CA2359144A1 - Radiator packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

A package for a radiator or similar product is provided wherein the radiator is affixed to a portion of the package having a reinforcing web laminated thereto. The reinforcing web extends to a pair of flaps which are bendable or foldable about opposed edges of the radiator. Spacer blocks and cushioning pads are pre-affixed to the package. The flaps include includes friction pads which assist in the retention of the radiator. Once the flaps are folded or bent over opposed edges of the radiator, one or more bands are applied to maintain the radiator within the grasp of the flaps.
The radiator is then covered to complete the packaging.

Description

RADIATOR PACKAGING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to packaging for radiators and further to a method for packaging radiators for transport.
BACKGROUND
After-market radiators are individually packaged products that ship to various destinations in variable quantities. The package is generally used for one trip, with the exception of immediate returns caused by part defects or shipping errors.
The size, type of material, and ancillaries of the radiator family of products varies considerably, although invariably within known parameters.
Existing packaging designs provided only limited and inconsistent protection against impact and accidental drop, resulting in structural, shape or functional damage to the product. Typical damage that can arise includes but is not limited to:
deformation of core fins; bending of core supports; breakage of tank filler nozzle; and misalignment of fittings, etc.
Previous packaging protection consisted of several, operator-inserted, removable protective pieces of material, placed inside a generic paper corrugated box and somewhat around the radiator. Most of the damage was caused by misplaced protective material due to human error or inconsistencies of the method, that failed to protect the content under impact.
Other damage patterns emerged from loose protective material migrating toward the radiator core area and bending the thin edges of the heat exchanger fins.
The challenge became to develop a cost effective package design which was easy to use, less operator sensitive to assemble, and which would pass the industry standard tests for transport, handling, impact hazards and product integrity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The packaging of the radiator is facilitated by affixing the radiator to a portion of the packaging, either a base unit which is positionable within a pair of telescoping box members or by affixing the radiator to one of the box members itself.
Preferably, automatic banding devices are employed in the affixing of the radiator so as to provide uniform tightening.
In general, one embodiment of the invention provides a base unit the base unit includes a pair of centrally-disposed flaps, cut out and extending from the base unit, which are adapted to wrap around opposed lateral edges of the radiator. The flaps and the portion of the base unit between the flaps may include a stiffening member, preferably made from corrugated plastic or the like to provide additional support for the packaging and readiator to be affixed thereto. Friction material may be provided along the interior portion of the flaps which engages the edges of the radiator when the flaps are curved therearound. Preferably, the radiator is affixed to the base unit by banding which extends over the flaps and the back of the base unit to secure the radiator to the base unit. Cushioning inserts/pads are provided on both (planar) sides of the radiator for protection. The cushioning is affixed to the base unit in a prior operation. The base unit is designed to fit generally snugly within a lower cover member which is coverable by a corresponding upper cover member which telescopes internally within or externally over the lower cover member. The covers are then secured to one another to complete the package.
In another embodiment, the base unit is effectively integrated into one of the cover members. In general, the lower cover member is designed in its blank form to include the pair of opposed flaps. When the blank is assembled into the box-shape, the flaps appear as cut outs which extend from the base unit. The flaps are adapted to be wrapped around opposed lateral edges of the radiator. The flaps and the portion of the lower cover member between the flaps may include a stiffening member, preferably made from corrugated plastic or the like to provide additional support for the packaging. Friction material is provided along the interior portion of the flaps which engages the edges of the radiator when the flaps are curved therearound. Preferably, the radiator is affixed to the lower cover member by banding which extends over the flaps and the back of the lower cover member to secure the radiator thereto. Cushioning inserts/pads are provided on both sides of the radiator for protection. Preferably, the cushioning is affixed to the base unit in a prior operation. Where the flaps are "cut out" from the lower cover member, apertures result that are covered by dust covers to prevent ingress of dust or other foreign material into the packaging when covered. The lower cover member is coverable by a corresponding upper cover memberwhich telescopes overthe lower cover member.
The covers are then secured to one another to complete the package.
Preferably, the covers are oversized with respect to the range of sizes of radiators expected to packaged therein. The flaps are adapted to be bent, folded or curved over a substantial portion of their length so that radiators of varying widths may be accommodated therebetween. The space surrounding the radiator on all sides provides some room for deformation/crushing of the package before potentially damaging contact with the radiator is made, effectively forming a "crush zone".
The invention offers good protection against impact, ease and consistency of assembly, a high degree of universality (accommodates an entire group of radiators), at a competitive price.
By providing a controlled banding grip (as a function of a predetermined tightness setting of an automatic banding machine) over the main structural elements of the radiator in conjunction with the dedicated packaging features (i.e. the friction flaps), frictional support perpendicular to the banding plane (direction) is provided wherein accidental, inertial shock energy is transferred to the whole protective packaging shell.
The impact energy transfer is distributed over a sufficiently wide grip-surface in such a manner that no radiator features are damaged and overall packaging deformation falls within allowable geometrical and functional limits.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 A is an exploded perspective view showing the upper cover member, base unit and lower cover member, respectively, of the first embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 1 B is a plan view of the base unit blank;
Fig. 1 C is an exploded perspective view showing the upper cover member, base unit with radiator banded thereto and lower cover member, respectively, of the first embodiment of the invention;
Figs. 2 to 9 are illustrations respecting the first embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the cover members in an open position with the base unit inserted within the lower cover member;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cover members in an open position without the base unit;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one of the foldable/bendable flaps of the base unit;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing one of the flaps of the base unit in a folded configuration;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing from the rear of the base unit one of the flaps;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a radiator as having been placed on the base unit with the flaps folded over opposed edges of the radiator and having banding applied around the base unit, flaps and radiator;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the back of the base unit with the radiator banded thereto as in Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the base unit with the radiator banded thereto as in Fig. 7 and positioned in the lower cover member;
Fig. 10 an exploded perspective view showing the upper cover member and integral base unit/lower cover member, respectively, of the alternate embodiment of the invention.
Figs. 11 to 23 are illustrations respecting the alternate embodiment of the invention of Fig. 10;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the components on the lower cover member;
Flg. 12 is a close-up perspective side view illustrating one of the flaps of the lower cover member;
Flg. 13 is a close-up perspective plan view illustrating one of the flaps of the lower cover member;

Flg. 14 is a close-up perspective top view illustrating one of the flaps of the lower cover member as folded and illustrating one of the spacer blocks and the band which has been attached in a prior operation;
Flg. 15 is a close-up perspective top view illustrating a dust cover;
Flg. 16 is a perspective rear view of the lower cover member illustrating the positioning for the dust cover;
Flg. 17 is a close-up perspective view illustrating the dust cover in position with respect to the lower cover member and its flap;
Flg. 18 is a close-up perspective rear view of Fig. 17 illustrating the dust cover in position with respect to the lower cover member and its flap;
Flg. 19 is a close-up perspective side view illustrating one of the flaps of the lower cover member as folded and illustrating one of the spacer blocks which has been attached in a prior operation. The banding is applied differently in this variation of the method;
Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing the radiator placed within the lower cover member;
Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing the radiator placed within the lower cover member which is adjacent the upper cover member;

Fig. 22 is a close-up perspective view showing the folding/bending of one of the flaps around the respective edge of the radiator; and Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing a radiator banded to the lower cover member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Figs. 1A and 2, there is shown the primary components of the first embodiment according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows the upper and lower cover members 12,14 respectively with the base unit 16 to which the radiator is to be attached.
The base unit 16 is preferably constructed out of a paper corrugated blank 18 as shown in Fig. 1 B, die-cut and scored to predetermined specifications. The base material may be single- double- or triple-wall, and of suitable board strength (i.e. ECT
45 - Edge Crush Test) for the intended purpose. The size of the base unit 16 is predetermined in accordance with a range of sizes of radiators expected to be used with the packaging and is, in general, sized greater than the greatest expected size in the said range to ensure each radiator will fit within the area of the base unit 16 (see Fig. 3) and to provide a crush zone for allowing some deformation/crushing of the package before potentially damaging contact with the radiator is made.

The shape of the base unit 16 is also the same as the lower cover member 14 but being sized slightly smaller so that the base unit 16 can fit well within the lower cover member 14. In general, the aspect ratio of the cover members 12,14 will be similar to that of the radiator with the length roughly twice the size of its width and the return (height) much shorter then the other two dimensions, often as tall as 5-7 inches.
The unique die-cutting pattern 18 of the base unit 16 features a pair of mid-body flap-cuts 20, resulting in a pair of flaps 22 of roughly 8 inches wide, but not necessarily so, with radiused corners 24 and end-sections 26, to avoid tearing and shear effort concentration in the narrowest section of the flaps. Although as shown the flaps 22 are disposed along the width dimension of the base unit 16, they could alternatively be provided along the length dimension.
The flaps 22 can fold upwardly and inwardly (as shown in Fig. 5), over the radiator part, creating a "C" shape structure as will be described below.
If desired, four oval hand-hole size cuts 28 are optionally provided on opposite sides of the return side panels 30 of the upper cover member 12. These cuts 28 only partially define the perimeter of the hand-hole access, leaving one length 32 of the oval shape uncut, so it can fold inside the pack, through the matching (full oval) holes 34 in the return side panels 36 of the lower cover member 14 corresponding cap. If the upper cover member 12 is designed to telescopingly fit within the lower cover member 14, then partially cut holes would be provided on the "outer"
lower cover member 14 while the full holes would be provided on the upper cover member 12. Fig. 1 A shows the package with hand-holes while the package as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 9 does not have hand-holes.
The corner flaps 38 that help form the tray shape of upper and lower cover members 12,14 are glued or stapled in place in accordance with known techniques in the industry. Often, the glue used is a typical hot melt adhesive.
A rectangular, polypropylene reinforcing member 40 is surface-laminated from one end to the other of the die-cut paper corrugated blank 18 and over each of the flaps 22. A given thickness of 4 mm was found to be optimal but not restrictive.
Corrugation of the reinforcing polypropylene member 40 is designed to match the direction of banding, which is preferably generally perpendicular to the corrugations of the lower cover member 14. The reinforcing member 40 should be sufficiently flexible to permit is bending/folding. The main purpose of the reinforcing member 40 is to provide shear strength and core stiffness to the base unit 16.
Non-skid polyethylene contact pads 42 are laminated over the polypropylene reinforcing member 40 at or about the areas which would be folded around the radiator edges, including at least a portion of the flaps 22 (see Figs. 4 and 5). The non-skid contact pads 42 provide frictional grip under banding pressure. The thickness of the non-skid pads was determined to be optimal at 3/32", but not limited to that value. The non-skid pads 42 must also be bendable or foldable so that the laminate as a whole (the corrugated paper board of the base unit, the polypropylene material of the reinforcing member 40, and the polyethylene material of the contact pads 42) can be folded or curved over the edges of the radiator.
Urethane foam blocks 44 are attached or adhered to the flat surface of the base unit 16, under the common pattern areas of the family of radiators that fit the particular size of the base unit 16 design. Preferably, these blocks 44 are situated symmetrically to better distribute loads placed thereon. These blocks 44 are generally about 1" thick, have a rectangular profile and have a density on the order of about 2-3 Ibs/ft3, without being limited to these specifications. The thickness should provide sufficient depth for cushioning deformation to occur. The low density accommodates ridges and other features of the radiator without damage thereto.
The surface area of the blocks should be sufficient to account for distributed support and surface grip.
On the reverse side of the flaps 22, polystyrene spacers 46 are provided (see Fig. 1 C) at convenient locations, taking into consideration the banding requirements as explained below. The thickness of the spacers 46 and the aforementioned blocks are chosen to "fill" the spaces which would otherwise be left at the broad sides of the radiator 48 for a given space between the base unit 16 and the upper cover member 12. In other words, the thicknesses of the blocks 44 and spacers 46 are chosen such that the upper surfaces of the spacers 46 abut the interior surface of the upper cover member 12 when the upper and lower cover members 12,14 are brought together.
If the upper cover 12 is internally telescoped within the lower cover 14, it is possible that the base unit 16 may be trapped against the lower cover member 14 by the edge of the upper cover 12 which will assist in keeping the base unit 16 properly positioned.
One or more bands 50 are provided in order to secure the radiator 48 to the base unit 16. In Figs. 1A and 1 B, a single band 50 is provided. However, double-banding is preferred as it better distributes the banding forces and better resists rotational movement of the radiator 48. The band 50 may be pre-affixed to the base unit 16 or may be provided separately. In order to keep the band 50 in place, the spacers may be advantageously utilized to pre-affix the band 50 to the base unit 16.
Alternately, a pair of bands could be provided for positioning on both sides of the spacer or a pair of spacers could be provided on each flap between which a single band is positionable.
During packing, the radiator 48 is placed generally centrally of the base unit 16 atop the urethane blocks 44. The flaps 22 are folded or bent around the opposed lateral edges of the radiator 48 such that the edges are in contact with the friction pads 42.
If not already affixed, the band 50 is arranged over the folded flaps 22 and tightened, preferably by way of an automatic banding machine (not shown) which is capable of securing one end of the band to the other end at a predetermined and pre-settable tension. The tension must be sufficient to ensure the radiator 48 cannot slide relative to the folded flaps 22. In this regard, the friction material of the contact pads 42 assists in allowing considerably less tension to have to be applied as compared with a paperboard flap without such pads 42. An automatic banding machine eliminates operator-introduced variability.
The base unit 16, now having the radiator48 banded thereto, is positioned within the lower cover member 14 as shown in Fig. 9 and the upper cover member 12 is applied. If provided, the folding hand hole flaps 28 are pushed into the hand holes 34. While this arrangement may secure the upper and lower cover members 12,14 together, the cover members 12,14 may also be alternately or additionally secured together in other manners known in the industry, such as by stapling, banding, etc.
In Fig. 10, an alternate embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which the "base unit" of the above-mentioned is effectively integrated with the lower cover member 64.
In this case, the flaps 72 are cut when the blank for the lower cover 64 member is being prepared. The polypropylene reinforcing member 90 is laminated to the flaps 72 and therebetween while the polyethylene contact pads 92 are laminated at the expected bending locations to the reinforcing member 90. Although shown across the width of the lower cover 64, the reinforcing member 90 can be provided lengthwise, similar to that shown in Fig. 1A.
A sufficient number of urethane foam blocks 94 are affixed to the lower cover member 64 at locations appropriate for the expected range of radiators to be accommodated by the packaging. Polystyrene spacers 96 are provided on the reverse side of the flaps 72. One or more bands 100 (see Fig. 14 or 22) are provided to secure the radiator to the lower cover member 64.

By providing the flaps 72 in the lower cover member 64, apertures 102 result when the upper cover member 62 is applied. If left uncovered, these apertures 102 may result in ingress of undesirable material. Respective dust covers 104 (as shown in Fig. 15) may be supplied to be positioned, as shown in phantom in Fig. 10 or as highlighted in the rear view of Fig. 16, under the flap 72 but atop the inner surface of the lower cover member 64 along its sides, as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. The dust covers 104 may include tabs and shoulders as shown in Fig. 15, to assist with positioning and retention. The shoulders position the dust cover 104 with respect to the edge of the flap 72 while the tabs may be inserted into corresponding slots provided in the lower cover member 62 (see Figs. 17 and 18). Although the dust cover 104 shown in Fig. 15, for example, is made from corrugated cardboard, any suitable material may be used.
Alternately, in the case where the upper cover is inserted within the lower cover, the upper cover member 62 may be provided with dust covers (not shown) which can be inserted under the flaps 72 as the cover member 62 is being applied or, in the case where the upper cover 62 is telescoped over the lower cover 64, external dust covers may be provided on the upper cover 62 which are wrapped around the lower cover member 64 and over the apertures and affixed thereto.
As with the first embodiment, the radiator is positioned atop the foam blocks 94 and generally centrally of the lower cover member 64 as shown in Fig. 20. The flaps 72 are then bent or folded as shown in Figs. 21 and 22 around the adjacent lateral edges of the radiator and the dust covers 104, if provided, are positioned as aforesaid. The bands) is/are applied and then tensioned as with the first embodiment. The upper cover member 62 is applied and secured via the hand holds and or otherwise as with the first embodiment.
While the foregoing has described and illustrated novel packaging for use with radiators, it will be appreciated that the principles and structures can be applied to the packaging of various other products. It will also be appreciated that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as described herein.

Claims (2)

1. A packaging for a radiator as described and illustrated herein.

2. A method of packaging a radiator as described and illustrated herein.