Abstract:
An apparatus includes container. The container includes a polygonal bottom panel comprising of N sides, N sidewalls and N flaps. Each flap is located between two adjacent sidewalls. The flaps are capable of unfolding to increase the volume of the container. N is a positive integer greater than two.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to container boxes. 
         [0003]    2. Description of related art 
         [0004]    A regular container box includes a bottom, and an opening corresponding to the bottom. The bottom and the opening are usually the same size. When putting an article in or taking it out of the container box, if it is a tight fit, friction between the article and the container box may damage the article. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a planar view of a container box expanded out according to a first embodiment; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the container box of  FIG. 1   
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is another isometric view of the container box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 2 , shown a container box according to a second embodiment; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 1 , shown a container box expanded out according to a third embodiment; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 1 , shown a container box expanded out according to a fourth embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 1 , shown a container box expanded out according to a fifth embodiment; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 3 , shown a container box according to a sixth embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    In an embodiment of the invention, a container box (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) includes a main body  10  folded from a cardboard (see  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the cardboard includes a square bottom panel  20  having four edges, a side panel connected to an edge  21  of the bottom panel  20 , and three bottom flanges  22  connected to the other three edges of the bottom panel  20  correspondingly. Creases are defined along the four edges respectively. 
         [0015]    The side panel includes a rectangular first sidewall  30  connected to the edge  21  of the bottom panel  20 . The first sidewall  30  includes a first longer edge, a second longer edge, and a shorter edge  305 . A right-angle triangular first foldable flap  31  is connected to the second longer edge of the first sidewall  30 . The first foldable wall  31  includes a hypotenuse edge  310 , a shorter edge  320 , and a longer edge  300 . The shorter edge  320  is aligned with the shorter edge  305  of the first sidewall  30  and the longer edge  300  is superposed with the second longer edge of the first sidewall  30 . A right-angle triangular second foldable wall  41  is connected to the hypotenuse edge  310  of the first foldable wall  31 . The second foldable wall  41  includes a longer edge  410 , a shorter edge  420 , and a hypotenuse edge. The hypotenuse edge is superposed with the hypotenuse edge  310  of the first foldable wall  31 . 
         [0016]    A rectangular second sidewall  40  is connected to the longer edge  410  of the second foldable wall  41 . The second sidewall  40  includes a first longer edge, a second longer edge, and a shorter edge  405 . The first longer edge is superposed with the longer edge  410  of the second foldable wall  41 . The shorter edge  405  is aligned with the shorter edge  420  of the second foldable wall  41 . A right-angle triangular third foldable wall  43  is connected to the second longer edge of the second sidewall  40 . The third foldable wall  43  includes a longer edge  400 , a shorter edge  440 , and a hypotenuse edge  430 . The longer edge  400  is superposed with the second longer edge of the second sidewall  40  and the shorter edge  440  is aligned with the shorter edge  405  of the second sidewall  40 . A right-angle triangular fourth foldable wall  51  is connected to the hypotenuse edge  430  of the third foldable wall  43 . The fourth foldable wall  51  includes a hypotenuse edge, a shorter edge  520 , and a longer edge  510 . The hypotenuse edge is superposed with the hypotenuse edge  430  of the third foldable wall  43 . 
         [0017]    A rectangular third sidewall  50  is connected to the longer edge  510  of the fourth foldable wall  51 . The third sidewall  50  includes a first longer edge, a second longer edge, and a shorter edge  505 . The first longer edge is superposed with the longer edge  51   0  of the fourth foldable wall  51 . The shorter edge  505  is aligned with the shorter edge  520  of the fourth foldable wall  51 . A right-angle triangular fifth foldable wall  53  is connected to the second longer edge of the third sidewall  50 . The fifth foldable wall  53  includes a longer edge  500 , a shorter edge  540 , and a hypotenuse edge  530 ; the longer edge  500  is superposed with the second longer edge of the third sidewall  50 . The shorter edge  540  is aligned with the shorter edge  505  of the third sidewall  50 . A right-angle triangular sixth foldable wall  61  is connected to the hypotenuse edge  530  of the fifth foldable wall  53 . The sixth foldable wall  61  includes a hypotenuse edge, a shorter edge  620 , and a longer edge  610 . The hypotenuse edge is superposed with the hypotenuse edge  530  of the fifth foldable wall  53 . 
         [0018]    A rectangular fourth sidewall  60  is connected to the longer edge  610  of the sixth foldable wall  61 . The fourth sidewall  60  includes a first longer edge, a second longer edge, and a shorter edge  605 . The first longer edge is superposed with the longer edge  610  of the sixth foldable wall  61 . The shorter edge  605  is aligned with the shorter edge  620  of the sixth foldable wall  61 . A right-angle triangular seventh foldable wall  63  is connected to the second longer edge of the fourth sidewall  60 . The seventh foldable wall  63  includes a longer edge  600 , a shorter edge  640 , and a hypotenuse edge  630 . The longer edge  600  is superposed with the second longer edge of the fourth sidewall  60 . The shorter edge  640  is aligned with the shorter edge  605  of the fourth sidewall  60 . A right-angle triangular eighth foldable wall  65  is connected to the hypotenuse edge  630  of the seventh foldable wall  63 . The eighth foldable wall  65  includes a hypotenuse edge, a shorter edge  660 , and a longer edge  651 . The hypotenuse edge is superposed with the hypotenuse edge  630  of the seventh foldable wall  63 . A side flange  650  is connected to the longer edge  651  of the eighth foldable wall  65 . 
         [0019]    Creases are defined along the edges  300 ,  310 ,  410 ,  400 ,  430 ,  510 ,  500 ,  530 ,  610 ,  600 ,  630 , and  651  respectively. The first and second foldable walls  31 ,  41  make up of a first foldable flap, the third and fourth foldable walls  43 ,  51  make up of a second foldable flap, the fifth and sixth foldable walls  53 ,  61  make up of a third foldable flap, and the seventh and eighth foldable walls  63 ,  65  make up of a fourth foldable flap. 
         [0020]    To fold the cardboard into the container box, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the second foldable wall  41  is folded perpendicularly to the first foldable wall  31  along the crease corresponding to the hypotenuse edge  310 . The fourth foldable wall  51  is folded perpendicularly to the third foldable wall  43  along the crease corresponding to the hypotenuse edge  430 . The sixth foldable wall  61  is folded perpendicularly to the fifth foldable wall  53  along the crease corresponding to the hypotenuse edge  530 . The eighth foldable wall  65  is folded perpendicularly to the seventh foldable wall  63  along the crease corresponding to the hypotenuse edge  630 . Each of the bottom flanges  22  is folded perpendicularly to the bottom panel  20  along the corresponding creases. The first sidewall  30  of the side panel is folded perpendicularly to the bottom panel  20  along the crease corresponding to the edge  21 . The bottom flanges  22  are attached to the lower edge of the inside surface of the corresponding rectangular sidewalls  40 ,  50  and  60  by adhesives, staples or any other suitable means. The side flange  650  is attached to the first longer edge by adhesives or staples. Thus, the side panel, and the bottom panel  20  cooperatively form the main body  1   0  defining an opening that is larger than the bottom thereof. 
         [0021]    Referring also to  FIG. 2 , in use, each of the first, the second, the third and the fourth foldable flaps is inverted inwards into the main body  10 . To more clearly describe the embodiment, only the first foldable flap is described as an example. The edge  31   0  is pushed inwards into the  1   0  until an outer surface of the first foldable wall  31  and the outer surface of the second foldable wall  41  is folded against each other along the edge  310 , thereby forming an inverted folded flap extending inwards. The inverted folded flap is then folded against either of the adjacent sidewalls  30 ,  40 . The same is performed on each foldable flap. As a result, the opening would be equal to the bottom. An article is then disposed in the main body  10 . A cap is then disposed on top of the opening, thereby preventing the folded flaps and the sidewalls from falling apart. 
         [0022]    When the article needs to be removed from the main body  10 , the cap is taken off and a portion of each of the sidewall adjacent the corresponding folded flap is pulled outwards. As a result, freeing the folded flaps so that the opening of the box would become larger than the bottom, thus removing the article is more convenient. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , in a second embodiment, only one of the foldable flaps is provided. When the foldable flap  100  is inverted inwards into the main body  10   a , the opening will become smaller. When the foldable flap  100  is pulled outwards, the opening will become larger. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , in a third embodiment, the three bottom flanges  22  of the first embodiment are not connected to the bottom panel  20 , instead, three flanges  22   a  are connected to the corresponding lower edges of the second sidewall  40   a , the third sidewall  50   a , and the fourth sidewall  60   a  respectively. Each bottom flange  22   a  can be folded and attached to the corresponding edge of bottom panel  20   a.    
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , in a fourth embodiment, separate bottom panel  20   b  and side panel  30   b  are shown. Four bottom flanges  22   b  are connected to the four edges of the bottom panel  20   b . Each bottom flange  22   b  can be folded and attached to the lower edge of the corresponding sidewall of the side panel  30   b.    
         [0026]    In a fifth embodiment, the bottom panel  20  may not be square, it may be other polygonal. For example, referring to  FIG. 7 , a cardboard with a triangular bottom panel  20   c  is shown. Upon that condition, the sizes and numbers of the sidewalls are changed to fittingly engage with the bottom panel  20   c.    
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , in a sixth embodiment, each foldable wall may not be triangular, it can be of other shapes, as foldable walls  31   d ,  41   d  shown in  FIG. 8  for example. 
         [0028]    While the embodiments have been disclosed with a cardboard material, it is understood that any suitable material can be used. 
         [0029]    It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being embodiments of the invention.