US-12617584-B2 - Packaging for a buffing pad

US12617584B2US 12617584 B2US12617584 B2US 12617584B2US-12617584-B2

Abstract

A packaging system for a buffing pad is provided where a single package can be used with different types of pads. In one embodiment, a rear perspective view of a pad is provided on the face of the package, where common portions are printed. A transparent portion is further provided whose size and shape resembles uncommon portions of the pad, such as color and texture. The buffing pad is then inserted into the package so that the front surface of the pad is visible through the transparent portion. This will provide the user with a depiction of a buffing pad that is include therein, including its color and texture and its backside, including how the pad can be affixed to a power tool. This together with a legend will allow the user to identify the specific type of buffing pad that is included therein.

Inventors

Richard Umbrell

Assignees

BUFF AND SHINE MANUFACTURING, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231004

Claims (20)

1 . A packaging system, comprising: a buffing pad having a front surface and a backside that are both substantially flat, said front surface comprising a first material having a particular color and texture and can be used to buff a surface of a vehicle and said backside comprising a second material configured for affixing said buffing pad to a power tool; and a package comprising at least a front portion and a back portion, said front portion comprising an opaque portion and a transparent portion, wherein said opaque portion has print depicting a rear perspective view of said backside of said buffing pad and said transparent portion has a shape depicting a rear perspective view of a side portion of said buffing pad including an inner edge that follows a curvature of said backside of said buffing pad, an outer edge that has a curvature that is substantially similar to said curvature of said backside of said buffing pad, and bottom and top edges connecting said inner and outer edges; wherein said buffing pad is placed inside said package so that said front surface of said buffing pad is adjacent said front surface of said package and a portion of said front surface of said buffing pad is visible through said transparent portion thereby providing a user with an optical illusion that said portion of said front surface of said buffing pad is said side portion of said buffing pad, thereby presenting a user with an accurate depiction of a rear perspective view of said buffing pad, including said color and texture of said first material, without having to alter said print on said opaque portion of said package for different buffing pads constructed from different materials.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said first material is foam and said color is uniform and visible through said transparent portion of said package.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said first material is microfiber having at least two colors that are visible through said transparent portion of said package.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said second material is one side of a hook-and-loop fastener.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said package comprises a single sheet of material that can be folded and sealed to enclose said buffing pad.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein said package further comprises a cold seal adhesive.
7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein said package is heat sealed to form said enclosure.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said back portion comprises an opaque portion having print that describes a feature of the buffing pad.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein said print further depicts a ledger having a plurality of colors, each one of said plurality of colors corresponds to a different type of pad and one of said plurality of colors corresponds to said color of said first material.
10 . A system for packaging a pad, comprising: a buffing pad having a front surface and a backside, said front surface comprising a first material that can be used to buff a surface and said backside comprising a second material configured for affixing said buffing pad to a power tool, said second material being Velcro; and a package comprising at least a front portion and a back portion, said front portion comprising a first portion that is opaque and a second portion that allows a user to see the contents of said package, wherein said first portion has print depicting a rear perspective view of said backside of said buffing pad and said second portion has a shape depicting a rear perspective view of a side portion of said buffing pad; wherein said buffing pad is placed inside said package so that a portion of said front surface of said buffing pad is visible through said second portion, thereby presenting a user with an accurate depiction of a rear perspective view of said buffing pad, including a color and texture of said first material; and wherein said second portion comprises an aperture having said shape, thereby allowing a user to touch said front surface of said buffing pad prior to opening said package.
11 . A system for packaging a pad, comprising: a buffing pad having a front surface and a backside, said front surface comprising a first material that can be used to buff a surface and said backside comprising a second material configured for affixing said buffing pad to a power tool, said second material being Velcro; and a package comprising at least a front portion and a back portion, said front portion comprising a first portion that is opaque and a second portion that allows a user to see the contents of said package, wherein said first portion has print depicting a rear perspective view of said backside of said buffing pad and said second portion has a shape depicting a rear perspective view of a side portion of said buffing pad including an inner edge that follows a curvature of said backside of said buffing pad, an outer edge that has a curvature that is substantially similar to said curvature of said backside of said buffing pad, and bottom and top edges connecting said inner and outer edges; wherein said buffing pad is placed inside said package so that said front surface of said buffing pad is adjacent said front surface of said package and a portion of said front surface of said buffing pad is visible through said second portion, thereby presenting a user with an optical illusion that said portion of said front surface of said buffing pad is said side portion of said buffing pad, accurately depicting a rear perspective view of an edge of said buffing pad, including a color and texture of said first material.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said first material is foam and said color is uniform and visible through said transparent portion of said package.
13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said first material is microfiber having at least two colors that are visible through said transparent portion of said package.
14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said second material is one side of a hook-and-loop fastener.
15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said package comprises a single sheet of material that can be folded and sealed to enclose said buffing pad.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein said package further comprises a cold seal adhesive.
17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein said package is heat sealed to form said enclosure.
18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said packaging further comprises print that describes a feature of the buffing pad.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein said print further depicts a ledger having a plurality of colors corresponding to different types of pads with one of said plurality of colors corresponding to said color of said first material.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein said first portion depicts features that are common to said different types of pads and said second portion depicts a feature that is unique to each of said different types of pads.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed toward packaging for a buffing pad, and more particularly, to a system and method of using a single package to encase (e.g., for sale, distribution, etc.) different buffing pads by printing portions that are common to each buffing pad on the front of the package and using a window (or a transparent portion) on the front of the package to show portions that are unique to the buffing pad that is inside, where the face of the package includes a rear perspective view of the buffing image and the front surface of the enclosed buffing pad is used to illustrate the color and texture of the side (or edge) of the buffing pad, thereby providing an accurate depiction of the item included therein. 2. Description of Related Art Buffing refers to the application of a chemical or compound to a surface using a buffing pad. In the automotive detailing industry, for example, buffing is used to repair, refinish or polish the exterior surfaces of automobiles. Buffing can be done by hand, however, professionals and consumers alike prefer to use buffing pads with power buffers. A power buffer can be pneumatic, in which the power is supplied by an air compressor, or motorized, in which the power is supplied by an electric motor. A motorized power buffer is a hand-held tool having a buffing pad attached to a spindle that extends from the electric motor. The motor spins the buffing pad and thus results in faster performance, while reducing fatigue on the operator. It also allows the operator to get optimum finishing effects as compared to buffing by hand. There are two types of motorized power buffers including high-speed rotary buffers and dual-action or random orbital buffers. The main difference between the two relates to the direction of the rotation of the buffing pad assembly, which in turn produces different results. High-speed buffers provide a circular motion, spinning at very high continuous revolutions per minute (RPMs) and can have either one or two buffing pads attached to the motor. Dual-action or random-orbital buffers turn in a combined circular and orbital motion, at varying speeds. The continuous revolutions of either type of buffer causes friction on contact with the surface producing heat, that when combined with a compound alters the surface of the automobile. Buffing pads are usually circular and are made in varying sizes. See, e.g., FIG. 1B. They generally include a front (flat) surface that can be used to remove scratches, polish, etc., and a rear (flat) surface that allows the buffing pad to be attached to a power tool (e.g., motorized power buffer). The front surface may be made from various materials, including open or closed cell synthetic foam, microfibers, natural wool, etc. Buffing pads may also include edges (rounded or flat) (providing a buffing pad profile) constructed from the same material. This allows a user to “buff” or “polish” both flat surfaces (using the flat front surface) and nooks and crannies (using the edges). The rear surface of the buffing pad is configured to be attached to the motorized power buffer. This can be done via threads, adhesive, or hook-and-loop fasteners, commonly referred to as Velcro®. Different buffing pads are used for different applications. For example, under a microscope, foam pads look like a bee's honeycomb, with small uniformly shaped cells. The smaller the cells, the more densely the construction. A small cell foam pad would be considered less aggressive and considered a finishing pad. The opposite effect takes place if the foam cells are larger, or less dense. This construction is more aggressive and would generally be referred to as a compounding pad. Obviously, there are various grades of foam pads on either side of the aggressive or finishing scale. To increase shelf life and maintain product integrity, buffing pads are generally packaged in an airtight container that is opaque to prevent (or minimizes) exposure to light. This creates a problem in that different types of buffing pads require different types of packaging (e.g., to properly identify the contents, etc.). This can be seen, for example, in FIG. 1A, where the package 10 includes print on its face 20 that identifies various aspects of the item included therein (e.g., the item's identifier, manufacturer, a picture of the item, etc.). As the packaging must be unique to the item included therein, this makes the product more difficult and costly to manufacture. Thus, it would be advantageous for a new and improved packaging system that not only minimizes (or reduces) light exposure but allows the same packaging to be used with different types of buffing pads. It would also be beneficial for the packaging to illustrate both the product that is included therein (e.g., a buffing pad) and its preferred application (e.g., medium cut, polishing, finishing, etc.). This can be achieved by using a combination of print and