Bulk container with interlocking features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11325747-B2
Application number	US-202016851897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2020
Priority date	May 24, 2016
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A container having interlocking features is provided. The container includes protrusions on the upper edges of the side wall panels and base wall panels, and notches in the runners/feet for receiving the protrusions. The runners and/or feet extend to the outer perimeter of the container so they can rest on an upper edge of a like container, and do not include a recess from the outer perimeter.

First claim

We claim:

1. A bulk container comprising:
a base having an upstanding rectangular wall having four corners and defining a chamber with an opening at one end and a bottom wall at an opposed end, the rectangular wall having a first outer surface, a first upper surface, and a first plurality of protuberances extend from the first upper surface and are spaced from one another;
four panels are connected to the rectangular wall and each have a second outer surface coplanar to the first outer surface, the four panels having a second upper surface, a pair of spaced protrusions extend from the second upper surface flanking each corner and are offset therefrom to define four side wall protrusions and four end wall protrusions; and,
four feet are attached to the bottom wall, one of each of the four feet being positioned at one of each of the four corners and being attached to a portion of the base, each foot of the four feet having a portion removed along a peripheral edge to define a notch, the notch having a reduced height portion that extends to the peripheral edge.

2. The bulk container of claim 1 wherein the four panels are moveable from an open position to a collapsed position.

3. The bulk container of claim 2 wherein when in the collapsed position the first plurality of protuberances extend above the second upper surface.

4. The bulk container of claim 3 wherein the four panels are hingedly connected to the base.

5. The bulk container of claim 4 wherein when in the collapsed position the four panels are positioned in the chamber.

6. The bulk container of claim 1 wherein the rectangular wall has two end edges and two lateral edges and the first plurality of protuberances has a protuberance positioned proximate each corner of the four corners to define corner protuberances.

7. The bulk container of claim 6 further comprising a middle protuberance on each lateral edge positioned between two of the corner protuberances.

8. The bulk container of claim 1 further comprising a first runner connecting a first two feet of the four feet and a second runner connecting a second two feet of the four feet.

9. The bulk container of claim 8 wherein the first runner and the second runner extend along a line parallel to a portion of the rectangular wall.

10. The bulk container of claim 9 wherein the first runner has a lateral edge extending parallel and in registration with a portion of the rectangular wall.

11. A system for forming a stack of bulk containers comprising:
a first container moveable from an open position to a collapsed position comprising:
a first base having a first upstanding rectangular wall having four corners and defining a first chamber with an opening at one end and a bottom wall at an opposed end, the first rectangular wall having a first outer surface, a first upper surface, and a first plurality of protuberances extend from the first upper surface and are spaced from one another;
a first group of four panels are connected to the first rectangular wall and each have a second outer surface coplanar to the first outer surface, the first group of four panels having a second upper surface, a pair of spaced protrusions extend from the second upper surface flanking each corner and are offset therefrom to define four side wall protrusions and four end wall protrusions; and,
a first group of four feet are attached to the bottom wall, one of each of the four feet being positioned at one of each of the four corners and being attached to a portion of the base, each foot of the four feet having a portion removed along a peripheral edge to define a notch, the notch having a reduced height portion that extends to the peripheral edge

a second container that can be stacked on top of the first container when the first container is in the open position or the collapsed position, the second container comprising:
a second base having a second rectangular wall having four corners and having a third outer surface coplanar with the first outer surface; and,
a second group of four feet attached to the second base, one of each of the second group of four feet being positioned at one of each of the four corners of the second rectangular wall, each foot of the second group of four feet having a portion removed along a peripheral edge to define a notch, the notch having a reduced height portion that extends to the peripheral edge, one of each of the notches encompassing one of each of the four side wall protrusions when the second container is stacked on the first container when the first container is in the open position, and one of each of the notches encompassing one of each of the first plurality of protuberances when the second container is stacked on the first container when the first container is in the collapsed position.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein when the first container is in the collapsed position the first plurality of protuberances extend above the second upper surface.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first group of four panels are hingedly connected to the base.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein when in the first container is in the collapsed position the first group four panels are positioned in the chamber.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the first rectangular wall has two end edges and two lateral edges and the first plurality of protuberances has a protuberance positioned proximate each corner of the four corners to define corner protuberances.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a middle protuberance on each lateral edge positioned between two of the corner protuberances.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising a first runner connecting a first two feet of the first group of four feet and a second runner connecting a second two feet of the first group of four feet.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first runner and the second runner extend along a line parallel to a portion of the first rectangular wall.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first runner has a lateral edge extending parallel and in registration with a portion of the first rectangular wall.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein an outer surface of each foot of the second group of four feet abuts one of each of the four end wall protrusions when the second container is stacked on the first container when the first container is in the open position.

Assignees

• Orbis Corp

Inventors

• Banik Joachim
• Stiebritz-Ulrich Arndt

Classifications

• B65D19/18 Primary

  made wholly or mainly of plastics material · CPC title

• B65D21/0215

  Containers with stacking feet or corner elements (B65D21/0211, B65D21/023 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2519/00587

  side walls directly connected to each other · CPC title

• B65D2519/00333

  contact surface having a stringer-like shape · CPC title

• B65D2519/00975

  through the side walls · CPC title