Patent Application
20090084833
This invention related generally to cellulose-based blanks and containers and more specifically to wood cellulose-based blanks and containers used for storing and displaying goods.
Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following FIGURES.
The present invention provides a blank and resulting container for shipping and displaying a variety of goods. By way of overview, and with reference to the
With respect to
A first air cell back panel 40 is connected with the outer back panel 26 along perforation line 29, opposite the outer bottom panel 22. A second air cell back panel 42 is connected with the first air cell back panel 40 along a perforation line 31, opposite fold perforation 29. A third air cell back panel 44 is connected with the second air cell back panel 42 along a perforation line 33 opposite perforation line 31. A fourth air cell back panel 46 is connected with third air cell back panel 44 along a perforation line 35 which is opposite perforation line 33. Perforation lines 35, 33, 31, 29 and fold lines 21, 23 and spaced apart fold lines 25 are all substantially parallel to one another.
Connected with the outer back panel 26 along a fold line 27 is a pair of substantially identical outer side panels 28. A front panel 50 is connected with the outer side panel 28 along a fold line 49, which is substantially parallel to fold line 27. Likewise, an inner bottom panel 24 is connected with outer side panel 28 along a fold line 51.
A first air cell side panel 30 is connected with the outer side panel 28 along a perforation line 41. A second air cell side panel 32 is connected with the first air cell side panel 30 along a perforation line 43. A third air cell side panel 34 is connected with the second air cell side panel 32 along a perforation line 45. Finally, a fourth air cell side panel 36 is connected with the third air cell side panel 34 along a perforation line 47.
Perforation lines 41, 43, 45, 47 and perforation lines 29, 31, 33, 35 are formed such that when the container is erected, those panels form a rollover corner assembly. Those perforation lines may include a variety of cut sections and perforated or scored sections to ease the rollover corner formation. These rollover perforation lines and roll over corner construction are known in the art and as such, a detailed description of them is not necessary herein in order for a person of ordinary skill in the art to be able to understand this aspect of the present invention.
Further, outer side panel 28 and outer back panel 26 may be folded upwardly along fold lines 51 and 21, respectively, thus bringing the various side and back panels into a perpendicular arrangement with respect to the outer bottom panel 22. Likewise, the outer side panels 28 may be folded inwardly along fold lines 27 such that the inner bottom panel 24 juxtaposed with the outer bottom panel 22 as best seen in
Further, the erection process of this container may continue by folding the front panels 50 inwardly approximately 90 degrees along fold line 49. Then the inner front locking panel 54 is folded over an extended portion of the front panel 50 so that extended portion of the front panel 50 is sandwiched between the outer front locking panel 52 and the inner front locking panel 54 as seen in
The size of the air cell with depend upon the relative size of the various panels. By manipulating the size of the various air cell panels, a container having a single outside volume or footprint may have multiple inside volumes.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the overall size and shape of the various air cell side panels and air cell back panels may be selected to achieve a wide variety of desired internal container volumes with respect to the outside container geometry. In this manner, the container 60 of a given outside geometry may have any variety of internal volume based upon specific packaging needs. Thus, a person may select a container of a desired outside volume, for example, an optimal size to fit on a pallet, without concern for interior volume concerns.
A variety of additional elements may be included, such as, without limitation, vents, specialized liners or grease barriers, etc., without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Similarly, rounding or otherwise trimming of various panels is considered within the scope of this invention.
Container 60 as shown is simple to manufacture, easy to assembly and could be a design of considerable usage for club stores, bulk stores or wherever products are sold in large quantities on open floors. However, this design is also useful in any variety of retail or wholesale environments. It is display ready once it is formed.
While various embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to disclosure of the various embodiments; instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
