One-piece foldable corrugated cooler with improved locking system
AssigneeThatbox Design, LLC
InventorDonn J. Costanzo, JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A one-piece, foldable corrugated cooler includes a storage portion having a bottom panel, two side panels, two end panels, and four corner panels; two handle panels forming a lid and a two-ply handle; and at least one two-ply locking panel. The at least one two-ply locking panel is adapted to secure the lid in a closed orientation, and the at least one two-ply locking panel is integral with at least one corner panel and at least one handle panel.
Claims20
A one-piece, foldable corrugated cooler, comprising:
- (a) a storage portion, including:
- (i) a bottom panel,
- (ii) two side panels,
- (iii) two end panels, and
- (iv) four corner panels;
- (b) two handle panels forming a lid and a two-ply handle;
- and
- (c) at least one two-ply locking panel;
- (d) wherein the at least one two-ply locking panel is adapted to secure the lid in a closed orientation;
- (e) wherein the at least one two-ply locking panel is integral with at least one corner panel and at least one handle panel.
A one-piece blank for making a foldable corrugated cooler, the blank comprising:
- (a) a bottom panel section configured to define a bottom panel of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- (b) two side panel sections each configured to define a side panel of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- (c) two end panel sections each configured to define an end panel of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- (d) four corner panel sections each configured to define a corner panel of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- (e) two handle panel sections each configured to define handle panels forming a lid and a two-ply handle of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- and
- (f) at least one locking panel portion configured to define at least one two-ply locking panel portion forming a lid and a two-ply handle of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- (g) wherein the bottom panel section, two side panel sections, two end panel sections, and four corner panel sections are configured to form a storage portion of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration, the storage portion comprising
- (i) the bottom panel,
- (ii) the two side panels,
- (iii) the two end panels, and
- (iv) the four corner panels;
- (h) wherein the at least one two-ply locking panel of the cooler is adapted to secure the lid in a closed orientation when the blank is folded into a use configuration;
- and
- (i) wherein the at least one two-ply locking panel of the cooler is integral with at least one corner panel of the cooler and at least one handle panel of the cooler when the blank is folded into a use configuration.
A method of forming a one-piece, foldable corrugated cooler by folding a blank, the method comprising:
- (a) folding end panels and side panels of the blank along fold lines such that the end panels and side panels are perpendicular to a bottom panel of the blank and aligned in a vertical orientation, such folding causing corner panels of the blank to move interior to the end panels and side panels and bend along a fold line such that when the end panels and side panels achieve a vertical orientation, trapezoidal segments of the blank abut one another;
- and
- (b) securing an interior surface of one or more of the trapezoidal segments to one or more of the end panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.