Package making – Methods – Conforming by stretching or shrinking of cover over contents
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-19
2001-05-01
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Conforming by stretching or shrinking of cover over contents
C053S472000, C493S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223504
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to packaging for heavy objects, and more particularly relates to a packaging base plate for heavy objects such as motors.
Current motor packaging base plates employed by the industry for shipping electric motors of varying sizes, usually employ a base plate and cradle including two or more pieces, (more often than not more than one cradle is necessary to support the motor in shipment) while foot mounted motors employ wafer board base plates without a cradle. More often, these multi-piece packages employ a shrink or stretch wrap which attempts to hold the motor position relative to the base plate. In either of these prior art systems, the motors tend to slide on the hard base plate as the shrink or stretch wrap memory changes which can abrade the finish on the heavy object, e.g., the motor. The use of styrofoam formed cradles is expensive since multiple cradles are often employed. Moreover, with three materials in the packaging, wood, cardboard and plastic, the recycling of materials becomes more difficult rather than less. Additionally, the current two piece design requires additional labor in packaging the motor because of the handling of separate and multiple pieces.
The use of two or more ply cardboard for a pallet for the shipment of heavy objects, for example compressors and the like, is old in the art. For example, some of the base pads for heavy objects are provided with depressions to accommodate the object's support feet. In other prior art, bottom sheets of pallet shipping structures of several layers of card stock are formed in which one or more is cut out so as to positively locate the heavy objects, such as compressors. In other prior art, a top sheet of single faced corrugated card stock is embossed with the outline of the article that is to be shipped. The card support and the products are shipped covered with a shrink wrap material that holds the contents in position. Moreover, the use of a foam-like material, for example, a foam such as styrofoam or the like has been employed successfully to form a conforming surface for the article being shipped. However, none of the prior art provides a novel base plate structure for receiving, cradling, cushioning and inhibiting movement of a heavy object thereon, which base plate is constructed of inexpensive material while minimizing labor costs in forming a package to be placed in a shipping container for shipment. Moreover, the inexpensive use of a single material for the packaging base plate as well as its novel structure allows for easy recycling of the materials without undue expense.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets the advantages of ease of construction, simplicity in design, ease of handling and low expense by providing a package for heavier objects, such as electric motors and the like including a novel support plate which inhibits the object, such as the motor, from inadvertent displacement when the plate and object are positioned within a shipping container. In one embodiment, an upper and lower sheet form is arranged in superimposed, overlapping relation to form a support plate. A plurality of separations is provided in the exposed surface of the upper of the sheet forms to form cantilevered tabs, and a recess is provided in an adjacent or lower sheet form support, underlying at least a portion of the cantilevered tabs, to allow deflection of the tabs into the recess when an object is placed thereon to thereby partially capture, cradle and cushion the object on the upper support plate. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet form comprises paper board such as a double wall cardboard with a corrugated support structure intermediate the walls. Moreover, recesses are provided along at least one longitudinal peripheral edge of the sheet form to facilitate coupling the object and the base plate together as by a retainer, for example a shrink wrap material. The recesses, when employed with a heat shrunk overwrap, inhibit inadvertent displacement of the object relative to the base plate because the wrapped material grips the base plate better than a straight longitudinally extending, single sidewall edge.
In one embodiment of the base plate, where heavier objects such as heavy motors are to be mounted for shipping, a rectangular sheet of paperboard is folded at least once horizontally and once vertically to form, when in folded relationship, four quadrants of paperboard in superimposed, overlapping relation. A longitudinally extending separation in the surface of an exposed quadrant has a length equal to or greater than the portion of the intended object such as a motor to be placed in abutting relation therewith in the package. A plurality of separations extending from opposite sides or edges of the longitudinal separation, in the exposed surface, form a plurality of cantilevered tabs. A recess in a quadrant underlying said longitudinally extended separation permits deflection of at least some of the tabs when the motor is placed thereon, to thereby partially capture, cradle and cushion the object on the plate. Support plate retention means is employed to couple the object and plate together to form a package for placement in a shipping container, such as a crate or box and the like.
The invention also contemplates a method of forming a package for an object to be placed in a shipping container, the package including a base plate for mounting the object thereon and the method of manufacturing a support plate for the object to be packaged. The manufacturing steps including arranging a pair of rectangular sheets of sheet form in superimposed overlapping relation, the sheets being sized larger than the size of the object intended to be supported by the support plate; generating a plurality of cantilevered tabs extending inwardly in the exposed surface of one of the sheets and forming a recess in the sheet on sheet form underlying the cantilevered tabs to permit deflection of at least some of the tabs to conform to the shape of the object when the object is placed thereon to thereby partially couple, cushion and cradle an object on the plate.
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patent: 4895296 (1990-01-01), Trauschke
patent: 5009059 (1991-04-01), Cocciadiferro et al.
patent: 5472138 (1995-12-01), Ingram
patent: 5542536 (1996-08-01), Sutherland
patent: 5662508 (1997-09-01), Smith
patent: 5704542 (1998-01-01), Harrelson
patent: 5759146 (1998-06-01), Wilkinson
Minor Dale E.
Sudhoff Douglas H.
Gerasimow A. M.
Kim Eugene
Radler Daniel G.
Reliance Electric Technologies LLC
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