Patent Publication Number: US-2018044053-A1

Title: Container with reinforced sides

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/374,132 filed Aug. 12, 2016, which is herein incorporated by reference as if expressly set forth in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present subject matter relates in general to a container, and more particularly, it relates to a cardboard box with wood-reinforced sides. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Containers for shipping and storing items are widely used in a plethora of industries and typically consist of cardboard material. However, these containers are faced with significant drawbacks, as cardboard material is susceptible to damage caused by loading and unloading the containers. In the past, double corrugated cardboard, double boxing, and plastic wrap have been used in attempts to prevent containers from becoming damaged. 
     Until now, no container has been constructed of reinforced sides, particularly using a wood reinforcement material without requiring any bonding, to protect the contents inside of the container and prevent the container from becoming pierced by equipment used to transport the containers. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     In an embodiment, the present subject matter is directed to a container, comprising: a first piece of composite material having a plurality of sides, thereby forming a rectangular center; a plurality of side walls integrally connected with the plurality of sides, each side wall having an interior side wall and an exterior side wall; a plurality of side wall scores configured between each interior side wall and each corresponding exterior side wall, wherein each exterior side wall folds along the corresponding side wall scores; a support material configured between each interior side wall and each exterior side wall, wherein the support material prevents contents inside of the container from becoming damaged; and a plurality of scores formed between the plurality of side walls and the plurality of sides near an outer perimeter of the rectangular center, wherein the plurality of side walls fold along the plurality of scores. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a top non-limiting exemplary view of the container. 
         FIG. 2  shows a side non-limiting exemplary view of the container. 
         FIG. 3  shows a bottom non-limiting exemplary view of the container. 
         FIG. 4  shows a non-limiting exemplary plan view of the container in an open position. 
         FIG. 5  shows a non-limiting exemplary plan view of the container in an open position. 
         FIG. 6  shows a non-limiting exemplary enlarged vertical cross-section view of the container side wall. 
         FIG. 7  shows a side non-limiting exemplary view of the container. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present subject matter presents a solution to problems arising in the prior art, namely, the present subject matter provides a container constructed of reinforced sides to protect the contents inside of the container. This is especially beneficial if the contents comprise a fragile material, such as glass. In particular, in a non-limiting example, the present subject matter uses a wood reinforcement material without requiring any bonding. Such a configuration prevents the container from becoming pierced by equipment that transports the containers, such as forklifts, etc. 
     In particular, a container with reinforced sides in an embodiment of the present subject matter may have a support material between an interior side wall and an exterior side wall. The piece of composite material has a plurality of sides that form a rectangular center, and each side is integrally connected with a side wall that surrounds the support material. The sides and side walls completely fold around the support material to create reinforced sides. The reinforced sides ensure that the contents of the container are not damaged when the container is subjected to forces and trauma. 
     A plurality of side wall scores are configured between each interior side wall and each corresponding exterior side wall. Each interior and exterior side wall folds along corresponding side wall scores. A plurality of scores are formed between the plurality of side walls and the plurality of sides near the outer perimeter of the rectangular center. Furthermore, the plurality of side walls fold along the plurality of scores. 
     In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, a container includes flaps on the side wall to add to the face protection on the container. The container may also provide a glue tab and corner locking, useful for larger containers. Locking flaps may be utilized instead of a plurality of slits. Furthermore, attachment means such as glue, staples, or both may be used, depending on the container size, in order to keep the container assembled for large units. Further, an embodiment may use a three-piece design to avoid issues with corrugate size. 
     As such, an embodiment of the present subject matter relates to a container, comprising: a first piece of composite material having a plurality of sides, thereby forming a rectangular center; a plurality of side walls integrally connected with the plurality of sides, each side wall having an interior side wall and an exterior side wall; a plurality of side wall scores configured between each interior side wall and each corresponding exterior side wall, wherein each exterior side wall folds along the corresponding side wall scores; a support material configured between each interior side wall and each exterior side wall, wherein the support material prevents contents inside of the container from becoming damaged; and a plurality of scores formed between the plurality of side walls and the plurality of sides near an outer perimeter of the rectangular center, wherein the plurality of side walls fold along the plurality of scores. 
     In an embodiment, the container of the present subject matter further comprises a plurality of slits configured along the outer perimeter of the rectangular center; and a plurality of tabs configured along each of the interior side walls, wherein each of the plurality of slits correspond to the plurality of tabs, and wherein each of the plurality of slits are configured to receive the tabs, thereby securing the interior side wall around the support material. 
     In an embodiment, the plurality of slits comprises through holes. 
     In an embodiment, the container of the present subject matter further comprises a second piece of composite material configured to fit over the first piece of composite material, thereby securing contents inside of the container. 
     In an embodiment, the plurality of side walls comprises a plurality of flaps. In an embodiment, the plurality of flaps comprises locking flaps. In an embodiment, the plurality of flaps further comprises a glue tab. In an embodiment, the plurality of flaps further comprises a corner locking tab. 
     In an embodiment, the container of the present subject matter further comprises attachment means. In an embodiment, the attachment means comprises glue, staples, or a combination thereof. 
     In an embodiment, the support material is unbonded. In an embodiment, the support material is wood. In an embodiment, the composite material comprises cardboard or corrugate. 
     In an embodiment, the container of the present subject matter further comprises a three piece design to avoid corrugate size issues. 
       FIGS. 1-7  show non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the container. Referring to  FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 , a container includes a first piece of composite material  1 A and a plurality of sides  1 . The sides of the container are configured to form a rectangular center  2 , so that a plurality of side walls  3  integrally connect with the plurality of sides  1 . Each side wall  3  includes an interior side wall  4  and an exterior side wall  5 . When the container is in a fully assembled position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the interior side walls  4  face the contents of the container, and the exterior side walls  5  form the outer walls of the container. Side wall scores  6  are located between each interior side wall  4  and each corresponding exterior side wall  5 . According to the scores, one side of each exterior side wall  5  and one side of each interior side wall  4  fold along corresponding side wall scores  6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a support material  12 , in specific embodiments a wood material, is configured to be placed between each interior side wall  4  and each exterior side wall  5 . Furthermore, the support material helps prevent the contents inside of the container from becoming damaged. A plurality of scores  7  are formed between the plurality of side walls  3  and the plurality of sides  1  near an outer perimeter of the rectangular center  2 . The plurality of side walls  3  fold along the plurality of scores  1  to form a rectangular box for placing contents to be shipped or stored. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the container may include a plurality of slits  8  configured along the outer perimeter of the rectangular center  2 . The slits  8  are spaced approximately 20 inches to 30 inches from the center of the rectangular center along the width of the container and approximately 18 inches to 96 inches from the center of the rectangular center  2  along the length of the container. In a particular embodiment, the slits  8  are spaced approximately 24.5 inches from the center of the rectangular center along the width of the container. The slits  8  can be through holes or holes that include a depth suitable for locking the corresponding tabs  9  into the container. The plurality of tabs  9  are integrally formed along one side of each of the interior side walls  4 , and each of the plurality of slits  8  correspond to the plurality of tabs  9 . The slits  8  securely receive the tabs  9  and lock the interior side walls  4  into the outer perimeter of the rectangular center  2  around the support material. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the container may include a plurality of flaps  10  configured along the outer length of the interior side wall  4 . Each flap is formed along one side of each of the interior side walls  4  to add to the face protection on the container. The flaps fold along the length of the interior side wall and are positioned inside the formed container, lying flat along the perimeter of the rectangular center  2 . Furthermore, the flaps  10  may include a glue tab or corner locking  11  for interlocking the side walls, which is useful for larger containers. The flaps  10  serve to lock the side walls  3  in position, as opposed to the plurality of slits in  FIG. 4 . 
     Furthermore, attachment means such as glue, staples, or both may be used, depending on the container size, in order to keep the container assembled for large units. Further, an embodiment may use a three-piece design to avoid issues with corrugate size. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the container may include a second piece of composite material  1 B or a cover that fits over the first piece of composite material  1 A. The second piece of composite material secures the contents that are placed inside of the first piece of composite material. By having a simple, two-piece composite material structure, the container may be easily separated for recycling and disposal. 
     While certain exemplary embodiments and implementations are described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from this description. Accordingly, the various embodiments described are not intended to be limiting, but rather are encompassed by the broader scope of the presented claims, as well as various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.