GB2431629A

GB2431629A - Shelf ready packaging

Info

Publication number: GB2431629A
Application number: GB0614558A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Craig Phillip Boot; Andrew Chawner; Phillip Sampson
Original assignee: Walkers Snacks Ltd
Current assignee: Walkers Snacks Ltd
Priority date: 2005-10-25
Filing date: 2006-07-21
Publication date: 2007-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-21
Also published as: GB2424409B; GB0614558D0; GB2424409A; GB2431629B; GB0521730D0

Abstract

In a system and method for quickly stocking a shelf with packages from a box or container, a band 120 is disposed in a container 110 having a plurality of lengthwise-aligned flexible packages 130 of snack food such that the band circumferentially bundles the packages. The band is wrapped around a central portion of the bundle of packages and has two ends that terminate at or near the top of the container. The two ends of the band can be grasped by a stocker who can then efficiently transfer the bundle from the container to a shelf such as a shelf for retail display and then remove the band. The width of the band may be 40 to 80% of the package length. The material of the band may have greater stiffness than the outer packaging material of each package, and may be the same material (eg plastics laminate) as that of individual snack food packs within each package.

Description

SHELF READY PACKAGING

BACKGROUND

Technical Field:

This invention generally relates to a method for stocking packages onto a shelf from a shipping container and to a system for shipping and displaying packages. In particular, the present invention relates to such a method and system which enable quick stocking of the packages onto a shelf from the shipping container.

Background of the Invention:

Containers, including paperboard cartons or containers, have been used for many years to transport and store individually packaged products including, for example, packaged food products such as cereals, snack foods, dried fruit products, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Several individually packaged products are generally packed within a single paperboard container which is provided with a removable lid or an integral folded top which is sealed. The packaged products are generally transported within the closed or sealed container from a manufacturing facility to a place of retail sale. In order to present the packaged product for retail sale, store or other personnel must first remove the lid or open the sealed top, remove each individually packaged product from the container, properly position each individually packaged product on available display shelves, and finally discard the container. Thus, transporting packaged products from a manufacturing facility to a storage location and then to a display location using conventional paperboard cartons or containers is a labor-intensive process. Further, for the stocker, the process of mounting the display package onto a shelf or display hanger is a tedious and time-consuming task that requires exceedingly repetitive work. Having such repetitive work for a stocker increases costs for the store or other entity employing the stocker and also increases the risk of injury to the stocker. While there is a significant amount of prior art disclosing the general idea of efficient methods and

I

packages for the transfer of shipped product to a retail display, much of the art is focused on two general categories.

Patents in the first category are directed towards packages having apertures or holes to permit placement of the packages on display.hangers. Such patents include U.S. Patent No. 5,054,727; U.S. Patent No. 5,730,296; U.S. Patent No. 5,901,860; U.S. Patent No. 6,109,447; U.S. Patent No. 6,401,304; and U.S. Patent No. 6,704,971. Such patents, however, require packages to have an aperture and are directed towards placement on a display hanger rather than on a shelf.

Patents in the second category are directed towards packages using a portion of the container itself as part of the display. This typically requires a severing the top portion of a shipping container thereby leaving a bottom, tray portion which can be placed upon a shelf with the container contents. Patents in this category include U.S. Patent No. 4,773,541; U.S. Patent No. 6,050,420; and U.S. Patent No. 6,386,366. Many of these patents are undesirable, however, because they require that the original shipping package be taken apart or destroyed and further require that the tray portion stay with the packages while the packages are displayed. Thus, the shipping packages cannot be returned immediately for reuse and the same amount of shelf space is required by a tray that is half full of product as is required by a tray that is completely full of product.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0066689 Al discloses a package for holding and transporting product in which a strap is disposed in a carton and around products, disposed within the carton, in the form of a vertical stack of regular geometric (i.e. rectangular) rigid boxes. This specification does not address, or provide a solution to, the packaging of snack food in flexible packages in such a manner as to minimise the possibility of inadvertent crushing of the snack food, and/or as to permit flexible packages (which cannot form a stable stack of geometric packages) to be removed from a carton and placed as a bundle on a shelf without requiring subsequent manual arrangement.

Consequently, a need exists for a system and method permitting the efficient stocking of store shelves with flexible snack food packages. The system and method should not require the package being displayed to have an aperture and should permit the shipping container to be preserved and reused.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the present invention provides a method of stocking packages from a shipping container onto a shelf, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a container having a plurality of flexible packages comprising snack food, wherein at least two of said packages are oriented and aligned lengthwise and circumferentially bundled by a removable flexible band thereby defining a bundle of packages, the band being wrapped around a central portion of the bundle of lengthwise aligned packages; b) removing said bundle of packages from said container by holding the removable band; c) placing said bundle of packages onto a shelf; and d) removing said removable band.

Preferably, the removable band has a width that is from 40% to 80% of the package length.

Preferably, the removable band is composed of a material that has a greater stiffness than an outer packaging material of each of the flexible packages.

Preferably, each flexible package comprises an outer package containing therein a plurality of individual snack food packs, each snack food pack comprising a primary packaging material containing snack food.

More preferably, the removable band is composed of substantially the same material as the primary packaging material.

The removable band may be composed of scrap primary packaging material.

Preferably, the removable band and the primary packaging material both comprise a plastic laminate.

The plastic laminate may be an extrusion laminate having at least one biaxially oriented film.

Preferably, said container comprises two or more bundles of packages.

Preferably, said removable band further comprises a first end and a second end where said first and second end are provided near a container opening.

Preferably, the first and second ends of said removable band around the at least two packages in the bundle are unfastened, and in step (b) the first and second ends of said removable band are rolled together in the circumferential direction of the band.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a system for shipping and displaying packages, said system comprising: a container having a plurality of flexible packages comprising snack food, said at least two of said packages being oriented and aligned lengthwise, at least one removable flexible band having a first end and a second end, wherein said removable band is placed circumferentially about said at least two of said packages thereby making a bundle of packages, the band being wrapped about a central portion of the bundle of lengthwise aligned packages.

The removable band may be composed of scrap primary packaging material.

Preferably, said container comprises two or more bundles.

Preferably, said first end and said second end are provided adjacent an opening side of the container.

Preferably, said removable band around the at least two packages in the bundle is unfastened.

The proposed invention accordingly comprises circumferential placement of a removable band to bundle a plurality of packages within a shipping container. Upon opening the shipping container, the bundle of packages can be pulled out of the shipping container, placed onto a retail point of sale shelf, and the band can then be removed, resulting in a stocked shelf. The present invention thereby increases productivity of stocking shelves with product and decreases repetitive motion previously required by a stocker to transfer individual packages from the shipping container to the shelf.

The above as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following written description.

BRIEF DESCRiPTION OF TIlE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a cutaway perspective view of an open container having two bundles in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a person removing a bundle of packages from the container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a person placing the bundle of packages onto a shelf in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a person removing the band in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a front view depicting shelves stocked with packages in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Directing attention to Figure 1, shown is a cutaway perspective view of an open container 110 partially lined with two bands 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of packages 130 are nestled inside the bands 120 in the container 110. The first band 120 on the left side of the Figure depicts the band ends open to better illustrate how the bands can be loosely positioned in the container 110.

The second band 120 on the right side of the Figure depicts the band ends overlapping to better illustrate how the banding can appear when the container 110 is first opened. In one embodiment, placement of the bands 120 within the containers 110 is automated.

The band 120 having a first end and a second end can be any type of flexible material that can conform to the walls of a container 110. A foil, plastic-like film, or paper material can be used. In one embodiment, the band 120 is oriented such that the ends rest near the opening side of the container 110. The opening side is the side of the container that is opened to retrieve the bundle. In one embodiment, the opening side of the container 110 is the top. In one embodiment, the band 120 is not affixed to the container 110 or to itself by an adhesive or any other fastening means.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a person 140 removing the bundle of packages 130 from the container 110 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A person 140 grasps the two loose band 120 ends and thereby temporarily seals the two ends together to form a bundle of packages 130. The bundle of packages 130 can then be removed from the container 110 as a single unit. Although two separate bands 120 are shown in Figures 1 and 2 resulting in two separate bundles, a container 110 can comprise one or more bands 120 depending on several factors including, but not limited to, the size and/or weight of the packages 130, desired number of packages 130 in a bundle, and the size of the container 110 holding the bundles. Normally, the person 140 would use only a single hand to remove a single bundle of packages 130 from the container 110, as shown in Figure 2, so that bundles are removed one at a time from the container 110. However, alternatively two hands could be used to remove two bundles of packages 130 at the same time.

As shown in Figure 2, most preferably the person 140 grasps the two loose band 120 ends and the two ends of the band 120 are rolled together in the circumferential direction of the band 120. This avoids or minimizes the possibility of the band 120 being compressed in the transverse direction, i.e. reduced in dimension across its width, which would tend to reduce the surface area of contact between the band 120 and the packages 130. This in turn avoids or minimizes the possibility of the snack food in the packages being crushed as a result of excess pressure applied by the band 120.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a person 140 or stocker placing the bundle of packages onto a shelf 150 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The bundles can be sized or configured so as to fill a portion of or the total shelf depth with packages. For example, if it takes six packages to fill the depth of a shelf, the bundle can comprise up to six packages in depth. It may be desirable to use fewer packages 130, such as four or five, however, if the shelves are not anticipated to be completely empty.

In one embodiment, the band 120 is sized in width such that, if a flexible packaging is utilized, the weight of the bundle does not cause the package to bend when the bundle is removed from the container and placed onto a shelf.

In the invention the packages 130 are flexible packages comprising snack food, and the packages 130 may be flexible bags as illustrated, either single packs of snack food or packs (which may be called "multipacks" in the art) containing multiple bags of snack food. Alternatively, the packages may be tubes, containing snack food. The packages in each bundle are oriented and aligned lengthwise in the same direction and closely packed. Different bundles can be differently aligned in the same container. The band has a strength, in particular a tear strength and a tensile strength, to enable the flexible band 120, when manually lifted as described earlier, to be able to support the weight of the packages 130 wrapped by the band 120 without breaking or significant stretching. This therefore permits the entire bundle of packages 130 to be lifted from the container 110 and held by the stocker 140 only holding the flexible band 120.

Being flexible, the stocker 140 can manually squeeze the band 120 if necessary to impart a squeezing force on the bundle of packages 130, which tends to assist the packages 130 being held together as a single bundle as they are removed from the container 110 and placed on the shelf.

The band 120 has a width that is a significant proportion of the length of each package in the bundle, namely from 40% to 80% of the package length. This provides that the wide band 120 imparts a supporting force on a significant area, from 40% to 80%, of the outer circumferential surface of the bundle as it is lifted from the container 110 and placed on the shelf. This assists the packages 130 being securely held together during the lifting step, with reduced movement or slippage between packages 130 in the bundle.

This is particularly important for snack food packages 130 which are packed in the container 110 in a bundle in which individual packages can possibly slip or move relative to other packages because the packages are not of a regular shape, for example rectangular boxes, and no dividers are placed between adjacent packages 130 in a bundle. The band 120 is wrapped around a central portion of the bundle of lengthwise aligned packages 130 and does not extend as far as to cover the opposite ends of the packages 130, otherwise it would be difficult to remove the band 120 from the packages after having been deposited on the shelf without disturbing the positioning of the packages 130 on the shelf.

The inventors have found that provided that the band 120 has a width that is at least 40% of the package 130 length (for example a band width of 157 mm for a package length of about 373 mm, giving a width/length ration of about 42%) them the combined mechanical effects of avoiding crushing of the snack food while ensuring secure holding of the bundle of packages without slipping can be achieved in combination with the minimizing of material costs and easy and efficient disposal of the band length within the container during the manufacturing process.

In the illustrated embodiment, the band 120 is composed of a material that has a greater stiffness than an outer packaging material of each of the flexible packages 120. This provides the advantage that there is a reduced possibility of the outer packaging material being wrinkled or distorted during the removal of the packages 130 from the container 110. The band 120 material allows easy single-handed removal from the container 110 of the snack food packages 130, for example two bundles of snack food packages 130 per container 110, as well as maintaining good shelf presentation, by ensuring that the outer packaging material remains smooth and does not become wrinkled or distorted during the unpacking/shelf stocking process. The relatively high band width as well as the relative stiffness of the band each contribute to this advantage.

In the illustrated embodiment, each flexible package 130 comprises an outer package containing therein a plurality of individual snack food packs, each snack food pack comprising a primary packaging material containing snack food, i.e. the package 120 is a snack food multipack. The outer packaging material for the multipack is thinner and more flexible than the primary packaging material for the snack food packs, and therefore more liable to wrinkling or distortion. In such an embodiment, advantageously the band 120 is composed of substantially the same material as the primary packaging material. This not only provides the required mechanical properties to the band 120 as discussed above, but also permits the band 120 to be composed of scrap primary packaging material. This reduces production costs for the band 120 Typically, the band 120 and the primary packaging material both comprise a plastic laminate, most preferably an extrusion laminate having at least one biaxially oriented film. A particularly preferred extrusion laminate comprises two biaxially oriented polypropylene (PP) outer webs bonded together with a central tie layer of low density polyethylene (PE). Such an extrusion laminate typically has a tensile strength in the machine direction (i.e. the circumferential/longitudinal direction of the band 120) of at least 120 Mn\M2, and a tensile strength in the transverse direction (i.e. the axial direction of the band 120) of at least 260Mn\M2." By providing a wide band 120, when the packages are flexible bags containing snack food, this reduces the pressures applied to the packages and so minimizes inadvertent crushing of the snack foods in the lifting operation. In fact, individual packages 130 do not need to be held manually, which may reduce inadvertent manual crushing of snack foods as compared to manual handling of individual packages of snack foods.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a person 140 removing the band 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A person 140 can use one hand to hold the bundle of packages 130 in place while using the other hand to easily slide and thereby unravel the band 120 to reveal a set of neatly displayed packages 130 on the shelf 150, without requiring subsequent manual rearrangement. In one embodiment, the band 120 is not adhered to the packages 130 or the container 110 (as depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2) ensuring quick, unfettered, and easy removal.

Figure 5 is a front view depicting a shelf 150 stocked with packages 130 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the present invention provides a way to neatly and uniformly stock a shelf 150 with a plurality of packages 130.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described in the following Example to illustrate the efficiency provided by one embodiment of the present invention compared with a prior art method as exemplified in a Comparative Example. This example is intended to illustrate the invention without limiting the scope as a result.

Comparative Example

A container filled with thirty six packages of food product was opened and each individual package was placed onto a store shelf. The stocker bent over more than ten times to unload the food packages from the container and neatly place them onto shelf.

The amount of time required to perform this task was ninety seconds.

Example

A container filled with thirty six packages of food product was placed in a container lined with two adjacent removable bands wherein each band surrounded eighteen packages. Each bundle was comprised of packages three across and six deep. The container was opened. The stocker grasped the two ends of the first band and removed the resultant bundle or parcel from container and placed the first bundle of eighteen packages onto a shelf. The stocker then removed the band from the first bundle and placed it back into the container. The stocker then grasped the two ends of the second band and removed the second bundle or parcel from container and placed the second bundle of eighteen packages onto a shelf adjacent the first bundle. The stocker then removed the band from the second bundle and placed it back into the container. The stocker required only twenty four seconds to neatly place the thirty six packages on the shelf and the stocker was required to bend over only twice.

Although the example above is directed towards a container having two bundles, any number of bundles can be placed into the container. Similarly, although the example above has eighteen packages per bundle a bundle can comprise two or more packages.

There are several advantages provided by the instant invention. First, the amount of repetitive motion required by a stocker is reduced. Thus, the present invention minimizes possibility of back strains and other potential work-related injuries to the stocker. Second, the instant invention results in much greater productivity. In the example above, productivity was enhanced by a factor of three. This can significantly decrease labor costs associated with the stocking of retail shelves. Third, a more uniform and organized shelf display is likely to result, as the packages are already in a desired packing configuration on removal from the container and as they are placed on the shelf.

Fourth, there is no loss of shelf space from a portion of a partially empty bottom tray portion. Fifth, the packages do not require any holes or apertures to be placed on display. Sixth, the bands and containers can be recycled and used again further reducing costs.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method of stocking packages from a shipping container onto

a shelf, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a container having a plurality of flexible packages comprising snack food, wherein at least two of said packages are oriented and aligned lengthwise and circumferentially bundled by a removable flexible band thereby defining a bundle of packages, the band being wrapped around a central portion of the bundle of lengthwise aligned packages; b) removing said bundle of packages from said container by holding the removable band; c) placing said bundle of packages onto a shelf and d) removing said removable band.

2. The method of Claim I wherein the removable band has a width that is from 40% to 80% of the package length.

3. The method of Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the removable band is composed of a material that has a greater stiffness than an outer packaging material of each of the flexible packages.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein each flexible package comprises an outer package containing therein a plurality of individual snack food packs, each snack food pack comprising a primary packaging material containing snack food.

5. The method of Claim 4 wherein the removable band is composed of substantially the same material as the primary packaging material.

6. The method of Claim 5 wherein the removable band is composed of scrap primary packaging material.

7. The method of any one of Claims 4 to 6 wherein the removable band and the primary packaging material both comprise a plastic laminate.

8. The method of Claim 7 wherein the plastic laminate is an extrusion laminate having at least one biaxially oriented film.

9. The method of any foregoing Claim wherein said container comprises two or more bundles of packages.

The method of any foregoing Claim wherein said removable band further comprises a first end and a second end where said first and second end are provided near a container opening.

11. The method of Claim 10 wherein the first and second ends of said removable band around the at least two packages in the bundle are unfastened, and in step (b) the first and second ends of said removable band are rolled together in the circumferential direction of the band.

12. A system for shipping and displaying packages, said system comprising: a container having a plurality of flexible packages comprising snack food, said at least two of said packages being oriented and aligned lengthwise, at least one removable flexible band having a first end and a second end, wherein said removable band is placed circumferentially about said at least two of said packages thereby making a bundle of packages, the band being wrapped about a central portion of the bundle of lengthwise aligned packages.

13. The system of Claim 12 wherein the removable band has a width that is from 40% to 80% of the package length.

14. The system of Claim 12 or Claim 13 wherein the removable band is composed of a material that has a greater stiffness than an outer packaging material of each of the flexible packages.

15. The system of any one of Claims 12 to 14 wherein each flexible package comprises an outer package containing therein a plurality of individual snack food packs, each snack food pack comprising a primary packaging material containing snack food.

16 The system of Claim 15 wherein the removable band is composed of substantially the same material as the primary packaging material.

17. The system of Claim 16 wherein the removable band is composed of scrap primary packaging material.

18. The system of any one of Claims 15 to 17 wherein the removable band and the primary packaging material both comprise a plastic laminate.

19. The system of Claim 18 wherein the plastic laminate is an extrusion laminate having at least one biaxially oriented film.

20. The system of any one of Claims 12 to 19 wherein said container comprises two or more bundles.

21. The system of any one of Claims 12 to 20 wherein said first end and said second end are provided adjacent an opening side of the container.

22. The system of any one of Claims 12 to 21 wherein said removable band around the at least two packages in the bundle is unfastened.