Patent Application
20070108090
Not Applicable (N/A)
(N/A)
(N/A)
1. This invention is directed to strap-reinforced packaging, including cardboard packaging with separation of wares, and integration of contents to the package container, to form structural units suited to multi-layer palletizing, transportation, storage and shelf display purposes, with significant economic and ecological benefits.
2. Cardboard packaging is extensively used for the transportation and display of goods. Current packaging practice does not follow structural engineering principles of integrating all the elements of a package contents with those of the packaging, per se. Thus the available, intrinsic strengths of the package contents are not utilized with that of the package per se to provide a robust integrated package unit.
This failure to optimize package strength is then reflected in potential failure of individual packages in a multi-tiered palletized load, with consequent damage to the integrity of the whole pallet load, under the stresses resulting from the static and dynamic forces of transportation.
Current packaging practice relies in large measure on the structural strength and rigidity of the exterior carton per se for pallet load stability, thus requiring a cardboard box structure of undue strength and rigidity, with correspondingly high cardboard and glue content. The profligate use of materials to construct such monocoque packaging for multi-layer palletizing, transportation and storage is a little-recognized but important factor that contributes significantly to the generation of greenhouse gases and global warming, and to the denuding of forests.
The current modes of packaging frequently permit relative movement and fretting between adjacent containers within a package, which translates, under transit conditions, into goods containers damaged from mutual impact with containers within the package. Such internal movement of containers within a package can include sliding and tilting, and can result in skewing of the package, which renders it unstable, thus destroying the stability and integrity of the pallet load, with consequent further damage to packages and their contents.
The prior use of strapping has been generally ineffective, and raises problems of pallet-load-bearing stability, having been used primarily in a bundling role, with a failure to recognize its potential contribution as an integrated load bearing structural component. Earlier theoretical packaging work resulted in undependable packages in the load-bearing sense with unpredictable failures. These shortcomings are particularly disadvantageous in the supply/distribution service, where the primary focus is on palletized handling and transportation, so that commercial application in the supply chain was not achieved.
The present invention provides an array of transit package assemblies of significantly reduced materiel content, being based upon the principle of combining the structure of the package goods content with the structure of the package per se, using a tensioned binding member or members, such as a strap or straps to compress the package and its content of goods containers into an integrated, stable, monolithic structural load-bearing unit. It will be understood that in order to meet the needs of industry, packages require to be suited for loading onto pallets, and to be able to withstand the rigors of long term transit and potential mishandling. In this context, more than simple load-bearing capability is required, as transverse dynamic (i.e. skewing) loading during transit may be an inescapable reality, so that resistance to skewing loads may be an essential characteristic of the subject packages, which are referred to as “substantially rigid”, to encompass the requisite anti-skewing capability. In some embodiments separation between individual containers within the package is provided by the provision of divider media, by flaps, cut-outs or die-cut package wall protrusions, which divider media is sandwiched by the tensioned binding member or members, serving as a frictional linking element to further integrate the package and its contents into a stable unitary structural load-bearing, substantially rigid unit that can be arranged in layers upon pallets. Such pallet loads may consist of a single, uniform product, or may consist of mixed, multi-product pallets, for convenient shipping and distribution in the supply chain.
The palleted goods also lend themselves to storage, and the individual packages greatly facilitate handling, de-packaging and display assembly.
The use of reduced areas of packaging materials, and of discontinuous package surfaces is particularly helpful in affording improved package ventilation, in the changing of packaged product temperature, by heating or by cooling, with concomitant savings in plant and operating costs
Further advantages of the present system are: the provision of pallet loads of enhanced stability; improved capability for palletizing with a mixture of goods packages; faster shelf transfer due to reduced de-packaging requirements; reduction in materiel return shipment or discard; facilitated package breakdown, due to reduced joints and use of low-tension glue, with improved return handling and transportation; and enhanced re-use of packaging. The rising costs of packaging, in both materials and labour costs for packaging production and for the handling of packaged goods, together with the adverse impact upon the environment from extreme levels of corrugate production presently required, all combine to make commercial application of the present invention both feasible and highly desirable.
Thus, there is provided a package construct having a right cylindrical outer wall structure; a plurality of goods in individual containers in tightly packed relation, substantially filling at least the lower portion of the outer wall structure; and tensioned strapping means wrapped about the wall structure in compressing relation with the wall structure and the plurality of containers, to provide a monolithic, substantially rigid unitary structural unit well-suited for stacking in self-supporting multi-layers, including palletization for storage and shipping. A monolithic transit package of the present invention, which may contain rigid, semi-rigid and flexible containers and combinations thereof, can be handled as a structural unit, in the manner of a traditional rigid box.
In most instances the individual containers within a package are substantially identical. In the subject package construct, the containers may consist of first and second containers; having the second containers arranged in interposed cushioning relation with the first containers, or vice versa, with a rigid container stabilizing a plurality of flexible containers. The subject system may be considered to comprise a plurality of individual packaged containers which constitute the primary load-bearing structure or backbone of the system, having a secondary structure of necessary support and appended elements, and a tertiary structure of less essential elements.
Where auxiliary outer flaps are inserted as part of a protective cushion for the contents of a subject embodiment, such flaps serve also to cushion and protect adjoining packages. In one embodiment of the aforesaid package construct, where the substantially identical containers are of frangible material, at least some of the containers may have a protective layer over at least a portion of their outer surface, in cushioning relation with the adjoining containers, to prevent fretting damage, and to limit differential movement between the containers under transportation stress conditions.
The packaging also serves favourably for display purposes as individual package constructs by the simple expedient, in many instances, of removing the strapping from the de-palletized package. They also lend themselves to pallet, multiple construct displays. The pallet displays include a single, pallet-size container incorporating the principles and physical integers of the present invention, to provide a belted, rigid construction.
The surfaces of the packaging lend themselves to printed advertising, and for purposes of pallet-contents determination in warehouses and storerooms.
In some instances, the corrugate (sheet good) portion of the package may have different messages placed on the inside and outside planes. This is of particular marketing value in that products such as soda may be marked with the specific soda flavor branding and the inner unseen can be branded with “Company name Variety Pack”. This allows a down stream operation to mix soda flavors in case and re-mark by simply unpacking, turning the corrugate (sheet good) the other way, and then repacking using the original packaging materials.
The strapping per se may also be used to carry advertising and product identification. The provision of wares separators in accordance with the present invention extends to include drop-in structural cardboard, and a wide range of other spacers, listed below; interposed D-cut protrusions of container walls and flaps; interposed occlusions such as holes and cut-outs; the inclusion of associated secondary products, sandwiched in compressive, cushioning relation between the primary wares; and the provision of protective coatings upon the walls of the wares per se; with at least one binding strap, oriented horizontally, vertically and/or diagonally to draw package and contents together in integrated, compressed and bound relation as a stable monolithic structural unit. In some instances the spacers may rely upon frictional interconnection with the goods containers, under the compressive forces provided by the strap, while in other instances, the spacers may be glued into place, or secured to the container walls by protruding tabs inserted into surface and/or penetrating recesses in the container board.
In addition to the above interposed separators, immobilization of goods by spot-gluing of the goods to portions of the protective package surface may serve as a pseudo or virtual partition.
Strapping may be applied horizontally, vertically, in combination of vertical and horizontal, and/or diagonally.
The use of crossed diagonal strapping prevents skewing of the package, under load conditions. Crossed diagonal strapping also prevents skewing of flexible-walled goods containers, such as bottled water or soft-drinks, unpressurized or pressurized, gas-filled containers such as snack-foods and chips. In this circumstance, the flexible, adherent walls of the goods containers serve as separators for the actual product.
In addition to stabilizing the integrated package, use of interposed protrusions/coatings also limit or prevent mutual working and fretting between the goods containers during prolonged transit and handling.
The extended list of inserted partition material includes paper and plastic corrugate, hot melt and other adhesives, expanded and non-expanded plastics, labels and sleeves, carpet/rubber/fabric, preform egg-carton style material, plastic ring carriers such as Hi-Cone® brand and semi structural and structural wood/cellulose/oil-based product.
The subject system is readily used with a wide range of products, including cans, bottles jars, cartons, bags tubes and other containers both rigid, semi-rigid and flexible.
The present invention thus provides a stable packaging system that is scalable from very small to very large products, and is capable of withstanding dynamic forces, comprising the steps of providing a board package to receive a predetermined number of containers in regularly arranged array at least partially enclosed by the package walls, to substantially occupy the package; providing spacer means interposed between the containers to substantially preclude direct contact between the containers, and applying a belt in tensioned relation about the package, to compress the package walls, the enclosed containers and the spacing means into mutually immobilized relation, to form a stable, monolithic load bearing structure suitable for palletization, transportation, storage and display at all points of the supply chain.
The system provides the further steps of arranging a plurality of the aforesaid packages upon a pallet in a plurality of layers, and encompassing the pallet and packages in plastic wrap, to form a stable, transportable load of goods.
In the aforesaid system, the goods of one set of packages arranged on the pallet may differ from the goods of another set of packages arranged on that pallet.
The present system also lends itself to pallet displays. These displays include a range of packages, from a full-pallet package construct to fractional-pallet packages, incorporating the principles and physical integers of the present invention, and providing strapped, rigid package constructs.
As an example, a cardboard (“board”) slip-sheet such as a quarter-pallet or half-pallet size, is provided with D-cut upwardly extending protrusions that position and engage the bottom edges and adjoining sides of the individual goods containers. A top-sheet or a cap serves to contain the goods containers, which may be engaged by way of apertures or D-cuts in the top sheet. With the requisite number of such packages filling the surface of the pallet, further like layers may then be loaded. A succeeding, overlying layer may be re-oriented at rightangles to the underlying layer for purposes of interlock and maximum stability. The requisite tension component may then be provided to the pallet load by way of stretched plasti-wrap enclosing the pallet load, and compressing the respective D-cuts or other spacer media into frictional stabilizing relation with the enclosed goods containers, to form a rigid structure.
The system further provides the steps of selecting the aforesaid spacer means from pre-cut independent spacers inserted within the package, glued and/or tab immobilized inserted spacers, and from dye-cut local projections extending into the package from the interior surfaces of the package.
The system may further include the steps of forming occlusions in the surfaces of the package to receive portions of the containers in entered relation with the occlusions. The system may further include the steps of providing with a first set of containers a set of second containers; locating the second containers in interposed sandwiched relation between pluralities of the first containers within the package, wherein the step of applying the tensioned belt about the package compresses the first and the second containers into immobilized mutually stabilizing and/or cushioning relation.
Economically and ergonomically, the reduction in materials, and the simplification in handling for wares packaged in accordance with the present invention significantly reduces overall merchandizing costs to the extent of enabling the profitable sale of low-cost wares that would otherwise be prohibitively costly to package, where the costs formerly associated with packaging and unpackaging-to-display the wares might equal the per se price of the wares. The cost of disposing of waste packaging is also reduced. Containers that are initially filled with high temperature contents that must be cooled before shipping, require electricity, fluorocarbon coolants and refrigeration facilities large enough to receive in-process goods. Reduced corrugate packaging systems facilitate air circulation and minimize insulating properties of cartons. This in turn allows faster heat transfer and a faster cycle time for the product temperature change step, with consequent cost savings in plant and in operational costs.
The simplified packaging of the present invention protects the package contents against damage due to impact with adjoining package units and/or the application of external forces; it stabilizes product content against mutual slipping, sliding and impact, and the packaging and its contents form structural, load bearing units, which can function in a support role to overlying layers of packages in multi-tier pallet loads.
The integrated, load-bearing packages also lend themselves to mixed-product palletizing. The drop-in partitions used as protective surfaces may also provide illustrative, printable surfaces
The use of a tensioned strap or straps serves to trap and compress the intervening spacer members, such as D-cut and flap portions of the package wall, and floating and fixed spacers, into compressive relation with adjoining product container surfaces. This stabilized contact induces high frictional forces between the compressed surfaces, such that the spacer members are effectively anchored at both ends, so as to serve as effective bracing struts between package wall or divider and the product container per se. These high frictional forces also oppose skewing tendencies.
In a subject pack, containing a number of such stabilized product containers, the package becomes a structural unit with enhanced stability and load bearing and load sharing capability. In many instances, such as semi-rigid and rigid products per se, the product and the package cardboard serve as rigid components, compressed together and integrated by the elastic tensile forces of the strapping into a substantially rigid package unit.
The positioning of a strap or straps is controlled by the location of the strap recess cut-outs, which may also form associated flaps by which the strap engages the adjoining goods container. Strap location can serve to secure non-glued package components; also, for the strap to serve as a handle by which handle load stresses are distributed across the package. Advantage can also be taken by aligning a strap with a feature of the contained goods, such as the upper seal facing of a thermoformed pudding cup, in a multi-tiered arrangement of such cups.
The subject package constructs achieve corners of strength and integrity that provide the idealized ‘sweet-zones’, localized surfaces that are highly resistant to deformation and buckling under compressive strapping loads.
The use of strapping possessing significant elasticity facilitates both manual and machine deconstruction/reconstruction of the subject ‘reduced format transit packages’, by hand or by machine, using the same package components, while assuring maintenance of the requisite compressive forces to sustain package integrity.
A wide range of strapping may be used, both elastic and inelastic, including polypropylene, paper, nylon, metal, wire,heat and chemically shrinkable, and friction-welded pealable strapping, while the use is contemplated of a settable elastic strapping which assumes its tension attribute when set with a physical process such as under UV light or by an innocuous chemical treatment. Use of a magnetic strapping akin to the 3M Plastiform (T.M.) Magnetic strip (U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,048) is also contemplated.
The use of shrink strapping wrapping (or an equivalent) is contemplated, to enhance the packaging, both in application and in performance.
In many instances package detailing may selectively position the corner recesses which determine the strapping location, to enhance the cooperation between the strap and the goods containers, for improved utilization of the packaging. It may also position the strapping for use as a handle so as to apply handle load stresses beneficially across the package.
In the case of a previously unstable shrink-wrapped package such as soft drinks or bottled water, formerly subject to tilting of the bottles with consequent skewing of the package and leading to package disintegration under transit conditions, the application of strapping in diagonal, cross-over format can transform the package into a stable, integrated pallet loadable, structural unit.
In the case of a ‘mixed pack’, which contains first containers of a first product intermixed with second containers of a second product, which second containers serve as dividers for the assembled first containers, the compressing strap serves to secure the respective containers in mutually compressed, stabilized relation. The respective containers might be glass bottles intermixed with plastic bottles, or cartons intermixed with bags.
One such combination might be bottles of tequila having smaller bottles of margherita mix interspaced with and serving as ‘packers’, to assure the effective ‘tight-pack’ effect when the strap/straps are applied and tensioned, to integrate the whole package.
Certain goods, such as those packed in flexible sealed plastic, plastic laminate, or laminate foil bags or laminate foils containing a gas charge utilize the walls of the plastic containers per se as the goods divider, being transformed into shippable structural package units by the application of elastic strapping of predetermined stiffness in relation to bag strength and degree of pressurization. Under these conditions the friction between adjoining bag walls serves as a stabilizing factor. Spacers may also be provided, to increase the load-bearing capability of the strapped package.
One drop-in cruciform separator for use in a package, in accordance with the invention, may consist of two rectangles of corrugated board, each having a mid-width slot extending parallel with the flutes of the board for half its length. One board is reversed and turned at rightangles, and the slots slid over each other, to interdigitate the boards, and establish the load-bearing cruciform.
Alternatively, the two unslotted boards may be formed at rightangles along their midline, and glued back-to-back to form the cruciform section, again with the flutes extending lengthwise, the height of the cruciform.
The cruciform height may be selected to coincide with the top of the package, so as to form a strong, load bearing prop, in supporting relation with a superimposed stack of packages. The four, laterally extending arms are of sufficent lateral extent to be sandwiched between adjacent containers, serving to separate and cushion them. The application of a strap or straps in package-compressing relation traps and compresses the respective containers onto the four arms with high frictional forces, to stabilize the cruciform. The vertical orientation of the flutes enables the cruciform arms to readily conform to both the initial and the ‘strapped’ location of the respective containers, and to exert high friction/tensile stabilization forces on those containers, when the package is strapped. Thus the load-bearing upper end of the cruciform is container-reinforced and friction stabilized, making it extremely stiff, so that it can sustain surprisingly heavy loads, while also providing its separator function to the adjoined goods containers within the package. The high frictional forces thus developed by the cruciform spacer, under the persistent tension of the strap/straps also serve to mutually stabilize the containers lengthwise, to counter any skewing tendencies engendered from loading applied externally against the package.
Such spacers are of particular value in stiffening packages containing goods such as snack foods, potato chips etc, packaged in plastic bags and generally filled with pressurized gas.
The securing strap/straps of the present combination package may utilize a variety of strap features to optimize the use of these packages, both in packing and unpacking, or in repackaging.
1) The use of a self-adherent strap with the characteristic of low shear strength, high tensile strength permits tool-less, manual release of straps;
2) Strap ends or full straps, of adhesive tape
3) The provision of notched/tearable plastic strapping;
4) Pealable, friction-welded strap
5) Strapping with interlocking tabbed ends that are separable by transverse sliding disengagement.
6) Knotted strapping or line having a Pull-Release free end.
7) Strapping of paper, or adhesive paper tape;
8) Elastic banding of tape or rubber with a high coefficient of elasticity and good “memory”.
9) Strapping may be utilized so that any disruption to the transit package is readily apparent, while replication of the strapping outside the originating facility is difficult. This provides a degree of protection against tampering with and/or counterfeiting of the product.
Further strapping alternatives include the use of strap made of woven fabric, rope/twine. A PVA (polyvinyl-alcohol) strap may be used, having the capability to dissolve in water, thereby greatly reducing the problems of strap disposal.
In some very specialized instances the use of PVA strapping may be combined with substantially solvable corrugated (i.e. water disintegrable), so that the whole of the packaging can be disposed-of by flushing away.
The use of strapping that forms an integral part of this packaging also presents an opportunity for additional labeling or display advertisement.
The cardboard primarily used in carrying out the invention is corrugated paperboard, wherein the inherent stiffness and compressive strength of the “board” in the direction normal to the corrugations is utilized where feasible to enhance the strength and rigidity of the ultimate pack. Such corrugate also has the property of laying flat when unpackaged, for facilitated return and re-use, or recycling. Alternatively, other materials such as moulded or fabricated members such as trays or support sheets may be used functionally to also serve the purposes normally envisioned for cardboard. This approach may be especially practical where direct re-use is economically feasible, such as with bread delivery, where the delivery system tray is always ireturned to the manufacturing location. One such embodiment includes the provision of a moulded plastic shallow tray similar to commercial store-use bread trays, to serve as the top and/or bottom cover portion of a package. The tray corners are slotted, to receive a strap that can engage the package walls, and serve to compress the package contents. The tray may include notches and local fittings for cardboard divider inserts. A pair of these upstanding dividers may be bent at about their mid-point, in back-to-back mutually bracing relation to serve as an intermediate shelf within the package. Tabbed ends of the shelf halves may engage slots that penetrate the adjoining wall face. This tray/cover embodiment affords extremely high load bearing capacity, which may be enhanced by the provision of a mid-height “stiffening” strap about the package, to control bulging of its walls. The cardboard body of the package may include wall slots to locate partitions and tray inserts. Partition means are selected from a wide range, including paper and plastic corrugate, hot melt and other adhesive, expanded and non-expanded carpet/rubber/fabric etc, pre-form egg-carton style material, and wood cellulose/oil-based semi-structural and structural products, plastic wraps and/or binders such as plastic ring carriers, sleeves, straps, and films and labels
A further, major advantage of the subject packaging system is the facilitation of product handling from pallet to shelf, wherein the removal of the strap or straps then enables the package contents to be bulk-transferred to the shelf in the carton or carton portion, in a readily viewable and hand-accessible condition, without further unpackaging, for significant manpower reduction. This obviates the current practice of carton slashing with a box cutter. The use of low-tensile, high shear glues between surfaces of the board package provides additional integration and stability to the package, while facilitating recycling by enabling the ready reduction of glued corner pieces to their original planar (blank) form.
These low-tensile, high-shear glues may also be used to adhere the ends of some goods containers to planar top and/or bottom sheets, thereby serving in effect as virtual partitioning. Thus, the present system provides structural package units that readily integrate into stable pallet loads. These pallet loads retain their stability over long haulage transit times, when vibration and transmitted road forces would normally cause noticeable disruption to the package contents. In addition to enabling faster stocking of shelves, the subject packages also facilitate pallet accessibility for product identification and removal.
The individual packages are inherently strong, and the built-in load-sharing characteristic lends resistance to impacts, drops and mishandling, as well as in-transit forces.
Environmentally, packaging in accordance with the present invention leads to significant and measurable reduction in the mass of cardboard required per unit of goods shipped, and the elimination of one ton of cardboard production has been equated to a one ton reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, so that significant ecological benefits clearly accrue from this invention.
Reduction of cardboard content by as much as 40% to 50% is anticipated, together with the provision of stronger, integrated packages, using the present packaging system.
The predictable structural reliability of packages constructed in accordance with the present invention permit their widespread adoption into current supply chains. In making a practical evaluation of the usefulness of the present invention, the following applies: packaging of glassware with the subject system can eliminate up to 65% of the material previously required; for goods in plastic containers 40 to 50% material elimination can be achieved. Concerning cost savings to retailers, waste removal savings in accordance with the above elimination figures are achievable; significant savings in labour costs accrue from reduced container handling, and adoption of pallet displays, due to the substitution of strap-cutting and package cover and spacer removal, versus package slashing, as presently practiced. Ecologically, the accepted industrial figure for waste generation is six tons of waste per ton of discard, so that the factor of six should legitimately be applicable to the foregoing board reduction percentages. Every ton of cardboard packaging eliminated from the system represents a saving of 65,000 litres of process water. Also, the reduction in paper requirements (for the production of board) correspondingly reduces the carcinogenic by-products that are the (apparently) unavoidable accompaniments to paper production.
Validating in-part the foregoing figures: a case of 500 ml jars of jam previously required 7.5 square feet of board (cardboard). Packaged in accordance with the present invention, the same jars require 3.25 square feet of board. The use of one million such cases generates over 3,000,000 sq ft of material savings ( plus a 50% reduction in the chip board partition material used within the cases).
At a retail location a detailer would formerly have to slash the case and place product individually on the shelf. With the subject packaging, the entire tray (with straps off and partition removed) is placed on the shelf. Time required to do this is a fraction of the time formerly required in case-cutting and then handling the contents of the full case. While the following embodiments illustrate regular, side-by-side rows of goods containers, it will be understood that benefits of the present invention may well be obtained for other, less ‘regimental’ container arrangements, including so-called ‘nested’ or off-set, staggered rows of containers.
Certain embodiments of the present invention are described by way of illustration, without limitation thereto other than as set forth in the claims hereof, it being evident that a person skilled in the art may readily evolve alternative embodiments, in light of the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
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The blank 3.1 is illustrated as being essentially square, and having pairs of foldable side portions 3.3 at each corner. It will be understood that a substantially unlimited range of arrangements of W-fold blanks can be readily fabricated from sheet stock and made up into containers and spacers, with differing sizes and variations in relative proportions. A series of eight fold lines, lines F1 enable the side portions 3.3 to be turned up (or down if required), at rightangles to the plane of the blank 3.1; and a series of fold lines W1, W2 enable the panels bordering the recess 3.2 to be doubled-up, (see
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A singular aspect of the subject system, as brought out in the
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The form of D-cut 7.4 shown is illustrated with a broken base line 7.5, which is the uncut pivot line about which the D-cut 7.4 is pivoted upwardly, out of the plane of the sheet 7.3.
The D-cuts 7.4 have their base lines 7.5 located and oriented to be tangential to the cylindrical goods 7.2, such that, when bent upwardly normal to the plane of bottom sheet 7.3, the inclined, upwardly projecting portion of the D-cut 7.4 has a ‘wrapping' component of its length, to provide an extended contact area with the surfaces of adjoining goods 7.2, between which it is sandwiched. The portion of the D-cut 7.4 adjacent the base line 7.5 abuts and locates the base of the adjoining container 7.2.
The application of a tensioned band 7.6 about the walls 7.2, and across corner flaps 7.7 draws the goods 7.2 into tightly nested, mutually bracing relation, having the respective D-cuts 7.4 in sandwiched, compressed relation with the sides of the goods 7.2, to afford a series of high frictional sandwiched links between the respective individual goods 7.2, while tying the package bottom 7.3 to the base of the goods 7.2.
The band 7.6 holds the corner flaps 7.7 (when retained) in tightly compressed, high friction engagement with the adjoined surface of ‘corner’ goods 7.2, thereby locking the whole compressed assembly of goods 7.2 and D-cuts 7.4 in unitary integrated relation with the sides 7.2 and bottom 7.3 of container 7.1, so as to form a structural, load-bearing package.
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In
In
It will be understood that these attachment modes may be applied to other separators and dividers of the present invention.
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A pair of straps 10.5 overlie the overlapped web portions that form the corner, in securing relation therewith.
The long leg (web 9.1) of the L-section may be sized, for example, to a width of about 130% of the diameter of a wares container, so as to provide a sufficient degree of overlap of the four central goods containers to safely retain them in the package 9.1.
This cover embodiment has the advantage that no material is removed, and the overlapped corners provide enhanced integrity to the package.
It will be understood that standard bottom trays may also be prepared in this format.
Straps 11.5 are illustrated to overlie the non-glued corner joints in binding relation.
In
In the majority of applications the deeper lower portion of the package will form the on-shelf container. However, in some instances, the shallower ‘cap’ portion may be used, by inverting the package and removing the deeper package portion. In such instances, the on-shelf labeling may be included, inverted, on the cap portion of the package.
The straps 12.6 may be of significant assistance in handling the packages.
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The integrating straps have been omitted for purposes of clarity
The open nature of the package greatly assists in the chilling process normally required.
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Referring to the blank 22.2 of sleeve 22.1, shown in
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In
Referring also to
Referring to the drop-in divider of
Flap-over cover panels 25.16, 25.17, 25.18 and 25.19 complete the divider, which is dropped into place prior to the application of the straps in
For shelf display purposes, removal of the straps 26.6 enables the removal of the package top portion 26.3, and the bottom 26.4 is self sustaining, for use on the shelf, and for ready access to the goods containers 26.2.
In
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A strap 33.10 has been omitted from the cap 33.4 for purposes of clarity. An intermediate strap 33.12 located at the waist of the package 33.2 serves as a belt to limit bulging of the walls 33.3 under heavy top loads that may be applied.
The cap/tray, 33.4/33.6 is illustrated as having four transverse channels 33.14, into which pairs of cardboard spacers 3.16 can be inserted. The right hand spacer 33.16 is illustrated as being bent at its mid-point, to form a shelf, having outer end tabs (not shown) engaging slots (not shown) in the wall 33.3.
The walls 33.15 that form the channels 33.14 may be continuous or discontinuous, by way of a series of aligned tabs, in accordance with the end use to be made of the cap/tray 33.4/33.6. In
In
In
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A succeeding layer, possibly comprising a like arrangement of slip-sheets may well be oriented at right-angles to the underlying layer, and with the relative positions of the quarter-pallet and half-pallet sheets also reversed, to optimize pallet-load stability.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 11/082,984, filed Mar. 18, 2005.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11082984 | Mar 2005 | US |
| Child | 11594187 | Nov 2006 | US |
