SHIPPING PACKAGE AND METHOD FOR ITS FABRICATION

Abstract: The invention concerns a shipping package (1) and a method for fabricating said package, said package (1) being comprised of a transportation pallet (2) and a flexible container (6) attached to said pallet. The pallet (2) belonging to the shipping package is advantageously comprised of two shaped plates (3, 4) and of one or more support elements (5). The flexible container (6) and the parts belonging to the pallet (2) are entirely made of materials that can be processed in a pulper such as paper and cardboard, whereby the package can be either safely disposed of by biological degradation or by recycling of the package material in the package fabrication process.

Description: SHIPPING PACKAGE AND METHOD FOR ITS FABRICATION The present invention relates to a shipping package and a method for fabricating said package. The importance of packaging has grown with the expansion of industrial production. The package does not anymore serve as a mere wrapper of the product, but rather, new requirements are posed every day for the performance of the package. The development of packaging is principally guided by the application of the package as well as the needs and restrictions set by the product to be packaged. The former of these factors forces the development of packaging technology toward a more dedicated package and improvement of its specific properties. Such a development is, for instance, a shipping package which must offer easy handling, high durability and rigidity. However, the own weight of the shipping package should be as light as possible, and the storage space requirements of the empty package should be minimized. A noteworthy aspect is also therein that the major share of packages being disposable one-time use items themselves, their disposal and possible recycling must be considered, which necessitates aiming toward improved environmental compatibility of the package. Conventionally known shipping packages are different kinds of cardboard boxes and special packages developed thereof for specific needs. Reference is made to prior-art technology in SE patent publication 212,705, SE publications 366,958, 7801330-7 and 8103510-7 for laying open a patent, and FR patent publication 7526072. A common property of the above- mentioned packages of cc ventional technology is the application and development of a cardboard box into a shipping package. In addition to that, known from the prior art techniques is the fabrication of fabric-based flexible intermediate bulk containers, FIBCs, made of natural or plastic-fiber woven material in volumes from 500 to 1500 1. An FIBC is assembled from parts cut in different ways from the woven material by sewing the FIBC together using corner stiffeners, support belts, etc. The fabric-based container body can also be fabricated by weaving it as, for example, a braided hose which is then cut and sewn to form the container. The above-described steps often lead to implementations with a complicated structure resulting in additional manufacturing costs of the package. It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-described drawbacks. The characterizing properties of the shipping package and method for its fabrication are disclosed in the enclosed claims. The implementation according to the invention achieves above all a lightweight yet stiff structure featuring a weight rating in excess of 1000 kg. The structure according to the invention is approx. 15...30 % lighter than a similarly rated shipping package made using conventional techniques. Furthermore, the package according to the invention is uncomplicated and advantageous to fabricate. The pallet of the shipping package is assembled from shaped plates and advantageously reinforced with support elements which are inserted in channels specially designed into the pallet. The flexible intermediate bulk container forming a part of the shipping package is fabricated in a bag machine and its bottom essentially covers the upper surface of the pallet belonging to the shipping package, said flexi¬ ble container having a total volume of approx. 500...1500 1. Said flexible container and the parts belonging to the trans¬ portation pallet are advantageously combined into the ship- ping package by stapling and/or gluing the parts together. The essentials of the invention are that the package in entirely made of materials that can be processed in a pulper such as paper and cardboard, whereby the package can be either safely disposed of by biological degradation or by recycling of the package material in the package fabrication process. The shipping package according to the invention offers particular benefits such as, for instance, compatibility with waste treatment processes in which the shipping package can be safely disposed of along with other waste. Furthermore, the shipping package is advantageously usable for the transportation and storage of dry bulk material such as powdered or granulated products. The integral pallet forms a lifting platform for the shipping package that simplifies the handling of the shipping package and thus facilitates the use of different types of lifting equipment such as a fork lift, pallet lift, etc. In the following the invention is examined in greater detail with the help of an exemplifying embodiment by making reference to attached drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an advantageous embodiment of the package according to the invention, Figure 2 shows the cross section of the package according to the invention. Fabricated from a paper and cardboard-based material that can be processed in a pulper, the shipping package shown in Fig. 1 comprises a pallet 2 and a flexible container 6. The pallet 2 is advantageously formed from two shaped plates 3 and 4, complemented with support elements 5 for the reinforcement of the shipping package 1. The bottom of the pallet 2 is produced by shaping the plate 3 so that channels 7 are formed for the insertion of the support elements 5, which also act as the feet of the shipping package 1. The ends of the plate 3 are folded over the channel 7 to form a cover 11. To provide a ground clearance essentially equal to pallet area, between the channels 7 is formed an area 9 that can accommodate the forks of a lifting equipment such as a fork lift or pallet lift. The plate 4 is folded to form the upper surface of the pallet 2 so that elevated walls 8 are formed to the upper surface of the pallet 2 for the purpose of supporting the flexible container 6 and, between the walls 8 is formed the top plane 10 of the pallet 2 to which plane the flexible container 6 is attached. Figure 2 shows the cross section of the pallet 2 illustrating the manner in which the support elements 5 are inserted to the channels 7 of the pallet 2 (only the center channel 7 is shown in the diagram) . The support elements 5 can be placed in desired order in the channels 7 either vertically or horizontally with respect to the shipping package 1, whereby the length of the support element 5 is determined by the manner of insertion. For those versed in the art it is evident that the different embodiments of the invention are not limited by the example package described above, but instead, can be varied within the claims of the invention.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A shipping package (1), characterized in that the package is entirely made of a material suitable for 5 processing in a pulper and that said package (1) is comprised of a pallet (2) and a flexible container (6) attached to said pallet. 2. A shipping package (1) as defined in claim 1, charac- 10 berized in that the bottom of the flexible container (6) is attached to the pallet (2) . 3. A shipping package (1) as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bottom of the flexible container 15 (6) is also attached to the corners of the foldable halves of the pallet (2) or at least essentially close to said corners. 4. A shipping package (1) as defined any foregoing claim, 20 characterized in that said shipping package (1) incorporates one or more support elements (5) , which are inserted in one or more channels (7) of the pallet (2) for the purpose of supporting the shipping package (1) . 25 5. A shipping package as defined in any foregoing claim, characterized in that the flexible container forming a part of the shipping package (1) is a flexible intermediate bulk container having a volume of 500...1500 1. 30 6. A shipping package as defined in any foregoing claim, ♦ characterized in that the weight rating of said package (1) is in excess of 1000 kg. 7. A method for fabricating a shipping package (1), char- 35 acterized in that said package (1) is comprised of a pallet (2) and a flexible container (6) attached to said pallet (2) and that said flexible container (6) is formed from a hose and that said pallet (2) is advantageously formed from two shaped plate blanks (3, 4) and from one or more support elements (5) , which are inserted to one or several channels (7) for the reinforcement of the shipping package (1) . 8. A method as defined in claim 7 , characterized in that the parts belonging to said shipping package (1) are attached to each other by stapling and/or gluing.

Inventors: PENTTINEN TAPANI, USKI OSMO, PENTTINEN, TAPANI, USKI, OSMO
Applicants: WISAPAK OY AB
Application year: 1992
Main classification: B65D19
IPC codes: B65D19, B65D88