Transport Case For Large Plasma/LCD/LED Flat Screen Displays And Other Like Items

Abstract

A case for moving flat screen displays (plasma lcd and led), interactive white boards, digital signage and the like, comprising: a base and a mating lid; said base and said mating lid forming a fully enclosed storage compartment when fitted together; said base and said mating lid shaped to form a case that has a small depth compared to its height and width to create a storage compartment that is suitably shaped to accommodate a flat shaped item in a vertical orientation; said base having lateral ends that are wider in relation to the middle to create a stable base for the case; said base further comprising a cradle assembly to hold the item to be transported in cushioned suspension above the bottom surface of said base.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/224,335, filed Jul. 9, 2009. All subject matter set forth in provisional application No. 61/224,335 is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to transport containers for safely moving flat screen display devices such as LCD, plasma, and LED flat display screens, interactive white boards, and like items that are large, flat shaped items which have sensitive surfaces that can easily be damaged if not well protected during transport from contact with surfaces inside the case.

2. Description of the Related Art

Flat screen display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma, and LED displays, interactive white boards, and the like have created a need for specialized transport containers to move these large, expensive items without damaging them. The screen surfaces are susceptible to damage if they are bumped or rubbed. Thus, rental companies, moving companies, conference centers, sound and video contractors, and performance staging companies are all in need of a light weight, stable, reusable transport case that can fully protect these delicate, flat shaped devices during transport.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,466,372 B2 to Kim discloses a transport case for the liquid crystal cells that are ultimately manufactured into a display, but this case is not designed to accommodate and protect a large end product display.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,508 to Kuhn discloses a flat shaped wooden shipping case for valuables such as framed paintings. This wooden case has a shipping holder to secure the painting within the case, and further utilizes vacuum insulation panels to protect the contents from fire and extreme temperature changes. The shipping holder disclosed in this patent encloses the entire perimeter of the painting. This case is not suitable for moving delicate flat screen items because it is too heavy, it does not provide a means to keep the item oriented vertically up, and it does not have a means to protect packaging materials from rubbing against the delicate screen surface.

U.S. published application 20080272136 entitled Transport Case For Transport Of High Value Heavy Transport Goods discloses a transport case designed to transport very heavy items, such as printers, that must be removed from the case with a lift truck. It features a sliding object carrier at the base of the case that can move the item closer to the side of the case where the lift truck is situated. The lid of this case also comprises the sides of the case when closed so that when the lid is removed, there are no sides in the way of the lift truck when the case is opened. This case is not useful for flat screen items because lift trucks are not necessary for flat screen items, and the moving companies and conference center industries do not wish to use lift trucks to move flat screen items. Further, it does not incorporate the novel shape that is ideal for stabilizing flat screen items in an upright orientation, and the design features that can protect a large screen area from being touched.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to achieve a transport case for moving large, delicate, valuable flat screen items that is lightweight so it is manageable, and shaped to accommodate large, flat screen items and keep them in their vertical, upright position throughout the moving process.

It is further an object to achieve a case that protects the flat screen item from the impact of any bumps by suspending the item in shock absorbing cushion away from the rigid interior surfaces of the case.

It is further an object to achieve a case that protects the delicate screen surface of the item to be moved from rubbing or contacting any cushioning, packaging, or assemblies designed to hold the item within the case.

It is further an object to achieve a case that incorporates rollers at the base to further stabilize the case in an upright position and to provide for easy movement of the large case.

It is further an object to incorporate useful handles to facilitate the lifting and moving of a large case and lid.

It is further an object to incorporate lid securing straps.

In one preferred embodiment, a transport case for moving large, flat screen devices includes a base and a mating lid. The lid is configured such that the lower portion slides over the corresponding top portion of the base to form a fully enclosed container. The base and lid are shaped such that the resultant case has a small depth compared to its height and width (i.e. a flat screen shape), to accommodate large, flat screen items. The case is wider at the lateral ends to provide a stable surface to keep the case in an upright orientation and prevent it from tipping over. The lower portion of the lid that overlaps with the top portion of the base at the widened lateral ends incorporates a horizontal shelf that rests on the corresponding top vertical edge of the base to hold the lid in suspension above the item to be transported. The wider base also serves to accommodate the end supports of a cradle system that keeps the item to be transported in cushioned suspension away from the interior sides of the case. The cradle system opening is adjustable to ensure that various sized items can be securely held within the case without any part of the cradle holding assembly touching the delicate flat screen area of the item to be transported. The case is made of lightweight plastic that is reinforced to ensure the sides do not collapse onto and touch the item inside without adding any appreciable weight to the case. Wheels, handles, and straps to secure the lid over the base can be added for additional convenience and security.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the appended claims. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with the lid separated from the base,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with the lid closed over the base,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the cradle assembly of the base,

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the reinforced channels of the base, and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional front view of an embodiment of the present invention with the lid closed over the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, flat display transport cases according to embodiments of the present invention are now described.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention with the lid separated from the base. The case 1 comprises a base 2 and a mating lid 3. The base 2 has a bottom 4, an opening at the top 5, and a plurality of sides 6 extending upward from the bottom 4. The lid 3 comprises a top 7, an opening at the bottom 8 (opening not visible), and a plurality of sides 9 extending downward from the top 7.

The base 2 and the lid 3 are cooperatively shaped, with the opening 8 at the bottom of the lid 3 having a larger perimeter than the opening 5 at the top of the base 2, so that the lid 3 can slide over the base 2 in an overlapping fashion, creating a fully enclosed storage compartment inside. FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of the invention with the lid 3 closed over the base 2. The lid 3 and the base 2 are cooperatively shaped such that the overlapping portion of the lid 10 slides over the corresponding top portion of the base 11 (hereinafter “nested portion of the base”), which is not visible in FIG. 2 because it is nested under the overlapping portion of the lid 10.

The base 2 and lid 3 are sized and shaped to cooperatively form a case 1 that accommodates a large, flat item in a vertical orientation. Thus, in the top up orientation depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the resulting case has a relatively thin depth as compared to its height and width.

Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the depth of the base widens at both lateral ends 12 as compared to the middle 13. The overlapping portion of the lid 10 correspondingly widens at the lateral ends. This unique shape provides a stable base to prevent the case 1 from tipping over on its side. This unique shape simultaneously creates a horizontal lid surface barrier 14 that prevents the lid 3 from resting on the top of the item to be transported. Thus, in the closed position, the lid 3 is prevented from resting on the top of the item to be transported, and instead, rests upon the vertical top edges of the base 35 that correspond to the horizontal lid surface barriers 14. This unique shape also perfectly accommodates the cradle assembly that is installed into the interior bottom 4 of the base 2, described further herein.

The case 1 of the disclosed embodiments is fabricated of polyethylene plastic that is rotationally molded as a single piece, and is then divided into nested base 2 and overlapping lid 3 by cutting out a thin, transverse slice at the location that will become the mating edges of the base 2 and lid 3. Rotational molding is a process known in the art for economically producing precision shaped plastic structures of uniform thickness. It produces molded plastic that is approximately 0.150 inches thick, resulting in a surprisingly light and manageable case given its size. Using a single mold as opposed to two molds results in less wasted plastic.

Although thin molded plastic has the advantage of being light, durable, and low cost, it would not be ideal for fully protecting broad screen items such as large plasma displays without some reinforcement. The challenge is providing the reinforcement without appreciably increasing the overall weight of the case. Thus, in order to prevent the sides from collapsing in and possibly touching the delicate screen of the item inside, the inventors herein devised a way to reinforce the broad sides 17 of the front and back of the case (labeled on FIG. 2 and FIG. 4) without adding substantially to the weight of the case 1.

More specifically, in the disclosed embodiments, reinforcing channels 15 are molded into the base 2 and lid 3 as shown in FIG. 1. The channels 15 are designed to receive metal braces 16 (depicted in FIG. 4) that are riveted to the interior of the channel, or attached therein by any suitable means. FIG. 4 is an exploded view that depicts an advantageous arrangement of reinforcing channels 15 for the base 2. This embodiment utilizes two channels 15 that wrap around the bottom 4 and receive the braces 16 as depicted. This advantageous arrangement holds the central portion of the broad sides of the base 17 rigidly away from the contents of the case. No bracing is utilized at the lateral ends 12 of the base 2 because the cradle assembly end supports 20 (discussed further herein) provide the needed reinforcement at the lateral ends 12.

Corresponding channels 15 are incorporated into the lid 3 as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Since the height of the lid 3 is not as great as the height of the base 2, it is not necessary to wrap the channels around the top of the lid 7 to prevent the middle sides 17 of the lid 3 from collapsing and touching the item within the case. Instead, the lid 3 of FIG. 1 has an array of molded in ribs 18 to increase the rigidity of the top without adding the weight of metal braces.

Aluminum is a useful brace material in that it is sufficiently rigid, yet light and resistant to corrosion. This novel process of utilizing the strategic placement of reinforcement channels only where needed, in combination with other case structures, allows the case to remain very light weight, yet rigid enough in critical locations to fully protect the contents from contact.

Upon reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art may recognize other suitable materials and possible channel arrangements for utilizing lightweight materials in conjunction with bracing channels to practice the disclosed invention. The above disclosure is intended to fully disclose the invention, including preferred embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims to the exact materials or channel layouts disclosed herein. The invention may be practiced with other suitable materials and may be practiced with or without reinforcing channels.

The base 2 further comprises a cradle assembly to hold the item to be transported in cushioned suspension above the interior of the bottom of the base 4. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the base 2 that depicts a cradle assembly in accordance with the present invention. The cradle assembly is comprised of two cushioned end supports 20, and two middle cushions 21. The end supports 20 are separately molded polyethylene plastic in the disclosed embodiment. They are comprised of a bottom 22, and three sides 23. The top 24 and the fourth vertical side 25 are left open to receive and hold the item to be transported.

The end supports 20 are secured to the interior bottom and sides of the base 2 (not fully depicted) by rivets or any other suitable means. The interior bottom 4 of the base 2 may be formed with protrusions (not depicted) to guide the proper alignment of the end supports 20 onto the interior bottom 4 of the base 2 during assembly. To provide a fully cushioned cradle, the disclosed end supports 20 can be interiorly lined on all surfaces (22 and 23) with a type of molded foam known in the art as closed cell polyethylene foam 26. The molded foam lining 26 can be permanently adhered to the end supports with a pressure sensitive adhesive that is known in the art to be suitable for this use.

Additional strips of adhesive backed molded foam 27 can be adhered to the foam lining 26 to adjust the size of the end support opening (defined by the open top 24 and the open fourth vertical side 25). The exploded view of FIG. 3 shows how wider strips 27a can be used at the lateral ends to shorten the depth of the end support opening, and narrower strips 27b can used to adjust the width of the end support opening at precisely selected locations to allow the foam 27b to touch only the frame of the item to be transported and not touch the delicate screen area. These additional strips of foam 27 can either be permanently attached, such as with pressure sensitive adhesive, or they can be removably attached, such as with Velcro, to allow custom adjustments to a single case 1 for a variety of flat screen items.

The two middle cushions 21 can be fabricated of the same foam in the shape depicted in FIG. 3. They can be permanently adhered to the interior bottom 4 of the base 2, spaced in a roughly equidistant manner between the two end supports 20. The middle cushions 21 are shaped to support the bottom edge of the item to be transported, and to work in unison with the end supports 20 to support the item to be transported in cushioned suspension above the interior bottom 4 of the case. FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a closed case that depicts the cradle assembly installed into the bottom of the base 4. This embodiment also includes lid foam cushions 28 on the interior of the top 7 of the lid 3.

It can be seen from FIG. 5 how the bottom of the item to be transported (item to be transported not depicted) would rest on horizontal foam surfaces 26 and 21 in suspension above the rigid interior bottom of the base 4. The vertical sides 23 (see FIG. 3) of the end supports 20 hold the corresponding vertical sides of the item to be transported firmly in place. The foam lining 26 of the vertical sides provides cushioning from impacts, and the custom foam strips 27 reduce the depth and width of the end support opening to snuggly hold the frame of the item to be transported without touching the delicate screen area. See also FIG. 1 for a view of the tops of the end supports 20 with associated cushioning (26, 27a, 27b).

Those skilled in the art will recognize and appreciate that a cradle assembly in accordance with this invention can be fabricated of different materials and shapes. The detail provided above is intended to provide a full and complete disclosure including preferred embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims to the specific cradle assembly embodiments disclosed above.

To enhance the mobility of the case 1, rolling mechanisms 29 (labeled in FIG. 2) can be attached to the exterior bottom of the base 4 in any suitable fashion known in the art. The disclosed embodiments utilize four caster wheels 29 (three are visible), two at each lateral end. The casters 29 are bolted to the exterior bottom 4 of the base 2 in standard fashion. For enhanced directional control while moving the case 1, the disclosed embodiments utilize two swiveling casters on one end (the forward end during movement), and two non-swiveling casters on the other end.

The above arrangement of rolling mechanisms 29 are preferred for enhanced mobility and directional control, but those skilled in the art will recognize that any suitable number, orientation, and type of rolling mechanisms, or no rolling mechanisms at all, can be utilized to practice the invention.

The FIG. 2 embodiment includes two straps 30 to secure the lid 3 to the base 2. The straps may be fabricated of heavy duty 1.5″ nylon web. They can be permanently secured to the front of the base at any suitable location (attachment point not shown), and wrap around the bottom of the base 4 being securely buckled at the top of the lid 7 (buckles not depicted). Camphered edges 31 as shown in FIG. 2 can be utilized to prevent gaps between the straps 30 and the exterior bottom of the base 4. In the disclosed embodiment, the straps 30 completely encircle the closed case 1. It should be appreciated that the invention can be practiced without straps 30, or with any variety of lid securing arrangements or devices known in the art.

The case 1 of the present invention can be further equipped with a variety of handles. A useful arrangement is as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The lid 3 is equipped with two lift bars 32, one at each end, to facilitate lifting the lid 3 on and off the base 2. The lift bars 32 can be fabricated with annodized aluminum tubing, or any other suitable handle type known in the art. A corresponding handle recess 33 is useful to allow plenty of room for a hand to grasp the bar 32. The base 2 has two molded in end lift handles 34, one on each end, to facilitate lifting the base 2 either alone, or with the lid 3 installed as needed. (FIG. 5 depicts lift handles in cross sectional front view.)

It will be appreciated that many varieties and arrangements of handles can be utilized within the scope of the invention, and that the invention is not limited to any particular handle arrangements. Handles are not necessary to practice the invention.

The closed case embodiment of FIG. 2 has the following approximate dimensions: 35 inches high, 54 inches wide, 16 inches deep at the widened depth, and 10 inches deep elsewhere. These dimensions are useful to accommodate the variety of sizes of large flat screen display devices that are prevalent in the market at the time of this application.

The above disclosure is intended to fully disclose the invention including preferred embodiments. Modifications and variations of the present invention that would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. For instance, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced with a variety of lid and base arrangements, and the nested arrangement that incorporates the shelf to hold the lid above the item to be transported are not the only lid and base arrangements that can be used to practice the invention.

Claims

1. A case for moving flat screen displays (plasma lcd and led), interactive white boards, digital signage and the like, comprising:

a base and a mating lid;

said base and said mating lid forming a fully enclosed storage compartment when fitted together;

said base and said mating lid shaped to form a case that has a small depth compared to its height and width to create a storage compartment that is suitably shaped to accommodate a flat shaped item in a vertical orientation;

said base having lateral ends that are wider in relation to the middle to create a stable base for the case;

said base further comprising a cradle assembly to hold the item to be transported in cushioned suspension above the bottom surface of said base.

2. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base and said lid fit together in a nested fashion with said lid having an opening sized to slide over the top of said base in an overlapping fashion.

3. A case as set forth in claim 2, wherein said lid has an interior horizontal shelf that when fitted on said base rests on the corresponding top vertical edge of said base to hold said lid in suspension above the item to be transported.

4. A case as set forth in claim 2, wherein said base and said lid are made of polyethylene that has been rotationally molded as a single piece, and then divided into nesting base and lid by cutting out a transverse slice of the single piece at the location that will become the mating edges of the base and lid.

5. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base and said lid further comprise one or more reinforcement channels.

6. A case as set forth in claim 2, wherein said base and said lid further comprise one or more corresponding reinforcement channels.

7. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cradle assembly includes cushioned supports at each of said lateral ends of said base.

8. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cushioned supports further comprise a plurality of self adhering cushion strips to adjust the size of said cushioned supports to snuggly grasp the edges of the item to be transported, and to allow said cushion strips to be placed so as avoid contact with display surfaces.

9. A case as set forth in claim 1, further comprising rolling mechanisms on the bottom of said base.

10. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lid further comprises a plurality of ribs for increased rigidity.

11. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inside top of said lid further comprises cushioning to further protect the top portion of the item to be transported.

12. A case for moving flat screen displays (plasma lcd and led), interactive white boards, digital signage and the like, comprising:

a base and a mating lid;

said base having a bottom which defines the bottom of the case, an opening at the top, and a plurality of sides extending upward;

said lid having a top which defines the top of the case, an opening at the bottom, and a plurality of sides extending downward;

said lid opening sized to slide over the top of said base in an overlapping fashion;

said base and said lid being cooperatively shaped such that when said lid is placed over top of said base, the top portion of said base is nested within the corresponding bottom portion of said lid forming a fully enclosed storage compartment;

said lid and said base having sides that are substantially longer than the width of said top and said bottom of the case to create a storage compartment that is suitably shaped to accommodate a flat shaped item in a vertical orientation;

said base having lateral ends that are wider in relation to the middle to create a stable base for the case;

said lid having a lower portion of the lateral ends correspondingly widened out to cooperate with the width of said lateral ends of said base to create a horizontal lower lid shelf that rests upon the vertical top of said base thereby suspending the top of the lid above the top of the item to be transported;

said base further comprising a cradle assembly to hold the item to be transported in cushioned suspension above the bottom surface of the base;

said base and said lid having corresponding reinforcement channels.

13. A case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said base and said lid are made of polyethylene that has been rotationally molded as a single piece, and then divided into nesting base and lid by cutting out a transverse slice of the single piece at the location that will become the mating edges of the base and lid.

14. A case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said cradle includes cushioned supports at each of said lateral ends of said base.

15. A case as set forth in claim 14, wherein said cushioned supports further comprise a plurality of self adhering cushion strips to adjust the size of said cushioned supports to snuggly grasp the edges of the item to be transported, and to allow said cushion strips to be placed so as avoid contact with display surfaces.

16. A case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said case further comprises two or more straps permanently attached to said base for securing the lid onto said base.

17. A case as set forth in claim 16, wherein said base has a chamfered edge for said straps to pass over at the location where the front and back base sides meet the base bottom.

18. A case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said base further comprises rolling mechanisms attached to the bottom of said base to allow the case to be rolled.

19. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lid further comprises a plurality of ribs for increased rigidity.

20. A case as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inside top of said lid further comprises cushioning to further protect the top portion of the item to be transported.