US3028003A

US3028003A - Packaging of wheel covers

Info

Publication number: US3028003A
Application number: US807076A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest A Keder; Claire Bernard V De
Original assignee: Lyon Inc
Current assignee: Lyon Inc
Priority date: 1959-04-17
Filing date: 1959-04-17
Publication date: 1962-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 1979-04-03

Description

April 3, 1962 E. A. KEDER ETAL PACKAGING OF WHEEL COVERS Filed April 17, 1959 fr-nes f fl. Keder Ber/7 4rd VOe (Va/re 172/5 5.

3,028,003 PACKAGING OF WHEEL COVERS Ernest A. Keder and Bernard V. De Claire, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Lyon Incorporated, Detroit, Mlch., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 807,076 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates to improvements in packaging of a plurality of stacked or nested members in a manner to enable handling a stack as a unit, and is more particularly concerned with packaging of automobile wheel covers.

As supplied to the motor car companies, Wheel covers must be protected against damage to the finished surfaces thereof. In addition, it is desirable to provide packaging which will enable supplying sets of the wheel covers to the respective automobiles as they come oif of the assembly line, the sets of wheel covers being placed in the trunks of the automobiles to be applied to the Wheels of the vehicle by the purchaser or service department of the automobile dealer. Automobiles are generally transported from the factory to the dealer Without the wheel covers applied to the wheels.

Various expedients have been employed including placing sets of the wheel covers in individual cartons, individually bagging each wheel cover, etc., but for the most part such expedients have been unduly expensive due to any one or a combination of various factors such as cost of the packing material such as cartons or specially made bags, excessive labor costs for packaging due to need for handling, and the like.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved packaging expedient especially adapted for stacked assemblies such as a set of wheel covers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel package for sets of wheel covers and the like devised to afford ample protection for the finished surfaces of the covers, providing protection for the edges of the covers, and enabling convenient expeditious handling of a set of the covers as a unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel set-supporting package especially adapted for wheel covers and which lends itself Well to rapid mass production packaging by assembly line and machine methods.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stacked-set package for automobile wheel covers enabling the use of flat paper sheets without any pro-forming in the entire package.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a wheel cover package embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged edge elevational view of the package; and

FIGURE 3 is a substantially enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on the line III- Ill of FIGURE 1.

Wheel covers are generally supplied in sets of four for each vehicle. They are highly finished on their outer faces and must therefore be carefully protected in handling to avoid damaging the finish of Such faces. Such covers identified at 5 are shown in FIGURE 2. They may be of the type disclosed in the patent of George Albert Lyon No. 2,624,634 having any preferred face contour and being of circular disk form, provided with circumferential cover retaining means comprising retaining fingers 7 of the type having notched terminal flanges 3,028,003 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 for retainingly gripping a tire rim flange when applied to the vehicle wheel.

According to the present invention, packaging of the set of wheel covers 5 is effected quite simply, compactly and inexpensively by providing upper and lower paper sheet panels 8 and interleaf or separator paper sheet panels 9, the wheel covers being assembled in a substantially concentric stack. Securing means conveniently comprising staples 10 attach the several paper sheets together in laminar relation about the periphery of the stack of wheel covers 5.

Each of the top and bottom or face sheets 8 and the separator sheets 9 is originally of preferably polygonal form such as square, and all of the sheets may be of about the same size. However, we have found that only the facing sheets 8 need be possessed of particular structural or tear strength While the separator sheets 9 should he possessed of high cushioning protective characteristics and need not be possessed of special tear strength. Of course, if preferred, all of the

sheets

8 and 9 may be of equal quality. In a desirable form, the facing sheets 8 comprise a suitable kraft paper, in this instance a 40 to 60 lb. paper having been found well suited for the purpose. On the other hand, the separator sheets 9 have been found desirable where they comprise a bogus crepe paper, about 70 lb. weight having been found excellent for the purpose.

In assembling the components of the package, one of the wheel covers 5 is laid against one of the facing or cover sheets 8, then one of the separator sheets 9 is laid on the wheel cover, another one of the wheel covers 5 is laid thereupon, another of the facing sheets 9 is laid on the second wheel cover, the third wheel cover is laid thereon, the third separator sheet is laid thereupon and then the final or fourth wheel cover 5 is stacked thereagainst and finally the second facing or cover sheet 8 is laid upon the fourth wheel cover. At least the corners of the cover sheets 8 are lappingly aligned, but for neatness and maximum efficiency the corners of the separator 9 are included in the lapped assembly.

As the last step in assembling the package, the lappingly aligned corners of the

sheets

8 and 9 are secured together in cover stack retaining relation as by driving the staples 16 by means of a suitable stapling machine through the assembled sheets as close as practicable adacent to the perimeter of the stack of covers 5 as best seen in FIGURES l and 2, thereby drawing the cover sheets 8 reasonably snugly together and securing all of the sheets into a unit confining the stack of the covers 5 within the fastened corners of the sheet assembly.

By having the size of the

package sheets

8 and 9 sufficiently larger than the diameter of the covers 5, as best shown in FIGURE 1, there is ample projecting overlap beyond the perimeter of the stack of covers not only at the corners of the sheets but also between the corners to provide an ample protective package margin entirely about the stack of covers, with substantial tolerance for some eccentricity of the stack relative to the secured package sheets. Even though in between the secured corners of the sheets the edges of the package may be left open as best seen in FIGURE 2 the radially outwardly projecting marginal portions of the

multiple package sheets

8 and 9 beyond the perimeter of the covers 5 afford ample protective buffer for most purposes since on relative engagement of any side of the package with an unyielding object, the flexible package sheets yield in a more or less crumpling manner toward the edges of the covers and thus provide protective barrier and cushion, not only to protect the edges of the covers and the retaining fingers 7, but also to protect the abutting object against damage from possibly sharp edges or corners of the retaining finger terminals. It will be appreciated that this is a desirable protective relationship in the trunk of an automobile wherein the package of covers is loosely deposited and may be subject to some shifting and buffeting in the course of transportation of the vehicle.

It may also be observed that the corner portions of the secured package sheets aflord convenient handles for manipulation of the package. This is implemented by the flexible nature of the

package sheets

8 and 9 so that a good, solid grasp can be secured upon any one of the corners serving as a handle.

The flexible nature of the package sheets 3 and 9 is an advantageous feature since they will thus yield readily to the form of the packaged articles. Thus, the interleaving or separator sheets 9 permit internesting of the wheel covers 5 by readily conforming to the contours thereof, and the cover sheets 8 readily adapt themselves to the outside of the stack of covers as the corners are drawn toward one another and the covers tightened against the stack incident to fastening together of the corners of the sheets. By virtue of their high tear resistance, the cover sheets 8 will withstand substantial pulls and pressures, especially Where they are engaged by the staples 10, without tearing. On the other hand, when the package is to be opened the cover sheets can with some facility be torn free at one or more corners from the staple connectors 10.

Another advantage of the instant package is its adaptability for packing in the barest minimum of space for bulk shipment and storage. by packing a predetermined number of the packages in a packing carton, the highly flexible margins of the package readily yielding to be accommodated in a minimum size carton and the entire space occupied by the package being hardly in excess of space requirement for the stack of covers 5 themselves.

Where circumstances require, a flexible material of substantially increased tear and bursting strength may be employed in the cover sheets 8, for example cloth-reinforced paper, a fiber strand reinforced paper, a reinforced plastic sheet material, and the like. For any given requirements, however, the least expensive material that will satisfactorily meet service conditions should be selected.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a package of wheel covers, a stacked plurality of wheel covers, the covers having cushioning separator sheets therehetween protecting the surfaces of the covers, the opposite ends of the stack having high tear strength flexible cover sheets applied thereto, said separator sheets and said cover sheets having overlapping corner portions on the margins thereof projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of the stack of covers, and disposed in laminar relation, and staples securing said corner portions in laminar relation, the staples being disposed as This is conveniently doneclose as practicable to the stack of covers for thereby drawing the cover sheets firmly against the opposite ends of the stack and acting to hold the sheets in cover stack retaining relation.

2. In a package of Wheel covers, a stacked plurality of wheel covers, the covers having cushioning separator sheets therebetween protecting the surfaces of the covers, the opposite ends of the stack having high tear strength flexible cover sheets applied thereto, said separator sheets and said cover sheets having overlapping corner portions on the margins thereof projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of the .stack of covers, and disposed in laminar relation, and staples securing said corner portions in laminar relation, the staples being disposed as close as practicable to the stack of covers for thereby drawing the cover sheets firmly against the opposite ends of the stack and acting to hold the sheets in cover stack retaining relation, said separator and cover sheets having marginal portions thereof between the corners projecting beyond the perimeter of the stack and serving as protective buffers for the stack of covers.

3. In a package of stacked articles of substantial diameter, protective separator sheets between the articles, the separator sheets having marginal portions projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of the articles, high tear strength cover sheets applied to the opposite ends of the stack of articles, said cover sheets having marginal portions projecting beyond the perimeter of the articles, said marginal portions of the separator sheets and of the cover sheets being drawn together in laminar relation, and means securing the laminar marginal portions of the separator and cover sheets together and thereby maintaining the separator and cover sheets in stack-retaining relation.

4. In a package comprising a plurality of stacked articles of substantial diameter, cushioning separator sheets between the articles and protecting the surfaces of the articles, high tear strength flexible cover sheets applied to the opposite ends of the stack of articles, said separator sheets and said cover sheets having overlapping corner portions on the margins thereof projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of the stack of articles, and disposed in laminar relation, and means securing said corner portions in said laminar relation, said means being disposed as close as practicable to the stack of articles for thereby maintaining the cover sheets firmly against the opposite ends of the stack and acting to hold the separator and cover sheets in stack-retaining relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,126,185 Friedl Aug. 9, 1938 2,151,486 Ramel et al Mar. 21, 1939 2,602,543 Teufel July 8, 1952 2,776,772 Tamotsu Itoda Jan. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,060,535 France Apr. 2, 1954