Packaging sleeve with heat-shrinkable protection sling and blank for producing same

Claim 2

A foldable-flat packaging sleeve comprising a plurality of outer walls hingedly connected on mutually parallel fold lines for forming an erected sleeve with a polygonal cross section; heat shrinkable membrane means secured to opposed inner surface portions of said wall for forming an integral sleeve with a through opening for receiving an article at either end of the erected sleeve, adhering to and generally suspending the article in the erected sleeve after the heat-shrinkable membrane means is shrunk; and an auxiliary, foldable partition-panel hingedly connected between intermediate portions of a pair of opposed walls and in opposed relation to said heat-shrinkable membrane means.

Claim 3

The structure as claimed in claim 1 including a foldable step portion at one end of said auxiliary partition panel and projectable laterally inwardly of said partition panel and including a support edge spaced inwardly from said auxiliary panel for supporting one end of an article.

Claim 4

The structure as claimed in claim 2 in which said heat-shrinkable membrane means comprises a heat-shrinkable liner generally conforming to the inner surface of said outer walls and permitting ready insertion of an article into said sleeve, said liner being secured to intermediate portions of opposed walls.

Claim 5

The structure as claimed in claim 3 in which said liner extends substantially the length of the tubular sleeve.

Claim 6

The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said liner conforms to a U-shaped section of said tubular sleeve extending from terminal ends to said partition panel and about confronting inner surfaces of said walls.

Claim 7

A blank for producing a foldable-flat packaging sleeve comprising in combination: a plurality of wall panels defined by mutually parallel fold lines, means for hingedly connecting marginal side edges of the wall panels to form a tubular packaging sleeve when the blank is assembled; cover means connected to top and bottom edges of said wall panels; the improvement comprising: a heat-shrinkable membrane overlying inner surfaces of said wall panels and including at least one intervening free heat-shrinkable panel portion defined by terminally anchored portions for forming a suspension sling with an article when the blank is assembled and the panel is heat-shrunk; said heat-shrinkable membrane also being terminally anchored and including a single intermediate free heat-shrinkable portion extending from intermediate portions of alternate wall panels of the blank and completely overlies a wall panel therebetween; and said blank further including a supplemental panel foldably connected to the wall panel remote from said membrane, said supplemental panel including from said wall panel to which it is connected a glue flap, partition panel, and supplemental glue flap all connected on mutually parallel fold lines, and a step panel having a free edge bordering said partition panel and hinged to fold lines offset and parallel to the fold lines of said glue flaps and partition panel.

Claim 8

A blank for producing a foldable-flat packaging sleeve comprising in combination: a plurality of wall panels defined by mutually parallel fold lines, means for hingedly connecting marginal side edges of the wall panels to form a tubular packaging sleeve when the blank is assembled; cover means connected to top and bottom edges of said wall panels; the improvement comprising: a heat-shrinkable membrane overlying inner surfaces of said wall panels and including at least one intervening free heat-shrinkable panel portion defined by terminally anchored portions for forming a suspension sling with an article when the blank is assembled and the panel is heat-shrunk; said heat-shrinkable membrane also being terminally anchored and including a single intermediate free heat-shrinkable portion extending from intermediate portions of alternate wall panels of the blank and completely overlies a wall panel therebetween; and said blank further including a supplemental panel foldably connected to the wall panel remote from said membrane, said supplemental panel including from said wall panel to which it is connected a glue flap, partition panel, and supplemental glue flap all connected on mutually parallel fold lines, and a step panel having a free edge bordering said partition panel and hinged to fold lines offset and parallel to the fold lines of said glue flaps and partition panel.