One-piece corrugated box with interior supports

A top-opening box made entirely from a one-piece blank of corrugated cardboard for permitting secure and stationary storage of an object within the interior of the box when the object has a size and/or configuration different from the interior of the box, comprising:

• a generally upright tubular side wall structure of generally rectangular cross section defined by pairs of first and second opposed and generally parallel side wall panels, said first and second side wall panels being foldably joined to one another along parallel and generally vertically extending fold lines;
• bottom closure means for closing off a bottom end of said box, said bottom closure means including two bottom flaps foldably joined to lower edges of an opposed pair of said side wall panels about substantially horizontal fold lines and extending toward each other across the bottom end of the box to close the bottom end thereof;
• top closure means for closing a top end of said box, said top closure means including a pair of top flaps foldably joined to upper edges of an opposed pair of said side wall panels and extending inwardly toward one another across the top end of the box to close the top end thereof;
• top object restraint means integrally joined to said tubular side wall structure and projecting horizontally across substantially both width and length dimensions of the box interior at a location spaced downwardly a predetermined distance from the top end of the box for engaging and horizontally restraining the object positioned within the box;
• said object restraint means including a generally horizontally enlarged restraining panel extending substantially horizontally across the entire cross section of the box at said location spaced downwardly from the top end thereof, said restraining panel having an opening therethrough for permitting an upper portion of the object to project into and upwardly through said opening;
• said restraint means also including a connecting panel disposed vertically directly adjacent an interior surface of one of said side wall panels, said connecting panel having an upper edge joined about a fold line to an upper edge of said last-mentioned side wall panel, said connecting panel having a lower edge joined about a further fold line to one edge of said restraining panel.

A top-opening box made entirely from a one-piece blank of corrugated cardboard for permitting secure and stationary storage of an object within the interior of the box when the object has a size and/or configuration different from the interior of the box, comprising:

• a generally upright tubular side wall structure of generally rectangular cross section defined by pairs of first and second opposed and generally parallel side wall panels, said first and second side wall panels being foldably joined to one another along parallel and generally vertically extending fold lines;
• object support means integrally joined to said tubular side wall structure adjacent a bottom end of said box and projecting at least partially inwardly across the bottom end and upwardly into the interior of said box for stationarily supporting a lower portion of the object, said support means defining a pair of generally hollow tubular structures which are generally horizontally elongated so as to extend interiorly across the width of the box corresponding to the width of said first side wall panel, said tubular structures projecting upwardly into the interior of said box from the bottom end thereof, said support means including two inner bottom flaps foldably joined to lower ends of the opposed pair of first side wall panels about generally horizontal fold lines;
• bottom closure means disposed below said object support means for closing off the bottom end of said box, said bottom closure means including two outer bottom flaps foldably joined to lower edges of said second side wall panels about substantially horizontal fold lines and extending toward each other across the bottom end of the box to close the bottom end thereof;
• top closure means for closing a top end of said box, said top closure means including a pair of top flaps foldably joined to upper edges of an opposed pair of said side wall panels and extending inwardly toward one another across the top end of the box to close the top end thereof;
• and
• top object restraint means integrally joined to said tubular side wall structure and projecting substantially horizontally across both width and length dimensions of the box interior at a location spaced downwardly a predetermined distance from the top end of the box for engaging and horizontally restraining the object positioned within the box;
• said object restraint means including a generally horizontally enlarged restraint panel extending substantially horizontally across the entire cross section of the box at said location, said restraint panel having an opening therethrough for permitting an upper portion of the object to project into and upwardly through said opening;
• said restraint means also including a connecting panel disposed vertically directly adjacent an interior surface of one of said side wall panels, said connecting panel having an upper edge joined about a fold line to an upper edge of said last-mentioned side wall panel, said connecting panel having a lower edge joined about a further fold line to one edge of said restraint panel.

A one-piece blank of corrugated cardboard for forming a top-opening box, comprising:

• first, second, third and fourth generally rectangular wall panels joined longitudinally in series, a first fold line defined between said first and second wall panels, a second fold line defined between said second and third wall panels, a third fold line defined between said third and fourth wall panels, and a fourth fold line defined between said fourth wall panel and a narrow securing strip which is adapted to be fixedly secured to said first wall panel when the blank is assembled, all of said first through fourth fold lines extending in generally parallel relationship;
• said blank including a fifth fold line extending longitudinally along one edge of said first through fourth wall panels and a sixth fold line extending longitudinally along the other edge of said first through fourth wall panels, said fifth and sixth fold line being generally parallel with one another and extending in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to said first through fourth fold lines, said first and third wall panels being of substantially the same dimensions and defining a first pair, and said second and fourth wall panels being of substantially the same dimensions and defining a second pair;
• first and second object-positioning flaps integrally and respectively joined to the wall panels of one said pair about said fifth fold line and projecting transversely away from the respective wall panels in generally coplanar relationship therewith, each of said object-positioning flaps including a first panel-like section which project outwardly away from said fifth fold line and terminates in a seventh fold line which is generally parallel with said fifth fold line, a second panel-like section which projects outwardly away from seventh fold line and terminates in a eighth fold line which is generally parallel with said seventh fold line, and a striplike edge section which projects outwardly from said eighth fold line and terminates in a free edge, said edge section functioning as a adhesive securing strip when the blank is assembled, and said second panel-like section having recess means associated therewith for cooperative positioning relationship with the object to be stored in the box, whereby said object-positioning flap can be folded into a generally tubular configuration disposed interiorly of the box adjacent the bottom thereof for positioning engagement with the object;
• first and second bottom flaps integrally and respectively joined to the wall panels of said other pair about said fifth fold line, said bottom flaps being adapted to be folded inwardly for closing off the bottom end of the box when assembled and for supportive disposition directly under the assembled object-positioning flaps;
• object-restraining flap integrally joined to an edge of a remaining one of said side wall panels through said sixth fold line and projecting outwardly in substantially coplanar relationship with the respective side wall panel, said object-restraining flap including an enlarged restraining panel having length and width dimensions which substantially correspond to the horizontal cross sectional length and width dimensions of the box interior when the box is assembled, said restraining panel having opening means therethrough for permitting an upper portion of the object to project therethrough, and a connecting panel having one edge joined through said sixth fold line to the respective side wall panel and an opposite edge joined through a ninth fold line to an edge of said restraining panel, said sixth and ninth fold lines being generally parallel and spaced a predetermined distance apart so as to require that the restraining panel be positioned downwardly a predetermined distance from the top end of the box when assembled;
• and
• top flap means integrally joined to at least one of said side wall panels through said sixth fold line and projecting substantially outwardly from said one side wall panel in substantially coplanar relationship therewith, said top flap means being foldable inwardly so as to extend across the top end of the assembled box to effect closing thereof.