Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of point of purchase merchandise shipping and display containers. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a corrugated, paperboard container and display that is manufactured in a fold and glue assembly process and that is traditionally provided to an end user in a collapsed or knockdown configuration for setup.
Corrugated containers are made from pieces of flat paperboard stock material that are die cut into shapes that define various panels. The shapes are folded along predefined lines between the panels with at least one overlapping strip or panel that is glued, taped or otherwise affixed to another panel to form an enclosed boundary. The panels are folded and/or glued into place to become the walls of the container. The containers are traditionally provided to product manufacturers and/or retailers in a collapsed or knock-down configuration for storage, handling and shipping. The manufacturer and/or retailers open the knockdown containers and fold appropriately to utilize the assembled container for packing and/or displaying products therein.
The knockdown containers are typically manufactured by feeding flat die cut sheets through a fold-and-glue machine. The fold-and-glue machine applies adhesive and folds over select panels so that the panels are in the knock-down configuration. One common knock-down container is an open-top style box container. An open-top style box container is typically used to ship products to retailers, who can then display the products to consumers at the retailer's point-of-sale location. It is desirable to minimize the time and effort necessary for retailers to assemble a container from its knock-down configuration. Thus, such container suppliers typically attempt to design containers that do not require separate discrete parts such as reinforcing inserts or dividers. However, in circumstances in which heavy products are being displayed in the containers, it is often necessary to utilize separate metal supports and/or corrugated support dividers to handle the heavy load. This adds considerably to the assembly labor as well as material costs for the container. Furthermore, other circumstances may require the containers to transport and secure fragile items. Standard open-top style box containers are generally not appropriate for handling such fragile items because the open-top does not provide the security required for the fragile items.
An example of such an open-top style box container is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,981,017 (the '017 Patent”), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, the container disclosed in the '017 Patent is not configured to handle heavy loads or to maintain fragile items therein. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a box container that can accommodate heavier product loads without requiring additional support members and that can support fragile items safely during transport and display.
Embodiments of the present invention include a corrugated box container with a main component including a base section and first and second side sections. The box container additionally includes first and second side support components associated with the first and second side sections for reinforcing the first and second side support sections. The box container further includes a cover component that can be engaged with the main component or the first and second side support components, such that the main component and the cover component present a fully enclosed space within the box container.
Embodiments of the present invention additionally include a method for making a corrugated box container, with the method including the initial step of forming a main component that includes a base section opposed on sides by a first side section and a second side section. The next step includes forming fold lines between the first side section and the base section and between the second side section and the base section. The method additionally includes the step of forming side support components that can be associated with each of the first and second side sections of the main component to reinforce the side sections. The method includes the final step of forming a cover component operable to be engaged with the main component or the first and second side support components so as to fully enclose a space within the box container.
Embodiments of the present invention additionally include a method of erecting a corrugated box container, with the method including providing the box container in a knockdown configuration, with the box container having a main component comprising a base section opposed by first and second side sections, first and second side support components, and a cover component. The method includes folding the first and second side sections until the side sections are generally perpendicular with the base section. The method includes the next step of connecting the first and second side support components with the first and second side sections respectively, such that the support components are operable to reinforce the side sections. Finally, the method includes the step of connecting the cover component with the main component or the first and second side support components so as to provide a fully enclosed space within the box container.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.
The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In this description, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
As shown in
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Remaining with
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With reference to
In operation of embodiments of the present invention, the box container 10 is transformed in a quick and efficient manner from the knockdown configuration of
With reference to
Finally, with reference to
With the box container 10 in an erected configuration as described above, the box container is operable to provide a reinforced, enclosed container that is capable of securely holding fragile items during shipping or transportation. Because the box container 10 includes the side support components 20 and the cover component 22, the box container is reinforced to protect the container, and the items stored therein, from external forces. Furthermore, the side support components 20 and cover component 22 are operable to provide an enclosed area within the box container 10, such that items included within the box container are protected from the elements during shipping or other transportation. Furthermore, because the box container 10 is reinforced and has all sides covered, multiple box containers can be stacked on top of each other to facilitated efficient use of space. Furthermore, once the box container 10 has reached its intended destination, the cover component 22 is removed from the remaining components of the box container, and the remaining components are used to display the items that were enclosed therein. Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide for the box container 10 to be used to securely transport items, and further to display such items after transport.
Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.
The present patent application is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/955,925, filed Jul. 31, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,238,523, which claims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/677,979, filed Jul. 31, 2012, and entitled “IMPROVED STACKABLE TRAY.” The identified earlier-filed patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13955925 | Jul 2013 | US |
Child | 14997685 | US |