US3529762A

US3529762A - Container wall lock construction

Info

Publication number: US3529762A
Application number: US759897A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronald V Johnson
Original assignee: Hoerner Waldorf Corp
Current assignee: Hoerner Waldorf Corp
Priority date: 1968-09-16
Filing date: 1968-09-16
Publication date: 1970-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 1987-09-22

Description

sept. 22, 1970 R. v. JQH'NSQN 3,529,762

coNTAINER WALL Loox CONSTRUCTION Filedvsept. 1e, 196e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 22, 1970 R. v. JOHNSON 3,529,752

I coNTAINER WALL Loox CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 16, 1968 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11T/G4' ,Z7

INVENTORA United States Patent O 3,529,762 CONTAINER WALL LOCK CONSTRUCTION Ronald V. Johnson, Port Washington, Wis., assignor to Hoerner Waldorf Corporation, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 759,897 Int. Cl. B65d 5/22 U.S. Cl. 229--34 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A container end structure includes a bottom panel, side walls connected to opposite side edges and an end wall hinged to the intermediate end edge. The side walls are provided with end flaps folded inwardly along the end of the bottom panel. The end wall is folded upwardly outwardly of the end wall flaps. An end wall flap is folded over the upper edges of the end flaps and downwardly along the inner surfaces of said end flaps to terminate in spaced relation to the bottom panel. Extension tabs are hinged to the end wall and are folded down to engage in slots in the bottom panel.

This invention relates to an improvement 'in container wall lock construction and deals particularly with a simple and effective means of locking the container walls of a paperboard container in rectangular relation.

For many years containers have been produced which are shipped to the customer in at form, and which are set up by the customer into rectangular form as they are used. Such containers usually include a generally rectangular bottom panel having side wall panels hinged to opposite sides thereof, and end wall panels hinged to the parallel end edges thereof. The side and end wall panels are substantially the same height. The side walls are provided with end flaps hinged to the end edges thereof, these end flaps being folded inwardly over opposite ends of the bottom panel. The end walls are folded upwardly outwardly of the end flaps and an end panel liner panel which is hinged to the upper edge of each end Wall panel is folded over the upper edges of the end flaps and downwardly along the inner surfaces of lthese flaps. Some means is provided for locking the end wall liner panels in place. This means may comprise, for example, slots in the bottom panel in to which tongues on the end wall liner panel extend to hold the various walls in right angular relationship.

' While such constructions have been effectively used ove-r a long period of time, one of the objections to the construction lies in the fact that the end wall liner panels must extend the full height of the end walls and this means that the paperboard blank is considerably longer than it would otherwise be, correspondingly increasing the cost of the blanks. Reducing the length of the end wall liner panels would cause a corresponding reduction in the length of the blank but difficulty is experienced in effectively locking such a shortened panel or flap in place. A purpose of the present invention resides in the provision of a container of the lock end type in which the end wall liner panel is materially cut down in length, but which provides an effective end wall lock for holding the walls in proper relation.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a container including a bottom panel having vopposed side and end walls hinged thereto and designed to extend upwardly therefrom. `Flaps are provided on the end edges of the side walls, and these flaps are folded inwardly along the ends of the bottom panel. End walls are folded upwardly outside of the end flaps, and an end wall rleeN liner ap is hinged to the upper edge of the end wall and is folded over the upper edges of the end flaps to lie inwardly thereof. Extension tabs are hingedly connected to the end liner flaps along fold lines parallel to the lines of fold connecting the liner flaps to the end walls. These tabs are defined by U-shaped cut lines which usually intersect the line of fold connecting the liner flaps to the end walls. These tabs are folded through to form downward extensions of the liner flaps. These extension tabs engage in slots in the bottom panel extending along the ends thereof. Thus, the extension tabs effectively lock the wall panels in right angular relation while at the same time the length of the paperboard blank is materially reduced.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the container in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the container in partially set up position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container showing a subsequent position of the flaps.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the completed container, the position of the section being indicated by the line `4 4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. S is a transverse vertical sectional View through the container, the position of the section being indicated by the line 5-5 of FIG. Il.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the container is formed.

The container is indicated in general by the letter A and is formed of lthe blank best illustrated in FIG. 6` of the drawings. As indicated in this figure, the container A includes a bottom panel 10 of rectangular shape having

side walls

11 and 12 hinged to opposite longitudinal edges 13 thereof, and end walls 14 hinged to opposite ends thereof along parallel fold lines 15 which intersect the fold lines 13 at right angles. End flaps 16 are hinged to the end edges of the

side walls

11 and 12 along fold lines 17 which are substantially aligned with the fold lines 15. End vwall liner flaps 19 are hingedly connected to upper edges of the end walls 14 along double score lines 20. Liner flap extension tabs 21 are hingedly connected to the end wall liner flaps 119 along lines of fold 22 which are spaced from the end edges of the liner aps and which are parallel to the fold lines 20 connecting the liner aps to the end walls. The extension tabs 21 are formed by generally U-shaped cut lines 23 which intersect the fold lines 20. In other words, the fold lines 20 do not extend across the tabs 21 but are on gpposite sides thereof. Slots 24 are provided in the bottom panel 10 extending along the fold lines 15 connecting the bottom panel to the end walls 14.

The combined length of the tabs 21 from the fold lines 22 to the end extremities thereof, combined with the distance between the fold lines 20 and 22 slightly exceeds the height of the end flaps 16. As a result, when folded through 180, the ends of the tabe 21 may extend into the slots 24 to lock the container assembled.

A cover panel 25 is hingedly connected to the upper edge of one side wall 11 along a fold line 26. Tuck flaps 27 are hingedly connected to the ends of the cover panel 25 along parallel fold lines 29. A tuck flap 30 is hingedly connected to the cover panel 25 along the fold line 31. The fold line 31 is interrupted by a U-shaped cut line 32 designed to form a slot in the tuck flap 30 when the tuck flap is folded down in a right angular relation to the top panel.

A locking tongue 33 is hingedly connected to the side wall panel 12 along a fold line 34 which is somewhat below the upper edge of the side wall. The locking tongue 3 33 is divided into two sections intermediate its ends by a fold line 35 parallel to the fold line 34. As a result, so that the locking tongue may be inserted into the slot formed by the U-shaped cut line 32.

The container is set up in the manner illustrated in the drawings. The

side wall

11 and 12 are folded upwardly into right angular relation to the bottom panel 10, and the end flaps 16 are folded inwardly along the ends of the bottom panel. In the particular arrangement illustrated, the aps 16 overlap to add strength to the container. Quite obviously, the aps Could be shortened to meet in end abutting relation.

With the container in the position indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the end walls 14 are folded up outwardly of the end flaps 16, and the end wall liner flaps 19 are bent inwardly in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The extension tabs 21 are then folded upward- 1y and inwardly through an angle of 180. The combined liner flaps 19 and tabs 21 are then folded downwardly until the ends of the tabs 21 are engaged in the slots 24.

It will seem that the liner flaps are of a length of approximately one half the height of the end walls. As a result, the blank can be shortened an amount equal to the height of one end wall, and accordingly the containers may be produced at a lower cost than would otherwise be practical.

I claim:

1. A container lock end including:

a bottom panel,

a pair of side Wall panels hinged to opposite side edges of said bottom wall and extending therefrom upwardly,

a side Wall flap hingedly connected to an end of each of said side wall panels and folded inwardly to said side wall panels,

an end wall panel hinged to an end of said bottom panel and folded up outwardly of said side wall aps,

an end wall flap hinged to the upper edge of said end wall panel and folded over the upper edges of said side wall ap to extend downwardly inwardly of said flaps to terminate in spaced relation to said bottom panel,

a tab hingedly connected to said end wall flap along a line spaced from and parallel to the lower edge thereof and folded to extend downward from said end Wall flap,

means on said bottom panel engageable with the lower end of said tab to hold said tab and end wall flap from unfolding.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said bottom panel includes a slot extending along the line of fold connecting said end wall panel to said bottom panel, the edge of said slot forming the means engageable with said tab.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which said tab is dened by a U-shaped cut line terminating at the hinge line connecting said tab to said end wall flap.

4. The structure of claim 3 and in which said U-shaped cut line extends across the line of fold connecting said end Wall panel to said wall flap.

5. The structure of claim 1 and in which said side wall panels and bottom panel include a similar structure at each end.

6. A container blank including:

a rectangular bottom panel,

side wall panels hinged to opposite parallel side edges of said bottom panel,

end wall panels hinged to opposite parallel end edges of said bottom panel,

side Wall aps hinged to opposite ends of said side Wall panels,

said side and end Wall panels being of substantially equal height from the lines of fold connecting them to said bottom panel and said side Wall flaps being of equal height to said side wall panels, end wall flaps hinged to the ends of said end wall panels and being of a length substantially less than the height of said wall panels and said side wall flaps,

end wall ilap extension tabs hingedly connected to said end wall flaps along a tab hinge line of fold spaced from the ends of said end Wall flaps and parallel to the line of fold connecting said end wall flaps to said end wall panels,

said tabs being dened by generally U-shaped cut lines terminating at said tab hinge line of fold,

retaining means at the ends of said bottom panel engageable with said tab,

the length of said tabs from said tab hinge line of fold combined with the distance between said tab hinge line of fold and said hinge line connecting said end wall aps to said end wall panels at least equalling the height of said side wall aps.

7. The structure of claim 6 and in which said bottom panels include slots at opposite ends thereof substantially parallel to the end edges thereof forming the tab retaining means in said bottom panel.

8. The structure of claim 6 and in which said U- shaped cut lines intersect the lines of hinge connecting said end wall panels to said end wall flaps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,797 11/1938 Lee 229--34 XR 3,067,924 12/1962 Baker et al. 229-35 3,118,591 11/1964 Allard.

FOREIGN PATENTS 477,959 11/1951 Canada. 1,292,331 1962 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner S. E. LIPMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. XR. 229-31, 35, 37