US 7,320,403 B2 | ||
Package, method, and kit for stretch hood packaging of home appliances | ||
Charlie May, Jr., New Bern, N.C. (US) | ||
Assigned to BSH Home Appliances Corporation, Huntington Beach, Calif. (US) | ||
Filed on Jun. 28, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/879,941. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0284783 A1, Dec. 29, 2005 | ||
Int. Cl. B65D 81/02 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 206—320 [206/497; 206/586; 206/597] | 25 Claims |
1. A package for stretch hood packaging of large home appliances, comprising:
a base shaped for having a home appliance at least one of assembled thereon or placed thereon after assembly, said appliance
being packaged for shipment, said base having an upper surface for having said home appliance supported thereon, and having
outer edge sections with a plurality of substantially L-shaped pockets located at the top of the outer edge sections of said
base, each said appliance spanning the corners of said base;
two vertically extending first posts, each having substantially L-shaped tongues at the bottoms thereof, received in a corresponding
L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner location next to where one pair of the front or the back corners of the appliance
is to be received, said first posts being shaped to abut along the length thereof against vertically extending corners of
said appliance;
two vertically extending second posts, each having substantially L-shaped tongues at the bottom thereof received in a corresponding
L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner location next to where the other pair of the front or back corners of the appliance
is to be located, said second posts being shaped to abut along the length thereof against vertically extending corners of
the appliance, each substantially L-shaped tongue of each vertically extending second post having one horizontally extending
leg portion to be received in a corresponding horizontally extending slot of the L-shaped pocket of said base at a corner
location that has a vertical extent below a top surface of said base and having another horizontally extending leg portion
to be received in a horizontally extending corresponding slot of the L-shaped pocket of said base at a respective corner location
that has a vertical extent below a top surface of said base, the horizontally extending leg portions of the substantially
L-shaped second post tongues being received in the respective corresponding slots of the L-shaped pocket of said base at the
respective corner locations such that the horizontally extending leg portions of the substantially L-shaped second post tongues
extend vertically below the top surface of said base; and
at least said second posts each having a vertically aligned horizontal extension having a bottom end portion at a vertical
spacing higher than the top surface of said base such that a vertical gap exists between the bottom end portion of the vertically
aligned horizontal extension and said base so as to permit the bottom end portion of the vertically aligned horizontal extension
to move downwardly through the gap upon pivoting movement of the respective second post resulting in downward movement of
the bottom end portion of the vertically aligned horizontal extension thereof, whereby each gap is sufficient to allow each
one of said second posts to pivot when the appliance is hood stretch wrapped within the package with a film hood, substantially
preventing deformation of said base as a result of said appliance being hood stretch wrapped as a result of said pivoting
posts.
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