Produce container or the like

A container composed of semiflexible body and two semiflexible end caps wherein the body and the end portions fit together in a rigid manner to provide a rigid container. Although a firm latching between the body and the end caps is afforded, they can be disassembled if desired. In a preferred manner, the end caps are composed of a semiflexible plastic material, and the semiflexible body is composed of fiberboard. The container is durable so that several of the units can be stacked upon each other. It also offers versatility in that the fiberboard body can be divided with different panel portions so as to afford a display type container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a container for shipping and displaying produce or 
the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a container which is 
composed of separate end pieces and a one piece body wherein both the end 
pieces and the body are formed from semiflexible materials with the body 
formed from fiberboard or paperboard. The end pieces and the body are held 
in a rigid manner between the end pieces yet the body can be removed from 
the end pieces after useage. 
Containers which utilize rigid or flexible end pieces for holding cardboard 
or similar type of body members are well known. For example, these are 
shown in the following U. S. Pat. Nos.: 3,915,372; 3,935,990; 3,958,747; 
4,019,674; 4,482,074; and 4,637,544. These patents show various 
arrangements for fastening the container body to the end pieces. For 
example, in U. S. Pat. No. 3,958,747 this is accomplished in part by the 
terminal flange portions 20 or 72 and the frame member 40. In U. S. Pat. 
No. 4,019,674 a fiberboard body is inserted in a tight manner into 
U-shaped slots of the end cap members. In U. S. Pat. No. 4,482,074 a key 
lock arrangement is employed between a cardboard body and the end pieces, 
while in U. S. Pat. No. 4,637,544 a cardboard body of the open end type is 
designed for fitting into U-shaped grooves of the end pieces. In this 
particular patent there is also shown a projection 20 for holding a cut 
edge of the fiberboard body against a tooth in the U-shaped channels. 
The prior art does not provide a container wherein a semiflexible body is 
retained by two semiflexible end cap members in a manner such that 
rigidity is imparted to the semiflexible body section through its capture 
in the end cap members. In some instances, the prior art is concerned with 
the use of an adhesive to secure the fiberboard body which does not allow 
for removal from the end pieces. Accordingly the prior art does not 
provide a rigid container system which can be easily taken apart for 
recycling purposes. In other instances where a mechanical type connection 
is indicated between the body and the end pieces, the attachment is not a 
tight fitment. This allows for movement with respect to the body in the 
end cap members and a container system which is not rigid. 
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a rigid container 
system from semiflexible components. 
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a container 
having a body section and two semiflexible end cap members wherein the 
components are locked together in a rigid manner. 
It is yet another advantage of the invention to provide a container of the 
foregoing type which is locked in a rigid manner by a mechanical locking 
means and can be disassembled with the use of a tool. 
It is still another advantage of this invention to provide a container of 
the foregoing type which provides for maximum container capacity. 
It is yet another advantage of the invention to provide a container of the 
foregoing type wherein the cover portion can be opened for display 
purposes yet without destruction of the container. 
Other advantages of this invention are a container of the foregoing type 
which can be manufactured at low cost and from readily available material 
and can be easily assembled. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing advantages are accomplished and the shortcomings of the prior 
art are overcome by the present container which includes a body having two 
parallel cap engaging edges and two parallel free edges at right angles to 
the cap engaging edges. The body is provided with at least two fold lines 
parallel to the free edges, and is foldable along the fold lines to form 
an open ended container wherein the cap engaging edges lie in parallel 
planes which are perpendicular to the fold lines. Two end caps are 
engageable with the folded body so as to close the open ends of the 
container. The cap engaging edges of the body are mechanically engaged 
with the end caps by means operatively associated with cap engaging edge 
portions and the end caps to maintain the engaging edges of the body in 
contact with the end caps so as to impart a high degree of stiffness to 
the assembled container. 
In one embodiment, the body and the end caps are semiflexible with the end 
caps being end pieces providing channels for the limited insertion of 
lateral edges of panel portions forming the flexible body. Catch surfaces 
are disposed in the end pieces to engage edge surfaces of cut out portions 
in the panel portions when the lateral edges of the panel portions are 
inserted therein. 
In a preferred manner, the end caps have end walls positioned at the 
outermost portions of the end caps and opposite to the semiflexible body 
to provide a maximum capacity for the container when assembled. 
Also in a preferred manner, there are access openings through the end caps 
to afford a tool to be inserted therethrough for release of the cap 
engaging edges from the end caps, and the channels are defined by opposing 
wall surfaces with one of the wall surfaces positioned opposite the catch 
surfaces extending outwardly to provide a guide surface for insertion of 
the semiflexible body. 
In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall surfaces of the end caps are 
constructed with an undulating surface. 
In an alternative embodiment, the semiflexible body has two foldable panels 
providing a cover. The panels can be moved from a covering position to a 
display position at the side of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Proceeding to a detailed description of the present invention, and in 
particular FIGS. 1 and 2, the container generally 10 is basically a three 
piece construction. It is composed preferably of a semiflexible fiberboard 
body 11 and two flexible end caps 12 and 13 preferably molded of a high 
density polyethylene resin material. The semiflexible fiber board body 11 
is in the form of a container blank 14 with a multiplicity of parallel 
score or fold lines 15. The fold lines define a bottom panel 17, side 
panels 18 and 19, top panels 21 and 22, and intermediate panels 24, 25, 26 
and 27. 
The end caps 12 and 13 are exactly the same, and consequently what is 
described for one pertains to the other. Each has an end wall panel 29 
surrounded by a frame portion 31. Pockets 32, 32' and 33, 33' are 
positioned laterally of the panels and are separated by the reinforcing 
ribs 34 and 34'. These ribs are innerconnected with a peripheral wall 36. 
As best seen in conjunction with end cap 12 in FIG. 2, curved wall 
portions 38 and 40 extend from the peripheral wall 36 and outwardly toward 
the end wall panel 29. A flange portion 37 is spaced from peripheral wall 
36 at the sides and bottom thereof to provide a channel 39. It will be 
seen that the top portion 44 of the peripheral wall 36 does not have the 
flange portion 37 surrounding it. There are, however, guide members 46 and 
47 extending upwardly therefrom and the laterally extending latch members 
51 and 52 the purpose of which will be next explained. 
The semiflexible body 11 is constructed so that the lateral edge portions 
41 and 42 of all of the panels except top panels 21 and 22 will fit in the 
channels 39 of the end caps 12 and 13. In this position, the lateral edge 
portions of the top panels 21 and 22 will overlie the top portion 44 of 
the end caps. The openings 49 and 50 are arranged to be guided by the 
guide members 46 and 47 so that edge portions 41 and 42 are latched under 
latch members 51 and 52. This is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The latch 
members 51 and 52 provide retention of the top panels 21 and 22 as well as 
a release thereof. 
FIGS. 5, 7, 8 and 9 show the particular catch means for firmly holding the 
semiflexible body 11 in the end caps 12 and 13. It will be seen in FIG. 2 
that the semiflexible body 11 has the cut out portions or tab members 55 
in the bottom panel 17 and in the side panels 18 and 19 such as shown at 
56. As best seen in FIG. 5, the lateral edge portion 42 of the 
semiflexible body 11 is trapped between the end wall 29 and the ramped 
tooth 58 with the cut edge surface 57 engaging the tooth 58. This 
separation of the edge portion 42 from the rest of the body 11 is effected 
by the cut edge surface 57 when the cut out portion 55 is positioned under 
tooth 58. The cut out portion 55 will assume a slightly bent configuration 
in the area of the tooth 58. This is indicated at 59. It should be pointed 
out that in order to place the lateral edge portion 42 in the end cap 13, 
it needs to be inserted into the cap channel 39 a distance greater than 
the distance between the edge surface 48 and the tooth engaging edge 
surface 57. This allows the separated tab edge portion 42 to be deflected 
out of the plane of the body 11 and is afforded by the radiused surface 45 
of the end wall 29 which in this instance is 0.060 inch. The lateral edge 
portion 42 is held against the peripheral wall 36 by the projection 60 
which is displaced from the plane of the tooth 58 and extends upwardly 
from the flange 37. A snug holding is effected by spacing the projections 
60 from the wall 36 a distance approximately equal to the thickness of 
body 11 which restricts movement of the body 11 in a direction transverse 
to the cap engaging edge 42 of the panel 17 and in conjunction with tooth 
58 restricts movement axial to the longitudinal axis of the body 11. This 
is depicted in FIGS. 5 and 9. The orientation of the edge surfaces 57 with 
the tooth 58 is assisted by the surfaces of the U-shaped slots 62 engaging 
with the projections 64 which are also disposed in the guide channel 39. 
This is best seen in FIG. 2. The interengagement between the slots 62 and 
the projections 64 also prevents movement parallel to the cap engaging 
edge 35 of the panel 17 or transverse to the longitudinal axis of the body 
11. 
The particular attachment of the lateral edge portion 42 in the channel 39 
is important even though cut out type latching in this art is common. In 
this instance it should be particularly noted that lateral edge portion 42 
provides a locking strip which is securely held against the peripheral 
wall 36 by the projection 60, and that the cut edge surface 57 and the 
opposing edge surface 48 of the lateral edge portion 42 are snugly fitted 
between the radiused surface 45 and the tooth 58. Note also the overlap of 
the tooth 58 with respect to the width of the edge portion 42. 
Another important feature of this invention is the fact that should it be 
desired to release the fiberboard body 11 from the end caps 12 and 13, 
there is provided the opening 63 through the frame portion 31 and in 
alignment with the tooth 58. This allows for displacement of the lateral 
edge portion 42 by the tool 65 shown in FIG. 6. The beveled edge 67 of the 
tongue 66 is inserted between the lateral edge portion 42 and the 
peripheral wall 36 so as to displace the lateral edge 42 portion away from 
the peripheral wall 36 and under the tooth 58. This is best seen in FIG. 
7. In this position, the semiflexible body 11 can be removed from the end 
caps 12 and 13. The opening 63 is conveniently formed during the molding 
of the end caps. 
In some of the Figures of the drawings which will be subsequently referred 
to herein, similar components are referred to as described in conjunction 
with the previous Figures embodiments except they are "primed" or "double 
primed." Referring to FIG. 14 there is shown an alternative catch means 
for the lateral edge portion 42. It will be seen that there is a beveled 
wall 79 extending from end wall 29' with wall 79 engaging edge surface 48 
to snuggly hold the lateral edge portion 42 between it and the tooth 58'. 
Note that the positions of the tooth 58, and the projection 60' are 
reversed. While no opening is shown through the frame portion 31' for 
insertion of the tool 65, this could be provided if desired. 
FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate an alternative embodiment generally 70 which 
will utilize similar end caps 12' and 13' as previously indicated for 
embodiment 10. Instead of two top panels such as 21 and 22 in embodiment 
10, there are provided three panels 71, 72 and 73. In this instance, the 
panels 71 and 73 are the same size, with panel 71 being secured to the end 
caps 12' and 13' by the latch members 51' and 52'. When it is desired to 
utilize this container for display purposes, the panel 71 would be 
unlatched from the latch members 51' and 52' with the top panel 71 being 
folded upwardly as well as the panel 73 to a position shown in FIG. 11. 
The attachment between the semiflexible body 11' and the end caps 12' and 
13' is the same as depicted in FIG. 5 for embodiment 10. Note also the 
attachment of the panel 72 to the end caps 12' and 13' as indicated by the 
cut out portions 56' and the extension of the flange portion 37' to 
provide a channel such as 39 and the previously described catch means in 
the top of the container. 
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate alternative end walls for the end wall 29 shown 
in conjunction with the end caps 12 and 13. In the instance of end wall 
29', it has a plain surface side 74 and an opposing undulating surface 75. 
This is the preferred end wall configuration. In compression testing it 
was found that a panel with this wall could withstand a compression force 
of 2100 lbs. It should also be pointed out that the same panel without the 
wall 29 and just the frame 31 could withstand a force of 1800 lbs. This 
wall embodiment is also preferred because it presents a flat surface for 
printing. With respect to end wall 29" it has two opposing undulating 
walls as represented by the numerals 76 and 77. Both end walls 29' and 29" 
could be used in either embodiment 10 or 70 in the end caps 12 and 13 
which are shown with two opposing smooth wall surfaces. The undulating 
surfaces offer the advantage increased strength for a given wall 
thickness. The dual undulating surfaces 76 and 77 offer twice the 
advantage in this respect. A disadvantage of the dual undulating surface 
is that it does not provide a surface that lends itself to easy printing 
for information purposes. 
The term "semiflexible" as used herein means an end cap such as 12 or a 
fiberboard body wherein the ends can be distorted out of a plane readily. 
The term "rigid" as used herein means that these components cannot be 
distorted out of a plane readily. As stated earlier, an important aspect 
of this invention is the snug fitting of the edge portions 41 and 42 in 
the catch means as represented by the radiused wall 45 and the tooth 58 as 
well as the distance between the projection 60 and the peripheral wall 36. 
It should also be considered that the end caps 12 and 13 are semiflexible 
as is the fiberboard body 11. It is unexpected that when these components 
are fitted together, that a rigid container results. This is afforded by 
the catch means and the geometric relationship between the end caps 12 and 
13 and the body 11. The body 11 has two parallel cap engaging edges 48 and 
55 and two parallel free edges at 82 and 83 at right angles to the cap 
engaging edges. This is best seen in FIG. 2. The body 11 is provided with 
at least two fold lines 15 parallel to the free edges 82 and 83. The body 
is foldable along the fold lines to form an open ended container wherein 
the cap engaging edges 48 and 55 lie in parallel planes which are 
perpendicular to the fold lines. The two end caps 12 and 13 are engageable 
with the folded body 11 so as to close the open ends of the container. The 
cap engaging edges 48 and 55 when mechanically engaged with the end caps 
12 and 13 and the catch means, maintains the body 11 in tight fitting 
contact with the end caps 12 and 13 so as to impart a high degree of 
stiffness to the assembled container. 
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, a stacking feature for the container 10 is 
illustrated. End cap 13 has a bottom surface 16 from which extend the ribs 
20 interrupted by the passages 23. Each passage 23 has opposing and 
angular walls 28 and 30 defining an opening 68 receiving the guide members 
46" and 47" of another end cap 13' which would be placed beneath it during 
a typical stacking of one or more containers 10. 
Referring back to FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, it will be seen that flange portion 37 
extends horizontally beyond the peripheral wall 36. This serves as a guide 
surface for the body 11 when the cap engaging edge portion 42 is inserted 
into the channel 39 of the panels 12 and 13. 
In the foregoing description, a tool 65 has been shown for use in 
conjunction with the opening 63 for removing the semiflexible body 11 or 
11' from the respective end caps 12 and 13. While this is an important 
feature, it will be appreciated that the latching between the fiberboard 
bodies 11 and 11' and the end caps 12 and 13 can be effected without it 
and still obtain a rigid container structure. 
While the latch members 51 and 52 have been shown to have a rectangular 
configurations for temporarily holding the top panels of the fiberboard 
bodies to the end caps 12 and 13, these can be of various geometric 
designs provided they effect the function of a frictional and temporary 
holding the cover panels 21 and 22 onto the end caps. Further, certain 
guide slots 62 have been indicated for orientation with respect to the 
projections 64 for purpose of aligning the cut out portions 55 and 56 with 
the teeth 58. These also could be eliminated. The horizontal extension of 
the flange portion 37 with respect to the peripheral wall 36, also affords 
an alignment feature for the body 11 during the previously described 
latching. This also could be obviated. It should also be pointed out that 
the smooth and curved walls 38 and 40 offer a surface which will not 
readily damage the contents of the container such as fruit. While this is 
advantageous, it can be of any geometric design provided it lends support 
between walls 36 and 29. 
Fiberboard such as that provided by the Menasha Corp of Neenah WI is a 
preferred sheet material for forming the semiflexible body of the 
container of this invention. However, many other sheet materials which 
have sufficient strength and can be scored, die cut, and folded to form a 
useful body for the container of this invention can be employed. These 
could include corrugate, cardboard, light gauge sheet metal, as well as 
thermoplastic, and thermosetting plastic, sheet material. 
In many states, laws regarding the recyclability of containers are being 
proposed. An "irreversible mechanical engagement" such as that described 
in U.S. pat. No. 4,637,544 or an "adhesively secured" cap and body such as 
that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,674, will not conform to most of 
these proposed laws. The present invention, however, provides the means 
for separating the plastic elements of the container described herein from 
the fiberboard elements so that either or both of them can be reused 
and/or recycled. 
It will thus be seen that through the present invention there is now 
provided a container which can be fabricated from semiflexible components 
yet provides a very sturdy structure for fruit or the like and can be 
stacked with several other containers of the same construction. The 
container employs a minimum number of parts and is easily assembled. 
Further, it offers the advantage of disassembly if this is desired to 
recycle the components. The container is versatile in that it can accept 
different body portions so as to provide a display mode. In addition, by 
placing the end walls 29 of the end caps 12 and 13 at the outermost 
portions of the end caps an increase in capacity of 75% for the volume of 
the end cap can be realized.