Special receptacle or package – Shrink film package
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2001-08-14
Gehman, Bryon P. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Shrink film package
C206S326000, C229S087010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273257
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the packaging of bedding products and more particularly to a method of packaging a single bedding product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For shipping purposes, bedding products such as mattresses and box springs are commonly placed on edge so that the bedding product is vertically oriented when being handled. Orienting a bedding product in such a fashion so that the bedding product rests upon one of the end surfaces of the bedding product makes the bedding product easier to handle and maneuver when the bedding product is being moved inside a warehouse or from a warehouse either onto or off a delivery truck.
Often bedding products are wrapped together in groups or bundles for shipping purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,496 discloses a package of bedding products comprising a base and a cap with a plurality of mattresses placed on edge between the base and the cap. The mattresses have aligned upper and lower edges and are wrapped together with an elastic material spirally wound about lateral edges of the mattresses.
Bedding products such as mattresses or box springs may also be individually wrapped. U.S. Pat. No. 801,279 discloses a fabric mattress envelope used to individually wrap a mattress. In addition to fibrous fabrics, mattresses may be wrapped in various types of plastics such as low density or high density polyethylene. However, when a single bedding product individually wrapped with a plastic film of a uniform thickness is shipped, the ends of the plastic wrapping material will rub against either the floor of a warehouse, the bottom of a truck or any other surface and “burn” holes in the plastic wrapping material, thus exposing the bedding product. In this manner bedding products become exposed to dirt, grease and other items which degrade the appearance of the bedding product, sometimes to the extent of preventing its sale to a customer.
One method of individually wrapping a single bedding product to provide increased protection at the ends of the bedding product has been to combine several strips or webs of plastic pulled from multiple rolls in order to increase the thickness of the side edges of the wrapping material. Narrow rolls of plastic film are unwound simultaneously with a main supply roll of plastic film before the strips are joined together along the side edges of the main web. Using this method, three strips or plies of plastic film are joined together to form a web which is passed above and below the bedding product. This method requires at least three separate supply rolls above and below the bedding product which must be unwound simultaneously before the strips pulled therefrom are joined together prior to wrapping the bedding product. Thus, this process is expensive. Furthermore the heat seals between the plastic films may sometimes fail, resulting in an opening exposing the bedding product.
Therefore, it has been one objective of the present invention to provide a method of packaging a bedding product in a plastic film which lessens the likelihood of “burning” holes in the plastic film and exposing portions of the bedding product.
It has been another objective of the present invention to provide a method of packaging an individual bedding product which utilizes only two supply rolls of packaging or wrapping material.
It has been a further objective of the present invention to provide a method of packaging a bedding product which results in the bedding product being enclosed in a plastic film package with increased protections at the ends of the package.
It has been a further objective of the present invention to provide a packaged bedding product wherein the plastic encasing the bedding product has an increased cross-sectional thickness along the end surfaces of the bedding product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention of the application which accomplishes these objectives comprises a method of packaging a bedding product such as a mattress or a box spring. The bedding product has a uniform depth defined between a generally planar first surface and a parallel generally planar second surface. The bedding product further has a longitudinal dimension or length defined between a pair of opposed parallel end surfaces and a transverse dimension or width defined between a pair of opposed parallel side surfaces. The longitudinal dimension or length is greater than the transverse dimension or width of the bedding product in most bedding products. However, a square bedding product in which the longitudinal dimension and transverse dimension are equal may also be packaged using the method of this application.
The method of the present invention comprises providing first and second web rolls spaced from one another. The first web roll comprises a first web of extruded plastic film wound about a core into a roll. Similarly, the second web roll comprises a second web of extruded plastic film wound about a core into a roll. Each of the first and second webs of extruded plastic film have a pair of opposed side edges defining a width of the web. Across the width of the web each web has a varying thickness. More particularly, each web across its width has a pair of opposed side portions and a central portion between the side portions. The side portions are located proximate the opposed side edges of the web and are of a first cross-sectional thickness. The central portion between the side portions is of a second cross-sectional thickness, the second cross-sectional sectional thickness being less than the first cross-sectional thickness. Thus, the side portions of the web are thicker than the central portion of the web. This variation in cross-sectional thickness provides increased protection to the ends of the bedding product, once the bedding product is packaged.
The next step in the method is passing the first web of extruded plastic film past the first surface of the bedding product and the second web past the second surface of the bedding product on opposite sides of the bedding product. The bedding product is supported on a supporting surface and oriented such that the transverse dimension of the bedding product is generally parallel the opposed side edges of the first and second webs which are generally parallel one another. More particularly, the first and second webs are pulled from the first and second web rolls, respectively, and passed between a pair of spaced rollers before being passed transversely across the first and second surfaces of the bedding product. As the first and second webs are being pulled off of the first and second web rolls, respectively, the first and second web rolls rotate in opposite directions as do the rollers.
Once a sufficient length of the first and second webs are pulled from the first and second web rolls, the first and second webs are cut so as to create first and second pieces of extruded plastic film which are generally rectangular in shape and located on opposite sides of the bedding product. Therefore, the first piece of extruded plastic film covers the first surface of the bedding product, and the second piece of extruded plastic film covers the second generally planar surface of the bedding product.
The final step in the method of the present invention is to join the first and second pieces of extruded plastic film together about the periphery of the bedding product, thus enclosing the bedding product in a plastic film package, which preferably is airtight and water tight and protects the bedding product fully. The first and second pieces of extruded plastic film are preferably welded together but may be joined using any other conventional method. Therefore, a welded seam is created around the periphery of the bedding product. The excess plastic film located outside the seam may be cut away and removed.
Once the plastic film package is formed the bedding product is completely enclosed in plastic film, with the ends of the bedding product having increased protection due to the increased thickness of the extruded plastic film located at the ends of the bedding product. As a resul
Gehman Bryon P.
L&P Property Management Company
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
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