Apple invents new Product Packaging Design in the form of a Box with a Floating Band

Jul 05, 2023

As a premium device maker, Apple pays attention to device design details from their devices to their retail stores through to packaging. This week the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to possible new packaging in the form of a box with a floating band.

One new kind of unique packaging from Apple came with their Apple Mac Pro. Below is a quick clip from an iJustine video for the Mac Pro showing one of their unique packaging designs. iJustine was quite impressed with the box claiming "this box itself is just a piece of work. This is a perfectly engineered box." You could see her full video here.

Packaging with Floating Band

Apple's invention relates to packaging, including a front box, a rear box configured to close the front box and together enclose a product within the packaging, and a band configured to slide around the front and rear box, thereby maintaining the front and rear box in a closed configuration.

In some embodiments, the band includes a stopper configured to engage a feature of the front box or the rear box such that the travel of the band is limited along a vertical axis of the packaging. In some embodiments, the stopper includes a protrusion formed of paper. In some embodiments, the protrusion is c-shaped, and is attached to the band via tabs attached to the band.

In some embodiments, together the front box and the rear box define a channel through which the protrusion translates when being slid around the front and rear box, thereby maintaining the orientation of the band. In some embodiments, the front box includes the feature that engages the stopper. In some embodiments, the feature is a protrusion formed of paper and is covered by the band.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below shows a perspective view of packaging in an embodiment in a closed configuration; FIG. 2 shows the packaging shown in FIG. 1 as the band lifts off of the front box and rear box; FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the band as it lifts off of the front box and rear box as shown FIG. 2.

For those who appreciate Apple's attention to detail, especially in terms of packaging, review Apple's patent application number 20230234749.

Posted by Jack Purcher on July 30, 2023 at 10:50 AM in 1A. Patent Applications | Permalink | Comments (0)