Reinforced Polygonal Containers and Blanks for Making the Same

A container formed from a blank of sheet material, the container comprising:

• a bottom wall;
• a pair of opposing end walls coupled to the bottom wall;
• and
• a pair of opposing side walls coupled to the bottom wall;
• four corner walls, one corner wall of the four corner walls coupled between each end wall and each side wall;
• and
• a plurality of elongated relief cutouts, one elongated relief cutout of the plurality of elongated relief cutouts defined between each corner wall and each end wall and between each corner wall and each side wall.

A method of forming a container from a blank of sheet material, the blank including a bottom panel, two opposing end panels, each end panel extending from an end edge of the bottom panel, two opposing outer side panels, each outer side panel extending from a side edge of the bottom panel, an inner side panel extending from each top edge of one outer side panel of the two outer side panels, each inner side panel including a central portion, a corner portion extending from each side of the central portion, an inner end portion extending from each side of one of the corner portions, and a plurality of elongated relief cutouts, one elongated relief cutout of the plurality of elongated relief cutouts defined between each corner portion and the central portion and between each inner end portion and an adjacent corner portion, a corner panel extending from each side edge of one of the outer side panels along a first fold line, the corner panel generally aligned with one of the corner portions, and an inner end panel extending from one of the corner panels along a second fold line, the inner end panel generally aligned with one of the inner end portions, the first fold line and the second fold line substantially perpendicular to a fold line between the bottom panel and a respective outer side panel, the method comprising:

• rotating the outer side panels towards the bottom panel such that the outer side panels are substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel;
• rotating the inner side panels towards the bottom panel such that the inner side panels are substantially parallel to the outer side panels, wherein the central portions of each inner side panel and the outer side panels form a pair of opposing side walls;
• rotating the corner panels along the first fold lines and rotating the corner portions of the inner side panels at elongated relief cutouts aligned with the first fold lines to form four corner walls;
• rotating the inner end panels along the second fold lines and rotating the inner end portions at elongated relief cutouts aligned with the second fold lines;
• rotating the end panels toward the bottom panel such that the end panels are substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel;
• and
• coupling the end panels to respective inner end panels to form a pair of opposing end walls.