Hand carryable resh produce container

A blank for assembly of a hand-carryable container for packaging, transporting and enhancing quality maintenance of fresh produce of a predetermined weight corresponding to a predetermined number of individual produce items of preselected size, said blank having a plurality of generally rectangular panels defined by the edges of the sheet material and a plurality of foldable score lines in the sheet material and comprising at least one bottom panel, at least one pair of relatively longer side panels forming the front and back walls of the assembled container, at least one pair of relatively shorter side panels forming the end walls of the assembled container, a first top panel, a second top panel adapted to overlie the first top panel in the assembled container, each side panel having an upper edge, a lower edge and two opposed lateral edges, each top panel having an inner edge, an outer edge and two opposed lateral edges, the lower edges of the front and back panels being hingedly connected along a foldable score line to the respectively corresponding longer edges of a bottom panel, at least one pair of end panels being similarly hingedly connected at the lower edges thereof to the respectively corresponding shorter edges of a bottom panel, the inner edges of the top panels being similarly hingedly connected to the respectively corresponding upper edges of the front and back panels, means to interconnect the side panels of the blank at the respectively corresponding lateral edges thereof to form a container mouth on assembly of the blank, and wherein:

• a. the first top panel is provided with a flap extending along and outwardly from the outer edge thereof and connected thereto by a foldable score line and adapted, when folded at a 90 degree angle with respect to the plane of the first top panel, to be inserted into the interior of the assembled container in juxtaposition to the inside surface of the opposite side panel,
• b. the second top panel is provided with at least one primary closure tab extending outwardly from the outer edge thereof and connected thereto by a foldable score line and having a secondary closure tab slot formed in a mid-portion of each primary closure tab adjacent the score line between the primary closure tab and the top panel, each secondary closure tab slot having a width substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet material,
• c. the blank is provided with at least one generally rectangular secondary closure tab equal in number to and registrable with and having a width substantially equal to the length of the closure tab slots in the primary closure tabs, each secondary closure tab having a first tab portion formed by severing the sheet material of the second top panel and having a first tab end which, in the assembled container, extends above the upper surface of the second top panel, and a second tab portion having generally parallel lateral edges formed by severing the sheet material of the side panel to which the first top panel is connected along its inner edge and having a second tab end connected to the side panel from which the tab is formed;
• d. at least one primary closure tab slot is formed in the sheet material along the score line between the second top panel and the side panel to which it is connected, the primary closure tab slots being equal in number to and registrable with and having a length substantially equal to the width of the primary closure tabs and extending symmetrically on both sides of the corresponding secondary closure tabs, each primary closure tab slot having a width substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet material, whereby, when the second top panel overlies the first top panel in the assembled container, each primary closure tab slot is adapted to receive a corresponding primary closure tab and each secondary closure tab is adapted to be received in a secondary closure tab slot in a corresponding primary closure tab thereby effecting a frictionally secured closure of the container top;
• e. a central portion of the material of each top panel is provided with a pair of parallel, elongated perforations having longer and shorter dimensions defining a pair of spaced-apart push-in flaps at least one pair of which is connected along the respective adjoining longer dimensions thereof with the panel material and adapted, when pushed-inwardly of the interior of the assembled container, to form a container carrying handle, the flap spacing being such that the panel material between the flaps is of sufficient strength to resist rupture upon application of the tensile load of the filled container when carried, and
• f. at least one side panel is provided with a plurality of openings each of which has a maximum dimension less than the minimum dimension of produce items to be placed in the container, said openings being arranged in at least two patterns providing a lattice of sheet material between openings in each pattern area, the patterns in each side panel being vertically and longitudinally spaced apart to provide convective air circulation inside the container.

A blank for assembly of one or another of several different types of fresh produce containers, comprising:

• (1) an elongated, generally rectangular sheet of corrugated paperboard provided with three score lines defining and forming hingedly foldable connections between adjacent pairs of four generally rectangular panels consisting of, in sequence, a first end panel, a first side panel, a second end panel, and a second side panel, the side panels having equal length upper and lower edges defining the container length, the end panels having equal length upper and lower edges defining the container width and all such panels having equal length lateral edges defining the container height, the upper and lower edges of the panels forming, respectively, an upper and a lower edge of the sheet and unconnected lateral edges of the end panels defining end edges of the sheet,
• (2) additional generally rectangular panels of the same sheet material comprising:
• (a) first and second top panels each having, in spatial relation to the assembled container, an inner edge and an outer edge of a length substantially equal to the container length and two lateral edges substantially equal to the container width, such top panels being connected along a score line at the inner edges thereof to the upper edge of the sheet along substantially the full length of the corresponding side panels, the first top panel having at least one primary closure tab slot formed therein along the score line connection thereof with the first side panel, each such slot having a width substantially the same as the thickness of the sheet;
• (b) a closure flap connected along a score line to the outer edge of the first top panel and extending substantially fully thereacross and outwardly thereof for a distance substantially less than the other dimension of such tab;
• (c) at least one primary closure tab connected along a score line to the outer edge of the second top panel and extending thereacross for a distance substantially equal to the length of the primary closure tab slot in the first top panel and outwardly of the second top panel a distance substantially less than the distance between the inner and outer edges thereof and having a secondary closure tab slot formed in a central portion thereof adjacent the score line at the juncture of the primary closure tab and the second top panel and extending thereacross a distance substantially less than the width of the primary closure tab and having a width substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet;
• (d) at least one secondary closure tab having a width substantially equal to that of the secondary closure tab slot in the primary closure tab and having a outer unattached portion formed by severing the first top panel material in an area adjacent the mid-portion of each primary closure tab slot and an inner portion formed by severing the sheet material in an area of the first side panel adjacent the midportion of each primary closure tab slot and leaving a inner end of the tab attached to the first side panel;
• (e) third and fourth auxiliary top panels respectively hingedly connected along one edge thereof to the top edges of the first and second end panels and extending substantially completely thereacross and outwardly thereof for a distance substantially less than one-half the container length;
• (f) a first bottom panel hingedly connected by a score line along one side edge thereof to the lower edge of the first side panel and a second bottom panel having one side edge similarly connected to the lower edge of the second side panel, each bottom panel having an unconnected side edge and two lateral end edges of length equal to the container width, and
• (g) first and second multiple purpose panels having two lateral edges of length equal to the container width and having inner edges respectively connected along a score line to the lower edges of the first and second end panels, the first multiple purpose panel having an unconnected outer edge, one unconnected lateral edge and the other lateral edge connected along a score line to one lateral edge of the first bottom panel, the second multiple purpose panel having an unconnected outer edge, one unconnected lateral edge and the other lateral edge being connected to the other lateral edge of the first bottom panel, and
• (3) means to secure together the unconnected lateral edges of the end panels,
• wherein at least one of the side panels has a plurality of openings having a maximum dimension less than the minimum dimension of produce items to be placed in the container and providing the means for visual inspection of the container contents and for restricted volume and rate of admission of air to the interior of the container and arranged in at least two vertically and longitudinally spaced-apart pattern areas having a lattice of sheet material retained between the pattern openings, whereby reduction of container compressive strength below that required for vertical stacking of assembled containers is avoided, and wherein a central portion of the material of the first and second top panels is provided with perforations forming a pair of parallel elongated hand carry slots wherein the adjacent parallel edges of such slots in at least one top panel are connected with the panel material to provide a pair of flaps adapted, when pushed-inwardly of the interior of the assembled container, thereby forming a container carrying handle, the slot spacing being such that the panel material between the slots is of sufficient strength to resist rupture upon application of the tensile load of the filled container when carried.