Container having sliding corner support

• US 20030071114A1
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Royal Box Group, LLC (Schwarz Partners II LP)
• Original Assignee: Allen L. Kanter
• Inventors: Sypawka, Andrew, Jaffe, Peter S., Tibbles, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,874,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 229/122.33
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/001 stackable
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/0281 the tubular body presenting double or multiple walls for thermal insulating purposes B65D81/3853
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/3621 collapsed along two fold lines of the tubular body

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A container comprising:

multiple wall panels forming container sides, said wall panels including first and a second wall panels which meet one another at a first corner;

said container being assembleable from a knockdown state to an opened state, wherein said knockdown state has a first and a second knockdown wall, said first knockdown wall including said first and second wall panels substantially parallel to one another in a substantially same plane, said first and second wall panels being folded relative to one another at said first corner during the assembly of said container from said knockdown state;

a first inner panel attached to said first wall panel, said first inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner; and

a slidable corner support attached to said end of said first inner panel and extending towards said second wall panel, said support member overlapping said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state and having a free end slidable relative to said second wall panel when said container is assembled from the knockdown state, and said slidable corner support moving away from said first corner as said container is assembled from the knockdown state.

2. A container in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second inner panel attached to and adjacent to said inner face of said second wall panel, said second inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner.

3. A container in accordance with claim 2 wherein said free end of said slidable corner support moves from a position spaced from said end of said second inner panel to a position closer to said end of said second inner panel when said container is assembled from the knockdown state to the opened state.

4. A container in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first inner panel is attached integrally to a top end of said first wall panel.

5. A container in accordance with claim 1 wherein said slidable corner support has a height substantially the same as a height of said first wall panel.

6. A container in accordance with claim 1 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 1 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. A container in accordance with claim 7 wherein said first section of said slidable corner support comprises a top section and a bottom section spaced from one another.

9. A container in accordance with claim 8 wherein said second section of said slidable corner support comprises a buttress tab extending towards said first corner between said top and bottom sections when said container is in the assembled state.

10. A container in accordance with claim 7 wherein said first section of said slidable corner support comprises a top section and defines an open area below said top section, said second section of said slidable corner support comprises a buttress tab extending towards said first corner when said container is in said assembled state.

19. A container in accordance with claim 3 wherein said free end and said end of said second inner panel are configured to interlock together when said container is in the opened state.

20. A container in accordance with claim 3 wherein said slidable corner support has a bottom end, said bottom end being supported by another member of said container.

11. A container comprising:

multiple wall panels forming container sides, said wall panels including first and a second wall panels which meet one another at a first corner;

said container being assembleable from a knockdown state to an opened state, wherein said knockdown state has a first and a second knockdown wall, said first knockdown wall including said first and second wall panels substantially parallel to one another in a substantially same plane, said first and second wall panels being folded relative to one another at said first corner during the assembly of said container from said knockdown state to said opened state;

a first inner panel attached to said first wall panel in a face to face relationship therewith along an inner face of said first wall panel, said first inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner; and

a slidable corner support attached to said end of said first inner panel and extending towards said second wall panel, said slidable corner support overlapping said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state, said slidable corner support having a free end slidable relative to said second wall panel, said slidable corner support moving away from said first corner as said container is assembled from the knockdown state to the opened state, and said free end moving relative to said second wall panel away from said first corner as said container is assembled from the knockdown state to the opened state.

12. A container in accordance with claim 11 wherein said slidable corner support comprises first and second sections foldable relative to one another about a fold line positioned between said end of said first inner panel and said free end, said first section overlapping said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state, said first section moving away from said first corner towards a center of said container as said container is assembled from the knockdown state to the opened state.

13. A container in accordance with claim 12 wherein said first section of said slidable support member comprises a top section and defines an open area below said top section, said second section of said slidable support member comprises a buttress tab extending towards first corner into said open area when said container is in said open state, said buttress tab overlapping said first corner when said container is in the knockdown state.

14. A container in accordance with claim 11 wherein said slidable corner support comprises a locking tab positioned along a bottom of said slidable corner support, and said container further comprising a bottom flap having an opening engagable by said locking tab when said container is in the opened state.

15. A container comprising:

multiple wall panels forming container sides, said wall panels including first, second, third and fourth wall panels, said first and second wall panels attached to one another at a first corner;

said container being assembleable from a knockdown state to an opened state, wherein said knockdown state has a first and a second knockdown wall, said first knockdown wall including said first and second wall panels substantially parallel to one another in a substantially same first plane, said second knockdown wall including said third and fourth wall panels substantially parallel to one another in a substantially same second plane, said first and second wall panels being folded relative to one another at said first corner during the assembly of said container from said knockdown state to said opened state;

a first inner panel attached to said first wall panel in a face to face relationship therewith along an inner face of said first wall panel, said first inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner;

a second inner panel attached to said second wall panel, said second inner panel having an end spaced from said first corner;

a slidable corner support attached to said end of said first inner panel and extending towards said second wall panel, said slidable corner support overlapping said first corner when said container is in said knockdown state, said slidable corner support having a free end slidable relative to said second wall panel, said slidable corner support moving away from said first corner as said container is assembled from the knockdown state to the opened state, and said free end moving relative to said second wall panel towards said end of said second inner panel as said container is assembled from the knockdown state; and

bottom forming flaps for forming the bottom of the container.

16. A container in accordance with claim 15 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, 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.

17. A container in accordance with claim 16 wherein said first section of said slidable corner support comprises a top section and defines an open area below said top section, said second section of said slidable corner support comprises a buttress tab extending towards said first corner when said container is in said assembled state.

18. A container in accordance with claim 17 wherein said free end is serrated, and said end of said second inner panel is correspondingly serrated so as to be capable of interlocking with the free end.