Reclosable Display Package

Abstract

A reclosable display package comprises a foldable card and a three-dimensional shell affixed thereto. The card has a front side and a backside, and an upper section and a lower section. The shell is affixed to the front side of the lower section to form a closed container therebetween to house a product. The upper section has an aperture formed therethrough to hang the package from a display hanger. The lower section has a tear portion formed therein to enable a user to open the container by partially separating and lifting the tear portion from the rest of the card. After a user has opened the package for the first time by separating and lifting the tear portion from the rest of the card, the user can reclose the package by folding the card so that the upper and lower sections' respective backsides face each other forming a fold therebetween, while inserting the tear portion through the aperture and into the fold to lock the upper and lower sections in a folded position, thereby securing the product inside the package.

1 . A reclosable display package comprising:
 a foldable card having an upper section and a lower section adjacent to the upper section along a first fold line; and   a three-dimensional shell affixed to the lower section of the card to form a closed container configured to house a product,   wherein the lower section of the card has a tear portion formed therein and structured to be partially separated therefrom thereby forming an opening in the container,   wherein the card is structured and configured to be folded along the first fold line so that the upper section and the lower section abut each other thereby reclosing the opening in the container after the tear portion has been partially separated, and the tear portion is structured and configured to engage the upper section to keep the upper section and the lower section in a folded position, thereby keeping the container closed.   
     
     
         2 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the upper section has an aperture formed therein, and wherein the aperture and the tear portion are structured and configured to function as mating interlocking elements, wherein the tear portion, after being partially separated from the rest of the card, can be inserted into the aperture, thereby locking the upper section and the lower section together in a folded position. 
     
     
         3 . The reclosable display package of  claim 2 , wherein the tear portion, when partially separated from the rest of the card, has a proximate end adjacent to the rest of the card and a free distant end separated from the rest of the card, the aperture and the tear portion being structured and configured to allow the tear portion to be inserted through the aperture so that the free distal end of the tear portion is disposed between the upper section and the lower section of the card when the card is in the folded position. 
     
     
         4 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the tear portion is structured and configured to articulate around a second fold line formed in the lower section of the card. 
     
     
         5 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the tear portion is structured and configured to at least partially reclose the opening in the container when the upper section and the lower section are in the folded position. 
     
     
         6 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the tear portion includes at least one tab formed therein. 
     
     
         7 . The reclosable display package of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one tab is adjacent to a third fold line formed in the tear portion. 
     
     
         8 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the shell is affixed to the card along a peripheral flange of the shell. 
     
     
         9 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the product comprises electrical batteries. 
     
     
         10 . The reclosable display package of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture in the upper section is structured and configured to accept a display hanger therethrough when the card is not folded. 
     
     
         11 . A reclosable display package comprising:
 a foldable card having an upper section and a lower section; and   a three-dimensional shell affixed to the lower section of the card to form a closed container that houses a product;   wherein the upper section of the card has an aperture therethrough, and the lower section of the card includes a tear portion structured and configured to be partially separated therefrom thereby opening the container, and   wherein the aperture of the upper section is structured and configured to function as a display aperture when the package is displayed by being hanged from a display hanger inserted through the aperture, and as a locking aperture when the upper section of the card is folded upon the lower section thereby at least partially reclosing the opening and the tear portion engages the aperture to lock the upper section in a folded position.   
     
     
         12 . The reclosable display package comprising:
 a card having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having an aperture therethrough, the lower section having a tear portion outlined by lines of weakness formed in the lower section, and each of the upper and lower sections having a front side and a backside;   a three-dimensional shell affixed to the front side of the lower section to form a container therebetween, wherein the tear portion is structured to open the container; and   a product housed in the container;   wherein the display package is structured and configured to have (a) a display configuration in which the card is unfolded and the container is closed, (b) an open configuration in which the tear portion is partially separated along the lines of weakness thereby forming an opening in the container through which the product can be removed, and (c) a storage configuration in which the card is folded so that the backside of the upper section faces the backside of the lower section forming a fold therebetween and the tear portion is inserted through the aperture and into the fold to lock the upper section and the lower section in a folded position,   wherein the aperture functions as a display hole when the package is displayed by being hanged from a display hanger inserted through the aperture and as a first locking element while the tear portion functions as a second locking element when the card is folded, the first and second locking elements engaging one another to maintain the display package in the storage configuration so that the opening in the container is blocked and the product is secured inside the package.   
     
     
         13 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of electric batteries, office supplies, fastening implements, food items and supplements, personal hygiene and grooming items, electronic storage devices, game pieces, magnets, toys, marbles, cigarettes, tobacco, tapes, films, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein the lines of weakness provide variable configurations of the opening in the container. 
     
     
         15 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein the tear portion includes at least one tab formed therein to assist a user in at least one of (a) partially separating the tear portion along the predetermined lines of weakness and (b) causing the first locking element to engage the second locking element. 
     
     
         16 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein in the storage configuration the card is folded along a first fold line formed therein and separating the upper section of the card from the lower section of the card. 
     
     
         17 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein the card is made of a material selected from the group consisting of sylvacycle paperboard, solid bleached sulfate paperboard (SBS), solid unbleached paperboard (SUS), chipboard, clay-coated paperboard, fluted corrugate, bamboo, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein the shell is made of a material selected from the group consisting of sylvacycle paperboard, solid bleached sulfate paperboard (SBS), solid unbleached paperboard (SUS), chipboard, clay-coated paperboard, fluted corrugate, bamboo polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), orientated polystyrene (OPS), polypropylene (PP), orientated polypropylene (OPP), and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the card and the shell is at least partially transparent or translucent. 
     
     
         20 . The reclosable display package of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the card and the shell is made of an eco-friendly recyclable or biodegradable material.