Abstract:
A cushioned shipping assembly includes a carton and foam inserts to support a product shipped by a supplier, which elements are successively returned by an end user to be re-used in the same or other shipping assembly, while various components are recycled as they become spent. In some embodiments, the carton collapses to a diminished size for return. A resource center re-routes or refurbishes the components, recycling aged or spent pieces. Preferably polyolefin foams, olefin-based adhesives and coatings, and wood fiber-based corrugated material make up the cushioned system, and one component is compatible with recycling processes of others. On-premises pelletizing of reclaimed polymer provides a more efficient, environmentally clean system. Spent inserts of identified polymer may be diverted to users of specifc resins.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 427,812 filed Oct. 26, 1989, and now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to packaging and shipping containers, such as fiberboard boxes, which are adapted to a particular size or shape of product or object, and are used to enclose and protect the object against shock during shipment. In particular, it relates to such shipping containers which include cushioning or inserts. 
     The invention also relates in general to methods and practices for making up or fabricating such shipping containers and the ultimate disposal of waste resulting therefrom. 
     Such containers are commonly used for the packaging or shipment of microcomputers, CRT displays and workstations, as well as for delicate electronic or optical instruments and like consumer goods. The foam cushioning employed in the interior of a carton for these purposes may consist of broad sheets, rectangular blocks, or even of contoured molded foam which conforms to the shape of the object being shipped. The foam material may be selected to provide protection against impact and vibration, protection against crushing, or a combination of these properties, and it may be in the form of loose inserts or in the form of cushion members permanently affixed either to the carton or to protective support or cap members that fit within the carton. 
     The aforesaid products generally have a container volume of up to several cubic feet, and the amount of cushioning involved in their packaging may be substantial. Where the product is an irregularly shaped object, such as a console or work station, the complexity and cost of the shipping assembly itself may be significant. Nonetheless, almost all containers of this type are single-use containers, intended to be discarded by the end user who receives the shipped product. The disposal of such packaging materials raises environmental concerns, and the nature of prior art packaging systems further renders it difficult to effect such disposal in an environmentally sound manner. 
     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a more efficient and environmentally sound cushioned shipping container. It is also desirable to provide a general method for making, using and ultimately disposing of shipping containers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These ends are achieved in accordance with a method of the present invention by providing a shipping package assembly including an external carton formed of a wood-pulp based material, and a plurality of foam cushion inserts that define a product support. After shipment of a product in the assembly, the empty assembly with its inserts or portions thereof is reshipped, preferably by an alternate carrier, to the shipping package fabricator or authorized third party who then inspects and refurbishes the carton and the inserts, to the extent necessary, and returns the assembly to the product manufacturer to ship another product. The various materials employed for the carton and the foam cushioning are each preferably adapted to withstand multiple uses, are selected to be recyclable, and are compatible with reprocessing of the other materials. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the assembly for this method of fabrication and re-use, the cushioning material is formed of a polyolefin foam, such as a polyethylene foam, and the inserts, if attached, are preferably bonded to the carton by a heat-melt wax or similar olefin-based adhesive. The carton itself is formed of corrugated cardboard, and the cardboard may be coated with a Michaelman-type or other coating to enhance its strength and resistance to water and scuffing without impairing its suitability for re-pulping. 
     In particular or further preferred embodiments, the carton is of a two-piece or collapsible construction which attains a reduced size when emptied of the product, so that, once the carton is emptied, the carton and inserts may be returned to the fabricator in a smaller form. Advantageously, the carton is shipped by an alternate carrier, e.g., by a courier or by a consumer package delivery network such as UPS, which would not accept, or which would impose a rate penalty upon, the full size carton. 
     Preferably, the shipping assembly includes a prominent surface display and a label window with appropriate legends to assure that the assembly is routed in order to the product user and to the fabricator. 
     The invention also includes a method for the reclaimation and reuse of post-consumer packaging materials. Preferably the packaging materials allow multiple uses of each element. 
     In the practice for reshipping, inspecting and resupplying completed shipping assemblies, custom containers preferably contain an identification code which specifies control data such as material type and size specifications, manufacturer identity and relevant terms governing the quantity, delivery dates required by the product shipper and cost of refurbished containers. 
     Preferably, each complete container assembly is shipped with a return label containing this code, which may be a freight prepaid label designating a carrier or package delivery service that acts under a contract to pick up and return used assemblies to the inspection and refurbishment center. 
     In a most preferred embodiment, the containers or the foam elements thereof are returned to a resource center that performs necessary inspection, and sorting and redirecting of elements or complete assemblies to their next destination. The resource centers are preferably different from both original foam fabricators and the manufacturer, and are set up to sort and redirect plastic stock from different suppliers and to reship or replace inserts and assemblies of different product manufacturers. 
     In a still further preferred embodiment, the resource centers are regional centers, located at spacings such that they span the country and such that each substantial user market lies close to a center within the bulk package delivery distance specified by the package carrier. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description, taken together with drawings of illustrative embodiments, wherein 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a method according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 :s a table of representative materials for the structural elements contemplated for various embodiments of a cushioned shipping assembly according to the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a carton which may be employed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the carton of FIG. 3 in a collapsed state for return to the fabricator; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a shipping carton in accordance with the invention; 
     FIGS. 6A, 6B illustrate one preferred set of internal components for the practice of the invention with the cartons of FIGS. 3-5; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates different cushioning members for the practice of aspects of the invention; 
     FIG. 8A, 8B are graphs showing representative shipping costs involved in freight return of packaging elements; and 
     FIG. 9 illustrates one network location of sorting centers for recycling multi-comparent packaging in accordance with a preferred method of practicing the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to a principal aspect of the invention, a method of providing cushioned shipping assembly includes the steps wherein a packaging fabricator provides to a manufacturer or other user a carton with a plurality of cushioning members suitable for the user&#39;s product, and, after the assembly has been used to ship the product to a purchaser or consumer, the carton and cushioning members, or a major portion thereof, is reshipped to a center and the entire assembly is refurbished and reused. At the end of a useful lifetime, which may vary for different components of the system, each worn component is recycled. As will be described in greater detail below, particular materials and constructions relate cooperatively to the different steps involved in reshipment, reuse and reclamation of materials to make the entire process economically and environmentally beneficial to the various persons providing or using packaging. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 of the present invention includes a packaging system which is actively handled by different persons or businesses in succession. Initially at 2 the packing system, comprising a carton and any special inserts, is assembled from a set of materials such as corrugated panels, adhesives and bulk polymers. 
     The inserts are made by a plastics fabricator that typically will have facilities for molding foam shapes, or for forming or shaping plastic foam sheets or blocks, and possibly films, and may also have facilities for fabricating (e.g. cutting, folding and gluing) wood-pulp based cartons, although these may also be purchased separately. In the latter case the completed shipping assembly may be put together by an ultimate product shipper or OEM, from parts supplied from two sources, the fabricator and a corrugated carton supplier. 
     At 4, the fabricator then provides the shipping assemblies or elements to an OEM, such as a manufacturer of computer terminals or the like, and at step 6 the OEM ships its product in the packaging to a distributor, end user or the like. At step 8, the emptied assembly is reshipped by the end user to the fabricator or other entity, referred to below as a resource center, which performs a number of functions relating to the inspection, recycling or reuse of packaging material. 
     At this point, the method of providing and handling packaging differs substantially from conventional practice, in that applicant provides a central entity (fabricator or resource center) possessing data on the packaging inserts and that is responsible for routing the inserts. 
     In a presently preferred practice of the invention, discussed further in connection with FIGS. 8A, 8B and 9, the return of used packaging is effected via an intermediate step 8A wherein a data-coded shipping label on the package, in conjunction with a contractual arrangement with a parcel delivery network, allows the end user to have the packaging picked up and returned to a designated resource center without filling out or attaching a further shipping label. This may be implemented in one embodiment by having a UPS label pre-affixed to the carton, together with a bar-coded identification that allows UPS bar code readers to identify the shipment and print out a label, to route and to invoice the shipment. In this manner, efficiencies are realized in the sorting and return of materials. When the inserts of a package are made of a particular polymer resin, the label or data coding preferably also identifies the polymer, or directs the used assembly to a particular resource center that recycles that polymer resin. 
     Continuing with FIG. 1, at step 10 the fabricator/resource center inspects and refurbishes the packaging assembly, reclaiming any spent materials for safe disposal or for recycling to a second use. At step 12, as at step 4, the packaging system is again provided to the OEM. Conceptually, step 12 involves two substeps corresponding to the different acts of refurbishing or recycling performed at step 10. In one substep, denoted 12a, the system is refurbished, which may involve one or more of the original fabrication processes of step 2. In the other substep denoted 12b, the spent components are reclaimed and recycled. This involves separating and preferably reprocessing the components, one example being forming polyethylene sheet film products from spent polyethylene foam material. The second use of a recycled component may or may not be performed on-premises, and may either result in a product useful as a shipping assembly component in step 2, or as a separate product for an external market. Thus, as indicated in the Figure, step 12b may provide further materials to be used in step 2. 
     It should be noted that while the end user appears only at step 8 to return the packaging to the fabricator, in some embodiments the end user&#39;s participation may be substantially greater. For example, when used for shipping medical devices and supplies to a hospital, clinic, or research laboratory, where the receiving institution may be expected to have waste segregation or processing protocols in effect, the present system contemplates that such protocols may be utilized to segregate and recycle or reship to the fabricator the used packaging assemblies or separated components thereof. For such medical packaging it is understood that the reuse of components will further include the step of sterilization of packaging for each transit. 
     Returning to FIG. 1, the first three steps of the method 2, 4, 6 are conventional. The remaining steps, when practiced according to the invention as discussed further below, are environmentally beneficial and offer benefits to each person. These steps involve the participation of additional persons in the system for its effectiveness. Certain preferred construction features of the system as described more fully below render the performance of these additional steps convenient to achieve, economically beneficial or functionally self-effecting. 
     In accordance with a first preferred aspect of the invention, the materials of construction for the container system are selected from among materials which can be effectively reclaimed after use and preferably recycled, when worn beyond reuse, by fabrication into new and generally different products. FIG. 2 sets forth a table, by way of example, showing representative materials which may be used for cushioning, bonding, and carton coating in a system for a corrugated cardboard or pulp-based packaging construction in accordance with the present invention. 
     As shown in the Table, the invention contemplates that one or more coatings or layers be applied to a corrugated container to implement the combination of recyclable elements thereof. These may include coatings to strengthen the skin of the board, so that the cushioning, shipping labels and the like may be removed without damaging the container and so that surface blemishes from impact are minimized, and also may include release coatings for labels, and waterproofing coatings and scrubbable surface coatings to prevent the accumulation of soil on the carton in use. Suitable coatings include Michaelman coatings such as a Michaelman X-300, and other surface films and release coatings which do not impair the suitability of the board for re-pulping and re-use. 
     The contemplated cushioning materials preferably include foams which provide shock resistance without crushing, so that the cushion blocks perform effectively for at least several initial usages, and which also may be re-cycled into second-use products, such as films or denser extruded products. Preferably the cushion blocks are designed to survive multiple shipping/storage cycles without falling below a specified level of cushioning quality. This is achieved in part by providing larger &#34;footing&#34; or contact surfaces for a given product application, employing a lesser static loading value to determine the size of cushion blocks for a particular product, and by compounding the foam to have relatively longer-lived mechanical properties. 
     The material employed for the foam is preferably resilient and the stock polymer material is not highly cross-linked. Suitable foams are polyethylene foam, polypropylene foam, EVA and other polyolefin foams, and also copolymers thereof, among others. The invention contemplates that the worn cushion members will generally be reprocessed by densifying the foam back into pellets of stock polymer, and that this material will be recycled, either at the fabricator, or elsewhere under contract, into film or other plastic product. Finally, as indicated in the Table, it is contemplated that the adhesives used for adhering the board elements to the cushion blocks, or to cement folds of the carton upon itself, preferably include hot melt waxes, olefins or bonding materials that are compatible with the two principal packaging components and with the processes involved in their recycling. 
     It will be appreciated that the system of the present invention achieves a significant efficiency of materials consumption since the re-use of the packaging system even two or three times results in effectively using a half or a third as much material per transit; minor refurbishing offers greater savings. The invention thus operates to reduce net consumption, as well as to recycle the used materials. 
     In addition to pulp-based carton materials, the invention also comtemplates shipping assemblies wherein containers (hereinafter referred to as cartons), cartons and panels are formed of metal, vacuum formed plastic, or corrugated or sheet plastic, or other acceptable materials. The cushioning elements also include non-attached loose fill cushioning, such as sheet foam and pellet material. 
     Within one or more of the above constructions, the invention contemplates that the return of the used assembly to the fabricator or resource center be facilitated or enhanced by providing a prominent graphic display instructing the user how to return the container or components thereof. For example, a block print legend is preferably printed under, or adjacent to, a removable invoice/label pocket, bearing the legend 
     &#34;THIS IS A (DEPOSIT-TYPE) RETURNABLE ENVIRONMENTAL RECYCLABLE CONTAINER. PLEASE DELIVER TO OR CALL UNITED PARCEL SERVICE TO PICK UP THIS CONTAINER UNDER CONTRACT AXXXXX FOR RETURN TO XYZ FABRICATOR, CITY, STATE.&#34; 
     In the practice of the invention, it is contemplated that when used in conjunction with a manufacturer&#39;s ordering, shipping and production software systems, several different such legends may be automatically printed out on labels which direct the return either to the fabricator/resource center (when re-use is contemplated), or to a local reclamation center (when the carton is configured for a product for which no further shipments are scheduled). The label preferably includes data (such as a bar-coded number which may index a specification file) that identifies necessary information for routing, testing, refurbishing, re-using or scheduling delivery of the packaging elements. For example, the data may indicate the part number of an insert, the identity and supply requirements schedule of an OEM that uses the inserts, and the material composition of the inserts. The data may also include an index to a file record that contains detailed contract information, such as the amount of credit alloted to a fabricator for each returned insert, the schedule of charges to the OEM for each reused insert, and the like. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the invention. A carton 20 is formed of a bottom 22, a top 23 and preferably one or more cardboard inserts 24, 25. Bottom 22 is formed of a high strength double walled corrugated board, and, as illustrated, has the above-described fabricator return freight legend 26 on an outer face thereof. Top 23 is formed of a lightweight material and forms a cap which telescopically slides over the bottom portion to form a closed box. Top 23, which may have a calendared, printed surface, is discarded after shipping, while bottom 22 containing at least one of attached cushioning 27 and separate unattached cushion blocks (not shown) is closed and reshipped to the fabricator after use. Arrows &#34;s&#34; and &#34;e&#34; indicate that the sides and ends form flaps, which fold down along score lines 28, to close the carton into a diminished volume for return. A top sheet 25, which may also have an attached cushion block and which is also returned with the bottom half 22, normally fits over the bottom 22, and may serve both to prevent the flaps from folding inward, and to provide additional wall strength and protection for the top face. An inner sleeve 24 may also be provided, after the first use and creasing of the flaps of bottom 22, to prevent folding in of the upper sides which have previously served as flaps. 
     FIG. 4 shows the portion of the assembly 20 consisting of bottom 22 and one or more of cushions 27, unattached blocks and inserts 25, folded into a closed position for return. In this position the combined external dimensions of the carton assembly are reduced to be less than 108 running inches or such other limit imposed by a parcel service, such as the federal postal service or United Parcel Service, so that the container may be economically returned, by single units rather than truckload lots, to the fabricator. It will be understood that when the product to be shipped fits in a packaging assembly that already meets the dimensional requirements of the parcel carrier, the use of the fold down carton of FIGS. 3, 4 is optional, or if used, the assembly may be returned in its original full size configuration, without folding down. 
     The significance of the telescoping or collapsible carton will be better appreciated with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. These Figures are charts of shipping costs of packages, in dollars, for shipments by private UPS carrier (FIG. 8A) and by U.S. postal service fourth class (FIG. 8B). As clearly shown in these rate charts, costs escalate not only with package weight, but also with distance shipped as measured in zones traversed. For UPS shipments, packages having a combined length plus girth greater than a seven foot threshold are automatically charged at the highest, twenty-five pound, rate even if the package in fact weighs only several pounds. This results in a two-to-six-fold cost increase. Similarly, for U.S. postal rates, a &#34;non-machinable surcharge&#34; increases the rate for packages of a size above a threshold that precludes passage through the automated handling systems of the postal service. 
     Thus, in embodiments like that of FIGS. 3, 4 the degree of compacting of the returnable carton preferably is selected to bring the return carton to a size below the threshold associated with these rate penalties, and to assure that the ratio of returned element value to the cost of returning those elements is as low as possible. 
     In one further embodiment of this aspect of the invention, this is accomplished by providing a return sack or envelope rather than a carton. Upon receipt by the user, the polymer inserts are removed from the board elements of the carton, and the inserts from one or more units are placed in a return-labeled sack or envelope for delivery to the fabricator/resource center. The pulp-based board elements are then recycled or otherwise disposed of locally, while the inserts are freighted to be centrally sorted, recycled or reused. In this manner, the weight of returned components is minimized, and the low value locally recyclable board components are not needlessly shipped vast distances. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates elements of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a pulp-based or cardboard carton 30 is provided having a length L, width W and height H 1 , with creases 32 at height H 1  defining two pairs of opposed flaps for closing the carton. The vertical edges of the box are cut, i.e., slotted at 34, down to a lesser height H 2 , and horizontal score lines 36 are provided at height H 2  which extend around the box so that after use the flaps 35a . . . 35d may be creased at the score lines 36 and folded down to provide a smaller shipping carton of diminished height H 2 . With normal half-width or half-length flap geometries for the original flaps 35a . . . 35d, the reduction in height achieved by this embodiment for the return container is up to one-half of the length or width of the carton. Preferably, after this carton has been once used and returned, on subsequent uses an inner sleeve 38 of height H 1  fits within the full-height carton to reinforce the walls for again shipping a product. The sleeve is then removed when it is again desired to return the carton in its reduced size. 
     FIGS. 6A, 6B illustrate a cushioning member 40 of the type conventionally known as an end-cap, designed with particular suitability for the practice of this invention. Cushioning member 40 is illustrated as comprised of an annular board or support plate 41 and several cushion blocks 42 of substantial thickness which extend across the full width of the plate. Plate 41 may be formed of thick cardboard and dimensioned substantially in the illustrated proportions, to support and position a product assembly within a like-dimensioned rectangular carton, or it may be formed of foam sheet stock like that of the blocks 42, thereby providing both a positioning and an additional shock-absorbing function. The cushion blocks 42 may face inwardly against a packaged product, to provide a product-cushioning as well as a product-positioning function, or may face outward toward the carton wall, thus providing only a cushioning function. In any event, the cushion blocks 42 and the plate 41 are preferably assembled of elementary slab material. 
     For particular utility with this invention, the plate or foam slab 41 illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B is formed with a notch 43 at each corner such that the portion 44 of the plate protruding beyond the block 42 fits within the central opening 45 of the opposite plate 41. With this arrangement, a pair of cushioning members 40 may be shipped as cushioning end cap members within a container according to the invention, and when it is desired to return the container, the two members may be crossed, as illustrated in FIG. 6B. This recesses one member within the other, while providing a full-width vertically extending structure that extends between the opposed top and bottom sides of the carton and stiffens the empty carton against collapse. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates another suitable form of cushion insert assembly 50 for the practice of this invention. In this embodiment, a first member 52 formed of a foam sheet 51a and cross slabs 51b provides one end cap, and a second member 54 formed of a foam sheet 53a and cross slabs 53b provides another end cap. The cross slabs 51b are offset from the slabs 53b so that they interfit between each other when the product is removed and members 52, 54 are placed on each other in the emptied carton, thereby reducing the dimension required for return of the cushioning members to less than twice the height of a single cap. Other end cap constructions of a more conventional type, such as a so-called slug cap or a so-called picture frame, with the projection of one sized to fit within the recess of the other, are also contemplated within the practice of the invention. In each case the foam material preferably has the reuse, longevity or other beneficial properties described above. 
     Returning to FIGS. 8A, 8B, it will be seen that the cost of returning inserts or cartons rises with increasing distance. For UPS shipments, the increase can be a several-fold increase for a transcontinental shipment, over the cost of shipping several hundred miles. For US postal shipments, a greater increase affects larger shipments. As described above, these costs are avoided in part by assuring that size thresholds are not exceeded, and in part by restricting the reshipment of larger assemblies to separate cushion inserts and relying on local handling of the pulp-based components. 
     In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, an effective reuse and recycling system is obtained by providing resource centers at plural locations located within two or fewer freight zones of major metropolitan areas. The centers provide a network such that each region of the nation is served by a center lying within its low-freight rate territory. As shown in FIG. 9, a half dozen such centers, indicated by markers 100, provide an effective set of collection points for receiving, sorting, and re-directing used packaging and assemblies. 
     In this regard, applicant contemplates that the returnable packaging assemblies according to the present invention preferably include labeling that automatically routes the returns to the nearest such center. One implementation is achieved by providing a bar-coded shipping label, similar to the coding used to indicate corporate account numbers or destinations on existing courier labels, on the assembly shipped to the end user. When the parcel service picks up the used assembly, the parcel service &#34;reads&#34; the code and acts in accordance with a previously arranged contract to insert the nearest resource center address. In other embodiments, the code may indicate a particular fabricator that is responsible for receiving and reusing or recycling all of that type of assembly. In still other embodiments, the appropriate resource center may be determined at the time that the OEM ships the product to an end user, based on the location of the end user. In that case, the OEM provides a label with the address of the particular resource center, so that neither the end user nor the parcel service need perform any acts beyond arranging for pick up of the parcel for return. Alternatively, the end user may be provided with a set of peel-off address labels, of which the user selects and attaches the address of the nearest resource center. 
     Advantageously, the coded information included on the label may include a part number or contract number which identifies the elements, such that the resource center may perform billing, accounting and other functions, as well as identify the type of foam to control the purity of recycled resin from the sorting process. 
     For example, the identifier number can permit retrieval of file data that gives the OEM a specified credit for a returned item, that directs the shipment of inserts back to a particular OEM location at a re-use discounted price, or that gives a re-use commission to the original fabricator when an element is sent out in a second packaging assembly. Similarly, the identifier may specify the precise resin employed in the insert and may indicate a fabricator or a resin supplier that has accepted responsibility for recycling or disposing of spent inserts. 
     The method and system of exemplary embodiments of the invention being thus described, variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and all such variations and modifications embodying the teachings in this disclosure, are considered to be within the scope of the invention, as set forth in the claims appended hereto.