Foldable, knockdown pallet container

• US 7,328,833 B1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Innovative Design Concepts Inc.
• Original Assignee: Teddy E. Wiley
• Inventors: Wiley, Teddy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Newhouse; Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US10/857,077
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 229/117.05, 229/110, 229/113, 229/117, 229/120.11, 229/122.28, 229/125.26, 229/122.21
• US Class Current: 229/117.05
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/32 having bodies formed by folding and interconnecting two or more blanks each blank forming a body part, whereby each body part comprises at least one outside face of the box, carton or tray
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/36 specially constructed to allow collapsing and re-erecting without disengagement of side or bottom connections

Abstract

A heavy-duty pallet box for bulk goods and palletized loads. The knockdown box may be folded for storage. To erect it, a flat board comprising a pair of complementary, die-cut blanks, or a unitary blank comprising complementary halves, is unfolded. A central side panel and a pair of adjacent, foldable side panels on each blank are separated by score lines for folding. Suitable flaps project from each blank for gluing them together. A lower, generally trapezoidal segment is formed at each blank bottom, below the central panel. The latter segments, one from each of two blanks, are coupled to form the knockdown bottom of the desired foldable container. Smaller trapezoidal flanges project downwardly from each blank at opposite sides of the larger trapezoidal segment. These flanges include suitable glue tabs. When assembled, the flanges form a shelf that braces the container bottom, reinforcing the structure.

Claims

1. A heavy duty, knockdown container that is transformable between a flat, compact orientation for storage and shipping and a deployed configuration for containing goods, the container formed from a pair of substantially identical complementary blanks that are coupled to one another, wherein each blank comprises:

a generally rectangular gluing side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

an integral, generally rectangular central side panel adjacent said gluing side panel, the central side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

a folding line defined between said central side panel and said gluing side panel;

an integral receiving side panel adjacent said central side panel, the receiving side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

a second folding line defined between said central side panel and said receiving side panel;

a generally rectangular gluing flap foldably defined adjacent said gluing side panel for attaching the gluing side panel on a first blank to the receiving side panel on a complementary blank;

a generally trapezoidal segment foldably coupled to said central side panel at the bottom thereof for mating with a similar trapezoidal segment of the complementary blank to form a foldable polygonal bottom of said container, the trapezoidal segment comprising a bottom glue flap, a spaced apart relief slot, and a glue reception region proximate the relief slot that foldably mates with the bottom glue flap on the trapezoidal segment of a complementary blank;

a first, generally trapezoidal flange foldably disposed at the bottom of said gluing side panel which contiguously borders and is separated from said trapezoidal segment, the first trapezoidal flange comprising an integral, adjacent, foldable flange glue flap; and

,

a second, generally trapezoidal flange foldably disposed at the bottom of said receiving side panel which contiguously borders and is separated from said trapezoidal segment for coupling to the foldable flange glue flap of a first trapezoidal flange associated with a gluing side panel of a complementary blank thereby forming a foldable shelf disposed beneath the container bottom for reinforcing the container bottom when the container is deployed.

2. The container as defined in claim 1 further comprising an alignment tab disposed adjacent the relief slot of each trapezoidal segment.

4. The container as defined in claim 1 further comprising an alignment tab disposed adjacent the relief slot of each trapezoidal segment.

3. A heavy duty, hexagonal container that is transformable between a flat, compact orientation for storage and shipping and a deployed configuration for containing goods, the container formed from a pair of substantially identical complementary die-cut blanks that are coupled to one another, wherein each blank comprises:

a generally rectangular gluing side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

an integral, generally rectangular central side panel adjacent said gluing side panel, the central side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

a folding line defined between said central side panel and said gluing side panel;

an integral receiving side panel adjacent said central side panel, the receiving side panel having a top, a pair of sides and a bottom;

a second folding line defined between said central side panel and said receiving side panel;

a generally rectangular gluing flap foldably defined adjacent said gluing side panel for attaching the gluing side panel on a first blank to the receiving side panel on a complementary blank;

a generally trapezoidal segment foldably coupled to said central side panel at the bottom thereof for mating with a similar trapezoidal segment of the complementary blank to form a foldable polygonal bottom of said container, the trapezoidal segment comprising a bottom glue flap, a spaced apart relief slot, and a glue reception region proximate the relief slot that foldably mates with the bottom glue flap on the trapezoidal segment of a complementary blank;

a first, generally trapezoidal flange foldably disposed at the bottom of said gluing side panel which contiguously borders but is separated from said trapezoidal segment, the first trapezoidal flange comprising an integral, adjacent, foldable flange glue flap; and

,

a second, generally trapezoidal flange foldably disposed at the bottom of said receiving side panel which contiguously borders but is separated from said trapezoidal segment for coupling to the foldable flange glue flap of a first trapezoidal flange associated with a gluing side panel of a complementary blank thereby forming a foldable shelf disposed beneath the container bottom for reinforcing the container bottom when the container is deployed.