US3064801A - Shipping cushion - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1962 c. LINNELL 3,064,801

SHIPPING CUSHION Filed Oct. 7, 1960 FIG. 2

22 qnll INVENTOR. CLARK LINNELL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,064,801 SHIPPWG CUHQN Clark Linnell, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 61,305 4 Claims. (Cl. 20646) The present invention relates generally to protective devices for shipping containers and more specifically to an improved cushion for protecting the corners of articles during shipment in such containers.

In the shipping art devices are known for protecting articles against shock or damage during shipment. A practice well known in the art has been to construct such devices from cardboard or paperboard stock and to insert them between the article to be shipped and the inside of the shipping container. While such devices afford a degree of protection, certain difliculties are encountered.

For example, such devices are frequently patterned from corrugated cardboard or flat sheet stock and require further bending or forming prior to, or at the time of shipment. Additionally, such devices often require extraneous holding or clamping devices and care must be taken to assure their proper positioning in the container.

In view of the above, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved cushion of resilient foam material for a shipping container.

A further object is to provide an improved resilient foam cushion for a shipping container which is simple in design, rugged in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved resilient foam cushion, the design of which substantially obviates the usual forming and bending normally required of devices known in the art.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved corner cushion for a shipping container which is substantially self-forming into its desired cushion shape when placed in engagement with the article to be shipped in the container.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification and the appended drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the improved cushion;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view in partial section of a shipping container utilizing the improved cushion in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken generally along and in the direction of line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one corner of the container of FIGURE 3 and;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the corner of the container shown in FIGURE 4.

The shipping cushion of the present invention is preferably formed of a resilient foam type material such as polyurethane and a particular form of its construction is shown in FIGURE 1. The cushion of FIGURE 1 includes a substantially rectangular or cubic cushion block or body 12 provided with a plurality of integral segments or quadrants 14. While the segments 14 can be formed on the cushion in any number of ways in the present instance they are formed by slots 16 and 18 which extend partly into the block 12. The slots 16 and 18 are some what narrow in width, are positioned substantially normal to each other, and extend into the block 12 to a depth approximating one half of its thickness. Thus, segments are formed on the block 12 to provide independently compressible cushioning surfaces. The utility 2 of these surfaces will become apparent further in the specification.

The cushion 10 while applicable to many uses is designed primarily for employment in containers in the manner shown in FIGURE 2. The cushions 10 are inserted in the container 20 between the inner -corner walls of the container and the outermost corner surfaces of the article 22 contained therein. A plurality of the blocks 10 are utilized, one in each corner of the container and maintain the article 22 in suspension away from the inner walls of the container. By appropriate selection of the strength, size and compressibility of the material compared to the weight of the article to be supported, shocks transmitted to the container 20 are thus largely absorbed by the cushions 10 with minimum shock to the article 22.

As seen in FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, rectangular or square cornered objects such as the article 22 are substantially self-seating in the container and engage at least one of the previously mentioned segments 14. To be more specific, the container 20 is selected to provide desired clearance between its inside surfaces and the article it is to contain. Corner cushions are then selected which have dimensions adapted to place cuts or slots 16 and 18 in alignment with the article edges as shown in the drawings. Therefore, when the article is placed in the container, the bottom Wall of each of its corners engages only the innermost upper segment of each lowermost block and compresses or deforms it downwardly and/ or to some extent inwardly to support the article at substantially the depth of the previously mentioned slots 16 and 18. In this position, the side surfaces 14a and 14b of the adjacent segments are then in contact with the side walls of the article corner, and corner surface of the outer corner segment engages the corner edge of the article. Therefore, any lateral shock is absorbed by the surfaces 14a, 14b, and 140 of the segments. Once the article has been placed in the container 20 additional corner cushions or blocks 10 are placed at its uppermost corners and the cover 24 is put into place. The segments of the uppermost blocks then provide similar surfaces which likewise absorb shocks in the manner previously described.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is provided with four independently compressible or deformable segments of similar shape and size, it should be pointed out that additional segments are feasible and that their relative size and shape depends upon the utility to which they are applied. For example, in certain instances a larger cushion having any number of segments may be required. This may be desirable where variations in tolerances exist in either or both of the article and the container in which it is to be shipped. The segments may also be of an irregular shape to protect irregularly shaped articles and can be made independently of each other and secured together to produce the desired results herein achieved.

Where a greater supporting effect is needed, as in the case of heavier articles, the inner segment which provides such support may be made substantially larger than the remaining segments. As one example of this possibility, a cushion of polyurethane foam, in the form of a cube 6 inches on each side is provided with two perpendicular slots extending downwardly 3 /2 inches from the upper surface, said slots each being spaced 3% inches from one side wall of the cube to provide a large corner support segment 3% inches by 3 /2 inches, and three smaller side and corner segments each 2 /2 by 2 /2 inches. Here the depth of cut is also somewhat greater than half the vertical depth of the cube, which also helps provide a greater relative volume of the original foam cushion for compression and greater supporting effect under the article corner. 7 i

In the above specification I have presented a detailed description of my invention together with some of the ways by which the invention can be carried out.

Now, therefore, I claim:

1. In a rectangular shipping container for a rectangular article to be shipped therein, the improvement consisting of a resilient foam cushioning means in said container between the container and the article, said cushioning means including a plurality of cushion blocks with one positioned between each inside corner of the container and the corresponding outside corner of the article, said cushion blocks each being provided with a plurality of substantially vertical slots extending into said blocks to a depth equal to substantially one-half the thickness of said blocks, said slots dividing said block into a plurality of independently compressible segments, the article engaging and deforming at least one segment on each of said blocks, said segments adjacent said deformed segments each providing a cushioning surface normal to said deformed segments between the article and the inside of the container.

j 2. In a shipping container for an article to be shipped therein, the article having a plurality of corners thereon and outside dimensions less than the interior of said container, the improvement comprising a resilient foam cushioning means consisting of a plurality of cushion blocks, one at each corner of the article between the article and the container, each said block having at least four independently compressible segments thereon, said corners engaging and compressing at least one segment on each of said blocks, each said block providing first, second and third cushioning surfaces in engagement with the container, and fourth, fifth and sixth cushioning surfaces in engagement with a corner of the article.

3. The device of claim 2 in which said fourth, fifth and sixth cushioning surfaces are substantially parallel to said first, second and third cushioning surfaces, respectively.

4. The device of claim 2 in which each said compressible segment is substantially cubical in shape and of sufficient strength to support the corners of the article at substantially the midpoint of each said cubic segment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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