Slotted Triangle Packaging Material

Abstract

A carton liner fabricated from a paperboard strip deformed so that triangular projections of two different sizes extend inwardly from the interior wall of a carton. The larger triangular sections include slots formed centrally within each apex edge for accommodating a platelike article having its edges disposed within the aligned slots. The smaller triangular projections provide lateral support for the article retained within the slots.

Description

This invention relates to the packaging art and more particularly to a carton liner adapted to protect fragile articles.

The prior art includes several forms of strip packaging material deformed in a manner creating triangular projections along the length thereof. Further, the triangular projections include a slot along the apex edge of each triangular projection to receive the edge of an article placed therein. In certain instances, the aforementioned slot is cut so that it extends from the apex edge to the base of each triangular projection. Thus, the edges of an article placed within said slot is caused to rest against the planar base portions of the package material strip. As will be appreciated, these planar base portions provide relatively little cushioning and shock absorbing thereby proving such packaging material unworthy for fragile articles. Certain other prior art constructions include slots extending only a portion of the height of each triangular projection, and the edge of a retained article is maintained in spaced relation to the base planar portions of the packaging strip. Although this construction obviates the transmission of shock from a carton to the retained article via the planar base portions of the packaging strip, the absence of an article supporting surface between adjacently situated triangular portions provides less than adequate support for a fragile or brittle article.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a cushioning and shock-absorbing packaging material for engaging and supporting the edges of a fragile article in a shipping container, whereby the fragile article will be effectively held and protected against breakage.

Another salient object of the invention is to provide a packaging material which includes the combination of two layers of fiberboard or paperboard, one being a base plate material or base liner, and an inner material or top liner formed into two sizes of triangular or inverted V-shapes which is then secured to the base liner. Of these triangularly shaped projections only the larger of the two sized projections is provided with centrally disposed slots for receiving the edges of a fragile article and retaining the article edges in spaced relation to the carton walls.

A further object of the invention is to provide cushions, blocking, spacing, and additional support for the fragile article or articles within the container as provided by the smaller or shorter of the triangular projections formed by the top liner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a packaging and cushioning material that when properly placed inside a carton will increase and enhance the load bearing capability thereof.

Another further object of the invention is to provide a packaging and cushioning material in continuous lengths that can be cut to lengths as determined by the size of the periphery of the fragile article or articles.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a packaging and cushioning material made from only two layers of fiberboard that provides additional protection to the corners of a fragile article thereby further protecting the fragile article from breakage.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing the packaging and cushioning material in use for holding a fragile article in a container.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along a plane passing through section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through section line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and shows the profile of the triangular projections of the present packaging material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a section of the present cushioning material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the packaging material prior to its fabrication into final form.

Referring specifically to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally denotes a commonly utilized shipping container having longitudinally extending walls 12 and 14. As is customary, such containers are fabricated from corrugated paper material. The packaging or carton lining material forming the present invention is generally denoted by 16. In installing this packaging material, a continuous length of the same may be laid down to extend entirely around the periphery of an enclosed article 18. The packaging material 16 is itself positioned around the interior periphery of container 10 or in shorter lengths as may be required.

Reference is made to FIG. 5 which illustrates the packaging material prior to its finished appearance. As will be noted, a base strip 20 formed from a flat length of material such as paper or fiberboard is laid out. A top liner or strip 22 is formed into the triangulated structure shown in FIG. 4 by weakening the liner strip 22 along parallel spaced scorelines 24--31. Next, the top liner strip 22 is deformed along the scorelines to form a repetitious pattern of triangular or inverted V-shaped projections including a first projection 32 displaced transversely of the length of the top liner so that the apex of the projection is formed along previously mentioned scoreline 24. The outward edges of this projection are formed along scorelines 23 and 25. Adjacent this first-mentioned triangular projection is a second triangular projection 34 of lesser height than the first but extending parallel to the first. An elongated apex edge is formed along scoreline 27 while the outward arm edges of this mentioned triangular projection are formed along scorelines 26 and 28. In a similar manner, a third projection 34' identical with the second is formed adjacent the second along an apex edge 30 and outward arm edges 29 and 31. As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each triangular projection is separated from an adjacent projection by a substantially planar strip portion 36.

FIG. 4 clearly shows a rectangular slot 38 cut through the arm portions of each triangular section 32 and extending downwardly from an associated apex edge. Thus, each of the larger triangular projections includes slots therein for purposes of receiving the peripheral edge 18' of an article 18.

Once the triangular projections and associated slots have been formed within top liner 22, the liner is secured at spaced points to the base liner 20 by a suitable method such as by the use of an adhesive.

Attention is directed to FIG. 3 which specifically illustrates the disposition of an article 18 within aligned slots 38 of the triangular projections 32. It will be noted that the peripheral edge 18' abuts the inward edges of slot 38 and also rests upon the apex edge of the smaller triangular projections 34 and 34'. Thus, it will be appreciated that the slots 38 serve mainly to position an article 18 within the container while the triangular projections 34 and 34' principally function to prevent lateral play of the retained article 18. As will be noted from FIG. 1, when the packaging material 16 is folded around a corner of an article 18, the apex edge of two adjacently and perpendicularly positioned triangular projections 34 and 34' engage one another along their apex edges to form reinforced blocking and cushioning points at the corners of article 18.

As will be appreciated, although the present invention is described in terms of triangulated projections, an equally satisfactory construction can be fabricated by deforming the top liner 16 so as to form projections of other geometric shapes including frustoconical and cylindrically portioned configurations.

Further, it will be appreciated that several strata of peripheral strips may be used in packing a stack of articles.

In summary, the present invention is adapted to peripherally support the edges of an article in spaced relation to an encircling container. Further, the particular triangular projections of the present invention offer lateral support at regular closely spaced intervals along the edge of the retained article. Still further, the edges of the article are made to rest upon the apex edge of the smaller triangular projections which act as shock absorbing or cushioning media offering fragile or brittle articles in particular the superior protection they require when packaged.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

I claim:

1. A packaging and cushioning material strip comprising a first elongated planar base ply, a second elongated ply disposed in aligned overlying relation with said first ply, said second ply including a plurality of side-by-side projections of two differently dimensioned heights, aligned slot means disposed within the outward edge of the larger of said projections for receiving an edge of an article therein, the smaller of said projections having their outward edges providing lateral support to the edge of the article.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein each said projection is characterized as an inverted V-shape having an apex edge extending in spaced overlying relation to said first planar base ply.

3. A packaging and cushioning material comprising a first elongated planar base ply, a second elongated ply disposed in aligned overlying relation with said first ply, said second ply including a plurality of adjacently positioned projections extending outwardly therefrom, said projections being of two differently dimensioned heights, slot means disposed in alignment within the outward edge of the larger of said projections for receiving an edge of an article therein, the smaller of said projections having their outward edges providing lateral support to the edge of the article, said projections being cyclically repeated at regular intervals including a first taller projection succeeded by two shorter projections.

4. A shipping carton having peripheral walls, the interior of said carton including a packing material disposed peripherally around the interior of said walls, said packing material comprising a first elongated planar base ply, a second elongated ply disposed in secured overlying relation with said first ply, said second ply including a plurality of side-by-side projections, said plurality including two differently sized projections having larger and smaller heights, the larger projections further including aligned slots formed inwardly from the outward edge of the larger projections to receive the edges of an enclosed article, the smaller sized projections offering lateral support to the edges of the article, each corner of said peripherally disposed material including two smaller adjacently positioned projections oriented perpendicular to one another and in contact with each other along respective outward edges to produce corner abutments offering lateral support to the corners of an enclosed article, said packing material further adapted to retain the edges of an article in spaced relation from the interior lateral walls of the carton thereby cushioning the article against shock.