Packaging system

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging system for groups of products, where this packaging system includes a packaging sleeve arranged to at least partially surround the group of products to be packaged. The invention also includes at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve which is adapted to prevent the group of products surrounded by the sleeve from being removed from the sleeve. Preferably the packaging system also includes at least one locating tray configured to locate a group of products in a fixed arrangement relative to one another when located within the packaging sleeve. The invention also encompasses a method of positioning the group of products packaged on a display surface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to an improved packaging system which may be used to implement shelf-ready packaging, in addition to a method of delivering sets of products to a shelf.BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to an improved packaging system, preferably configured to perform in shelf ready packaging, applications.[0003]The stocking of shelves is a business cost currently borne by retailers. In particular, supermarkets need to employ staff specifically tasked with maintaining stock levels on their shelves, where these staff may need to work outside of normal business hours and potentially late at night to avoid inconvenience to the retailer's customers. Shelf stockers need to remove a retailer's products from protective shipping packages, normally by cutting products out of cardboard cartons or boxes, or by cutting plastic film away from small collections of products. Products then need to be positioned on a shelf in a tidy mann...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]at least one retention structure associated with the packaging sleeve adapted to prevent a group of products surrounded by the sleeve from being removed from the sleeve.

[0049]The present invention can also allow for the rapid stocking of shelves, potentially decreasing the wages costs of a retailer. As products are finally deployed on a shelf in a single collection and then subsequently released from the packaging sleeve there is no need to restack or reposition products on the shelf nor is there any risk of a base tray collapsing and spilling any products on the floor prior to being lifted individually on to a shelf. Through the removal of the sleeve the present invention may have a very minimal impact on the quality of the presentation of products, thereby allowing the individual packaging of each product to be the dominant aesthetic feature encountered by customers.

Problems solved by technology

The stocking of shelves is a business cost currently borne by retailers.

In particular, supermarkets need to employ staff specifically tasked with maintaining stock levels on their shelves, where these staff may need to work outside of normal business hours and potentially late at night to avoid inconvenience to the retailer's customers.

The employment of shelf stockers increases the operating costs of retailers, and in particular the costs of supermarkets with high product turnover rates.

These employees are also at risk of workplace accidents through the need to use a cutting device such as a knife to cut through plastic film and / or cardboard when extracting the products to be shelved.

It takes a shelf stocker a relatively long period of time to remove this plastic film, and usually requires the use of a cutting device or knife with all the attendant risks associated with using same.

Shelf stockers are also exposed to the risk of strain injuries in relation to this type of packaging as they still need to pull partially severed or cut film from their products.

It is possible that these trays can collapse or be knocked during shelf stocking, resulting in a spillage the products over the retailer's floor, which can damage the products and taking even more time to finally stock the shelf.

Shelf-ready cartons also still take time for a shelf stacker to reconfigure, usually through the need for frangible tear lines formed in a carton to be broken open, and for sections or part of the carton to be folded or reconfigured to provide viewing windows or access ports into the carton.

Packaging designers also aim to provide shelf ready packages which can be reconfigured for a shelf without the need for a cutting tool, but this requirement may not necessarily be met if a shelf stocker has limited manual dexterity or is not strong enough to tear through the frangible portions of a carton.

Therefore these types of shelf ready cartons may still require the use of a cutting device with all the attendant risks to a shelf stocker employing same.

In addition, where frangible tear lines are provided, relatively tough materials may still need to be torn open which may eventually result in strain injuries.

These types of shelf ready cartons are also relatively slow to deploy on a shelf as a significant amount of time is required to open up a carton and then reconfigure its components to allow a customer line of sight to and access to the products it contains.

Furthermore, large amounts of cardboard or other carton materials can have a detrimental affect on the aesthetics of the products displayed and may limit the quality of the presentation of the products and hence their sales for a retailer.

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