Patent ID: 6250467
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: B65D

Abstract:
An inflatable shipping device for protecting at least one fragile floral item supporting a floral grouping during shipment, comprising:a housing defining a gas receiving cavity and being constructed of a flexible and substantially gas impermeable material, the housing having a flattened state when the gas receiving cavity is substantially free of gas and an expanded state when gas is introduced into the gas receiving cavity, the housing having a first side, an opposed second side, a first end, and an opposed second end, and a flexible inner liner defining at least one item receiving chamber positioned between the first end and the second end, the item receiving chamber communicating with the first side of the housing, and the item receiving chamber being sized and dimensioned to matingly receive at least a lower portion of the fragile item so as to keep the fragile item from tipping over during shipment when the housing is disposed in the expanded state and the fragile item is disposed within the item receiving chamber, the housing being sized such that the floral grouping is extendable past the first side of the housing when the fragile item is disposed within the item receiving chamber; andmeans for introducing gas into the gas receiving cavity defined by the housing.