ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,492,042, issued on Dec. 9.
"Returnable shipping container" was invented by Lawrence D. Cutter (New Paltz, N.Y.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Structures and a method for restraining a package within a returnable shipping container are provided to eliminate the need for buffering or filler materials (dunnage), particularly those materials that are environmentally unfriendly and otherwise likely to be discarded. Desirable shipping containers intended for reuse are provided with various features which enhance their utilization in a cycle of transportation out from and back to a source. These features include those associated with security, i...