Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paperboard box – Box includes two side walls which are not formed from the...
Utility Patent
1997-06-16
2001-01-02
Elkins, Gary E. (Department: 3727)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paperboard box
Box includes two side walls which are not formed from the...
C229S122260, C229S243000, C229S918000, C229S919000
Utility Patent
active
06168074
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to bulk material containers and specifically to reinforced corrugated flatboard containers for shipping liquid filled bags.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Liquid products such as soft drink syrup or chemical products are often shipped in small volumes such as five gallon portions. These liquid volumes may be packaged in a plastic bag and housed within a paperboard container to protect the bag from puncture or compression. This method of packaging is often referred to as “bag in box.” The bag is often provided with a fitment or a spout and the box with a corresponding access door to allow access to the contents of the bag through a wall of the box.
Prior boxes that have been specially designed to enclose and transport these five gallon bags usually are six sided boxes folded from a single sheet of corrugated paper that is folded and glued along a single glue lap to an outside wall of the box. The boxes usually have bottom and top walls that are formed from the overlap of major and minor flaps, and the box usually folds flat for storage. The boxes also have a perforated section along an end wall that may be removed to accommodate the spout so that liquid may be removed from the bag without opening the top of the box.
However, these prior boxes have presented several problems to manufacturers and distributors. For example, distributors have discovered that these boxes have insufficient structural support and that movement of the liquid filled bag within the box may cause the box to unfold or breakdown during warehousing and distribution. Further, the boxes have inadequate stacking strength and may crush, or have its perforated spout break out or the box may otherwise be damaged under the weight of a palletized load. In more serious cases where the perforated spout breaks out, a tear may form in a side or end panel of the box and continue along paperboard corrugations causing the box to rip open. In these cases, the box is rendered incapable of protecting the contents of the bag from outside hazards.
Manufacturers and distributors have also encountered problems with this box. For example, the glue lap that was provided to hold prior boxes together, oftentimes became unglued during the loading of the box with a liquid filled bag causing the entire box to unfold. Further, the manufacturers have had difficulty in detecting leaks in these boxes until after the boxes have been filled and prepared for shipment or actually shipped. Manufacturers have also had difficulty, in loading the prior boxes, to get the liquid filled bags to cover the entire bottom of the box for even weight distribution.
Improvements have been made to the single piece containers by constructing a container from three separate pieces of corrugated paperboard. An example of such a container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,278 which is assigned to the owner of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference. The '278 Patent discloses a top loaded container which has reinforcing flanges that add considerable support to the container far in excess of single piece boxes. However, even the container disclosed in the '278 Patent must be stacked on a pallet with each box in conformation with the lower box, that is sidewall over sidewall and end wall over end wall, in a column stacking pattern to avoid damaging the container on panels
32
and
36
between side flanges
120
.
For these reasons, it is desirable to produce a more cost effective box for shipping liquid filled bags, that has greater stacking strength than boxes presently being used so that the boxes may be stacked on a pallet in an interlocking fashion, that is one box may be placed transverse to a lower box, or shipped in single increments by common courier such as U.P.S.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a reinforced corrugated paper box and corrugated paper blanks for forming the box that may be used for the shipment of liquid filled bags, and other bulk material.
According to the present invention, a container is provided having a polygonal-shaped sleeve defined by a double sidewall and a plurality of sidewalls. The double sidewall is defined by a first sidewall overlapping a last sidewall. Preferably, there are four sidewalls defining a rectangular sleeve. The sleeve has first and second ends, inner and outer surfaces, and a depth and a width dimension. The depth dimension is greater than the width dimension. The sleeve has a smooth inner surface. A first end wall located at the first end of the sleeve closes the first end of the sleeve. A second end wall located at the second end of the sleeve closes the second end of the sleeve.
An access door is provided in an end wall, preferably the second end wall, to allow access to the contents of a bag stored within the container. The door has a detachable section that preferably is circular in shape.
Preferably, the box has one or two holes in one of the walls of the container. These holes allow for the passage of air and liquid. Consequently, when a liquid filled bag is dropped into the box, air is displaced through the hole or holes allowing the contents of the bag to evenly distribute over the second end wall of the box. Also, the holes allow for early leak detection by allowing liquid to pass out of the box immediately after the leak occurs.
The present invention also provides for a system for forming the container described above. The system includes corrugated paper blanks for cooperatively forming the present container. To form the preferred rectangular container, the blanks comprise an elongate body blank with opposed lateral sides, and two side blanks each having opposed lateral sides, and opposed top and bottom ends. The container may also be formed using one side blank with two top ends, two lateral sides, and one bottom end. Transverse fold lines extending between the opposed lateral sides of the body blank divide the body blank into a first, a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth panel. Body flanges extend from the opposed lateral sides of the body blank from the second, third and fourth panel. These body flanges attach the body blank to the side blanks.
The side blanks preferably have top and bottom closing flaps that are foldable to form supports parallel to the stacking access of the container. Preferably the side blanks are made from two ply corrugated paperboard.
The three piece construction of the container allows one to interchange the stock of material used to build the container. For example, one could use a single ply corrugated paper for the body blank, and a double ply corrugated paper for the side blanks. The double ply corrugated paper sidewalls will add substantial structural support to the box.
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Petriekis Paul F.
Wilford Michael
Elkins Gary E.
Packaging Systems, Inc.
Wallenstein & Wagner Ltd.
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