WO2012003878A1

WO2012003878A1 - Dual-purpose packaging insert and packaging box for sensitive flat objects

Info

Publication number: WO2012003878A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/059886
Authority: WO
Inventors: Attila TAKÁCS
Original assignee: Sca Packaging Hungary Kft
Priority date: 2010-07-09
Filing date: 2010-07-09
Publication date: 2012-01-12
Also published as: EP2590873A1; EP2590873B1; PL2590873T3

Abstract

A dual-purpose packaging insert (1) has a core made of a plurality of hollow cells (10) defined by cell walls (11), the hollow cells defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet (14, 16), The packaging insert (1) comprises an uncompressed area portion (20) of a given thickness, with undeformed cell walls (11) extending between the opposing planar sides, thus providing structural stiffness and rigidity, and a compressed area portion (30) of a smaller thickness, with the compressed area portion's cell walls (13a, b) being at least partially deformed so as to provide resilience and cushioning in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides, wherein the core extends continuously from the uncompressed area portion (20) into the compressed area portion (30). A packaging box (100) for a flat object sensitive to mechanical shock, comprising a base and a lid portion (110, 112) made of generally flat corrugated cardboard, wherein rims (40) of the base and the lid portions (110, 112) are comprised of foldable edge portions (141, 142) of the cardboard. The base and lid portions (110, 112) are provided with one or more dual-purpose packaging inserts, wherein the uncompressed area portion (s) (120) is/are provided at least at the corners (145) of the rims (140) of the base and the lid portions to provide structural stiffness and rigidity to the box, and the compressed area portion (s) (130) is/are provided at the base and the lid portion (110, 112) so as to receive and resiliently hold the flat object when the base and lid portions are closed, and thus to provide cushioning to the flat object in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides.

Description

Dual-purpose packaging insert and packaging box for sensitive flat objects

The present invention relates to a dual-purpose packaging insert and a packaging box for sensitive flat objects.

Prior Art.

In the packaging industry, buffer materials are generally used to protect packaged items from damage during transport and handling. A popular buffer material is for example polystyrene (in form of EPS panels or inserts) since such material has a very low density, therefore adding little weight to the package, and provides good shock resistance due to its large elastic modulus. Packaging inserts made of such material are often shaped to provide an item to be packaged in a cardboard box with a holding structure which holds it at a distance from the walls of the box to and, by combining the shock absorbing properties of the insert material with room for motion in the box, protects it from damage when the box suffers impact during transport and handling.

One inherent problem in packaging boxes making use of

polystyrene inserts is that the boxes' required structural rigidity can only be achieved by large volume foam inserts that provide a "frame" within the box and thus take up the linear and torsional forces that can act onto the outer cardboard box.

Polystyrene foam inserts have a further disadvantage in that they present ecological dangers because they cannot be recycled together with other plastics and are, therefore, often disposed of with residual waste which is ultimately- destined to be deposited in a landfill or incinerated. To avoid these problems and provide the users of the package or box (both manufacturers and consumers) with a more

appealing disposal option, the use of paper-based inserts has developed, and particularly the use of so-called honeycomb boards in which honeycomb- like cells of paper are provided on face sheets of cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard, or are sandwiched between two such face sheets . Due to the honeycomb- like structure, the resulting honeycomb board provides outstanding rigidity and torsional stability. In the above and throughout the present application, when the term "honeycomb" or "honeycomb- like" is used, it is to be

understood that this shall not limit the structure to an actually honeycomb- shaped cell structure, i.e. is to an essentially hexagonal cell shape, but that equivalent cell structures, such as those made up of wave-like shifted cell walls, are also comprised in the present definition of the term .

One of the developments of this technology are packaging solutions in which the structural rigidity of an outer cardboard box is achieved by reinforcing the edges and corners of the box with the above mentioned honeycomb paper structures. However, these rigid honeycomb structures cannot provide the desired resilience in order to cushion the packaged item and absorb shocks onto the item that may occur during handling of the package.

To overcome this problem, US patents 2,728,479 and 2,761,553 teach to at least partially compress honeycomb panels and, thus, partially or totally crush their honeycomb structure so as to transform the core of the panel into bellows-like cells as cushioning layers, for use as inserts in box-shaped packages. Due to the way of compressing the panels, i.e. in parallel to the cells' honeycomb- like walls, the direction of cushioning is also parallel to these walls, and perpendicular to the face sheet of the panel. In use, the partially crushed layer of the honeycomb material is adjacent to the item to be packaged while the uncrushed portion, via the face sheet, forms the outer wall of the package. However, due to the partial crushing of the cells, the inserts provide only insufficient structural rigidity. An unsatisfactory approach to solve this issue is to increase the overall thickness of the insert, which however renders it less practical and more expensive to produce.

To protect items such as books, some boxes have an inner space that is simply surrounded by the above-mentioned honeycomb structure to protect the corners and edges of the book against damage, but the protective effect cedes when the weight of the item is substantial like in electrical

appliances, or when the impact during handling is large.

To pack fragile items, in particular, solutions have been proposed in which both uncompressed honeycomb inserts and compressed honeycomb inserts are placed together in a

package. In WO 98/42589 Al uncompressed honeycomb frames are provided between two cardboard panels to form a flat, booklike box that is well -suited to withstand torsional forces. The fragile object is held in the cavity formed by the surrounding uncompressed honeycomb frames by suspending it between two sheets of elastic film which shall prevent the object from contacting the box walls during transport and handling. The panels may additionally be provided with compressed honeycomb panels that provide cushioning.

However, due to the nature of the elastic film, this type of packaging is only suitable for comparatively light objects such as statuettes, crockery or the like. Even when the film is strong and tightly tensioned, heavier objects, such as large electronic articles, and in particular substantially flat ones like flat-panel TVs or TV and hi-fi components (DVD players, set-top boxes etc.) will tend to "float" and move around somewhat in the suspending structure when the package is handled, acquiring momentum and possibly touching the wails of the package. If this happens during an accidental impact on the package, serious damage to the object results. A further issue is, of course, the environmental impact of such a package, since due to the film it is less

biodegradable or reclaimable than an all -paper package.

Thus, for larger items, in particular fragile or shock- sensitive objects such as flat LCD TV sets, corrugated boxes with EPS buffers are still widely used. This type of

packaging, however, brings about logistical problems because combining corrugated boxes with EPS buffers for flat LCD TV packaging in normal circumstances means that the stacking strength is something to be provided by the corrugated box. Due to thinner and thinner TV sets the industry is struggling with production of boxes with appropriate strength at reasonable prices. Anyway, appropriately strong standing type boxes are too thin and need support in order not to tip over during transport and handling, while horizontal orientation boxes are too difficult to use from a packing and unpacking point of view.

Summary of the invention

In view of the above, it is an object of the present

invention to provide a packaging insert that is both

structurally rigid and resilient in corresponding portions of the insert so that it can be directly used in packaging boxes to provide both torsion resistance and cushioning effects, minimising the number of components necessary to set up a complete packaging box and therefore saving material, time and costs. Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a packaging box that combines structural rigidity and elastic resiliency, in order to securely package and protect sensitive items, in particular flat items

sensitive to mechanical shock, while at the same time being easy to assemble and quick to package the object. Such items will, for example, be electronic equipment like flat-panel television sets or computer monitors, but possibly also items such as large paintings. The above objects are achieved by means of a dual-purpose packaging insert according to claim 1 and a packaging box as claimed in claims 3 or 4. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the respective dependent claims .

Consequently, in a first aspect the invention provides a dual-purpose packaging insert having a core made of a plurality of hollow cells defined by cell walls, the hollow cells defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet . The packaging insert comprises an uncompressed area portion of a given thickness, with

undeformed cell walls extending between the opposing planar sides, thus providing structural stiffness and rigidity, and a compressed area portion of a smaller thickness, with the compressed area portion's cell walls being at least partially deformed so as to provide resilience and cushioning in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides, wherein the core extends continuously from the uncompressed area portion into the compressed area portion.

The term "uncompressed" is to be understood as referring to such a honeycomb paper structure in which the cells have not been crushed, whereas the term "compressed" is to be

understood as referring to such portions of the honeycomb paper structures in which the cell walls have been at least partially crushed or deformed along at least a portion of the cell walls' height by application of a force substantially parallel to the cell walls, and thus in this area portion no longer provide the rigidity and stiffness of the uncompressed cell walls, but rather resilience and cushioning in a

direction substantially perpendicular to the planar sides of the honeycomb paper structure (substantially parallel to the direction of the cell walls in an uncompressed state) . As mentioned, the core of the insert extends continuously from the uncompressed area portion into the compressed area portion, in other words it is intact across the imaginary boundary between an uncompressed area portion and a

compressed area portion and can, therefore, provide

additional stability to the insert, avoiding for example possible breakage or separation, which otherwise could occur along the boundary of separate compressed and uncompressed structures .

The insert of the invention thus is a honeycomb paper structure with compressed and uncompressed area portions next to each other (in the plane of the sides or the face sheet) , the thicknesses of which can be precisely defined and which can, therefore, be tailored to the specific requirements of packaging fragile or sensitive items. In particular, the thickness of the compressed area portion is smaller than the thickness of the uncompressed area portion, and may be specifically adapted to the fragile or sensitive item the insert will be used with. The dual-purpose packaging insert provides both the rigidity necessary to reinforce a packaging box, for example along edges and/or corners, and the

resilience required for cushioning the fragile or sensitive item, such as for example a flat panel TV, held by the one or more of the inserts within the package. The above insert provides both benefits at the same time, while being

available in predetermined shapes and numbers, and obtainable in mass production.

The dual-purpose packaging insert of the invention can be applied for immediate use in reinforcing and cushioning within packaging boxes. With the insert of the invention, it is no longer necessary to rely on separate cushioning and reinforcing inserts (which are separately and often

sequentially processed from a blank of honeycomb material) . Preferably, the perimeter of the uncompressed area portion and/or the compressed area portion comprises a curved or angled line, wherein the angled line comprises at least one not substantially right angle. In other words, the outer edge of the packaging insert and/or the borderline between

uncompressed and compressed area portions may be of these line shapes, and thus perfectly adaptable to the intended use. This is particularly advantageous in packaging of shock- sensitive electronic equipment, since these items mostly require non-straight peripheries of the insert and the compressed and uncompressed area portions.

Preferably, the dual-purpose packaging insert is L-shaped. This shape allows the insert to be advantageously used in corners of packaging inserts, which are particularly

vulnerable to impact during handling of the package and, thus, need particular reinforcement. Here, the L-shape is intended as in the plane of the face or cover sheet as the structure of the insert with adjacent compressed and

uncompressed area portions will naturally result in a

substantially L-shaped cross-section along a section through both adjacent area portions.

According to a further aspect, the invention provides a packaging box for a sensitive flat object, comprising a base and a lid portion made of generally flat corrugated

cardboard, wherein the rims of the base and the lid portions are comprised of foldable edge portions of the cardboard. The base and lid portions are provided with one or more dual- purpose packaging inserts according to the above first aspect (i.e. an insert as defined in claims 1, 2 or 3 ) , wherein the uncompressed area portion (s) is/are provided at least at the corners of the rims of the base and the lid portion to provide structural stiffness and rigidity to the box, and the compressed area portion (s) is/are provided at the base and the lid portions so as to receive and resiliently hold the flat object when the base and lid portions are closed, and thus to provide cushioning to the flat object in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides.

In an alternative aspect thereto, the invention provides a packaging box for a sensitive flat object, comprising a base and a lid portion made of generally flat corrugated

cardboard, wherein the rims of the base and the lid portion are comprised of foldable edge portions of the cardboard and are provided at least at the corners of the rims with reinforcing inserts made of honeycomb paper structures having a core made of a plurality of uncompressed hollow cells defined by undeformed cell walls extending between and defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet, the reinforcing inserts thus providing structural stiffness and rigidity to the box, and the base and lid portions are provided with cushioning inserts made of honeycomb paper structures having a core made of a plurality of compressed hollow cells defined by at least partially deformed cell walls extending between and defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet, so as to receive and resiliently hold the flat object when the base and lid portions are closed, and thus to provide cushioning to the flat object in a direction

perpendicular to the planar sides.

As stated above, the packaging box of the above two aspects of the invention comprises base and lid portions, with the base and lid portions forming the major sides of the box. The foldable edge portions can be folded up and provide the small-edge or minor sides of the box.

The packaging box of the invention is thus a box that may be laid or stored on its base portion and simply opened by lifting off the lid portion which will provide a large opening to the inner space of the box. This allows for particularly convenient access to the packaging box and greatly facilitates loading the sensitive flat object into the box, which has to be simply deposited onto the compressed area portions of the dual-purpose packaging insert or the cushioning insert of the box. The compressed area portions are already present in the box and can be provided in the size, shape and thickness appropriate for the object to be packaged so that it is securely held and cushioned, without possibility for unwanted displacements (other than those due to the resilience of the cushioning) . No inserts have to be added or placed in the box, once the object is inside. Then, the lid portion is simply lowered onto the base portion and the box is closed. Securing the box against reopening may be effected by standard techniques such as taping. At the same time, it is also very easy for the user to unpack the sensitive flat object by raising the lid portion to open the box and simply lifting the object out of it. No inserts have to be removed.

As has been mentioned above for the packaging insert of the invention, and which applies also to the reinforcing insert and the cushioning insert, the thickness of the compressed area portion (cushioning insert) is smaller than the

thickness of the uncompressed area portion (reinforcing insert) , and may be specifically adapted to the fragile or sensitive object the insert will be used with. Thus, the inserts can provide a holding structure capable of securely supporting the object from all sides of the box.

Moreover, while the uncompressed area portions or the reinforcing inserts are provided at least at the corners of the rims (i.e. of the box), the actual extension along the rims away from the corners will depend upon the rigidity and stability requirements placed upon the box. In general, the uncompressed area portions or the reinforcing inserts will extend along a fifth or more of the length along at least one of the two rims leading away from the corner. The foldable edge portions may comprise only one part

foldable at a right angle with respect to the base or lid portion, but in general will comprise two (or three even parts) that are adjacent to each other when going towards the edge of the base and lid portions, and are each foldable at a right angle to the adjacent part. Thus, the foldable edge portions form a rim having a substantially square U-shaped (or open square tubular shaped) cross-section, which provides a high degree of stability to the rim.

It is advantageous that the perimeter of the cushioning inserts and/or of the reinforcing inserts comprises a curved or angled line, wherein the angled line comprises at least one not substantially right angle. In other words, the outer edge of the cushioning and/or reinforcing inserts, including any line separating them, may be of these line shapes. This is particularly useful in packaging of shock-sensitive electronic equipment, since these items mostly require non- straight peripheries of the inserts .

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the foldable edge portions of the rims are folded over and around at least two sides of the uncompressed area portions or the reinforcing inserts. In other words, the rims of the packaging box of the invention are comprised by a highly stable uncompressed honeycomb structure enveloped by the U- shape folded edge portions of corrugated cardboard, which results in strong, highly stable rims that provide the packaging box with superior torsional stiffness. This is particularly important when packaging sensitive fiat objects such as flat panel screens that must not be bent during transport and handling.

Preferably, the base and lid portions are connected to each other by a hinge portion of the cardboard so as to open or close the box. The packaging box of the invention is thus a clam shell type box which, when laid or stored on its base portion, can simply be opened by lifting the lid portion which will swivel about the hinge portion, to again provide a large opening to the inner space of the box.

Preferably, the hinge portion is a flat rectangular portion of the cardboard. In this manner, the hinge can effectively form a small-edge or minor side of the box. In such case, it is preferably connected to the base and lid portions through a bend or score line, so as to be foldable at a right angle to the base and lid portions.

It is particularly preferred that the box further comprises second reinforcing and/ or cushioning inserts arranged at the hinge portion. In this way, the object to be held can be supported from all sides,

Advantageously, the uncompressed area portions of the dual- purpose packaging inserts or the reinforcing inserts extend along two opposing sides of the rims adjacent to the hinge portion. These opposing sides correspond to the lateral small -edge/minor sides of the box when viewed in the opening direction of the box. This measure provides increased

stability, rigidity and torsional stiffness to the packaging box. Conversely, the front small-edge/minor side of the box, and thus the corresponding rims of the base and lid portions, may have a central portion free of uncompressed area portions or reinforcing inserts, saving material and leaving space for additional items to be packaged such as accessories (manuals, cables, installation software etc.) .

In another advantageous embodiment, the packaging inserts, the reinforcing inserts and/or the cushioning inserts

comprise recesses in which additional cushioning elements are provided. These additional cushioning elements serve to appropriately distance the edges of the flat sensitive object from the uncompressed area portions or the reinforcing inserts, in a direction parallel to the face sheets, so that cushioning is also provided in this direction, parallel to the flat object.

These cushioning elements are preferably rolled-up or folded cushioning inserts. By rolling them up or folding them, the cushioning inserts acquire a very high degree of resilience, thus providing superior cushioning in the direction parallel to the flat object.

It is particularly advantageous that the inserts are glued to the rims of the base and the lid portions. Thus, any relative movement between insert and base and lid portions is

prevented, improving overall stability.

Brief description of drawings

In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with the aid of the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a dual-purpose packaging

insert according to the invention, with Figure la showing a vertical cross section through the packaging insert and Figure lb showing a section of the packaging insert taken along the line B-B of Figure la;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a packaging box according to the invention when the box is open;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the packaging box of Figure 2, showing the packaging insert in position within the box, and Figure 4 is a sectional view of a cushioning element to be inserted in recesses in the inserts of the packaging box of the invention.

Detailed description

In Figure 1, a dual-purpose packaging insert 1 according to the invention is schematically shown in a sectional view. The insert comprises a core of honeycomb paper material that is comprised of a plurality of cells 10 that are substantially regularly arranged between an upper face sheet 14, 16 and a lower face sheet 15 of cardboard or, preferably, paper, such as Kraft paper. The cells are formed by upright walls 11, which in the present example are zigzag-shaped paper strips arranged next to each other and connected, for example by gluing, at their apices 12 {see figure lb) . Here, the cells 10 are substantially square-shaped, however it will be understood that other shapes, such as hexagonal (true honeycomb), diamond shape etc. are possible. The packaging insert 1 has an uncompressed area portion 20 in which the cell walls 11 of the cells are undeformed and extend between the opposing planes defined by the upper face sheet 14 and the lower face sheet 15. The uncompressed area portion provides good rigidity and torsional stability due to the core made of uncrushed, substantially straight -walled cells.

The packaging insert 1 further comprises a compressed area portion 30, the thickness of which is smaller than the thickness of the uncompressed area portion 20, and in which the ceils 10 have been partially crushed due to compression said portion has undergone during manufacturing. It is to be observed that the cell walls of the compressed area portion 30 are deformed along a certain height of the cell, as shown by crushed cell wall portions 13a in Figure la, while the remaining height of these cells may remain substantially intact with a substantially straight cell wall portion 13b. In general, the degree of resilience required in the

compressed area portion will determine if the cell is crushed along its entire height (high resilience) , or only along a part of the height, thus forming partially deformed cells with deformed cell wall portions 13a and undeformed cell wall portions 13b, It is noted that in the process of compressing the uncompressed honeycomb precursor during manufacture the cells walls may either cede or deform in the upper part {just below the face sheet 16), with the undeformed cell walls below (above the bottom face sheet 15), or vice versa. It may also occur that both types of arrangement occur together in the same compressed area portion 30, that is with upper compressed cell wall portions 13a in one set of crushed ceils and lower compressed cell wall portions in the adjacent set of crushed cells.

The compressed area portion provides, due to the bellows-like deformation of the cell walls, a good degree of resilience against forces acting perpendicularly to the plane of the face sheet (plane of the insert) , and are thus capable to efficiently absorb impacts or mechanical shocks acting onto the insert. In this manner, objects placed onto the face sheet 16 of the compressed area portion 30 are well protected against damage.

As can further be seen from Figure 1, the core between facing sheets 14, 16 on the upper side of the insert and the face sheet 15 on the lower side extends continuously from the uncompressed area portion 20 to the compressed area portion 30, that is the honeycomb cell structure is not interrupted at the transition from one area portion to the other. This means that the physical properties of the uncompressed area portion 20 (torsional stiffness, rigidity) extend to a certain amount also into the neighbouring compressed area portion 30, in other words the packaging insert as a whole achieves good mechanical stability across the entire insert. Figure 2 shows a packaging box according to the invention that is designed to hold a flat panel TV screen, that is a flat object sensitive to mechanical shocks. The box comprises a base portion 110 and a lid portion 112 made of generally flat corrugated cardboard, and the base and the lid portions 110, 112 are connected to each other by a hinge portion 114 also of the corrugated cardboard. Although in the present example the base, lid and hinge portions 110, 112 and 114 are rectangular flat corrugated cardboard, it is to be understood that other geometries, such as octagonal base and lid

portions with a rectangular hinge, are equally possible within the framework of the present invention.

The box in Figure 2 is shown in its opened state, in which the base portion 110 lies horizontally, and the lid portion 110 is raised into a vertical position, pivoting about the hinge portion 114. The hinge portion 114 is connected to the base portion 110 and the lid portion 112 via kinks or bends 115 in the cardboard, as is commonly known. The base and the lid portions 110, 112 have rims 140 which are comprised of foldable edge portions 141, 142 of the cardboard. The

foldable edge portions 141, 142 are provided, generally at the front rim of the box, with openings 143, 144 which, in the closed state of the box, provide space to grasp the box easily .

At the corners 145 of the rims 140 of the base portion 110 and the lid portion 112, there are provided packaging inserts 101 (L- shape} , 101' (mirror- inverted L-shape) which have the generic cross- sectional structure of figure 1 and which each comprise an uncompressed area portion 120 and a compressed area portion 130. The uncompressed area portion is provided at the rim 140, while the compressed area portion 130 is provided towards the inner space of the box on the lid and base portions 110, 112. As can be seen in Figure 3, showing a detailed view of a corner of the packaging box 100 of the invention, the

packaging insert 101' is L-shaped and is adapted perfectly to the corner and the lateral side 152 of the base (or lid) . The foldable edge portions 141, 142 are folded inward by 90° from the base and lid portions 110, 112 so as to form, together with the flat corrugated cardboard of the base and lid portions 110, 112, substantially a square C-shape in cross section that becomes the small -edge or minor side of the box. They are folded over and around two sides of the uncompressed area portion 120 of the packaging insert 101, 101' so that the foldable edge portion 141 forms a vertical-oriented side on the open side of the insert (perpendicular to the face sheets 14, 15}, while the foldable edge portion 142 overlies the face sheet of the packaging inserts 101, 101'. The foldable edge portion 142 is fastened, preferably glued, to the packaging inserts 101, 101' (at the top, on face sheet 14) , as is the corrugated cardboard of the base and lid portions, which is glued to the lower face sheet 15 of the packaging insert 101, 101' . Preferably, the glue used is a hot-melt glue, but other adhesives or fixing elements may be contemplated, too.

Returning to Figure 2, the packaging inserts 101, 101' are provided in this embodiment not only in correspondence of the corners 145 of the rim 140, but also extend along opposing sides 150, 152 of the base and lid portions 110, 112. Thus, superior structural rigidity is afforded to the base and lid, and therefore to the complete box. In the present case, the L-shaped packaging inserts 101, 101' extend along the

opposing sides 150, 152 not only with their uncompressed area portions 120 but provide also the compressed area portions 130 along the sides 150, 152 right behind the uncompressed area portion 120. In this manner, a very large cushioning surface can be provided for the flat panel TV set, which notably improves its cushioning. The packaging inserts 101, 101' comprise cut-outs or recesses 125, arranged partially in the uncompressed and partially in the compressed area portions 120, 130, and into which

cushioning elements 160 made of crushed honeycomb material are inserted. In the specific example shown in Figure 4, the cushioning elements 160 are formed by a rolled-up piece of crushed honeycomb paper board, which provides a very high degree of cushioning in all directions. The cushioning element is formed by providing spaced apart sections of crushed honeycomb core material 161a-c, each having its own top face sheet 164a-c, on a common bottom face sheet 165. When rolled up, the left and right honeycomb cores 161a and 161c come to lie with their lateral sides onto the face sheet 164b of the centre honeycomb core 161b. In this manner, the cushioning insert can provide cushioning in all directions perpendicular to its bottom face sheet 165.

Returning again back to Figure 2, the cushioning elements 160 of the present example are arranged so that they protrude from the uncompressed area portion of the insert in a

direction towards the compressed area portion, therefore defining resilient cushioning surfaces against which the flat object to be packaged abuts in a direction of the plane of the packaging insert {plane of the face sheet) .

Further, cushioning inserts 160 made of crushed honeycomb paper board, which corresponds to the compressed area

portions of the inserts 101, 101', are arranged and glued onto the hinge portion 114.

Therefore, and as can be understood from Figure 2, the flat object to be packaged in the packaging box 100 is laid onto the compressed area portions 130 of the packaging inserts 101, 101' of the base portion 110, which provide cushioning in a direction perpendicular to the base 110. In a direction parallel to the base 110, the flat object is securely held and resiliently cushioned by means of the cushioning elements 160 and the cushioning inserts 170, which provide the cushioning effect in the plane of the base 110 and the lid 112. Closing the lid portion 112 onto the base portion 110 thus sandwiches and locks the flat object from all sides, protecting it securely against mechanical shock.

In use, the packaging box is laid flat on its base portion 110 and the lid portion 112 is opened. The sensitive flat object, such as a flat panel TV, is placed onto the

compressed area portions 130 of the inserts 101, 101' of the base portion 110, and abutted from three sides (front, left, right) by the cushioning elements 160 of the base portion 110. Then the lid portion 112 is closed, and the equivalent compressed area portions 130 and the cushioning elements 160 of the inserts 101, 101' of the lid portion 112 abut and securely hold the sides of the flat object, with the

cushioning insert 170 providing cushioning from the rear side, in correspondence to the hinge portion 114. The box can now be secured with adhesive tape or any other suitable means, preferably around the front and lateral sides of the box .

Due to the reinforcing action of the uncompressed area portions along the corners and lateral sides of the box, in conjunction with the square C-shape rim structure of the foldable edge portions glued thereto, the packaging box of the invention acquires a high degree of torsional stiffness, rigidity and strength, which allow the box to be stacked on pallets, and shipped and handled in a horizontal position, without damage to the rims or the packaging inserts of the box.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose packaging insert (1) having a core made of a plurality of hollow cells (10) defined by cell walls (11) , the hollow cells defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet {14, 16) ,

characterized in that

the packaging insert (1) comprises an uncompressed area portion (20) of a given thickness, with undeformed cell walls (11) extending between the opposing planar sides, thus providing structural stiffness and rigidity, and

a compressed area portion (30) of a smaller thickness, with the compressed area portion's cell walls (13a, b) being at least partially deformed so as to provide resilience and cushioning in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides, wherein the core extends continuously from the

uncompressed area portion (20) into the compressed area portion (30) .

2. The dual-purpose packaging insert (1) of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the uncompressed area portion (20) and/or the compressed area portion (30) comprises a curved or angled line, wherein the angled line comprises at least one not substantially right angle.

3. The dual-purpose packaging insert (1) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the insert is L- shaped.

4. A packaging box (100) for a flat object sensitive to mechanical shock, comprising a base and a lid portion (110, 112} made of generally flat corrugated cardboard, wherein rims (40) of the base and the lid portions (110, 112) are comprised of foldable edge portions (141, 142) of the cardboard,

characterized in that the base and lid portions {110, 112) are provided with one or more dual-purpose packaging inserts (1) according to claim 1, 2 or 3 ,

wherein the uncompressed area portion(s) (120) is/are provided at least at the corners (145) of the rims (140) of the base and the lid portions to provide structural stiffness and rigidity to the box, and

the compressed area portion (s) (130) is/are provided at the base and the lid portion (110, 112) so as to receive and resiiiently hold the flat object when the base and lid portions are closed, and thus to provide cushioning to the flat object in a direction perpendicular to the planar sides.

5. A packaging box for a sensitive flat object, comprising a base and a lid portion made of generally flat corrugated cardboard,

wherein the rims of the base and the lid portion are comprised of foldable edge portions of the cardboard,

characterized in that

the rims of the base and the lid portions are provided at least at the corners of the rims with reinforcing inserts made of honeycomb paper structures having a core made of a plurality of uncompressed hollow cells defined by undeformed cell walls extending between and defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet, the reinforcing inserts thus providing structural stiffness and rigidity to the box, and

the base and lid portions are provided with cushioning inserts made of honeycomb paper structures having a core made of a plurality of compressed hollow cells defined by at least partially deformed cell walls extending between and defining opposing planar sides which are substantially perpendicular to the cell walls and at least one of which is covered by a face sheet, so as to receive and resiliently hold the flat object when the base and lid portions are closed, and thus to provide cushioning to the flat object in a direction

perpendicular to the planar sides.

6. The packaging box of claim 5, wherein the perimeter of the cushioning inserts and/or of the reinforcing inserts comprises a curved or angled line, wherein the angled line comprises at least one not substantially right angle.

7. The packaging box (100) of claims 4, 5 or 6 , wherein the foldable edge portions (141, 142) of the rims (140) are folded over and around at least two sides of the uncompressed area portions (120) or the reinforcing inserts.

8. The packaging box (100) of any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the base and lid portions (110, 112) are connected to each other by a hinge portion (114) of the cardboard so as to open or close the box.

9. The packaging box (100) of claim 8, wherein the hinge portion (114) is a flat rectangular portion of the cardboard.

10. The packaging box (100) of any of claims 8 or 9 , wherein the box further comprises second reinforcing and/or

cushioning inserts (170) arranged at the hinge portion (114).

11. The packaging box of any of claims 4 to 10, wherein the uncompressed area portions (120) of the dual-purpose

packaging insert (1) or the reinforcing inserts are further provided along two opposing sides (150, 152) of the rims (140) adjacent to the hinge portion (114).

12. The packaging box of any of claims 4 to 11, wherein the packaging inserts (1), the reinforcing inserts and/or the cushioning inserts comprise recesses (125) in which

additional cushioning elements (160) are provided.

13. The packaging box of claim 12, wherein the cushioning elements (160) are rolled-up or folded cushioning inserts .

14. The packaging box of any of claims 4 to 13, wherein the packaging inserts (1) are glued to the rims (140) of the base and the lid portions (110, 112) .