Edge Protector and Packaging System
An improved edge protector and packaging system comprises a generally right angle member having a plurality of right angle bands joined by a plurality of intermediate arms. The edge protector and packaging system allow for the protection of corners typically exposed to damages during transportation and storage. The edge protector and packaging system may be of different sizes to accommodate for a wide variety of shapes and structures having angles exposed to damages that require some kind of protection.
The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/834,110, entitled “Edge Protector and Packaging System”, and filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 12, 2013, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to edge protectors used in the packaging of articles and, more particularly, to edge protectors applied, for example, as vertical edge protectors such as for application to the corners of a straight-sided article or container adapted for cushioning the straight corners and edges of packaged articles along the full height thereof and also adapted to permit the stacking of the packaged articles on each other without damaging the container or the article, and horizontal edge protectors permitting pick up and movement of packaged articles by a squeeze truck without sideways crushing of the article.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn packaging a number of articles including heavy articles such as refrigerators, television sets, stoves, air conditioners, washing machines and dryers, it is customary to package them in relatively lightweight containers formed of paperboard or corrugated. The article is located and cushioned within the container by edge protectors which typically are one or more pieces of cardboard folded to a 90 degrees angle inserted along the edges of the articles and the corners of the container. Such edge protectors are used to provide cushioning to protect the corners of the packaged article from damage such as scratching and denting during shipping and handling. A series of relatively narrow straps are typically wrapped around the container to secure the container and edge protectors. These straps which may be of a metal such as steel or a high strength plastic are tensioned to secure the package and absent corner posts would bite into the edges of the corrugated packaging and the article contained therein. Further, it is customary to package articles by enveloping them in a plastic film such as by shrink or stretch wrap techniques. Again, the edges of the article are cushioned and protected by edge protectors, also referred to as corner posts, extending along the length thereof secured inside the plastic film.
A number of corner posts are known in the art. Representative of such designs are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,068,771; 2,160,221; 2,196,157; 2,514,833; 3,556,529; 3,133,687; 3,337,111; 3,536,245; 3,072,313; 3,433,354; 3,708,101; 3,734,389; 4,120,441; 5,181,611 and U.K. Patent No. 2,080,767. These prior art corner posts, however, all have one or more of the following disadvantages. Although some provide relatively good cushioning, they do not provide a load bearing capacity in the vertical direction which would permit the vertical stacking of loaded containers or, if they do, they are of substantial bulk and thus require large amounts of materials, are heavy, and take up space. For protectors not providing vertical load bearing capacity, when stacking of such containers is attempted, the weight of the upper container crushes the underlying containers by bending or buckling the walls of the container which bear the stacking load. Others which attempt to provide such vertical load bearing capacity in turn do not always provide sufficient cushioning and/or are relatively complex in design and expensive to manufacture. Since the packaging materials do not add value to the product itself, the costs of such materials are an important consideration to the manufacturer who uses such posts in shipping finished goods. Finally, some designs are subject to crushing by lateral forces supplied to the container and by shifting movement of the articles within the container detracting from the cushioning protection for the edges and corners of the article. Also, some do not properly assemble in a way that also protects the horizontal corners of the packaged articles.
Also known to the art is a corner post comprised of multiple layers of elongated paperboard which are laminated together, glued, treated, and formed into rigid right angles. The thickness of the corner post is determined by the number of layers of paperboard laminated together and typically ranges from 0.120 inch to approximately 0.400 inch. Although several corner post or edge protectors packaging system are known in the art, most are complicated structures which require substantial manufacturing capabilities. None of the known edge protectors provide a simple, lightweight solution for the packaging industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn improved elongated edge protector and packaging system is provided. The system is typically formed from a plurality of members comprising at least first and second bands which are secured via a plurality of intermediate arms.
The at least first and second bands are typically formed of multiple layer materials such as laminated paperboard generally configured as rigid right angle band. The bands are joined by intermediate arms also made from a multiple layers material such as laminated paperboard configured as rigid right angle arm. The right angle paperboard band has an inside surface and an outside surface. The inside surface of the first band is generally in contact with the outside surface of the intermediate arms, wherein the inside surface of the intermediate arms is generally in contact with the outside surface of the second band. An adhesive is typically used to join the intermediate arm with the first and second bands. Although the use of adhesive may be required for some system wherein the multilayer material used for making the edge protector is laminated cardboard, the edge protectors could as well be made of polymers or composite materials in either a unitary piece or by an assembly of at least a first and a second band joined by a plurality of intermediate arms. In systems where polymers or composite materials are used, the first and a second band could be joined to the plurality of intermediate arms by adhesive or by a fusion of the polymers or composite materials where such material allows such a fusion of the joining pieces together.
The edge protectors and packaging system according to the present invention are generally used to protect the angles on merchandises during transportation or for convenient storage. The edge protector members are typically made from cheap material that allow for some degree of flexibility, such as laminated cardboard, polymers or composite materials.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may be used to protect vertical corners or horizontal corners but may also allow for the protection of a combination of vertical and horizontal corners in a single assembly. The edge protectors of the present system may interlock thereby allowing the protection of corners created from the intersection of three surfaces. The ability of the present edge protectors to interlock or engage at their extremities allows the use of such edge protectors to create frame having various shapes or structures. For instance, the combination of twelve edge protectors having the proper length will create a prismatic structure (e.g. cube, cuboid, rectangular prism, etc.) for the protection of all extremities of rectangular or squared shaped objects. The configuration of the edge protectors allows fast assembly and removal of packaging materials. In order for the edge protectors of the present system to interlock, the first and second bands need to have a thickness similar to that of the intermediate arms.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may be made from a combination of different materials allowing for various degrees for malleability. Likewise, the material used may allow for different types of angular extremities to be protected. For instances, the first band could be made from laminated cardboard whereas the second band could be made from polymer. In such case the pluralities of intermediate arms could be made of different shock absorbing materials or from a material identical to one of the bands. The various combinations of materials will generally allow for the tailoring of the edge protector to the type of merchandise to be stored or transported.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the edge protector member may have a shape varying from a flat band or a 180 degree angle to an angle as small as the material may allow. As such, a smaller angle will typically be permitted when using a polymer whereas laminated cardboard which is typically bent to the desired angle may have some limitation when encountering very small angles.
Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
A novel edge protector and packaging system will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.
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In the present embodiment, the edge protectors 20, 21 may be of various lengths to fit the article to be transported or stored. As such, the number of plurality of intermediate arms 12, 16, 18 may also depend of the desired stiffness of the edge protectors. Accordingly, the shorter the interval between the intermediate arms 12, 16, 18, the stiffer the edge protectors 20, 21 will be. Similarly, with a greater number of intermediate arms 12, 16, 18, the edge protectors 20, 21 will generally enable a more rigid overall assembly.
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One of the particular advantages of the present invention is that it provides for the use of lighter weight angles useful for stretch wrap applications. Normally, an angle of such light weight would not maintain its right angle integrity. However, in the combination of the present invention with the intermediate arms 12, 16, 18, such lightweight angles do substantially maintain integrity.
An example of the edge protector and packaging system of the present invention was designed having four inches wide bands 10, 14 and intermediate arms 12, 16, 18 resulting upon bending of the bands in an edge protector 20 having sides about two inches each. As such, the edge protector 20 is able to substantially protect the corners of the article or merchandise to be shipped. In this embodiment, the thickness of the laminated cardboard bands, forming each of the first band 10, the second band 14 and the intermediate arms 12, is about 0.12 inch, the combination of the two bands 10, 14 and intermediate arms 12, 16, 18 resulting in an edge protector 20 having about 0.36 inch combined thickness. Upon assembly of multiple edge protectors 20, 21 the combined thickness of the edge protector assembly will be about 0.48 inch. In this embodiment, the intermediate arms 12, 16, 18 were about an inch in length and spaced about 18 inches apart.
For purposes of economy, the bands and intermediate arms may be formed of four-inch wide strips of paper which generally is the narrowest paper roll available off of a cylinder board paper machine. Thus, in a typical embodiment, each bands and intermediate arms may be on the order of four inches in width.
In yet another embodiment, the edge protector could be built from more than two bands. For instance, the edge protectors in this other embodiment could be made from a combination of three bands wherein intermediate arms would be inserted between the first and second band but as well between the second and third bands. This other embodiment would result in a higher strength edge protector. This kind of other embodiment would be suitable for articles that are more fragile. The extra thickness created by the addition of a layer of intermediate arms and a layer of band material would provide for improved insulation of the angles of the article from the straps used to bind the packaging assembly.
In yet another embodiment, the intermediate arms 12 could be of a thickness different from the thickness of the two bands. Typically, depending on the specific application, such thickness may vary between 8/100 of an inch to 40/100 of an inch, although smaller or larger thicknesses may also be considered.
While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.
Claims
1. An edge protector comprising at least first and second angled bands and at least one intermediate angled arm, the at least first and second bands being joined by the at least one intermediate arm such as to define a space therebetween.
2. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an inside surface of the first band is in contact with an outside surface of the at least one intermediate arm, and wherein an inside surface of the at least one intermediate arm is in contact with an outside surface of the second band.
3. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate arm, and the at least first and second bands have the same thickness.
4. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least first and second bands are made from multiple layer materials.
5. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate arm, and the at least first and second bands are made from the same material.
6. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge protector is unitary.
7. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least first and second bands are made from different materials.
8. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second band is wider than the first band.
9. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least first and second bands are 4 inches wide and have a thickness between 8/100 of an inch to 40/100 of an inch.
10. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge protector comprises a plurality of the intermediate arms located between the at least first and second bands, the plurality of the intermediate arms being spaced apart.
11. An edge protector as claimed in claim 10, wherein a total length of the plurality of intermediate arms is less than a length of either of the first band or of the second band.
12. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least a third band and at least a second intermediate arm.
13. An edge protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an inside surface of the third band is in contact with an outside surface of the at least second intermediate arm, and wherein an inside surface of the at least second intermediate arm is in contact with the outside surface of the first band.
14. An edge protector assembly comprising at least first and second edge protectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second edge protectors are interlocked together.
15. An edge protector assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein a portion of one of the first and second bands of the first edge protector is received in the space defined between the first and second bands of the second edge protector.
16. An edge protector assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein the edge protector assembly is substantially configured to cover the edges of an article for transportation.
17. An edge protector assembly as claimed in claim 14, the edge protector assembly comprising twelve edge protectors interconnected such as to form a prismatic structure.
18. A method for protecting edges of an article for transport or storage, the method comprising:
- a. placing an edge protector as claimed in claim 1 on each of the edges of the article;
- b. interconnecting extremities of adjacent edge protectors; and
- c. securing at least some of the edge protectors to the article.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 12, 2014
Publication Date: Dec 18, 2014
Inventor: Richard Normandin (Granby)
Application Number: 14/303,018
International Classification: B65D 81/05 (20060101); B65B 63/00 (20060101);