NL1043164B1 - Shocks and vibration absorbing element and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular shock and vibrations absorbing system prefer- ably comprising damping elements which in their turn at least consist out of resilient preferably foam material with the damp- ing elements reduced before use to a height range of minimal 55% 5 of the initial height of the resilient material by an outer, the damping element surrounding element, consisting out of single or multiple damping element or in combination with an upper and lower panel and in between said upper and lower panel damping elements, that when the said elements or system is loaded with 10 vulnerable cargo like packages, is reduced with a height that equals maximal 25% of the initial height of the resilient mate- rial, and in this way absorbs shocks and vibrations to such a level that vulnerable cargo like packages won't be damaged dur- ing transportation on pallets, on slip sheets and in boxes and 15 crates. 1043164

Description

RU | - Shocks and vibration absorbing element and system The present invention relates to a, before actual use takes plage, space saving, modular and easy to mount shock and vibration damping element from which by using at least one sin- ' gle damping element a shock and vibration absorbing system can be created on which delicate and easily-damaged articles can be stacked and transported.

The invention can be positioned under, arcund and in boxes, on pallets between load and pallet, in and around loading compartments of containers, trucks and others transportation means.

More particularly the invention relates to a shock absorbing system suitable for damping shocks and vibra- tion in a for vibration critical frequency range of 7 to 500 Hz and for damping shocks above 1G and applied to loads of varying weights in order to ship delicate or easily-damaged articles without damage, which make it possible to reduce the strength and conseguently the amount of material used for the delicate or easily-damaged articles. | The invention is presented in various configurations where all configurations at least comprises of one damping element con- sisting of at least resilient material that is compressed before use and therefor before placing delicate and easily-damaged ar- ticle on the element by at least one surrounding elements to re- duce the initial height and consequently the volume of the danp- ing element to a maximum height of about 55% of the initial height of the resilient material.

In this configuration it can be shipped to the location where the actual damping system is being build and consequently using less volume.

By placing delicate easilyrdamaged articles on top of one or more damping elements a damping system is created that damps vi- brations in the critical frequency range from 7 to 500 Hz to less than 20% of the input intensity at which levels the vibra- tions cannot harm the delicate easily-damaged articles anymore and that the system damps shocks up to 300 G to a level below 1 G, which is for the artisan a save level for easily-damaged ar- ticles.

The optimal damping characteristics of the damping ele- ments are tested on calibrated laboratory equipment to simulate real life conditions.

The weight of delicate easily~damaged articles define the type and number of damping elements to be used. The projected surface seen from the top of the damping element, the initial thickness and the characteristics of the resilient material define the weight range of the articles that can be placed on top of one or more damping elements. For proper functioning of the damping system the height of the damping elements should remain the same or be compressed to a maximum value of 25% of the initial height of the resilient foam by the weight of the product. A preferable configuration of the damping element comprises at least resilient material of poly~ethylene foam with a density of ranging from about 10 up 80 kg/m3, with a height between about 80 and 120 mm and a surface between about 50 x 50 up to 200 x 200 mm, being not necessarily square or rectangular, and will firstly be compressed by at least one surrounding element and then to a maximum of about 25% of the initial height of the re- silient material due to load placed on top of the element, which gives, as tested extensively, the most optimal shock and vibra- tion damping characteristics. In this way a range of damping el- ements can be generated for use of load from 0-5 kg, 5-10 kg, 10-15 kg, 15-20 kg and further up. This presented range serves as example. A preferable configuration of the damping element comprises a rigid upper panel and rigid lower panel between which resilient material is placed and is compressed to a maximum height of about 55% of the initial height of the resilient material by surrounding elements like rope, strap, film, tape or other bind- ing elements, giving the element two flat sides that make plac- ing and mounting of the damping element on other surfaces easy.

A next preferable configuration of the damping element comprises a rigid upper panel and rigid lower panel of which each panel has two or more flaps attached to at least two opposite edges per panel and that the flaps can be bended to at least a perpen- dicular angle from the top or bottom plans of the damping ele- ment in such a way that the flaps touch the flaps of the oppo- site rigid panel and that between the panel resilient material is placed and compressed to a maximum height of about 55% of the initial height of the resilient material and where the flaps of one panel are connected te flaps of the opposite panel by flexi- 40 ble tape or other flexible connecting material like rope, strap,

film, or other binding elements and thus creating a damping ele- ment with two panels that are connected to each other with a flexible connection like a hinge that damps mainly in vertical direction and provides stability in other directions and pre- venting in this way unwanted tilting movements of the load on the damping system.

A next preferable configuration of the damping element comprises the said rigid upper and lower panel with said flaps and the flaps of the two panels connected to each other with tape or other flexible material for which the damping element has an in= tegrated warning device that shows up when the advised maximum load of the damping element is exceeded causing the system to not damp optimal anymore. One possible configuration for this warning device is a tuck connected to one of the said flaps where the tuck is positioned near one of the corners of the damping element and shows up when the damping element is com- pressed too much, lower that the said maximal compression of 25%.

A next preferable configuration of the damping element comprises a surrounding airtight flexible member of preferably plastic like Polyethylene or laminates of Polyethylene and Polyamide that contains resilient material elements from which air is re- moved to reduce the height of the damping element to the pre- ferred initial height of the resilient material of about 55% of the original height, for space saving reasons. For shock and vi- bration reasons the enclosed volume of the surrounding airtight member must be at least 0,8 to 1,5 times the enclosed volume of the uncompressed resilient material. This to prevent counter shocks by the enclosed moving air on the airtight surrounding member due to shocks or vibrations on the system due to handling and transport.

A next configuration is a rigid upper panel of which the bottom plane is connected to the top of one or more damping elements and a rigid lower panel of which the top plane is connected to the bottom of one or more damping elements in which the rigid upper panel act as a stable platform on which articles can be 40 stacked and the lower panel can act as a flat surface that can be placed or mounted to other logistic articles like pallets with typical dimensions like 1200 x 1000 or 1200 x 800 mm. Another configuration is a sandwich panel conprised of a rigid upper panel and a second lower panel with in between the said panels one or more damping elements, where preferably the rigid panels are connected to damping elements, and said lower panel is provided with holes to release air that is situated between rigid upper and lower panel. The enclosed air in the sandwich panel, when sealed with wrap film to stabilize load on the sand- wich panel, will otherwise be unintended be compressed due to movement of the upper panel which on itself will be moved by shocks and vibrations due to handling and transport. The unin- tended compressed alr may frustrate the damping of vibrations.

A next preferable configuration comprises a surrounding airtight flexible member that contains an upper and lower panel with in between the said upper and lower panels damping elements that comprises at least resilient foam in said dimensions and damping characteristics. In this configuration the invention is fit for use in cleanrooms. Fit for use in cleanrooms in this context means that the system can be provided dust free and will not generate dust in low dust environments like cleanrooms. Prefera- bly air from the airtight flexible member is removed to create a lower pressure in the system that forces all surrounding mate- rial of the air tight member in between the two rigid panels causing that no material of the enclosed airtight member being without the circumference of the system. The enclosed volume of the airtight member must be big enough to ensure that no tension is applied on the airtight member due to released air, which is enclosed between upper and lower panel, when the system is com- pressed to its minimum height due to shocks or vibrations. The airtight member must be able to take up a minimum volume of air that is at least equal to the enclosed air between upper and lower panel with resilient material in the damping elements com- pressed to about the preferred maximum height of about 55% of initial height of the resilient material. As mentioned before the damping element functions optimal when 4G compressed in a range from the pre-compressed height of 55% to

25% of the initial height of the resilient material, and depend- ing on the dimensions of the element and the characteristics of resilient {foam each damping element can carry a certain range of weight placed upon the damping element. In this way a modular 5 system is presented where single elements are presented in dif- ferent weight ranges like 0-5 kg, 5 = 10 kg, 10 — 15 kg and 15 + 20 kg, which can be combined to an assembly with for instance four damping elements creating various weight ranges and there- for a modular damping system that can be very accurately ad- justed to the total load placed on the damping system and can also cope with loads with out of centre gravity points, by plac ing more elements straight under or close to the centre of grav- ity for optimal performance, One of the main advantages of the presented invention is that it becomes possible to reduce strength of delicate and easily-dam- aged articles stacked on pallets, in loading compartments of containers, trucks and other transportation mains. Said articles endure such high dynamic forces that a lot of damage occurs dur ing transportation. In fact said articles are ‘over’ dimen- sioned. This invention disclosed a system for absorbing shocks and vibration when used articles no longer have to be ‘over’ di- mensioned which leads to substantial savings on costs.

Extensive work has been undertaken in developing suitable shock absorbing systems for use in shipping delicate or easily-damaged articles as is already described in US3275131. US3275131 uses individual resilient foam modules of preferably 10 x 15 inches and about 2 inches high that are placed between and upper and lower rigid panel to build a system that can be adjusted to var- ious weights. For higher weights more resilient foam modules have to be added to the system to function as intended. The il- iustrated foam blocks preferably made from polyurethane foam with a density of 3.8 pounds per cubic foot, has been found to have an optimum loading factor of about .4 to .5 pound per square inch. US2375131 states that loading with one-half pound per square inch it will be loaded to a compression of the foam to the ideal ten percent or ninety percent of the initial height of the foam.

40 Applicant has investigated this known system US2375131 by using

ISTA random vibration spectra commonly used in the transporta- tion industry to validate the suitability of cargo, individur ally, packed in boxes or crates, stacked on pallets or placed on other logistic means for transportation by truck, train, ship or airplane over a certain distance during a certain time. The ISTA random vibration spectra represent a certain way of fransporta- tion e.g. transport by truck that has air suspension or another spectrum that represents trucks with steel spring suspension. Also three levels of intensity are used for each spectrum.

The investigations were performed in a laboratory using a cali- brated random vibration table. The known system, according to U52375131 describes an optimal configuration having about a 10 percent compression of resilient foam blocks with a height of about 2 inches. For reducing vibrations in the critical area of eigen frequencies this compression ratio appeared to generate high unwanted transmissibility’s, and appeared to be not the ideal configuration, causing damage to easily-damaged cargo. A second disadvantage is that the known system must be mounted to form a unit that can be handled as a single product. Mounting is proposed to be done by use of stringers, nails, glue or other connection methods, which is time and material consuming. A third disadvantage is that the system, before use and unloaded, is two inches high, about 50,8 mm pius the height of upper and Lower panels. A fourth disadvantage is that the system will ac- cumulate and generate dust and consequently is not fit for use in clean room situations. A fifth disadvantage is that leading cargo on one side will compress cargo on that side a lot which leads to unstable and tilted platform to place lead on. A sixth disadvantage is that there is no indication present on the foam blocks what weight range they represent and overloading can eas- ily occur, CN203845146U discloses a damping tray for transporting precise and delicate instruments with an integrated weight detecting system containing multiple kinds of springs and damping elements arranged between two panels and to its disadvantage forming con- sequently a complex and expensive system.

Other inventions also show complex constructions ta absorb vi- brations and shocks and give no detailed information on dynamic 40 vibration absorption.

Materials like expanded Polystyrene and expanded Polypropylene are often used as damping material in damping systems, but such systems only damp shocks to a lower level and can’t cope with vibrations in the range from 7 to 500 Hz.

GR1449675 discloses a rectangular element of foam with flexible or rigid opposite faces with a preferred height of 8 to 24 inches, having the disadvantages of making the element volumi- nous and giving elements that generate a lot of movement at hor- izontal impact because the two opposite faces are connected to each other with flexible material only, also loading a system with this kind of element will give initial instability because loading on one side will create an unwanted large angle to the horizontal top layer.

US3442434 discloses damping system specifically being a con- tainer and pallet, and pallet suitable for custom design with spacing block that may be formed from solid or flexible material such as Styrofoam, polyurethane foam or other material, with disadvantages that the container is prepared with specific cut- outs to hold the spacing blocks, where no preferred height is defined for the spacing blocks, where no indication of overload is being present: and where the damping system always consist out of a least a box with cut-outs.

Users of damping panels place several demands as is explained next. Investigations in laboratory and real life circumstances have shown that for transport damping of frequencies in the range from 7 up to 500 Hz is required since in this range the most damage will occur to easily-damaged articles placed in trucks, in train, airplanes or other transportation means. It is preferred for users of damping elements consisting of at least resilient material that these elements are as low in vol- ume and takes as less spaces as possible before actual use takes place. It is preferred for user that no damage occurs to their delicate easily-damaged articles and that they are provided with the most optimal damping configuration.

It is required for users to use one or more single damping ele- ments to build their own specific damping system using pre-de- fined elements to a certain weight range adjusted to the weight of the delicate article placed on the systen.

For functional reasons it must be clear for the operator that when the weight on the system is too high a warning indication must show up.

Preferably a system is provided that fits in the present lo- gistic chain with dimensions tuned to pallet dimensions like 1200 =z 1000 mm, 1200 x 800 mm, 800 x 600mm, 600 x 400mm and other logistic articles. The system should be easy to handle as one unit. For mounting the system glus and other connection methods are either environmentally unfriendly, costly or time consuming and preferable should be avoided, For stacking arti- cles on the system, the system should provide a flat and stable platform that does not tilts when load is placed on one side of the platform. For operators it is required that the system can be handled as one inseparable unit, that may not fall apart. For easy handling the system must have a weight as low as possible.

For economic reasons as less as possible shock and vibration ab- sorbing material must be used.

For use in protected environments like low dust environments like cleanrooms it is required that the system can be provided dust free and will not generate dust in operation. For transpor- tation of articles the system should fit on logistic items like pallets, but it might be preferred that the system can act as a pallet by itself.

It is an object of the invention to meet at least in part one or more of the above demands, and to gain further advantages as will become apparent from the following disclosure.

The system of the invention is provided with several features which will be discussed herein cumulatively, however it is to De understood that each feature as embodied in the ap- pended claims can be applied independent from any of the other features in the other claims and be made part of a divisional application without need to incorporate any of said other fea- tures of the other claims.

490 Purthermore the invention is not only embodied in a system for placement on pallets, but also as a standalone system used to stack articles on in cargo compartments like containers, trucks and other transportation or logistic means, Also with regard to standalone system it is to be understood that each feature as embodied in the appended claims can be ap- plied independent from any of the other features in the other claims and be made part of a divisional application without need to incorporate any of said other features of the other claims.

The invention is particularly useful as a damping ele- ment or system which is low in volume since the resilient mate- rial part of the invention is pre-compressed to a maximum height of about 55%.

The invention is particularly useful for stacking deli- cate and easily-damaged articles on the provided single or mul- tiple damping elements to diminish either damage to the said ar- ticles or to reduce strength and material of said articles when transported for instance by trucks. In order to mest with this demand 1t is preferred that the damping elements are compressed from about 55% of the initial height in pre-compressed condition to maximal 25% of the initial height due to the load placed on the damping elements. The presented elements as single element or combined to multiple elements to a system reduces shocks and vibrations generated according to ISTA profiles on a random vi- bration table to a level that easily-damaged articles won’t be damaged. The said reduction of vibration is realised in the most important range of frequencies between 7 and 500 Hz. The said range provides in real life the most damage to delicate and eas- ily~damaged articles because thelr eigen frequencies are situ- ated in the said range. The said reduction in shocks reduces G forces up to 300 G with a reduction of approximately 80%. Pref- erably the said resilient blocks are manufactured from Polyether foam with a density ranging from about 10 up to 80 kg/m3, with a height between about 80 and 120 mm and a surface between about 50 x 50 up to 200 x 200 mm, being not necessarily square or rec- tangular, and will be compressed to a maximum of about 25% of the initial height of the resilient material due to load placed on top of the element, which gives, as tested extensively, the 40 most optimal shock and vibration damping characteristics. In this way a range of damping elements can be generated for use of load from 0-5 kg, 5-10 kg, 10-15 kg, 15-20 kg and further up. The invention is particularly useful for damping delicate arti- cles in all directions of a x-y-z coordinate system. For this reason the invention is equipped with one or two sticky opposite faces to make mounting on faces other than horizontal faces pos- sible, In this context the sticky faces can also be replaced by connecting elements like glue, bolts, ropes and similar.

The invention is particularly useful to create a damp- ing element with optimal damping in zrdirection and creating stability in the other x-y directions considering a x-y-z COOr- dinate system thus preventing tilting of the load on top of the damping element or multiple damping elements, The invention is particularly useful to build a damping system for a specific load on the system by using multiple damping ele- ments that can be placed at the right positions even when the point of gravity of the delicate easily-damaged article(s} ls out of centre.

In order to meet. with the demand of creating a flat and stable platform for easy stacking of articles, like packages in the shape of boxes, trays and other shapes the compression of damping elements or the resilient foam blocks to a height that equals 55% of the initial height of the resilient material and creating a sufficiently stable platform.

The inventions is particularly useful as a single ele- ment but can also be used in combination with a rigid upper and lower panel, with in between one or more damping elements to create a damping system in which preferably both upper and lower panels have dimensions related to pallet or other logistic means, like 1200 x 800mm, 1200 x 1000 mm, 800 x 600mm, and 600 x 400 mm with panel with a thickness enough to create a stable platform and also to meet with the demand of easy handling by creating a single unit, that is easy to position on pallets and other load carrying items. The damping elements can be placed in between two surfaces in such a way that places with the most load are more supported than places with less load.

The invention is particularly useful as a combination 40 of a rigid lower and upper panel with in between the panels at

11 | least resilient foam pre-compressed to a maximum height of about 55% of the initial height of the resilient material where the compression is created by bonding elements surrounding the upper and lower panel like straps, band, film, tape or similar binding material.

Also for economic reasons it may be obvious that the system consisting out of multiple elements will not be designed for each possible weight of articles stacked on the ridged plat- form of the system. For this the system is setup as a range of units with increasing damping elements or resilient foam sur- face. From testing a preferable range was generated, which is given in the next table, but any other range is also possible depending on the configuration of the individual elements or the type of resilient material used as long as the compression of the material due to the weight varies between the pre-compressed height of the resilient material of 55% to maximal 25% of the initial height of the resilient material; the numbers given for the surface are an indication and may vary.

Average Weight (kilograms) Surface Resilient foam (cm?) | 425 | 1900 | 637,5 2500 | 1,300 5300 re To discriminate between the different units or damping elements the units or damping elements preferably will be coded with col- our and/or minimum and mazimum weight, The invention is particularly useful for use in dust- low environments like cleanrooms. For this use an airtight sur- rounding flexible member can be used to prevent dust from coming loose from the system, The airtight flexible member can also be used for connecting an upper and lower rigid panel with in be- tween one or multiple damping elements consisting of at least resilient material blocks evenly divided over the surface of both said panels to a single member without the use of comnec- tion means like glue or nails, by providing under pressure in the said airtight surrounding flexible member to reduce the height of the resilient material to about 55% of its initial height for space saving reasons. It may be obvious that the shock and vibration damping characteristic of the system in this configuration are optimal when the system is reduced in height by the weight of the delicate articles placed on the system to a maximum of 25% of the initial height of the resilient material.

In order to meet also other demands that are placed on the said damping elements and shock and vibration damping system it is preferable that the surrounding airtight flexible member is preferably manufactured from film with a gas barrier that is easy to close by heat sealing or other seal technigues. Such films might be Poly-Ethylene film, Polyamide film combined with a Polyethylene layer for easy sealing but may also be a metal- ized plastic film, a PET-Aluminium-PE laminate or laminates con- taining gas barriers like EVOH. Preferably both upper and lower panels create a ridged and stable platform and preferably are manufactured for recyclable material like corrugated carton board or honeybee board.

Large machines or equipment with higher weight than shown can also be transported by use of multiple units of the presented shock and vibration absorbing system.

A preferable unit can be created from the shock and vi- bration absorbing system by adding rigid block, panels, nestable items to the lowest side of the system to create space between any floor or surface on which the system is placed and the low- est side of the system, in such a way that forks of lifting equipment can lift and transport the system.

Another preferable unit can be created by adding flaps to the four sides of the system in which way the system can act as a slip pallet and be manipulated by slip pallet lift trucks. Another preferable unit can be created by dimensioning the sys- tem to fit in boxes and crates to serve as shock and vibration absorbing panel inside boxes and crates.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of an exemplary embodiment of the shock and vibration absorbing system to the invention that is 40 not limiting as to the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention in a configuration with a block of resilient material pre-com- pressed to about 55% of its initial height by one or more sur“ rounding elements with the initial height of the resilient mate- rial in phantom lines.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention in a configuration with a block of resilient material pre-com- pressed to 55% of its initial height by one or more surrounding elements like film, film tube, band, tape or another binding el- ement and further compressed to maximal 25% of the initial height of the resilient material due to the weight of vulnerable articles loaded the damping element being the optimal height for damping of shocks and vibrations with both pre-compressed height and compressed height in phantom lines.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention with a rigid upper and rigid lower panel being compressed to the preferred pre-compressed configuration due to a film, film tube, band, tape or another surrounding binding element; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention with a rigid upper and rigid lower panel where both panels have flaps that are attached to the panel that can rotate along the connecting edge and where the flaps of upper and lower panel are connected to each other by a flexible element like tape and holding the element in the preferred pre-compressed configura- : tion: Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention with a rigid upper and rigid lower panel where both panels have flaps that are attached to the panel that can rotate along the connecting edge and where the flaps of upper and lower panel are 40 touching to each other and holding the element: in the preferred pre-conpressed configuration due to a film, film tube, band, tape or another surrounding binding element; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention with a rigid upper and rigid lower panel where both panels have flaps that are attached to the panel that can rotate along the connecting edge and where the flaps of upper and lower panel are connected or touching each other and where the element is kept in the preferred pre-compressed configuration due to tape, a film, film tube, band, tape or another binding element and where a tuck is connected to one of the flap folded behind one of the flaps and that will become more visible when the damping element is loaded to higher levels and consequently will have a lower i5 height.

At loads above the maximum load an indication on the tuck will be visible to warn for overload; Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the damping element of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention where the resilient foam is shown in pre-compressed configura- tion by surrounding airtight flexible film from which the air has been removed; a seal area is shown and as can be seen not the total area of flaps is sealed so this gives room for air to move in between the flaps that are now pushed against each other because of the lower pressure in the package: Figure 8 shows a perspective view of multiple damping elements as shown in figure 1 to 7 creating a shock and vibration absorb- ing system according to the invention with a rigid upper and rigid lower panel added to the system and in between the upper and lower panel the damping elements, the damping elements are bonded to the upper and lower rigid panels by a sticky element on the surface of the damping element; it may be clear that de- pending on the weight of the product placed on the top surface the damping elements can be positioned in such a way that they support the surface and the product at best for stability and damping characteristics;

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration ab- sorbing system according to the invention consisting out of mul- tiple damping elements where the damping element at least con- sist out of resilient foam and where the damping elements are positioned between a rigid upper and rigid lower panel forming a sandwich that is as a whole pre-compressed to its preferable height by surrounding binding elements like straps, film, band, tape or likewise;

Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention where the damping element only consist out of resilient foam which is positioned between a rigid upper and rigid lower panel forming a sandwich that is as a whole pre-compressed to its preferable height by a surrounding air tight element from which air has been removed Lo create a lower pressure inside the air tight element to use the atmospheric pressure for pre~compression;

Figure 11 - figure 16 show a top view of one of the various con-

figurations of the shock and vibration absorbing system with in this figure, in phantom drawings, multiple damping elements from which number and size will vary according to the load capacity and position of the centre of gravity of the system;

Figure 17 shows a perspective view looking at the bottom of the shock and vibration absorbing system with holes in the bottom panel to allow moving air, due to the movement of the upper panel due to shocks and vibration by handling and transporta- tion, to stream freely in and out the system even when wrap film is applied all around and over articles and over the top and sides of the system;

Figure 18 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention in which damping el-

ements are placed between a vulnerable article and a surrounding rigid frame consequently protecting the vulnerable article in all directions;

40

Figure 19 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention in compressed con- figuration with damping elements as in figure 2, with blocks bonded to the bottom of the system to make handling by logistic devices possible; Figure 20 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention with flaps on the outside of the bottom surface to make the system to be handled by slip sheet lift equipment.

Figure 21 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system according to the invention suitable for use in a shipper case or crate.

Figure 22 shows a perspective view of the shock and vibration absorbing system showing a configuration adjusted for easy plac- ing the damping elements into corners; Figure 23 shows a perspective view of the damping elements of the shock and vibration absorbing system in a configuration where the damping elements are connected to each other with a flexible connection and creating string of damping elements that can be split from the string by tearing the connection over a perforation line; Figure 24 shows damping elements that are connected as a string and can be split from the string by tearing the connection over a perforation line.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

Turning first to figure 1 damping element member I of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view with a single resilient block member 2, pre- compressed to a preferred height range of about 55% of the ini- tial height of the resilient material by an surrounding element member 3 being just an example of one or more external elements that can perform the function of compression.

Turning to figure 2 the damping element member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configuration, being a single compressed resilient block member 2 pre-compressed to a preferred height range of about 55% of the initial height of the resilient mate- rial by a surrounding element member 3 being just an example of cone or more external elements that can perform the function of © compression and further compressed up to maximal 25% of the ini- tial height of the resilient material by a weight member 4 rep- resenting the load of the delicate sasily-damaged articles.

Turning to figure 3 the damping element member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configuration, being a single compressed resilient block member 2 with an upper rigid panel member 5 and a lower rigid panel member 6, with in between the two panels the resilient block member 2, pre-compressed to the preferred height range, by one or more binding or connecting elements member 3, like straps, bands, tapes or otherwise with rigid panels members 5 and 6 consisting out of any rigid material, like corrugated carton board, carton honeycomb board, plywood or other rigid ma- terial.

The width of bonding element member 3 can vary, Or more elements member 3 can be added to the configuration.

Turning to figure 4 the damping element member iI of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configuration, being a single compressed resilient block member 2 with an upper rigid panel member 5 and a lower rigid panel member 6, with in between the two panels the resilient block member 2, pre-compressed to the preferred height range, with rigid panels members 5 and 6 consisting out of any rigid material, like corrugated carton board, carton honeycomb 40 board, plywood or cther rigid material where the upper panels are equipped with at least two opposite flap members 7 and the lower panels are equipped with at least two opposite flap mem- bers 8 and 8” that have a flexible connection with both panel member 5 and 6 and where the flaps members 7 and 8 are connected with a flexible bonding element member 9 like tape or similar bonding element binding the flap member 7 and member 8 to each other and binding opposite flap member 7° and member 8” to each other and thus pre-compressing damping element member 1 and where additional flap member 8 and member 10 and there opposite flaps member 9’ and 10° may also be present and where on top of upper panel member 5 and optional lower panel member 6 a sticky device member 12 may be present to bond the damping element mem- ber one to any supporting surface.

Turning to figure 5 the damping element member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspec- tive view in a configuration, being a single compressed resili- ent block member 2 with an upper rigid panel member 5 and a lower rigid panel member 6, with in between the two panels the resilient block member 2, pre-compressed to the preferred height range, with rigid panels members 5 and 6 consisting out of any rigid material, like corrugated carton board, carton honeycomb board, plywood or other rigid material where the upper panels are equipped with at least two opposite flap members 7 and the lower panels are equipped with at least two opposite flap mem- bers 8 that have a flexible connection with both panel member 5 and 6 and where the flaps members 7 and 8 are touching each other due to a surrounding bonding element member 3 as shown in figure 3 that compresses the damping element member 1, and where a sticky device member 12 may be present as described in figure

4.

Turning to figure & the damping element member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspec- tive view in a configuration represented by figure 5 and 6 where a tuck member 11 has a flexible connection to for instance flap members 9, and is partly hidden behind an adjacent flap like flap member 7, where the tuck member 13 will become more visible when the load on the damping element increases and the resilient material will be compressed more, to a point where a warning in- dication member 14, as an example being part of tuck member 13, will be visible for overloading the damping element, where indi- cation member 14 can be a text, colour or other indication, Turning to figure 7 the damping element member 1 of shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configuration, being a single compressed resilient block member 2, pre-compressed to the preferred height range by a surrounding airtight flexible element member 15, closed on all four sides by sealing member 16, for example by using heat seal- ing or other connecting methods and compressed by removing air from the surrounding alrtight flexible member 15 enabling the atmospheric pressure to compress the resilient block member 2.

Turning to figure 8 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configura- tion, being a rigid upper panel member 18 and rigid lower panel member 19 with in between damping element member 1 in pre-com- pressed condition bonded to both upper panel member 18 and lower panel 19 by a sticky device member 12 or tape, glue or cther bonding devices, Turning to figure 9 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configura- tion, being a rigid upper panel member 18 and rigid lower panel member 19 with in between a damping element member 1, being at least a block of resilient material member 2 in pre-compressed condition to the preferred height by at least one surrounding bonding member 20 like strap, film, film tape, tape, band, rope or other binding devices. Turning to figure 10 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 ìs shown in a perspective view in a configuration, be- ing a rigid upper panel member 18 and rigid lower panel member 19 with in between a block resilient material being pre-com- pressed to the preferred height by a surrounding airtight flexi- ble element member 21, closed on all four sides, for example by using heat sealing or other connecting methods from which air 40 has Deen removed enabling the atmospheric pressure to compress the whole system to the desired pre-compressed height.

Turning to figure 11 to 16 the shock vibration absorb- ing system member 17, as presented in figure 8, 3 and 10, is shown in a top view showing various possible configurations that varies in load capacity of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 with more or less damping elements member 1 di- vided over the total area of the system and a configuration ad- justed to an out-of-centre point of gravity in figure 16.

Turning to figure 17 the shock vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view looking at the bottom of the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 with holes member 22 in the bottom panel member 19 to allow mov- ing air, due to the movement of the upper panel member 18 due to shocks and vibration by handling and transportation, to stream freely in and cut the system even when wrap film is applied all around and over articles and over the top and sides of the sys- Lem; Turning to figure 18 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configuration, in which damping elements, in this case represented by member 1, are placed between a vulnerable article member 20 and a sur- rounding rigid frame member 23, that can be closed by one or two lids member 237, which are not on the drawing, but can also be equipped with damping elements to be mounted on any desired lo- cation as suggested by the arrow pointed towards vulnerable arr ticle member 23 and conseguently protecting the vulnerable arti- cle member 23 in all directions; Turning to figure 19 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configura- tion as in figure 8 to 17, is equipped with blocks 25 that are un-separately bonded to the system to form a shock and vibration absorbing system that can act as a pallet that can be handled by forklift trucks or other lifting equipment.

Turning to figure 20 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configura- tion as in figure 8, to 17, is equipped with flaps member 26 40 that are un-separately bonded to the system to make it possible for slip sheet lifting equipment to lift the shock and vibration absorbing system like load placed on slip sheets.

Turning to figure 21 the shock and vibration absorbing system member 17 is shown in a perspective view in a configura- tion as in figure 8, to 17, is dimensioned in such a way that it fits into a shipper case or crate member 27 to function as an internal shock and vibration absorbing system member 17.

Turning to figure 22 the shock and vibration absorbing system is shown in a perspective view where multiple damping el- ements member 1 as shown in figure 1 to 7, are placed in a ship- per case or crate member 27 to function as an internal shock and vibration absorbing system member 17.

Turning to figure 23 damping elements member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system shown in a perspective view are presented in a configuration adjusted for easy placing the damping elements into corners to make placing at corners easy by mounting the damping elements together with bonding or surround- ing element member 29 that can fold over a crease line 30 in an ‘LY shaped array.

Turning to figure 24 damping elements member 1 of the shock and vibration absorbing system shown in a perspective view are connected to each other with a flexible connection or sur- rounding element member 29 thus creating a string of damping el- ements member 1 that can be split from the string by tearing the connection over a perforation line 30; Although the invention has been discussed in the fore- going with reference Lo an exemplary embodiment of the system of the invention, the invention is not restricted thereto and can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment of the system shall therefor not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the shown embodiment of the system are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims thereto. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefor be construed in ac- cordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambi- guity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using this exemplary embodiment of the system.

40

Claims (20)

Conclusions 1. A volume-saving buffering element on which vulnerable articles are placed with an optimal damping characteristic with which vibrations and shocks are reduced to approximately 80% and whereby the damping is realized by foam, such as polyether foam, characterized in that it foam is compressed to at least 55% before use by bringing the top and bottom surfaces together and held in this position by one or more enclosing elements. A buffering element according to claim 1 characterized in that the quality of the foam and the dimensions of the element are chosen such that the element, due to the weight of the fragile articles placed on the buffering element, is only minimal, i.e. up to 20% percent of the original foam thickness. Buffering element according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that the foam is compressed before use by bringing the top and bottom sides of the element together with tape, film or similar. 4. Buffering element according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that the foam is compressed before use by placing plates of a hard material such as plywood, plywood, cardboard, honeycomb cardboard on the top and bottom of the foam. plastic plate or the like, these plates being drawn together by a flexible connecting element such as tape, a strapping tape, a cardboard wrapper, a plastic wrap of plastic film or the like. 5. Buffering element according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that the foam is compressed before use by placing plates of a hard material such as plywood, plywood, cardboard, honeycomb cardboard on the top and bottom of the foam. plastic plate or to be placed equally, both plates having movable side flaps on at least two opposite sides which are connected to each other by a flexible connecting element such as tape, strap band, a wrapper of cardboard, a plastic wrapping made of plastic film or the like where before the connection takes place the plates have been moved towards each other, preferably until the side flaps of the bottom and top touch each other in order to compress the foam to the desired height and thus obtain a damping element that is mainly used in vertical directions dampens shocks and vibrations and provides stability in horizontal directions because of the horizontal direction no movements are largely prevented by the connection between the side flaps. 6. Buffering element according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that the foam is compressed before use by enveloping the foam in a closed airtight bag from which air has been expelled such that the foam is compressed to the desired height, wherein the enclosed volume of the bag is large enough to allow the encapsulated foam to expand beyond the pre-compressed height. Buffering element according to claims 1 to claim 6, characterized in that a warning symbol becomes visible when too much weight is placed on the buffering element. Buffing element according to claim 1 to claim 7, characterized in that the pre-compressed buffering element is provided with one or more adhesive strips or other fastening element with which the cushioning element can be attached to a supporting surface. 9. An assembly according to claim 1 and claim 7 consisting of a plurality of buffering elements, characterized in that the foam of the plurality of elements is compressed to at least 55% of its original thickness before use, by moving top and bottom surfaces towards to be brought together and held in this position by one or more enclosing elements. A composition according to claims 1 and 2 which forms a buffering system consisting of a plurality of foam parts or cushioning elements enclosed between a rigid top and bottom surface, the foam parts being evenly distributed or so distributed over the supporting surface. 40 surface that the product is stably supported, characterized in that before use takes place the foam is compressed by pulling the ribbed top and bottom plates together with tape, cord, film, etc., thereby reducing the foam to at least 55%. compress, 11. A composition according to claims 1 and 2 which forms a buffering system consisting of a plurality of foam sheets or cushioning elements enclosed between a rigid top and bottom plate, characterized in that the foam is compressed before use by an enveloping airtight bag which pulls the rigid top and bottom plate together to compress the foam to at least 55%, 12. A composition according to claims 9 to claim 11, consisting of several cushioning elements and a top and bottom plate on which vulnerable goods are placed, characterized in that the number of cushioning elements is chosen such that the foam of the cushioning elements is due to the weight of the only minimally, i.e. up to a maximum of 25% of the original thickness of the foam, further compresses sensitive goods, 13. A composition according to claim 2 to claim 10 and claim 11 constituting a buffering element whose lower rigid plate is provided with openings through which air can flow freely in and out. so that the damping effect. is not obstructed by the wrapping film. A cushioning element composition according to claims 1 to 7, wherein the cushioning elements are interposed between a fragile article and a rigid wrapping and protective element to protect the fragile article in all directions. 15. A composition forming a damping system according to claims 9 to 12, wherein the composition includes blocks that create a distance between a floor surface and the bottom of the system, enabling handling with forklift equipment. le. A composition constituting a damping system according to claims 9 to 12, wherein the composition includes flaps around flush slip sheets that allow slip sheet equipment to load and unload the composition. 17. A composition forming a cushioning system according to claims 9 to 12 wherein the composition is placed in an enclosing packaging such as a box, crate or the like to protect the article placed on the cushioning system. A composition consisting of cushioning elements as defined in claims 1 to 7, wherein the cushioning elements are placed in an enveloping package such as a box, crate or the like to protect the article placed on the elements. A composition consisting of cushioning elements according to claims 1 to 7, wherein cushioning elements are joined together with a flexible bendable joint allowing two, three or more elements to be placed around corners of fragile articles. 20. A composition consisting of cushioning elements according to claims 1 to 7 in which cushioning elements are joined together by a flexible bendable joint connecting a series of cushioning elements together and by breaking a perforated joint. can be separated from each other,