CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/696,656, filed Jul. 5, 2005.
TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to packaging for electric lamps and particularly to plastic shell packaging. More particularly the invention is concerned with a tubular plastic shell for a bulbous electric lamp
BACKGROUND ART Individual packages for common light bulbs, such as the 60, 75 and 100 watt bulbs used in households, often comprise a clear, plastic envelope that is rectangular in a front elevation and triangular in a side elevational. The construction is usually referred to as a “clam shell” package and can include descriptive literature within the package. While this form of packaging has worked well, it is relatively expensive and limited to single bulb packaging and it would be an advance in the art to provide a convenient and economical replacement package that was capable of standing on a shelf, hanging from a hook, provided multiple bulbs in a convenient package all the while protecting the enclosed fragile light bulb or bulbs during shipping and handling. It would be a further advance in the art to provide new, inexpensive methods for packaging these bulbs.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to enhance light bulb packaging.
It is a still further object of the invention to enhance packaging techniques.
These objects are accomplished, in one aspect of the invention, by a package for a bulb having a bulbous, light-emitting end and a socket end, said package comprising: a first thin-walled plastic body arrayed along a longitudinal axis and having a closed end and an open end, said open end having a diameter transverse to said longitudinal axis sufficient to admit insertion of said bulbous, light-emitting end of said bulb, said closed end of said first thin-walled plastic body formed with at least one internal surface support extending away from said longitudinal axis in a plane transverse to said longitudinal axis and substantially contiguous with a curve of said bulbous light-emitting end, said open end providing a circumferential coupling; and a second thin-walled plastic body formed with a socket receiving end and a mating coupling end formed to conform to said circumferential coupling and coupled thereto
These objects are further accomplished, in another aspect of the invention, by a method of packaging a light bulb comprising the steps of: forming a hollow body to receive the light bulb; separating said body into a bottom portion and a top portion; inserting a light bulb into said bottom portion; inverting said top portion and placing said top portion within said lower portion in a manner to grasp an end of said light bulb; and sealing said top portion to said bottom portion.
The objects are still further accomplished by an alternate method of construction wherein there is provided a method of packaging a light bulb having a bulbous light-emitting end and a socket end, said method comprising the steps of: forming a first hollow body to receive said bulbous light-emitting end of said light bulb; forming a second hollow body to receive said socket end of said light bulb; placing said bulbous light-emitting end of said light bulb into said first hollow body; placing said second hollow body over said socket end of said light bulb; and sealing said first hollow body to said second hollow body to form a package,
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is an elevational view an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an assembled package in accordance with an aspect of the invention;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an assembled package in accordance with another aspect of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a package;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second portion of a package;
FIG. 6 is an end view of a multiple bulb package with a convenient carrying strap;
FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a bulb package with an indicia-supplying label; and
FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a bulb package for a PAR bulb.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims taken in conjunction with the above-described drawings.
Referring now to the drawings with greater particularity, there is shown inFIG. 2 apackage10 for abulb12 having a bulbous, light-emittingend14 and asocket end16. Thepackage10 comprises a thin-walledplastic body18 having afirst portion18aarrayed along alongitudinal axis20 and having a closedend22 and anopen end24. Theopen end24 has a diameter D transverse to the longitudinal axis sufficient to admit insertion of the bulbous, light-emittingend14 of thebulb12. The closedend22 of thefirst portion18ais formed with at least oneinternal surface support26 extending away from thelongitudinal axis20 in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis and substantially contiguous with a curve of the bulbous light-emittingend14. Theopen end24 provides acircumferential coupling area28. A second thin-walled plastic body18bis formed with asocket receiving end32 and amating coupling area34 formed to conform to thecircumferential coupling area28 and coupled thereto. The sealing areas are more clearly seen inFIGS. 4 and 5 and the sealing can be accomplished in any convenient manner, such as by ultrasonic welding, gluing, friction fitting, threading, etc.
Atab30 can be provided in any of the embodiments shown to allow for thepackage10 to be hung from a hook or peg via amounting passage31; however, to insure the availability of alternative positioning the closedend22 of the first thin-walledplastic body18ahas anexternal surface36 formed to allow thepackage10 to stand upright.
In a preferred mode of assembling thepackage10, ahollow body18 is formed to receive the light bulb. The body18 (shown inFIG. 1), preferably is formed by blow-molding in a manner similar to that employed in making water bottles and a preferred material is polyethylene terephthalate that is transparent and about 0.016″ thick. After forming, thebody18 is separated into abottom portion18aand a top portion18bby cutting along theline100. Alight bulb12 is inserted into thebottom portion18aand the top portion18bis inverted and placed within thelower portion18ain a manner to grasp thesocket end16 of thelight bulb12. That is, thesocket receiving end32 slips over thesocket end16 of thebulb12 and themating coupling area34 engages thecircumferential coupling area28 and is sealed thereto by any of the techniques noted above to form thepackage10.
An alternate method andalternate package10 is depicted inFIG. 3 wherein thepackage10acan be formed frombottom18cand top18d. This package also can be formed as a single unit and separated into the bottom and top portions by cutting along theline100a. Assembly of the package would be similar topackage10, that is, alight bulb12 would be inserted into thebottom portion18c, the top portion18dfitted over thesocket end16 and sealing of the two parts together. While it would of course be possible to manufacture the two parts of the package separately, it is believed that the methods shown herein are preferable from a cost and convenience standpoint.
The package is capable of varied applications as shown inFIGS. 6-8.FIG. 6 shows thatmultiple packages10 can be combined into a unit by the addition of a carrying strap30athat comprises a planar section30bcontaining multiple friction apertures for engaging the bulb necks, as shown, or the upper portion of the package if the package (for example, the package shown inFIG. 3) extends to completely cover the neck and base of the bulb, and an upright section30ccontaining a finger opening30d. The carrying strap30acan be formed to accommodate two, four, six or more bulbs.
Thepackage10 can also be supplied with a wrap-around indicia-carryinglabel110 as shown inFIG. 7. The label can be transparent or opaque; however, transparent is preferred.
Further, the package is adaptable to bulb shapes other than the A-line shape. As shown inFIG. 8, apackage10acan easily be provided for aPAR bulb12a. In the latter case, if the package10bis formed in a single piece, a cut-line100acan be provided to separate the package into abottom section60 and atop section62. After the bulb is inserted into thebottom section60 thetop section62 can be sealed thereto to complete the package.
In any of the embodiments disclosed either (or both)portion18a,18b,18c,18dor60,62 can be provided withindentations38 to maintain thebulb12 offset from the convex envelope of the package and to serve a centering function and provide cushioning during transportation.
While there have been shown and described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.