Stackable corrugated shipping and display container and method of making same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299313-B2
Application number	US-201916674851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2019
Priority date	Nov 5, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a shipping and display container which can be formed from one or more blanks folded and formed according to a method for creating the container. A portion of the blank forming the front wall can be formed from two stacked, joined layers including an interior and an exterior blank layer. The exterior blank layer includes top flaps and bottom flaps, the top flaps being significantly smaller in height compared to the bottom flaps such that when the container is formed, the top flaps form a bearing surface along the border of the container, on which a second container may be stacked, while defining a central window that displays the interior contents of the container.

First claim

We claim:

1. A corrugated fiberboard blank, comprising:
an outer portion comprising:
an outer front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge,
an outer first side panel adjacent to the first side edge of the outer front panel and having a front edge and a back edge,
an outer second side panel adjacent to the second side edge of the outer front panel and having a front edge and a back edge,
an outer first back panel adjacent to the back edge of the outer first side panel, and
an outer second back panel adjacent to the back edge of the outer second side panel,
wherein the outer front panel, the outer first side panel, the outer second side panel, and at least one of the outer first back panel and the outer second back panel form an enclosed perimeter wall, the outer front panel including a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion having an upper border that defines a display window of the outer front panel, and the upper portion being connected to the lower portion along a portion of the upper border;

an inner portion comprising:
an inner front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge,
an inner first side panel adjacent to the first side edge of the inner front panel and having a front edge and a back edge,
an inner second side panel adjacent to the second side edge of the inner front panel and having a front edge and a back edge,
an inner first back panel adjacent to the back edge of the inner first side panel, and
an inner second back panel adjacent to the back edge of the inner second side panel;

a first side top flap extending from an upper edge of the outer first side panel;
a second side top flap extending from an upper edge of the outer second side panel;
a first back top flap extending from an upper edge of the first outer back panel;
a second back top flap extending from an upper edge of the second outer back panel;
a front bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer front panel;
a first side bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer first side panel;
a second side bottom flap extending from a lower edge of the outer second side panel;
a first back bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer first back panel; and
a second back bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer second back panel;
wherein each of the first and the second side top flaps and the first and the second back top flaps has a top flap height and each of the front bottom flap, the first and the second side bottom flaps, and the first and the second back bottom flaps has a bottom flap height, the top flap height being less than the bottom flap height.

2. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 1 , further comprising: a first support tab and a second support tab, both extending from an upper edge of the outer front panel, the first support tab being located proximate to the first side top flap and the second support tab being located proximate to the second side top flap.

3. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 2 , wherein each of the first support tab and the second support tab has a width that is no greater than the top flap height.

4. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of connection tabs that connect the inner portion to the outer portion, wherein the inner portion is connected to the outer portion only by the plurality of connection tabs.

5. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 4 , further comprising: a pivot axis, wherein each of the plurality of the connection tabs is connected to one of the first side bottom flap and the second side bottom flap along the pivot axis.

6. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 1 , wherein the first side top flap includes a cutaway portion that extends into the first side top flap along the upper edge of the outer first side panel.

7. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 1 , wherein:
the first side top flap includes a tuck flap,
the first back top flap includes a tuck slot, and
the tuck flap is sized, shaped, and located to enable the tuck flap to be inserted into the tuck slot when the corrugated fiberboard blank is constructed into a container.

8. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 7 , wherein the tuck flap of the first side top flap includes a detent that resists separation of the tuck flap from the tuck slot of the first back top flap.

9. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 1 , wherein the top flap height is less than three-quarters of the bottom flap height.

10. The corrugated fiberboard blank of claim 9 , wherein the top flap height is less than half of the bottom flap height.

11. A method of forming a container, comprising:
(a) providing an outer portion comprising an outer front panel, an outer first side panel adjacent to a first side edge of the outer front panel, an outer second side panel adjacent to a second side edge of the outer front panel, and at least one outer back panel adjacent to a back edge of one of the outer first side panel and the outer second side panel;
(b) providing an inner portion comprising an inner front panel, an inner first side panel adjacent to a first side edge of the inner front panel, an inner second side panel adjacent to a second side edge of the inner front panel, an inner first back panel adjacent to a back edge of the inner first side panel, and an inner second back panel adjacent to a back edge of the inner second side panel;
(c) providing a first side top flap extending from an upper edge of the outer first side panel, a second side top flap extending from an upper edge of the outer second side panel, and at least one back top flap extending from an upper edge of the at least one outer back panel; and
(d) providing a front bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer front panel, a first side bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the outer first side panel, a second side bottom flap extending from a lower edge of the outer second side panel, and at least one back bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of the at least one outer back panel;
(e) positioning the inner portion into a position atop the outer portion;
(f) affixing the inner front panel to an inner side of the outer front panel in the position of step (e);
(g) affixing the inner first back panel and the inner second back panel to an inner side of the at least one outer back panel in a location that results in:
the inner first side panel extending from the inner front panel to the inner first back panel in a spaced-apart relationship to the outer first side panel, and
the inner second side panel extending from the inner front panel to the inner second back panel in a spaced-apart relationship to the outer second side panel;

(h) forming an enclosed perimeter wall comprising the outer front panel, the outer first side panel, the outer second side panel, and the at least one outer back panel;
(i) forming a substantially enclosed bottom surface from the front bottom flap, the first side bottom flap, the second side bottom flap, and the at least one back bottom flap; and
(j) forming a load bearing top surface from the first side top flap, the second side top flap, and the at least one back top flap, the load bearing top surface defining a window through which an interior of the container can be viewed.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
each of the first side top flap, the second side top flap, and the at least one back top flap has a top flap height, and
each of the front bottom flap, the first side bottom flap, the second side bottom flap, and the at least one back bottom flap has a bottom flap height, wherein the top flap height is less than three-qua

Assignees

• Hershey Co

Inventors

• Lawrence Eric
• Rocheleau Katelyn R
• Gressel Gregory

Classifications

• B31B50/74

  Auxiliary operations · CPC title

• B65D5/0227 Primary

  with end closures formed by inward folding of flaps and securing them by heat-sealing, by applying adhesive to the flaps or by staples · CPC title

• B31B50/25

  Surface scoring · CPC title

• B31B50/26

  Folding sheets, blanks or webs · CPC title

• B65D5/003 Primary

  having ledges formed by extensions of the side walls (B65D5/0045 and B65D5/0065 take precedence) · CPC title