Method and apparatus for making double wall containers

A foldable container comprising:

• a first container wall having a first end and a second end;
• a second container wall having a first end and a second end;
• said first and second container walls being hingedly connected along an end-to-end interlockable first end of each container wall;
• each container wall having a panel comprising
• a pair of first and second parallel sidewalls, the sidewalls being staggered in a longitudinal direction so that an extension end section of each sidewall extends in the longitudinal direction beyond a non-extension end of the other sidewall;
• a pair of parallel connecting walls normal to the sidewalls, each connecting wall joining the non-extension end of a sidewall to the other sidewall;
• a receiving flange extending from the extension end section of the first sidewall so as to define an open flange receiving cavity between the connecting wall nearest to the flange wall, said extension end section and the flange wall;
• and
• a projection flange extending from the extension end of said second sidewall, said projection flange displaced from a connecting wall to accommodate said receiving flange, said projection flange defining a base wall being co-planar with the second sidewall, which is not attached to said second side wall, a lip attached to said base wall extending toward the first wall of said extension end section to which the flange is fixed, said lip terminating at an end before reaching said extension end section of said first sidewall, said lip and said nearest connecting wall defining a gap therebetween which is of a size that it could snugly receive a projection flange wall of another identical panel;
• said flange receiving cavity and said projection flange being of dimensions and being adapted such that the flange receiving cavity could completely receive the projection flange of another identical panel.

A rigid container having first, second, third and fourth container walls, a rigid connecting means for connecting each of said container walls to an adjacent wall, each wall having end-to-end interlockable panels with each panel comprising:

• a pair of first and second parallel sidewalls, the sidewalls being staggered in a longitudinal direction so that an extension end section of each sidewall extends in the longitudinal direction beyond a non-extension end of the other sidewall wall;
• a pair of parallel connecting walls normal to the sidewalls, each connecting wall joining the non-extension end of a sidewall to the other sidewall wall thereby defining a cavity between the connecting walls and the sidewalls;
• a receiving flange extending from the extension end section of the first sidewall so as to define an open flange receiving cavity between the connecting wall nearest to the flange wall, said extension end section and the flange wall;
• and
• a projection flange extending from the extension end of said second sidewall, said projection flange displaced from a connecting wall to accommodate said receiving flange, said projection flange defining a base wall being co-planar with the second sidewall which is not attached to said second side wall, a lip attached to said base wall extending toward the first wall of said extension end section to which the flange is fixed, said lip terminating at an end before reaching said extension end section of said first sidewall, said lip and said nearest connecting wall defining a gap therebetween which is of a size that it could snugly receive a projection flange wall of another identical panel;
• said flange receiving cavity and said projection flange being of dimensions and being adapted such that the flange receiving cavity could completely receive the projection flange of another identical panel.

An end-to-end interlockable panel for assembling a container wall comprising:

• a pair of first and second parallel sidewalls, the sidewalls being staggered in a longitudinal direction so that an extension end section of each sidewall extends in the longitudinal direction beyond a non-extension end of the other sidewall wall;
• a pair of parallel connecting walls, each connecting wall joining the non-extension end of a sidewall to the other sidewall;
• a receiving flange wall extending from the extension end section of the first sidewall so as to define an open flange receiving cavity between the connecting wall nearest to the receiving flange wall, said extension end section and the receiving flange wall;
• and
• a projection flange extending from the extension end of said second sidewall, said projection flange displaced from a connecting wall to accommodate said receiving flange wall, said projection flange defining a base wall being co-planar with the second sidewall and, which is not attached to said second sidewall, said base wall and said nearest connecting wall defining a gap therebetween which is of a size that it could snugly receive a receiving flange wall of another identical panel;
• said flange receiving cavity and said projection flange being of dimensions and being adapted such that the flange receiving cavity could completely receive the projection flange of another identical panel so as to make wall to wall contact with the flange.