Patent ID: 7048118

Claim:
A packaging assembly for holding a product, the assembly comprising: at least one longitudinal support post, each support post having a top end and a bottom end and at least one integrally formed locking tab disposed at the bottom end; and a rectangular base having four corners and an outer perimeter and openings disposed at the corners, the openings being configured to receive the bottom ends of the support posts in interlocking fashion; wherein the base and the support post cooperate to prevent the support post from moving laterally and wherein each support post is formed from a sheet of paper wound into a tubular structure comprising an outer wall and an inner, product-facing wall substantially coextensive with the outer wall and joined to the outer wall at outer ends to define a hollow space therebetween, and wherein each support post outer wall comprises two outer wall members joined at a right angle along an outer edge, each outer wall member extends from the outer edge to one of the outer ends, the inner wall comprises two inner wall members joined at a right angle along an inner corner, each inner wall member extends from the inner corner to one of the outer ends, and the outer and inner walls form the locking tabs at the outer ends, and wherein each locking tab is substantially planar and is formed from adjacent portions of the outer wall and the inner wall.