Multi-unit package including stacks of multi-pad units

Abstract

A multi-unit package includes a plurality of layers of pads stack one on top of another to form a stack of pads and a retainer coupling the stack of pads together for shipment.

1 . A multi-unit package comprising
 a first two-pad unit including a first pad and a second pad coupled to the first pad of the first two-pad unit along a first perforated line segment,   a second two-pad unit including a first pad and a second pad coupled to the first pad of the second two-pad unit along a first perforated line segment, the second two-pad unit being arranged to lie above the first two-pad unit to form a two-pad unit stack wherein the first pad of the second two-pad unit lies above the first pad of the first two-pad unit to form a column of first pads, the second pad of the second two-pad unit lies above the second pad of the first two-pad unit to form a column of second pads, and the first perforated line segment of the second two-pad unit is arranged to lie above the first perforated line segment of the first two-pad unit, and   a retainer arranged to mate with the first and second two-pad units in the two-pad unit stack to retain the first pads, second pads, and first perforated line segments in aligned relation to one another.   
   
   
       2 . The multi-unit package of  claim 1 , further comprising a third two-pad unit including a first pad and a second pad coupled to the first pad of the third two-pad unit along a first perforated line segment, and wherein the first, second, and third two-pad units cooperate to form the two-pad unit stack, the first pad of the third two-pad unit lies above the first pads of the first and second two-pad units, the second pad of the third two-pad unit lies above the second pads of the first and second two-pad units, and the first perforated line segment of the third two-pad unit lies above the first perforated line segments of the first and second two-pad units. 
   
   
       3 . The multi-unit package of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first and second pads in the first and second two-pad units is octagon-shaped. 
   
   
       4 . The multi-unit package of  claim 2 , wherein the retainer is a shrink-wrap cover formed to include an interior region containing the columns of first and second pads. 
   
   
       5 . The multi-unit package of  claim 1 , wherein the retainer is a shrink-wrap cover formed to include an interior region containing the columns of first and second pads. 
   
   
       6 . The multi-unit package of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a first supplemental two-pad unit including a first pad and a second pad coupled to the first pad of the first supplemental two-pad unit along a second perforated line segment,   a second supplemental two-pad unit including a first pad and a second pad coupled to the first pad of the second supplemental two-pad unit along a second perforated line segment, the second supplemental two-pad unit being arranged to lie above the first supplemental two-pad unit to form a supplemental two-pad unit stack wherein the first pad of the second supplemental two-pad unit lies above the first pad of the first supplemental two-pad unit to form an auxiliary column of first pads, the second pad of the second supplemental two-pad unit lies above the second pad of the first supplemental two-pad unit to form an auxiliary column of second pads, and the second perforated line segment of the second supplemental two-pad unit is arranged to lie above the second perforated line segment of the first supplemental two-pad unit, and   the retainer is arranged also to mate with the first and second supplemental two-pad units in the supplemental two-pad unit stack to retain in aligned relation the first pads, second pads, and first perforated line segments of the two-pad unit stack and the first pads, second pads, and second perforated line segments of the supplemental two-pad unit stack.   
   
   
       7 . The multi-unit package of  claim 6 , wherein the first two-pad unit and the first supplemental two-pad unit are arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to one another. 
   
   
       8 . The multi-unit package of  claim 7 , wherein the first pad of the first two-pad unit is coupled to the first pad of the first supplemental two-pad unit along a third perforated line segment and the second pad of the first two-pad unit is coupled to the second pad of the first supplemental two-pad unit along a fourth perforated line segment to form a four-pad unit. 
   
   
       9 . The multi-unit package of  claim 8 , wherein each of the third and fourth perforated line segments lies in a longitudinal reference line arranged to lie between the first two-pad unit and the first supplemental two-pad unit. 
   
   
       10 . The multi-unit package of  claim 9 , wherein each of the first and second perforated line segments lies in a transverse reference line arranged to lie in perpendicular relation to the longitudinal reference line. 
   
   
       11 . The multi-unit package of  claim 8 , wherein the first and the second pads of the first two-pad unit and the first supplemental two-pad unit cooperate to form a square-shaped opening therebetween. 
   
   
       12 . The multi-unit package of  claim 7 , wherein the first perforated line segment of the first two-pad unit and the second perforated line segment of the first supplemental two-pad unit lie in a transverse reference line arranged to bisect each of the first two-pad unit and the first supplemental two-pad unit. 
   
   
       13 . The multi-unit package of  claim 6 , wherein each of the first and second pads in the first and second two-pad units and in the first and second supplemental two-pad units is octagon-shaped. 
   
   
       14 . A multi-unit package comprising
 a shrink-wrap cover formed to include an interior region, the shrink-wrap cover adapted to protect the multi-unit package during transportation and   a four-pad unit stack positioned to lie in the interior region, each four-pad unit stack including a plurality of four-pad units stacked on top of one another, each four-pad unit including a first pad, a second pad, a third pad, a fourth pad, and joint means for coupling each pad along a first perforated line segment to a first neighboring pad and along a separate second perforated line segment to a second neighboring pad to cause each pad to be separable from the companion first and second neighboring pads in response to bending of a selected pad relative to each of the companion first and second neighboring pads, wherein the first neighboring pad is one of the first, second, third, and fourth pads and the second neighboring pad is another of the first, second, third, and fourth pads.   
   
   
       15 . The multi-unit package of  claim 14 , wherein the first pad has first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sides arranged in series to establish an octagon-shaped perimeter edge, each side is arranged to intersect with an adjacent side to form an obtuse angle therebetween, the first perforated line segment is established along the first side and the second perforated line segment is established along the third side. 
   
   
       16 . A multi-unit package comprising
 a shrink-wrap cover formed to include an interior region, the shrink-wrap cover adapted to protect the multi-unit package during transportation and   a four-pad unit stack positioned to lie in the interior region, each four-pad unit stack including a plurality of four-pad units stacked on top of one another, each four-pad unit including a first pad, a second pad, a third pad, a fourth pad, and joint means for coupling each pad along a first perforated line segment to a first neighboring pad and along a separate second perforated line segment to a second neighboring pad to cause each pad to be separable from the companion first and second neighboring pads in response to bending of a selected pad relative to each of the companion first and second neighboring pads, wherein the first neighboring pad is one of the first, second, third, and fourth pads and the second neighboring pad is another of the first, second, third, and fourth pads, and wherein the joint means includes a series of nicked links extending between each pad and the neighboring first and second pads and each nicked link is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to an adjacent nicked link to define a nicked cut therebetween.   
   
   
       17 . The multi-unit package of  claim 16 , wherein each four-pad unit includes a top layer, a bottom layer, and a corrugated layer arranged to interconnect the top layer and the bottom layer and the series of nicked links are formed in the bottom layer of each four-pad unit along the first perforated line segment and the second perforated line segment. 
   
   
       18 . The multi-unit package of  claim 17 , wherein the top layer and the corrugated layer are broken along the first perforated line segment and the second perforated line segment to cause a cut gap to be formed between each pad and the neighboring first and second pads above the series of nicked links formed in the bottom layer. 
   
   
       19 . The multi-unit package of  claim 16 , wherein the first pad has first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sides arranged in series to establish an octagon-shaped perimeter edge, each side is arranged to intersect with an adjacent side to form an obtuse angle therebetween, the first perforated line segment is established along the first side and the second perforated line segment is established along the third side. 
   
   
       20 . The multi-unit package of  claim 19 , wherein the first pad includes a pad width defined as a distance between any two sides positioned to lie in parallel relation to one another and the distance is less than about 12 inches. 
   
   
       21 . The multi-unit package of  claim 19 , wherein the first pad, the second pad, the third pad, and the fourth pad cooperate to establish a square-shaped opening. 
   
   
       22 . The multi-unit package of  claim 16 , wherein each four-pad unit includes a first two-pad unit including the first pad and the second pad coupled together along the first perforated line segment, a second two-pad unit including the third pad and the fourth pad coupled together, and the second two-pad unit is coupled to the first two-pad unit along the second perforated line segment. 
   
   
       23 . A multi-unit package comprising
 a shrink-wrap cover formed to include an interior region and   a two-pad unit stack positioned to lie in the interior region, the two-pad unit stack includes a plurality of two-pad units stacked on top of one another, each two-pad unit includes a first pad, a second pad, and joint means for coupling the first pad to the second pad along a first perforated line segment to cause the first pad to be separable from the second pad in response to bending of the first pad relative to the second pad and wherein the joint means includes a series of nicked links extending between the first pad and the second pad and each nicked link is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to an adjacent nicked link to define a nicked cut therebetween.   
   
   
       24 . The multi-unit package of  claim 23 , wherein the first pad has first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sides arranged in series to establish an octagon-shaped perimeter edge, each side is arranged to intersect with an adjacent side to form an obtuse angle therebetween, the first perforated line segment is established along the first side and the second perforated line segment is established along the third side. 
   
   
       25 . The multi-unit package of  claim 24 , wherein the first pad includes a pad width defined as a distance between any two sides positioned to lie in parallel relation to one another and the distance is greater than about 12 inches. 
   
   
       26 . A method of producing a multi-unit package of pads, the method comprising the steps of
 providing corrugated sheets by a conveyor to a cutting machine,   cutting the corrugated sheets with the cutting machine to form blanks formed to include a plurality of perforated line segments therein and waste,   accumulating the blanks to form a multi-pad strip stack including a plurality of blanks stacked vertically on top of one another;   breaking the multi-pad strip stack along the plurality of perforated line segments formed by the cutting machine to form a multi-pad unit stack, and   applying packaging to the multi-pad unit stack to produce the multi-unit package.