Packaging for a sink

• US 7,240,792 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blanco GmbH + Company KG (EGO Blanc und Fischer & Company GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Blanco GmbH + Company KG (EGO Blanc und Fischer & Company GmbH)
• Inventors: Schneider, Wolfgang, Bittger, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): FIDEI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US10/872,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20050263427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 206/321, 206/521, 206/523, 206/588, 206/589, 206/590, 206/592
• US Class Current: 206/523
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2585/645 kitchen sinks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/113 of a shape specially adapted to accommodate contents B65D81/053 takes precedence

Abstract

In order to produce a packaging for a sink which has particularly good absorption properties and a low rate of transportation damage there is proposed a packaging for a sink which comprises at least one supporting body that is formed at least partly from a foamed plastic material and comprises at least one seating element incorporating a seating channel for an edge section of the sink, and an outer packaging whose interior accommodates the sink and the at least one supporting body, wherein the at least one supporting body extends over substantially the entire internal height of the interior of the outer packaging.

Claims

1. Packaging for a sink,

comprising at least one supporting body which comprises at least one seating element incorporating a seating channel for an edge section of the sink and at least one distance maintaining element which is formed separately from the seating element and supports the seating element, wherein the seating element and/or the distance maintaining element are formed at least partly from a foamed plastic material.

2. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is formed for accommodating an edge section of a long side of the sink.

3. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is formed for accommodating an edge section of the sink which extends over the entire length of a side of the sink.

4. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is formed for accommodating an edge section of the sink which extends along a first side of the sink, and for accommodating an edge section of the sink which extends along a second side of the sink.

5. Packaging in accordance with claim 4, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is formed for accommodating an edge section of the sink which extends along a third side of the sink.

6. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is formed for accommodating at least one corner area of the edge of the sink.

7. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the distance maintaining element of the supporting body has the same shape as the seating element of the supporting body.

8. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the packaging comprises at least two supporting bodies which each comprise at least one seating element incorporating a seating channel for an edge section of the sink and at least one distance maintaining element which is formed separately from the seating element and supports the respectively associated seating element.

9. Packaging in accordance with claim 8, wherein the seating elements and the distance maintaining elements of the at least two supporting bodies are of the same shape.

10. Packaging in accordance with claim 8, wherein the at least two supporting bodies of the packaging are arranged on mutually opposite edge sections of the sink.

11. Packaging in accordance with claim 8, wherein the entire weight of the sink is borne exclusively by the supporting bodies which each comprise a seating element incorporating a seating channel for an edge section of the sink.

12. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the packaging comprises an outer packaging whose interior accommodates the sink and the at least one supporting body.

13. Packaging in accordance with claim 12, wherein the outer packaging is substantially cuboid.

14. Packaging in accordance with claim 12, wherein the outer packaging comprises a folding carton.

15. Packaging in accordance with claim 12, wherein the at least one supporting body extends over substantially the entire internal height (H) of the interior of the outer packaging.

16. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element is in the form of a seating strip.

17. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element is substantially L-shaped.

18. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element is substantially U-shaped.

19. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element comprises a longitudinal section which extends in the longitudinal direction of the sink.

20. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element comprises at least one transverse section which extends in the transverse direction of the sink.

21. Packaging in accordance with claim 20, wherein the transverse section ends at a distance from the longitudinal central plane of the sink.

22. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating channel of the seating element is limited upwardly and/or downwardly by a plurality of channel delimiting projections which are spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction of the seating channel so that the sink comes into contact with the seating element only at the channel delimiting projections, but not in the regions located between the channel delimiting projections.

23. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element comprises at least one end section which is provided with at least one cavity.

24. Packaging in accordance with claim 23, wherein the cavity has a vertical cross section which comprises a constriction.

25. Packaging in accordance with claim 23, wherein the cavity widens towards an end face of the end section.

26. Packaging in accordance with claim 23, wherein the end section provided with the cavity is provided with a recess at the side thereof facing the sink.

27. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the seating element is provided with projections and/or with recesses, wherein the upper surface of the distance maintaining element is provided with projections and/or with recesses, and wherein the projections and/or the recesses on the lower surface of the seating element cooperate with the projections and/or the recesses on the upper surface of the distance maintaining element in such a way that the seating element seated on the distance maintaining element is fixed relative to the distance maintaining element in the longitudinal direction thereof and/or in a horizontal transverse direction thereof extending transversely to said longitudinal direction.

28. Packaging in accordance with claim 27, wherein the packaging comprises a cover element which covers at least a part of the sink in the upward direction.

29. Packaging in accordance with claim 28, wherein the cover element covers at least one basin of the sink in the upward direction.

30. Packaging in accordance with claim 28, wherein the cover element does not extend over the entire upper surface of the sink.

31. Packaging in accordance with claim 28, wherein the cover element is in engagement with the seating element in such a way that it is safeguarded from movement relative to the seating element in the longitudinal direction thereof.

32. Packaging in accordance with claim 28, wherein the cover element is in engagement with the seating element in such a way that the displacement path thereof relative to the seating element is limited in the vertical direction.

33. Packaging in accordance with claim 28, wherein the cover element comprises a substantially horizontal cover section and a retaining section aligned transversely relative to the cover section.

34. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the packaging further comprises at least one accessory box, and wherein the seating element comprises at least one stop member which limits the displacement path of the accessory box relative to the seating element in the longitudinal direction of the seating element.

35. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the packaging comprises an accessory box and also two supporting bodies which each comprise a seating element, wherein the horizontal distance of the seating elements from one another corresponds substantially to the width of the accessory box.

36. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the packaging comprises at least two supporting bodies which each comprise a seating element and it also comprises an intermediate element which is arranged between the two supporting bodies.

37. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element is in engagement with the supporting bodies in such a way that it is safeguarded from movement relative to the supporting bodies in the longitudinal direction thereof.

38. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element is in engagement with the supporting bodies in such a way that it is safeguarded from vertical movement relative to the supporting bodies.

39. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element comprises at least one projection which engages in a gap between the seating element and the distance maintaining element of one of the supporting bodies.

40. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element comprises a substantially horizontal first section and a second section which is aligned transversely, preferably substantially perpendicularly, relative to the horizontal first section.

41. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the packaging comprises an accessory unit which is arranged below the sink, and wherein the intermediate element is so formed and arranged that it separates the accessory unit from the sink.

42. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element is provided with at least one recess on the side thereof remote from the sink.

43. Packaging in accordance with claim 36, wherein the intermediate element is formed from substantially the same material as the seating elements of the supporting bodies.

44. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element and/or the distance maintaining element are formed at least partly from an expanded polystyrene material.

45. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element is substantially symmetrical relative to the vertical transverse central plane thereof.

46. Packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seating element is stackable directly on another seating element of the same shape and orientation.

47. Packaging in accordance with claim 46, wherein the seating element, in whose seating channel an edge section of a sink is accommodated, is directly stackable on another seating element of the same shape and orientation in whose seating channel an edge section of a sink of the same shape and orientation is likewise accommodated.

48. Packaging in accordance with claim 46, wherein the lower surface of the seating element is provided with projections and/or with recesses, wherein the upper surface of the other seating element is provided with projections and/or with recesses, and wherein the projections and/or the recesses on the lower surface of the seating element cooperate with the projections and/or the recesses on the upper surface of the other seating element in such a way that the seating element seated on the other seating element is fixed relative to the other seating element in the longitudinal direction thereof and/or in a horizontal transverse direction (148) thereof extending transversely to said longitudinal direction.