Patent Publication Number: US-2004040879-A1

Title: Packaging for a stack of paper, a method of packaging a stack of paper, and a method of loading a stack of paper into a machine

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The invention relates to packaging for a stack of paper, to a method of packaging a stack of paper, and to a method of loading a stack of paper into a machine, in particular the kind of machine having a paper sheet feeder.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Many kinds of machines incorporate paper sheet feeders, for examples printers, fax machines and photocopiers. These machines are operating at increasingly greater speeds, this being the case in particular for digital electronic printing machines which are now capable of 200 pages per minute. These machines are fed with paper from drawers which can only slide out of the machines to be refilled when the machines are stopped. The productivity of such machines is therefore dependant upon the speed with which the drawers can be reloaded. Paper is loaded into the drawers manually, and must be neatly stacked up against the “lay” at the side and end of the drawer if it is to feed correctly.  
       [0003] At present paper is supplied in packets of 500 sheets, the packet comprising a paper or plastic wrapping. Each packet has to be broken, and the loose sheets then loaded carefully into the machine and “knocked up” to ensure that the edges are square and up to the lay. Typically drawers in fast printers can take the contents of four or more such packets. During the time taken to load the machine it is switched off and unproductive, which can amount to 25% of the time.  
       [0004] The problem of down time on fast printers has been recognized for some time, and some manufacturers have addressed it by providing boxes of loose paper without the separate wrapping of each 500 sheets. However these do not provide any assistance in getting the paper loaded quickly and accurately into the printer, they simply save the time previously taken to unwrap each package.  
       [0005] It is an object of the invention to provide packaging for a stack of paper, a method of packaging a stack of paper, and a method of loading a stack of paper into a machine, which mitigate the above described problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided packaging for a stack of paper sheets including relatively rigid top and bottom sheets, a sleeve, and at least one band to secure the package together around the stack of paper.  
       [0007] Preferably the top and bottom sheets are substantially the same size as the paper sheets in the stack.  
       [0008] The top sheet may conveniently include two cut outs for receipt of the fingers of each hand of a person lifting the package once secured.  
       [0009] Preferably the packaging includes two bands to secure the package together.  
       [0010] The sleeve is preferably substantially of a length equal to the height of the stack of paper.  
       [0011] Typically the top and bottom sheets are made from rigid card, and preferably they include reinforcing strips along their long edges, the sleeve may be made from thin relatively rigid card, and the band or bands may be made from polypropylene.  
       [0012] The packaging may further include outer packaging.  
       [0013] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of packaging a stack of paper comprising locating relatively rigid top and bottom sheets on the top and bottom of the stack of paper, and a sleeve around the stack of paper, and applying bands to secure the top and bottom sheets and sleeve in place to form a package.  
       [0014] Preferably the top sheet includes two cut outs and the bands are located across the cut outs to provide a person lifting the package once secured locations to get their fingers under the bands.  
       [0015] According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of loading paper into the drawer of a machine comprising the steps of:  
       [0016] placing a package formed in accordance with the second aspect of the invention into the drawer; cutting the bands and removing them; and removing the top sheet and sleeve from the stack of paper. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0017] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:  
     [0018]FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the packaging of the invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the packaging of the invention in use;  
     [0020]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the package of the invention in a drawer of machine (the top of which is cut away in order to show the package clearly) ready to be unpacked;  
     [0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the package of the invention being unpacked to load the paper into the drawer of FIG. 3, and  
     [0022]FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views of different versions of top and bottom sheets for the packaging of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0023] Referring to the Figures packaging  10  for a stack of paper sheets  8  comprises a sleeve  12 , a bottom sheet  14 , a top sheet  16  and first and second bands  18 ,  20 .  
     [0024] The sleeve  12  is the same shape as the individual paper sheets of the stack  8  and of such a cross section that the sheets of paper are a close but not over tight fit within it when lying flat. The sleeve  12  is of such a length that it is the same as the height of the stack of papers  8  to be packaged. Typically the sleeve  12  is formed of thin cardboard, but any relatively stiff material may be used.  
     [0025] The bottom and top sheets  14 ,  16  are of substantially the same size as the individual paper sheets and typically formed from cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard, or like stiff material. The top sheet  16  has two cut outs  16   a  and  16   b  each of the order of 10 cm long and 6 cm wide and oriented parallel to the short ends of the sheet  16 . The bottom sheet  14  may also include cut outs if for convenience the sheets  14 ,  16  are made identically.  
     [0026] The top and bottom sheets  14 ,  16  may be simple sheets of card of other stiff material, but preferably to provide further protection for the edges of the sheets of paper at the top and bottom on the stack  8 , reinforcing strips  14   c  and  16   c  are provided along the sides of the sheets crossed by the bands  18 ,  20  as best seen in FIG. 5. The reinforcing strips  14   c ,  16   c  may be formed in any number of ways, however, one convenient method is to form the sheets  14 ,  16  with the necessary extra width and then to score and fold the edges over to provide the strips  14   c ,  16   c  which may then be glued in place if required. Alternatively the strips  14   c    16   c  may be made of a different material to the sheets  14 ,  16 , for example they may be formed from plastics which is less crushable them card, and may simply be located in place prior to the bands  18 ,  20  being applied or may be glued to the sheets  14 ,  16 .  
     [0027] In a further alternative the strips  14   c ′ and  16   c ′ may be “L” shaped such that rather than simply covering a portion of the outer surface of the respective sheet  14 ,  16 , they also cover the edge of the respective sheet  14 ,  16 , as seen in FIG. 6, thus providing further protection.  
     [0028] The bands  18 ,  20  are typically of polypropylene as is commonly used to bind boxes relatively securely for transport, although any appropriate material may be used. The bands should however be made of material which does not bind too readily against the other materials around it in order that it can be removed when required, as described below.  
     [0029] The packaging  10  is used to package the stack of paper  8  as follows. The stack of paper is placed within the sleeve  12  on top of bottom sheet  14 , and top sheet  16  is placed on top. The bands  18 ,  20  are then secured around the bottom sheet  16 , sleeve  12  and top sheet  16  to secure them around the stack of paper  8  and create package  22 . The bands  18 ,  20  are located such they pass across the cut outs  16   a  and  16   b  thus providing locations where a person can get their fingers under each band  18 ,  20  to lift the package  22  up.  
     [0030] Although stack of paper  8  is almost entirely concealed within the package  22  as described above it is not fully protected and thus is then wrapped, as appropriate for storage and transport, with outer packaging. For example it may be wrapped in moisture resistant paper and then placed into a outer box (not shown).  
     [0031] The manner in which the package  22  is actually put together can vary as required. The stack of paper  8  may, for example, be placed on the bottom sheet  14 , and the top sheet placed on top, with the sleeve  12  then being slid into place or formed around the stack of paper  8 . Alternatively the sleeve  12  may be located around a bottom sheet  14  and the stack of paper  8  lowered into the sleeve  12  with the top sheet  16  being put in place on top afterwards. Furthermore the bands  18 ,  20  may be in place underneath the bottom sheet  14  from the outset, and simply brought up around the stack of paper and packaging once the other assembly has been competed, alternatively the bands may be put in place after the other assembly.  
     [0032] The package  22  is used to load a machine as follows. Any outer packaging is removed, and the package  22  is picked up by the bands  18 ,  20  and lowered into a drawer  24  being loaded. The bands  18 ,  20  are cut and pulled out from underneath the stack of paper  8 . The top sheet  16  is then removed from the top of the stack of paper  8  and the sleeve  12  is pulled up and off the stack of paper  8  as shown by arrow A in FIG. 4. The bottom sheet  14  remains beneath the stack of paper  8  and can be removed from the drawer  24  when the paper has been used.  
     [0033] Thus the package  22  provides a method for loading the stack of paper  8  into the drawer  24  of a machine quickly and accurately, when compared with the prior art. This can enable fast printing machines in particular to be more productive due to reduced down time for reloading of paper.  
     [0034] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilized for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.