Container with automatically closing bottom structure

A box movable between a flattened condition and an erected condition, and having a bottom structure that automatically moves to a closed position as the box is erected, comprising:

• a single blank scored to define a first pair of rectangular panels that form first and second opposed side walls in an erected box, a second pair of rectangular panels that form first and second opposed end walls in an erected box, and at least a third pair of rectangular panels connected between adjacent side and end walls and that form first and second opposed diagonal corner panels in an erected box, said side and end walls and said diagonal corner panels having top and bottom edges;
• a longitudinal fold line bisecting each said corner panel, said longitudinal fold lines defining opposite side edges of the box when it is folded flat;
• a glue panel extending along one edge of the blank, said blank being folded upon itself along said longitudinal fold lines into a folded-flat condition, and said glue panel adhesively attached to an opposite edge of the blank to form a flattened tubular structure;
• a pair of major bottom flaps foldably joined to the bottom edges of respective side walls along transverse fold lines, each major bottom flap having laterally projecting extensions on opposite ends thereof, at least a portion of one extension on each major bottom flap being foldable about a diagonal fold line that is substantially coplanar with the longitudinal fold lines in the corner panels when the box is in its flattened condition;
• a pair of minor bottom flaps foldably joined to the bottom edges of respective end walls along transverse fold lines;
• and
• a portion of each minor bottom flap secured to said foldable portion of a respective adjacent extension on an adjacent end edge of a major bottom flap so that when the box is folded flat along said longitudinal fold lines the flaps lie flat, and when the box is erected by pressing inwardly against said opposite side edges to cause the side and end walls to open up and move away from one another, the major and minor bottom flaps are automatically moved into a closed position across a bottom end of the erected box.

A collapsible octagonal bulk box movable between a flattened condition and an erected condition, and having a bottom structure that automatically moves into closed position when the box is moved into its erected condition, comprising:

• a pair of opposed side walls having bottom edges;
• a pair of opposed end walls having bottom edges;
• opposed pairs of diagonal corner panels connected between adjacent side and end walls, each of the corner panels in a diagonally opposite pair of corner panels being bisected by a longitudinal fold line, said longitudinal fold lines defining opposite side edges of the box when it is in a folded flat condition;
• a major bottom flap foldably joined to the bottom edge of each of the side walls, each major bottom flap having a fold line extending across one end thereof, said fold lines delineating one side of a foldable end portion of each major bottom flap;
• a minor bottom flap foldably joined to the bottom edge of each of the end walls;
• and
• a portion of each minor bottom flap connected to an adjacent said end portion of a respective major bottom flap, and the fold lines in the major bottom flaps being in coplanar relationship with the longitudinal fold lines defining opposite side edges of the box when the box is in its flattened condition, so that the major and minor bottom flaps lie flat when the box is in a flattened condition and so that they automatically move into a position to close the bottom of the box as the box is moved into its erected condition.