Carrier with cushioning pads

Abstract

A pallet shaped carrier for manufactured article is made by thermoforming a single sheet of plastic so as to provide an array of cavities with walls and at least partial floors that may or not have drain holes. The carrier further comprises a plurality of injection molded cushioning pads with coin shaped body and stems with asymmetric retention barbs wherein the stems are inserted through strategically located holes in the walls and floors of the cavities.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . The carrier defined in  claim 5  wherein the pads are made from a polymeric material. 
     
     
         3 . The carrier defined in  claim 2  wherein the polymeric material is injection molded polyurethane. 
     
     
         4 . The carrier defined in  claim 5  wherein the carrier body is thermoformed. 
     
     
         5 . A carrier for manufactured articles comprising:
 a body of molded plastic material having a cavity with an interior volume and formed integrally with said body, said cavity having a wall and a floor, each of said wall and floor having holes formed therein, at least two of said holes having different body material thicknesses;   a plurality of cushioning pads installed in said cavity holes;   each pad comprising a head portion and a stem integral with and extending from said head portion, each stem having at least two asymmetric retention barbs formed thereon at different distances from said head to secure said pad within a hole of any of said different body material thicknesses; and   the head of said installed pads lying within said interior volume to cushion an article placed within said cavity.