US20090038272A1 - Container assemblies having collapsible and erectable containers containing a packaging material - Google Patents

Abstract

A container assembly is provided which includes a container selectively moveable between an erect condition and a collapsed or substantially flattened condition. A packaging material for support objects is disposed within an object receiving space of the container and secured thereto so that the packaging material remains in the object receiving space of the container when the container is in either the erect condition or the collapsed or substantially flattened condition.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/481,732, filed Jul. 6, 2006, now abandoned; which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/697, filed Jul. 7, 2005. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
• Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
• 1. Field of Invention
• The present invention relates generally to a container assembly, and more particularly to a container assembly which includes containers selectively movable between a collapsed condition and/or erect condition wherein the containers contain a packaging material. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a container assembly having collapsible and/or erectable containers containing a packaging material formed of a plurality of individual strips, strands or units of material which are bondingly connected to a flexible substrate to form a cohesive cushioning unit. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a container assembly having a collapsible and/or erectable floral container and a flexible, inflatable substrate having a plurality of individual strips, strands or units of decorative material bondingly connected to the flexible inflatable substrate to form a cohesive cushioning unit.
• 2. Brief Description of Related Art
• In the process of shipping an article from one location to another, the article may be placed in a container along with a protective packaging material to fill voids about the article and to cushion the article during the shipping process. One such common protective packaging material includes a plurality of polymeric foam peanut-shaped members which are commonly known in the art as “Styrofoam Peanuts.” An advantage of using the Styrofoam Peanuts is the ease in which they may be disposed about an article positioned in a container by simply pouring the Styrofoam Peanuts into the container.
• While Styrofoam Peanuts have been widely accepted in the packaging industry, they are not without disadvantages. For example, the light weight and flowability of the Styrofoam Peanuts result in heavier articles gravitating through the Styrofoam Peanuts to the bottom of the container during shipping, and the receiver of the package is left with the problem of disposing of the Styrofoam Peanuts once the package has arrived at its destination and the article removed there from.
• Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have also been used for many years as a packaging material. More specifically, material known as decorative grass has been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnic baskets and for other packaging and decorative purposes.
• Flowers and other plants have long been grown and displayed in pots, commonly referred to as “flower pots.” Flower pots are generally constructed of natural, earthen materials, such as clay which is in turn glazed and fired to produce a hardened non-flexible ceramic structure. Flower pots have also been constructed of plastic materials which are colored or painted to have the appearance of an earthen material. While clay or ceramic flower pots are both aesthetically pleasing and effectively serve the purpose of containing plant material in a growing medium, inefficiencies are nevertheless experienced in shipping and storing such containers due to their bulkiness and susceptibility to breakage.
• To this end, a need exists for a container assembly that can be shipped and stored in a substantially flattened or collapsed condition and readily erected into a container that can protect fragile items, such as figurines, ceramic objects and the like during shipping and/or storage. It is to such containers and flexible packaging materials that the present invention is directed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assembly of the present invention, the container assembly having a container containing a packaging material formed of a plurality of the strips or strands of material, the container being shown in an erect condition.
• FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of the container assembly ofFIG. 1 in a collapsed condition.
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container of the container assembly of the present invention, the container selectively movable between an erect condition and a collapsed condition, the container being illustrated in the erect condition.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a strand or strip of material utilized to construct a packaging material to form a cohesive cushioning unit for the container ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flexible inflatable substrate assembly in an inflated condition, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly cooperating with containers selectively movable between an erect condition and a collapsed to construct a container assembly in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of the container ofFIG. 3 having the flexible inflatable substrate assembly ofFIG. 5 disposed therein, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly having a plurality of strands or strips of material disposed thereon.
• FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention which includes the contain ofFIG. 3 and a flexible inflatable substrate assembly wherein the flexible inflatable substrate assembly is in an inflated condition and an upper surface of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly has a pattern printed thereon to simulate a tuft of material formed of a plurality of strands of material.
• FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assembly of the present invention wherein a container is shown in an erect condition and a flexible substrate is disposed therein.
• FIG. 9 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assembly of the present invention wherein a tuft of material formed a plurality of the strips or strands of the material ofFIG. 4 is disposed within an object receiving space of a container and supported on a flexible substrate, the flexible substrate being disposed on the closed lower end of the container.
• FIG. 10 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a container assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention wherein a container is in an erect condition and a tuft of material is disposed therein.
• FIG. 11 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the container assembly ofFIG. 10 wherein the container is in a partially collapsed condition and has the tuft of material supported therein.
• FIG. 12 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a container assembly wherein a container is in an erect condition and a tuft of material is supported therein.
• FIG. 13 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the container assembly ofFIG. 12 wherein the container is in a partially collapsed condition and has the tuft of material supported therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The present invention relates to a container assembly which includes a collapsible and/or erectable, shape-sustaining container and a packaging material disposed in the container for supporting articles. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a container assembly wherein a packaging material for supporting floral groupings, eggs and other fragile articles is disposed in a connection to the collapsible and/or erectable container.
• It is to be understood that while the terms “collapsible” or “erectable” may be used herein with respect to a particular embodiment of a shape sustaining container, one of ordinary skill in the art would easily understand and could easily adapt the containers described herein to be “collapsible,” “erectable,” or both, and therefore such terms should be understood as being used interchangeably herein. As such, collapsible shape sustaining containers, erectable shape sustaining containers, and collapsible and erectable shape sustaining containers are all fully within the scope of the present invention, and the use of the term “collapsible” should be understood to also include containers that are “erectable,” while use of the term “erectable” should also be understood to include containers that are “collapsible.”
• Referring now toFIG. 1, shown therein is acontainer assembly10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. Thecontainer assembly10 includes a collapsible and/orerectable container11 which is disposed in an erect condition. Thecontainer11 includes an openupper end12, a closed lower end orbottom14, aninner surface16, anouter surface18, and anobject receiving space20. Apackaging material23, is disposed within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 for cushioning objects supported in theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11. At least a portion of thepackaging material23 is connected to at least one of theinner surface16 and the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 so that thepackaging material23 remains substantially within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 where thecontainer11 is moved to the collapsed condition (FIG. 2). As will be more fully described herein after, thepackaging material23 can be a tuft of material, a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly, a flexible substrate assembly or combinations thereof.
• To enhance the movement of thecontainer10 between the erect condition (FIG. 1) and the collapsed or flattened condition (FIG. 2), thecontainer11 may be provided with agusset22 in the closedlower end14 thereof. The above embodiment of the collapsible and/orerectable container10, as well as other embodiments of such containers, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/103,405 filed Mar. 11, 2005, the entire contents of such application being hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference.
• Referring now toFIG. 3, shown therein is one strip or strand ofmaterial24 employed to form atuft26 of material disposed within theobject receiving space20 of the container11 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The tuft of thematerial26, which is made up of a plurality of individual strips orstrands24 and which may be intertwined with one another, can be supported within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 for cushioning objects disposed within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer10 as will be described in more detail herein after. The tuft ofmaterial26 can be connected to at least a portion of theinner surface16 of thecontainer11 so that the tuft ofmaterial26 extends from the closedlower end14 of thecontainer10 toward the openupper end12 thereof; or the tuft ofmaterial26 can be connected to a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly28 (FIG. 5) supported within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 so as to be disposed substantially adjacent the closedlower end14 of the container11 (FIGS. 6 and 7) as will be described in more detail herein after; or the tuft ofmaterial26 can be connected to aflexible substrate28asupported within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 so as to be disposed substantially adjacent the closedlower end14 of the container11 (FIGS. 8 and 9). Thus, the tuft ofmaterial26, in addition to being bonded to the flexible,inflatable substrate assembly28, may be bonded to theflexible substrate28a(FIGS. 8 and 9), and the tuft ofmaterial26 may also be bonded to at least a portion of theinner surface16 of thecontainer11 which surrounds theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11.
• Referring again toFIGS. 1 and 2, thepackaging material23 is illustrated as the tuft ofmaterial26 and the tuft ofmaterial26 is illustrated as being disposed within at least a portion of theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 and secured therein by bonding at least a portion of the tuft ofmaterial26 to at least a portion of the closedlower end14 and/or theinner surface16 of thecontainer11. If desired, the strips or strands ofmaterial24 which constitutes the tuft ofmaterial26 can be intertwined and bonded together by applying a bonding material to at least a portion of the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 and/or at least a portion of the closedlower end14 of thecontainer10 and/or theinner surface16 of thecontainer11.
• InFIG. 1 thecontainer11 is depicted in an erect condition and the tuft ofmaterial26 fills a substantial portion of theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11. As previously discussed, the tuft ofmaterial26 is bondingly connected to at least a portion of the closedlower end14 and/or theinner surface16 of thecontainer11 so that when thecontainer11 is moved to a collapsed condition as shown inFIG. 2, the tuft ofmaterial26 is compressed and remains in theobject receiving space20 of the collapsedcontainer11.
• The individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 utilized to produce the tuft ofmaterial26 can be fabricated from any flexible material including, but not limited to, paper, crape paper, polymeric film, wax paper, laminates and combinations thereof. For example, at least one clear layer of polymeric material can be laminated to at least one iridescent layer of polymeric film so as to provide an iridescent effect to the laminated polymeric film, and thus the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 produced from the sheet of laminated material. In addition, the flexible material from which the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 are fabricated may have printed material and/or one or more embossed patterns on at least a portion of at least one side thereof, and the one or more embossed patterns may be in register or out of register with the printed material and/or each other.
• The plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 may also be fabricated from organic or inorganic materials, including leaves, tree bark, branches, dirt, sand, sea shells, Spanish moss or any other type of organic or inorganic material that is capable of forming the tuft ofmaterial26 and/or capable of being bondingly connected to at least one of the closedlower end14 and/or theinner surface16 of thecontainer11 and/or the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 or theflexible substrate28asupportable on the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 such that the tuft ofmaterial26 is disposed in theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer10 and thereby provides a decorative and/or cushioning effect for objects supported within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11. Furthermore, when the strips or strands ofmaterial24 are fabricated from a flexible material, additional inorganic and/or organic materials may be attached onto or be incorporated into the strips or strands ofmaterial24 prior to or after forming the tuft ofmaterial26 from the strips or strands ofmaterial24.
• As previous stated, at least a portion of at least one side of the strips or strands of the material24 can be provided with printed material thereon. The printed material on the flexible material from which the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 are fabricated can be printed in a conventional manner so that when the flexible material is slit and cut to produce the strips or strands ofmaterial24 at least a portion of the strips or strands ofmaterial24 contain at least a portion of the printed material. Further, different colors can be employed to provide the printed material on the sheet of material from the which the plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 are fabricated.
• Also, the flexible material employed to produce the strips or strands ofmaterial24 may include one or more embossed patterns which are provided on the flexible material prior to slitting and cutting the sheet of material to provide the strips or strands ofmaterial24. Further, the flexible material can be provided with an embossed pattern as well as a printed pattern, and the embossed pattern may be either in register or out of register with the printed material, which may be in the form of writing, a design, or any other style of printing depicting any message that the user desires.
• The individual strips or strands ofmaterial24, as described above, are commonly referred to as “Easter grass” or “decorative grass” and such have been used for many years in filling fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnic baskets, and for other decorative and packaging purposes. The decorative grass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials, such as those listed above. Typically, such materials are shredded and cut to produce segmented strips having predetermined dimensions. While the prior art methods for making the decorative grass have been widely accepted, new techniques for facilitating the use of decorative grass as a packaging material have been sought in view of the fact that decorative grass and other loose shredded packaging material of the prior art readily fall onto the floor, cling to various objects making them awkward and inconvenient to clean up, and often compact and thereby no longer adequately cushion and/or protect items placed thereon.
• By forming the strips or strands ofmaterial24 into the tuft of material26 (which is composed of a plurality of the strips or strands of material24) and connecting the tuft ofmaterial26 to the closedlower end14 and/or theinterior surface16 of thecontainer11 as herein before described with referenceFIGS. 1 and 2, or by connecting the tuft ofmaterial26 to the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 or theflexible substrate28aas will be described in more detail herein after, clean up problems associated with loose fill materials are alleviated and thecontainer11 containing the tuft ofmaterial26 can be selectively moved between the erect condition as shown inFIG. 1 and the collapsed condition as shown inFIG. 2 without the strips or strands ofmaterial24 forming the tuft ofmaterial26 falling from theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11.
• Referring now toFIG. 5, shown therein is a packaging material which includes the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 having the tuft ofmaterial26 formed of a plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 bondingly connected thereto. As can be appreciated, by connecting the tuft ofmaterial26 to the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, not only is the problem associated with the clean-up of loose fill material alleviated, but since the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is capable of being inflated, the compacting problems associated with loose fill material are also alleviated and lesser amounts of fill material are required. The flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 can also be caused to adhere or cohere to an object and/or thecontainer11 in which it is placed thereby resulting in an attached packaging effect. That is, with loose fill packaging material the object being packed has a tendency to gravitate through the packaging material to the bottom of the container thereby reducing the effectiveness of the packaging material. By using the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 disclosed herein, the cohesiveness of the tuft ofmaterial26 and the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 retard the object supported thereon from gravitating through thecontainer11 towards the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11.
• The flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 for use in the present invention is fabricated of a first sheet ofmaterial30 and second ofmaterial32. It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 may be varied and the shape of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 may also, therefore, be varied—e.g., a circle, square, triangle, heart, and animal shape, a floral shape, etc.
• The flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 which can be employed as a packaging material in accordance with the present invention can be fabricated of any flexible material capable of retaining a fluid, such as air, in aninflatable chamber34 formed by the union of the first and second sheets of thematerial30 and32, respectively. Examples of materials capable of being employed to form the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 include, but are not limited to, polymeric materials, laminated polymeric materials, fabrics having a fluid impervious coating, foil and alike.
• The flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 which can be employed as a packaging material in accordance with the present invention may also have printed material37 (FIG. 7) and/or one or moreembossed patterns38 on at least a portion of at least one of first sheet ofmaterial30 and the second sheet ofmaterial32, and the one or moreembossed patterns38 can be in register or out of register, or partially in register and partially out of register with the printedmaterial36. In addition, different colors can be employed to provide the printed material or pattern on at least one of the first or second sheets ofmaterial30 and/or and32, such as the first sheet ofmaterial30, so that when the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is positioned within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 substantially adjacent the closedlower end14 thereof, the printed and/or embossed patterns are visible.
• It should be noted the printedmaterial37 may be a pictorial representation with the color or shape of the tuft ofmaterial26 formed of a plurality of the strips or strands ofmaterial24 so that when a small amount of the plurality of individual strips orstrands24 are employed to form the tuft ofmaterial26, and the tuft ofmaterial26 is bondingly connected to the first sheet of thematerial30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, the printed material fills in the voids between the plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterials24 such that it appears that there are few or no actual voids in the tuft ofmaterial26 formed from the plurality of strips or strands ofmaterial24 thereby resulting in an aesthetically pleasing flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28. Alternatively, at least one surface of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, such as anupper surface36 of the first sheet of thematerial30, can be printed so as to give the appearance of the presence of the tuft ofmaterial26 without the tuft ofmaterial26 being formed from a plurality of strips or strands ofmaterial24.
• The first sheet ofmaterial30 and the second sheet ofmaterial32 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different types of material. In addition, the thickness of the first sheet ofmaterial30 and the second sheet ofmaterial32 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 may vary widely, the only requirement being that the first and second sheets ofmaterial30 and32, respectively, have sufficient structural integrity to support objects placed thereon without the weight of the objects causing damage to the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28.
• The first sheet ofmaterial30 is bonded via a bonding material (not shown) to the second sheet ofmaterial32 so as to provide theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28. The flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is further provided with avalve39 which is in fluid communication with theinflatable chamber34 and thus provides a conventional method of injecting a gas, such as air, into theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 so as to inflate the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28.
• Any type of valve capable of introducing a gas, such as air, into theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 can be employed as thevalve39 in the practice of the present invention, provided that the valve closes off theinflatable chamber34 once theinflatable chamber34 has been inflated. Such valves are well known in the art. Thus, any conventional valve capable of performing the functions described above can be employed as thevalve39 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28.
• In place of thevalve39, one may inflate the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 utilizing an exothermic reaction which produces a gas capable of filling at least a portion of theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable assembly28. In order to provide an exothermic reaction, theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 may be provided with at least two chambers where at least one chamber contains a weak basic composition and at least one chamber contains a weak acid composition such that, upon breaking open the at least one chamber containing the weak acid composition and the at least one chamber containing the weak basic composition, a reaction occurs which forms a gaseous reaction product that substantially fills theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28. The weak basic composition may include a Group I or a Group II element and examples of such weak basic compositions include, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, and combinations thereof. The weak acid composition may be vinegar. Although certain compositions have been disclosed as being capable of producing an exothermic reaction, any combination of composition that, when placed in reactive contact with one another, produces a gaseous reaction product that fills theinflatable chamber34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 can be employed provided that the compositions are not deliterious to the first and second sheets ofmaterial30 and32 from which the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is constructed.
• Although the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is shown inFIG. 5 as having a circular configuration, is to be understood that the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 can be of any shape and the particular shape will be depended on the configuration of the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11. For example, if the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 has a square configuration, the configuration of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 will desirably also be square. On the other hand, if the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 has a rectangular configuration then the configuration of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 will desirably also be rectangular.
• To secure the tuft ofmaterial26 to an exterior surface of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, such as theupper surface36 of the first sheet ofmaterial30, at least a portion of theupper surface36 of the first sheet ofmaterial30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is coated with a bonding material, such as an adhesive or cohesive bonding material, whereby the tuft ofmaterial26 is bonded to the upper surface of the first sheet ofmaterial30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 substantially as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6. As previously stated, the tuft ofmaterial26 is formed of a plurality of strips or strands ofmaterial24 which are intertwined and desirably bonded together. The strips or strands ofmaterial24 employed in the formation of the tuft ofmaterial26 are well known and can be produced by slitting a web of material and thereafter cutting the slit web of material to provide strips or strands of material having desired dimensions. The bonding material can be applied to the strips or strands ofmaterial24 either prior to cutting the slit web of material to produce the strips or strands ofmaterial34 or after such strips or strands ofmaterial24 had been produced. As an alternative to forming the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 as described herein before, it will be appreciated that the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 may be formed from a polymeric film discharged from a film extrusion die which is then chilled prior to the slitting process. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, entitled “Process For Making Decorative Grass”, issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 29, 1981, the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• Referring now toFIG. 6 in combination withFIG. 5, the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 shown inFIG. 5 is positioned adjacent the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 substantially as shown inFIG. 6. Thereafter, additional quantities of the tuft ofmaterial26 formed from the strips or strands ofmaterial24 are positioned on the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28. By intertwining the strips or strands ofmaterial24 during the formation of the tuft ofmaterial26, in combination with the adhering of the tuft ofmaterial26 to an exterior surface, such as theupper surface36 of the first sheet ofmaterial30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, the additional tuft ofmaterial26 is secured and stablized within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11. If desired, and to further enhance stablization of the tuft ofmaterial26 within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11, at least a portion of theinner surface16 of thecontainer11 can be coated with a suitable bonding of material such that the tuft ofmaterial26 is bondily connected, not only to the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, but also to theinner surface16 of thecontainer10. As previously stated, each of the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 can also be coated with a bonding material to enhance cohesion of the strips or strands ofmaterial24 during formation of the tuft ofmaterial26.
• Referring now toFIG. 7, the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is provided with a printedpattern39 representing a plurality strips or strands of material on at least one surface thereof, such as theupper surface36 of the first sheet ofmaterial30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28. Desirably, the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 is bondily connected to the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 to ensure its stability therein. However, it should be understood that the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28 can be disposed within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 so as to be disposed adjacent the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 and supported therein without the use of any bonding material.
• The above embodiments of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly28, as well as other embodiments of flexible inflatable substrate assemblies which may be employed in the practice of the present invention are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/063,024 entitled Flexible Packaging Materials And Methods Of Making A Using Same, filed Feb. 22, 2005, the entire contents of such application being hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference.
• Referring now toFIG. 8, shown therein is aflexible substrate28adisposed within thecontainer11 such that theflexible substrate28ais positioned substantially adjacent the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 substantially as shown. Theflexible substrate28amay be provided with a printedpattern42 on anupper surface44 thereof which may be a pictorial representation of a tuft of material formed of a plurality of strips or strands of material such as the tuft ofmaterial26 formed of a plurality of the strips or strands ofmaterial24 herein before described. If desired, in addition to the printedpattern42, a tuft ofmaterial26amay be bondingly connected to theupper surface44 of theflexible substrate28awhereby the printedpattern42 fills the voids between the plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial24aemployed to form the tuft ofmaterial26asuch that it appears that there are few or no actual voids in the tuft ofmaterial26athereby resulting in an aesthetically pleasingflexible substrate28a(FIG. 9). It should be noted that theflexible substrate28acan be employed in the practice of the present invention where only theupper surface42 of theflexible substrate28ais provided with the printedpattern44 to give the appearance of a tuft of material without the tuft of material being present (FIG. 7); or the tuft ofmaterial26 can be bondingly connected to theupper surface42 of theflexible substrate28aas hereinbefore described.
• Referring now toFIG. 9, theflexible substrate28ais shown as having a tuft ofmaterial26abondingly connected thereto wherein the tuft ofmaterial26ais formed of a plurality of individual strips or strands of material similar to the strips or strands ofmaterial24 herein before described. As can be appreciated, by connecting the tuft ofmaterial26ato theflexible substrate28a, not only is the problem associated with the clean-up of loose fill material alleviated, but the tuft ofmaterial26areduces the tendency of the object being packaged within thecontainer11 from gravitating through the tuft ofmaterial26ato the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11. Further, since theflexible substrate28ais disposed substantially adjacent the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11, thecontainer11 can be selectively moved to the collapsed or substantially flattened condition whereby the tuft of material remains within theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 in the same manner as has been herein before described with reference toFIG. 2. It should also be noted that the tuft ofmaterial26acan also be bondingly connected to theinterior surface16 of thecontainer11 and/or theflexible substrate28acan be bondingly connected to the closedlower end14 of thecontainer11 to ensure stablization of the tuft ofmaterial26awithin theobject receiving space20 of thecontainer11 when thecontainer11 is in either the erect condition as shown inFIG. 1, or the collapsed condition as shown inFIG. 2.
• Theflexible substrate28acan be fabricated with any material which has sufficient flexibility to permit thecontainer11 to be selectively moved to the collapsed or flattened condition, while at the same time having sufficient structural integrity to permit either the printing of the printedpattern42 on theupper surface44 thereof or to permit the tuft ofmaterial26ato be bondingly connected to theupper surface44 of theflexible substrate28a. Typical material which may be employed in the construction of theflexible substrate28aare polymeric film, paper, cardboard, laminations thereof or any other material capable of functioning in the matter herein described.
• Referring now toFIG. 10, shown therein is another embodiment of acontainer assembly50 constructed in accordance with the present invention. Thecontainer assembly50 is provided with a collapsible and/orerectable container51 which is disposed in an erect condition inFIG. 10 and a collapsible or substantially flattened condition inFIG. 11. Thecontainer51 includes an openupper end52, a closedlower end54, aninner surface56, anouter surface58, and anobject receiving space60.
• A packaging material61 (i.e., a tuft ofmaterial62 formed of a plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial64, such as the individual strips orstrands24 herein before described and which may be intertwined with one another), is disposed within theobject receiving space60 of thecontainer51 for cushioning objects disposed within theobject receiving space60 of thecontainer51. The tuft ofmaterial62 can be connected to at least a portion of theinner surface56 of thecontainer51 so that the tuft ofmaterial62 extends from the closedlower end54 of thecontainer51 towards the openupper end52 thereof; or the tuft ofmaterial62 can be connected to a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly such as the flexible,inflatable substrate assembly28 herein before described; or to aflexible substrate28aas also herein before described.
• When employing a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly or a flexible substrate in combination with thecontainer51, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly or the flexible substrate are supported within theobject receiving space60 of thecontainer51 in the same manner as herein before described with reference to thecontainer11. When employing a flexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexible substrate in combination with the tuft ofmaterial62, the tuft ofmaterial62 may be bondingly connected to the flexible inflatable substrate assembly or the flexible substrate as herein before described, and the tuft ofmaterial62 may also be bonded to at least a portion of theinner surface56 of thecontainer51 which surrounds theobject receiving space60 of thecontainer51.
• As previously stated, the strips or strands ofmaterial64 constituting the tuft ofmaterial62 can be intertwined and bonded together by applying a bonding material to at least a portion of the closedlower end54 and/or theinner surface56 of thecontainer51. Further, the strips or strands ofmaterial64 which constitutes the tuft ofmaterial62 can be formed into a mass of the tuft ofmaterial62 by employing a combination of a bonding material and the mere intertwining of the strips or strands ofmaterial64 constituting the tuft ofmaterial62.
• As shown inFIG. 10, thecontainer51 can be selectively disposed in a collapsed or substantially flattened condition. When thecontainer51 is in the collapsed or substantially flattened condition, the tuft ofmaterial62 remains within theobject receiving space60 of thecontainer51 in the same manner herein before described with reference to thecontainer11.
• Referring now toFIG. 11, another embodiment of acontainer assembly70 for use in the practice in the present invention is shown. Thecontainer assembly70 is provided with aninflatable container71 which can be selectively inflated to an erect condition (as shown inFIG. 12) or deflated so as to be disposed in a collapsed or substantially flattened condition (as shown inFIG. 13). Thecontainer71 is provided with an openupper end72, a closedlower end74, aninner surface76, anouter surface78, and anobject receiving space80.
• A tuft ofmaterial82 is formed of a plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial84, such as the individual strips or strands ofmaterial24 herein before described, which may be intertwined with one another and which can be supported within theobject receiving space80 of thecontainer71 for cushioning objects disposed within theobject receiving space80 of thecontainer71 when thecontainer71 is in an inflated or erect condition. The tuft ofmaterial82 can be connected to at least a portion of theinner surface76 of thecontainer71 so that the tuft ofmaterial82 extends from the closedlower end74 of thecontainer71 towards the openupper end72 thereof; or the tuft ofmaterial82 can be connected to a flexible, inflatable substrate such as the flexibleinflatable substrate24 herein before described or to a flexible substrate such as theflexible substrate28aas also herein before described.
• When employing a flexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexible substrate in combination with thecontainer71, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly or the flexible substrate are supported within the object opening80 of thecontainer71 in the same manner is herein before described with reference to thecontainer11. When employing a flexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexible substrate in combination with the tuft ofmaterials82, the tuft ofmaterial82 can be bondingly connected to the flexible inflatable substrate assembly or the flexible substrate as hereinbefore described, and the tuft of material may also be bonded to at least a portion of theinner surface76 which surrounds theobject receiving space80 of thecontainer71.
• The strips or strands ofmaterial84 constituting the tuft ofmaterial82 can be intertwined and bonded together by applying a bonding material to at least a portion of the closedlower end74 and/or theinner surface76 of thecontainer71. Further, the strips or strands ofmaterial84 which constitutes the tuft ofmaterial82 can be formed into a mass of the tuft ofmaterial82 by employing a combination of bonding material and the mere intertwining of the strips or strands of material constituting the tuft ofmaterial82. As shown inFIG. 13, when the container is selectively disposed in a substantially collapsed, flattened, or deflated condition, the tuft ofmaterial82 remains within theobject receiving space80 of thecontainer71 in the same manner hereinbefore described with reference to thecontainer11. Lastly, it is to be understood that thecontainer71 can be provided with a pictorial decoration on theouter surface78 thereof, such as, for example, a pictorial representation of a chicken.
• From the above description, it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While certain embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed and claimed.

Claims (19)

1. A method of packaging an item, comprising the steps of:

providing a container assembly in a collapsed condition, the container assembly comprising:

a container having an open upper end, a closed lower end, an inner surface, an outer surface and an object receiving space, the container selectively movable between the collapsed condition and an erect condition; and

a packaging material disposed within the object receiving space of the container for cushioning objects supported in the object receiving space of the container, at least a portion of the packaging material connected to at least a portion of at least one of the inner surface and the closed lower end so that the packaging material remains substantially within the object receiving space of the container when the container is in the collapsed condition;

opening the container assembly to the erect condition; and

disposing an item on the packaging material disposed within the object retaining space of the container.

2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, the packaging material comprises a tuft of material formed of a plurality of intertwined strips of material.

3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, at least a portion of the intertwined strips of the packaging material are bonded together.

4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, the container is provided with a gusset to enhance movement of the container between the collapsed condition and the erect condition.

5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, the packaging material is a flexible support member disposable adjacent at least a portion of the closed lower end of the container, the flexible support member having a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion thereof so as to provide the flexible support member with an appearance simulating the appearance of grass.

6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the flexible support member further includes an embossed pattern on at least a portion thereof.

7. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the packaging material further includes a tuft of material connected to at least a portion of the upper surface of the flexible support member.

8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the printed pattern is provided on at least a portion of the upper surface of the flexible support member and the printed pattern simulates the appearance of decorative grass.

9. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the embossed pattern is in register with the printed pattern.

10. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the embossed pattern is out of register with the printed pattern.

11. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, the packaging material comprises an inflatable support member disposable adjacent at least a portion of the closed lower end of the container.

12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the inflatable support member is provided with a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion thereof to provide the inflatable support member with an appearance that simulates the appearance of grass.

13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the inflatable support member further includes an embossed pattern on at least a portion thereof.

14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the printed pattern is in register with the embossed pattern.

15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the printed pattern is out of register with the embossed pattern.

16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the packaging material further includes a mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material connected to the inflatable support member.

17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein an upper surface of the inflatable support member is provided with a printed pattern thereon simulating the appearance of the mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material connected thereto.

18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the packaging material further includes a bonding material disposed on at least a portion of the mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material to form a cohesive mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material connected to the inflatable substrate.

19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material are intertwined to form a cohesive mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material and wherein at least a portion of the cohesive mass of at least one of individual strips of material, individual strands of material and individual units of material are connected to the inflatable support member.

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