METHOD AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEM FOR MANUFACTURING DO-IT-YOURSELF PAPERBOARD SMARTPHONE CASES AND CONTAINERS

Abstract

The invention relates to paperboard smartphone cases and paperboard containers, and more particularly, to do-it yourself paperboard smartphone cases and paperboard containers manufactured to enable households and small businesses to produce custom smartphone cases and product containers using inexpensive, readily available inkjet printing equipment and associated methods/systems for doing so.

Claims

1. A method of producing a do-it-yourself smartphone container comprising the steps of: selecting a container style; acquiring a carrier blank associated with the container style; loading the carrier blank with connected container into a printer; selecting an image to be displayed on the container according to the case/container style; printing the image on the container blank with the printer; removing an imaged container from the carrier blank; and, erecting the container from the imaged container flat.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a template associated with the container style is accessed; an image is applied to the template to produce a template image; and the template image is printed on the container with the printer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps are performed in the recited order of claim 1.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the printer is a residential inkjet printer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing step further comprises: remotely accessing an internet website where a plurality of templates for a plurality of smartphone and/or container styles are available; and, selecting the template associated with the smartphone container style.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the production of the carrier blank further comprises: a substrate produced from cellulosic material having a density greater than twenty five pounds per thousand square feet but less than fifty five pounds per thousand square feet; a substrate with a caliper greater than 0.011 inches but less than 0.016 inches; a carrier blank with a perforation around the entire perimeter of the smartphone container portion of the carrier blank; the perforation comprising a combination of ties and spaces with no less than 30% of the total linear surface area of the perimeter perforation comprised of perforation ties; said perimeter perforation ties to be no less than 0.008 inches in length, and no more than 0.012 inches in length, and spaced no more than 0.012 inches from each other along the perimeter perforation; the perimeter perforation further comprising intermittent reinforcement ties no less than 0.030 inches in length, and no more than 0.038 inches in length placed in-line with the perimeter perforation ties such that the perimeter perforations formed by the combination of ties between 0.008 and 0.012 inches and larger reinforcement ties when aligned either obliquely or parallel to the grain direction of the cellulosic substrate require between 8 and 25 millinewtons (mN) of force to tear a length of 43 millimeters of the perforated cellulosic substrate, and that the perimeter perforations formed by the combination of ties between 0.008 and 0.012 inches and larger reinforcement ties when aligned perpendicular to the grain direction of the cellulosic substrate require between 8 and 28 mN of force to tear a length of 43 millimeters of the perforated cellulosic substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the cellulosic substrate is comprised of recycled cellulosic fibers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the erecting step further comprises: folding the smartphone container flat along pre-defined fold lines on the flat.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising: removing one or more release liners, covering one or more adhesive lines, from the smartphone container flat; and, adhering one or more portions of the smartphone container to one or more adhesives lines.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the smartphone container is selected from the group of synthetic paperboard, cellulosic paperboard, film based substrate and laminates of at least two of these materials.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: application of a coating to the carrier blank flat to increase the coefficient of friction of the blank prior to the loading step to increase the compatibility of the blank with the printer.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising: application of a microporous coating to the smartphone case to facilitate adherence and/or coagulation of inks applied by the printer to the smartphone case flat during the printing step.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the blank is a laminate.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the smartphone container flat includes disparate and complementary components of the smartphone container.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein all panels of the smartphone container are foldably connected to each other.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein all visible panels of the smartphone case, subsequent to insertion of a smartphone into the erected case, are formed from the same side of the smartphone case flat.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal side panels of the smartphone container are formed by a double ply z-fold and form vertical side walls for the smartphone container, one panel of each said z-fold serving as a horizontal base against which the back of the smartphone rests subsequent to erection of the case and insertion of the smartphone.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal side panels formed by a double ply z-fold create a longitudinal cavity of greater than 1/64 of an inch between the two nearly vertical side by side panels of the z-fold.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a portion of the inner-ply of the double ply z-fold is removed to allow smartphone buttons and/or other smartphone protrusions to extend into the longitudinal cavity.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein either bosses or embosses are placed on the outer ply of the double ply z-fold panel in juxtaposition with the smartphone buttons and z-fold inner ply cut-outs.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein a folded, connected end panel forms a pocket into which the smartphone is inserted.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein there are no exposed die-cut edges of paperboard that can come into contact with the display panel of the smartphone as the smartphone is inserted into the pocket of the smartphone container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary inkjet printer;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a smartphone case flat within a carrier blank according to this invention; and

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view after the carrier blank has passed through a printer and the smartphone case flat has been printed on and folded into a smartphone case and a smartphone inserted into a three dimensional smartphone case/container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] According to various embodiments of this invention, a paperboard smartphone case and/or container 10 can be produced according to the following steps and shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Initially, a user may purchase a kit or supply of printable smartphone case flats (SCFs) 10. Included in the kit are several complete carrier blanks 12, each of which may be comprised of regulation sized paperboard sheets (e.g. 8.5×11 inches) which have been (1) pre-cut and pre-scored to correspond to a particular smartphone case and/or container style; and/or (2) pre-treated with an adhesive and a release liner. Each carrier blank 12 contains one or more smartphone case/container flats (SCFs) 10.

[0024] The user may then create digital images 18, including pictures, design elements and text via a smart phone, digital camera, scanner, internet download, personal computer (PC) or tablet and send same to a PC or tablet for processing, cropping, re-sizing and other operations as needed in connection with the creation of two dimensional graphics according to this invention.

[0025] The user may then access a website with her PC, smartphone, tablet, etc. and locate a smartphone case/container template corresponding to the particular case style or styles in the kit, e.g. an Apple iPhone6™ case.

[0026] The user may then place digital images 18 including photographs, text, backgrounds, etc. onto the on-line carton template found on the website. Once satisfied with the carton design, the user sends the digital template image 18 to an inkjet printer 14 just as would be done with any other desktop print job. The user loads compatible smartphone case/container carrier blanks 12 from the kit 9 into the inkjet printer's paper tray 17, and then prints the desired template image 18 on the SCF portion 10 of the carrier blank 12.

[0027] The user may then remove an entire, intact, carrier blank 12 and still-connected SCF 10 from the printer 14, and subsequently remove the printed SCF 10 from the carrier blank 12 by manually breaking the ties which attach the SCF 10 to the carrier blank 12.

[0028] Following the instructions contained with the kit 9, the user folds the printed SCF 10 along score lines, removes the adhesive release liner from the adhesive, and then permanently connects panels of the printed SCF 10 together to form a finished, three dimensional, printed smartphone case boa into which the consumer can insert a smartphone 16.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, a typical inkjet printer 14 is shown in cross section. A supply of carrier blanks 12 is loaded into the printer 14 on a printer tray 17 or other receptacle. The carrier blanks 12 are typically oriented in a similar fashion relative to each other and a topmost carrier blank 12 is dispensed from the supply of carrier blanks 12 by a rotating pick-up roller 40 in frictional contact with a face of the carrier blank 12. Due to frictional interaction between the standard inkjet printer pick-up roller 40 and the substrate, in this case a carrier blank 12, the coefficient of friction on the surface of the carrier blank 12 is important to the successful processing and printing of the carrier blank 12 by the inkjet printer 14.

[0030] The carrier blank 12 dispatched from the supply of carrier blanks 10 in direction of arrow A by the pick-up roller and fed directly to a rotating drum 42 which, according to many inkjet printer designs, is positioned relative to one or more contact rollers 44 and a guide 46 or shield mounted on the periphery of the drum 42. The carrier blank 12 is discharged from the rotating drum 42 onto a printing platen 48 or support surface. The printing platen 48 is positioned relative to a print head 50 on an opposite face of the carrier blank 12. As is well known in inkjet printing technology, the print head 50 propels droplets of ink onto the carrier blank 12 in a predefined pattern and arrangement according to the user's selected and designed image 18 for the associated carton style and template.

[0031] After the carrier blank 12 receives the printed image from the print head 50, it is discharged from the inkjet printer 14 by counter-rotating discharge rollers 52, 54, a support roller 56 or other associated mechanisms as is well known in the inkjet printing art.

[0032] In one embodiment, the smartphone case flat of FIG. 2 includes a top end panel 20, a bottom end panel 22, two side panels 24, a back panel 26, and two glue flaps 28, 30 (one glue flap 28 is attached to one of the side panels 24 by one of various fold or score lines 23 to form a manufacturer's seam and the other 30 attached to the bottom end panel 22 by one of various fold or score lines 23 to form a case closure device upon contact with the bottom end panel 22). On opposite ends of each side panel 24 are dust flaps 32 which are inserted between, and held in place by, the radial corners of the smartphone 16 and the smartphone case's top or bottom end panels 20, 22 to form the radial corners of the erected smartphone case boa (FIG. 3).

[0033] The SCF 10 also includes a removable face panel 34 that is positioned between the side dust flaps 32. The face panel 34 is removed from the SCF 10 by bordering tear lines 36 to expose a face 38 of the phone 16 in the erected case boa as shown in FIG. 3. Various holes or other features 39 may be included in the SCF 10 for access to buttons and other components on the phone 16 when it is in the case 10a.

[0034] The paperboard smartphone case flat SCF 10 and associated components are but one example of a paperboard container style that may be employed within the scope of this invention. Moreover, one or more SCFs 10 of the same or different container styles may be included on a single carrier blank 12. Furthermore, a single container style may have discrete components (e.g., a lid and a base) included on the same or different carrier blanks 12. Moreover, different designs of the SCF 10 may be utilized with different styles or models of phones 16 within this invention.

[0035] While various embodiments of this invention are described relative to an inkjet printer 14, the invention is not limited to only the use of an inkjet printer. However, as an inkjet printer is the most common type of residential printer, it is envisioned that this invention will most commonly be practiced with an inkjet printer 14. As is commonly understood, an inkjet printer is a type of computer printer that creates an image by depositing droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are often considered the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

[0036] From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.