Container with bottom panel and method of making same

Details Container with bottom panel and method of making same Container with bottom panel and method of making same

2000-02-24

2001-10-30

Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)

Supports: cabinet structure

Knockdown or setup type

Foldable

C312S348100, C229S931000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06309039

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a container with a bottom panel and a method for making the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mass production of high quality wooden storage containers having consistent, attractive wood grain patterns can be prohibitively expensive due to raw material costs, the random pattern of wood grains which need to be matched in forming the container, and expensive treatments necessary to make the wood surface smooth and sliver-free. Wooden containers may also crack, twist, or change their shapes when exposed to moisture and heat. Furthermore, fine printing with colors on finished wood surfaces may be difficult to achieve.
The use of flexible laminates having a wood grain pattern, or other decorative pattern, adhesively secured to a relatively inexpensive board material to give the appearance of wood is known in the prior art. Also, the problem of forming bends or corners in material of substantial thickness is known. The use of right-angled V-grooved cuts has been proposed to form right-angled corners for a box. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,865,159 discloses the use of right-angled V-grooves cut into a flat board material to facilitate bending of the board material to form sharp corners.
While various methods of making simple containers using laminated flat board materials are known, a new way to simplify the steps required for forming a secure container bottom is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of making a container which is relatively inexpensive, visually attractive, of high strength, and provides a locking container bottom panel.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming a container, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a board for forming the walls of said container, said board having a top edge, a bottom edge, an outer surface, and an inner surface, at least said outer surface having a sheet of flexible laminate attached thereon;
(b) cutting a slot along a sufficient length of said inner surface to provide support for a container bottom panel, said slot being substantially parallel to the bottom edge of the board;
(c) cutting at least two V-grooves to span between the top edge and the bottom edge of the board so as to form two terminal folding sections and at least one intermediate folding section, each of said terminal folding sections being joined to an adjacent intermediate folding section by said flexible laminate along one edge thereof and each having an outer edge opposite said one edge thereof and each of said at least one intermediate folding section being joined to two adjacent folding sections by said flexible laminate;
(d) providing a container bottom panel having an edge thickness which fits into said slot formed in step (b) and having a polygonal shape with side dimensions corresponding substantially to the lengths of the folding sections formed in said board;
(e) folding said folding sections along said V-grooves so as to collapse said V-grooves, said folding sections forming a comer of the container wall at each collapsed V-groove; and
(f) joining said outer edge surfaces of said outer sections so as to form another comer of the container wall.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a container formed from parts, comprising:
(a) a board having a top edge, a bottom edge, an outer container surface, and an inner container surface, at least said outer surface having a sheet of flexible laminate attached thereon; said board having a slot formed along a sufficient length of the inner surface to provide support for a bottom panel, said slot being substantially parallel to the bottom edge of the board; and at least two V-grooves spanning between the top edge and the bottom edge of the board so as to form two terminal folding sections and at least one intermediate folding section from said board, each of said terminal folding sections being joined to an adjacent intermediate folding section by said flexible laminate along one edge thereof and each having an outer edge opposite said one edge thereof and each of said at least one intermediate folding section being joined to two adjacent folding sections by said flexible laminate; and
(b) a container bottom panel having an edge thickness which fits into said slot and having a polygonal shape with side dimensions corresponding substantially to the lengths of the folding sections formed in said board.


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