Large Item Packaging

Abstract

An edge and corner protector device is disclosed. The device includes a main body having a plurality of panels with one or more apertures, and one or more support members attached to the main body through the one or more apertures.

Claims

1. A device comprising: a main body having a plurality of panels with one or more apertures, and one or more support members attached to the main body through the one or more apertures.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body is a cardboard.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more support members are made of plastic.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body includes at least seven panels connected together.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more support members include at least two protruding arcs.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more support members include at least one rectangular surface.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more support members are made of high molecular weight polyethylene material.

8. A device comprising: a main body having a plurality of panels with one or more apertures, main body includes corrugated fiber, and one or more support members attached to the main body through the one or more apertures, wherein the one or more support members are made of high molecular weight polyethylene material and configured to interlock with one or more support members detachably placed on top of the main body.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main body is a cardboard.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more support members are made of plastic.

11. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main body includes at least seven panels connected together.

12. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more support member includes at least two protruding arcs.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the one or more support members include at least one rectangular surface.

14. A device comprising: a main body having a plurality of panels with one or more apertures, the main body includes at least ten apertures, and one or more support member attached to the main body through the one or more apertures, wherein the one or more support members include one or more side wall members having one or more protruding members.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the main body is a cardboard.

16. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one or more support members are made of plastic.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the main body includes at least seven panels connected together.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the one or more support members includes at least two protruding arcs.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the one or more support members include at least one rectangular surface.

20. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the main body is made of corrugated fiber.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 is an illustration of the body member of the present invention showing an unfolded state.

[0012] FIG. 3 is an illustration of one embodiment of the support member of the present invention showing the inner side of the support member.

[0013] FIG. 4 is an illustration of one embodiment of the support member of the present invention showing the outer side of the support member.

[0014] FIG. 5 is an illustration of the body member of the present invention showing a folded state.

[0015] FIG. 6 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention being installed on an object or product.

[0016] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the present invention secured onto an object or product.

[0017] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the present invention showing the support members interlocking each other.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

[0018] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0019] As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being preferred is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim limitation found herein and/or issuing here from that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

[0021] Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.

[0022] Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used hereinas understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such termdiffers in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

[0023] Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, a and an each generally denotes at least one, but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, or denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, and denotes all of the items of the list.

[0024] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims found herein and/or issuing here from.

[0025] As shown FIGS. 1-7, the present invention provides a device (edge and corner protector) 100 designed to protect an object or product during shipment, merchandising, handling, and of the likes. The present invention provides packaging material (device 100) that does not use straps which may potentially damage the surface of the packaged object or product.

[0026] In addition, the present invention is a packaging material used to assist the packaging of an object or product by means of being attached to the eight corners of a box.

[0027] In preferred embodiment, FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, the present invention comprises a corrugated fiber product (main body 10) and a set of assisting tabs (support member 20). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the main body 10 may include a plurality of panels (top portion 17 and bottom portion 18). In some embodiments, the main body 10 may include at least seven panels connected together and form the top portion 17 and bottom portion 18 of the main body 10.

[0028] In reference to FIG. 2, the corrugated fiber product (main body 10) of the present invention can be seen. The corrugated fiber product is the main body 10 of the present invention. The corrugated fiber product can be seen lay out in a flat-open configuration, before structurally folded into the final configuration as shown on FIG. 1.

[0029] In one embodiment, the corrugated fiber product can be described with a peculiar shape or in some embodiments, the main body 10 may include any shape if necessary. In addition, the main body 10 further comprises one or more apertures (rectangular holes) 15 for the placement and protrusion of the assisting tabs (support member 20).

[0030] In reference to FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, the assisting tabs (support member 20) can be seen attached and secured with the corrugated fiber product (main body 10).

[0031] In one embodiment, the corrugated fiber product may comprise a top portion 17 and a bottom portion 18 as can be seen on FIG. 2, wherein the bottom portion 18 is a partial mirror of the top portion 17.

[0032] In one embodiment, the main body 10 can be configured by folding the bottom 18 portion over the top portion 17 correspondingly. For example, the long side bottom portion 18a and long side top portion 17a can be folded onto the matching long side bottom portion 18b and matching long side top portion 17b, the long side bottom portion 18a and long side top portion 17a can be folded perpendicular to the top portion 17 and then the bottom portion 18 can be rotated so that the bottom portion 18 can overlap the top portion 17, and then the extended flap 17c of the top portion 17 will fold over to complete the final configuration as can be seen in FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment, the main body 10 is made of corrugated craft fiber board but can be made with other material as the material is and should not be the limiting factor of the present invention.

[0033] In reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a support member 20 (an assisting tab) is shown. In one embodiment, the assisting tabs 20 are small rectangular panel 22 with protruding arcs 21 from the surface of the panel 22. More specifically, the assisting tabs 20 are rectangular panel with a center crease 23 to allow for bending and folding along the center as can be seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

[0034] In one embodiment, the assisting tabs 20 further comprises a set of arcs 21 on each surface besides the center crease 23. The support members (assisting tabs 20) may include any suitable shape including pentagonal shapes.

[0035] In one embodiment, the set of arcs 21 are panel corners protruding from the surface of the panel 22 with the corner end cut off. The assisting tabs (support members) 20 are utilized as a mechanism to assist the securement and the protection of an object or product within a box. The protruding arcs 21 of the assisting tabs are designed to protrude through the rectangular holes 15 of the main body (corrugated fiber product) 10 as can be seen in FIGS. 1, 5, 6, and 7. In the preferred embodiment, the support member 20 is made of high molecular weight polyethylene material but can be made with other material as the material is and should not be the limiting factor of the present invention.

[0036] To use the present invention, the user will configure the main body 10 into a final configured portion by means of folding the sides and edges (top portion 17, bottom portion 18, long sides 17a, 18a) correspondingly. In addition, the user will ensure that the support members 20 are correctly positioned within the main body 10 during the folding and configuring process. The user will successfully create, ideally, a total of eight final configurations (device 100) of the present invention. The eight copies (device 100) of the present invention are ideally used on the eight corners of the object or product that is being packaged into a box.

[0037] In one embodiment, the present invention packaging starts with a corrugated container which hold plastic trays in place, the plastic tray holds the load intended. The main body 10 (corrugated fiber product) can be made of plastic and the plastic tray can be thermoformed of injection molded, or any process of making a specific angular part to support the required load. Within a box, the present invention is used as an external boundary of the present invention to assist the securement and cushion the present invention from external force during shipment. The support members 20 (assisting tabs) can be used to position and hold elongated packaging material such as a long slab of wood or expanded foam/polymer material.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 8, the set of arcs 21 of the support members (assisting tabs) 20 can be designed so that one assisting tab 20 can be stacked on top of another assisting tab 20. In one embodiment, the support members (assisting tabs) 20 may include one or more side wall members 24 having one or more protruding members 25. The side wall members can be perpendicularly connected to the surface of the panel 22 of the support members (assisting tabs) 20. The side wall member can be attached to the side wall of packaging and tis is intended to replace pallets. This unique design allows for an interlocking of the package above it.

[0039] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.