Palletized load

Claim 1

A film-encased covered palletized load comprising an articulated horizontal rectangular platform formed from a carton blank of substantially rigid but foldable sheet material, an article on said platform and constituting said load, a plastic film encompassing said article and the corner regions of the platform and heat shrunk therearound so that the film exists under tension in both a vertical and a horizontal direction, the film extending under each of said corner regions whereby the vertical tension therein is sustained by frictional engagement of the film with the underneath surface of the platform at said corner regions and with the top surface of the load, said film, prior to being heat shrunk around the article and platform, having a predominately horizontal shrink factor as compared to its vertical shrink factor, said platform being provided with a first series of interlocking and interfolded edge flaps which, in the carton blank, are hingedly connected to the platform and project outwardly from the corner regions thereof, said interfolded edge flaps extending vertically and serving to provide upstanding composite retention corners which lie inside the confines of the film, a box-like cover member having side walls, a top wall and an open lower rim, telescopically received over the film-encased article, the platform and said retention corners, said rim being conformable in shape to the outline of the platform and being disposed in contiguity wit the edges of the platform, said platform being further provided with a second series of edge flaps which, in the carton blank, are hingedly connected to the platform and project outwardly beyond the lateral confines thereof, a series of rim flanges hingedly connected to the lower edges of said side walls and substantially coextensive therewith, the edge flaps of said second series and said rim flanges being interfolded and lying exteriorly of the film-encased load so as to provide vertically disposed multilayer interlocks between the cover membEr and platform for holding the former in position on the latter, and a loop of tensioned strapping encircling the lower region of the cover member including said interlocks, and the retention corners, and serving to force the interlocks against the adjacent walls of the cover member.