Patent Publication Number: US-2022219875-A1

Title: Fusion pack containing both a sheet stack and corrugated board that are overwrapped by plastic film in a seal tight manner without damage to the sheet stack

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/137,205 filed Jan. 14, 2021 from which the present application asserts the benefit of invention priority. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND AN INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE IN THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a sealed, overwrapped package containing a corrugated board adjacent a sheet stack of either posterboards, foam core boards or a both of them. 
     Description of Information Known to the Inventor, Including References to Specific Documents Related to the Invention, and Specific Problems Involved in the State of Technology that the Invention is Drawn Toward 
     Polyolefin shrink is an extremely durable and versatile ‘premium’ shrink wrap. Polyolefin materials are available with different characteristics, including cross-linked wrap that provides high-tensile strength and incredible clarity for high-speed packaging applications. 
     With added strength, the ability to create longer rolls of wrap with thinner gauges available that allow for less roll change-over and increased efficiency and productivity. 
     Polyolefin shrink wrap has excellent puncture-resistance and seal-strength, allowing for irregular-shaped items to have excellent protection throughout its supply chain life-cycle. POF is available in thicknesses as low as 35-gauge (0.35 mil), and is more commonly available in 45, 60, 75 and 100 (1 mil) gauges. 
     Polyethylene (PE) is a type of polyolefin, meaning it is a single monomer wrap that is formed with the addition of ethylene during polymerization. PE is used in several forms of flexible protective packaging including shrink wrap and stretch wrap, and performs very differently for each. 
     There are multiple forms that PE can take, but the three most common would be Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), &amp; High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Each of these are best used in different industrial applications, but for shrink packaging LDPE would be the most common form. 
     The benefits of using LDPE over the other forms of shrink packaging would be added strength and durability for heavier, larger items. These wraps are also printable and can have excellent graphics added while still maintaining the image and the strength required. 
     It is known to overwrap a sheet stack of posterboard with plastic film in which sheets of posterboard are arranged one adjacent another in succession. It is also known to overwrap a sheet stack of foam core board with plastic film in which sheets of foam core board are arranged one adjacent another in succession. Conventionally, such overwrapped sheet stacks are placed into opaque boxes for shipment to a desired retail destination. The box protects the sheet stack from damage during transit. Its opaqueness, however, conceals the color of the sheet stacks. 
     In order to lessen the overall cost for shipment and render visible the color of the sheet stacks, it would be desirable to eliminate the boxes entirely and to have the plastic film overwrap in a seal tight manner. Shipping labels can then be applied to the overwrap. However, the present inventors found that when the plastic film of an overwrapped sheet stack of posterboard is heat shrunk to attain the seal tight manner of the overwrapped plastic film, the sheet stack becomes damaged from forces imposed by the shrinking overwrap during the heat seal process. For example, curling damage may arise along the corners and edges of the sheet stack. The presence of such damage is unacceptable commercially to the consumer. Further, the sheet stack could become further damaged from handling during transit to the retailer destination. 
     It is therefore desired to provide a manner of providing an overwrapped sheet stack of either posterboards, foam core boards, or both without containing them in opaque boxes for shipment to a destination retailer and yet avoid damaging the sheet stack from forces imposed while the overwrapped plastic film is being sealed tight. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Our invention is a package that includes a conventional plastic film that overwraps both a sheet stack and a corrugated board and subjecting the overwrap to heat shrink sealing. The plastic film may be polyolefin or polyethylene. The sheet stack may be sheets of conventional posterboards, sheets of conventional foam core board, or both. 
     The package of the overwrapped plastic film and the corrugated board in effect hold the sheet stack together with its sheets arranged one after another in succession until the package reaches a retail store, where the plastic film and the corrugated board are removed and discarded. The sheet stack is then put onto a display rack for sale without the discarded plastic film or the discarded corrugated board. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings, while the scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims. The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a front, a top and a right side of a package in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a photograph showing the rear view of the package of  FIG. 1  as the front of the package lays upon a floor in a horizontal orientation. A face of a corrugated board is visible through the transparent overwrap of the package from the rear. 
         FIG. 3  is a photograph of the front view of the package of  FIG. 1  as the rear of the package lays upon the floor to remain in a horizontal orientation. A face of an end one of a stack of poster board sheets is visible through the transparent overwrap of the package from the front. 
         FIG. 4  is photograph of an isometric view of the top and front of the package of  FIGS. 1 to 3 . The bottom is symmetric to the top and is positioned upon the floor. The package remains standing upright in a vertical orientation by leaning against a corner edge of an open door corner. 
         FIG. 5  is a photograph showing an isometric view of the right side and rear of the package of  FIGS. 1-4 . The left side is symmetric to the right side and is positioned upon the floor. The package remains standing upright in a vertical orientation by leaning against the corner edge of the open door. 
         FIG. 6  is a photograph showing a top view of a conventional package containing posterboard sheets but which omits containing a corrugated board within. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning to the drawing, a package is shown that includes a plastic film overwrapping both a corrugated board  10  and a sheet stack of posterboard sheets  12  that are arranged adjacent one another. The plastic film has a midway seam or crease  14  that extends about midway across the front of the package and extending to opposite sides. Although not shown in  FIG. 1 , but shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , an edge seam or crease  16  of the plastic film extends along the top, bottom and two sides. The midway crease terminates at the edge seam or crease  16 . The package has the corrugated board  10  at one end and the rest of the package is filled with the set of posterboard sheets  12 . The gap in the line drawing in the middle region of the posterboard sheets  12  merely constitutes a representation that any number of posterboard sheets may be present, whether the number of posterboard sheets total ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty or more. 
     The process of forming the package involves sheeting the posterboard in batches of various counts from rolls to form sheet stacks and then dropping in line onto each of the batches a sheet of corrugated board from a hopper. Thereafter, each batch of the sheet stacks with the corrugated board are overwrapped with the plastic film to form a pack then the pack is heat shrunk to seal the pack and then placed on a skid for subsequent delivery. 
     The essence of the invention is that the corrugated board is preferably thicker than an individual sheet of the sheet stack to strengthen the plastic film wrapped pack when being shipped. It is preferred that the areal size of the corrugated board be larger than the areal size of an individual sheet of the sheet stack to provide additional protection of the corners and edges of the sheet stack by virtue of being larger in size. 
     Nevertheless, the corrugated board could be the same areal size as an individual sheet of the sheet stack and still provide protection of the corners and edges of the sheet stack. While it is not preferred that the corrugated board be smaller than the areal size of an individual sheet of the sheet stack, such is still viable because its greater thickness would provide some degree of protection as a barrier against damage to the sheet stack during transit and might prevent some damage to the corners and edges of the sheet stack during heat shrink sealing especially if it were only slightly smaller in areal size. The corrugated board is sturdier than any of the individual sheets of the sheet stack and might even be sturdier than the entire sheet stack as a whole, depending upon the number of individual sheets in the stack. 
     Some benefits of the pack include that that the pack costs less to manufacture than providing and assembling an opaque box to contain the posterboards instead and that the color of the posterboard can be visually seen through the plastic film, unlike the case for the opaque box containing the posterboards instead that hides the color from view from outside the box. 
     The corrugation of the corrugated board is preferably in a flute direction that supports the long direction of the posterboard, although flute direction may instead be in the short direction of the corrugated board. 
     The plastic film that overwraps is preferably a strong heat shrink type plastic film, although the plastic film may alternatively be any other type—just that the strong heat type is considered the better choice. The plastic film of the pack is preferably heat shrunk to make the pack stronger and more protective, although the pack does not need to be heat shrunk to be useful. 
     The corrugated board protects the sheet stack from damage otherwise arising from bending or curling forces imposed as the overwrap plastic film is heat shrunk. Such damage  20  is to corner regions of the posterboard sheets as exemplified in  FIG. 6 , which arose because there is no corrugated board present within the overwrap of the sheet stack with the plastic film. The result of such damage  20  to the corner regions that arise during the heat sealing of the overwrapped plastic film is an unkempt appearance. 
     The previously discussed sheet stack of conventional posterboard sheets may be replaced by a stack of conventional foam core board sheets instead. A foam core board (or foam board) sheet is more rigid than a posterboard sheet. Alternatively, the stack could have both posterboards and foam core boards. That is, both a set of individual sheets of posterboard and a set of individual sheets of foam core board. 
     While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.