secured to a mutually engageable attachment portion of the paint roller tube in use. 4. A display packaging according to any preceding Paragraph wherein the hanging end member includes an outwardly facing surface that is visible when the paint roller tube is in situ with the display packaging, the outwardly facing surface having space for displaying merchandising information thereon. 5. A display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube, the display packaging comprising an insert member having first and second end stops and an elongate body extending between the first and second end stops, the elongate body being configured to be received by the paint roller tube in use, and the first and second end stops each having a width wider than the diameter of the paint roller tube to retain the paint roller tube on the elongate body and between the first and second end stops in use, wherein at least one of the first and second end stops incudes at least one folded portion that is foldable to reduce the width of the at least one of the first and second end stops to a width less than the diameter of the paint roller tube so as to permit the paint roller tube to be slid over the at least one of the first and second end stops when it is in a folded position, the folded portion being capable of being unfolded into an unfolded position to define a width that extends wider than the diameter of the paint roller tube once the paint roller tube is in situ. 6. A display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube according to Paragraph 5 wherein the at least one of the first and second end stops includes two folding portions positioned on either side of the at least one of the first and second end stops, 7. A display packaging according to Paragraph 6 wherein the two folding portions are a mirror image of one another. 8. A display packaging according to Paragraph 6 or Paragraph 7 wherein fold lines that define each of the folding portions are aligned with the width of the elongate body. 9. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 8 wherein each of the first and second end stops includes a folded portion. 10. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 9 wherein a connecting surface extending between one or both sides of the elongate body and the or each of the first and second end stops is slanted, wherein the slant direction from the or each of the first and second end stops is towards the other of the first and second end stops. 11. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 10 further including a body support portion extending outwardly from the elongate body so as to increase the width of the elongate body at the body support portion to more than the width of the remainder of the elongate body but equal to or less than the width of the first and second end stops. 12. A display packaging according to Paragraph 11 wherein the insert member includes more than one body support portion. 13. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 12 wherein the first end stop includes a hanging aperture configured to receive a hanging member for displaying the paint roller tube, the first end stop being considered to be located at a top end of the insert member when the packaging is hung. 14. A display packaging according to Paragraph 13 wherein at least the first end stop includes at least one folded portion. 15. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 14 wherein the elongate body and first and second end stops are integrally formed to create a single piece insert member. 16. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 5 to 15 further comprising a sieeve member configured to extend around the paint roller tube when in situ on the insert member. 17. A display packaging according to Paragraph 16 wherein the sleeve member is integrally formed with the insert member. 18. A display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube, the display packaging comprising a hanging end member including an attachment portion configured to be secured to a mutually engageable attachment portion of the paint roller tube in use. 19. A display packaging according to Paragraph 18 wherein the attachment portion is a threaded member which is mutually engagebale with a threaded member of the paint roller tube in use. 20. A display packaging according to Paragraph 18 or Claim 19 wherein the attachment portion is configured to be received by the mutually engagement attachment portion of the paint roller tube in use. 21. A display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 18 to 20 wherein the hanging end member includes a hanging aperture configured to receive a hanging member for displaying the packaging, the hanging end member being considered to be located at a top end of the paint roller tube when the packaging is hung. 22. A paint roller tube for display comprising: a display packaging according to any preceding claim, and a paint roller tube cooperating with the display packaging. 23. A hanging paint roller tube for display comprising: a display packaging according to any one of Paragraphs 18 to 21; and a paint roller tube, wherein the paint roller tube comprises an attachment portion that is mutually engageable with the attachment portion of the hanging end member. 24. A hanging paint roller tube according to Paragraph 23 wherein the paint roller tube includes an end cap including the attachment portion. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures la and lb show a display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube; Figure 2 shows the display packaging of Figure la and Figure lb in use with a paint roller tube; Figures 3a, 3b and 3c show the display packaging of Figure la and Figure lb with additional body support portions; Figure 4 shows a display packaging according to the invention; and Figure 5 shows the display packaging of Figure 4 with the addition of interference ridges. A display packaging 10 is shown in Figures la to 3c. The display packaging 10 is intended to be used with a paint roller tube 18 which has an entirely hollow core. It will be understood that the paint roller tube 18 has an inner diameter (i.e. the hollow core) and an outer diameter (i.e. defined by the outer surface such as the outer fibre or foam). The display packaging 10 includes an insert member 12 that has first and second end stops 14a, 14b and an elongate body 16 that extends between the first and second end stops 14a, 14b. In other sections of this application, the first end stop 14a may be referred to as a hanging end member 14a. As will be explained in more detail below (and as shown in Figure 2), the hanging end member 14a is configured to be secured at one end of a paint roller tube 18 (i.e. via the paint roller tube being held between the hanging end member 14a and the second end stop 14b in this example). The elongate body 16 is inserted into the hollow core of a paint roller tube 18 in use (see Figure 2). Therefore, the elongate body 16 must have a width Wb that is less than the inner diameter of the paint roller tube 18, and must have a length that is at least the length of the paint roller tube 18 so as to allow the elongate body 16 to be inserted into and along the length of the paint roller tube 18. Typically, there are standard sizes of paint roller tubes 18 and so a skilled person could readily size the elongate body 16 to suit the size of the paint roller tube 18 with which the display packaging 10 is going to be used. The first and second end stops 14a, 14b each have a width We that is wider than at least the inner diameter of the paint roller tube 18. A shown more clearly in Figure 2, the first and second end stops 14a, 14b each have a width We that is wider than the inner diameter of the paint roller tube 18 but narrower than the outer diameter of the paint roller tube 18. In this way, the first and second end stops 14a, 14b do not extend outwardly from the outer surface of the paint roller tube 18 and so do not take up more space than the paint roller tube 18. In other examples, the first and second end stops 14a, 14b may instead have a width We that is wider than the outer diameter of the paint roller tube 18 so that they each extend past the width of the paint roller tube 18. However, care must be taken to ensure that, when the or each end stops 14a, 14b are folded to allow the paint roller tube 18 to be slid over the or each end stop 14a, 14b (as described in more detail below), that the size and shape of the folded portion does not prevent the insertion of the display packaging 10 into the paint roller tube 18. The elongate body 16 and the first and second end stops 14a, 14b cooperate to retain the paint roller tube 18 onto the elongate body 16 and between the first and second end stops 14a, 14b when the elongate body 16 is inserted into the paint roller tube 18 (see Figure 2), To get the paint roller tube 18 onto the elongate body 16, the first end stop 14a includes a pair of folding portions 20 that are each folded to reduce the width We of the first end stop 14a to a width less than the inner diameter of the paint roller tube 18 (see Figure lb). This allows the paint roller tube 18 to be slid over the first end stop 14a when it is in the folded position. Moreover, the folding portions 20 are capable of being unfolded into an unfolded position (i.e. a substantially flat position, as shown in Figures la and 2) to define a width that extends wider than the diameter of the paint roller tube 18 once the paint roller tube 18 is in situ on the elongate body 16. It will be understood that in the unfolded position, the width defined by the folding portions 20 is substantially the same as the width We of the first end stop 14a. However, depending on how the folding portions 20 are unfolded (and, in some instances, how many times they have been folded and unfolded) will depend on how well the folding portions 20 are able to be flattened. Therefore, the width defined by the folding portions 20 being in the unfolded position after they have been folded into the folded position may be slightly less than the width We of the first end stop 14a. In this example, fold lines 22 that define each of the folding portions 20 are aligned with the width Wb of the elongate body 16, and so the pair of folding portions 20 are folded to reduce the width We of the first end stop 14a to the width Wb of the elongate body 16. In other examples, the reduced width might be somewhere between the width We of the first end stop and the width Wb of the elongate body 16. The folding portions 20 in this example are a mirror image of one another. In other examples, this may not be the case, e.g. the folding portions 20 may each have a different shape to one another and / or may be offset from the centre of the elongate body 16. In the example shown, only the first end stop 14a includes the folding portions 20. This means that the paint roller tube 18 is slid over the first end stop 14a when the folding portions 20 are folded, and along the elongate body 16 until it reaches the second end stop 14b. The folding portions 20 are then flattened to their unfolded position to retain the paint roller tube 18 in place between the first and second end portions 14a, 14b. The paint roller tube 18 would likewise be removed from the packaging 10 by folding the folding portions 20 again and sliding the paint roller tube 18 back over the first end stop 14a. In other examples, both of the first and second end stops 14a, 14b may include one or more folding portions 20. In this way, the paint roller tube 18 could be slid over or removed from the elongate body 16 via either the first or second end stops 14a, 14b. Moreover, the number, positioning and shape of the folding portions 20 may differ at each of the first and second end stops 14a, 14b. As shown more clearly in Figure la, a connecting surface 23 that extends between each side of the elongate body 16 and the respective first and second end stops 14a, 14b is slanted. The slant direction Dsfrom each first and second end stop 14a, 14b to the respective side of the elongate body 16 is towards the other one of the first and second end stop 14a, 14b. In other words, the slant direction Ds of the connection surface 23 at the first end stop 14a goes from the first end stop 14a to the respective side of the elongate body 16 in a direction towards the second end stop 14b. In the orientation shown in Figure la, this is slanted in the downwards direction. The opposite is true for the slant direction of the second end stop 14b which is slanted in the upwards direction (i.e. towards the first end stop 14a). When the paint roller tube 18 is in situ on the packaging 10, the connecting surfaces 23 slant towards the adjacent end of the paint roller tube 18 and, preferably, abut the adjacent end of the paint roller tube 18. This helps to retain the paint roller tube 18 in place. The first end stop 14a includes a hanging aperture 24 that is shaped and sized to receive a hanging member (such as a standard shop fixture) for hanging display of the paint roller tube 18. Such a hanging aperture 24 may be a standard Euroslot shaped hanger tab (as shown in Figures la and lb). The first end stop 14a is the end which is located at the top end of the packaging 10 when the packaging 10 is hung via the hanging aperture 24. Although it is preferred that the end stop 14a, 14b with the hanging aperture 24 is the one also with the folding portions 20, this may not be the case and it may be the end stop 14a, 14b positioned at the bottom of the packaging 10 which includes the folding portions 20 (or, as explained above, both end stops 14a, 14b may have folding portions 20). In this example, the insert member 12 is a single piece insert member 12 (i.e. the elongate body 16 and first and second end stops 14a, 14b are integrally formed with one another). Moreover, preferably the insert member 12 is made from card. The fold lines 22 may be created in the insert member 12 by any suitable means, such as by scoring, pre-folding, perforations or a combination thereof. As shown in Figure 2, the packaging 10 further includes a sleeve member 26 that is configured to extend around the paint roller tube 18 when it is in situ on the insert member 12, The sleeve member 26 may also be integrally formed with the insert member 12, The sleeve member 26 may instead be separately secured to the insert member 12, The sleeve member 26 may be secured around the paint roller tube 18 by any suitable means, such as adhesive, an adhesive tape (such as Sellotape™) or mutually engageable attachment portions that are formed by the sleeve member 26. Turning to Figures 3a, to 3c, the insert member 12 may further include one or more body support portions 28. Different example configurations of such body support portions 28 are shown in Figures 3a to 3c. The body support portions 28 extend outwardly from the elongate body 16 so as to increase the width Wsof the elongate body 16 to more than the width Wb of the remainder of the elongate body 16 (i.e. the portions of the elongate body 16 which do not have the body support portions 28), but less than the width We of the first and second end stops 14a, 14b. In this way, the body support portions 28 do not interfere with the insertion of the elongate body 16 into the paint roller tube 18 but provide additional structural integrity to the insert member 12 and provide support to the paint roller tube 18. Preferably the width Ws of the body support portions 28 is very slightly less than the inner diameter of the paint roller tube 18. As shown in Figure 3a, there may be a pair of body support portions 28 that extend only along a short length of the elongate body 16 and on either side of the elongate body 16. The body support portions 28 are shown located at the top end (i.e. towards the first end stop 14a) but may instead be located at the second end of the elongate body 16 or somewhere in between. Moreover, the body support portions 28 may be staggered on either side of the elongate body 16 so that the portions 28 in a given pair are not aligned with one another. As shown in Figure 3b, there may be two pairs of body support portions 28 that extend only along a short length of the elongate body 16 on either side of the elongate body 16, and with each pair being located at either end of the elongate body 16 (i.e. one pair towards the first end stop 14a and the other pair towards the second end stop 14b). Again, the body support portions 28 may be located at one end and somewhere in between, and the pairs may be staggered on either side of the elongate body 16, Moreover, there may be further pairs of body support portions 28, e.g. another pair positioned in the middle of the elongate body 16. As shown in Figure 3c, there may be a pair of body support portions 28 that extend along a long length of the elongate body 16 on either side of the elongate body 16. The body support portions 28 may extend along a majority of the elongate body 16. In each example shown in Figures 3a to 3c, the body support portions 28 are positioned spaced from the or each first and second end stop 14a, 14b so that there is a gap between the or each first and second end stop 14a, 14b and the adjacent body support-portion 28. This is preferred so that the body support portions 28 do not interfere with the folding of the folding portions 20 or the insertion of the eiongate body 16 into the paint roller tube 18. However, the body support portions 28 may be located at or closer to the or each first and second end stop 14a, 14b. The first end stop 14a further includes an outwardly facing surface 30 that is visible when the paint roller tube 18 is in situ with the packaging 10, and is sized and shaped to have enough space for displaying merchandising information thereon (see Figure 2). A display packaging 100 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 4 and 5. The display packaging 100 is intended to be used with a paint roller tube 102 that has end caps 104, .At least one of the end caps 104 of the paint roller tube 102 includes an attachment portion 106. The display packaging 100 includes a hanging end member 110 that includes an attachment portion 112. The attachment portion 112 is configured to be secured to a mutually engageable attachment portion 106 (i.e. formed in one of the end caps 104) of the paint roller tube 102. In this way, the hanging end member 110 is considered to be secured at one end of the paint roller tube 102. As shown in Figure 4, the attachment portion 112 of the hanging end member 110 is an elongate threaded member 114, and the attachment portion 106 of the paint roller tube 102 is a threaded hole 108. The threaded hole 108 is formed in one of the end caps 104 of the paint roller tube 102. Therefore, the elongate threaded member 114 of the hanging end member 110 is screwed into the threaded hole 108 of the end cap 104 so as to affix the hanging end member 110 to the paint roller tube 102 (i.e. via the end cap 104). The attachment portion 112 of the hanging end member 110 may instead be the threaded hole 108 and the attachment portion 106 of the paint roller tube 102 may instead be the elongate threaded member 114. Moreover, the mutually engageable attachment portions 112, 106 may take any other suitable form. The threaded hole 108 may also be used for attachment of pins of a paint roller device when the paint roller tube 102 is being used for painting. Both of the end caps 104 of the paint roller tube 102 may include the attachment portion 106. The paint roller tube 102 may include only a single end cap 104 solely for the purpose of securing the paint roller tube 102 to the hanging end member 110. The end cap 104 may be configured to be removeable from the paint roller tube 102, and be reinserted into the paint roller tube 102 so as to be reused for hanging the paint roller tube 102 (e.g. for drying the paint roller tube 102). The hanging end member 110 further includes a hanging aperture 24, as previously described above. The hanging end member 110 is located at the top end of the packaging 100 when the paint roller tube 102 is hung via the hanging aperture 24. The packaging 100 in this embodiment needs only a single hanging end member 110. However, a second hanging end member 110 may be secured to the opposite end of the paint roller tube 102 so that the paint roller tube 102 can be hung from either end. Moreover, depending on whether a standard end cap 104 of the paint roller tube 102 can be used or whether a specialist end cap 104 must be used with the hanging end member 110, the packaging 100 may be considered to include one or more end caps 104 which are selectively inserted into the a hollow paint roller tube 102. The hanging end member 110 further includes an outwardly facing surface 30 that is visible when the paint roller tube 202 is in situ with the packaging 100, and is sized and shaped to have enough space for displaying merchandising information thereon. The hanging end member 110 is a single piece and may be formed from card, plastics, metal or any other suitable material. 5 As shown in Figure 5, the end cap 102 may further include a series of interference ridges 109 located on the outer surface of the end cap 102, The interference ridges 109 protrude slightly from the outer surface of the end cap so that they abut the inner surface of the paint roller tube 102 to provide a tight and secure fit of the end cap 102 to the paint roller tube 102. io The interference ridges 109, as shown, extend between the top and bottom ends of the end cap 102. Moreover, the ridges 109 may be angled. In other embodiments, the ridges may take any other suitable form. 15

Claims

:

1. A hanging paint roller tube for display comprising:a display packaging for displaying a paint roller tube, the display packaging 5 comprising a hanging end member including an attachment portion; anda paint roller tube, wherein the paint roller tube comprises an attachment portion that is mutually engageable with the attachment portion of the hanging end member,wherein the paint roller tube includes an end cap positioned within a hollow 10 cavity of the paint roller tube and configured to remain within the hollow cavity during use of the paint roller tube, the attachment portion of the paint roller tube being part of the end cap and being configured to permit attachment of pins of a paint roller device in use, andwherein each of the mutually engageable attachment portions includes a 15 threaded member to threadably secure the display packaging to the paint roller tube via the threaded members.

2. A hanging paint roller tube for display according to Claim 1 wherein the attachment portion of the end cap is configured to receive the mutually engagement 20 attachment portion of the hanging end member.

3. A hanging paint roller tube for display according to any preceding claim wherein the hanging end member includes a hanging aperture configured to receive a hanging member for displaying the paint roller tube, the hanging end member being considered25 to be located at a top end of the paint roller tube when the hanging end member is hung.

4. A hanging paint roller tube for display according to any preceding claim wherein the end cap is selectively removeable from the paint roller tube.

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