Foldable Storage Box

Abstract

A storage box is disclosed that is folded into a box from a single flat blank of material in such a manner that the resultant box has three-ply end walls and two-ply side walls.

Description

This invention relates generally to foldable storage boxes that are folded from one-piece blanks of material. In one of its aspects, it relates to such boxes, and in another of its aspects, it relates to the blanks that are cut and scored in preparation for such folding.

Foldable storage boxes are designed to be shipped and stored flat, then set up or folded into storage boxes when needed. Preferably, the box is folded from one sheet of material with all of the parts of the box integrally connected together. It is desirable that such boxes be strong and durable so they will not easily be crushed. This protects the contents and also allows the boxes to be stacked one on another to keep storage space used to a minimum.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a storage box that is particularly strong and durable and can withstand a substantial compressive load without crushing.

It is another object of this invention to provide a foldable storage box of improved design that has two three-ply and two two-ply walls when set up to thereby provide such a box with increased durability and resistance to compressive loads.

It is another object of this invention to provide a foldable storage box that has end walls formed by three layers of the blank material with the load on the bottom of the box being transmitted directly to hand holes in the end walls through one of the layers making up the end walls to improve the ability of a box made of a given material to support heavier contents.

It is another object of this invention to provide a blank of storage box material that is cut and scored in a novel manner for folding into a box of improved strength and rigidity.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification including the attached drawings and appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank of material that has been cut and scored for folding into the novel box of this invention;

FIGS. 2 - 7 are perspective views showing how the blank of FIG. 1 is folded in accordance with this invention to set up a box of improved strength and rigidity; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the box formed from the blank of FIG. 1 with a portion broken away to show the construction of the finished box that has been set up following the steps shown in FIGS. 2 - 7.

The blank of FIG. 1 is cut from a flat sheet of the material, such as paperboard or cardboard, from which the box is to be made. The blank is cut and scored in such a way that the blank can be folded to form a box. "Cutting" means simply that. "Scoring" means crimping the material where the folds in the material are supposed to occur when setting up the box. The scoring procedure does not cut the material but simply facilitates the folding thereof along the desired line.

The blank of FIG. 1 is cut and scored in accordance with this invention. It has a central portion 10 that extends across the blank from left to right as viewed in FIG. 1. This central portion has been scored along dashed lines 11, 12, and 13 to divide the blank into what will be the four side walls of the box. These four side walls are designated 14, 15, 16, and 17, respectively. All of these portions of the blank, as stated above, will be side walls of the box. For convenience in describing the box, however, since side walls 15 and 17 are more narrow than side walls 14 and 16, the former will be referred to in the specification as end walls.

The blank also includes edge portion 18. This portion of the blank is divided into two sections, 18a and 18b, by cut 19 that extends across portion 18 of the blank. Section 18a of portion 18 of the blank is attached to the central portion only along one side of side wall 16 due to cuts 20 and 21 that separate end walls 15 and 17 from portion 18. Section 18a is scored, as indicated by dotted lines 22, 23, and 30, to divide this portion into what will be outer bottom wall 24 and intermediate end walls 25 and 26, which are attached to the outer bottom wall 24 at opposite ends.

Section 18b of portion 18 of the blank is scored along dotted line 28 for folding relative to side wall 14, and when the box is set up, section 18b will be inner bottom wall 29 of the box.

The blank also includes second edge portion 31 that has three parallel spaced cuts 32, 33, and 34, which divide this edge portion into what will be four inner side walls of the box, 35, 36, 37, and 38. Here again, since side walls 36 and 38 are more narrow than side walls 35 and 37, we will refer to them as inner end walls, rather than inner side walls, throughout the specification to make the description easier to follow. The line along which the inner side and end walls of the second edge portion joins the central portion is scored from one side of the blank to the other, as indicated by dotted line 39, so that the inner side and end walls can be folded relative to the end and side walls provided by the central portion.

The method of setting up the blank of FIG. 1 into the box of this invention is shown in FIGS. 2 - 7. The first step is to fold the central portion of the blank so that walls 15, 16, and 17 form a U-shaped structure. Then side wall 14 is folded so that it closes the U-shaped structure so the two side walls and two end walls form a rectangle, as shown in FIG. 2. It is necessary at this time to attach outer edge 14a of side wall 14 to outer edge 17a of end wall 17. This may be done at the factory before the box is shipped. It is usually done there, with a strip of tape T. When side wall 14 and end wall 17 are connected at the factory, the blank is shipped flat, but with a double thickness as it is folded along either score lines 11 and 13 or score lines 12 with the adhesive tape connection between edges 14a and 17a providing the other line of fold. As said above, if the connection between end edges 14a and 17a is not done at the factory, then these two edges will have to be taped together when the time comes to set up the box.

After outer side walls 14, 15, 16, and 17 have been arranged to form a rectangle, as shown in FIG. 2, the next step, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is to fold inner bottom wall 29 that is attached to side wall 14 about 180.degree. into the inside of the rectangle formed by the side and end walls to a position shown in FIG. 3. This figure also shows the next step which is to fold intermediate end walls 25 and 26 approximately 180.degree. until they overlap outer bottom wall 24. This wall is then folded to a position to close the bottom of the rectangle formed by the side and end walls, as sown in FIG. 4.

Once in position closing the bottom of the rectangle, intermediate end walls 25 and 26 are folded upwardly, as shown in FIG. 5, until they overlap outer end walls 15 and 17. At this time, inner bottom wall 29 can be folded down as shown in FIG. 6 until it overlaps outer bottom wall 24. To complete the box it is now necessary to fold end walls 35, 36, 37, and 38 down into the box as shown in FIG. 7. Usually this is done in the following order. Inner end walls 36 and 38 are folded down first, then either of inner side walls 35 and 37, and then the remaining inner side wall.

Side and end walls 35, 36, 37, and 38 are preferably designed with a width such that they will have to be forced back into overlapping position with respect to the side and end walls already in place. This causes these members to stay in place once pushed back into overlapping position and they in turn will hold the rest of the wall members in the desired position to form the box. To facilitate disassembly of the box, the free edges of the inner end and side walls have notches 40, as shown in FIG. 1, so that a person can get a finger behind the walls to pull them out to allow the box to be disassembled.

The completed box is shown in FIG. 8 with top 50 thereon and with a portion of the top and box cut away to show the resultant wall construction obtained from folding the blank as described above. Thus, the end walls of the box are made up of three layers of the material. For example, the end wall shown cut away in FIG. 8 comprises outer end wall 17, intermediate end wall 26, and inner end wall 38. The side walls of the box are two-ply, the wall cut away in FIG. 8 comprises outer side wall 14 and inner side wall 35. The bottom of the box is also two-ply, comprising inner bottom wall 29 and outer bottom wall 24.

Usually, to facilitate the handling of these boxes, particularly when loaded, the end walls are provided with hand openings through which the fingers of the hands of a person can be inserted for picking up the box. In the embodiment shown, outer end walls 15 and 17 have hand openings 41 and 42 cut therein. These openings are cut to leave flaps 43 and 44. The other end walls have openings 45, 46, 47, and 48 that extend completely through the walls. When the box is formed, a person desiring to pick up the box can push flaps 43 and 44 inwardly with his fingers, as he puts his hands through the hand openings, and the flaps will bridge the edges of openings 45 and 46, in one end and 47 and 48 in the other. This makes it more comfortable for the hands when subjected to the weight of the box.

The resultant three-ply end wall and two-ply side wall construction of the box results in its having unusual rigidity and resistance to side loading and also compressive loading, thereby allowing the boxes when in use to be stacked on top of each other to a considerable height even thought they are loaded with heavy materials, such as paper.

From the foregoing it can be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages that are obvious and that are inherent to the apparatus and method.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A box having an open top and folded from a flat single-piece blank comprising, two outer side walls and two outer end walls formed into a rectangle with the side walls and end walls respectively opposite each other and connected together at their adjacent edges, two inner side walls hinged to the upper edges of the two outer side walls and folded downwardly to positions inside the rectangle to form two-ply side walls with the plies of each side wall being substantially coextensive with each other, an outer bottom wall attached to the lower edge of one of the outer side walls with two intermediate end walls attached thereto at opposite ends and positioned inside the outer end walls when the bottom section is folded upwardly to a position closing the bottom of the rectangle, an inner bottom wall attached to the lower edge of the opposite outer side wall and positioned above the outer bottom wall, and two inner end walls attached to the upper edges of the outer end walls and folded downwardly inside the rectangle to enclose the intermediate end walls between them and the outer end walls to provide a box from a flat blank having three-ply end walls, with each of said end walls being substantially coextensive with each other.

2. A folding box blank of flat, rectangular material that is scored and cut for folding into a box, said blank comprising a central portion extending completely across the blank and having three parallel spaced apart transverse scores so that the central portion is scored for folding into a rectangular shape to provide outer end and side walls of the box, an edge portion having a first section including two intermediate end walls and the lower bottom of the box, said first section being attached to the central portion between the edge of the lower bottom side and one of the outer side walls of the central portion, said intermediate end walls being cut from the central portion end attached only to the lower bottom portion, said first edge portion further having a second section attached to the other outer side wall of the central portion and scored along said connection for folding to a position to close the bottom, said blank having a second edge portion extending along the opposite edge of the central portion from the first edge portion, the second edge portion having three parallel, spaced cuts respectively longitudinally aligned with the three transverse scores in said central portion so that the second edge portion provides two inner end walls and two inner side walls so that said inner end walls can be folded down inside the box parallel to the intermediate end walls to provide three-ply opposing end walls and so that said inner side walls can be folded down inside the box parallel to the outer side walls to provide two-ply opposing side walls, all of said end walls being individually integral and each being substantially coextensive with the other end walls and all of the side walls being individually integral and each being substantially coextensive with the other side walls.

3. A storage box having an open top closeable by a separate lid comprising two outer side walls and two outer end walls connected together at their adjacent edges so as to provide a rectangular configuration; an inner bottom wall hinged at one side to a first one of said outer side walls; an outer bottom wall hinged at one side to the other one of said outer side walls; two integral intermediate end walls each respectively hinged to the opposite ends of the outer bottom wall which ends are adjacent the outer end walls and extending substantially coextensively with the respective outer end walls; two integral inner end walls each respectively hinged to the upper ends of said outer end walls, folded over the upper edges of the intermediate end walls and extending downwardly substantially coextensively with the intermediate end walls so as to provide the box with three-ply ends with each ply being individually integral and substantially coextensive with the other plies; and two integral inner side walls respectively hinged to the upper ends of said outer side walls and extending substantially coextensively with the outer side walls so as to provide the box with two-ply sides with each ply being individually integral and substantially coextensive with the other ply.