GB2209153A - Air cases - Google Patents

Abstract

In an air case for accommodating delicate equipment during shipping, each wall portion 1 is formed from an outer layer 3 of a rigid material having surface regions 11 spaced apart by internal webs or ribs 12, and an inner layer 4 of a foam material, the layers 3 and 4 being bonded together in a substantially unitary structure. The outer layer 3 may be of corrugated or honeycomb construction and may suitably be of polyethylene, nylon or aluminium. The inner layer 4 is suitably of closed-cell cross-linked plastics foam e.g. polyethylene or polyurethane rubber foam. The outer surface is covered by ballistics cloth 5, while the interior has a lining 7 of open cell foam and/or cloth. <IMAGE>

Description

"AIR CASES" This invention relates to air cases. Air cases are containers for accommodating delicate equipment during shipping and are designed to protect such equipment from damage during loading and transport.

Traditionally, air cases have been of the so-called hardshell kind, fabricated from metal, plywood and fibreglass in a layered construction. While a high level of protection is afforded by a hardshell case, this is obtained at the cost of substantial weight penalty.

It is an object of the invention to provide an air case of light weight which nonetheless provides protection substantially equal to that given by a hardshell case, which is re-usable and which is particularly suitable for shipping photographic, movie, lighting, audio, audio-visual and video equipment, computers or computer peripherals.

According to the invention, there is provided an air case having a plurality of wall portions defining an enclosed internal region of the case in a closed condition thereof, wherein each wall portion is formed from a first layer of a rigid material having surface regions spaced apart by internal webs or ribs and a second layer of a foam material, said layers being bonded together in a substantially unitary structure.

Preferably, the two surface regions of the first layer are substantially parallel rigid sheets bridged by the webs or ribs and separated by internal air spaces between the webs or ribs. The first layer may be of either corrugated or honeycomb construction. The honeycomb construction may have the rigid sheets of the surface regions laminated onto it. The first layer is suitably formed from corrugated rigid plastics material, particularly polyethylene, or the polymeric material believed to be nylon which is sold under the Trade Mark NOMEX by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. Inc., or it may be formed from a light metal such as aluminium, thereby giving a light, strong and rigid construction.

The second layer is preferably formed from dense closed-cell cross-linked plastics foam, for example polyethylene or polyurethane rubber foam. Alternatively or in addition, an open-cell foam may be used. In this latter case, the thickness of the foam layer is greater than applies when a denser foam is used. The lighter foam may be favoured where enhanced shock absorbancy may be required.

The first and second layers may suitably be bonded by a high strength adhesive.

In an air case in accordance with the invention, the first layer is preferably an outer layer, while the second layer is an inner layer of each wall portion. In a favoured construction, the exterior of the walls of the air case is covered over by a cloth laminate, referred to in the trade as ballistics cloth. Suitably, an internal cloth lining and/or a lining of open cell foam is also provided within the air case.

A typical air case in accordance with the invention is constructed from six wall portions, each of layered configuration in accordance with the invention. Five of these wall portions are bonded together, while the sixth is hingedly associated with one of the side wall portions to open and close the container. The end faces of the four boundary walls terminating at the opening of the air case are sealed off at their free ends by a substantially rigid closure or gasket, which is preferably of channel section and may be plastics material, either injection moulded or extruded. This channel section end face member or gasket engages over the wall portions, each limb of the channel lapping over a face of the wall portions. The web of the channel then lies against the end face of the wall portion.

The inner cloth layer may be melt applied to the hot material of the inner layer during formation of the wall portion. The resulting completed structure is of very light weight, relative to hardshell cases. It may be provided in a multiplicity of configurations, and internal dividers of laminated material similar to that of the wall portions may be located at any required position within the container, to subdivide the interior of it for any required purpose.

A typical air case in accordance with the invention is approximately one-quarter the weight of a comparable hardshell case.

Nonetheless an air case in accordance with the invention may carry between ten and twenty times its own weight in equipment. There is thus a considerable saving in gross shipping weight, while the actual manipulation and carriage of the air case in accordance with the invention is is greatly eased compared with hardshell cases. Air cases in accordance with the invention meet accepted standards in the industry for trip durability, drop, vibrations and water damage. Air cases in accordance with the invention also transmit only relatively small levels of force, compared with hardshell cases. Despite its light weight and shock-absorbing capabilities, the air case in accordance with the invention is substantially rigid, even when empty, to the extent that it may support substantial weights without deformation.The combination of the rigidity of corrugated or honeycombed material with the shock-absorbing features of the foam layer gives the air case of the invention these desirable characteristics. Further rigidity is provided by the gasket or inverted channel arranged around the tops of the sides of the case.A similar rigid gasket is suitably applied to the upper ends of any fixed dividers provided within the case of the invention The invention will now be described having regard to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a pictorial view of an air case in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a pictorial view of a layered wall portion of an air case in accordance with the invention, with the layers partially peeled apart, Figure 3 is an end view of a layered wall portion of-an air case in accordance with Figure 1, and Figures 4a to 4d are pictorial views showing a variety of configurations of air case in accordance with the invention.

As shown in Figure 1, an air case in accordance with the invention has four side walls 1, a bottom, not appearing in this pictorial view, and a hinged lid or top wall 2. Each wall is of a layered construction, shown in Figures 2 and 3. As will be seen from these Figures, the wall portion has an outer layer 3 consisting of corrugated polyethylene, and an inner layer 4, bonded to the outer layer, formed from closed-cell cross-linked polyethylene rubber foam.

The corrugated polyethylene comprises two parallel sheets 11 bridged by ribs 12, with air channels 13 between the ribs. Such corrugated polyethylene is commercially available. The material is substantially rigid. It may suitably be of normal grade (1.4 gms per metre2) or heavy duty grade (1.8 gms per metre2). The outer layer 3 and the inner layer 4 are bonded together by a high strength adhesive.

The outer surface of the wall portion is covered over by a tough cloth material 5, referred to as ballistics cloth, which forms an outer shell of the air case and protects the material of the case against abrasion and sharp objects, and also gives it a good appearance. Ballistics cloth is suitably a basket weave nylon material of 1680 denier.

The upper ends of the side walls, which terminate at the opening of the air case, where the hinged lid is applied, are covered over by a top gasket 6, which is suitably of inverted channel configuration. The top gasket 6 is moulded in one piece from plastics material such as high impact nylon or polystryrene. The outer limb of the channel overlies the exterior cloth covered surface of the wall portions, while the inner limb or leg of the channel overlies the interior corrugated polyethylene layer of the wall. The interior of the air case may also have a lining 7 of a cloth material of lighter quality than that covering the exterior, for example a 430 denier nylon pack cloth which protects the foam material from sharp edges, protrusions and the contents of the air case. The channel-formed gasket also overlies this lining 7 on the inner side.This nylon gasket provides additional rigidity in the air case and also protects the top edges of the walls from the contents, as these are inserted and removed.

As will also be seen in Figure 1, a central divider 8 is provided in the particular configuration illustrated, and a top gasket member also closes off the upper end face of this divider.

Other features of the air case of Figure 1 are that the lid 2 of the container which is hinged to the integral lower structure, is also formed from the same laminated or layered material as the side walls I.

A coil zipper 9 is used to facilitate secure top closure of the air case, and it may be provided with two lockable sliders. All stitching, including the stitching of the zippers to the cloth, is carried out with strong tough bonded nylon thread such as is used in stitching boots. Hand straps 10 of suitable nylon webbing go around the bottom of the air case twice for extra security. The hand straps are angled where attached to the case to reduce the stress at stitching points, in particular on long versions of the air case. A leather handgrip going around the strap may be provided, suitably padded with cushioning rubber tube. Long models of air case in accordance with the invention have end hand straps and extra webbing at the bottom to protect the cloth from scuffing. The exterior of the case may also be provided with a leather holder, for holding an identification card.

The air case in accordance with the invention may be provided in a variety of configurations, a number of which are shown by way of example in Figures 4a to 4d. Figure 4a shows a version having no internal dividers. The configuration of Figure 4b has a single central fixed divider 14. Dividers of this kind preferably are formed from a double sided layered material, having a central layer of corrugated plastics, and a foam layer to each side of this central corrugated layer. Thus full protection is afforded to contents of the air case in either of its two compartments.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 4c, the air case has movable dividers 15, each of which terminates below the top opening of the container, to allow placement of long articles. The arrangement of Figure 4d provides movable dividers 16 with monorail grooving 17, again to accommodate elongate objects requiring locational restraint within the container. Dividers may be attached to the wall portions by hook-and-loop fasteners such as are sold under the Trace Mark VELCRO.

Claims (10)

1. An air case for accommodating delicate equipment during shipping1 the air case having a plurality of wall portions defining an enclosed internal region of the case in a closed condition thereof, wherein each wall portion is formed from a first layer of a rigid material having surface regions spaced apart by internal webs or ribs and a second layer of a foam material, said layers being bonded together in a substantially unitary structure.

2. An air case according to Claim 1 wherein the surface regions of the first layer are substantially parallel and are separated by internal air spaces between the webs or ribs.

3. An air case according to either of the preceding claims wherein the first layer is of corrugated or honeycomb construction.

4. An air case according to any of the preceding claims wherein the first layer is formed from corrugated polyethylene.

5. An air case according to any of the preceding claims wherein the second layer is formed from dense cross-linked plastics foam.

6. An air case according to Claim 5 wherein the second layer is of polyethylene rubber foam.

7. An air case according to any of the preceding claims wherein the first layer is an outer layer while the second layer is an inner layer of each wall portion.

8. An air case according to any of the preceding claims wherein the end faces of the walls terminating at the opening of the air case are sealed by a substantially rigid closure or gasket.

9. An air case according to claim 9 wherein the substantially rigid gasket is a channel-section member which engages over the wall portions.

10. An air case substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.