The invention relates to the packaging of one or more articles in a packaging sheet material which is moveable from a first condition to a second, expanded, condition to improve the packaging effect of the sheet material. In accordance with the invention the sheet material includes a first portion with apertures which can be moved to an open position to create the second, expanded, condition and at least one, but typically a plurality of spaced apart, second portions which have no apertures, or a different shape and/or pattern of apertures than the apertures of the first portion, so as to form a surface of the said second portion more suitable for the application of a label and/or indications thereon when the sheet material is in the second expanded condition.

A protective product, such as, e.g., an envelope or pouch, is provided that includes at least one expanded slit paper sheet in an expanded state, and an embossed paper sheet facing the expanded slit paper sheet and fixed to the expanded slit paper sheet along at least a portion of a length in an expansion direction of the expanded slit sheet paper. In the preferred embodiments, the embossed paper sheet has a plurality of embossings that increase the rigidity of the embossed paper sheet, thereby inhibiting deformation of the embossed paper sheet that is fixed to the expanded slit sheet paper.

According to some illustrative embodiments, a protective product is provided that includes: at least one expandable slit paper sheet, said at least on expandable slit paper being expanded between opposing ends of said slit paper; a first embossed paper sheet facing said expanded slit paper sheet and a second paper sheet facing an opposite side of said at least one expanded slit paper sheet, at least one of said first embossed paper sheet and said second paper sheet being fixed to said expanded slit paper sheet at the opposing ends of said expanded slit paper sheet and thereby maintaining said expanded paper in its expanded state, said first embossed paper sheet having a plurality of embossings that increase the rigidity of said embossed paper sheet, whereby inhibiting deformation of said embossed paper sheet that is fixed to said expanded slit sheet paper.

Provided are a building board package suitable to suppress generation of a gloss that could be caused as a result of pressing a coating film on the surface of a building board, and a method for manufacturing the building board package. A building board package X1 according to the present invention includes a first building board 10, and a packing sheet 20 stacked on top of the first building board 10. The first building board 10 has a first surface 11 on the packing sheet 20 side, and a second surface 12 opposite the first surface 11. The first surface 11 includes a first coating film surface 11A. The packing sheet 20 has a third surface 21 on the first building board 10 side, and a fourth surface 22 opposite the third surface 21. The third surface 21 is in contact with the first coating film surface 11A. An absolute value of a difference between a 60-degree gloss value of the first coating film surface 11A and a 60-degree gloss value of the third surface 21 is 3.0 or less, and an absolute value of a difference between an 85-degree gloss value of the first coating film surface 11A and an 85-degree gloss value of the third surface 21 is 3.0 or less. A method for manufacturing a building board package according to the present invention includes the step of stacking the first building board 10 and the packing sheet 20 on top of each other such that the first coating film surface 11A and the third surface 21 are in contact with each other.

A shape-formable apparatus comprising locking sheets. The apparatus can have a first state in which the apparatus is formable, and a second state in which the apparatus has the desired shape and is substantially less formable than in the first state. The apparatus can further include an envelope defining a chamber, a port positioned to fluidly couple the chamber with ambience, and at least two locking sheets positioned in the chamber in an at least partially overlapping configuration. Each locking sheet comprises a major surface, and at least a portion of each locking sheet can be patterned to include solid regions and open regions, the solid regions being movable with respect to one another within the major surface.

Flexible packages for retail sale of rolled tissue products are provided. The flexible package may include a raised area having an overall height of 40-5000 microns disposed on an outside of the package. The raised area may be a separate element from the flexible package. The flexible package may contain at least one rolled tissue product. The rolled tissue product may have a visible pattern of embossing. The flexible package may have a portion thereof that is sufficiently transparent sufficient to enable seeing the visible pattern of embossing. The flexible package may have a portion thereof that is opaque, such that portions of the rolled tissue product cannot be seen from outside of the package.

A protective product, such as, e.g., an envelope or pouch, is provided that includes at least one expanded slit paper sheet in an expanded state, and an embossed paper sheet facing the expanded slit paper sheet and fixed to the expanded slit paper sheet along at least a portion of a length in an expansion direction of the expanded slit sheet paper. In the preferred embodiments, the embossed paper sheet has a plurality of embossings that increase the rigidity of the embossed paper sheet, thereby inhibiting deformation of the embossed paper sheet that is fixed to the expanded slit sheet paper.

Methods of enhancing one or more physical properties of a thermoplastic film include incrementally stretching thermoplastic films in the machine direction and/or transverse direction. In one or more implementations, methods of incrementally stretching thermoplastic films include reducing the gauge of the films while maintaining or increasing a ratio of the machine direction to transverse direction resistance to tear. The methods can involve cold stretching the films and imparting rib patterns into the film. The linear ribs can have alternating thick and thin gauges.

A patterned thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) film for fabricating a liquid-filled blister, has a blister-sized cavity in fluid communication with a microfluidic channel via a gating region. The gating region is defined by a relief pattern that has at least one of the following: at least 5 separate compartments defined by respective recesses in the first side, each of the recesses bounded by walls that separate the compartments from each other, the recess, or the channel; at least 5 walls defined by the patterning of the first side, the walls separating a plurality of compartments from each other, the recess, or the channel, wherein the walls have a mean thickness that is less than a mean height, and each pair of walls has a mean separation greater than twice the mean thickness; an array of separate compartments bounded by walls defined by the patterning of the first side that collectively define a polygonal regular planar tiling with at least 50% of the surface area of the gating region being open spaces; and a focusing region in fluid communication with the cavity, and a seal region having at least one wall defined by patterning of the film, wherein the at least one wall separates the focusing region from the seal region, and a shape of the at least one wall tapers the focusing region towards the seal region.

A method for embossing optically diffracting microstructures in a thin foil, such as used to pack at least one of the list comprising food, chocolate, chewing gum, gifts, jewellery, clothes, tobacco products, pharmaceutical products, the embossing being produced with an embossing rollers set-up comprising at least one cylindrical embossing roller and a cambered counter roller. The method comprises confining the at least one cylindrical embossing roller and the cambered counter roller in a single roller stand of relatively small outer dimensions designed to withstand a pressure for the at least one cylindrical embossing roller and the cambered counter roller; using on a surface of a first one of the at least one cylindrical embossing rollers at least one raised embossing element adapted for microstructure embossing, whereby one of the at least one raised embossing elements comprises a platform distant at a height in a range between 5 m and 30 m above a surrounding surface of the first cylindrical embossing roller adjacent to it, and a pattern engraved on top of the platform (5), whereby the pattern comprises the optically diffracting microstructures with periodicity of gratings in the range smaller than 30 gm that produce from a diffuse or directed source of light in the visible wavelength range diffraction images with high contrast and high luminosity in a defined observation angle; and adjusting the pressure for the at least one cylindrical embossing roller on the thin foil in a range less than 80 bar relative to a platform area of approximately 100 mm.sup.2.