Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02611393 2011-12-20
PROTECTIVE PACKAGING FOR AN ARTICLE
The invention relates to a packaging material for an
article,, 'formed from a ' flexu.ral.iy slack flat material
which is .folded.lengthwise, with the result that two
walls are formed which have parallel side edges lying
against one another, form an open slot with free edges
of the material and are connected to one another at
their front-side ends in order to close the packaging.
Protective packagings, in particular for bulky
articles, for example fenders of an automobile, have
also been produced for a relatively' long time from
kraft paper, that'is to say using a technology'which is
known for the production of paper sacks. In a simple
manner, a multiple-layer kraft paper is folded
lengthwise once, with the result that two identical
walls which lie on one another are formed. This
arrangement is closed at the front-side ends of the
walls which are formed, for example by stitching the
walls together at the front-side ends, A. protective
packaging is therefore produced which is very simple to
manufacture and, at one side edge, has 'a slot which
extends over the length of the packaging and can be
pulled open in order to insert the fender into the
pocket-like protective packaging which is formed. The
slot is closed for subsequent transport, for example by
adhesive strips which are applied to the outer side of
the walls and reach over the slot.
The known protective packaging can be produced very
simply and inexpensively, but exhibits certain handling
disadvantages. Pulling the slot open and keeping it
open and inserting the very long article which
frequently has a length of 1.5 m .requires a high
level of attention and care in order to hold the
article reliably in the packaging before the slot is
closed by the adhesive strips and the article is
secured against falling out. Until then, the
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arrangement is extremely unstable. Since the packaging
stands upright on the 'side edge which is formed by the
folding line for filling with the article, it is
susceptible to-falling over, perhaps together with the
article, as a result of which the latter can slide out
of the packaging 'and. can. be damaged,.. for example
scratched.
The present invention is based on the object of
.10 providing a protective packaging of the abovementioned
type, which protective packaging makes improved
handling possible without more complicated and more
expensive production being necessary.
According to the invention, in order to achieve this
object, a protective packaging of the type which is
mentioned in the introduction is characterized in that
the open slot is formed within a wall and at a spacing
from the side edges, and in that both side edges are
formed by folding lines.
In the protective packaging according to the invention,
the material is therefore folded twice in the
longitudinal direction, with the result that both side'
edges are formed by folding lines.
The folding can also take place with the formation of
side folds, with the result that the finished packaging
is then configured as a cassette.
The two free edges of the material then meet one
another within one wall and form the open slot there
between the front-side ends which are connected to one
another at the front-side ends in order to close the
packaging. For this purpose, known connecting
techniques can be' used, such as stitching, adhesive
bonding, welding, multiple folding, knurling
(embossing), punched connections, lock-stitching etc.
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Since the open slot is formed within one wall, this
wall is used as the upper wall of the packaging. The
slot can also.be.pulled open on the upper side which is
formed by the upper wall of the packaging, with the
result-that the lower wall is available as base of the
packaging and can also rest flatly on a support. This
results in stable positioning of the protective
packaging during loading with the article, for example
a fender of a motor vehicle. After the article has been
introduced into the packaging, the open slot which is
pulled open contracts largely as a result of the weight
or the shape of the article,=with the result that it is
practically precluded that the article slides
unintentionally out of the protective packaging.
Optionally, the slot of the protective packaging can be
closed subsequently in a known manner. This will
frequently not be required at all for transport within
a company, on account of the construction of the
protective packaging.
In one particularly expedient embodiment of . the
invention, the open slot is arranged centrally within
the wall.
However, it is also possible to arrange the slot off-
center, that is to say, for example, in the right-hand
or left-hand third of the packaging.
Furthermore, the open slot preferably extends between
the closed front-side ends over the entire length of
the packaging, with the result that no partial closure
measures are required for the slot which is formed
before the protective packaging is filled with the
article.
The stability of the slot which is formed according to
the invention and its tendency to close after filling
of the protective packaging is assisted by the fact
that, at the free edges which form the slot, an outer
layer of the kraft paper is folded around at least one
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inner layer and is adhesively bonded on the inner side
of the packaging. As a result, the free edges of the
kraft paper which delimit the slot are given a strip-
shaped reinforcement by the outer layer which is,folded
over, which strip-shaped reinforcement increase the
dimensional stability of the free edges and, moreover,
protects the free edges against "fraying" of the
material layers.
In an alternative embodiment, at the free edges which
10. form the slot, an inner layer of the material is folded
around an outer layer and is adhesively bonded on the
outer side of the packaging.
Furthermore, - it is possible to configure the slot in
such a way that the free edges overlap one another. As
a result, additional securing of the packed article in
the protective packaging is brought about.
Two chambers which can optionally be filled in each
case separately are produced by folding over in
longitudinal directions.
In one particular embodiment, divisions can be formed
between the end-side connections by further, optionally
interrupted transverse or longitudinal connections. The
packaging can then be rolled or folded-up. Divisions of
this type are expedient, for example, for the packaging
of fluorescent tubes and the like.
The packaging is preferably of at least three-layer, in
particular four-layer, construction, the outer layer
having a printable'outer side and it being possible for
the inner layer which forms the inner side of the
packaging to be of smooth configuration on one side.
Suitable materials are, for example, multiple-layer
kraft paper, plastic films, polyethylene or
polypropylene films, coextruded LPL/PP films, air
cushion film, nonwovens, for example made from
polyethylene or polypropylene or their copolymers or
mixtures, synthetic or nonsynthetie woven fabrics,
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foams, metal foils, composite materials which can have, for example, an
insulating layer, or felts.
The handling of the packaging according to the invention can be
improved further by the free edges which form the slot being arranged
5 so as to overlap one another, with the result that there is additional
material for automatic closure of the slot' after filling with the
article.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention resides in a
protective packaging for a fender of an automobile, formed from a
flexurally slack flat material which is folded lengthwise, with the
result that two walls are formed which have parallel side edges lying
against one another, form an open slot with free edges of the material
and are connected to one another at their front-side ends in order to
close the packaging, wherein the open slot is formed within a wall and
at a spacing from the side edges, and in that both side edges are
formed by folding lines.
The invention is to be explained in greater detail in the following
text using an exemplary embodiment which is shown in the drawing, in
which:
figure 1 shows a plan view of an upper wall of a protective
packaging, which upper wall is configured with a slot, and
figure 2 shows a cross section through the protective packaging
along the line II-II in figure 1.
The protective packaging according to the invention is produced from
multiple-layer kraft paper, of which only an outer layer 1 and an inner
layer 2 are shown in figure 2 for the sake of simplicity. The layers 1,
2 are folded twice in such a way that the folding lines form side edges
3 of a (lower) wall 4 and an upper wall 5. The upper wall 5 therefore
comprises two part walls 5a and 5b. Free edges 6 of the two part walls
5a and 5b 30 abut one another centrally in the upper wall 5 and
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therefore form an open slot 7 which extends over the length of the
protective packaging.
At front-side ends 8, the walls 5, 6 are connected to one another.
by a seam 9 which is produced in a manner known per se by
stitching with a twine thread (not shown).
As figure 2 shows, the free edges 6 are of
protected configuration, in that the outer layer 1 is
folded around the inner, layer 2 in the region of the free edge
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6 and is adhesively bonded to the inner side of the
inner layer 2 on the inner side of the packaging by
means of a strip-shaped adhesive bond 10, with the
result that the free edge 6 is covered by a folding
line of the outer layer 1 and a strip-shaped
reinforcement of the free edges 6 is brought about as
delimitation of the open slot 7 by way of the strip-
shaped adhesive bond 10 and the strip-shaped additional
layer of the outer layer 1 which has been folded over
inward.
Figure 2 shows' only one ' inner layer 2 for the sake of
simplicity. A configuration having a plurality of inner
layers, in particular three inner layers, is preferred,
in order to ensure sufficient stability of the
.15 packaging.
The open slot 7 which is delimited by the seams 9
extends between the seams 9 over the entire length of
the packaging.
Although the slot 7 is shown centrally in the upper
wall 5 in the drawing, it is of course possible as one
variant also to position the slot off-center in the
wall 5 if there is still a sufficient spacing from the
side edges 3. The minimum spacing from the side edges
is approximately 1/4 of the width of the wall 5..
Furthermore, it is-possible to configure the part walls
5a and 5b of the wall 5 so as to overlap one another,
with the result that the slot 7 forms a labyrinth
closure in the closed state. Overlapping of up to 20 cm
is possible, that is to say approximately 1/3 of the
width of the wall 5. As a result of the overlapping,
additional wall material is available for the packaging
which is filled with an article in order to close the
slot 7 and to prevent the introduced article from
sliding out unintentionally.
The packaging is also suitable for a configuration, in
which it has a substantially greater length than width
and depth. It can have, for exazple, a length of more
than 2.m, preferably of more than 2.5 m, and a width of
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between 0.5 m and 0.75 m, preferably of from 0.6 m to
0.65 M.
