Patent Publication Number: US-2013233757-A1

Title: Cradle for transport and shipment without danger of breaking brittle and precious objects

Description:
The present invention relates to the sector of packaging and more precisely to a device designed for transporting fragile and precious objects comprising an anchorage constituted by two membranes set on top of one another hanging on elastic stays that fix to a container made of transparent rigid material through slits made on the walls of the container itself so as to provide a cradle, suspended within said container, in which to place one or more fragile objects, without any danger of said objects undergoing damage due to accidental impact. 
     By the term “packaging” is meant any composite product made of materials of any nature, designed to contain and protect given goods, from raw materials to finished products, to enable handling thereof and their delivery from the producer to the consumer or to the user and to ensure display thereof, as well as the disposable articles used for said purpose. 
     Owing to the increased sensitivity in regard to the protection of the environment, today considerable importance is attributed, in the containment, transport, and packaging of finished products, to the use of materials that can be readily recycled in to the reduction as far as possible of the amount of said materials. Above all in the case of tertiary packaging, i.e., packaging devised so as to facilitate handling and transport of a certain number of units or else multiple packaging to avoid handling of the units and damage linked to transport, there is a tendency to eliminate use of materials that not are biodegradable. Consider, for example, use of fillers made of plastic material such as polystyrene balls or flakes within packages containing fragile goods so as to isolate each piece from the others and prevent any impact that might cause damage. 
     The task of the present invention is to avoid use, in the packaging of fragile products, of pollutant and cumbersome materials that are moreover difficult to dispose of, by providing a device that is compact and can be reused in the totality of its components, that will enable transport of one or more fragile products, without danger of accidental breakage, isolating from any contact or impact the product/products itself/themselves within a container thanks to an elastic suspension system. 
     Another purpose of the invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned above that will be usable also as showcase once it has reached its destination. 
     A further purpose of the invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned above having a shape designed to enable stacking thereof on other similar devices. 
     The above purposes have been achieved according to the invention by providing a boxlike container, suspended inside which are, on top of one another, by means of their elastic extensions or stays, a first membrane, designed to receive the fragile object and a second membrane that has the task of covering the object itself and of appropriately tensioning the first membrane, by, exerting thereon a thrust downwards, so that the object is elastically suspended in a sort of “cradle”, sufficiently distant from the walls of the container itself and hence protected from any impact. 
     According to a peculiar characteristic of the invention, the membranes are made of a soft elastic and resistant material and can adapt to any shape of object enveloping it perfectly. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each membrane is provided on two opposite sides with at least one pair of elastic extensions or stays arranged symmetrically, and said membranes are positioned in the container so that the elastic extensions or stays of the second membrane are oriented in a direction perpendicular to that of the elastic extensions or stays of the first membrane. 
     Preferably, each pair of elastic stays of one membrane is designed to connect up to the other pair of stays of the same membrane after the pairs of stays of each membrane have been passed from the inside of the container to the outside through corresponding slits made in the opposed walls of the container itself. 
     In order to facilitate said operation, the free ends of the stays of one pair are preferably equipped with male snap-action safety closing means to enable an easy engagement thereof in a condition of tension on the lid of the container with the female closing means provided on the free ends of the stays of the other pair. 
     According to a further characteristic of the invention, the elastic stays of the second membrane, which is set perpendicular to the first membrane, are longer than the stays of the first membrane, the slits through which they must pass to come out of the container are positioned further down than the slits for the stays of the first membrane, and the snap-action closing means at the ends of the elastic stays can be adjusted so that by varying the tensioning of the second membrane it is possible to adjust the tension of the first membrane after the object to be transported has been properly placed thereon. 
     In a simplified embodiment, in the case of objects of small dimensions, the extensions or stays of the supporting membrane are directly constrained to the walls of the container by passing the ends thereof in holes or slits made in two of the walls of the container and knotting them to prevent them from coming out, whilst the second membrane can be replaced by an elastic strip of adequate width that after covering the object resting on the first membrane is tensioned by passing the opposite ends thereof through two slits made on the other two walls of the container at a level lower than the one at which the first membrane is located and pulling them together on the top lid so as to exert a thrust downwards on the first membrane exerting thereon the right tensioning. 
     According to a variant of the invention, the first membrane, i.e., the one that supports the object, is equipped with a plurality of pockets or brackets so as to be able to position a number of objects in one and the same cradle, the length of the elastic stays being adjustable according to the weight of the objects supported therein. 
    
    
     
       Further advantages and characteristics of the invention will emerge clearly from the ensuing detailed description with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate merely by way of non-limiting example a preferred embodiment thereof. In the plates of drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container without the lid with the supporting membrane in a working position prior to introduction of the object to be transported; 
         FIG. 2  shows the same container once again without lid, with the object set between the two membranes; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the container with the lid that is blocked in position by the elastic stays of the membrane that come out of the purposely provided slits made in the container itself; 
         FIG. 4  shows in front elevation a transparent container with the object suspended in the cradle formed by the two membranes tensioned by the elastic stays, ready for being transported by hand; 
         FIG. 5  shows the same container whilst it being put in a large box sized for being shipped; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the container with the slits for passage of the elastic stays; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of the supporting membrane provided with two elastic stays provided at the ends with snap-action closing elements and with laces or bands with Velcro to ensure adherence of the object to the membrane itself; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of the second membrane with the elastic stays provided with snap-action closing elements; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the tabs at the base of the elastic stays of the first membrane for fixing the membrane to the container at the moment when the object is introduced into the container; 
         FIG. 10  shows a solution alternative to that of  FIG. 9 , whereby the tab is replaced by a guillotine detent set in the top slits of the container; 
         FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13  show three further embodiments of a membrane equipped with pockets or brackets for positioning a number of objects simultaneously; and 
         FIGS. 14 and 15  show a simplified variant of the invention, indicated for fragile objects of small dimensions such as sweet boxes or the like, in which the second membrane is made up of an elastic ribbon that is tied in a bow on the lid of the container. 
     
    
    
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , the device basically comprises a boxlike container  12 , with a press-close lid  22 , a first, bottom, membrane  18 , which is designed to receive the fragile object F and is provided on opposite sides with two pairs of elastic extensions or stays  14 ,  14   a  and a second, top, membrane  20 , which is also provided on opposite sides with pairs of extensions or stays  16 ,  16   a.  The free ends of the pairs of stays  14  and  16  are provided with snap-action safety closing means of a male type  26 , whilst the free ends of the pairs of stays  14   a  and  16   a  are provided with snap-action safety closing means of a female type  28 . 
     Said membranes are preferably made of a soft elastic and resistant material, such as neoprene, so as to be able to adapt to the shapes of the object transported enveloping it perfectly. 
     The first membrane  18  is mounted within the container  12  by passing on the outside the pair of elastic stays  14 ,  14   a  through corresponding slits  24 ,  25 , which are made in the opposed front walls  30 ,  32  of the container  12  itself, and engaging on the lid  22  the free ends provided with male engagement means  26  with the free ends provided with female engagement means  28 . 
     The second membrane  20  is mounted on top of the first with the same modalities with the sole difference that the stays  16 ,  16   a,  are passed through the slits  34 ,  36  made in the side walls  38 ,  40  in a direction perpendicular to that of the stays  14 ,  14   a,  so as to envelop the object F completely in a sort of wrapper or “cradle” that remains preferably suspended at the centre of the container itself, and so that the tension of the stays  16  is modified owing to the presence of adjustable male and female snap-action closing means. In this way, it is possible to provide the right tension on the stays  14  of the membrane  18  once the product or products to be packaged has/have been introduced into the container. 
     The container  12  can be of various sizes and shapes standardized according to boxes for shipping goods, and as may be seen in the figures, is preferably made of a transparent plastic material to enable also visual inspection of the contents, with a press-close lid  22  which, is also transparent. 
     As already mentioned, the first membrane  18  can be provided with laces, elastic brackets or bands with Velcro  13 , to ensure adherence of the object to the membrane itself, as may be seen in  FIG. 7 . 
     It can moreover be provided, as may be seen in  FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13 , with a plurality of pockets  44 ,  46  or brackets  48  of different shapes and sizes, for placing a number of objects in one and the same container. 
     Finally,  FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate the presence of tabs  40  projecting along the elastic stays  14 ,  14   a  or as an alternative to the guillotine detents  42  in the slits  24 ,  26 , which make possible, by blocking return of the stays  14 ,  14   a,  to stop temporarily in a suspended position the membrane  18  to enable introduction of the object F, before proceeding to positioning the second covering membrane  20  and to closing with the lid  22 . 
       FIGS. 14 and 15  illustrate a variant whereby, in the presence of objects of small dimensions, the second membrane is replaced by an elastic ribbon  20   a  that is tied in a bow on the lid, whilst the first membrane is constrained to the walls of the container fixing with knots the free ends of its extensions within holes  50  that replace the top slits in the walls of the container. 
     From what has been said so far the advantageous characteristics of the invention are evident, as likewise the possible uses thereof. 
     In particular, the device described may be used in museum and exhibition stands, by setting each item in its “cradle” and reserving for the smaller items the membrane equipped with multiple pockets or brackets. 
     The device may be used in gift or promotional packaging, personalizing the container as regards its shapes and the use of colours and particular conformations of the stays and/or extensions of the membranes. 
     Finally, the device may be used as container in all those cases where the product calls for particular care to prevent any damage deriving from an inappropriate resting position: consider in particular precious products, such as truffles, where the part in contact with a rigid resting surface is likely to rot. 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein. It is on the other hand evident that many variations and modifications may be made by persons skilled in the branch without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the ensuing claims.