Patent ID: 7159715

Claim:
A container for shipping screens for large screen television sets, comprising: a screen support platform having a surface for supporting a plurality of the screens stacked thereon; a pallet integrated with said screen support platform; a tubular side wall having an open top end and an open bottom end, said bottom end adapted to rest on said pallet with said side wall disposed around a stack of screens when supported on said support platform; and a cover for placement over the open top end of the tubular side wall, wherein said screen support platform, said pallet, said side wall, and said cover all being constructed of corrugated cardboard; said pallet includes a bottom deck, a top deck, and pallet blocks between the bottom deck and top deck, said pallet blocks defining openings between the top and bottom decks into which the tines of a forklift can be inserted; said top deck comprising a tray having a bottom that is secured on top of the pallet blocks, and upstanding side walls around a peripheral margin of the pallet; said screen support platform is received in said tray; said screen support platform comprises a base pad that rests on said tray bottom, and a frame resting on and secured to a top surface of said base pad, said frame comprising a pair of spaced side frame members and a plurality of uniformly spaced cross beams extending between the side frame members; a thin top sheet is secured on top of said frame, defining a smooth, continuous support surface for screens placed on said support platform; and the screens are curved, and said frame cross beams have a top surface that is curved complementary to the curvature of the screens, and the top sheet secured on top of said frame is also curved to conform to the curvature of the screens and to the frame top surface.