The present invention is particularly intended to provide a package in which high technology cards may be shipped, it being understood that generally such cards may have limited tolerance to abusive handling, and are usually relatively expensive. Moreover, such cards may be such that a visual inspection of them when they are in the hands of the intended recipient might not necessarily indicate whether any such card is still functional.
The intent of the present invention is to provide a package, within which one card-like item, or a plurality of identical or substantially similar items may be placed. When the package is intended to secure a plurality of card-like items in place, it may be termed a "bulk package". It is moreover the intent of the present invention to provide a package in such a manner that it may be produced using ordinary die-cut procedures, and shipped flat to the factory that will use it, and which may be easily and quickly erected. That characteristic provides for economies of shipping costs and storage space, in that the packages of the present invention are only shipped in their erected condition when they are filled.
Still further, a purpose of the present invention is to provide packaging which is benign as to environmental concerns. Specifically, the package of the present invention employs no foams or plastics, products which are environmentally unfriendly as to their production and even more so as to the problems encountered in disposing of them. The present invention employs cardboard, usually corrugated cardboard, which may be easily produced from re-cycled paper products, and which themselves may be re-cycled or are in any even relatively easily biodegradable. Such practices also generally help to reduce costs of production and costs to the end user.
As noted, the present invention provides an outer protective shell, having generally rectangular configuration, and an inner securing insert for the plurality of card-like items to be placed in the package. The outer shell has first and second ends, at least one front panel, a top panel, a back panel, a bottom panel, and at least one end panel at each end. Typically, for easy erection purposes, without the necessity for the used of any adhesives, the structure of the shell comprises two front panels and two panels at each end, and is such that a locking panel at each end o the outer front panel may be inserted between the respective end panels so as to secure the outer shell in a closed condition.
The inner securing insert has front, bottom, and rear articulated panels, and at least one cover panel. Each of the articulated front, bottom, and rear panels has a generally centrally located fold line along its length. Thus, each of the articulated panels protrudes inwardly at its respective fold line into the interior of the shell.
In each of the articulated panels there is provided at least one slot--and in the case of a bulk package, a plurality of slots--each of which extends across the fold line of the respective articulated panel. An edge of a card-like item to be secured within the package may be inserted in the slots. Standoffs are ranged along the fold line of each of the articulated panels, each standoff being located at each side of a respective slot.
The insert is such that, when the at least one card-like item is placed into the respective slots, the at least one cover panel is arranged to be secured in place over the card-like item in a closed position. As discussed hereafter, a clamping force may be exerted downwardly on the card-like item by the cover panel. Moreover, at least one compression tab is located at least at the top edge of the rear articulated panel, and the at least one compression tab is arranged so as to extend upwardly towards the top panel of the shell and to contact the underside of that top panel. Thus, the length of each of the at least one compression tab is sufficient so as to assure interference of its end with the bottom surface of the top panel when the shell is closed; and that in turn causes the rear articulated panel of the insert to tend to protrude further into the interior of the insert at its fold line.