Collapsible case
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorTheodoor Oostwouder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A collapsible container (200) for a product (202) that may be elastically compressible. The collapsible container design may reduce or prevent damage or permanent deformation of the collapsible container during lacement of a load on the container. The collapsible container includes a plurality of collapsible panels (106A-D) that articulate in a specific manner during placement of a load, resulting in a controlled and temporary partial collapse of the container from an expanded position to a collapsed position. After removal of the load from the collapsible container, the elastically compressible product may decompress and force the collapsible container to expand from the collapsed position back to the expanded position.
Claims9
A collapsible container blank, comprising:
- a plurality of top end panels;
- a plurality of side panels;
- a plurality of collapsible panels, wherein each collapsible panel is interposed between, and connected to, one of the top end panels and one of the side panels;
- a plurality of top end panel folds, wherein each top end panel fold separates one of the top end panels from one of the collapsible panels;
- a plurality of collapsible panel bottom folds, wherein each collapsible panel bottom fold separates one of the collapsible panels from one of the side panels;
- a plurality of bottom end panels, wherein each side panel is connected to one of the bottom end panels and interposed between one of the collapsible panels and one of the bottom end panels;
- a plurality of bottom end panel folds, wherein each bottom end panel fold separates one of the side panels from one of the bottom end panels;
- a plurality of collapsible panel midline folds, wherein each collapsible panel midline fold bisects one of the collapsible panels;
- a plurality of top end panel cutouts defined by a perimeter of the collapsible container blank, wherein each top end panel cutout separates one of the top end panels from an adjacent top end panel;
- and
- a plurality of bottom end panel cutouts defined by the perimeter of the collapsible container blank, wherein each bottom end panel cutout separates one of the bottom end panels from an adjacent bottom end panel;
- wherein a width of at least one of the collapsible panels is smaller than a width of a corresponding one of the top end panels to which the at least one of the collapsible panels is connected.
A folded and assembled collapsible container, comprising:
- a plurality of top end panels that form a top of the assembled container;
- a plurality of side panels that form a plurality of sides of the assembled container;
- a plurality of collapsible panels, wherein each collapsible panel is interposed between, and connected to, one of the top end panels and one of the side panels;
- a plurality of collapsible panel midline folds, wherein each collapsible panel midline fold bisects one of the collapsible panels into two equal parts;
- a plurality of bottom end panels that form a bottom of the assembled container, wherein each side panel is connected to one of the bottom end panels and interposed between one of the collapsible panels and one of the bottom end panels;
- a plurality of top end panel folds, wherein each top end panel fold separates one of the top end panels from one of the collapsible panels;
- a plurality of collapsible panel bottom folds, wherein each collapsible panel bottom fold separates one of the collapsible panels from one of the side panels;
- a plurality of bottom end panel folds, wherein each bottom end panel fold separates one of the side panels from one of the bottom end panels;
- a plurality of top end panel cutouts, wherein each top end panel cutout separates one of the top end panels from an adjacent top end panel;
- and
- a plurality of bottom end panel cutouts, wherein each bottom end panel cutout separates one of the bottom end panels from an adjacent bottom end panel;
- wherein a width of at least one of the collapsible panels is smaller than a width of a corresponding one of the top end panels to which the at least one of the collapsible panels is connected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.