Method for stacking boxes and removal of individual boxes from the stack

• US 6,394,742 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Original Assignee: MEAD Corporation (Meadwestvaco Corporation)
• Inventors: Buscema, Craig W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischetti, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/560,218
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 414/801,802 229/DIG. 11,191,918,143
• US Class Current: 414/801
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00574 whereby contents can still be carried after the line has been torn
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0066 formed from one single sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00728 the end walls being closed by gluing
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/001 stackable
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4208 Means facilitating suspending, lifting, handling, or the like of containers handles B65D5/46
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/36 having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/918 Corner construction

Abstract

Boxes each having opposing top and bottom walls adjoining opposing end walls and opposing side walls spaced apart a width adjoining the opposing top and bottom walls and the opposing end walls and having recessed end structure wherein a portion of the opposing side walls adjacent at least one of the opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than the width are disposed diagonally inwardly and at least one of the top and bottom walls is tapered inwardly to the at least one of the opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than the width, and arranging the boxes in an array of at least one row wherein each row contains the boxes disposed abreast one another with respective opposing end walls adjacent one another such that an opening is formed between adjacent opposing end walls.

Claims

1. A method for stacking boxes comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of boxes each box having opposing top and bottom walls adjoining opposing end walls and opposing side walls, said opposing end walls being widthwise narrower than a width of said top and bottom walls, said opposing side walls being spaced apart the width of said opposing top and bottom walls, having recessed end structure wherein a portion of said opposing side walls adjacent at least one of said opposing end walls is disposed diagonally inwardly of side edges of said end wall and at least one of the top and bottom walls is tapered inwardly to said at least one of said opposing end walls, and

arranging said plurality of boxes in an array of at least one row wherein each said row contains said boxes disposed abreast one another with respective said at least one of said opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than said width adjacent one another such that an opening is formed between adjacent respective said opposing end walls.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said at least one of said opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than said width of an individual box comprises both of said opposing end walls.

3. An arrangement of boxes disposed in an array formed by the method of

providing a plurality of boxes each box having opposing top and bottom walls adjoining opposing end walls and opposing side walls, said opposing end walls being widthwise narrower than a width of said top and bottom walls, said opposing side walls being spaced apart the width of said opposing top and bottom walls, having recessed end structure wherein a portion of said opposing side walls adjacent at least one of said opposing end walls is disposed diagonally inwardly and at least one of the top and bottom walls is tapered inwardly to said at least one of said opposing end walls whereby a recessed region is formed at at least one comer of said box by said end wall, said side wall and at least one of said top and bottom walls, and

arranging said plurality of boxes in an array of at least one row wherein each said row contains said boxes disposed abreast one another with respective said at least one of said opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than said width adjacent one another such that an opening is formed between adjacent respective said opposing end walls.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein said at least one of said opposing end walls that is narrower widthwise than said width of an individual box comprises both of said opposing end walls.