Abstract:
A corrugated container for shipping products includes a product storage compartment mounted and an integral pallet for lifting the container with a forklift vehicle. The container side walls include opposed end panels and opposed side panels. One pair of panels extends to the bottom of the product storage compartment and is integral with storage compartment bottom panels. The other pair of panels extends further than the bottom of the storage compartment to a container bottom and is integral with container bottom panels. The distance between bottoms is sufficient to accommodate the tines of a forklift vehicle. In one embodiment, the side walls are collapsible for storage and transport when empty. Stacking blocks formed of wrapped honeycomb material are positioned between the container bottom and the storage compartment bottom to support the storage container bottom above the container bottom. The blocks are spaced apart to permit insertion of forklift tines.

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0001]    Not Applicable.  
         RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0002]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application S. No. 60/322,116, filed Sep. 14, 2001.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Corrugated fiberboard boxes are widely used for packaging products for shipment or transportation. In many applications, the containers are transported by placing them on wooden skids or pallets and then moving the palletized containers by means of a forklift truck wherein tines of a lifting fork fit between upper and lower surfaces of the wooden pallet. Large boxes or containers, sometimes called bulk boxes, often are placed on a skid before the box is filled with products. Skid size boxes are sometimes stitched or fastened to a skid on manufacture and shipped to the user as a single unit.  
           [0004]    This process involves some drawbacks. Separate wooden pallets are expensive and subject to breakage and have to be disposed of separately from the corrugated fiberboard containers. This is a special concern in Europe, where environmental laws restrict the use of materials that are not readily recyclable, which wooden skids are not.  
           [0005]    An object of the present invention is to provide an improved recyclable corrugated container that incorporates its own corrugated pallet or skid.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A corrugated container for shipping products includes a product storage compartment mounted on an integral pallet for lifting the container with a forklift vehicle. The container product comprises opposed end panels and opposed side panels, the end panels extending from the top to the bottom of the product storage compartment, the side panels extending from the top downwardly further than the bottom of the storage compartment to a container bottom. The distance between the bottom of the product storage compartment and the bottom of the container is sufficient to accommodate the tines of a forklift vehicle therebetween. A storage compartment bottom panel is integral with at least one end panel and is folded upwardly therefrom. A container bottom panel is integral with at least one side panel and is folded upwardly therefrom The container further comprises a plurality of spaced stacking blocks, preferably formed of wrapped honeycomb material or other suitably crush resistant material, positioned between the container bottom and the storage compartment bottom so as to support the storage container bottom at an elevated position above the container bottom. The stacking blocks are spaced sufficiently between the side panels that the tines of a forklift vehicle can fit into the space between the storage compartment bottom and the container bottom from two or four directions in order to pick up the container.  
           [0007]    In one aspect of the invention, the panels of the container are formed of two blanks or fabrication sheets, with each sheet including an end panel, a side panel, a container bottom panel, and a storage compartment bottom panel. The blank includes score lines for folding the panels in their desired position. The lower ends of the end and side panels are offset so that the lower portion of one panel is folded upwardly to form the storage compartment bottom, while the lower portion of the other panel is folded upwardly to form the container bottom.  
           [0008]    In another aspect of the invention, the panels of the container are formed of at least one fabrication sheet, with the at least one sheet including an end panel, a side panel, a container bottom panel, and a storage compartment bottom panel. The fabrication sheet includes score lines for folding the panels in their desired position. The lower ends of the end and side panels are offset so that the lower portion of one panel is folded upwardly to form the storage compartment bottom, while the lower portion of the other panel is folded upwardly to form the container bottom. The fabrication sheet further includes score lines for folding an upper portion of the end and side panels over the top of the container for reducing the volume of the container.  
           [0009]    The present invention provides a cost effective box having an integral corrugated pallet and eliminates the problems associated with the use of separate wooden pallets.  
           [0010]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail below and shown in the appended drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container with integral pallet in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is an end view of the container of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines  3 - 3  of FIG. 2.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one fabrication panel of the present invention shown folded into its assembled configuration.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the container top in unassembled form.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a plan view of one of two fabrication panels of one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a plan view of one interior partition panel employed in the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a plan view of another interior partition panel employed in the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a plan view of still another interior partition panel employed in the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a plan view of still another interior partition panel employed in the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a container with integral pallet in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 11 in a partially folded configuration.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 13 is a plan view of a fabrication panel for the container of FIGS.  11 - 12 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    Referring to the drawings, a container  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Container  10  is preferably formed of corrugated fiberboard. Other comparable corrugated material could be employed.  
         [0025]    Container  10  is generally rectangular and comprises an upper storage compartment  12  and a lower pallet compartment  14  positioned below the storage compartment. A top  16  fits on an open top  18  of the storage compartment. Storage compartment  12  comprises opposed end panels  20  and  22  and opposed side panels  24  and  26 . End panels  20  extend downwardly from the open top  18  of the container to the bottom  19  of the storage compartment, which is formed by bottom panels  30  and  32 . Bottom panels  30  and  32  are integral with end panels  20  and  22 , respectively, and are formed from a common blank or sheet of fabrication material by folding the end panels upwardly along a score line between the end and bottom panels so that the panels are perpendicular with each other.  
         [0026]    Side panels  24  extend to a bottom  34  of the container, which is formed by container bottom panels  36  and  38 . Panels  36  and  38  are integral with side panels  24  and  26  and are joined at the lower edges of those panels. Panels  36  and  38  are formed into position by folding the panels along a score line at the lower edge of the side panels.  
         [0027]    As formed, the container has a storage compartment bottom  19  positioned above a container bottom  34 , with the distance between the bottoms being sufficient to receive the lifting tines of the forklift vehicle. A distance of about 4¾ inches is typical, but other distances will work.  
         [0028]    A plurality of stacking blocks  40  fit between the bottoms of the storage compartment and the container in order to support the storage compartment bottom at its elevated position above the container bottom. While stacking blocks  40  can be formed of any material that is sufficiently rigid to maintain the spacing between the container and storage compartment bottoms, a particularly effective and relatively inexpensive stacking block is formed of a wrapped honeycomb fiberboard material having a plurality of adjoining vertical tubular cells. This honeycomb material is relatively inexpensive and lightweight and yet possesses sufficient crush resistant characteristics to support most anticipated loads in the storage compartment of the container. Honeycomb material having ½ inch to ⅝ inch wide cells formed of multi-weight material (such as 42-33-42 weight paper) works satisfactorily in the present invention. Desirably, the stacking blocks are formed of the same type of material as the rest of the container, so that the entire container can be reused or recycled as one material.  
         [0029]    In a typical carton, which may be 45 inches or more on a side, a preferred stacking block arrangement is nine stacking blocks, arranged in rows of three at the ends and middle of the container. This configuration is shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0030]    The stacking block sizes are selected so that the tines of a forklift vehicle can fit between stacking blocks and can be inserted into the pallet portion of the container sufficiently to lift the container. The stacking block sizes are also selected in order to provide sufficient column strength for the load anticipated for the container. A typical block size is approximately nine inches long, five inches wide, and four inches high.  
         [0031]    As shown in FIG. 2, the honeycomb portions  49  of the stacking blocks are enclosed with a corrugated wrapper  44 . The wrapper includes vertical panels  46 , a top panel  48  that abuts the bottom  19  of the storage compartment, and a bottom panel  50  that abuts the container bottom  34 . The top and bottom wrapper panels close the top and bottom sides of the cells and improve the crush resistance of the cells, while vertical panels  46  provide vertical stability for the cells and protects the sides of the cells from accidental injury from the forklift tines. The honeycomb portion  49  is glued to the wrapper as a structural unit. Wrapped honeycomb material is available commercially in assembled form. The stacking blocks themselves are glued, preferably with hot melt glue, in position in the container. The wrapper facilitates gluing the honeycomb material in the container.  
         [0032]    While the foregoing honeycomb stacking blocks provide ample crush resistance in a lightweight and inexpensive package, other stacking blocks would be functionally acceptable. The stacking blocks, for example, could be formed of a roll or log of single faced corrugated material, with one or two logs being wrapped with a corrugated wrapper. The log supports, however, are more expensive. Weight and expense, durability, and crush resistance are factors that affect the design selection of the stacking blocks.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 1, the container has openings for inserting forklift tines in either end of the box. The openings for the tines could be placed in all four directions by removing cutout portions  52 , shown in phantom, in the side panels of FIG. 1. These cutout portions are between the respective stacking blocks and between the bottoms of the storage compartment and container, in a manner similar to the openings in the ends of the container.  
         [0034]    The container of the present invention is formed from one or more or sheets of fabrication material, with each sheet of material containing a number of panels, and score lines being formed in the fabrication material for folding the material at the proper places in order to construct a container. While the whole container could be formed of a single sheet of fabrication material, the skid size boxes are quite large and would require very large fabrication equipment. A more desirable configuration, shown in FIG. 4, employs two blanks or sheets of fabrication material  54 , each of which constitutes one half of the container. The layout of fabrication sheet  54  is illustrated in FIG. 6 prior to folding the container into its desired shape. Fabrication sheet  54  comprises a side panel  26 , an end panel  20 , a container bottom panel  38  that forms half of the container bottom, and a storage compartment bottom panel  30  that forms half of the storage compartment bottom. A flap  56  along a side edge of the end panel folds over an adjoining edge of a side panel of the other half of the container and is glued thereto in order to make a single container out of the two fabrication sheets. The other half of the container is identical to the fabrication sheet  54  shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, with the two sheets fitting together to form a complete storage compartment. Flaps  56  are attached to the sides of the adjoining section of the container by staples (called stitching) or by glue or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, fabrication panel  54  has score lines  70  between side panel  26  and container bottom panel  38 , while score line  72  is positioned between a side edge of side panel  26  and end panel  30 . Another score line  74  is formed between a bottom edge of end panel  20  and bottom panel  30 . A slot  76  is formed between inner edges of panels  38  and  26  and panel  30  so that panel  30  can be folded along score line  74  and then oriented perpendicularly to panel  26  by folding panel  20  along score line  72 . Another score line  78  is formed between flap  56  and a side edge of end panel  20  for folding the flap perpendicularly to end panel  20 .  
         [0035]    If desired for specific products, the interior of the container can be subdivided in a conventional manner using interfitting perpendicular partition panels, as shown for example in FIGS.  7 - 10 . Panel  80  in FIG. 7, for example, has slots  82  therein, and this panel is mounted perpendicular to panel  84 , shown in FIG. 8, which has slots  86  therein. The panels are positioned perpendicularly to each other and one of the panels is inverted, with the slots  82  fitting into slots  86 , thereby providing a subdivided insert panel for holding individual products in the container.  
         [0036]    Panels of a somewhat different configuration are reflected in panels  90  and  92  in FIGS. 9 and 10 respectively. Panel  90  has slots  94  therein, while panel  92  has slots  96  therein. When the panels are arranged perpendicularly and one of the panels is inverted, slots  94  fit in with slots  96  in order to provide a matrix of individual product holder partitions in the container.  
         [0037]    An advantage to the present invention is that a rigid container having an integral pallet can be formed from two sheets of fabrication material and a plurality of relatively inexpensive support blocks. This construction provides a secure, rigid container formed of a single, reusable and recyclable material.  
         [0038]    Alternative constructions of the present invention are possible, subject to the limitations of equipment and tooling for fabricating the containers. For example, as stated above, the entire container could be formed of a single sheet or more than two sheets of fabrication material. Also, the bottoms of the container and storage compartment could be formed by flaps extending all the way across the container on one or both sides of the container instead of two flaps that extend halfway across. The advantage to the present construction is that a single die can be used for producing both sides of the container. Also, the bottom of the storage compartment or container can be reinforced by a rectangular insert support layer positioned at the bottom of the storage compartment.  
         [0039]    The materials from which the present invention are constructed are preferably conventional corrugated fiberboard materials. These come in various thicknesses, and a thickness can be selected depending upon the load that needs to be supported. A one ply, two ply, or three ply material is employed in the preferred practice of the present invention, depending on the application.  
         [0040]    The illustrated configuration of the container of the present invention has an open top, and a top or lid  16  fits on the open top. Lid  16  has a top panel  90  with downwardly extending flanges  92  formed at the edges of top panel  90 . Desirably, the lid is formed of a single blank or sheet of fabrication material  96 , as shown in FIG. 5, and folded along score lines  98  and  100  to form the perpendicular edges of the box top. Slots  102  in the edges permit the edges of the boxes to be folded at right angles at the corner of the box. The box components are glued together to hold them in their constructed shape. An open top container with a separate lid is not the only type of container top closure feasible with the present invention. Other types of top closures, such as partial or full top flaps, can be used.  
         [0041]    Referring now to FIGS.  11 - 13 , a further embodiment of a container  110  constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown. Container  110  is preferably formed of corrugated fiberboard. Other comparable corrugated material could be employed.  
         [0042]    Container  110  is generally rectangular and comprises an upper storage compartment  12  and a lower pallet compartment  14  positioned below the storage compartment  12 . Storage compartment  12  comprises opposed end panels  20  and opposed side panels  26 . End panels  20  extend downwardly from the open top  18  of the container to the bottom  19  of the storage compartment, which is formed by bottom panels  30 . Bottom panels  30  are integral with end panels  20  and are formed from a common blank or sheet of fabrication material by folding the end panels upwardly along a score line  74  between the end and bottom panels  20 ,  30  so that the panels are perpendicular with each other.  
         [0043]    Side panels  26  extend to a bottom  34  of the container, which is formed by container bottom panels  38 . Panels  38  are integral with side panels  26  and are joined at the lower edges of those panels. Panels  38  are formed into position by folding the panels along a score line  70  at the lower edge of the side panels  26 .  
         [0044]    As shown in FIG. 13, the container of the present invention is formed from one sheet of fabrication material, although multiple sheets can be employed as described in the first embodiment. Each sheet of material contains a number of panels, and score lines being formed in the fabrication material for folding the material at the proper places in order to construct container  110 . The layout of fabrication sheet  154  is illustrated in FIG. 13 prior to folding the container  110  into its desired shape.  
         [0045]    Fabrication sheet  154  comprises side panels  26 , end panels  20 , container bottom panels  38 , and storage compartment bottom panels  30 . A flap  56  along a side edge of one end panel  20  folds over an adjoining edge of side panel  26  and is glued thereto. Flap  56  is attached to side panel  26  of the container by staples (called stitching) or by glue or the like. Fabrication panel  154  has score lines  70  between side panels  26  and container bottom panels  38 , while score lines  72  are positioned between side panels  26  and end panels  30 . Another score line  74  is formed between end panels  20  and bottom panels  30 . Slots  76  are formed between inner edges of panels  38  and  26  and panels  30  so that panel  30  can be folded along score line  74  and then oriented perpendicularly to panel  26  by folding panel  20  along score line  72 . Another score line  78  is formed between flap  56  and end panel  20  for folding the flap perpendicularly to end panel  20 .  
         [0046]    Additional score lines  170  are positioned between end and side panels  20 ,  26  and upper portions of end and side panels  120 ,  120  respectively. With fabrication panel  154  in unassembled form (i.e. laying flat), panel  154  could be folded in half across its breadth at score line  170 . Once assembled with flap  56  attached to side panel  26 , however, end and side panels  20 ,  26  provide mutual support against folding on score lines  170 . Fabrication panel  154  is therefore provided with additional score lines  174  extending from score lines  170  at an angle  175  across upper portions  120  of end panels  20  to the upper edge of panel  154 . The angle of score lines  174  with respect to score lines  170  is substantially forty five degrees. As seen in FIG. 12, upper portions  120 ,  126  can be folded inwardly on score lines  170  as upper portions  120  are simultaneously folded along score lines  174 . Upper portions  120 ,  126  are also simultaneously folded relative to each other along a portion of score lines  72 .  
         [0047]    Additional score lines  172  are provided between upper portions  120 ,  126  of end and side panels  20 ,  26  and optional flap portions  130 ,  136 , respectively. With upper portions  120 ,  126  in the upright/unfolded position, optional flap portions  130 ,  136  can also be in an upright/unfolded position, extending the overall height of end and side panels  20 ,  26 , as shown in phantom in FIG.  11 . In the alternative, optional flap portions  130 ,  136  are separated by slits  176  so that they can be folded along score lines  172  to form a lip partially enclosing the opening of container  110 . With flap portions  130 ,  136  returned to the upright/unfolded position, upper portions  120 ,  126  can again be folded along score lines  170 ,  174  into a parallel relationship with the bottom of container  110 . FIG. 12 illustrates the process of folding upper portions  120 ,  126  inwardly. Arrows A, B show the folding of upper portion  120  inwardly on score lines  170 ,  174 , and upper portion  126  along score line  170 , toward a parallel relationship with the bottom of container  110 . Container  110  occupies substantially less volume with upper portions  120 ,  126  folded along score lines  170  into parallel relationship with the bottom of container  110 . With a lid for container  110  in place over the folded panels  120 ,  126 , container  110  presents a more compact package for storage and transport. Container  110  can thus be more efficiently conveyed from its place of fabrication to a user who might place products into container  110  for further transport. Container  110  is also adaptable for use with smaller volume articles where a common container is desirable. In either instance, upon final delivery of products transported in container  110 , container  110  can be folded/collapsed into its more compact form for transport to a reuse or recycling location.  
         [0048]    It should be understood that the foregoing is merely representative of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various changes in the arrangements and details of construction may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.