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The invention is a protective container for transporting an enclosed object such as a flat screen television or other flat screen monitor. The protective covering includes two flaps and a base having soft padding material on their inner surfaces. An open configuration is essentially flat, allowing a

The invention is a protective container for transporting an enclosed object such as a flat screen television or other flat screen monitor. The protective covering includes two flaps and a base having soft padding material on their inner surfaces. An open configuration is essentially flat, allowing a monitor to be easily positioned on the covering. The flaps fold up to transform the protective container into a closed configuration, with straps or other connectors holding the flaps in place. The protective container has various features making it convenient to move manually and to transport in a delivery truck. The protective container is more convenient to use than the prior art, and can be manufactured from relatively inexpensive materials.

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1. An apparatus, comprising: a) a base, including an essentially rectangular base panel, and two flaps, each flap including a flap panel, each flap panel attached to the base panel along a respective fold axis, the two fold axes coinciding with opposite edges of the base panel, each panel being near

1. An apparatus, comprising: a) a base, including an essentially rectangular base panel, and two flaps, each flap including a flap panel, each flap panel attached to the base panel along a respective fold axis, the two fold axes coinciding with opposite edges of the base panel, each panel being nearly rigid;b) a closed configuration, formed folding the flaps toward each other along the two fold axes;c) cushioning material contained in or attached to the base; andd) two support blocks attached to an upper surface of the base panel, the support blocks separated in a direction parallel to the fold axes by a distance sufficient to suspend a screen portion of a flat screen monitor above the base panel when the base panel is horizontal, wherein each support block extends across the base panel from one fold axis to the other, wherein a hollow volume in each support block is accessible when the apparatus is in an open configuration; ande) a flat screen monitor, having the screen portion mounted on a stand, such that (i) when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, a screen display surface, in the screen portion, is approximately parallel to a flap,(ii) the stand rests on the cushioning material of the base, and(iii) the screen portion is supported by the stand. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: e) cushioning material contained in or attached to an upper surface of at least one of the support blocks. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, the distance being sufficient that a stand, to which the screen portion of the flat screen monitor is mounted, fits between the support blocks. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: f) the flat screen monitor, which, when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, is positioned between inner surfaces of the two flaps, and rests upon the cushioning material of at least one of the support blocks. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, the stand defining a stand bottom plane, the stand bottom plane being elevated by the support blocks by a nonzero distance above the base. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: f) a handle that, when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, extends between the two flaps across an end space defined by the base and the two flaps. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the handle contributes to maintaining the apparatus in the closed configuration. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flap panels are essentially rectangular, each having a top edge essentially parallel to the base panel and two end edges each essentially perpendicular to the top edge, and wherein a securing connector extends either across a space between the respective top edges of the flap panels, or between respective end edges of the flap panels. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: f) a strap having two sections, one section attached to each flap, the two sections ending in mating couplers so that the two sections are detached when the apparatus is in an open configuration and coupled when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, and wherein the strap has an adjustable length. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base panel and flap panels are formed by bending a single sheet of material along the fold axes. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flap panels are fabricated from polypropylene. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the flap panels contains a plurality of essentially tubular flutes, the axis of a particular flute oriented perpendicular to the base panel and parallel to the outside surface of said flap panel when the apparatus is in an open configuration. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the flap panel containing the flutes is fabricated from polypropylene. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a hand truck grip of sufficient size to fit a human hand is attached to at least one of the flaps. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the hollow volumes is rectangular in combination with the base panel, each of the support blocks bounds four sides of a respective rectangular cavity. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flat screen monitor includes an attached stand that is centered essentially midway along a bottom edge of a screen section of the monitor. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, the flaps having a length and a width larger than that of a monitor having a screen that has a diagonal of at least 107 cm. 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material covers essentially the entire horizontal area of the base. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material further covers essentially an entire inner surface of one of the flaps. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is foam. 21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: f) the flat screen monitor, having a screen portion mounted on a stand, that, when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, is positioned between inner surfaces of the two flaps, and rests upon the support blocks, with the stand having no contact with the base panel. 22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the support blocks is proximate to an edge of the base that is perpendicular to a fold axis. 23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the support blocks is in contact with a flap when the apparatus is in the closed configuration. 24. An apparatus, comprising: a) a base, including an essentially rectangular base panel, and two flaps, each flap including a flap panel, each flap panel attached to the base panel along a respective fold axis, the two fold axes coinciding with opposite edges of the base panel, each panel being nearly rigid;b) a closed configuration, formed by folding the flaps toward each other along the two fold axes; andc) two support blocks, within the base, attached to an upper surface of the base panel and each extending from one fold axis to the other across the base in a direction perpendicular to the flaps, wherein a hollow volume in each support block is accessible when the apparatus is in an open configuration; andd) a flat screen monitor, having the screen portion mounted on a stand, such that (i) when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, a screen display surface, in the screen portion, is approximately parallel to a flap,(ii) the stand rests on cushioning material of the base, and(iii) the screen portion is supported by the stand. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the support blocks include cushioning material. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising: e) a contained object that, when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, is positioned between inner surfaces of the two flaps, rests upon the base, and has some contact with cushioning material of the support blocks. 27. An apparatus, comprising: a) a base, including an essentially rectangular base panel, and two flaps, each flap including a flap panel, each flap panel attached to the base panel along a respective fold axis, the two fold axes coinciding with opposite edges of the base panel, each panel being nearly rigid;b) a closed configuration, formed by folding the flaps toward each other along the two fold axes;c) a plurality of connecting devices, extending between the flaps, that secure the device in the closed configuration; andd) two support blocks attached to an upper surface of the base panel, the support blocks separated in a direction parallel to the fold axes by a distance sufficient to suspend a screen portion of a flat screen monitor above the base panel when the base panel is horizontal, wherein a hollow volume in each support block is accessible when the apparatus is in an open configuration; ande) a flat screen monitor, having the screen portion mounted on a stand, such that (i) when the apparatus is in the closed configuration, a screen display surface, in the screen portion, is approximately parallel to a flap,(ii) the stand rests on cushioning material of the base, and(iii) the screen portion is supported by the stand. 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein each support block extends across the base from one fold axis to the other.