Patent Application
20070051728
The present invention relates to containers in general and in particular to containers with partitions for holding products.
Traditionally containers, and especially containers with partitions for holding and/or separating products for storage or shipment, were manufactured by placing plurality of partitions in a U-shaped pad which formed the base and side walls of the container. The partitions typically had a pair of slots, positioned at opposite ends of the partition, and rising from the bottom of the partition. These slots were adapted to engage corresponding slots in the side walls of the U-shaped pad, which descended from the top of the side walls of the U-shaped pad. The far end portions of the partitions outside of the slots would then be folded over and sonically welded to the side walls of the U-shaped pad. In this style of container, the exterior dimensions of the container would be increased by twice the thickness of the partition due to the folded over portion of the partition outside each of the side walls of the U-shaped pad. For example, if the partition had a thickness of ¼″, after the partition was folded over and attached to the side walls of the U-shaped pad, the overall outside width of the container would be increased by at least ½″ to account for the thickness of the partition on either side of the container. When multiple containers were positioned next to one another, as would be the case in shipping or storage, the space between these containers was unusable. Again, in a case where the thickness of a partition was ¼″, there would be ½″ of space wasted between containers stacked side by side. Such wasted space is obviously undesirable in both a shipping and storage context, as wasted space costs the shipper or the storer additional cost as more space is required to store or ship the same amount of product. In addition, the process of sonically welding the partitions to the outside walls of the U-shaped pad adds cost.
An alternative method of constructing such a container is to use a container with a locking strip which would secure the partitions to the side walls of the U-shaped pad. In this type of container, the partitions did not have slots, but rather had tabs at each end which were adapted to extend through slits in the side walls of the U-shaped pad. The tab on either end of the partition contained an aperture that would allow for a locking strip to slide through and secure the partitions to the U-shaped pad. In a typical example, the tabs would extend approximately ½″ from the exterior of the side walls of the U-shaped pad, to allow for adequate space for the locking strip to slide through. While this style of a container had the advantage of eliminating the cost associated with the sonically welding partitions to the sides of the container, it had the disadvantage of increasing the overall outside width of the container, which again increased the amount of space that would be wasted in shipping or storage. For example, if the tab of the partition extended ½″ outside the exterior wall of the U-shaped pad, when two containers were put side by side, approximately an inch of unuseable or wasted space would result between the containers. This increases shipping or storage costs as more space is needed to ship the same amount of product.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container that reduces the cost involved in attaching partitions to the side walls of a container. Another object of the invention is to provide a container that minimizes the unuseable space between containers when they are positioned next to each other during shipping or storage. It is yet another objective of the present invention to maximize the internal storage space in a particular container while minimizing the exterior dimensions of that container.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a container is provided that has a base and a pair of side walls extending upwardly from the base. Each side wall has a concave portion which bows inwardly towards the interior of the container. The concave portion has a plurality of parallel side wall apertures. A plurality of partitions are positioned between the side walls of the container, each partition having a first end with a tab and a second end with a tab, the tabs each having a generally linear slot formed therein. The tabs of the partitions extend through the side wall apertures of the container to secure the partitions in a generally vertical orientation. Additionally, a pair of locking strips extend through the slots in the tabs of the partitions and are positioned in the concave portions of the side walls. The locking strips are sandwiched between an exterior surface of the side walls and the tabs to secure the partitions to the side walls.
In an alternative embodiment, the side walls of a U-shaped pad are planarly biased or biased towards a planar orientation, and adapted to inwardly flex in the portion where the side wall apertures are located, to allow a locking strip to pass outside this concave portion in the side wall. In yet further embodiments, the entire side wall may have a concave or bowed configuration or the entire side wall may be adapted to inwardly flex to create a depression or concavity in the plane of the flexible side wall.
In additional embodiments, the locking strip may be further attached or affixed to the side walls by stapling, gluing, heat bonding, or sonic welding. Additionally, in another embodiment, the locking strip may further contain a hinged locking tab or member which is adapted to extend through a locking aperture in one of the side walls and be secured to the side wall or to a partition in any suitable manner.
The present invention provides for a method of making a container comprising the steps of providing a U-shaped member that has a base and a pair of side walls extending upwardly therefrom. In at least one embodiment, each side wall has a concave portion, the concave portion having a plurality of side wall apertures. The method further provides for positioning a plurality of partitions between opposed side walls, each partition having a first end with a tab and a second end with a tab, the tabs each having a slot. The method further provides for inserting the tabs of the partitions in the side wall apertures and sliding a locking strip through the slots in the tabs whereby the locking strip is positioned in the concave portions of a side wall, and is sandwiched between the exterior surface of the side wall and the tabs.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and the brief description thereof.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Referring to the figures and particularly to
In one embodiment of the container 10 shown in
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The container 10 of the present invention may be made by providing a blank made of corrugated plastic which can be hot wire bended to form a base member 14 and a pair of side walls 16, 18 extending upwardly therefrom. A plurality of partitions 24 can be placed between the side walls 16, 18 and the tabs 30 of those partitions inserted through apertures 22 in the side walls 16, 18. Thereafter, a locking strip 44 may be slid through the slots 32 in the tabs 30 and sandwiched between the exterior surface 20 of the side walls 16, 18 and the tabs 30. As discussed, the locking strips 44 may be further attached to the side walls via stapling, gluing, heating, sonic welding, or like method of affixture. Additionally, or in lieu of, the locking strips 44 may further be attached to the side walls 16, 18 via locking members 46 extending from the locking strip 44 through locking apertures 48 in the side walls 16 and 18.
In addition to the embodiments shown and described, the present invention may further contain other embodiments, for example, embodiments where more than one locking strip 44 is used on a particular side of a container 10. For example, in a container 10 having tall side walls 16, 18, it may be desirable to have a plurality of locking strips 44 versus the one locking strip 44 as shown in the drawings and described herein. Additionally, in such embodiments, it may be desirable to have different width locking strips 44 to provide for additional stability or rigidity of the container 10. Also, an additional locking strip 44 may be utilized on the bottom of the container 10 to provide further rigidity or support. Additionally, the apertures 22 in the side walls 16, 18 of multiple containers 10 may be staggered so that the tabs 30 that extend through the apertures 22 do not directly abut one another when like containers 10 are stacked next to one another. Finally, the containers 10 in the present invention may be comprised of cardboard, plastic, or like container material that those skilled in the art would recognize as adaptable to accomplishing the objectives of the present invention.
While the present invention has been illustrated by description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspect is, therefore, not limited to the specific details, representative system, apparatus, and method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept.
