Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ME'X'HOI) AND MEP~NS E'OR
P~OTECTIVF~Y PACK~GING ARTICIJES
5ummary of the Inven~ion
This invention relates to method and mean3 ~or
protectively packaging articles.
Many products and materials are subject to rust and
degrading airborne particulate matter if not ef~ectively
pro~ected, particularly in cases where the same ~re
stored for medium to long-term periods. Examples of items
for which prokection is desirable include such items as
raw steel products~ ~inished products made of steel~
computers and ancillary equipment, high precision metal
parts and equipment, small military equipment such as
arms, artillery and vehicles, microprocessers and housings,
motors and engines, high unit cost items stored for less
than one year out of doors such as cars, trucks, tractors
and boats, items which axe transpvrted or stored near salt
water, furniture which is being .shipped or stored, and
goods of various types which are shipped oversea~ and are
subject to salt water atmosphere~. Pre~ently availahle
methods and means to prokect ~uch material~ are o~ limited
utility or are objectlonably expen~ive or otherw.i~e
o~jectionable.
It is the primary object o~ this invention to provide
a novel, simple and inexpen~ive method by which praducts
and materials re~uiring protection from airborne conditions
may be conditioned and protected to minimize deterioration
thereof or damage there~o~
A further object is to p~ovide a method wherein a
product or material to be protected is encased w.ithin a
flexible houslng or container into the top or upper paxt
of which is introduced an i.ne:rt gas immiscîblewith air
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and of a ~reater spectfic gr~vit~ than air to ~isplace or
discharga the air in the container, ~ollowing which the
container i9 ef~ectively sealed~
A Eurthex object is to provide a flexible container
of air imper~ious material which can be readily sealed,
which is subject to negligible 108s of inert ga~ through
khe osmotic process, and which is characterized by
requisite gualities of strength, flammability~ burst
strength and resistance-to-shear, into which an inert
gas ~ay be introduced after the container receive~ the
material to be protected, and which container may readily
be sealed at its openings after inert gas is introduced
to expel oxygen thererom.
A further object is to provide a container which can
be sealed after contents are introduced therein and which
is provided with a pressure-responsive check valve at its
uppermost portion to permit dischaxge o~ air and with a
sealable filling openincJ for introduction o~ inert ~as in
a quantity suf~icient to displace and dlscharye thxollgh
the check valve outlet the air displacecl by the lnert gas.
Other objects will be appaxenk fxom the following
5peci fication.
Brie~ Descri~tion_o~ ~he Drawin~s
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the
invention adapted to anclose and protect a machine or
vehicle.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the container
illustrated in Fig. 1 whil~ empty.
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary ~iew of the container of Fig.
at the portion adjacent the opening thereo~.
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illu~tl~ating a ~tep
in the sealing of the opening o~ the container illu3trated
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in Fi~. 2.
Fig. 5 i9 a fragmc-ntary view illustrating an in~er-
mediate step in the sealing o~ the opening of the container
illustrated in Fig. 2.
Fig. ~ is an and view of the container o~ Fig. 2 which
has been sealed.
Fig 7 is an enlarged end view of the sealed
container portion illustrated in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a plan view of another embodiment of the
container.
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9~9 of
Fig. 8.
Fig. lO is a plan view o another embodiment of the
invention.
Fig. ll is a plan view of still a~other embodiment
of the invention.
Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12-L2 of
Fig. lO.
Description of the Pre~erxed ~di~
Referring to the drawings which illustrate one
embodiment of the invention, and particu.larly to ~i.g~. 1~7,
inclusive, which illustrate one en~odiment o~ the i.nv~ntion
deslgned or intended for use to enclose machinery, ~uch
as a vehicLe or other large article, the numeral 22
designates the container. Container 22 may be a sack or
bag having a filling mouth 24 of a size to receive the
vehicle or other item or material to he protected. The
container 22 may be formed of polyethylene 6uch as ~ *,
rubberized or synthetic rubberized materials, or any
flexible sheet material which i9 impervious to aix, which
can be readily ~ealed, which is capable o~ retaining an
inert yas with minimum loss through osmotic action, and
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which has pxoperties o~ strength, 1ammability, bur~t
stxength and resistance-to-shear suflcient to e~ectiv~ly
protect contents o the contain~r while beiny ~tored,
transported, or shipped. One material ~or the intended u3e
is polyethylene film of a thickness from one mil to
ten mils. Polyethylene is not essential and other flexible
materials may be available which have the followin~ general
properties and charac~eristics:
(a~ an effective temperature range or material and use
conditions between -60F to +180F;
(b) tensile strength (p~i) of between 1,500 and 3,000
per ~quare inch (ASTM);
(c) tear strength of hakween 50 and 300 pounds (ASTM);
and a smoldering or flammability rate of 19.5 inches per
minute (ASTM). The containex matexial may exceed the foxeyoing
values. The material should maint~in îts integrity under
an internal pressure load of up to 10 pound~ ~psi).
The container can be of any ~ize, assumin~ that it is
capable of beiny fill~d with inert gas and to b~ ~ealed
approximately airtight~ The container can elth~x ~tand alone,
that is, can a~sume a ~hape ~tlpported by the contents and
not re~uiring external supporting ~kructure, or may be
placed inside another container, box or ~ag, or upon a
pallet, for protection again~t de~tructive or damaging
contact with adjacent items ox structure~. In the event
the container is intended for use within another container
such as a box, it is preferable that the in~tarlt container b~
independent of, i.e., not attached permanently to the ou~ide
protective container.
The container of ~ig~ 7 i~ provided with a sealable~
gas charging nozzle, neck or inlet 26 and with one or more
gas outlets 28 pref~rably of the check va~ve type which
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permit expulsion o gas from the Lnt~rior o~ the container and
prevent entry of gas or air therethrough from th~ ex-terior
of the container. The inlet 2& and outlet 2~ are pre~erably
so located that they are uppermost in the normal use
position of the container when filled.
Suitable means for sealing the filling mouth 24 ara
provided. One such means is illustrated herein as a rigid
bar, stud or okher member 30, o~ a length greater than the
width of the container, which can be placed across the
container adjacent the mouth thereof as illustrated in
E'ig. 4. It will be understood that the folding of the
container at the corners along fold lines 3~ as
illustrated in Fig. 3 to provide end folded flap members 34
shown in Fig. 4 is optional. The portion of the contain2r
adjacent the mouth 24 is then progresslvely rollêd or
coiled tightly around the dowel or other member 30 to
produce a number of convolutions around member 30 sufficient
to provide a multiple thicknes~ cncirclement o~ the
member 30~ In instarlces where ~laps 34 are fold d as
illustrated in Eliy. 4, the number o~ convolution~ 3&
will be suf~icient to provide exten~ion or po~itionlng
o~ the rod heyond th~ innermost ~dyes o~ the erld ~olded
flaps 34. A ~econd rigid rod 38 i~ then placed again~t thQ
coiled or convoluted container material 36 in a position
parallel to the rod or dowel 30, and suitable means 40
are utilized to connect the expo~ed ends of the dowels 30
and 38 in a manner to compact and compress the coiled or
convoluteA material therebetween as illustrated in Fig~ 7
and thereby insure against entxy of air from th~ atn~phere
bctween the convolutions 36 and into the cont~iner.
The container illustrated in Figs. 1-7 is u~ed by
introduciny therein through the filling mouth 24 thereof,
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the machin~ or other axticl~ to bc houscd therein whil~
the gas inlet 26 and outlet 2~ are positioned a~ uppPr-
most locations of the loaded container. The container
contents are so located that the portion o~ the container
adjacent the filling mouth 24 thereo is .fxee t~ permit
it to be rolled or coiled around a dowel or rod 30
followed by application of the second rigid rod 38 and
the securing means 40 in the manner described above.
Alternatively, any other sui~able means to seal the
container adjacent to its mouth 24 may be provided, such
as a heat seal across the container adjacent the ~illing
mouth or a seal provided by cement, glue or a solvent.
A~ter the container 22 has been filled and sealed,
argon, an industrial gas having 80%~ of argon and 20D/o~
of nitrogen, or any other inert gas which is not mi~cible
Wit}l air is introduced through the charging inlet 26
in sufficient quantity and until such kime as substantially
all air is displaced thereby and discharged from the
container throu~h the gas outlets ~8. Injection o~ lnert
gas may be terminated when discharge o~ air through ~uch
outlets ceasqs as determine~ by discharge o~ the charglng
inert gas only at the outlet~. The argon or ot~ler
charging gas, being o~ greater speci~ic gravity than the
air, falls to the bottom o~ the container and p~ogressively
displaces and shifts air upwardly in the container for
discharge at the outlets 28.
~ hen the container of Fiy. 1 has been charged with
argon or other inert immiscible gas, the content~ o the
container are e~e~tively protected agains~ ru~t, corro~io~
and airborne particulate material. Thi~ protection is
provided as long as the container i~ s~aled and i~
effective for long period~ of time, such as man~ months,
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for e~ample, from fall to spxlny ~or agricult~tr~l lmplem~nts,
boat~ and the liXe.
When the contained protected ob~ect i~ to be usedr
the securing means 40 can be released, the outer dowel or
xod 38 removed, and the portion of the container around the
filling mouth unwound from the rod 30, so that the container
contents are available for release thxough the fill.ing
opening 24. The container can then be folded for ~to.rage
and later xeused.
In instances in which a heat seal line, or cement,
glue, or a bonding agent ha~ been appliad across the
container near the filling opening 24, the container
can be opened by severing it inwaxdly of the seal line
so as to open the container, and remove the contents.
The container so opened, while slightly reduced in 5i2e,
is readily available for reuse.
Fi~. 8 illustrates a modi~ed embodiment of the
invention where:in a container o~ pol~ethylene or other
flexible sheet materlal o the ch~xacter de~cxihed abo~e
i.s formed to provide an upper wall 50 and a lower wall 52.
The margin~ o the walls 50 and 52 a~e bonded together
at opposite longitudinal seal lines 5~, such a~ heat
seal lines or cement or bond lines, and a connected
transverse seal line 56 at one end thereof. At the
opposite end the upper and lower walls are joined at
converging seal lines 58 and ~0, which ext nd from the
filling mouths 62a, 62b lengthwise to a point intermediate
the length of the container at which the seal line~ 58
and 60 meet. By this arrangement a .relatively largs
filler mouth portion 62a is provided at one end of the
container and a relatively small fillirlg opening 62b i~
provided spaced from the opening 62a.
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Th~ container o~ ~ig. 8 i~ particulaxly u~ul forthe stoxaye of small arkicles and particulate and
fluent material and liquida. The ~illing o~ the d~ired
contents i~ accompli~h~d through the opening 62a, following
which a seal line 64 is ~ormed to close the mouth portion 62a~
The container is then positioned with the mouth portion
62b uppermost, ~ d argon or othex heavy inert gas is
introduced under pressure through mouth 62b to displace
the air in the container and diqcharge it through mouth 52b.
After the air has been discharged from the container, a
seal line 66 may be provided to clo~e the ga~ iller mouth
62b and thus effectively seal the container and pxotect
the contents. A container oE this character may be
opened by severing it trans~ersely, as along the line 68.
The containex may then be emptied and is ready ~or reu~e,
though in slig~tly smaller size. Following filling of the
reduced size container it can be resealed along seal
lines 70 and 72. Successive reu~e~ can continue, with
progressive slight reduction~ in the size of the containor,
until the overall length of the container i~ reduce~ to a
dimension slightly greatex ~han the dimension between
the transverse seal line 56 and the point of juncture of
the seal lines 58 and 60.
Anothèr embodiment of the invention i~ illu~trated in
Fi~. lO, which is formed of polyethylene ~heet material
and is constructed substantially the same a~ the container
shown in Fig. ~3, with the exception that only a single
longitudinal ~eal line ~O'extends from the open mouth 62
of the bag. In this embodiment, the s~al line 60'may
extend at an anyle as shown in ~ig. lO or may be substantially
parallel to and spaced from the seal lines $4. U~age of
this bag is substantially the ~ame as the usac~e described
~L ~L)7r7 ~ 3~
in reference to the Fig. 8 corlstruc~ion~
Another embodiment o.~ the invention i~ illustrated in
Figs. lL and 12 wherein ~ bag is form~d o.~ polyot,hylene
sheet material and has an upper wall ~0, and a lower wali
82. A longitudinal seal line 84 extends along one
longitudinal margin to bond the upp~r and lower
walls and a pair of transverse end ~eal lines 86 and a
plurality of intermediate spaced pairs of tran~verse
seal lines 88 e~tend across the container. The container
is thus divided into a plurality of sections each saaled
at three sides and each open along one longitudinal
margin of the container at gO.
In use, the container illustrated in Fig. 11 is
filled at the respective sections or compartments thereof
and then is sealed partially acro~s the each open mouth 90
leaving a small opening through which a noæzle of a ya~
discharge member can be inserted and through which air can
escape as heavy inert gas is introduced into the container
while the remaining open mouth portion 90 i9 at the uppermost
position. The remaining open portion~ o~ the mouth~ ~0
o~ the containers can ~hen be sealed, thus pxovlcling
a plurality o small connected ~eal~cl containffrs, e~ch
of which is filled with the contents to be protected and
with an inert gas. It will be apparent that the various
sections or compartments of the FigO ll container ~ay
contain predetermined quantities of material to ba protected
and that each section may be opened as required. T~u~ when
the contents of one o the sections or compartments is
required, that section may be se~ered from the rema~ning
sections along a line between the dual seal lines 88.
Then the severed or ~eparatecl section can be opene~ for
discharge o its content~ while protection of the remaining
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contents in the other sec~ion~ to air con~inue~,
Each of the en~odiments illustrated and dcsc~ib~d
above i5 usable in applioant's primary method wherein
argon o.r other inert ga~, not mixable wi.th air, ls
introduced throu~h an opening located in the upper portion
of the containex so as to fall to the lower portion of the
container and replace the air content therein, forcing
the air out of the container. When the inert gas
completely fill5 the vo'ds within the container, the conkainer
can be sealed. The content~ are thus protected in an
air-free environment against deterioration or the occurrence
of oxidation of metals or damage of contents by dust, dirt
or other airborne material ox particles and ~rom a salt
water atmosphere. The container employed must be air
impervious. Preferably the container is flexible so that
its filling opening and air exhaust openings can be
uppermost during gas charging and sealing operations~ The
container is ~ormed of material having adequate strength,
shear resistance, and flam0 resistance, during usage.
The container material must be capable o~ sustaining a
predetermined wide xange o~ prQssure and must have
ade~uate tensile strength and tear and .~larne res.istance
~or the intended usage. The inert ga~ pressure within
the conkainer when illed and sealed wlll normally not
exceed 2 psi~ but may be of any value which the contalner
will receive and maintain and preferably not substantially
greater than 10 psi.
The container can be o~ any size, a~suming that ik
can be ~illed with the desired contents, then filled
with inert gas and then sealed airtight. The container
can either stand alone or it can be placed within another
container, swch as a box, or it can be placed UpOll a
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pallet to protect it ~rom surroundlng objects q'he container
may consist of one or more air pervious inner bags
containiny the product to be prote~ted which a~e plaa~d
within an air imperv.ious outer container so that ~illing
of the outer bag with inert gas may occux with re~ultant
displacement of air from each inner bag priox to sealing
of the outer bag. The protective flexible bags will
preferably be larger than required to receive the desired
contents so that, after a seal is broken, the unit may be
emptied and re-used by refilling and resealing the same.
The bags are o suitable strength so that they not
only contain and protect the desired contents, but are
strong enough to permit transportation of the contained
products while maintaining protection against degradation,
rusting, and other injury ~rom external sources.
The methods util~zed may vary wi~hin a wide range.
One simple method is to place the objec~ to be protected
in the polyethylene or othex suitable containex, seal the
major portion of the container ~illing mouth, introduce
inert gas at pressures between 50 to 200 psi, as through a
nozzlP inserted through an opening at the top o~ the
container, to displace air ~rom the container untiL the
container is fully filled with the inert ga~, ~ollowing
which the ~upply of the inert ga~s is terminated and all
bag openings are closed ox sealed.
Another method entails the same step~ but utilize~
a container having a check valve at the air outlet and a
sealable inlet as descri~ed in connection with the
container shown in Figs. 1~7.
Another method constituting a variation of either
of the two aforementioned methods entails loadlng the
polyethylene or other container with the material to be
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preserved, ~hen reducing the atmospheric pressure within
the container by connect~on thereo~ to a vacuum source,
then introducing axgon o.r other inert ~a~ to fill the
bag, and then sealing the bag after it is filled with aryon.
In this method an additional tep may be used, namely,
subjecting the ~illed container to vibration incident to
insertion of the gas so as to insure against trapping o~
air in pockets within the container.
Another method particularly use~ul wherein a product
10 is to be preserved on a short term basis may utilize a
flexible unsealed bag of polyethylene or other air impervious
material which is placed within a preformed rigid container
alongside a worker. Such a ~ag containing material to be
protected is filled with inert gas to a level which covers
the material but does not flow out over the upper edge o~
the rigid contalner. The flexible air imperviou~ container
is then folded upon itself at its uppermost portion to
retain the inert gas. In the usage of such a bag the
worker may reach into the bag at the folded part thereo
to remove an article,~ollowing which he again ~old~ the
container to insure again~t protectiv~ gas discharge or
outflow. In this method argon, in small quantiti.es, may
be constantly or intexmittently supplied into the container.
In another method, any of the foxegoing methods may
be employed in a unit having two bags, one within another~
wherein the inner bag is filled with the material to be
protected, is then charged with inert gas, and is then
sealed. The outer container is then charged with the
inert gas and ~ealed. By this mathod the content~ within
the inner bag are given greater protection from taaring,
temperature change, contact damage, and humidity chAnges
than is provided by a single bag.
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Various sealing techniques can be used, depending
upon the needs and preEerences of the user. The sealing
technique utilized may be determined by the 1exible
container makerial~ by the product contained within the
conta.inex, by production techni~ues or by transpoxtation
modes or other factors. Regardless of the sealing
technique employed, sealing is adequate if the container,
as loaded, is airtight, and the product contained is
completely enclosed.
In addition to bags of the types discussed above,
it will be understood that other types of bags may be
used in different circumstances. One such type is known
as a plasma bag, usually formed at least in part of
polyethylene and prefitted with an input nozzle and a
check valve outlet. Other types of contai.ners which can
be used can be of the so called pneumatic types, usually
containin~ air under pressure, or medical sterile vials
which are provided wikh rubber stoppers and from which
contents may be withdrawn by means o~ a hollow needle
associated with a withdrawal receptacle of ~uction means
having a shiftable plun~er whose movement in the receptacle
creates a suction to withdraw llquid into the receptacle
thxough the hollow needle. Another type of bag may be of
the type similar to a milk container having a polyethylene
layer and provided with a preformed access tlibe of a type
which will accommodate insertion therein of an inert gas
discharging tube and outflow of air around the gas tube.
While the prefexred embodiments of this invention
have been described, it will be understood that chanyes
in the construction of the container may be made within
the scope of the appended claims.
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