Air breathable bulk materials container

A container for drying and long-term storage of leaf products made by the process comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a blank of a sheet material scored to define two opposing end panels and two opposing side panels;
• (b) pressing with opposing conical pins a field of spaced-apart passageways in a portion of at least one of the opposing panels for communicating moisture through the panel;
• (c) folding the blank on the scores;
• (d) adhering a pair of opposing distal ends of the blank adhered together to define a tubular body openable from a first position which is substantially flat to a second position squared-open for receiving a plurality of leaf products within a cavity defined by the opposing end and side panels;
• (e) providing a bottom and a top cap that close opposing open ends of the tubular body,
• whereby leaf products, being held within the tubular body, emit moisture which communicates through the field of passageways in the panel to atmosphere for drying and long-term storage of the leaf products.

A reinforced bulk material container, comprising:

• a first wall-forming blank of paperboard scored to provide a series of main panels foldably joined together at a plurality of corners, said first wall-forming blank defining an inside surface and an outside surface;
• a second wall-forming blank of paperboard scored to provide a series of main panels foldably joined together at a plurality of corners, said second wall-forming blank defining a front side surface and a back side surface;
• a pair of independent support members glued to the backside of said second wall-forming blank at the location of each said corner, said pair of support members each extending substantially the height of said second wall-forming blank and arranged so as to straddle and be spaced apart from said score;
• said backside surface of said second wall-forming blank being laminated to said inside surface of said first wall-forming blank so as to provide a unitary container having a series of reinforced side walls foldably joined together;
• at least one of the side walls defining a field of spaced-apart passageways for communicating moisture through the panel, the passageways defined by passing opposing conical pins from a first direction and a second direction into the side wall substantially past a mid-point of the thickness of the side wall;
• whereby moisture from products placed in the interior of said container communicates through said passageways.

A method of defining passageways in a side wall of a container for drying and long-term storage of leaf products, comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving a blank of a sheet material between aligned opposing first and second plates each defining a plurality of spaced-apart openings, the blank scored to define two opposing end panels and two opposing side panels, foldable on the scores and a pair of opposing distal ends thereof adhered together to define a tubular body openable from a first position which is substantially flat to a second position squared-open for receiving a plurality of leaf products within a cavity defined by the opposing end and side panels;
• (by moving a first array of conical pins from a retracted position to an extended position through the openings in the first plate with the conical pins extending substantially to a mid-point of the thickness of the blank to define a portion of passageways through the blank;
• and
• (c) moving a second array of conical pins from a retracted position to an extended position through the openings in the second plate with the conical pins extending substantially to a mid-point of the thickness of the blank to define a second portion of passageways through the blank,
• whereby leaf products, being held within the tubular body, emit moisture which communicates through the field of passageways in the panel to atmosphere for drying and long-term storage of the leaf products.