Packaging container for car floor mats

Abstract

A packaging container for a car floor mat including: a main body; at least one post member extending from the main body for supporting the car floor mat, and a securing arrangement releasably secured to the post member, the car floor mat being retained on the post member when the securing arrangement is secured to the post member, the car floor mat being removable from the packaging container when the securing arrangement is released from the post member, wherein the securing arrangement includes a catch supported on the main body by a hinged connection, the catch including a ring member for encircling the post member when engaging the post member, the ring member having an inwardly directed engagement member for engaging an overbite provided on the post member when the catch is hinged towards and interlocks with the post member.

Claims

1. A packaging container for a car floor mat including: a main body; at least one post member extending from the main body for supporting the car floor mat; a securing arrangement releasably secured to the post member, the car floor mat being supported and retained on the post member when the securing arrangement is secured to the post member; wherein the securing arrangement includes a catch integrally formed together with and supported on the main body by a hinged connection, the catch including a ring member for encircling the post member when engaging the post member, the ring member having an inwardly directed engagement member for engaging an overbite provided on the post member when the catch is hinged towards and interlocks with the post member, wherein the engagement member includes a tooth extending inwardly within the ring member and located at an outermost position relative to the hinged connection, and wherein the tooth is displaceable away from the location of the hinged connection by deformation of the ring member into an elongate shape having an elongate axis extending though the hinged connection and the tooth respectively; and first and second discrete finger rests positioned on diametrically opposed sides of the ring member and arranged on opposite sides of the tooth.

2. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the post member includes a tapered surface at a free end of the post member for engaging the ring member when the catch initially comes into contact with the post member, and wherein the overbite is located at the free end of the post member immediately adjacent the tapered surface.

3. A packaging container for a car floor mat, comprising: a main body; at least one post member extending from the main body for supporting the car floor mat; a securing arrangement releasably secured to the post member, the car floor mat being supported and retained on the post member when the securing arrangement is secured to the post member; wherein the securing arrangement includes a catch integrally formed together with and supported on the main body by a hinged connection, the catch including a ring member for encircling the post member when engaging the post member, the ring member having an inwardly directed engagement member for engaging an overbite provided on the post member when the catch is hinged towards and interlocks with the post member, wherein the engagement member includes a tooth extending inwardly within the ring member and located at an outermost position relative to the hinged connection, and wherein the tooth is displaceable away from the location of the hinged connection by deformation of the ring member into an elongate shape having an elongate axis extending though the hinged connection and the tooth respectively; wherein the catch further includes an inwardly extending abutment tongue located within the ring member immediately opposite the tooth, the abutment tongue abutting an outer surface of the post member when the catch is engaged with the post member; and first and second discrete finger rests positioned on diametrically opposed sides of the ring member and disposed between the tooth and the abutment tongue.

4. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein two or more said post members are provided on the main body, and two or more respective catches are provided on the main body.

5. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the main body includes an integral hook portion for hanging the packaging assembly.

6. A packaging container according to claim 1, further including a planar extension secured to the main body for providing a support surface thereon.

7. A packaging container according to claim 1, further including one or more car floor mats supported therein.

8. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the tooth comprises a concave-shaped peripheral end having a radius corresponding to an outer diameter of the post member.

9. A packaging container according to claim 3, wherein the abutment tongue comprises a concave-shaped free end having a radius corresponding to an outer diameter of the post member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently, the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 is a front view of a packaging container according to the present invention;

(4) FIG. 2 is a rear view of the packaging container of FIG. 1; and

(5) FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of the packaging container of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) The packaging container 1 according to the present invention includes a main body 3 which is formed together with an integral hanging hook 15 for hanging the container 1, and an integral hand opening 11 to allow the container 1 together with the car floors mats (not shown) retained by the container 1 to be carried. A planar extension 5 is also secured to the main body 3 to provide an area for supporting advertising and branding information on the container 1.

(7) The main body 3 further includes two post members 9 extending laterally from the rear of the main body 9 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each post member 9 is circular in cross-section and has a tapered surface 27 located at the peripheral end of each post member 9. An overbite 29 in the form of a slot opening is located immediately adjacent the post member tapered surface 27.

(8) Two catches 7 are respectively secured by a hinge connection 10 to the main body 3. The two catches 7 and the two post members 9 can be integrally formed together as part of the main body 3. The main body 3 is injection moulded in plastic such as polypropylene which provides the necessary strength and resilience to form the integral hinge connections and enable the catches 7 to cooperate with the post members 9 and provide the interlocking arrangement for retaining car floor mats on the container 1. Reinforcement webbing 31 is also formed as part of the rear face of the main body 3 to provide structural strength to the main body 3. The manufacturing costs can therefore be minimised by integrally forming the main body 3 together with the catches 7 as a single component.

(9) The operation of the securing arrangement will now be described in detail. Each catch 7 includes a ring member 8 which is secured to the main body 3 via the hinged connection 10. Each ring member 8 has an inwardly directed engagement member 21 in the form of a tooth is located at an outermost position relative to the hinged connection 10 within the ring member 8. This positioning allows the tooth 21 to be displaced away from the location of the hinged connection 10 if the ring member 8 is deformed into a slightly elongate shape by applying a squeezing force on opposing sides of the ring member 8 lateral to an elongate axis extending through the hinged connection 10 and the tooth 21. The tooth 21 has a concave shaped peripheral end 22 having a radius substantially corresponding to the diameter of the post member 9 where the overbite 29 is located. The concave shaped free end 22 of the tooth 21 is adapted to facilitate engagement with the overbite 29 provided on the post member 9.

(10) Two finger rests 25 are provided between the tooth and 21 and the abutment tongue 23 on opposing sides of the outer surfaces of the ring member 8 to facilitate squeezing of the ring member 8 to thereby release the catch 7 from the post member 9. An inwardly extending abutment tongue 23 is also provided within the ring member 8 and is located opposite to the tooth 21. The abutment tongue 23 has a concaved shaped free end 24 having a radius substantially corresponding to the diameter of the post member 9 to thereby closely abut the curved outer surface of the post member 9.

(11) When the catch 7 is hinged towards the post member 9, the ring member 8 initially contacts the tapered surface 27 of the post member 9. The contact between the ring member 8 and the tapered surface 27 acts to stretch the ring member 8 over the tapered surface 27 to thereby displace the tooth 21 over the tapered surface 27 and away from the post member 9. The continued hinged movement of the catch 7 then causes the tooth 21 to engage the overbite 29 on the post member 9 to thereby interlock the catch 9 to the post member 9. The concave shaped free end 24 of the abutment tongue 23 abuts against the outer surface of the post member 9 to thereby prevent displacement of the ring member 8 when interlocked with the post member 9, and therefore displacement of the tooth 21 away from the overbite 29 if any force from, for example, the weight of the car floor mats is applied against the catch 7.

(12) The catch 7 can be subsequently released from its engagement with the post member 9 by applying a squeezing force on the ring member 8 at the provided opposing finger rests 25. This deforms the ring member 8 to an elongate shape that displaces the tooth 21 out from the overbite 29 thereby releasing the clasp 7 from the post member 9.

(13) Car floor mats can be provided with apertures that allow the post members 9 of the container 1 to be passed though these apertures, with the catches 8 being subsequently secured to thereby allow car floor mats to be retained on the packing container 1 according to the present invention. The catches 8 can also be easily released and resecured thereby facilitating repacking of the car floor mats if removed from the containers 1.

(14) The packaging container 1 according to the present invention therefore allows for straightforward repackaging of products such as car floor mats as well as being durable enough to be reused without damage to the packaging container 1.

(15) Modification and variations as would be deemed obvious to the person skilled in the art are included within the ambit of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.