Packaging part for securing an item to be packed in an outer packaging

Abstract

A packaging part (1) for securing an item to be packaged in an outer packaging, has at least one supporting body (2, 16) that acts as a decoupling element. The supporting body is formed as a hollow body and projects from a bearing base. The supporting body (2, 16) has a base with a relatively large cross-section in the area of the bearing base and tapers in a direction away from the bearing base. The supporting body (2, 16) further has in its shell surface at least one line of weakness (14) that divides the supporting body into an upper part and a lower part. The upper part of the supporting body (2, 16) can be pressed along the line of weakness (14), preferably completely, into the lower part under load.

Claims

1. A mat-shaped insert (15) for securing an item to be packaged in an outer packaging, comprising: a plurality of supporting bodies (2, 16) that act as decoupling elements, wherein each supporting body (2, 16) of the plurality of supporting bodies (2, 16) is formed as a hollow body that projects from a bearing base, and wherein each supporting body (2, 16) has a base cross-section in an area of the bearing base and tapers in a direction away from the bearing base; and a line of weakness (14) arranged in a shell surface of the supporting body (2, 16) that divides the supporting body into an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part of each supporting body (2, 16) is configured to be pressed along the line of weakness (14) into the lower part under load, wherein the plurality of supporting bodies (2, 16) are arranged to form the mat-shaped insert (15), each supporting body having a perforated beveled surface (6) and/or having beveled surfaces (6) of different inclination, and wherein the plurality of supporting bodies (2, 16) are arranged alternately rotated by 180° with respect to one another about an axis that is perpendicular with respect to the bearing base.

2. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the supporting bodies (2, 16) are arranged relative to one another in such a manner that the perforated beveled surfaces (6) of adjacent supporting bodies (2, 16) are aligned in rows or columns in opposite directions.

3. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the mat-shaped insert (15) has a circumferential edge that is formed by supporting bodies (16) that are less flexible to deformation under load than other supporting bodies (2).

4. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 3, wherein the supporting bodies that form the circumferential edge are formed to be at least partially closed without a cutout in their shell surfaces.

5. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein a hollow body volume of the lower part of each supporting body (2, 16) is dimensioned such that the lower part of each supporting body (2, 16) can completely accommodate a volume of the upper part.

6. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of supporting bodies (2, 16) are evenly spaced from one another.

7. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein each supporting body (2, 16) has a geometry selected from the group consisting of a dome-shaped geometry, a cusp-shaped geometry, a cupola-shaped geometry, a cone-shaped geometry, a truncated cone-shaped geometry, a pyramid-shaped geometry, a truncated pyramid-shaped geometry, a prism-shaped geometry, a polyhedron-shaped geometry, a round geometry, and an oval geometry.

8. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the line of weakness (14) is formed by a shoulder (8), an edge, or a bend in the shell surface of each supporting body (2, 16).

9. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the line of weakness (14) is formed by a double bend in the shell surface of each supporting body (2, 16).

10. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the shell surface or part of shell surface of the each supporting body (2, 16) is perforated.

11. The mat-shaped insert packaging part according to claim 10, wherein a cutout (7) in the shell surface of each supporting body (2, 16) extends in a plane running obliquely with respect to the bearing base.

12. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein the mat-shaped insert it is formed as a cast part from papier mâché, cardboard, molded fiber, plastic, a polymer foam, or a combination thereof.

13. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 1, wherein each supporting body (2, 16) is shaped as a polyhedron and wherein the shell surface comprises a plurality of beveled surfaces (6), and wherein one of the beveled surfaces (6) of the polyhedron is inclined in an angular range of between 40° and 80° with respect to a plane of the bearing base.

14. The mat-shaped insert according to claim 13, wherein the one of the beveled surfaces (6) of the supporting body (2, 16) has a different inclination with respect to the plane of the bearing base than another one of the beveled surfaces (6) of the supporting body (2, 16).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1 A-D are various views of a first variant of a packaging part.

(2) FIGS. 2 A-G are various views of a second variant of a packaging part.

(3) FIGS. 3 A-E are various views of a first variant of a packaging insert.

(4) FIGS. 4 A-E are various views of a second variant of a packaging insert.

(5) FIGS. 5A and 5B shows a third variant of a supporting body and a corresponding insert.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) Reference is initially made to FIGS. 1A-D which shows a first variant of a packaging part. The packaging part 1 shown in FIGS. 1A-D can both be arranged as a single packaging part 1 between an item to be packaged and an outer packaging, and also as a part of an insert 15 shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 A-E and FIGS. 4 A-E. In the former case, it is useful to store the goods or item to be packaged on a multiple number of packaging parts 1 having the configuration shown, for example, in FIGS. 1A-D.

(7) In the simplest case, the packaging part 1 comprises a supporting body 2, which is formed as a pointed hat-shaped hollow body made, for example, of wastepaper molded fiber. The supporting body 2 has a base with a relatively large rectangular, in the present case square, base cross-section. A circumferential, flange-like collar 4 is provided at the base of the supporting body 2, forming a bearing base. Alternatively, the supporting body 2 can be arranged on a base plate of any desired design. The supporting body 2 tapers in the direction of a ridge-like tip 3. For example, in the simplest case, the supporting body 2 can be placed with the flange-like collar 4 on the bottom of a cardboard box as an outer package. The ridge-like tip 3 then supports the item to be placed in the outer packaging, wherein the supporting body 2 serves in this manner as a decoupling element for the item to be stored. If the packaging part 1 is formed as a mat-shaped insert 15, as shown for example in FIGS. 3 A-E and FIGS. 4 A-E, the bearing base is formed by a perforated grid-shaped lower side of the insert 15, as will be described further below.

(8) In accordance with FIGS. 1A-D, the supporting body 2 is exemplarily formed as a polyhedron-shaped hollow body (polyhedron). It has four converging beveled surfaces 6 rising from the collar 4, which, as shown in particular in FIG. 1A, extend at different angles in relation to the plane of the bearing base or to the plane spanned by the collar 4. That beveled surface which extends at a relatively steep angle with respect to the bearing base is provided with a cutout 7. The beveled surface 6 of the supporting body 2 opposite the cutout 7 has a relatively smaller inclination with respect to the bearing base. The other two beveled surfaces 6 each have a shoulder 8 forming a bend edge (line of weakness), which extends approximately parallel to the collar 4 or to the bearing base, as the case may be. The shoulders 8 each form a line of weakness or predetermined buckling line of the shell surface of the supporting body 2, which divides the supporting body into a lower part with a relatively large base cross-section and an upper part with a relatively smaller base cross-section.

(9) In the case of forces acting perpendicularly or obliquely on the tip 3 of the supporting body 2, for example due to the weight of the item to be packaged/transported, the upper part of the supporting body 2 can be pressed into the lower part of the supporting body 2, depending on the level of the load. The material of the supporting body 2 is preferably irreversibly deformed in the process. The hollow body volume of the lower part of the supporting body 2 is dimensioned such that the lower part of the supporting body can accommodate the volume of the upper part of the supporting body 2 at least partially, but typically completely. The different inclination of the opposing closed and perforated beveled surfaces 6 favors the pressing in of the tip 3 of the supporting body, in such a manner that the upper part of the supporting body 2 folds within the hollow volume of the lower part of the supporting body 2, stabilizing the lower part of the supporting body 2 in the process.

(10) A second embodiment of a packaging part 1 is shown in FIGS. 2 A-G. Identical parts of the packaging part 1 are provided there with the same reference signs. The supporting body 2 shown in FIGS. 2 A-G rises from a triangular base plate 9. The base plate can have any other desirable contour. The supporting body 2 has a round base cross-section and is essentially rotationally symmetrical. Starting from the base plate 9, which is a bearing base, the supporting body 2 tapers in the direction of the tip 3. Starting from the base plate in the direction of the tip 3, the supporting body 2 is divided overall into three conical sections. Those include a base cone 10 with a relatively large base cross-section, a central cone 11 extending above the base cone 10, and a truncated cone 12 forming the tip 3. The central cone 11 is offset with respect to the base cone 10 by a slanted shoulder 13 or shoulder 13 inclined in the direction of the base plate 9. The shoulder 13 forms a circumferential buckling edge. The truncated cone 12 is offset from the central cone 11 by an additional line of weakness 14.

(11) The shell surface of the supporting body 2 is provided with a cut 17 extending obliquely from the base in the direction of the tip 3, which forms a cutout through the shell surface of the supporting body 2. The mode of operation of the supporting body 2 in accordance with the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 A-G is identical to the mode of operation of the supporting body 2 in accordance with the first embodiment. A force applied to the tip 3 of the truncated cone 12 causes the truncated cone 12 and possibly also, depending on the load, the central cone 11 to be pressed into the hollow cross-section of the base cone 10.

(12) FIGS. 3 A-E shows an embodiment of the packaging part 1, which is formed as a mat-shaped insert for an outer packaging. Alternatively, the packaging part 1, as shown for example in FIGS. 3 A-E and FIGS. 4 A-E, can be used to wrap an item to be transported. However, the preferred application is to place the insert 15 on the bottom, on the side wall or on the lower side of the lid of an outer packaging, in such a manner that the lower side of the insert 15 forming the bearing base is turned towards the relevant side of the outer packaging.

(13) The insert 15 comprises a plurality of supporting bodies 2 that, with the exception of closed supporting bodies 16 circumferential around the edges, are formed in accordance with the supporting bodies 2 shown in FIGS. 1 A-D. The geometry of the closed supporting bodies 16 or of the supporting bodies 16 with a closed shell surface, as the case may be, corresponds essentially to the geometry of the supporting bodies 2 shown in FIGS. 1 A-D. The closed supporting bodies 16 form an edge-side bordering of the insert 15. Within the frame formed by the supporting bodies 16 arranged at the edges, the supporting bodies 2 are regularly arranged in columns and rows. The supporting bodies arranged in a row are aligned in the insert 15 in the same manner, that is, their cutouts 7 all point to one side. The supporting bodies arranged in the adjacent row are rotated by 180°, that is, their cutouts 7 all point in the opposite direction (see detail A in FIG. 3D). Column by column, the supporting bodies are thus alternately rotated by 180°. This results in the crossed arrangement of the tips 3 of the supporting bodies 2, as shown in FIG. 3C, which is advantageous in terms of the safe storage of the goods to be transported. FIG. 3E shows the insert in accordance with FIG. 3A in an enlarged perspective view. Since the supporting bodies 2, 16 are each open downwards at their base, the insert has a perforated lattice-like lower side, such that multiple inserts can be stacked one on top of the other in such a manner that the supporting bodies 2, 16 of overlapping inserts 5 penetrate one another.

(14) FIGS. 4 A-E shows an additional variant of the insert 15, with which the supporting bodies 2 are formed and arranged as shown in FIGS. 1 A-D. The supporting bodies 2, 16 are arranged in diagonal rows relative to one another, wherein the cutouts 7 of mutually adjacent supporting bodies in a diagonal are rotated alternately by 180° relative to one another.

(15) FIG. 5B shows an additional variant of the insert 15, with which the supporting bodies 2 are formed in accordance with FIG. 5A.

(16) For all variants of the insert 15 shown in the figures, it applies that, in each case, two adjacent or opposite supporting bodies 2 can be arranged with their open cutouts 7 in any angular position relative to one another on the insert 15. However, a uniform movable relative angular arrangement should (preferably) be selected and formed for each insert 15 (optional provision).

(17) In FIGS. 3A and 3E and FIGS. 4A and 4E, the inserts are correspondingly symmetrical. In the case of the insert in accordance with FIG. 5B, this has been deviated from.

(18) Moreover, the formation of the border of the insert 15 from closed supporting bodies 2 without cutouts 7 in accordance with FIGS. 3A, 3E, 4A, 4E is merely optional. In the case of the insert in accordance with FIG. 5B, this has been deviated from in that the supporting bodies forming the circumferential edge of the insert are initially partially formed with cutouts.

(19) The words “example” and “exemplary” as used herein mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

(20) While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed or illustrated embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover numerous other modifications, substitutions, variations and broad equivalent arrangements that are included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(21) 1 Packaging part 2 Supporting body 3 Tip of the supporting body 4 Collar 5 Insert 6 Beveled surface 7 Cutout 8 Offset 9 Base plate 10 Holder 11 Central cone 12 Truncated cone 13 Indent 14 Line of weakness 15 Insert 16 Supporting body 17 Cut