US20150028148A1 - Product Containers with Rolled Goods - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a product container for rolls of product, particularly coreless rolls of trash bags. It may comprise a top panel, a bottom panel, a flexible outer wrap and multiple rolls of product. The top panel and the bottom panel may cover each or both ends of the rolls of product while the flexible outer wrap is placed securely around the top panel, the bottom panel, and the rolls of product. A leader may be attached to an innermost unit of the roll of product to facilitate removal of the innermost unit. To enable pulling and separating adjacent individual units from the product container, a partial separation may be defined between adjacent individual units.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 13/427,642, filed Mar. 22, 2012, and is hereby incorporated by reference into this disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and configuration of a product container for rolled goods, particularly product packaging for trash bags, which are provided in a rolled configuration.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Product containers serve several functions in the retail marketplace. One important function of a product container is to communicate information to a consumer about the product itself. Product containers can also provide a sealed, portable package for the product, ensuring that the product has not been tampered with or otherwise disturbed since packaging. In some cases, product containers also serve as a convenient, transportable package for the product, especially when handles are provided for carrying the product container.
• Numerous other considerations are also taken into account when designing and selecting product containers for a particular product. Certain product containers may serve as a dispenser, enabling a consumer to store the product in the container and permitting dispensing of individual products or items when needed. Such dispensing containers are available in a variety of configurations depending on the specific product to be packaged. Additionally, retailer and logistical concerns may also necessitate that the product container be capable of being easily stacked, or palletized, in a finite amount of space without crushing under the weight of the stacked product.
• Product packaging comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Product containers are often comprised of a combination of various cardboard material, rigid plastic material, and flexible plastic wrap. The materials selected for constructing the product container, including the rigidity, toughness, and other properties of a particular grade of material selected, address the various needs described above in addition to other considerations. Additionally, product container selection and design further requires that these needs be balanced against minimizing the cost and weight of the product container.
• In view of the considerations discussed above, the invention disclosed herein is particularly advantageous when a product container is used for rolls of product, particularly coreless rolls of product. One example of a coreless roll of product that can be used as part of the present invention is a coreless roll of trash bags, or even multiple coreless rolls of trash bags. In general, most trash bags may be provided in a rolled configuration. In some cases, the individual trash bags are still partially joined when rolled, but, in other cases, the trash bags may be separated prior to or during the rolling process. In view of the foregoing, the present invention addresses some of the important considerations detailed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is a product container for a roll of product. Certain embodiments of the present invention comprise a top panel, a flexible outer wrap, and at least one roll of product. Each roll of product has a first end and a second end with a central axis extending between the first end and the second end. The top panel is placed adjacent to and at least partially covers the first end of the first roll of product. The flexible outer wrap is placed securely around the top panel and the at least one roll of product.
• In some embodiments of the present invention, the product container may further comprise an access window located in the top panel, which is proximate to the central axis of at least one roll of product. The access window may be comprised of a portion of the top panel that is removable. In other embodiments, the access window may be comprised of a portion of the top panel that may be peeled away.
• The top panel, in some embodiments, may be comprised of a cardboard material, a polymer material, or any other suitable material. The flexible outer wrap may be a shrink film, the shrink film being heat-activated to securely wrap around the top panel and the at least one roll of product.
• In some embodiments, a leader may be placed on an innermost unit within the roll of product, the leader being easily accessible through the access window. The leader may also be attached to the flexible outer wrap or the top panel of the product container. The leader may be attached to the innermost unit by the use of adhesive or heat sealing. The leader may also be attached to the flexible outer wrap or the top panel of the product container by the use of adhesive or heat sealing.
• For certain embodiments, the roll of product may comprise individual units. In between adjacent units may be a partial separation. The partial separation may be formed by a perforation extending from a top edge to a bottom edge of the individual units. Adjacent units may be detached from each other within a central section of the partial separation. The adjacent units may be partially separated from each other by severing the perforations between the two individual units.
• While the present invention is applicable to a variety of products in a roll configuration, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the at least one roll of product is a roll of trash bags. Moreover, in some specific embodiments, the at least one roll of product may be a coreless roll of trash bags wherein the coreless roll of trash bags can be accessed from the interior of the roll, accessing the innermost bag within the roll of trash bags.
• It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS
• A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and certain embodiments when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows.
• FIGS. 1A and 1B provide perspective views of an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 provides an exploded view of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A and 1B.
• FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 provides a front view of an innermost unit of the embodiment ofFIG. 3.
• FIG. 5 provides a front view of a leader of the embodiment ofFIG. 3.
• FIG. 6 provides a partial front view of two adjacent individual units of the embodiment ofFIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• The present disclosure illustrates several embodiments of the present invention. It is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein. The appended claims are intended to more fully and accurately encompass the invention to the fullest extent possible, but it is fully appreciated that certain limitations on the use of particular terms are not intended to conclusively limit the scope of protection.
• Referring initially toFIGS. 1A and 1B, perspective views of a first embodiment of the present invention are disclosed.FIG. 1B illustrates, in broken lines, portions of the embodiment not visible inFIG. 1A. In the depicted embodiment, thecontainer100 comprises atop panel102 and abottom panel104 in a roughly parallel configuration. Two rolls ofproduct120,122 are placed between thetop panel102 and thebottom panel104 which are placed proximate to and substantially perpendicular to the central axis of each of the rolls ofproduct120,122. A flexibleouter wrap106 is provided to serve as the outer walls of the container and extends over at least a portion of thetop panel102 and thebottom panel104, thus keeping thetop panel102 andbottom panel104 in contact with the rolls ofproduct120,122. The flexibleouter wrap106 can be either a cylindrical sleeve with an opening at the top and bottom of the flexibleouter wrap106 or more like a bag with a sealed or partially enclosed bottom and an open top.
• In a preferred embodiment, thetop panel102 andbottom panel104 are made using the same material, typically a rigid cardboard material such as paperboard, chipboard, or corrugated fiberboard. However, in other embodiments, thetop panel102 andbottom panel104 may be made with distinct materials, which may be selected from any suitable material including, but not limited to, thicker, more rigid polymers. For some rolls ofproduct120,122, which provide more rigidity for theproduct container100, it is contemplated to use flexible materials for thetop panel102 andbottom panel104 such as paper or polymer films. The specific material selection is driven by the need to provide sufficient rigidity for theproduct container100 as a whole based upon the expected utilization and the various conditions theproduct container100 may be subjected to before and after purchase by a consumer.
• In a preferred embodiment, the flexibleouter wrap106 is a polymer film, particularly a shrink-wrap or shrink film. When the flexibleouter wrap106 is a heat-activated shrink-wrap material, the flexibleouter wrap106 can be shrunk to surround at least a portion of thetop panel102 andbottom panel104. The force of the shrunken flexible outer wrap keeps thetop panel102 andbottom panel104 in close contact with the rolls ofproduct120,122. As seen in the depicted embodiment, thetop edge108 of the flexibleouter wrap106 extends up over thetop panel102 and inward from the perimeter of thetop panel102. Similarly, in some embodiments, thebottom edge110 of the flexible outer wrap extends down below thebottom panel104 and inward from the perimeter of thebottom panel104. Thus, in the depicted embodiment the shrink-wrap flexibleouter wrap106 securely sandwiches the rolls ofproduct120,122 between thetop panel102 and thebottom panel104.
• The flexibleouter wrap106 can be transparent, translucent, opaque, or even a combination of a number of the foregoing. For example, if the flexibleouter wrap106 is mostly or entirely transparent, a consumer may visually inspect the rolls ofproduct120,122 prior to purchase. In other embodiments, the flexibleouter wrap106 may be entirely opaque using either a colored film or a transparent film with printing covering the entirety of the flexibleouter wrap106. Furthermore, in yet another embodiment, the flexibleouter wrap106 may consist of transparent film with printed material covering only a portion of the flexibleouter wrap106 allowing information to be communicated about the product to the consumer on the printed area while also allowing visual inspection of a portion of the rolls ofproduct120,122 contained therein.
• Rolls ofproduct120,122 are particularly advantageous with respect to the present invention for at least a couple of reasons. First, rolls of product are not square or rectangular, but rather are generally cylindrical in shape. Traditional cardboard packaging is generally rectangular, resulting in wasted space in the corners of the rectangular container when holding cylindrical rolls of product. In contrast, the flexibleouter wrap106 better accommodates the shape of the rolls ofproduct106 resulting in a more efficient, and cost-effective, product container.
• In addition to minimizing the material required versus a rectangular container, the present invention is even more advantageous when used with certain rolls ofproduct120,122, particularly when the rolls of product provide strength and rigidity in one or more directions. For example, one embodiment of the present invention contemplates that the rolls ofproduct120,122 are rolls of trash bags. In one preferred embodiment, the rolls of trash bags may be constructed primarily out of a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resin or a LLDPE resin blended with other polyethylene resins.
• When tightly rolled, larger rolls of trash bags are generally rigid along the perimeter of the cylindrical roll, i.e. it is difficult to indent the roll of trash bags along the cylindrical wall when pushed toward the central axis of the roll. Additionally, a roll of trash bags when placed upright, i.e. the central axis running up and down, is capable of supporting a great deal of weight in the vertical direction. However, the ends of a roll of trash bags are not necessarily consistent, nor rigid, due to manufacturing realities, which cause the bags to vary slightly in location along the height of the roll of trash bags. Thus, the rigidtop panel102 andbottom panel104 provide for a flat, rigid surface at the top and bottom of the rolls ofproduct120,122.
• FIG. 2 provides an exploded view of theproduct container100 to better illustrate the assembly and arrangement of one embodiment of the present invention. In the disclosed embodiment ofFIG. 2, thetop panel102 and thebottom panel104 are shown surrounding one or more rolls ofproduct120,122 such as one or more rolls of trash bags. After thetop panel102,bottom panel104, and rolls ofproduct120,122 are assembled as shown; theouter wrap106 is placed around thepanels102,104 and rolls ofproduct120,122. In the depicted embodiment, the flexibleouter wrap106 is a shrink-wrap and heat is applied by hand or with a heat tunnel to shrink the flexibleouter wrap106, thus providing the product container illustrated inFIG. 1A.
• As noted previously, the present invention is particularly advantageous for rolls of product. Such rolls of product may be provided with a central cylinder, or core, located along the central axis of the roll of product. The core is typically manufactured from a paper or cardboard material with individual units of the product wrapped tightly around the core. A roll of products with a core is usually utilized by accessing the outermost unit on the roll, exposing the next outermost unit until all of the units on the roll are depleted and the core is exposed. While a roll of products with a core may be utilized with the present invention, certain embodiments of the present invention are even more advantageous when using coreless rolls of products.
• The lack of a core uniquely enables some coreless rolls of product to be accessed from the innermost units at the center of the roll. In these cases, as each innermost unit is removed and utilized, the next innermost unit can be accessed until all of the units are utilized. As previously noted, this invention is particularly useful for rolls of trash bags, especially coreless rolls of trash bags where the trash bags can be pulled individually from the center of the roll. In such cases, certain embodiments of the present invention may provide additional unique advantages by utilizing an access window in the top panel, allowing access to the central axis of the coreless rolls and the innermost bags for coreless rolls of trash bags or other similar products.
• As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, in certain embodiments of the present invention thetop panel102 may be provided with holes to access the rolls ofproduct120,122. In the depicted embodiment, afirst access hole140 and asecond access hole142 are provided in thetop panel102. In some embodiments the access holes140,142 are created when the consumer removes separable portions of thetop panel102 from thecontainer100, thereby exposing the rolls ofproduct120,122. In other embodiments, the access holes140,142 may be cut into thetop panel102 before packaging. In such cases, a removable adhesive cover may be utilized to cover the access holes140,142 if desired.
• In certain embodiments, it may be advantageous when afirst access hole140 and asecond access hole142 provide internal access near the central axis of each of the respective rolls ofproduct120,122. Consequently,individual units130,132 from the rolls ofproduct120,122 may be pulled through the corresponding access holes140,142. In certain embodiments, it may be advantageous to provideleaders150,152 attached to the innermost units of therolls120,122 as shown inFIG. 3 andFIG. 4, to facilitate in removal of the first innermost unit, such as the first trash bag from a roll of trash bags.
• In certain embodiments, eachleader150,152 may have increased tensile strength in comparison to anindividual unit130,132. Increased tensile strength may be desirable to prevent stretching or tearing of theleaders150,152, when the innermost unit is withdrawn from one of the rolls ofproduct120,122. Due to the difference in the desired physical properties of theleaders150,152 versus the physical properties of individual units, theleaders150,152 may be constructed from material that is different to the material of the product. In certain embodiments, theleaders150,152 may be constructed out of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) film or a polypropylene film that has preferably been machine direction oriented to enhance the material's tensile properties. In an alternative embodiment, theleaders150,152 may be constructed from a fiber reinforced polymeric film. In additional embodiments, theleaders150,152 may be constructed of various other materials.
• Theleaders150,152 may be attached to eachinnermost unit130,132 of a roll ofproduct120,122 along the bottom of an innermost edge of eachinnermost unit130,132. However, as shown inFIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment, theleaders150,152 may be attached in a central location at the bottom of eachinnermost unit130,132. Aleader150,152 may be attached to eachinnermost unit130,132 with adhesive or by heat sealing.
• As shown inFIG. 5, theleaders150,152 may include an adhesive applied to afirst end154 and an adhesive applied to an oppositesecond end156. The area of theleader150,152 between thefirst end154 andsecond end156 may be devoid of adhesive to prevent undesired adhesion of theleader150,152 to itself or to thecontainer100. Thefirst end154 of aleader150,152 may be attached to eachinnermost unit130,132 and thesecond end156 of aleader150,152 may be attached to theouter wrap106 ortop panel102 of thecontainer100. Thesecond end156 of each leader may be attached to thecontainer100 by adhesive or by heat sealing. The attachment of thesecond end156 of each leader is desirable to control the location of thesecond end156 of each leader during shipping and to preventindividual units130,132 from being pulled from the rolls ofproduct120,122 unintentionally.
• Theleaders150,152 may be dimensioned to allow a typical user to grasp and pull a leader and the followinginnermost unit130,132 from a roll ofproduct120,122. In a preferred embodiment, each leader may extend a minimum of one inch from a roll ofproduct120,122. Each leader, in a preferred embodiment, may have a minimum width of at least ⅛ inch and have a generally rectangular shape, as shown inFIG. 5.
• Theleaders150,152 may be easily detachable from eachindividual unit130,132, once the innermost unit is withdrawn from one of the rolls ofproduct120,122. Theleaders150,152 may be easily detached from one of the rolls ofproduct120,122 by the use of perforations defined in eachleader150,152, in certain embodiments.
• When thefirst access hole140 andsecond access hole142 are properly sized, subsequent items may follow the preceding item when removed from thecontainer100. For example, when the rolls of product are rolls of trash bags, it has been discovered that smaller access holes140,142 with limited area impede the ability to easily access a trash bag by providing too much resistance when pulled through a small hole. On the other hand, if the access holes140,142 are too large, subsequent trash bags have a tendency to fall back within thecontainer100.
• To enable pulling and separating adjacentindividual units130,132 from thecontainer100, apartial separation160 may be defined between adjacentindividual units130,132. Shown inFIG. 6 is a partial view of two adjacentindividual units130,132 of a preferred embodiment with thepartial separation160. Thepartial separation160 may extend linearly from abottom edge134 to atop edge136 of theindividual units130,132. Defined within thepartial separation160 are a firstouter section162, a secondouter section164, and acentral section166.
• In a preferred embodiment, thepartial separation160 is formed by a plurality of perforations. The perforations of certain sections of thepartial separation160 may be severed prior to the product being rolled into a rolledproduct120,122, while the perforations may be left intact in other sections. As shown inFIG. 6, the perforations of thecentral section166 have been severed while in the twoouter sections162 and164, the perforations have been left intact.
• In another alternative embodiment, thepartial separation160 may be formed by a plurality of perforations within the first and secondouter sections162 and164. Within thecentral section166, thepartial separation160 may be formed by a severing of theadjacent units130,132, such as by a cutting operation, without initially perforating thecentral section166.
• In certain embodiments, the product may comprise a continuous linear web. Prior to forming thepartial separation160, the continuous web may be folded one or more times along a lengthwise axis of the product to form a more compact roll ofproduct120,122. In an alternative embodiment, thepartial separation160 may be formed prior to folding.
• Thepartial separation160 between items allows preceding items to be separated from subsequent items after being partially pulled out of a roll ofproduct120,122. For example, if a leadingindividual unit130,132 is pulled out of one of the access holes140,142 by thetop edge136, a subsequentindividual unit130,132 is also partially pulled through theaccess hole140,142, due to the perforations of the secondouter section164. Once thesubsequent unit130,132 is pulled through to expose a partial length of thecenter section166, the perforations of secondouter section164 fail, due to the increased drag on thesubsequent unit130,132. The failure of the secondouter section164 also causes the perforations of the firstouter section162 to fail, prior to the firstouter section162 exiting thecontainer100. Thus, the leadingindividual unit130,132 detaches from the subsequentindividual unit130,132. Hence, the subsequentindividual unit130,132 is left partially removed from thecontainer100 so that it may be grasped and removed when another unit is needed.
• As previously noted, the specific embodiments depicted herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number of different embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to more fully encompass the full scope of the present invention.

Claims (20)

I claim:

1. A product container comprising:

a first roll of product having a first end and a second end with a central axis extending between the first end and the second end,

a top panel perpendicular to the central axis of the first roll of product, the top panel at least partially covering a first end of the first roll of product,

a flexible outer wrap placed securely around the top panel and the first roll of product, and

a first leader attached to an innermost unit of the first roll of product and to the flexible outer wrap.

2. The product container ofclaim 1 further comprising:

the first leader comprising a polymeric film and attached to the innermost unit by an adhesive.

3. The product container ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a first access hole located in the top panel proximate the central axis of the first roll of product, the first access hole providing exterior access to the first roll of product.

4. The product container ofclaim 2, further comprising:

the first access hole being comprised of a portion of the top panel that is separable.

5. The product container ofclaim 2, further comprising:

the first access hole being covered by a first removable cover.

6. The product container ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a bottom panel,

wherein the bottom panel is perpendicular to the central axis of the first roll of product, and

wherein the bottom panel is at least partially covering a second end of the first roll of product.

7. The product container ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a second roll of product, the second roll of product having a first end and a second end with a central axis extending between the first end and the second end, and

wherein the top panel is perpendicular to the central axis of the second roll of product, and

wherein the top panel is at least at least partially covering a first end of the second roll of product.

8. The product container ofclaim 7, further comprising:

a first access hole located in the top panel proximate the central axis of the first roll of product, the first access hole providing exterior access to the first roll of product, and

a second access hole located in the top panel proximate the central axis of the second roll of product, the second access hole providing exterior access to the second roll of product.

9. A product container comprising:

a first roll of product having a first end and a second end with a central axis extending between the first end and the second end,

a top panel perpendicular to the central axis of the first roll of product, the top panel at least partially covering a first end of the first roll of product,

a flexible outer wrap placed securely around the top panel and the first roll of product, and

a first leader comprising of a polymeric film and attached to an innermost unit of the first roll of product by an adhesive.

10. The product container ofclaim 9, further comprising:

the first leader attached to the top panel.

11. The product container ofclaim 9, further comprising:

the first leader attached to the flexible outer wrap.

12. The product container ofclaim 9, further comprising:

a bottom panel,

wherein the bottom panel is perpendicular to the central axis of the first roll of product, and

wherein the bottom panel is at least partially covering a second end of the first roll of product.

13. A product container comprising:

a first roll of product having a first end and a second end with a central axis extending between the first end and the second end,

a top panel perpendicular to the central axis of the first roll of product, the top panel at least partially covering a first end of the first roll of product,

a flexible outer wrap placed securely around the top panel and the first roll of product, and

the first roll of product comprising at least an innermost unit and an adjacent unit, a partial separation defined between the innermost unit and the adjacent unit,

the partial separation comprising at least a central section, a first outer section and a second outer section,

the innermost unit and the adjacent unit detached from each other within the central section,

the innermost unit and the adjacent unit attached to each other via perforations within the first outer section and the second outer section.

14. The product container ofclaim 13 wherein the first outer section is proximate to a bottom edge of the innermost unit and adjacent unit, and the second outer section is proximate to a top edge of the innermost and adjacent units.

15. The product container ofclaim 13, further comprising:

the innermost unit and adjacent unit detached from each other within the central section by severed perforations.

16. The product container ofclaim 13, further comprising:

the partial separation extending from a bottom edge to a top edge of the innermost unit and the adjacent unit.

17. The product container ofclaim 13, further comprising:

a leader attached to the innermost unit.

18. The product container ofclaim 17, further comprising:

the leader attached to the flexible outer wrap.

19. The product container ofclaim 17, further comprising:

the leader attached to the innermost unit by adhesive.

20. The product container ofclaim 18, further comprising:

the leader attached to the flexible outer wrap by adhesive.

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