US3531040A - Foam-plastic buffer packaging material - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1970 J. E. MYNY FOAM-PLASTIC BUFFER PACKAGING MATERIAL 2 Sheets5heet 1 Filed NOV. 14, 1968 FIG.2

INVENTOR. JOSEPHUS EMYNY BY 22. A 2 z.

AGEN

' Sept. 29, 1970 J. E. MYNY 3,531,040

FOAM PLASTIG BUFFER PACKAGING MATERIAL Filed N 14, 1968 I 2 Shets-$heet 2 INVENTOR. JOSEPHUS E.MYNY

AGENT United States Patent 3,531,040 FOAM-PLASTIC BUFFER PACKAGING MATERIAL Josephus Eduardus Myny, Emmasingel, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Philips Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 775,597 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Nov. 24, 1967, 6715978 Int. Cl. B65d /40, 25/12 US. Cl. 229--14 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A foam-plastic packaging material for providing a shock-absorbing buffer when placed between an article to be packaged and the container. Improved elastic properties for the material are achieved by providing a series of rib-like projections, the upper edges of which contact the wall of the container. The lower edges of the ribs are defined by the rib flanks which are interconnected and provide a bearing surface for the article within the container. The buffer can be severed into sections by fracturing along predetermined weakened portions between the ribs.

The invention relates to buffers used in particular toan oblong corner buffer for packing purposes consisting of foamed plastic, polystyrene, positionable between two adjacent inner walls of a corrugated cardboard box to protect an object to be packed therein.

The corner buffers of known construction are often used for packing purposes because of their shock-absorbing properties, are particularly suitable for use in cardboard boxes when positioned between the walls of the boxes and will protect electric or electronic devices which are sensitive to shocks.

It is an object of the invention to improve upon the elastic properties of this type of shock-absorbing corner buffer and also to provide buffers of equal length which can readily be broken into pieces of shorter length.

To this end the corner butter according to the invention is characterized in that for the purpose of improving the elastic properties of the buffer the outer flanks of the corner buffer have a plurality of projections or groups of projections by means of which the buffer bears on the adjacent walls of the box, and furthermore the buffer is constructed so that the material between the projections or groups of projections has weak portions, for example, grooves and/ or holes extending transversely to the longitudinal direction along which the buffer can be severed into pieces of shorter length.

The construction of the corner buffer with these plurality of projections provides an important advantage since the transverse ribs will be first deformed upon exerting an external shock on the cardboard :box, and the remaining part of the corner buffer is subject to deformation only upon a further indentation; as a result the elasticity of the buffer as a whole is improved. In this connection it is to be noted that it is known per se that the supporting surface of a shell half of synthetic material may be formed by a plurality of projections on the outside of the shell half. The use of such projections is, however not known in corner buffers.

The corner buffer according to the invention has weakened portions which are purposefully provided in the manufacture of the buffer to serve as places of fracture such that a slight bending moment will suffice to separate sections of the buffer. A typical buffer may have a length of 1.25 m. and the places of fracture spaced 4 cms. apart. This will make for convenient storage of the corner buf- Patented Sept. 29, 1970 fers which may be separated, as desired, into pieces of 5 cms. in length or a multiple thereof during the packing operation.

In one preferred embodiment at least part of the projections are formed as ribs or groups of ribs extending transversely to the longitudinal direction and being spaced apart at regular distances, the weakened portions extending between the ribs or groups of ribs. These ribs or groups of ribs then form a plurality of ribbed members separated by places of fracture; a satisfactory separation at the area of fracture is readily obtained with little diificulty by slightly bending apart two adjacent ribs between which there is provided a weakened portion.

In the bufier according to the invention the respective ribs have outwardly extending flanks converging in the direction of height. As a result the shock-absorbing quality of the ribs is improved over the known shell-like buf fers. For closely spaced ribs this choice has the additional advantage that the packer who has placed the two lower edges of the device to be packed in the corners of a set of parallel corner buffers of suitable length, on introducing the resulting assembly into a cardboard box, can hold his fingers precisely in the cavities between adjacent ribs extending round the corner of the butter and the inner wall of the box narrowly enclosing the relevant assembly until the buffers together with the device have been placed on the bottom of the box.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into elfect, it will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of a cardboard box and a device packed therein; FIG. 1 is a cross-section taken on the line I-I of 'FIG. 2 and FIG. 2 is a crosssection taken on the line IIII of FIG 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective elevational view of the corner buffer according to the invention, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a few embodiments of the corner buffer according to the invention in which the weak portions between the ribs may be formed differently.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a corrugated cardboard box 1, and a device 3, packed therein which is held in place by rounded corner buffers; for the sake of simplicity the device to be packed is of a rectangular shape. Four corner buffers 5, 7, 9 and 11 are used to buffer this device on the bottom of the box; four corner buffers, of which FIG. 1 only shows the buifers 13 and 15, are also provided on the upper side of the device 3. -Each corner buffer is made of foam-plastic, for example, polystyrene and each has a plurality of parallel ribs 17, the flanks 16 and 18 of which extend outwards in a converging manner to enhance the elastical properties of the buffer. The relevant rib which for the sake of simplicity is indicated by 17 in the further FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, is rounded off at the internal corners of the cardboard box, the rounded end being indicated by 19, for example, for the buffer 9. The upper edge 21 of each buffer engages the inner walls of the box. If an external shock is expected on the box, which shock may, for example, occur as a result of dropping the box with contents on a hard floor, the pressure limit of the buffer on the upper edges is first surpassed and only thereafter is the broader part of each rib depressed; as a result the shock is absorbed. Each corner buffer having a rounded end 19 thus has a plurality of recesses one of which is indicated by 23 in FIG. 2. The recesses 23 extend substantially throughout the length of each rib 17. This provides the interesting possibility for the packer to place the device to be packed on, for example, two corner butters 5 and 9 in such manner that this device engages the sharp corners 25 and 27 and subsequently to slide the entire assembly into the cardboard box 1, the fingers of either hand inserted in the previously mentioned grooves 23 a being able to grasp the two buffers, the fingers being held in place as the assembly is slid into the box until it has been placed on the bottom of the box. Thus the recesses 21 remain accessible to the packers fingers during packing.

In each corner buffer according to the invention the ribs 17 are spaced apart at regular distances and the buffer material between each rib is weakened to such an extent that the buffer can be broken between two adjacent ribs substantially without difiiculty. This provides the interesting possibility to start from corner buffers having standardized lengths, for example, 1.24 m. and to break off, as desired, pieces of suitable length, which need not be done until the packing operation proper. An advantage thereof is that only one type of corner buffer of standard length has to be stored. The weak portion should then be such that the fracture will extend at the area of this weak portion. To this end the buffer may for example, be provided with grooves 29 and 31 which extend between two adjacent ribs in the transverse direction of the buffer over the entire outer and/or inner side. If a suitable bending moment is exerted, for example, by slightly bending apart two adjacent ribs the fracture will be initiated in the area of the relevant grooves 29. This fracture area is indicated by 33 in FIG. 3.

Further forms of weak portions provided at regular distances are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 the weak portions instead of being formed as grooves have the shape of round holes 35 or diamond-shaped holes 37 which are provided over a considerable part of the cross-section of the buffer.

What is claimed is:

1. A plastic packaging material for use as a shockabsorbing buffer to protect an article packaged within a container, the buffer being adapted for placement between the article and the adjacent inner walls of the container, and is comprised of a length of foamed plastic material having a plurality of projections extending outwardly from one side of the plastic material, said projections being oriented so as to define parallel transverse rib members and means within the buffer for forming a structurally weakened section betwen adjacent rib members thus permitting the buffer to be severed into smaller segments.

2. A buffer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weakened section in the plastic material is formed by grooves defined in the plastic material and extending transversely through the material between adjacent rib members.

3. A buffer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weakened section in the plastic material is formed by holes extending transversely through the material between adjncent rib members.

4. A corner buffer having improved elasticity and shock-absorbing properties and capable of being severad into smaller segments, said buffer comprising a length of compressible foamed plastic material having an interior surface for contact with the article to be packaged, said interior surface forming a corner for receiving the article, the exterior surface of the buffer having a plurality of rib members for bearing against two adjacent inner walls of a container to absorb initial impact during shock, said rib members extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the buffer, and weakened sections in the plastic material between adjacent ribs along which sections the buffer may be severed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,560,249 7/1951 Risch 2l7-53 X 3,292,778 12/1966 Enderle 21753 X 3,022,885 2/1962 Mueller et al.

3,049,260 8/ 1962 Stone.

3,273,779 9/ 1966 Mykleby.

3,404,827 10/ 1968 Carmody.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner S. E. LIPMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 206-46; 21753

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