POLYGONAL CONTAINER HAVING REINFORCED CORNER STRUCTURES AND BLANK FOR FORMING SAME

• US 20130153648A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Original Assignee: Rock-Tenn Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Inventors: Smith, Kenneth Charles, James, Jeffrey Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,985,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 229/108
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 2120/40 lined or internally reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/00 Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/003 having ledges formed by extensions of the side walls B65D5/0045 and B65D5/0065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/42 Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/443 Integral reinforcements, e.g. folds, flaps double walls B65D5/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/918 Corner construction

Abstract

A blank for forming a reinforced container is provided. The blank includes a bottom panel comprising opposing end edges, opposing side edges, and at least one miter edge connecting one of the end edges to an adjacent side edge of the opposing side edges. The blank further includes a pair of opposing end panels coupled to the bottom panel, a pair of opposing side panels coupled to the bottom panel, and a reinforcing panel assembly coupled to at least one of one of the end panels and one of the side panels for reinforcing a corner of the container.

Claims

1. A blank for forming a reinforced container, the blank comprising:

a bottom panel comprising opposing end edges, opposing side edges, and at least one first miter edge connecting one of the end edges to an adjacent side edge of the opposing side edges;

a pair of opposing end panels coupled to the bottom panel;

a pair of opposing side panels coupled to the bottom panel;

a pair of opposing top panels coupled to the pair of opposing side panels; and

a reinforcing panel assembly for reinforcing a corner of the container, the reinforcing panel assembly comprising an inner reinforcing panel assembly and an outer reinforcing panel assembly, the outer reinforcing panel assembly comprising a first overlap panel, a miter panel, and a second overlap panel.

2. The blank of claim 1, wherein the pair of opposing top panels each comprise a pair of second mitered edges.

3. The blank of claim 1, wherein the pair of opposing top panels each comprise a pair of angled edges and a pair of apexes joined by a free edge.

4. The blank of claim 1, wherein the first overlap panel is coupled to one of the top panels and the miter panel is coupled between the first overlap panel and the second overlap panel.

5. The blank of claim 1, wherein the inner reinforcing panel assembly is coupled to one of the end panels, and the outer reinforcing panel assembly is coupled to one of the top panels.

6. The blank of claim 1, wherein the inner reinforcing panel assembly comprises a corner panel and a minor panel.

7. The blank of claim 6, wherein the corner panel is coupled to one of the end panels, and the first overlap panel is coupled to one of the top panels.

8. The blank of claim 7, wherein the second overlap panel and the minor panel are adjacent.

9. A reinforced container formed from a blank of sheet material, the container comprising:

a bottom wall comprising at least one first miter edge connecting adjacent edges of the bottom wall;

a pair of opposing end walls coupled to the bottom wall;

a pair of opposing side walls coupled to the bottom wall;

a pair of opposing top walls coupled to the pair of opposing side walls; and

a reinforcing corner assembly for reinforcing a corner of the container, the reinforcing corner assembly comprising an inner reinforcing panel assembly and an outer reinforcing panel assembly, the outer reinforcing panel assembly comprising a first overlap panel, a miter panel, and a second overlap panel.

10. The container of claim 9, wherein the pair of opposing top walls each comprise a pair of second mitered edges substantially aligned with the at least one first miter edge.

11. The container of claim 9, wherein the second overlap panel is substantially flush with one of the side walls.

12. The container of claim 9, wherein the inner reinforcing panel assembly is coupled to one of the end walls and one of the side walls, and the outer reinforcing panel assembly is coupled to one of the top walls, one of the end walls, and at least one of the inner reinforcing panel and one of the side walls.

13. The container of claim 9, wherein the inner reinforcing panel assembly comprises a corner panel and a minor panel.

14. The container of claim 13, wherein the minor panel is coupled to one of the side walls, the first overlap panel is coupled to one of the end walls, the miter panel is coupled to the corner panel, and the second overlap panel is coupled to the minor panel and/or one of the side walls.

15. A method of forming a reinforcing container from a blank of sheet material, the blank including a bottom panel comprising at least one miter edge connecting adjacent edges of the bottom panel, a pair of opposing end panels coupled to the bottom panel, a pair of opposing side panels coupled to the bottom panel, a pair of opposing top panels coupled to the pair of opposing side panels, and a reinforcing assembly for reinforcing a corner of the container, the reinforcing panel assembly comprising an inner reinforcing panel assembly and an outer reinforcing panel assembly comprising a first overlap panel, a miter panel, and a second overlap panel, the method comprising:

rotating the pair of end panels toward the bottom panel to form a pair of opposing end walls;

rotating the pair of side panels toward the bottom panel to form a pair of opposing side walls;

rotating the top panels toward the side walls and the bottom panel to form a pair of opposing top walls; and

rotating the reinforcing assembly to form a reinforcing corner assembly.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling the reinforcing corner assembly to one of the end walls and one of the side walls.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the reinforcing assembly further comprises an inner reinforcing panel assembly, and wherein said rotating the reinforcing assembly comprises rotating the inner reinforcing panel assembly, coupling the inner reinforcing panel assembly to one of the side walls, rotating the outer reinforcing panel assembly, and coupling the outer reinforcing panel assembly to at least one of the inner reinforcing panel assembly and one of the side walls to form the reinforcing corner assembly.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the inner reinforcing panel assembly includes a corner panel and a minor panel, and

wherein said coupling the inner reinforcing panel assembly comprises coupling the minor panel to one of the side walls.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said coupling the outer reinforcing panel assembly comprises coupling the first overlap panel to one of the end walls and coupling the second overlap panel to at least one of the minor panel and one of the side panels.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said coupling the outer reinforcing panel assembly further comprises coupling the miter panel to the corner panel.