REINFORCED VOID FILLER

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reinforced void filler including a first panel; a first core attached to the first panel, the first core comprising multiple first cells; a second core attached to the first panel and spaced-apart from the first core in a width direction, the second core comprising multiple second cells; a first reinforcing member in one of the first cells; and a second reinforcing member in one of the second cells. The reinforcing members add rigidity and crush strength to the first and second cores to better withstand forces exerted on the reinforced void filler by cargo during transit.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a void filler for securing cargo during transit.

BACKGROUND

Void fillers are used to stabilize cargo in cargo containers. Specifically, void fillers (and occasionally other dunnage) are positioned in voids between cargo, such as palletized loads, as the cargo is loaded into a cargo container. The void fillers limit movement of the cargo during transit to prevent damage to the cargo.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reinforced void filler including a first panel; a first core attached to the first panel, the first core comprising multiple first cells; a second core attached to the first panel and spaced-apart from the first core in a width direction, the second core comprising multiple second cells; a first reinforcing member in one of the first cells; and a second reinforcing member in one of the second cells. The reinforcing members add rigidity and crush strength to the first and second cores to better withstand forces exerted on the reinforced void filler by cargo during transit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be embodied in various forms, the drawings show and the specification describes certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments. Not all of the components shown in the drawings and described in the specification may be required, and certain implementations may include additional, different, or fewer components. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components; the shapes, sizes, and materials of the components; and the manners of connections of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, any directions referred to in the specification reflect the orientations of the components shown in the corresponding drawings and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Further, terms that refer to mounting methods, such as coupled, mounted, connected, etc., are not intended to be limited to direct mounting methods but should be interpreted broadly to include indirect and operably coupled, mounted, connected and like mounting methods. This specification is intended to be taken as a whole and interpreted in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIGS.1A-4show one example embodiment of a reinforced void filler10of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG.1B, the reinforced void filler10is sized, shaped, and otherwise configured to be positioned in a void between cargo, such as first and second palletized loads L1and L2in a cargo container, to fill that void and limit movement of the cargo during transit. In this example embodiment, the reinforced void filler10is tall enough to fill the void between multiple pairs of palletized loads (not shown) stacked atop one another. The reinforced void filler10includes a first panel100, a second panel200, a first core300, a second core400, and multiple reinforcing members500.

The first panel100includes a first face110, a second face (not labeled) opposite the first face110, a top edge130, a bottom edge140opposite the top edge130, a first side edge150, and a second side edge160opposite the first side edge150. The second panel200includes a first face (not labeled), a second face220opposite the first face, a top edge230, a bottom edge240opposite the top edge230, a first side edge250, and a second side edge260opposite the first side edge250. In this example embodiment, the first and second panels100and200are rectangular and formed from corrugated paperboard, though they may take any suitable shape and be formed from any suitable material in other embodiments. The first and second panels100and200are substantially the same size and together define a height H and width W of the reinforced void filler10. In this example embodiment, the height H is approximately 96 inches and the width W is approximately 48 inches, though these values may differ in other embodiments.

The first and second cores300and400are connected to (such as via adhesive) and extend between the second faces of the first and second panels100and200, respectively. The first and second cores300and400are formed from multiple plies of corrugated paperboard attached to one another and expanded to form multiple adjacent cells arranged in separate arrays between the first and second panels100and200. In this example embodiment, the first core300includes first, second, and third columns300a,300b, and300cof substantially identically shaped cells310that each have a generally diamond-shaped cross section. Similarly, the second core400includes first, second, and third columns400a,400b, and400cof substantially identically shaped cells410that each have a generally diamond-shaped cross section. The cells may have any other suitably shaped cross-section (such as a hexagonal, circular, square, rectangular, or octagonal cross-section) in other embodiments. This is merely one example of the first and second cores300and400, and any suitable cores may be employed.

The reinforced void filler10has a depth D largely defined by the depth of the cells of the first and second cores300and400. In this example embodiment, the depth D is approximately 8 inches, though this value may differ in other embodiments. In this example embodiment, the first and second cores300and400extend substantially the entire height H of the void filler10but extend across less than half the width W of the void filler10such that the first and second cores300and400are spaced-apart in the width direction. The first and second cores are identical in this example embodiment, though may differ in other embodiments.

As best shown inFIG.3, some, but not all, of the cells310and410of the first and second cores300and400are substantially filled by individual reinforcing members500. The reinforcing members500add rigidity and crush strength to the first and second cores300and400of the reinforced void filler10in the depth direction to better withstand forces exerted on the reinforced void filler10by the cargo during transit. In this example embodiment, when a cell includes a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member is sized to fill at least 85% of the cell by volume. This percentage may differ in other embodiments. For instance, in various embodiments, when a cell includes a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member is sized to fill at least 50%, at least 75%, or at least 90% of the cell by volume. In this example embodiment, the reinforced void filler weighs about 14 pounds, though the weight may differ in other embodiments. In certain embodiments, certain partial cells at the sides of the cores are substantially filled by reinforcing members500.

In this example embodiment, as best shown inFIG.4, the reinforcing member500is formed from corrugated material, and in particular, multiple single-wall corrugated panels510attached to one another, such as via adhesive. Each corrugated panel510includes opposing first and second facing components512and514separated by and attached to (such as via adhesive) a fluted component516. The first and second facing components512and514are substantially planar, while the fluted component516has a fluted (or wavy) profile, such as an A-Flute, B-Flute, C-Flute, E-Flute, or F-Flute profile, that forms multiple flutes. In this example embodiment, the first and second facing components and the fluted component are formed from kraft paper, though they may be formed from any other suitable material in other embodiments. In this example embodiment, the corrugated panels510of a reinforcing member500are oriented such that the flutes of each corrugated panel extend in the same direction, though they may be oriented differently in other embodiments. Additionally, in this example embodiment, the reinforcing members500are oriented such that each flute extends in depth direction of the reinforced void filler10. Put differently, the flutes of the corrugated panels510of the reinforcing members500extend between and transverse to—and in this example embodiment, substantially perpendicular to—the first and second panels100and200. The reinforcing members may be oriented differently in other embodiments.

In other embodiments, the reinforcing members are formed from alternating layers of facing components and fluted components attached to one another to form a multi-wall corrugated structure. In further embodiments, the reinforcing members are formed from multi-wall corrugated panels-such as dual-wall or triple-wall corrugated panels-attached to one another via adhesive or in any other similar manner.

In this example embodiment, the entire reinforced void filler is recyclable via the same recycling process, though they may not be the case in other embodiments. In this example embodiment, the panels, the cores, and the reinforcing members are formed from the same material—kraft paper—and attached via adhesive, though that may not be the case in other embodiments.

In this example embodiment, fewer than all of the cells310and410of the first and second cores300and400include a reinforcing member500. Here, five of the cells310of the second column of cells300bof the first core300and five of the cells410of the second column of cells400bof the second core400include a reinforcing member500. This amounts to fewer than 10% of the cells of each core including a reinforcing member, though this percentage may differ in other embodiments. In this example embodiment, adjacent cells including reinforcing members are spaced apart substantially equally in the height direction. Any suitable quantity of the cells of the cores of the reinforced void filler may include a reinforcing member in other embodiments.