Transformable carton

• US 5,181,650 A
• Filed: 03/15/1991
• Issued: 01/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omega Engineering Incorporated (Spectris PLC)
• Original Assignee: Omega Engineering Incorporated (Spectris PLC)
• Inventors: Hollander, Milton B., Jacobs, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US07/670,238
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 206/44 R, 206/45.11, 206/45.12, 206/457, 229/23 R, 229/23 BT, 229/101, 229/103, 229/120.01, 229/120.011, 229/120.09, 229/120.012
• US Class Current: 206/746
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/368 Foldable carton-boxes simulating, or transformable into, a special configuration, e.g. a car, a house, an animal cartons with spaced apart images to give a 3-D effect B65D5/4258; toy models made by folding paper A63H33/16

Abstract

Collapsible box-like cartons of the type constructed to fold flat for storage and to be unfolded to form a rigid carton for shipping purposes are provided with secondary hinge and removable sections which thereby enable such cartons to be transformed from their first substantially rectangular geometric shape in which they are used as shipping cartons to a second useable shape so that they can be recycled for other purposes.

Claims

1. A convertible container comprising:

a plurality of sidewalls formed of substantially planar carton stock;

said sidewalls being coupled together in a first position to configure said container in the form of a three-dimensional body having an outer shape generally corresponding to a rectangular solid;

said container having an accessible hollow interior space enclosed by said sidewalls and substantially corresponding to the outer shape defined by said sidewalls, for storing articles therein, when said sidewalls are in said first position;

portions of certain of said sidewalls being displaceable from said first position to a second position relative to other of said sidewalls and being engageable with said other of said sidewalls in said second position for altering both the inner shape and the outer shape of said container to accommodate different uses of said container;

wherein,

said sidewalls of said container are arranged so that said container comprises a first, a second and a third open sided receptacle formed by said sidewalls, each receptacle being in the form of a three-dimensional rectangular solid having one open side and a central axis extending into the receptacle through the open side thereof, the open sides of said first and said second receptacles being disposed in abutting relationship in said first position such that said first and second receptacles together form said three-dimensional rectangular solid having said accessible hollow interior space;

said first and said second receptacles are received in nesting relationship within said third receptacle in said first position, with the central axes thereof each being disposed in substantially parallel relationship with each other and each lying in a plane which is substantially normal to the central axis of said third receptacle, to prevent separation of the abutting sides of said first and said second receptacles in the direction of the central axis thereof, and to maintain said accessible hollow interior space when said sidewalls are in said first position; and

said first and said second receptacles are received in nesting relationship within said third receptacle in said second position with the open sides thereof rotated substantially ninety degrees from the said first position such that the central axes of said first and second receptacles are substantially parallel to the central axis of said third receptacle, and the open sides of said first and second receptacles are accessible from outside said third receptacle to define an open-sided container having two parallel side-by-side compartments.

2. A convertible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the plane defined by the open side of said first and said second receptacle is skewed at an angle to the central axis of each receptacle such that when said open sides are abutted against each other in said first position, the central axes thereof lie in substantially parallel coaxial relationship.

3. A convertible container comprising:

a plurality of sidewalls formed of substantially planar carton stock;

said sidewalls being coupled together in a first position to configure said container in the form of a three-dimensional body having an outer shape generally corresponding to a rectangular solid;

said container having an accessible hollow interior space enclosed by said sidewalls and substantially corresponding to the outer shape defined by said sidewalls, for storing articles therein, when said sidewalls are in said first position;

portions of certain of said sidewalls being displaceable from said first position to a second position relative to other of said sidewalls and being engageable with said other of said sidewalls in said second position for altering both the inner shape and the outer shape of said container to accommodate different uses of said container;

wherein,

said container comprises a first, a second and a third open sided receptacle formed by said sidewalls, each receptacle being in the form of a three-dimensional rectangular solid having one open side and a central axis extending into the receptacle through the open side thereof, the open sides of said first and said second receptacles being disposed in abutting relationship in said first position such that said first and second receptacles together form said three-dimensional rectangular solid having said accessible hollow interior space;

said first and said second receptacles are received in nesting relationship within said third receptacle in said first position, with the central axes thereof each being disposed in substantially parallel relationship with each other and each lying in a plane which is substantially normal to the central axis of said third receptacle, to prevent separation of the abutting sides of said first and said second receptacles in the direction of the central axes thereof, and to maintain said accessible hollow interior space when said sidewalls are in said first position; and

said first and said second receptacles are received in nesting relationship within said third receptacle in said second position with the open sides thereof rotated substantially ninety degrees from the said first position such that the central axes of said first and second receptacles are substantially parallel to the central axis of said third receptacle, and the open sides of said first and second receptacle are abutted against the sidewall of said third receptacle which is opposite the open side thereof to define an enclosed container having two parallel side-by-side compartments.

4. A convertible container comprising:

a plurality of sidewalls formed of substantially planar carton stock;

said sidewalls being coupled together in a first position to configure said container in the form of a three-dimensional body having an outer shape generally corresponding to a rectangular solid;

said container having an accessible hollow interior space enclosed by said sidewalls and substantially corresponding to the outer shape defined by said sidewalls, for storing articles therein, when said sidewalls are in said first position;

portions of certain of said sidewalls being displaceable from said first position to a second position relative to other of said sidewalls and being engageable with said other of said sidewalls in said second position for altering both the inner shape and the outer shape of said container to accommodate different uses of said container;

wherein,

said container comprises a first and a second open-sided receptacle formed by said sidewalls, each receptacle being in the form of a three-dimensional rectangular solid having one open side and a central axis extending into the receptacle through the open side thereof;

the open sides of said first and said second receptacles being disposed in abutting relationship and separably coupled together along the periphery of each open side thereof, in said first position such that said first and second receptacles together form said three-dimensional rectangular solid having said accessible hollow interior space;

said first and said second receptacles in said first position are disposed with the central axes thereof in substantially parallel coaxial relationship with each other;

said first and second said receptacles being separable and displaceable from the said first position to a second position in which the open sides thereof are rotated substantially ninety degrees from the said first position such that the central axes thereof are disposed in substantially parallel spaced-apart relationship, and the open sides of said first and second receptacles are positioned in parallel side-by-side relationship so that they are accessible from the outside, to define an open-sided container having two parallel side-by-side compartments;

said container further comprising at least a pair of resilient chip elements engaging at least one side wall of each of said receptacles to retain them in said side-by-side relationship.