U.S. patent application number 11/382654 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-15 for container sealing and/or protection apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to NORTHWEST PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LLC.. Invention is credited to Eric Gardner.
Application Number | 20070261982 11/382654 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38684101 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070261982 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gardner; Eric |
November 15, 2007 |
Container Sealing and/or Protection Apparatus
Abstract
Apparatuses and methods for sealing and/or protecting containers
are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, a container sealing
and/or protection apparatus may comprise a cover and a sleeve
coupled to the cover and configured to fit around at least a
portion of a container, wherein the cover and the sleeve are
configured to slide onto at least a portion of the container and
wherein the sleeve is adapted to constrict upon application of heat
to resist detachment of the cover from the container and/or to
environmentally seal the container.
Inventors: |
Gardner; Eric; (Vancouver,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWABE, WILLIAMSON & WYATT, P.C.;PACWEST CENTER, SUITE 1900
1211 SW FIFTH AVENUE
PORTLAND
OR
97204
US
|
Assignee: |
NORTHWEST PROPERTY SOLUTIONS
LLC.
Vancouver
WA
|
Family ID: |
38684101 |
Appl. No.: |
11/382654 |
Filed: |
May 10, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/497 ;
53/420 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 7/2885 20130101;
B65D 5/62 20130101; B65D 75/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/497 ;
053/420 |
International
Class: |
B65D 65/00 20060101
B65D065/00; B65B 61/00 20060101 B65B061/00 |
Claims
1. A container sealing and/or protection apparatus, comprising: a
cover; a sleeve coupled to the cover; and wherein the cover and the
sleeve are configured to slide onto at least a portion of the
container and wherein the sleeve is adapted to constrict upon
application of heat to resist detachment of the cover and/or sleeve
from the container and/or to environmentally seal the
container.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover is configured to
overlie a top portion of a container and the sleeve is configured
to cover one or more sides and a bottom of the container.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises two or
more side members configured to fold to a position generally
orthogonal to the cover.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the side members are coupled
to each other by welding.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the
sleeve consists of a heat shrinkable polymer layer.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat shrinkable polymer
layer is at least one layer chosen from a polyvinyl chloride layer,
a polyethylene layer and a polyolefin layer.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat shrinkable polymer
layer has a thickness up to about 7 millimeters prior to
application of heat to the polymer layer.
8. A container sealing and/or protection apparatus, comprising a
generally flat sheet, the sheet having a first portion configured
to cover a first side of a container, and a second portion disposed
around the perimeter of the first portion and configured to fold to
cover one or more additional sides of the container, the second
portion adapted to constrict upon application of heat thereto such
that the second portion substantially conforms to a shape of the
container to resist detachment of the sheet from the container
and/or to environmentally seal the container.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first portion is
configured to cover a top of the container and the second portion
is further configured to fold to encompass one or more sides and at
least a portion of a bottom of the container.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the
second portion consists of a heat shrinkable polymer layer.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the heat shrinkable polymer
layer is at least one layer chosen from a polyvinyl chloride layer,
a polyethylene layer, and a polyolefin layer.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the heat shrinkable polymer
layer has one or more first portions that have a first thickness
and one or more second portions that have a second thickness.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the different thicknesses
result in different rates of shrinkage between the first portions
and the second portions.
14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the heat shrinkable polymer
layer is responsive to the application of heat from a hair
dryer.
15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second portions are
thicker than the first portions and strategically located to
provide for greater wear resistance.
16. A method for sealing and/or protecting a container, comprising:
providing a container sealing and/or protection apparatus having: a
cover; a sleeve coupled to the cover; and wherein the cover and the
sleeve are configured to slide onto at least a portion of a
container and wherein at least the sleeve is adapted to constrict
upon application of heat; sliding the container sealing and/or
protection apparatus onto the container; and applying heat to the
sleeve to constrict the sleeve to resist detachment of a lid from
the container and/or to environmentally seal the container.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said providing the container
sealing and/or protection apparatus having the cover and the sleeve
comprises providing a container sealing and/or protection apparatus
having a cover configured to overlie a top of a container and a
sleeve configured to cover one or more sides and a bottom of the
container.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: providing a second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus having: a second
cover; a second sleeve coupled to the second cover; and wherein the
second cover and the second sleeve are configured to slide onto at
least a portion of the container and wherein the second sleeve is
adapted to constrict upon application of heat; sliding the second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus onto the container so
that both the first and second container sealing and/or protection
apparatuses overlap to collectively cover all surfaces of the
container; and applying heat to the second sleeve to constrict the
second sleeve to resist detachment of the second cover from the
container and/or to environmentally seal the container.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the providing a first container
sealing and/or protection apparatus having a sleeve and/or
providing a second container sealing and/or protection apparatus
having a sleeve comprises providing one or more container sealing
and/or protection apparatus having two or more flaps configured to
be folded to a position generally orthogonal to the cover.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising bonding the two or
more flaps to each other.
21. The method of claim 16 further comprising: providing a second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus having a generally
flat sheet, the sheet having a first portion configured to cover a
first side of a container, and a second portion disposed around the
perimeter of the first portion and configured to fold to cover one
or more additional sides of the container, the second portion
adapted to constrict upon application of heat to constrict and
substantially conform to a shape of the container; placing the
second container sealing and/or protection apparatus onto the
container such that it overlaps the first container sealing and/or
protection apparatus; and applying heat to one or more sections of
the second portion to constrict the one or more sections such that
the first and second container sealing and/or protection apparatus
collectively cover all surfaces of the container and to resist
detachment of the sheet from the container and/or to
environmentally seal the container.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein the providing the container
sealing and/or protection apparatus comprises: providing a
generally flat sheet, the sheet having a first portion configured
to cover a first side of a container, and a second portion disposed
around the perimeter of the first portion and configured to fold to
cover one or more additional sides of the container, the second
portion adapted to constrict upon application of heat to constrict
and substantially conform to a shape of the container to resist
detachment of the sheet from the container and/or to
environmentally seal the container; and applying heat to one or
more sections of the second portion to constrict the one or more
sections to form a sleeve to fit around at least a portion of the
container.
23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: providing a second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus having a generally
flat sheet, the sheet having a first portion configured to cover a
first side of a container, and a second portion disposed around the
perimeter of the first portion and configured to fold to cover one
or more additional sides of the container, the second portion
adapted to constrict upon application of heat to constrict and
substantially conform to a shape of the container to resist
detachment of the sheet from the container and/or to
environmentally seal the container; placing the second container
sealing and/or protection apparatus onto the container; applying
heat to one or more sections of the second portion to constrict the
one or more sections to form a sleeve to fit around at least a
portion of the container and so that both container sealing and/or
protection apparatuses overlap to collectively cover substantially
all surfaces of the container; and applying heat to the sleeve of
the second container sealing and/or protection apparatus to
constrict the second sleeve to resist detachment of the sheet from
the container and/or to environmentally seal the container.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the invention relate generally to the field
of packaging and storage, and more particularly to apparatuses and
methods associated with and/or using a shrink-wrap cover on such
packaging as a protective type barrier.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Practically all of today's households and businesses have at
least one demand in common: the need for practical storage
solutions. To that end, many of these households and businesses use
various types of containers such as boxes, plastic totes, and the
like. In addition to storing, various containers are used for other
uses including organization and transportation of goods.
[0003] Oftentimes, sealing and protection of items in these
containers is desired. For example, plastic totes are readily
available in many stores and generally are sold with lids; however,
the lids may not necessarily remain steadfastly attached to the
plastic tote especially in situations in which the plastic tote is
overfilled or if the attachment mechanism has become worn with age
or overuse. Furthermore, the lid does not provide any indication of
or deterrent to tampering with the contents of the container. With
respect other types of containers, protection against the elements
and pests may be desired. For example, cardboard boxes may not
stand up well against rain, snow, or the invasion of pests.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments of the present invention will be readily
understood by the following detailed description in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the invention are
illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the
figures of the accompanying drawings.
[0005] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate isometric views of a container
sealing and/or protection apparatus and method of sealing a
container in accordance with various embodiments;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a container sealing and/or
protection apparatus in accordance with various embodiments;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a container sealing and/or
protection apparatus in accordance with various embodiments;
and
[0008] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate isometric views of a container
sealing and/or protection apparatus and method of sealing a
container in accordance with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which is
shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the invention may
be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the
following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting
sense, and the scope of embodiments in accordance with the present
invention is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0010] Various operations may be described as multiple discrete
operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in
understanding embodiments of the present invention; however, the
order of description should not be construed to imply that these
operations are order dependent.
[0011] The description may use orientation and/or perspective-based
descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such
descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are
not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the
present invention.
[0012] The description may use the phrases "in an embodiment," or
"in embodiments," which may each refer to one or more of the same
or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising,"
"including," "having," and the like, as used with respect to
embodiments of the present invention, are synonymous.
[0013] The phrase "A/B" means "A or B." The phrase "A and/or B"
means "(A), (B), or (A and B)." The phrase "at least one of A, B
and C" means "(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or (A,
B and C)." The phrase "(A) B" means "(B) or (A B)," that is, A is
optional.
[0014] The terms "coupled" and "connected," along with their
derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms
are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular
embodiments, "connected" may be used to indicate that two or more
elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each
other. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct
physical or electrical contact. However, "coupled" may also mean
that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each
other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
[0015] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate container sealing and/or
protection devices in accordance with various embodiments of the
present invention. In these embodiments and as shown, container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may comprise cover 2 and a
sleeve 4, which may be formed from one or more side members 12.
Cover 2 and side members 12 may be coupled together such that they
form a sleeve type device that may be configured to fit around at
least a portion of container 6. Container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 may also be adapted to constrict upon application of
heat to strategic locations, such as corners, seams, edges and the
like.
[0016] In various embodiments, this constriction may result in the
sealing of container 6 so that container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 remains attached to container 6 such that container 6
and/or its contents are protected against certain environmental
conditions, such as for example, moisture, dust, pests, etc. In
some embodiments, a hermetic sealing of container 6 may result. And
in other embodiments, the container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 may also serve to help lid 8 remain secured to
container 6. Further, in various embodiments, sealing and/or
protecting container 6 may seal and/or protect container 6 and/or
contents of container 6 from tampering. Still further, in various
other embodiments, sealing and/or protecting container 6 may
prevent contents of container 6 from spilling out and/or to keep a
lid from becoming displaced from container 6.
[0017] Container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may be
used to seal and/or protect any one of various types of containers
6. For example, in various embodiments, container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 100 may be used, for example, to seal and/or
protect plastic totes and/or cardboard moving boxes.
[0018] In various embodiments, at least a portion of container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may be formed at least
partially from a material capable of constricting upon application
of heat to cause container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100
to conform to a shape of container 6. For example, in various
embodiments, a heat-shrinkable material may be used that is solely
a heat-shrinkable polymer layer, or more than one layer of a
non-heat shrinkable material may be used in conjunction with a heat
shrinkable material. Such heat-shrinkable polymers may include, for
example, poly vinyl chloride, polyethylene and polyolefin.
[0019] Heat-shrinkable material used to construct container sealing
and/or protection apparatus 100 may have any one of various
thickness depending on the applications. For example, in various
embodiments, heat-shrinkable material having a thickness of up to
about 7 millimeters may be used. In some embodiments, a thicker
thickness may be desirable for any number of reasons including
increased durability, longevity, etc. In various other embodiments,
heat-shrinkable material having a thinner thickness may be
desirable for any number of reasons including, for example, reduced
weight and/or aesthetic reasons. Furthermore, the thickness and/or
particular material of heat-shrinkable material may be selected so
that a lower temperature heat source may be used to constrict
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100. For example, it
may be desirable for a user to be able to use a standard household
hair blow dryer to constrict container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 so that an industrial, higher-temperature heat gun
need not be used. In some of these embodiments, a heat-shrinkable
material having a thickness of about 4 millimeters may be
suitable.
[0020] In various embodiments, any portion or all of container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may be formed from a
heat-shrinkable material. For example, in various embodiments, part
or all of sleeve 4 may be heat-shrinkable, such that upon
application of heat, the side members 12 shrink to generally
conform to the container sides 10. In various other embodiments,
sleeve 4, side members 12, corners 14 and/or cover 2 may be
heat-shrinkable to further enhance container conformity. Yet in
various other embodiments, portions of container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 100 may be formed from a non-heat-shrinkable
material to enhance durability, aesthetics, and the like. For
example, in one embodiment, sleeve 4 may consist of a
heat-shrinkable material and cover 2 may consist of a fabric,
various plastics, etc.
[0021] Container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may be
further constructed in a number of geometric configurations. For
example, in one embodiment, sleeve 4 may be generally orthogonal to
cover 2 and/or slightly tapered to conform to a tapered sided
container 6. In one embodiment, sleeve 4 of container sealing
and/or protection apparatus 100 may be formed in a variety of ways
and have features depending on the desired geometry. As shown in
FIG. 1, for example, there are four side members 12 and four
corners 14.
[0022] Although FIG. 1 shows container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 as being generally rectangular in shape, in various
other embodiments container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100
may be circular, triangular, polygonal, etc. For example, if
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 were triangular
in form, cover 2 may be generally triangularly shaped and there may
be three side members 12 (versus the four shown in FIG. 1).
[0023] Container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may also
be configured to cover multiple sides of a container. For example,
in various embodiments and as shown in FIG. 1, container sealing
and/or protection apparatus 100 may be configured to cover a top 8
and sides 10 of a container 6. However, in other embodiments,
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may be configured
to cover top 8, sides 10, and bottom (not shown) of container 6. In
this embodiment, sleeve 4 of container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 may wrap around the bottom of container 6 and shrink
upon application of heat to cover container 6 on top 8, sides 10,
and at least a portion of the bottom.
[0024] In one embodiment, where the container has a flanged edge
portion where the lid mates with the container, the container
sealing and/or protection apparatus may be particularly well suited
for helping to secure the lid to the container. In such an
embodiment, the sleeve 4 may be adapted to conform to the sides of
the container, thereby snugly fitting around the flanged portion.
Not only does this allow for lid securement, but also may keep the
hand grips accessible to facilitate handling of the container
without removing the sealing and/or protection apparatus.
[0025] In various embodiments, the container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 100 may be formed by molding a contiguous
sheet of material. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may comprise a cover 2 and
a sleeve 4 cut from the same contiguous sheet, wherein the sleeve
comprises one or more side members 12. In such an embodiment, side
members 12 may be configured to fold to a position generally
orthogonal to cover 2 to form a container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 similar to one shown in FIG. 1. In some of these
embodiments, edges 17 of side members 12 may be coupled to each
other by seam welding to form a seamed corner 14. For example,
edges 17 may be PVC welded.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 also configured from a single sheet. Container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 may comprise a first
portion 18 and a second portion 20 disposed around the perimeter of
first portion 18. In various embodiments, at least second portion
20 may be adapted to constrict upon application of heat to
constrict and substantially conform to a shape of a container 6. So
configured, the integrated corners 22 may be adapted to shrink at a
proportionally greater or lesser rate than other portions of second
portion 20 in order to manipulate the fit of the sleeve to the
container and/or to urge the container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 100 to conform to the container shape and help to resist
detachment and/or to environmentally seal the container 6.
[0027] In various embodiments, first portion 18 may be configured
to cover a first side of a container 6, and second portion 20 and
corners 22 may be configured to fold to cover one or more
additional sides of a container 6 and/or the bottom of container
6.
[0028] In various embodiments, heat may be applied to one or more
sections of second portion 20 and/or corners 22 to constrict such
areas in a manner so as to form a sleeve to fit around at least a
portion of a container 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 heat may
be applied to sections 22 prior to or after placing container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 100 onto a container 6 to form
a sleeve (as shown, for example, at 4 of FIG. 1). In various ones
of these embodiments, heat may then be applied to other areas of
second portion 20 and/or corners 22 to further constrict second
portion 20 so that second portion 20 substantially conforms to a
shape of a container.
[0029] In various embodiments of the present invention, a container
may be sealed and/or protected by using one or more container
sealing and/or protection apparatuses in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate
examples of such a container sealing and/or protection apparatus
100. In one embodiment, a first container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 24 may be applied to a first side of container 6. A
second container sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 may be
positioned on a second side of container 6 such that the
apparatuses engage the container from opposite directions.
[0030] In various embodiments, heat may be applied to the first
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 and/or second
sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 to resist and/or prevent
detachment of the first container sealing and/or protection
apparatus 24 from container 6 and/or to environmentally seal
container 24.
[0031] In some of these embodiments, a container 6 may be protected
and/or sealed by first placing the first container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 24 onto container 6, then applying heat to the
first container sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 to urge
conformation to a portion of the container. Second container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 may then be placed onto
container 6 and heat applied thereto to urge conformation to the
container and/or sealing with the first container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 24. However, in various other embodiments, the
first container sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 and second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 may both be placed
onto container 6 and such that heat may be applied simultaneously
to both container sealing and/or protection apparatuses 24, 26.
[0032] In various embodiments, the first container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 24 and second container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 26 may be placed onto opposite sides of
container 6. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, first container sealing
and/or protection apparatus 24 and second container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 26 may be oriented such that substantially all
surfaces of container 6 are covered by both container sealing
and/or protection apparatuses 24, 26. For example, as shown in FIG.
4B, first container sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 may be
placed onto a bottom of container 6 and then second container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 is placed onto the top of
container 6. In various other embodiments, more than two container
sealing and/or protection apparatuses may be used. In still other
embodiments, container sealing and/or protection apparatuses may
cover less than all surfaces of container 6. For example, it may be
desired to cover merely an opening or one or more sides of
container 6 completely without covering other sides completely.
[0033] Furthermore, in various embodiments, one or both of first
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 and second
container sealing and/or protection apparatus 26 may be configured
to cover a top, one or more sides, and a bottom of a container 6.
For example, a container sealing and/or protection apparatus may
have a cover configured to cover a top of container 6, and the
container sealing and/or protection apparatus may further have a
sleeve configured to cover sides and at least a portion of a bottom
of the container 6.
[0034] Still further, in various embodiments, first container
sealing and/or protection apparatus 24 and second container sealing
and/or protection apparatus 26 may be configured identically or
differently from each other. For example, in various embodiments
and as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, first container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 24 and second container sealing and/or
protection apparatus 26 may both consist of a cover and a sleeve
(as discussed more fully previously). In various embodiments, the
sleeve of one or both of container sealing and/or protection
apparatuses 24, 26 may comprise two or more flaps which may or may
not be welded to each other prior to or after placing the container
sealing and/or protection apparatus onto a container 6. In various
other embodiments, one or both of container sealing and/or
protection apparatuses 24, 26 may comprise a generally flat sheet
having a first portion to cover a first side of a container 6, and
a second portion disposed around the perimeter of the first portion
and configured to fold to cover one or more additional sides of a
container 6.
[0035] Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein for purposes of description of the preferred
embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in
the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent
embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same
purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described
without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those
with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in
accordance with the present invention may be implemented in a very
wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any
adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein.
Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance
with the present invention be limited only by the claims and the
equivalents thereof.
* * * * *