Abstract:
An improved edge protector and packaging system comprises a generally right angle member having a plurality of right angle bands joined by a plurality of intermediate arms. The edge protector and packaging system allow for the protection of corners typically exposed to damages during transportation and storage. The edge protector and packaging system may be of different sizes to accommodate for a wide variety of shapes and structures having angles exposed to damages that require some kind of protection.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/834,110, entitled “Edge Protector and Packaging System”, and filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 12, 2013, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to edge protectors used in the packaging of articles and, more particularly, to edge protectors applied, for example, as vertical edge protectors such as for application to the corners of a straight-sided article or container adapted for cushioning the straight corners and edges of packaged articles along the full height thereof and also adapted to permit the stacking of the packaged articles on each other without damaging the container or the article, and horizontal edge protectors permitting pick up and movement of packaged articles by a squeeze truck without sideways crushing of the article. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In packaging a number of articles including heavy articles such as refrigerators, television sets, stoves, air conditioners, washing machines and dryers, it is customary to package them in relatively lightweight containers formed of paperboard or corrugated. The article is located and cushioned within the container by edge protectors which typically are one or more pieces of cardboard folded to a 90 degrees angle inserted along the edges of the articles and the corners of the container. Such edge protectors are used to provide cushioning to protect the corners of the packaged article from damage such as scratching and denting during shipping and handling. A series of relatively narrow straps are typically wrapped around the container to secure the container and edge protectors. These straps which may be of a metal such as steel or a high strength plastic are tensioned to secure the package and absent corner posts would bite into the edges of the corrugated packaging and the article contained therein. Further, it is customary to package articles by enveloping them in a plastic film such as by shrink or stretch wrap techniques. Again, the edges of the article are cushioned and protected by edge protectors, also referred to as corner posts, extending along the length thereof secured inside the plastic film. 
         [0004]    A number of corner posts are known in the art. Representative of such designs are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,068,771; 2,160,221; 2,196,157; 2,514,833; 3,556,529; 3,133,687; 3,337,111; 3,536,245; 3,072,313; 3,433,354; 3,708,101; 3,734,389; 4,120,441; 5,181,611 and U.K. Patent No. 2,080,767. These prior art corner posts, however, all have one or more of the following disadvantages. Although some provide relatively good cushioning, they do not provide a load bearing capacity in the vertical direction which would permit the vertical stacking of loaded containers or, if they do, they are of substantial bulk and thus require large amounts of materials, are heavy, and take up space. For protectors not providing vertical load bearing capacity, when stacking of such containers is attempted, the weight of the upper container crushes the underlying containers by bending or buckling the walls of the container which bear the stacking load. Others which attempt to provide such vertical load bearing capacity in turn do not always provide sufficient cushioning and/or are relatively complex in design and expensive to manufacture. Since the packaging materials do not add value to the product itself, the costs of such materials are an important consideration to the manufacturer who uses such posts in shipping finished goods. Finally, some designs are subject to crushing by lateral forces supplied to the container and by shifting movement of the articles within the container detracting from the cushioning protection for the edges and corners of the article. Also, some do not properly assemble in a way that also protects the horizontal corners of the packaged articles. 
         [0005]    Also known to the art is a corner post comprised of multiple layers of elongated paperboard which are laminated together, glued, treated, and formed into rigid right angles. The thickness of the corner post is determined by the number of layers of paperboard laminated together and typically ranges from 0.120 inch to approximately 0.400 inch. Although several corner post or edge protectors packaging system are known in the art, most are complicated structures which require substantial manufacturing capabilities. None of the known edge protectors provide a simple, lightweight solution for the packaging industry. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    An improved elongated edge protector and packaging system is provided. The system is typically formed from a plurality of members comprising at least first and second bands which are secured via a plurality of intermediate arms. 
         [0007]    The at least first and second bands are typically formed of multiple layer materials such as laminated paperboard generally configured as rigid right angle band. The bands are joined by intermediate arms also made from a multiple layers material such as laminated paperboard configured as rigid right angle arm. The right angle paperboard band has an inside surface and an outside surface. The inside surface of the first band is generally in contact with the outside surface of the intermediate arms, wherein the inside surface of the intermediate arms is generally in contact with the outside surface of the second band. An adhesive is typically used to join the intermediate arm with the first and second bands. Although the use of adhesive may be required for some system wherein the multilayer material used for making the edge protector is laminated cardboard, the edge protectors could as well be made of polymers or composite materials in either a unitary piece or by an assembly of at least a first and a second band joined by a plurality of intermediate arms. In systems where polymers or composite materials are used, the first and a second band could be joined to the plurality of intermediate arms by adhesive or by a fusion of the polymers or composite materials where such material allows such a fusion of the joining pieces together. 
         [0008]    The edge protectors and packaging system according to the present invention are generally used to protect the angles on merchandises during transportation or for convenient storage. The edge protector members are typically made from cheap material that allow for some degree of flexibility, such as laminated cardboard, polymers or composite materials. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may be used to protect vertical corners or horizontal corners but may also allow for the protection of a combination of vertical and horizontal corners in a single assembly. The edge protectors of the present system may interlock thereby allowing the protection of corners created from the intersection of three surfaces. The ability of the present edge protectors to interlock or engage at their extremities allows the use of such edge protectors to create frame having various shapes or structures. For instance, the combination of twelve edge protectors having the proper length will create a prismatic structure (e.g. cube, cuboid, rectangular prism, etc.) for the protection of all extremities of rectangular or squared shaped objects. The configuration of the edge protectors allows fast assembly and removal of packaging materials. In order for the edge protectors of the present system to interlock, the first and second bands need to have a thickness similar to that of the intermediate arms. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may be made from a combination of different materials allowing for various degrees for malleability. Likewise, the material used may allow for different types of angular extremities to be protected. For instances, the first band could be made from laminated cardboard whereas the second band could be made from polymer. In such case the pluralities of intermediate arms could be made of different shock absorbing materials or from a material identical to one of the bands. The various combinations of materials will generally allow for the tailoring of the edge protector to the type of merchandise to be stored or transported. 
         [0011]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may have a shape varying from a flat band or a 180 degree angle to an angle as small as the material may allow. As such, a smaller angle will typically be permitted when using a polymer whereas laminated cardboard which is typically bent to the desired angle may have some limitation when encountering very small angles. 
         [0012]    Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an edge protector from an edge protector and packaging system according to the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the edge protector of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the edge protector of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the edge protector of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a lateral view of the edge protector of  FIG. 1   
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of an assembly of two edge protectors. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an assembly of two edge protectors. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view a three-dimensional assembly of edge protectors. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top view of an edge protector having the first band shorter than the second band. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    A novel edge protector and packaging system will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , an edge protector  20  according to the principle of the present invention is shown. The edge protector  20  is made from a combination of at least two bands  10 ,  14 , generally bent to a 90 degrees angle. The first and second bands  10 ,  14  are typically joined together by a plurality of intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  bent to the same angle as the first and second bands  10 ,  14 . The intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  preferably have the same thickness as the first and second bands  10 ,  14 . The intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  joining the at least two bands  10 ,  14  create a space  22  between the at least two bands  10 ,  14 . This space  22  will allow for the tightening of wrapping or strapping material without damaging the corners or angles of the article being wrapped or strapped. The space or void will act as a buffer and a cushion allowing the angles or corners to be further isolated from the strapping material. 
         [0025]    Still referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the edge protector according to the present invention may be manufactured from a single paper or polymer band or strip which will further be sliced in different band lengths. Upon slicing of the bands the first and second bands  10 ,  14  will generally be joined by intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  also made from shorter band strips. The bands  10 ,  14  and intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  are typically joined by a hot melt or other suitable adhesive at the adjoining faces  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 . The simplicity of manufacture of such material allow for lower manufacturing costs which is a significant advantage for the packaging industry. 
         [0026]    Now referring to  FIGS. 2-5 , in the present embodiment, the edge protector  20  of the present invention includes generally right angle bands  10 ,  14  typically made from paperboard or of laminated sheets of paperboard into a rigid right angle  52 . Although, in the present embodiment, the edge protectors are presented with right angles  52 , the edge protector  20  may have any angle that is substantially adapted to fit the corner of the merchandise to be transported or stored. The right angle paperboard bands  10 ,  14  are typically joined via a plurality of intermediate arms such that the first band has an inside surface and an outside surface. The inside surface of the first band  32  is generally in contact with the outer surface of the intermediate arms  24 ,  26 ,  28 . In addition, the inner surface of the intermediate arms  32 ,  34 ,  36  are in contact with the outer surface  30  of the second band  14 . 
         [0027]    Now referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in the present embodiment, the edge protectors  20 ,  21  are configured to interlock or engage thereby allowing the edge protectors  20 ,  21  to create an assembly  40  having the size of the merchandise to be transported or stored. In order for the two edge protectors  20 ,  21  to interlock, a portion of one of the bands  10 ,  14  of the first edge protector  20  is inserted in the space  22  between the first and second bands  10 ,  14  of the second edge protector  21 . The assembly of the two edge protectors  20 ,  21  will result in a frame that may protect both horizontal and vertical corners of the article to be transported or stored. The edge protectors  20 ,  21  according to the present invention could also be made from a variety of material such as laminated paper, polymer or composite material as long as the material allows for some degree of flexibility to enable the engagement of a first edge protector  20  into a second edge protector  21 . 
         [0028]    Now referring to  FIG. 8 , an assembly  80  of the edge protectors  20  of the present embodiment is shown. In  FIG. 8 , an assembly suitable to substantially cover the angles of an article to be shipped wherein its four vertical edges would be retained by upper and lower bands or straps (not shown) surrounding the edge protectors  20  and article. The bands or straps (not shown) used to secure the edge protectors on the article are typically made of steel or a high strength plastic and are tensioned to tightly secure the load. The outer band  10  of each edge protector  20  provides for tightening of the straps including preventing their substantial biting into the edges of the article. The edge protectors  20  provide protection to the edges of the article and the space between both bands  22  provides the edge protectors  20  with stacking strength. 
         [0029]    In the present embodiment, the edge protectors  20 ,  21  may be of various lengths to fit the article to be transported or stored. As such, the number of plurality of intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  may also depend of the desired stiffness of the edge protectors. Accordingly, the shorter the interval between the intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18 , the stiffer the edge protectors  20 ,  21  will be. Similarly, with a greater number of intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18 , the edge protectors  20 ,  21  will generally enable a more rigid overall assembly. 
         [0030]    In another embodiment, now referring to  FIG. 9 , the edge protector  20  may be built using bands  10 ,  14  having different widths. For instance, the first band  10  of this other embodiment is shorter than the second band  14 . Such shorter first band may be desired in some installations. In this other embodiment, the width of the legs  14   a  and  14   b  of the second band  14  may be two inches each whereas the width of the legs  10   a  and  10   b  of the first band  10  may be around 1.5 inches. Thus, there is provided a distinct offset between the outside surface  42  of the first band  10  and the outside surface  30  of the second band  14 , for example, on the order of 0.24 (0.12 for the first band  10  and 0.12 for the intermediate arms  12 ,  18 ) inch in the embodiment described. Thus, when the edge protectors  20  are placed in a stack for shipping or for loading into the magazine of a packaging machine, they more easily separate from one another. Thus, for example, a packaging machine may utilize an automatic mechanical pick up such as clamps instead of the more complicated suction cups to grab and place the edge protectors in position for packaging. 
         [0031]    One of the particular advantages of the present invention is that it provides for the use of lighter weight angles useful for stretch wrap applications. Normally, an angle of such light weight would not maintain its right angle integrity. However, in the combination of the present invention with the intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18 , such lightweight angles do substantially maintain integrity. 
         [0032]    An example of the edge protector and packaging system of the present invention was designed having four inches wide bands  10 ,  14  and intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  resulting upon bending of the bands in an edge protector  20  having sides about two inches each. As such, the edge protector  20  is able to substantially protect the corners of the article or merchandise to be shipped. In this embodiment, the thickness of the laminated cardboard bands, forming each of the first band  10 , the second band  14  and the intermediate arms  12 , is about 0.12 inch, the combination of the two bands  10 ,  14  and intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  resulting in an edge protector  20  having about 0.36 inch combined thickness. Upon assembly of multiple edge protectors  20 ,  21  the combined thickness of the edge protector assembly will be about 0.48 inch. In this embodiment, the intermediate arms  12 ,  16 ,  18  were about an inch in length and spaced about 18 inches apart. 
         [0033]    For purposes of economy, the bands and intermediate arms may be formed of four-inch wide strips of paper which generally is the narrowest paper roll available off of a cylinder board paper machine. Thus, in a typical embodiment, each bands and intermediate arms may be on the order of four inches in width. 
         [0034]    In yet another embodiment, the edge protector could be built from more than two bands. For instance, the edge protectors in this other embodiment could be made from a combination of three bands wherein intermediate arms would be inserted between the first and second band but as well between the second and third bands. This other embodiment would result in a higher strength edge protector. This kind of other embodiment would be suitable for articles that are more fragile. The extra thickness created by the addition of a layer of intermediate arms and a layer of band material would provide for improved insulation of the angles of the article from the straps used to bind the packaging assembly. 
         [0035]    In yet another embodiment, the intermediate arms  12  could be of a thickness different from the thickness of the two bands. Typically, depending on the specific application, such thickness may vary between 8/100 of an inch to 40/100 of an inch, although smaller or larger thicknesses may also be considered. 
         [0036]    While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.