Packaging

Abstract

A packaging made from an air cushioning material with excellent cushioning characteristics, which provides enough cushioning to prevent the leakage of toner and so forth even when dropped from a considerable height. The packaging is constituted by a pair of bag materials forming a side wall component that surrounds the perimeter of a process cartridge, which is an object to be packaged, in frame-like fashion, and a holding pouch fused to these bag materials. Each bag material consists of a total of three layers: the top side comprising one layer of bag top and the bottom side comprising two layers of bag middle and bag bottom. The bag middle and bottom that make up the two layers of the bottom side have a relief shape in which the bag bottom inclines outward. The edges along one of the short sides of the holding pouch form an opening, while the edges in the longitudinal direction are fused at the boundary between the bag top and the bag middle of the side walls.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to packaging and a packaging apparatus, and more particularly relates packaging and a packaging apparatus suitable for packaging and conveying process cartridges and so forth used in image forming apparatus such as copiers, printers, and fax machines. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] The use of a unit containing toner (called a process cartridge, process cartridge unit, developing unit, etc., but in this Specification, this will be referred to as a process cartridge, which shall also encompass products equivalent to these) is known with image forming apparatus such as copiers. There are various kinds of process cartridge, but in an effort to shorten start-up time when a cartridge is replaced, there has been proposed in recent years a type in which a toner hopper is filled with toner ahead of time, no seal is provided covering the opening near the developing roller, and th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] In light of the past situation described above, and the fact that air cushioning materials exhibit excellent cushioning characteristics, it is an object of the present invention to provide packaging and a packaging apparatus which provide enough cushioning to prevent the leakage of toner and so forth even when dropped from a considerable height.

Problems solved by technology

However, whether this process cartridge is conveyed after being loaded into an image forming apparatus, or conveyed separately as a replacement product, if it is subjected to impact, the toner inside the toner hopper may leak to the outside and foul the surrounding environment, so manufacturers generally perform what is call a drop impact test, in which they drop the packaged cartridge from a certain height and inspect it to see if any toner leakage has occurred.

Manufacturers have set a standard for this height, but with the above type of process cartridge it has been exceedingly difficult to design cushioning that would meet this standard.

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