Display package for gloves in compressed state

Abstract

Display packaging comprising a support or backing member (5) upon which at least one item can be located; at least one compression member (6, 8) movably connected or attached to the support member, said compression member being moveable to a position to compress the item located on the support member, and a cover member (30) such as a sleeve, bag, envelope or shrink wrap film is capable of being located around the compression member and item when located on the support member. The package is a blank made from cardboard and has holdings tabs (7, 11) that engage with slots (20, 22). Compressing the item inside the package removes trapped air thereby reducing the size of the item and / or package. The package can be used for gloves (50) or socks in which the items are compressed to occupy a smaller space or volume as compared to a rest or unrestrained size of the items.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to packaging of products, particularly a package for products allowing display of the products. More particularly, the present invention relates to packaging for displaying individual items, or pairs or groups of items or the like, such as pairs of identical or substantially identical items in which the items are compressed to occupy a smaller volume by the packaging. [0002] The present invention finds particular application for the packaging of gloves, such as rubber or latex gloves or similar products for display in a retail environment, such as for example, for sale in a department store, a supermarket or other retail establishment in which it is desirable to have packaging of a reduced volume. Therefore, while the present invention will hereinafter be described with particular reference to one form of packaging for one form of gloves, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not restri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] thereby forming a package containing the item in which the cover member moves the compression member towards the support member so as to compress the item inside the package thereby reducing the size of the item and / or package containing the item.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of packaging at least one item, comprising the steps of: placing at least one of the items between a supporting or support member and at least one compression member; substantially enveloping the arrangement of the item, supporting member and compression member using a cover member; and causing the cover member to reduce in volume, thereby forming a package in which the cover member compresses the item between the compression member and the support member so as to compress the item inside the package thereby reducing the size of the item and / or package containing the item.

[0012] The present invention therefore uses at least one compression member in conjunction with a cover member to compress the at rest volume of the item inside the package. This packaging therefore reduces the typical pack size for items, giving the package a more compact appearance and preferably allowing more items to be displayed on a typical retail shelf space than previous packages for the products.

[0015] Typically, the central panel is provided with a locator for locating the item or items on the central panel. More typically, the locator is located along the lower edge of the central panel. Even more typically, the locator is a groove, rebate, cut-out, slot, cut-away, or the like over which the item is folded. Even more typically, the ends of the locator are inclined, preferably oppositely inclined to one another, to assist in locating the item in the folded condition on the central panel. The inclined ends are angled to prevent the folded glove from being displaced from the backing sheet by cooperative engaging the sides of the glove. In another embodiment the ends of the locator are guide means for guiding the gloves into position. Typically, the guide means is a shoulder, preferably a rectilinear shoulder.

[0020] Therefore, the compression member is typically secured to at least one edge of the support board. More preferably, the compression member is part of the support board and is hingedly connected to the backing member. This allows the compression member to be substantially folded over the support board once the item or items are placed on the support board.

[0026] The cover is typically a flexible cover made from a film, sheet, membrane or other flexible planar element or the like. The cover is preferably moveable. More preferably, the cover is compressibly moveable. Furthermore, the cover member is also typically substantially transparent. Accordingly, the item or items, compression board and support member are visible through the shrink wrap. With substantially transparent shrink wrap, any printing desired for the packaging is preferably applied to a surface of the support member and / or the compression member, typically the reverse side of the compression member. In this respect, the printing does not have to be applied to the shrink wrap but can be inexpensively applied to the paper or end product.

Problems solved by technology

However, currently available packaging of this type for products such as rubber gloves tend to occupy unnecessary free volume due to the internal volume occupied by the gloves and the packaging.

The sealed cavities prevent air from being expelled from the gloves and contribute to the gloves being bulky or inflated.

The increased bulk and volume of the packaging results in transportation costs being higher than is necessary and the space available for displaying such packaging on the supermarket shelves or the like is greater than would otherwise be required.

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