Packaging product and method for protecting edge faces of an article

Abstract

The packaging product is used to protect an article having an edge face flanked by a pair of side faces. The packaging product includes a resiliently expandable cellular member 1 of elongate form to e

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a packaging product for use in protecting edge faces of an article. An embodiment of the packaging product is adapted for protecting corners of an article which are formed by two adjacent edge faces. BACKGROUND Many delicate products require protection during transportation and handling. Such a product may commonly be enveloped in bubble wrap or lose packing material and packed in a box. Patent Specification No. EP 3 585 608 Bl of Flexi-Hex Limited describes and claims a packaging product having superimposed upper and lower honeycomb layers which extend between a pair of flexible side members. Whilst this product can enclose a planar article such as a surfboard and provide highly effective general all-round protection against impact damage, the edges of the enclosed article adjacent to the side members are less well protected. Articles such as sheets of glass, metal sheets, furniture, pictures, sheets of marble, masonry, etc. are particularly susceptible to damage caused by impacts with their edges or corners. These regions greatly benefit from particular protection without the expense and inconvenience of completely enclosing the product. US 6 334 535 Bl discloses a packaging product for protecting the edges of a sheet-like object. The product consists of a cardboard sheet which is folded back-and-forth to form an accordion or bellows type structure, with projecting flanges which extend across opposite side faces of the object. Although an accordion or bellows structure may have considerable ability to withstanding impacts along the direction of the folds it is much weaker when subjected to side impacts. Also, as the bellows structure is expanded to accommodate objects of greater thickness the force needed to crush the structure diminishes greatly. As a result, such protectors may transmit a substantial proportion of an impact, and they also tend to be limited in the range of article dimensions to which they can usefully be applied. The present invention seeks to provide a better way of effectively protecting edge faces of an article from impact damage and which can usefully be applied to articles with a greater range of thicknesses. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION When viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a packaging product which is used to protect an article having an edge face flanked by a pair of side faces. The packaging product includes an expandable member of elongate form to extend along the edge face of the article, and a pair of side members affixed to opposite faces of the expandable member. The expandable member is a honeycomb-like structure comprising multiple cells which are open at opposite ends, and the cells extend substantially perpendicular to the edge face of the article. With such a structure the expandable member is better able to withstand impacts against the edge face of the protected article. Furthermore, the protection is effectively maintained when when the packaging product is applied to articles having a wider range of thicknesses. The invention also provides an embodiment of the packaging product to protect an article having two adjacent edge faces flanked by a pair of side faces. The packaging product includes first and second expandable members of elongate form which are angularly disposed to extend along the two adjacent edge faces of the article. A pair of side members are affixed to opposite faces of both expandable members. Each expandable members is a honeycomb-like structure comprising multiple cells which are open at opposite ends, and the cells extend substantially perpendicular to the respective edge face of the article. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general view of a first embodiment of a packaging product shown in a closed configuration; Figure 2 is a general view of the first packaging product in an open configuration; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the first packaging product as applied to an edge face of an article; Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the packaging product in its open configuration; Figure 5 is a general view of a second embodiment of a packaging product shown in a closed configuration; Figure 6 is a general view of the second packaging product in an open configuration; Figure 7 is a general view of the second packaging product ready to be applied to a corner of an article; Figure 8 is a general view of the second packaging product as applied to a corner of the article; Figure 9 is a side detail of a first modification to the packaging products; Figure 10 is a side detail of a second modification to the packaging products. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to Fig.s 1 to 3, the first embodiment of the packaging product is an edge protector which is used to protect a substantially straight edge face of an article. The edge protector includes an expandable cellular member 1 of elongate form and a pair of side members 2 and 3 which are affixed to opposite faces of the cellular member such that the side members both project to one side of the cellular member. Preferably the side members 2 and 3 are formed of a relatively stiff material such as cardboard. The cellular member 1 is formed from strips of a thinner and relatively flexible material, e.g. paper, in such a way that the side members can resiliently move apart, as described below. Paper and cardboard are the preferred materials as they are strong, biodegradable, cost-effective, and recycled paper and cardboard is readily available. Alternative biodegradable sheet materials include products formed from cornstarch or seaweed. Although sheet products formed of non-biodegradable materials, including polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, may be functionally suitable they are less desirable for environmental reasons. At opposite ends of the cellular member 1 two connecting elements 4 and 5 connect edge regions of the two side members 2 and 3. Each connecting element has a pair of leaves 6 and 7 which are joined to the respective side members 2 and 3 by hinge joints 8 and 9. The leaves extend in the longitudinal direction of the cellular member 1 and may, for example, be integral extensions of the side members with the hinge joints 8 and 9 formed by scores or creases. The outer ends of the leaves 6 and 7 are mutually connected by an intermediate hinge joint 10, e.g. by scoring or creasing the ends of the leaves and adhesively bonding the ends together. The connecting elements 4 and 5 allow the side members 2 and 3 to move apart freely whilst at the same time limiting the amount of relative lateral movement between the side members and helping them to maintain a parallel relationship. When opened to their full extent the connecting elements also limit the maximum distance between the side members. Referring to Fig. 4, the expandable cellular member 1 is formed from flexible continuous strips 11. The path of one individual strip is indicated by a heavy line for clarity. The strips are bonded together by a series of substantially rectangular attachment locations Ila, lib, which are spaced lengthwise of the strips with intervening gaps. The attachment locations alternate between opposite faces of each strip such that the attachment locations 11a on one side of the strip alternate with attachment locations 11b on the opposite side of the strip. The attachment locations and the intervening gaps are preferably of substantially the same length. When the strips are bonded to each other they can lie flat against each other in the closed configuration. However, the strips can also deform such that the non-bonded areas move apart allowing the cellular member to resiliently expand in a direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the unexpanded strips. The strips thus form an open cellular structure similar to a honeycomb providing an array of hexagonal cells 12 which are open at opposite ends and extend across the width of the cellular member. The outermost strips at opposite edges of the cellular member are glued or otherwise bonded to the respective side members. Referring now to Fig. 3 which shows a cross-section through the packaging product, the side members 2 and 3 can be moved apart until the projecting portions of the side members form a mouth 13 of the required depth which opens directly opposite the cellular member 1. The edge protector can then be applied to an article A having a substantially straight edge face B flanked by a pair of side faces C and D. The article is inserted into the mouth 13 until the cellular member 1 abuts the length of the edge face B, with the side members 2 and 3 covering at least part of the respective side faces C and D. Due to the described resilient expansion of the cellular member 1 the article is gripped between the side members 2 and 3. It will also be noted that the hexagonal cells 12 extend substantially perpendicular to the edge face B. Since the cellular member is highly resistant to crushing in the longitudinal direction of the cells 12 the cellular member will tend to crumple in the event of any impacts, thereby absorbing the force of the blow and protecting the article from potential damage. The packaging product is capable of being effectively applied to articles with a wide range of thicknesses whilst maintaining a resilient grip. Furthermore, the cellular member 1 remains highly resistant to crushing in the longitudinal direction of the cells 12 throughout the range of thicknesses of the protected article. If required, additional measures can be taken to more firmly secure the packaging product to the article, such as adhesive tape or contact adhesive applied to the inner faces of the side members 2 and 3. A second embodiment of the packaging product, shown in Fig.s 5 and 6, is a corner protector which is used to protect an article having two adjacent edge faces flanked by a pair of side faces. The edge protector includes first and second expandable cellular members 20 and 21. Both cellular members are of elongate form and are angularly disposed, being mutually perpendicular in this embodiment. A pair of side members 22 and 23 are affixed to opposite faces of the cellular members such that the side members both project to one side of each cellular member. The projecting portions of the side members form a mouth 33 which opens opposite both of the cellular members 20 and 21. The side members may conveniently be substantially triangular as in this embodiment, although other shapes are possible. The side members 22 and 23 are preferably formed of a relatively stiff biodegradable material such as cardboard. The cellular members 20 and 21 are both formed from strips of a thinner and relatively flexible biodegradable material, e.g. paper, which form an array of hexagonal cells as described in relation to Fig. 4, such that the side members can resiliently move apart. Other materials can be used as an alternative to paper and cardboard, as discussed above. At the outer ends of the two expandable cellular members 20 and 21, two connecting elements 24 and 25 connect edge regions of the two side members 22 and 23. Each connecting element has a pair of leaves 26 and 27 which are joined to the respective side members 22 and 23 by hinge joints 28 and 29. The leaves may, for example, be integral extensions of the side members, extending in the longitudinal direction of the respective cellular member, with the hinge joints 28 and 29 formed by scores or creases. The outer ends of the leaves 26 and 27 are mutually connected by an intermediate hinge joint 30. The connecting elements 24 and 25 allow the side members 22 and 23 to move apart freely whilst at the same time limiting the amount of relative lateral movement between the side members and helping them to maintain a parallel relationship. When opened to their full extent the connecting elements also limit the maximum distance between the side members. Referring now to Fig.s 7 and 8, the edge protector can be applied to an article A having two adjacent substantially straight and mutually perpendicular edge faces Bl and B2 flanked by a pair of side faces C and D. The side members 22 and 23 are moved apart and the article is inserted into the mouth 33 until the expandable cellular members 20 and 21 abut the respective edge faces Bl and B2, with the side members 22 and 23 covering at least part of the respective side faces C and D. Due to the resilient expansion of the cellular members 20 and 21 the article is gripped between the side members 22 and 23. The hexagonal cells 12 extend perpendicular to the respective edge faces Bl and B2. Since the cellular member is highly resistant to crushing in the longitudinal direction of the cells 12 the cellular member will tend to crumple in the event of any impacts, thereby absorbing the force of the blow and protecting the article from potential damage. The packaging product is capable of being effectively applied to articles with a wide range of thicknesses whilst maintaining a resilient grip. Furthermore, the cellular members 20 and 21 remain highly resistant to crushing in the longitudinal direction of the cells 12 throughout the range of thicknesses of the protected article. If required, additional measures can be taken to more firmly secure the packaging product to the article, such as adhesive tape or contact adhesive applied to the inner faces of the side members 2 and 3. In both of the above-described embodiments the connecting elements 4, 5; 24, 25 could take other forms. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, a flexible strap 41 could be secured to one of the side members 2, 3 or 22, 23. When the packaging product is applied to an article the strap can be secured to the other side member by a layer of contact adhesive 42. Alternatively, the strap could be secured by releasable connectors such as hook-and-loop fastenings 43 and 44, as shown in Fig. 10. Whilst the above description places emphasis on the areas which are believed to be new and addresses specific problems which have been identified, it is intended that the features disclosed herein may be used in any combination which is capable of providing a new and useful advance in the art.

Claims

1. A packaging product when used to protect an article (A) having an edge face (B) flanked by a pair of side faces (C, D), said packaging product including:- an expandable member (1) of elongate form to extend along the edge face (B) of the article,- a pair of side members (2, 3) affixed to opposite faces of the expandable member, the side members both projecting to one side of the expandable member to define, opposite the expandable member, a mouth (13) to receive the article with the side members covering at least part of the respective side faces;wherein the expandable member (1) is a honeycomb-like structure comprising multiple cells (12);wherein the cells (12) are open at opposite ends;wherein the cells (12) are arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to the edge face (B) of the article.

2. The packaging product of claim 1 wherein the side members (2, 3) have edge regions which are provided with at least two connecting elements (4, 5) to join the side members together.

3. The packaging product of claim 2 wherein the connecting elements each comprise a hinge joint (10).

4. The packaging product of claim 3 wherein the connecting elements each have two hinge joints (8, 9) which join the connecting element to respective side members (2, 3) and an intermediate hinge joint (10).

5. The packaging product of claim 2 wherein the connecting elements comprise a connecting strap (41).

6. The packaging product of claim 2 or 5 wherein the connecting elements comprise releasable connectors (43, 44).

7. The packaging product of any of claims 2 to 6 wherein each connecting element (4, 5) is located at one end of the expandable member (1).

8. The packaging product of any preceding claim wherein the expandable member (1) comprises an array of hexagonal cells (12).

9. The packaging product of any preceding claim wherein the expandable member (1) comprises a plurality of flexible strips (11) arranged face-to-face and attached to each other at a series of attachment locations (Ila, 11b) spaced lengthwise of the flexible strips.

10. The packaging product of claim 9 wherein the attachment locations (11a, lib) which are spaced lengthwise of each flexible strip (11) alternate between opposite faces thereof.

11. The packaging product of claim 9 or 10 wherein the attachment locations (Ila, lib) and the spaces there-between are of substantially equal length.

12. The packaging product of claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein outermost strips (11) at opposite faces of the expandable member (1) are attached to respective side members (2, 3).

13. The packaging product of any of claims 9 to 12 wherein the flexible strips (11) are formed of paper.

14. The packaging product of any preceding claim wherein the side members (2, 3) are formed of cardboard.

15. The packaging product of any preceding claim wherein the packaging product includes two such expandable members (1) of elongate form which are angularly disposed to extend along and abut two adjacent edge faces of the article.

16. A method of protecting an edge of an article (A) having an edge face (B) flanked by a pair of side faces (C, D): - providing a packaging product includingan expandable member (1) of elongate form,a pair of side members (2, 3) affixed to opposite faces of the expandable member, the side members both projecting to one side of the expandable member to define, opposite the expandable member, a mouth (13) to receive thearticle,wherein the expandable member (1) is a honeycomb-like structure comprising multiple cells (12);wherein the cells (12) are open at opposite ends;wherein the cells (12) are arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to the edge face (B) of the article;.- moving the side members apart;- sliding the side members over at least part of respective side faces of the article such that the side members resiliently grip said side faces;- positioning the packaging product on the article such that the expandable member extends along and abuts the edge face of the article to protect said edge face from impact damage.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the packaging product is as claimed in any of claims 2 to 15.

18. A packaging product to protect an article (A) having two adjacent edge faces (Bl, B2) flanked by a pair of side faces (C, D), said packaging product including:- first and second expandable members (20, 21) of elongate form which are angularly disposed to extend along the two adjacent edge faces of the article in use;- a pair of side members (22, 23) affixed to opposite faces of both expandable members, the side members both projecting to one side of the expandable members to define, opposite both expandable members, a mouth (33) to receive the article with the side members covering at least part of the respective sidefaces of the article;wherein each expandable member (20, 21) is a honeycomb-likestructure comprising multiple cells (12);wherein the cells (12) are open at opposite ends;wherein the cells (12) are arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to the respective edge face (Bl, B2) of the article.19.A packaging product as claimed in claim 18 incombination with any of claims 2 to 15.

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