Packaging member

Abstract: A packaging member (10) comprises a base member (14) and a pair of side members (16,18) hingedly attached to opposite sides of the base member (14) such that the side members (16,18) can be alternatively and selectively disposed in two different positions with respect to the base member (14). The side members (16,18) can be disposed perpendicular to the base member, or alternatively the side members can be disposed at predetermined angled positions with respect to the base member (14). When disposed perpendicularly to the base member, the packaging member (10) has a substantially U-shaped configuration enabling the packaging member (10) to serve as an edge protector. When the side members are disposed at their angled positions with respect to the base member, the packaging member has a substantially trapezoidal configuration enabling stacking or nesting of the packaging member (10).

Description: The present invention relates generally to packaging members, and more particularly to packaging members which serve as article edge protectors for protecting the edge regions of substantially flat articles or planar articles having, nevertheless, substantial thickness and length dimensions, such as, for example, garage doors, plate glass members, and the like. Substantially flat articles having substantial thickness and length dimensions, such as, for example, plate glass members, garage doors, and the like, need to have their edge regions protected during, for example, transportation and shipping thereof from their manufacturing facilities to their storage and/or point of sale locations so as to prevent damage from occurring to such edge regions prior to the purchase of such articles by consumers. It is conventional practice to utilize substantially rigid, laminated U-shaped channel members as edge protectors whereby the U-shaped channel members are mounted upon the edge regions of the articles and secured thereto by, for example, suitable strapping. One type of conventional edge protector which has been used for the foregoing purposes has been derived from the packing container which is disclosed within US-A-4,976,374 or within DE-U-94 10 321. More particularly, while the aforenoted patent is directed toward a composite packing container which is used to package elongated articles and is seen to comprise a substantially U-shaped base unit 10 and a substantially U-shaped cover unit 12 which are mated together and secured by means of strapping bands 16 as best seen in FIGURE 3, the individual base units 10 and cover units 12 have been employed in the packaging industry as edge protectors so as to protect the edge regions of, for example, substantially flat articles having substantial length and thickness dimensions. It is noted, however, that the base units 10 and the cover units 12 are substantially rigid and inflexible. In addition, when produced in accordance with mass-production techniques, while each base unit 10 will differ in size, for example, from each cover unit 12 so as to permit the interfitting or assembly of the respective base units 10 and the cover units 12 as shown in FIGURE 3, all of the base units 10 will be of the same size with respect to each other and all of the cover units 12 will be of the same size with respect to each other. Consequently, neither the base units 10 nor the cover units 12 can be nested together in a stack so as to facilitate the economical shipping or transportation thereof in a manner which optimizes shipping, cargo, or transportation space and costs. A need therefore exists in the packaging art for a substantially U-shaped packaging member which can be utilized as an edge protector so as to protect the edge regions of substantially flat articles having substantial length and thickness dimensions, and wherein such edge protectors are uniquely structured so as to nevertheless permit or facilitate the nesting or stacking of a plurality of such edge protectors in order to optimize shipping, cargo, or transportation space and costs. In particular, a need exists in the packaging art for a substantially U-shaped packaging member which can be utilized as an edge protector which, in effect, has different structural orientations, dispositions, configurations, or modes whereby when, for example, the edge protector is disposed within a first mode or configuration, the edge protector can in fact perform its function as an edge protector, whereas when the edge protector is disposed within a second mode or configuration, the edge protector can be readily stacked along with other similar edge protectors for shipping and transportation purposes. According to this invention a packaging member comprises: a base member having opposite sides; a pair of side members; and means movably interconnecting said pair of side members to said opposite sides of said base member such that said pair of side members can be disposed in two different positions with respect to said base member whereby said packaging member attains two different states, a first one enabling said packaging member to serve as an edge protector for protecting edge regions of an article, when said packaging member is mounted and secured upon an edge region of an article, as a result of each one of said pair of side members being disposed at a first one of said two positions relative to said base member, and a second one enabling said packaging member to be nested and stacked along with similar packaging members as a result of each one of said pair of side members being disposed at a second one of said two positions relative to said base member. A particular embodiment in accordance with this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which:- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a packaging member showing its sides disposed in a first mode or state, FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of packaging members of the type shown in FIGURE 1 and wherein the sides of the packaging member are disposed in a second mode or state to permit the nesting or stacking; and, FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of the packaging member. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly and firstly to FIGURE 3 thereof, the packaging member is generally indicated by the reference character 10. As can be appreciated from FIGURE 3, the packaging member 10 comprises a laminated paperboard component which is fabricated from a plurality of paperboard plies 12. The packaging member 10 has a substantially trapezoidal configuration from which the normally present lower or larger base member has been omitted. More particularly, the packaging member 10 is seen to comprise an upper base member 14 and a pair of side members 16,16 which are angled downwardly and outwardly from the upper base member 14 at a predetermined angle, such as, for example, approximately 50°. In addition to the foregoing structural components or characteristics of each one of the packaging members 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention as noted herein above, it is further appreciated that each one of the corner junctions 18,18 of the packaging members 10, as defined between each one of the side members 16 of the packaging member 10 and the upper base member 14, is scored or slit as at 20, 20 in such a manner that only the lowermost ones of the paper plies 12 remain intact. In this manner, integral or living hinges 22,22 are defined upon the packaging member 10 whereby the side members 16,16 of the packaging member 10 are capable of being moved in a pivotal manner with respect to the upper base member 14 between the angled positions shown in FIGURE 3 and positions at which the side members 16,16 are disposed substantially perpendicular to the upper base member 14 as shown, for example, in FIGURE 1. When the side members 16,16 are disposed in their substantially perpendicular mode or state with respect to the upper base member 14 as shown in FIGURE 1, the packaging member 10 has a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration and is capable of being used as an edge protector for articles having substantial length and thickness dimensions as a result of the packaging member 10, as disposed in its mode or state illustrated in FIGURE 1, being mounted upon an edge region of the article, not shown, and being secured thereon by, for example, suitable packaging strapping or the like, also not shown. When the side members 16,16 are disposed in their angled mode or state with respect to the upper base member 14 as shown in FIGURE 3, the packaging members 10 are capable of being nested or stacked upon one another as shown in FIGURE 2 whereby a plurality of such packaging members 10 can be stored, shipped or transported in an economically Optimized manner with continued or additional reference being made to FIGURE 1, it is appreciated that the scoring or slitting of the corner regions 18,18 of each packaging member 10 forms, in effect, two surfaces 24 and 26 which are respectively formed upon opposite sides of the upper base member 14 and each one of the side members 16 within the vicinity of each integral or living hinge member 22. When the side members 16 are therefore moved from their substantially perpendicular positions with respect to the upper base member 14 as shown in FIGURE 1 to their angled positions with respect to the upper base member 14 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the respective surfaces 24 and 26 of the upper base member 14 and the side members 16,16 will abut each other so as to, in effect, define the angled modes or states of the side members 16,16 with respect to the upper base member 14 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. In this manner, the plurality of packaging members 10 can in fact be nested or stacked upon or with respect to each other so as to facilitate the economical storage, shipping or transportation of the same. Thus, it is seen that in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there has been provided a new and improved packaging member which can be disposed in a first state or mode wherein side members of the packaging member are disposed substantially perpendicular to a base member of the packaging member whereby the packaging member has a substantially U-shaped configuration so as to permit the packaging member to be utilized as an edge protector in connection with the protection of edge regions of articles having substantial thickness and length dimensions. In addition, or alternatively, the packaging member can be disposed in a second state or mode wherein the side members of the packaging member are disposed at predetermined angles with respect to the base member of the packaging member whereby the packaging member has a substantially trapezoidal configuration so as to permit a plurality of packaging members to be economically nested or stacked upon one another during storage, shipping, or transportation operations.

Claims: A packaging member, comprising: a base member (14) having opposite sides; a pair of side members (16, 16); and means (20, 22) movably interconnecting said pair of side members (16, 16) to said opposite sides of said base member (14) such that said pair of side members (16, 16) can be disposed in two different positions with respect to said base member (14) whereby said packaging member (10) attains two different states, a first one enabling said packaging member (10) to serve as an edge protector for protecting edge regions of an article, when said packaging member is mounted and secured upon an edge region of an article, as a result of each one of said pair of side members (16, 16) being disposed at a first one of said two positions relative to said base member (14), and a second one characterised in that said second position enables said packaging member (10) to be nested and stacked along with similar packaging members (10) as a result of each one of said pair of side members (16, 16) being disposed at a second one of said two positions relative to said base member (14). A packaging member according to Claim 1, wherein: said means movably interconnecting said pair of side members to said opposite sides of said base member comprise integral living hinges (22, 22) disposed at corner junctions of said packaging member and defined between said pair of side members (16, 16) and said opposite sides of said base member (14). A packaging member according to Claim 2, wherein said pair of side members (16, 16) and said base member (14) each have predetermined thickness dimensions; and slit means (20) are provided at said corner junctions defined between said pair of side members (16, 16) and said opposite sides of said base member (14) and extend partially through the thickness of said pair of side members (16, 16) and said base member (14) so as to maintain a portion (22) of each one of said pair of side members (16, 16) integrally attached to a respective portion of each one of said opposite sides of said base member (14) so as to thereby define said integral living hinges. A packaging member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said base member (14) and said pair of side members (16, 16) comprise paperboard laminates comprising a plurality of paperboard plies. A packaging member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: said side members (16, 16) of said packaging member (10) are disposed substantially perpendicular to said base member (14) of said packaging member (10) when said pair of side members (16, 16) are disposed at said first one of said two positions relative to said base member (14) whereby said packaging member (10) has a substantially U-shaped configuration enabling service of said packaging member (10) as an edge protector for protecting edge regions of an article upon which said edge protector can be mounted and secured; and said side members (16, 16) of said packaging member are disposed at predetermined angled positions with respect to said base member (14) of said packaging member (10) when said pair of side members (16, 16) are disposed at said second one of said two positions relative to said base member whereby said packaging member has a substantially trapezoidal configuration enabling said packaging member to be nested and stacked along with similar packaging members. A packaging member according to Claim 5, wherein: said pair of side members (16, 16) are disposed at angles of approximately 50° with respect to said base member (14) when said pair of side members are disposed at said second one of said two positions with respect to said base member (14). A method of forming a packaging member (10) comprising the steps of: providing said packaging member with a base member (14) having opposite sides; providing said base member with a pair of side members (16, 16) attached to said base member (14) along said opposite sides of said base member (14); and hingedly attaching said pair of side members (16, 16) to said opposite sides of said base member (14) such that said pair of side members (16, 16) are pivotally movable between two different positions with respect to said base member (14) whereby said packaging member attains two different states, said packaging member (10) being disposed in a first one of said two different states and serving as an edge protector for protecting edge regions of an article, when said packaging member (10) is mounted and secured upon an edge region of an article, as a result of each one of said pair of side members (16, 16) being disposed at a first one of said two positions relative to said base member (14), and said packaging member (10) being disposed in a second one of said two different states characterised in that in the second state the packaging member (10) is capable of being nested and stacked along with similar packaging members (10) as a result of each one of said pair of side members (16, 16) being disposed at a second one of said two positions relative to said base member (14). A method according to Claim 7, further comprising the step of: providing integral living hinges (22, 22) upon said packaging member at corner junctions of said packaging member as defined between said pair of side members (16, 16) and said opposite sides of said base member (14). A method according to Claim 8, further comprising the steps of: forming said pair of side members (16, 16) and said base member (14) from laminated paperboard having a plurality of paperboard plies; and slitting said corner junctions of said packaging member (10) such that only some of said paperboard plies (22) of said pair of side members (16, 16) and said base member (14) remain intact so as to define said integral living hinges. A method according to Claims 7, 8 and 9, further comprising the steps of: disposing said side members (16, 16) of said packaging member (10) at said first one of said two positions relative to said base member (14) of said packaging member such that said side members (16, 16) are disposed substantially perpendicular to said base member (14) of said packaging member whereby said packaging member (10) has a substantially U-shaped configuration enabling service of said packaging member (10) as an edge protector for protecting edge regions of an article upon which said edge protector can be mounted and secured; and disposing said side members (16, 16) of said packaging member at said second one of said two positions relative to said base member (14) of said packaging member such that said side members (16, 16) are disposed at predetermined angled positions with respect to said base member (14) of said packaging member whereby said packaging member (10) has a substantially trapezoidal configuration enabling said packaging member (10) to be nested and stacked along with similar packaging members (10).

Inventors: LOESCHEN MICHAEL D, LOESCHEN, MICHAEL D.
Applicants: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS, ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65D81
IPC codes: B65D81