Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
LOAD DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR CORNER POSTS
BACKGROUND
Field Of The Invention
This patent relates to a palletized packaging assembly. More
particularly, this patent relates to a packaging assembly comprising vertical
support posts and including means for distributing a stacking load that
minimizes the buckling effect that can occur due to offstacking.
Description Of The Related Art
Articles such as outside air conditioners or large household appliances
(washers, dryers, ranges, etc.) are often packaged and shipped in packaging
units in wllich the article rests on a transport base and is enclosed by a box
or
carton, and in which vertical support posts are inserted between the article
and the carton. The support posts are generally located adjacent the four
interior corners of the carton (and thus may be referred to as corner posts)
and typically extend from the transport base to the top of the carton. The
posts not only to protect the article from lateral impact forces but also to
provide axial (vertical) stacking strength. Loads placed on top of the
packaged article are borne by the support posts and not by the packaged
article.
When packaged units are not stacked in perfect vertical alignment (a
phenomenon referred to as "offstacking"), the corner posts bearing the brunt
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of the offstacked load are more likely to fail (buckle) due to a less than
optimal distribution of the load (stacking weight) on the corner post walls.
At best, offstacking can result in a slight crimping of the carton. At worst,
offstacking can result in the collapse of stacked units.
Thus the primary object of the present invention is to provide a
packaging system that prevents support post buckling due to offstacking.
Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping package in
which a load placed on top of a packaged unit is distributed more evenly
across the support post walls.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description,
accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus for distributing a load placed
onto a packaging unit of the kind having a base upon which the packaged
article rests and is transported, a box or carton enclosing the article on
four
sides and on top, and support posts extending vertically upward from the
base to protect the article from lateral impact forces and to provide stacking
strength. The apparatus functions to distribute a load placed on top of the
packaging unit more evenly across the walls of the four corner posts, thereby
minimizing buckling that can occur when a load is offstacked.
The apparatus comprises a plurality of support post fittings or caps
that mount onto the top ends of the support or corner posts, and a top frame
that fits onto the caps. Each cap comprises a platform and means for
mounting the cap onto the top end of the corner post. The mounting means
may comprise a sidewall extending downwardly from the platform and
configured to enclose at least a portion of the support post. The cap sidewall
may partially or completely enclose the upper end of the support post and,
preferably, forms a friction fit with the support post.
The top frame is configured to rest securely on the cap platforms and
has an upper, load bearing surface. The top frame may comprise front and
rear horizontal crossbeam members and side crossbeam members connected
at their respective ends to form a rectangular structure. Weight from a load
placed on the upper, load bearing, surface of the top frame is distributed
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throughout the top frame and along the entire end wall surface of the corner
posts.
In essence, the corner posts and top frame form a protective cage
around the packaged article, not only protecting the article from lateral
impact forces, particularly at the four vertical corners of the package, but
also protecting the article from compression forces from other packaged
units stacked on top, even when those other units are offstacked.
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THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an exploded view of a palletized packaging assembly
including a load distributing apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a top perspective view of a support post cap which is a
5 component of the load distributing apparatus of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the support post cap of Figure
2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a packaging assembly similar to that
of Figure 1 with the carton shown in phantom lines to better show the load
distributing apparatus of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a partial close up view of the load distributing apparatus of
Figure 5.
Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of an alternative embodiment of
a support post cap according to the present invention.
Figure 8 is a top perspective view of the support post cap of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is an exploded view of a cap, top frame and shipping pallet
assembly, illustrating an alternative use of the caps and top frame of the
present invention.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the cap, top frame and shipping
pallet assembly of Figure 9 shown assembled.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While this invention may be embodied in many forms, there is shown
in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more
embodiments, with the understanding that this disclosure is to be considered
an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to
limit the invention to the illustrated embodiment(s).
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 an exploded view
of a packaging assembly 10 incorporating the load distributing apparatus of
the present invention. The packaging assembly generally comprises a base
18 upon which a packaged article 50 rests, a box or carton 34 enclosing the
article 50 of its four sides, and support posts 17 inserted between the
packaged article 50 and the carton 34. The support posts 17 are located
adjacent the four interior corners of the carton 32 (and thus may also be
referred to as corner posts) and extend from the base 18 to the near the top
of
the carton. The corner posts 17 protect the article 50 from lateral impact
forces and provide axial (vertical) stacking strength for the entire unit 10.
Loads placed on top of the packaged article 10 are borne by the support posts
17 as explained further below.
The article 50 to be packaged can be any large article, such as the air
conditioning unit depicted in Figure 1. The article 50 typically rests on the
transport base 18 during manufacture, with the transport base 18 ultimately
functioning as the bottom of the carton 32. The assembled unit 10 may be
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placed on a shipping pallet 12 to enable the unit 10 to be moved by fork lift
truck or other means.
As described in more detail in a co-owned and co-pending patent
application, the carton 32 and transport base 18 may be secured to the
shipping pallet 12 by wedging the carton 32 and transport base 18 between
two opposing end stops 16 which form part of the shipping pallet 12, and by
securing the carton side bottom flaps 3 8 and transport base side panels 28 to
the sides of the shipping pallet 12.
Still referring to Figure 1, the shipping carton 32 colnprises four
vertical side walls 34, top flaps 40 and four relatively narrow bottom flaps
36, 38. The bottom flaps 36, 38 comprise front and rear flaps 36 and side
flaps 38 and do not function as the carton bottom, at least not by themselves.
Rather, the carton front and rear flaps 36 cooperate with the transport base
18
to form the carton bottom. More specifically, in the assembled packaging
unit 10, the carton front and rear flaps 36 are tucked under the transport
base
18 between the transport base 18 and the shipping pallet 12 while the side
flaps 38 extend downward in roughly the same plane as the carton side walls
34 and are stapled to the pallet runners 15.
The corner posts 17 shown in Figure 1 are disposed within the carton
32 adjacent the inner corners of the carton 32 to provide for corner impact
protection and axial strength. The corner posts 17 can be convolutely
wound paperboard corner posts of the type manufactured and marketed by
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Sonoco Products Company of Hartsville, South Carolina. However, any
suitable support structures may be used for corner impact protection and
axial strength, including without limitation angle board.
The invention is a system for distributing a load placed on top of the
packaging unit 10 more evenly across the entire end wall surface of the
corner posts. More specifically, the invention comprises a set of caps 19 and
a top frame 21 that help spread a load placed on top of the unit 10 across the
entire cross sectional profile of a set of vertical support posts 17, thereby
helping to prevent one or more of the posts 17 from buckling or otherwise
failing.
Figures 2 and 3 are top and bottom perspective views respectively of a
support post cap 19 according to the invention. The cap 19 may be made
from molded plastic or any suitable material, and comprises a platform 52, a
sidewall member 54 extending downwardly from at least a portion of the
platform periphery and configured to enclose a top portion of a support post
17, and an upper wall member 56 extending upwardly from the periphery of
the platform 52 for retaining the top frame 21.
The shape of the support post cap 19 and, in particular, the platform
52, is determined to a large extent by the cross sectional shape of the corner
posts 17. For example and without limiting the invention, in the illustrated
embodiment the platform 52 is substantially L-shaped to conform to the L-
shaped cross-sectional profile of the corner posts 17. The platform 52 should
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be in contact with as much of the end wall surface of the corner posts 17 as
possible, and preferably with the entire end wall surface. The periphery of
the cap 19 in Figures 2-3 includes an outer edge 53 defining a right angle and
an arcuate (curved) inner edge 55, again substantially confonning to the
cross-sectional shape of the corner post.
Preferably, the caps 19 fonn a friction fit with the top ends of the
corner posts 17. As shown in Figure 3, optional ribs 58 extend inwardly
from the sidewall member 54 at locations corresponding to inwardly
extending corner posts beads 60 to further secure the support post cap 19 to
the support post 17. As shown in Figure 6, the ribs 58 may extend inwardly
far enough such that the free end of each rib abuts the outside of the
corresponding bead apex 61, thereby adding to the friction fit.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a packaging assembly 10 with the
carton 32 shown in phantom lines to better illustrate the load distribution
apparatus of the present invention. The top frame 21 is substantially
rectangular and has four corners, each corner being mounted onto one of the
four support post caps 19. The top frame 21 comprises front and rear
horizontal crossbeam members 62 and side crossbeam members 64 joined at
their respective ends to fonn a rectangular frame-like structure. The top,
load bearing surface of the top frame 21 is defined by the front and rear
cross
members 62, although other configurations are possible, including one in
which the crossbeam members 64 are part of the load bearing surface.
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One or more optional center cross beam members 66 may be
incorporated into the top frame 21 for added strength. The cross beam
members 66 may extend from one side cross beam 64 to the other
intermediate the front and rear crossbeams 62, or from the front crossbeam
5 62 to the rear cross beam 62 intermediate the side cross beams 64.
The underside of the top frame 21 may be planar or have any suitable
shape that forms a cooperative fit with the support post caps 19. Figure
5 is a close up view of a corner of the top frame 21 shown fitted onto one of
the support post caps 19. The corner of the top frame 21 rests on the cap
10 platform 52 and fits snugly against the cap upper wall member 56. The cap
19 fits snugly on the top of a corner post 17 such that the top end wall
surface of the corner post 17 (i.e., the top edge of the corner post) abuts
the
underside of the platform 52.
Figures 7 and 8 are bottom and top views of an alternative
embodiment of a support post cap 69 useful in the present invention. Like
the cap 19 shown in Figures 2 and 3, this alternative support post cap 69
comprises a platform member 72 on which the top frame 21 is mounted, a
sidewall member 74 extending downwardly from the outer periphery of the
platform 72 for partially enclosing the top portion of a corner post 21, and
an
upper wall member 76 extending upwardly from the outer periphery of the
platform 72. Unlike the cap 19 shown in Figures 2, 3 and 6, this alternative
embodiment 69 comprises nubs or projections 68 extending downwardly
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from the underside of the platform 72. The nubs 68 extend into the hollow
areas of the corner post 17 and are intended to help seat the cap 69 onto the
corner post 17.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate an alternative use of the caps 69 of the
present invention wherein they are used to lock a frame 81 into a shipping
pallet 82 placed on top of the frame 81 to aid in egress as the article 50
(not
shown) moves down an assembly line. As shown in the figures, the caps 69
are inverted so that the nubs 68 are projecting upward, helping to seat the
shipping pallet 82 onto the caps 69. The caps 69 are fitted onto the top
surface of the four corners of the frame 81. The shipping pallet 82 is then
seated onto the "nub side" of the four caps 69. The caps 69, frame 81 and
shipping pallet 821ock together. Where the frame 81 is part of a packaging
unit 10 such as that shown in Figure 1, the structure shown in Figures 9 and
10 can be used to secure one unit 10 on top of another 10 to prevent
offstacking.
The palletized packaging assembly 10 of the present invention may be
assembled and used in the following manner.
First, the composite transport base 18 is assembled by positioning the
cushioning elements 30 on the bottom pane120 as shown in Figure 1, then
folding the front and rear panels 26 up and over the cushioning elements 30
to form the transport base 18 shown in Figures 4 and 5. The side panels 28
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may be left extending outward approximately within the same plane as the
bottom pane120.
Next, the article 50 to be assembled and transported is placed on the
transport base 12, typically as the article 50 moves along a manufacturing
assembly line. In the illustrated embodiment, the article is an outdoor air
conditioning unit 50 having an embossed (protruding) bottom (not shown)
that fits within the three dimensional space defined by the cushioning
elements 30 and the bottom panel 20. The air conditioner frame or housing
rests on the top walls 29 covering the cushioning elements 30. The transport
base top panels 29 are thus positioned underneath the article 50 while the
transport base side panels 28 remain extended outward.
Next, an open bottomed shipping carton 32 is placed over the article
50 and the transport base 18. At this stage in the assembly of the final
packaging unit 10 the carton bottom flaps 36, 38 may be splayed outward as
shown in Figure 8.
The corner posts 17 and caps 19 are then inserted adjacent the inside
corners of the carton 32 between the carton 32 and the article 50. The top
frame 21 is then secured to the corner post top caps 19. The corner posts
bottom ends rest on the transport base bottom panel 20 near the corners of
the bottom pane120. The corner posts 17, top caps 19 and top frame 21
together extend the full height of the carton 32.
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As the article 50, carton 32 and transport base 18 continue to move
along the conveyor line the carton front (leading) and rear (trailing) flaps
36
may be automatically folded underneath the transport base 18 and may or
may not be secured to the underside of the transport base bottom pane120.
The carton side flaps 38 remain splayed outward, overlaying the still
outwardly extending transport base side panels 28.
At the end of the conveyor line the article 50, carton 32 and transport
base 18 are lifted up togetlier and placed on a shipping pallet 12. The carton
32 and transport base 18 are wedged between the front and rear stops 16 of
the shipping pallet 12 as shown in Figures 9 - 12 to prevent forward and
rearward movement of the carton 32 and transport base 18. As best shown in
Figures 9 and 11, the carton front and rear bottom flaps 36 remain folded
under the transport base 18 and are interposed (sandwiched) between the
transport base 18 and the shipping pallet 12.
The carton side flaps 38, which have been splayed outward over the
transport base side panels 28 as shown in Figure 10, are then folded
downward so that the transport base side panels 28 are interposed between
the pallet side runners 15 and the carton side flaps 38 as shown in Figure 12.
The carton side flaps 38 and side panels 28 are then removably secured to the
shipping pallet runners 15 by staples 42 or other means.
Finally, the carton top flaps 40 are folded together until they flat
against the top surface of the top frame 21 to complete the packaging
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assembly 10. The finished packaging assembly 10 is unitary in the sense that
the carton 32, transport base 18 and shipping pallet 12 are secured together
by the staples 42 and, to a lesser extent, by the fit of the carton 32 and
transport base 18 between the shipping pallet end stops 16. The corner posts
17, caps 19 and top frame 21 extend from the transport base bottom panel 20
to the carton top flaps 40 and provide sufficient axial (vertical) strength to
allow otlier packaging units 10 to be stacked on top.
Thus there has been described a packaging assembly 10 that can be
stored and moved in stacked arrays. In a key aspect of the invention the caps
19 and top frame 21 distribute the load from units 10 stacked on top over the
entire end wall surface of the corner posts 17 to prevent the posts 17 from
buckling. The caps 19 may be made from molded plastic and the top frame
21 may be made from paperboard or wood. Of course, any suitable materials
may be used for the caps and top frame, as well as the other packaging
components.
It is understood that the embodiments of the invention described above
are only particular examples which serve to illustrate the principles of the
invention. Modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are
contemplated which do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined
by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the
claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments that fall
within their scope.
