# US 11,440,719 B1 · Tamper indicator for self-adjusting shipping box

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- Number: US 11,440,719 B1
- Document ID: US11440719B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/380,061
- Filed: 2021-07-20
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-07-20
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Suraush Khambati; Budy Notohardjono; Richard M. Ecker; Shawn Canfield
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440719B1

## CPC

- B65D 81/052: {filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements}
- B31B 50/80: Pneumatically
- B65D 5/4212: {Information or decoration elements, e.g. content indicators, or for mailing (B65D5/522 takes precedence)}
- B65D 5/5028: {Elements formed separately from the container body}
- B31B 2105/00: Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by assembling separate sheets, blanks or webs
- B31B 2110/35: rectangular, e.g. square
- B31B 2120/102: {with a hinged cover}
- B65B 43/265: {Opening, erecting or setting-up boxes, cartons or carton blanks}
- B65B 55/20: Embedding contents in shock-absorbing media, e.g. plastic foam, granular material
- B65B 2210/04: Customised on demand packaging by determining a specific characteristic, e.g. shape or height, of articles or material to be packaged and selecting, creating or adapting a packaging accordingly, e.g. making a carton starting from web material
- B65D 2203/06: Arrangements on packages concerning bar-codes
- B65D 2401/55: based on a change or a contrast in colour
- Y02W 30/80: Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging (bio-packaging Y02W90/10)
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B31B: MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER (making wound articles, e.g. wound tubes, B31C; combined making and filling B65B)
- B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00)
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

A shipping box includes a plurality of sides and a plurality of bladders. The sides are arranged as a rectangular solid with fixed sides and a top side. The top side includes an openable cover for access to an interior of the rectangular solid. The rectangular solid has a size determined based on dimensions of an object placed in the interior of the rectangular solid. The bladders are arranged on each of the sides and configured to be inflated as a cushioning mechanism for the object while placed in the interior of the rectangular solid. The bladders are made of a material based on a weight of the at least one object.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A shipping box, comprising:
a plurality of sides arranged as a rectangular solid, the sides including fixed sides and a top side, the top side including an openable cover for access to an interior of the rectangular solid, the rectangular solid having a size determined based on dimensions of at least one object placed in the interior of the rectangular solid;
a plurality of bladders arranged on each of the sides, the bladders configured to be inflated as a cushioning mechanism for the at least one object while placed in the interior of the rectangular solid;
a tamper mechanism comprising an indicator and a gasket, the indicator configured to removably couple to the openable cover, the gasket configured to removably couple to one of the fixed sides, the indicator and the gasket being positioned such that closing the openable cover results in the indicator coupling with the gasket; and
wherein the indicator includes a first gas receptacle holding a first gas and a second gas receptacle holding a second gas, the first gas being separated from the second gas by a membrane, and wherein the gasket includes a pin configured to puncture the membrane when the tamper mechanism is in a pressurized state so that the first gas reacts with the second gas to create a third gas, the third gas having a visually distinct color, the visually distinct color being visible from an exterior of the shipping box.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The shipping box of claim 1, further comprising:
an air tube fluidly interconnecting the bladders; and
an air port fluidly connected to the air tube, the air port configured to couple to an air supply to inflate the bladders via the air tube.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The shipping box of claim 1, wherein the bladders are fixedly attached to the sides and configured to be inflated to a predetermined inflation pressure to hold the at least one object within the interior space relative to the sides, the predetermined inflation pressure based on the weight of the at least one object to provide a cushioning effect on the at least one object while the shipping box is in transit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The shipping box of claim 1, wherein the third gas being present in the tamper mechanism is indicative of an absence of tampering and the third gas being absent in the tamper mechanism is indicative of tampering of at least one of the shipping box and the tamper mechanism.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The shipping box of claim 1, wherein the indicator includes an adhesive receptacle holding an adhesive, the adhesive being held within the adhesive receptacle by a membrane, and wherein the gasket includes a pin configured to puncture the membrane when the tamper mechanism is in a pressurized state so that the adhesive bonds to an indicator membrane on the gasket and forms a fixed seal between the indicator and the gasket.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The shipping box of claim 5, wherein the indicator membrane being intact is indicative of an absence of tampering and the indicator membrane being one of broken or discontinuous is indicative of tampering of at least one of the shipping box and the tamper mechanism.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The shipping box of claim 1, wherein the shipping box and the bladders are configured to be reused, and wherein the tamper mechanism is configured for a single use such that a further tamper mechanism is configured to replace the tamper mechanism after the single use.

### Claim 8

A system, comprising:
a shipping box comprising:
a plurality of sides arranged as a rectangular solid, the sides including fixed sides and a top side, the top side including an openable cover for access to an interior of the rectangular solid, the rectangular solid having a size determined based on dimensions of at least one object placed in the interior of the rectangular solid;
a plurality of bladders arranged on each of the sides, the bladders configured to be inflated as a cushioning mechanism for the at least one object while placed in the interior of the rectangular solid;
a tamper mechanism comprising an indicator and a gasket, the indicator configured to removably couple to the openable cover, the gasket configured to removably couple to one of the fixed sides, the indicator and the gasket being positioned such that closing the openable cover results in the indicator coupling with the gasket; and
wherein the indicator includes a first gas receptacle holding a first gas and a second gas receptacle holding a second gas, the first gas being separated from the second gas by a membrane, and wherein the gasket includes a pin configured to puncture the membrane when the tamper mechanism is in a pressurized state so that the first gas reacts with the second gas to create a third gas, the third gas having a visually distinct color, the visually distinct color being visible from an exterior of the shipping box.