Abstract:
A unitary packaging device for packaging an article includes a resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments, the polymer monofilaments being heat welded at junctions to form an open network of tangled monofilament, and the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments is configured to modify the contact area between the article and an exterior container.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a unitary packaging structure, and in particular, to a dimensionally stable and resilient packaging device constructed of a three-dimensional polymeric filament network. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Shipping of fragile articles requires special packaging to provide shock absorbing to avoid damage to the fragile articles. Packaging of many devices is typically done with an exterior container and interior packaging. Exterior containers are almost always made from cardboard and interior packaging is designed to limit movement within the exterior container. The interior packaging may be made from many different types of products, including molded cardboard, plastic bubbles, polymeric “peanuts,” or crumpled paper. 
         [0003]    The packaging industry is currently dominated with interior packaging made of folded cardboard that is designed to create space and provide support within an exterior container. For example, merchandise such as televisions and other electronics are shipped with a cardboard exterior container and a cardboard interior packaging structure. An alternative interior packaging structure to cardboard may be a cut or molded polystyrene material shaped to the contours of the merchandise being shipped. These molded structures are typically made from expanded polystyrene and are bulky and expensive to ship. In addition, the polystyrene structures are not easy to recycle. 
         [0004]    In small product packaging, such as a toy or battery package, the interior packaging structure includes a “bubble pack” that is used to create a shell to hold the product within the exterior container. 
         [0005]    With the purchasing of many products, consumers are turning more and more to internet direct purchasing. Shipping of many of these internet-purchased products is based as much on the weight of the exterior container and interior packaging as on the weight of the product itself. Because of the high cost of shipping, smaller, less bulky and more lightweight packaging material is desired so that the cost savings may be passed on to the consumer. 
         [0006]    It is known in this industry how to create forms or molds for stamping out formed plastic injection molded materials. This expensive process is typically one in which the manufacturer creates a design, sends the design to a metal work shop, and has the profile cut into steel for injecting plastic into the space creating an interior packaging structure in the shape of the product to be packaged. The steel forming can be extremely expensive to develop. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a unitary packaging device for packaging an article including a resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments, the polymer monofilaments being heat welded at junctions to form an open network of tangled monofilament, wherein the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments is configured to modify the contact area between the article and an exterior container. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, the extruded polymer monofilaments include a polyolefin, polyamide, polyester, polyvinylhalide, polystyrene, polyvinylester, or a mixture of two or more thereof. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments has a plurality of protrusions. The plurality of protrusions may have a shape selected from among cones, truncated cones, pyramids having polygonal bases, truncated pyramids having polygonal bases, cylinders, prisms, spherical elements, and combinations of two or more thereof. In one embodiment, the plurality of protrusions is aligned into an array of rows. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment, the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments is configured to form an article-receiving cavity surrounded by an article-contacting surface. The article-receiving cavity may be contoured to the shape of the article. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the unitary packaging device further includes a compressible layer overlaying at least a portion of the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments. In one embodiment, the compressible layer includes a high-loft nonwoven fabric. The compressible layer may be positioned between the article and the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments. 
         [0012]    In one aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging system including two or more of the unitary packaging devices, wherein each unitary packaging device contacts the article. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment, the resilient three-dimensional web of the packaging device has at least one pair of interlocking formations, wherein the resilient three-dimensional web is configured to be foldable onto itself and secured in a folded position by engaging the least one pair of interlocking formations. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, the resilient three dimensional web of the packaging device includes top and bottom shell halves and a hinge integrally formed with and interconnecting the top and bottom shell halves, the top and bottom shell halves cooperatively defining a cavity for containing the article. In one embodiment, the packaging device further includes at least one pair of interlocking formations positioned at marginal portions of the top and bottom shell halves. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a portion of the polymeric packaging device formed from tangled polymer filaments in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the resilient three-dimensional polymer monofilament packaging device having a plurality of protrusions. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 2B   2 H are perspective views of embodiments of the protrusions of  FIG. 2A , having a shape of cones, truncated cones, pyramids having polygonal bases, truncated pyramids having polygonal bases, cylinders, prisms, and spherical units, respectively. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2I  is a top view of an embodiment of the packaging device with a plurality of protrusions aligned into an array of rows. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the resilient three-dimensional polymer monofilament packaging device configured to form an article-receiving cavity, the cavity contoured to complement the shape of the article to be packaged. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a packaging system that includes two resilient three-dimensional polymer monofilament members that cooperate to receive an article within a cavity contoured to accommodate the shape of the article. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side view of an embodiment of the packaging device that includes a compressible layer overlaying at least a portion of the resilient three-dimensional web of extruded polymer monofilaments. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the resilient three-dimensional polymer monofilament packaging device configured in a foldable clam-shell like container in an open position and having two pairs of interlocking formations. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 7A-7C  are perspective views of an exemplary embodiment of a packaging insert constructed of a resilient three-dimensional polymer monofilament material configured to receive an electronic component within an article-receiving cavity, the packaging insert stabilizing the electronic component within an outer container. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    The present invention is directed to a resilient packaging device formed of an open network of randomly oriented polymeric filaments. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a portion of the packaging device is shown. The packaging device is constructed of a web  10  formed from a plurality of extruded polymer monofilaments  12 . The plurality of filaments  12  are heat fused to one another at randomly spaced points to form a three-dimensional, convoluted and mutually interconnected filamentatious body having an open structure. Filament free voids  13  are formed within the resilient structure, which allow the structure to absorb impacts. The polymer filament material is preferably constructed in accordance with techniques disclosed by, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,759; 3,691,004; and 4,212,692, the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
         [0025]    The monofilaments  12  of web  10  may be made from any thermoplastic polymer that provides the desired properties of strength and resilience for the application in which it is used. For example, the monofilaments  12  may be made of a polyolefin (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.), polyamide (e.g., Nylon), polyester, polyvinylhalide (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyltetrafluoride, polyvinyl chlorotrifluoride), polystyrene, polyvinylester (e.g., polyvinyl acetate, etc.) or a mixture of two or more thereof. The monofilaments  12  are extruded onto a mold having the desired structural profile to form the packaging device. 
         [0026]    One of the benefits of the packaging device of the present invention is the lowered cost of molding. The length of the belt or conveyer used in the manufacturing process can be minimized through quick cooling and made from a much less expensive process than computer-aided design (CAD) and computer numerical control (CNC) cut molds. Die cut pieces can be created to form simple geometric patterns in the packaging device. Another beneficial characteristic is that some of the cutting can be done in the same process as the extrusion. Instead of manufacturing cardboard pieces and die cutting them separately, the process of the present invention can produce the molded packaging material and in the same process die cut the finished part. The packaging device can be corrugated in order to create strength. The packaging device can have natural straight line molded areas so as to enhance folding ability. 
         [0027]    The processing enhancement and the unique look of the web  10  formed from a plurality of extruded polymer monofilaments  12  makes the packaging device of the present invention attractive to those companies wanting to stand out. The monofilaments  12  can be any color, and can be transparent or translucent to a more typical, less expensive black filament made from recycled polymers. Also, the filament based materials minimize the overall costs by lowering the quantity of material used to create the packaging device. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 2A , in one embodiment the packaging device  18  includes a plurality of protrusions  20 . The plurality of protrusions  20  modifies the contact area between the packaging device  18  and the packaged article and/or the packaging device  18  and the exterior container. The protrusions may extend outward from the surface of the packaging material to protect the packaged article from impacts. Referring to  FIGS. 2B   2 H, in multiple embodiments, the plurality of protrusions  20  have a shape of cones  22 , truncated cones  24 , pyramids having polygonal bases  26 , truncated pyramids having polygonal bases  28 , cylinders  30 , prisms  32 , or spherical units  34 , respectively. The packaging device may include combinations of two or more different shapes of protrusions. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 2I , in one embodiment the plurality of protrusions  20  is aligned into an array of rows  36 . The array of rows  36  can provide support over a greater area of the packaged article. Moreover, each protrusion can be designed to contact a specific area of the article in order to allow the exterior container to better absorb the shock of a drop. Also, each protrusion can be engineered to provide a compressible cushion for the article by collapsing when faced with an excess load. Further, a totally randomly oriented filament process can create a uniform support that transfers load from the article to the exterior container uniformly. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , in one embodiment the packaging device  18  is configured to form an article-receiving cavity  40  surrounded by an article-contacting surface  42 . For example, the article-receiving cavity can have a wine glass shaped configuration to accommodate the contours of a wine glass  41  placed within the cavity  40 . 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , in one aspect a packaging system  60  includes a pair of webs. In one embodiment, a first web  62  and a second web  64  can be mirror images of each other if the article  41  to be placed within the article-receiving cavity has a symmetrical shape. The packaging system can include a pair of webs configured to cooperatively define an article-receiving cavity  40   a ,  40   b  for closely retaining a symmetrical or non-symmetrical article to be packaged. The pair of webs supports the article toward the center of the package. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , in one embodiment a compressible layer  50  overlies at least a portion of the web  10  and is positioned between a packaged article  52  and the web  10 . The compressible layer  50  may be manufactured from an ultra lightweight fabric that is “cotton” like in nature. The fabric  50  may be designed to compress into the web  10  creating a small cushion under the plurality of extruded polymer monofilaments  12  and pressing back toward the web  10 . The fabric  50  can be made from a polymer based filament in a manufacturing process known as carding. In carding, chopped filaments are combed in one direction and then heated and needled to make them combine into a monolithic mat. In the needling operation, sharp, thin metal prongs (i.e., needles) are driven in and out of the filaments to entangle them together. This process of carding, heating, and needling allows for the material to achieve a high loft or thick fabric quality. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , in one embodiment the packaging device  80  formed from a plurality of extruded polymer monofilaments  12  has a clam shell configuration, including a bottom shell half  70  and a top shell half  74  that are connected by connection section  72 . Packaging device  80  is illustrated in the unfolded or open position. The bottom shell half  70  has an outer lip  92  that includes a downwardly facing locking dome  76 B. The top shell half  74  has an outer lip  94  that includes an upwardly facing locking dome  76 A, which is complementary to locking dome  76 B. The connection section  72 , which acts as a flexible hinge for the packaging device  80 , includes a pair of complementary interlocking domes  78 A and  78 B positioned on opposing sides of fold line  82 . Arrow  90  indicates the fold direction of the packaging device  80 . Upon folding the packaging device  80  along fold line  82  in the folding direction, dome  78 A engages dome  78 B and dome  76 A on the outer lip  94  of the top shell half engages dome  76 B on the outer lip  92  on the bottom shell half  70  to secure the packaging device  80  in a closed position. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 7A to 7C , in one embodiment the packaging device  100  is a container insert for packaging an electronic component  104 , such as a computer monitor or flat screen television. The packaging device  100  includes an article receiving cavity  102  that is configured to complement the shape of the electronic component  104 . The outer dimensions of packaging device  100 , i.e., the length (L), width (W) and height (H), are matched to the dimensions of an outer container  106 . The electronic component  104  is nested in the article-receiving cavity  102 , and the packaging device  100  is nested in the outer container  106 . The three-dimensional polymeric filament network of the packaging device  100  acts as a shock absorber to protect the electronic component  104  within the outer container  106  during transport and storage. 
         [0035]    Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, it is understood that equivalents and modifications may occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification. The present invention is intended to include all such equivalents and modifications as they come within the scope of the following claims.