Patent Publication Number: US-2006000746-A1

Title: Packing assembly with cushioning function

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a packing assembly with cushioning function for packing and protecting an article, e.g., a printer, a notebook computer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, or other electrical products that are easily damaged by impact.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      A common packing assembly for electrical products that are easily damaged by impact mostly relies on light, well cushioning polymer, such as polystyrene. Referring to  FIG. 1 , it is a schematic diagram of a common packing assembly  1  for packing and protecting an electrical product  2 , e.g. a scanner. The packing assembly shown in  FIG. 1  includes a casing  12  and a pair of cushioning sleeves ( 14 ,  16 ). The casing  12  is usually made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic material, e.g. a board of corrugated paper. The pair of sleeves is respectively formed from a polymer material.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , each sleeve is tightly adapted to receive one of the side ends of the electrical product  2 . Similar to many typical electrical products, the electrical product  2  has a complicated profile. Therefore, each of the sleeves ( 14 ,  16 ) has a respective concave that suits one of the side ends (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the electrical product  2 , and the inner profile of the concaves generally meet the profile of the side ends to tightly accommodate it. Consequently, the pair of sleeves ( 14 ,  16 ) is mostly formed from polymer material that is easy to process. Thereupon, the electrical product  2  packed by the sleeves ( 14 ,  16 ) is disposed into the casing  12 , and the casing  12  is then sealed.  
      However, the heavy electrical products are easily susceptible to damages caused during the packing process mentioned above; for example, the products could be accidentally dropped while being disposed by the operator into the narrow opening of the body casing, or the entire packing assembly might be subjected to impact while being transported. Once the entire packing assembly is subjected to an impact along the L direction defined in  FIG. 1 , a displacement will instantly occur at the sleeve relatively in front, and along with the dropping force of the electrical product, the impact to the sleeve will be multiplied, which leads to cracking in the sleeve and damage to the electrical product. Moreover, the packing process above requires more manpower to execute.  
      Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide a packing assembly. The packing assembly comprises cushioning sleeves, and especially, once a sleeve is subjected to an impact, the packing assembly also has a construction formed from paper board that helps to reduce the impact on the cushioning sleeves.  
      In addition, packing assembly made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic material, practiced nowadays, also has many cushioning construction designs that utilize portions of its own body to reduce impact. Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,212, U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,970, U.S. Pat. No.  
       6 , 651 , 875 , U.S. Pat. No.  6 , 474 , 541 , U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,039, Taiwan Pat. No. 335,811, Taiwan Pat. No. 398,488, etc.  
      Accordingly, another objective of the present invention is to provide a packing assembly; the packing assembly includes a casing made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic material, and especially, a portion of the casing forms a cushion construction to absorb possible impact on the article that is packed and protected by the packing assembly. Therefore, the protection provided by the packing assembly to the article is increased.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, a packing assembly of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention functions to pack and protect an article. The packing assembly includes a pair of cushioning sleeves, a lower casing, and an upper casing. Each sleeve is adapted to correspondingly receive one of the side ends of the article. The lower casing has an opening, a space, a first side-surface portion, and a first supporting portion. The space of the lower casing is adapted to tightly accommodate the article packed by the at least one cushioning sleeves. The first side-surface portion abuts the at least one cushioning sleeves tightly. The first supporting portion extends from the first side-surface portion and is folded into cylindrical shape. The cylindrically-shaped first supporting portion abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the at least one cushioning sleeve to reduce the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. The upper casing functions to cover the opening of the lower casing and to bond with the lower casing.  
      In an embodiment, according to the packing assembly of the first preferred embodiment, the second supporting portion of the lower casing functions as a cushion. The second supporting portion also abuts against the article with one side-surface of its own, so as to absorb part of the impact once the article is subjected to it.  
      Accordingly, a packing assembly of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention functions to pack and protect an article. The packing assembly comprises a pair of cushioning sleeves, a lower casing, and an upper casing. Each of the sleeves is adapted to correspondingly receive one of the side ends of the article. The lower casing has an opening, a space, and a first side-surface portion. The space of the lower casing is adapted to tightly accommodate the article packed by the at least one cushioning sleeves. A first supporting portion extends upon the first side-surface portion and bends toward the space of the lower casing. The first supporting portion abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the at least one cushioning sleeve to reduce the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. The upper casing functions to cover the opening of the lower casing and to bond with the lower casing.  
      The advantage and spirit of the invention may be understood by the following recitations together with the appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE APPENDED DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a common packing assembly that functions to pack and protect an electrical product  2 .  
       FIG. 2A  is a schematic diagram of a packing assembly  3  according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, for packing and protecting an article  4 .  
       FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view drawing of the lower casing  34  and the article  4  accommodated along the A-A’ section.  
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic diagram of a packing assembly  5  according to the second preferred embodiment of present invention, for packing and protecting an article  6 .  
       FIG. 3B  is a drawing to show the imperceptible changes in construction to the packing assembly  5  in  FIG. 3A . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      An objective of the present invention is to provide a packing assembly for packing and protecting an article. The packing assembly comprises cushioning sleeves, and especially, the packing assembly also has a construction made of paper board which helps to reduce impact once the sleeves are subjected to it. According to the packing assembly of the present invention, the assembly also has a casing made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic paper material. Another objective of the invention is to provide a cushioning construction utilizing a portion of the casing to absorb partial impact once the article, packed and protected by the packing assembly, is subjected to it, thus increasing the protection of the packing assembly to the article. Several preferred embodiments will be introduced in the following articles to expatiate on the characteristics, spirit, advantages, and convenience on the application of the invention.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B ,  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B  are two drawings of the packing assembly  3  of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2A  also shows an article  4  packed and protected by the packing assembly  3 .  FIG. 2B  is the cross-sectional view of the lower casing  34  and the article  4  packed along the A-A’ section in  FIG. 2A .  
      As shown in  FIG. 2A , the packing assembly  3  includes at least one cushioning sleeve, e.g. number  31  and number  32  in  FIG. 2A . The packing assembly  3  also has a casing comprises a lower casing  34  and an upper casing  36 .  
      Each of the sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) has a concave (not shown in the figure), and each concave is tightly adapted to receive one of the side ends (not shown in  FIG. 2A ) of the article  4 . In an embodiment, each of the sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) is formed from a polymer material, e.g. Styrofoam material, which is a light and effective cushioning material.  
      The lower casing  34  has an opening, a space, a first side-surface portion  342 , and a first supporting portion  344 . As shown in  FIG. 2A , the space in the lower casing  34  is adapted to tightly accommodate the article  4  packed by the at least one cushioning sleeve ( 31 ,  32 ). The first supporting portion  344  extends from the first side-surface portion  342 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2B , especially, the first supporting portion  344  is folded into cylindrical shape. The cylindrically-shaped first supporting portion  344  abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the cushion sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) tightly to reduce the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. For example, the first supporting portion  344  abuts, via a side edge  3442  thereof, against the shoulder  312  of the cushioning sleeve  31  in  FIG. 2A .  
      The upper casing  36  functions to cover the opening of the lower casing  34  and to bond with the lower casing  34  to complete the packing of the article  4 .  
      In an embodiment, the lower casing  34  and the upper casing  36  are respectively made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic material, e.g. a board of corrugated paper.  
      In an embodiment, the first supporting portion  344  abuts, via the other side edge thereof, against one of the cushion sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) tightly to reduce impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. For example, the first supporting portion  344  abuts, via a side edge  3444  thereof, against the shoulder  322  of another cushioning sleeve  32  in  FIG. 2A .  
      In an embodiment, the cylindrically-shaped first supporting portion  344  is a cushioning construction. As shown in  FIG. 2B , the first supporting portion  344  also abuts, via a side surface  3446  thereof, against the article  4  to absorb part of the impact once article  4  is subjected to it.  
      In an embodiment, the lower casing  34  also has a second side-surface portion  346  and a second supporting portion  348 . The second side-surface portion  346  is opposite to the first side-surface portion  342 , and it abuts upon the cushioning sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ). The second supporting portion  348  extends from the second side-surface portion  346 . Referring to  FIG. 2B , especially, the second supporting portion  348  is also folded into cylindrical shape. The cylindrically-shaped second supporting portion  348  abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the cushioning sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) to reduce the impact once subjected to said one a cushioning sleeve is subjected to it. For example, the second supporting portion  348  abuts, via a side edge  3482  thereof, against the shoulder  312  of the cushioning sleeve  31  in  FIG. 2A .  
      In an embodiment, the second supporting portion  348  abuts, via the other side edge thereof, against another one of the cushioning sleeves ( 31 ,  32 ) to reduce impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. For example, the second supporting portion  348  abuts, via a side edge  3484  thereof, against the shoulder  322  of the cushioning sleeve  32  in  FIG. 2A .  
      In an embodiment, the cylindrically-shaped second supporting portion  348  is a cushioning construction. As shown in  FIG. 2B , the second supporting portion  348  also abuts, via a side surface  3486  thereof, against the article  4  to absorb part of the impact once article  4  is subjected to it.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B ,  FIG. 3A  is a drawing of a second preferred embodiment  5  of the present invention, and  FIG. 3B  shows the imperceptible difference in the construction of the packing assembly  5 .  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  also show an article  6  packed and protected by the packing assembly  5 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3A , the packing assembly  5  includes at least one cushioning sleeve, e.g. number  51  and number  52  in  FIG. 3A . The packing assembly  5  also has a casing which includes a lower casing  54  and an upper casing  56 .  
      Each of the sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) has a concave (not shown in  FIG. 3A ), and each concave is adapted to receive one of the side ends (not shown in  FIG. 3A ) of the article  6 . In an embodiment, each of the sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) is formed from a polymer material, e.g. a Styrofoam material, which is a light and effective cushioning material.  
      The lower casing  54  has an opening, a space, and a first side-surface portion  542 . As shown in  FIG. 3A , the space is adapted to tightly accommodate the article  6  packed by the cushioning sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ). Especially, a first supporting portion  544  is pre-formed, via e.g. die-cut mode, on the first side-surface portion  542 . In the packing process of the article  6 , the first supporting portion  544  bends toward the space of the lower casing  54 . The bent first supporting portion  544  abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the cushioning sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) to reduce the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. For example, the first supporting portion  544  abuts, via a side edge  5442  thereof, against the shoulder  512  of the sleeve  51  in  FIG. 3A .  
      The upper casing  56  functions to cover the opening of the lower casing  54  and to bond with the lower casing  54  to complete the packing of the article  6 .  
      In an embodiment, the lower casing  54  and the upper casing  56  are respectively made of a one-piece board of corrugated plastic material, e.g. a board of corrugated paper.  
      In an embodiment, the first supporting portion  544  abuts, via the other side edge thereof, against one of the cushion sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) tightly to reduce the impact once subjected to said one sleeve. For example, the first supporting portion  544  abuts, via a side edge  5444  thereof, against the shoulder  522  of another cushioning sleeve  52  in  FIG. 3A .  
      In an embodiment, the lower casing  54  also has a second side-surface portion  546 . The second side-surface portion  546  is opposite to the first side-surface portion  542  and it abuts upon the cushioning sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ). Especially, a second supporting portion is preformed, via e.g. die-cut mode, on the first side-surface portion  542 . In the packing process of the article  6 , the second supporting portion  548  bends toward the space of the lower casing  54 . The bent first supporting portion  548  abuts, via a side edge thereof, against one of the cushioning sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) to reduce the impact once subjected to said one sleeve. For example, the second supporting portion  548  abuts, via a side edge  5482  thereof, against the shoulder  512  of the sleeve  51  in  FIG. 3A .  
      In an embodiment, the second supporting portion  548  abuts, via the other side edge thereof, against another one of the cushioning sleeves ( 51 ,  52 ) to reduce the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve. For example, the second supporting portion  548  abuts, via a side edge  5484  thereof, against the shoulder  522  of the cushioning sleeve  52  in  FIG. 3A .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3B ,  FIG. 3B  shows the imperceptible difference in the construction of the packing assembly  5 . The construction and apparatus in  FIG. 3B , that are marked with the same numbers as in  FIG. 3A , relatively function respectively as those in  FIG. 3A , and it will not be described in detail again. However, through the embodiment in  FIG. 3B , the first supporting portion  544  only, via a side edge  5442  of its own, abuts upon the shoulder  514  of the sleeve  51 , and the second supporting portion  548  only, via a side edge  5482  of its own, abuts upon the shoulder  512  of the sleeve  51 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3B , a third supporting portion  550  is pre-formed, via e.g. die-cut mode, on the first side-surface  542 . The third supporting portion  550  is adjacent to the first supporting portion  544 , and it bends toward the space of the lower casing  54  in the process of packing the article  6 . The third supporting portion  550 , via one of its side edges away from the first supporting portion  544 , abuts against the sleeve which is not abutted by the first supporting portion  544 , thus reducing the impact once the cushioning sleeve is subjected to it. For example, the third supporting portion  550  abuts, via a side edge  5502  thereof, against the shoulder  522  of the sleeve  52  in  FIG. 3B .  
      Also, as shown in  FIG. 3B , a fourth supporting portion  552  is pre-formed, via e.g. die-cut mode, on the second side-surface  546 . The fourth supporting portion  552  is adjacent to the second supporting portion  548 , and it bends toward the space of the lower casing  54  in the process of packing the article  6 . The fourth supporting portion  552 , via one of its side edges away from the second supporting portion  548 , abuts against the sleeve which is not abutted by the second supporting portion  548 , thus reducing the impact once subjected to said one cushioning sleeve is subjected to it. For example, the fourth supporting portion  552  abuts, via a side edge  5552  thereof, against the shoulder  512  of the sleeve  51  in  FIG. 3B .  
      With the example and explanations above, the features and spirits of the invention will be hopefully well described. Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teaching of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.