Packaged units and method of making same

A thin, substantially flat packaged unit comprising:

• A. a thin, substantially flat utensil having an upper gripping end and a downwardly extending lower end integral with said gripping end, said lower end including side margins which converge toward each other in a direction from said gripping end to a bottom margin of the lower end;
• B. a protective sheath enclosing the lower end of the utensil, said protective sheath including;
• 1. a substantially flat rigidifying member of substantially the same thickness as the lower end of the utensil, said rigidifying member having a contoured inner surface means through the thickness thereof defining a recess in said rigidifying member, and
• 2. flexible sheets adhered to opposed flat surfaces of the rigidifying member and overlying the recess in the rigidifying member whereby said sheets cooperate with the rigidifying member to form a protective compartment in which the lower end of the utensil is disposed.

A method of forming a packaged unit including a thin, substantially flat utensil in a protective sheath, said packaged unit being formed from a thin, substantially flat substrate and flexible sheet material;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• A. cutting the substrate inwardly of marginal ends thereof to form a thin, substantially flat utensil surrounded by portions of the substrate constituting a rigidifying member of the protective sheath;
• and
• B. adhering the flexible sheet material to the rigidifying member in overlying relationship with the utensil to form, with said rigidifying member, the protective sheath.

A method of forming a packaged unit including a utensil and a protective sheath, said utensil including a lower end which is protected by a sheath and an upper gripping end, said unit being formed from a thin, substantially flat substrate and a pair of flexible sheets;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• A. cutting a portion of the substrate intermediate its upper and lower margins to form the lower end of the utensil which remains integral with an upper end of the substrate that constitutes the upper gripping end of the utensil, said lower end of the utensil being surrounded by a lower segment of the substrate;
• and
• B. adhering flexible sheets to opposed, substantially flat surfaces of the lower segment of the substrate surrounding the lower end of the utensil and in overlying relationship with said lower end to form, with the substrate, the protective sheath.

A method of forming a plurality of packaged units, each unit including a utensil in a protective sheath and each utensil including an upper gripping end and a lower end extending generally downwardly from the gripping end;

• said packaged units being formed from a thin, substantially flat substrate and a pair of flexible sheets;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• A. cutting the substrate intermediate upper and lower margins thereof to form a plurality of spaced lower ends of the utensils, the lower ends being continuous downwardly directed extensions of a continuous, transversely extending upper segment of the substrate, and the lower ends being surrounded by a continuous transversely extending lower segment of the substrate;
• B. positioning the flexible sheets in overlying relationship with the opposed, substantially flat surfaces of each of the lower ends and the lower segment of the substrate;
• C. adhering the flexible sheets to opposed, substantially flat surfaces of the lower segment of the substrate in the regions surrounding each of the lower ends of the utensils;
• and
• D. severing the substrate and adhered flexible sheets between the transversely spaced lower ends of the utensils to form the plurality of packaged units, each packaged unit including a utensil in which the gripping end includes a portion of the upper segment of the substrate and the protective sheath includes a portion of the lower segment of the substrate and the flexible sheets which are adhered thereto.

A method of forming a plurality of packaged units, each unit including a utensil and a protective sheath therefor;

• each utensil including an upper gripping end and a lower end extending generally downwardly from the gripping end;
• said units being formed from a thin, substantially flat substrate and a pair of flexible sheets;
• said method comprising the following steps:
• A. cutting said substrate intermediate upper and lower edges thereof to form a plurality of lower ends, each lower end having a bottom margin and upwardly extending diverging side margins, the bottom and side margins of each lower end being transversely spaced from the bottom margin and adjacent side margins of adjacent lower ends, a plurality of said lower ends being continuous downwardly directed extensions of a continuous, transversely extending upper segment of said substrate, and bottom and side margins of the lower ends being surrounded by a continuous, transversely extending lower segment of said substrate;
• B. providing a substance that is interactable with a fluid on the substrate at transversely spaced locations corresponding to regions of the substrate constituting the lower ends, and subsequent to said cutting and coating steps, carrying out the following steps sequentially;
• C. positioning the sheets in overlying relationship with opposed flat surface of each said lower ends and the lower segment of the substrate;
• D. adhering the flexible sheets to opposed flat surfaces of the lower segment of the substrate in the regions surrounding each said lower ends;
• and
• E. severing the substrate and adhered sheets intermediate adjacent side margins of adjacent treating ends to interrupt the transversely extending continuity of the upper and lower segments of the substrate and the sheets adhered thereto to thereby form a plurality of discrete packaged units.

A method of forming a packaged treating unit including a treating utensil and a protective sheath, said treating utensil including a lower treating end and an upper gripping end, said unit being formed from a thin, substantially flat substrate and a pair of flexible sheets, said method comprising the steps of:

• A. cutting a portion of said substrate intermediate upper and lower margins thereof to form the lower treating end of the utensil which remains integral with an upper end of the substrate that constitutes the upper gripping end of the utensil;
• said cutting step forming the treating end with a bottom margin, and side margins extending upwardly from the bottom margin and diverging from each other in a direction from the bottom margin to the upper gripping end of the utensil;
• said bottom and side margin being surrounded by a portion of said substrate;
• B. providing a substance that is interactable with a fluid on the treating end of the utensil, and subsequent to said cutting and providing steps;
• C. adhering the flexible sheets to opposed flat surfaces of the portion of the substrate surrounding the bottom and side margins of the treating end of the utensil in overlying relationship with said treating end to form, with said substrate, a laminated protective sheath for the treating end of the utensil.