Abstract:
A convertible cart and container may be assembled by folding a blank of paperboard and attaching a wheeled carriage thereto. The blank includes a floor panel connected to front and back panels along fold lines, the back panel having side panels connected thereto along fold lines. The blank includes a plurality of lines of weakness which facilitate separation of the assembled cart into an upper handle portion which may be discarded and a container portion. The assembled cart conveniently includes an opening in a front panel and a pair of doors which are hinged to the front panel along fold lines to permit access to the chamber within the cart while obscuring the contents from view. The cart includes a top flap portion which may be separated from the upper handle portion and folded over a substantially rectangular box-type container for enclosing items received in the container and permitting shipping of the reduced size container without the need for emptying the contents for conversion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention is concerned with a blank form which can be folded into a cart useful for receiving papers, booklets and small objects and which can be converted into a shipping container. More particularly, the cart may be created by folding a cardboard form, and the contents placed therein may remain while the cart is converted into a shipping container. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Attendees at fairs, conventions and trade shows often accumulate various small objects, brochures and booklets which are given away. As these items accumulate, the recipients may carry the items in plastic, paper or even cloth bags that are provided as promotions. While useful, the bags become quite heavy as the items accumulate. Over the course of a day, the attendee may receive more items than can be carried without considerable fatigue. After the fair, convention or trade show has concluded, the attendee is faced with the task of packing the accumulated material for further review at a later time after returning. 
     Various hand-drawn vehicles have been developed for carrying purchased items. U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,071 shows a wheeled shopping bag that may be wrapped around a rolling carrier to form a compact package when not in use. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,087,740, 3,092,395, 3,135,527, 3,279,811, 3,285,620, 3,427,040 and 3,462,171 show corrugated board shopping carts having wheels and which are suitable for pulling behind the user. Similar structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,125,675, 5,628,523 and 5,711,438 showing wheeled trolleys or display stands, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,243 shows a collapsible shipping container which is generally tapered toward the top to receive a bag of golf clubs therein and then folds to a smaller size when not in use. 
     These containers all provide benefits to the user in that they may be constructed of a relatively inexpensive corrugated board and some may initially be formed from a blank. In addition, some of the containers may be folded or rolled to be more compact when not in use. However, it would be desirable to have a cart which could be formed from a blank and be suitable for a first storage use in its expanded state permitting pulling or pushing by a generally erect adult, and then capable of reduction in size to permit shipping of the contents placed therein through the mail or a parcel service. It would also be desirable to have such a cart which would permit easy insertion of articles therein while remaining substantially enclosed. It would also be beneficial to have a cart which is easily converted from a wheeled cart to a storage container. Another desirable feature is to minimize waste and have all of the components of a shipping carton in the blank of the cart. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other desirable features are largely satisfied by the collapsible cart and shipping container of the present invention. That is to say, the invention hereof provides an economical cart which can readily be constructed of a blank of corrugated board which is cut and provided with lines of weakening to permit easy assembly, and which is light in weight. The blank may be stored in a compact condition and then folded for assembly into a cart which is easy to push or pull by an adult standing or walking in an erect position after the insertion of an axle through openings near the bottom panel and attachment of wheels thereto. The assembled cart is substantially enclosed, but includes an opening with doors which swing to permit insertion of items into the cart&#39;s interior and then return to maintain the contents hidden. The cart is in a convenient, essentially triangular pyramid which helps keep the center of gravity relatively low and improves the rigidity of the cart. The assembled cart includes lines of weakening which permit removal of portions of the walls of the cart and conversion to a shipping container without the necessity of removing or disturbing the items placed within the cart. The shipping container advantageously includes an integral top flap which folds over to enclose the container. Once the top flap is secured by tape or the like, the converted shipping container is ready for dispatch. 
     More particularly, the collapsible cart of the present invention is constructed from a precut and perforated blank, preferably of corrugated board. The single blank includes a floor panel with a rear panel and a front panel extending therefrom, each of the rear panel and front panel including a plurality of transversely extending fold lines. In addition, the blank includes side panels which extend from one of the front and back panels. In the embodiment illustrated, the side panels are generally triangular and extend from opposite rear fold lines of the rear panel to form side walls when the collapsible cart is constructed. The lower side panels have respective holes to receive an axle therethrough. The side panels are then folded along longitudinally extending fold lines and the front panel and rear panel are folded along transverse fold lines whereby a collapsible cart is shaped and retained in that configuration by the insertion of tabs on the front panel into corresponding slots in the side panels. After the blank is folded, an axle is inserted through the holes and wheels are attached to the ends of the axle exteriorly of the folded blank to form a cart with an integral, handle and handhold. 
     The front panel presents at least one and preferably a pair of doors which swing along fold lines to permit the insertion of items into the cart. Items inserted through the opening are retained in the cart and normally fall to a natural position of repose in the bottom. Items are normally not visible in the interior of the cart because the doors tend to return to a position blocking the opening. 
     Beneficially, the blank and the resulting cart include a number of lines of weakness made by scoring or perforations which permit the cart to be converted to a shipping container of a convenient size. Because the items naturally tend to fall to the bottom, the configuration of the cart and positioning of the lines of weakness avoids the need to remove the items within the cart for conversion to a shipping carton. Portions of the back panel and side panels are removed from the lower portions so that a box with a lid is provided. Upon removal of the axle and wheels and folding of the lid to enclose the item-receiving chamber, the cart is converted to a shipping container of a more convenient size and configuration, which may be shipped with excess charges due to size or bulky configuration by most shipping services or return with the user as checked airline baggage. In this way, an attendee at a trade show may obtain the use of an inexpensive cart in which to place and temporarily store items received at the show, the cart being rollable to minimize strain on the user. At the conclusion, the cart may be quickly converted to shipping container either at an airport or at a parcel shipping service. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank prior to folding showing the various panels, fold lines and cut lines forming the preferred blank; 
     FIG. 2 is a left front perspective view of the convertible cart hereof after the blank has been folded and the wheels and axle attached and the swinging doors in covering relationship over the opening at the front of the cart; 
     FIG. 3 is a right rear perspective view of the convertible cart hereof and assembled as shown in FIG. 2, showing the fold and perforation lines of the flaps of the side panels and the rear flap; 
     FIG. 4 is a left rear perspective view after removal of portions of the front panel, back panel and side panels removed along lines of weakening and removal of the axle and wheels to convert the cart to a shipping container; and 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the shipping carton of FIG. 4 with the top flap folded rearwardly prior to closure or after opening to gain access to the items placed in the carton. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a blank  10  useful in constructing the cart  12  shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 which may then be converted into the shipping container  14  shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The blank  10  is preferably provided of corrugated board which is inexpensive and provides the desired qualities of rigidity, ability to be cut, scored, perforated or folded, and lightness of weight. However, it may be appreciated that other materials with similar properties may be employed. In FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , solid lines on the interior of the blank  10  or the assembled cart  12  indicate cut lines extending through the material, alternating long and short dashes indicate fold lines, and the use of dashes of the same size indicates a line of weakening created by perforation or scoring to facilitate separation therealong. A wheeled carriage  16  is attached to the folded blank  10  to provide the cart  12 . 
     The blank  10  is initially provided as a flat sheet of paperboard such as corrugated board to permit a multiplicity of such blanks to be shipped and stored in a relatively small space. The blank  10  includes a floor panel  18 , a front panel  20 , a rear panel  22  and first and second side panels  24  and  26  connected to the rear panel  22  along respective first side panel fold line  28  and second side panel fold line  30 . The blank  10  is cut into a shape having an irregular outer perimeter  32 . 
     In greater detail, the front panel  20  is hingedly connected to the floor panel  18  along a front floor fold line  34 . The front panel  20  includes a front container panel  36  adjacent the front floor fold line  34  and a front handle panel  38  connected to the front container panel  36  along a transverse upper front fold line  40  which is substantially parallel to front floor fold line  34 . The front container panel forms the front wall of the container  14  after folding. The front handle panel  38  further includes a boxing panel  42  and an opening panel  44 . An opening  46  is provided by a plurality of cuts in the opening panel  44 . The cuts may be in a variety of shapes to provide the opening, including arcuate, but in the embodiment illustrated a plurality of substantially linear cuts are used and include a transverse bottom cut  48 , a transverse top cut  50 , and a longitudinally extending center cut  52  extending therebetween and preferably located midway between the side margins  54  and  56  of the front panel  20 . Also, the cuts  48  and  50  have a transverse orientation as viewed in FIG. 1 but do not extend to the side margins  54  and  56 , whereby the opening  46  is internal to the outer perimeter  32 . The cuts  48 ,  50  and  52  both define two saloon-type doors  58  and  60  which are hingably mounted to the opening panel  44  along longitudinally extending hinge lines  62  and  64 , but together with the hinge lines  62  and  64  define the dimensions of the opening  46  when the doors swing on the hinge lines  62  and  64 . The corrugated board retains a memory as to the initial position of the doors  58  and  60  whereby they are biased to return to the closed position. A circular cut  66  is provided on the center cut  52  midway between the cuts  48  and  50  to permit removal of the corrugated board material therewithin and thereby provide a fingerhole to assist in opening the doors  58  and  60 . The lower cut  48  is aligned with lines of weakness  68  and  70  formed by perforations or alternatively scoring, the lines of weakness  68  and  70  extending between the lower cut  48  and the respective side margins  54  and  56  and are located between the boxing panel  42  and the opening panel  44 . The front panel  20  further includes a plurality of transversely extending tabs  72   a,    72   b,    72   c,    72   d,    72   e  and  72   f  along each of the side margins  54  and  56  of the front panel  20 . An ovoid front handle cutout  74  is provided in the opening panel  44  proximate the top margin  76 . 
     The back panel  22  is elongated and is hingably connected to the floor panel  18  by a back floor fold line  78  oriented substantially parallel to the front floor fold line  34 . The back panel  22  further includes a top flap portion  80  hingably connected by a transverse top panel fold line  82  to back container panel  84  which forms the back wall of the container  14  after folding. The top flap portion  80  includes a top wall portion  86  and a sealing flap panel  88  connected to the top wall portion  86  along a transverse sealing flap fold line  90 . The back panel  22  further includes a back handle panel  92  connected to the sealing flap panel  88  of the top flap portion  80  along a line of weakness  94  provided by perforations or alternatively scoring of the corrugated board. The back handle panel  92  has a top edge  96  substantially parallel to the top edge  76  and includes a back handle cutout  98  similar to front handle cutout  74  and located proximate the top edge  96 . 
     The first and second side panels  24  and  26  are connected to the rear panel  22  along the first and second side panel fold lines  28  and  30  and are essentially mirror images of one another. Each side panel  24  and  26  includes a respective side container panel  100  and  102  to which an interior floor panel  104  is hingably connected along an interior floor panel fold line  106 . Each side panel  24  and  26  further includes a respective side securement flap  108  and  110  hingably connected to its side container panel along a respective side securement flap fold line  112 ,  114 . The side securement flaps each include a cutout along the flap fold lines  112 ,  114  defining a slot  116   a  and  116   b  sized and located for receiving the tabs  72   a  and  72   b,  respectively, therein. Further, the side panels  24  and  26  include respective handle sidewalls  116  and  118  each having a respective handle securement flap  120 ,  122  connected thereto along a diagonal fold line  124 ,  126 . The handle sidewalls  116  and  118  each have a cutout defining a slot  116   c,    116   d,    116   e,  and  116   f  located along the diagonal fold lines  124  and  126  which are sized and positioned to respectively receive tabs  72   c,    72   d,    72   e,  and  72   f  in locking engagement therewith. The handle sidewalls  116  and  118  include respective trapezoidally shaped top cover flaps  128  and  130  and triangular upper handle side panels  132  and  134  separated by transversely extending lines of weakening  136  and  138 , preferably formed by perforations. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the portion of the diagonal fold lines  124  and  126  adjacent the cover flaps  128  and  130  is perforated to provide diagonal weakened line segments  140  and  142 , and the portion of fold lines  28  and  30  adjacent the top cover flaps  128  and  130  are similarly perforated to provide top flap weakened line segments  144  and  146 . The side container panels  100  and  102  each present a hole  148  proximate the respective side panel fold lines and the interior panel fold lines  106 . The top cover flaps  128  and  130  are separable from their respective side container panels by fold lines 
     The wheeled carriage  16  includes a wood or more preferably metal axle  150  onto which wheels  152  and  154  may be rotatably mounted. Friction caps  156  or other fasteners may be used to cover the ends of the axle  150  and hold the wheels  152  and  154  in place, or the wheels may simply press fit onto the axle. 
     To form the cart  12  from the blank  10  and the wheeled carriage  16 , the user folds the back panel  22  along back floor fold line  78  until it is essentially perpendicular to the floor panel  18 . Side panels  24  and  26  are folded along their first and second side panel fold lines  28  and  30  into facing relationship in substantially parallel planes. The front interior floor panels  104  are then folded along their interior floor panel fold lines  106  to an overlapping position and also overlying the floor panel  18 . The side securement flaps  108  and  110  are folded into opposing relationship and handle securement flaps  120  and  122  are also folded into opposing relationship. 
     The front panel  20  is then folded upwardly opposite the back panel  22  along front floor fold line  34 . The front container panel  36  remains parallel to the back container panel  84  and tabs  72   a  and  72   b  are inserted into slots  116   a  and  116   b.  The front handle panel  38  is further folded to incline toward back panel  22  along transverse upper fold line  40 . Tab  72   c  is inserted into slot  116   c,  tab  72   d  is inserted into slot  116   d,  tab  72   e  is inserted into slot  116   e,  and tab  72   f  is inserted into slot  116   f,  whereby top margin  76  is adjacent top edge  96  and front handle cutout  74  is in registry with back handle cutout  98 . So assembled, a chamber  154  is provided inside the front panel  20 , rear panel  22 , side panels  24  and  26 , and the floor panel  18 . The axle  150  is then inserted through holes  148 , the wheels  152  and  154  are mounted outboard of the side container panels  100  and  102 , and the caps  156  are positioned on the ends of the axle  146  to hold the wheels in place. The bottom panel  18  thereby forms the bottom wall of the cart  12 , the front panel  20  forms the front wall of the cart  12 , the back panel  22  forms the back wall of the cart  12 , and the side panels  24  and  26  form the side walls of the cart  12  with the interior floor panels  104  thereof folded along fold lines  106  over the floor panel to provide reinforcing for the bottom panel  18 . The cart  12  is then ready for use, whereby the user may grasp the handle cutouts while standing erect and push or pull the cart along on its wheels. Items collected by the user may be inserted by pushing on the doors  58  and  60  which swing open to permit items to be placed in the chamber  162 , and then swing back to block the opening  46 . When so assembled, the cart  12  thus presents an upper handle portion  164  separable from a lower container  166  portion along the lines of weakness as described below. 
     When the user is through collecting items and is ready to ship the contents, the cart  12  is readily converted into a container  14 . This is accomplished by first disengaging the tabs  72   c - 72   f  from locking engagement with their respective slots  116   c - 116   f.  The handle securement flaps  120  and  122  are then removed from the top cover flaps  128  and  130  along diagonal weakened line segments  140  and  142 . The top cover flaps are separated from the triangular upper handle side panels  132  and  134  along transversely extending lines of weakening  136  and  138 . The top cover flaps are separated from the top flap portion  80  along top flap weakened line segments  140  and  142  which is inturn separated from the back handle panel  92  along line of weakness  94 . The front handle panel  38  is then separated from the boxing panel  42  along lines of weakness  68  and  70 . Separation along each line of weakness may be readily accomplished by use of an ordinary pen knife, scissors, or by tearing therealong. The wheels  152  and  154  and axle  150  are removed from the remaining portion of the cart  12 . 
     The container is closed by folding the boxing panel  42  downwardly over the contents of chamber  162  or fully forward to be parallel to the front container panel  36  if desired. Thereafter, the top cover flaps  128  and  130  are folded along cover flap fold lines  158  and  160  and over one another as shown in FIG.  4 . The top wall portion  86  is then folded down onto the remaining uppermost edges of the front container panel  36  and side container panels  100  and  102 , whereby the sealing flap panel  88  is then folded and either tucked into the chamber behind the boxing panel  42  or alternatively, if desired or if the boxing panel  42  is unable to be tucked behind the front container panel  36 , the sealing flap is placed on the outside of the front container panel  36  and secured by tape or the like to enclose the contents of the chamber  154  in a condition ready for shipping. 
     Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the sidewalls may be provided instead on the front panel and the slots and tabs may be reversed whereby the tabs are provided on the rear panel and the slots provided in the front panel. 
     The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.