US20090145081A1 - Method and apparatus for attaching article to a container - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for attaching article to a container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20090145081A1 US20090145081A1 US12/323,100 US32310008A US2009145081A1 US 20090145081 A1 US20090145081 A1 US 20090145081A1 US 32310008 A US32310008 A US 32310008A US 2009145081 A1 US2009145081 A1 US 2009145081A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- container
- attachment mechanism
- article
- opposable
- attached
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D25/20—External fittings
- B65D25/205—Means for the attachment of labels, cards, coupons or the like
Abstract
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for attaching an article, preferably comprising communication media, to a container. The container may be, inter alia, any form of container or receptacle. For example and without limitation, the container may be a gift bag or gift box. The container may comprise paper and/or cardboard or other material. One embodiment of the present invention may comprise a barbed protrusion or flexible biasing elements for securing attachment to the container. The attached article may comprise, inter alia, greeting cards, CD's, DVD's and the like. The apparatus may further comprise opposing grippable surfaces to grasp and securingly hold the article while the apparatus is secured on container.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. Nos. 60/990,474 filed Nov. 27, 2007 and 61/036,146 filed Mar. 13, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present invention is generally directed to a method and apparatus for attaching an article, more preferably an article comprising communication media, to a container.
- The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for attaching an article, preferably comprising communication media, to a container. The container may be, inter alia, any form of container or receptacle. For example and without limitation, the container may be a gift bag or gift box. The container may comprise paper and/or cardboard or other material. One embodiment of the present invention may comprise a barbed protrusion or flexible biasing elements for securing attachment to the container. The attached article may comprise, inter alia, greeting cards, CD's, DVD's and the like. The apparatus may further comprise opposing grippable surfaces to grasp and securingly hold the article while the apparatus is secured on container.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for removably securing an article to a container.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for removably securing an article comprising communication media to a container.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for removably securing an article to a container and removably securing a decoration to the apparatus.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for removably securing an article comprising communication media to a container and removably securing a decoration to the apparatus.
- The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these and other embodiments of the invention.
- The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are included herein.
-
FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a front view of one embodiment of a container. -
FIG. 6 is a front view of one embodiment of a decoration of the present invention. -
FIG. 7A is a rear view of one embodiment of a decoration of the present invention. -
FIG. 7B is a side view of one embodiment of a decoration of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention. - While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
- As illustrated in the Figures, a method and apparatus for removably securing an article to a container is described. One embodiment of a
gripping apparatus 10 of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1-5 . - As shown, the
gripping apparatus 10 comprisesfront 12 and rear 14 opposing levers, preferably connected by a hinging mechanism (not shown). Thefront lever 12 may comprise anattachment mechanism 16 for attaching a decoration thereto. As indicated in the Figures, one embodiment of theattachment mechanism 16 may comprise an aperture wholly, or at least partially, through thefront lever 12. Alternatively, theattachment mechanism 16 may comprise a magnet (not shown) to which the decoration may be magnetically affixed. Still more alternatively, theattachment mechanism 16 may comprise adhesive or double-sided tape to achieve affixation of the decoration thereto. Therear lever 14 comprises afront 18 and back 20 surfaces and a protruding barbed element 22 attached to theback surface 24. - The barbed element 22 preferably comprises a
distal portion 24 and aproximal portion 26. Thedistal portion 24 comprises a tapered profile wherein the diameter and circumference (if thedistal portion 24 comprises a circular shape) or perimeter (if thedistal portion 24 comprises a non-circular shape) are at a maximum at thejunction 28 of thedistal portion 24 and theproximal portion 26. Barbed element 22 may comprise a non-flexible material such as a hardened plastic, metal or may comprise a more flexible material such as rubber. - The barbed element 22 is designed to, as illustrated in
FIGS. 4 and 5 , removably engage awall 40 of acontainer 42 in order to removably secure thegripping apparatus 10 to the container. The container may comprise paper as in a typical gift bag or cardboard and thus may be amenable to piercing by the barbed element 22. The tapered profile of thedistal portion 24 of the barbed element 22 presents in certain embodiments a pointeddistal tip 43. Thisdistal tip 43 may thus be used to engage the container'swall 40 and create anaperture 44 therethrough if sufficient force is applied. Alternatively, the container'swall 40 may comprise apre-formed aperture 44 which may be utilized if the container comprises a material not readily pierced by thedistal tip 43 of the barbed element 22. - The
preferred aperture 44 shape, whether preformed or created through the force of the user pressing the pointeddistal tip 43 through thewall 40 is approximately that of a circle, though other equivalent shapes will present themselves to the skilled artisan, each such shape is within the scope of the present invention. Dimensionally, it is preferred that the maximum diameter and circumference or perimeter of thedistal portion 24 of the barbed element 22 be at least slightly larger than the diameter of theaperture 44. Thus, the barbed element will engage theinner surface 46 of the wall, preventing egress of thedistal portion 24 from theaperture 44. Alternatively, theaperture 44 and the maximum diameter and circumference or perimeter of the distal portion of the barbed element may be substantially similar in size. In this case, the weight of thegripping apparatus 10 may cause theapparatus 10, and the barbed element 22 inserted intoaperture 44, to rotate downwardly, causing the barbed element 22 to engage theinner surface 46 ofwall 40, thus preventing egress of the barbed element 22 from theaperture 44. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the barbed element 22 may be removed from theaperture 44 by application of sufficient force, particularly in the case where the container comprises paper or cardboard or the like and/or where the barbed element 22 comprises rubber or the like. - Returning now to
FIGS. 1-3 , thefront 12 and rear 14 opposing levers comprisefront 30 and rear 32 opposing gripping elements.FIG. 2 illustrates thefront gripping element 30 and therear gripping element 32 in the closed position. Preferably, thegripping apparatus 10 is biasingly held in the closed position by a biasingspring 34. Thegripping apparatus 10 may be opened, i.e., thefront gripping element 30 and therear gripping element 32 urged away and apart from each other, by placing inwardly directed pressure on theopposing levers FIG. 2 and overcoming the force provided by the biasingspring 34 which biases theapparatus 10 in the closed position as shown inFIGS. 1-2 .FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the present invention in the opened position. - The
front gripping element 30 and therear gripping element 32 are opposing and further compriseinner surfaces 36 that are also opposing and, as such, facilitate gripping of an article (not shown) placed therebetween when thegripping apparatus 10 is in the open position and then allowed to biasingly close against the article, thus removably securing the article between thefront gripping element 30 and therear gripping element 32. - As will be well understood by those skilled in the art, articles may be grippingly secured between the
inner surfaces 36 of the front andrear gripping elements biasing spring 34, which biases theinner surfaces 36 of the front andrear gripping elements levers FIG. 2 , to overcome the biasingspring 34 force opens the front and reargripping elements gripping elements levers inner surfaces 36 of the front and reargripping elements spring 34 can overcome the gravitational force of the article's mass, the article will be removably secured between the front and reargripping elements inner surfaces 36 of the front and reargripping elements - As described above, the
front lever 12 may comprise anattachment mechanism 16 that facilitates removable attachment of a suitable decoration thereto. Anexemplary decoration 50 is provided inFIGS. 6 , 7A and 7B. Thedecoration 50 comprises acomplementary attachment mechanism 16′ which allows removable securing of thedecoration 50 with theattachment mechanism 16 of thefront lever 12. - As illustrated in
FIG. 7B , the attachment mechanism is a barbed element similar to that described above in connection with the securing of thegripping apparatus 10 to thecontainer 42. This embodiment of thecomplementary attachment mechanism 16′ is complementary with the aperture embodiment of theattachment mechanism 16 shown inFIGS. 2 and 4 which receives thecomplementary attachment mechanism 16′ therein. Alternatively, theattachment mechanism 16 and itscomplementary attachment mechanism 16′ of thedecoration 50 may comprise attracting magnets, adhesive and/or double-sided tape, all of which allow removable attachment of thedecoration 50 to thefront lever 12, specifically to theattachment mechanism 16 of thefront lever 12. - Turning now to
FIG. 8 , an alternate embodiment of thegripping apparatus 10 is provided. In this embodiment, the grippingapparatus 10 may be reversible in that in one aspect, it may removably secured and hung from the edge ofcontainer 42 with the article removably secured by double-sided tape or attracting magnets. In the reverse aspect, the grippingapparatus 10 may be removably secured by double-sided tape or attracting magnets to thewall 40 of thecontainer 42 with the article removably hung within the grippingapparatus 10. - This alternate
gripping apparatus 10 embodiment comprises aframe 60, with afront side 62, atop side 64 and aback side 66, each havinginterior surfaces apparatus 10 further comprises an interior section 68 with a width, a height and a depth that is defined by the interior surfaces of thefront side 62,top side 64 and backside 66. - At least one pair of opposable
flexible filaments 70 is affixed within the interior section 68, the at least one pair of opposable flexible filaments comprising a flexible filament 70 f attached to the frontinterior surface 62 a and anotherflexible filament 70 r attached to the back sideinterior surface 66 a.FIG. 8 illustrates three pairs of opposableflexible filaments 70. Eachflexible filament 70 f and 70 r comprising a pair of opposableflexible filaments 70 is arranged so that eachfilament 70 f and 70 r are biased upwardly toward the interior surface oftop side 64 a, thus forming a passage of very low upward and very high downward resistance as the article or container edge moves upwardly into the interior section 68 and enters thepassage 72 between the at least one pair of opposableflexible filaments 70 and engages thefree end 74 of each of theflexible filaments 70 f and 70 r in thepair 70. - Each of the
filaments 70 f, 70 r are comprised of a relatively rigid material such as a plastic, rubber or the like. Thefilaments 70 f, 70 r may flex upwardly as an object moves upwardly into the interior section 68 between the filament pairs 70 because of the upwardly biased arrangement of the filament pairs 70. However, attempted removal of the object that is engaged between filament pair(s) 70 will result in an encountering of resistance due to the opposing forces placed on the object by the upwardly biased and relatively rigid filament pair(s) 70. - In the embodiment where an article is engaged by the at least one pair of
filaments 70, releasing the article will result in gravitational force urging the article downward, with the filament pair(s) 70 providing an opposing force against the sides of the article. As long as the filament pair(s) 70 are able to provide a force that is not overcome by the gravitational force resulting from the mass of the article, the article will be held within the interior section 68 by the filament pair(s) 70. The article may be removed simply by applying enough force to overcome the opposing force of the filament pair(s) 70. In this embodiment, the grippingapparatus 10 may be removably secured to thecontainer wall 40 by use of an attachment mechanism 76, e.g., double sided tape or opposing magnets. - In the embodiment where the interior surface engages the edge of a
container wall 40, the grippingapparatus 10 is lowered onto and over the wall edge, thus engaging thecontainer wall 40 within thepassageway 72 between filament pair(s) 70 as described above. Theapparatus 10 will be secured to thecontainer wall 40 by the oppositional force of the filament pair(s) 70 until sufficient upward force is applied to overcome the force of the filament pair(s) 70, thus allowing removal of theapparatus 10 from thecontainer wall 40. In this embodiment, the article may be removably secured to thegripping apparatus 10 by use of an attachment mechanism 76, e.g., double sided tape or opposing magnets. - The present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention. Various modifications, equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art to which the present invention is directed upon review of the present specification.
Claims (8)
1. An apparatus for attaching an article to a container, comprising:
front and rear opposing levers, the front lever having a front surface and the rear lever having a back surface;
a biasing spring disposed between the front and rear opposing levers;
a front gripping element comprising an inner surface and disposed on the front opposing lever;
a rear gripping element comprising an inner surface and disposed on the rear opposing lever, wherein the inner surfaces of the front and rear gripping elements are opposing and wherein the biasing spring provides a biasing force that may be overcome and that biases the inner surfaces of the front and rear gripping elements together in a closed position;
a barbed element attached to the back surface of the rear lever, the barbed element comprising a distal portion, a proximal portion and a junction therebetween, the distal portion comprising a tapered profile and a pointed distal tip;
an attachment mechanism attached to the front surface of the front lever; and
a decoration comprising a complementary attachment mechanism, whereby the decoration is removably attached to the attachment mechanism.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the attachment mechanism attached to the front surface of the front lever comprises a barbed element and wherein the complementary attachment mechanism on the decoration comprises an aperture.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the attachment mechanism and complementary attachment mechanism comprise opposable magnets.
4. An apparatus for attaching an article to a container, comprising:
a frame comprising a front side, the front side having an interior surface and an exterior surface, a top side, the top side having an interior and an exterior surface, a back side, the back side having an interior and an exterior surface;
an interior section defined by the interior surfaces of the front side, top side and back side;
at least one pair of opposable flexible filaments affixed within the interior section, comprising one flexible filament attached to the front interior surface of the frame and the opposable flexible filament attached to the back side interior surface, wherein the pair of opposable flexible filaments are biased upwardly;
a passageway of low upward and high downward resistance between the at least one pair of opposable flexible filaments; and
an attachment mechanism on the exterior surface of the back side.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising at least two pairs of opposable flexible filaments.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising at least three pairs of opposable flexible filaments.
7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein an edge of a container is removably received within passageway of low upward and high downward resistance and wherein an article is attached to the attachment mechanism.
8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the attachment mechanism is attached to a side wall of a container and wherein an article is removably received within passageway of low upward and high downward resistance.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/323,100 US20090145081A1 (en) | 2007-11-27 | 2008-11-25 | Method and apparatus for attaching article to a container |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US99047407P | 2007-11-27 | 2007-11-27 | |
US3614608P | 2008-03-13 | 2008-03-13 | |
US12/323,100 US20090145081A1 (en) | 2007-11-27 | 2008-11-25 | Method and apparatus for attaching article to a container |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20090145081A1 true US20090145081A1 (en) | 2009-06-11 |
Family
ID=40720211
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/323,100 Abandoned US20090145081A1 (en) | 2007-11-27 | 2008-11-25 | Method and apparatus for attaching article to a container |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20090145081A1 (en) |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5005242A (en) * | 1990-02-06 | 1991-04-09 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Foamed seat cushion |
US5101539A (en) * | 1990-02-06 | 1992-04-07 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Foamed seat cushion |
US5900303A (en) * | 1997-09-30 | 1999-05-04 | Aplix, Inc. | Fastener assembly with mechanical end seals |
US20030204939A1 (en) * | 2002-05-03 | 2003-11-06 | Nobuo Fujisawa | Deep-groove fastener |
US20030215601A1 (en) * | 2002-02-22 | 2003-11-20 | Woodbridge Foam Corporation | Attachment device |
US7141283B2 (en) * | 2004-02-24 | 2006-11-28 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Fasteners |
US7478460B2 (en) * | 2004-02-24 | 2009-01-20 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Shear fasteners |
US7487575B2 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2009-02-10 | Lyle J Smith | System for attaching trim covers to a flexible substrate |
-
2008
- 2008-11-25 US US12/323,100 patent/US20090145081A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5005242A (en) * | 1990-02-06 | 1991-04-09 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Foamed seat cushion |
US5101539A (en) * | 1990-02-06 | 1992-04-07 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Foamed seat cushion |
US5900303A (en) * | 1997-09-30 | 1999-05-04 | Aplix, Inc. | Fastener assembly with mechanical end seals |
US20030215601A1 (en) * | 2002-02-22 | 2003-11-20 | Woodbridge Foam Corporation | Attachment device |
US20030204939A1 (en) * | 2002-05-03 | 2003-11-06 | Nobuo Fujisawa | Deep-groove fastener |
US6668429B2 (en) * | 2002-05-03 | 2003-12-30 | Ykk Corporation Of America | Deep-groove fastener |
US7141283B2 (en) * | 2004-02-24 | 2006-11-28 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Fasteners |
US7478460B2 (en) * | 2004-02-24 | 2009-01-20 | Velcro Industries B.V. | Shear fasteners |
US7487575B2 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2009-02-10 | Lyle J Smith | System for attaching trim covers to a flexible substrate |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |