Patent Application
20060124500
This invention pertains to a specialized container for safely holding or transporting various products of a generally rectangular shape.
A variety of packages, boxes, and containers are known in the prior art. Boxes are frequently designed to accommodate one or more products inside the box, to facilitate transportation of the products. However, pressure exerted during transit, when other boxes are piled on top or when the box is dropped or moved, can detrimentally affect the contents of the box.
Specialized containers are known in the prior art to protect products within the container from damage which may be caused by physical or electrical forces applied to the container. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,045,038 and 6,047,884 to Smith et al. and related applications describe a box with movable interior panels which are automatically distanced from outer side panels when the box is unfolded from a collapsed position. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,073 to Towle teaches a container which encompasses a smaller similarly shaped container, with a fan extension portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,309 to Taravella et al. discloses a rectangular container the side walls of which are folded into a triangular shaped double wall to protect the contents of the box. U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,039 to Croll et al. describes a carton with inner side walls distanced from exterior side walls, each inner side wall having slots for receiving card-mounted goods. U.S. Pat. No. 2,746,667 to Murphy teaches a shipping container with a specialized liner which has a longitudinal recess suitable for holding fragile sheet material.
A container with shock-absorbing inserts is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,352 to Mena et al, suitable for protecting the contents of the container from damage caused by both physical and electrical forces.
While each of these containers known in the prior art serves a purpose, many of the containers known in the prior art are designed in a manner which allows only a product or set of products of a specific size and shape to be safely transported within the container. As a result, a particular sized box of these previous designs must be provided for each specific product or set of products to be held and carried within that box. A container is needed which can be conveniently modified to provide protection for one or more generally rectangular products, such as circuit boards, securely holding each product in a desired position within the container. The claimed container is flexible enough to enable a variety of sizes of generally rectangular products to be similarly held at desired positions within the container. In this manner, the container can be used multiple times for carrying different generally rectangular products, enhancing the likelihood that the container will be recycled for further use. Similarly, the container eliminates the need to produce and store a specially sized container for each size product being shipped.
An object of this invention is to provide a container suitable for holding one or more generally rectangular products.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a container which protects any product being held within the container from damage by external forces by securely holding each product in a desired safe position.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide such a container which can easily be adapted to hold one or more products of differing sizes, so that the same container may be used at different times to hold and ship a variety of products.
The container claimed herein consists of a generally rectangular box with opposing top and bottom walls, opposing side walls, a back wall, and a front wall which can be opened and closed. If the container is designed to transport a single product which is generally flat and rectangular, such as a circuit board, mirror, sheet of glass, or card-mounted product, the top and bottom walls will typically have significantly greater surface area than the side walls. The side walls, back wall, and front wall typically have a constant height, separating the top and bottom walls by that constant height at all positions within the box to form a rectangular prism.
The front wall may be functionally viewed as a door, which conveniently opens and closes on a hinged attachment to the bottom wall, top wall, or one of the side walls. In an alternative embodiment, the front wall may be a separate piece which is not attached to any of the other walls of the container when the container is open. In this alternative embodiment, the front wall is equipped with a closure mechanism such as extensions from each side of the front wall which snugly fit around one end of the exterior of the bottom, top, and side walls when the container is in a closed position.
A variety of closure mechanisms may be used to secure the front wall in a closed position. For example, an extension from the front wall may be shaped so as to be snugly inserted into a hole formed in the wall opposing the wall to which the front wall is attached. Other closure mechanisms are well known in the prior art, each allowing the front wall to be easily moved between an open position in which a product can be conveniently placed within or removed from the container, and a closed position in which a product is securely held within the container.
Opposing flat inner panels are arranged within the container substantially parallel to the top and bottom walls. The panels may be spaced away from the top and bottom walls, such as by attaching the panels on opposing sides to the side walls of the container at a desired distance from the top or bottom wall of the container. In a preferred embodiment, a top inner panel is aligned adjacent to the interior of the top wall of the container, while a bottom inner panel is aligned adjacent to the interior of the bottom wall of the container, providing a secure position for both the top and bottom inner panels. Alternatively, the interior face of the top wall may function as a top panel, or the interior face of the bottom wall may function as a bottom panel, instead of having a separate top inner panel or separate bottom inner panel.
If more than one substantially rectangular product is to be placed within the container, it is advantageous to have more than two inner panels within the container. For example, if two products will be placed within the container, a top inner panel adjacent to the top wall of the container, a bottom inner panel adjacent to the bottom wall of the container, and a middle inner panel approximately equidistant between the top inner panel and the bottom inner panel may conveniently be placed within the container. In this manner, two secure sites for products are formed within the container: one site between the top and middle inner panels, and a second site between the middle and bottom inner panels.
Each inner panel within the container is scored with notches, grooves, or slots, which will be referred to as panel slots. Each panel slot is conveniently aligned with an opposing panel slot formed in the panel which is positioned within the container nearest to the first panel. Thus, in the preferred embodiment suitable for holding a single substantially rectangular product in a desired safe position, multiple panel slots are formed in the top inner panel, and corresponding and opposing panel slots are formed in the bottom inner panel. Removable partitions may conveniently be inserted in opposing panel slots of opposing inner panels, so that the removable partitions are securely held parallel to each other and parallel to the side walls. If one or more middle inner panels are utilized, each middle inner panel should be thick enough to accommodate panel slots formed in both the top and bottom faces thereof, suitable for receiving partitions both above and below the middle panel, without loosing structural integrity.
Partition slots are formed in each partition, so partitions inserted into panel slots to form opposing partitions have partition slots which are parallel and opposite. These partition slots are suitable for removably receiving the sides of a substantially flat and rectangular product, such as a circuit board. Partition slots may ideally be wider on an end of each partition which will be positioned near the opening of the container, so that the product to be held by the container can be easily inserted into the largest opening of the partition slot, and guided into a more narrow channel of the partition slot to securely hold the product in a desired safe position between opposing partitions. The product can be inserted into the partition slots while the partitions are secured in opposing panel slots within the container. Alternatively, a product may be simply inserted into partition slots while the partitions are partially removed from the container, for ease in positioning. The partitions, holding the product, can then be slid into the container along the panel slots into which the partitions have been inserted. Removal of the product from the container can similarly be accomplished either by sliding the product from the partition slots while the partitions are in the container or by first sliding the partitions either partly or completely out of the panel slots and out of the container.
Each component of the container, including walls, panels, and partitions, can be formed of a variety of suitable materials, such as corrugated fiberboard or cardboard. When protection from electrostatic discharge is desired, the material chosen for construction of each component of the container ideally will be either electrostatic shielding or electrostatic dissipative in nature.
The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the claims. The invention itself, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the description of specific embodiments which follows, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention concerns a container suitable for securely holding and transporting one or more substantially rectangular products. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Some well-known methods and structures have not been set forth in order not to unnecessarily obscure the description of the present invention.
As can be seen in
Opposing substantially flat inner panels 30, as best shown in
Numerous arrangements of substantially parallel inner panels 30 are possible, at a variety of distances from the interior 38 of the top wall 16 or the interior 40 of the bottom wall 18. In a specialized embodiment suitable for holding a product 12 which is taller on one side than another, it is possible to align one inner panel 30 in a manner which is not parallel to the top 16 and bottom 18 walls, so that the non-parallel inner panel 30 forms an angle with the opposing inner panel 30 suitable for creating a space between the opposing panels 30 for holding the non-flat product 12.
As best shown in
Partitions 34 can advantageously be removed and inserted in multiple positions, each time held in place by a pair of opposing panel slots 46. If dual partitions 34 are held in opposing panel slots 46 closest to the interior 20 of side walls 14, a relatively large product 12 can be inserted between and held in place by the partitions 34. If a relatively small product 12 is to be held in the container 10, partitions 34 may be easily inserted into opposing panel slots 46 which are closer to each other, to accommodate and securely hold the smaller product 12 in a desired safe position. By arranging the partitions 34 in appropriate pairs 46 of opposing panel slots 32 corresponding to the width of that particular product 12, a secure position for the product 12 to be held between the partitions 34 can be established. In this manner, the product 12 is securely held between appropriately arranged partitions 34 to provide safety and protection for the product 12 despite shocks and pressure exerted during transportation and handling. Nevertheless, the same container 10 may be used to safely hold and transport a product 12 of a different size by moving the partitions 34 to other pairs of opposing panel slots 32.
Partitions 34 can be of a variety of shapes and sizes, provided that they fit within the walls 14, 16, 18, 22, 24 of the container 10 and have edges suitable for inserting in opposing panel slots 46. Partitions 34 can conveniently be constructed with a size and shape similar to the side walls 14, but with a height suitable for inserting snugly between a top inner panel 42 and a bottom inner panel 44. In an embodiment suitable for holding multiple products 12 in the same container 10 as shown in
Partition slots 36 are formed in each partition 34, as shown in
As best shown in
The novel container has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the accompanying disclosure, many substitutions, modifications, and variations are possible in the practice of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
