The use of various containers, such as boxes, for the packaging of objects for storage and/or shipment is well-known. A large portion of these containers are in varied forms of corrugated paper boxes which provide a relatively inexpensive and disposable means for packaging the objects. Often, such cardboard boxes and other containers are provided with a pair of oppositely disposed handhold openings formed in the sidewall thereof which facilitate lifting and carrying the boxed object. In cardboard boxes, these handhold openings are typically die-cut through the sidewall of the box and may be either a simple opening or, alternatively, may be a hinged opening.
The presence of the handhold openings, where they communicate with the interior of the container, correspondingly reduce the effectiveness of the container's exclusion of contaminant materials from entering the interior. Accordingly, since the interior is not sealed, dust and other contaminants may migrate from the external environment to the interior of the container. Accordingly, while handhold openings provide a highly useful convenience, they are not without their drawbacks.
The ingress of dust and other contaminants into the interior of a container that houses an object is an increasing problem where the objects so packaged are delicate electronic equipment especially because of the electrostatic charges which may be on the equipment. The electrostatic charge can attract charged dust particles and other particulate contaminants. The need to isolate such electronic equipment is prevalent in the computer industry, but the intrusion of dust and other contaminants is a problem in the packaging and shipment of stereo equipment, medical equipment and even bicycles, to name a few products. Because of this, it is often the practice to "bag" the product in a sealed plastic wrapping and place the wrapped package in the container. This naturally adds increased costs in the form of materials and labor; it also increases the amount of discarded materials when the object is removed from the container. Thus, the bagging of objects for further packaging in a container is both a costly and a non-ecologically sound practice. Nonetheless, it has heretofore been necessary in order to protect the packaged object.
In our U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,728, we provide a protective device adapted to be used with a container as well as a container including such a protective device. Our protective device described in this prior patent includes a panel piece that has a surrounding peripheral edge, with the panel piece being sized and configured to have a size greater than the size of the handhold opening so that the margin portion is securable to the wall of the container with the panel piece in the secured state over the handhold opening. A first adhesive material is disposed on the first margin portion of the panel piece and is operative to secure the panel piece in the secured state and to seal the margin portion in an area surrounding the handhold opening. A bi-fold structure is also described in order to create a chamber that receives the hand of the user with the chamber being isolated from the interior of the container when the protective device is secured over the handhold opening on the interior of the container. The panel piece includes a portal that may be provided in the bi-fold structure with this portal being positioned over the handhold opening so that the hand may be inserted through the handhold opening and through the portal. This portal may be an opening, but it is also shown as a scored portion that defines a tear-away section.
Despite the improvements afforded by our earlier invention, there remains a need for better protective devices which can be used in conjunction with a container for packaging an object in order to inhibit contact of the object with contaminant, airborne particles. There is a further need for a combination container and protective device which can house an object in an efficient manner so as to reduce the likelihood of contamination of the object during storage and shipment. A need exists, therefore, for a simplified device which can be used with containers, such as cardboard boxes, in order to isolate the interior of the box from the outside environment where the box is provided with handhold openings.