JP7567717B2 - Cushioning material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cushioning material that protects objects from impact.

Conventionally, cushioning materials are known that cushion the impact on the protected object when the protected object is stored in a packaging box and transported or stored. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a box-shaped cushioning material in which a storage recess is recessed to store the end of the protected object. According to Patent Document 1, by providing a first dividing groove extending from the opening of the storage recess toward the inner end face and a second dividing groove on the inner end face on the inner wall surface of the cushioning material in which the storage recess is formed, the cushioning material can be easily divided into small pieces for processing, so that the cushioning material does not become bulky after use, and transportation costs, storage costs, etc. can be reduced.

JP 2010-018285 A

Incidentally, it is preferable that the cushioning material not be bulky not only after it has been used, but also before it is used. The cushioning material disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be divided into small pieces after it has been used, but cannot be divided before it is used. This requires space to store the cushioning material before it is used, which can lead to increased storage costs.

The present invention was devised in consideration of such problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a cushioning material that can securely secure the object to be protected and that is not bulky when not in use, allowing for reduced storage space. However, this objective is not the only objective, and another objective of the present invention is to achieve an effect that cannot be obtained by conventional technology, which is derived from each configuration shown in the description of the embodiment of the invention described below.

(1) The cushioning material disclosed here is a cushioning material assembled by overlapping a first member and a second member. The first member is flat before assembly and has an annular frame portion that surrounds the side of the protected object after assembly, and a first rib portion that is folded in the thickness direction to the frame portion via a hinge portion inside the frame portion during assembly and extends in a first direction. The second member has a shape that conforms to the flat first member before assembly, and is connected to the first member via a connecting portion that fixes the relative positions of the overlapped first member and second member at least after assembly, and has a second rib portion that stands in the thickness direction relative to the frame portion during assembly and extends in a second direction that intersects the first direction in which the first rib portion extends. The cushioning material has a cross rib formed by the first rib portion and the second rib portion engaging with each other after assembly, and the cross rib abuts on an end surface that intersects with the side of the protected object.

(2) It is preferable that the intersecting rib abuts against the end surface at an intersecting portion where the first rib portion and the second rib portion intersect with each other.
(3) It is preferable that the first member has two of the first rib portions, the second member has two of the second rib portions, and the cross ribs form a lattice shape when viewed from the thickness direction of the cushioning material.

(4) In the assembled state, the first rib portion preferably has a first central rib portion extending at a position spaced apart from the frame portion in the thickness direction, and a pair of first legs connected to both ends of the first central rib portion in the longitudinal direction and connected to the hinge portion. In addition, in the assembled state, the second rib portion preferably has a second central rib portion extending at the same position as the first central rib portion in the thickness direction, and a pair of second legs connected to both ends of the second central rib portion in the longitudinal direction and extending toward the frame portion. In this case, in the assembled state, the cross rib preferably has a main abutment surface consisting of the surfaces of the first central rib portion and the second central rib portion facing the frame portion side, and an auxiliary surface consisting of the surfaces of the first leg portion and the second leg portion facing the inside of the frame portion, and the main abutment surface preferably abuts against the end surface of the protected object, and the auxiliary surface preferably abuts against the side surface of the protected object.

(5) It is preferable that the cushioning material has a recess in which a part of a surface opposite to the surface facing the object to be protected in an assembled state is recessed toward the object to be protected.
(6) The second member preferably has an annular second frame portion that overlaps with the frame portion of the first member when viewed from the thickness direction after the assembly. In this case, the second rib portion is preferably folded in the thickness direction relative to the second frame portion via a second hinge portion inside the second frame portion during the assembly.

(7) At least one of the first member and the second member preferably has a through hole through which the connecting portion penetrates in the thickness direction in the assembled state. In this case, the connecting portion preferably has a column portion disposed in the through hole and a claw portion provided at an end of the column portion and abutting against a surface of the at least one of the first member and the second member perpendicular to the thickness direction in the assembled state.
(8) It is preferable that the connecting portion is connected to either the first member or the second member via a third hinge portion.

(9) The first member and the second member are preferably formed of a foamed olefin having a heat-melted layer on the surface.
(10) The object to be protected is preferably a semiconductor wafer case.

The disclosed cushioning material can securely secure the object to be protected, and when not in use, the cushioning material does not take up much space, reducing storage space.

FIG. 2 is a two-sided view showing the state in which the cushioning material according to the first embodiment is protecting an object to be protected, including a view of the cushioning material and the object to be protected from the thickness direction and a side view of the object as viewed from the X-arrow direction in the view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cushioning material of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cushioning material of FIG. 2 . 3 is a view of a first member of the cushioning material of FIG. 2 as viewed from a thickness direction. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first member of FIG. 4 taken along the line YY. FIG. 5 is a two-sided view showing the first member of FIG. 4 in a pre-assembled state, the two-sided view showing the first member as viewed from a thickness direction and as viewed from a second direction. 3 is a view of a second member of the cushioning material of FIG. 2 as viewed from the thickness direction. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second member of FIG. 7 taken along the line ZZ. FIG. 8 is a two-sided view showing the second member of FIG. 7 in a pre-assembly state, the two-sided view showing the second member as viewed from a thickness direction and as viewed from a first direction. 13 is a two-sided view showing a front view and a side view of a second member of a cushioning material according to a second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a cushioning material according to a second embodiment protects an object to be protected, in which the cushioning material and the object to be protected are viewed from the thickness direction. FIG. 12 is a side view taken along the X' arrow in FIG. FIG. 12 is a side view taken along the arrow Y′ in FIG. 11 . 12 is a diagram showing a state before assembly of a first member of the cushioning material of FIG. 11, as viewed from the thickness direction of the first member. FIG. FIG. 12 is a two-sided view showing the cushioning material of FIG. 11 in a pre-assembled state, the two-sided view showing the cushioning material as viewed from a thickness direction and as viewed from a second direction.

The cushioning material will be described as an embodiment. The embodiments shown below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications or techniques not explicitly stated in the following embodiments. Each configuration of the embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiment. In addition, the configurations can be selected or combined as necessary.

The cushioning material of the embodiment is interposed between the packaging box and the object to be protected when the object to be protected is contained in the packaging box, and absorbs the impact applied to the object to be protected. When the cushioning material is protecting the object to be protected (hereinafter referred to as the "used state"), it abuts against the side of the object to be protected and the end face that intersects with this side. In other words, when the cushioning material is in the used state, it has a depth that accommodates a part of the end face side of the object to be protected. When the cushioning material is stored without being used (hereinafter referred to as the "unused state"), the dimension in the depth direction of the cushioning material is smaller than the same dimension in the used state. This makes it possible to reduce storage space without being bulky.

The cushioning material is assembled by stacking a first member and a second member, and at least when not in use, both the first member and the second member are flat. These two members are stacked in the thickness direction and connected to each other to assemble. Hereinafter, the state in which these two members are assembled is referred to as the "assembled state", and the state in which these two members are not assembled is referred to as the "pre-assembly state". Note that the post-assembly state includes the used state, and the pre-assembly state includes both the unused state before use and the unused state after use. In addition, since the above depth direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the first member and the second member, hereinafter, the depth direction is referred to as the "thickness direction".

[1. First embodiment]
[1-1. Configuration]
Fig. 1 is a two-sided view showing a cushioning material 1 and a protected object 7 of a first embodiment in a used state as viewed from the thickness direction, together with a side view as viewed from an arrow X in said figure. In Fig. 1, the protected object 7 is shown by a dotted line in order to easily distinguish between the cushioning material 1 and the protected object 7. As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of cushioning materials 1 are provided for one protected object 7. The pair of cushioning materials 1 have the same configuration, and are attached to the protected object 7 in a state of being inverted in the thickness direction.

The object to be protected 7 has a pair of end faces 71 that face in opposite directions and abut against each of the pair of cushioning materials 1, and a side face 72 that intersects with the end faces 71 and connects the two end faces 71. The end faces 71 in this embodiment are the upper and lower faces in the side view in FIG. 1, and are each formed in a rectangular shape. The side face 72 has a pair of approximately octagonal first side faces 73 that face in opposite directions, and a second side face 74 that connects the pair of end faces 71 and the pair of first side faces 73. In other words, the object to be protected 7 in this embodiment has an outer shape of an approximately octagonal prism placed sideways. The first side face 73 extends in a direction perpendicular to the end face 71. The second side face 74 has a portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to the end face 71 and a portion (hereinafter referred to as an inclined surface 75) on both sides (the upper and lower end face 71 sides) that is inclined with respect to the end face 71. The object to be protected 7 is, for example, a semiconductor wafer case that contains a semiconductor wafer.

The cushioning material 1 is assembled by overlapping two members, a first member 2 and a second member 3, each of uniform thickness when in use, and includes a first frame portion 20 (frame portion) that surrounds the side surface 72 of the protected object 7, and a cross rib 10 that is erected in the thickness direction relative to the first frame portion 20 and abuts against the end surface 71 of the protected object 7. In this way, the cushioning material 1 is arranged to cover the portion of the protected object 7 on the end surface 71 side, thereby mitigating impacts not only to the end surface 71 side, but also to the side surface 72 side. The second member 3 is attached to the first member 2 via a pin portion 4 (connecting portion) that penetrates the first member 2 and the second member 3 in the thickness direction.

The cross rib 10 is formed by intersecting and engaging a first rib portion 21 (described later) of the first member 2 and a second rib portion 31 (described later) of the second member 3, and has a main abutment surface 11 that abuts against an end surface 71 of the protected object 7. The cross rib 10 of this embodiment further includes an auxiliary surface 12 that abuts against a side surface 72 of the protected object 7 between the main abutment surface 11 and the first frame portion 20. In this embodiment, two first rib portions 21 and two second rib portions 31 are provided, and the cross rib 10 forms a grid when viewed from the thickness direction.

The cushioning material 1 is made of foamed olefin, such as foamed polyethylene or foamed polypropylene. A heat-melted skin layer is formed on the surface of the cushioning material 1. The provision of the skin layer increases the strength of the cushioning material 1, and by performing a half cut (hinge processing) that leaves the skin layer, each of the components of the cushioning material 1, which will be described later, can be configured to be foldable.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cushioning material 1 in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cushioning material 1 in Figure 2. Figures 4 to 6 show the first member 2, and Figures 7 to 9 show the second member 3. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first member 2 has a ring-shaped first frame portion 20 and a first rib portion 21 erected in the thickness direction relative to the first frame portion 20. The first frame portion 20 is a plate-like portion having a uniform thickness (the thickness of the first member 2), and has a substantially rectangular outer shape with chamfered corners as shown in Figure 4. The first frame portion 20 has an inner surface 20a that forms a wide space S1 penetrating in the thickness direction at the center of the first frame portion 20. In use, the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 abuts against the inner surface 20a. Furthermore, the first frame portion 20 of this embodiment has a first through hole 20h penetrating in the thickness direction. The first through hole 20h is a hole for inserting the pin portion 4. In this embodiment, the first through holes 20h are provided at each of the four corners of the first frame portion 20.

The first rib portion 21 extends in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction after assembly. The first member 2 of this embodiment has two first rib portions 21 of the same shape. Hereinafter, the direction in which the first rib portions 21 extend after assembly is referred to as the first direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the first rib portion 21 has a first central rib portion 22 extending at a position spaced apart from the first frame portion 20 in the thickness direction, and a pair of first leg portions 23 connected to both ends of the first central rib portion 22 in the longitudinal direction (first direction) and connected to the first frame portion 20. In other words, the first rib portion 21 has a channel shape that opens toward the first frame portion 20 after assembly.

The inner surface 22a of the first central rib portion 22 facing the first frame portion 20 extends perpendicularly to the thickness direction. The outer surface 22b facing the opposite side to the inner surface 22a has three recesses formed by recessing a part of the outer surface 22b toward the first frame portion 20. Of the three recesses, two recesses located on both sides in the first direction function as engagement parts 22c that engage with the second rib portion 31 of the second member 3 described later. In addition, one of the three recesses located between the engagement parts 22c functions as a recess 22d for efficiently absorbing impacts applied to the end surface 71 of the protected object 7 in a used state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a recess 20d recessed toward the inside of the space S1 is also provided in a part of the outer surface 20b (a part of the short side of the first frame portion 20) that forms the outer shape of the first frame portion 20.

The pair of first legs 23 have inner surfaces 23a facing the inside of the first frame 20. As shown by the bold lines in FIG. 6, the first legs 23 are connected to the first frame 20 via a first fold line B1 (hinge portion) formed by performing the above-mentioned half cut on the first member 2. In other words, the first frame 20 and the first rib portion 21 are formed from a single flat plate-shaped member. In the pre-assembly state, the first rib portion 21 fits into the space S1 of the first frame 20. In the mid-assembly state from the pre-assembly state to the assembled state, the first rib portion 21 is folded in the thickness direction via the first fold line B1.

2 and 3, the second member 3 includes an annular second frame portion 30 and a second rib portion 31 that is erected in the thickness direction relative to the second frame portion 30 and intersects with the first rib portion 21. The second frame portion 30 is a plate-like portion having a uniform thickness (the thickness of the second member 3), and overlaps with the first frame portion 20 in the assembled state as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the second frame portion 30, like the first frame portion 20, includes an inner surface 30a that forms a wide space S2 penetrating in the thickness direction at the center of the second frame portion 30, and includes second through holes 30h that penetrate in the thickness direction at the four corners. The second through holes 30h are provided at positions that overlap with the first through holes 20h in the assembled state, and the pin portion 4 is inserted therethrough, like the first through holes 20h.

The second member 3 has two second rib portions 31 of the same shape. The second rib portion 31 extends in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and in a direction intersecting the first direction after assembly. The extension direction of the second rib portion 31 in this embodiment is a direction perpendicular to the first direction. Hereinafter, the direction in which the second rib portion 31 extends after assembly is referred to as the second direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the second rib portion 31 has a second central rib portion 32 extending at a position spaced apart from the second frame portion 30 in the thickness direction, and a pair of second leg portions 33 connected to both ends of the second central rib portion 32 in the longitudinal direction (second direction) and connected to the second frame portion 30. As described above, since the cushioning material 1 is assembled by overlapping the second member 3 and the first member 2, the second leg portions 33 can be said to be connected to the longitudinal ends of the second central rib portion 32 and extend toward the first frame portion 20 side of the first member 2 after assembly. Like the first rib portion 21, the second rib portion 31 also has a channel shape that opens toward the second frame portion 30 after assembly.

The inner side surface 32a of the second central rib portion 32 facing the second frame portion 30 extends perpendicularly to the thickness direction. The inner side surface 32a is provided with two engagement portions 32c formed by recessing a portion of the inner side surface 32a in a direction away from the second frame portion 30. The outer side surface 32b facing the opposite side to the inner side surface 32a of the second central rib portion 32 is provided with one recess 32d formed by recessing a portion of the outer side surface 32b toward the second frame portion 30. The recess 32d is provided to efficiently absorb impacts applied to the end surface 71 of the protected object 7 in use, similar to the recess 22d of the first member 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a recess 30d having the same function is also provided in a portion of the outer side surface 30b (a portion of the short side of the second frame portion 30) that forms the outer shape of the second frame portion 30.

The pair of second legs 33 have inner surfaces 33a facing the inside of the first frame 20. As shown by the bold lines in FIG. 9, the second legs 33 are connected to the second frame 30 via a second fold line B2 (second hinge portion) formed by performing the above-mentioned half cut on the second member 3. In other words, similar to the first member 2, the second frame 30 and the second rib portion 31 are formed from a single flat member. The second rib portion 31 fits into the space S2 of the second frame 30 before assembly, and is folded in the thickness direction via the second fold line B2 during assembly.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the pin portion 4 is a member for assembling the first member 2 and the second member 3 to each other. The pin portion 4 in this embodiment is provided separately from both the first member 2 and the second member 3, and integrates the first member 2 and the second member 3 by fitting into both the first through hole 20h and the second through hole 30h. The pin portion 4 in this embodiment has a column portion 41 that is disposed in the first through hole 20h and the second through hole 30h in the assembled state, and a claw portion 42 provided at the end of the column portion 41. The claw portion 42 in this embodiment is provided at each of both ends of the column portion 41.

The claw portion 42 has a function of a stopper to prevent the column portion 41 of the pin portion 4 from falling out of the two through holes 20h, 30h. In this embodiment, the claw portion 42 is formed in a substantially isosceles trapezoid shape having two bottom surfaces extending in the second direction when viewed from the first direction in the mid-assembly state (for example, the state of FIG. 3), and the length of at least the bottom surface on the side continuing to the column portion 41 is longer than the dimension of the column portion 41 along the second direction. In other words, the area of the bottom surface of the claw portion 42 is larger than the area of both through holes 20h, 30h. In addition, the claw portion 42 is provided so as to be elastically deformable. As a result, the claw portion 42 is inserted into both through holes 20h, 30h while deforming during assembly, and in the assembled state, it does not fit into either the first through hole 20h or the second through hole 30h, but abuts against the surface perpendicular to the thickness direction of the first member 2 and the second member 3.

Before assembly, the first member 2 and the second member 3 are both flat plates with a uniform thickness. The thickness dimensions of the two do not necessarily have to be the same. The second member 3 is arranged along the first member 2 and is attached to the first member 2 via a pin portion 4 that passes through the first through hole 20h and the second through hole 30h. This fixes the relative positions of the first member 2 and the second member 3. At this time, the dimension in the thickness direction of the cushioning material 1 is the sum of the thickness dimension of the first member 2 and the thickness dimension of the first member 3.

Next, an example of the procedure for bringing the above-mentioned cushioning material 1 from a pre-assembly state to a usable state will be described. First, as described above, the first member 2 and the second member 3 are overlapped in the thickness direction, and the pin portion 4 is fitted into each of the through holes 20h, 30h to integrate the two members 2, 3. Next, the first rib portion 21 of the first member 2 is folded in the thickness direction relative to the first frame portion 20, and further the second rib portion 31 of the second member 3 is folded in the same direction relative to the first frame portion 20. This brings the cushioning material 1 into the assembled state shown in Figure 2. The overall shape of the assembled cushioning material 1 can be similar to a bowl shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the assembled cushioning material 1, the engaging portion 22c of the first central rib portion 22 and the engaging portion 32c of the second central rib portion 32 fit together to form an intersection 13. The first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 engage with each other at the intersection 13 to maintain their folded state. The order in which the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 are folded may be reversed. In addition, the thickness direction dimension of the cushioning material 1 in the assembled state is larger than that in the pre-assembly state by the amount that the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 are folded, and the height (depth) is large enough to accommodate part of the protected object 7.

After that, the object to be protected 7 is placed in the space S1 of the first frame portion 20, and the cushioning material 1 is in a usable state. At this time, the side surface 72 of the object to be protected 7 abuts against the inner side surface 20a of the first frame portion 20. Specifically, the first side surface 73 abuts against the inner side surface 20a on the long side of the first frame portion 20, and a part of the second side surface 74 abuts against the inner side surface 20a on the short side of the first frame portion 20. In addition, the inner side surface 22a of the first central rib portion 22 and the inner side surface 32a of the second central rib portion 32 are planar and perpendicular to the thickness direction, forming the main abutment surface 11 of the cross rib 10. The portion that forms the main abutment surface 11 also includes the above-mentioned intersection portion 13. Furthermore, the inner side surface 23a of the first leg portion 23 and the inner side surface 33a of the second leg portion 33 form the auxiliary surface 12 and abut against the side surface 72 of the object to be protected 7. Specifically, the inner surface 23a of the first leg 23 abuts against the first side surface 73, and the inner surface 33a of the second leg 33 abuts against the inclined surface 75.

The procedure for returning the cushioning material 1 in a used state to the state before assembly is simply the reverse of the above-mentioned procedure. That is, the protected object 7 is removed from the cushioning material 1, and the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 are folded back. Furthermore, the pin portion 4 may be removed to release the connection between the first member 2 and the second member 3 by the pin portion 4, and the first member 2 and the second member 3 may be stored separately. In this case, depending on the arrangement of the first member 2 and the second member 3, the dimension in the thickness direction of the cushioning material 1 can be made even smaller than the sum of the thickness dimension of the first member 2 and the thickness dimension of the second member 3.

[1-2. Actions and Effects]
(1) After assembly, the cushioning material 1 includes a cross rib 10 formed by mutual engagement of a first rib portion 21 and a second rib portion 31 that are folded in the thickness direction relative to a first frame portion 20. During use, the cross rib 10 abuts against an end face 71 of the object 7 to be protected, and the first frame portion 20 surrounds a side face 72 of the object 7 to be protected. In this way, the cushioning material 1 after assembly has a depth that abuts against the end face 71 and the side face 72 of the object 7 to be protected, and therefore can firmly secure and protect the object 7 to be protected.

The above-mentioned cushioning material 1 is constructed by connecting two overlapping members 2, 3 via the pin portion 4. In contrast, another method of constructing a cushioning material 1 having the above-mentioned depth is to bond a member that abuts the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 and a member that abuts the end surface 71 of the protected object 7 by heat bonding or the like. However, this other method requires a skilled worker to perform the heat bonding work, which may increase the manufacturing process and manufacturing costs. On the other hand, with the above-mentioned cushioning material 1, the two members 2, 3 can be easily connected by the pin portion 4, so skilled work such as heat bonding is not required, and the manufacturing process can be shortened and costs can be reduced.

In addition, the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 extend in different first and second directions after assembly, intersect and engage with each other, so that the displacement of each in the folding down direction is mutually restricted. This makes it possible to stabilize the shape of the cushioning material 1 after assembly. In other words, because this configuration makes the cushioning material 1 less likely to deform when in use, it is possible to stably protect the protected object 7.

In the pre-assembly state of the cushioning material 1, the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 are folded down, and the first member 2 and the second member 3 are both flat and have a uniform thickness. As a result, the dimension in the thickness direction of the cushioning material 1 in the pre-assembly state is smaller than the dimension in the thickness direction of the cushioning material 1 in the assembled state. Therefore, the cushioning material 1 does not take up much space when not in use, and storage space can be reduced. In addition, if the connection between the first member 2 and the second member 3 by the pin portion 4 is released, the first member 2 and the second member 3 can be stored separately, and storage space can be further reduced. Furthermore, the cushioning material 1 in the pre-assembly state can be easily assembled, since it can be put into the assembled state simply by folding up both the first rib portion 21 and the second member 31 and engaging them with each other.

(2) The portion that forms the main abutment surface 11 includes the intersection 13. In this way, the intersecting rib 10 abuts against the end surface 71 of the object to be protected 7 at the intersection 13 where the first rib portion 21 and the second rib portion 31 intersect with each other, and thus the impact acting on the end surface 71 can be absorbed by both the first member 2 and the second member 3, thereby increasing the impact absorption capacity of the cushioning material 1.

(3) Two first rib portions 21 are provided on the first member 2, and two second rib portions 31 are provided on the second member 3. As a result, when in use, the impact acting on the end face 71 side of the protected object 7 can be dispersed and absorbed by the four rib portions (the two first rib portions 21 and the two second rib portions 31), thereby further increasing the impact absorption capacity of the cushioning material 1.

In addition, after assembly, the cross ribs 10 form a lattice shape when viewed from the thickness direction. In other words, each first rib portion 21 engages with two second rib portions 31, and each second rib portion 31 engages with two first rib portions 21. As a result, after assembly, the displacement of each rib portion 21, 31 in the folding down direction is more restricted, making it possible to make the shape of the cushioning material 1 more stable. Furthermore, when the portion forming the main abutment surface 11 includes an intersection portion 13 as described above, the four intersection portions 13 abut against the end surface 71 of the object to be protected 7 in a planar manner, making it possible to more reliably protect the object to be protected 7.

(4) The cross rib 10 has an auxiliary surface 12 formed by the inner surface 23a of the first leg 23 and the inner surface 33a of the second leg 33. The auxiliary surface 12 abuts against the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 when in use. In this way, when in use, the cushioning material 1 abuts against the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 not only at the first frame portion 20 but also at the auxiliary surface 12, absorbing impacts acting on the side surface 72 of the protected object 7, thereby more securely protecting the protected object 7.

Furthermore, by providing the first leg portion 23 and the second leg portion 33, after assembly, the first central rib portion 22 and the second central rib portion 32 can form the main abutment surface 11 at a position spaced apart in the thickness direction from the first frame portion 20, thereby enabling the protected object 7 to be deeply and firmly fixed.
Furthermore, the shapes of the inner surface 23a of the first leg portion 23 and the inner surface 33a of the second leg portion 33 can be set to match the shape of the side surface 72 of the protected object 7. For this reason, the cushioning material 1 can be firmly fixed even to a protected object 7 having a complex shape (for example, a protected object 7 having an inclined surface 75 between the end surface 71 and the portion of the side surface 72 that abuts against the first frame portion 20, or a protected object 7 having a step).

(5) The cushioning material 1 has recesses 20d, 22d, 30d, 32d in which parts of the inner side surfaces 20a, 22a, 30a, 32a that face the protected object 7 when in use and the outer side surfaces 20b, 22b, 30b, 32b on the opposite side are recessed toward the protected object 7. By recessing parts of the surfaces (outer side surfaces 20b, 22b, 30b, 32b) on the side on which impact is applied to reduce their surface area, the cushioning material 1 becomes more easily deformed when an impact is applied, and therefore the impact can be absorbed efficiently.

(6) The second member 3 is provided with a second frame portion 30 that overlaps with the first frame portion 20 when viewed from the thickness direction after assembly. This allows the second frame portion 30, together with the first frame portion 20, to absorb impacts on the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 in a used state, thereby further increasing the impact absorption capacity of the cushioning material 1.
(7) The pin portion 4 is provided with the claw portion 42, which can prevent the first member 2 and the second member 3 from being unintentionally disconnected from each other after assembly. This stabilizes the shape of the cushioning material 1 after assembly, so that the object to be protected 7 can be stably protected when in use.

(8) The above-mentioned cushioning material 1 is made of foamed olefin. In contrast, if the cushioning material is made of, for example, urethane, the material cost of urethane is higher than that of foamed olefin, and the thickness of the material required to obtain the same shock absorbing capacity is greater. This results in larger external dimensions of the cushioning material, and the cost of storing the cushioning material may also increase. In contrast, as described above, since the cushioning material 1 is made of foamed olefin, the external dimensions of the cushioning material 1 can be reduced while maintaining the required shock absorbing capacity, and the cost of the cushioning material 1 can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the cushioning material 1 has a heat-melted skin layer on its surface, the first fold line B1 and the second fold line B2 can be easily formed.

(9) The object to be protected 7 is a semiconductor wafer case. Impact can cause wafer chips to break off from semiconductor wafers. Furthermore, the falling off of a wafer chip can affect subsequent semiconductor processing. Generally, wafers are stored in semiconductor wafer cases for transport, and for the reasons mentioned above, it is required that the semiconductor wafer case not be subjected to excessive impact during transport. By protecting the semiconductor wafer case with the cushioning material 1, the semiconductor wafer case can be protected more reliably, which in turn can prevent wafer chips from breaking off from the wafer.

[2. Second embodiment]
[2-1. Configuration]
In the above-described cushioning material 1, a configuration in which the second member 3 has the annular second frame portion 30 has been exemplified, but the second frame portion 30 of the second member 3 may be omitted. In addition, in the above-described cushioning material 1, a configuration in which the pin portion 4 as a connecting portion penetrates both the first frame portion 20 and the second frame portion 30 has been exemplified, but the connecting portion may be connected to one of the first member and the second member and penetrate only the other of the first member and the second member.

The cushioning material 1' of the second embodiment will be described below. The cushioning material 1' of the second embodiment differs from the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment mainly in that the pin portion 4' (connecting portion) is connected to the second rib portion 31' via the third fold line B3 (third hinge portion) and in that the second member 3' does not have a ring-shaped second frame portion. That is, the second member 3' of this embodiment has only the second rib portion 31' with the pin portion 4' integrated therewith. In the following description, the configuration different from the first embodiment described above will be mainly described, and the configuration corresponding to the configuration of the first embodiment will be marked with a prime (') and overlapping description will be omitted. Note that the protected object 7 protected by the cushioning material 1' of this embodiment is the same as the protected object 7 of the first embodiment.

Figure 10 is a two-sided view showing both a front view and a side view of the second member 3' of this embodiment in an assembled state. In the side view of Figure 10, the second member 3' in an unassembled state is shown by a two-dot chain line superimposed on the second member 3' in an assembled state. The second member 3' is a linear member having the same thickness dimension as the second member 3 described above, and is configured to be able to swing relative to the pin portion 4' as indicated by the white arrow in Figure 10, with the third fold line B3 shown by a thick line in Figure 10 as an axis. The third fold line B3 is formed, for example, by applying the above-mentioned half cut to the second member 3'.

Figure 11 is a view of the cushioning material 1' and the object to be protected 7 of the second embodiment in use from the thickness direction (a view corresponding to the upper view of Figure 1), Figure 12 is a side view as viewed from the X' arrow in Figure 11, and Figure 13 is a side view as viewed from the Y' arrow in Figure 11. In Figures 11 to 13, the object to be protected 7 is shown with dotted lines to make it easier to distinguish between the cushioning material 1' and the object to be protected 7. Also, in Figures 12 and 13, the recess 20d' of the first frame portion 20' described later is omitted. A pair of cushioning materials 1' are provided for one object to be protected 7. The pair of cushioning materials 1' have the same configuration and are attached to the object to be protected 7 in a state where they are inverted in the thickness direction.

The cushioning material 1' of this embodiment is assembled by overlapping two members, a first member 2' and a second member 3', in the same manner as the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment in the use state, and includes a ring-shaped first frame portion 20' surrounding the side surface 72 of the protected object 7, and a cross rib 10' erected in the thickness direction on the first frame portion 20'. The cushioning material 1' has one first member 2' provided with two first rib portions 21' and two second members 3' each provided with one second rib portion 31', and the cross rib 10' formed by combining the first member 2' and the two second members 3' forms a grid when viewed from the thickness direction. The cross rib 10' has a main abutment surface 11' and an auxiliary surface 12' formed by the mutual engagement of the first rib portion 21' and the second rib portion 31'. The main abutment surface 11' abuts against the end surface 71 of the protected object 7, and the auxiliary surface 12' abuts against the side surface 72 of the protected object 7.

11 and 12, the first frame portion 20' of the first member 2' has an inner surface 20a' that forms a wide space S1' penetrating in the thickness direction at the center of the first frame portion 20', and a first through hole 20h' through which the pin portion 4' of the second member 3' penetrates. The first through hole 20h' is provided at the same position in the first direction as the engaging portion 22c' of the first central rib portion 22' described later. In addition, the outer surface 20b' that forms the outer shape of the first frame portion 20' has a plurality of recesses 20d' formed by recessing a part of the outer surface 20b' toward the inside of the space S1'. Here, a first frame portion 20' in which a total of eight recesses 20d' are provided, three on each of a pair of sides extending in the first direction and one on each of a pair of sides extending in the second direction, is illustrated.

The first rib portion 21' of the first member 2' is erected in the thickness direction relative to the first frame portion 20' and extends in the first direction after assembly. The first rib portion 21' has a first central rib portion 22' extending at a position spaced apart in the thickness direction from the first frame portion 20', and a pair of first legs 23' connected to both ends of the first central rib portion 22' in the longitudinal direction and connected to the first frame portion 20'. The first central rib portion 22' has an inner side surface 22a' facing the first frame portion 20' after assembly. In a portion including the outer side surface 22b' facing the opposite side to the inner side surface 22a', two engagement portions 22c' that engage with the second rib portion 31' of the second member 3' and a recess 22d' for efficiently absorbing impacts on the protected object 7 are provided. Both the engagement portions 22c' and the recess 22d' are formed by recessing a part of the outer side surface 22b' toward the first frame portion 20'.

The first leg 23' has an inner surface 23a' facing the inside of the first frame 20'. FIG. 14 is a view of the first member 2' before assembly, viewed from the thickness direction. As shown by the thick line in FIG. 14, the first leg 23' is connected to the first frame 20' via a first fold line B1' (hinge portion) formed by half-cutting the first member 2'. Before assembly, the first member 2' is in the shape of a flat plate with a uniform thickness, with the first rib portion 21' fitting into the space S1' of the first frame 20'. During assembly, the first rib portion 21' is folded in the thickness direction via the first fold line B1'.

After assembly, the second member 3' includes a second rib portion 31' that stands in the thickness direction relative to the first frame portion 20' and extends in the second direction. As shown in FIG. 13, the second rib portion 31' includes a second central rib portion 32' that extends at a position spaced apart from the first frame portion 20' in the thickness direction, and a pair of second legs 33' that are connected to both ends of the second central rib portion 32' in the longitudinal direction (second direction) and connected to the pin portion 4'.

The second central rib portion 32' has an inner side surface 32a' facing the first frame portion 20' in an assembled state. The inner side surface 32a' of the second central rib portion 32' has two engagement portions 32c' formed by recessing a part of the inner side surface 32a' in a direction away from the first frame portion 20'. The outer side surface 32b' facing the opposite side to the inner side surface 32a' of the second central rib portion 32' has one recess 32d' formed by recessing a part of the outer side surface 32b' toward the first frame portion 20'. The pair of second leg portions 33' has an inner side surface 33a' facing the inside of the first frame portion 20'. In addition, the second leg portion 33' of this embodiment has an outer side surface 33b' facing the opposite side to the inner side surface 33a', and has a recess 33d' formed by recessing a part of the outer side surface 33b' toward the inside of the first frame portion 20'.

The pin portion 4' is a member for assembling the first member 2' and the second member 3' to each other. As described above, the pin portion 4 of this embodiment is connected to the second member 3' via the third fold line B3, and is fitted into the first through hole 20h' to integrate the first member 2' and the second member 3'. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the pin portion 4' has a column portion 41' that is disposed in the first through hole 20h' in the assembled state, and a claw portion 42' provided at the end of the column portion 41'. The claw portion 42' of this embodiment is provided at the end of the column portion 41' on the side that is not connected to the second rib portion 31'. The claw portion 42' is formed, for example, in an approximately isosceles trapezoid shape having two bottom surfaces extending in the second direction when viewed from the first direction in the assembled state, and abuts against a surface perpendicular to the thickness direction of the first member 2' in the assembled state.

Figure 15 is a two-sided view showing the cushioning material 1' before assembly, both as seen from the thickness direction and as seen from the second direction. As shown in Figure 15, the second member 3' before assembly is bent with respect to the pin portion 4', and the pin portion 4' is inserted through the first through-hole 20h' of the first member 2', so that the second member 3' is positioned along the first member 2'. As a result, the cushioning material 1' has a generally flat plate shape with the central portion in the first direction recessed in the thickness direction.

An example of the procedure for changing the cushioning material 1' from a pre-assembly state to a usable state will be described below. First, as described above, with the second member 3' bent relative to the pin portion 4', the pin portion 4' is fitted into the first through hole 20h' to integrate the two members 2', 3'. Next, the first rib portion 21' and the second rib portion 31' are folded in the thickness direction. This brings the cushioning material 1' into an assembled state. In the assembled cushioning material 1', as shown in Figures 11 to 13, the engaging portion 22c' of the first central rib portion 22' and the engaging portion 32c' of the second central rib portion 32' engage with each other to form an intersection portion 13'.

Furthermore, the cushioning material 1' is in a usable state when the object to be protected 7 is placed in the space S1' of the first frame portion 20'. At this time, the side surface 72 of the object to be protected 7 abuts against the inner surface 20a' of the first frame portion 20' (see FIG. 12). In addition, the inner surface 22a' of the first central rib portion 22' and the inner surface 32a' of the second central rib portion 32' are planar and perpendicular to the thickness direction, forming the main abutment surface 11' of the intersecting rib 10' (see FIGS. 12 and 13). The portion that forms the main abutment surface 11' also includes the above-mentioned intersecting portion 13'. In addition, the inner surface 23a' of the first leg portion 23' and the inner surface 33a' of the second leg portion 33' form the auxiliary surface 12' and abut against the side surface 72 of the object to be protected 7. Specifically, the inner surface 23a' of the first leg 23' abuts against the inclined surface 75 (see FIG. 12), and the inner surface 33a' of the second leg 33' abuts against the first side surface 73 (see FIG. 13).

[2-2. Actions and Effects]
The cushioning material 1' of the second embodiment can also provide the same effects and advantages as those (1) to (5) and (7) to (9) provided by the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment.
In other words, before assembly, the cushioning material 1' comprises a flat first member 2' and a second member 3' shaped to conform to the first member 2', thereby enabling the material to reduce storage space without being bulky, and after assembly, the two rib portions 21', 31' are folded and cross each other and engage with each other to form the cross rib 10', thereby enabling the protected object 7 to be securely fixed and protected.

In addition, since the intersecting rib 10' abuts against the end face 71 of the object to be protected 7 at the intersecting portion 13' where the first rib portion 21' and the second rib portion 31' intersect with each other, the impact absorbing capacity of the cushioning material 1' can be increased.
Furthermore, due to the two first rib portions 21' and the two second rib portions 31', the cross rib 10' forms a criss-cross shape when viewed from the thickness direction, which further increases the impact absorption capacity of the cushioning material 1' and also makes the shape of the cushioning material 1' more stable.

The cross rib 10' has an auxiliary surface 12' formed by the inner side surface 23a' of the first leg portion 23' and the inner side surface 33a' of the second leg portion 33', so that it can more securely protect the protected object 7. In addition, the first leg portion 23' and the second leg portion 33' enable the first central rib portion 22' and the second central rib portion 32' to form the main abutment surface 11' at a position spaced apart from the first frame portion 20' in the thickness direction, so that the protected object 7 can be deeply and securely fixed.
The cushioning material 1' has the recesses 20d', 22d', 30d', 32d', and 33d', and therefore can efficiently absorb impact.

The claw portion 42' provided on the pin portion 4' prevents the first member 2' and the second member 3' from being disconnected after assembly, thereby enabling the protected object 7 to be stably protected when in use.
Since the cushioning material 1' is made of foamed olefin, it is possible to reduce the outer dimensions of the cushioning material 1' and to reduce the cost of the cushioning material 1'. Furthermore, since a skin layer is provided on the surface of the cushioning material 1', the first fold line B1' and the third fold line B3 can be easily formed.
By protecting the semiconductor wafer case, which is the object to be protected 7, with the cushioning material 1', the semiconductor wafer case can be reliably protected and chipping of the wafer chips from the wafer can be suppressed.

(10) In the second embodiment of the cushioning material 1', the pin portion 4' is connected to the second member 3' via the third fold line B3, so the number of parts of the cushioning material 1' can be reduced.

[3. Other]
The configurations of the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment and the cushioning material 1' of the second embodiment are examples. In the first embodiment, the pin portion 4 (connecting portion) penetrates the first frame portion 20 and the second frame portion 30, but the connecting portion (pin portion 4') may be connected to either the first frame portion 20 or the second frame portion 30 via the third fold line B3 (third hinge portion) as in the second embodiment. In this case, the number of parts of the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment can be reduced. In addition, the connecting portion is not limited to the pin-shaped member described above as long as it can connect the first members 2, 2' and the second members 3, 3' in a state where they are stacked in the thickness direction.

After assembly, the second frame portion 30 may be in contact with the side surface 72 of the object to be protected 7. In this case, the shock absorbing capacity of the cushioning material 1 can be further increased. In addition, in the cushioning material 1 of the first embodiment, the two second rib portions 31 may be connected via the second fold line B2 at a location different from the second frame portion 30. An example of the different location is a linear portion having the same thickness dimension. In addition, the recesses provided in the cushioning materials 1, 1' may be omitted or may be provided at a location different from the above-mentioned location.

The shapes of the first rib portion 21, 21' and the second rib portion 31, 31' are not limited to those described above. For example, only one of the inner side surface 23a, 23a' of the first leg portion 23, 23' and the inner side surface 33a, 33a' of the second leg portion 33, 33' may be configured to abut against the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 after assembly. Also, both of these may not abut against the side surface 72 of the protected object 7 after assembly.

The first member 2, 2' may have at least one first rib portion 21, 21', and may have three or more first rib portions. Similarly, the second member 3, 3' may have at least one second rib portion 31, 31', and may have three or more second rib portions. The first rib portion 21, 21' and the second rib portion 31, 31' may intersect with each other at a position that does not abut against the end face 71 of the protected object 7 in the used state. In addition, the first rib portion 21, 21' and the second rib portion 31, 31' may extend in different directions and intersect with each other in the assembled state, and do not have to be perpendicular to each other.

The first member 2, 2' and the second member 3, 3' may be made of a material other than foamed olefin. For example, the first member and the second member may be urethane, or may be a material in which multiple sheets of cardboard material are stacked in the thickness direction. The first fold line B1, B1', the second fold line B2, and the third fold line B3 do not have to be formed by half-cutting, and may be made of, for example, a tape-like material, or may be made by combining creases and cut lines.

The object to be protected need only have at least a side surface and an end surface that intersects with the side surface, and its shape is not limited to that described above. For example, the object to be protected may be a polygonal prism having a triangular or higher angle, a cylinder, or a more complicated structure than that described above. The object to be protected may also be something other than a semiconductor wafer case. The cushioning materials 1, 1' are not limited to being provided in pairs for one object to be protected, and may be used singularly.

1, 1' Cushioning material 2, 2' First member 3, 3' Second member 4, 4' Pin portion (connecting portion)
7 Protected object 10, 10' Intersecting rib 11, 11' Main abutment surface 12, 12' Auxiliary surface 13, 13' Intersecting portion 20, 20' First frame portion (frame portion)
20a, 20a' Inner surface 20b, 20b' Outer surface 20d, 20d' Recess 20h, 20h' First through hole 21, 21' First rib portion 22, 22' First central rib portion 22a, 22a' Inner surface 22b, 22b' Outer surface 22c, 22c' Engagement portion 22d, 22d' Recess 23, 23' First leg portion 23a, 23a' Inner surface 30 Second frame portion 30a Inner surface 30b Outer surface 30d Recess 30h Second through hole 31, 31' Second rib portion 32, 32' Second central rib portion 32a, 32a' Inner surface 32b, 32b' Outer surface 32c, 32c' Engagement portion 32d, 32d' Recess 33, 33 Second leg portion 33a, 33a' Inner surface 33b' Outer surface 33d' Recessed portion 41, 41' Pillar portion 42, 42' Claw portion 71 End surface 72 Side surface 73 First side surface (side surface)
74 Second side (side)
75 Inclined surface (side)
B1, B1' First fold line (hinge portion)
B2 Second fold line (second hinge part)
B3 Third fold line (third hinge part)
S1, S1' space S2 space

Claims (10)

A cushioning material in which a first member and a second member are superimposed and assembled,
The first member has a flat plate shape before assembly and a ring-shaped frame portion that surrounds a side surface of the object to be protected after assembly, and a first rib portion that is folded in a thickness direction relative to the frame portion via a hinge portion inside the frame portion during assembly and extends in a first direction,
the second member has a shape that conforms to the flat first member in the pre-assembly state, and is connected to the first member via a connecting portion that fixes the relative positions of the overlapped first member and the second member at least in the assembled state, and includes a second rib portion that is erected in the thickness direction with respect to the frame portion in the mid-assembly state and extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction in which the first rib portion extends,
The cushioning material is characterized in that it has a cross rib formed by the first rib portion and the second rib portion engaging with each other in the assembled state, and the cross rib abuts against an end surface that intersects with the side surface of the protected object. The cushioning material according to claim 1 , wherein the intersecting rib abuts against the end surface at an intersecting portion where the first rib portion and the second rib portion intersect with each other. The first member has two of the first rib portions,
The second member has two of the second rib portions,
The cushioning material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross ribs have a lattice shape when the cushioning material is viewed from the thickness direction. In the assembled state,
The first rib portion has a first central rib portion extending at a position spaced apart from the frame portion in the thickness direction, and a pair of first leg portions connected to both ends of the first central rib portion in the longitudinal direction and connected to the hinge portion,
The second rib portion has a second central rib portion extending at the same position as the first central rib portion in the thickness direction, and a pair of second leg portions connected to both ends of the second central rib portion in the longitudinal direction and extending toward the frame portion,
The cross rib has a main abutment surface formed of a surface of the first central rib portion and a surface of the second central rib portion facing the frame portion, and an auxiliary surface formed of a surface of the first leg portion and a surface of the second leg portion facing the inside of the frame portion,
The main contact surface contacts the end surface of the object to be protected,
The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary surface abuts against the side surface of the object to be protected. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a part of a surface opposite to a surface facing the object to be protected in an assembled state has a recess that is recessed toward the object to be protected. the second member has an annular second frame portion overlapping with the frame portion of the first member when viewed in the thickness direction in the assembled state,
The cushioning material described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the second rib portion is folded in the thickness direction relative to the second frame portion via a second hinge portion inside the second frame portion during the assembly process. At least one of the first member and the second member has a through hole through which the connecting portion penetrates in the thickness direction in the assembled state,
The cushioning material described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the connecting portion has a column portion that is placed in the through hole in the assembled state, and a claw portion that is provided at an end of the column portion and abuts against a surface perpendicular to the thickness direction of at least one of the first member and the second member. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connecting portion is connected to either the first member or the second member via a third hinge portion. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first member and the second member are formed of a foamed olefin having a heat-melted layer on a surface thereof. 10. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the object to be protected is a semiconductor wafer case.

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