Reinforced polygonal containers and blanks of sheet material for making the same

A blank of sheet material for forming a polygonal container, said blank comprising:

• a bottom panel;
• two opposing side panels, each side panel extending from a side edge of the bottom panel;
• two opposing end panels, each end panel extending from an end edge of the bottom panel, each end panel comprising at least one major stacking extension extending from a top edge thereof;
• and
• a reinforcing panel assembly extending from a first side edge of a first end panel of the two end panels, the reinforcing panel assembly including at least an outer corner panel, an outer reinforcing side panel, an inner reinforcing side panel, and an inner reinforcing corner panel, wherein a free bottom edge of the outer corner panel is collinear with a free bottom edge of the inner reinforcing corner panel, and wherein upon articulation of the blank, the outer corner panel and inner reinforcing corner panel are disposed in juxtaposed face-to-face relation to one another to form a first corner wall of the polygonal container.

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

• a bottom wall;
• two opposing side walls, each side wall emanating from a side edge of the bottom wall;
• two opposing end walls, each end wall emanating from an end edge of the bottom wall, at least one stacking tab extending from a top edge of at least one end wall of the two end walls;
• and
• a first corner reinforcing assembly emanating from a first side edge of a first end wall of the two end walls, the first corner reinforcing assembly comprising at least an outer corner panel, an outer reinforcing side panel, an inner reinforcing side panel, and an inner reinforcing corner panel, wherein the outer corner panel and inner reinforcing corner panel are disposed in juxtaposed face-to-face relation to one another to form a first corner wall of the polygonal container, such that a bottom edge of the outer corner panel is coincident with a bottom edge of the inner reinforcing corner panel.

A method for forming a polygonal container from a blank of sheet material, the blank including a bottom panel, two opposing side panels each extending from a side edge of the bottom panel, two opposing end panels each extending from an end edge of the bottom panel, at least one major stacking extension extending from a top edge of each end panel, and a reinforcing panel assembly extending from a first side edge of a first end panel of the two end panels, the reinforcing panel assembly including at least an outer corner panel, an outer reinforcing side panel, an inner reinforcing side panel, and an inner reinforcing corner panel, wherein a free bottom edge of the outer corner panel is collinear with a free bottom edge of the inner reinforcing corner panel, the method comprising:

• rotating the inner reinforcing side panel toward an interior surface of the outer reinforcing side panel about a fold line connecting the inner reinforcing side panel and the outer reinforcing side panel, wherein said rotating aligns the outer corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel in a substantially face-to-face relationship;
• rotating the outer and inner reinforcing side panels toward an interior surface of the first end panel about a fold line connecting the inner reinforcing side panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel and about a fold line connecting the outer reinforcing side panel and the outer corner panel;
• rotating the outer corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel toward the interior surface of the first end panel about a fold line connecting the outer corner panel and the first end panel;
• and
• rotating the first end panel inward into a substantially perpendicular relationship with the bottom panel about a fold line connecting the first end panel and the bottom panel, the first end panel at least partially forming a first end wall of the polygonal container and the outer corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel forming a first corner wall of the polygonal container.