Cushioning Member For Packing An Article In A Container

Abstract

A cushion for an article in a container comprising a plurality of U-shaped or apertured sections which are hinged together by an integral hinge, the cushion consisting essentially of foamed plastic such as polyethylene with a hinged portion of the foamed plastic compacted into a linear form.

Description

Corner supports are usually provided by molding or cutting right angular portions as shown in FIG. 14 of my U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,797, dated Sept. 3, 1968, or by notching a cylinder such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,872. Substantial loss of material occurs in such forming.

A corner support for an article to be packed in a box comprising a block body of foam plastic with apertures in the block of a size to receive the article, the block being formed with a plurality of sections hingedly connected by a linear portion of the plastic to dispose the sections at right angles to each other, thus having one section which may receive an end of the article and another section receiving a side of the article. In some cases the folding or hinging relation to dispose the portions at right angles to each other may be formed by directing the hinges at right angles to each other and then folding on these hinges without notching or forming an aperture.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article supported by the cushion of this invention in a box which is broken away to illustrate the interior thereof;

FIG. 2 shows the cushion in three sections as in folded form prior to swinging to positions at right angles to each other around the hinge;

FIG. 3 shows the modified form of cushion having two parts instead of three and as in position on an article to be supported;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a framelike part from which the cushion of FIG. 3 is formed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further modified form showing hinge portions at right angles to each other; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the portions of FIG. 5 bent into a corner support for an article to be shipped.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1 there is a container 10 with an article 11 to be supported in that container. For supporting this article in the container so that it cannot move with reference to the container is a cushion 15 which is formed of foam plastic material, such as polyethylene, which in the preform comprises a block which has an aperture 17 providing a generally U-shape with legs 18 spaced apart so that their inner surfaces 19 are a distance to receive the article 11 in one of its dimensions. Shoulders 20 may be provided to limit the insertion of the legs of the block onto the article, and a further aperture or recess 25 may be provided to allow some flexing along a portion 26, this further being enhanced by a cutout as at 27 providing protuberances 28 which may engage the inside of the container. This block is made sufficiently thick so that it may serve as three right angularly extending supports which are conveniently formed by two severings to provide three sections hinged at 30 along the ends of the U-shaped legs 18 which is done by heating the end portions of the legs to a temperature substantially the melting point of the plastic which is foamed, and then compressing this foam about one-eighth of an inch to densify the foam and provide a linear or solid portion of the plastic along this surface which is to act as a hinge, thereby increasing its structural strength. Severing of the block with a hot cutter for separation at 31 and 32 provides three sections, there being a center section 35 and end sections 36. The severing stops short of the solid portion or linear portion to leave an integral hinge 30, and these sections may be swung about this hinge so that the sections 36 are substantially in one plane while the section 35 extends at right-angles to that plane as in FIG. 1. These three sections all as one unit may then be slid over the end of the article 11 so as to support the box in three right-angular directions in the container 10.

In some cases the foam cushion may have a rectangular frame shape as seen in FIG. 4 at 40 with an open center 41 and ends 42 with sides 43, and by contacting the ends 42 at their mid portion with a hot surface the foam is densified to linear form 44, while at the same time by contacting the surface opposite with a hot cutter, a slot 45 may be formed approaching but spaced from the linear form 44 so that a hinge is provided permitting the two sections 46 and 47 to be swung to a right-angular position as shown in FIG. 3 to accommodate an article 48 shown therein.

In some cases a block 50 may be provided of generally L-form and its surfaces in right-angular formation as at 51 and 52 densified to linear form by heat and at the same time slit as at 53 and 54 to a point near the linear portion leaving a hinge so as to provide a center section 55 and end sections 56 and 57 which may be folded at right-angles to each other as shown in FIG. 6 to receive the corner of a rectilinear article.

In each of these cases the folding provides a pocket of a size and shape to receive the article to be supported in the container, and the dimensions are predetermined so that a compressible cushion of the foam plastic is provided between the article and the container on two or more sides of the article by use of a single unit.

Claims

I claim:

1. A cushion for packing an article comprising a foamed plastic material having a center section with sections hinged thereto for swinging through 90.degree. to a position at right angles to the center section, said hinges being integral with said sections and comprising the plastic of the material densified to substantially solid flexible form.

2. A cushion as in claim 1 wherein the hinges are parallel to each other.

3. A cushion as in claim 1 wherein the hinges are at right angles to each other.

4. A cushion for packaging an article comprising a generally U-shaped member of foam material having opposite U-shape faces providing legs with a connecting bridge and severed in a plane parallel to said faces between said opposite faces from the bridge toward the legs of the U-part way through to the opposite edges to provide the remaining portion as a hinge for hinging the sections formed by severing.

5. A cushion as in claim 2 wherein there are a pair of spaced severings to provide three sections to be hinged at right angles to each other.

6. A package comprising a generally rectangular container, a generally rectangular article, cushioning means contacting said article and container and supporting said article within said container, said cushioning means comprising a foamed plastic material having a center section with sections hinged thereto and swung through 90.degree. to a position at right-angles to the center section and engaging right angularly extending surfaces of said article and container, said hinges being integral with said sections and comprising the plastic of the material densified to substantially solid flexible form.

7. A package comprising a generally rectangular container, a generally rectangular article, cushioning means contacting said article and container and supporting said article within said container, said cushioning means comprising a U-shaped member of foamed plastic material having opposite U-shape faces providing legs with a connecting bridge and severed in a plane parallel to said faces between said opposite faces from the bridge toward the legs of the U-part way through to the opposite edges to provide the remaining portion as a hinge for hinging the sections formed by severing, said sections being in 90.degree. relation, said legs being spaced substantially the distance between opposite surfaces of the article and extending along opposite surfaces of said article and along opposite surfaces of the container and the bridge extending along a surface joining said opposite surfaces of the article and along the surfaces of the container.