Patent Application
20060180498
This patent relates to appliance bases or pallets. More particularly, this patent relates to a low cost appliance base rail that can cushion and protect a large appliance.
Base pads, sometimes referred to as carriers, skids, runners, pallets, or simply bases, are used to cushion and protect objects such as large appliances during assembly, storage and transport. Numerous appliance bases are known in the art, including bases made of wood, plastic, corrugated paper, and composite bases made of a combination of materials. Sonoco Development, Inc., the owner of the present invention, owns a number of patents in this field, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,155,527 and 6,264,157.
Appliance manufacturers are continually seeking better, more cost effective bases to provide cushioning and protection for large household appliances. Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide an appliance base that provides cushioning and protection of large appliances at reduced cost.
A further object of the invention is to provide an appliance base rail that is lightweight, yet passes standard drop tests and resists breakage.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
The present invention is a composite (multiple material) base rail for supporting for an object such as a large household appliance. The base rail comprises a rectangular paperboard planar member or base sheet, a folded paperboard member having an M-shaped cross-sectional profile glued to the base sheet, and a plurality of resilient foam members captured within or substantially surrounded by the paperboard members. The combination of foam members captured within the paperboard members provides a cushioned yet strong support for the appliance.
The folded paperboard member comprises edge panels, at least two beads or crowns longitudinally disposed along the length of the folded member between the edge panels, and a central panel disposed between the two beads. Each bead comprises a top, load bearing, panel that contacts the object to be supported and two downwardly extending side panels. The folded M-shaped member is adhered to the rectangular base sheet along the edge panels so that the two pieces define a pair of longitudinal cavities there between. The central panel can be affixed to the base sheet but need not be.
At least one first resilient foam member is interposed between the beads and captured on three sides by the central panel and two opposing downwardly extending side panels. At least one pair of second resilient foam members are captured within the longitudinal cavities adjacent the at least one first resilient foam member. The foam members fortify the base rail so that it can withstand the load from a large object with minimal deformation.
In the preferred embodiment, a first resilient foam member is disposed at either end of the base rail between the beads and a pair of second resilient foam members is disposed at either end of the base rail within the longitudinal cavities adjacent the first resilient foam members. Two base rails may be used in parallel to support and cushion a refrigerator or other object. Alternatively, a cross member (made from angle board or of other suitable construction) may be used to connect two parallel base rails to form a U-shaped base. In another alternative a pair of cross members can be used to connect two parallel base rails to form a square or rectangular base.
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in
The base rail 10 comprises a paperboard component and a number of resilient foam blocks.
Still referring to
In the assembled paperboard component 12 of
As shown in
In the assembled base rail 10 shown in
Wedging the first resilient member 36 between the beads 20 and capturing the second resilient members 38 inside the cavities 32 adjacent the first resilient foam member 36 results in a structure that can withstand the load of a large object with very little deformation of the folded paperboard member 16. The base rail 10 both protects and cushions an object mounted on it, and replaces more costly bases. The base rail 10 can be used with a forklift truck or other lifting equipment.
Alternatively, a pair of base rails 10 can be connected together with a cross member (not shown) such as angle board to form a U-shaped appliance base. In a further alternative, a pair of base rails 10 can be connected together at their ends with two cross members to form a square shaped appliance base.
The base rail 10 of the present invention can be used in conjunction with other packaging components to provide an open sided appliance package. For example, a bottom tray with short upstanding sides can be placed under an appliance mounted on a pair of base rails 10 and a top cap placed on top. Corner posts can be placed within the bottom tray between the appliance and tray sidewalls and extend from the bottom tray to the top cap to protect the appliance edges. Finally, clear plastic wrap can be stretched around the assembly to protect the appliance from dust and dirt.
Other modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated which do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications that fall within their scope.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60593796 | Feb 2005 | US |
