EP1436213B1

EP1436213B1 - Packaging protector

Info

Publication number: EP1436213B1
Application number: EP02755062A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Seppo Korhonen
Original assignee: Soirox Oy
Current assignee: Soirox Oy
Priority date: 2001-09-06
Filing date: 2002-09-04
Publication date: 2006-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 2022-09-04
Also published as: EP1436213A1; FI20011767A; ATE323653T1; WO2003024830A1; US20040262193A1; DE60210795D1; FI113854B; FI20011767A0

Abstract

A packaging protector comprising a piece of sheet material protecting the package and having an inner surface (1) designed to be placed against the package, an outer surface (2) opposite to the inner surface and a sticker surface (3) for attaching the package protector to the surface of the package to be protected. According to the invention, the piece of sheet material comprises a recess (4) in which the sticker surface is placed at a distance from the plane defined by the inner surface towards the outer surface so that the sticker surface can be pressed onto the surface of the package by pressing on the outer surface in the area of the sticker surface.

Description

The present invention relates to a package protector as defined in the preamble of claim 1.
Package protectors are widely used for protecting the corners and edges of various objects, such as pieces of furniture and domestic machines, during storage and transport. Package protectors are commonly made from cardboard, multi-layer cardboard or plastic. In earlier practice, package protectors were set in position on the corners of the object to be packaged and the object was then wrapped with bindings or shrink-film that pressed the package protectors against the object and kept them in position.
To facilitate the packaging process and to keep the package protectors better in position during both packaging and transportation of goods, package protectors with sticker surfaces were developed. The package protector may have one or more sticker surfaces. The essential point about them is that the sticker surface keeps the protector well in position and allows it to be removed without leaving any glue or traces of glue on the surface of the packaged product.
There are two main types of sticker surface; bare sticker surfaces, in the case of which the corner protectors are stacked in bundles for storage, the protectors being placed one over the other and held together by the sticker surfaces, and sticker surfaces provided with protective liner paper, which are more commonly used, as disclosed for example in FI-A-981193. In this case, the protective liner paper is peeled off the sticker surface before the protector is mounted, thus making the application of the package protectors significantly slower and more difficult. Especially for a person wearing working gloves, it is generally difficult to grasp the edge of the protective liner paper with a sufficient grip to peel it off the sticker surface.
Especially in the case of package protectors with U-shaped profile, which are widely used as edge protectors on various boards, e.g. e.g. table boards in furniture industry, considerable problems are encountered in transportation and storage because the protectors can not be packed compactly and therefore take up plenty of space. In the case of this type of package protectors, sticker surfaces are very difficult to use and protect during storage and the sticker is likewise very difficult to uncover when it is to be used.
The object of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. A specific object of the invention is to disclose a package protector of a new type in regard of both structure and function, with a sticker surface that is well protected yet easy to use. A further object of the invention is to disclose a new type of U-profiled package protector that allows easy use of its sticker surfaces as well as simple stacking and storage in a small space.
As for the features of the invention, reference is made to the claims.
The package protector of the invention comprises a piece of sheet material protecting the package and having an inner surface designed to be placed against the package, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface and a sticker surface for attaching the package protector to the surface of an object to be protected. According to the invention, the piece of sheet material, which may consist of e.g. plastic, cardboard or multi-layer cardboard, comprises a recess provided on the side of its inner surface, in which recess the sticker surface is placed at a distance from the plane defined by the inner surface towards the outer surface so that the sticker surface can be pressed onto the surface of the package by pressing on the outer surface in the area of the sticker surface. Thus, the sticker surface remains protected in the recess when the inner surface of the sheet material is brought into contact e.g. with the outer surface of another package protector.
On the other hand, the sticker surface can be easily brought into sticking contact with the desired surface by only applying a pressure from the outside to the area of the sticker surface of the elastic, flexible or resilient piece of sheet material. This brings the sticker surface to the level of the inner surface of the sheet material so that it will stick to the surface against which the inner surface of the sheet material has been set. No peeling of protective liner paper nor any other difficult and time-consuming actions are needed. Just a light press on the appropriate area even with gloves on is enough to fix the package protector in position.
In an embodiment of the invention, the recess is a depression formed in the sheet material. In this case, the sticker surface is a layer of glue provided on the inner surface, e.g. a double-sided sticker tape glued fast on it.
In another embodiment of the invention, the recess is a hole or opening formed in the sheet material. In this case, the sticker surface is an elastic sticker film attached to the outer surface of the sheet material over the hole, which film can be pressed down by stretching it through the hole to make it stick to the surface under it.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the package protector is made from multi-layer cardboard, in which case a hole is only made in the inner cardboard layers while a sticker surface is provided on the bottom of the hole. In this embodiment, the outer cardboard layers in the edge areas around the hole are provided with material weakenings, piercings or perforations allowing the outer cardboard layers to be partly or completely detached when depressed into the hole made in the inner cardboard layers. In this way, the sticker surface provided on the bottom of the hole, i.e. on the inner surface of the innermost cardboard layer without a hole, is pressed against the fastening surface.
The disc depressed into the hole from the outer cardboard layers may remain partially attached to the cardboard layers or it may be detached from them completely and remain in the hole formed in the inner cardboard layers. Appropriate dimensioning and a relatively tight fit of the hole and disc will ensure that, when the disc is fastened by its sticker surface to the fastening surface, the entire package protector will also be held sufficiently firmly in place.
Depending on the object to be protected, the piece of sheet material of the package protector may simply consist of a straight, flat and elongated strip or a straight, flat plate. Likewise, the piece of sheet material may consist of an elongated profiled element comprising two flanges at an angle to each other, at least one which has a sticker surface on its inner face. In this case, the protector is an angle-profiled strip with the flanges at an angle of 90 degrees to each other. The package protector may also be a corner protector having three faces at an angle of 90 degrees to each other and joined together to form a corner, which is used to protect the corners of objects having the shape of a rectangular parallelopiped.
In an embodiment of the invention, the piece of sheet material consists of a U-profile comprising two substantially parallel and opposite side flanges provided with sticker surfaces and a back connecting the side flanges. The sticker surfaces are protected, not covered, according to the invention. To allow the U-profile to be better and more easily used, i.e. mounted on the edge of a board of suitable thickness as well as stored and transported more efficiently and in a manner that requires as little space as possible, the back is provided with a longitudinal folding portion to permit the side flanges to be turned further away from each other so that the package protectors can be more easily mounted and placed one upon the other for storage. The folding portion may be so implemented that the side flanges can be turned away from each other e.g. to at an angle of about 90 degrees relative to each other. This allows the profiles to be easily stacked one upon the other and transported and stored as a bundle.
The folding portion may consist of a groove or cut extending outwards from the inner surface e.g. in such manner that, in a multi-layer cardboard profile, only the outermost cardboard layer is continuous and undivided while the groove or cut extends through all the other cardboard layers.
In another embodiment of the invention, the folding portion consists of a flexible film or layer connecting the two profile halves together by the outer surface of the back. Thus, the U-profile may consist of two identical and separate profile halves glued or connected to each other in a flexible manner by the outer surface of the back.
The package protector of the invention has significant advantages as compared with prior art. The sticker surface is protected against unintentional adherence without protective liner paper, so the package protector is simpler and cheaper to manufacture. Since no protective liner paper is needed, no peeling of it is needed, either, when the package protector is to be mounted, so the package protector can be quickly and easily mounted even with working gloves on. Moreover, the inventive folding portion of the U-profile allows the profiled protectors to be packed and stored as a compact bundle that does not take up much space.
In the following, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 presents a sticker surface structure of a package protector according to the invention,
Fig. 2 presents another sticker surface structure of a package protector according to the invention,
Fig. 3 presents a third sticker surface structure of a package protector according to the invention,
Fig. 4 presents a fourth sticker surface structure of a package protector according to the invention,
Fig. 5 presents a package protector according to the invention,
Fig. 6 presents a cross-section of a U-profiled package protector according to the invention, and
Fig. 7 presents another cross-section of a U-profiled package protector according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a sticker surface structure of a package protector according to the invention, in which the package protector is made from multi-layer cardboard. The inner cardboard layers 8 are provided with a hole 6 and the outer cardboard layers 9 are provided with weakenings 10, perforations or equivalent made along the edges of the hole. The inner surface of the innermost one of the outer cardboard layers 9, i.e. the bottom of the hole 6 is provided with a sticker surface 3. When the inner surface 1 of the package protector is pressed against a package, the area of the outer surface 2 within the perforations can be depressed so that the portion of the outer cardboard layers over the hole 6 is partly or completely detached and depressed to the level of the inner cardboard layers while the sticker surface meets the package surface, being thus glued to it and fixing the package protector in place.
Fig. 2 presents another embodiment of the invention, in which it is possible to use multi-layer cardboard or any other sheet material suited for use as a protector. In this embodiment, a hole 6 has been made through the sheet material and a sticker film 7 covering the entire hole 6 has been glued to the outer surface of the sheet material. Thus, in a normal situation the sticker surface facing towards the innermost hole is protected, but when a pressure is applied to it from the direction of the outer surface 2, the sticker film 7 will stretch and stick to the surface under the protector, thus fastening the entire package protector.
In the embodiment in Fig. 3, the piece of sheet material forming the package protector is provided with a recess or depression 5 formed on the side of the inner surface 1. In the area of the recess or depression, the sheet material is thinner than the rest of it while the outer surface 2 of the sheet material is straight. A sticker surface 3 is provided on the bottom of the depression 5. Thus, by pressing on the outer surface 2 in the area of the depression, the sticker surface can be brought out to the level of the inner surface and caused to adhere to the desired surface when the package protector is to be fastened.
Fig. 4 presents an embodiment substantially corresponding to Fig. 3, but in this case the sheet material of the package protector is of uniform thickness in its entire area and the outer surface 1 has a bulge in the area opposite to the depression 5.
Fig. 5 shows an angle section made of multi-layer cardboard and having two flanges at an angle of 90 degrees to each other. Each flange is provided with holes 6 made at suitable distances along the whole length of the angle section. The holes 6 are covered with sticker films 7, which are glued to the outer surfaces 2 of the flanges. The sticker films are provided with markings 11 over the holes 6 to indicate the hole positions on the outer surface 2 of the package protector. The sticker surface 3 is bare and visible in the holes 6 from the side of the inner surface 1 of the package protector. Thus, the package protector can be fastened to a corner of a package to be protected by pressing the sticker surfaces 3 under appropriate markings against the surface of the package.
Fig. 6 presents a U-profiled edge protector of multi-layer cardboard according to the invention. The U-profile comprises two parallel and opposite side flanges 12, each of which has holes like those in Fig. 1, provided with sticker surfaces 3 and disposed at suitable distances from each other. The side flanges 12 are connected at one edge by a level back 13, together forming a profile in which the back is at an angle of 90 degrees to each flange. Provided along the longitudinal center line of the back 13 is a folding portion 14 consisting of a groove 15. In the area of the groove 15, only the outermost cardboard layer is unbroken and it forms a folding hinge that allows the two halves of the profile to be bent outwards when the profile is to be mounted. Likewise, the profile can be folded open along the folding portion 14 for transport or storage of the profiles, thus allowing the profiles to be packed in a compact bundle with the outer surface of one profile placed directly against the inner surface of another profile.
Fig. 7 presents a package protector mainly corresponding to the U-profile shown in Fig. 6. The only difference is the structure of the folding portion 14. In this embodiment, the profile consists of two identical profile halves, which are glued or connected to each other by an elastic film or layer 16 provided on the outer surface of the back and forming a joint or hinge like that on the outer surface of the embodiment in Fig. 6, allowing the profile to be opened in connection with mounting and transportation/storage.
In the foregoing, the invention has been described by way of example with reference to the attached drawings while different embodiments of the invention are possible in the scope of the inventive concept defined in the claims.

Claims

Package protector, comprising a piece of sheet material protecting the package and having an inner surface (1) designed to be placed against the package, an outer surface (2) opposite to the inner surface and a sticker surface (3) for attaching the package protector to the surface of the package to be protected, characterized in that the piece of sheet material comprises a recess (4) in which the sticker surface is placed at a distance from the plane defined by the inner surface towards the outer surface so that the sticker surface can be pressed onto the surface of the package by pressing on the outer surface in the area of the sticker surface.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess (4) is a depression (5) formed in the sheet material.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the sticker surface (3) is a glue layer formed on the inner surface.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess (4) is a hole (6) formed in the sheet material.
Package protector according to claim 4, characterized in that the sticker surface (3) is an elastic sticker film (7) attached to the outer surface (2) of the sheet material and covering the hole.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the package protector is made from multi-layer cardboard, a hole being only made in the inner cardboard layers (8) while the sticker surface is placed at the bottom of the hole.
Package protector according to claim 6, characterized in that the outer cardboard layers in the edge areas around the hole are provided with material weakenings, piercings or perforations allowing the outer cardboard layers to be partly or completely detached when depressed into the hole made in the inner cardboard layers.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the piece of sheet material consists of a straight, flat and elongated strip.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the piece of sheet material consists of flat plate.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the piece of sheet material consists of an elongated profile comprising two flanges at an angle to each other, at least one of which is provided with a sticker surface placed on the side of the inner surface.
Package protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the piece of sheet material consists of a U-profile comprising two substantially parallel and opposite side flanges (12) provided with sticker surfaces (3) and a back (13) connecting the side flanges.
Package protector according to claim 11, characterized in that the back (13) of the U-profile comprises a folding portion (14) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile and designed to permit the side flanges to be turned further away from each other so as to allow the package protectors to be more easily mounted and stored one over the other.
Package protector according to claim 12, characterized in that the folding portion consists of a groove or cut (15) extending through a significant part of the thickness of the back.
Package protector according to claim 12, characterized in that the folding portion consists of an elastic film or layer (16) connecting the two profile halves by the outer surface of the back to each other.