Cushioning material

Abstract

To provide a cushioning material that can suppress deformation of a protrusion formed by corrugated cardboard.SOLUTION: A cushioning material 100 comprises a main body 1 formed from folded corrugated cardboard, a protrusion 2 that protrudes from the main body 1, and a reinforcement part 3 that is inserted into a hole 4 provided adjacent to the protrusion 2 and is laminated on the protrusion 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cushioning material, and more particularly to a cushioning material formed into a predetermined shape by bending cardboard.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a cushioning material formed into a predetermined shape by bending cardboard has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a cushioning material formed by folding a flat cardboard. In Patent Document 1, fitting convex portions are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cardboard, and a notch is provided at the center in the longitudinal direction. In Patent Document 1, by bending the cardboard a plurality of times, the fitting convex portions provided at the ends in the longitudinal direction are inserted into the central notch to form a U-shaped cushioning material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, although not disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cushioning material may be assembled to other members during use. In this case, it is conceivable to provide a protrusion on the cushioning material for assembling the cushioning material to other members. However, since the protrusion formed of cardboard has low strength, there is a problem that the protrusion is deformed when the cushioning material is assembled to other members.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a cushioning material capable of suppressing deformation of a protrusion formed of cardboard.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a buffer material according to one aspect of the present invention is a buffer material formed into a predetermined shape by bending cardboard, and includes a main body portion formed by the bent cardboard, a protrusion portion protruding from the main body portion, and a reinforcing portion that is inserted into a hole portion provided adjacent to the protrusion portion and laminated on the protrusion portion.

[0008] In the buffer material according to one aspect of the present invention, as described above, the buffer material includes a main body portion formed by the bent cardboard, a protrusion portion protruding from the main body portion, and a reinforcing portion that is inserted into a hole portion provided adjacent to the protrusion portion and laminated on the protrusion portion. By laminating the reinforcing portion on the protrusion portion in this way, the thickness of the portion protruding from the main body portion can be increased, so that the strength of the protrusion portion can be increased. As a result, deformation of the protrusion portion formed by the cardboard can be suppressed.

[0009] In the buffer material according to the above one aspect, preferably, the protrusion portion and the reinforcing portion are configured to be inserted into an opening portion of another member when the buffer material is assembled to the other member. With this configuration, when the protrusion portion and the reinforcing portion are inserted into the opening portion, deformation of the protrusion portion when the protrusion portion is inserted into the opening portion can be suppressed. Further, since the protrusion portion and the reinforcing portion are inserted into the opening portion, deformation of the protrusion portion can be suppressed even when the protrusion portion is assembled to another member.

[0010] In the buffer material according to the above one aspect, preferably, the main body portion, the protrusion portion, and the reinforcing portion are formed by bending a single piece of cardboard. With this configuration, since the main body portion, the protrusion portion, and the reinforcing portion can be formed by bending a single piece of cardboard, unlike the case where they are separate members, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed and the configuration of the buffer material can be simplified, while suppressing deformation of the protrusion portion.

[0011] In this case, preferably, the reinforcing portion is formed by a bent portion formed by folding and overlapping cardboard, and the bent portion is laminated on the protruding portion by being inserted into the hole portion. With such a configuration, the reinforcing portion can be easily formed by folding the cardboard. Further, since the reinforcing portion is constituted by the bent portion formed by folding and overlapping the cardboard, the thickness of the reinforcing portion can be increased to further improve the strength of the reinforcing portion, and when inserted into the hole portion, the reinforcing portion can be firmly attached to the hole portion by the expansion of the bent portion.

[0012] In the cushioning material according to the above aspect, preferably, the hole portion is formed by raising the protruding portion from the cardboard. With such a configuration, since the hole portion is also formed when the protruding portion is raised, the forming process of the protruding portion and the hole portion can be simplified as compared with the case of forming the protruding portion and the hole portion respectively.

[0013] In the cushioning material according to the above aspect, preferably, the protruding portion includes a base portion provided on the root side connected to the main body portion and an engaging portion provided on the tip side, and in the width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protruding portion and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the engaging portion is formed larger than the width of the base portion, and in the width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protruding portion and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the reinforcing portion is formed to be equal to or larger than the width of the base portion. With such a configuration, since the engaging portion can be projected from the base portion in the width direction, when the engaging portion is inserted into another member, the projected engaging portion can be brought into contact with the other member, and the cushioning material can be firmly assembled to the other member. Further, since the width of the reinforcing portion is formed to be equal to or larger than the width of the base portion, the base portion of the protruding portion can be sufficiently reinforced.

[0014] In the buffer material according to the above first aspect, preferably, the buffer material is configured to be assembled to another member, and the protrusion and the reinforcing portion are configured to protrude from the opposing surface, which is the surface of the main body portion facing the other member, toward the other member, and the amount of protrusion of the protrusion from the opposing surface is larger than the amount of protrusion of the reinforcing portion from the opposing surface. With this configuration, when inserting the protrusion and the reinforcing portion into the opening of the other member, the protrusion with the larger amount of protrusion can be inserted first, and the protrusion can be used as a guide when inserting the reinforcing portion.

[0015] In the buffer material assembled to the above-mentioned other member, preferably, the other member is a buffer member disposed inside the packaging material, and the protrusion and the reinforcing portion are inserted into the opening of the buffer member and configured to be assembled to the buffer member. With this configuration, by inserting the protrusion and the reinforcing portion into the opening, it is possible to suppress deformation of the protrusion when assembling to the buffer member and after assembly.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] In the present invention, it is possible to provide a buffer material capable of suppressing deformation of the protrusion formed by cardboard.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the configuration of the cushioning material 100 of an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cushioning material 100 is used when packing the object 400. The object 400 is, for example, an electronic device such as a TV, a personal computer, or a printer. The cushioning material 100 is used by being assembled to other members. The other members are, for example, the cushioning member 200 disposed inside the packing material 300. The packing material 300 is, for example, a cardboard box. Both the cushioning material 100 and the cushioning member 200 are used to suppress an external impact from being applied to the object 400 to be packed. The cushioning member 200 is attached to, for example, the upper and lower surfaces of a TV which is an example of the object 400. The cushioning material 100 is disposed in the gap between the cushioning member 200 and the object 400.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the cushioning member 200 is formed by bending cardboard a plurality of times. The cushioning member 200 has a U shape as a whole. Specifically, the cushioning member 200 is formed into a U shape by bending one side in the longitudinal direction of the cardboard to form one side wall portion and the bottom surface, and then bending the other side in the longitudinal direction to form the other side wall. Further, one side end portion and the other side end portion of the cardboard are located in a direction orthogonal to each other, and an opening 20 is formed between the one side end portion and the other side end portion. Since the side walls of the cushioning member 200 are formed by bending the cardboard, they have a two-layer structure. Also, since the bent cardboards do not contact each other in the side walls having a two-layer structure, a gap is formed.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, the cushioning material 100 is formed into a predetermined shape by bending cardboard. The cushioning material 100 includes a main body portion 1 formed by the bent cardboard. In the present embodiment, the cushioning material 100 (main body portion 1) is formed into a polygonal shape that conforms to the shape of the object 400. In the present embodiment, the cushioning material 100 is formed into a pentagon. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the cardboard is defined as the X direction, the short side direction of the cardboard is defined as the Y direction, and the thickness direction of the cardboard is defined as the Z direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are perpendicular to each other. In the present embodiment, the cardboard is configured to be bent along the longitudinal direction to form the cushioning material 100. Therefore, the protruding direction is the longitudinal direction, and the width direction is the short side direction.

[0023] The main body portion 1 has a surface that is arranged along the object 400. Specifically, when the object 400 has an inclined portion, the main body portion 1 has an inclined surface 10a along the inclined portion. The main body portion 1 of the present embodiment includes the inclined surface 10a, a first flat surface 10b, a second flat surface 10c, a third flat surface 10d, and a fourth flat surface 10e. The inclined surface 10a is configured to contact the object 400. The first flat surface 10b is configured to contact the cushioning member 200. The second flat surface 10c is configured to connect the first flat surface 10b and the inclined surface 10a to each other. The third flat surface 10d is configured to be composed of laminated cardboard and to be located on the opposite side of the second flat surface 10c. The fourth flat surface 10e is configured to connect the third flat surface 10d and the inclined surface 10a to each other. Also, the fourth flat surface 10e is located on the opposite side of the first flat surface 10b. Note that the first flat surface 10b is an example of the "opposing surface" described in the claims. Also, the fourth flat surface 10e is located on the opposite side of the first flat surface 10b. Also, by arranging the first flat surface 10b closer to the packaging material 300, it may be arranged to buffer the external force on the packaging material 300. In the present embodiment, the first flat surface 10b is in contact with the cushioning member 200, but it does not have to be in contact.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the buffer member 100 includes a protrusion 2 and a reinforcing portion 3. The protrusion 2 protrudes from the first flat surface 10b facing the buffer member 200 of the main body portion 1.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 2 is formed by raising the corrugated cardboard. The protrusion 2 is formed on the short side of the corrugated cardboard rather than the central portion 8 in the longitudinal direction (X direction). Three protrusions 2 are provided on the buffer member 100. Note that one protrusion 2 may be provided on the buffer member 100, or a plurality of protrusions 2 may be provided at predetermined intervals along the short side direction (Y direction). The larger the number of protrusions, the smaller the width of the protrusions. For example, two or more and five or less protrusions are provided. By raising the protrusion 2, the first flat surface 10b and the third flat surface 10d are formed. As a method of forming the protrusion 2, as an example, a method of cutting and raising the protrusion with a cutter or the like can be mentioned. In another example, a method of forming a portion to be a protrusion by pressing and then raising it can be mentioned. In FIG. 5, the central portion 8 is indicated by a dashed line, and the portion where the corrugated cardboard is bent is indicated by a broken line.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 2 includes a base portion 2a provided on the root side connected to the main body portion 1 and an engagement portion 2b provided on the tip side. The root side refers to the side where the protrusion 2 contacts the third flat surface 10d in the longitudinal direction, and the tip side refers to the side opposite to the root side in the longitudinal direction.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the base portion 2a is a portion between the fold line when raising the protrusion 2 and the engagement portion 2b. At least a part of the base portion 2a is inserted into the opening 20 of the buffer member 200. The base portion 2a has a rectangular shape.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, in the width direction (Y direction) orthogonal to both the protruding direction (X direction) of the protruding portion 2 and the thickness direction (Z direction) of the cardboard, the width t1 of the engaging portion 2b is formed to be larger than the width t2 of the base portion 2a. The engaging portion 2b has a curved surface in a portion protruding more than the base portion 2a in the width direction. The engaging portion 2b engages with the opening 20 of the buffer member 200 when assembled to the buffer member 200. Since a portion of the engaging portion 2b protruding more than the end of the base portion 2a in the width direction abuts against the side wall forming the opening 20 of the buffer member 200 in a state of being inserted into the opening 20, the buffer material 100 is less likely to fall off from the buffer member 200.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protruding amount t4 of the protruding portion 2 from the first flat surface 10b of the cardboard is larger than the protruding amount t5 of the reinforcing portion 3 from the first flat surface 10b of the cardboard. When assembled to the buffer member 200, the tip of the protruding portion 2 and the tip of the reinforcing portion 3 may be located at the same position in the protruding direction, or the tip of the protruding portion 2 may protrude more than the tip of the reinforcing portion 3. The protruding amount t5 of the reinforcing portion 3 is formed to be larger than or equal to the length of the base portion 2a in the protruding direction and smaller than or equal to the length of the engaging portion 2b. The relationship between the protruding amount t8 of the reinforcing portion 3 and the gap t7 of the folded portion of the buffer member 200 is not particularly limited. However, since the protruding portion 2, the reinforcing portion 3, and the buffer member 200 deform with each other to enhance the buffering effect, it is preferable to set the protruding amount t8 of the reinforcing portion 3 to be 50% or more of the size of the gap t7 of the folded portion of the buffer member 200 when the protruding portion 2 is inserted into the opening 20 of the buffer member.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the cushioning material 100 has a hole portion 4. The hole portion 4 is provided adjacent to the protrusion portion 2. Here, "adjacent" includes the case where the hole portion 4 is surrounded and the portion constituting the hole portion 4 and the base portion 2a of the protrusion portion 2 are in contact with each other, and the case where the portion constituting the hole portion 4 and the base portion 2a of the protrusion portion 2 are not in contact with each other but are close to each other. Note that the hole portion 4 and the protrusion portion 2 do not have to be adjacent at the time of the unfolded cardboard before forming the cushioning material 100, and it is sufficient if they are adjacent when the cushioning material 100 is formed by folding. In the present embodiment, the hole portion 4 is formed by cutting and raising the protrusion portion 2 from the cardboard. In other words, the protrusion portion 2 and the hole portion 4 are integrally formed. The hole portion 4 is formed on the first flat surface 10b. The length of the hole portion 4 is larger than the length of the protrusion portion 2 in the protruding direction and the width direction. The hole portion 4 is formed in a T shape.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing portion 3 is provided to supplement the strength of the protrusion portion 2. The protrusion portion 2 protrudes from the first flat surface 10b of the main body portion 1. The reinforcing portion 3 is configured to reinforce at least the base portion 2a of the protrusion portion 2. The reinforcing portion 3 is inserted into the hole portion 4 and laminated on the protrusion portion 2. The reinforcing portion 3 has a two-layer structure. Note that the reinforcing portion may be formed in one layer, but is preferably formed in two or more layers in order to increase the strength. When it is formed in two or more layers, the reinforcing portion 3 is formed by a bent portion 3a formed by folding and overlapping the cardboard. The reinforcing portion 3 (bent portion 3a) is laminated on the protrusion portion 2 by being inserted into the hole portion 4. The bent portion 3a is formed in two layers by folding the cardboard once. Note that the bent portion may be formed in three or more layers by folding the cardboard a plurality of times. For example, by making the bent portion into three layers, the thickness of the bent portion can be increased compared to the case of two layers, so that a reinforcing portion with higher strength can be obtained. The protrusion portion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 are formed by folding a single piece of cardboard.

[0032] Of the bent portion 3a, the portion protruding from the hole portion 4 forms a reinforcing portion 3 and is laminated on the protruding portion 2. Also, of the bent portion 3a, the portion not protruding from the hole portion 4 is laminated on the cardboard forming the third flat surface 10d. The bent portion 3a may be formed by stacking the bent cardboard without gaps, or may be formed by bending with gaps. Note that the thickness t6 (length in the stacking direction) of the bent portion 3a may be the same as the rising length of the hole portion 4 in the rising direction, or may be smaller than the rising length of the hole portion 4 in the rising direction. When it is smaller than the rising length of the hole portion 4 in the rising direction, the cardboard constituting the bent portion 3a spreads so as to be separated from each other in the stacking direction, and thus is firmly attached to the hole portion 4. Therefore, the number of bending times of the cardboard is adjusted so that the thickness of the bent portion 3a is equal to or less than the size of the hole portion 4.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the bent portion 3a is provided on the other short side opposite to the one short side where the protruding portion 2 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the cardboard. The bent portion 3a is provided at a position closer to the other short side than the central portion 8 in the longitudinal direction of the cardboard. Also, as an example, the portion of the cardboard forming the bent portion 3a is formed by cutting off the portion other than the portion forming the bent portion 3a in the short direction. As another example, the portion of the cardboard forming the bent portion 3a is formed by pressing the portion other than the portion forming the bent portion 3a in the short direction. Also, in the short direction, the position where the bent portion 3a is formed and the position where the protruding portion 2 is formed are the same position.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the width t3 of the bent portion 3a is smaller than the width t1 of the engaging portion 2b of the protruding portion 2 and is equal to or greater than the width t2 of the base portion 2a of the protruding portion 2. The protruding portion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 are configured to be inserted into the opening 20 of the other member when the cushioning material 100 is assembled to the other member. Note that the width of the reinforcing portion 3 is the same as the width t3 of the bent portion 3a. Therefore, in the width direction, the width of the reinforcing portion 3 is formed to be equal to or greater than the width t2 of the base portion 2a. In this embodiment, the width t3 of the reinforcing portion 3 is the same as the width t2 of the base portion 2a.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the cardboard for forming the buffer material 100 has a fixing insertion portion 5 formed at one end in the longitudinal direction. The insertion portion 5 is formed by making a cut. Further, a notch 6 is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction. In the short direction, the insertion portion 5 and the notch 6 are located at the same position. Further, a slit 7 is formed in the cardboard. When the cardboard is bent, the insertion portion 5 is inserted into the slit 7 through the notch 6, and the predetermined shape of the buffer material 100 can be maintained.

[0036] In this embodiment, the buffer material 100 is formed by bending a single piece of cardboard. For example, the buffer material 100 is formed by bending a plurality of times from the end side in the longitudinal direction. The bending directions are all the same. For example, the buffer material 100 is formed by a plurality of valley folds. In this embodiment, the buffer material 100 is formed by making 8 valley folds on the cardboard. First, after the bending portion 3a is formed by bending the other end side twice along the valley fold lines 1a and 1b, the fourth flat surface 10e is formed by the third fold along the valley fold line 1c and the fourth fold along the valley fold line 1d. Further, the inclined surface 10a is formed by the fifth fold along the valley fold line 1e, and the second flat surface 10c is formed by the sixth fold along the valley fold line 1f. Then, the first flat surface 10b and the third flat surface 10d are formed by the seventh fold along the valley fold line 1g. Further, the protrusion 2 and the hole 4 are formed by the seventh fold, and the bending portion 3a is inserted into the hole 4. Further, the third flat surface 10d is located on the outer peripheral side of the bending portion 3a. Then, by the eighth fold along the valley fold line 1h, the insertion portion 5 is inserted into the slit 7, and the buffer material 100 is formed. As the bending direction, by bending so that the bent cardboard overlaps upward, the gap formed in the bent cardboard can be reduced. And, the surface on one short side of the cardboard and the fourth flat surface 10e are arranged along the thickness direction of the cardboard.

[0037] The buffer material 100 is inserted into the opening 20 of the buffer member 200. The third flat surface 10d of the buffer material 100 abuts against the bottom surface of the buffer member 200, and the first flat surface 10b abuts against the side surface of the buffer member 200. As an insertion method, it may be inserted horizontally with respect to the opening 20, or may be inserted obliquely from the opening 20. After assembling the buffer material 100 to the buffer member 200, it is attached to the object 400.

[0038] (Effects of this Embodiment) In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0039] In this embodiment, as described above, the buffer material 100 includes a main body portion 1 formed of a bent cardboard, a protrusion portion 2 protruding from the main body portion 1, and a reinforcement portion 3 that is inserted into a hole portion 4 provided adjacent to the protrusion portion 2 and laminated on the protrusion portion 2. By laminating the reinforcement portion 3 on the protrusion portion 2, the thickness of the portion protruding from the main body portion 1 can be increased, so that the strength of the protrusion portion 2 can be increased. As a result, deformation of the protrusion portion 2 can be suppressed.

[0040] Further, in this embodiment, as described above, the protrusion portion 2 and the reinforcement portion 3 are configured to be inserted into the opening 20 of another member when the buffer material 100 is assembled to the other member. As a result, when the protrusion portion 2 and the reinforcement portion 3 are inserted into the opening 20, deformation of the protrusion portion 2 when the protrusion portion 2 is inserted into the opening 20 can be suppressed. Further, since the protrusion portion 2 and the reinforcement portion 3 are inserted into the opening 20, deformation of the protrusion portion 2 can be suppressed even when the protrusion portion 2 is assembled to another member.

[0041] Further, in this embodiment, as described above, the main body portion 1, the protrusion portion 2, and the reinforcement portion 3 are formed by bending a single cardboard. Thereby, since the main body portion 1, the protrusion portion 2, and the reinforcement portion 3 can be formed by bending a single cardboard, unlike the case where the protrusion portion 2 and the reinforcement portion 3 are separate members, an increase in the number of parts is suppressed and the configuration of the buffer material is simplified, while deformation of the protrusion portion 2 can be suppressed.

[0042] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the reinforcing portion 3 is formed by the bent portion 3a formed by bending and overlapping cardboard, and the bent portion 3a is laminated on the protruding portion 2 by being inserted into the hole portion 4. Thereby, the reinforcing portion 3 can be easily formed by bending the cardboard. Further, since the reinforcing portion 3 is constituted by the bent portion 3a formed by bending and overlapping cardboard, the thickness of the reinforcing portion 3 can be increased to further improve the strength of the reinforcing portion 3, and when inserted into the hole portion 4, the bent portion 3a spreads, so that the reinforcing portion 3 can be firmly attached to the hole portion 4.

[0043] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the hole portion 4 is formed by raising the protruding portion 2 from the cardboard. Thereby, since the hole portion 4 is also formed when the protruding portion 2 is raised, the forming process of the protruding portion 2 and the hole portion 4 can be simplified as compared with the case of forming the protruding portion 2 and the hole portion 4 separately.

[0044] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the protruding portion 2 includes a base portion 2a provided on the base side connected to the main body portion 1 and an engaging portion 2b provided on the tip side. In the width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protruding portion 2 and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the engaging portion 2b is formed to be larger than the width of the base portion 2a. In the width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protruding portion 2 and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the reinforcing portion 3 is formed to be equal to or larger than the width of the base portion 2a. Thereby, since the width of the engaging portion 2b is larger than the width of the protruding portion 2, the engaging portion 2b can be projected from the base portion 2a in the width direction. Therefore, when the engaging portion 2b is inserted into another member, the protruding engaging portion 2b can be brought into contact with the other member, and the cushioning material 100 can be firmly assembled to the other member. Further, since the width of the reinforcing portion 3 is formed to be equal to or larger than the width of the base portion 2a, the base portion 2a of the protruding portion 2 can be sufficiently reinforced.

[0045] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, the buffer member 100 is configured to be assembled to the buffer member 200, and the protrusion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 are configured to protrude from the first flat surface 10b of the main body portion 1 facing the buffer member 200 toward the buffer member 200. The protruding amount of the protrusion 2 from the first flat surface 10b is larger than the protruding amount of the reinforcing portion 3 from the first flat surface 10b. Thus, when inserting the protrusion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 into the opening 20 of the buffer member 200, the protrusion 2 with the larger protruding amount can be inserted first, and the protrusion can be used as a guide when inserting the reinforcing portion 3.

[0046] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, the other member is the buffer member 200 disposed inside the packaging material 300, and the protrusion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 are inserted into the opening 20 of the buffer member 200 and configured to be assembled to the buffer member 200. Thus, by inserting the protrusion 2 and the reinforcing portion 3 into the opening 20, it is possible to suppress deformation of the protrusion 2 when assembling to the buffer member 200 and after assembly.

[0047] (Modification example) It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the description of the above-described embodiments but by the claims, and further includes all changes (modification examples) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0048] In the present embodiment, an example in which the main body portion, the protrusion, and the reinforcing portion are formed by folding a single piece of cardboard is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the main body portion, the protrusion, and the reinforcing portion may be formed from different cardboard pieces. In this case, the different cardboard pieces include completely different cardboard pieces and a plurality of cardboard pieces cut from a single piece of cardboard. For example, the reinforcing portion may be formed of another cardboard.

[0049] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example where the surface of the cushioning material in contact with the object is an inclined surface has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, when the object does not have an inclined surface, the surface in contact with the object may be a flat surface.

[0050] Also, in the present embodiment, an example where the cushioning material is formed by bending the cardboard along the longitudinal direction has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the cushioning material may be formed by bending the cardboard along the short side direction. When bending the cardboard along the short side direction, the protruding direction is the longitudinal direction, and the width direction is the short side direction.

[0051] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example where the surface facing the cushioning member of the cushioning material is a flat surface has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, when the cushioning member has an inclined surface, the surface in contact with the cushioning member may be an inclined surface.

[0052] Also, in the present embodiment, an example where the protrusion is formed by cutting and raising has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 8, in the present invention, the protrusion may be formed by notching the short side. In this case, the hole is pre-formed in the cardboard. In the case of FIG. 8, by folding 7 times along the valley fold lines, the cushioning material of FIG. 8(B) is formed. In this case, by folding the valley fold line 1001a, a bent portion 1003a (reinforcing portion 1003) is formed on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. By folding 90 degrees in order along the valley fold lines 1001b, 1001c, and 1001d, the bent portion 1003a is inserted into the hole 1004. Also, by folding the one end side in the longitudinal direction 90 degrees in order along the valley fold lines 1001e, 1001f, and 1001g, the protrusion 1002 is inserted into the hole 1004. As a result, the protrusion 1002 and the bent portion 1003a are laminated on each other in a state of being inserted into the hole 1004, and a cushioning material 1000 including a main body portion 1001, a protrusion 1002, and a reinforcing portion 1003 is formed.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which the buffer material is pentagonal has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the buffer material may be a polygon other than a triangle, a quadrilateral, or a pentagon.

[0054] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which at least a part of the base is inserted into the opening of the buffer member has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the base may not be inserted into the opening of the buffer member.

[0055] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the protrusion and the reinforcement are configured to be inserted into the opening of another member has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, only the protrusion may be inserted into the opening of another member.

[0056] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the protrusion and the reinforcement are inserted when assembling the buffer material to another member has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the protrusion may be used for positioning by abutting against another member.

[0057] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the other member is a buffer member has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, the other member may be a packaging material.

[0058] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the width of the engaging portion is formed to be larger than the width of the base in the width direction has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, in the width direction, the width of the engaging portion and the width of the base may be the same.

[0059] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the protruding amount of the protrusion from the opposing surface of the corrugated board is larger than the protruding amount of the reinforcement from the opposing surface of the corrugated board has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the protruding amount of the protrusion from the opposing surface of the corrugated board and the protruding amount of the reinforcement from the opposing surface of the corrugated board may be the same.

[0060] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the width of the reinforcing portion in the width direction is formed to be equal to or greater than the width of the base portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, in the width direction, the width of the reinforcing portion may be formed to be smaller than the width of the base portion.

[0061] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the hole portion has a T shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the hole portion may have a rectangular shape.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0062] 1 Main body portion 2 Protrusion 2a Base portion 2b Engaging portion 3 Reinforcing portion 3a Bent portion 4 Hole portion 10b First flat surface (opposing surface) 20 Opening 100 Buffer material 200 Buffer member 300 Packaging material

Claims

1. A cushioning material formed into a predetermined shape by bending cardboard, comprising: a main body portion formed by the bent cardboard; a protrusion protruding from the main body portion; and a reinforcing portion inserted into a hole portion provided adjacent to the protrusion and laminated on the protrusion.

2. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion and the reinforcing portion are configured to be inserted into an opening of the other member when the cushioning material is assembled to the other member.

3. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion, the protrusion, and the reinforcing portion are formed by bending a single piece of the cardboard.

4. The reinforcing portion is formed by a bent portion formed by bending and overlapping the cardboard, and the bent portion is laminated on the protrusion by being inserted into the hole portion. The cushioning material according to claim 3.

5. The hole portion is formed by cutting and raising the protrusion from the cardboard. The cushioning material according to claim 1.

6. The protrusion includes a base portion provided on a root side connected to the main body portion and an engaging portion provided on a tip side, and in a width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protrusion and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the engaging portion is formed larger than the width of the base portion, and in a width direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the protrusion and the thickness direction of the cardboard, the width of the reinforcing portion is formed to be equal to or larger than the width of the base portion. The cushioning material according to claim 1.

7. The cushioning material is configured to be assembled to another member, and the protrusion and the reinforcing portion are configured to protrude from a facing surface, which is a surface of the main body portion facing the other member, toward the other member, and a protruding amount of the protrusion from the facing surface is larger than a protruding amount of the reinforcing portion from the facing surface. The cushioning material according to claim 1.

8. The other member is a cushioning member disposed inside a packaging material, and the protrusion and the reinforcing portion are configured to be inserted into an opening of the cushioning member and assembled to the cushioning member. The cushioning material according to claim 2.

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