Container with triangulated corners

• US 8,272,560 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Paper Company
• Original Assignee: International Paper Company
• Inventors: Quaintance, Benjamin William
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary
• Application Number:
  US12/553,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20100065621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 229/109, 229/122.26, 229/191, 229/192, 229/199, 229/915, 229/918, 229/919
• US Class Current: 229/122.26
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2019 with at least partially curved edges or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/28 with extensions of sides permanently secured to adjacent sides, with sides permanently secured together by adhesive strips, or with sides held in place solely by rigidity of material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/323 and two further opposed body panels formed from two essentially planar blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4608 Handgrip holes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6629 the lid being formed by two mating halves joined to opposite edges of the container body

Abstract

A multi-sided container comprises a bottom wall, opposite side walls, opposite end walls, a longitudinal axis, and a transverse axis. The multi-sided container also comprises diagonal corners connecting adjacent ends of the side walls and the end walls. The diagonal corners each comprising an inner diagonal corner panel and an outer diagonal corner panel. One of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels extends at an angle of less than 45° with respect to an adjacent end wall, and the other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels extends at an angle of less than 45° with respect to an adjacent side wall. One of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the transverse axis of the container and said other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container. The inner and outer diagonal corner panels provide resistance to both lateral and longitudinal deflection of the container.

Claims

1. A multi-sided container comprising a bottom wall, at least one top wall, opposite side walls, opposite end walls, a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis and a plurality of dual triangulated diagonal corner walls wherein at least one of the plurality of dual triangulated diagonal corner walls being defined by two gusset panels foldably joined to two partial sidewall panels and the respective opposite end wall to form four corners within each corner of the container wherein each of the plurality of the dual triangulated diagonal corner walls comprising an inner diagonal corner panel and an outer diagonal corner panel, one of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels extending at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent end wall, and the other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels extending at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent side wall, whereby said one of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the transverse axis of the container and said other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container, the inner and outer diagonal corner panels providing resistance to both lateral and longitudinal deflection of the container.

2. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the partial side walls and the opposite end walls are joined by the two gusset panels or diagonal corner panels.

3. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the inner diagonal corner panel extends at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent side wall of the container, and the outer diagonal corner panel extends at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent end wall of the container.

4. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the inner diagonal corner panel subtends an angle of about 35°

with respect to the adjacent side wall; and

the outer diagonal corner panel subtends an angle of about 30°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent end wall.

5. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the inner diagonal corner panel subtends an angle of about 30°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent side wall; and

the outer diagonal corner panel subtends an angle of about 30°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent end wall.

6. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer diagonal corner panels are foldably joined to opposite side edges of respective associated said end walls.

7. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer diagonal corner panels are sized differently.

8. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the respective opposite end walls being made of corrugated paperboard comprising a fluted medium having flutes thereof oriented vertically with upwardly open ends;

and the top wall extends over the end walls and covers the upwardly open ends of the flutes to prevent entry of moisture into the fluted medium.

9. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall, the side walls, and top wall are integrally attached to one another to define a wrapper and the respective end walls panels, respective diagonal corner panels, and respective partial side wall panels are integrally attached to one another to define respective end pieces.

10. The multi-sided container of claim 9 wherein the wrapper and the respective end pieces are integrally attached to one another.

11. The multi-sided container of claim 1 wherein the two partial sidewall panels are sized differently.

12. A multi-sided container having a bottom wall, opposite side walls, opposite end walls, a longitudinal axis, and a transverse axis, the container comprising:

diagonal corners connecting adjacent ends of said side walls and said end walls, said diagonal corners each comprising an inner diagonal corner panel and an outer diagonal corner panel, one of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels extending at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent end wall, and the other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels extending at an angle of less than 45°

with respect to the respective opposite adjacent side wall, whereby said one of the inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the transverse axis of the container and said other of said inner and outer diagonal corner panels has a major thrust vector in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container, the inner and outer diagonal corner panels providing resistance to both lateral and longitudinal deflection of the container.

13. The multi-sided container of claim 12 wherein the inner diagonal corner panel and the outer diagonal corner panel form four corners within each corner of the container.

14. The multi-sided container of claim 12 wherein the inner and outer diagonal corner panels are sized differently such that the inner and outer diagonal corner panels have different widths.

15. The multi-sided container of claim 14 wherein the width of inner diagonal corner panel is larger than the width of the diagonal corner panel.

16. A blank for making a multi-sided container having a bottom wall, at least one top wall, opposite side walls, opposite end walls, a longitudinal axis and a plurality of dual triangulated diagonal corner walls, the blank comprising:

a unitary piece of generally rectangularly shaped material having a plurality of first, approximately parallel, spaced apart fold lines delimiting a bottom wall panel, side wall panels, and top wall panels, a plurality of approximately parallel spaced apart second fold lines extending perpendicular to the first fold lines and defining a transversal edge of the bottom panel, side wall panels, and top wall panels, a plurality of reinforcement flaps and end flaps joined to the opposite transversal edges of the side wall panels, two flaps each of which being joined to the respective opposite transversal edges of the bottom wall panel, and a pair of end piece panels each of which foldably joined to the respective transversal edges of the bottom wall panel, side wall panels, and top wall panels wherein each of the end piece panels having a plurality of third, parallel, spaced apart fold lines delimiting end wall panels, dual triangulated diagonal corner panels, and partial side wall panels and wherein the dual triangulated diagonal corner panels are defined by inner and outer diagonal corner panels having different widths.