SHOCK AND VIBRATION DAMPENING DEVICE
A dampening device that includes opposing top and bottom walls, an annular inner side wall extending between the top and bottom walls, and an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the annular inner side wall. At least one portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape. The inner and outer side walls are formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/532,815, filed Sep. 9, 2011, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to storage and shipping containers, and more particularly to shock and vibration dampening devices for such containers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFragile articles require special packaging when stored and/or shipped inside shipping containers. Conventional container packaging used to protect such articles includes paper, nuggets of expanded foam, preformed polystyrene foam or beads, etc. Ideally, the packaging absorbs and dissipates shocks and vibrations impinging the shipping container to minimize the shocks and vibrations experienced by the fragile article's).
Conventional container packaging materials have proved inadequate to meet the more stringent shock and vibration absorption requirements for modem articles of commerce. In order to satisfy such requirements, large volumes of conventional container packaging is required around the article. Voluminous packaging materials are expensive and take up excessive warehouse space before use and trash/recycling space after use. Further, larger shipping containers are necessitated by the voluminous container packaging, which are more expensive to purchase and to ship. The shock/vibration dissipation performance of paper, nugget and bead packaging materials can depend in large part on how the user actually packages the particular article(s). If a particular conventional container packaging is deemed to provide inadequate shock/vibration protection, there is no predictable way to modify such packaging material to meet such shock/vibration dissipation requirements, except for adding more packaging material and increasing the shipping container size.
More recently, unitary packaging structures have been developed that are made of flexible polymeric materials to allow shocks to dissipate through flexing of the structure walls. Examples of such unitary structures can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,226,543, 5,385,232, 5,515,976, and 5,799,796. However, these solutions must be custom made for each fragile article. Moreover, all these solutions fail to protect shipping containers from external shocks and vibrations, and instead attempt to absorb such shocks/vibrations inside the shipping container. Lastly, many fragile articles are shipped or stored on pallets, which lack walls to contain packaging materials.
There is a need for a dampening device that protects storage and/or shipping containers, pallets, etc. from shocks and vibrations using minimal storage space before and after use, and which uses minimal packaging material to reduce cost and shipping weight.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA dampening device includes opposing top and bottom walls, an annular inner side wall extending between the top and bottom walls, and an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the annular inner side wall wherein at least one portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape. The inner and outer side walls are formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
A dampening assembly includes a bracket having a first member extending in a first plane, a second member extending in a second plane, and a third member extending in a third plane. The second and third members are connected to or extend from the first member, and the first, second and third planes are orthogonal to each other. First, second and third dampening devices are mounted to the first, second and third members, respectively. Each of the first, second and third dampening devices includes opposing top and bottom walls, an annular inner side wall extending between the top and bottom walls, and an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the annular inner side wall. At least one portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape. The inner and outer side walls are formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
A dampening device includes opposing top and bottom walls, a coil spring extending between the top and bottom walls, and an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the coil spring, wherein at least a portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape. The outer side wall is formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent by a review of the specification, claims and appended figures.
The present invention is a dampening device for protecting shipping and storage containers and/or pallets from shocks and vibrations. A first embodiment of the dampening device 10 is illustrated in
Dampening device 10 is made of a resilient material that allows outer and inner side walls 12/14 to flex and absorb energy from shocks and vibrations. Examples of suitable materials include polymeric material such as rubber, low-density or linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, the family of polyolefin resins, vinyl acetate split or spun into synthetic fibers or modified to take on the elastic properties of a rubber or to produce a number of copolymers, fiberboard, molded fiber, molded urethane, molded ethylene, molded styrene, and/or ecology friendly materials such as corn starch or maze starch. Low density poly ethylene has been determined to work exceedingly well. The dampening device 10 can be made by molding two halves separately and attaching them together. Inner side wall 14 can be integrally formed with top/bottom walls 16/18, or formed separately and assembled together (and held in place by annular ridges 32 extending inwardly from top and bottom walls 16/18).
It has been discovered that two concentric side walls of different cross sectional size and/or shape provide superior shock and vibration dampening (both vertical and horizontal components) between top and bottom walls 16/18, while at the same time supporting the weight of the floating panel 26 with the desired flexure of the outer/inner side walls 12/14 in a static state (under the weight of the supported floating panel 26 without shocks and vibrations). As damping device 10 compresses under the weight and shock of a load, the curved outer side wall 12 flexes, with portions of the outer side wall 12 closest to the floating panel 26 and support panel 20 engaging therewith as device 10 compresses to provide increased resilient support and dampening. The increase in resilient support and dampening is gradual with the compression of the device 10 because of the convex shape of the outer side wall 12. The majority of the weight is supported by the inner side wall 14, which can flex inwardly or outwardly under heavy loads. The dimensions and materials can be tailored to provide the desired dampening and load requirements (e.g. vibration dampening up to 300 Hz, shock dampening up to 25 g's, shock dampening up to certain drop heights, total load support up to two tons, etc.). For example, the outer and inner side walls 12/14 can have equal or different thicknesses. Additional dampening features can be added as needed. For example,
The shapes of outer and/or inner side walls 12/14 can be tailored to meet the desired dampening and load requirements. For example,
Fasteners 48 can be used to removably engage with one or more tabs 50 formed on bottom wall 18 to removably secure bottom wall 18 to support panel 20, as illustrated in
The flexing characteristics of inner and outer side walls 14/12 in any of the embodiments described herein can be optimized by selectively including dimples that form small points of flexure that increase the flexibility of select portions of each wall. For example,
The various shapes, points of flexure, and combinations thereof and of the various subcomponents of the device 10, dictate the effective spring constant and dampening effect for each element and the dampening device 10 as a whole.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described above and illustrated herein, but encompasses any and all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims. For example, references to the present invention herein are not intended to limit the scope of any claim or claim term, but instead merely make reference to one or more features that may be covered by one or more of the claims. Materials, processes and numerical examples described above are exemplary only, and should not be deemed to limit the claims. All of the embodiments can be reversed in orientation (i.e. whereby the top wall 16 contacts and/or is mounted to the support panel 20, and the bottom wall 18 contacts and/or is mounted to the floating panel 26). Support panel 20 can be omitted, where the dampening device would rest on the floor.
Claims
1. A dampening device, comprising:
- opposing top and bottom walls;
- an annular inner side wall extending between the top and bottom walls;
- an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walk and around the annular inner side wall, wherein at least one portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape;
- wherein the inner and outer side walls are formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
2. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the resilient material is low density poly ethylene.
3. The dampening device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a threaded hole extending through the top wall.
4. The dampening device of claim 3, further comprising:
- a threaded hole extending through the bottom wall.
5. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall is cylindrically shaped.
6. The dampening device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a coil spring extending between the top and bottom walls.
7. The dampening device of claim 6, wherein the coil spring is disposed inside of the inner side wall.
8. The dampening device of claim 6, wherein the coil spring is disposed between the inner side wall and the outer side wall.
9. The dampening device of claim 8, further comprising:
- a spiral shaped channel formed into an outer surface of the inner side wall, wherein the coil spring is at least partially disposed in the spiral shaped channel.
10. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall has an outwardly projecting convex cross sectional shape.
11. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall is conically shaped.
12. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall includes two conical portions having narrow ends disposed at the top or bottom walls and wider ends terminating together at a point of flexure.
13. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall has a cross sectional shape having two inwardly curved portions terminating together at a point of flexure.
14. The dampening device of claim 13, wherein the inner and outer side walls are dimensioned such that the point of flexure of the inner side wall engages with the outer side wall as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
15. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the outer side wall has a straight cross sectional shape.
16. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the outer side wall has a cross sectional shape having two inwardly curved portions terminating together at a point of flexure.
17. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein:
- the inner side wall has a cross sectional shape having two inwardly curved portions terminating together at a first point of flexure;
- the at least one portion of the outer side wall includes first and second portions each having an outwardly curved cross sectional shape;
- the outer side wall including a third portion disposed between the first and second portions having an inwardly curved cross section shape, wherein the third portion terminates at the first and second portions at second and third points of flexure respectively.
18. The dampening device of claim 17, wherein the inner and outer side walls are dimensioned such that the point of flexure of the inner side wall engages with the third portion of the outer side wall as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
19. The dampening device of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall is shaped as a ring with an opening exposing an inner surface of the inner side wall.
20. The dampening device of claim 19, wherein the bottom wall includes a plurality of holes for receiving a plurality of screws.
21. The dampening device of claim 1, further comprising:
- at least one fastener having a hole or slot for removably engaging with a tab formed on the bottom wall.
22. The dampening device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of spot dimples formed in at least one of the inner and outer side walls.
23. The dampening device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of elongated dimples formed in at least one of the inner and outer side walls.
24. A dampening assembly, comprising:
- a bracket including: a first member extending in a first plane, a second member extending in a second plane, and a third member extending in a third plane, wherein the second and third members are connected to or extend from the first member, and wherein the first, second and third planes are orthogonal to each other;
- first, second and third dampening devices mounted to the first, second and third members, respectively,
- each of the first, second and third dampening devices including: opposing top and bottom walls, an annular inner side wall extending between the top and bottom walls, an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the annular inner side wall, wherein at least one portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape, wherein the inner and outer side walls are formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
25. A dampening device, comprising:
- opposing top and bottom walls;
- a coil spring extending between the top and bottom walls;
- an annular outer side wall extending between the top and bottom walls and around the coil spring, wherein at least a portion of the outer side wall has an outwardly protruding convex cross sectional shape;
- wherein the outer side wail is formed of a resilient material that flexes as the top and bottom walls are compressed toward each other.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 7, 2012
Publication Date: Sep 12, 2013
Inventor: Benjamin F. Polando (Discovery Bay, CA)
Application Number: 13/607,500
International Classification: B65D 81/02 (20060101);