Abstract:
A method of packing a glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ), which is a base material of an optical fiber comprising packing the glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ) into a cylindrical container ( 16, 26, 36 ). The packing has: putting the glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ) into a plastic bag ( 12, 22, 32 ); and packing the glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ), which is put into the plastic bag ( 12, 22, 32 ), into the cylindrical container ( 16, 26, 36 ). The packing further has: wrapping the glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ), which is put into the plastic bag ( 12, 22, 32 ), with air packing material ( 14, 24, 34 ), which contains air inside; and packing the glass base material ( 10, 20, 30 ) wrapped with the air packing material ( 14, 24, 34 ) into the cylindrical container ( 16, 26, 36 ).

Description:
This patent application claims priority based on a Japanese patent application, H11-046143 filed on Feb. 24, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention is related to a packing method for packing quartz glass or quartz glass base material, which is a base material of optical fibers used for optical communications. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Quartz glass or a quartz glass base material, which is a base material of optical fibers used for optical communications, is manufactured by sintering and vitrifying soot sediment. The soot sediment can be manufactured by one of vapor-phase axial deposition (VAD) method, outside vapor deposition (OVD) method, and modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) method. The glass base material is elongated to a predetermined diameter and then shipped. 
   If there is a crack on the surface of the glass base material, the optical fiber drawn from the glass base material having a crack will be cut during the drawing. Therefore, much care is needed in order not to damage the surface of the glass base material. Conventionally, glass base material was put into a square-shaped box, and the opening between the glass base material and the box was filled with a cushion for shipping. 
   Recently, because of the development of the optical fiber communication industry, the demand for quartz glass base material has increased, and the quantity of shipments of glass base material has also increased. A plurality of glass base materials is usually put together into one box to be shipped. 
   However, if a plurality of glass base materials are packed together in one box, the glass base materials may be damaged because the glass base materials may contact with each other due to the vibration occurring during the transportation of the glass base materials. The cushion is filled in the opening between the glass base material and the box to prevent the glass base material from contacting with each other. However, the conventional square-shaped box has large openings between the glass base material and the box and thus needs a large amount of cushion material. Furthermore, when packing a plurality of glass base materials in one box, if the cushion is made with soft material, the glass base materials inside the box may collide with each other due to the vibration during the transportation. In the worst case, the glass base materials may crack during the transportation. 
   Therefore, every individual glass base materials must be wrapped with buffer material for packing, such as air packing, which contains air inside. Then, one piece of the glass base material is packed in one box, or a plurality of glass base materials are packed together in one box to prevent cracking and breaking. However, the conventional packing method requires a large amount of buffer material and the box, and thus the conventional packing method has an economic disadvantage. Furthermore, the conventional packing method needs a large amount labor and time for packing. If there is space between the end of the glass base material and the end of the box in the longitudinal direction, the glass base material moves in the longitudinal direction during the transportation. Thereby, the end of the glass base material contacts with the box which may cause a crack or breakage of the glass base material. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a packing method for glass base materials which overcomes the above issues in the related art. This object is achieved by combinations described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous and exemplary combinations of the present invention. 
   According to the first aspect of the present invention, a method of packing a glass base material, which is a base material of an optical fiber can be provided. The method of packing a glass base material comprises packing the glass base material into a cylindrical container. 
   The packing may have: putting the glass base material into a plastic bag; and packing the glass base material, which is put into the plastic bag, into the cylindrical container. The packing may further have: wrapping the glass base material, which is put into the plastic bag, with air packing material, which contains air inside; and packing the glass base material wrapped with the air packing material into the cylindrical container. 
   The wrapping may wrap the glass base material, which is put into the plastic bag, with three-layers of the air packing material. The packing may pack the glass base material in the cylindrical container which has an inside diameter of approximately 10 mm larger than a diameter of the glass base material. 
   The packing may further have: capping both ends of the cylindrical container, which packs the glass base material, by caps. The packing may further have: filling space between an end of the glass base material and the cap with a cushion material. The packing may further have: providing an inside cap, which has a shape that can fit with a shape of end of the glass base material, on a space between the end of the glass base material and the cap. 
   The method of packing a glass base material can be provided which further comprises: packing a plurality of the cylindrical containers, each of which is packed with the glass base material, into a cylindrical container. The method of packing a glass base material can be provided which further comprises: packing a plurality of the cylindrical containers, each of which is packed with the glass base material, into a square-shaped box. 
   The packing may pack a plurality of the glass base materials into the cylindrical container. The packing may have: putting each of the plurality of the glass base materials into each of individual plastic bags; and packing the plurality of the glass base materials, each of which are put into the each of individual plastic bags, into the cylindrical container. 
   The packing may further have: wrapping together the plurality of the glass base materials, each of which are put into the each of individual plastic bags, with air packing material, which contains air inside; and packing the plurality of the glass base materials wrapped with the air packing material into the cylindrical container. 
   The packing may pack the plurality of the glass base materials in the cylindrical container which has an inside diameter of approximately 10 mm larger than total diameter of the plurality of the glass base materials. The packing may have: putting each of seven pieces of the glass base materials into the each of individual plastic bags; and bundling together the seven pieces of the glass base materials, each of which are put into the each of individual plastic bags, such that six pieces of the glass base materials are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central the glass base material; and packing the seven pieces of the glass base materials bundled together into the cylindrical container. 
   According to the second aspect of the present invention, a packing can be provided which comprises: a glass base material which is a base material of an optical fiber; and a cylindrical container which contains the glass base material inside. 
   A packing can be provided which further comprises: a plastic bag which packs the glass base material inside; wherein the cylindrical container contains the glass base material which is packed in the plastic bag. 
   A packing can be provided which further comprises: an air packing material which wraps the glass base material packed in the plastic bag; wherein the cylindrical container contains the glass base material which is wrapped with the air packing material. 
   The air packing material may wrap a plurality of the glass base materials, each of which is packed in each of individual the plastic bags; and the cylindrical container contains the plurality of the glass base materials wrapped with the air packing material. The cylindrical container may contain seven pieces of the glass base materials, each of which are put into the each of individual plastic bags; and the air packing material wraps the seven pieces of the glass base materials such that six pieces of the glass base materials are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central the glass base material. 
   The cylindrical container may have an inside diameter of approximately 10 mm larger than a diameter of the glass base material. The cylindrical container can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. The cylindrical container may have caps on both ends of the cylindrical container. The caps can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. 
   A packing can be provided which further comprises a cushion material which fills space between an end of the glass base material and the cap. The cushion material can be made of at least one of styrene foam and an elastic body made of rubber. A packing can be provided which further comprises an inside cap which has a shape that can fit with a shape of end of the glass base material. 
   The inside cap can be made of at least one of styrene foam and an elastic body made of rubber. 
   A packing can be provided which further comprises a secondary cylindrical container which contains a plurality of the cylindrical containers, each of which is packed with the glass base material. A packing can be provided which further has a square-shaped box which contains a plurality of the cylindrical containers, each of which is packed with the glass base material. 
   This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features. The invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  shows a packing method of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  shows other embodiment of the packing method, combining the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  and the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 10  shows another embodiment of the packing method combining the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  and the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 11  shows other embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention will now be described based on the preferred embodiments, which do not intend to limit the scope of the present invention, but exemplify the invention. All of the features and the combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention. 
     FIG. 1  shows a packing method of an embodiment of the present invention. The glass base material  10  is put into the plastic bag  12  in order not to damage the glass base material  10  when the glass base material  10  is put into a cylindrical container  16 . The glass base material  10  is then wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  14 . The number of layers of air packing material  14  wrapping on the glass base material  10  can be changed depending on the diameter of the glass base material  10  and inside diameter of the cylindrical container  16 . The air packing material contains air inside to act as a cushion. Next, the glass base material  10  wrapped with the air packing material  14  is put into the cylindrical container  16 . Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  16  are capped with caps. 
   The cylindrical container  16  and the caps can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic that can withstand the load of the glass base material  10 . The cylindrical container  16  and caps can also be made of wood or metal. Cardboard plastic is made by processing plastic into a cardboard form. Although cardboard has enough strength to withstand the load of the glass base material  10 , plastic is preferably used for the cylindrical container  16  because plastic has greater strength than cardboard. Furthermore, a container made from plastic can be recycled. The cylindrical container  16  has an inside diameter 10 mm larger than the diameter of the glass base material  10  in order to have enough room for the air packing material  14 . 
   EXAMPLE 1 
   A glass base material  10  having a diameter of 60 mm and length of 1000 mm was put into a plastic bag  12  and wrapped with three-layers of an air packing material  14 . Next, the glass base material  10  wrapped with the air packing material was put into the cylindrical cardboard box  16 . The cylindrical cardboard box  16  had an inside diameter of 80 mm and length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the cylindrical cardboard box were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   Because there was no space between the glass base material  10  and the cylindrical container  16 , the glass base material  10  could not move or rotate inside the cylindrical container  16 . Furthermore, because the glass base material  10  was wrapped with elastic air packing material  14 , the glass base material  10  did not suffer any impact caused by collision of the glass base materials with each other during transportation. 
   COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1 
     FIG. 2  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 1 . The glass base material  10  was put into a plastic bag  12  and wrapped with three-layers of an air packing material  14 . Next, the glass base material  10  wrapped with the air packing material was put into a square-shaped cardboard box  18 . The square-shaped cardboard box  18  had an inside height and width of 80 mm and inside length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the square-shaped cardboard box  18  were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   To pack the glass base material  10  inside the square-shaped cardboard box  18 , each corner of the square-shaped cardboard box  18  had to be filled with elastic buffer materials so that the glass base material  10  did not move inside the square-shaped cardboard box  18  during transportation. Therefore, the cost for packing increased because of the use of extra material such as buffer materials and because of the extra time needed for packing the buffer materials into the corners of the square-shaped cardboard box  18 . 
     FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. Each of seven pieces of glass base material  20  is put into each of individual plastic bags  22  so as not to damage the glass base material  20  when the glass base material  20  is put into the cylindrical container  26 . Then, the seven pieces of glass base material  20  are bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  20  are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  20 . Next, the seven pieces of the glass base material  20  bundled together in the hexagonal arrangement are wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  24 . The number of layers of air packing material  24  wrapping on the glass base material  20  can be changed depending on the diameter of the glass base material  20  and inside diameter of the cylindrical container  26 . Next, the seven pieces of the glass base material  20  wrapped with the air packing material  24  are put into the cylindrical container  26 . Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  26  are capped with caps. 
   The cylindrical container  26  and the caps may be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic, which can withstand the load of the glass base material  20 . The cylindrical container  26  and the caps may also be made of wood or metal. The cylindrical container  26  has an inside diameter 10 mm larger than the total diameter of the seven pieces of glass base material  20  bundled together in a hexagonal arrangement in order to have a room for the air packing material  24 . 
   EXAMPLE 2 
   Each of the seven pieces of glass base material  20  was put into each of individual plastic bags  22 . Each of the glass base materials  20  had a 20 mm diameter and 1000 mm length. Then, the seven pieces of glass base material  20  were bundled together such that six pieces of glass base material  20  were arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  20 . 
   Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  20  were wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  24 . The seven pieces of glass base material  20  wrapped with the air packing material  24  were then put into the cylindrical container  26 . The cylindrical container  26  had an inside diameter of 80 mm and inside length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  26  were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   Because there was no space between the glass base materials  20  and the cylindrical container  26 , the glass base materials  20  could not move or rotate inside the cylindrical container  26 . Furthermore, because the glass base materials  20  were wrapped with air packing material  24  having elasticity, the glass base materials  20  did not suffer any impact caused by collisions of the glass base materials  20  with each other during transportation. 
   COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2 
     FIG. 4  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 3 . Each of seven pieces of glass base material  20  were put into each of individual plastic bags  22 . Each of the glass base materials  20  had a 20 mm diameter and 1000 mm length. Then, the seven pieces of glass base material  20  were bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  20  were arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  20 . 
   Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  20  were wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  24 . The seven pieces of glass base material  20  wrapped with the air packing material  24  were then put into the square-shaped cardboard box  28 . The square-shaped cardboard box  28  had an inside height and width of 80 mm and inside length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the square-shaped cardboard box  28  were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   To pack glass base materials  20  inside the square-shaped cardboard box  28 , each corner of the square-shaped cardboard box  28  had to be filled with elastic buffer materials so that the glass base materials  20  did not move inside the square-shaped cardboard box  28  during transportation. Therefore, the cost for packing increased because of use of the extra materials such as buffer materials and because of the extra time needed for packing the buffer materials into the corners of the square-shaped cardboard box  28 . 
     FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. Each of seven pieces of glass base material  30  is put into each of individual plastic bags  32 . Then, each of the Fm seven pieces of glass base material  30  put into each of individual plastic bags  32  is further wrapped with the air packing material  35 . The seven pieces of glass base material  30  are bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  30  are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  30 . Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  are wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  34 . The numbers of layers of air packing material  34  wrapping the glass base material  30  can be changed depending on the diameter of the glass base material  30  and the inside diameter of the cylindrical container  36 . Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  wrapped with air packing material  34  are put into the cylindrical container  36 . Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  36  are capped with caps. 
   The cylindrical container  36  and the caps can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic which can withstand the load of the glass base material  30 . The cylindrical container  36  and the caps can also be made of wood or metal. The cylindrical container  36  has an inside diameter 10 mm larger than the total diameter of the seven pieces of glass base material  30  bundled together in a hexagonal arrangement in order to have a room for the air packing material  34 . 
   EXAMPLE 3 
   Each of seven pieces of glass base material  30  were put into each of individual plastic bags  32 . Each of the glass base materials  30  had a 20 mm diameter and 1000 mm length. Then, each of the seven pieces of glass base material  30  put into each of the individual plastic bags  32  was further wrapped with air packing material  36 . Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  were bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  30  were arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  30 . 
   Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  were wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  34 . The seven pieces of glass base material  30  wrapped with the air packing material  34  were then put into a cylindrical container  36 . The cylindrical container  36  had an inside diameter of 80 mm and inside length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  36  were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   Because there was no space between the glass base materials  30  and the cylindrical container  36 , the glass base materials  30  could not move or rotate inside the cylindrical container  36 . Furthermore, because the glass base materials  30  were wrapped with elastic air packing material  34  and  35 , the glass base materials  30  did not suffer any impact caused by collisions of the glass base materials  30  with each other during transportation. 
   COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3 
     FIG. 6  shows a packing method of a comparative example to the packing method shown in  FIG. 5 . Each of seven pieces of glass base material  30  were put into each of individual plastic bags  32 . Each of the glass base materials  30  had a 20 mm diameter and 1000 mm length. Then, each of the seven pieces of glass base material  30  put into the each of the individual plastic bags  32  was further wrapped with air packing material  35 . Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  were bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  30  were arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  30 . 
   Next, the seven pieces of glass base material  30  were wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  34 . The seven pieces of glass base material  30  wrapped with the air packing material  34  were then put into a square-shaped cardboard box  38 . The square-shaped cardboard box  38  had an inside height and width of 80 mm and inside length of 1100 mm. Then, both ends of the square-shaped cardboard box  38  were capped with caps. The caps were made of cardboard. 
   To pack glass base materials  30  inside a square-shaped cardboard box  38 , each corner of the square-shaped cardboard box  38  had to be filled with elastic buffer materials so that the glass base materials  30  did not move inside the square-shaped cardboard box  38  during transportation. Therefore, the cost for packing increased because of the use of extra materials such as buffer materials and because of the extra time needed for packing the buffer materials into the corners of the square-shaped cardboard box  38 . 
     FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. The elements having a same coding between  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 7  have same structure and functions. The A—A cross section of  FIG. 7  is identical to  FIG. 1 . 
   The cushion materials  40  are provided on the front and the rear of the glass base material  10  along the longitudinal direction of the glass base material  10 . The cushion materials  40  can be made of material that can absorb impacts caused by vibrations occurring during transportation, such as styrene foam or an elastic body such as rubber. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  16  are capped with caps  42 . The caps  42  can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. The caps  42  may also be made of wood or metal. 
   The cushion materials  40  can protect both ends of the glass base material  10  by preventing damage caused by contact between the glass base material  10  and the caps  42  during transportation. In  FIG. 7 , the shape of the glass base material  10  is a right-angle shape. However, the cushion materials  40  can be used for a glass base material  10  having cone-shaped ends. 
   EXAMPLE 4 
   A glass base material  10  having a diameter of 60 mm and length of 1000 mm was put into a plastic bag  12  and wrapped with three-layers of an air packing material  14  The shapes of both ends of the glass base material  10  were cone-shape. Next, the glass base material  10  wrapped with the air packing material was put into a cylindrical cardboard box  16 . The cylindrical cardboard box  16  had an inside diameter of 80 mm and inside length of 1200 mm. Next, the cushion materials  40  made of styrene foam were provided on the front and the rear of the glass base material  10  in the longitudinal direction of the glass base material  10 . Then, both ends of the cylindrical cardboard box were capped with caps made of cardboard. 
   Because the cushion materials  40  protected both ends of the glass base material  10 , damage caused by contact between the glass base material  10  and the caps  42  during transportation was prevented. 
     FIG. 8  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. The elements having a same coding between  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 8  have same structure and functions. The A—A cross section of the  FIG. 8  is identical to  FIG. 1 . 
   Both ends of the glass base material  10  shown in  FIG. 8  have a cone-shape. Inside caps  46 , which have a shape that can fit with the shape of each end of the glass base material  10 , are provided on both ends of the glass base material  10 . The inside caps  46  can be made of material that can absorb impacts caused by vibrations occurring during transportation, such as styrene foam or an elastic body such as rubber. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  16  are capped with caps  44 . The caps  44  can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. The caps  44  may also be made of wood or metal. 
   The inside caps  46  can protect both ends of the glass base material  10  by fixing the position of the glass base material  10  inside the cylindrical container  16 . Therefore, the inside caps  46  can prevent damage caused by contact between the glass base material  10  and the caps  44  during transportation. 
   EXAMPLE 5 
   A glass base material  10  having a diameter of 60 mm and length of 1000 mm was put into a plastic bag  12  and wrapped with three-layers of an air packing material  14 . The shapes of both ends of the glass base material  10  were cone-shape. Next, the glass base material  10  wrapped with the air packing material was put into a cylindrical cardboard box  16 . The cylindrical cardboard box  16  had an inside diameter of 80 mm and inside length of 1200 mm. Inside caps  46 , which have a shape that can fit with the shape of each end of the glass base material  10 , are provided on both ends of the glass base material  10 . The inside caps  46  were made of styrene foam. Then, both ends of the cylindrical cardboard box were capped with caps made of cardboard. 
   Because the inside caps  46  protected both ends of the glass base material  10  by fixing the position of the glass base material  10  inside the cylindrical container  16 , there was no damage caused by contact between the glass base material  10  and the caps  44  during transportation. 
     FIG. 9  shows other embodiment of the packing method, combining the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  and the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . The elements having a same coding between  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 9  have a same structure and functions. The B—B cross section of  FIG. 9  is identical to  FIG. 3 . The packing method shown in  FIG. 9  can also be applied to glass base material  20  packed as having a cross section shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   The seven pieces of glass base material  20  wrapped with the air packing material  24  shown in  FIG. 3  are put into the cylindrical container  26 . The cushion materials  50  are provided on the front and the rear of the glass base materials  20  along the longitudinal direction of the glass base materials  20 . The cushion materials  50  can be made of styrene foam or an elastic body such as rubber. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  26  are capped with caps  52 . The caps  42  can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. The caps  42  may also be made of wood or metal. 
   The cushion materials  50  can protect both ends of the glass base material  20  by preventing damage caused by contact between the glass base material  20  and the caps  52  during transportation. In  FIG. 9 , the shape of the glass base material  20  is a right-angle shape. However, the cushion materials  50  can be used for glass base materials  20  having cone-shaped ends. 
     FIG. 10  shows another embodiment of the packing method combining the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  and the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 . The elements having a same coding between  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 10  have same structure and functions. The B—B cross section of FIG.  10  is identical to  FIG. 3 . The packing method shown in  FIG. 10  can also be applied to glass base material  20  packed as having a cross section shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   The seven pieces of glass base materials  20  wrapped with the air packing material  24  shown in  FIG. 3  are put into the cylindrical container  26 . Both ends of the glass base material  20  shown in  FIG. 10  have a cone-shape. The inside caps  56 , which have a shape that can fit with the shape of each end of the glass base materials  20 , are provided on both ends of the glass base materials  20 . The inside caps  46  can be made of styrene foam or an elastic body such as rubber. Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  26  are capped with caps  54 . The caps  54  can be made of at least one of cardboard, plastic, and cardboard plastic. The caps  54  may also be made of wood or metal. 
   The inside caps  56  can protect both ends of the glass base materials  20  by fixing the position of the glass base materials  20  inside the cylindrical container  26 . Therefore, the inside caps  56  can prevent damage caused by contact between the glass base material  20  and the caps  54  during transportation. 
     FIG. 11  shows other embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. Each of four pieces of glass base material  10  are packed as in  FIG. 1  then put into a square-shaped cardboard box  60 . Two glass base materials  10  are placed on the bottom of the square-shaped cardboard box  60 , and another two glass base materials  10  are placed on top of the two glass base material  10  which were placed on the bottom. Each corner of the square-shaped cardboard box  60  is filled with elastic buffer materials  62  so that the glass base materials  10  do not move inside the square-shaped cardboard box  60  during transportation 
   Using the packing method shown in  FIG. 11 , a square-shaped cardboard box  18  can be used for packing a plurality of glass base materials  10 . The plurality of glass base materials  10  do not suffer from any impacts caused by collision of the glass base material  10  with each other during transportation, even when packed in the square-shaped cardboard box  60 , because each glass base material  10  is packed using the packing method shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   Because there was no space between the glass base materials  10  and the cylindrical container  16 , the glass base materials  10  could not move or rotate inside the cylindrical container  16 . Furthermore, because the glass base materials  10  were wrapped with air packing material  14  having elasticity, the glass base materials  10  did not suffer from impacts caused by collision of the glass base materials  10  with each other during transportation. 
     FIG. 12  shows another embodiment of the packing method of the present invention. Each of seven pieces of glass base material  10  are packed as in  FIG. 1  then further put into the cylindrical container  70 . The seven pieces of glass base material  10  packed as in  FIG. 1  are bundled together such that six pieces of the glass base material  10  are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around one central glass base material  10 . Next, the seven pieces of the glass base materials  10  are wrapped with three-layers of air packing material  70 . The seven pieces of the glass base materials  10  wrapped with the air packing material  70  are then put into the cylindrical container  72 . Then, both ends of the cylindrical container  72  are capped with caps. 
   Using the packing method shown in  FIG. 12 , a plurality of glass base materials  10  can be transported without damage because each of the glass base materials  10  are packed into the cylindrical container  16  and further packed into the cylindrical container  72 . 
   Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements to these embodiments of the present invention. It is clear from the appended claims that such modifications or improvements are also covered by the scope of the present invention.