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[0001] The present application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/482,619, filed Jun. 26, 2003.
[0002] The present invention relates to a method of selling ream wrapper to be utilized in wrapping reams of paper to be sold under a private label or non-mill brand name.
[0003] Ream wrap is the wrapper around packages of cut size (8½×11, etc.) paper that is used for printers, computers, copy machines, and other office or personal printing needs. This wrapper traditionally has been sold to paper mills. Paper mills make and wrap reams that are sold under their own mill brand names (Domtar, Georgia Pacific, Hammermill, etc.) and make products that are sold as private labels. Private labels are reams produced for resellers of reamed paper (Office Depot, Viking, Corporate Express, etc.) and equipment makers (Hewlett Packard, Xerox, etc.) to be sold under their brand names or private labels.
[0004] Private labelers do not make or wrap paper. Private labelers contract with a mill or mills to produce and wrap the paper in a wrapper bearing the private labeler's name and/or design. This private labeler provides the mill with a ream wrap design bearing the graphics developed for the private labeler. The mill provides this design to the mill's choice of a ream wrap supplier. The mill purchases ream wrap from this ream wrap supplier to wrap these private label reams.
[0005] The present invention comprises a method of selling private label ream wraps involving a direct relationship between the ream wrap manufacturer and the private labeler. The present invention comprises a method for selling ream wrap for wrapping private reams comprising: developing ream wrap print designs for a private labeler. A contract is established between the ream wrap manufacturer and the private labeler for the exclusive use of the print designs for the ream wrap. The private labeler is paid for the use of the designs. The ream wrap manufacturer obtains the license to print and/or sell the ream wrap using the private labeler's designs. The ream wrap manufacturer, in turn, sells the ream wrap directly to the paper mills that make the reamed papers.
[0006] The print design for the private label ream wrap is developed for the private labeler. Therefore, under copyright law, the wrapper print design is the intellectual property of the private labeler. The object of the present invention is for the ream wrap producer to contract directly with the private labeler to use its intellectual property (ream wrap print design) in return for a payment or rebate directly from the ream wrap producer to the private labeler. The paper mill wrapping the reams purchases the ream wrap from the ream wrap producer at prices negotiated between the ream wrap producer and the paper mill. The ream wrap producer would be the exclusive source for the private labeler's ream wrap, and the mill would only be able to purchase ream wrap from the ream wrap producer who contracted with and paid the private labeler.
[0007]
[0008] The traditional method of selling private label ream wrap involved a private labeler contracting with several paper mills to produce its paper; the mill then wrapped the paper in a wrapper printed with the private labeler's design. Several paper companies would produce the paper which was then placed in several types of ream wrap (made by different ream wrap producers) having the print design of the private labeler.
[0009] The difficulty with this practice is that different paper mills produce different quality papers, and different ream wrap manufacturers produce different quality ream wrappers. The present invention ensures consistent quality ream wrap and paper.
[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, Ream Wrap Company A procures and pays for (either through a direct contracting fee or rebate) a license to use and print the private labeler's print design, and Ream Wrap Company A becomes the sole printer and producer of the ream wrap bearing the private labeler's brand name. The ream wrap company then procures paper from the paper company or companies approved by the private labelers to fill the ream wrap.
[0011] In another embodiment, Ream Wrap Company A procures and pays for (either through a direct contracting fee or rebate) a license to use and print the private labeler's print design, and Ream Wrap Company A becomes the sole printer and producer of the ream wrap bearing the private labeler's brand name. Ream Wrap Company A then negotiates a contracted price with Paper Company X (or more than one paper company) and sells the ream wrap to Paper Company X, which, in turn wraps the private label reams.
[0012] By providing the wrapper print design to only one ream wrap producer, a better and more consistent quality ream wrapper is produced in contrast to private label ream wrappers produced by various ream wrap producers. As a result, the consumer or user can better recognize and rely upon the quality of the private labeler's product. Further, the direct relationship between the ream wrap manufacturer and the paper mill would result in more consistent quality of the paper product itself.