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(11) | EP 4 039 611 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A GIFT PACKAGING WRAPPER |
| (57) The present invention relates to the field of wrappers, in particular wrappers for
wrapping packages such as, in particular but not necessarily, gift packages for birthdays,
Christmas, etcetera. In particular, the model relates to an envelope (1) comprising
a closing ribbon (2) to perform wrapping rapidly and cost-effectively and achieving
a high and homogeneous quality standard even without special manual skills.
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[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wrappers, in particular wrappers for wrapping packages such as, in particular but not necessarily, gift packages for birthdays, Christmas, etcetera. In particular, the model relates to an envelope to perform the wrapping rapidly, cost-effectively, and achieving a high and homogeneous quality standard even without special manual skills.
[0002] As known, wrapping gift packages is traditionally done by wrapping up a sheet of decorated paper around the product (usually in its box-shaped packaging, often but not necessarily parallelepiped-shaped). The operation to create a gift package with a regular and attractive appearance, consists in folding and making the sheet completely adhere to the surface of the body to be wrapped, if necessary making cuts with scissors or a paper cutter, then folding the excess flaps and stabilising everything with pieces of adhesive tape. In certain cases, if the body has an irregular shape, it may also be necessary to use additional paper cuttings.
[0003] As known, this is a non-ordinary operation, and indeed it is a relatively complex one which often, especially if carried out hastily and/or by people with poor manual skill or familiarity, leads to unsatisfactory results in terms of regularity and pleasantness of the result, with the risk of having to be repeated.
[0004] The gift package is then usually improved with a ribbon or non-binding ribbon and an associated decorative bow. The step of positioning the ribbon, and even more so, the one of obtaining the bow with swirls or curls to increase its ornamental character, are also relatively difficult or at least time-consuming, at least if a good quality level is to be obtained.
[0005] When gift wrapping is provided by the shop, the problems just identified also affect the speed and quality of service, with obvious commercial consequences. During periods such as Christmas, a substantial additional workload is also generated.
[0006] In order to address these issues, it was proposed to use simple envelopes in which the product to be wrapped could be placed and provided with an adhesive closure, as well as pre-formed rosettes or bows to be also affixed with an adhesive. These expedients, while enabling the wrapping to be prepared hurriedly, lead to a poor aesthetic result, and in any case far from that of the standard gift package, i.e. with the wrap mainly stretched and adhering to the shape of the box or wrapped packaging, with few irregularities or wrinkles, and with the ribbon wrapped and closed with a bow knot.
[0007] All this being considered, the present invention provides a new wrapper form which allows to speed up and ease package wrapping operations, while ensuring a high quality level even to a user with modest manual skills, fulfilling almost completely the traditional aesthetic criteria of the more traditional gift packages. In addition to gift wrapping, such wrapper may advantageously and more generally be used in other fields, such as food packaging.
[0008] To achieve this object, the wrapper according to the invention comprises an envelope adapted to contain a package, box or product to be wrapped. Such an envelope comprises two rectangular portions of a sheet, overlapping and mutually joined at the perimeter along three consecutive joined sides, and separated at least partially along an opening fourth side defining an opening for inserting the package, box or product to be wrapped, in which one or two pieces of binding ribbon are attached to said envelope in such a way as to project transversely from two joined sides which are parallel and opposite to each other near said opening side or in alignment thereto.
[0009] The invention will now be illustrated more in detail with the description of an embodiment thereof, provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
- Figure 1 and Figure 2 are views of an example of a wrapper according to the invention from different angles, in a planar configuration before use;
- Figures 3 and 4 show, respectively, a step of inserting, in the wrapper of the previous figures, a product to be wrapped, and a wrapped gift package obtained accordingly;
- Figures 5a to 5dn show, still by way of example, respective steps for the possible creation of the wrapper in the form of an envelope from a sheet, in three possible variants (n=1, 2, 3) as regards the method of affixing and fixing a binding ribbon.
[0010] With reference to said figures, the wrapper according to the invention comprises an envelope 1 made of a sheet material and defined by two rectangular sheet portions 11, 12, overlapping and mutually joined perimetrically along three consecutive sides 1a, 1b, 1c, but separated at least partially along a fourth side 1d defining an opening 13 to make the inside of the envelope 1 accessible, and in particular to allow introducing a product (intended as an object in itself or more frequently a box-shaped packaging in which the object is kept) therein.
[0011] The sheet portions are preferably and advantageously made of paper sheet material with the outer surfaces bearing a variety of colours, decorations or personalisations (geometric, figurative, alphanumeric, etc.). Paper material means any material commonly used for gift wrapping, such as paper, cardboard, wrapping paper, but also polypropylene sheets or in general any sheet material containing cellulose.
[0012] According to a crucial aspect of the invention a binding ribbon 2, intended as a single piece or two separate pieces, in any case so as to generate two opposite free ends 2c, is connected to the envelope 1 in such a way as to project transversely from the two joined parallel and opposed sides 1a, 1c near the opening side 1d.
[0013] Preferably, the two sheet portions 11, 12 are not exactly congruent as one of the two sheet portions 11 exceeds the other forming a flap 11a beyond the opening side 1d defined in this case by the edge of the smaller sheet portion 12. The ribbon 2 is connected to such flap 11a (we will return shortly to the possible constructive solutions to make this connection), in such a way as to have a central segment 2a joined to the flap along its free edge, evolving parallel to the side 1d, and two free pieces or end segments 2b that extend laterally and freely, for a certain extension substantially greater or much greater than the length of the central segment, i.e., the length of the opening side (the representation in Figures 1, 2, 5cn and 5dn shows for illustrative purposes only the initial and final part of such end segments), up to the already mentioned ends 2c.
[0014] Preferably, as in the example, the two sheet portions may be joined by gluing in a bellows-like manner at least along the two mutually opposite joined sides 1a, 1c, according to what is well known in the sector, so as to encourage the expansion and the capacity of the envelope in its function of wrapping the product, while on the side 1b the material is uninterrupted, the side being obtained by folding as will be better seen shortly. This makes the envelope particularly solid, offering the greatest strength where it matters the most (the greatest stress).
[0015] With particular reference to Figures 3 and 4, forming the gift package may therefore occur by introducing the product P (or box-shaped packaging) into the envelope 1. This introduction occurs in such a way that a flap 1e of the envelope (more precisely, two doubled portions of the flap each belonging to the relative portion of the sheet and including the flap 11a where provided), adjacent to the opening side 1d remains available for closing, by contacting and overlapping the sheets and can therefore be folded and wrapped around the part of the envelope occupied and deformed by the contained product P, determining on the whole a regular and compact envelope, as far as possible by stretching the paper on the outer surfaces of the product. At this point, the end segments 2b of the ribbon 2 may easily be used in cooperation to be bound as desired on the outside, which, in addition to stabilising the closed wrapping, will also assume a decorative role by performing a visible bow on one of the outer faces (figure 4).
[0016] The package/wrap thus obtained has a highly functional and aesthetic quality, without using adhesives, metal staples and therefore with no need for tools or accessory materials (including scissors), which obviously makes the work top and operations cleaner and more straightforward, without interruptions and obstacles even related to the aforesaid tools or materials being missing.
[0017] Obviously the envelope can be provided in various sizes to be used according to the dimensions of the product to be wrapped; rectangular portions also means with a square shape, but basically, in order to facilitate the formation of the package with adequate material to define the flap 1e to be folded, the portions of the sheet will be rectangular, with the two joined sides mutually opposite as "long" sides. For example, the extension of such long sides may exceed that of the short sides (opening side and joined side opposite thereto), with a ratio of 1.2 or more.
[0018] In order to produce the envelope, which will basically occur on an industrial basis and will therefore be supplied to the public or to retailers as a ready-to-use consumer product, as shown in the Figures from 5a, a single rectangular band sheet can be folded along the side edges (to form the bellows, Figure 5a) and transversely in a substantially central position (Figure 5b), gluing the material to join the sheet portions thus defined to each other and forming the envelope 1 with the flap 11a (Figure 5cn).
[0019] Various techniques can now be used to fix the ribbon 2. According to the one shown in Figures 5c1 and 5d1 the flap 11a is folded and the ribbon (more precisely the central segment 2a) is glued within the fold thus formed; the envelope is in this case more elegant, minimising the inner surface exposed and with the opening that can also take the form of a narrow slit. This is a solution similar to the one adopted in the example of Figures 1 and 2. In the case of Figures 5c2 and 5c2, gluing the ribbon onto the flap occurs on the inner face of the flap, without folding. Again, in the solution of Figures 5c3 and 5d3 the flap is folded but the ribbon is applied and glued, remaining exposed on the outside and not inside the fold. In any case, these are only exemplary solutions, because the ribbon, as mentioned above, even in two separate pieces and therefore without a real central segment, can be applied with any other technique.
[0020] The ribbon (or pieces of ribbon) is therefore integrally constrained to only one a portion of the sheet, not being able to slide freely in relation to it.
[0022] Based on the foregoing, it is clear that the wrapper according to the invention allows for wrapping a gift package in an extremely easy, fast and error-proof manner, always obtaining with extreme reliability, even without having any particular manual skills, an eye-catching gift package of a regular shape, moreover within the more traditional gift package criteria. Thereby, the problems mentioned in the introduction are overcome, providing shop owners and users in general with an extremely useful support, and also eco-friendly since it requires a negligible use of adhesive substances (for closing the envelope on the two opposite joined sides), and indeed no material other than paper which is fully reusable or recyclable.
[0023] In addition to gift wrapping, it is also clear that, due to its characteristics, the wrapper according to the invention can advantageously be used in other sectors, and in particular in food packaging. In this case, the food product, as it is or wrapped in a traditional wrapper or packaging thereof, can easily be wrapped in a way that, besides being safer, is also more aesthetically pleasant, thus offering large retailers the possibility of fulfilling the desire for a wrapper that is pleasant to handle and show, and increasing the perceived value of the product offered.
1. A wrapper comprising an envelope (1) made of a sheet material such as paper material
or the like, adapted to contain a package, box or product to be wrapped, such an envelope
comprising:
- two rectangular portions of a sheet (11, 12), overlapping and mutually joined at the perimeter along three joined consecutive sides (1a, 1b, 1c), and separated at least partially along a fourth opening side (1d) defining an opening (13) for introducing the package, box or product to be wrapped;
- two of said sides (1a, 1c) being mutually parallel and opposite to each other near said opening side (1d) or aligned with it;
said wrapper being characterised in that it further comprises a ribbon (2) or two pieces of a binding ribbon constrained integrally to only one of said two portions of sheet (11, 12) along said opening side (1d) so as to project transversely on two sides (1a, 1c), defining free pieces (2b) of ribbon which can be used in cooperation to bind the envelope.2. The wrapper according to claim 1, wherein said mutually parallel and opposite sides
(1a, 1c) are joined in a bellows-like manner.
3. The wrapper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the two portions of the sheet
exceeds the other by extension of said joined sides, forming an excess flap (11a)
on which said ribbon (2) or said pieces of ribbon are connected.
4. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said ribbon is a
single ribbon comprising a central segment (2a) connected along said opening side
(1d) or parallel thereto.
5. The wrapper according to claims 3 and 4, wherein said central segment (2a) of said
ribbon is connected to said flap (11a), parallel to said opening side (1d).
6. The wrapper according to claim 5, wherein said flap is connected within or on a fold
of said flap.
7. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in each of said
portions of sheet (11, 12) the length ratio between said parallel and opposite joined
sides and said opening side is equal to or greater than 1.2.
8. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said mutually parallel
joined sides (1a, 1c) are joined by gluing, the third joined side (1b) comprised therebetween
being instead made by folding and with continuity of material.
9. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said ribbon (2)
comprises two end segments (2b) extending from the point of detachment of the envelope
to respective free ends (2c) each for an extension higher or significantly higher
than the length of the opening side.
10. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said ribbon is joined
to said sheet portion by gluing.
11. The wrapper according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said envelope has
outer surfaces bearing colourings, decorations or personalisations.