GB2448526A

GB2448526A - Stand comprised of packaging material

Info

Publication number: GB2448526A
Application number: GB0707535A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Ashley Ballhatchet
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-04-18
Filing date: 2007-04-18
Publication date: 2008-10-22
Also published as: GB0707535D0

Abstract

A stand 1 comprises a first shell 3 for supporting an article (41, Fig. 16) and a second shell 5 upon which the first shell is mountable, wherein each of the first and second shells has a cavity 15, 17 open to the side of the stand for receiving items when the shells are configured as a stand (Fig. 1), and wherein each cavity is adapted to receive a peripheral portion of the article when the first shell is detached from the second shell, to protect the peripheral portions from mechanical damage when the article is stowed in the shells (Fig. 5). The stand may comprise a form-locking arrangement 31, 33, 39 for attaching the first shell to the article. The stand may comprise wheels 7 to assist movement in the stand configuration (Fig. 1), and the wheels may be repositionable to assist movement when the article is stowed in the shells (Fig. 5). The first shell may be attachable to the second shell in the stand configuration. The article may be a display screen. Also disclosed are a packaging system configurable into a stand, a packaging system comprising wheels, and an article and a packaging system in combination.

Description

I Stand

This invention relates to a stand upon which an article, such as a consumer electrical product, can be placed. The stand is comprised of packaging material initially used to protect the article from mechanical damage during transit and storage. In particular, this invention relates to a stand for a display screen such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or plasma display.

After an article is manufactured, packaging material is used to protect the article from mechanical damage during transit and storage. As packaging material is generally discarded after purchase of the article it is desirable to minimise the cost of packaging material as much as possible whilst providing effective protection for the article during transportation and storage. Furthermore, there is a general desire to reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfill sites and in particular there is a desire to reduce the volume of packaging waste, which is often bulky. Legislative measures, such as European Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste, have been introduced to reduce the environmental impact of packaging material.

This invention addresses the economic and environmental expense of packaging material by seeking to reuse at least part of the packaging material as a stand.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a stand for supporting an article to be placed on the stand, the stand comprising: a first shell for supporting said article; and a second shell on which the first shell is mountable, the first shell and second shell respectively having first and second cavities, wherein the cavities are open to a side of the stand for receiving items to be placed in the cavities whei the first shell is attached to the second shell in a stand configuration; and wherein each cavity is adapted to receive a peripheral portion of said article when the first shell is detached from the second shell, to protect said peripheral portions from mechanical damage when said article is stowed in the shells.

The stand may further comprise means for attaching the first shell to said article, rather than merely mounting the article on the first shell. The means for attaching may comprise a form-locking, snap-fit, push-fit, friction fit, hook and loop type fastener, magnets or other temporary or permanent attachment arrangement.

The first and second cavities may have substantially the same shape as respective peripheral portions of said article. This provides a close fit between the article and the shells when the article is stowed in the shells so that the shells provide adequate protection to the article from mechanical damage.

The first and second cavities may open to a front of the stand when the shells are in the stand configuration, providing convenient access to the cavities when used for storage. Alternatively the cavities may be open to an other side of the stand.

The stand may further comprise at least two wheels rotatably mounted at lateral side faces of the second shell when the first and second shells are in the stand configuration to assist movement of the stand.

The wheels may be detachable from the lateral side faces of the second shell and repositionable in upper and lower faces of the second shell to assist movement of said article in combination with the shells when said article is stowed in the shells. This allows the wheels to be used in both the stand configuration and stowed configuration.

The stand may comprise a cut-out in a side face of the first shell to provide a handle to lift said article and shell combination when said article is stowed in the shells.

The first shell may be attachable to the second shell in the stand configuration by means of a plurality of plugs on one shell which engage with a plurality of cooperating sockets on the other shell.

The stand may further comprise at least one opening in a rear face of at least one cavity for passage of cables between the inside and outside of the cavity.

The stand may further comprise cable management channels in a rear wall of the stand.

The stand may be used to support an electrical product, such as a display screen, for example an LCD screen or a plasma display screen, or an article other than an electrical product.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a stand for supporting an article to be mounted on the stand, the stand comprising: a first shell; means for mounting said article on the first shell; and a second shell attachable to the first shell, the first shell and second shell respectively having first and second cavities, each cavity for receiving a peripheral portion of said article to protect said portion from mechanical damage when said article is stowed in the shells.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging system for protecting an article from mechanical damage during storage or transit, the packaging system comprising: a first shell and a second shell, each of the first and second shells comprising a cavity for receiving a part of said article; means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article; means for attaching the first shell to the second shell to form a stand for said article after said article is unpacked from the first shell and the second shell; and means for mounting said article on the stand formed by the first shell and the second shell. This allows the packaging to be reused as a stand, rather than being discarded and also eliminates to need to purchase a separate stand, thereby saving money.

The packaging system may further comprise at least two wheels at lateral side faces of one of the first and second shells to assist movement of the packaging system.

The packaging system may further comprise a cut-out in a side face of the other shell to provide a handle to lift said packaging system when said article is stowed in the shells.

The means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article may comprise a compression fit/form-locking arrangement between each shell and said article.

The means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article may comprise a band or other elongate flexible member passing around the shells and said article.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging system for protecting an article from mechanical damage during storage or transit, the packaging system comprising: a first shell and a second shell, each of the first and second shells comprising a cavity for receiving a part of said display screen; and wheels attached to at least one of the shells for assisting transport of the packaged device. In particular the article may be display screen or other electrical product.

The shells of the stand or packaging system may comprise expanded polypropylene which is a lightweight, strong and flexible material ideally suited for use as a stand and as packaging.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided in combination, an article and a packaging system as defmed above.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided in combination, an article and packaging for the article, the packaging comprising at least two moulded components which are shaped to fit around the article to protect the article during transit or storage, and the components being adapted to be assembled together to form a stand to support the article during use of the article.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a stand embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the stand of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a rear view of the stand of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the parts of the stand of Figure 1 when used as a packaging system for an LCD or plasma screen; Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of the packaging system of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a bottom perspective view of an upper shell of the stand of Figure 1; Figures 7 and 8 are side views of the upper shell of Figure 6; Figure 9 is a partial front view of the upper shell of Figure 6, showing a plug for attaching the upper shell to a lower shell; Figure 10 is a plan view of the upper shell of Figure 6; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the lower shell of the stand of Figure 1; Figure 12 is a plan view of the lower shell of Figure 11; Figures 13 and 14 are side views of the lower shell of Figure 11; Figure 15 is an underside view of the lower shell of Figure 11; and Figure 16 is a perspective view of an LCD screen on the stand of Figure 1.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a stand 1 for a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The stand I is generally rectangular when viewed from the front and back (see Figure 3), having parallel side faces 2, 4 and top 6 and bottom 8 faces, and has a generally right-angled trapezoidal shape when viewed from the side, the rear face 10 of the stand I being perpendicular to the side 2, 4, top 6 and bottom 8 faces and the front face 12 sloping such that depth of the top face 6 is less than the depth of the bottom face 8.

The stand 1 is comprised of a first, upper shell 3 which is detachably attached to a second, lower shell 5. Like the stand 1, each of the shells 3, 5 is generally rectangular when viewed from the front and generally right-angled trapezoidal when viewed from the side, as shown in Figures 7, 8, 13 and 14. The first, upper shell 3 is shown in greater detail in Figures 6 to 10 and the second, lower shell 5 is shown in greater detail in Figures 11 to 15. The depth of a bottom face 14 of the upper shell 3 is similar to the depth of the top face 16 of the lower shell 5 so that there are no discontinuities in the faces 2,4, 10, 12 at the join of the upper 3 and lower 5 shells.

Wheels 7 are rotatably attached at a rear of the sides 2b, 4b of the lower shell 5.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the circumference of the wheels 7 extends below the lower face 8 of the stand I so that when the front 13 of the stand I is lifted off a supporting surface the stand I pivots on the wheels 7 and can be rolled along.

The shells 3, 5 are moulded from expanded polypropylene (EPP), expanded polyurethane, expanded polystyrene or other plastics material. Alternatively the shells 3, 5 may be formed from paper-pulp or another material. The wheels 7 are made from these materials or any other material.

Each of the upper 3 and lower 5 shells has a cavity 15, 17 open to the front face 12 of the stand 1 to be used as storage. For example, for a stand 1 used to support a display screen the cavities 15, 17 can be used to house a video recorder/player, DVD recorder/player, set-top box, remote control, DVD, video cassette (not shown) or other device. -Referring to Figures 2 and 3, openings 19 are provided in the rear faces lOa, lOb of the upper 3 and lower 5 shells. The holes 19 are sufficiently large to allow passage of a power plug of an electrical device, such as a DVD or video player, placed in the cavities 15, 17. Cables connected to a device in the cavities 15, 17, for example audio and video signal cables, can also be fed through the holes 19. Cable management channels are provided in the rear walls lOa, lOb of the shells 3, 5 for routing cables, as described below.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a push-fit/form-locking arrangement is provided in the top face 6 of the upper shell 3 in the form of a recess 31 and protrusions 33, 39. The recess 31 and protrusions 33, 39 cooperate with a corresponding push-fit arrangement in a base (not shown) of an LCD screen 41. The upper edge of the recess 31 comprises a lip 37 which projects into the recess 31 to hold the base of the LCD in place. The top 34 of the protrusions 33, 39 is wider than the base 36 of the protrusions 34 to cooperate with openings in the base of the LCD screen 41. The lip 37 and protrusion 33, 39 hold the base in place by means of a push-fit arrangement.

It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the shape of the attachment means 31, 33, 39 for mounting an article (whether an LCD screen or an other article) on the stand is not limited to the shape shown in the Figures and that the shape should be tailored to correspond to the base of the article to be mounted on the stand. Attachment means other than a push-fit/form-locking/snap-fit arrangement may be used to attach an article to the stand. For example one or more of hook and loop type surface fasteners, magnets, clips adapted to attach an article to the stand or other known attachment means may be used to attach an article to the stand. Alternatively rather than attaching an article to the stand a mounting arrangement may be used wherein an article is mounted on, but not attached to, the stand. For example the mounting arrangement may comprise a recess in the top surface of the stand for receiving at least part of an article, the recess preventing sideways movement of the article relative to the stand but not inhibiting lifting the article off the stand.

Referring to Figures 6 to 9, 11 and 12, the upper shell 3 is detachably attached to the lower shell 5 by means of plugs 45 on the lower face 14 of the upper shell 3 which engage with sockets 47 in the upper face 16 of the lower shell 5. Referring to Figure 9, which is a partial front view of the upper shell 3, each plug 45 comprises a body 49 and a ramped head 51 on the end 53 of the body 49 distal to the lower face 14 of the upper shell 3. The lateral sides of the body 49 are concave, forming a wasted portion 55 between the end 57 of the body 49 attached to the lower face 14 of the upper shell 3 and the distal end 53 of the body 49. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, which are side views of the upper shell 3, the ramped head 51 slopes outwards from the front face 12a of the upper shell 3.

Each socket 47 in the upper face 16 of the lower shell 5 is connected to a recess 59 of sufficient size to receive the plug 45 of the upper shell 3 through a mouth 60 in the upper surface 16 of the lower shell 5. The sockets 47 have a similar shape to the plugs 45, comprising ridges 61 which cooperate with the wasted portion 55 of the plug 45 when the plug 45 slides into the socket 47 from the recess 59.

The cavities 15, 17 of the shells 3,5 are adapted to accommodate an LCD screen 41 to allow the shells 3, 5 to be used to package the screen 41 as shown in Figures 4 and during transit and storage of the screen 41, to protect the screen 41 from mechanical damage. The stand I is disassembled by separating the upper shell 3 from the lower shell 5 and the shells 3, 5 can be placed on peripheral portions of the screen 41, by inserting the screen 41 into the cavities 15, 17 of the shells 3, 5. It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the shells 15, 17 can be used to package an article (whether an LCD screen or an other article) by adapting the shape of the cavities 15, 17 to accommodate the article which will be packaged in the shells 3, 5, just as the shape of the attachment means 31, 33, 39 can be tailored to receive a base of an article other than an LCD screen, to be mounted on the stand 1. In Figures 4 and 5 the screen 41 is packaged within the first shell 3 and the second shell 5 to protect the screen 41 from physical damage. Additionally, a cardboard belt (not shown) is wrapped around the centre portion of the screen 41. The packaging material is held in place either by a friction fit/form-locking arrangement between the cavities 15, 17 and the screen 41 or by passing a band (not shown) or other flexible elongate member vertically around the packaging system shown in Figures 4 and 5 to hold the shells 3, 5 in place on the peripheral portions of the screen 41. The strap sits in the cable management channels 25, 29 and a recess 43 in the lower shell 5, to hold the first shell 3 and second shell 5 in place on the screen 41.

Refemng to Figures 7, 8, 13 and 14, there are cut-outs 63, 63a in the side faces 2a, 2b, 4a, 4b of the upper 3 and lower 5 shells. The cut-outs 63, 63a of the upper shell S 9 3 are open to the lower surface 14 of the upper shell 3 and the cut-outs 63 of the lower shell 5 are open to the upper surface 16 of the lower shell 5 such that when the upper shell 3 is mounted on the lower shell 5 in the stand configuration the cut-outs 63, 63a run into eaóh other, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The cut-outs 63, 63a serve the function of reducing the amount of material used to produce the shells 3, 5 and reducing the cooling time required when the shells 3, 5 are moulded, due to the reduced wall thickness of the shells 3, 5 in the region of the cut-outs 63, 63a. Furthermore, the cut-out 63a in the side face 2a of the upper shell 3 functions as a handle when the shells 3, 5 are used as a packaging system in the stowed configuration, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Referring to Figures 11, 13 and 14, there is a bore 65 in each of the sides 2b, 4b of the lower shell 5 for receiving an axle (not shown) of the wheels 7 when the upper shell 3 is attached to the lower shell 5 in the stand configuration. Referring to Figures 11, 12 and 15, there is a bore 67 in each of the upper face 16 and lower face 8 of the lower shell 5 towards the rear of the side face 4b, for receiving an axle of the wheels 7 when the shells 3, 5 are used to package the LCD display 41, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The axles are rotatably seated in the bores 65, 67, for example by a push-fit arrangement.

Referring to Figures 2 to 4 and 13 to 15, two protrusions 69 on the rear face lOb of the lower shell 5, towards the side face 2b, form feet upon which the lower shell 5 rests when the shells 3, 5 are in the vertical packaging configuration, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The feet 69 protrude from the rear face lOb of the lower shell 5 a similar amount as the circumference of the wheels 7 protrude from face lOb when the wheels 7 are inserted into bores 67 in the upper face 16 and lower face 8 of the lower shell 5, so that the packaging system and screen 41 are level when resting on the wheels 7 and feet 59.

Referring to Figure 15, the central portion 71 of the lower face 8 of the lower shell 5 is indented towards the front 13 of the lower shell 5 to produce lands 73 running along the sides and rear of the lower face 8. As shown in Figure 1, these lands 73 rest on a supporting surface when the shells 3, 5 are in the stand arrangement and the indented central portion 71 is elevated above the supporting surface to give the impression that the stand I is "floating" on the supporting surface.

Referring to Figures 3 and 12, cable management channels 27 are formed at the rear of the upper face 16 of the lower shell 5 and the lower face 14 of the upper shell 3 as concave grooves, the centre 75 of the groove 27 being lower than the edges 77, 79 of the cable management channels 27. The outer edge 77 of the groove 27 acts as a wall to hold cables in place in the cable management channeLs 27. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 10, cable management channel 25 runs the height of the rear wall lOa of the upper shell 3.

In use, once an article such as a display screen, stereo, laptop or other product is manufactured, shells 3, 5 are placed around the article by inserting the article into the cavities 15, 17 of the shells 3, 5 to protect the end portions of the article from mechanical damage during subsequent storage and transport. A cardboard belt is wrapped around exposed parts of the packaged article and a band is passed around the shells 3, 5 through the cable management channels 25,29 and cut-out 43. Wheels 7 are inserted into bores 67 in the lower shell 5 and the handle formed by cut-out 63a in the upper shell 3 is used to lift one end of the packaged article off the ground to allow the article to be wheeled along using the wheels 7.

The article is unpackaged by removing the band, cardboard belt, shells 3, 5 and wheels 7. The lower shell 5 is placed on a supporting surface with the lower face 8 lying on the supporting surface. The upper shell 3 is positioned over the lower shell 5 and the plugs 45 are inserted into the recesses 59 by lowering the upper shell 3 onto the lower shell 5. The upper shell 3 is slid across the upper surface 16 of the lower shell 5 so that the rear face 1 Oa of the upper shell 3 is aligned with the rear face I Ob of the lower face 5, thereby compressing the ramped head against the wall of the socket until the plugs 45 are within the sockets 47. Hence, the upper shell 3 is detachably attached to the lower shell 5 by the engagement of the plugs 45 and sockets 47. The vertical rear wall of the ramped head 51 inhibits the plugs 45 from exiting the sockets 47.

The wheels 7 are inserted by their axles into bores 65 in the sides 2b, 4b of the lower shell 5 to allow the stand to be rolled over the supporting surface. The base of the LCD screen 41 is attached to the attachment means 31, 33, 39 in the upper face 6 of the stand 1, as shown in Figure 16.

Once the screen 41 is mounted on the stand 1 cables from the screen 41 are run through the cable management channel 25. At the bottom of cable management channel the cables can be run either through cable management channels 27 to either side of the stand 1 by pushing the cables against the edge wall 77 of the channel 27 to momentarily deform the edge wall 77, or the cables can be run down the cable management channel 29 of the lower shell 5.

Devices can be placed in the cavities 15, 17 and if necessary power plugs and cables can be passed through the holes 19 in the rear walls I Oa, I Ob of the shells 3, 5 and the cables run along the cable management channels 27, 29.

Lf the LCD screen 41 is to be moved to a different location, the LCD screen 41 is detached from the stand 1 by removing the base of the screen 41 from the attachment means 31, 33, 39. The upper shell 3 is pushed backwards relative to the lower shell 5, thereby compressing the ramped heads 51 of the plugs 45, to move the plugs 45 from the sockets 47 to the cavities 59. The upper shell 3 is lifted away from the lower shell 5.

The wheels 7 are removed from the bores 65. The screen 41 is inserted into the cavities 15, 17 of the shells 3, 5, the cardboard belt is wrapped around the screen 41 and the band is wrapped around the shells 3, 5 through the channels 25, 29, 43. The wheels 7 are inserted into the bores 67, allowing the packaged article to be wheeled along.

Various modifications will be apparent to those in the art and it is desired to include all such modifications as fall within the scope of the accompanying claims.

For example, if a low height stand is required, rather than attaching the first shell on top of the second shell, both the shells may be placed on the supporting surface and an article placed across both shells. In this arrangement the shells would comprise means for attaching the shells next to each other, rather than means for attaching one shell on top of the other shell.

Rather than attaching the first shell to the second shell the first shell may be mounted on or next to, but not attached to, the second shell. For example the second shell may comprise a recess in its top surface for receiving at least part of the first shell, the recess preventing sideways movement of the first shell relative to the second shell but not inhibiting lifting the first shell off the second shell.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A stand for supporting an article to be placed on the stand,

the stand comprising: a first shell for supporting said article; and a second shell on which the first shell is mountable, the first shell and second shell respectively having first and second cavities, wherein the cavities are open to a side of the stand for receiving items to be placed in the cavities when the first shell is attached to the second shell in a stand configuration; and wherein each cavity is adapted to receive a peripheral portion of said article when the first shell is detached from the second shell, to protect said peripheral portions from mechanical damage when said article is stowed in the shells.
2. A stand as claimed in claim I, further comprising means for attaching the first shell to said article.
3. A stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for attaching comprises a form-locking arrangement.
4. A stand as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the first arid second cavities have substantially the same shape as respective peripheral portions of said article.
S. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second cavities are open to a front of the stand when the shells are in the stand configuration.
6. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least two wheels at lateral side faces of the second shell when the first and second shells are in the stand configuration to assist movement of the stand.
7. A stand as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wheels are detachable from the lateral side faces of the second shell and repositionable in upper and lower faces of the second shell to assist movement of said article in combination with the shells when said article is stowed in the shells.
8. A stand as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a cut-out in a side face of the first shell to provide a handle to lift said article and shell combination when said article is stowed in the shells.
9. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first shell is attachable to the second shell in the stand configuration by means of a plurality of plugs on one shell which engage with a plurality of cooperating sockets on the other shell.
10. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one opening in a rear face of at least one cavity for passage of cables between the inside and outside of the cavity.
11. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising cable management channels in a rear wall of the stand.
12. A stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said article is an electrical product.
13. A stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein said product is a display screen.
14. A stand as claimed in claim 13, wherein said display screen is a liquid crystal display screen.
15. A stand as claimed in claim 13, wherein said display screen is a plasma display screen.
16. A stand for supporting an article to be mounted on the stand, the stand comprising: a first shell; means for mounting said article on the first shell; and a second shell attachable to the first shell, the first shell and second shell respectively having first and second cavities, each cavity for receiving a peripheral portion of said article to protect said portion from mechanical damage when said article is stowed in the shells.
17. A packaging system for protecting an article from mechanical damage during storage or transit, the packaging system comprising: a first shell and a second shell, each of the first and second shells comprising a cavity for receiving a part of said article; means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article; means for attaching the first shell to the second shell to form a stand for said article afier said article is unpacked from the first shell and the second shell; and means for mounting said article on the stand formed by the first shell and the second shell.
18. A packaging system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising at least two wheels at lateral side faces of one of the first and second shells to assist movement of the packaging system.
19. A packaging system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a cut-out in a side face of the other shell to provide a handle to lift said packaging system when said article is stowed in the shells.
20. A packaging system as claimed in claim 17, 18 or 19, wherein the means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article comprises a compression fit between each shell and said article.
21. A packaging system as claimed in claim 17, 18 or 19, wherein the means for attaching the first shell and the second shell to said article comprises a band passing around the shells and said article.
22. A packaging system for protecting an article from mechanical damage during storage or transit, the packaging system comprising: a first shell and a second shell, each of the first and second shells comprising a cavity for receiving a part of said article; and wheels attached to at least one of the shells for assisting transport of the packaged article.
23. A stand or packaging system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shells comprise expanded polypropylene.
24. In combination, an article and a packaging system as defined in any one of claims 17 to 22.
25. In combination, an article and packaging for the article, the packaging comprising at least two moulded components which are shaped to fit around the article to protect the article during transit or storage, and the components being adapted to be assembled together to form a stand to support the article during use of the article.
26. A stand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
27. A packaging system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.