Corrugated container and method of making same

A method of forming a square, non-skewed rectangular container from a flat blank,

• the method comprising the steps of
• 1. provide a flat sheet of container material,
• 2. die cut the flat sheet of container material into a blank, the blank comprising
• a first face and a second face, the second face opposed to the first face and separated from it by the thickness of the container material,
• alignment means,
• a predetermined pattern which is generally rectangular in shape, and is bounded by a peripheral edge,
• a plurality of indented longitudinal and transverse fold lines to facilitate folding said blank into a rectangular container, said indented longitudinal fold lines extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container, said indented transverse fold lines extending perpendicularly to the indented longitudinal fold lines,
• said plurality of longitudinal fold lines comprising a first longitudinal fold line which hingedly separates a first end wall from a rear side wall,
• said plurality of longitudinal fold lines comprising a second longitudinal fold line which hingedly separates said rear side wall from a second end wall,
• said plurality of longitudinal fold lines comprising a third longitudinal fold line which hingedly separates said second end wall from a front side wall,
• said plurality of longitudinal fold lines comprising a fourth longitudinal fold line which hingedly separates said front side wall from an end wall flange,
• said plurality of indented transverse fold lines comprising an upper transverse fold line which defines the upper edge of the container and which separates a rear side top flap from the rear side wall, and which separates a front side top flap from the front side wall,
• said plurality of indented transverse fold lines comprising a lower transverse fold line which defines the lower edge of the container and which hingedly separates the rear side bottom flap from the rear side wall, hingedly separates the front side bottom flap from the front side wall, hingedly separates the first end bottom flap from the first end wall, and hingedly separates the second end bottom flap from the second end wall,
• 3. apply glue to the second face of the end wall flange,
• 4. fold the blank along the first longitudinal fold line so that the second face of the first end wall overlies and confronts a first portion of the second face of the rear side wall,
• 5. fold the blank along the third longitudinal fold line
• so that the second face of the front side wall overlies and confronts the second face of the second end wall and a second portion of the rear side wall,
• so that the second face of the end wall flange overlies the first face of the first end wall,
• so that that the longitudinal peripheral edge of the end wall flange overlies said alignment means, and
• so that the second face of the end wall flange is secured to the first face of the first end wall by adhesion of said glue, resulting in a manufacturing joint,
• 6. check resulting knocked-down container to insure that the end wall flange is positioned correctly relative to said alignment means,
• 7. erect the knocked down container into an open, hollow tube,
• 8. fold the first end bottom flap and the second end bottom flap toward each other along the lower transverse fold line so that the first end bottom flap and the second end bottom flap lie adjacent each other in an orientation which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the packaging container,
• 9. fold the front side bottom flap and the rear side bottom flap toward each other along the lower transverse fold line so that the front side bottom flap and the rear side bottom flap lie adjacent each other in an orientation which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the packaging container,
• 10. inserting the container contents into the interior space formed open, hollow tube such that they rest on said respective bottom flaps,
• 11. fold the rear side top flap using along the upper transverse fold line of the blank toward the front side to an orientation which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the packaging container,
• 12. fold the front side top flap along the upper transverse fold line of the blank toward the rear side to an orientation which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the packaging container,
• 13. seal the folded top and bottom ends of the container.

A self-squaring packaging container,

• said container comprising a pair of opposed side walls, a pair of opposed end walls, each of said side walls and each of said end wall comprising a top flap hingedly extending from a respective upper end thereof, and a bottom flap extending from a respective lower end thereof, said container being formed from a flat, generally rectangular blank,
• said blank comprising longitudinal fold lines which lie parallel to the longitudinal axis of said container, said blank comprising a first lateral end, a second lateral end which is opposed to the first lateral end and separated from it by the body of the blank,
• said blank being folded along longitudinal fold lines so as to overlap and secure the opposed first and second lateral ends of said blank,
• wherein a manufacturing joint comprises the said overlapping and secured opposed first and second lateral ends of said blank,
• alignment means which allow quick and easy visual inspection of placement of the manufacturing joint, and
• squaring means to configure the respective side walls and end wall into square and non-skewed configuration.

A combination self-squaring packaging container and bottles, wherein the self-squaring container comprises a generally rectangular blank which has been folded and joined along opposing peripheral edges to form a flattened tube, the blank then being subsequent erected to form an elongate, hollow, rectangular tube,

• the tube having a front side, and a rear side which is opposed to the front side, the tube having a first side wall which joins the front side to the rear side along a first edge, the tube having a second side wall which joins the front side to the rear side along a second edge such that the first side wall and the second side wall are opposed and separated from each other by the respective front and rear sides,
• the tube comprising
• a front side top flap which is hingedly secured to an upper edge of the front side,
• a rear side top flap which is hingedly secured to an upper edge of the rear side,
• a front side bottom flap which is hingedly secured to a lower edge of the front side,
• a rear side bottom flap which is hingedly secured to a lower edge of the rear side,
• an interior space defined, and separated from the exterior, by the respective front side, rear side, first side wall, and second side wall,
• a longitudinal axis which is aligned with the vertical, and a transverse axis which lies perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
• wherein each of said bottles comprises
• an elongate body portion, the body portion comprising a longitudinal axis which is aligned with the vertical when the bottle is upright, an upper end, and a lower end,
• a necked portion defined by a narrowing of the body portion adjacent to the upper end of the bottle, the necked portion having a lower end adjacent the body portion and having a upper end which is opposed to the lower end and coincides with the upper end of the bottle, and
• a cap portion, wherein the cap portion resides upon and surrounds the upper end of the neck portion,
• wherein said bottles reside within the interior space of said tube such that the longitudinal axis of the body lies in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube, the body portions of the bottles having a height which is generally the same as that of the respective sides of the tube so that the necked portions extend above the upper edge of the tube when the bottles reside therewithin,
• wherein the bottom flaps of each respective front and rear side are provided with squaring means, and wherein the front rear top flap is provided with bottle support means.