Inner packing for shipping fragile articles

Claim 2

A paperboard container for shipping a plurality of fragile articles comprising a rectangular box-like structure, and separator main body means formed from a single rectangular sheet of paperboard having in blank form a center cut line extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of said sheet and terminating short of the ends and defining a side wall panel and an end panel on each side of said cut line, fold lines defining a narrow reinforcing panel on each side of said cut line at adjacent opposite sides of each side panel, each said end panel forming an end wall of said separator, each end panel being integral with the adjacent side panel and joined thereto by a fold line, said entire sheet being folded upon itself about said center cut line and said fold lines to form an upright separator having each reinforcing panel in contact with the opposite end panels to form a double thickness integral end panel at each end and a central open packing space between said side panels.

Claim 3

A separator blank for a shipping container comprising a main body formed from a single rectangular sheet of paperboard having a central cut line extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of said sheet and terminating short of the ends and defining a narrow reinforcing panel on opposite sides and opposite ends of said cut line, a side wall panel, and an end panel on each opposite side of said cut line, said side panel positioned between an adjacent reinforcing panel and an adjacent end panel, and fold lines between adjacent panels and outwardly of the ends of said cut line providing for folding said sheet upon itself to form an upright separator member having double thickness integral end panels at opposite ends and spaced side wall and end walls providing a packing space when erected, said sheet further having means for positioning divider panels across said packing space, said means comprising at least one pair of slots which extend laterally of said cut line and terminate short of the edges of said sheet.

Claim 4

A separator blank for a shipping container comprising a main body formed from a single rectangular sheet of paperboard having a central cut line extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of said sheet and terminating short of the ends and defining a narrow reinforcing panel on opposite sides and opposite ends of said cut line, a side wall panel, and an end panel on each opposite side of said cut line, said side panel positioned between an adjacent reinforcing panel and an adjacent end panel, and fold lines between adjacent panels and outwardly of the ends of said cut line providing for folding said sheet upon itself to form an upright separator member having double thickness integral end panels at opposite ends and spaced side wall and end walls providing a packing space when erected, said sheet further having means for positioning divider panels across said packing space, said means comprising at least one pair of slots which extend laterally of said cut line and terminate short of the edges of said sheet.

Claim 5

A blank for a separator as defined in claim 2 including two tall divider panels formed integrally with one edge of the separator blank, two short divider panels and a floor panel formed integrally with the separator blank along an edge at right angles to said first edge, said divider panels and said floor panel being connected to the separator panel and to each other by perforations providing for separation of said divider panels to divide the space within said separator into a plurality of individually protected cells.

Claim 6

A blank as defined in claim 3 in which each divider panel is slotted part way through its depth providing for the interfitting of said dividers to form said individual protected cells.

Claim 7

A blank for use in forming a multi-configuration separator for use in a shipping container for articles of different size and shape requiring protection comprising a single rectangular flat sheet of paperboard, said sheet having a main body portion, first and second divider forming portions integral with a side and an end of said main body portion respectively and separated therefrom by perforation lines, said main body portion having a central cut line terminating adjacent but short of its ends leaving integral hinge portions, fold lines at the ends of said cut line defining hinges and a reinforcing panel at opposite ends and at opposite sides of said cut line, fold lines at the side of each reinforcing panel defining opposite side panels, fold lines at the side of each said panel defining opposite end panels, at least one perforation line in said first divider portion, at least one perforation line in said second divider portion, said main body portion being foldable on itself about said hinge portions to form a hollow enclosed packing space, said divider portions being separable from said main body portion and from each other and having interfitting slots adapted to interlock with the walls of said container and with each other to form dividers for separating said packing space into a plurality of packing cells of predetermined size and shape.

Claim 8

A blank for use in forming a multi-configuration separator for use in a shipping container for articles of different size and shape requiring protection comprising a single rectangular flat sheet of paperboard, said sheet having a main body portion, first and second divider forming portions integral with a side and an end of said main body portion respectively and separated therefrom by perforation lines, said main body portion having a central cut line terminating adjacent but short of its ends leaving integral hinge portions, fold lines at the ends of said cut line defining hinges and a reinforcing panel at opposite ends and at opposite sides of said cut line, fold lines at the side of each reinforcing panel defining opposite side panels, fold lines at the side of each said panel defining opposite end panels, at least one perforation line in said first divider portion, at least one perforation line in said second divider portion, said main body portion being foldable on itself about said hinge portions to form a hollow enclosed packing space, said divider portions being separable from said main body portion and from each other and having interfitting slots adapted to interlock with the walls of said container and with each other to form dividers for separating said packing space into a plurality of packing cells of predetermined size and shape.

Claim 9

A blank as defined in claim 5 in which a pair of opposed walls of said main body portion contain one or more spaced slots adapted to receive the slots of said dividers and to interlock therewith in a plurality of arrangements defining packing cells of different sizes.

Claim 10

A blank as defined in claim 5 in which one pair of divider portions is of greater height than the other pair providing for selectively forming packing cells of full and less than full depth of a separator.

Claim 11

A blank as defined in claim 5 in which the second divider portions are spaced from a central portion having an area substantially the same as the cross-sectional area of the container to serve as a floor panel to separate a first group of enclosed packing cells from another such group above the first group.

Claim 12

In a packaging system for shipping a plurality of fragile articles of different sizes and shapes in a generally rectangular shipping carton, the combination of at least one separator means adapted to fill the cross-sectional area of said carton and to divide said area into a selected number of packing cells of predetermined size and shape by means of dividers, said separator means and said dividers being integral parts of a single paperboard blank having a main body portion and first and second divider portions integrally joined respectively to a side and to an end of said main body portion by perforation lines and capable of being separated therefrom, said main body portion having a central cut line terminating short of the opposite edges thereof leaving integral hinge portions at the edges, fold lines at the ends of said cut line defining narrow reinforcing panels at opposite sides of and extending in opposite directions from said cut line, additional fold lines defining a side wall panel and an adjacent end wall panel symmetrically extending from each side of said cut line, said main body panel being foldable upon itself to bring each reinforcing panel into self-locking relation with its adjacent side wall panel and upon erection forming an open rectangular packing space, said separated divider panels being interfitted with each other and with said side wall panels in a plurality of multi-configurations to divide said packing space into a number of cells of predetermined size and shape.

Claim 13

In a packaging system for shipping a plurality of fragile articles of different sizes and shapes in a generally rectangular shipping carton, the combination of at least one separator means adapted to fill the cross-sectional area of said carton and to divide said area into a selected number of packing cells of predetermined size and shape by means of dividers, said separator means and said dividers being integral parts of a single paperboard blank having a main body portion and first and second divider portions integrally joined respectively to a side and to an end of said main body portion by perforation lines and capable of being separated therefrom, said main body portion having a central cut line terminating short of the opposite edges thereof leaving integral hinge portions at the edges, fold lines at the ends of said cut line defining narrow reinforcing panels at opposite sides of and extending in opposite directions from said cut line, additional fold lines defining a side wall panel and an adjacent end wall panel symmetrically extending from each side of said cut line, said main body panel being foldable upon itself to bring each reinforcing panel into self-locking relation with its adjacent side wall panel and upon erection forming an open rectangular packing space, said separated divider panels being interfitted with each other and with said side wall panels in a plurality of multi-configurations to divide said packing space into a number of cells of predetermined size and shape.