U.S. patent application number 16/185532 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-30 for packing material including cushion.
This patent application is currently assigned to KONICA MINOLTA INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is KONICA MINOLTA INC.. Invention is credited to Takeshi HASHIMOTO, Hiromi MIZUGUCHI, Narutaka YOSHIDA.
Application Number | 20190161264 16/185532 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66634267 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-30 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190161264 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HASHIMOTO; Takeshi ; et
al. |
May 30, 2019 |
PACKING MATERIAL INCLUDING CUSHION
Abstract
An air cushion having first and second rooms bends at a
partition at a corner of a multi-function peripheral (MFP) and
contacts a first face of the MFP at a first room outer surface and
a second face of the MFP at an second room outer surface. An outer
case applies pressure to the outer surfaces of the first and second
rooms and presses the first and second rooms to the MFP. When the
first room receives a force from outside the outer case, gas moves
from the first room to the second room against pressure the outer
case applies to the second room, such that a side wall of the outer
case contacting the second room deforms. Upon removal of the force,
the side wall returns to an original flat state and presses the
second room, such that the gas returns from the second room to the
first room.
Inventors: |
HASHIMOTO; Takeshi;
(Okazaki-shi, JP) ; YOSHIDA; Narutaka;
(Toyokawa-shi, JP) ; MIZUGUCHI; Hiromi;
(Toyokawa-shi, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KONICA MINOLTA INC. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
KONICA MINOLTA INC.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
66634267 |
Appl. No.: |
16/185532 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/68 20130101;
B65D 81/052 20130101; B65D 77/061 20130101; B65D 2585/689 20130101;
B65D 2585/6892 20130101; B65D 81/054 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/05 20060101
B65D081/05; B65D 85/68 20060101 B65D085/68; B65D 77/06 20060101
B65D077/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 24, 2017 |
JP |
2017-225759 |
Claims
1. A packing material comprising: an outer case allowing a
to-be-packed object to be put inside; and a cushion arranged in a
gap between the outer surface of the object and the inner wall of
the outer case, including: a bag containing gas and hermetically
sealed; a partition linearly dividing the inside of the bag into
first and second rooms of the same capacity; and a duct connecting
between the first and second rooms, wherein when the partition is
placed along an edge of the object that is shared by first and
second outer faces of the object, the cushion can bend at the
partition and contact the first outer face of the object at the
outer surface of the first room of the bag and the second outer
face of the object at the outer surface of the second room of the
bag, the outer case, when containing the object and the cushion,
applies pressure to the outer surfaces of the first and second
rooms of the bag through the inner wall contacting the outer
surfaces of the first and second rooms, and the pressure includes a
first component pressing the first room to the first outer face of
the object and a second component pressing the second room to the
second outer face of the object, and when the outer surface of the
first room of the bag receives a force through the outer case from
its outside, gas moves from the first room through the duct to the
second room against the pressure applied by the outer case to the
second room, and when the force from the outside of the outer case
is removed, gas returns from the second room through the duct to
the first room due to the pressure applied by the outer case to the
second room.
2. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein the bag is
made of a soft plastic sheet, and the partition is an area where
two inner surfaces of the bag, which are placed across a space
inside of the bag, are welded or adhered to each other.
3. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein the outer
case has a higher stiffness than the cushion, and the pressure
applied by the outer case to the first and second rooms of the bag
is based on a stress of the outer case preventing its deformation
caused by the gas pressure of the first and second rooms.
4. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein a filling
ratio of the gas in the bag is higher than 50% but lower than
100%.
5. The packing material according to claim 4, wherein the filling
ratio of the gas in the bag is 55-85%.
6. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of
the width of the duct to the length of the boundary between the
first and second rooms of the bag is 5-30%.
7. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein at least one
of the first and second rooms of the bag includes a thickness
limiter, a collapsed area included in the two inner surfaces of the
bag placed across the space inside of the bag, preventing the first
or second room from swelling by the contained gas to limit the
thickness of the first or second room.
8. The packing material according to claim 7, wherein the bag is
made of a soft plastic sheet, and the thickness limiter is an area
where the two inner surfaces of the bag placed across the space
inside of the bag are welded or adhered to each other.
9. The packing material according to claim 7, wherein the thickness
limiter is arranged in both the first and second rooms in a manner
symmetric with respect to the partition.
10. The packing material according to claim 7, wherein, with
respect to a line parallel to the partition and passing through the
edge of the thickness limiter closest to the partition, a portion
of the first or second room on the opposite side of the partition
has a capacity ratio to the entirety of the first or second room,
and the capacity ratio is equal to the filling ratio of the gas in
the bag.
11. The packing material according to claim 1, further comprising a
protect sheet placed between the bag of the cushion and the outer
case or the object, wherein, the partition includes a coupler
coupling the protect sheet with the bag.
12. The packing material according to claim 1, wherein the cushion
further includes a bar, when the bag bends at the partition,
connecting between the edges of the first and second rooms on the
same side in the longitudinal direction of the partition to fix an
angle of the bag.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent
Application No. 2017-225759 filed Nov. 24, 2017, the contents of
which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to packing technology, and in
particular to cushions.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] Cushions are indispensable for transportation of components
or products vulnerable to external vibrations and shocks, such as
high-precision molded components, precision machines, and
electronic appliances. Cushions are each a member having high
elasticity or plasticity and are placed around an object to be
transported, i.e. a package. Specifically, when a package is stored
in an outer case made of cardboard, wood, or the like, cushions
surround the package or fill gaps between the package and the outer
case to support the package inside the outer case. When the outer
case receives a vibration or shock from the outside during
transportation of the package, the cushions are deformed by the
vibration or shock and absorb the vibration or shock. This enables
the cushions to mitigate vibration and shock actually transmitted
to the package and prevent it from being damaged by the vibration
and shock.
[0004] There are various kinds of cushions, and cushions relatively
often used are roughly classified into block and separate types.
Block-type cushions are molded in advance to fit the shape of the
package, and often have a role of supporting and fixing the package
inside the outer case. Separate-type cushions are made of, for
example, foamed plastic such as sponge or foam, paper, or wood.
Separate-type cushions have a form of sheets or chips, and are
wrapped around the package, crumpled, and packed into gaps between
the outer case and the package, or filled into the entirety of the
gaps when packing. Separate-type cushions are made of, for example,
paper, cloth, foamed plastic, or bubble films (also referred to as
bubble wraps, composite films between which many cells containing
air are sandwiched.)
[0005] Increase in quantity of disposed packing materials is
considered problematic, following the increase of interest toward
environmental problems such as global warming. Since a significant
amount of disposed packing materials are incinerated, there is a
strong demand for reduction in an amount of both harmful gas
generated and carbon dioxide emitted in the incineration. As a
measure for responding to such demand, reduction of foamed plastic
used as packing materials is considered. Use of foamed plastic,
specifically as block-type cushions has problems such as difficulty
in downsizing (being voluminous,) difficulty in recycling, and a
significant amount of heat emission and generation of various kinds
of harmful gases when burned. Accordingly, reduction of foamed
plastic is effective for dealing with environmental problems.
[0006] Reduction of foamed plastic requires cushions substituted
for them. One candidate for the substitution is air cushions, which
typically consist of a series of bags made of, for example, soft
plastic sheets (for example, see JP 1995-285581 and JP
1995-291358.) The bags are filled with gas such as air, and when
receiving an external force, allows the gas to be compressed to
absorb and mitigate the external force.
[0007] However, air cushions are disadvantageous in that their bags
easily rupture when receiving an external shock, which requires a
measure for further improving their buffering effects. One known
example of such measures is a structure described in JP 2003-341739
and JP 2004-323048. In this structure, two or more bags are
interconnected to allow gas to be movable therebetween. In this
case, when one of the bags is compressed by an external force, gas
moves from the one bag to the other. This reduces the risk of
rupture of the one bag by the external force and improves its
buffering effect because resistance such as friction that the
moving gas receives converts energy of the external force into
diffused heat or the like.
SUMMARY
[0008] The kinds of air cushions that allow gas to move between
their bags by external forces have structures devised to cause the
gas to receive greater resistance when passing through a
communication path between the bags in order to achieve
sufficiently high buffering effects. For example, the structure
described in JP 2003-341739 has a source bag from which gas moves
and a sink bag into which the gas moves with a smaller capacity
than the source bag. The structure described in JP 2004-323048 has
two communication paths between the bags, which each have
unidirectionality by a check valve that allows gas to pass in
opposing directions. However, such devices increase the number of
components and complicate the structures, and therefore, are
disadvantageous in production cost reduction. Further, gas that an
external force moved from one bag to the other is returned into the
original bag by gas pressure difference between the bags when the
external force is removed from the bags. However, the gas pressure
difference is often too low to surely return all the gas to the
original bag. Accordingly, it is difficult to ensure that the bag
having received the external force fully restores its buffering
capability after the bag is released from the external force. If
the bag has a smaller amount of gas due to the insufficient
restoration, problems caused by lowering of the buffering effect
may occur when the bag receives an external force again; for
example, the package may be damaged by a collapse of the bag (a
phenomenon in which the gas pressure of the bag fails to resist the
external force, and consequently, the film on one side of the bag
by receiving the external force falls down and collides with the
film on the other side.)
[0009] The present disclosure aims at solving the above-described
problems, and specifically, at providing packing material enabling
cushions to exert sufficiently high resistance against gas moved
between the bags by external forces, and to restore their buffering
capacity by release from the external forces, without increase in
number of their components or complicating their structures.
[0010] A packing material reflecting at least one aspect of the
present disclosure includes an outer case allowing a to-be-packed
object to be put inside; and a cushion arranged in a gap between
the outer surface of the object and the inner wall of the outer
case. The packing material includes: a bag containing gas and
hermetically sealed; a partition linearly dividing the inside of
the bag into first and second rooms of the same capacity; and a
duct connecting between the first and second rooms. When the
partition is placed along an edge of the object that is shared by
first and second outer faces of the object, the cushion can bend at
the partition and contact the first outer face of the object at the
outer surface of the first room of the bag and the second outer
face of the object at the outer surface of the second room of the
bag. The outer case, when containing the object and the cushion,
applies pressure to the outer surfaces of the first and second
rooms of the bag through the inner wall contacting the outer
surfaces of the first and second rooms, and the pressure includes a
first component pressing the first room to the first outer face of
the object and a second component pressing the second room to the
second outer face of the object. When the outer surface of the
first room of the bag receives a force through the outer case from
its outside, gas moves from the first room through the duct to the
second room against the pressure applied by the outer case to the
second room. When the force from the outside of the outer case is
removed, gas returns from the second room through the duct to the
first room due to the pressure applied by the outer case to the
second room.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The advantages and features provided by one or more
embodiments of the invention will become more fully understood from
the detailed description given hereinbelow and the appended
drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are
not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the
drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1A is a perspective diagram illustrating an external
view of an MFP that is an image forming device to be packed, FIG.
1B is a perspective diagram illustrating an external view of
components of a packing material used for the MFP in FIG. 1A that
are placed around an upper portion of the MFP, and FIG. 1C is a
perspective diagram illustrating an external view of components of
the packing material used for the MFP in FIG. 1A that are placed
around a lower portion of the MFP;
[0013] FIG. 2A is a perspective diagram illustrating an external
view in a state in which the components of the packing material in
FIGS. 1B and 1C are placed around the MFP, FIG. 2B is a perspective
diagram illustrating an external view of an outer case that is a
component of the packing material used for the MFP, and FIG. 2C is
a perspective diagram illustrating an external view in a state in
which the packing material and the MFP in FIG. 2A are covered by
the outer case in FIG. 2B;
[0014] FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a plan view of a third air
cushion, and FIG. 3B is a perspective diagram of the third air
cushion;
[0015] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional diagram of the outer case and
the third air cushion, taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2A, and FIG.
4B is a cross-sectional diagram of the outer case and the third air
cushion in a state after a shock force in FIG. 2A has been
removed;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a graph of buffering capability of the third air
cushion in a state in FIG. 4A;
[0017] FIG. 6A is an elevation diagram that is common to a first
air cushion and a second air cushion, and FIG. 6B is a perspective
diagram illustrating an external view after the first air cushion
(the second air cushion) has been assembled;
[0018] FIG. 7A is a plan diagram illustrating a case in which the
bag has a triangular shape in plan view, FIG. 7B is a perspective
diagram illustrating a case in which the bag has a triangular shape
in plan view, FIG. 7C is a plan diagram illustrating a case in
which the bag has a semi-circular shape in plan view, FIG. 7D is a
perspective diagram illustrating a case in which the bag has a
semi-circular shape in plan view, FIG. 7E is a plan diagram
illustrating a case in which rooms of the bag have rectangular
shapes in plan view, FIG. 7F is a perspective diagram illustrating
a case in which the rooms have rectangular shapes in plan view,
FIG. 7G is a plan diagram illustrating a case in which the rooms
have triangular shapes in plan view, FIG. 7H is a perspective
diagram illustrating a case in which the rooms have triangular
shapes in plan view, FIG. 7I is an elevation diagram in which three
bags in FIG. 3A are connected, and FIG. 7J is a perspective view in
which the three bags in FIG. 7I are bent at partitions;
[0019] FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are diagrams in plan view of a case
in which the bag has only one duct;
[0020] FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are diagrams in plan view in a case in
which the bag includes thickness limiters, and FIG. 9D is a
perspective view of the bag in FIG. 9A; and
[0021] FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a plan view of the bag,
FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating a plan view of a protect sheet,
and FIG. 10C is a perspective view of an air cushion including the
bag in FIG. 10A and the protect sheet in FIG. 10B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present
invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiments.
[0023] The following describes an embodiment of the present
disclosure, with reference to the drawings.
[Appearance of Image Forming Device]
[0024] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an appearance of an image
forming device to be packed. The image forming device 100 is an
in-body sheet-ejection type multi-function peripheral (MFP) that
has functions of a scanner, a color copier, and a color printer. On
an upper face of a housing containing the MFP 100, the MFP 100 has
an auto document feeder (ADF) 110 that is mounted in an openable
and closable manner. At an upper portion of the housing immediately
below the ADF 110 is contained a scanner 120; at a lower portion of
the housing is contained a printer 130; and at a bottom portion
below the printer 130, the MFP 100 has a plurality of paper
cassettes 133 that are mounted in a drawable manner. The MFP 100
has a gap DSP between the scanner 120 and the printer 130, and
inside the gap DSP is disposed a sheet ejection tray 44. The MFP
100 has, in an innermost portion of the gap DSP, an ejection outlet
(not illustrated) from which a sheet is ejected onto the sheet
ejection tray 44. The MFP 100 has an operation panel 51 at a
portion of a front of the housing adjacent to the gap DSP, a touch
panel embedded in a front face of the operation panel 51, and
various mechanical push buttons arranged around the touch panel.
The touch panel displays graphical user interface (GUI) screens
such as an operation screen and a screen for inputting various
information. The operation panel 51 receives user input through
gadgets such as icons, virtual buttons, menus, tool bars, or the
like displayed on the touch panel and the push buttons around the
touch panel.
[Packing of Image Forming Device]
[0025] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an appearance of components
of the packaging material that are placed around an upper portion
of the MFP 100 in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an
appearance of components of the packing material that are placed
around a lower portion of the MFP 100 in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2A a
perspective view of an appearance of the MFP 100 with the packaging
material placed therearound. The packing material includes a
palette 200, a pad 210, block-shaped cushions 221-226, and air
cushions 231-233 in the order from the bottom to the top of the MFP
100. The palette 200 is a member commonly used in logistics
industry for a platform on which a package is placed, when loaded,
unloaded, transported, and stored. The palette is a rectangular
plate made of wood, hard plastic, or metal, which has a unified
size of 1100 mm.times.1100 mm.times.144 mm according to the
Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). The MFP 100 has the bottom
face smaller than the top face of the palette 200, and therefore,
the palette 200 allows the MFP 100 to be placed thereon. The pad
210 is a cushion in a thin-plate shape, and is substantially the
same size as the top face of the palette 200. The pad 210 is made
of high elasticity or plasticity material, such as cardboard,
plywood, hard plastic, or foamed plastic. The pad 210 has cutouts
211-214 at its four corners; when the pad 210 is fit onto the top
face of the palette 200, the cutouts 211-214 abut on the side faces
of positioning pieces 201-204, which protrude upwards from four
corners of the top face of the palette 200. The block-shaped
cushions 221-226 are made of foamed plastic such as styrene foam,
and are molded in advance according to the profile of the MFP 100
such that the block-shaped cushions 221-226 are closely attached to
the surface of the MFP 100. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG.
2A, the first through fourth cushions 221-224 completely cover the
four corners of the bottom face of the MFP 100 one by one. Each
cushion 221-224 has a protrusion 22T downwards from its bottom
face. The protrusions 22T are inserted into holes 21H in the top
face of the pad 210 to fix the cushions 221-224 to the pad 210. The
fifth cushion 225 covers a vertical edge 102 of the MFP 100 that
extend directly below from an outer corner of the ejection tray 44
of the MFP 100; the fifth cushion 225 also covers, throughout the
vertical edge 102, rims of the front and side faces of the MFP 100
that share the vertical edge 102. Above the vertical edge 102, the
sixth cushion 226 covers the entirety of a corner shared by the ADF
110 and the scanner 120. The first air cushion 231 and the second
air cushion 232 are disposed at two different corners of the ADF
110 near the back of the MFP 100. Since the operation panel 51 is
located at a remaining corner of the ADF 110, the third air cushion
233 covers, instead of this corner of the ADF 110, an upper portion
of the vertical edge 103 of the MFP 100 extending directly under
the corner of the ADF 110; the third air cushion 233 also covers
upper rims of the front and side faces of the MFP 100 that share
the vertical edge 103.
[0026] FIG. 2B is a perspective view of an appearance of an outer
case 240, which is a component of the packing material used for the
MFP 100. FIG. 2C is a perspective view of an appearance of the MFP
100 over which the outer case 240 in FIG. 2B is covered. Around the
MFP 100 are arranged other components 200, 210, 221-226, and
231-233 of the packing material in FIG. 2A. The outer case 240 is a
box that is separate wall members assembled or a single wall member
bent into a shape of cuboid. The wall members are made of
high-strength and light-weight material such as hard cardboard,
wood, or hard plastic. The outer case 240 is bottomless, and its
hollow has a size (length.times.width.times.height) slightly larger
than the MFP 100. Accordingly, when the outer case 240 is covered
over the MFP 100 in FIG. 2A, and then the palette 200 closes the
opening of the outer case 240, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, the
entirety of the MFP 100 is hidden inside the outer case 240 and
cannot be seen from the outside. In this state, the outer case 240
is bound to the palette 200 with fixing bands 250, which are belts
or straps made of metal or soft plastic, such as a steel belt or a
wire. Packing of the MFP 100 is thus completed. Then, the MFP 100
is conveyed by application of a force to the palette 200, for
example, by hanging with forks of a forklift or a carriage inserted
into holes 205 in side faces of the palette 200. On the top face of
the outer case 240, another outer case containing another MFP
(without a palette) may be loaded. The upper MFP weights the
palette 200 through the lower outer case 240. The lower outer case
240 has a stiffness high enough to enable the two MFPs to be
transported without being deformed; i.e. the lower outer case 240
can bear the weight of two or more MFPs.
[0027] The first through sixth cushions 221-226 have sizes designed
as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the cushions put the outer
surfaces on the inner walls of the outer case 240, when contained
in the outer case 240 along with the MFP 100. The cushions receive,
from portions of the inner walls of the outer case 240 contacting
the outer surfaces of the cushions, pressure to the outer faces of
the MFP 100, which is based on stress in the outer case 240 due to
contact with the outer surfaces of the cushions. This stress
prevents the outer case 240 from deformation caused by the contact
with the outer surfaces of the cushions, due to the high stiffness
of the outer case 240. The first through fourth cushions 221-224
bear the weight of the MFP 100 and support the bottom face of the
MFP 100 at its four corners. At the same time, the cushions 221-224
are horizontally fixed due to pressure from the inner walls of the
outer case 240, therefore stabilizing the MFP 100 inside the outer
case 240, specifically in the horizontal direction. Further, the
cushions 221-224, in cooperation with the pad 210, absorb external
vibrations and shocks that the palette 200 receives, specifically
in the vertical direction, and mitigate components of the
vibrations and shocks transmitted to the MFP 100. The fifth cushion
225 uses the pressure from the inner wall of the outer case 240 to
press the paper cassettes 133 and front doors of the MFP 100 from
outside and prevent them from accidentally opening due to external
vibrations and shocks. The fifth cushion 225 also absorbs external
vibrations and shocks that the outer case 240 receives, and
mitigates components of the vibrations and shocks transmitted to
the MFP 100. The sixth cushion 226 uses the pressure from the inner
walls of the outer case 240 to press the ADF 110 from above and
prevent the ADF 110 from accidentally opening due to external
vibrations and shocks. The sixth cushion 226 also absorbs external
vibrations and shocks that the outer case 240 receives, and
mitigates components of the vibration and shocks transmitted to the
MFP 100. As described above, the first through sixth cushions
221-226 have roles of supporting and fixing the MFP 100 within the
outer case 240. Accordingly, the cushions 221-226 need to have a
high stiffness in addition to their buffering capability, and
therefore are made of foamed plastic, like conventional ones.
[0028] The air cushions 231-233 include rooms containing gas such
as air. This causes the cushions 231-233 to contact both the
surface of the MFP 100 and the inner wall of the outer case 240,
when contained in the outer case 240 along with the MFP 100, as
illustrated in FIG. 2A. Under these conditions, the cushions
231-233 receive, from portions of the inner wall of the outer case
240 that the outer surfaces of the cushions 231-233 contact,
pressure to the outer surface of the MFP 100. This pressure is
based on stress in the outer case 240 caused by gas pressure of the
rooms. This stress prevents the outer case 240 from deformation
caused by the gas pressure of the rooms by the high stiffness of
the outer case 240. The pressure from the outer case 240 keeps the
cushions 231-233 in contact with both the MFP 100 and the outer
case 240 in gaps therebetween without displacement. When the side
faces of the outer case 240 receive external vibrations and shocks,
gas inside the air cushions 231-233 not only decreases its volume
but also flows within the cushions by increase in pressure from the
inner wall of the outer case 240 caused by the vibrations and
shocks. The volume decrease and gas flow convert a part of energy
of the vibrations and shocks into heat to be dissipated into the
environment, thus mitigating the component of the vibrations and
shocks transmitted to the MFP 100.
[Structure of Air Cushions]
[0029] FIG. 3A is a plan view of the third air cushion 233, and
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the third air cushion 233. Other
air cushions 231 and 232 each have a structure similar to that of
the third air cushion 233 except for a bar described later. The
third air cushion 233 includes a bag 301, which has a structure of
two overlaid sheets having the same size and rectangular shape. The
sheets are made of soft plastic, for example, laminate sheets of
nylon and polyethylene layers. The bag 301 has, for example, the
nylon layer in its inside and the polyethylene layer in its
outside, and the entirety of circumferences of the sheets is
hermetically heat-sealed. Since the nylon layer has great gas
shielding property and strength, and the polyethylene layer has
great thermal processability, the bag 301 is easily processed
through heat-sealing and has great strength and air-tightness. The
bag 301 seals therein gas such as air, and a filling ratio of the
gas is higher than 50% but lower than 100%. The term "filling
ratio" means the ratio of the cross-section area of the bag
hermetically containing gas (including its inner space) to the area
of a perfect circle whose circumferential length is the same as
that of the cross-section of the bag to which no tension is
applied. Inside the bag 301, a linear partition 302 extends at the
central portion in the longer-edge direction of the bag 301 (X-axis
direction in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B) along its shorter-edge direction
(Y-axis direction). The partition 302 is a region where the two
inner faces of the bag 301 opposed to each other across the space
inside the bag 301 are partially heat-sealed. The partition 302
divides the space inside the bag 301 into a first room 331 and a
second room 332, which are of the same capacity. The partition 302
is shorter than the shorter edge of the bag 301, and therefore,
gaps 341 and 342 between the longitudinal edges of the partition
302 and the longer edges of the bag 301 function as ducts
connecting between the first room 331 and the second room 332. As
illustrated in FIG. 3B, the partition 302 is thinner than both the
first room 331 and the second room 332 (shorter in Z-axis
direction). Accordingly, the bag 301 easily bends at the partition
302.
[0030] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional diagram of the outer case 240
and the third air cushion 233, taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2A.
When the third air cushion 233 is used as a packing material for
the MFP 100, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, its bag 301 bends at the
partition 302 placed along the vertical edge 103 of the MFP 100,
and then contacts the front face 104 and a side face 105 of the MFP
100, which share a vertical edge 103 of the MFP 100, at the outer
surface of the first room 331 and the outer surface of the second
room 332, respectively. The outer surfaces of the rooms 331 and 332
are further pressed onto the front face 104 and the side face 105
of the MFP 100, respectively, through pressure from the inner wall
of the outer case 240, and therefore, the rooms 331 and 332 are
compressed until the gas pressure of the rooms 331 and 332 is
balanced with the pressure from the inner wall of the outer case
240. Under this condition, for example, the front wall 241 of the
outer case 240 receives a shock force FSH from the outside, and is
compressed by the shock force FSH. Then, the first room 331 is
compressed by increasing pressure from an inner face of the front
wall 241 to decrease the volume of the gas inside. Thus, the energy
applied from the outside by the shock force FSH is absorbed by the
front wall 241 of the outer case 240 as its elastic energy, and
further, dissipates from the gas inside the first room 331 as heat
generated by its volume decrease. When the shock force FSH is
stronger, a portion PGS of the gas flows from the first room 331
into the ducts 341 and 342, and, against frictional forces that the
gas PGS receives inside the ducts 341 and 342, and pressure that a
side wall 242 of the outer case 240 applies to the outer surface of
the second room 332, flows through the ducts 341 and 342 into the
second room 332. Accordingly, the pressure PRS inside the second
room 332 increases and pushes back the side wall 242 of the outer
case 240, thereby causing the side wall 242 to elastically deform.
Thus, the energy applied from the outside by the shock force FSH
further dissipates as frictional heat generated when gas flow PGS
passes through the ducts 341 and 342, and in addition, is absorbed
by the side wall 242 of the outer case 240 as its elastic energy.
This buffering function by cooperation of the third air cushion 233
and the outer case 240 mitigates, of the energy applied from the
outside by the shock force FSH, a portion reaching the front face
104 of the MFP 100.
[0031] FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional diagram of the outer case 240
and the third air cushion 233, illustrating a state after removal
of the shock force FSH in FIG. 4A. When the shock force FSH is
removed, the front wall 241 and the side wall 242 of the outer case
240 each release the elastic energy stored therein and return from
deformed states to original flat states. Since the second room 332
is then compressed by the restoring force RCF of the side wall 242,
a portion PGS of the gas returns from the second room 332 through
the ducts 341 and 342 to the first room 331. Thus, the rooms 331
and 332 return to states with the same pressure and volume of the
gas. This restoration function by cooperation of the third air
cushion 233 and the outer case 240 enables them to completely
regain their buffering capacity even after the removal of the
shock.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a graph of the buffering capacity of the third air
cushion 233 in the state in FIG. 4A. The vertical axis of this
graph expresses an acceleration that the front face 104 of the MFP
100 receives by a certain shock force FSH (hereinafter referred to
as "shock acceleration") as a ratio to the gravitational
acceleration (1 G.apprxeq.9.8 m/s.sup.2). The horizontal axis of
this graph expresses a rate of the gas that moves from the first
room 331 to the second room 332 in response to the shock force FSH,
i.e. a movement ratio of the gas, as a change of the filling ratio
of the gas inside the first room 331. Each point P0, P1, . . . , or
P7 plotted in this graph is a measurement point whose coordinates
are measurement values of the movement ratio and shock
acceleration. The measurement points P0-P7 are obtained through
experiments performed at the ratios, which are increased from 0% by
5% increments, of the width wd of the duct 341 to the length WT of
a boundary between the first room 331 and the second room 332 in
the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the partition 302
(see FIG. 3A.) The curve CV expressed by the graph smoothly
interpolates the measurement points P0-P7. In the experiments, air
is used as the gas inside the bag 301, and the filling ratio of the
air in the bag 301 is set to 60%. Accordingly, 60% is the common
initial value of the filling ratios of the air in the first room
331 and the second room 332.
[0033] The points P0-P2 show that, since the width of the duct 341
is 10% or less of the length WT of the longitudinal boundary
between the rooms 331 and 332, the shock acceleration is mitigated
to 25 G even when the air moving from the first room 331 to the
second room 332 is 15% or less of the entirety of the gas inside
the first room 331. This shows that air compression alone provides
the first room 331 with a relatively high buffering capacity. The
points P3-P6 show that, as the width of the duct 341 increases from
15% to 30%, the air moving from the first room 331 to the second
room 332 has amounts increasing from 20% to 45%, and the shock
acceleration rapidly falls to less than 10 G. This shows movement
of the air from the first room 331 to the second room 332 greatly
improves the buffering capacity of the first room 331. The range
from the point P6 to the point P7 shows that, since the width of
the duct 341 increases from 30% to 35%, the air moving from the
first room 331 to the second room 332 has amounts exceeding 50%,
and the shock acceleration regains 10 G or more. This shows that
the first room 331 loses its buffering capacity by air compression
since the first room 331 has a remaining amount of the air reduced
to 10% or less.
[0034] The graph in FIG. 5 proves the following. The width wd of
the duct 341 moderately larger than the length WT of the boundary
between the first room 331 and the second room 332 and the
moderately high movement ratio of the air from the first room 331
to the second room 332 can sufficiently improve the buffering
capacity by cooperation of the third air cushion 233 and the outer
case 240. Specifically, the ratio, 5%-30%, of the width wd of the
duct 341 to the length WT of the boundary between the rooms and the
movement ratio, 15%-45%, of the air between the rooms enhance the
buffering capacity by cooperation of the third air cushion 233 and
the outer case 240 to a level equal to or greater than the
buffering capacity of a block-shaped cushion made of foamed
plastic. Maintenance of the movement ratio of the air between the
rooms within the range of 15-45% can be achieved when the initial
value of the filling ratio of the air in the bag 301, i.e. the
common initial value of the filling ratios of the air in the rooms
331 and 332 is set to 55%-85%.
[Bar]
[0035] FIG. 6A is an elevation view that is common to the first air
cushion 231 and the second air cushion 232. FIG. 6B is a
perspective view of the first air cushion 231 (the second air
cushion 232) after assembly. The cushions 231 and 232, except for
the third air cushion 233, have bars 234 and 235. The bars are each
combination of a tab 234 and a skew portion 235. The tab 234 is a
small piece that protrudes from one edge of the first room 331 in
the longitudinal (Y-axis) direction of the partition 302. The skew
portion 235 is a straight belt that extends obliquely to the longer
edge of the bag 301 from the edge of the second room 332 in the
longitudinal (Y-axis) direction of the partition 302 on the same
side as the tab 234. The tab 234 and the skew portion 235 are both,
for example, cut out from an extended portion of one of the two
laminate sheets that form the bag 301. The skew portion 235 may be
shaped as a bag by another sheet overlaid on the extended portion
and hermetically heat-sealed along the periphery of it. The skew
portion 235 may contain gas therein. The tab 234 has a hole 236 to
engage with a tip protrusion 237 of the skew portion 235. In a
state of the bag 301 bending at the partition 302, as illustrated
in FIG. 6B, the protrusion 237 of the skew portion 235 engages with
the hole 236 of the tab 234. Such a combination 234, 235 forming
the bar fixes a bending angle of the bag 301 between the edges of
the first room 331 and the second room 332 like an angle brace. As
illustrated in FIG. 2A, when the first air cushion 231 and the
second air cushion 232 are placed at the corners of the ADF 110,
the bar 234, 235 is placed on the top face of the ADF 110 and
pressed down on it by the outer case 240. This enables the first
air cushion 231 and the second air cushion 232 to be stably held at
the corners of the ADF 110.
[Merits of Embodiment]
[0036] As described above, the packing material pertaining to the
embodiment of the present disclosure includes the air cushions
231-233. The air cushions 231-233 are placed, for example, at three
of eight corners of the MFP 100 to be packed, the three corners of
the top face of the MFP 100. These three corners do not require
relatively high strength. The air cushions each bend at the
partition 302 to contact one face of the MFP 100 at the outer
surface of the first room 331 of the bag 301, and to contact the
other face of the MFP 100 at the outer surface of the second room
332. To these outer surfaces of the rooms 331 and 332, the outer
case 240 applies pressure in the directions towards the respective
faces of the MFP 100. Since the filling ratio of the gas in the bag
301 is lower than 100%, a shock force FSH that the first room 331
receives from the outside of the outer case 240 moves the gas PGS
from the first room 331 to the second room 332 against the pressure
applied by the outer case 240 to the second room 332. This movement
causes the pressure inside the second room 332 to increase and push
back the side wall 242 of the outer case 240, thereby deforming the
side wall 242 elastically. Thus, energy applied from the outside by
the shock force FSH dissipates as frictional heat when the gas flow
PGS passes through the ducts 341 and 342, and is absorbed by the
side wall 242 of the outer case 240 as its elastic energy. This
buffering function by cooperation of the air cushions and the outer
case 240 mitigates, of the energy from the outside, a portion
transmitted to the front face of the MFP 100. When the shock force
FSH is removed, the side wall 242 of the outer case 240 releases
the elastic energy stored therein and returns from a deformed state
to an original flat one. The restoring force RCF of the outer case
240 compresses the second room 332, and therefore, gas returns from
the second room 332 to the first room 331. This restoration
function by cooperation of the air cushions and the outer case 240
causes the first room 331 to surely regain its buffering capacity
even after the shock was received. As described above, the packing
material pertaining to the embodiment of the present disclosure
ensures that gas receives sufficiently high resistance when moving
between the rooms 331 and 332 of the cushions 231-233 by external
forces, and that the cushions 231-233 restore their buffering
capacities when released from the external forces without increase
in number of components and complication of the structure.
[0037] In addition to the above-mentioned merits, the packing
material pertaining to the embodiment has the following merits.
Firstly, if the air cushions 231-233 have the same thickness as a
block-shaped cushion made of foamed plastic, the packing material
can achieve buffering capacity larger than the block-shaped
cushion; if the packing material have the same buffering capacity
as the block-shaped cushion, the air cushions 231-233 can consume a
smaller amount of resin than the block-shaped cushion. In this
sense, the air cushions 231-233 are environmentally friendly.
Secondly, when disposed, the air cushions 231-233 allow their
volume to be reduced up to around 1%, by letting out the air of the
bag 301. Accordingly, the air cushions 231-233 are advantageous to
reduction of packing materials to be disposed. Thirdly, being made
of soft plastic and in a sheet-like shape as illustrated in FIG.
3A, the air cushions 231-233 can be stored in a compact manner, for
example, by being rolled into a cylinder. Accordingly, the packing
material of the present disclosure has an advantage in reduction of
its storage space. Fourthly, the ducts 331 and 332 need no
components for increasing air resistance such as check valves, and
therefore the air cushions 231-233 still have a small number of
components and a simple structure. Fifthly, the air cushions
231-233 allow the buffering capacity of the packing material to be
controlled by merely adjusting the ratio of the width wd of the
duct 341 to the length WT of the boundary between the first room
331 and the second room 332, as illustrated by the measurement
points P0-P7 in FIG. 5. Accordingly, the air cushions 231-233 have
great flexibility in design.
MODIFICATIONS
[0038] (A) The image forming device 100 in FIG. 1 is the MFP.
Alternatively, the image forming device to be packed may be a
single-function machine such as a printer, a copier, or a
facsimile, or an optional machine such as a sheet feeder or a
finisher. An object to be packed may be, for example, an electronic
device such as a personal computer, a server, or the like, a large
electrical home appliance such as a laundry machine or
refrigerator, a machine tool such as a lathe, or a part or finished
product of industrial robots.
[0039] (B) In the air cushion 233 in FIG. 3A, the planar shape of
the bag 301 is a rectangle. Alternatively, the planar shape of a
bag may be a polygon such as a triangle, or include a curve in its
circumference, such as a semi-circle.
[0040] FIGS. 7A and 7B are plan and perspective views of a bag
whose planar shape is a triangle, respectively. FIGS. 7C and 7D are
plan and perspective views of a bag whose planar shape is a
semi-circle, respectively. In either of the bags, a linear
partition 702 or 712 extends at the center of the bag 701 or 711 to
divide the inside of the bag into two rooms of the same capacity.
Gaps 703, 704, or 713, 714 between the circumference of the bag and
longitudinal ends of the partition function as ducts connecting
between the adjacent rooms. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the bag 701
easily bends at the partition 702; as illustrated in FIG. 7D, the
bag 711 easily bends at the partition 712. Even when the bag has
such planar shapes, the air cushion can achieve a great buffering
capacity due to cooperation with the outer case, in a manner
similar to the above-described embodiment.
[0041] (C) The bars 234, 235 in FIGS. 6A and 6B have a shape of a
belt. Alternatively, the bar may be a triangular or rectangular
film, and may connect the entirety of an edge of the first room 331
with the entirety of an edge of the second room 332.
[0042] Instead of the bar, a third room may be provided. The third
room, for example, may have the same size as the first room 331 and
the second room 332, share an edge with either of the first and
second rooms and, through a duct in the shared edge, be connected
to the room.
[0043] FIGS. 7E and 7F are plan and perspective views of the rooms
whose planar shapes are rectangles, respectively. FIGS. 7G and 7H
are plan and perspective views of rooms whose planar shapes are
triangles, respectively. In any of the rooms, each edge shared by
two adjacent rooms includes a linear partition heat-sealed.
Further, one or both of the two partitions may include a duct
connecting between the adjacent rooms.
[0044] A plurality of the bags 301 may be connected in a bendable
manner in order to protect a face in a shape more complex than the
corners of the ADF 110.
[0045] FIG. 7I is an elevation view of a connection of three of the
bags 301 in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 7J is a perspective view of the three
bags 301 in FIG. 7I bent at partitions. As illustrated in FIG. 7I,
the second room 332 of each bag and the first room 331 of an
adjacent bag are connected such that they share an edge in the
longer-edge (X-axis) direction of the bags. This enables, as
illustrated in FIG. 7J, the six rooms to cover a space from all the
three orthogonal directions: back-forth, up-down, and left-right
directions. Each joint between the bags may be entirely hermetic by
heat-seal to divide the two adjacent rooms, or may include a duct
to connect between the two adjacent rooms in a manner similar to
the partition.
[0046] (D) The bag 301 in FIG. 3A has the ducts 341 and 342 at the
ends of the partition 302. Alternatively, the bag 301 may have a
single duct, or three or more ducts. Irrespective of the number of
ducts, cooperation of the third air cushion 233 and the outer case
240 achieves sufficiently high buffering capacity as long as the
ratio of the total widths of the ducts to the length of the
boundary between the first room 331 and the second room 332 is
5%-30% and the movement ratio of air between the rooms is
15%-45%.
[0047] FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are plan views of bags with a
single duct. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, a partition 802 has an end 803 in
one longer edge of the bag 301, and has a duct 841 between the
other end of the partition 802 and the other longer edge of the bag
301. The end 803 of the partition 802 may be heat-sealed, as
illustrated in FIG. 8A, or may be open, as illustrated in FIG. 8B.
In FIGS. 8C and 8D, one partition 812 has a base end 813 in one
longer edge of the bag 301, and another partition 822 has a base
end 823 in the other longer edge of the bag 301. The partitions 812
and 822 extend from their respective longer edges of the bag 301 in
its shorter edge direction, and the other ends of the partitions
812 and 822 are placed across a space at the center of the bag 301
to form the duct 842. The base end 813 of the partition 812 and the
base end 823 of the partition 822 may be heat-sealed, as
illustrated in FIG. 8C, or may be open, as illustrated in FIG.
8D.
[0048] (E) Welded areas inside the bag 301 in FIG. 3A include only
the partition 302. In addition to the partition 302, the bag 301
may have a thickness limiter in at least one of the rooms. In this
case, the thickness limiter limits thickness of the room.
[0049] FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are plan views of the bag 301 including
thickness limiters. The thickness limiters are areas in which the
bag 301 is compressed and its two inner faces opposed across the
space inside the first room 331 or the second room 332 are
heat-sealed. The rooms 331 and 332 include thickness limiters one
by one, which are symmetric with respect to the partition 302. As
illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the thickness limiters 901, 902
extend in the longer-edge (X-axis) direction of the bag 301 from
their respective base ends 903, 904 at the centers of the shorter
edges of the bag 301 to their respective tip ends 905, 906 in
central portions of the rooms 331, 332. The base ends 903, 904 of
the thickness limiters 901, 902 may be heat-sealed or open, as
illustrated in FIG. 9A or 9B, respectively. The thickness limiters
911 and 912 in FIG. 9C differ from the thickness limiters 901 and
902 in FIGS. 9A and 9B in that the base ends 913 and 914 are
distant from the shorter edges of the bag 301.
[0050] FIG. 9D is a perspective view of the bag 301 in FIG. 9A. The
thickness limiters 901 and 902 are heat-sealed to be thin, and
therefore, prevent the rooms 331 and 332 from swelling by the gas
in the bag 301 and limit the thickness THC of the rooms, which is
adjustable by the areas of the thickness limiters 901 and 902. Note
that the thickness limiter may be disposed in only one of the
rooms.
[0051] Advantageously, the thickness limiters 901 and 902 are
designed to have lengths in the longer-edge (X-axis) direction of
the bag 301 that satisfy the following conditions. A region SR in
the first room 331 is referred to as a "standard region," (see the
region expressed by oblique lines in FIG. 9A.) The region SR is
located, with respect to the partition 302, on the opposite side of
a straight line BND that passes through the end 905 of the
thickness limiter 901 closest to the partition 302, i.e. the tip
905 of it, and that is parallel with the partition 302. A capacity
ratio of the standard region SR to the entirety ST of the first
room 331 (i.e. the region expressed by dots in FIG. 9A,) equals the
filling ratio of gas in the bag 301. The thickness limiter 902 of
the second room 332 is designed to have a length satisfying the
above-described conditions. When these conditions are satisfied, a
judgment on whether the filling ratio of gas in the first room 331
is proper or not in the process of sealing gas into the bag 301,
can be made by whether the boundary of a swelling, which appears
when gas in the first room 331 is pushed from the partition 302 in
the longer-edge (X-axis) direction of the bag 301, coincides with
the boundary BND of the standard region SR or not.
[0052] Circumferences of the bag 301, the partition 302, and the
thickness limiters 901 and 902 are hermetically heat-sealed.
Alternatively, the hermetical sealing may be achieved by other
welding processes such as ultrasonic welding, or by using
adhesive.
[0053] (F) The air cushion 233 pertaining to the present disclosure
may further include a protect sheet. The protect sheet is, for
example, a sheet-like member made of a high-strength resin such as
polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
[0054] FIGS. 10A and 10B are plan views of the bag 301 and a
protect sheet A10, respectively. FIG. 10C is a perspective view of
an air cushion A33 including the bag 301 and the protect sheet A10.
The protect sheet A10, which has the same shape and size as the bag
301, is placed between the bag 301 and an outer face of the outer
case 240 or the MFP 100. This provides the bag 301 with an improved
abrasion resistance against the inner wall of the outer case 240 or
the outer surface of the MFP 100. As illustrated in FIG. 10A, the
bag 301 includes angular protrusions A11 in the partition 302 and
the thickness limiters 901 and 902. The angular protrusions A11
project from the bag 301 toward the protect sheet A10. As
illustrated in FIG. 10B, the protect sheet A10 includes U-shaped
protrusions A12 in its one face. The U-shaped protrusions A12
project from the protect sheet A10 toward the bag 301. When the bag
301 and the protect sheet A10 are overlaid, as illustrated in FIG.
10C, the angular protrusions A11 fit inside the U-shaped
protrusions A12, as expressed by broken lines in FIG. 10B. This
enables the protect sheet A10 to be stably coupled with the bag
301. Note that coupling of the bag 301 and the protect sheet A10
allows alternative known coupling or fitting structures such as a
hook or a snap.
[Supplement]
[0055] As described above, the packing material pertaining to the
present disclosure has the cushion bending at the partition and
putting the outer surfaces of the first and second rooms of the bag
onto the two different outer faces of the object. The outer case
applies pressure to the outer surfaces of the first and second
rooms in directions toward the outer faces of the object. Under
these conditions, the first room of the bag receives an external
force through the outer case, and then gas moves from the first
room to the second room against the pressure applied by the outer
case to the second room. When the external force is removed, gas
returns from the second room to the first room by the pressure
applied by the outer case to the second room. The packing material
thus enables the gas that the external force moves between the
rooms to receive sufficiently high resistance, and in addition, the
cushion to surely restore its buffering capacity by release from
the external force, without increase in number of its components
and complication of its structure.
[0056] Based on the embodiments described above, the invention may
be further characterized as follows.
[0057] In the packing material, the bag may be made of a soft
plastic sheet, and the partition may be an area where two inner
surfaces of the bag, which are placed across a space inside of the
bag, are welded or adhered to each other. In the packing material,
the outer case may have a higher stiffness than the cushion, and
the pressure applied by the outer case to the first and second
rooms of the bag may be based on a stress of the outer case
preventing its deformation caused by the gas pressure of the first
and second rooms.
[0058] In the packing material, a filling ratio of the gas in the
bag may be higher than 50% but lower than 100%. Specifically, this
filling ratio may be 55%-85%. In the packing material, the ratio of
the width of the duct to the length of the boundary between the
first and second rooms of the bag may be 5-30%.
[0059] In the packing material, at least one of the first and
second rooms of the bag may include a thickness limiter, a
collapsed area included in the two inner surfaces of the bag placed
across the space inside of the bag, preventing the first or second
room from swelling by the contained gas to limit the thickness of
the first or second room. Here, the bag may be made of a soft
plastic sheet, and the thickness limiter may be an area where the
two inner surfaces of the bag placed across the space inside of the
bag are welded or adhered to each other. In the packing material,
the thickness limiter may be arranged in both the first and second
rooms in a manner symmetric with respect to the partition. In the
packing material, with respect to a line parallel to the partition
and passing through the edge of the thickness limiter closest to
the partition, a portion of the first or second room on the
opposite side of the partition may have a capacity ratio to the
entirety of the first or second room, and the capacity ratio may be
equal to the filling ratio of the gas in the bag.
[0060] The packing material may further include a protect sheet
placed between the bag of the cushion and the outer case or the
object. Here, the partition may include a coupler coupling the
protect sheet with the bag. In the packing material, the cushion
may further include a bar. When the bag bends at the partition, the
bar connects between the edges of the first and second rooms on the
same side in the longitudinal direction of the partition to fix an
angle of the bag.
[0061] Although one or more embodiments of the present invention
have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed
embodiments are made for the purposes of illustration and example
only and not limitation. The scope of the present invention should
be interpreted by the terms of the appended claims.
* * * * *