AU739965B3 - Packing device - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: CRAIG and JOHN WHEATLEY AHEARN FOX Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, GPO Box 1149 Brisbane, Queensland, 4001 Invention Title: PACKING DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1- PACKING DEVICE THIS INVENTION relates to a packing device.

The invention has been developed primarily for use as a packing device between building elements and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not necessarily limited to this field of use.

Packing between building elements, such as between door and window frames and the studs of wall frames, is frequently required in order to establish proper alignment of the door or window. Often, such devices as slivers of timber, cardboard, and the like may be used, but are often unsatisfactory because of inaccuracy with respect to size and/or thickness of the packing.

Some materials used for packing may be dimensionally unstable which may lead to warping or cracking in the building element concerned.

One attempt to overcome some of these problems is shown in United Kingdom Design Registration No. 2,011,340. The design registration shows a U-shaped packing device having an integral frame structure, some of the frame being in-filled with panel portions, but with the frame structure having two parallel and substantially flat surfaces. However, if a packing device is made in accordance with the design, the base of the may become deformed if a hammer is used to force the packing device into a tight fit between two building elements.

The present invention aims to alleviate one or more of the abovementioned shortcomings and provide a packing device which /c1WHEOIOJl.w)pd -2will be convenient and easy to use. Other aims and advantages of the invention may become apparent from the following description.

With the foregoing in view, the present invention in one aspect resides broadly in a packing device comprising: one or more elongate packing portions, the or each packing portion having two or more longitudinal ribs and a plurality of lateral ribs interconnecting the longitudinal ribs; an end rib substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the packing portion, and a plurality of impact transmitting ribs interconnecting the end rib member and at least one of the two or more longitudinal ribs, whereby one or more impact forces applied to the end rib member to insert the packing device between two building elements to be packed may be transmitted through the impact transmitting ribs to the at least one longitudinal rib.

Preferably, the impact transmitting ribs and the end rib form an impact portion for receiving and transmitting impact forces to the packing portion or portions.

In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a packing device comprising a packing portion and an impact portion, the packing portion having two or more longitudinal ribs and a plurality of lateral ribs interconnecting the longitudinal ribs, and the impact portion including an impact rib and a plurality of connecting ribs forming a truss-like structure operatively connecting the impact rib to the longitudinal ribs, whereby one or more impacts when received against the impact rib may be transmitted from the impact rib through the connecting /cWHE01J0J.wpd -3ribs to at least one of said longitudinal ribs to insert the packing device between two building elements to be packed, the ribs, the impact member and the truss being arranged in substantially planar alignment.

Preferably the packing device has two packing portions arranged in spaced parallel relationship connected by the impact portion in the form of a flat bottomed the two packing portions forming the legs of the and connected to one another by way of the impact portion which forms the flat bottom of the It is also preferred that some of the spaces between some of the ribs be in-filled to form one or more webs or panels. It is further preferred that where a web is provided, the thickness of the web is less than the thickness of the ribs, and that the web is arranged to form a recess with respect to one side of the ribs surrounding the web, but have a face substantially aligned with the other side of the ribs. The webs provide bracing for the ribs to strengthen and/or impart increased rigidity to the packing device.

The ribs are preferably all of the same constant thickness and the longitudinal ribs are preferably parallel to one another and substantially at right angles to the lateral ribs.

Preferably, the end of the packing portion remote from the impact portion includes a wedge-shaped end portion for ease of insertion of the packing device between building elements. It is further preferred that the wedge-shaped end portions be tapered such that the legs of the become both narrower and thinner towards the open end of the /cWHEOJ101.wpd -4- It is preferred that the packing device be moulded from a rigid and durable plastics material, such as, for example, a polyolefin, and provided in a range of discrete thicknesses, each thickness being provided in a different distinctive colour.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein: Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a first packing device in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a second packing device in accordance with the invention; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a pictorial view of a third packing device in accordance with the invention.

The first packing device 10 shown in Fig. 1 is formed from plastics material in a generally U-shaped configuration having a generally planar ribbed structure of a substantially constant thickness indicated by a double headed arrow 13 between the two dashed lines 19. When in the orientation illustrated in Fig. i, the packing device has two sides referred to for convenience as an upper side and a lower side, the upper side being visible and the lower side not.

The ribbed structure comprises a two symmetrically mirrored leg portions 11 joined to a base portion 12. The leg portions have two longitudinal ribs 14 disposed parallel to one another and interconnected by five lateral ribs 15 at right angles to the /cWHEOJ JOJ.wpd longitudinal ribs. Two of the longitudinal ribs running along the inside of the may be referred to as inside ribs and the other two may be referred to as outside ribs. The lateral ribs extending across each leg portion define four apertures, and, counting from the open end of the the first and third of which are openings 16 open to both sides of the packing device and the second and fourth of which are in-filled with a web to form two recesses 17. The recesses are open to only the upper side of the packing device, the lower face of the in-fill being aligned with the lower side of the ribs. The in-fills of the recesses thus form the webs to which reference is made hereinbefore.

Each leg portion is provided with a wedge portion 18 at the open end of the and intermediate the wedge portion and the remainder of the leg portion is a ramp portion 21. The wedge portion includes two converging ribs 22 and three end ribs 23, whereby intermediate the converging ribs and end ribs of each end wedge portion there is provided an end recess 24 and an end opening 25. The ribs surrounding each end recess 24 are of substantially the same constant thickness as the remainder of the frame, but the portion of the converging ribs and the end rib surrounding the end opening 25 taper towards the open end of the to form an open ramp portion 26 whereby the ends of the "U" become thinner. The inner ones of the converging ribs are in alignment with respective ones of the inner ribs. The converging ribs converge towards one another towards the ends of the legs of the whereby the ends of the legs become narrower.

/cWVHEO -6- The ribs of the base portion 12 are somewhat triangulated to form at least in part a truss-like structure, and include an impact rib 31 which is substantially straight and arranged substantially at right angles to the longitudinal ribs (though not being directly connected thereto) and has a sloping upper edge 44 (seen better in Fig. 3 with reference numeral 144). The impact rib is joined to the two lateral ribs closest to the closed end of the by two refracted ribs 32 depending one from each end of the impact rib to a respective outside rib, two angled ribs 33 depending one each from beside a respective refracted rib at the impact rib to a respective inside rib, and two A-frame ribs 34 depending from a central portion of the impact rib to the respective inside ribs, the A-frame ribs being joined by a connecting rib 35 forming the bar of the The triangulated arrangement of the ribs forming the base portion forms five apertures. The outermost two apertures, referred to hereinafter as outer openings 38, extend through the ribs, however, the other three are recesses. The recesses adjacent the outer openings are referred to hereinafter as outer recesses 36, and the recess between the outer recesses, which also forms the top of the is referred to hereinafter as the A-frame recess 37. The outer recesses and the A-frame recess are each in-filled to form respective webs in a similar fashion to the recesses of the leg portions, that is, with the webs aligned with the lower side and having a substantially flat upper face parallel to the upper and lower sides of the ribs. The impact rib and the lateral rib of each leg portion closest to the closed end of the /cWHEJ01101.wpd -7form the chords of a truss, with the refracted ribs, angled ribs and A-frame ribs forming the webs or struts. The truss is divided by the A-frame structure in the centre portion of the base portion, with the connecting rib and the webs of the A-frame recess affording rigidity between the two halves of the trusslike structure.

Depending inwardly from and spaced along the inside ribs is a series of three opposed pairs of fingers. The fingers closest to the base portion, hereinafter referred to as the inner fingers 43 are L-shaped in plan view. One leg of the is formed as an extension of the lateral rib closest the base portion and the other leg extends towards the open end of the and parallel to the longitudinal ribs. The fingers farthest from the base portion, hereinafter referred to as the outer fingers 41 are Vshaped in plan view. Each outer finger is joined to its respective leg portion by one leg of the which extends angularly inwards and back towards the base portion from the lateral rib adjoining the ramp portion, the distal leg of the "V" forming an obtuse angle with the proximal leg of the and being aligned parallel to the longitudinal ribs and also aligned with the distal leg of the corresponding inner finger.

Intermediate each inner and outer fingers is a middle finger 42 which is generally T-shaped in plan view. The top of the is aligned with the distal legs of the inner and outer fingers, and the leg of the connects the middle finger to its leg portion at the third lateral rib (counted from either end of the leg portion).

/cWHEOJ101.iwpd -8- The second packing device 110 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 wherein the parts corresponding to those of the first packing device 10 described with reference to Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals preceded with The second packing device is similar to the first packing device, the main differences being firstly, that each ramp portion 121 is integrated into the end of its respective leg portion 111 rather than being a solid ramp structure as with the first packing device, and secondly, the intersection of the converging ribs 122 and the end most one of the end ribs 123 is rounded. Thirdly, the angled ribs 133 intersect with the A-frame ribs 134 where they meet the lateral rib 115 adjoining the base portion 112, whereas the arrangement of the first packing device has the angled and A-frame ribs adjoining the relevant lateral rib adjacent one another.

The third packing device 210 is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the parts corresponding to those of the first packing device described with reference to Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals preceded with The third packing device is similar to the first packing device, the main differences being firstly, that each ramp portion 221 is integrated into the end of its respective leg portion 211 in the same fashion as the second packing device rather than being a solid ramp structure as with the first packing device and secondly, the outer, middle and inner fingers 241, 242 and 243 respectively are of a lesser thickness than the remainder of the ribbed structure, and the outer fingers 241 depend from the inner ribs 214 intermediate the two lateral ribs 215 closest to the open end of the /cWHEOI101.wpd -9- The packing device may be moulded out of a plastics material, preferably a polyolefin material. A range of different thicknesses is preferably provided such as, for example, ranging from 1 mm to 6 mm in 1 mm increments. Each thickness may be moulded in a different colour to permit easy selection of a packing device of appropriate thickness. The packing device is preferably made to a size suitable for a typical wall of standard thickness, such as 100 mm.

In use, a packing device of appropriate thickness is selected for insertion, for example, between a door frame and a wall stud so that the door frame and/or wall stud are properly aligned. Usually, the packing device is selected having a thickness nearest to, but greater than, the thickness of the space to be packed. If the wall is thinner than can accommodate the length of the leg portions, the end wedge portions may be cut off. The sloping portions of the wedge portion or the ramp portion are inserted first into the space where the packing device is required and the packing device may be urged into the space by impacting the impact rib with, for example, a hammer.

The major proportion of the impact forces are transmitted along the A-frame and angled ribs to the inner ribs, and the remaining proportion of the impact forces are transmitted along and partly absorbed by resilient bending of the refracted ribs.

If the packing device is loose in the location of fixing, it may be fixed in place with one or more nails, screws or the like passing through the openings or between the distal portions of one or more of the fingers and corresponding inner rib or ribs.

/cWHEOJJO1.wpd Alternatively, if a first building element is erected and a spacing between it and a second building element is to be provided, one or more packing devices of and/or to the thickness of the required spacing may be attached to the first building element, spaced therealong if so required, and the second building element placed against the packing devices so attached for securing in place at the required spacing from the first building element.

If desired, the packing device may be inserted in "reverse" by inserting the base portion first, using the sloping upper edge of the impact rib to guide the packing device into the space.

Alternatively, the sloping upper edge of the impact rib may be used to assist in guiding a second packing device between building elements if it is found, for example, that one packing device is of insufficient thickness.

It will be appreciated that although the invention has been described with reference to one or more specific examples, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention defined by following claims.

/cWHE01 101. wpd

Claims (2)

1. 2. A packing device according to Claim i, wherein the packing portions are formed as two packing portions arranged in spaced parallel relationship and extending from an impact portion and forming a flat bottomed the two packing portions forming the legs of the and connected to one another by way of the impact portion which forms the flat bottom of the "U" /cWHEOJJOI.iwpd -12-
2. 3. A packing device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein at least some of the spaces between some of the ribs are in-filled to form one or more webs, the thickness of the web being less than the thickness of the ribs, and the web being arranged to form a recess with respect to one side of the ribs surrounding the web, but have a face substantially aligned with the other side of the ribs. Dated this 7 th day of September, 2001 JOHN WHEATLEY and CRAIG WHEATLEY t by their Patent Attorneys AHEARN FOX r 2 >I