A package system for an apparatus and a method for packaging an apparatus

The present invention relates to a package system for an apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1. Further, the present invention relates to a method for packaging an apparatus having a predetermined geometric structure.

It is necessary that home appliances like cooking ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions and other damageable apparatus are packaged in such a way that any crashing forces are damped and decreased during the transport. Further, a safe pack- aging would allow that the cost of materials for the casing of the apparatus may be reduced.

There are specifications pointing out critical tests in term of structure resistance and aesthetic defects due to the application of impact forces. Examples of such critical tests are the "clamp test side-side", the "compression test", the "inclined plane test and the "drop test".

US 6 , 988 , 615 B2 discloses a shipping package system for house- hold appliances. The package system has corner parts with cutouts. Said cut-outs can form air-cushions in combination with sealing foil. The cut-outs are formed at the edges of the corner parts . It is an object of the present invention to provide a package system for an apparatus, which allows a reduction of the crashing forces and the cost of materials.

CONFIRMATION COPY The object of the present invention is achieved by the package system for an apparatus according to claim 1.

According to the present invention at least one packaging compo- nent comprises a plurality of blind holes at an outer surface of said packaging component, wherein said blind holes are covered by at least one thermo shrinking foil, so that a plurality of air-cushions is formed. The main idea of the present invention is the plurality of the blind holes within the outer surface in combination with the heat shrinking foil. The covering of the blind holes by the heat shrinking foil forms the plurality of air-cushions. The air- cushions reduce the impact forces transferred by the packaging to the apparatus.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the thermo shrinking foil is formed as a thermo shrinking bag and provided to enclose the packaging system. The thermo shrinking bag allows a quick packaging of the apparatus.

Alternatively or additionally, the thermo shrinking foil is provided to enclose at least one single packaging component of the packaging system. Some single packaging components may be pro- vided with air-cushions.

For example, the blind holes are equally distributed at the outer surface of the packaging component. Alternatively, the blind holes are located at one or more high risk portions at the outer surface of the packaging component.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention the blind holes have the same forms and/or the same sizes. Alternatively, the blind holes may have different forms and/or different sizes. This allows an adaptation of the packaging system to a special form of the apparatus.

For example, the blind holes have hexagonal cross-sections.

Further, the blind holes are arranged as a honeycomb.

The present invention relates further to am method for packaging an apparatus having a predetermined geometric structure.

The inventive method comprises the steps of:

- providing one or more packaging components, wherein the inner side of the packaging component is adapted to the structure of the associated portion of the apparatus,

- providing at least one packaging component comprises a plurality of blind holes at an outer surface of said packaging component, and

- sealing or covering the blind holes by at least one thermo

shrinking foil, so that a plurality of air-cushions is formed.

Preferably, the method is performed with at least one packaging system as described above. Novel and inventive features of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims.

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings, in which

FIG 1 illustrates a perspective view of a packaging component for a packaging system according to a preferred embodi ^¬ ment of the present invention, FIG 2 illustrates a detailed view of the packaging component according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG 3 illustrates a perspective view of the packaging system with an apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG 1 illustrates a perspective view of a packaging component 10 for the packaging system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The packaging component 10 is provided for enclosing one side of an apparatus 26. At its outer side 18 the packaging component 10 comprises a plurality of blind holes 12.

The blind holes 12 are arranged in matrix form at the outer side 18 of the packaging component 10. In this embodiment the blind holes 12 are equally distributed over the outer side 18. Alternatively, a local arrangement of the blind holes 12 in high risk portions may also be realized. For example, the blind holes 12 may be arranged in the corners of the outer side 18 of the packaging component 10.

The inner side of the packaging component 10, which is in FIG 1 the rear side of the packaging component 10, is adapted to the structure of an associated outer side of the apparatus 26.

Further, the packaging component 10 comprises a recess 14 formed as a handhold. Additionally, the packaging component 10 includes a cut-out 16. In this example, the cut-out 16 is arranged in a central portion of the packaging component 10. In general, the cut-out 16 may have an arbitrary shape. Further, the packaging component 10 may include two or more cut-outs 16. FIG 2 illustrates a detailed view of the packaging component 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG 2 shows a corner of the outer side 18 of the packaging component 10. At the outer side 18 of the packaging component 10 the plurality of the blind holes 12 are arranged in the matrix form.

In this example, the blind holes 12 have a hexagonal cross- section. However, the cross-section of the blind holes 12 can have different shapes.

The blind holes 12 allow an air-cushion effect in association with a thermo shrinking foil 30. Said air-cushion effect reduces the impact crashing forces. Preferably, said thermo shrinking foil is formed as a thermo shrinking bag 30 and encloses the whole packaging system with the apparatus. As a further effect, the thermo shrinking bag 30 holds together the whole packaging system containing the apparatus. According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the thermo shrinking bag encloses the single packaging components 10 with the blind holes 12. In this case the whole packaging system is held together by a further thermo shrinking bag 30 or by other holding means.

In FIG 2 the blind holes 12 have the same sizes. Alternatively, the blind holes 12 may have different forms and sizes.

FIG 3 illustrates a perspective view of the packaging system with the apparatus 26 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The packaging system encloses the apparatus 26. In this example, the apparatus 26 is a cooking oven. The packaging system includes the packaging component 10 and a further packaging component 20. The packaging component 10 and the further packaging component 20 cover the both side walls of the apparatus 26, respectively. In this example, the further packaging component 20 is mirror-inverted to the packaging component 10.

In this example, the packaging system includes an upper packaging component 22 and a lower packaging component 24, wherein the upper packaging component 22 covers the upper front edge of the apparatus 26 and the lower packaging component 24 covers the lower front edge of the apparatus 26. In general, packaging system includes one or more packaging components adapted to the apparatus to be packaged.

The whole packaging system with the apparatus 26 is enclosed by the thermo shrinking bag 30. The thermo shrinking bag 30 allows the air-cushion effect in association with the blind holes 12. The air-cushion effect reduces substantially the impact crashing forces. Additionally, the thermo shrinking bag 30 holds together the packaging system containing the apparatus 26.

A further effect of the present invention is a modified casing for the apparatus 26, wherein the complexity of said casing can be reduced. Since the air-cushion effect reduces the impact crashing forces, the costs of materials for the casing of the apparatus 26 may be reduced.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the in- vention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

List of reference numerals

10 packaging component

12 blind hole

14 recess

16 cut-out

18 outer side

20 further packaging component

22 upper packaging component

24 lower packaging component

26 apparatus

30 thermo shrinking foil, thermo shrinking bag