CONTAINER HAVING SLIDING CORNER SUPPORT
A container having multiple wall panels forming container sides, the container having at least first and second wall panels that meet at a first corner. The container is assembleable from a flat or knockdown state to an opened or assembled state. A first inner panel is attached to a first wall panel, the first inner panel having an end spaced from the first corner. A slidable corner support is attached to the end of the first inner panel and extends towards the second wall panel. When the container is assembled from the knockdown state, the slidable corner support moves away from the first corner to form a support member that can help support a container stacked on top and prevent nesting.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 61/153192 filed Feb. 17, 2009, and also is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/169,294, filed Jul. 8, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/098,021, filed Apr. 1, 2005, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/269,228, filed Oct. 11, 2002, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/329,117, filed Oct. 12, 2001.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to containers and boxes used for packaging, shipping and displaying goods. More particularly, the invention relates to display containers having means to facilitate the stacking of such containers on top of one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display containers are widely used for shipping and marketing products. Such containers are especially popular in warehouse-type marketing settings and supermarkets where many containers are opened to display the food or merchandise within and can be stacked one on top of another. Examples include containers of packaged candy which may be decorated for display purposes. The containers of candy are shipped to the store in stacked form. Store personnel remove any display panels to allow the candy within to be seen and removed, and the containers are then stacked one on top of another on the retail floor.
A major problem with previously known display containers is their lack of strength for stacking. All too often, loaded and stacked containers collapse or become misshaped due to the combined weight of the containers and products contained therein. This impairs the aesthetic appearance of the display sought by the seller and damages the products within. Another problem is where one container nests into the container on top of which it is stacked. Here, a corner or bottom edge of the top container “nests” or falls into the container below.
Typical containers are made from a die cut piece of single layer corrugated paperboard. Such construction has proven unsatisfactory for display use where removal of the top and any display cutout weakens the container sidewalls which bear the weight of a stacked group of containers. Collapse and/or warping results.
Methods of producing stronger containers are known. For example, double walled corrugated containers are stronger than single walled corrugated containers. This added strength, however, adds additional manufacturing costs and creates more waste product for eventual disposal. Moreover, because the container is formed from a single die cut piece of corrugated paperboard, all parts of the container will be made of the double layer board, including the bottom forming panels which do not always need the added strength. This wastes natural resources used to make the container and adds unnecessary manufacturing costs.
Another consideration is the assembly and filling of containers by automatic machinery. Various types of configurations for improving the stacking strength of containers may not be compatible with containers that are opened or assembled from a flat configuration, also known as a knockdown form.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a means for improving the stacking strength of containers.
Another objective is to provide means for improving stacking strength that is compatible with containers used on automatic fill lines where the containers are opened from a collapsed or knockdown form.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a container having multiple wall panels forming the container sides, the wall panels including first and a second wall panels which meet one another at a first corner. The container is assembleable from a knockdown state (substantially flat state) to an opened state. The knockdown state has a first and a second knockdown wall where the first knockdown wall includes the first and second wall panels substantially parallel to one another in a substantially same plane. The first and second wall panels are folded relative to one another at the first corner during the assembly of the container from the knockdown state. A first inner panel is attached to the first wall panel and has an end spaced from the first corner. A slidable corner support is attached to the end of the first inner panel and extends towards the second wall panel, the support member overlapping the first corner when the container is in the knockdown state. The slidable corner support has an end slidable relative to the second wall panel when the container is assembled from the knockdown state, and the slidable corner support moves away from the first corner as the container is assembled from the knockdown state.
In a first embodiment, the inner or support panel is integrally formed as an extension from an associated wall panel and subsequently folded from an attachment edge to a juxtaposed position along the associated wall panel. In a second embodiment, an inner or support panel is initially a separate member attachable to an associated wall panel as opposed to being formed integrally therefrom, such as being glued thereto preferably while the paperboard blank is in an initially flat position. In this embodiment, the support panel need not extend to the bottom panel. Also, the support panel may be made from a different thickness of paperboard than the blank, and even may be made from a different material altogether.
The foregoing summary and the following detailed description may be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Various embodiments are shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention. It is understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.
The invention disclosed herein is for a container having a novel means of strengthening for stacking and preventing nesting. In particular, the corners of the container are reinforced in a novel manner using a slidable corner that is compatible with automatic machinery. Described below is a preferred embodiment particularly suited for display-ready containers. It is recognized, however, that the present invention is adaptable to containers used for other purposes. For convenience, like reference numerals are used in the different embodiments to indicate like elements.
With reference to
The first and second wall panels 18 and 20 meet and are attached to one another at a first corner 26; the second and third wall panels 20 and 22 at a second corner 28; the third and fourth wall panels 22 and 24 at a third corner 30; and the fourth and first wall panels 24 and 18 at a fourth corner 32.
A divider wall 34 integrally attached to and extending from an end 35 (
Integrally attached along the bottom end 16 of the side wall panels 12 is a bottom formed by multiple bottom flaps 38. Partial bottom flaps 38a and 38b integrally attached to partial wall panels 18a, 18b, respectively, form the bottom flap 38 attached to the wall panel 18 (See
A first inner panel 40 is attached to the inner face 17 of the first wall panel 18 (18b) in a face to face relationship as shown. The first inner panel 40 has an end 42 spaced from the first corner 26 (see
A second inner panel 46 is attached to the inner face 17 of the second wall panel 20 in a face to face relationship as shown. The second inner panel 46 has an end 48 spaced from the first corner 26. As with the first inner panel 40, the second inner panel 46 takes the form of a reinforcing panel covering a substantial portion of the inner face 17 of the wall panel 20, thereby providing a double wall structure for added strength. The second inner panel 46 is attached to the top end 14 of the first wall panel 18 at areas 44 and can be adhered, such as with glue, to the inner face 17 of the second wall panel 20.
As best illustrated in
As both slidable corner supports 50 are similar, only the slidable corner support 50 at the corner 28 is described below. With reference to
In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the slidable corner support 50 is formed of two sections, a first section 56 and a second section 58. The two sections 56 and 58 are foldable relative to one another about a fold line 60 which is substantially parallel to a line defined by the corner 26 extending from the bottom of the container to the top and which fold line 60 is positioned between the end 42 of the first inner panel 40 and the free end 54 of the corner support 50. The first section overlaps the corner 26 when the container is in the knockdown state so as to be able to move away from the corner 26 during assembly of the container 10 as further described below. Thus, a width w of the first section 56 is greater than a distance D1 from the end 42 of the first inner panel 40 to the corner 26 when the container is in the knockdown state (
The first section 56 of the slidable corner 50 can further include a top section 62 and a bottom section 64 spaced from one another so as to define an open area 66. A buttress tab 68 extending from the second section 58 towards the corner 26 between the top and bottom sections 62 and 64 in the open space 66 and formed as a cut out from the first section 56 prevents the slidable corner 50 from slipping back and collapsing due to internal pressure from product within the container 10. A tab 70 can be provided to lock into an opening 72 in the bottom flap when the bottom flap is folded to further anchor the corner 50 in place (see
Preferably, the top edge 74 of the slidable corner supports 50 is co-elevational with the top end 14 of the wall panels 12 to provide an additional support surface for a container stacked on top. Likewise, it is preferred, that the bottom end 77 of the slidable corner supports 50 be supported for added strength by another member of the container 10, such as by the bottom flap 38 as shown in the illustrated embodiment which supports a substantial portion of the bottom end 77 of the slidable corner support 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the corner sections 56, 58 are shown extending the full height of the wall panels 18, 20 from the bottom 16 to the top end 14, but need not do so. For example, slidable corner support 50 may extend from the top down to only half the height of the wall panel 18.
The first and second inner panels 40, 46 can take the form of a reinforcing panel covering a substantial portion of the inner face 17 of the wall panels 18, 20 as shown in the figures. Such reinforcing is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,873 which is hereby incorporated by reference. While such a large reinforcing panel offers added strength and works well with the illustrated embodiment, it is not required. The inner panels could be smaller in width, although a suitable width for adequate gluing and strength should be maintained. In a similar manner, the other wall panels 22, 24 and divider 34 have reinforcing panels as well for added strength.
The container 10 is preferably made from a unitary piece of single layer corrugated paperboard which is formed into a knockdown (collapsed) state 80 for easy stacking and shipment to the user. The term “knockdown” refers to the configuration of the container 10 in a flat unassembled form shown in
To assemble the knockdown 80 into the display ready container 10, the two knockdown walls 82 and 84 are pushed apart and folded to form the corners 26 and 30 and create the basic shape of the container 10 (see
Illustrated in
The slidable corner supports are formed as shown. A cut out 88 defines the buttress tab 68, the slidable corner support 50 is cut at 89 from the top 14 of the wall panels 18b, and 20, and a cut out 95 separates the free end 54 of the slidable corner support 50 from the second inner panel 46.
Fold lines, e.g., fold lines 53 and 60 and wherever fold lines are used to divide sections, can be formed of scores or perforations as known in the art.
The blank 86 can be assembled into the knockdown 80 and the final container 10 as now described with reference to
The wall panel 18a and divider panel 34 (with the integral panels 92 and 34a secured thereto) and the partial bottom flap 38a integrally attached thereto are then folded, all as a single flat unit, about the line 98 as indicated onto the other panels (
With reference to
Illustrated in
An alternative design for the slidable corner support 50 of either
In
As seen in
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,653, the linear distance along the surface of the panels of corner support 252 from first perforation line 253a to third perforation line 253c is shorter than the distance between these same two points along inner container walls 218 and 220. This causes panel portions 252a and 252b of the second corner support to move away from the container wall and the associated container corner as the container is erected. Thus, it is also appreciated that the second corner support panel 252 must be attached to the container blank 286 in a folded form, as hereinbelow explained.
The construction of container 210 is now described with references to
It is appreciated that during the folding process, with the portion 252c now fixedly attached to wall panel 220, inner support panel 240 slides into its final position relative to the wall panel 218 and the glue finally sets to hold the inner support panel in place; this is the reason for the slower setting glue.
Score lines can be added to the second corner supports 252 between the three perforated lines to aid in the folding process of the second support panel. Next, inner support panel 246 is attached in a similar manner to wall panels 222 and 220, faster setting glue for portion 252c and wall 224, slower setting glue for attaching inner support panel 246 to wall 222. Glue is also applied to the end 306 of the inner face of the wall panel 220b and once the faster setting glue on panel portions 252c is sufficiently set to prevent movement of panel portions 252c, but before the slower setting glue between inner support panel 246 and the wall sets, wall panels 220b and 222 are folded to form corner 230, sandwiching inner support panel 246, and wall panel 220b is now attached to the back side of the wall panel 220a to form complete wall panel 220 and to form a flat knockdown form (see
Advantages are gained from the embodiment of
While particular embodiments of the invention are described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure. Changes and modifications may be incorporated without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Moreover, the designation of “first”, “second”, etc., or the various panels and members is not limited to the particular panels or members shown herein.
Claims
1. A container comprising:
- multiple wall panels forming container sides, said wall panels including first and second wall panels meeting at a first corner; and
- a slidable corner support supported on said first wall panel and extending towards said second wall panel, said slidable corner support being positioned to overlap said first corner when said container is in a knockdown state in which said first and second wall panels are disposed substantially in a first plane, said slidable corner support having a free end positioned to be caused to slide along said second wall panel during folding of said first and second wall panels at said first corner during assembly of said container from its knockdown state to an opened state in which said first and second wall panels are folded relative to one another.
2. A container in accordance with claim 1, wherein said slidable corner support overlaps said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state.
3. A container in accordance with claim 1, wherein said slidable corner support moves away from said first corner as said container is assembled from the knockdown state.
4. A container in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a first inner panel attached to an inner face of said first wall panel, said first inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner, said slidable corner support being attached to said end of said first inner panel.
5. A container in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first inner panel is attached integrally to a top end of said first wall panel.
6. A container in accordance with claim 4, wherein said slidable corner support has a height substantially the same as a height of said first inner panel and a height of said first wall panel.
7. A container in accordance with claim 4, wherein said slidable corner support comprises first and second sections foldable relative to one another about a fold line which is substantially parallel to said first corner and which is positioned between said end of said first inner panel and said free end of said slidable support corner support, said first section overlapping said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state, said free end of said slidable corner support being positioned on said second section of said slidable corner support.
8-10. (canceled)
11. A container in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a second inner panel attached to an inner face of said second wall panel, said second inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner.
12. A container in accordance with claim 1, wherein said free end of said slidable corner support moves from a position spaced from said end of said inner panel to a position closer to said end of said inner panel when said container is assembled from said knockdown state to said opened state.
13. A container in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first inner panel is initially separate from said first wall panel, and is then affixed thereto.
14. A container in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a second inner panel that is initially separate from said third wall panel and is then affixed thereto.
15. A container in accordance with claim 13, wherein said first inner panel has a height less than a height of said first wall panel.
16. A container in accordance with claim 14, wherein said first inner panel comprises a pair of first and second support flap sections along and extending from fold lines at opposed side edges of the first inner panel, and said second and fourth wall panels are free of inner panels, whereby the support flap sections of said first and second inner panels overly portions of said second and fourth wall sections and provide support at all four corners upon container setup.
17. A container in accordance with claim 16, wherein said first support flap sections extend to respective free ends that are not affixed to said second and fourth wall sections whereby the free ends are slidable along portions thereof upon container setup
18. A container in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first inner panel is not integrally attached to any of said first wall panel.
19. A container in accordance with claim 13, wherein said first inner panel is adhered to said inner face of said first wall panel with a glue that is slower setting than a glue that is used to adhere other parts of the container.
20. A container in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first inner panel has a height less than a height of said first wall panel.
21. A container in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first inner panel has a thickness different from said wall panels.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 25, 2010
Publication Date: Nov 18, 2010
Applicant: INNOVATIVE PACKAGING DESIGNS, LP (Montgomeryville, PA)
Inventors: Brian J. Tibbels (Cochranville, PA), Andrew Sypawka (Doylestown, PA), Carl Jeffrey Jolley (Plymouth Meeting, PA), Joseph C. Hodges (Palm, PA)
Application Number: 12/692,989
International Classification: B65D 21/00 (20060101);