Insert for a package and method of making the same

Abstract: An insert for a packaging, such as a jewel box is made by cutting an insert blank (12) from a base material (14). The base material includes an upper layer (16) of a compressible foamed plastic material and a lower layer (15) of an elastic foamed plastic material. The upper layer of material is compressed along a peripheral zone of the blank and is maintained in an at least partly compressed condition along the peripheral zone. Thereby, a desired domed or convex shape of the upper surface of the insert may be obtained. The peripheral edge of the insert blank (12) may be heated by a cutting tool (21) cutting the blank from the base material (14), and a film (17) of a heat sealable plastic material may be arranged between the upper and lower layers (16, 15) of material. Alternatively, the material of the upper layer (16) may be an at least partly plasticly compressible material.

Description: The present invention relates to a method of making an insert for a package, such as a jewel box. Various kinds of such inserts for jewel boxes are known. In its most simple form the insert is a flat piece of elastic foamed plastic which has been stamped out from a web or sheet of such foamed plastic material. An insert of this kind has a substantially flat or planar upper surface and may have a slit or slot cut therein for receiving a ring or another piece of jewellery. More exclusive inserts have an upper surface which is convexly shaped. However, such known inserts are relatively expensive to produce because the production thereof involves manual labour. WO-A-89 12409 discloses a jewelry display card comprising a relatively stiff plastic card member, a flexible plastic sheet member, and an elastic foam pad arranged therebetween. The plastic sheet member is welded to the card member along a seam extending around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member, whereby the plastic sheet member may obtain a convexly curved outer surface. The present invention provides a method of the above type allowing an economical production of inserts with convex upper surface parts without any substantial involvement of manual labour. The method according to the present invention comprises cutting an insert blank from a base material including an upper layer of a compressible material and a lower layer of an elastic material, compressing the upper layer of material along a peripheral zone of the blank and maintaining the material of the upper layer in an at least partly compressed condition along the peripheral zone. The cutting and compression steps may be separate, but are preferably combined in a single step. After cutting and compression the lower layer of the elastic material may more or less return to its uncompressed condition while the compressed condition of the upper compressible material is at least partly maintained along the peripheral zone of the insert, whereby the desired domed or convex shape of the upper surface of the insert is obtained. In principle, the compressible and elastic materials of the upper and lower layers, respectively, may be of any kind suitable for the inserts in question. In the preferred embodiment, however, the upper and lower layers are made from foamed plastic or rubber. The material of the upper layer may be maintained in its compressed or partly compressed condition along the peripheral zone in any suitable manner. As an example, the peripheral edge of the insert blank may be heated, for example by a cutting tool cutting the blank from the base material. Such heating may cancel or substantially reduce a possible elasticity of the compressible material of the upper layer in the peripheral edge zone of the insert by changing the properties of the compressible material in said peripheral zone, for example by fusing or melting the material or otherwise changing the structure or condition of the compressible material. Such possible heating of the peripheral zone of the upper layer of the insert should not unduly heat the underlying zone of the lower layer so that the condition and elastic properties of this material is substantially changed. Therefore, the softening or melting temperature of the material of the upper layer is preferably substantially lower than that of the material of the lower layer. It is then possible to fuse the material in the peripheral edge zone of the upper layer without adversely affecting the material of the lower layer. A layer of heat sealable plastic material may be arranged between the upper and lower layers of material. Suitable heating of the peripheral zone of the insert blank may then result in melting or fusing of the heat sealable plastic material which may then serve as an adhesive for maintaining the peripheral zone of the upper compressible layer in its at least partly compressed condition. The layer of heat sealable material may be a plastic film, which is arranged between the upper and the lower layers. The material of the peripheral zone of the upper layer may, alternatively, be maintained in said at least partly compressed condition by means of a glue which may be applied to the peripheral edge of the upper layer by any suitable means. As an example, the glue may be arranged between the upper and lower layers of the base material. The compressible material of the upper layer may be an at least partly plasticly compressible material, and the plastic properties of the material may be such that after compression of the peripheral zone no further measures need to be taken to maintain that zone in its at least partly compressed condition. The upper and lower layers may be made from foamed polyurethane ester and foamed polyurethane ether, respectively. The polyurethane ester of the upper layer may have been chemically or otherwise treated so as to decrease the tendency of the foamed material to revert to its original shape after compression. Such chemical treatment may, for example, comprise a so-called "reduculation" treatment. The present invention also provides an insert for a packaging, such as a jewel box, said insert comprising an upper layer having a covexly curved upper surface and a lower layer of an elastic material. The insert according to the invention being characterized in that the upper layer, which is of a compressible material, is at least partly compressed along a peripheral zone of the insert and maintained in said at least partly compressed condition while the lower layer and a central part of the upper layer is in a substantially non-compressed or less compressed condition, whereby the upper surface of the insert obtains its convexly curved or domed shape. Such an insert, which has a rather exclusive and expensive look, may be made rather economically and without manual labour, for example by a method as described above. The upper and lower layers of the insert are preferably made from foamed plastic or rubber. As examples, the upper and lower layers may be made from foamed polyurethane ester and/or foamed polyurethane ether, respectively. The softening or melting temperature of the material of the upper layer is preferably substantially lower than that of the material of the lower layer, and the material of the upper layer may then be fused along the peripheral edge of the insert. It should be understood that the terms "upper layer" and "lower layer" used in the specification and claims of the present application should not be interpreted in a limiting sense. Thus, the upper and lower layers need not be arranged substantially horizontally, but the various layers may, alternatively, be arranged vertically or obliquely in face to face relationship. The invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a jewel box with the lid open so that an insert position therein is visible, and Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views illustrating an embodiment of the method according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows a jewel box comprising a bottom part 10 and a lid part 11 which is hinge connected to the bottom part 10, and an insert 12 arranged in the bottom part 10. The insert 12 is divided by a slot or slit 13 which is adapted to receive and position a ring or another piece of jewellery in relation to the insert 12. The height or thickness of the insert 12 increases from minimum values at zones along the peripheral edges and along the slit or slot 13 of the insert 12 to maximum values in central areas between the slit 13 and opposite peripheral edges. Figs. 2 and 3 diagrammatically illustrate a method of producing an insert 12 as that shown in Fig. 1. A base laminate 14 is made from a lower layer 15, an upper layer 16, and an intermediate layer or film 17. These layers 15-17 are supplied from supply rolls 18, 19, and 20, respectively. The lower layer 15 is made from a web of elastic foamed plastic of a type substantially reassuming its original thickness when a sample has been cut or stamped therefrom. The upper layer 16 is preferably a web of a foamed plastic material of a type which is compressible, but not fully elastic and which is heat sealable. Preferably the thickness of the upper layer 16 is smaller than the thickness of the lower layer 15. The intermediate layer or film 17 may, for example, be made from a heat sealable plastic material. Inserts 12 may be cut or stamped from the base laminate 14 by means of a stamping or cutting tool 21 having cutting edges 22 for defining the peripheral edge of an insert being stamped or cut from the base laminate 14, and an intermediate cutting edge 23 for cutting the slit or slot 13 of the insert. When the cutting or stamping tool 21 is moved downwardly into engagement with the laminate 14 as shown in Fig. 3 and as indicated by an arrow 25 the cutting edges 22 and 23 cut an insert 12 with a slit 13 from the base laminate 14, and at the same time the rim zones or peripheral zones of the cut insert are compressed. The cutting edges 22 and 23 may be heated, for example by electric heating means (not shown) so as to fuse or melt the film 17. The fused or melted material from the film 17 interconnects the layers 15, 16, and 17 of the insert 12 and prevents the compressed peripheral zones of the upper layer 16 from reverting to the uncompressed condition, whereby the upper layer 16 will be given a desired domed or convex shape as best shown in Fig. 3. While the cutting edges 22 should be adapted to almost completely cut the insert from the laminate 14 the cutting edge 23 should preferably not fully cut the lower layer 15 of the laminate so that the parts of the insert 12 positioned on the opposite sides of the slit 13 remain interconnected. Inserts 12 may be automatically produced from the base laminate 14, when the tool 21 is moved into and out of engagement with the laminate, as indicated by the arrow 25, while the laminate 14 is moved in a direction indicated by an arrow 26. It should be understood that various changes and modifications of the method and insert according to the invention could be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. As an example, the intermediate layer or film 17 could be dispensed with, and the peripheral compressed zones of the upper layer 16 could be heated substantially to a fusing temperature so as to maintain the material in the compressed condition. Alternatively, the upper layer 16 could be of a material having such plastic properties that the compressed rim zones would remain in an at least partly compressed condition without any heating. As an example the upper layer 16 could be made from modified foamed polyurethane ester of the type mentioned above, and the lower layer 15 could be made from foamed polyurethane ether. Furthermore, the upper surface of the insert 12 could be covered by any desired decorative surface layer or lining for example from fibres, which could, for example, be sprayed or otherwise applied to the upper surface of the insert 12 prior to or after cutting of the insert 12 from the base laminate 14.

Claims: A method of making an insert for a packaging, such as a jewel box, said method comprising cutting an insert blank (12) from a base material (14) including an upper layer (16) of a compressible material and a lower layer (15) of an elastic material, compressing the upper layer of material along a peripheral zone of the blank, and maintaining the material of the upper layer (16) in an at least partly compressed condition along the peripheral zone. A method according to claim 1, wherein said upper and lower layers (16, 15) are made from foamed plastic or rubber. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the peripheral edge of the insert blank (12) is heated by a cutting tool (21) cutting the blank from the base material (14). A method according to any of the claims 1-3, wherein the softening or melting temperature of the material of the upper layer (16) is substantially lower than that of the material of the lower layer (15). A method according to any of the claims 1-4, wherein a layer (17) of a heat sealable plastic material is arranged between the upper and lower layers (16, 15) of material. A method according to claim 5, wherein the layer (17) of heat sealable plastic material is a plastic film, which is arranged between the upper and lower layers (16, 15). A method according to any of the claims 1-6, wherein the material of the peripheral zone of the upper layer (16) is maintained in said at least partly compressed condition by means of glue. A method according to any of the claims 1-7, wherein the material of the upper layer (16) is an at least partly plasticly compressible material. A method according to any of the claims 2-8, wherein the upper and lower layers (16, 15) are made from foamed polyurethane ester and foamed polyurethane ether, respectively. An insert for a packaging, such as a jewel box, said insert (12) comprising an upper layer (16) having a convexly curved upper surface, and a lower layer (15) of an elastic material, characterized in that the upper layer, which is of a compressible material, is at least partly compressed along a peripheral zone of the insert and maintained in said at least partly compressed condition while the lower layer (15) and a central part of the upper layer (16) is in a substantially non-compressed or less compressed condition, whereby the upper surface of the insert obtains its convexly curved shape. An insert according to claim 10, wherein said upper and lower layers are made from foamed plastic or rubber. An insert according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the softening or melting temperature of the material of the upper layer (16) is substantially lower than that of the material of the lower layer (15), the material of the upper layer being fused along the peripheral edge of the insert. An insert according to claims 11 or 12, wherein the upper and lower layers are made from foamed polyurethane ester and foamed polyurethane ether, respectively.

Inventors: MOGENSEN BENT SKOU, MOGENSEN, BENT SKOU
Applicants: MOGENSEN BENT SKOU, MOGENSEN, BENT SKOU
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B65D25
IPC codes: A47F7, B65D25, A45C3, A45C13