Patent ID: 6044974
Filing Date: 2000-04-04
Classification: B65D

Abstract:
In combination with a plurality of rigid products, a package for shipping the products, said package comprising: a plurality of pads arranged in layers, one above the other, each pad being formed from a honeycomb material having parallel facer sheets and honeycomb cells interposed between the facer sheets, with the axes of the cells being perpendicular to the facer sheets, each pad having pockets that open out of one of its facer sheets toward the adjacent pad with the honeycomb material at the ends of the pockets beings crushed to a relatively firm condition, each pocket receiving a first portion of a rigid product so that the product is prevented from shifting laterally on the pad, the first portion of the product being against the end of the pocket at which the crushed honeycomb material is located, each product having a second portion that is against the adjacent pad toward which the pocket, in which the first portion is located, opens, the products being captured between adjacent pads and being arranged one over the other in columns, with the second portion of any product being aligned with the first portion of a product that is on the adjacent pad against which that second portion bears, whereby the products in a column are separated by the crushed honeycomb material, the products in a column together with the crushed honeycomb material between the products in the column having the capacity to transfer loads through the column without significant compression of the package.