WO2006067533A1

WO2006067533A1 - Packaging device, particularly for packaging fragile goods, and a method for producing the same

Info

Publication number: WO2006067533A1
Application number: PCT/HU2005/000132
Authority: WO
Inventors: Istvan Kobela
Original assignee: Midasz 1 Müanyagipari Kft
Priority date: 2004-12-21
Filing date: 2005-12-13
Publication date: 2006-06-29
Also published as: HU225946B1; EP1827993A1; HUP0402660A2; HU0402660D0

Abstract

The package has a base board (2) receiving the product (9, 14) to be packaged and comprises tabs (7) connected along two parallel folding edges (3), and further comprises an elastic film (5) having pockets (6) that are pulled on the tabs (7) of the base board (2). The device is produced by folding back both ends of a piece of film; joining the folded-back edges of the film by welding, thus creating pockets (6) bounded by the welded edges (10); placing the product (9, 14) to be packaged on the base board (2) comprising tabs (7) connected along folding edges (3) disposed conforming to the dimensions of the product (9, 14); inserting the tabs (7) of the base board (2) into the pockets (6) of the film (5); and then folding the tabs (7) together with the pockets of the film (5) back in 180° under the base board (2), while the film (5) gets tightened over the product (9, 14) to be packaged.

Description

Packaging device, particularly for packaging fragile goods, and a method for producing the same

Technical field

The object of the invention is a packaging device, particularly for packaging fragile goods such as ornaments, consumer electronics and computer products, comprising a base board supporting the product to be packaged and means for securing the product to the base board; and a method for producing the same. Background art

It is a common concern in the trade of packaging that the packaged products may be displaced inside the packaging and may bump against the walls of the packaging, which can lead to potential damage to the product. Conventional packaging systems for securing products inside the packaging are based on filling up the dead volume of the packaging with resilient material, or making shaped cushioning elements from resilient damping materials by recessing profiles conforming to the shape of the product into them applying suitable methods and placing the product in its external packaging seated into the suitably formed recesses of the cushioning elements. Thus, conventionally applied packaging methods are based on completely filling the free inner spaces of the cuboid-shaped external packaging, securing the product by means of cushioning elements and the supporting surfaces thereof. One of the major disadvantages of these methods is that for each specially shaped product an accordingly shaped support means is required, and so a given securing system can be applied for packaging a single product only. The smallest modification of the product's shape requires completely new cushioning elements. An additional disadvantage of conventional methods is that in the majority of cases environmentally unfriendly materials are used, e.g. polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, combined plastic-paper solutions, etc. Disclosure of invention

The object of the present invention is thus to amend the disadvantages of known solutions and provide a packaging device that is capable of securing a relatively wide range of differently shaped products by applying a single packaging structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for producing the packaging device according to the invention. The inventive objective is realised by providing a packaging device, particularly for packaging fragile goods such as ornaments, consumer electronics and computer products, comprising a base board supporting the product to be packaged and means for securing the product to the base board, the inventive packaging device being characterised by that it has a base board that is dimensioned to conform to the size of the product to be packaged and comprises tabs connected along two parallel folding edges, and further comprises an elastic film having pockets that are adapted for being pulled on the tabs of the base board. The film used in the inventive packaging device is a linear low-density polyethylene film covered with special coating, with the width of the welded pocket of the film being at least half of the depth of the tab adapted for being inserted into the pocket, and with the base board of the packaging device being made of corrugated paper or from "Cartonplast" plastic board. A preferred embodiment of the inventive packaging device comprises a stiffening underlay disposed under the base board, and an additional box cover of a configuration known per se.

The inventive objective is further realised by providing a method comprising the steps of folding back both ends of a piece of film that is prepared such that the length thereof is greater than the combined length of the base board and the tabs and the width thereof exceeds the width of the base board; joining the folded-back edges of the film by welding, thus creating pockets bounded by the welded edges; placing the product to be packaged on the base board comprising tabs connected along folding edges disposed conforming to the dimensions of the product; inserting the flute-direction tabs of the base board into the pockets of the film; and then folding the tabs together with the pockets of the film back in 180° under the base board, while the film gets tightened over the product to be packaged; and finally folding up from the plane of the base board towards the product the tabs located transversely relative to the tabs that have been folded at 180° until said tabs are folded at an angle of 90°.

A preferred way of carrying out the inventive method comprises the steps of placing an underlay element, of the same size as the base board, under the base board, before packaging is performed, and folding the tabs such that they are introduced between the base board and the underlay element. According to another preferred way of carrying out the inventive method, depending on characteristics of the product to be packaged, a cushioning element, having the same size as the base board, is placed on the base board before packaging. According to yet another preferred way of carrying out the inventive method, a box cover of a configuration known per se, conforming in size to the base board, is added to the finished packaging device. Brief description of the drawings

The inventive packaging device and the steps of the method for producing it are detailed below with reference to the attached drawings, where Fig. 1 is the top plan view of the spread-out cut pattern of the inventive packaging device,

Fig. 2 shows the top view of the film applied in the packaging device according to the invention, Fig. 3 illustrates the first step of the method for producing the packaging device, showing the side view of the film as it is overlaid on the device, Fig. 4 is the side view of the packaging device in its finished state, Fig. 5 shows the inventive packaging device equipped with a cushioning element, and

Fig. 6 shows the side view of another embodiment of the packaging device according to the invention.

Best mode of carrying out the invention

The inventive packaging device essentially consists of two main elements, a base board 2 and a film 5.

Fig. 1 shows the top plan view of the spread-out cut pattern of the inventive packaging device. The packaging device 1 is dimensioned such that it conforms to the shape and size of the product 9 to be packaged which is placed on the base board 2 of the device 1. As it can be observed in the figure showing the spread-out cut pattern of the packaging device, two tabs 7, 8 are connected to each pair of opposite parallel sides of the base board 2 along folding edges 3, 4. The base board 2 and the tabs 7, 8 form a one- piece member and are made from corrugated paper or "Cartonplast" plastic board.

The direction of the flutes of the applied corrugated paper is shown by arrows 15 in the figure. Fig. 2 shows a top plan view of the other main constituent part of the packaging device 1 , the film 5. The film 5 is a high-stretch synthetic film, preferably low-density linear polyethylene film coated with PE978 special coating and capable of being worked by welding. It is precisely the weldability of the film 5 that is exploited in the production of the packaging device 1 , for producing pockets 6 by folding back both ends of the film 5 and welding together the lateral extremities of the pockets 6, creating thereby welded edges 10.

After preparing the main constituent elements of the packaging device 1 the product 9 to be packaged is placed on the base board 2, and then the pockets 6 of the film 5 are pulled on the tabs 7 of the base board 2. Now the film 5 rests on the surface of the product 9.

The depth b of the pocket 6 of the film is preferably half of the width a of the tab 7 connected to the base board 2 along folding edge 3. In the next step tabs 7 are folded in 180° along folding edge 3 of the base board 2, that is, tabs 7 are folded under the product 9. With the tab 7 being so folded, the pocket 6 of the film 5 and the tab 7 that forms a continuation of the pocket 6 get under the product 9, while the film 5 undergoes stretching and, being tightened over the product 9, holds it firmly to the base board 2 and prevents the displacement of the product 9. Next, tabs 8 of the base board are folded upwards along folding edges 4 at 90°, parallel with the side of the product 9 (see Fig. 4).

The finished packaging device 1 can subsequently be equipped with an additional box cover that is known per se and is of a shape and size that conform to the shape and size of the product 9. However, adding a cover is not necessary because the product 9 is safely held by the film 5 in a position which provides that the product 9 is sufficiently safe from any damage. In case the product 9 to be packaged requires so, a cushioning element 11 can also be applied. The cushioning element 11 should be disposed parallel with the base board 2, with the tabs 7, which are introduced into the pockets 6 of the film 5 and folded under the base board 2, being positioned between the base board 2 and the cushioning element 11 (see Fig. 5). In Figs. 1-5 the inventive packaging device and method were illustrated with a product 9 of a regular shape, such as for instance a DVD player, which has a rectangular shape.

The packaging device according to the invention can, however, be applied for packaging bodies and materials of any other shape, including irregular shapes as well. Fig. 6 illustrates that showing how a glass product 14 of elliptical cross- sectional shape can be packaged using the invention. Such products have a tendency to roll about inside the packaging if not secured well, and may also bend the base board 2 in case the package is lifted. Thus, if products 14 of this kind are to be packaged, an additional underlay 13 is placed on the base board 2. The underlay 13 extends as far as the parallel folding edges 3 of the tabs 7 to be introduced into the pockets 6 of the film 5. The packaging operation is performed in the same way as it is described above. Application of the underlay 13 is required in order to prevent the base board 2 from getting deformed (bent upwards) when the tabs 7 are folded back in 180° and the film is tightened over the product. The packaging produced this way can also be supplemented with a box cover 12 that is known per se and is of a size that conforms to the dimensions of the base board 2.

Products packaged applying the method described above are well positioned and safely secured vertically and horizontally as well if placed into an external packaging box, even without the application of an additional box cover.

The inventive packaging device and method has the advantage of being applicable for products of any geometry within a specific mass range. A further advantage is that - to a certain degree - it serves not only as a packaging-securing element but as a damping (cushioning) element as well. Shock- and vibration-resistance characteristics of the product are, on the one hand, specified in standards related to the product to be packaged and, on the other, in standards for shock and vibration tests. Provided that the shock- resistance and vibration-resistance parameters of the product are known, required damping characteristics of the inventive packaging device can also be determined. Because the mechanical system is exceedingly complex, instead of theoretical dimensioning it is more feasible to determine the parameters of the packaging device by laboratory simulation of shock and vibration stress. As far as the base board of the product is concerned, cushioning provided by the packaging device is ineffective in the vertical direction, so it may become necessary to apply additional cushioning material if vertical damping of the system proves insufficient (see Fig. 5). This, however, can be provided for easily, simply by inserting a flat cushioning element below the base board of the device. In other directions the resilient film affords relatively large-amplitude sways, but after external action has ceased, the film draws back the product to the original position. The energy of shocks and vibration is taken up by the work of deformation of the high-stretch film. According to the tests conducted so far with the inventive packaging device the maximum mass of the product that can be firmly secured by the device is approximately 20 kg, while the maximum overall dimensions of the product to be packaged are approximately 400 x 400 x 400 mm. Because the stretch of the film is so high that it can compensate for all size differences resulting from highly different geometry, the packaged product can be of practically any shape. The invention can be advantageously applied for packaging fragile ornaments such as glass and china figurines and vases; for electronics products (computer and consumer electronics goods), and also for the collective packaging of rigid and semi-rigid containers of fluids, such as glass and plastic bottles. An advantageous feature of the inventive device is that the external dimensions of the packaging can be significantly reduced compared to conventional packaging applying spacing materials/elements, because in case of the inventive method there is no dead volume that would be caused by the special-shape cushioning. From the point of view of logistics, the overall volume that has to be taken into account in product packaging systems can be reduced by as much as 40%. The production of cushioning elements applied for the inventive device does not require special machinery or moulds, and thus manufacturing can be started on a very short notice in concrete cases. The configuration of the inventive device provides the prevention of the packaged product from retaining electrostatic charge, because the sensitive product, being covered with electrically conducive protective packaging, contacts the securing film in the open state of the static-protective packaging only when the securing film lies loose on the product. Another great advantage of the invention lies in the fact that it is not classified as "combined packaging" from the aspect of environmental management because constituent parts of the packaging can be safely separated and recycled separately after use.

List of references

1 packaging device

2 base board

3 folding edge

4 folding edge

5 film

6 pocket

7 tab

8 tab

9 product

10 welded edge

11 cushioning element

12 box cover

13 underlay

14 product

15 arrow

Claims

1. Packaging device, particularly for packaging fragile goods such as ornaments, consumer electronics and computer products, comprising a base board (2) supporting the product (9, 14) to be packaged and means for securing the product (9, 14) to the base board, characterised by that it has a base board (2) that is dimensioned to conform to the size of the product (9, 14) to be packaged and comprises tabs (7, 8) connected along two parallel folding edges (3, 4), and further comprises an elastic film (5) having pockets (6) that are adapted for being pulled on the tabs (7, 8) of the base board (2).

2. The packaging device according to Claim 1 , characterised by that the elastic film thereof is linear low-density polyethylene film covered with special coating.

3. The packaging device according to Claims 1 or 2, characterised by that the width (b) of the welded pocket (6) of the film (5) is at least half of the depth (a) of the tab (7) adapted for being inserted into the pocket.

4. The packaging device according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterised by that the base board (2) thereof is made of corrugated paper.

5. The packaging device according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterised by that the base board thereof is made from Cartonplast plastic board.

6. The packaging device according to any one of Claims 1-5, characterised by further comprising a stiffening underlay (13) disposed under the base board (2).

7. The packaging device according to any one of Claims 1-6, characterised by further comprising an additional box cover (12) of a configuration known per se.

8. Method for producing the packaging device according to Claim 1 , characterised by folding back both ends of a piece of film that is prepared such that the length thereof is greater than the combined length of the base board (2) and the tabs (7) and the width thereof exceeds the width of the base board (2); joining the folded-back edges of the film by welding, thus creating pockets (6) bounded by the welded edges (10); placing the product (9, 14) to be packaged on the base board (2) comprising tabs (7, 8) connected along folding edges (3, 4) disposed conforming to the dimensions of the product (9, 14); inserting the flute-direction tabs (7) of the base board (2) into the pockets (6) of the film (5); and then folding the tabs together with the pockets of the film (5) back in 180° under the base board (2), while the film (5) gets tightened over the product (9, 14) to be packaged; and finally folding up from the plane of the base board (2) towards the product (9, 14) the tabs (8) located transversely relative to the tabs that have been folded at 180° until said tabs (7) are folded at an angle of 90°.

9. The method according to Claim 8, characterised by that before packaging is performed, an underlay element (13) of the same size as the base board (2) is placed under the base board (2), and the tabs (7) are folded such that they are introduced between the base board (2) and the underlay element (13).

10. The method according to Claims 8 or 9, characterised by that, depending on the characteristics of the product (9, 14) to be packaged, a cushioning element (11) having the same size as the base board (2) is placed on the base board (2) before packaging.

11. The method according to any one of Claims 8-10, characterised by that a box cover (12) of a configuration known per se, conforming in size to the base board, is added to the finished packaging device.