Paperboard box with locking tab

• US 5,467,916 A
• Filed: 06/16/1994
• Issued: 11/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Paper Company
• Original Assignee: International Paper Company
• Inventors: Beales, Jonathan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McDonald, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US08/261,280
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 229/117.01, 229/117.07, 229/125.29, 229/190, 229/195, 229/197, 229/125.28, 229/149, 229/150
• US Class Current: 229/195
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/3657 the adjacent sides being interconnected by gusset folds
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6664 combined with flaps or tabs provided at the side edges of the lid

Abstract

A collapsible container is fashioned from a unitary blank of paperboard. The container is in the general form of a lower and truncated tray having a top closure lid hingedly secured to the top of the rear wall of the tray. After glueing of the lower tray, the tray is collapsed by bowing its side walls inwardly so that the entire tray may assume a substantially flattened configuration. The flattened container may then be shipped to a retail establishment, such as a fast food outlet, for subsequent set up or erection by merely unfolding the tray and pushing its sidewalls outwardly. In order to overcome the natural tendency of the sidewalls to resume their inwardly bowed configuration, having been stored in this shape for, typically, a substantial length of time, the sidewalls are provided with a novel latching slit and corner tab configuration which maintains the sidewalls in their desired substantially planar form. The container also exhibits a novel top latching arrangement wherein a latching tongue may be inserted into a complementary latching recess in either of two different ways.

Claims

1. A unitary blank of paperboard for forming a collapsible tray, said blank including a lower portion and an upper portion, said upper and lower portions being joined together along a hinge line, said lower portion adapted to form a tray, said lower portion including a central, tray bottom forming panel, said bottom forming panel having upper and lower edges each of which is foldably secured to respective lower front and upper rear tray wall forming panels, a lateral panel foldably secured to each of respective left and right edges of said lower tray panel, a lateral panel secured to each of respective left and right edges of said upper tray wall forming panel, a first triangular panel secured to each of respective left and right edges of said central tray bottom forming panel, each of said first triangular panels foldably secured to respective second and third triangular panels, said first triangular panel and said second and third triangular panels adapted to form tray sidewall panels, said tray sidewall panels adapted to be folded to an erected position from a collapsed position, the upper portion of said blank having a top lid forming panel having a latching opening at its upper portion thereof, a latching tongue extending into said latching opening, the lower edge of said lower central tray bottom forming panel hingedly secured to a latching flap, said latching flap having right and left sides and having a tab foldably secured to each respective left and right side.

2. The blank of claim 1 including a cut between respective said first triangular panels and said second triangular panels, said cuts adapted to receive respective portions of respective said lateral flaps.

3. The blank of claim 2 wherein said lower front and upper rear tray wall forming panels are trapezoidal.

4. The blank of claim 1 including a cut between respective said first triangular panels and said third triangular panels, said cuts adapted to receive respective portions of respective said lateral flaps.

5. A collapsible container including a generally rectangular lower tray having rear, front, and side walls, and a generally rectangular top lid closure, said lower tray rear wall having an upper edge, said top lid closure foldably secured to said upper edge of said rear wall, said top tray lid closure having a latching opening therein and a tongue extending into said latching opening, said front wall of said tray having an upper edge, said tray front wall upper edge carrying a latching flap, said latching flap having a pair of laterally extending latching tabs, said side walls of said lower tray having fold lines and being inwardly collapsible towards each other and having means for latching each of said side walls to a substantially planar shape.

6. The container of claim 5 wherein said lower tray is generally truncated.

7. The container of claim 5 wherein said means for latching said side walls to a substantially planar shape includes a latching slit in each said side wall, each said side wall having at least one panel having a latching tip, said panel having said latching tip located interiorly on said side wall, each said tip passing through said latching slit from the interior portion of its respective side wall to the exterior portion of its respective side wall.

8. The container of claim 7 wherein each said slit is arcuate.