Abstract:
An apparatus, means and system are described for providing a load center container apparatus for use with a load center, in which a container is adapted to receive a load center, wherein the container has a plurality of sides, an open top and a closed bottom, and a cover adapted to cover said open top of the container, wherein the container apparatus has a removable load center protector that is adapted for mounting on a load center. A method is also described for providing a method for protecting a load center using a load center packaging assembly having a load center protector.

Description:
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/688,915 filed Jul. 31, 1996. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to an apparatus, means and method for providing a container, carton or package for a load center, in which the container, carton or package has integral and separable sections that may be used to aid in protecting a load center from various contaminants or other damage during and after installation. 
     2. Description of Art 
     Electrical load centers, such as are used in residential applications, may be shipped or transported in their own containers, cartons or other such packaging. When the load centers are installed, they are removed from such packaging. When a load center is installed, such as by mounting it flush in a wall or on a load center mounting board, the face plate or trim plate may be left off temporarily so that the load center may be wired more easily. However, where the interior components of the load center are left exposed, they may become contaminated or damaged by dirt, paint or other contaminants that may, for example, accompany adjacent construction activity. For example, where the load center is mounted flush between wall studs, painting the surrounding walls may result in paint contaminating the interior load center components unless the load center components are first somehow covered or otherwise protected in some way. 
     Consequently, it is believed that there is a need for a load center container, carton or packaging system that includes an integral load center protector. There is also a need for such a container, carton or packaging system, in which the integral load center protector is adapted so that it may be installed in place by using load center protector flanges to secure the load center protector with respect to the enclosure flanges of the load center enclosure that houses the interior load center components. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to advance or improve the existing art. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a load center container apparatus for use with a load center, comprising a container adapted to receive a load center, wherein the container has a plurality of sides, an open top and a closed bottom, and a cover adapted to cover the open top of the container, wherein the container apparatus has a removable load center protector that is adapted for mounting on a load center. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a load center container apparatus for use with a load center, comprising a container means for receiving a load center, where the container means has a plurality of sides, an open top and a closed bottom, and a cover means for covering the open top of the container means, wherein the container apparatus has a removable load center protector means for mounting on a load center. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a load center container system comprising a load center, a container adapted to receive the load center, wherein the container has a plurality of sides, an open top and a closed bottom, and a cover adapted to cover the open top of the container, wherein the container apparatus has a removable load center protector that is adapted for mounting on the load center. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a load center container system for use with a load center, comprising a load center means, a container means for receiving the load center, where the container means has a plurality of sides, an open top and a closed bottom, and a cover means for covering the open top of the container means, wherein the container apparatus has a removable load center protector means for mounting on the load center. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for protecting a load center using a load center protector, where the load center protector has a plurality of interior foldable flanges, comprising the following steps: folding at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges of the load center protector, positioning the load center protector over the load center, and inserting at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges into an interior area of the load center. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for protecting a load center using a load center container apparatus, where the load center container apparatus has a removable load center protector having a plurality of interior foldable flanges, comprising the following steps: removing the removable load center protector from the load center container apparatus, folding at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges of the removable load center protector, positioning the load center protector over the load center, and inserting at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges of the load center protector into an interior area of the load center. 
     These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated with reference to the detailed description of preferred embodiments discussed below together with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a drawing of an embodiment of the load center packaging assembly system having an integral load center protector. 
     FIG. 1B is a drawing of an alternative embodiment of the load center packaging assembly system having an integral load center protector. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are additional drawings of the load center packaging assembly having an integral load center protector. 
     FIG. 3 is a drawing of the integral load center protector and the load center enclosure without the trim and door assembly. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings of the way in which the load center protector is attached, mounted or secured with respect to the load center enclosure so as to aid in protecting the interior load center components. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1A to 4B, the load center container or packaging system 1 comprises a load center assembly 10 and a load center packaging assembly 30. The load center packaging assembly 30 further comprises a container, carton or package 32 and a load center cover 35, which is hinged along one side edge 32a of the carton, container or package 32. In FIG. 1A, the load center carton 32 preferably has four rectangular sides 32b, 32c, 32d and 32e. Alternatively, in FIG. 1B, each of the four sides 32b, 32c, 32d and 32e has a trapezoidal shape so that a flush-mount load center assembly 10 may sit relatively securely within the carton 32. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the load center assembly 10 is a flush-mount load center. A flush-mount load center assembly 10 is one that sits flush in a wall, and may be mounted between the wall studs. Load centers are well known in the art, and, of course, any type load center assembly may be used. The load center assembly 10 comprises a trim and door assembly 13, a load center enclosure 14 and interior load center components 15 (see FIGS. 3 and 4A). As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, for shipping, the load center assembly 10 may be packed in a packing material 11, such as bubble packaging material. In both FIGS. 1A and 1B, the container 32 is covered by a cover 35 having an integral load center protector 37. As shown, the cover 35 may be hingedly connected on one edge side 32a of the carton 32. Finally, as shown in FIG. 1A, the carton or container 32 has carton foldable side flanges 32u and 32t. 
     As shown in FIG. 1B, since the load center assembly 10 is a flush-mount load center, the trim and door assembly 13 has a larger footprint than does the load center enclosure 14. Accordingly, the smaller footprint of the load center enclosure 14 fits within the smaller footprint of a bottom 32f, which is bounded by lower corners 32j, 32k, 32l and 32m, of the carton 32. Similarly, the larger footprint of the trim and door assembly 13 of the load center assembly 10 fits within the larger footprint of the top area or portion of the carton 32 bounded by upper corners 35j, 35k, 35l and 35m. 
     As shown in FIG. 2A, the carton 32 also has integral foldable locking tabs 32o and 32p, which are used to secure the cover 35 and integral load center protector 37 when the load center packaging assembly 30 has been opened. The cover 35, having the integral load center protector 37, has a cover foldable flange 36, which has locking tab apertures or openings 35o and 35p that are designed to receive the locking tabs 32o and 32p, respectively, so as to secure the cover 35 and integral load center protector 37 when the load center packaging assembly 30 has been opened. Prior to shipping, the inner side of the cover foldable flange 36 is glued to the top portion of the outer side of side 32e. 
     The integral load center protector 37 is removably connected to the main part of the cover 35. Referring to FIGS. 2B and 3, the integral load center protector 37 may be removed by punching out a finger-hold portion 37a of integral load center protector 37. A user may then insert a forefinger into finger-hold aperture or opening 37b, and remove the integral load center protector 35b by breaking or separating the apertured or perforated lines 37b, 37c, 37d and 37e. Additionally, the integral load center protector 37 has eight apertured or perforated lines 37n, 37o, 37p, 37q, 37r, 37s, 37t and 37u. Each of the apertured or perforated lines 37n, 37o, 37p, 37q, 37r, 37s, 37t and 37u are perpendicular to the edge of the outer side from which they begin, respectively. Each apertured or perforated line 37n, 37o, 37p, 37q, 37r, 37s, 37t and 37u may be on the order of about several inches in length. 
     The integral load center protector 37 may be secured to the load center enclosure 14 in the following way. First, interior flanges or portions 37f, 37g, 37h and 37i of the integral load center protector 37 are folded downwardly. Next, the folded interior flanges or portions 37f, 37g, 37h and 37i are inserted under the enclosure flanges 14f, 14g, 14h and 14i of the load center enclosure 14 into the interior of the load center enclosure 14, while the upper corner portions 37j, 37k, 37l and 37m rest or sit on the upper corner edges 14j, 14k, 14l and 14m of the load center enclosure 14. It should be understood that the integral load center protector may also be associated with the bottom 32f of the carton 32, rather than the cover 35. Further, any other suitably appropriate method may be used to secure the load center protector 37 to the load center enclosure 14. 
     As described above, this approach provides a method for protecting a load center assembly 10 using a load center container assembly 30, where the load center container 30 has a removable load center protector 37 having a plurality of interior foldable flanges 37f, 37g, 37h, and 37i, comprising the following steps: removing the removable load center protector 37 from the load center container 30; folding at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges 37f, 37g, 37h, and 37i of the removable load center protector 37; positioning the load center protector 37 over the load center assembly 10; inserting at least two of the plurality of interior foldable flanges 37f, 37g, 37h, and 37i of the load center protector 37 into an interior area of the load center assembly 10. 
     In this way, when the load center enclosure 14 is mounted, for example, between a pair of wall studs so as to be mounted flush with respect to the wall, the integral load center protector 37 aids in better protecting the interior load center components 15 from dust, paint or other contaminants that may be associated, for example, with adjacent construction activity, or from the adjacent construction activity itself. Fox example, where the flush-mount load center is in a wall that is being painted, the integral load center protector 37 aids in better protecting the interior load center components 15 from the paint. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what are the most practical and preferred embodiments as currently contemplated, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements, methods and structures that are within the spirit and scope of the claims.