The present invention relates generally to a container for shipping, storing and handling a plurality of items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container for shipping, storing and handling a plurality of items, wherein the items are held securely in place so as to prevent damage thereto during transportation.
In the manufacturing, shipping, storing, handling and use of textiles and other fiber, strand, tape, strip, web or sheet materials, it is customary for such materials to be wound on cylindrical (or conical) cores and shipped as spools of material. A typical spool has a cylindrical configuration and may be sized up to twelve inches in diameter and between six and twelve inches in width.
For shipping and/or delivery of the material to an end-user thereof, a plurality of spools are arranged in side-by-side fashion on a tray or pallet constructed from corrugated material. Two or more trays are arranged in a stacked configuration and shrink-wrapped (or otherwise bundled), thereby defining a bundled package of a plurality of spools of material. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a packaging system for shipping and/or delivering a plurality of items arranged in a side-by-side and stacked configuration.
Conventional shipping packaging systems do not adequately prevent the spools from coming into contact with one another during shipping. Such contact may result in damage to the material, thereby rendering some or all of the material wound on the damaged spools as unusable. It is therefore desirable to provide a packaging system for shipping and/or delivering a plurality of items arranged in a side-by-side and stacked configuration such that the plurality of items are held securely in such configuration so as to minimize the likelihood that two or more of the items will come into contact with one another during shipping.
It is customary for the end-user of the material to store the spools of material in the packages used to deliver them and to remove the spools from their respective packages on an as-needed basis. It is desirable, therefore to provide a packaging system that is adapted to be used as storage for the spools of material until such time as the spools are needed. For example, it is desirable for the packages to themselves be stackable such that two or more of the packages may be placed in a stacked configuration for storage of a very large number of spools of material.
The present invention provides a packaging system for shipping, storing and handling a plurality of items, such as spools of textile or other fiber, strand, tape, strip, web or sheet material wound onto a core. The packaging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is adapted to arrange a plurality of items in a side-by-side stacked configuration such that the items are positioned securely during shipping so as to minimize the risk of damage thereto during transit.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a packaging system of the present invention provides a bottom cap, a top cap and a plurality of trays for arranging the plurality of items in a side-by-side stacked configuration. The caps and the trays each are constructed from foldable corrugated material. A top sheet and/or bottom sheet may be placed within the top cap and/or bottom cap, respectively, for the purpose of securely positioning the spools, relative to the caps.
Each of the trays includes three flaps arranged in an end-to-end configuration such that outboard flaps each are foldable over the center flap, thereby defining a three-ply construction for use as a tray. Furthermore, each flap includes a pattern of holes which are in patterned alignment when the outboard flaps are folded over the center flap. According to one aspect of the present invention, the holes of one of the flaps are of a diameter which is less than a diameter of the holes of one of the outboard flaps, thereby defining an annular lip upon which a core portion of one of the items is allowed to rest.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the holes of at least one of the flaps is sized and configured to frictionally grip the core portion of one of the
The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
With reference to
With additional reference to
Each sidewall panel 24 includes a first end 24a and a second end 24b. A tab-receiving opening 25 is provided near the first end 24a of each sidewall panel 24 and a tab 25b extends from (or is otherwise provided by) the second end 24b of each sidewall panel 24. A plurality of parallel, transverse foldlines 26 extend substantially the width of each sidewall panel 24 near the second end 24b thereof, respectively.
Top cap 20 and bottom cap 30 each are formed by folding each sidewall panel 24 about its respective edge/foldline 23b such that the sidewall panels 24 each are oriented generally perpendicular to the center panel 23. The second end 24b of each sidewall panel 24 is then folded along its respective center panel corner 23a, wherein the foldlines 26 of each sidewall panel 24 facilitate the sidewall panel 24 assuming a generally curvilinear shape near the second end 24b thereof. The tab 25b of each sidewall panel 24 is thereafter inserted into the tab-receiving opening 25a of the next-adjacent sidewall panel 24 and locked thereinto by any conventional means. Alternatively, the tab 25b or another portion near the second end 24b of each sidewall panel 24 may be affixed to a portion near the first end 24a of the next-adjacent sidewall panel 24, such as by adhesive, tape, staples, or the like.
It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that top cap 20 and bottom cap 30 are merely arranged in face-to-face orientation with respect to one another to define top and bottom extremities of the packaging system 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Sidewall panels 24 cooperate with center panel 23 to define an interior region 27 of the top cap 20 and bottom cap 30, respectively. Bottom cap 30, in particular, is sized to be situated upon a conventional wood pallet 70 (
With reference now to
Tray 40 is constructed by first folding the second outboard flap 45 about the second fold region 42 over an upper face 43a of the center panel 43 such that, when folded, a first face 45a of the second outboard panel 45 faces the upper face 43a of the center panel 43. The first outboard panel 44 is thereafter folded about the first fold region 41 over the second outboard panel 45 (which has been folded over the center panel 43 as described above) such that a first face 44a of the first outboard panel 44 faces a second face (not shown) of the second outboard panel 45. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the first fold region 41 spaces the first outboard panel 44 from the center panel 43 so that the first outboard panel 43 is permitted to fold over the second outboard panel 45 and to sandwich the second outboard panel 45 between the center panel 43 and the first outboard panel 44. It will also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other foldable configurations may be employed while still keeping within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
Center panel 43 includes one or more openings 43b arranged thereon to define a pattern, such as, for example, a matrix spaced evenly thereover. First outboard panel 44 includes one or more openings 44b arranged thereon to define a pattern, such as, for example, a matrix spaced evenly thereover. Openings 43b, 44b may be in the form of circular die-cutouts, although some or all of the openings 43b, 44b may be formed with a non-circular shape, such as, for example, an octagonal shape with rounded corners and arched sides. It is not necessary for all openings 43b, 44b to have the same shape, and openings 43b of the center panel 43 may have a shape that is different from the shape of the openings 44b of the first outboard panel 44. Alternatively, openings 43b, 44b need not be cutouts provided through the entire thickness of the center panel 43 and first outboard panel 44, respectively; rather, center panel 43 and first outboard panel 44 may be crushed or otherwise compressed so as to provide a region resembling an opening, the function of which will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description.
Second outboard panel 45 (which is positioned between the center panel 43 and the first outboard panel 44 when the blank 40 is folded as described above) includes one or more holes 45b arranged thereon to define a pattern, such as, for example, a matrix spaced evenly thereover. Holes 45b may be shaped in the same manner as openings 43b, 44b. Holes 45b are arranged on the second outboard panel 45 such that holes 45b are aligned with one or more openings 43b of the center panel 43 and are aligned with one or more openings 44b of the first outboard panel 44. Although holes 45b may have a shape which resembles openings 43b, 44b, it is preferable for holes 45b to be dimensioned less than openings 43b, 44b. Referring back to
Referring now to
Upper slipsheet 50 is constructed by folding the second flap 54 about the foldline 51 over an upper face 53a of the first panel 53 such that, when folded, a first face 54a of the second panel 54 faces the upper face 53a of the first panel 53. Upper slipsheet 50 is sized to fit within the interior region of the top cap 20 or bottom cap 30.
First panel 53 includes one or more openings 53b arranged thereon to define a pattern, such as, for example, a matrix spaced evenly thereover. Openings 53b may be in the form of circular die-cutouts, although some or all of the openings 53b may be formed with a non-circular shape, such as, for example, an octagonal shape with rounded corners and arched sides. It is not necessary for all openings 53b to have the same shape and openings 53b need not be cutouts provided through the entire thickness of the first panel 53; rather, first panel 53 may be crushed or otherwise compressed so as to provide a region resembling an opening, the function of which will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description.
With reference to
Lower slipsheet 60 includes one or more openings 63b arranged thereon to define a pattern, such as, for example, a matrix spaced evenly thereover. Openings 63b may be in the form of circular die-cutouts, although some or all of the openings 63b may be formed with a non-circular shape, such as, for example, an octagonal shape with rounded corners and arched sides. It is not necessary for all openings 63b to have the same shape and openings 63b need not be cutouts provided through the entire thickness of the lower slipsheet 60; rather, lower slipsheet 60 may be crushed or otherwise compressed so as to provide a region resembling an opening, the function of which will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description.
With reference to
A conventional pallet 70 constructed from wood or laminated corrugated material is provided with sufficient size to arrange a plurality of items 80 in side-by-side arrangement thereon. For example, the pallet may be approximately 4 feet long and 3 feet wide so as to permit 12 items 80 to be arranged thereon in a 3×4 matrix, as shown. The bottom cap 30 is positioned on the pallet 70 and may be secured thereto, such as, for example, by adhesive, straps, staples, or any conventional attachment means. Referring now also to
A lower end of the core 81 of each item 80 is insertable into one of the plurality of openings 63b provided in the lower slipsheet 60 such that the lower end of the core 81 is frictionally gripped by the lower slipsheet 60. That is, each opening 63b has a diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the core 81, thereby defining a frictional interference fit therebetween when the lower end of the core 81 is inserted into one of the openings 63b. The items 80, therefore, are held at their lower ends, relative to one another, by the lower slipsheet 60. The bottom cap 30 is of a height so as to encircle the plurality of items 80 arranged therewithin.
A tray 40, having first been folded as described above, is placed on top of the plurality of items 80 so that an upper end of the core 81 of each item 80 is aligned with and received by one of the plurality of openings 43b provided in the center panel 43 of the tray 40, which has been folded and positioned so as to place the center panel 43 of the tray 40 in a downwardly-facing orientation. The upper end of the core 81 is frictionally gripped by the center panel 43 of the tray 40. That is, each opening 43b has a diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the upper end of the core 81, thereby defining a frictional interference fit therebetween when the upper end of the core 81 is inserted into one of the openings 43b. The items 80, therefore, are held at their upper ends, relative to one another, by the tray 40. The bottom cap 30 is of a height so as to encircle the plurality of items 80 arranged therewithin.
A second tier of items 80 can thereafter be arranged on the tray 40, which has been placed on top of the first tier of items 80, using the openings 44b provided in the outboard panel 44 of the tray 40, which has been folded so as to place the first outboard panel 44 in an upwardly-facing orientation. With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain substitutions, alterations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only and should not be deemed limitative on the scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country |
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162984 | Sep 1933 | CH |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080017650 A1 | Jan 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60615556 | Oct 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2005/036120 | Oct 2005 | US |
Child | 11731615 | US |