Special receptacle or package – With pallet feature – Binder wrap for content
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2001-08-07
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
With pallet feature
Binder wrap for content
C206S600000, C108S056100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269951
ABSTRACT:
Applicant hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) based upon prior patent application Ser. No. 197 31 470.8, filed in Germany on Jul. 22, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a packing system for unit loads which can be stacked in a plurality of adjacent piles or piles stacked on top of each other to form a substantially stable pile consisting of at least two stacked layers of unit loads.
The unit loads to be considered are plastic foam boards, used primarily in the construction industry for cushioning or insulation. Typical sizes for these boards for the construction sector are approximately 600 mm wide and approximately 1250 mm and 2500 mm long, due to the standard dimensions established in that sector. The boards are approximately 20 to 200 mm thick, bundled together in packages of between 300 mm and 420 mm in height (predominantly 400 mm). In the specification that follows, reference is made to these dimensions, which are customary in the construction sector, but without restricting the invention to these dimensions.
After production, the packages of foam boards, packaged in shrink film, are bundled together in over-sized units and placed in storage. Deliveries to building materials merchants and construction sites are made using large capacity trucks, with the packages resting on battens or directly on the loading surface (FIG.
1
).
At the merchant's premises or the construction site, the products are usually unloaded manually, i.e. the entire load is removed from the cargo space separately package by package. The reasons for this manual unloading procedure are as follows:
While it is true that the packages may be atop battens, special stackers with long prongs or fork attachments are rarely available. The blocks, which it would be possible to unload with long stacker prongs, are too large for internal materials handling. Their height (e.g. 3 m) precludes the possibility of simply commissioning from these large units. In order to remove the uppermost packages from such a block, a ladder or some other form of assistance is needed. The units, as delivered, cannot simply be transferred onto the usual delivery vehicles, whose maximum loading height ranges from approximately 2 to 2.5 m.
The underlying task of the invention is to further refine a packing system for unit loads according to the preamble to claim
1
in such a way that a minimal expenditure of effort for implementing all handling procedures involving the unit loads, from their manufacture to their utilization at the construction site, should be made possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a packing system for unit loads according to the preamble to the main claim is designed in such a way that spacers are provided between at least two successive stacked layers so that both stacked layers are vertically interspaced; at least one device is provided on top of and below the stack to protect at least partially the external contour of the unit loads located in the top and lower stack position; at least one fixing device encompassing the outer periphery of the stack is included so that it encompasses the stack in such a way that the unit loads in a stack position are pressed against the unit loads in a directly and vertically adjacent stack position; and the fixing device extends over the protection device. This method of securing the stack, e.g. wooden laths on the top and bottom and an encircling band with high tensile strength, provides maximum protection of the product and simultaneously a high degree of stability of the unit, because the horizontal forces of the encircling band are absorbed, at the top and the bottom respectively, by the wooden laths, and do not cause the two upper and lower packages to be pressed against each other. Loads on the package edges are likewise eliminated (FIG.
4
). The entire unit is subjected only to vertical pressure, such as that in a press. In addition, the wooden boards serve to protect against wear and tear on top of and underneath the unit. High pre-tensioning results in a highly stable loading unit; this guarantees, firstly, good handling properties and, secondly, that there is no relative shifting within the stack, resulting in a decreased risk of damage to the outside edges of the boards. Furthermore, this also creates a relatively unbroken outer profile without protrusions, leading to a further reduction in the risk of damage from being subjected to partial pressures, including pressures from outside. The invention is described in greater detail with reference to the figures below. They show:
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patent: 3357553 (1967-12-01), Dick et al.
patent: 3861326 (1975-01-01), Brown
patent: 3942654 (1976-03-01), Warrick
patent: 3989140 (1976-11-01), Crane
patent: 4079566 (1978-03-01), Stoecklin
patent: 4127188 (1978-11-01), Heaney
patent: 4148394 (1979-04-01), Bederman
patent: 4287991 (1981-09-01), Donnelly
patent: 4913290 (1990-04-01), DeGroot
patent: 4998619 (1991-03-01), Sowa et al.
patent: 36 27 377 (1988-02-01), None
patent: 89 12 523 (1989-12-01), None
Bui Luan K.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der ange-wandten Forschung
Weingarten, Schurgin Gagnebin & Hayes LLP
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