Patent Application
20170183118
The subject matter of the present disclosure generally relates to containers, and more particularly relates to containers that can be rapidly assembled.
Containers made from paperboard or cardboard are well known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 8,701,976, entitled “Shipping container” and filed Aug. 2, 2011, discloses a shipping container that has a lid locked using pressure, rather than friction. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 8,701,976 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It is convenient to shape a flat blank of cardboard and provide the blank with score lines, and then construct the container by folding the blank when the container is needed. Such containers often require fasteners to assemble, which requires the use of different materials and the separate provision of such fasteners to those assembling the containers. In many instances construction of such containers requires a user to remove large portions of the blank, which are wasted, and also to expend significant effort and time to make the required folds and undertake the necessary assembly steps. Also, often assembly of such containers requires gluing or affixing numerous areas together, which requires the use of significant amounts of adhesive and additional time and expense. When such effort is required for large numbers of containers, such as when they are assembled at a store for use in displays, these difficulties are compounded. Further, training is required of large numbers of employees when many stores are involved, further increasing the necessary effort and time for assembly.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
Disclosed is container capable of being rapidly assembled. In a preferred embodiment, the container has a bottom panel which is connected to a front panel, and the front panel to a locking section. The bottom panel is also connected to two side panels, each connected in turn to a locking section. A rear panel is connected to the bottom panel and to a bottom locking section. The rear panel includes four deltoidal sections, two of which are glued to the adjacent side panels. The container can be assembled rapidly by folding the panels together to form walls, which are locked in place in part by the locking sections. Tabs that are configured for insertion into slots, together with flaps, aid in securing the container into a rigid configuration.
The foregoing summary, preferred embodiments, and other aspects of the present disclosure will be best understood with reference to a detailed description of specific embodiments, which follows, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
Disclosed is a container suited for rapid assembly requiring less effort, time, and materials than previous designs.
Bottom panel 101 has slots 117 that are configured for interlocking with tabs 118. Intermediate panels 119 and 120 are connected to deltoidal sections 114 and 115. Deltoidal section 116 and intermediate panel 119 are connected to mating panel 121. Deltoidal section 117 and intermediate panel 120 are connected to mating panel 122. The convex shape of the outer edge of mating panels 121 and 122 aid in allowing a user to assemble the container. Locking flaps 123 and 124 are affixed to first side locking panel 109. L-shaped locking flap 125 is connected with first side panel 108 and is configured to interlock with front locking section 107 to maintain the container in its assembled configuration. Shaded sections 127 are removed by the user prior to assembly. Flap 123 has rounded edge 128 which eases in the assembly of the container.
Connections between the panels and sections can optionally be made by double folding joints (indicated in
To assemble the container, adhesive is applied to deltoidal sections 114 and 115, after which the rear panel is folded over on the side panels as shown in
The rear panel is then rotated back as shown in
The disclosed container has several advantages over previous design. The container as a whole has a profile which minimizes open spaces, meaning that the container has a smaller footprint when in a flat packed form. This drastically reduces the volume required to ship units of the container and thus reduces the associated costs for shipping and storage. Minimal adhesive is required to complete the assembly, reducing the time required for assembly and reducing material costs. Assembly requires few steps to complete, meaning the container can be assembled quickly and with little training. Optionally, a jig can be employed to further speed the process of assembly.
The terms “bottom”, “below”, “top” and “above” as used herein do not necessarily indicate that a “bottom” component is below a “top” component, or that a component that is “below” is indeed “below” another component or that a component that is “above” is indeed “above” another component as such directions, components or both may be flipped, rotated, moved in space, placed in a diagonal orientation or position, placed horizontally or vertically, or similarly modified. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the terms “bottom”, “below”, “top” and “above” may be used herein for exemplary purposes only, to illustrate the relative positioning or placement of certain components, to indicate a first and a second component or to do both.
Although the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustrated with respect to embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that features of the disclosed embodiments can be combined, rearranged, etc., to produce additional embodiments within the scope of the invention, and that various other changes, omissions, and additions may be made therein and thereto, without parting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
