Produce container and method for making the same
First Claim
1. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, and a plurality of partial rollovers extending atop corresponding ones of said plurality of side walls, each of said rollovers comprising a major flange, hingedly attached to the top of the corresponding side wall and folded downward around an axis corresponding to the tops of a plurality of simultaneously-formed doubled, indexed stacking tabs extending upward from each of said partial rollovers, each of said partial rollovers further comprising center flange captured between said major flange and said corresponding side wall.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A produce container comprises a bottom wall, a pair of opposing side walls, a front wall, and a back wall. The front and back walls are reinforced along their tops by partial rollovers, each of which comprises two flanges—a center flange and a major flange—hingedly attached to the wall being reinforced. Each rollover is formed by first folding the center flange slightly away from the major flange and then folding the major flange downward toward the corresponding wall. Folding the major flange captures the center flange and at the same time forms doubled, indexed stacking tabs whose tops are formed along the axis about which the major flap is folded. The corners where the side walls and front and back walls join are reinforced by corner structures, with the corner structures extending along a portion of each of the joining walls so that the corners are reinforced along each wall with at least two layers of vertically-corrugated paperboard. The corners are further reinforced by shoulders extending across the top of the container at the corners and affixed to the side walls and the front and back walls where they join. The shoulders extend a short distance inward toward the center of the box and, in addition to reinforcing the corners, serve to prevent stacked containers from nesting.
118 Citations
27 Claims
-
1. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, and a plurality of partial rollovers extending atop corresponding ones of said plurality of side walls, each of said rollovers comprising a major flange, hingedly attached to the top of the corresponding side wall and folded downward around an axis corresponding to the tops of a plurality of simultaneously-formed doubled, indexed stacking tabs extending upward from each of said partial rollovers, each of said partial rollovers further comprising center flange captured between said major flange and said corresponding side wall.
-
2. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, a plurality of partial rollovers extending atop corresponding ones of said plurality of side walls, each of said rollovers comprising a major flange, hingedly attached to the top of the corresponding side wall and folded downward around an axis corresponding to the tops of a plurality of simultaneously-formed doubled, indexed stacking tabs extending upward from each of said partial rollovers, and a plurality of corner reinforcement structures extending along said side walls at said corners, at least one of said corner reinforcement structures comprising two vertically corrugated external reinforcement flaps and one vertically corrugated internal reinforcement flap, said external reinforcement flaps integral with the outsides of both side walls joined at the corresponding corner of said at least one corner reinforcement structure and said internal reinforcement flap integral with the inside of one of said side walls, said external and internal reinforcement flaps partially extending down their respective walls.
- View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
8. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, each of said side walls meeting with adjacent side walls at corners, a plurality of partial rollovers extending atop corresponding ones of said plurality of side walls, each of said rollovers comprising a major flange, hingedly attached to the top of the corresponding side wall and folded downward around an axis corresponding to the tops of a plurality of simultaneously-formed doubled, indexed stacking tabs extending upward from each of said partial rollovers, and a plurality of shoulders integral with adjacent ones of said side walls and extending inward across the top of said produce container at said corners, said shoulders being approximately parallel to said bottom wall.
- View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
14. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, a plurality of corner reinforcement structures extending along said side walls at said corners, at least one of said corner reinforcement structures comprising two vertically corrugated external reinforcement flaps and one vertically corrugated internal reinforcement flap, said external reinforcement flaps integral with the outsides of both side walls joined at the corresponding corner of said at least one corner reinforcement structure and said internal reinforcement flap integral with the inside of one of said side walls, said external and internal reinforcement flaps partially extending down their respective walls, and a plurality of shoulders integral with adjacent ones of said side walls and extending inward across the top of said produce container at said corners, said shoulders being approximately parallel to said bottom wall.
- View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
18. A produce container, comprising:
- a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls extending upward from said bottom wall, each of said side walls meeting with adjacent side walls at corners, a plurality of partial rollovers extending atop corresponding ones of said plurality of side walls, each of said rollovers comprising a major flange, hingedly attached to the top of the corresponding side wall and folded downward around an axis corresponding to the tops of a plurality of simultaneously-formed doubled, indexed stacking tabs extending upward from each of said partial rollovers, a plurality of corner reinforcement structures extending along said side walls at said corners, at least one of said corner reinforcement structures comprising two vertically corrugated external reinforcement flaps and one vertically corrugated internal reinforcement flap, said external reinforcement flaps integral with the outsides of both side walls joined at the corresponding corner of said at least one corner reinforcement structure and said internal reinforcement flap integral with the inside of one of said side walls, said external and internal reinforcement flaps partially extending down their respective walls, and a plurality of shoulders integral with adjacent ones of said side walls and extending inward across the top of said produce container at said corners, said shoulders being approximately parallel to said bottom wall.
- View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
24. A blank for forming a produce container, comprising a central rectangular panel having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges, a first side wall panel hingedly connected to one of said first pair of opposing edges, a second side wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said first pair of opposing edges, a front wall panel hingedly connected to one of said second pair of opposing edges, and a back wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said second pair of opposing edges, a first pair of minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said first side wall panel, a second pair of minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said second side wall panel, a first major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said front wall panel and first corresponding surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said front wall panel, a second major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said back wall panel and second corresponding surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said back wall panel, a first pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said front wall panel with each of a first pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said first pair of shoulder panels, and a second pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said back wall panel with each of a second pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said second pair of shoulder panels.
-
25. A method of forming a produce container, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a blank comprising a bottom wall having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges, a first side wall panel hingedly connected to one of said first pair of opposing edges, a second side wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said first pair of opposing edges, a front wall panel hingedly connected to one of said second pair of opposing edges, and a back wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said second pair of opposing edges, a first pair of minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said first side wall panel, a second pair of minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said second side wall panel, a first major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said front wall panel and corresponding first surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said front wall panel, a second major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said back wall panel and corresponding second surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said back wall panel, a first pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said front wall panel with each of a first pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said first pair of shoulder panels, and a second pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said back wall panel with each of a second pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said second pair of shoulder panels;
folding said first and second side wall panels upward approximately 90 degrees relative to said bottom wall;
folding said first and second pairs of minor flaps inward approximately 90 degrees relative to said side wall panels;
folding said front and back wall panels upward approximately 90 degrees relative to said bottom wall so that each of said first and second pairs of minor flaps is adhered to a corresponding one of said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second surrounded center flanges slightly away from said first and second major flanges;
folding said first and second major flanges toward said first and second center flanges so as to capture said first and second center flanges between, respectively, said first and second major flanges and said front wall panel and said back wall panel, said major first and second major flanges being adhered, respectively to said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second pairs of shoulder panels inward approximately 90 degrees relative, respectively, to said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second pairs of dual external reinforcement panels downward approximately 90 degrees relative, respectively, to said first and second pairs of shoulder panels and adhering individual external reinforcement panels to corresponding ones of said side wall panels; and
folding said first and second pairs of dual external reinforcement panels along a vertical crease line so that two external reinforcement are adhered to each of said front and back walls.
-
-
26. A blank for forming a produce container, comprising a central rectangular panel having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges, a first side wall panel hingedly connected to one of said first pair of opposing edges, a second side wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said first pair of opposing edges, a front wall panel hingedly connected to one of said second pair of opposing edges, and a back wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said second pair of opposing edges, a first pair of double-paneled minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said first side wall panel, a second pair of double-paneled minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said second side wall panel, a first major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said front wall panel and first corresponding surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said front wall panel, a second major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said back wall panel and second corresponding surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said back wall panel, a first pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said front wall panel with each of a first pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said first pair of shoulder panels, and a second pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said back wall panel with each of a second pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said second pair of shoulder panels.
-
27. A method of forming a produce container, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a blank comprising a bottom wall having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges, a first side wall panel hingedly connected to one of said first pair of opposing edges, a second side wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said first pair of opposing edges, a front wall panel hingedly connected to one of said second pair of opposing edges, and a back wall panel hingedly connected to the other of said second pair of opposing edges, a first pair of double-paneled minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said first side wall panel, a second pair of double-paneled minor flaps extending from opposing ends of said second side wall panel, a first major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said front wall panel and corresponding first surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said front wall panel, a second major flange hingedly connected along an axis corresponding to doubled, indexed tabs to said back wall panel and corresponding second surrounded center flange hingedly connected to said back wall panel, a first pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said front wall panel with each of a first pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said first pair of shoulder panels, and a second pair of shoulder panels hingedly connected to the outside ends of said back wall panel with each of a second pair of dual external reinforcement panels hingedly connected to one of said second pair of shoulder panels;
folding said first and second side wall panels upward approximately 90 degrees relative to said bottom wall;
folding first panels of said first and second pairs of double-paneled minor flaps inward at angles relative to said side wall panels;
folding second panels of said first and second pairs of double-paneled minor flaps inward at angles relative to said first panels;
folding said front and back wall panels upward approximately 90 degrees relative to said bottom wall so that each of said second panels of said first and second pairs of double-paneled minor flaps is adhered to a corresponding one of said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second surrounded center flanges slightly away from said first and second major flanges;
folding said first and second major flanges toward said first and second center flanges so as to capture said first and second center flanges between, respectively, said first and second major flanges and said front wall panel and said back wall panel, said major first and second major flanges being adhered, respectively to said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second pairs of shoulder panels inward approximately 90 degrees relative, respectively, to said front and back wall panels;
folding said first and second pairs of dual external reinforcement panels downward approximately 90 degrees relative, respectively, to said first and second pairs of shoulder panels and adhering individual external reinforcement panels to corresponding ones of said side wall panels; and
folding said first and second pairs of dual external reinforcement panels along a vertical crease line so that two external reinforcement are adhered to each of said front and back walls.
-
Specification