Reclosable Door-Latching Package

Abstract

A reclosable package having a blister with an outer wall defining an article-holding cavity in communication with a cavity opening that includes a door attached by a hinge and configured to seat in the opening with engagement between the door and a cavity-opening defining side or edge helping keep the door closed. In one embodiment, the door includes an indented portion that frictionally engages at least one and preferably a plurality of cavity-opening defining side when closed. Such an indented portion can include an undercut that underlies part of the adjacent cavity-opening defining side when the door is closed having an interference fit therebetween that can be a snap fit. The package can also be configured to provide releasable engagement between part of the door and part of the blister outer wall when the door is closed that can be in the form of a bar snap.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 392,000, filed Oct. 11, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 407,016, filed Oct. 26, 2010, the entirety of each of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to a reclosable package and more particular to a reclosable package employing a door latching arrangement.BACKGROUND[0003]Packaging articles, including elongate articles, e.g., wiper blades, for retail display is a challenge. In the past, returns of non-reclosable packages resulted in many prospective customers not purchasing the return because of the appearance of tampering as it was visibly clear that the package had previously been opened. It is therefore a challenge to make a package that is reclosable so returned articles can be put back in the original package and placed back on the retail display in a state that another prospec...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present invention is directed to a reclosable package having a reclosable door latching arrangement constructed and arranged to provide a releasable door-closed retaining engagement between part of a package door and the boundary or edge of a cavity opening in a blister of a body of the package and another part of the door and an outer wall of the blister. The door is configured with a three dimensionally contoured portion that seats in the cavity opening engaging a portion of the cavity opening boundary or edge providing a first latching arrangement when the door is closed with the engagement helping to keep the door releasably closed. One of the door and blister outer wall has at least one rib and the other one of door and blister wall has at least one rib-receiving channel that releasably receives and engages the at least one rib providing a second latching arrangement that can define a bar snap when the door is closed.

[0007]In a preferred embodiment, the door is configured with an indented portion configured to engage with a plurality of cavity opening edges when the door is closed with the indented portion seated in the cavity opening. Such an indented portion can have and preferably is configured with an undercut that underlies a portion of the endwall of the blister in which the cavity opening is formed to help releasably keep the door closed. In a preferred embodiment, the undercut underlies part of one of the cavity opening edges when the door is closed in a manner that provides an interference fit therebetween and which can result in a snap fit therebetween helping to keep the door closed. Another part of the indented portion, such as a bevel or inclined portion opposite the undercut, which engages part of another one of the cavity opening edges when the door is closed helping keep the door closed. Such engagement results in at least a friction fit between the bevel and cavity opening edge with which it engages when the door is closed. In a preferred embodiment, the undercut engages along one cavity opening edge, such that there is an interference and / or snap fit therebetween, and the beveled or inclined outer surface or edge of the indention opposite the undercut frictionally engages an opposite cavity opening defining edge. If desired, the indented portion can have a plurality of additional spaced apart bevels or inclined edges that can each also frictionally engage a corresponding cavity opening defining edge when the door is closed.

[0009]Engagement between the indented portion and a plurality cavity opening defining edges, e.g., opposed cavity opening defining edges, along with engagement between the rib and rib-receiving channel of the bar snap collectively work together to produce a reclosable package where the door securely, yet releasably stays closed when closed. Such a top-opening package construction advantageously produces a package of simple, economical, durable and reclosable construction having a blister that is formed of a single sheet of formable material, such as preferably plastic. Such a top-opening reclosable door construction is also well suited for wiper blade packaging applications for releasably retaining an article, such as a wiper blade, having a length that is at least a plurality of pairs of times its width. Such a package can be constructed to have a package length that is at least a plurality of pairs of times package width.

Problems solved by technology

Packaging articles, including elongate articles, e.g., wiper blades, for retail display is a challenge.

In the past, returns of non-reclosable packages resulted in many prospective customers not purchasing the return because of the appearance of tampering as it was visibly clear that the package had previously been opened.

It is therefore a challenge to make a package that is reclosable so returned articles can be put back in the original package and placed back on the retail display in a state that another prospective purchaser will not realize it was returned.

It is a challenge to produce a package that maximizes internal volume for retaining the article package while minimizing external volume to optimize the amount of packages that can be displayed in a retail store.

Unfortunately, to accommodate these ribs and troughs, each hang hole flange must be made longer, undesirably increasing the amount of space the package takes up in a retail display for a given internal article holding volume.

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