Package having a vacuum actuated conformal packing nest

摘要

A sealed bag of a pliable multi-layered barrier film substantially impervious to air is partially filled with generally spherically closed cell foam plastic particles deformable under a pressure of less than about 0.2 atmospheres. A bag for use in a typical camera is typically 2 to 3 inches wider and longer than the inside of the case and filled with particles from about 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch in diameter. When flattened uniformly, the bag with the particles inside is about 1/2 an inch in thickness. The bag is placed inside a camera case or the like of smaller dimensions than the bag, e.g. 14x6 inches when the pressure in the bag is atmospheric and relieved through an air tube. One or more objects are then depressed into the upper surface of the bag which deforms about them until about a single layer of particles is underneath the object and the particles surround the objects up to about an inch or an inch and a half in depth. A hand operated pump is provided for attachment to the air tube so that the air may be evacuated from the bag to a pressure in the bag of somewhat more than 0.8 atmospheres. The bag and particles then become rigid in the shape formed about the object. The tube is then sealed by a clamp or the like and the nest remains rigid for many months.