Patent ID: 7320403
Filing Date: 2008-01-22
Classification: B65B,B65D

Abstract:
1. A package for stretch hood packaging of large home appliances, comprising: a base shaped for having a home appliance at least one of assembled thereon or placed thereon after assembly, said appliance being packaged for shipment, said base having an upper surface for having said home appliance supported thereon, and having outer edge sections with a plurality of substantially L-shaped pockets located at the top of the outer edge sections of said base, each said appliance spanning the corners of said base; two vertically extending first posts, each having substantially L-shaped tongues at the bottoms thereof, received in a corresponding L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner location next to where one pair of the front or the back corners of the appliance is to be received, said first posts being shaped to abut along the length thereof against vertically extending corners of said appliance; two vertically extending second posts, each having substantially L-shaped tongues at the bottom thereof received in a corresponding L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner location next to where the other pair of the front or back corners of the appliance is to be located, said second posts being shaped to abut along the length thereof against vertically extending corners of the appliance, each substantially L-shaped tongue of each vertically extending second post having one horizontally extending leg portion to be received in a corresponding horizontally extending slot of the L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner location that has a vertical extent below a top surface of said base and having another horizontally extending leg portion to be received in a horizontally extending corresponding slot of the L-shaped pocket of said base at a respective corner location that has a vertical extent below a top surface of said base, the horizontally extending leg portions of the substantially L-shaped second post tongues being received in the respective corresponding slots of the L-shaped pocket of said base at the respective corner locations such that the horizontally extending leg portions of the substantially L-shaped second post tongues extend vertically below the top surface of said base; and at least said second posts each having a vertically aligned horizontal extension having a bottom end portion at a vertical spacing higher than the top surface of said base such that a vertical gap exists between the bottom end portion of the vertically aligned horizontal extension and said base so as to permit the bottom end portion of the vertically aligned horizontal extension to move downwardly through the gap upon pivoting movement of the respective second post resulting in downward movement of the bottom end portion of the vertically aligned horizontal extension thereof, whereby each gap is sufficient to allow each one of said second posts to pivot when the appliance is hood stretch wrapped within the package with a film hood, substantially preventing deformation of said base as a result of said appliance being hood stretch wrapped as a result of said pivoting posts.