Abstract:
A box-type rectangular container of sheet material having nesting tray and cover parts having a floor and roof respectively and overlapping sidewalls. A pair of the overlapping walls is cut and creased to provide inside and outside access panels for swinging outwards to reach the contents without opening the container. Optionally, catch means may be provided for retaining the access panels reclosed after they have been opened.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a reclosable stock or shipping container. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     One standard form of container to which the invention may be applied is known as a &#34;clothing wrapper&#34; and is made from a one-piece blank of corrugated paperboard, by cutting, creasing and folding. In setting it up from the blank, a tray part having a floor and walls is formed along with a cover part hinged to the top of one of the walls and having a roof and three walls adapted to overlap walls of the tray part when the container is closed. 
     Another type of container to which the invention applies is made up of separate tray and cover parts which nest one within the other. The tray part has a floor and four walls. The cover part has a roof and four walls, adapted to overlap the walls of the tray part. 
     In a container of either of these types, the contents are placed in the tray part and the cover part closed over it with the sides overlapping and connected ready for shipping. 
     Sometimes after the container is closed, it is desirable to remove some of the contents without disturbing others and, with the containers described, this cannot normally be done without completely opening them. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides containers of the types described of foldable sheet material in which access means is provided in the wall of the container which, when the container is closed and filled with merchandise, can be opened to remove contents, and closed again to protect them. This access means may take the form of inside and outside access panels formed by appropriate cutting and creasing in overlapping end-forming flaps, the panels being adapted for hinging outwards to provide an access passage. Preferably, a removable catch member is provided which can be inserted in an opening provided in the outer panel to engage in an opening provided on the inner flap for securing the access panels in closed position when the container is to be used as a stock box. 
     More specifically, one preformed form of the invention contemplates a blank of foldable sheet material for forming the container, cut and creased to provide elongated panels each connected to its adjacent panel by a crease. The panels include in series a first side-forming panel, optionally having a corner flap at each end, a floor panel having a wall-forming flap at each end, a side panel, optionally having a corner flap at each end, a roof panel having a wall-forming flap at each end, and a second side-forming panel, optionally having a corner flap at each end. At one end of the blank, the end-forming flap of the floor panel is provided with a crease parallel to its connection to the floor panel and a circuitous cut extending from the crease defining an inner access flap hingeable about the crease. The corresponding end-forming flap of the roof panel is provided with a crease parallel to its connection with the roof panel which extends from its edge closest to the floor panel to a point spaced from the opposite edge and a cut which extends from its outer edge to the crease to provide an outer access panel which hinges about the crease. Each of the corresponding corner flaps, where present, has an opening for clearing the access flaps when the container is assembled. Desirably, the outer access panel is provided centrally with a hole to receive a catch member and the inside flap with an opening through which the catch member protrudes to engage the flap. 
     More specifically, a container, according to the invention, has a tray part made up of a floor panel and upstanding therefrom walls in the form of opposed side-forming panels and end-forming panels connected to the side-forming panels at the corners. The container has a related cover part including a roof panel and walls in the form of at least one side-forming panel which overlap the side and end-forming panels of the tray part when the container is closed and endforming panels connected at the corners to the side-forming panel. The access structure as described above is provided in the respective overlapping end-forming panels of the tray and cover. 
     Application of the invention to the type of container in which the cover part and tray part are separate is similar. In this case, however, instead of the roof of the cover part being joined to a side which is common to both the tray and cover parts, it is joined to its own fourth side. With the tray part nested within the cover part, when the container is closed, however, the overlapping end walls are in the same position relative to each other as with the clothing wrapper type container. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Having generally described the invention it will be referred to in more detail by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment, and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a blank suitable for making a reclosable stock or shipping container, according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the access panel construction; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view from one end of the container made from the blank of FIG. 1, filled and closed; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container made from the blank of FIG. 1, partly assembled for filling with merchandize; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view from one end of a container of the previous Figures, showing the access panels in open position; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section along the line 6--6 of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-section along the line 7--7 of FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a blank of foldable sheet material, designated generally as A, suitable for making a container according to the invention. The blank A is die cut and creased to provide it with the following parts--a floor panel 15, a roof panel 17, a side wall panel 19 and side wall-forming panels 21 and 22, rear wall-forming panels 23 and 25 at one end and front wall-forming panels 27 and 29 at the other end, and corner flaps 31, 33, 35, 37, 48 and 50. 
     A crease 21a intervenes the panel 15 and the panel 21. Creases 19a and 19b intervene the panel 19 and the panels 15 and 17 respectively. A crease 22a intervenes the panel 22 and the panel 17. A crease 23a intervenes the panels or flaps 21 and 31, 15 and 23, 19 and 48, 17 and 25, and 22 and 33 respectively. A crease 27a intervenes the panels or flaps 21 and 35, 15 and 27, 19 and 50, 17 and 29, and 22 and 37 respectively. 
     In accordance with the invention, the panel 27 is provided with a die cut 39 and a crease 38, providing a flap 41 hingeable to the panel about the crease 38. 
     The panel 29 is provided with a crease 43, and a die cut 44 to provide a flap 45 hingeable to the panel 29 about the crease 43. 
     Preferably uncut ligaments 41a are left between the flap 41 and the panel 27. Likewise, there is preferably left uncut a ligament 45a between the flap 45 and the panel 29. 
     A circular opening 45b is provided in the flap 45 and a slot 53 in the panel 27. 
     A part of the flap 35 is cut away to provide an opening 47, part of the flap 37 is cut away to provide an opening 49, and part of the flap 50 is cut away to provide an opening 51. 
     The corner flaps 31, 48, 33, 35, 50 and 37 are separated from their adjacent end panels by cuts. 
     In setting up the container from the flat, first the panels 21 and 19 are raised perpendicular to the panel 15 and the flaps 35 and 50 are folded behind and stapled to the panel 27, as shown in FIG. 4. The panel 29 is raised perpendicular to the panel 17 and the flap 37 is folded behind and stapled to the panel 29. Then, the panel 23 is raised perpendicular to the panel 15 and the flaps 31 and 48 are stapled to the inside of the panel 23. 
     Then, the flap 25 is raised perpendicular to the panel 17 and the flap 33 stapled to the inside of the panel 25. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, there is provided a container made up of a tray part B ready to be filled with merchandize and a cover part C for closing the container once the merchandise is packed in it. 
     The tray is filled with any type of goods, for example, bags of shirts, dresses or otherwise. 
     Once the tray B is filled, the cover part C is closed so that the side-forming panel 22 overlaps the side-forming panel 21, the end-forming panel 25 overlaps the end-forming panel 23 and the end-forming panel 29 overlaps the end-forming panel 27. Staples 61 are applied through overlapping parts at appropriate places to secure the parts together in the closed container. 
     The specific form of container shown is a typical &#34;clothing wrapper.&#34; As already stated, the invention is not limited to this particular type of container. For example, another type to which it may apply is a box similar to the container shown, but in which where the side 19 is connected to the top panel of the tray 17, but instead, a fourth side on the cover part takes the place of the side 19 which, in the container illustrated, joins the roof 17 of the cover part of the floor 15 of the tray part. 
     Containers of the types described may also be made without corner flaps. In this case they may have instead paper glued on to the walls at least at the corners to hold them together. 
     If the container is merely to be used as a shipping container, it is filled as described, and shipped out. If it is to be used as a stock container, before the cover part C is pushed down onto the tray part B a locking catch 60 may be inserted. Then the ligaments 41a and 45a are ruptured and the catch inserted into the opening 53 to retain the access panels closed. The container can be shipped out with or without the catch. 
     The flap 41 may be on a side panel, say 21, rather than on the end panel 27. In this event, the panel 22 would include a flap corresponding to the flap 45. This flap could be centered by providing a slit corresponding to 44 at each side of it. 
     While the clothing wrapper type has been described as having corner flaps which overlap adjoining walls, these flaps may be omitted. The same applies to the type of container in which the tray and cover parts are separate. 
     The containers of the invention may be made from any suitable foldable sheet material, preferably paperboard. Corrugated paperboard is preferred. 
     It will be seen, therefore, that the boxes described are completely usable for shipping. The catch member need only be applied to those boxes to be used as stock boxes or storage containers. In this way, the cost per box will be no higher than the ordinary box that would normally be used as a shipping container.