Plastic tie display package

Abstract

A display package that has top and bottom walls each wall having an interior and a periphery. A side wall connects the peripheries of the top and bottom walls to define an enclosure and dividing walls extending up from the bottom wall toward the top wall to divide the enclose into a plurality of compartments for containing articles. The top wall defines a cover panel opposite each compartment, each cover panel extending from a hinge line in the interior of the top wall to a location adjacent to the periphery of the top wall. Each cover panel is swingable using a finger access hole in the panel, about that hinge line between a closed position wherein the cover panel lies substantially parallel to said bottom wall and closes the associated compartment and an open position wherein the cover panel is swung away from the bottom wall and partially exposes the associated compartment. Each cover panel is releasably retained in its closed position so that the package can be hung on edge from a support, and constructs an attractive point of sale display for the articles therein.

1 . A container comprising 
 top and bottom walls each wall having an interior and a periphery;    a side wall connecting the peripheries of the top and bottom walls to define an enclosure for articles;    dividing walls extending up from the bottom wall toward the top wall to divide the enclosure into a plurality of compartments each of which has side wall interior surfaces and an entrance opening, said top wall defining a cover panel opposite the entrance opening of each compartment, each cover panel extending from a hinge line in the interior of the top wall to an edge located adjacent to the periphery of the top wall and being swingable about said hinge line between a closed position wherein the cover panel lies substantially parallel to said bottom wall and closes the entrance opening of the associated compartment and an open position wherein the cover panel is swung away from said bottom wall and exposes the associated compartment, and    retainer means for releasably retaining each cover panel in said closed position.    
   
   
       2 . The container defined in  claim 1  wherein at least two of said plurality of compartments and their associated cover panels are arranged side by side in a row so that the hinge lines of their associated cover panels are collinear and extend perpendicular to the dividing wall separating at least two compartments.  
   
   
       3 . The container defined in  claim 2  wherein the top wall also defines a web extending between two adjacent cover panels in said row so that said two adjacent cover panels move in unison between their open and closed positions.  
   
   
       4 . The container defined in  claim 2  wherein said top wall is anchored to the dividing wall between said collinear hinge lines.  
   
   
       5 . The container defined in  claim 4  and further including a slit in the top wall said slit extending between the opposing ends of said collinear hinge lines.  
   
   
       6 . The container defined in  claim 1  wherein the length of each cover panel is no more than about half the length of the associated compartment.  
   
   
       7 . The container defined in  claim 1  wherein each cover panel includes a flexible resilient flap adjacent to said edge of that panel to allow finger access under that panel in order to lift that panel away from said bottom wall toward its said open position.  
   
   
       8 . The container defined in  claim 1  wherein at least said top wall is of a transparent plastic material.  
   
   
       9 . The container defined in  claim 8  and further including a perforated hang tab projecting from said side wall.  
   
   
       10 . The container defined in  claim 1  wherein the retainer means for each cover panel comprise panel exterior surfaces which frictionally engage the side wall interior surfaces of the associated compartment.  
   
   
       11 . The container defined in  claim 1  where the plurality of compartments include a first pair of adjacent similar compartments having a selected first length and a second pair of adjacent similar compartments having a selected second length longer than the first length.  
   
   
       12 . The container defined in  claim 11  wherein the second pair of compartments extend perpendicular to the first pair of compartments.  
   
   
       13 . The container defined in  claim 1  and further including a raised reinforcing rib extending around the entrance opening of ends compartment.  
   
   
       14 . The container defined in  claim 13  wherein each cover panel is formed as a pair with a bottom wall, a sidewall extending up from the bottom wall and an outturned flange at the top of side wall which engages said rib of the associated compartment to establish the closed position of said cover panel.  
   
   
       15 . A container comprising 
 a bottom section including a bottom wall, a side wall extending up from the bottom wall to an outturned peripheral edge margin which defines a plane and a plurality of dividing walls which extend up from the bottom wall toward said plane so as to divide the bottom section into a plurality of adjacent compartments each compartment having a length, a width and an entrance, and    a top section having a top wall and a peripheral planar edge margin extending around the top wall said top section being shaped and dimensioned so that when the top section is positioned on the bottom section the peripheral edge margin of the two sections are in register said top section also including cut lines in said top wall defining a cover panel opposite each compartment entrance opening in the bottom section, and cover panel being swingable about a hinge line in the top wall that extends across the width of the associated compartment between a closed position wherein the cover panel closes the entrance opening of the associated compartments and an open position wherein the cover panel is swung away from the entrance opening into the associated compartment, said plurality of cover panels and said bottom sections having interfering surfaces which releasably retain said cover panels in their closed positions, and    securing means for securing said top and bottom sections together.    
   
   
       16 . The container defined in  claim 15  wherein at least one of the top and bottom sections are of a transparent plastic material.  
   
   
       17 . The container defined in  claim 15  wherein each cover panel includes a finger access hole adjacent to an edge of that panel directly opposite the hinge line thereof.  
   
   
       18 . The container defined in  claim 15  wherein the entrance opening and cover panel of each compartment occupy only part of the length thereof.  
   
   
       19 . The container defined in  claim 15  wherein said securing means comprise a bonding agent between said peripheral edge margins of the top and bottom sections.  
   
   
       20 . The container defined in  claim 15  wherein said securing means comprise interfitting dimples formed in the top and bottom sections at the locations of said dividing walls between adjacent compartments.  
   
   
       21 . The container defined in  claim 20  wherein at least some of said dimples are aligned with the hinge lines of the cover panels associated with said adjacent compartments.  
   
   
       22 . The container defined in  claim 21  and further including slits in said top wall extending between opposing ends of said hinge lines and bypassing said dimples to facilitate the opening and closing of the cover panels.