Bulk box dampening systems

• US 9,718,596 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Paul Grady, Henderson, Jeffrey A., Phitsamay, Lona, Crespo, Joselito T.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US14/934,096
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 2291221, 22912038, 22912234, 22912232, 53535, 53536, 53473, 53574, 53475, 53248, 53245, 206584, 206499, 206514, 221311, 221 33, 221303
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 39/00 Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/108 Article support means temporarily arranged in the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0004 Rigid pallets without side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/42 Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5213 Internal elements supporting the contents and movable for displaying them, e.g. movable bottoms or trays
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/724 Internal fittings facilitating the discharge of contents, e.g. guiding panels, movable bottoms or lifting strips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/05 maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents B65D81/022, B65D81/025, B65D81/03 take precedence

Abstract

A packaging assembly comprises a bulk box having a shock absorber to dampen a kinetic energy of product being dispensed from a conveyor system. The shock absorber may be a rectangular sheet shock absorber disposed diagonally in the bulk box, a shuttle tray shock absorber disposed in an opening of the bulk box, a deflector net disposed in an opening of the bulk box, or a inflatable bag shock absorber disposed in the bulk box, for example.

Claims

1. A packaging assembly comprising:

a bulk box having a wall arranged around a perimeter of a box bottom and an aperture opposite the box bottom, the wall and the box bottom creating a cavity, the bulk box to receive product in the cavity via the aperture; and

a shuttle tray having a rim arranged around a perimeter of a tray bottom, the tray bottom of the shuttle tray including tray apertures, the shuttle tray movably disposed in the cavity proximate to the aperture of the bulk box, the tray apertures to relieve an air pressure in the cavity caused by the shuttle tray moving within the cavity and toward the box bottom of the bulk box as a result of an accumulation of the product dispensed into the bulk box, the shuttle tray to provide a first coefficient of friction between a rim of the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk box, and the shuttle tray further having tabs arranged around the perimeter of the tray bottom of the shuttle tray protruding from an outside surface of the rim to provide a second coefficient of friction between the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk box, wherein the shuttle tray is arranged in the bulk box to dampen a kinetic energy of the product received by the bulk box.

2. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein at least the first coefficient of friction between the rim of the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk box prevents the shuttle tray from moving relative to the bulk box before the accumulation of a predetermined weight of the product.

3. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the bulk box is formed of corrugated material comprising a minimum edge crush test (ECT) strength of 55 and a type C-flute profile.

4. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the bulk box is formed of corrugated plastic, and wherein the shuttle tray is formed of corrugated material.

5. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the tray apertures are arranged in a grid on the tray bottom of the shuttle tray.

6. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall arranged around the perimeter of the box bottom includes four wall sections that include a first wall section opposite a second wall section and a third wall section opposite a fourth wall section.

7. A bulk container for receiving product, the bulk container comprising:

a wall, arranged around a perimeter of a bottom of the bulk container, the wall having a top edge defining an aperture opposite the bottom; and

a shuttle tray having a rim arranged around a perimeter of a bottom of the shuttle tray, the bottom of the shuttle tray including at least one tray aperture, the shuttle tray disposed in the aperture with the bottom of the shuttle tray being parallel with the bottom of the bulk container, the at least one tray aperture to relieve an air pressure from a cavity defined between the bottom of the shuttle tray and the bottom of the bulk container as a result of an accumulation of the product dispensed into the bulk container, the rim of the shuttle tray to provide a first coefficient of friction between the rim of the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk container, and the shuttle tray further having tabs arranged around the perimeter of the bottom of the shuttle tray protruding from an outside surface of the rim to provide a second coefficient of friction between the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk container.

8. The bulk container of claim 7, wherein the shuttle tray is arranged in the bulk container to dampen a kinetic energy of the product received by the bulk container.

9. The bulk container of claim 7, wherein the bottom of the shuttle tray includes a grid of multiple apertures including the at least one tray aperture, wherein the multiple apertures have a diameter between 0.5 inches and 3 inches.

10. The bulk container of claim 7, wherein the bottom of the shuttle tray includes a length and a width that are about equal to a length and a width of the bottom of the bulk container, respectively.

11. The bulk container of claim 7, wherein the rim of the shuttle tray includes flaps in contact with the wall of the bulk container, the flaps having a predetermined depth.

12. The bulk container of claim 7, wherein the product is prevented from entering the cavity between the shuttle tray and the bottom of the box.

13. A bulk box for receiving product, the bulk box comprising:

a wall, arranged around a perimeter of a bottom of the bulk box, the wall having a top edge defining an aperture opposite the bottom; and

a shuttle tray having a rim arranged around a perimeter of a bottom of the shuttle tray, the bottom of the shuttle tray including a grid of tray apertures, the shuttle tray disposed in the aperture at a first position in the bulk box proximate to the top edge with the rim in contact with the wall of the bulk box, the grid of tray apertures to allow airflow from a cavity defined between the bottom of the shuttle tray and the bottom of the bulk box as a result of movement of the shuttle tray toward a second position within the bulk box, and the shuttle tray further having tabs arranged around the perimeter of the bottom of the shuttle tray protruding from a first outside surface of the rim and a second outside surface of the rim opposite the first outside surface to provide a coefficient of friction between the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk box.

14. The bulk box of claim 13, wherein the grid of tray apertures is configured to pneumatically dampen the movement of the shuttle tray from the first position to the second position.

15. The bulk box of claim 13, wherein the coefficient of friction is a first coefficient of friction, and wherein the rim of the shuttle tray is configured to provide a second coefficient of friction between the rim of the shuttle tray and the wall of the bulk box, at least the first coefficient of friction or the second coefficient of friction to maintain the shuttle tray at the first position in the bulk box before an accumulation of a predetermined weight of the product.

16. The bulk box of claim 13, wherein the bulk box is formed of a corrugated fiberboard.

17. The bulk box of claim 13, wherein the bulk box is coupled to a pallet.