Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
MATERIALS FOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING RETAIL CONTAINER
AND RESULTING RETAIL CONTAINER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The invention relates in general to the manufacture of containers
that
may be readily used to ship and/or display contents following delivery of the
container, as
specified in the independent claims.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Various containers are conventionally provided as packaging for
shipping or for display of product in a retail environment to prospective
customers. As is
conventionally known in the industry, such containers can be transported to
manufacturing
and/or retail environments for use in shipping or display in knock-down form,
i.e., flattened but
otherwise being glued, stapled or otherwise secured together, such that they
are already
substantially pre-assembled; such knock-down form containers are also referred
to as
preassemblies. In such a "knockdown" state (i.e., knocked down or not set-up),
personnel
assembling the product container need only open the sides and or ends of the
container and affix
the package bottom wall into its assembled condition. As a result, such
containers' assembly
may be performed such that the product can be placed into a resulting
assembled container for
shipping or as display package for ready display.
[003] Conventionally, it has been deemed advantageous at times to stack a
plurality of such containers, one on top of the other for the purposes of
transport to a retail
environment or during display or storage in the retail environment. In this
use, it is necessary
that the containers stacked above the bottom-most package are amply supported
such that a
stack of a number of such containers, when filled with product, will not
collapse.
SUMMARY
[004] The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a
= basic understanding of some aspects of various invention embodiments. The
summary is not an
extensive overview of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or
critical elements of
the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following
summary merely
CA 02697660 2014-06-10
presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to
the more detailed
description below.
[005] In accordance with illustrated embodiments, a method of
manufacturing containers and resulting containers and associated preassemblies
and blanks,
which, when utilized, result in containers having an interior formed by a
primary blank serving
as an exterior of the container, the interior including a plurality of
stacking shoulders formed by
a supplementary blank at opposing ends of the container interior, wherein the
plurality of
stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up or final assembly of
exterior of the container.
[006] Additionally, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, the
plurality of stacking shoulders is formed by coupling of the primary and
supplementary blanks
at at least one side panel of the primary blank. Alternatively, or in
addition, the plurality of
stacking shoulders is formed by coupling of the primary and supplementary
blanks at both the
front side panel and the back side panel of the primary blank.
[007] Further, in accordance with at least some illustrated embodiments,
the
stacking shoulders include one or more keys configured to provide horizontal
alignment of
stacked containers. In at least one embodiment of the invention, keys also
interact with keyhole
apertures provided on a bottom side of the containers, such that keys of a
bottom most stacked
container interact with the keyhole apertures provided on the container
stacked above that
container.
[008] The illustrated embodiments of the invention have particular utility
when used for the manufacture of preassemblies and associated containers that
are flat bottomed
tray type containers.
[009]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Various embodiments are described herein, by way of example
only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to
the drawings, it
should be understood that the particulars shown are by way of example and for
purposes of
discussion of illustrated embodiments only, and are presented in order to
provide what is
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believed to be a useful and readily understood description of the principles
and concepts of the
invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of
the invention in more
detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the
description taken
with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several
forms of the
invention may be embodied in practice.
[0011] Accordingly, a more complete understanding of the present
invention
and the utility thereof may be acquired by referring to the following
description in consideration
of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like
features, and
wherein:
[0012] FIGURE 1 illustrates a side perspective view of a
container
manufactured in accordance with an illustrated embodiment.
[0013] FIGURE 2 illustrates an example of a primary blank used
in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0014] FIGURE 3 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank
used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0015] FIGURE 4 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 1 in a first stage of pre-assembly.
[0016] FIGURE 5 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 1 in a second stage of pre-assembly.
[0017] FIGURE 6 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 1 in a first stage of final assembly.
[0018] FIGURE 7 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 1 in a second stage of final assembly.
[0019] FIGURE 8 illustrates a functional block diagram used to
describe the
manufacturing method of containers in accordance with an illustrated
embodiment.
[0020] FIGURE 9 illustrates a side perspective view of a
container
manufactured in accordance with another illustrated embodiment.
[0021] FIGURE 10 illustrates an example of a primary blank used
in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0022] FIGURE 11 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank
used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 9.
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[0023] FIGURE 12 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 9 in a first stage of pre-assembly.
[0024] FIGURE 13 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 9 in a second stage of pre-assembly.
[0025] FIGURE 14 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 9 in a third stage of pre-assembly.
[0026] FIGURE 15 illustrates a side perspective view of a
container
manufactured in accordance with an illustrated embodiment.
[0027] FIGURE 16 illustrates an example of a primary blank used
in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 15.
[0028] FIGURE 17 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank
used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 15.
[0029] FIGURE 18 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a first stage of pre-assembly.
[0030] FIGURE 19 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a second stage of pre-assembly.
[0031] FIGURE 20 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a third stage of pre-assembly.
[0032] FIGURE 21 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a fourth stage of pre-assembly.
[0033] FIGURE 22 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a first stage of final assembly.
[0034] FIGURE 23 illustrates the pre-assembly materials for the
container of
the type illustrated in FIG. 15 in a second stage of final assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] In the following description of various invention
embodiments,
reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and
in which is
shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which the invention may
be practiced. It
is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and
functional
modifications may be made.
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[0036] As explained above, it is useful to be able to stack a
plurality of
containers one on top of the other for the purposes of transport to a retail
environment or during
display in the retail environment. This ability (also known as "stackability")
requires that
containers stacked above the bottom-most package are amply supported also that
a stack of a
number of such containers, when filled with product, will not collapse.
[0037] Conventionally, there are various container designs that
provide
increased stackability by including, for example, stacking shoulders that
utilize additional
material and components to increase the vertical stability of the container.
However, the skill
level and time required for assembling such containers varies depending on the
number of
touches required for assembling the container. In fact, the time required for
assembling
conventional containers including stacking shoulders of some sort or another
may be somewhat
lengthy as assembly of a container may require a number of separate actions to
be performed by
the final assembler of a container. The number of such separate actions is
conventionally
referred to as the number of "touches" required for assembly; thus, a
container requiring
complex assembly requires a greater number of touches than a container
requiring relatively
simple assembly.
[0038] Another problem with such stackable containers is the
increased
height, length, width and weight of such containers due to the added material
provided for the
stacking shoulders. Therefore, although the use of such stackable containers
is useful, the
increased time for final assembly and increased dimensions and weight of the
containers are
deficiencies of conventional designs. Thus, there is a need for a design for a
stackable container
(e.g., a shipping package, display or display ready package or
compartmentalized package so as
to reduce fulfilment cost and time) that includes stacking shoulders with less
affect on the
overall dimensions and weight of the stackable container, while reducing the
amount of material
used in the container and reducing the number of touches required for final
assembly of the
container.
[0039] With this understanding in mind, a description of various
embodiments is now provided.
[0040] According to at least one illustrated embodiment, there
is provided
equipment (described herein in connection with FIG. 8) configured to
manufacture containers,
e.g., for shipment or display of product (as well as corresponding container
preassemblies and
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blanks) that result in containers having an interior formed by a primary blank
serving as an
exterior of the container, the interior including a plurality of stacking
shoulders formed by a
supplementary blank at opposing ends of the ccintainer interior, wherein the
plurality of stacking
shoulders are formed as part of the set up or final assembly of exterior of
the container.
[0041] Understanding of the manufacturing of a container, blanks
and/or
preassemblies in accordance with embodiments may best be understood by first
reviewing an
illustration of a manufactured container provided in accordance with one
illustrated
embodiment. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, one example of such a container 100
may be a flat
bottomed tray container, which may include a main compartment defined between
a plurality of
stacking shoulders formed by a corresponding plurality of supplementary blanks
104 and
included in an interior space of a primary blank 102 following assembly. These
stacking
shoulders may be formed by coupling the supplementary blanks 104 to locations
on the primary
blank 102. For example, as part of preassembly manufacture for a preassembly
for container,
the supplementary blank may be affixed to the primary blank as explained in
connection with
FIGURES 2-23 in various alternative configurations to provide for improved
ease of final
assembly for the container.
[0042] Such a container 100 may be used for various purposes
including
shipping and placement on a display floor along with other such containers in
a stack.
However, it should be understood that the manufactured container may be any
type of container
including, for example, any carton, package, box, etc. of any suitable type;
accordingly, the
actual configurations of the primary blank 102 and the interrelationship with
the supplementary
blank 104 may change without departing from the scope of the embodiments.
[0043] Thus, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, a
method is
provided of manufacturing containers and resulting containers 100 and
associated preassemblies
(the combination of 102, 104) and blanks 102, 104, which, when utilized,
result in containers
100 that include a plurality of supplementary blanks 104 that provide a
plurality of stacking
shoulders that serve as a mechanism for improving the stackability of the
container 100,
whereby the container 100 may be configured to bare larger amounts of force
(e.g., weight)
applied from a top direction; in addition, the provision of the supplementary
blanks 104 may
also provide improved strength of the end panels of the resulting container
100 against force
applied from side directions.
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[0044] Based on the illustrated examples of container designs
provided with
stacking shoulders as disclosed herein, it should be appreciated that the
incorporation of the
stacking shoulders increases stackability of the resulting containers without
requiring a lengthier
time period for final assembly and without a need for assemblers having
superior skill. This is
because, as explained herein, the majority of manipulation of the preassembly
to form the
stacking shoulders are already performed as part of the assembly of the
primary blank as the
exterior of the container. As a result, the number of additional touches
needed to provide the
stacking shoulders is reduced relative to what is conventionally required.
[0045] Further, the illustrated examples of container designs
provide stacking
shoulders but with significantly less material than is conventionally required
for stacking
shoulders. This reduction in material results in a reduction in the container
weight and
resources expended to produce the container, while still providing improved
strength.
[0046] As will be appreciated from the remaining disclosure by
one of
ordinary skill in the art, the container 100 may be used to ship or display
product therein in a
retail environment. Thus, subsequent to arrival at a retail environment or off-
site fulfilment or
contract packaging facility, a knockdown version of the container 100 (e.g., a
preassembly) may
be assembled and product placed in the container 100 for transport and/or
display. Because
FIG. 1 illustrates a container configured for use as a display container.
However, it should be
appreciated that additional panels may be included on/attached to the
illustrated container for
purposes of transporting the container. Accordingly, such panels may be
removed from the
container to provide the illustrated container of FIG. 1.
[0047] FIGURE 2 illustrates an example of a primary blank 102,
which may
be thought of as a conventional tray type container such as the one
illustrated in FIG. 1. The
knockdown of the container 100 is manufactured by joining the primary blank
102 with a
plurality of supplementary blanks 104 (which may be thought of as pads)
illustrated in FIGURE
3, as explained herein. The primary blank 102 illustrated in FIG. 2
corresponds to a majority of
an exterior of the container 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7; therefore, the
container 100
includes primary blank 102. Likewise, the container 100 also includes
supplementary blanks
104 illustrated separately in FIG. 3 and in conjunction with primary blank 102
in FIGS. 4-7.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the primary blank 102 includes a
bottom panel
106, a back side panel 108, a front side panel 110 and end panels 112, 114.
Each end panel has
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corresponding end sub-panels; thus end panel 114 is connected to sub-panels
116, 120 and end
panel 112 is connected to sub-panels 118, 122. Likewise, each side panel is
connected to
corresponding side sub-panels; therefore, back side panel 108 is connected to
back side sub-
panel 124 and front side panel 110 is connected to front side sub-panel 126.
[0049] When the primary blank is assembled as the exterior of
the container
100, the two end panels 112, 114 are folded towards the bottom panel 106 and
each of the sub-
panels 116, 120 (corresponding to end panel 114) and 118, 122 (corresponding
to end panel
112) are folded towards the bottom panel 106 as well. As a result, pairs of
the end sub-panels
116, 118 and 120, 122 are parallel to one another and positioned on respective
edges of the
bottom panel 106 and the side panels 108 and 110. As a result, when the side
panels 124, 126
are folded towards the side panels 108, 110 respectively and over the end sub-
panels along fold
lines 128, 130, the end sub-panels are positioned in place. Accordingly, when
tabs 134 provided
on the side sub-panels 124, 126 are inserted into corresponding apertures 136
provided along the
edge of the bottom panel 106, the side panels and end panels are locked in
place. This assembly
process is discussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 4-7.
[0050] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank
104 used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1. The
supplementary blank 104
includes first and second major sections 138 and 144. The first major section
138 is attached to
first sub-sections 140, 142; likewise the second major section 144 is attached
to second sub-
section 146. Sub-sections 140 and 142 actually form a portion of the exterior
of the container
100. Sub-section 146 is provided as a point for attaching the supplementary
blank 104 to the
bottom panel 106 of the primary blank 102. Likewise, as discussed herein with
reference to
FIGS. 4-7, first major section 138 is also affixed to an end panel (112 or
114) of the primary
blank. 102. Accordingly, during assembly of the container 100, the second
major section 144 is
folded towards the first major section 138 such that a shoulder section 148 is
provided by the
folding of the secondary blank 104 along fold lines 156, 158. As an additional
result of this
folding, the key 150 is formed on the upper side of the shoulder section 148.
As mentioned
briefly above and explained in further detail herein, the key 150 is
configured to interact with
the keyhole aperture (formed from the aperture 132 on the primary blank 102
and the aperture
152 on the supplementary blank 104, but referred to hereafter as keyhole
aperture 152) provided
on the underside of another container 100 following final assembly.
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[0051] As explained above, illustrated embodiments may provide
improved
assembly of containers for shipping and/or display ready packaging that have
increased
stackability as a result of stacking shoulders formed by the interaction of
the supplementary
blank 104 with the primary blank 102 through at least one of adhering a
plurality of parts of the
supplementary and primary blanks to one another.
[0052] FIGURE 4 illustrates the relative placement and
interconnectedness
of the primary and secondary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 to provide
the container
illustrated in FIG. 1. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the primary and
supplementary
blanks 102, 104 may be configured so as to interact in a manner that enables
the stacking
shoulders to be formed easily and quickly as part of the final assembly of the
container 100.
Accordingly, the total length and width dimensions for the blanks 102, 104 and
their constituent
panels, walls and sections may be selected so as to facilitate the positioning
of the
supplementary blanks 104 with respect to the interior of the assembled primary
blank 102.
[0053] In one potential implementation, one or more portions of
the primary
and supplementary blanks 102, 104 may be affixed to one another via, for
example, adhesive
such as glue, staples, tape, etc. so as to produce a preassembly (e.g., a
knockdown or
preassembly for the container illustrated in FIG. 1), wherein the positioning
of supplementary
blank 104 in cooperation with primary blank 102 is controlled. For example,
the primary and
supplementary blanks 102, 104 may be affixed to each other on their mating
faces (e.g., the
bottom face of supplementary blanks 104 and the top face of the primary blank
102). More
specifically, adhesive may be applied to that portion of the first major
sections 138A, 138B of
the supplementary blanks 104A, 104B that mate with the end panels 114, 112 of
the primary
blank 102. Additionally, and optionally, adhesive may be applied to a portion
of sections 138A,
140A, 138B, 140B, 142A, and/or 142B; as a result, these sections may mate with
and be affixed
to panels 120, 116, 122, 118, as appropriate.
[0054] Subsequently, the sections 138A, 140A, 142A of
supplementary
blank 104A and sections 138B, 140B, 142B of supplementary blank 104B may be
placed in
contact with corresponding portions of the panels of the primary blank 102
during preassembly
manufacture. More specifically, section 138A is placed in contact with panel
114, section 140A
is placed in contact with panel 120 and section 142A is placed in contact with
panel 116;
likewise, section 138B is placed in contact with panel 112, section 140B is
placed in contact
9
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with panel 122 and section 142B is placed in contact with panel 118. Thus,
following
application of adhesive, the supplementary blanks 104 may be placed in contact
with the
primary blank 102 to provide adherence between primary and supplementary
blanks 102, 104.
[0055] As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be
provided that
which, when utilized, results in a container having an interior formed
primarily by a primary
blank 102 serving as an exterior of the container, the interior including a
plurality of stacking
shoulders formed by supplementary blanks 104 at opposing ends of the container
interior,
wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up
or final assembly of
exterior of the container.
[0056] Thus, it should be appreciated that, as a first operation
in
manufacturing the preassembly for the container 100, the faces of the primary
and
supplementary blanks 102, 104 are affixed together at various locations. Thus,
although not
shown, a preassembly may be provided wherein the primary and supplementary
blanks 102, 104
are affixed to one another via adhesive but the panels, walls, etc. are not
configured for final
assembly. As a result, such a preassembly may be delivered to a location for
final assembly and
placement of product; such a preassembly may be effectively and easily stacked
with other
preassemblies because such preassemblies are flat having not yet been built or
assembled as
shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, it should be understood that the faces of the
blanks 102, 104
may be affixed in one or more suitable manners including, for example but not
limited to,
application of adhesive on one or both of the affixed faces, use of staples,
tape, etc.
[0057] FIGURE 5 illustrates a side perspective of the
preassembly
manufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, the
supplementary
blanks 104 are affixed to the primary blank 102 and located such that the
second major sections
144A-B of the supplementary blanks 104A-B may be folded towards the first
major sections
138A-B along fold lines 158A-B respectively. As a result of this folding, one
face of each of
the first major sections 138A-B meets a face of the corresponding second major
sections 144A-
B. Additionally, a face of each of the second sub-sections 146A-B meets the
bottom panel 106
of the primary blank 102. Prior to this folding, adhesive has been applied to
the face of each of
the second sub-sections 146A-B meeting the bottom panel 106. As a result, when
the faces
meet the bottom panel 106, the adhesive acts to affix the second sub-sections
146A-B to the
bottom panel 106. As a result of the adherence between the primary blank 102
and the
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
supplementary blanks 104A-B a preassembly is provided that lays flat and is
configured for
shipping to a manufacturing or distribution center for final assembly.
[0058] FIGURE 6 illustrates a side perspective of the
preassembly
manufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4 during final assembly. As
shown in FIG. 6,
the end panels 112, 114 are folded towards the bottom panel 106. As a result
of this movement
and the adherence between the end panels 112, 114 and the corresponding
supplementary blanks
104A-B, the supplementary blanks form end walls of the container 100 together
with the end
panels 112, 114. Additionally, the sub-section pairs 116, 120 and 118, 120
respectively
associated with each end panel 112, 114 are positioned so as to enable the
pairs to folded so as
to align with corresponding front and back sides of the container 100. More
specifically, sub-
sections 120 and 122 are folded so as to align with the edge between the
bottom panel 106 and
the front side panel 110; likewise, the sub-sections 116, 118 are folded so as
to align with the
edge between the bottom panel 106 and the back side panel 108.
[0059] FIGURE 7 illustrates the preassembly in a second stage of
final
assembly. As shown in FIG. 7, the front and back side panels 110, 108 are
folded upward along
the fold lines separating those panels from the bottom panel 106. Subsequently
or
simultaneously, the sub-panels 126, 124 are folded along fold lines 130, 128
over the
corresponding sub-sections 120, 122 and 116, 118 respectively. The tabs 134
provided on each
of the sub-panels 126, 124 are then inserted into the respective apertures
136. This interaction
between the tabs 134 and the apertures locks the sub-sections 120, 122 and
116, 118 into place
along with the erected front and back side panels 110, 108 to form front and
back side walls of
the container 100 as shown in FIG. 1.
[0060] As shown in FIG. 7, the stacking shoulders are formed at
opposing
ends of the container 100 by the first and second major sections 138A-B, 144 A-
B coupled
together by the shoulder sections 148A-B respectively. The shoulders are
secured in place by
the adhesive provided between the 146A-B and the bottom panel 106 as well as
the interaction
between the sub-sections 116,118 and 120, 122 and the corresponding back and
front side
panels 108, 110 and associated sub-panels. As a result of the force exerted on
the first major
sections 138A-B during erection of the end walls, the keys 150A-B are forced
to disengage from
the shoulder sections 148A-B (having been provided by a perforation during
manufacturing of
the supplementary blank 138). These illustrated keys 150A-B are configured to
interact
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respectively with the keyhole apertures 152A-B provided on other non-
illustrated containers 100
stacked above the container 100. Likewise, the illustrated keyhole apertures
152A-B are
configured to interact respectively with the keys 150A-B provided on other non-
illustrated
containers 100 stacked below the container 100.
[0061] As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be
provided which,
when utilized, results in a container having an interior formed primarily by a
primary blank
serving as the majority of the exterior of the container; the container
interior includes a plurality
of stacking shoulders formed by the supplementary blanks at opposing ends of
the container
interior, wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of
the set up or final
assembly of exterior of the container.
[0062] Accordingly, the inclusion of stacking shoulders is
implemented with
minimal effort and deviation from the assembly required for the exterior of
the container. Thus,
stacking shoulders may be provided with improved ease and consistency as part
of final
assembly of a container exterior.
[0063] FIGURE 8 illustrates .a functional block diagram used to
describe the
manufacturing method of containers in accordance with an illustrated
embodiment. As alluded
to in the background section, and as conventionally known, the manner of
manufacturing
containers such as the examples illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 may be conveniently
described in two
phases: preassembly and final assembly/use.
[0064] Preassembly is normally performed at a container
manufacturing
facility to produce a preassembly which may also be thought of and referred to
as a knockdown
of the container. These preassemblies may be shipped to a customer location
such as a product
manufacturing facility or retail environment or third party fulfilment
contract packaging facility.
At that destination, the container customer may perform final assembly/use of
the containers by,
for example, folding and assembling various panels of the container to provide
a container that
is configured to hold manufacture product, e.g., for shipping and/or display.
[0065] In such operations, the manufacturing of the container
preassemblies
may be performed by the customer of the preassemblies and/or as part of
manufacture of the
preassemblies as illustrated in FIG. 8.
[0066] FIG. 8 illustrates various functional operations
performed as part of
the manufacture of a preassembly by, for example, a display, shipping or
display ready
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packaging manufacturer. The operations may begin, for example, with printing
805 of container
material prior to the container material being die cut and/or scored 810 as
part of an overall
blank manufacturing operation 815. The manufactured blanks 830 may or may not
be printed
on one or both sides of the blanks 830 depending on customer requirements.
Accordingly, the
printing operation 805 may be omitted.
[0067] Subsequent to blank manufacturing 815, the manufactured
blanks
may be affixed to one another as part of the joining of multi-blank
preassembly operations 820.
The operations performed at 820 may be performed in various suitable manners
including by
hand or using various commercially available machines (for example, those
produced by
Bahmueller Technologies, Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA or Bobst Group
North
America of Roseland, New Jersey, USA). Thus, the operations performed at 820
may produce
preassemblies for containers such as that illustrated in FIGS. 3-7.
[0068] Therefore, it should be appreciated that one or more of
the operations
performed to produce blanks, preassemblies, knockdowns and containers may be
performed in
whole or in part by machines and or human personnel. Moreover, human personnel
may utilize
one or more different types of machines and/or tools to perform assembly
operations performed
either to manufacture preassemblies or finally assembled containers.
[0069] Thus, at the beginning of such operations, raw material
825 is used to
produce blanks 830. Such raw materials 825 may include but are not limited to
various grades,
types, configurations and combinations of corrugated fiberboard and/or solid
paperboard, liner
board, board of various fluting types and combinations as well as various
types of sealants, non-
organic materials and inks and dies of various suitable types.
[0070] While this invention has been described in conjunction
with a specific
embodiment outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications
and variations
will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, as illustrated in
FIGURE 9, another
example of a container 200 may be a flat bottomed tray container, which may
also include a
main compartment defined between a plurality of stacking shoulders formed by a
corresponding
plurality of supplementary blanks 204 and included in an interior space of a
primary blank 202
following assembly. As in the first illustrated embodiment, these stacking
shoulders may be
formed by coupling the supplementary blanks 204 to locations on the primary
blank 202. The
primary differences between the first illustrated embodiment and that
illustrated in FIG. 9 are
13
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
that the embodiment of FIG. 9 includes two keys 250 and the associated keyhole
apertures 233
are configured somewhat differently. Additionally, the relative dimensions of
the primary blank
202 are also different, e.g., the dimensions of the end panels 212, 214.
[0071] Accordingly, the container 200 may be used for various
purposes
including shipping and placement on a display floor along with other such
containers in a stack.
However, it should be understood that the manufactured container may be any
type of container
including, for example, any carton, package, box, etc. of any suitable type;
accordingly, the
actual configurations of the primary blank 202 and the interrelationship with
the supplementary
blank 204 may change without departing from the scope of the embodiments.
[0072] Thus, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, a
method is
provided of manufacturing containers and resulting containers 200 and
associated preassemblies
(the combination of 202, 204) and blanks 202, 204, which, when utilized,
result in containers
200 that include a plurality of supplementary blanks 204 that provide a
plurality of stacking
shoulders that serve as a mechanism for improving the stackability of the
container 200,
whereby the container 200 may be configured to bare larger amounts of force
(e.g., weight)
applied from a top direction; in addition, the provision of the supplementary
blanks 204 may
also provide improved strength of the end panels of the resulting container
200 against force
applied from side directions.
[0073] The container 200 may be used to ship or display product
therein in a
retail environment. Thus, subsequent to arrival at a retail environment or off-
site fulfilment or
contract packaging facility, a knockdown version of the container 200 (e.g., a
preassembly) may
be assembled and product placed in the container 200 for transport and/or
display. Because
FIG. 9 illustrates a container configured for use as a display container.
However, it should be
appreciated that additional panels may be included on/attached to the
illustrated container for
purposes of transporting the container. Accordingly, such panels may be
removed from the
container to provide the illustrated container of FIG. 9.
[0074] FIGURE 10 illustrates an example of a primary blank 202,
which
may be thought of as a conventional tray type container such as the one
illustrated in FIG. 9.
The knockdown of the container 200 is manufactured by joining the primary
blank 202 with a
plurality of supplementary blanks 204 (which may be thought of as pads)
illustrated in FIGURE
11, as explained herein. The primary blank 202 illustrated in FIG. 10
corresponds to an exterior
14
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
of the container 200 illustrated in FIG. 9; therefore, the container 200
includes primary blank
202 and supplementary blanks 204 illustrated separately in FIG. 11 and in
conjunction with
primary blank 202 in FIGS. 12-14.
[0075] As shown in FIG. 10, the primary blank 202 includes a
bottom panel
206, a back side panel 208, a front side panel 210 and end panels 212, 214.
Each end panel has
corresponding end sub-panels; thus end panel 214 is connected to sub-panels
216, 220 and end
panel 212 is connected to sub-panels 218, 222. Likewise, each side panel is
connected to
corresponding side sub-panels; therefore, back side panel 208 is connected to
back side sub-
panel 224 and front side panel 210 is connected to front side sub-panel 226.
[0076] When the primary blank is assembled as the exterior of
the container
200, the two end panels 212, 214 are folded towards the bottom panel 206 and
each of the sub-
panels 216, 220 (corresponding to end panel 214) and 218, 222 (corresponding
to end panel
212) are folded towards the bottom panel 206 as well. As a result, pairs of
the end sub-panels
216, 218 and 220, 222 are parallel to one another and positioned on respective
edges of the
bottom panel 206 and the side panels 208 and 210. As a result, when the side
panels 224, 226
are folded towards the side panels 208, 210 respectively and over the end sub-
panels along fold
lines 228, 230, the end sub-panels are positioned in place. Accordingly, when
tabs 234 provided
on the side sub-panels 224, 226 are inserted into corresponding apertures 236
provided along the
edge of the bottom panel 206, the side panels and end panels are locked in
place. This assembly
process is discussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 12-14.
[0077] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank
204 used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 9. The
supplementary blank 204
includes first and second major sections 238 and 244. The second major section
244 is attached
to sub-section 246, which is provided as a point for attaching the
supplementary blank 204 to
the bottom panel 206 of the primary blank 202. Likewise, as discussed herein
with reference to
FIGS. 13-14, first major section 238 is also affixed to an end panel (212 or
214) of the primary
blank. 202. Accordingly, during assembly of the container 200, the first major
section 244 is
folded towards the second major section 238 such that a shoulder section 248
is provided by the
folding of the secondary blank 204 along fold lines 256, 258. As an additional
result of this
folding, the keys 250 are formed on the upper side of the shoulder section
248. As mentioned
briefly above and explained in further detail herein, the keys 250 are
configured to interact with
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
the keyhole apertures 233 provided on the underside of another container 200
following final
assembly.
[0078] FIGURES 12 and 13 illustrate the relative placement and
interconnectedness of the primary and secondary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 10
and 11 to
provide the container illustrated in FIG. 9. Accordingly, as illustrated in
FIGS. 12 and 13, the
primary and supplementary blanks 202, 204 may be configured so as to interact
in a manner that
enables the stacking shoulders to be formed easily and quickly as part of the
final assembly of
the container 200. Accordingly, the total length and width dimensions for the
blanks 202, 204
and their constituent panels, walls and sections may be selected so as to
facilitate the positioning
of the supplementary blanks 204 with respect to the interior of the assembled
primary blank
202.
[0079] In one potential implementation, one or more portions of
the primary
and supplementary blanks 202, 204 may be affixed to one another via, for
example, adhesive
such as glue, staples, tape, etc. so as to produce a preassembly (e.g., a
knockdown or
preassembly for the container illustrated in FIG. 9), wherein the positioning
of supplementary
blank 204 in cooperation with primary blank 202 is controlled. For example,
the primary and
supplementary blanks 202, 204 may be affixed to each other on their mating
faces (e.g., the
bottom face of supplementary blanks 204 and the top face of the primary blank
202). More
specifically, adhesive may be applied to that portion of the second major
sections 238A, 238B
of the supplementary blanks 204A, 204B that mate with the end panels 214, 212
of the primary
blank 202.
[0080] Subsequently, the section 238A of supplementary blank
204A and
section 238B of supplementary blank 204B may be placed in contact with end
panels 214, 212,
respectively, during preassembly manufacture. As a result of such a process, a
preassembly
may be provided that which, when utilized, results in a container having an
interior formed
primarily by a primary blank 202 serving as an exterior of the container, the
interior including a
plurality of stacking shoulders formed by supplementary blanks 204 at opposing
ends of the
container interior, wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as
part of the set up or
final assembly of exterior of the container.
[0081] Thus, it should be appreciated that, as a first operation
in
manufacturing the preassembly for the container 200, the faces of the primary
and
16
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
supplementary blanks 202, 204 are affixed together at various locations. As a
result, the
preassembly illustrated in FIG. 13 is provided by the adherence of the primary
and
supplementary blanks 202, 204 to one another via adhesive but the panels,
walls, etc. are not
configured for final assembly. The resulting preassembly may be delivered to a
location for
final assembly and placement of product; such a preassembly may be effectively
and easily
stacked with other preassemblies because such preassemblies are flat having
not yet been built
or assembled as shown in FIG. 9.
[0082] FIGURE 14 illustrates a side perspective of the
preassembly
manufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 12 during final assembly. As
shown in FIG.
14, the supplementary blanks 204 affixed to the primary blank 202 are located
such that the
second major sections 244A-B of the supplementary blanks 204A-B may be folded
towards the
first major sections 238A-B along fold lines 258A-B respectively during final
assembly. As a
result of this folding, one face of each of the first major sections 238A-B
meets a face of the
corresponding second major sections 244A-B. Additionally, a face of each of
the second sub-
sections 246A-B meets the bottom panel 206 of the primary blank 202. Prior to
this folding,
adhesive has been applied to the face of each of the second sub-sections 246A-
B meeting the
bottom panel 206. As a result, when the faces meet the bottom panel 206, the
adhesive acts to
affix the second sub-sections 246A-B to the bottom panel 206. As a result of
the adherence
between the primary blank 202 and the supplementary blanks 204A-B a
preassembly is
provided that lays flat and is configured for shipping to a manufacturing or
distribution center
for final assembly.
[0083] The preassembly illustrated in FIG. 14 may be manipulated
to finally
assemble the container 200 of FIG. 9 in a manner similar to the first
embodiment as illustrated
in FIGURES 6-7. More specifically, the end panels 212, 214 are folded towards
the bottom
panel 206. As a result of this movement and the adherence between the end
panels 212, 214 and
the corresponding supplementary blanks 204A-B, the supplementary blanks form
end walls of
the container 200 together with the end panels 212, 214. Additionally, the sub-
section pairs
216, 220 and 218, 220 respectively associated with each end panel 212, 214 are
positioned so as
to enable the pairs to folded so as to align with corresponding front and back
sides of the
container 200. More specifically, sub-sections 220 and 222 are folded so as to
align with the
edge between the bottom panel 206 and the front side panel 210; likewise, the
sub-sections 216,
17
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
218 are folded so as to align with the edge between the bottom panel 206 and
the back side
panel 208.
[0084] Subsequently, the front and back side panels 210, 208 are
folded
upward along the fold lines separating those panels from the bottom panel 206.
Subsequently or
simultaneously, the sub-panels 226, 224 are folded along fold lines 230, 228
over the
corresponding sub-sections 220, 222 and 216, 218 respectively. The tabs 234
provided on each
of the sub-panels 226, 224 are then inserted into the respective apertures
236. This interaction
between the tabs 234 and the apertures locks the sub-sections 220, 222 and
216, 218 into place
along with the erected front and back side panels 210, 208 to form front and
back side walls of
the container 200 as shown in FIG. 9.
[0085] Like the first illustrated embodiment, the stacking
shoulders of the
second embodiment are formed at opposing ends of the container 200 by the
first and second
major sections 238A-B, 244A-B coupled together by the shoulder sections 248A-B
respectively.
The shoulders are secured in place by the adhesive provided between the 246A-B
and the
bottom panel 206 as well as the interaction between the sub-sections 216,218
and 220, 222 and
the corresponding back and front side panels 208, 210 and associated sub-
panels. As a result of
the force exerted on the first major sections 238A-B during erection of the
end walls, the keys
250A-B are forced to disengage from the shoulder sections 248A-B (having been
provided by a
perforation during manufacturing of the supplementary blank 238). These
illustrated keys
250A-B are configured to interact respectively with the keyhole apertures 233
provided on other
non-illustrated containers 200 stacked above the container 200. Likewise, the
illustrated
keyhole apertures 233 are configured to interact respectively with the keys
250A-B provided on
other non-illustrated containers 200 stacked below the container 200.
[0086] As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be
provided which,
when utilized, results in a container having an interior formed primarily by a
primary blank
serving as the exterior of the container; the container interior includes a
plurality of stacking
shoulders formed by the supplementary blanks at opposing ends of the container
interior,
wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up
or final assembly of
exterior of the container.
[0087] Accordingly, the inclusion of stacking shoulders is
implemented with
minimal effort and deviation from the assembly required for the exterior of
the container. Thus,
18
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
stacking shoulders may be provided with improved ease and consistency as part
of final
assembly of a container exterior.
[0088] While this invention has been described in conjunction
with the
specific embodiments pertaining to a flat bottom container outlined above, it
is evident that
many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those
skilled in the art. For
example, as illustrated in FIGURE 15, another example of a container 300 may
be a flat
bottomed tray container, which may also include a main compartment defined
between a
plurality of stacking shoulders formed by a corresponding plurality of
supplementary blanks 304
and included in an interior space of a primary blank 302 following assembly.
As in the first and
second illustrated embodiments, these stacking shoulders may be formed by
coupling the
supplementary blanks 304 to locations on the primary blank 302. The primary
differences
between the first and second illustrated embodiments and that illustrated in
FIG. 15 is that the
embodiment of FIG. 15 is a slotted bottom container as opposed to a flat
bottom container; like
the second embodiment, the container includes a plurality of keys 350 provided
on the top of the
shoulder and associated keyhole apertures 333 on the bottom side of the
container 300.
[0089] Accordingly, the container 300 may be used for various
purposes
including shipping and placement on a display floor along with other such
containers in a stack.
However, it should be understood that the manufactured container may be any
type of container
including, for example, any carton, package, box, etc. of any suitable type;
accordingly, the
actual configurations of the primary blank 302 and the interrelationship with
the supplementary
blank 304 may change without departing from the scope of the embodiments.
[0090] Thus, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, a
method is
provided of manufacturing containers and resulting containers 300 and
associated preassemblies
(the combination of 302, 304) and blanks 302, 304, which, when utilized,
result in containers
300 that include a plurality of supplementary blanks 304 that provide a
plurality of stacking
shoulders that serve as a mechanism for improving the stackability of the
container 300,
whereby the container 300 may be configured to bare larger amounts of force
(e.g., weight)
applied from a top direction; in addition, the provision of the supplementary
blanks 304 may
also provide improved strength of the end panels of the resulting container
300 against force
applied from side directions.
19
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
[0091]
The container 300 may be used to ship or display product therein in a
retail environment. Thus, subsequent to arrival at a retail environment or off-
site fulfilment or
contract packaging facility, a knockdown version of the container 300 (e.g., a
preassembly) may
be assembled and product placed in the container 300 for transport and/or
display. Because
FIG. 9 illustrates a container configured for use as a display container.
However, it should be
appreciated that additional panels may be included on/attached to the
illustrated container for
purposes of transporting the container. Accordingly, such panels may be
removed from the
container to provide the illustrated container of FIG. 15.
[0092]
FIGURE 16 illustrates an example of a primary blank 302, which
may be thought of as a conventional tray type container. The knockdown of the
container 300 is
manufactured by joining the primary blank 302 with a plurality of
supplementary blanks 304
(which may be thought of as pads) illustrated in FIGURE 17, as explained
herein. The primary
blank 302 illustrated in FIG. 16 corresponds to the exterior of the container
300 illustrated in
FIG. 15; therefore, the container 300 includes primary blank 302 and
supplementary blanks 304
illustrated separately in FIG. 11 and in conjunction with primary blank 302 in
FIGS. 17-23.
[0093]
As shown in FIG. 16, the primary blank 302 includes a back side
panel 301, end panels 303, 307 and a front side panel 305. The primary blank
also includes a
plurality of bottom sub-panel 311, 313, 315, 317 that cooperate during final
container assembly
to form the bottom of the container 300. The back side panel 301 is separated
from the first end
panel 303 by a fold line 321; likewise, the first side panel 303 is separated
from the front side
panel 305 by a fold line 323. Similarly, the front side panel 305 is separated
from the second
end panel 307 by a fold line 325.
[0094]
The front side panel includes a display aperture 319 that may be
formed when a removable shipping section (not shown but including, e.g., a
panel covering the
top of the container 300 and attached to a panel attached to the front side
panel 305) is removed.
The primary blank also includes a glue panel 309 provided on a lateral end of
the second end
panel 307 and separated there from by a fold line 327.
[0095]
FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank 304 used in
manufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 15. Like the
supplementary blank
204 illustrated in FIG. 11, the supplementary blank 304 includes first and
second major sections
338 and 344. The second major section 344 is attached to sub-section 346,
which is provided as
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
a point for attaching the supplementary blank 304 to the bottom sub-panels of
the primary blank
302 (in particular bottom sub-panels 313 and 317). Likewise, as discussed
herein with reference
to FIGS. 18-19, first major section 338 is also affixed to an end panel (303
or 307) of the
primary blank. 302. Accordingly, during assembly of the container 300, the
first major section
344 is folded towards the second major section 338 such that a shoulder
section 348 is provided
by the folding of the secondary blank 304 along fold lines 356, 358. As an
additional result of
this folding, the keys 350 are formed on the upper side of the shoulder
section 348. As
mentioned briefly above and explained in further detail herein, the keys 350
are configured to
interact with the keyhole apertures 333 provided on the underside of another
container 300
following final assembly.
[0096] FIGURES 18 and 19 illustrate the relative placement and
interconnectedness of the primary and secondary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 16
and 17 to
provide the container illustrated in FIG. 5. Accordingly, as illustrated in
FIGS. 18 and 19
(illustrating first and second stages of preassembly manufacture), the primary
and
supplementary blanks 302, 304 may be configured so as to interact in a manner
that enables the
stacking shoulders to be formed easily and quickly as part of the final
assembly of the container
300. Accordingly, the total length and width dimensions for the blanks 302,
304 and their
constituent panels, walls and sections may be selected so as to facilitate the
positioning of the
supplementary blanks 304 with respect to the interior of the assembled primary
blank 304.
[0097] In one potential implementation, one or more portions of
the primary
and supplementary blanks 302, 304 may be affixed to one another via, for
example, adhesive
such as glue, staples, tape, etc. so as to produce a preassembly (e.g., a
knockdown or
preassembly for the container illustrated in FIG. 15) such as that illustrated
in FIG. 18, wherein
the positioning of supplementary blank 304 in cooperation with primary blank
302 is controlled.
For example, the primary and supplementary blanks 302, 304 may be affixed to
each other on
their mating faces (e.g., the bottom face of supplementary blanks 304 and the
top face of the
primary blank 302). More specifically, adhesive may be applied to that portion
of the second
major sections 338A, 338B of the supplementary blanks 304A, 304B that mate
with the end
panels 307, 303 of the primary blank 302. Subsequently, the section 338A of
supplementary
blank 304A and section 338B of supplementary blank 304B may be placed in
contact with end
panels 307, 303, respectively, during preassembly manufacture.
21
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
[0098] Additionally, adhesive may be applied to the top faces of the sub-
sections 346A-B illustrated in FIG. 18. Subsequently, the second major
sections 344A-B may
be folded towards the first major sections 338A-B so that the adhesive covered
face of the sub-
sections 346A-B contacts and affixes to the bottom sub-panels 317, 313
respectively, as
illustrated in FIG. 19.
[0099] FIGURE 20 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly
manufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 18 in a third stage of
preassembly manufacture.
As shown in FIG. 20, the supplementary blanks 304 affixed to the primary blank
302 have been
located such that the second major sections 344A-B of the supplementary blanks
304A-B have
been folded towards the first major sections 338A-B along fold lines 356A-B
respectively
during the third stage of pre-assembly manufacture.
[00100] As shown in FIG. 20, the third stage of pre-assembly manufacture
involves first folding the second end panel 307 towards the front side panel
305 along fold line
323 and folding the back side panel 301 towards the second end panel 303 along
fold line 321.
Adhesive applied to the adhesive panel 309 then comes in contact with the
bottom face of the
back end panel 301 to join the back end panel 301 to the second end panel 307.
As a result, in
the preassembly illustrated in FIG. 21, the two fold lines 327, 329 are co-
located so as to form
one corner of a corresponding container.
[00101] As a result, the preassembly illustrated in FIG. 21 is provided by
the
adherence of the primary and supplementary blanks 302, 304 to one another via
adhesive but the
panels, walls, etc. are not configured for final assembly. As a result of such
a process, a
preassembly may be provided that which, when utilized, results in a container
having an interior
formed by a primary blank 302 serving as an exterior of the container, the
interior including a
plurality of stacking shoulders formed by supplementary blanks 304 at opposing
ends of the
container interior, wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as
part of the set up or
final assembly of exterior of the container.
[00102] The resulting preassembly may be delivered to a location for final
assembly and placement of product; such a preassembly may be effectively and
easily stacked
with other preassemblies because such preassemblies are flat having not yet
been built or
assembled as shown in FIG. 15.
22
CA 02697660 2010-03-24
[00103] FIGURE 22 illustrates the preassembly illustrated in FIG.
21 in a first
stage of final assembly. During final assembly, the side panels 301, 305 and
end panels 303,
307 are manipulated to be parallel to one another respectively and orthogonal
therebetween. As
a result of this movement, the bottom sub-panels 311, 313, 315 and 317 are
positioned to be
folded towards one another to form the bottom wall of the container 300. More
specifically,
first bottom sub-panels 313 and 317 are folded inward towards the interior of
the container 300,
as shown in FIGURE 23. Subsequently, sub-panels 311 and 315 are folded towards
the interior
of the container 300 to complete the finally assembled container 300. It
should be appreciated
that the bottom sub-panels 311-317 may be affixed to one another via adhesive,
tape, staples or
any other conventionally known material or mechanism for adherence.
[00104] Like the first and second illustrated embodiments, the
stacking
shoulders of the third embodiment are formed at opposing ends of the container
300 by the first
and second major sections 338A-B, 344A-B cooled together by the shoulder
sections 348A-B
respectively. The shoulders are secured in place by the adhesive provided
between the sub-
sections 346A-B and the bottom panel portion formed by 317, 313 as well as the
adhesive
provided between the first major sections 338A-B and the corresponding end
panels 307, 303 of
the primary blank 302.
[00105] Unlike the first and second illustrated embodiments, the
force exerted
on the first major sections 238A-B during the folding over of the second major
sections 244A-B
forces the keys 250A-B to disengage from the shoulder sections 248A-B (having
been provided
by a perforation during manufacturing of the supplementary blank 238).
However, like the first
and second embodiments, the formation of the shoulder sections at opposing
ends of the
container 300 does not occur until final assembly of the container. This is
because the shoulders
are not formed including shoulder sections 348A-B until the bottom sub-panels
313, 317 are
folded towards the interior of the container 300 because the sub-sections 346A-
B are affixed to
the bottom panels 313, 317. These illustrated keys 350A-B are configured to
interact
respectively with the keyhole apertures 333 provided on other non-illustrated
containers 300
stacked above the container 300. Likewise, the illustrated keyhole apertures
333 are configured
to interact respectively with the keys 350A-B provided on other non-
illustrated containers 300
stacked below the container 300.
23
CA 02697660 2014-06-10
[00106] As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be
provided which,
when utilized, results in a container having an interior formed primarily by a
primary blank
serving as the majority of the exterior of the container; the container
interior includes a plurality
of stacking shoulders formed by the supplementary blanks at opposing ends of
the container
interior, wherein the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of
the set up or final
assembly of exterior of the container.
[00107] Accordingly, the inclusion of stacking shoulders is
implemented with
minimal effort and deviation from the assembly required for the exterior of
the container. Thus,
stacking shoulders may be provided with improved ease and consistency as part
of final
assembly of a container exterior.
[00108] While this invention has been described in conjunction with
the
specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives,
modifications and
variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the
various embodiments of
the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not
limiting. Various changes
may be made.
[00109] For example, various illustrated features of the
preassembly and
resulting containers may be omitted. Furthermore, it should be understood that
invention
embodiments are capable of variations practiced or carried out in various
ways. Therefore, it
should be appreciated that, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the
invention, any
and all of the walls may be constructed of corrugated cardboard. However, it
should be
understood that the walls, panels, any tabs on various panels, etc., may be
constructed of various
industry recognized appropriate materials that meet various transporting
and/or display criteria.
As a result, it should be understood that containers manufactured in
accordance with at least one
embodiment of the invention may also be considered "cartons," which may be
considered
packaging or display containers, commonly made from cardstock or cardboard.
Further, it
should be understood that cartons come in many different varieties but most
cartons can be
folded and assembled from a flat form, known as a carton blank. Thus, it
should be understood
that the pattern for any blank, preassembly or container may be different than
those described
herein.
[00110] Alternatively, or more specifically, the packaging and/or
display
containers may be made using corrugated board, e.g., material made by a
corrugator (a machine
24
CA 02697660 2014-06-10
that produces corrugated board by attaching fluting to liners) which is a
structured board formed
by gluing one or more arched layers of corrugated medium to one or more flat-
facing
linerboards.
[00111] It should be understood that implementation of the method
and
system of the present invention involves performing or completing certain
selected tasks or
steps manually, automatically, or a combination thereof.
[00112] Additionally, it should be appreciated that material used
in
accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention may be laminated to
provide barrier
properties. Further, other barrier materials may be used including Ultra
Violet (UV), moisture
and gas barriers. Additionally, though not discussed in detail herein, it
should be understood
that any adhesive used to provide a bond between materials used in containers
provided in
accordance with the invention may include any substance that helps bond two
materials
together, examples including but not limited to glue and paste.
[00113] Further, it should be appreciated that the material used to
form the
primary blank may be different, stronger, or weaker than the blank used to
form the
supplementary blank. Thus, for example, use of a supplementary blank that is
of a heavier,
more durable or stronger material than the material used for primary blank,
may provide the
increased ease of final assembly as well as increased durability or strength
to the resulting
container while reducing the amount of material in the container (something of
interest for
environmental and cost issues).
[00114] It should also be appreciated that certain features of the
invention,
which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may
also be provided
in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the
invention, which
are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be
provided
separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
[00115] Although the invention has been described in conjunction
with
specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives,
modifications and variations
will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, citation or
identification of any reference
in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference
is available as prior
art to the present invention.
CA 02697660 2014-06-10
[00116] Additionally, it should be understood that the
functionality described
in connection with various described components of various invention
embodiments may be
combined or separated from one another in such a way that the structure of the
invention is
somewhat different than what is expressly disclosed herein.
[00117] For example, it should be understood that, unless otherwise
specified,
there is no essential requirement that methodology operations be performed in
the illustrated
order; therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that some
operations may be
performed in one or more alternative order and/or simultaneously.
[00118] Moreover, it should be appreciated that the supplementary
blank
and/or resulting stacking shoulders may be, for example, may have a shape that
is different than
that illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, relative dimensions may be different
and/or varied at
various points along the interior of the container. Likewise, various
alternative configurations
for both the primary and supplementary blanks may be implemented without
deviating from the
inventive concept.
[00119] Additionally, it should be appreciated that although a
plurality of
supplementary blanks may be provided at opposing ends of a container, it is
foreseeable that a
single supplementary blank may be included.
[00120] Further, the disclosure of application of adhesive on a
surface of a
blank to provide adherence with a panel of the primary blank or a section of
the supplementary
blank is not critical; rather, adhesive may, instead, be applied on the panel
or section to which
the surface is to be affixed. Therefore, placement of adhesive on one surface
or the other,
mating, surface is not critical.
[00121] It should be apparent for those skilled in the art that the
illustrative
embodiments described are only examples and that various modifications can be
made within
the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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