Molded flourescent tube dunnage element

Fluorescent tube-supporting dunnage elements (10) are provided which are designed to ensure easy machine-dispensibility thereof by preventing complete nesting of a stack of interfitted supports (10). The supports (10) are integral, thermo-formed bodies presently a plurality of elongated, open-top, juxtaposed tube-receiving recesses (24) each presenting alternating, upwardly and downwardly opening and diverging wall sections (52,54) interconnected by short upright walls (56). The walls (56) are provided with outwardly extending, upwardly opening arcuate ridges (58) which prevent complete nesting of stacked supports (10).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention is broadly concerned with an improved synthetic resin 
fluorescent tube support of the type used in the packaging and shipping of 
an elongated fluorescent tubes in order to prevent breakage thereof. More 
particularly, it is concerned with such a fluorescent tube support which 
is improved by provision of specific structural features permitting the 
supports to be stacked without complete nesting thereof, so as to 
facilitate machine dispensing of the dunnage elements during the packaging 
process. At the same time, the dunnage elements hereof give excellent 
protection against breakage of the tubes. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,705,170 and 4,792,045 describe synthetic resin tube 
dunnage supports formed of integral, synthetic resin sheet material and 
which are designed to supplant traditional supports manufactured from pulp 
or the like. A prime advantage of the supports described in the 
aforementioned patents stems from the fact that they are machined 
dispensable i.e., they overcome the problems heretofore associated with 
the attempts at machine dispensing fluorescent tubes supports, and thereby 
lower manufacturing and packaging costs. 
Certain prior dunnage supports have made use of a rather complicated system 
of lugs formed in the bodies of the supports so as to facilitate stacking 
of the supports without complete nesting. Such lug systems generally 
require that the molds made for respective supports be different so as to 
minimize the possibility of stacking together of the identically 
configured supports. The need to provide unique molds can increase 
manufacturing costs, and generally complicates the fabrication and 
stacking process. 
It would therefore be desirable to provide synthetic resin dunnage elements 
with appropriate structural features assuring that the supports may be 
stacked without nesting or interfitting thereof to a degree which would 
cause hang-up or other problems during machine dispensing, while at the 
same time avoiding the necessity for a series of unique molds. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the problems noted above, and provides a 
dunnage support having specific constructural features for proper stacking 
and ultimate machine dispensing of the molded supports. 
Broadly speaking, the supports in accordance with the invention are in the 
form integral synthetic resin bodies presenting concavo-convex walls 
defining a number of elongated, open-top, juxtaposed concave 
tube-receiving regions, with an elongated, axially extending top walls 
between such adjacent tube-receiving regions. The preferred supports 
include, along the length of the respective tube-receiving regions, a 
first plurality of axially spaced apart, upwardly opening and diverging 
tube-engaging wall sections, together with a second plurality of axially 
spaced apart, downwardly opening and diverging tube engaging arcuate 
second wall sections which alternate with the first wall sections. 
Upstanding walls are provided between and interconnecting relationship 
with the alternating first and second wall sections. 
In the specific improvement of the invention, the upstanding, 
interconnecting walls described previously are provided with outwardly 
extending, arcuate ridges thereon for preventing complete nesting of a 
pair of supports when stacked together. This feature, together with a 
ledge provided in the upstanding front wall of the support, cooperatively 
prevent full nesting together of stacked supports. 
In preferred forms, the arcuate ridges have an upwardly opening curvature, 
are generally parallel with the curvature of the upwardly opening first 
wall sections, and are spaced below the circumscribing lip of the support. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,705,170 and 4,792,045 are incorporated by reference 
herein, along with a pending application for U.S. patent Ser. Nos. 
07/396,562, filed Aug. 21, 1989, and 07/568,754, filed Aug. 17, 1990, in 
the name of David E. Creaden and entitled "Minimum Length Fluorescent Tube 
Dunnage Element."

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Turning now to the drawings, a tube support 10 is depicted. The support 10 
is in the form of an integral, synthetic resin, thermo-formed body 
presenting a rear wall 12, front wall 14, and interconnecting end walls 
16, 18. The walls 12-18 include, at the lower most extents thereof, a 
common, circumscribing, short, laterally extending peripheral lip 20. 
The overall support 10 is further provided the total of six 
concavo-convexed wall sections 22 which cooperatively present a plurality 
of individual, elongated, open-top, parallel, juxtaposed, concave, 
fluorescent tube-receiving sockets or regions 24. It will be noted that 
the regions 24 terminate at rear wall 12, and accordingly the latter 
presents an overall configuration a scalloped appearance. The wall 
sections 22 are joined at their respective apices by means of elongated, 
fore-and aft-extending connector walls 26 and endmost connector walls 26a. 
The walls 26 include uppermost pad sections 28 adjacent front wall 14, as 
well as a rearwardly extending, generally planar portion 30 which is 
interrupted at substantially the center thereof by an arcuate depression 
32. The connector walls 26a on the other hand include an uppermost pad 
section 28a. 
Rear wall 12 is an upstanding member which is slightly inclined as best 
viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. The rear wall 12 merges with end walls 16, 18 at 
rounded corners 34, 36. 
Front wall 14 is an upright member having a total of six laterally spaced 
apart, generally arcuate pin-receiving recesses 38 formed therein, with 
each of the latter being in alignment and in communication with a 
corresponding, rearwardly extending tube-receiving region 24. In addition, 
the face of front wall 14 is provided with a total of six generally 
trapezoidal, upwardly opening indentations 40 which are oriented in 
alternating relationship with the recesses 38 (see FIG. 6). Each 
indentation 40 is partially defined by somewhat Y-shaped wall section 42 
formed by a pair of bifurcations 42a, 42b and the associated pad section 
28 of the rearwardly extending connector wall 26. The front wall 14 is 
merged into end walls 16, 18 at rounded corners 34a, 36b. Finally, it will 
be observed that the rear wall 14 is provided with an elongated ridge 44 
along the entire length thereof which is diposed below the recesses 38 and 
in effect defines the lowermost ends of the respective indentations 40. 
The end walls 16, 18 are essentially identical and each is a substantially 
planar, upright member terminating at the associated endmost connector 
wall 26a. 
Each of the tube-receiving regions 24 is defined by an upstanding, somewhat 
inclined and tapered inner wall portion 46 which is generally parallel 
with front wall 14, as well as arcuate, diverging, upwardly opening wall 
segment 48 adapted to receive and support the metallic end cap of a 
fluorescent tube. The portion of the concavo-convex wall portion 22 
extending rearwardly from segment 48 includes, for each region 24, a major 
wall 50 of arcuate, upwardly opening and diverging configuration adapted 
to receive the arcuate side wall of a fluorescent tube. In each instance 
the major wall 50 merges into a corresponding pair of uppermost connector 
walls arranged on either side of each recess 24. 
The major wall 50 further includes a first plurality (here two) of upwardly 
opening and diverging first wall sections 52 which are formed to generally 
to conform with the curvature of a fluorescent tube, together with a 
second plurality of downwardly opening and diverging and arcuate second 
wall sections 54 which are likewise configured to engage the side wall of 
a fluorescent tube. As best seen in FIG. 1, the walls 52, 54 alternate 
along the length of major wall portion 50, with the first wall section 52 
(and the segments 48) being formed to present series of ribs or ridges in 
the faces thereof. Finally, it will be seen that the alternating wall 
section 52, 54 are interconnected by means of upstanding walls 56. 
In order to provide the desirable stacking feature of the present 
invention, each of the upstanding connector walls 56 is provided with an 
outwardly extending, arcuate ridge 58 thereon. Each ridge 58 is 
advantageously below peripheral lip 20, and is of upwardly opening 
curvature essentially complemental and parallel with the curvature of the 
upwardly opening wall sections 52. These ridges 58, together with the 
aforementioned ridge 44 provided in front wall 14, cooperatively provide 
the desirable stacking function for the supports of the invention. That is 
to say, the disclosed structure prevents a pair of interfitted supports 
from complete nesting so as to leave at least an 1/8 inch (and preferably 
from about 1/8 to 3/8 inch) spacing between each individual support in a 
stack thereof. In this fashion, automated dispensing equipment can readily 
separate respective supports 10 without fear of machine foul ups. 
The elements 10 may be formed of a wide variety of synthetic resin 
materials such as polyvinychlorides, polyesters or polyethylene 
terpthalates. In the most preferred forms, however, the supports are 
formed from PVC material having a thickness of about 0.009-0.018 inches, 
or preferably about 0.013-0.018 inches, and most preferably about 
0.013-0.014. In addition, while a variety of molding techniques can be 
employed, it is presently preferred to make use of the female mold for 
forming the supports 10, without a closely fitted uncooled plug assist.