Integrated appliance container for support during assembly transport and display

Abstract

An appliance packaging assembly and method wherein a reinforced base pad is disposed under an appliance, a plurality of rigid posts are disposed between the base pad and alongside the appliance, a transparent film is disposed about the posts and the appliance, a reinforced cover having a lifting flange member on a side portion thereof, the cover disposed over the plurality of wrapped posts and appliance.

1 . A packaging assembly useable for erecting, packaging and displaying an appliance, comprising: 
 a base pad disposable under an appliance to be packaged, said base pad having extended, upwardly folding flanges on at least two sides thereof;    a plurality of rigid posts each having a first end portion disposed on said base pad, each post being disposed alongside an upright corner of the appliance to be packaged and having an opposing second end portion;    each of said first end portions of said posts being fixedly attached to an adjacent one of said upwardly folding flanges and to said base pad at a corner thereof; and    a cover disposed over the second end portion of the plurality of posts,    the cover having a lifting flange member having a discrete reinforcing member    arranged across at least one side of the cover.    
   
   
       2 . The packaging assembly of  claim 1 , wherein 
 the posts are angled corner posts, the base pad and cover each having a plurality of corners, the first and second end portions of the angled corner posts are disposed in corresponding corners of the base pad and cover.    
   
   
       3 . The packaging assembly of  claim 2 , wherein 
 the base pad and cover are each formed of a corrugated paperboard material and said base pad is reinforced with tabs extending from and folded under said base pad.    
   
   
       4 . The packaging assembly of  claim 2 , wherein 
 the corner posts are fastened at their respective ends to said base pad and said cover.    
   
   
       5 . The packaging assembly of  claim 1 , wherein 
 said cover is a corrugated paperboard material, and a lifting flange member of said cover is defined by a side portion of said cover folded over a portion of a reinforcing member extending from an inner portion of said cover.    
   
   
       6 . A method of packaging an appliance, comprising: 
 placing the appliance on a reinforced base pad having a plurality of upwardly extending flanges;    positioning a plurality of rigid angled corner posts alongside said upwardly extending flanges in a position corresponding to alongside the corners of an appliance to be packaged; and    disposing a first end portion of each post between said base pad and said flanges;    placing a reinforced cover over a second end portion    of each post so as to enclose an appliance resting on said base pad,    said cover having a lifting flange member with a discrete reinforcing member, the    lifting flange member and the discrete reinforcing member thereof disposed across a side of the cover.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising: 
 disposing a transparent bag over the appliance, posts, and at least a portion of the base pad, and    heat shrinking the transparent bag to form a transparent film.