AU680646B2

AU680646B2 - Packaging frame

Info

Publication number: AU680646B2
Application number: AU57524/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Darryl James Heffernan
Original assignee: LAWCREST HOLDINGS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: LAWCREST HOLDINGS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-02
Filing date: 1994-03-02
Publication date: 1997-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-02
Also published as: AU5752494A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): LAWCREST HOLDINGS PTY LTD DARRYL JAMES HEFFERNAN Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, 239 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "Packaging Frame" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PL7594.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 1 I- i ~I 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a means which facilitates the storage and packing of materials such as newspapers, magazines, cartons and the like.

With the increased community awareness of the need to recycle material, more and more houseiolds are adopting the practice of storing newspapers, magazines and the like for delivery to recyclers. A difficulty which has been encountered in relation to this activity however is that in most households the newspapers or magazines are stacked in appropriate storage locations and when it comes time to deliver these papers to the recycling depot or make them available for collection at the home or a collection point it is desirable that they be packaged in a manner which is both convenient to the householder and to the recycler. In some cases the newspapers are loaded into plastic bags and then left at the recycling depot which requires the .s recycler to remove the plastic bags before the papers are •.:'"recycled. At other times the goods are tied up with string however this can be time consuming and creates an 20 inconvenience which detracts from the efforts.

In order to retain a positive attitude towards recycling it is important that the exercise of recycling be rendered as simple and convenience as possible. Current methods of facilitating collection of newspapers can create a sense of considerable frustration which will detract from the intention to recycle.

ee In addition the potential for recycling of paper products is also available at commercial retail outlets, which have goods delivered to them in the form of cartons, when it becomes necessary to dispose of those cartons. Particular examples of such installations comprise supermarkets and liquor stores and in both instances the disposal of the 3 cartons can present a significant problem to the store owner/manager. In order to create a situation where the cartons can be readily recycled it is necessary to provide a convenient storage and packaging means to facilitate recycling.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a means of storing and packing to facilitate recycling of papers, cartons, magazines and the like.

In one form the invention resides in a storage means comprising an open .topped container formed by a substantially planar rectangular or square base a substantially upright side panel at each side of the base which define the side walls of the container, said base being formed with at least one elongate recess which 15 extends transversely across the base between a pair of S"opposed sides and where the recess is dimensioned to e :receive an elongate fastening element, the side wall adjacent each end of the recess having an opening which extends transversely across the side panel from the end of the recess to a position, at or adjacent the upper edge of the side wall, each end of the recess being accessible through the respective opening.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of "the following description of one specific embodiment. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a storage means according to the embodiment; Figure 2 is an isometric view of the embodiment filled with newspapers, cartons, magazines or the like prior to the application of the fastenings; Figure 3 is an isometric view of the container at Figure 2 showing the fastenings applied over the contents; and Figure 4 is an isometric view of the embodiment showing the packaged contents being removed from the storage container.

The embodiment comprises a storage container which can be used for the storage and stacking of newspapers whereby on the container being filled the contents can be fastened together and readily removed for delivery to a recycling collection point or to a recycler.

The embodiment comprises a storage container 11 having a substantially cubic "1 configuration and having an open top. The container is defined by a substantially planar base 12 defined by four sides each pair of adjacent sides intersecting at a respective corner. The side walls are defined by side frames 13, 14, 15 and 16 which are each formed as a frame extending around the perimeter of the side wall leaving the central portion of the side wall open. The base 12 being fixed relative to the side frames 12, 14, :1 15 and 16. Each side frame 13, 14, 15 and 16 including a pair of spaced upright flat webs each having opposed major surfaces and extending upwardly from the respective side with the major surfaces parallel to the respective side, each web having inner and outer sides and an upper end, each web being disposed adjacent a comer of the base so that the outer side thereof is orthogonally contiguous with the outer side of a web of a side frame of an adjacent side. A respective laterally extending flat cross member interconnecting the upper ends of the webs of each side frame 13, 14, 15 and 16. Each flat cross member having opposed major surfaces which are disposed parallel to the major surfaces of the upright flat webs.

I

The base 12 is formed with a pair of grooves which extend transversely across the base between each pair of opposed sides and where the grooves perpendicularly intersect each other substantially at the centre of the base 12. It is envisaged that the base may be formed with more than a pair of grooves. The outer ends of the grooves or recesses are accessible through the opening in the respective side wall. The container is used with fastenings which take the form of a ribbon like element having a locking member at one end and an opposed free end and where the length of the ribbon is formed with a series of serrations which interlockingly engage with the locking member.

In use newspapers magazines or the like are deposited into the container. When the 9. t 4 container is full as shown at Figure 2, the fastenings are inserted along the recesses *o9 grooves 18 and 17 beneath the contents of th, container such that they underlie the contents and are wrapped around the contents where the other end is engaged in the locking member and the fastenings are tensioned around the contents as shown at Figure 3. Once both of the fastening elements have been fixed, the contents of the container can 0 too be removed as a unit for delivery to a recycling station or collection point. On the 0 packaged goods being received at the recycling station it is only a matter of the operator cutting the fastening elements and depositing the packaged papers, cartons, magazines Vel "and the like into the reprocessing station.

If desired, the interior face of the frame members of each side wall 13, 14, 15 and 16 may be formed with secondary grooves which are in line with the recesses in the base and will receive the fastening elements passing up the interior of the side walls. The secondary grooves may be configured such that they resiliently retain the fastening elements. In use the elements can be locked in position within the container prior to the deposition of any 6 newspapers, magazines or cartons into the storage means. On the container being filled the ends of the fastening elements can be disengaged from the side walls to be interconnected.

In addition if desired the fastening elements may comprise twine or tape which is stored upon a spool fixed to adjacent sides of the container in the region of the grooves 18 and 19 where the twine or tape can be unrolled to be wrapped around the contents of the container as described above and fixed by any known means.

If desired the container may be formed such that its dimensions can be readily increased or decreased to be able to be used with goods of differing configuration. This may be 7* effected by mounting one or more side walls to the base to displacable along one or both major transverse axes of the base to enable the area of the container to be varied in one 555 or 2 dimensions.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

*t 5 *ft 0.00.P. 7 t I

Claims

1. A method of packaging generally flat material utilising a packaging frame including a substantially rectangular base defined by four sides, each pair of adjacent sides intersecting at a respective corner, a respective side frame extending upwardly from each side, each side frame including a pair of spaced uprightflat webs each having opposed major surfaces and extending upwardly from the respective side with the major surfaces parallel to the respective side, each web having inner and outer sides and an upper end, each web being disposed adjacent a corner of the base so that the outer side *so thereof is orthogonally contiguous with the outer side of a web of a side frame of an adjacent side, a respective laterally extending flat cross member interconnecting the upper ends of the webs of each side frame, each flat cross member having opposed major 0*0 surfaces which are disposed parallel to the major surfaces of the upright flat webs, the predo~iWn oc'- 1 arrangement being such that the packaging frame has an open top andopen sides, the A 0 base having an upwardly facing surface and the base being fixed relative to the side a° frames, at least a pair of intersecting recessed channels extending transversely across the 0 base between respective pairs of opposed sides and being recessed into the upwardly facing surface of the base, the channels each having opposite end openings in the base which are externally accessible even when the packaging frame contains material and intersecting one another substantially at right angles, wherein the packaging frame is loaded with generally flat material, and then fastening straps having oppoQsed ends are manually passed through the channels via the end openings thereof until a free end of each strap extends beyond the opposite end opening in the channel, arranging the fastening straps around the generally flat material, inter engaging the free end of each I, 7 I I 8 fastening strap with the other end thereof then tensioning the fastening straps to form a bundle of generally flat material, and then removing the bundle from the packaging frame.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the fastening straps are formed of a plastics material, one end thereof being formed with a locking member and the other end constituting a leading end.

3. A packaging frame for packaging generally flat material said packaging frame including a substantially rectangular base defined by four sides, each pair of adjacent sides intersecting at a respective corner, a respective side frame extending upwardly from 00lU each side, each side frame including a pair of spaced uprightflat webs each having opposed major surfaces and extending upwardly from the respective side with the major "00 surfaces parallel to the respective side, each web having inner and outer sides and an upper end, each web being disposed adjacent a corner of the base so that the outer side thereof is orthogonally contiguous with the outer side of a web of a side frame of an adjacent side, a respective laterally extending flat cross member interconnecting the S. upper ends of the webs of each side frame, each flat cross member having opposed major surfaces which are disposed parallel to the major surfaces of the upright flat webs, the V arrangement being such that the packaging frame has an open top andopen sides, the base having an upwardly facing surface and the base being fixed relative to the side frames, at least a pair of intersecting recessed channels extending transversely across the base between respective pairs of opposed sides and being recessed into the upwardly facing surface of the base, the channels each having opposite end openings in the base which are externally accessible even when the packaging frame contains material. 9

4. A method of packaging generally flat material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A packaging frame substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 7TH DAY OF MAY 1997 LAWCREST HOLDINGS PTY LTD By Their Patent Attorneys LORD COMPANY PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA W *04 T ee a. 0 Q -Se ABSTRACT A storage means comprising an open topped container formed by a substantially planar rectangular or square base a substantially upright side panel at each side of the base which define the side walls of the container, said base being formed with at least one elongate recess which extends transversely across the base between a pair of opposed sides and where the recess is dimensioned to receive an elongate fastening element, the side wall adjacent each end of the recess having an o F ning which a. extends transversely across the side panel from the end of the recess to a position, at or adjacent the upper edge of the side wall, each end of the recess being accessible through the respective opening. a i i 9'-II