Bulk shipping container

A bulk shipping and storage container, comprising.

• a bin having a sidewall, an upper end, and a bottom wall, the sidewall comprising a plurality of interconnected sidewall panels extending at an angle with respect to one another;
• and
• the bottom wall comprising a pair of generally trapezoidally shaped major bottom flaps folded inwardly from respective first opposed sidewall panels, a pair of rectangularly shaped minor bottom flaps folded inwardly from respective opposed second sidewall panels disposed orthogonally to the first sidewall panels, and intermediate triangularly shaped bottom flaps attached to side panels located between and extending angularly relative to the side panels carrying the major and minor bottom flaps, one of the major bottom flaps and one of the minor bottom flaps having an outwardly projecting tab on a free end edge thereof;
• and the other of the major and minor bottom flaps having a complemental notch in a free end edge thereof, wherein the minor bottom flaps are folded inwardly so that the tab on the end edge of the one minor flap extends into the notch in the free end edge of the other minor bottom flap, the intermediate bottom flaps are folded inwardly to lie alongside and contiguous to the minor bottom flaps and the major bottom flaps are folded inwardly in overlapping relationship with the intermediate and minor bottom flaps and adhesively secured thereto, the tab on the one major bottom flap being received in the notch in the other major bottom flap.

A hulk shipping and storage container, comprising:

• a bin having a sidewall, a closed bottom and an open upper end, the sidewall comprising a plurality of interconnected sidewall panels extending at an angle with respect to one another and defining a plurality of corners;
• a rim extending around an upper outer surface of the bin, the rim comprising an outwardly and downwardly folded flap on an upper end of each of the sidewall panel;
• recessed areas in the rim at each corner;
• and
• a lid closing the open upper end, the lid comprising a central panel having a marginal edge shaped complementally to the peripheral shape of the sidewall, and an annular skirt depending from the marginal edge and extending over at least a portion of the rim, the skirt having a plurality of corners corresponding to the corners of the bin sidewall, and a pair of slits extending across each corner of the skirt, defining a bendable strip at each corner that may be pushed into the recessed areas in the rim to lock the lid to the bin.

A bulk shipping and storage container, comprising;

• a bin having a sidewall, a closed bottom and an open top, the sidewall comprising a plurality of interconnected sidewall panels extending at an angle with respect to one another and defining corners of the bin;
• a lid closing the open top;
• a shallow tray insert in the bottom of the bin, the tray having a bottom wall resting against the bottom of the bin and a sidewall resting against an inner surface of the bin sidewall;
• an open-ended liner insert in the bin, the liner insert fitting closely at a bottom end thereof in the tray and extending upwardly in the bin in closely fitting relationship against the sidewall of the bin to an upper end spaced downwardly from the open top of the bin;
• and
• a shock-absorbing and force-distributing pad fitted in the bin between the lid and the upper end of the liner insert.

A one-piece unitary blank of corrugated fiberboard for making a bulk container having a sidewall, an open top, and a closed bottom, comprising:

• first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth sequentially arrayed, substantially identical, elongate, side-by-side rectangular sidewall-forming panels joined together along spaced parallel first fold scores, and a glue panel at one end of the blank;
• a rim-forming flap foldably joined to one end of each of the sidewall-forming panels along a double fold score, and separated from one another by cuts, the rim-forming flaps forming a circumferential rim on an upper end of a container erected from the blank;
• small stress relieving cutouts at the base of the cuts that separate the rim-forming flaps and between the double fold scores, extending slightly into the ends of the first fold scores;
• second cutouts in the rim-forming flaps, extending across approximately the midpoint of the cuts, the second cut-outs defining recessed notches extending across corners of a rim in a container erected from the blank;
• a bottom-forming flap foldably joined to an end of each of the sidewall-forming panels opposite the end to which the rim-forming flaps are attached, the bottom-forming flaps comprising a generally trapezoidally shaped major bottom flap on each of the fourth and eighth sidewall-forming panel, a triangularly shaped intermediate bottom flap on each of the first, third, fifth and seventh said sidewall-forming panel, and a rectangularly shaped minor bottom flap on each of the second and sixth sidewall-forming panel, one of the major bottom flaps and one of the minor bottom flaps having an outwardly projecting tab on an outer end edge thereof, and the other major bottom flap and minor bottom flap having a complemental notch in an outer end edge thereof.

A one-piece unitary blank for making a lid for a container, comprising:

• an octagonal center panel;
• a first pair of opposed side flaps foldably joined to respective opposite edges of the center panel along first opposed parallel fold scores;
• a second pair of opposed side flaps foldably joined to respective opposite edges of the center panel along second fold scores disposed orthogonally to the first fold scores, the side flaps of the first and second pairs being identical to one another and each comprising a rectangular panel equal in width to an adjacent edge of the center panel, with laterally projecting assembly flaps foldably joined to opposite ends of the center panel along transverse fold scores;
• a pair of closely spaced parallel cuts extending across each transverse fold score, defining a bendable strip therebetween;
• a third pair of opposed side flaps foldably joined to respective opposite edges of the center panel along third fold scores extending angularly between first adjacent ends of the first and second fold scores;
• a fourth pair of opposed side flaps foldably joined to respective opposite edges of the center panel along fourth fold scores extending angularly between second adjacent ends of the first and second fold scores, the side flaps of the third and fourth pairs being identical to one another and each comprising a first irregularly shaped panel foldably connected to the center panel, and a second irregularly shaped panel foldably connected to the first panel along a double fold score;
• a slot formed in the center panel adjacent a midpoint of each of the third and fourth fold scores, and a tab projecting from an outer end edge of each of the second panels at substantially a midportion thereof.