Expandable shipping container

An expandable shipping container comprising:

• an inner structure having a plurality of rigid panels that are bendable relative to one another, the plurality of panels comprising:
• a first side panel having a first bendable top flap, opposing bendable first and second side flaps, and opposing first and second square-shaped corner panels adjacent the first bendable top flap;
• a second side panel having a second bendable top flap, opposing bendable third and fourth side flaps, and opposing third and fourth square-shaped corner panels adjacent the second bendable top flap;
• a first bottom panel adjacent to the first side panel;
• a second bottom panel adjacent to the second side panel, the second bottom panel being separated from the first bottom panel by an inwardly foldable bottom boundary;
• and
• a flexible barrier encasing the inner structure, the barrier and the first and third side flaps forming a third side panel and the barrier and the second and fourth side flaps forming a fourth side panel,
• wherein the third side panel includes a third bendable top flap and the fourth side panel includes a fourth bendable top flap such that the first, second, third, and fourth bendable top flaps together define a single opening of the expandable shipping container, and
• wherein the expandable shipping container is expandable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration in response to inwardly directed pressure on the third and fourth side panels.

An expandable shipping container comprising:

• a pair of joinable unitary square-shaped inner structures each comprising:
• a central rigid square-shaped face panel having top, left, right, and bottom sides;
• a top rigid rectangular partial face panel extending from the top side of the central face panel to an outermost top edge of the respective half of the inner structure;
• a left rigid rectangular partial face panel extending from the left side of the central face panel to an outermost left edge of the respective half of the inner structure;
• a right rigid rectangular partial face panel extending from the right side of the central face panel to an outermost right edge of the respective half of the inner structure;
• a bottom rigid rectangular partial face panel extending from the bottom side of the central face panel to the bisecting scoreline;
• a first square-shaped corner panel adjacent the top partial face panel and the left partial face panel, the first corner panel being bisected by a first diagonal scoreline aligned towards a center of the central face panel;
• a second square-shaped corner panel adjacent the top partial face panel and the right partial face panel, the second corner panel being bisected by a second diagonal scoreline aligned towards the center of the central face panel;
• a third square-shaped corner panel adjacent the bottom partial face panel and the left partial face panel, the third corner panel being bisected by a third diagonal scoreline aligned towards the center of the central face panel;
• and
• a fourth square-shaped corner panel adjacent the bottom partial face panel and the right partial face panel, the fourth corner panel being bisected by a fourth diagonal scoreline aligned towards the center of the central face panel,
• wherein the left and right partial face panels have diagonal scorelines that parallel the first and second diagonal scorelines, respectively, and separate a triangular panel portion from a remainder panel portion;
• and
• a flexible barrier covering an entire exterior surface of the joined pair of inner structures, the barrier forming a closed left face seam between the pairs of left partial face panels, first corner panels, and third corner panels of each half of the inner structure and a closed right face seam between the pairs of right partial face panels, second corner panels, and further corner panels of each of the inner structures such that the container forms an enclosure having a single aperture defined between the pairs of top partial face panels, first corner panels, and second corner panels of each of the inner structures,
• wherein the container is expandable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration.