U.S. patent application number 10/068679 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-07 for stackable container with stack-tabs.
Invention is credited to Kent, David.
Application Number | 20030146272 10/068679 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27659087 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030146272 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kent, David |
August 7, 2003 |
Stackable container with stack-tabs
Abstract
A tray-type container 10 includes a bottom wall 20,
longitudinally-extending outer side walls 22, and
laterally-extending end walls 24, the outer side walls 22 and the
end walls 24 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 20 to form an
inner cavity 26. As erected, the outer side walls 22 include a
plurality of spaced-apart stacking tabs 28A-28D, and the bottom
wall forms a plurality of spaced-apart apertures 60, 70, 80, 82,
86, and 88 for receiving the stacking tabs 28A-28D of like or
similar containers. A plurality of tray-type containers 10 may be
unitized in several stacked configurations utilizing the stacking
tabs 28 and apertures 60, 70, 80, 82, 86, and 88. Typically, the
plurality of unitized containers 10 are placed upon a shipping
pallet or slip sheet, or placed within a shipping container to
facilitate shipping by large carriers.
Inventors: |
Kent, David; (La Mirada,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPT., CH 1J27
P.O. BOX 9777
FEDERAL WAY
WA
98063
US
|
Family ID: |
27659087 |
Appl. No.: |
10/068679 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/171 ;
206/509; 229/915 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2205/02 20130101;
B65D 21/0235 20130101; B65D 5/22 20130101; Y10S 229/919 20130101;
B65D 5/0035 20130101; B65D 5/0015 20130101; Y10S 229/915 20130101;
Y10S 229/918 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/171 ;
206/509; 229/915 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/20; B65D
021/032 |
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A single piece blank for forming a tray-type container having an
inner cavity and at least one stacking tab extending upwardly from
the top of said container, comprising: a bottom wall panel; an end
wall panel hingedly connected to said bottom wall panel by a first
fold line; an outer side wall panel having an outer edge and
hingedly connected to said bottom wall panel by a second fold line;
an inner side wall panel hingedly connected to said outer wall
panel remote from said bottom wall panel by at least one bridge
section, wherein when erected, said inner side wall panel is folded
about said bridge section, thereby forming a stacking tab from said
bridge section which extends outwardly away from the bottom panel;
at least one first aperture positioned along said second fold line
between said bottom panel and said outer side wall panel and
adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked
in a first configuration; and at least one second aperture
spaced-apart from said first aperture and positioned along said
second fold line between said bottom panel and said outer side wall
panel, said second aperture adapted to receive a stacking tab of
another container when stacked in a second configuration, said
second configuration being different than said first
configuration.
2. The blank of claim 1, further comprising at least one third
aperture positioned along said first fold line between said bottom
panel and said end wall, said third aperture adapted to receive a
stacking tab of another container when stacked in said second
configuration.
3. The blank of claim 1, wherein said at least one third aperture
is a plurality of spaced apart third apertures.
4. The blank of claim 1, further including a plurality of fourth
apertures formed in said bottom wall and adapted to receive a
stacking tab of another container when stacked in said second
configuration.
5. The blank of claim 1, wherein said first configuration is a
column configuration.
6. The blank of claim 1, wherein said second configuration is an
interlocking configuration.
7. The blank of claim 1, wherein said side wall panel is
constructed such that when erected, said stacking tab of said side
wall panel extends partially into said container cavity.
8. In a container of the type formed from a single blank cut and
scored and having a bottom wall, two-ply side walls extending
upwardly from the bottom wall, and end walls extending upwardly
from the bottom wall to form, along with the side walls, an inner
cavity, the improvement comprising: wherein each of said two-ply
side walls includes an outer side wall panel having an outer edge
and hingedly connected to said bottom wall by a first fold line,
and an inner side wall panel hingedly connected to said outer wall
panel remote from said bottom wall panel by at least one bridge
section, wherein when erected, said inner side wall panel is folded
about said bridge section, thereby forming a stacking tab form said
bridge section which extends outwardly away from said outer edge of
said outer wall panel, at least one first aperture positioned along
each of said first fold lines between said bottom panel and said
outer side wall panels, said first apertures adapted to receive a
stacking tab of another container when stacked in a column
configuration; and at least one second aperture spaced apart from
said first aperture and positioned along each of said first fold
lines between said bottom panel and said outer side wall panels,
said second apertures adapted to receive a stacking tab of another
container when stacked in an interlocking configuration.
9. The improvement of claim 8, further including at least one third
aperture formed in said bottom wall and adapted to receive a
stacking tab of another container when stacked in said interlocking
configuration.
10. The improvement of claim 9, further including at least one
fourth aperture formed at the intersection of said end walls and
said bottom wall, said fourth aperture adapted to receive a
stacking tab of another container when stacked in said interlocking
configuration.
11. A container comprising: a bottom wall, side walls extending
upwardly from said bottom wall, at least one stacking tab extending
upwardly from each side wall; end walls extending upwardly from
said bottom wall to form, along with said side walls, an inner
cavity; at least one first aperture formed at the intersection of
each of said side walls and said bottom wall, said first apertures
adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked
in a column configuration; at least one second aperture formed at
the intersection of each of said side walls and said bottom wall
and spaced apart from said first apertures, said second apertures
adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked
in said interlocking configuration; at least one third aperture
formed at the intersection of each of said end walls and said
bottom wall, said third apertures adapted to receive a stacking tab
of another container when stacked in said interlocking
configuration; and a plurality of spaced apart fourth apertures
formed in said bottom wall remote from the intersection of said
side walls and said bottom wall, said fourth apertures adapted to
receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked in said
interlocking configuration.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to shipping containers, and
more particularly, to shipping containers having stacking tabs
formed from a single blank.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the shipping container art, there are many container
designs that are manufactured for various end uses. One popular end
use for a container is holding fresh fruits and produce during the
transportation process (i.e., packing and shipping), and for
displaying at the retail level. Usually when packing produce, such
as tomatoes, peaches, mangos and the like, there is a typical size
requirement in that the container volume is sized to hold a certain
amount of product. There is also a strength requirement given the
weight of the product packed and the shipping and handling
requirements. Such containers are generally rectangular and have a
variable height dimension ranging from three to twelve inches.
Further, these containers are typically transported, stored, and
displayed in a stacked configuration.
[0003] A well known single piece container design for holding
produce is a single-piece tray type where a single piece of
corrugated cardboard is cut and scored to form a flat blank. The
blank has a bottom, two side walls hinged to the bottom and at
least two end walls hinged to the bottom. To form the container,
the walls of the blank are folded upwardly to be normal to the
bottom and then connected to form the containment volume within the
four walls. Variations are well known where top closure flaps are
hinged to the top edges of the side walls, and for stacking
strength, a second end wall can be hinged to the top edge of first
end wall to then form a double layer of material thereby enhancing
the stacking strength.
[0004] As was mentioned above, the tray-type containers are
typically stacked on top of one another during shipping, storing,
and displaying at the retail level. To that end, suitable stacking
strength is one requirement of these types of containers so that
the containers can be stacked as much as twenty containers high.
One drawback with stacking containers into a unitized load is that
the stacking strength is reduced if the containers are misaligned.
To address this problem, stacking tabs and associated apertures
have been added to the standard tray-type container to aid in the
alignment of the stacked containers when stacked into a unitized
load, while also maintaining the alignment of the containers during
the transportation process. However, the current tray-type
containers with stacking tabs only allow for stacking in a column
style configuration (i.e. the longitudinal axis of each container
are parallel with one another). Therefore, with the advent of
stacking tabs, it has been the desire of the container industry to
develop a tray type-container with stacking tabs that is stackable
in the column configuration, as well as other stacking
configurations, such as an interlocking configuration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, a
single piece blank for forming a tray-type container having an
inner cavity and at least one stacking tab extending upwardly from
the top of the container is provided. The blank includes a bottom
wall panel, and an end wall panel hingedly connected to the bottom
wall panel by a first fold line. The blank also includes an outer
side wall panel having an outer edge and hingedly connected to the
bottom wall panel by a second fold line. An inner side wall panel
is hingedly connected to the outer wall panel remote from the
bottom wall panel by at least one bridge section such that when
erected, the inner side wall panel is folded about the bridge
section, thereby forming a stacking tab from the bridge section
which extends outwardly away from the bottom panel. The blank
further includes at least one first aperture positioned along the
second fold line between the bottom panel and the outer side wall
panel and adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container
when stacked in a first configuration, and at least one second
aperture spaced-apart from the first aperture and positioned along
the second fold line between the bottom panel and the outer side
wall panel. The second aperture is adapted to receive a stacking
tab of another container when stacked in a second configuration,
the second configuration being different than the first
configuration.
[0006] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
a container includes a bottom wall, and side walls that extend
upwardly from the bottom wall. At least one stacking tab extends
upwardly from each side wall. The container also includes end walls
that extend upwardly from the bottom wall to form, along with the
side walls, an inner cavity. At least one first aperture is formed
at the intersection of each of the side walls and the bottom wall.
The first apertures are adapted to receive a stacking tab of
another container when stacked in a column configuration. The
container further includes at least one second aperture formed at
the intersection of each of the side walls and the bottom wall and
spaced apart from the first apertures. The second apertures are
adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked
in the interlocking configuration. At least one third aperture is
formed at the intersection of each of the end walls and the bottom
wall. The third apertures are adapted to receive a stacking tab of
another container when stacked in the interlocking configuration.
The container further includes a plurality of spaced-apart fourth
apertures formed in the bottom wall remote from the intersection of
the side walls and the bottom wall. The fourth apertures are
adapted to receive a stacking tab of another container when stacked
in the interlocking configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same
become better understood by reference to the following detailed
description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tray-type container formed
in accordance with the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the tray-type
container of FIG. 1 is formed;
[0010] FIGS. 3A-3D are perspective views of one erection sequence
of the blank shown in FIG. 2;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a plurality of tray-type
containers of FIG. 1 in a column stacking configuration;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of tray-type
containers of FIG. 1 in a cross-stacking or interlocking
configuration;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a schematic representation of the
first layer of the cross stacking configuration of FIG. 5; and
[0014] FIG. 7 is a plan view of a schematic representation of the
second layer of the cross stacking configuration of FIG. 5 placed
on the first layer of FIG. 6, wherein the stacking tabs of each
container of the first layer protrude up through the associated
apertures of the containers of the second layer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] The present invention will now be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings where like numerals correspond to like
elements. The present invention is directed to a tray-type
container that utilizes stacking tabs on opposite side walls to
create a modular stackable container. The container includes an
arrangement of apertures, which are adapted to receive the stacking
tabs of another similar container to provide for several different
stacking configurations.
[0016] One suitable embodiment of a tray-type container, generally
designated 10, constructed in accordance with the present invention
is illustrated in FIG. 1. The tray-type container 10 includes a
bottom wall 20, longitudinally-extending outer side walls 22, and
laterally-extending end walls 24, the outer side walls 22 and the
end walls 24 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 20 to form an
inner cavity 26. As erected, the outer side walls 22 include a
plurality of spaced-apart stacking tabs 28A-28D, and the bottom
wall forms a plurality of spaced-apart apertures 60, 70, 80, 82,
86, and 88 for receiving the stacking tabs 28A-28D of like or
similar containers. A plurality of tray-type containers 10 may be
unitized in several stacked configurations utilizing the stacking
tabs 28 and apertures 60, 70, 80, 82, 86, and 88. Typically, the
plurality of unitized containers 10 are placed upon a shipping
pallet or slip sheet, or placed within a shipping container to
facilitate shipping by large carriers.
[0017] The tray-type container 10 shown in FIG. 1 is made from any
suitable material used in shipping, such as cardboard, pasteboard,
fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, or a combination
thereof. As best shown in FIG. 2, a blank 18 is stamped out of any
of these suitable materials and assembled in a manner which can be
seen in FIG. 1.
[0018] With continued reference to FIG. 2, the blank 18 includes a
bottom wall panel 20A of generally rectangular shape having four
edges. Unless otherwise apparent, the term "edges" refers generally
to a zone or line of weakness along which a part can be folded,
such as a score line, or a cut line. Opposite outer side wall
panels 22A and 22B are hingedly connected to opposite side edges of
the bottom panel 20A along interrupted fold lines 30A and 30B,
respectively. The blank 18 further includes opposite end wall
panels 24A and 24B, which are hingedly connected to the remaining
two opposite edges of the bottom panel 20A along interrupted fold
lines 32A and 32B, respectively. The outer side wall panels 22A and
22B include end flaps 34A and 34B, which are hingedly connected to
opposite ends of outer side wall panels 22A and 22B along fold
lines 36A and 36B, respectively. The fold lines 36A and 36B are
substantially perpendicular to fold lines 30A and 30B. When
erected, as will be described in more detail below, the bottom wall
panel 20A, the outer wall panels 22A and 22B, and the end wall
panels 24A and 24B form the bottom wall 20, the outer side walls
22, and the end walls 24, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0019] Referring now to FIG. 2, the blank 18 further includes
opposite inner side wall panels 40A and 40B, which are hingedly
connected to outer side wall panels 22A and 22B, respectively, via
bridge sections 42A-42D. The bridge sections 42A-42D include fold
lines 44A-44D, preferably bisecting the bridge sections 42A-42D.
The inner side walls 40A and 40B are preferably constructed with a
suitable height dimension such that outer edge portions 46A and 46B
abut against the corresponding portions of bottom panel 20A,
thereby creating a standard double-ply side panel. In achieving the
folded position, the inner side wall panels 40A and 40B rotate
inwardly 180 degrees about fold lines 44A-44D, thereby forming
upstanding projections or stacking tabs 28A-28D from the bridge
sections 42A-42D, respectively (The stacking tabs 28A-28D are best
shown in FIG. 1). The stacking tabs 28A-28D formed from the bridge
sections 42A-42D are suitably dimension to be inserted into
complimentary apertures of a like or similar container as container
10, as will be described in more detail below. In one embodiment,
the stacking tabs are approximately 1.25 inches long and 0.25
inches tall and are spaced approximately 11.8125 inches apart. The
inner side wall panels 40A and 40B include end flaps 50A and 50B,
which are hingedly connected to opposite ends of inner side wall
panels 40A and 40B along fold lines 52A and 52B, respectively. The
fold lines 52A and 52B are substantially perpendicular to fold
lines 30.
[0020] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
stacking tabs 28A-28D are provided with the tray-type container 10
and may be suitable formed as described above. The stacking tabs
28A-28D are utilized to extend into a first set of apertures
located in a similarly constructed tray-type container 10 when
properly aligned longitudinally in a stacked configuration known as
column stacking, as best shown in FIG. 4. Looking now to the
intersection of the bottom panel 20A and the outer side wall panels
22A and 22B of FIG. 2, the fold lines 30A and 30B are interrupted
by cut-out portions 60A-60D. In the embodiment shown, pairs of
spaced-apart cut-out portions 60A, 60C and 60B, 60D are positioned
to interrupt fold lines 30A and 30B, respectively. The fold lines
30A and 30B form a part of the bottom edge of the erected container
in its erected condition, and thus, the cutout portions 60A-60D
form the apertures 60 along the bottom edges of the outer side
walls 22, as best shown in FIG. 1. Each cut-out portion 60A-60D is
suitably positioned and dimensioned to accept upwardly extending
stacking tabs 28A-28D from another similar container positioned
beneath the container 10 as best shown in FIG. 4. Additionally,
each cut-out portion 60A-60D is suitably positioned and dimensioned
to accept an upwardly extending stacking tab from a container
described in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/974,447, which is
hereby incorporated be reference. Returning to FIG. 2, provided
along the outer edges 46A and 46B of inner side wall panels 40A and
40B, respectively, are pairs of spaced-apart generally rectangular
cut-out portions 66A, 66C and 66B, 66D, which are in substantial
alignment with respective cut-out portions 60A, 60C and 60B, 60D.
Likewise, the cut-outs portions 66A-66D are suitably dimensioned to
accept upwardly extending stacking tabs 28A-28D when like or
similar containers are stacked one atop another.
[0021] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
the container 10 is suitable for cross stacking as shown best in
FIG. 5. To permit stacking in this configuration, the container 10
includes additional apertures for receiving the stacking tabs of
other like containers, which will now be described in detail.
Looking back to the intersection of the bottom panel 20A and the
outer side wall panels 22A and 22B of FIG. 2, the fold lines 30A
and 30B are further interrupted by pairs of spaced-apart cut-out
portions 70A, 70C and 70B, 70D, respectively. The cut-out portions
70A-70D are positioned on the end wall panel side of and
spaced-apart from the respective cut-out portions 60A-60D such that
the outer edges of the cut-out portions 70A, 70C and 70B, 70D lie
on the axes of the fold lines 30A and 30B, respectively. Thus, the
cut-out portions 70A-70D form the apertures 70 along the bottom
edges of the outer side walls 22, as best shown in FIG. 1. The
cut-out portions 70A-70D are suitably positioned and dimensioned to
receive any one of stacking tabs 28A-28D of another erected
container 10, as will be described in more detail below.
[0022] Similar to fold lines 30A and 30B, the fold lines 32A and
32B are interrupted by sets of cut-out portions 80A-80D and
82A-82D. As shown in FIG. 2, the cut-out portions 80A-80D and
82A-82D are bisected by the fold lines 32A and 32B, respectively.
The fold lines 32A and 32B form a part of the bottom edge of the
erected container in its erected condition, and thus, the cutout
portions 80A-80D and 82A-82D form the apertures 80 and 82 along the
bottom edges of the end walls 24, as best shown in FIG. 1. Each
cut-out portion of the sets of cut-out portions 80A-80D and 82A-82D
is suitably positioned and dimensioned to accept an upwardly
extending stacking tab from another similar container positioned
beneath the container 10. Provided along the outer edges 94A and
94B of inner side wall panel end flaps 50A and 50B, respectively,
are generally rectangular cut-out portions 92A-92D. When the
container is in the erected position, cut-out portions 92A-92D are
in substantial alignment with respective cut-out portions 80A, 80D,
82A, and 82D. Likewise, the cut-out portions 92A-92D are suitably
dimensioned to accept upwardly extending stacking tabs 28A-28D when
like or similar containers are stacked one atop another.
[0023] The container 10 further includes a plurality of
spaced-apart cut-out portions formed in the bottom panel 20A. In
the embodiment shown, cut-out portions 86A-86D and 88A-88D are
formed in the bottom panel 20A in substantial lateral alignment,
while cut-out portions 86A and 88A, 86B and 88B, 86C and 88C, and
86D and 88D, are in longitudinal alignment with cut-out portions
80A and 82A, 80B and 82B, 80C and 82C, and 80D and 82D,
respectively. The cut-out portions 86A-86D and 88A-88D are
generally rectangular in shape and are suitably dimensioned to
receive two adjacent stacking tabs of side by side containers.
[0024] To enhance the ability for the container 10 to be stacked
one upon another, the side walls are constructed to tilt or lean
inwardly into the cavity 26 of the container 10 when the container
is assembled. Thus, the stacking tabs 28A-28D on the tilted side
walls are in direct alignment with the apertures 60A-60D disposed
in the bottom wall panel 20A. To achieve the tilting side walls,
end panel facing edges 96A and 96B of the end flaps 34A and 34B,
respectively, taper away from the end panels 24A and 24B while the
outer edges 94A and 94B of the end flaps 50A and 50B, respectively,
taper toward the end panels 24A and 24B. To accommodate the side
walls slanting inwardly when erected, opposite edges of the end
wall panels 24A and 24B are formed with notches 98A and 98B. Thus,
when erected, the outer side wall panel 22A and 22B engage the
notches 98A and 98B of the end wall panel 24A and 24B at fold lines
36A and 36B, while the edges 96A and 96B and 94A and 94B of the end
flaps 34A and 34B and 50A and 50B, respectively, align with the
fold lines 32A and 32B. Accordingly, the depth of the notches 98A
and 98B determines the tilting angle of the side walls.
[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3D, one method of constructing the
tray-type container 10 from the blank 18 will be described. In the
ensuing description, erecting one side of the containers will be
described. However, it will be appreciated that the other side of
the container is formed in substantially similar steps. The first
step begins with the end wall panels 24A and 24B being each folded
upright approximately 90.degree. with respect to the bottom wall
panel 20A, as best shown in FIG. 3A. In this position, cutout
portions 80A-80D and 82A-82D form apertures along the edges of the
end walls of the container to accommodate stacking tabs of another
similar container. Next, the end flaps 50B of the inner side wall
panel 40B are folded outwardly 90.degree. about fold lines 52B, as
best shown in FIG. 3B.
[0026] The inner side wall panel 40B is then folded inwardly
180.degree. along fold lines 44B and 44D so that inner side wall
panel 40B is juxtaposed against outer side wall panel 22B, causing
the now folded end flaps 50 to be in an upright position. At the
same time the inner side wall panels 40 are folded inwardly
180.degree. along fold lines 44B and 44D so that inner side wall
panel 40B is juxtaposed against outer side wall panel 22B, the
stacking tabs 28B and 28D are formed from the bride sections 42B
and 42D, as best shown in FIG. 3C.
[0027] Next, the double-ply panel formed by the inner side wall and
the outer side wall is folded upright 90.degree. about fold line
30B so that the fold lines 36B abut against the notches 98B (FIG.
3C) of the end wall panels 24A and 24B, as shown in FIG. 3D. The
flaps 34B are then rotated inwardly 90.degree. about fold lines 36B
so that they are juxtaposed against the outer surface of end wall
panels 24A and 24B, and secured to the outer surface of end wall
panels 24 via any conventional manner, such as being stitched or
glued, to form corners. The resulting erected container forms the
bottom wall 20, to outer side wall 22B, and the end walls 24A and
24B. The end flaps 60 may then be secured to the inside surface of
end walls 24 via any conventional manner, such as being stitched or
glued. As was described above, the edges of end flaps 34B and 50B
are formed with a slight taper and the edges of the end wall panel
24A and 24B are formed with notches 98B, such that when secured
together, the outer side wall 22B slant slightly inward toward the
middle of the container 10.
[0028] Once the container is erected from the blank 18 as described
above, multiple assembled containers may be stacked in a
longitudinal alignment known as column stacking, as shown best in
FIG. 4, or may be arranged in a cross-stacking configuration known
as an interlocking configuration in the packaging art. One such
interlocking or cross-stacked configuration, which may be employed
with the containers, is shown in FIG. 5. The cross-stacking
configuration is composed in layers of five containers, each layer
alternating in arrangement. The first layer of the cross-stacked
configuration is shown in FIG. 6, which is a plan view of a
schematic representation of the first layer of the cross stacking
configuration shown in FIG. 5. The first layer includes three
containers 210, 310, and 410 placed side-by-side and abutting
against one another. To complete the first layer, two containers
510 and 610 are placed end to end against the end walls of the
containers 210, 310, and 410. In this position, stacking tabs 228B
and 228D of container 210 are positioned adjacent to stacking tabs
328A and 328C of container 310, respectively. Likewise, stacking
tabs 328B and 328D of container 310 are positioned adjacent to
stacking tabs 428A and 428C of container 410, respectively.
[0029] To begin forming the second layer shown best in FIGS. 5 and
7, a first container 710 is placed on the first layer of containers
such that the outward facing side wall and end wall of the
container 710 are coplanar with the outward facing end wall and
side wall of container 210, respectively. When the container 710 is
lowered into the position shown in FIG. 7, the stacking tab 228A of
container 210 extends upwardly into cut-out portion 780C of
container 710, while adjacent stacking tabs 228B and 328A of
containers 210 and 310, respectively, extend upwardly into cut-out
portion 788C of container 710. Since the cut-out portions and
stacking tabs are formed in the containers to be symmetrical, the
cut-out portions of the containers properly align with and receive
the stacking tabs, regardless of which end wall is coplanar with
the outward facing side wall of container 210. For example, if the
container 710 were to be rotated 180 degrees such that the other
end wall is coplanar with the outward facing side wall of container
210, stacking tabs 228A would be received by cut-out portion 782B,
while adjacent tabs 228A and 328A would be received by 786B.
[0030] Continuing to form the second layer, a second container 810
is placed in end-to-end relation with respect to container 710. It
will be appreciated that the dimensions of the containers are such
that when placed end-to-end, the outward facing end wall of
container 810 is coplanar with the outward facing side wall of
container 410. When the container 810 is lowered into the position
shown, the stacking tab 428B of container 410 extends upwardly into
cut-out portion 882C of container 810, while adjacent stacking tabs
328B and 428A of containers 310 and 410, respectively, extend
upwardly into cut-out portion 886C of container 810.
[0031] Next, three containers 910, 1010, and 1110 are placed in a
side-by-side fashion in the remaining space of the second layer,
beginning with container 910. The container 910 is placed on top of
containers 510 and 210 in overlapping fashion such that one end
wall of the container 910 abuts against the side wall of container
710, while the other end wall of container 910 is coplanar with the
outer side wall of container 510. When the container 910 is lowered
into the position shown, the stacking tab 228C of container 210
extends upwardly into cut-out portion 970A of container 910.
Additionally, stacking tabs 528A and 528B of container 510 extend
upwardly into cut-out portion 982B and 986B, respectively, and
stacking tab 228D of containers 210 extends upwardly into cut-out
portion 970B of container 910.
[0032] Once container 910 is in place, container 1010 is be lowered
into the position shown such that one end wall of the container
1010 abuts against the side walls of containers 710 and 810, while
the other end wall of container 1010 is coplanar with the outer
side walls of containers 510 and 610. In this position, the
stacking tabs 328C and 328D of container 310 extend upwardly into
cut-out portion 1070A and 1070B of container 1010, respectively.
Additionally, stacking tabs 528C and 528D of container 510 extend
upwardly into cut-out portions 1082A and 1086B, respectively, and
stacking tabs 628A and 628B of container 610 extend upwardly into
cut-out portions 1082D and 1086D of container 1010,
respectively.
[0033] At this point, the final container 1110 of the second layer
may be lowered into place as shown. The container 1110 is placed on
top of containers 610 and 410 in overlapping fashion such that one
end wall of the container 1110 abuts against the side wall of
container 810, while the other end wall of container 1110 is
coplanar with the outer side wall of container 610. When the
container 1110 is lowered into the position shown, the stacking tab
628C and stacking tab 628D of container 610 extends upwardly into
cut-out portions 1182C and 1186C of container 1110, respectively.
Additionally, stacking tabs 428C and 428D of container 410 extend
upwardly into cut-out portion 1170A and 1170B, respectively. If a
third layer is desired, the arrangement of the first layer is
repeated on top of the second layer.
[0034] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been
illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various
changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. For example, the blank may also include
other features specified by the customer, such as hand holds, vent
holes and the like. Additionally, while the blank described above
and illustrated herein depict the end wall 24 sandwiched between
the end flaps 34A and 34B of the outer side walls 22 and the end
flaps 50A and 50B of the inner side walls 40A and 40B, it will be
readily evident to those skilled in the art that the containers
blank may be slightly modified so as to allow the bottom end flaps
34A and 34B and 50A and 50B to be attached to either the inner or
outer surface of the end walls 24. Further, it will be appreciated
that the stacking tabs may be formed by double-ply end wall panels,
which can be formed substantially identical as the side wall panels
described above. In this embodiment, the location of the plurality
of cut-outs that accept the end wall stacking tabs would change
accordingly.
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