U.S. patent application number 10/226703 was filed with the patent office on 2004-03-25 for stackable bliss-type container.
Invention is credited to Christensen, Stephen M., Rodgers, Thomas E..
Application Number | 20040056081 10/226703 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31990344 |
Filed Date | 2004-03-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040056081 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Christensen, Stephen M. ; et
al. |
March 25, 2004 |
STACKABLE BLISS-TYPE CONTAINER
Abstract
A bliss-type, corrugated paperboard container having an open top
for transporting and displaying fruit, vegetables and the like has
a main piece, which provides a bottom element and opposed first
side elements, and two bliss pieces which are adhesively attached
to the main piece and provide opposed second side elements. The
second side elements include an inner panel having extremities
which are separated from the first side elements. Diagonal pieces,
attached to the extremities of each inner panel, extend to the
first side panels, and second side flaps extend from the diagonal
pieces to overlie portions of the first side panels. An outer panel
of the second side element extends between the first side elements.
Indexing tabs have first ends which are connected to the inner
panels and second ends which are connected to the outer panels. The
indexing tabs are bent 180.degree. between the first and second
ends. The indexing tabs fit into slots located in the bottom of a
stacked container.
Inventors: |
Christensen, Stephen M.;
(Yakima, WA) ; Rodgers, Thomas E.; (Yakima,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Charles D. McClung
1600 ODS Tower
601 S. W. Second Avenue
Portland
OR
97204-3157
US
|
Family ID: |
31990344 |
Appl. No.: |
10/226703 |
Filed: |
August 22, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/122.26 ;
206/509; 229/122.32; 229/191; 229/918; 229/919 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 229/918 20130101;
Y10S 229/919 20130101; B65D 5/323 20130101; B65D 5/0075
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/122.26 ;
229/122.32; 229/191; 229/918; 229/919; 206/509 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/32; B65D
021/032 |
Claims
1. A bliss-type, corrugated paperboard container comprising: (a) a
main piece having a bottom element and opposed first side elements
which have inside surfaces and outside surfaces, and opposed ends;
(b) a first side flap connected to each end of each said first side
element, said first side flaps being oriented at 90.degree. with
respect to said first side elements; (c) a pair of opposed bliss
pieces, each having a second side element, which extends between
the ends of said first side elements; (d) each said second side
element including an inner panel having opposed extremities which
are spaced apart from the inside surfaces of said first side
elements and an outer panel having opposed extremities which extend
substantially to the inside surfaces of said first side elements;
(e) a diagonal piece which is attached to each extremity of each
said inner panel extends diagonally between said inner panel and
the inner surface of said second side element; and (f) a second
side flap which is attached to each diagonal piece overlies a
portion of the inside surface of said first side elements.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein said bottom element has one or
more indexing slots defined therein, and said second side elements
have one or more indexing tabs having a first end which is
connected to said inner panel and a second end which is connected
to said outer panel and is folded 180.degree. between said first
and second ends, said indexing tab being located to fit into said
indexing slot when one of said containers is stacked on top of
another of said containers.
3. The container of claim 1 including a pair of bottom flaps which
are connected to said bottom element, said bottom flaps being
oriented 90.degree. with respect to said bottom element and
extending substantially between opposed first side flaps.
4. The container of claim 2 wherein said bottom element is
rectangular with opposed long edges and opposed short edges and
said first side elements are connected to said short edges.
5. The container of claim 2 wherein said bottom element is
rectangular with opposed long edges and opposed short edges and
said first side elements are connected to said long edges.
6. The container of claim 4 wherein there are four of said indexing
slots, and two are located along each long edge of said bottom
element.
7. The container of claim 1 wherein said second side flaps are
attached to said first side elements by an adhesive.
8. The container of claim 1 wherein said inner panels are attached
to said outer panels by an adhesive.
9. The container of claim 1 wherein said outer panels are attached
to said first side flaps by an adhesive.
10. The container of claim 3 wherein said outer panels are attached
to said bottom flaps by an adhesive.
11. The container of claim 2 wherein said inner panel, said second
side flaps, said diagonal elements, said outer panel, and said tabs
are an integral piece.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to an open-topped, stackable,
corrugated paperboard container for transporting and displaying
fruit, produce, or similar items.
[0002] It is becoming common in large supermarkets and discount
stores to sell fruit, vegetables and similar items out of the
paperboard containers that they are shipped in. These containers
are open-topped and are stacked on top of one another during
shipment and display. When the top container is empty it is simply
removed from the stack exposing the next full container. Since
fruit and produce are sold with a low profit margin and these
containers often are disposed of after a single use, the cost of
the containers becomes a factor in the cost of the product being
sold out of them. In addition, it is important that these
containers be stacked squarely on top of one another or the stack
will become unstable. Typically, indexing tabs, which protrude from
the top edges of a lower container, fit into indexing slots in the
bottom of the upper container to ensure that the containers stack
properly. However, the edge of a piece of corrugated paperboard is
easily damaged and if the tabs become damaged they will not fit
easily into the slots. In order to keep the containers stacked
squarely when the tabs do not fit cleanly into the slots,
containers of this type often have diagonal corners which support
the bottom of a stacked container. Finally, this type of container
often is a bliss-type container which is relatively inexpensive to
construct. However, if a bliss-type container has diagonal elements
at the corners, the side walls on the bliss pieces will not extend
completely to the end walls on the main piece and the containers
end up skewed slightly when the bliss pieces are attached to the
main piece. This also effects the stackability of the
container.
[0003] The subject invention provides a container in which the
bliss elements have an outer panel which extends to the inside
surface of the end elements of the main piece to facilitate
squaring a container upon assembly, and an inner panel which does
not extend to the side elements of the main piece and has the
diagonal pieces attached to its extremities.
[0004] The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages
of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration
of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container embodying the
subject invention.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank which forms the main piece
of the container.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank which forms the bliss
pieces of the container.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the main piece
erected.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the bliss pieces
erected.
[0010] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a container showing another
embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of two of the containers of
FIG. 1 stacked together.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0012] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an open topped,
stackable, corrugated paperboard container 10 has a bliss-style
construction and is intended for shipment and display of fruit,
produce and other goods. Referring now also to FIGS. 2-5, the
container is made from a main blank 12, FIG. 2, which is used to
form a main piece 14, FIG. 4, and two bliss blanks 16, FIG. 3,
which are used to form two bliss pieces 18, FIG. 5. Typically,
multiple pieces are cut from a single sheet of corrugated
paperboard.
[0013] The main piece 14 has a rectangular bottom element 22. The
bottom is shown as having opposed longer edges 24 and opposed
shorter edges 26, but it could be square as well. Indexing slots 28
are located in the bottom element along the edges that are adjacent
the bliss pieces 18. This could be either the long edges, as shown
in FIGS. 1 and 4, or the shorter edges 26, as shown in FIG. 6. Two
indexing slots are shown in each edge but there could be more or
less depending on the size of the container.
[0014] Connected to the edges of the bottom pieces that are not
attached to the bliss pieces are opposed first side elements 29,
which have an inside surface 30 and an outside surface 32 and
opposed ends 34. The first side elements 29 are bent upwardly
90.degree. with respect to the bottom 22 along fold lines 36. First
side flaps 38 are connected to each edge 34 of the first side
elements 32. The first side flaps are bent inwardly 90.degree. with
respect to the first side elements along fold lines 40. Connected
to the edges of the bottom panel that are adjacent to the bliss
pieces are opposed bottom flaps 42. The bottom flaps are bent
upwardly 90.degree. with respect to the bottom 22 along fold lines
44. Hand holes 46 may be placed in the first side elements 29 to
facilitate lifting the container.
[0015] The bliss pieces 18 each include a second side element 48
having an outer panel 50 with a length that is substantially equal
to the distance between the first side elements 29, and an inner
panel 52, which is shorter than the outer panel 50. Connected to
each of the ends of the inner panels 52, along fold lines 53, are
diagonal pieces 54 which extend on a diagonal to the inside
surfaces 30 of the first side elements 29, when the bliss pieces 18
are inserted into the main piece 14. Connected to each diagonal
piece, along a fold line 55, is a second side flap 56 which
overlays a portion of the inside surface 30 of the first side
element 29 when the bliss pieces are inserted into the main
pieces.
[0016] Indexing tabs 58 have first ends 60 which are connected to
the inner panels 52, and second ends 62 which are connected to the
outer panels 50. The indexing tabs are folded 180.smallcircle.
along fold lines 63 midway between their ends to provide folded
outer edges 64. The indexing tabs are arranged to fit into the
indexing slots 28 when one container is stacked on top of another
container, as shown in FIG. 7.
[0017] The container is formed in the standard manner in a bliss
container machine. The main blank 12 is folded along fold lines 36,
40 and 44 and the two bliss blanks 16 are folded along fold lines
53 and 55. An adhesive is placed on the outside surfaces of the
second side flaps 56 and on the inside surfaces of the first side
flaps 38 and the bliss blanks are inserted into and adhered to the
main blank. The bliss blanks are then folded along fold lines 63
and the outer panels 50 are adhesively attached to the inner panels
52.
[0018] The resulting container can easily be stacked. The folded
outer edges 64 of the indexing tabs 58 allow the indexing tabs to
be inserted into the indexing slots 28 without being damaged and
the diagonal elements 54 prevent a container from slipping into the
container it is stacked on in the event the indexing tabs on one
end of the container are not placed on the indexing slots.
[0019] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the
foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description
and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of
such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the
features shown and described or portions thereof, it being
recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited
only by the claims which follow.
* * * * *