Battery package

Abstract

A battery package is described herein that advantageously maintains separation between batteries received therein while also providing a resealable opening to sequentially retrieve batteries therefrom. Further, the battery package can include an outer covering.

Claims

1. A battery package comprising: a tray having a recessed portion and a perimeter flange extending outwardly from edges of the recessed portion about a perimeter of the recessed portion, the tray extending along a longitudinal axis; a tab of the tray extending upwardly along the longitudinal axis, the tab including a hanging feature; curved surface portions disposed in the recessed portion, each curved surface portion configured to receive a cylindrical battery therein; a cover disposed over the recessed portion and at least a portion of the perimeter flange; an adhesive disposed between the tray and cover; a sleeve having body panels extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tray and a top panel extending transverse to the longitudinal axis and configured to at least partially form a top of the sleeve, the tray and cover being inserted into the sleeve so that the body panels extend around the cover and tray, wherein the body panels comprise a front panel, a rear panel, and side panels extending between longitudinal edges of the front panel and the rear panel, and the top panel comprises a flap extending from a top edge of the rear panel at least partially between the front panel and the rear panel of the sleeve; and a slot opening defined in the top of the sleeve to receive the tab of the tray therethrough; wherein the flap connects to the top edge of the rear panel via a line of weakness defined by perforations configured to ease removal of the flap from the sleeve wherein the front panel includes a top portion extending past the top panel along the longitudinal axis, the top portion extending along a portion of the perimeter flange with the tab inserted through the slot opening.

2. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the slot opening extends generally parallel with the front panel.

3. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the top panel at least partially defines the slot opening.

4. The battery package of claim 3, wherein the slot opening extends through a central portion of the top panel to receive the tab therethrough.

5. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the front panel has a width corresponding to a width of the perimeter flange of the tray, and the rear panel has a width corresponding to a width of the recessed portion of the tray, such that a horizontal cross-section of the sleeve through the body panels has a trapezoidal configuration.

6. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tray abuts the top panel with the tab extending through the slot opening.

7. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the cover is a transparent or translucent flexible film material.

8. The battery package of claim 7, wherein a front panel of the body panels defines a window opening extending therethrough, such that cylindrical batteries received within the tray are visible through the window opening with the tray disposed within the sleeve.

9. The battery package of claim 1, further comprising a void formed in the adhesive aligned with the recessed portion of the tray, such that when the cover is adhered to the tray, the cover does not adhere to cylindrical batteries received within the tray.

10. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises a resealable adhesive.

11. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tab has a width less than a width of the tray including the recessed portion and the perimeter flange extending outwardly therefrom.

12. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tab projects upwardly from the perimeter flange.

13. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tray includes two adjacent recessed portions, each recessed portion containing a plurality of curved surface portions, and the tray includes a divider extending between the adjacent recessed portions.

14. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a paperboard or cardboard material.

15. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tray includes a stand portion that projects rearwardly, such that the tray is configured to stand upright resting at least partially on the stand portion thereof.

16. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the tab of the tray extends along the longitudinal axis of the tray when the tray is contained within the sleeve, such that the tab extends through the slot opening and aligns the tray within the sleeve.

17. The battery package of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is composed of a sheet of paperboard material; and the front panel has a greater length along the longitudinal axis than the rear and side panels, such that the front panel includes the top portion extending past the top panel along the longitudinal axis.

18. The battery package of claim 17, wherein the perimeter flange of the tray includes a portion that extends along and abuts the top portion of the front panel with the tab extending through the slot opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the battery package described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a battery package in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(4) FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(5) FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(6) FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(7) FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tray and cover of the battery package of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(9) FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view for a second embodiment of a battery package in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(10) FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 8 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

(11) FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 8 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure; and

(12) FIG. 11. is a rear elevation view of the battery package of FIG. 8 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

(13) Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) A battery package is described herein that advantageously maintains separation between batteries received therein while also providing a resealable opening to sequentially retrieve batteries therefrom. Further, the battery package can include an outer covering or sleeve to hold the various individual components together during storage.

(15) An exemplary battery package 10 of a first form is shown in FIGS. 1-7. The battery package 10 includes a tray 12, a cover 14, and a sleeve 16 that extend generally along a longitudinal axis L. As shown in FIG. 7, the tray 12 is configured to receive batteries 18 having a cylindrical sidewall 20 therein, while the cover 14 is configured to adhere to the tray 12 to secure the batteries 18 therebetween. In a closed configuration, i.e., when the tray 12 is contained within the sleeve 16, the sleeve 16 extends around the tray 12 and cover 14.

(16) Details of the tray 12 are shown in FIG. 7. The tray 12 includes a recessed central portion 22 and a perimeter flange 24 extending outwardly from the recessed central portion 22. The recessed central portion 22 has a back wall 26 and a sidewall 28 that extends between the back wall 26 and the perimeter flange 24. The recessed central portion 22 is configured to receive the batteries 18 therein and, preferably, is sized so that the batteries 18 are fully received therein such that the batteries 18 do not break a plane of the perimeter flange 24.

(17) The back wall 26 includes a plurality of bays 30, each having a surface with a curved, partially cylindrical configuration, each bay 30 extending in a parallel direction along a longitudinal axis L of the package 10. Preferably, the cylindrical configuration of the bays 28 is sized to be complementary to the cylindrical sidewall 20 of the batteries 18 so that when the batteries 18 are received therein, the bays 28 restrict lateral movement thereof. Additionally, a length of the bays 28 between end walls 29 thereof can be sized to be slightly larger, e.g., about 1-5 mm larger than a length of the batteries 18 intended to be received therein. So configured, the bays 28 and the dimensions of the recessed central portion 22 cooperate to restrict movement of the batteries 18. Further, restricting movement of the batteries 18 also advantageously aids in preventing terminals 31 of the batteries 18 from contacting one another when contained within the package 10.

(18) The tray 12 can advantageously be configured to store any desired number of batteries 18 therein. For example, although the illustrated tray 12 includes a row 32 of four bays 30, any desired number of bays 30 can be provided in a row 32. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the tray 12 can include multiple recessed portions 22. The multiple recessed portions 22 can be provided in a stacked configuration with a divider 34 extending therebetween and providing the end walls 29 for the bays 30 on both sides thereof. In one approach, the divider 34 includes a forwardly facing wall 36 extending between the end walls 29. The forwardly facing wall 36 is disposed above a bottom surface of the bays 30 and the end walls 29 can prevent contact between the negative terminal of a battery 18 in a recessed portion 22 and the positive terminal of a different battery 18 in a second recessed portion 22. In the illustrated form, the forwardly facing wall 36 is recessed with respect to the flange 24. Alternatively, the forwardly facing wall 36 can be co-planar with the flange 24.

(19) As shown in FIG. 4, the tray 12 can further include a rearwardly projecting stand portion 38. So configured, the tray 12 can stand in an upright position resting on a bottom edge 40 of the flange 24 along a front 42 thereof and on a bottom edge or surface 44 of the stand portion 38 on a rear 46 thereof. If desired, the flange 24 and stand portion 38 can be sized so that the tray 12 rests at a slightly angled orientation with respect to vertical. For example, the tray 12 can be angled between about 5 degrees and about 30 degrees with respect to vertical, more specifically between about 10 degrees and about 20 degrees, and more specifically between about 10 degrees and about 15 degrees.

(20) In the illustrated form, the stand portion 38 has a generally parallelepiped shape that extends rearwardly from a lower portion 48 of the back wall 26 corresponding to the bottom row 32 of bays 30. With this shape, the stand portion 38 includes a rear wall 50 that is suitable for placement of alphanumeric material (e.g., branding or other identification of the batteries 18), a top wall 54, a bottom wall 56, and side walls 58 extending therebetween. The alphanumeric material can formed in the tray 12 as shown, embossed, printed, adhered thereto using a label, as so forth.

(21) In alternative forms (not shown), the stand portion 38 can be provided by one or more rearwardly extending walls projecting from the back wall 26, the corner between the back wall 26 and sidewall 28, or the bottom edge 40 of the flange 24. The rearwardly extending wall can have any desired configuration, such as generally perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal axis L, at an angle thereto, a plurality of generally vertical walls, and so forth.

(22) The tray 12 can also include a tab 60 having a hanging feature 62, such as a hang hole, projecting therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment the tab 60 is projecting from a top edge 64 of the perimeter flange 24. As shown, while projecting from the perimeter flange 24, the tab 60 is folded towards the back wall 26 to project above an intermediate depth of the tray 12. More specifically, the tab 60 includes a first fold 66 substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis L, the first fold 66 extending from the top edge 64 of the flange 24 and a second fold 68 substantially perpendicular to the first fold 66, the second fold 68 being spaced from the first fold 66 by a rearwardly extending wall portion 70, and extending from an edge of the rearwardly extending wall portion 70 opposite from the first fold 66. With this configuration, the tab 60 projects upwardly, generally along the longitudinal axis L when the tray 12 is contained within the sleeve 16. In the illustrated form, the wall portion 70 is sized to be less than a depth of the recessed central portion 22 of the tray 12 and, more specifically, about half the depth of the recessed central portion 22. The hanging feature 62 can take any suitable shape and/or configuration as is commonly understood.

(23) The tray 12 can be made using any suitable method, such as in a mold using pressed paper pulp, injection molding, blow molding, and so forth. Any suitable paperboard or plastic material may be used to make the tray, for example, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinvyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate may be used.

(24) As shown in FIG. 7, the cover 14 has a planar configuration with a footprint generally corresponding to the tray 12 and, more particularly, the flange 24 thereof. In the illustrated form, the cover 14 is a flexible film material. Moreover, the cover 14 can be transparent or translucent so that a user can see the batteries 18 remaining within the tray 12. Of course, the cover 14 can alternatively be a flexible, rigid, or semi-rigid, as desired. Generally, the cover 14 is manufactured by blown film extrusion, cast film extrusion, and the like. The cover 14 may comprise any suitable paperboard or plastic material, for example, nylon, cellophane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinvyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate may be used. Further, if desired, such as for trays 12 having multiple recessed portions 22, the cover 14 can be divided into multiple, separate portions. For example, each cover 14 can cover one of the recessed portions 22 and adhere to the portion of the flange 24 extending therearound. Additionally, if the divider wall 36 is co-planar with or slightly offset from the flange 24, the cover 14 or covers 14 could additionally adhere to a portion of the divider wall 36 and be perforable such that it can be easily removed once the batteries 18 contained in the row 32 are removed/used.

(25) As discussed above, the tray 12 and cover 14 are adhesively connected together. In a preferred approach, the tray 12 and cover 14 are coupled together using a resealable adhesive 72 as shown in FIG. 7. For example, the resealable adhesive 72 can be a pressure sensitive adhesive. As such, when a user peels back the cover 14 to remove one or more batteries 18, the user can reseal the cover 14 onto the tray 12 to thereby secure the remaining batteries 18 therein. Moreover, with packages 10 having multiple rows 32 of bays 30, a user need only peel back the cover 14 to expose a desired portion of the tray 12. If desired, a tab 33 of the cover 14 being adhesive-free can be provided so that the user can easily grip the cover 14 for opening. The tab 33 can be in the corner as shown, along a side, or combinations thereof.

(26) By a first approach, the resealable adhesive 72 can be disposed on the perimeter flange 24 of the tray 12. So configured, the cover 14 can be aligned with the flange 24 and applied thereto. With a pressure sensitive adhesive, the cover 14 can be adhered to the flange 24 using pressure.

(27) By a second approach, the resealable adhesive 72 can be disposed on the cover 14 at least in areas corresponding to and capable of contacting the perimeter flange 24 of the tray 12. The resealable adhesive 72 of this form can include a void 74 spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the cover 14 and configured to align with the recessed portion(s) 22 when the cover 14 is adhered to the tray 12. As such, the cover 14 does not adhere to the batteries 18 within the tray 12. The void 74 can be an area without adhesive disposed thereon or can be an area with a deadening material disposed on the adhesive 72 such that the adhesive is rendered inactive.

(28) An example sleeve 16 is shown in FIGS. 1-7. The sleeve 16 includes a front panel 76, a rear panel 78, and side panels 80 extending between the front and rear panels 76, 78. So configured, the sleeve 16 has a tubular configuration with an open top 82 and an open bottom 84. The sleeve 16 is configured to slide over the tray 12 and cover 14 when they are adhered together.

(29) In the illustrated form, a cross-section of the sleeve 16 has a generally trapezoidal configuration where the front panel 76 has a perimeter corresponding to the perimeter flange 24 of the tray 12 and the cover 14, the rear panel 78 has a width corresponding to a width of the recessed portion 22, and the side panels 80 extend therebetween. The rear panel 78 can have a length that is adapted to abut the stand portion 38 when the tray 12 and cover 14 is fully received within the sleeve 16. As such, the rear panel 78 of this form has a smaller length than the front panel 76. Optionally, the side panels 80 can have a length corresponding to the rear panel 78 as shown or the front panel 76. The sleeve 16 can be made from any suitable material, such as paperboard or cardboard. The sleeve 16 can be cut from a sheet of material and folded as shown in the figures to form the panel portions thereof. In order to hold the tubular form of the sleeve, the sleeve can include overlapping portions, such as along one of the side panels 80 thereof, so that the overlapping portions can be adhered or otherwise secured together. Alternatively, any suitable plastic material, for example, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinvyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate may be used.

(30) As shown in FIG. 1, the sleeve 16 can further include a flap 86 that extends from a top edge 88 of the rear panel 78. The flap 86 is configured to fold over the open top 82 of the sleeve 16 and be secured to an interior surface of the front panel 76 by any suitable mechanism, such as an adhesive, a mechanical interaction between a tab and an aperture on the flap and a top edge of the front panel 76 and so forth. The flap 86 optionally further includes an elongate slot opening 90 extending therethrough. The opening 90 is configured to be disposed in an intermediate position between the front and rear panels 76, 78 when the flap 86 is folded over. As such, when the tray 12 is slid into the sleeve 16, the tab 60 thereof extends through the opening 90 and the wall portion 70 thereof abuts the flap 86. This configuration effectively aligns the tray 12 with the cover 14 adhered thereto within the sleeve 16. Moreover, when the tray 12 is hung on a product display using the hanging feature 62 of the tab 60, the sleeve 16 is prevented from being removed. If desired, the connection between the flap 86 and the rear panel 78 can be a line of weakness, such as a perforation, score line, or the like, so that a user can easily remove the flap 86 after purchase. Similarly, a line of weakness may be included between the tab 60 and the tray 12.

(31) An alternative form for a battery package 100 is shown in FIGS. 8-11. The package 100 of this form includes many similarities to the package 10 described above and as such only the differences will be discussed herein.

(32) The package 100 of this form includes the tray 12′, cover 14′, and sleeve 16′ and further includes a base 102. The base 102 includes a rear wall 104, a sidewall 106, and a perimeter flange 108 extending outwardly from a perimeter of the sidewall 106 opposite the rear wall 104. The base 102 defines an interior 110 configured to receive the tray 12′ therein.

(33) As shown, the tray 12′ nests within the base 102 and is captured between the base 102 and the cover 14′. The resealable adhesive 72′ can be disposed between the cover 14′ and the perimeter flange 108 of the base 102. Alternatively, the cover 14′ can be adhered to the flange 24′ of the tray 12′. As with the above form, the adhesive 72′ can be disposed on the cover 14′ with the corresponding void 74 or, alternatively, can be disposed on the base perimeter flange 108 and/or the tray flange 24′.

(34) In another aspect, the tab 60′ of the tray 12′ can project upwardly without the folds of the above form. As such, in a first form, when the tray 12′ is nested within the base 102, the tab 60′ projects in front of the flange 108 of the base 102 and can be at least partially captured between the flange 108 and the cover 14′ when the cover 14′ is adhered to the base 102. If desired, the sleeve 16′ can optionally include a similarly configured flap 86′ to align the base 102, tray 12′, and cover 14′ within the sleeve 16′. In a second form, as with the base 102 shown in FIG. 11, the sidewall 106 can include an elongate opening 111 in a top portion thereof configured to receive the tab 60′ therethrough when the tray 12′ is nested within the base 102.

(35) Moreover, due to the nested configuration of the tray 12′, the base 102 can include a rearwardly projecting portion 112 abutting the rear panel 78′ of the sleeve 16′. Although the rearwardly projecting portion 112 may not be configured to provide a standing feature for the package 100, the portion 112 can have dimensions or configurations similar to the above-described stand portion 38 so that the package 100 can similarly stand in an upright orientation resting on the rearwardly projecting portion 112 and a front edge 114 of the flange 108.

(36) Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.