PACKAGING

Abstract

A closed cell board including a core sandwiched between first and second liner sheets wherein the second liner sheet has a stronger construction than the first liner sheet, or vice versa.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to packaging. In particular improvements in and relating to protective edges and packaging systems making use of closed cell board including: shrouds, corner boards, u-boards, tube boards and sleeves.

DEFINITIONS

The term closed cell board as used herein refers to composite paper board which has at least one first liner sheet and at least one second liner sheet which respectively sandwich a core having a plurality of cells there between. Thus, closed cell board includes honeycomb paper board which has a honeycomb core, or X-board as is manufactured by Xanita of South Africa or 3C™ board as manufactured by Corcel. X-board and 3C™ board are composite boards comprising a core manufactured from adjacent strips of single or double face corrugated paperboard sandwiched between two liner sheets so that the flutes run vertically (i.e. the flute channels run from the top liner sheet to the bottom liner sheet of a horizontally oriented composite board).

The term closed cell board also includes non-paper based products to which the present invention may also have application including corflute and foam core board which also have a core comprising a number of cells.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention in one aspect is concerned with protective edges used to prevent damage to packaged freight on skids or pallets occurring whilst loading/unloading or during transport.

For ease of reference the present invention will now be described in relation to corner boards made from paper however this should not be seen as limiting.

Paper corner boards can be formed in a variety of different ways.

Typically paper corner boards are formed by a multi-step process which involves:

• • 1) cutting a line through one liner sheet and the core to form a slit running along the central longitudinal axis of a strip of composite corrugated paperboard, such as 3C™ corrugated composite paperboard manufactured by Corcel, or such as X-Board manufactured by Xanita;
  • 2) crushing a channel on either side of the slit or cutting v-shaped walls into the slit;
  • 3) applying glue to the channel;
  • 4) folding one or both opposed edges on either side of the score line toward the scored line so as to form a right angle between either side of the score line; and
  • 5) holding the folded length of material in a position to maintain the right angle between the sides until the glue sets.

However, as can be seen this is a time consuming process involving many steps and requiring the use of adhesive (including hot melt glues) which is not only expensive but also toxic, thus requiring care in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, corner boards manufactured by this process tend to splay outwardly when straps are tensioned to secure stacked packaging as a unit, causing the sides of the corner boards to move out of aligned contact with the sides of the packaging.

The slitting of closed cell board through a first facing sheet, core and stopping short of the second facing sheet is known in the art—see the corrupad angles page of www.multiwallpackaing.com where it details a reverse slit score/slit score product. The product shown resembles the present invention but it has a different use, as detailed in the following extract from the webpage:

Reverse Slit Score/Slit Score

• • A reverse slit score is made by cutting through one facing paper and through the core material, and then by cutting the opposite facing paper at another location to create a fan folding effect in the panel. A single slit score is produced by cutting through one facing paper and the entire core, leaving the other facing paper intact to create a folding hinge in the panel.

Thus, the use of this fan folding panel as a protective edge is not taught or contemplated by the aforementioned website.

A further problem in the packaging industry is the need to create inexpensive and effective replacements or alternatives to polystyrene packaging. In particular there is a need for packaging solutions which can be used for protecting fragile items which need to be transported and/or stored.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention in one aspect provides a simplified and more effective manner of manufacture for producing protective edges, shrouds including u-shaped channels and sleeves, all made of closed cell board. The method of the present invention effectively shortcuts the current manufacturing process and reverses one step in a counterintuitive manner to create cheaper and more effective products such as edge protectors including corner boards and u-shaped channels.

The reversed step of the present invention effectively involves folding a pre-slitted board inside out so that the slit forms an outside corner.

This concept is perhaps most easily understood initially if described in relation to corner boards. The present invention utilises the reverse step of inside out folding so that the slit is located on the outside corner of the corner board (not the protected inside corner such as occurs in a conventionally constructed corner board). The reversal of this one step surprisingly mitigates many of the other manufacturing steps employed to produce conventional paper corner boards.

Given edge protectors such as corner boards are used to protect the edges of boxes or the like, that are stacked on a pallet or skid, one would never intuitively think, to have what is the weakest point of a corner board (i.e. the slit), presented as the exposed exterior corner edge of the corner board. The fact the exposed slit has been found to possess the requisite strength required for a paper closed cell corner board to protect the packaging from the edges of the plastic strapping is thus a surprising result.

The present invention also relates to a new form of closed cell board which has first and second liner sheet(s) on either side of the core wherein the relative thickness and/or strength of the first and second line sheets are different. For example, the first liner sheet may comprise a single sheet of paper board and the second liner sheet may be a laminate of two or more sheets of paper board.

The present invention additionally relates to blanks for creating protective edges and shrouds.

The present invention also relates to packaging systems capable of being used in place of polystyrene (EPS) packaging.

New Board

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a closed cell board including a core sandwiched between first and second liner sheets wherein the second liner sheet has a stronger construction than the first liner sheet, or vice versa.

Preferably, the closed cell board may be made of paper and may resemble 3C™ board manufactured by Corcel—www.corcel.com.

Method of Manufacture Protective Edge

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a protective edge from a sheet of closed cell composite board which has first and second liner sheets on either side of a core, the method comprises the step of:

• • a) cutting a line through:
    • the first liner sheet; and
    • the core;of the closed cell board to form a slit that extends along, or is parallel to, a major axis of the board but wherein said slit does not penetrate the second liner sheet.

This produces a protective edge blank which is flat and takes up less room when stacked for transportation and storage purposes prior to use.

A method substantially as described above where the method comprises the further step of:

• • b) folding the closed cell board along the slit to create first and second sides angled with respect to one another with the slit forming an external corner of the protective edge.

Preferably the protective edge may be in the form of a corner board.

Method of Manufacturing a Protective Shroud or Blank Therefor

The present invention also provides an inexpensive way of producing a protective shroud which may:

• • be in the form of a sleeve or u-shaped channel; or
  • a sheet of material which has at least one edge in the form of a u-shaped channel or a sleeve,and which can be used individually, or combination, to protect an object, or part thereof, covered by the shroud.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a protective shroud from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which has first and second liner sheets on either side of a core the method comprises the step of:

• • a) cutting at least two parallel lines through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board to form slits that are parallel to one common axis of the board but wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet.

This produces a shroud blank which is flat and takes up less room when stacked for transportation and storage purposes prior to use.

A method substantially as described above wherein the method comprises the further step of:

• • b) folding the closed cell board along each slit to create three or more sides angled with respect to one another with the slits forming an external corner or corners of the protective shroud.

The protective shroud may preferably be a sleeve, or a u-shaped channel, but can include a sheet of planar material which has one or more edges, which have been manipulated as per the method above to form a u-shape channel, or a sleeve, along the edge(s) of the otherwise planar sheet.

A Protective Shroud and Blank Therefor

The present invention also provides a protective shroud which:

• • may be in the form of a sleeve or u-shaped channel; or
  • may be in the form of a sheet of material which has at least one edge including a u-shaped channel or a sleeve,and which can be used individually, or combination, to protect an object, or part thereof, covered by the shroud. Pre-formed blanks for creating protective shrouds are also covered by the present invention.

Shroud Blank

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective shroud blank made from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which includes a first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein the sheet or strip of closed cell board includes:

• • two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; or
  • three or more parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve; andwherein the slits are cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board and wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet.

Sheet-Like Shroud Blank

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective shroud blank made from a sheet of closed cell board which includes a planar surface and first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein formed along at least one edge of the planar surface are:

• • two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; or
  • three or four parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve;wherein the slits are cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board wherein said slits are parallel to said edge and wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet.

Shroud

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective shroud made from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which includes a first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein the sheet or strip of closed cell board includes:

• • two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; or
  • three or more parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve; andwherein the slits are cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board and wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet and wherein said u-shaped channel(s) and/or said sleeve(s) have outside corner edges in the form of splits formed by folding along the parallel slits cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board.

Sheet-Like Shroud

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective shroud made from a sheet of closed cell board which includes a planar surface and first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein formed along at least one edge of the planar surface is/are:

• • at least one u-shaped channel formed from two parallel slits; and/or
  • at least one sleeve formed from three or more parallel slits;wherein the slits are cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board wherein said slits are parallel to said edge and wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet and wherein said u-shaped channel(s) and/or said sleeve(s) have outside corner edges in the form of splits formed by folding along the parallel slits cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board.

Use of/Method of Use

According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided the use of a protective edge or protective shroud made from a sheet of closed cell board substantially as described above to protect an object or an edge of an object.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of protecting an object or an edge of an object comprising the step of placing a protective edge or shroud made from a sheet of closed cell board substantially as described above around the object or edge of the object to be protected.

Container

The principles of the present invention may also be employed in the manufacture of a container.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a closed cell board container which comprises:

• • at least one sleeve forming a body portion; and
  • at least one u-shaped channel forming a base;of the container, wherein said sleeve and said u-shaped channel are formed via parallel lines cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board to form slits that are parallel to one common axis of the closed cell board and wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet, and wherein said u-shaped channel(s) and/or sleeve(s) have outside corner edges in the form of splits formed by folding along parallel slits cut through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet.

Preferably, the container above may include a further u-shaped channel which acts as a lid.

Protective Packaging System

The present invention also provides an inexpensive alternative yet effective protective packaging system for say protecting an object such as, for instance, a flat screen TV or computer which can replace polystyrene.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective packaging system wherein the system includes:

• • at least one protective shroud substantially as described above which, in use, can protect at least an edge or side and one surface of an object.

A protective packaging system substantially as described above wherein the protective shroud has at least planar surface and at least one edge formed as a u-shaped channel or a sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—shows a protective edge in the form of a corner board in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2—shows a cross sectional view of a length of closed cell board which has been cut to form a slit ready for folding into the corner board of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3—shows a cross sectional view of a length of closed cell board according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention which has a stronger liner sheet on one side of the core and which has been cut to form a slit ready for folding into the corner board resembling that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4—shows a corner board of the present invention protecting the edges of packaged product sitting on a pallet;

FIG. 5—shows a transverse cross sectional view through the corner board of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6—shows a protective edge in the form of a u-shaped channel in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7—shows a front view box made from protective edges as shown in FIG. 6 and from shrouds in the form of sleeves;

FIG. 8—shows a perspective view of a portion of a shroud in the form of a sleeve in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9—shows a cross sectional view along line A-A of a sheet-like shroud for a packaging system in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 10—shows a bottom plan view of the sheet-like shroud in FIG. 9, looking from direction indicated by arrow B;

FIG. 11—FIG. 11 shows a protective shroud in the form of an elongated u-shaped channel which is used to complete the packaging system of FIGS. 9 and 10 as is shown in FIG. 12, for a packaging system in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12—shows a cross sectional view of the packaging system of FIG. 9 protecting a flat panel TV, taken along line A-A of the shroud in FIG. 10 and illustrating how u-shaped channel of FIG. 11 protects the reverse side of the TV;

FIG. 13—shows a schematic cross sectional view of a protective shroud in the form of a double corner board arrangement in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14—shows a schematic cross sectional view of a protective shroud in the form of a sleeve wherein the sleeve has multi-ply walls formed from a single sheet of 3C™ board manufactured by Corcel;

FIG. 15—shows a schematic cross sectional view of a sheet of Corcel 3C™ board which has been cut into a blank for the multi-ply walled sleeve of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 16—shows a schematic view of protective packaging system for a TV in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

With respect to FIG. 1 there is provided a protective edge in the form of a corner board generally indicated by arrow 100. The corner board 100 has a first side 1 and a second side 2 which exist on either side of a longitudinal split 3. As can be seen the split 3 forms an outside edge of the corner where the first and second sides 1, 2 adjoin one another.

As shown in FIG. 2 the first side 1 and second side 2 are created after a strip 90 of closed cell board, in the form of Corcel 3C™ paper board, has a line cut along a first liner sheet 1000 and through the core 3000 just shy of penetrating the second facing sheet 2000, to form a slit 300. The slit 300 is preferably formed by a cutting device such as a rotating blade which travels along the central longitudinal axis of the strip 90. Once the slit 300 has been formed the strip 90 is folded so as to open slit 300 to form split 3 and a substantially 90 degree angle between the first side 1 and second side 2 to form a corner board 100 as shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3 the strip 90 is formed from closed cell board which has first liner sheet 1000 a core 3000 and second liner sheet 2000 in the form of a laminate made from two sheets of Kraft paper 2001 and 2002 which are bonded together with an EVA glue.

In use the corner board 100 is placed along the edges of a stack of packaged goods 200 on a pallet 300 (not shown) refer FIG. 4. The corner boards 100 are held onto the edges of the stack 200 by plastic polypropylene strapping 400. As can be seen upon tensioning, the strapping 400 crushes the opposing top edges 1a and 2a and core walls 1b and 2b which move towards one another to protect second facing sheet 6.

FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view through the corner board 100 of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4a and 4b, and illustrates in greater detail slit 3 and as can be seen the core walls 1b and 2b converge towards second liner sheet 2000 which help lessen the likelihood of anything other than narrow objects being able to contact the second liner sheet 2000. Most of the impact damage to corner boards protecting a load stacked on a pallet, occurs during transport load/unloading through contact with surfaces rather than sharp edges. Thus the crushing of the walls 1b and 2b absorb most of the impact allowing the corner boards of the present invention to provide effective shields.

In some further preferred embodiments two or more overlaid corner boards may be employed should additional protection be required. Given the cost savings achieved with the manufacture of the corner boards of the present invention over conventional “glued corner boards” discussed in the Background section above, the overlay solution is very cost competitive.

In FIG. 6 there is shown a shroud in the form of a U-shaped channel 1000 which has two opposed side walls 1001 and 1002 which are joined by a base 1003. The walls 1001 and 1002 were originally in the same plane as the base 1003 but after splits 1001a and 1002a were formed through first liner sheet 1004 and core 1005, the side walls 1001 and 1002 were folded substantially at right angles to the plane of base 1003 to form the channel.

In FIG. 7 there is shown a box 2000 which has a body 2001 formed from sleeves 2002a and 2002b which are similar to those shown in FIG. 8. The box 2000 also has a lid 2003 and a base 2004. The lid 2003 and base 2004 are in the form of U-shaped channels as discussed above in relation to FIG. 6.

In FIG. 8 there is shown a sleeve 8000 which has 4 walls 8001-8004 formed in a manner substantially similar to that described for the u-shaped channel in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 9 there is shown a cross sectional view along line A-A of a protective sheet-like shroud 9000 (shown in FIG. 10) which is made from a sheet of closed cell board, in the form of Corcel 3C™ paper board. The shroud 9000 has a planar section 9001 and is bounded by edges in the form of sleeves 9002. The sleeves 9002 have splits 9003 forming the external corners of the sleeve. A flat panel TV can sit within the boundaries formed by sleeves 9002, see also FIG. 12.

FIG. 10 shows part of a protective packaging system for protecting a flat panel TV. The protective packaging system has a first protective component 9000 made from a shroud as shown in FIG. 9 which protects the front screen, top, side and bottom edges of the TV. The back of the TV is protected by a second protective component in the form of an elongated U-shaped channel 10002 having a planar base 10003 and two sides 10004 which extend from the base 9003 shown in FIG. 11. The sides 10004 of the U-shaped channel 10002 slot in between the sides of the TV (not shown) and sleeves 9002 (depicted with dotted lines in FIG. 10) of first protective component 9000 as shown in FIG. 12.

In FIG. 13 there is shown a double cornerboard arrangement 1200 which has an inner cornerboard 1201 and outer cornerboard 1202. The cornerboards are the same as shown and discussed in relation to FIG. 1. The inner and outer cornerboards are glued to one another.

In FIG. 14 there is shown a multi-ply walled sleeve 1300 which is formed from a single sheet (blank) 1301 (shown in FIG. 15). The sleeve 1300 has outer corners in the form of splits 1302 formed when slits 1303 in the blank 1301 are folded to form the sleeve. The blank 1301 has been formed by cutting slits 1303 through the first liner sheet 1304 and core 1305. The slits 1303 do not penetrate second liner sheet 1306. The corresponding wall segments in the sleeve 1300 and blank 1301 are shown as letters A-H.

An alternative TV protective packaging system 1600 is shown in FIG. 16. The system consists of two sheet liner shrouds 1601 and 1602.

The protective packaging systems of FIGS. 9-12 and 16 are envisaged to be inserts which slide into a box as replacement for polystyrene.

DETAILED DISCUSSION OF WAYS TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

New Board

In preferred embodiments the second liner sheet may be in the form of a laminate of two or more sheets of paper and the first liner sheet may be a single sheet of paper.

In some other embodiments the second liner sheet may be in the form of a sheet of paper which has greater strength/thickness than that of the first liner sheet.

Method of Manufacture Protective Edge and/or Sleeve or U-Shaped Channel

Preferably, the closed cell board may be 3C™ board as manufactured by Corcel.

In other preferred embodiments the closed cell composite board may be X-board or honeycomb paper board.

However, other closed cell boards such as corflute and foam core board can also be used.

The outline of the closed cell board may vary depending on user requirements. Generally the outline will be square or rectangular, for instance, the closed cell board may be in the form of a square sheet of material or in the form of a strip of material.

The cutting operation for forming the slit may be achieved via a blade cutter which has the blade set to have a penetration depth which will cut through the first liner sheet and core but will not penetrate the second liner sheet of the closed cell board.

In preferred embodiments the major axis along which the slits are cut may be the longitudinal axis or lateral axis.

In some other preferred embodiments for other applications the major axis may be a diagonal or other angled axis.

Use of/Method of Use

In preferred embodiments the protective edge may be in the form of a corner board which has a single slit forming the external corner thereof. The two sides of the corner board on either side of the slit may be folded to have any angle from substantially 1-180 degrees with respect to one another as required to protect an object or edge of an object. For example, if the corner board is to protect a planar sheet as thin as a piece of paper the two sides may be folded substantially 180 degrees with respect to one another. Whereas, if for example, the corner board is to protect a large multi-sided object the two sides may be folded so that there is an angle of substantially 1 degree there between.

In general the two sides may be folded so as to have a substantially 90 degree angle there between so as to protect the edge of a box or group of stacked boxes.

Container

Preferably the container may include a further sleeve which acts as a lid.

In one embodiment the container may comprise two u-shaped channels configured such that the walls of one u-shaped channel overlap at least portion of the corresponding side walls of the other u-shaped channel. The overlap between the walls providing a region of increased strength.

Any number of sleeves and u-shaped members may be used in forming the container depending on user requirements.

In some applications the container may be used inside a decorative box to provide protective packaging in a similar vein to polystyrene.

A Protective Shroud

The shroud may in some preferred embodiments be a u-shaped channel which has folded corners formed from two spaced apart slits.

In other preferred embodiments the shroud may be a sleeve formed from at least three spaced apart slits. In general the sleeve may be a tube-like member which has a rectangular or other shaped transverse cross sectional profile. The cross sectional shape being dictated by the number of slits and folds.

In some embodiments the shroud may comprise two or more u-shaped channels which are effectively overlaid over one another to provide increased strength. Similarly the shroud may comprise two or more sleeves which fit inside/around an adjacent sleeve.

Alternatively, the shroud may be a multi-ply walled sleeve formed by folding along a plurality of cuts which are spaced apart a distance so as to from walls which increase in size for each outer layer of the sleeve.

Sheet-Like

Protective Packaging System

It is envisaged the type of shrouds and nature of protective shrouds employed to protect an object may vary depending the object to be protectively packaged and user requirements.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A closed cell board including a core sandwiched between first and second liner sheets wherein the second liner sheet has a stronger construction than the first liner sheet, or vice versa.

2. A method of manufacturing a protective edge from a sheet of closed cell composite board which has first and second liner sheets on either side of a core, the method comprises the step of: a) cutting a line through: the first liner sheet; andthe core;

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the method comprises the further step of: b) folding the closed cell board along the slit to create first and second sides angled with respect to one another with the slit forming an external corner of the protective edge.

4. A method of manufacturing a protective shroud from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which has first and second liner sheets on either side of a core the method comprises the step of: a) cutting at least two parallel lines through the first liner sheet and core of the closed cell board to form slits that are parallel to one common axis but wherein said slits do not penetrate the second liner sheet.

5. A method substantially as described above wherein the method comprises the further step of: b) folding the closed cell board along each slit to create three or more sides angled with respect to one another with the slits forming an external corner or corners of the protective shroud.

6. A protective shroud blank made from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which includes a first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein the sheet or strip of closed cell board includes: two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; orthree or more parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve; and

7. A protective shroud blank made from a sheet of closed cell board which includes a planar surface and first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein formed along at least one edge of the planar surface are: two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; orthree or four parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve;

8. A protective shroud made from a sheet or strip of closed cell board which includes a first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein the sheet or strip of closed cell board includes: two parallel slits for subsequently creating a u-shaped channel; orthree or more parallel slits for subsequently creating a sleeve; and

9. A protective shroud made from a sheet of closed cell board which includes a planar surface and first and second liner sheets on either side of a core and wherein formed along at least one edge of the planar surface is/are: at least one u-shaped channel formed from two parallel slits; and/orat least one sleeve formed from three or more parallel slits;

10. The use of a protective edge or protective shroud made from a sheet of closed cell board as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 to protect an object or an edge of an object.

11. A closed cell board container which comprises: at least one sleeve forming a body portion; andat least one u-shaped channel forming a base;

12. A protective packaging system wherein the system includes: at least one protective shroud as claimed in any one of claims 6-9 which, in use, can protect at least an edge or side and one surface of an object.

13. A protective packaging system substantially as claimed in claim 12 wherein the protective shroud has at least planar surface and at least one edge formed as a u-shaped channel or a sleeve.