Abstract:
An endboard for supporting a roll of material is provided. The endboard consists of a substantially rigid member that is sized and shaped to receive and support the roll of material. The endboard is molded from a mixture of plastic and sawdust. The combination of plastic and sawdust provides improved loading bearing strength and allows for support of heavy rolls of material without requiring the roll to support itself on its face. The endboard design thus prevents damage to the rolled material stored in horizontal fashion. In a preferred embodiment, the endboard has a series of elongated substantially parallel recessed portions that are vertically aligned and at least partially define vertical ribbed portions. The recessed portions and ribbed portions thus reduce the amount of material needed for construction of the endboards, while maintaining the structural integrity thereof.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/477,832, filed on Jun. 12, 2003. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a roll end support for packaging rolls of material. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a molded endboard for supporting a roll of material in horizontal orientation. The endboard is formed of a mixture of plastic and sawdust and has at least one recessed and/or ribbed face to provide structural support and to minimize the cost of construction of the endboard.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Webs of materials and other types of extruded components are commonly shipped and stored as a roll of material wound around a cardboard, center core. These rolls of materials can be damaged by contact during storage and shipment and, as such, are typically shipped and stored with the center core supported along a horizontal axis. Since these rolls of material are not stackable by themselves, various types of packaging systems have been developed for transport and storage of such rolls.  
           [0004]    Various cradle-type packages have been developed that hold a horizontal roll in place, keep it from rolling, and allow numerous horizontal rolls to be stacked. However, these cradle-type packages typically do not provide adequate support for a heavy roll and often require a heavy roll to support itself on its own face surface. Since the roll of material is typically supported along its face, the face of the roll can be damaged or marred during shipment and storage of the material.  
           [0005]    Various suspension-type packages have been developed that suspend the roll in horizontal fashion from the roll&#39;s center core. Suspension-type packaging, however, is typically more expensive and more difficult to use than cradle-type packages. A typical suspension-type packaging system, such as the system shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,489,274 and 3,685,644, utilizes a particle endboard that is typically ½ to 1 inch thick and has a hole cut in the center of the board to accommodate the center core of the roll and a core plug. The endboards are typically square shaped, each side being approximately 1 inch longer than the diameter of the roll to be supported.  
           [0006]    The core plug is passed through a hole in the endboard and into the center core of the roll material to be packaged, such that an endboard and core plug is required for each end of the roll to be supported. Once the pair of endboards are attached to each end of the roll of material to be supported, the endboards can be stacked on top of each other to create a pallet for shipment and storage. Typically, most pallets include a series of metal or plastic straps to hold the pallet in a secure arrangement for shipping and storage.  
           [0007]    It is therefore desirable to overcome the drawbacks of known horizontal roll packaging methods by providing a simple, effective, sturdy and cost-efficient packaging means for packaging and stacking multiple rolls of webs of material in a horizontal orientation. Specifically, it is desirable to provide an inexpensive suspension-type packaging construction that provides adequate support for a horizontally stacked roll, such that the rolled material is not damaged. It is further desirable to provide a packaging construction that is lightweight and that provides for easy maneuvering of the packaged horizontal roll.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention relates to an endboard and system for packaging a roll of material in a generally horizontal orientation. The endboard is molded from a mixture of plastic and sawdust and comprises a substantially rigid member that is sized and shaped to receive and support the roll of material.  
           [0009]    The endboard has a center hole sized to receive a core plug that couples the endboard to an end of a web of rolled material. The core plug is passed through the hole in the endboard and into the core of the roll of material to be packaged—one endboard/plug assembly for each end of the roll of material. The endboards are typically secured to the roll by strapping.  
           [0010]    The endboard of the present invention is easily and inexpensively manufactured. The combination of plastic and sawdust provides a lightweight endboard that has improved load bearing strength and allows for support of heavy rolls of material without requiring the roll to support itself on its face. The endboard design thus prevents damage to rolled material stored in horizontal fashion.  
           [0011]    In a preferred embodiment, the endboard has a series of elongated substantially parallel recessed portions that are vertically aligned when the endboard is supporting the roll of material. The recessed portions may define vertical ribbed portions. The recessed portions and ribbed portions reduce the amount of material needed for construction of the endboard, while maintaining structural integrity of the endboard. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a view of the exterior face of a first embodiment of the endboard of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a view of the exterior face of a second embodiment of the endboard of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a view of the interior face of either at the endboards shown in FIG. 1 or  2 .  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the packaging system of the present invention employing the endboard embodiment shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the packaging system shown in FIG. 4. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    In the preferred embodiments of the present invention described in detail below, a roll end support for supporting a roll of material is provided. It should be understood that the drawings and specification are to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, which is more particularly defined in the appended claims. For example, although the figures depict various embodiments of an endboard having a certain shape and construction, it should be understood that the overall shape, size and design of the endboard may vary and yet still fall within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0019]    The present invention relates to a roll end support for packaging and supporting a roll of material. In the preferred embodiments, the invention comprises a molded endboard formed from a mixture of plastics and wood products. Preferably the endboard is formed from a mixture of recycled plastic and scrap wood products, such as sawdust. Preferably, the endboard is formed from a mixture of sawdust and polyethylene. More preferably, the material used to form the endboard consists of between 40% and 50% by volume of fine sawdust and between 50% and 60% by volume of low-density polyethylene. The fine sawdust can be replaced with either normal or coarse sawdust while operating within the scope of the invention. Likewise, it is contemplated that the low-density polyethylene can be replaced by either high molecular weight polyethylene or ultra high molecular weight polyethylene while operating within the scope of the invention. Typically, low-density polyethylene is recovered from the recycling of paper, milk and juice cartons. Thus, the material used to form the endboard of the present invention is typically recovered from recycled plastic components and the waste materials from wood processing centers.  
         [0020]    The unique make-up and construction of the endboard of the present invention provides several advantages. The combination of sawdust and polyethylene provides a significant amount of structural integrity and strength for an endboard that is relatively small in size. The sawdust and polyethylene further provides a lightweight endboard that is capable of securely supporting a much heavier roll of material.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the endboard  10  of the present invention. The endboard  10  is generally square-shaped and, as such, has a top edge  12 , a bottom edge  14 , a left edge  16 , and a right edge  18 . Because in the preferred embodiment the endboard  10  is square, the top edge  12 , bottom edge  14 , left edge  16  and right edge  18  have substantially the same length. As shown most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, the endboard  10  is a substantially planar rigid member that is sized and shaped to receive and support a roll of material. In the preferred embodiment, the endboard  10  is about 1 inch thick.  
         [0022]    The endboard  10  has a center hole  20  that may vary in size, but must have an appropriate diameter for receiving a core plug  21  (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), that couples the endboard  10  to an end of a rolled material, as is well known in the art.  
         [0023]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the endboard  10  has an exterior face  11  that has a plurality of recessed areas. The form and shape of the recessed areas may vary substantially, and it should be recognized that the embodiments depicted in the drawings represent preferred embodiments and do not limit the inventive concept exemplified in the description and recited in the appended claims. It is, however, preferable that the recessed areas are substantially vertically elongated when the rolls are aligned in horizontal formation. This preferred arrangement increases the load strength of the endboard  10  and allows for heavy rolls to be properly supported.  
         [0024]    In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a left recessed portion  22  and a right recessed portion  24  are formed in the exterior face  11  of the endboard  10  on opposing sides of the center hole  20 . It is preferable that the left recessed portion  22  and the right recessed portion  24  are located equidistant from the center hole  20 , such that the structural integrity of the endboard  10  remains balanced when multiple endboards supporting rolled material are stacked. The left recessed portion  22  and right recessed portion  24  are uniformly cut ⅝ inches deep into the exterior face  11  of the endboard  10 .  
         [0025]    As mentioned above, the shape of the recessed areas may vary, however as shown, the left recessed portion  22  and right recessed portion  24  are substantially equal in surface area and are elongated along the vertical access of the endboard  10  such that the left recessed portion  22  and right recessed portion  24  are substantially parallel. As shown in FIG. 1, both of the left recessed portion  22  and right recessed portion  24  have upper and lower bulged portions  30 ,  31 .  
         [0026]    In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an upper center recessed portion  26  and a lower center recessed portion  28  are formed in the exterior face  11  above and beneath the center hole  20 , respectively. It is preferable that the upper center recessed portion  26  and lower center recessed portion  28  are located equidistant from the center hole  20 , such that the structural integrity of the endboard  10  remains balanced when multiple endboards supporting rolls of material are stacked. The upper center recessed portion  26  and lower center recessed portion  28  are preferably uniformly cut ⅝ inches deep into the exterior face  11  of the endboard  10 . The shape of the upper center recessed portion  26  and lower center recessed portion  28  may vary; however as depicted, the upper center recessed portion  26  and lower center recessed portion  28  are substantially equal in surface area and are elongated along the vertical axis of the endboard  10 .  
         [0027]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the top edge  12  and bottom edge  14  of the endboard  10  are designed to matingly couple the endboard  10  to other endboards when multiple horizontal rolls are stacked in vertical formation. Both the top edge  12  and the bottom edge  14  have a pair of uniformly cut notches  33  that are cut out of the endboard  10  at a location immediately above and below the left recess portion  22  and right recess portion  24 , respectively.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIG. 2, an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the endboard  110  is generally square-shaped and, as such, has a top edge  12 , a bottom edge  14 , a left edge  16 , and a right edge  18  that are of generally the same length. As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the endboard  110  is a substantially rigid member that is sized and shaped to receive and support a roll of material in a horizontal orientation.  
         [0029]    The endboard  110  has a center hole  20  that may vary in size, but must have an appropriate diameter for receiving a core plug  21  which couples the endboard  110  to an end of a roll of material, as is well known in the art.  
         [0030]    The endboard  110  has a series of recessed areas that are preferably uniformly cut ⅝ inches deep into the exterior face  111  of the endboard  110 . As mentioned above, the shape of the recessed areas may vary, however as depicted, the recessed areas are elongated along the vertical access of the endboard  110 .  
         [0031]    More specifically, a pair of outer recessed portions  134  and a pair of inner recessed portions  133  are cut into the exterior face  111  of the endboard  110 . The outer recessed portions  134  and inner recessed portions  133  are sized and shaped to define ribbed portions that are generally parallel in alignment and elongated along the vertical access of the endboard  110 . More specifically, a left ribbed portion  136  and a right ribbed portion  138  are formed in the exterior face  111  of the endboard  110  and defined in shape by the inner recessed portions  133  and outer recessed portion  134 . As such, the left ribbed portion  136  and right ribbed portion  138  are formed on opposing sides of the center hole  120 .  
         [0032]    It is preferable that the left ribbed portion  136  and right ribbed portion  138  are located equidistant from the center hole  20 , such that the structural integrity of the endboard  110  remains balanced when multiple endboards supporting rolls of material are stacked. The left ribbed portion  136  and right ribbed portion  138  may vary in shape, however as shown, the left ribbed portion  136  and right ribbed portion  138  are substantially equal in surface area and are elongated along the vertical axis of the endboard  110 . Each ribbed portion has upper and lower bulged portions  140 ,  141 .  
         [0033]    In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 2, an upper center ribbed portion  142  and a lower center ribbed portion  144  are formed in the exterior face  111  above and beneath the center hole  120 , respectively. It is preferable that the upper center ribbed portion  142  and the lower center ribbed portion  144  are located equidistant from the center hole  20 , such that the structural integrity of the endboard  110  remains balanced when multiple endboards supporting rolls are stacked. The upper center ribbed portion  142  and lower center ribbed portion  144  may vary in shape and size, however as depicted, the upper center ribbed portion  142  and lower center ribbed portion  144  are substantially equal in surface area and are elongated along the vertical axis of the endboard  110 .  
         [0034]    As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the endboard  110  shown in FIG. 2, has a pair of notches  33  formed in the top edge  12  and the bottom edge  14 , respectively. The notches  33  are sized and shaped to receive strapping that further secures the endboard  110  to an end of a roll of material, as will be discussed further below.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIG. 3, the interior face  13  of the endboard  10 ,  110  is shown. The interior face  13  is generally planar, square shaped and has a center hole  20 .  
         [0036]    Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a packaging system  50 . The packaging system  50  is particularly desirable for supporting a cylindrical roll of material in a horizontal orientation, as illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, an upper pair of upper cylindrical rolls  52 ,  54  are stacked in horizontal fashion on top of a lower pair of lower cylindrical rolls  56 ,  58 . In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the upper and lower cylindrical rolls comprise a web of material  60  wound around a center core  62 . The outer surface  64  of each cylindrical roll is spaced from the outer edges of the packaging system  50  such that each cylindrical roll is fully supported and spaced from other rolls packaged using the packaging system  50 .  
         [0037]    Although the packaging system  50  shown in FIG. 4 supports a plurality of cylindrical rolls of webbed material  60 , such as continuous sheets of plastic film, it should be understood that the packaging system  50  may be used to support cylindrical rolls of other types of material, such as a continuous strip of extruded zipper closer profiles to used in the manufacture of recloseable packaging.  
         [0038]    Each cylindrical roll is supported at its ends by a pair of endboards. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that either of the endboard embodiments  10 ,  110  depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, may be implemented into the system  50 . In the particular embodiment shown, the upper cylindrical roll  52  is supported at each end by a pair of endboards  10 , such as that depicted in FIG. 1. The upper cylindrical roll  54  is supported at each end by endboards  110 , such as that depicted in FIG. 2. The endboards  10  and  110  are aligned adjacent each other to form the upper row in the packaging system  50 .  
         [0039]    Lower cylindrical roll  56  is supported at each end by a pair of endboards  10 , such as that depicted in FIG. 1. Lower cylindrical roll  58  is supported at each end by a pair of endboards  110 , such as that depicted in FIG. 2. The endboards  10 ,  110  are aligned adjacent each other to form the lower row in the packaging system.  
         [0040]    As is well known in the art, each endboard  10 ,  110  is attached to a respective end of a cylindrical roll by means of a core plug  21 . More specifically, a core plug is fitted into the center hole  20  in the endboard  10 ,  110  and further inserted into the center core  62  of the web of material  60 . In this manner, the endboard  10 ,  110  is securably coupled to the end of the cylindrical roll.  
         [0041]    As is also well known in the art, the packaging system  50  is supported by a base board  66 . Further support is provided by an intermediate base board  68  and a top board  70 .  
         [0042]    As is further well known in the art, strapping (not shown) may be wound around the opposing endboards and secured thereto within the notches  33 . The strapping is used to further secure the endboards to each end of the roll and thus add further stability to the system  50 .  
         [0043]    Various alternatives and embodiments are contemplated a being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.