Folding void filler

A one-piece, double tube, hollow, open-ended void filler for supporting and stabilizing cargo being transported in a vehicle, said double tube void filler being used to fill spaces between stacked loads making up the cargo, the double tube void filler being capable of being folded to a partially assembled, flat-configuration for storage and shipping and quickly opened to an expanded configuration for use, the one-piece, double tube, open-ended void filler comprising:

• a) a first elongated, hollow, open-ended, foldable tube having an upper surface, one side surface and a lower surface, said first tube having a longitudinal axis and each of said upper, lower and side surfaces being connected along individual fold lines forming longitudinal edges of the surfaces, said upper and lower surfaces having sufficient compressive strength to support cargo loads when the void filler is in use;
• b) a second elongated, hollow, open-ended, foldable tube, having an upper surface, one side surface and a lower surface, said second tube having a longitudinal axis and each of said upper, lower, and side surfaces being connected along individual fold lines forming longitudinal edges of the surfaces, said upper and lower surfaces of said second tube having sufficient compressive strength to support the cargo loads when the void filler is in use;
• c) said first and second tubes having a one-piece, common side panel which is opposite the side surfaces of said first and second tubes, said common side panel having an upper edge and a lower edge and a height which is the same as the combined height of the side surfaces of the first and second tubes, the upper and lower edges of the common side panel being connected along longitudinal fold lines to a free edge of the upper and lower surfaces of the first and second tubes, respectively;
• d) said lower surface of the first tube and the upper surface of the second tube being overlapped and fixedly attached by suitable fastening means;
• e) each of said void filler tubes having at least two separate folding panels, each of said folding panels being formed on different outer surfaces of the respective tube, said folding panels having a size which is the same as the interior cross-section of the individual respective tube, one edge of each folding panel is a fold line arranged parallel to an end edge of the respective tube, said folding panels being arranged to fold inwardly across the interior of the respective tube to a position perpendicular with the upper, lower and side surfaces and said common side panel so as to contact these surfaces to hold the tube in a reinforced expanded configurations so as to hold the cargo load in place while the void filler is in use;
• and
• f) a flange attached to the top surface of the first tube to support the void filler between the cargo loads.