Folded material containment packages and related methods of packaging folded material products

Abstract

Packages for holding a product therein have a generally rectangular resilient body having opposing primary front and rear walls, opposing first and second sidewalls extending therebetween, and top and bottom portions attached to portions of the front and rear walls. The packages include a corner cutout portion that exposes a portion of a product held in the package thereby allowing direct visual and/or tactile access by potential customers. The corner cutout portion can be a top corner cutout portion that extends over three-dimensions of the resilient package.

1 . A package for holding a product therein, comprising: 
 a generally rectangular resilient package having opposing primary front and rear walls, opposing first and second sidewalls extending therebetween, and top and bottom portions attached to portions of the front and rear walls, wherein the package includes a corner cutout portion that exposes a portion of a product held in the package, thereby allowing direct visual and/or tactile access by potential customers.    
   
   
       2 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the corner cutout portion is a top corner cutout portion that extends over three dimensions of the resilient package.  
   
   
       3 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the front wall has a curvilinear perimeter portion that defines a front portion of the cutout.  
   
   
       4 . A package according to  claim 3 , wherein the rear wall has a curvilinear perimeter portion that defines a rear portion of the cutout.  
   
   
       5 . A package according to  claim 2 , wherein the corner cutout extends from a generally medial top portion of the package down to a lower location at an outer portion of both the front and rear walls and across the first sidewall therebetween, and wherein the first sidewall has a generally horizontal edge portion extending between the front and rear walls at a location that is below a center of the package and in a direction that is generally orthogonal to the front and rear walls that defines a lower side portion of the cutout.  
   
   
       6 . A package according to  claim 2 , wherein the front and rear walls are generally parallel to each other with the sidewalls extending generally orthogonal thereto, and wherein the front and rear walls have a curvilinear perimeter portion that merge into opposing sides of the first sidewall.  
   
   
       7 . A package according to  claim 1 , further comprising a hanger for suspending the package on a display rack.  
   
   
       8 . A package according to  claim 7 , wherein the second sidewall has an aperture positioned adjacent the top portion of the package sized and configured to receive an arm of the hanger therethrough.  
   
   
       9 . A package according to  claim 8 , further comprising a folded product held in the package so that the hanger extends through the package aperture under a top fold region thereof and out the cutout.  
   
   
       10 . A package according to  claim 9 , wherein the folded product is a soft fabric shower curtain.  
   
   
       11 . A package according to  claim 10 , wherein the shower curtain is folded in a generally rectangular shape having a first area associated therewith, the package further comprising a folded liner having a generally rectangular folded shape having a second area associated therewith that is smaller than the first area, the liner held in the package inside a closed edge of a longitudinal fold of the shower curtain proximate the cutout portion of the package, thereby trapping the liner in the package while allowing direct tactile and visual contact with the shower curtain.  
   
   
       12 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the package is a polymer bag.  
   
   
       13 . A package according to  claim 12 , wherein the package is transparent or translucent.  
   
   
       14 . A package according to  claim 1 , further comprising a paper insert that is configured to reside inside the package and generally follow the cutout shape of the front and rear walls.  
   
   
       15 . A package according to  claim 1 , further comprising a folded product held in the package, wherein the cutout exposes between about 15-30% of both front and rear surface areas, and at least about 30% of the top and one side, of the folded product held therein.  
   
   
       16 . A package according to  claim 15 , wherein the package cutout is configured to expose a contiguous length, width and thickness of a region of the folded product held in the package.  
   
   
       17 . A package according to  claim 16 , wherein the remainder of the folded product located away from the cutout in the package is held generally encased in the resilient package.  
   
   
       18 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the bottom and second sidewall of the package have generally closed surfaces, and wherein the top of the package and first sidewall are generally closed surfaces away from the cutout.  
   
   
       19 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the resilient package is a seamed elastomeric bag with a generally flat bottom.  
   
   
       20 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the cutout shape on the front and rear walls is generally a quadrant of a circle.  
   
   
       21 . A package with a folded-product held therein, comprising: 
 a resilient package having a top corner cutout portion and opposing primary front and rear walls, opposing first and second sidewalls extending therebetween, and top and bottom portions attached to portions of the front and rear walls; and    a folded material product, the product held in the package so that at least a top edge portion of the product is exposed by the corner cutout portion thereby allowing direct visual and/or tactile access by potential customers.    
   
   
       22 . A package according to  claim 21 , wherein the top corner cutout has a perimeter that extends over three dimensions of the top corner of the package, and wherein the folded material is a folded fabric product that has a plurality of vertical folds that are exposed by the cutout thereby providing direct tactile accessibility thereof to potential customers.  
   
   
       23 . A package according to  claim 22 , wherein the folded fabric product has a generally rectangular shape, and wherein, in the package, the folded fabric has a contiguous exposure corner region that includes at least a major portion of a length and width of the front and rear surfaces of the product, and an upper portion of one side of the vertical folds.  
   
   
       24 . A package according to  claim 21 , wherein the cutout has a generally curvilinear boundary on the front and rear walls of the package.  
   
   
       25 . A package according to  claim 24 , wherein the cutout includes portions on the front and rear walls that are generally configured as a quadrant of a circle.  
   
   
       26 . A package according to  claim 21 , further comprising a hanger configured to suspend the package on a display rack.  
   
   
       27 . A package according to  claim 26 , wherein the second sidewall has an aperture positioned adjacent the top portion of the package sized and configured to receive an arm of the hanger therethrough, wherein the hanger has an upper hook portion with shoulders that terminate into the arm, and wherein the arm is configured with a loose end portion that is attachable to a primary body of the hanger to attach thereto after insertion into the folded fabric.  
   
   
       28 . A package according to  claim 27 , wherein the hanger extends through the package aperture under an upper horizontal fold region and then extends out of package cutout.  
   
   
       29 . A package according to  claim 21 , wherein the folded material is a soft fabric shower curtain.  
   
   
       30 . A package according to  claim 29 , further comprising a folded shower liner held in the package inside a closed vertical fold edge of the shower curtain proximate the cutout, thereby trapping the liner in the package with the shower curtain while allowing direct tactile and visual contact with the shower curtain.  
   
   
       31 . A package according to  claim 21 , wherein the package is a generally rectangular elastomeric bag.  
   
   
       32 . A package according to  claim 31 , wherein the package is transparent or translucent.  
   
   
       33 . A package according to  claim 21 , further comprising a paper insert that is configured to reside inside the package and has a front and rear wall shape that generally follows the shape of the package front and rear walls.  
   
   
       34 . A method of packaging a folded material product, comprising: 
 folding a target material into a generally rectangular shape;    providing a resilient generally rectangular bag with a corner cutout portion, the bag having front and rear walls with an open first side having a flap portion and an opposing generally closed second side between the front and rear walls;    providing an insert in the bag so that visual indicia thereon is visible at least through the front and rear walls of the bag;    inserting the folded material into the open side of the bag so that a three-dimensional corner edge portion thereof is exposed for direct visual and tactile interaction; and    closing the flap over the open side of the bag to secure the folded material in the bag.    
   
   
       35 . A method according to  claim 34 , further comprising inserting a hanger through an upper fold of the material so that the package and material can be suspended for display.  
   
   
       36 . A method according to  claim 35 , wherein the bag generally closed side has an upper aperture therein, wherein the hanger has a hanger body with an arm, and wherein the inserting step comprises: 
 inserting the arm of the hanger through the aperture; and then    securing the arm to the hanger body.    
   
   
       37 . A method according to  claim 34 , wherein the material is a soft fabric.  
   
   
       38 . A method according to  claim 34 , wherein the material is a fabric shower curtain.  
   
   
       39 . A method according to  claim 34 , wherein the folding step comprises: 
 folding a shower curtain soft fabric material into a first generally rectangular shape; and    folding a liner into a generally rectangular shape that is smaller than that of the shower curtain.    
   
   
       40 . A method according to  claim 39 , further comprising placing the liner inside the bounds of the folded shower curtain so that one vertical side portion is held trapped within a vertical fold of the shower curtain so that, in position in the package, the liner is held within the folded shower curtain under the exposed corner edge portion thereof, and wherein the inserting step is carried out by inserting the folded shower curtain with the folded liner into the bag.  
   
   
       41 . A method according to  claim 39 , further comprising placing a paper insert with color indicia thereon into the bag, the insert having a contour proximate the cutout that generally follows that of the bag so that the indicia thereon is externally viewable about at least the front and rear wall portions of the bag and so that the insert does not extend out of the bag into the cutout corner portion thereof.