INTERLOCKING CONTAINER
An interlocking container for the storage and transport of flowable material. The container is provided with a plurality of interlocking top panels. The panels are provided with catches that alternately engage the top and bottom of adjacent panels to prevent the panels from becoming dislodged from one another and to maintain the side panels at an angled orientation relative to the side panels of the container, to prevent distortion of the side panels by hydrostatic pressure toward a circular orientation. The panels define an opening in the top of the collapsible through which a fill head may engage a top cap of a flexible liner provided within the collapsible container, to fill the liner with flowable material.
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The disclosed embodiments relate generally to bulk containers for flowable materials and, in particular, to bulk containers having a top defining an open fill area.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONCylindrical containers, such as drums, do not maximize floor and pallet space for storage and transport. It would be desirable to provide a container in a cube shape to maximize storage of material on the footprint of a standard pallet.
Conventional rigid containers, such as drums, for the storage and transportation of flowable or fluid materials are bulky and heavy even when not in use. It would therefore be desirable to provide a lightweight container constructed of cardboard or the like. One drawback associated with the use of cardboard is the tendency of cardboard to deform from a square or rectangular cross section toward a circular cross section.
It is known to provide reinforcements to prevent such deformation, but such reinforcements can be complex, heavy, and expensive. It is possible to provide a lightweight container with interlocking top flaps to prevent the container from deforming. Such flaps, however, tend to obstruct the top of the container, limiting access to through the top of the container. It would be desirable to maintain the top of the container free from obstruction, so that a fill head may be inserted through an opening in the top of the container to fill a flexible bag provided within the container.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a lightweight, flexible container that maximizes the surface area of a standard pallet and prevents the container from deforming while a fluid nozzle is inserted through an opening in the top of the container to fill a flexible bag contained therein with flowable material.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
A collapsible container for containing flowable materials is shown generally as 8 in
As shown in
As shown in
The angling of the first top panel 44 and second top panel 46 relative to the first side panel 44 and second side panel 36 reduces the tendency of the first side panel 34 and second side panel 36 to bulge once the collapsible container 8 is filled with material. As shown in
As shown in
While in the preferred embodiment the seventh interlock 100 is frictionally engaged to the eighth interlock 108, with the thirteenth catch 104 frictionally engaged to the bottom of the fifteenth catch 112, and the fourteenth catch 106 frictionally engaged with the top of the sixteenth catch 114, the fourth top panel 50 may instead not be engaged to the first top panel 44 if a collapsible container 8 with more or less than three side panels 14 is provided. Additionally, the catches may be alternated with the upwardly located catches placed downward and the downwardly located catches placed upward. Similarly, some of the catches may be eliminated so that the remaining catches may be frictionally engaged directly with the main top and bottom surfaces of the top panels 44, 46, 48, 50. Preferably, when all of the catches are engaged, the top panels 44, 46, 48, 50 define an opening 116 preferably at least 5% of the area defined by the side panels 14 or preferably at least 10% of the area defined by the side panels 14, and, most preferably, at least 20% of the area defined by the side panels 14. (
To further reinforce the side panels 14, an inner sleeve 118 may be provided against the interior of the side panels 14. As shown in
As the flexible liner 140 fills with flowable material 152, such a fruit juice concentrate, tomato paste, or the like, hydrostatic pressure forces the liner 140 against the side panels 126 and downward against the bottom panels 124. This hydrostatic pressure presses firmly against the bottom panels 124 of the collapsible container 8 to prevent the bottom panels 124 from becoming dislodged even if the bottom panels 26, 28, 30, 32 are not frictionally interconnected as described above with reference to the top panels 44, 46, 48, 50. The more flowable material 152 added to the liner 140, the greater pressure on the bottom panels 124 of the collapsible container 8, and the less likely it is that the bottom panels 124 will become dislodged. The interlocking of the top (and if desired, bottom) panels 44, 46, 48, 50, maintains the top panels 44, 46, 48, 50 at an angled orientation relative to the side panels 34, 36, 38, 40 that, in turn, prevents outward bowing of the side panels 34, 36, 38, 40 into a circular orientation. As shown in
Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited, since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the full, intended scope of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A collapsible container comprising:
- a) a first side panel;
- b) a second side panel;
- c) a third side panel coupled to the second side panel;
- d) a fourth side panel coupled to the third side panel;
- e) a first top panel coupled to the first side panel, the first top panel comprising: i) a top; ii) a bottom; and iii) a first interlock coupled to the first top panel, wherein the first interlock comprises: A) a first catch; B) a second catch; and C) a first span, coupling the first catch to the second catch;
- f) a second side top panel coupled to the second side panel, the second side panel comprising: i) a top; ii) a bottom; and iii) a second interlock coupled to the second top panel, wherein the second interlock comprises: A) a third catch; B) a fourth catch; and C) a second span, coupling the third catch to the fourth catch;
- g) a third side top panel coupled to the third side panel;
- h) a fourth side top panel coupled to the fourth side panel;
- i) wherein the first interlock is frictionally engaged to the second interlock in a manner in which the first catch is frictionally engaged to the bottom of the second top panel and the second catch is frictionally engaged to the top of the second top panel in a manner that locks the first top panel in an angled relationship relative to the first side panel and the second top panel in an angled relationship relative to the second side panel.
2. The collapsible container of claim 1, wherein the first to panel, the second top panel, the third top panel, and the fourth top panel comprise a top defining an opening at least 20% of the area defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
3. The collapsible container of claim 2, further comprising a fluid nozzle provided in the opening.
4. The collapsible container of claim 1, wherein the fourth side panel is coupled to the first side panel.
5. The collapsible container of claim 1, further comprising a flexible bag provided within an interior defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
6. The collapsible container of claim 1, further comprising:
- a) a first supplemental side panel coupled to the first side panel;
- b) a second supplemental side panel coupled to the second side panel;
- c) a third supplemental side panel coupled to the third side panel;
- d) a fourth supplemental side panel coupled to the fourth side panel;
- e) a first supplemental top panel coupled to the first supplemental side panel;
- f) a second supplemental top panel coupled to the second supplemental side panel;
- g) a third supplemental top panel coupled to the third supplemental side panel; and
- h) a fourth supplemental top panel coupled to the fourth supplemental side panel.
7. The collapsible container of claim 6, wherein the first supplemental side panel is secured to the first side panel against sliding in relationship thereto.
8. The collapsible container of claim 7, wherein the first supplemental top panel is in slidable engagement with the first top panel.
9. The collapsible container of claim 1, wherein a lid is provided over the first top panel, the second top panel, the third top panel, and the fourth top panel.
10. The collapsible container of claim 1, wherein the second top panel comprises a third interlock comprising:
- a) a fifth catch;
- b) a sixth catch; and
- c) a third span coupling the fifth catch to the sixth catch;
- d) wherein the third top panel comprises: i) a top; ii) a bottom; and iii) a fourth interlock comprising: A) a seventh catch; B) an eighth catch; and C) a fourth span coupling the seventh catch to the eighth catch; and
- e) wherein the third interlock is frictionally engaged to the fourth interlock in a manner in which the fifth catch is frictionally engaged with the bottom of the third top panel and the sixth catch is frictionally engaged with the top of the third top panel in a manner that locks the third top panel in an angled relationship relative to the third side panel.
11. The collapsible container of claim 10, wherein the third top panel comprises a fifth interlock comprising:
- a) a ninth catch;
- b) a tenth catch; and
- c) a fifth span coupling the ninth catch to the tenth catch;
- d) wherein the fourth top panel comprises: i) a top; ii) a bottom; and iii) a sixth interlock comprising: A) an eleventh catch; B) a twelfth catch; and C) a sixth span coupling the eleventh catch to the twelfth catch; and
- e) wherein the fifth interlock is frictionally engaged to the sixth interlock in a manner in which the ninth catch is frictionally engaged with the bottom of the fourth top panel and the tenth catch is frictionally engaged with the top of the fourth top panel in a manner that locks the fourth top panel in an angled relationship relative to the fourth side panel.
12. The collapsible container of claim 10, wherein the fourth top panel comprises a seventh interlock comprising:
- a) a thirteenth catch;
- b) a fourteenth catch; and
- c) a seventh span coupling the thirteenth catch to the fourteenth catch;
- d) wherein the first top panel comprises: i) a fifteenth catch; ii) a sixteenth catch; and iii) an eighth span coupling the fifteenth catch to the sixteenth catch; and
- e) wherein the seventh interlock is frictionally engaged to the eighth interlock in a manner in which the thirteenth catch is frictionally engaged with the bottom of the first top panel and the fourteenth catch is frictionally engaged with the top of the first top panel.
13. A collapsible container, comprising:
- a) a first side panel;
- b) a second side panel coupled to the first side panel;
- c) a third side panel coupled to the second side panel;
- d) a fourth side panel coupled to the third side panel;
- e) a first top panel pivotably coupled to the first side panel, the first top panel comprising: i) a first catch; ii) a second catch;
- f) a second top panel pivotably coupled to the second side panel, the second top panel comprising a top and a bottom; and
- g) wherein the first catch is frictionally engaged to the bottom of the second top panel, and the second catch is frictionally engaged to the top of the second top panel in a manner that locks the first top panel in an angled relationship relative to the first side panel and the second top panel in an angled relationship relative to the second side panel.
14. The collapsible container of claim 13, wherein the first to panel, the second top panel, the third top panel, and the fourth top panel comprise a top defining an opening at least 20% of the area defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
15. The collapsible container of claim 14, wherein the first to panel, the second top panel, the third top panel, and the fourth top panel comprise a top defining an opening at least 20% of the area defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
16. The collapsible container of claim 13, further comprising a flexible bag provided within an interior defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
17. A collapsible container, comprising:
- a) a first side panel;
- b) a second side panel coupled to the first side panel;
- c) a third side panel coupled to the second side panel;
- d) a fourth side panel coupled to the third side panel;
- e) a first top panel pivotably coupled to the first side panel, the first top panel comprising: i) a first catch having a top; ii) a second catch having a bottom;
- f) a second top panel pivotably coupled to the second side panel, the second top panel comprising: i) a third catch having a bottom; ii) a fourth catch having a top; and
- g) wherein the top of the first catch is frictionally engaged to the bottom of the third catch, and the bottom of the second catch is frictionally engaged to the top f the fourth catch in a manner that locks the first top panel in an angled relationship relative to the first side panel and the second top panel in an angled relationship relative to the second side panel.
18. The collapsible container of claim 17, further comprising:
- a) a third top panel, pivotably coupled to the third side panel;
- b) a fourth top panel, pivotably coupled to the fourth side panel; and
- c) wherein the first top panel, the second top panel, the third top panel, and the fourth top panel comprise a top defining an opening at least 20% of the area defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
19. The collapsible container of claim 18, further comprising a fluid nozzle provided in the opening.
20. The collapsible container of claim 1, further comprising a flexible bag provided within an interior defined by the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 8, 2013
Publication Date: May 14, 2015
Applicant: PAPER SYSTEMS, INC. (Des Moines, IA)
Inventor: David W. Perkins (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Application Number: 14/075,592
International Classification: B65D 5/02 (20060101);