LU87324A1 - AIR PACKAGING - Google Patents

Description

8 * ”7 X 9 i GRAND-DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG BL 4148 / V £. .......................................... -Mister Minister of ____________ August IQflfl. ....................... of the Economy and the Middle Classes _ AçlSn Intellectual Property Service

Title dehvré ----------- | ggf LUXEMBOURG

Patent Application ............................................ ..........................-....................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ......— (1) I. Request CHAMPA NAMGYAL & ROBERT WEINREB_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (2)

Tenba House, Kiiïmaïiock Road, CharleviÜe, County Cork, IRELAND

................. RepresintesparTE

.................................................. .................................................. ., A6. ”.... me-dü .... Ci.me.ti.èri.e ... lQ..1-1 ..... LUXEMBQUE.G ....... Agents ----------------- file) this ................... A / .ingt ... s.ix. A.QÛ.L..mi..LneuL.c.eni ... quatna „y.mgt..Eui.t— .................... ................... (4) at 15 ... Q0 ........... hours, at the Ministry of Economy and Classes Moyennes, in Luxembourg: 1. this request for obtaining a patent for an invention concerning: ........................... ........................-......................... ....-........... ·; ................................ ................—--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------- (5) "Air packaging" _ ................................ .................................................. ...........................................

2. description in language ............................................ ............................ of the invention in triplicate: 3. ............ .................................................boards drawing, in three copies; 4, the receipt of the taxes paid to the Luxembourg Registration Office, on ....... 23 August. 1988 ........................: 5. the delegation of power, dated ............... .................................................. ............................. .....- the .............. ..... ............................: 6. the successor document (authorization); declare (s) assuming responsibility for this declaration, that the inventor (s) is (are): (6)

Champa NAMGYAL Tenba .House ^ Kil Imal lock Road, ..... Char) ey] Island, County Cork

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ............................... IRELAND

Robert WEINREB Tenba House * Killmal lock Road, Charleville, County Cork '.......................... z ~ lizziilz ..... i. ...... zzr ...... ::: ............................—— DE ... ... ................

claims (s) for the above patent application the priority of one (s) request (s) of (7) ........................ .................................................. .................................................. .......................................... deposited in (8) .................................................. .................................................. ..................................

on (9) ...................... August 28, 1987 ..................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .

under N ° (10) ............................... 23.14 / 87 ......... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...........................................

in the name of (11) ............................... CHAMP.A, .NAMGYAL & ... R.0BER .I .... WE, LN.REB ....................................... ..........................................

elect (elect) domicile for him / her and, if designated, for his / her representative, in Luxembourg ............................. .................................................. ...

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...... 46, ... rue .......... du ........... C.imetièr.e ........... .................................................. .............................. (12) requests (s) the grant of a patent for the subject described and represented in the abovementioned appendices, with postponement of this issue to .................................... .............................. / ................... .................................................. ........................................month. (13)

The depositor / agent: "-V ......................................... .................................................. .................................................. ...................... (14) Π. Deposit Minutes

The aforementioned patent application has been filed with the Ministry of the Economy and the Middle Classes. Department of Intellectual Property] ^ idjju | & nbourg, dated: August 26, 1988 15 _ oo / 3Ë4îSF '' · .. \ \ Pr. The Minister of Economy and the Middle Classes, - "ul S 1 11 / , at ...................................... hours 8, · jSfl ·. “1 u / pd

1 fe'Îfjl: * 1 yy Jr The head of the department Intellectual property, A 681X17 / [EXPLANATIONS RELATING TO THE DEPOSIT FORM * ψ 1 (1) if applicable "Request for certificate of addition to the main patent, to the main patent application No ............ of ............ "- (2) enter the surname, first name, profession.

address of the applicant, when the applicant is an individual or company name, legal form, address of the head office, when the applicant is a legal person - (3) enter - Tv- the surname, first name, address of the professional representative, counsel in industrial property, with special powers, if necessary; "represented by ............ acting as agent" 0 ^ DD - (4) date of filing in full - (5) title of the invention - (6) enter the names , first names, addresses of the inventors or the indication "(see) separate designation (will follow)", when the designation is made or will be made in a separate document, or the indication "not to mention", when the inventor signs or sign a non-mention document to be attached to an existing Séoaréô designation OR future- (7) patent, certificate of addition, utility model, Euronean patent (CBÈL nrnteetinn international t Ρ £ Ή -DM State in which the nremier report has been made '<* BL 4148

Claim to the priority of the patent application filed in Ireland on August 28, 1987 No 2314/87 Descriptive brief filed in support of a patent application for: "Air packaging" CHAMPA NAMGYAL &

ROBERT WEINREB Tenba House, Kîllmallock Road Charleville, County Cork IRELAND

BL 4148

AERIEIS PACKAGING

This invention relates to air packaging. Aerial packaging is a container intended to house delicate equipment during shipment and is intended to protect this equipment from damage during loading and transport. Traditionally, overhead packaging is of the so-called hard case type, made of metal, plywood, and fiberglass in a layered (or layered) structure. While this hard case packaging provides a high level of protection, it is obtained at the expense of a significant weight penalty.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight air packaging which nevertheless provides protection substantially equal to that provided by the hard case packaging, which is reusable and which is particularly suitable for the shipment of photographic, cinematographic, lighting, audio, audio-visual and video equipment, computers or computer peripherals.

According to the invention, an aerial packaging is produced having several walls defining a closed interior zone of the packaging in its closed condition, in which each wall part is formed from a first layer of a rigid material having surface zones. spaced apart by internal ribs or tie rods and a second layer of cellular material (or foam), said layers being connected to each other in a substantially unitary structure.

Preferably, the two surface areas of the first layer are substantially parallel rigid sheets connected by the tie rods or ribs and separated by interior air spaces between the tie rods or ribs. The first layer may be of corrugated or honeycomb structure. The honeycomb structure can be laminated to the rigid sheets of the surface areas. The first layer may suitably be formed of corrugated rigid plastic material, in particular polyethylene, or the polymer material, which is believed to be nylon which is sold by E.l. du Pont de Jfemours & Co. Inc. under the 2 registered trademark SOMEX, or it can be formed from a light metal such as aluminum, which gives a light, robust and rigid structure.

The second layer is preferably formed from dense, cross-linked closed cell plastic foam, for example polyethylene or polyurethane rubber foam. Alternatively or additionally, an open cell foam can be used. In the latter case, the thickness of the foam layer is greater than when a denser foam is used. Lighter foam may be preferred when it is necessary to increase the shock absorption capacity.

It may be appropriate to connect the first and second layers with high strength adhesive.

In an air packaging according to the invention, the first layer is an outer layer while the second layer is an inner layer of each wall part. In a preferred structure, the outside of the walls of the overhead packaging is covered by a laminated fabric, which is called in the profession a ballistic fabric. It is also suitable to have inside the air packaging an internal covering of fabric and / or a covering of open cell foam.

A typical air packaging according to the invention consists of six parts of walls, each having a layered structure according to the invention. Five of these walls are connected together, while the sixth is hinged with one of the side wall portions to open or close the container. The end faces of the four boundary walls ending at the opening of the air packaging are closed at their free end by a closure with a substantially rigid seal which is preferably a U-section element and can be a plastic material, knows injection molded to be extruded. This U-shaped end face element engages above the wall parts, each branch of the U covering one face of the wall parts. The flat part of the U then rests on the end face of the wall part.

3

The inner layer of fabric can be applied by fusion to the hot material of the inner layer during the formation of the wall portion. The resulting finished structure is very light compared to hard case packaging. It can be carried out in a multiplicity of configurations, and internal divisions can be arranged in a laminated material similar to that of the wall parts in any position necessary inside the container, to divide the interior of the latter. for any purpose.

A typical air package according to the invention weighs about a quarter of a comparable hard case package. An air packaging according to the invention can however carry between ten and twenty times its own weight in equipment. This results in a considerable saving in gross shipping weight, while handling and carrying the air packaging according to the invention is much easier than that of hard case packaging. Aerial packaging according to the invention meets the standards accepted in the profession for longevity in transport, damage due to falls, vibrations and water. In addition, overhead packages according to the invention transmit only relatively low levels of force compared to hard-case packages. Despite its low weight and shock absorption capacity, the air packaging according to the invention is substantially rigid, even empty, to the point that it can withstand significant weights without deformation. These desirable characteristics of the air packaging according to the invention result from the combination of the rigidity of the corrugated or honeycomb material and the shock absorption properties of the foam layer. The rigidity is increased by the joint or the inverted U arranged around the upper parts of the sides of the package. It is also appropriate to apply a similar rigid seal to the upper ends of any fixed divisions arranged inside the package according to the invention.

We will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 4 »Figure 1 is a representation of an air packaging according to the invention, Figure 2 is a representation of a laminated wall part of an aerial packaging according to the invention, after the layers have been partially separated from each other, FIG. 3 is an end view of a laminated wall part of an aerial packaging according to FIG. 1, and the Figures 4a to 4d are representations of a variety of configurations of the air packaging according to the invention.

As shown in Figure 1, an air packaging according to the invention has four walls 1, a bottom, which does not appear in this view, and a hinged cover or upper wall 2. Each wall is of laminated structure, shown in Figures 2 and 3. As shown in these Figures, the wall portion has an outer layer 3 made of corrugated polyethylene, and an inner layer 4, connected to the outer layer, formed of a closed cell cross-linked polyethylene rubber foam. The corrugated polyethylene comprises two parallel sheets 11 connected by the ribs 12, with air channels 13 between the ribs. Such corrugated polyethylene is commercially available. The material is substantially rigid, it can be appropriately chosen in normal quality (1.4 g per m2) or in high resistance quality <1.8 g per m2>. The outer layer 3 and the inner layer 4 are connected to each other by a high strength adhesive,

The outer surface of the wall portion is covered with a sturdy woven material 5, which is called ballistic fabric, which forms an outer envelope of the air packaging and protects the packaging material from abrasion and sharp objects and which also gives it a nice appearance. As a ballistic fabric, a woven nylon material with Panama weave of 186.7 g / km (1,680 denier) can be chosen.

5

The upper parts of the side walls, which end at the opening of the overhead package, where the hinged cover is applied, are covered with an upper seal 6, which may suitably be in an inverted configuration. The upper seal 6 is molded in one piece from a plastic material such as nylon or polystyrene with high impact resistance. The outer branch of the U covers the outer surface covered with fabric of the wall parts, while the inner leg or leg of the U covers the inner layer of corrugated polyethylene on the wall. The inside of the overhead packaging may also have a cover 7 of fabric of a lighter quality than that which covers the outside, for example a nylon fabric with padding of 47.8 g / km (430 denier) which protects the foam material from sharp edges, protrusions and the contents of the air packaging. The U-shaped seal also covers this coating 7 on the inside. This nylon seal provides increased stiffness in the air packaging and also protects the upper edges of the walls from the contents when they are inserted or removed.

As can also be seen in FIG. 1, a central division 8 is arranged in the particular configuration shown, and an upper joint element also closes the upper end face of this division.

Another characteristic of the air packaging of Figure 1 is that the lid 2 of the container which is hinged to the lower structure in one piece is also formed from the same laminated or laminated material as the side walls 1.

A peripheral zipper 9 is used to · facilitate secure closure of the overhead package cover and two zippers can be placed on it that can be locked. All seams, including the zipper stitching on the fabric, are made with a strong, sturdy, lined nylon thread like the one used for boot seams. Hand straps 10 of suitable nylon fabric double wrap around the bottom of the overhead package to increase safety. Hand esuaagles have an angle at their attachment point on the packaging to reduce stresses at the sewing points, especially on long versions of air packaging. One can arrange around the strap a leather handle suitably padded with rubber tube forming a cushion. The long models of the air packaging according to the invention have end hand straps and complementary straps on the bottom to protect the fabric from wear by friction. A leather label holder can also be placed on the outside of the packaging to carry an identification card.

The air packaging according to the invention can be provided in a variety of configurations, a number of which are shown in Figures 4a to 4d by way of example. Figure 4a shows a version with no divisions. The configuration of Figure 4b has a single fixed central division 14. Preferably, divisions of this type are formed from double-sided laminated material, comprising a central layer of corrugated plastic, and a layer of foam on each side of this central corrugated layer. . This ensures complete protection of the contents of the air packaging in each of its two compartments.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 4c, the overhead package has removable divisions 15, each ending below the top opening of the container, to accommodate long items. In the arrangement of Figure 4d, there are divisions 16 with a monorail groove 17, here also for accommodating elongated objects which require to be retained in position in the container. Divisions can be attached to the wall parts by hook and loop hooks like those sold under the registered trademark VELCRO.

Claims (10)

7 ♦! * »REVRSDICATIQÏÏS 1. An air packaging intended to contain delicate equipment during shipment, the air packaging having several walls defining a closed interior zone of the packaging in its closed condition, in which each wall part is formed by a first layer of rigid material having surface areas spaced apart by internal ribs or tie rods and a second layer of cellular material, said layers being connected to each other in a substantially unitary structure. 2. An air packaging according to claim. 1 in which the surface areas of the first layer are substantially parallel and are separated by interior air spaces between the tie rods or ribs. 3. An air packaging according to any one of the preceding claims in which the first layer is of corrugated or honeycomb structure. 4. An air packaging according to any preceding claim wherein the first layer is formed of corrugated polyethylene. 5. An air packaging according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second layer is formed of crosslinked dense cellular plastic. 6. An air packaging according to claim 5 in which the second layer is cellular polyethylene rubber. 7. An air packaging according to any one 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 8. üü air packaging, according to any of the preceding claims in which the end faces of the walls ending at. The opening of the air packaging are closed by a substantially rigid closure or seal, 9. An air packaging according to claim 9, in which the substantially rigid seal is a sectional element which engages above the parts of the walls. 10. Aerial packaging substantially as described here with reference to the accompanying drawings.