JP2024050152A - Cushioning material - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a cushioning material that can flexibly absorb shocks even when used in small products. [Solution] The cushioning material 1A covers the right end 2A of the cartridge 2, and includes an abutment surface 11 that can support the cartridge 2 by abutting against a corner 2A-1 at the right end 2A of the cartridge 2, and a cushioning rib 12 that protrudes from the abutment surface 11 along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2, the cushioning rib 12 being connected to the abutment surface 11 and having a side surface 121 that defines a shock-absorbing cushioning space 12A, and the abutment surface 11 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction. [Selected Figure] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a cushioning material.

Traditionally, when various products such as electrical and electronic products produced in factories are shipped, they are packed in cardboard boxes, and cushioning material is used to position the product inside the cardboard box and to cushion the product from external shocks during transportation. Cushioning materials are made from a variety of materials, including synthetic resins, foamed resins, and paper, but recently, in order to promote recycling, cushioning materials made from pulp molded waste paper are sometimes used. Such cushioning materials absorb shocks by utilizing the properties (elasticity, flexibility, etc.) of dissolved waste paper.

In the conventional technology shown in FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1, the cushioning material has a peripheral wall portion consisting of an upper wall portion, a lower wall portion, and a step provided between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion, and is configured to support the product with the step of the peripheral wall portion. In this configuration, when an impact is applied from the upper wall portion toward the lower wall portion to the cardboard box in which the product and cushioning material are packed, the lower wall portion of the peripheral wall portion bends to absorb the impact, and the cushioning space covered by the lower wall portion prevents the product from bottoming out.

However, if the magnitude of the impact exceeds the level that can be absorbed by the bottom wall, the impact may be directly applied to the product in contact with the step. In particular, in the case of cushioning material made of pulp mold, it is harder than cushioning material made of synthetic resin or foamed resin, for example, so the impact on the product may be even greater. There is also a risk that the cushioning material itself may break before it can collapse and absorb the impact.

In response to these problems, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 provides a protrusion that protrudes further toward the product than the step within a buffer space covered by a lower wall. This allows the product to be supported by the protrusion, and when a small impact is applied, the protrusion deforms to absorb the impact. When a large impact is applied, the protrusion deforms significantly and the product abuts against the step, absorbing the impact while supporting the item with both the protrusion and the step.

JP 2007-22591 A

However, if the product size is large and the cushioning space of the cushioning material is sufficiently large, it is possible to provide a protrusion on the cushioning material. However, in the case of cushioning materials used for small products, the cushioning space is small and it is difficult to secure the space for a protrusion.

Therefore, the present invention provides a cushioning material that can flexibly absorb shock even when used in small products.

The cushioning material that solves the above problems has the following characteristics:

That is, the cushioning material covers the longitudinal ends of the product and includes abutment surfaces that can support the product by abutting against corners at the longitudinal ends of the product, and a cushioning rib that protrudes from the abutment surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the product and is connected to the abutment surfaces and has sides that define a cushioning space that can absorb shock, and the abutment surfaces are inclined surfaces that are inclined relative to the longitudinal direction.

This allows the cushioning material used in small products to flexibly absorb shocks applied to the product.

The contact surface is a flat surface with an inclination angle of 10 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

This allows the product to effectively absorb any impact it may receive.

The contact surface is a curved surface that is convex toward the product side, or a curved surface that is concave toward the product side.

This makes it easy to adjust the shock absorption characteristics at the contact surface.

In addition, the buffer rib has a pair of side surfaces arranged opposite each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the abutment surface is connected to each of the pair of side surfaces.

This allows the product to effectively absorb any impact it may receive.

The product is a cartridge for use in an image forming device, and has a developing roller extending in the longitudinal direction and a toner storage chamber that stores toner.

This effectively absorbs any impacts that may be applied to the cartridge containing the toner chamber, preventing toner from leaking from the cartridge.

The cushioning material is also made from pulp molding.

This allows the elasticity, flexibility, and other properties of the pulp mold to effectively absorb impacts applied to the product.

According to the present invention, even cushioning materials used in small products can flexibly absorb shocks applied to the products.

1 is a perspective view showing a cartridge packed in a cardboard box together with cushioning material. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cartridge and the cushioning material. FIG. FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view showing a cushioning material fitted into the right end portion of the cartridge. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing how shock is absorbed by a cushioning material having contact surfaces parallel to the up-down direction. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the value of an impact acting on a cartridge and time. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating how shock is absorbed by a cushioning material having a contact surface with a large inclination angle. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating how shock is absorbed by a cushioning material having a contact surface with a small inclination angle. FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing a cushioning material having a curved contact surface.

Next, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[Cushioning material]
1 and 2 is one embodiment of the cushioning material according to the present invention. The cushioning material 1A is used when packaging a cartridge 2, which is a product, in a cardboard box 3, and can position the cartridge 2 within the cardboard box 3 and cushion the cartridge 2 from external shocks during transportation, etc.

In the following description, the left-right, up-down, and front-rear directions are defined based on the state in which the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2 coincides with the left-right direction, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

When the cartridge 2 is packed in the cardboard box 3, the cushioning material 1A is packed in the cardboard box 3 in a state where it covers, for example, the right end 2A, which is one end in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2. The cushioning material 1A is packed in the cardboard box 3 together with the cushioning material 1B, which covers the left end 2B, which is the other end in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2. The right end 2A and left end 2B of the cartridge 2 are examples of the longitudinal ends of the product.

The cartridge 2 is used in an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet, and has a developing roller 21 that extends in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2, and a toner storage chamber 22 that stores toner. The developing roller 21 has a roller shaft 21a that extends in the left-right direction. The developing roller 21 is located in front of the toner storage chamber 22. The cartridge 2 is packed in a cardboard box 3, and a cushioning material 1A is fitted to the right end 2A, and a cushioning material 1B is fitted to the left end 2B.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the cushioning material 1A is made of pulp mold. The cushioning material 1A has an abutment surface 11, a cushioning rib 12, a regulating surface 13, and a flange 14. Pulp mold is a molded product formed by compressing and molding dissolved waste paper such as newspapers.

The contact surface 11 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2. A pair of contact surfaces 11 are provided, one above the other. The contact surface 11 is formed in a flat shape.

The corner 2A-1 of the right end 2A of the cartridge 2 abuts against the abutment surface 11 from the left. Specifically, the upper corner 2A-1 of the right end 2A of the cartridge 2 abuts against the abutment surface 11 located at the top. The lower corner 2A-1 of the right end 2A of the cartridge 2 abuts against the abutment surface 11 located at the bottom. The abutment surface 11 is able to support the cartridge 2 by abutting against the right end 2A of the cartridge 2.

The upper abutment surface 11 is inclined in a direction in which the right end 11a is located lower than the left end 11b. The lower abutment surface 11 is inclined in a direction in which the right end 11a is located higher than the left end 11b. The inclination angle θ of the abutment surface 11 with respect to the vertical direction can be set to 10 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less. The inclination angle θ may also be set to 40 degrees or more and 45 degrees or less. The vertical direction is an example of a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The buffer rib 12 protrudes from the contact surface 11 in the left-right direction. Specifically, the buffer rib 12 protrudes to the right from the right end 11a of the contact surface 11. The protruding direction of the buffer rib 12 coincides with the axial direction of the roller shaft 21a of the developing roller 21.

The cushioning rib 12 is connected to the abutment surface 11. The cushioning rib 12 has a pair of side surfaces 121 that face each other in the vertical direction. The upper side surface 121 is connected to the right end portion 11a of the upper abutment surface 11 and extends to the right from the right end portion 11a. The lower side surface 121 is connected to the right end portion 11a of the lower abutment surface 11 and extends to the right from the right end portion 11a.

The side surface 121 has a draft gradient that slopes up and down in the left-right direction. The upper side surface 121 slopes downward as it moves to the right. The lower side surface 121 slopes upward as it moves to the right. The draft gradient of the side surface 121 is the draft gradient with respect to the molding die when molding the cushioning material 1A. The draft gradient with respect to the molding die when molding the cushioning material 1A can be set to, for example, about 5 degrees to 6 degrees (same below).

The buffer rib 12 has a pair of side surfaces 122 that face each other in the front-rear direction. The upper end of the front side surface 122 is connected to the front end of the upper side surface 121, and the lower end of the front side surface 122 is connected to the front end of the lower side surface 121. The upper end of the rear side surface 122 is connected to the rear end of the upper side surface 121, and the lower end of the rear side surface 122 is connected to the rear end of the lower side surface 121.

The side surface 122 has a draft angle that slopes forward and backward in the left-right direction. The front side surface 121 slopes backward as it moves to the right. The rear side surface 121 slopes forward as it moves to the right. The draft angle of the side surface 122 is the draft angle with respect to the molding die when molding the cushioning material 1A.

The buffer rib 12 has a bottom surface 123 located on the right end side of the side surfaces 121 and 122. The bottom surface 123 is connected to the right end portions of the pair of side surfaces 121 and the right end portions of the pair of side surfaces 122.

In the buffer rib 12, the space surrounded by a pair of side surfaces 121, a pair of side surfaces 122, and a bottom surface 123 is configured as a buffer space 12A capable of absorbing shock. The pair of side surfaces 121, the pair of side surfaces 122, and the bottom surface 123 define the buffer space 12A. The buffer space 12A is formed at a position overlapping with the roller shaft 21a of the developing roller 21 when viewed from the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2.

A pair of regulating surfaces 13 are provided, one above the other. The upper regulating surface 13 is connected to the left end 11b of the upper abutting surface 11. The upper regulating surface 13 extends leftward from the left end 11b. The lower regulating surface 13 is connected to the left end 11b of the lower abutting surface 11. The lower regulating surface 13 extends leftward from the left end 11b. The regulating surfaces 13 have a draft angle that slopes up and down in the direction along the left-right direction. The upper regulating surface 13 slopes upward as it goes leftward. The lower regulating surface 13 slopes downward as it goes leftward. The draft angle of the regulating surface 13 is the draft angle with respect to the molding die when molding the cushioning material 1A.

The pair of upper and lower regulating surfaces 13 regulate the vertical movement of the right end 2A of the cartridge 2 when the cushioning material 1A is fitted to the right end 2A of the cartridge 2.

The flange 14 is connected to the left end of the regulating surface 13. The flange 14 connected to the left end of the upper regulating surface 13 extends upward from the left end of the upper regulating surface 13 and then extends to the right. The flange 14 connected to the left end of the lower regulating surface 13 extends downward from the left end of the lower regulating surface 13 and then extends to the right.

The cushioning material 1A is molded to fit the shape of the right end portion 2A of the cartridge 2 and the shape of the cardboard box 3. When the cartridge 2 is packed in the cardboard box 3 together with the cushioning material 1A, the bottom surface 123 and flange 14 of the cushioning rib 12 come into contact with the cardboard box 3, so that the cushioning material 1A supporting the cartridge 2 is positioned within the cardboard box 3.

When the cushioning material 1A thus configured is fitted to the right end portion 2A of the cartridge 2 and packed in the cardboard box 3, the cushioning material 1A covers the right end portion 2A of the cartridge 2 to protect the cartridge 2. In addition, when the cartridge 2 and the cushioning material 1A are packed in the cardboard box 3, the regulating surface 13 of the cushioning material 1A regulates the vertical movement of the cartridge 2, and the abutment surface 11 can abut against the right end portion 2A of the cartridge 2.

When the cardboard box 3 receives an impact in the direction of the black arrow shown in FIG. 5 while the cartridge 2 and cushioning material 1A are packed in the cardboard box 3, the corner 2A-1 at the right end 2A of the cartridge 2 abuts against the abutment surface 11 of the cushioning material 1A, and the abutment surface 11 bends to absorb the impact (see the right end 2A and abutment surface 11 of the cartridge 2 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). This prevents the impact from being directly transmitted to the cartridge 2. In this case, the abutment surface 11 absorbs the impact by bending so as to open toward the side where the inclination angle θ with respect to the vertical direction becomes smaller.

If the impact received by the cardboard box 3 cannot be fully absorbed by the contact surface 11, the side surfaces 121, 122 of the buffer rib 12 bend and deform so as to be crushed in the left-right direction, thereby absorbing the remaining impact. In this case, the buffer space 12A of the buffer rib 12 acts as a space that allows the side surfaces 121, 122 to deform in the left-right direction, so that the buffer rib 12 is completely crushed and the impact is applied directly to the cartridge 2 from the cardboard box 3 via the buffer material 1A, preventing bottoming out.

As shown in FIG. 6, if the contact surface 11 of the cushioning material 1A were not an inclined surface but an abutment surface 311 that was parallel in the vertical direction, when the cardboard box 3 received an impact, the impact would not be absorbed by the abutment surface 311, but would be absorbed only by the cushioning rib 12.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, in the case where the cushioning material 1A has abutment surfaces 311 that are parallel in the vertical direction, the impact value Gp acting on the cartridge 2 when an impact is applied to the cardboard box 3 has a large initial gradient when the impact begins to act on the cartridge 2, and the maximum value thereafter also becomes large. If the initial gradient of the impact value is large, as in the case of the impact value Gp, the impact acts suddenly on the cartridge 2, and there is a risk of toner leaking from the cartridge 2. Furthermore, if the maximum value of the impact value is large, there is a risk of damage to the cartridge 2.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the contact surface 11 of the cushioning material 1A is an inclined surface, when the cardboard box 3 receives an impact, the contact surface 11 of the cushioning material 1A bends to absorb the impact, and then the cushioning ribs 12 deform to further absorb the impact. As a result, the initial gradient and maximum value of the impact value G acting on the cartridge 2 are smaller than in the case of the impact value Gp.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is large, about 80 degrees, the contact surface 11 is largely deflected by the cartridge 2 on which an impact is applied, absorbing the impact, as shown in FIG. 8(b), and then the buffer rib 12 deforms to further absorb the impact, as shown in FIG. 8(c). In this case, the contact surface 11 can also absorb the impact by breaking in addition to deflecting. Also, it takes a relatively long time for the buffer rib 12 to deform to absorb the impact.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is large, the initial gradient of the impact value Ga acting on the cartridge 2 is smaller than that of the impact value Gp, and the maximum value is also significantly smaller.

Also, as shown in Figure 9(a), when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is small, about 10 degrees, as shown in Figure 9(b), when an impact begins to act on the cartridge 2, the contact surface 11 flexes softly with a small resistance to absorb the impact, and then, as shown in Figure 9(c), the buffer rib 12 deforms to further absorb the impact.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is small, the initial gradient of the impact value Gb acting on the cartridge 2 is significantly smaller than that of the impact value Gp, and the maximum value is also smaller.

The initial gradient of the impact value Gb when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is small is smaller than that of the impact value Ga when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is large. Also, the maximum value of the impact value Gb when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is small is larger than that of the impact value Ga when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is large, but the time required for shock absorption is shorter than that of the impact value Ga, and shock absorption by the cushioning material 1A is performed quickly.

Furthermore, when the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is medium, at about 40 degrees to 45 degrees, as shown in FIG. 7, the initial gradient and maximum value of the impact value Gc acting on the cartridge 2 are smaller than those of the impact value Gp.

When the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is moderate, the impact value Gc has a smaller initial gradient than the impact value Ga, and a larger initial gradient than the impact value Gb. The impact value Gc also has a larger maximum value than the impact value Ga, and a smaller maximum value than the impact value Gb. Furthermore, the time required for shock absorption is shorter than the impact value Ga, and longer than the impact value Gb. When the inclination angle of the contact surface 11 is moderate, the initial gradient and maximum value of the impact value Gc are reduced in a well-balanced manner relative to the impact value Gp.

In this way, when using a cushioning material 1A with an inclined contact surface 11, the initial gradient and maximum value of the impact value G can be made smaller than when using a contact surface 311 that is parallel to the vertical direction. Therefore, even when the cushioning material 1A is used for a small product such as a cartridge 2, it can flexibly absorb the impact applied to the product such as the cartridge 2, and it is possible to prevent damage to the product such as the cartridge 2.

In particular, the right end 2A of the cartridge 2, where the axial direction of the roller shaft 21a of the developing roller 21 is the longitudinal direction, has a small cross-sectional area when viewed from the axial direction, so the size of the cushioning material 1A supporting the right end 2A is small, making it difficult to provide the cushioning rib 12 with a protrusion that protrudes further toward the cartridge 2 than the abutment surface 11. However, in the cushioning material 1A, the abutment surface 11 makes it possible to effectively absorb impacts.

In addition, the inclined contact surface 11 can effectively absorb impacts applied to the cartridge 2 having the toner storage chamber 22, making it possible to prevent toner from leaking from the cartridge 2.

In addition, the buffer space 12A in the buffer rib 12 of the buffer material 1A is located so as to overlap the roller shaft 21a of the developing roller 21 in the cartridge 2 when viewed from the left and right direction, so that the shock of the portion of the cartridge 2 where the developing roller 21 is located can be effectively absorbed, and it is possible to prevent the developing roller 21 from becoming misaligned within the cartridge 2.

As shown by the impact values Ga, Gb, and Gc, the impact absorption characteristics of the contact surface 11 can be changed by the inclination angle θ of the contact surface 11, so the inclination angle θ of the contact surface 11 can be set appropriately according to the characteristics suitable for the product such as the cartridge 2 in which the cushioning material 1A is used. In this case, by forming the contact surface 11 into a flat surface with an inclination angle θ of 10 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less, the impact applied to the cartridge 2 can be effectively absorbed.

In addition, in the cushioning material 1A, the cushioning rib 12 has a pair of side surfaces 121 arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, and the contact surface 11 with which the right end portion 2A of the cartridge 2 abuts is connected to each of the pair of side surfaces 121, so that it is possible to effectively absorb the impact applied to the cartridge 2.

However, the cushioning material 1A may be configured to have only one of the contact surface 11 connected to the upper side surface 121 and the contact surface 11 connected to the lower side surface 121. Even in this case, it is possible to absorb the impact applied to the cartridge 2.

In addition, because the cushioning material 1A is made of molded pulp, the elasticity, flexibility, and other properties of the molded pulp enable it to effectively absorb impacts applied to the cartridge 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the abutment surface 11 is a flat surface inclined in the vertical direction, but the abutment surface 11 can also be formed as a curved surface that is concave toward the cartridge 2 side, such as the abutment surface 111 shown in FIG. 10(a), or as a curved surface that is convex toward the cartridge 2 side, such as the abutment surface 211 shown in FIG. 10(b).

In this way, when the contact surfaces 111, 211 are formed as curved surfaces, the inclination angle of the portion of the contact surfaces 111, 211 that contacts the cartridge 2 in the vertical direction can be adjusted by changing the curvature of the curved surfaces, etc. This makes it possible to easily adjust the shock absorption characteristics of the contact surfaces 111, 211.

In addition, in this embodiment, the contact surface 11 is configured to contact the corner 2A-1 at the right end 2A of the cartridge 2, but the contact surface 11 can also be configured to contact the edge 2A-2 (see Figure 2) between the upper corner 2A-1 and the lower corner 2A-1 at the right end 2A.

The cushioning material 1A can also have a cushioning rib other than the cushioning rib 12 that extends in a vertical or front-to-rear direction that is different from the left-to-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2, and a contact rib other than the contact rib 11 that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the other cushioning rib extends, and this other contact surface can be configured to contact the side edge 2A-3 (see Figure 2) that extends leftward from the corner 2A-1 at the right end 2A. By having this other contact surface contact the side edge 2A-3, the cushioning performance of the cushioning material 1A in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 2 can be improved.

The cushioning material 1B fitted into the left end portion 2B of the cartridge 2 can be configured similarly to the cushioning material 1A. For example, the cushioning material 1B can be configured to have abutment surfaces similar to the abutment surfaces 11, 111, and 211 of the cushioning material 1A. The cushioning material 1B can also be configured to further have a cushioning rib similar to the cushioning rib 12 of the cushioning material 1A. The cushioning material 1B can also be configured to further have a regulating surface similar to the regulating surface 13 of the cushioning material 1A. The cushioning material 1B can also be configured to further have a flange similar to the flange 14 of the cushioning material 1A.

1A, 1B Cushioning material 2 Cartridge 2A Right end 2A-1 Corner 2B Left end 11, 111, 211 Contact surface 12 Cushioning rib 12A Cushioning space 21 Developing roller 21a Roller shaft 22 Toner storage chamber 121 Side surface θ Inclination angle

Claims (6)

A cushioning material that covers the longitudinal end of a product,
a contact surface capable of supporting the product by contacting a corner portion at a longitudinal end of the product;
a buffer rib protruding from the contact surface along a longitudinal direction of the product, the buffer rib being connected to the contact surface and having a side surface that defines a buffer space capable of absorbing impact;
Equipped with
The contact surface of the cushioning material is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface is a flat surface with an inclination angle of 10 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface is a curved surface that is convex toward the product side, or a curved surface that is concave toward the product side. The buffer rib has a pair of side surfaces arranged opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
The cushioning material according to claim 1 , wherein the contact surface is connected to each of the pair of side surfaces. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the product is a cartridge for use in an image forming device, the cartridge having a developing roller extending in the longitudinal direction and a toner storage chamber for storing toner. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is formed from a pulp mold.

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