KR20020071934A - Container having reinforcing means - Google Patents

Abstract

The container has a number of upstanding sidewalls 20 interconnected by bottom pans 22. The sidewalls are optionally reinforceable with the upright struts 42. The strut is removable from the side wall and is preferably deformable between the reinforcing position and the non-reinforcing position without being separated from the container. In addition, the bottom pan of the container may be reinforced. If the bottom of the container is desired to be reinforced, the bottom pan support and sidewall struts can be made of continuous, segmentable and flat reinforcement 40. The side wall struts may be segmented about the proximal end 44 parallel to the floor pan. Sidewall struts are particularly useful for collapsible containers.

Description

A container having a number of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan {CONTAINER HAVING REINFORCING MEANS}

Various containers are known in the art. For example, U. S. Patent No. 5,379, 897, issued jointly to Merkenpus et al. On January 10, 1995, discloses an elastically deformable package, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, this package does not have auxiliary reinforcement means for use with the container.

U.S. Patent 5,099,939, issued to Goldberg on April 23, 1991, discloses a container comprising a composite of paperboard and polymer film. U.S. Patent No. 4,801,017, issued to Atoush on January 31, 1989, discloses a container comprising a tray surrounded by a blank and at least partially bound to the tray. However, selected portions of the blank are not selectively and reversibly attachable to the tray.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention includes a container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The at least one sidewall is reinforceable with an upright strut. In one particular embodiment, the strut is removable from the sidewall without being separated from the container.

In one embodiment, the pair of sidewalls can be reinforced with removable struts, the struts being deformable from a first position providing reinforcement to the sidewalls to a second position where the struts do not provide reinforcement to the sidewalls. The strut may be deformed by a segment between the first position and the second position.

In another embodiment, the present invention includes a method of assembling a collapsible container. The method includes providing a container having sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The container further includes a strut that is selectively attachable to the sidewall and can be removed from the sidewall without being separated from the container. The struts do not attach to the sidewalls. The strut has a proximal end coupled to the vessel at a distal end distal about the proximal end. The struts are segmented at locations near the sidewalls and the struts are disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the sidewalls. The strut, and preferably its distal end, can then be attached to the side wall.

The present invention relates to a container for storing an object, and more particularly to a reversible reinforcing container.

1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention showing an optional cover,

2 is an exploded perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 showing a reinforcement separated from the container;

3 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 with a reinforcement attached to the reinforcement position of the container;

4 is a perspective view of the container and reinforcement with the left strut of the reinforcement in the reinforcement position and the right strut of the reinforcement removed from the sidewall and not in the reinforcement position

5 is a bottom view of the container showing the reinforcement segmented at the unreinforced position.

1 shows a preferred embodiment of a container 10 and associated reinforcement 40 according to the invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the container 10 comprises a body of the container 10 which is preferably formed as a single sheet material. An optional cover 12 may be included and formed integrally with the container 10. The container 10 may also include a cover 12 and a closure for sealing the container 10. The cover 12 may be generally flat as shown, or may be convex in the inward direction or convex in the outward direction if desired. If an optional cover 12 and seal 14 are required, the plug seal 14 is disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,784,055, as is known in the art and issued to Anderson on January 8, 1974; US Patent No. 3,967,756, issued July 19, 1976 to Baris, both of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, it should be understood that cover 12 is an auxiliary feature and does not form part of the claimed invention. For certain embodiments, it is desirable for the cover 12 to be substantially flat such that the container 10 is stackable.

The container 10 according to the invention can be relatively small enough to be stored in a pocket or purse. Such container 10 may include an optional cover 12 and is useful for storing pills, capsules, and the like. Optionally, the container 10 may be relatively large sized to fit in a flat bed semi-truck. Such a container 10 may be useful for conveying structural materials and the like. In particular, where the optional cover 12 and other optional seals 14 are included, one exemplary use of the container 10 is to store perishable items such as food.

The container 10 includes a bottom pan 22 and sidewalls 20 protruding outward from the bottom pan 22. Preferably, in use, the side wall 20 terminates at a distal end 46 that protrudes upwards to form a mouth or opening 26 of the container 10. The illustrated embodiment has four side walls 20. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.

The bottom pan 22 forms and lies on the first plane. For the illustrated embodiment, the bottom pan 22 is formed by the vertices of the four corners of the upstanding side wall 20. The bottom pan 22 can be convex inwardly domed to increase strength as is known in the art. In particular, the domed bottom pan 22 provides increased strength against the load by the contents of the container 10 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the bottom pan 22. Optionally, the bottom pan 22 can be convex outwardly, although the stability can be reduced when the container 10 is placed on a horizontal surface. It should be appreciated that the bottom pan 22 may be domed or may just be planar.

2, the container 10 is provided with a stiffener 40. In particular, the reinforcement 40 may comprise a strut 42 supporting one or more of each sidewall 20 and preferably a bottom pan support 48. The struts 42 may be used to support self-supporting, reversibly segmentable sidewalls 20, fragile sidewalls 20, or a combination thereof.

In addition, the struts 42 are segmentable such that they can be applied to the sidewalls 20 and removed from the sidewalls 20 if desired. Preferably, the strut 42 is segmentable about the proximal end 44, and the proximal end 44 is side by side with the bottom pan 22. The distal end 46 of the strut 42 may engage the side wall 20, the flange surrounding the opening (mouse) 26 of the container 10, or another point above or near the opening of the container 10 and This provides a structural support that is convenient and resistant to the folding of the container 10.

In addition, the reinforcement 40 preferably further includes one or more bottom pan supports 48. The bottom pan support 48 extends partially or preferably completely across the length and optionally crosses the width of the bottom pan 22. When the bottom pan 22 has more than one aspect ratio, the bottom pan support 48 preferably extends through in the axial direction.

2 and 3, the strut 42 and bottom pan support 48 preferably comprise a single unitary and unitary material as shown. The reinforcement 40 thus comprises a continuously flat member, which comprises one or more struts 42 and a bottom pan support 48. This structure provides the advantage that the reinforcement 40 can be manufactured as a single element. In addition, attaching the reinforcing material 40 to the container 10 is simplified. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the bottom pan support 48 may be coupled to the bottom of the bottom pan 22 of the vessel 10. Bonding can be accomplished using any suitable means, such as heat sealing, although ultrasonic welding, adhesives and the like can be used.

3 and 4, the struts 42 that reinforce the sidewall 20 can be deformed between the first and second positions using a number of known means. For example, the struts 42 can slidably engage the side walls 20 by moving parallel to the side walls. Alternatively and preferably, the struts 42 may be articulated to each sidewall 20 at the proximal end 44 of the struts 42. More preferably, the proximal end 44 of the strut 42 is coupled to the vessel 10 at a hinge parallel to the bottom pan 22. This structure allows the strut 42 to support the entire length of the side wall 20 between the bottom pan 22 and the opening 26 at the top of the container 10. By supporting the full length, the overall depth of the side wall 20 is reinforced. This structure becomes more important when the container 10 is reversibly folded and erected as detailed below.

The distal end 46 of the strut 42 may be attached to the container 10 using various combinations of known means, such as frictional engagement, adhesive attachment, adhesive attachment, hook and loop fasteners, and tab-slot structures, or a combination thereof. Can be. Means for removably attaching the distal end 46 of the strut 42 to the container 10 are suitable. Preferably, attaching the strut 42 to the container 10 causes one or more sensory indications to the user. The sensory indication can be visible, viewable or feelable. Sensory marking occurs when the strut 42 is coupled to the vessel 10 using a mechanical engagement such as a tab-slot configuration.

The vessel 10 can have a peripheral flange. If an optional cover 12 is provided in the container 10, the flange may be suitable for providing a sealing means. Optionally, a flange with or without an optional cover 12 may be suitable for gripping the container 10, opening and closing the optional cover 12, and the like. It should be noted that the strut 42 may be attached to the vessel 10 at a position intermediate the proximal and distal ends 46 of the strut 42. However, attaching the struts 42 to the distal end 46 provides a convenient and spaced anchor point so that the struts 42 do not include a cantilevered support appearance.

4 and 5, the strut 42 may be segmented to a position that does not provide the reinforcement 40 to the side wall 20, and releasably to the bottom pan 22 or bottom pan support 48. It may be attached. In particular, although a structure having a strut 42 removably attachable to the inner surface of the container 10 may be contemplated as detailed below, the strut 42 is removed from the outer surface of the container 10. It is preferable to attach in such a manner. This structure allows the container 10 to be stored without interference with the struts 42 when not in use.

The struts 42 may be arranged in the form of panels. If the strut 42 has a width of at least 75% of the width of each sidewall 20 that it reinforces, the strut 42 is considered to comprise a panel. In such cases, such panels may optionally be substantially the same width as the side wall 20 of the container 10 and may be attached to the side wall 20 of the container 10. This structure provides a strut 42 that penetrates and supports the entire width of the upstanding sidewall 20. However, it should be noted that the stiffness of the strut 42 is the first-order function of its width and the third-order function of its thickness for the bending moment perpendicular to the strut 42. Thus, the struts 42 may be optionally reinforced as detailed below.

It should be appreciated that the container 10 may have a rectangular footprint and / or rectangular sidewall 20. In that case, given the particular shape, the height may be greater than the width of the sidewall 20, or vice versa. In addition, the struts 42 may be penetrated. When the through strut 42 is used in connection with the transparent container 10, the user has the advantage that the contents of the container 10 lying behind the strut 42 can be more easily seen.

2 to 5, the reinforcement 40 preferably further includes a bottom pan support 48 for reinforcing the bottom pan 22 as described above. In such a case, the strut 42 or struts 42 and the bottom pan support 48 preferably comprise a continuous piece of material as described above. As shown, although the appearance and structure may be utilized without departing from the claimed invention, the container 10 may have a main axis and a small axis opposite the main axis. If the container 10 has a major axis and a small axis, the bottom pan support 48 preferably reinforces the bottom pan 22 heterogeneously substantially parallel to the main axis. Heterogeneous support along the major axis is preferred because it reinforces the longest unsupported span of the bottom pan 22.

Likewise, the strut 42 may support the container 10 heterogeneously in a direction having a vector component perpendicular to the bottom pan 22, and preferably equally perpendicular to the bottom pan 22. This structure provides resistance to bending and unintended folding in use of the container 10. Suitable materials for reinforcing the container 10 include single-sided and double-sided corrugated cardboard and polymeric materials similar or identical to the materials used for the container 10, and the like. If cardboard, paperboard or other cellulosic material is selected for the struts 42 and / or bottom pan support 48, these materials may be sized to prevent degradation due to moisture and washing, or hydrophobic coatings. Can be provided.

In a preferred embodiment, the container 10 comprises a first material, the reinforcement 40 comprises a second material, and the first and second materials are different. Each is tailored to a specific function. For example, the container 10 may be a material that is impermeable and prevents vaporization or damage of the liquid contents contained within the container. Strut 42 may include a heterogeneous reinforcement suitable to be segmented about hinge line 30. Thus, by using the claimed structures, each material can be tailored with special properties that may be useful in terms of use.

The first and second materials may be of the same composition but differ in appearance, for example the container 10 may comprise a polymeric material having a first gauge. Strut 42 and / or bottom pan support 48 may comprise a polymeric material having a second gauge. The second gauge can be larger than the first gauge. This structure allows the container 10 to be formed of a thinner gauge material for material savings. At the same time, the reinforcement struts 42 and / or the bottom pan support 48 may comprise thicker gauge material for strength.

If desired, the struts 42 may further include notches 34, undulations, tabs or handles for gripping and manipulating the struts 42. This structure provides the advantage that the struts 42 can be more easily manipulated and thus more easily deformed between the first and second positions. If desired, the struts 42 may be of variable cross section. For example, the strut 42 may have a cross section that provides a greater bending coefficient at the proximal end 44 of the strut 42 than at the distal end 46. Likewise, container 10 can have a variable wall thickness to provide additional stiffness if desired.

The reinforcement 40 is coupled to the inner surface of the container 10 to prevent the reinforcement 40 from accidentally entangled with nearby objects. Preferably, the reinforcement 40 is connected to the outer surface of the container 10 such that the contents of the container 10 can be easily removed and the container 10 can be easily cleaned. The container 10 may optionally be reversibly foldable and upright, in which case the container 10 has a first volume associated with the folded state. The container 10 also has a second volume associated with the upright state. The second volume is larger than the first volume. The container 10 is folded when the contents are exhausted. This requires a small storage space and offers the advantage of removing oxygen from the container 10 when perishable contents are stored in the container.

The container 10 can be selectively reversibly modified in a number of ways between the folded state and the upright state. In a preferred embodiment, at least one, and preferably each sidewall 20 has a hinge line 30 disposed substantially parallel to the plane of the bottom. The hinge line 30 divides the side wall 20 into an upper portion and a lower portion, each of which is segmentable about the hinge line 30 when the container 10 is deformed between the folded state and the upright state. Do. Optionally, the container 10 may be modified between folded and upright states, as shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,996,882, issued to Randall, dated Dec. 7, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference. Cited by reference.

In a variant embodiment, the struts 42 may be completely separate from the vessel 10. In this embodiment, the strut 42 has separate attachment means at both the proximal end 44 and the distal end 46 of the strut 42. In addition, the struts 42 may be attached to the vessel 10 at intermediate positions between the proximal end 44 and the distal end 46. Attachment at the proximal end 44 and distal end 46, and the intermediate position can be made using the aforementioned and known means. If desired, the struts 42 may be segmented until the struts 42 contact and engage the outward surface of the bottom pan support 48 as shown in FIG. 5.

While the illustrated embodiment discloses two sidewalls 20 reinforced with struts 42, one skilled in the art will appreciate one sidewall 20, all sidewalls 20, or any other therebetween. It can be seen that the combination can be reinforced by the struts 42. In addition, the container 10 may be provided with two bottom pan supports 48. When the bottom pan support 48 reinforces the bottom pan 22 heterogeneously, the heterogeneous stiffeners may be applied in a vertical direction to each other to provide more consistent support across the bottom pan 22. Of course, as can be seen above, the present invention is not limited to a container 10 having four side walls 20.

In another embodiment, the proximal end 44 of the strut 42 need not be parallel to the bottom pan 22. The strut 42 may be segmented about a position parallel to the top or the opening 26 of the container 10. Optionally, the vessel 10 may have a plurality of struts 42. Some struts may be segmented about the proximal end 44 parallel to the bottom pan 22, while other struts 42 are segmented about the proximal end 44 parallel to the top of the vessel 10, Another strut 42 is segmented about an intermediate position. All such changes are to be considered within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan, The at least one sidewall is reinforceable with an upright strut, the strut being removable from the sidewall without being separated from the container. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method of claim 1, The strut has a proximal end and a distal end, the strut being segmentally coupled to the sidewall at the proximal end. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The strut is articulatedly coupled to the vessel at a hinge parallel to the bottom pan. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The strut has a reinforcing rib perpendicular to the first direction A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The strut comprises a panel; The panel has a width substantially the same as the side wall of the container and is attachable to the side wall of the container. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan, The sidewalls are disposed in alternating and opposed pairs, at least one of the sidewalls being reinforceable with a removable strut, wherein the opposing first and second sidewalls are respectively associated with the first and second struts. Wherein the strut is reversibly deformable between a first position where the strut provides reinforcement to the sidewall and a second position where the strut does not provide reinforcement to the sidewall, the strut being in contact with the first position. Reversibly deformable between the second positions A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method of claim 6, Further comprising a bottom pan support A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method of claim 7, wherein The container comprises a first material, the continuous flat member comprises a second material, and the first material and the second material are different A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method of claim 8, The continuous flat member includes a corrugated cardboard. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan. The method according to claim 8 or 9, The container and the reinforcement material comprise a material of the same composition, the container comprises a first gauge, the reinforcement material includes a second gauge, and the second gauge is larger than the first gauge. A container having a plurality of upstanding sidewalls interconnected by a bottom pan.