Re-usable, knock-down box apparatus and method

A box comprising:

• a single piece of planar material having uniform properties with respect to the planar extent;
• the single piece formed into a plurality of panels, each continuous and contiguous with at least one other one thereof;
• and
• the single piece, wherein the plurality of panels comprises
• a bottom panel to support contents placeable in the box and provided with bottom apertures,
• a front panel operating as a shear wall to support the bottom,
• a rear panel operating as a shear wall to support the bottom,
• end panels adjacent to and extending between the front panel, rear panel, and bottom panel,
• a plurality of hinge panels, each hinge panel thereof formed with a free portion, extending continuously and contiguously from an edge of one of the end, front, and rear panels, and a fixed portion, fixed permanently to a surface of an adjacent one of the end, front, and rear panels to erect all thereof together in response to movement of any thereof toward an erected position, and to fix the positions of the front, rear, and end panels with respect to each other and the bottom panel in an assembled configuration,
• the plurality of hinge panels, wherein the each hinge panel is further formed with a score region, between the free and fixed portions, bending therealong to form a hinge line,
• the plurality of hinge panels further connected to re-fold closed, drawing the front and end panels down substantially coplanar with their respective end panels,
• a front tuck panel extending downward from proximate the top of the front panel to proximate the bottom panel and provided with a front slot formed proximate a score between the front panel and the front tuck panel;
• end tuck panels extending from proximate the top of each respective end panel and extending downward to be fixed with respect to the bottom panel in the bottom apertures,
• a lid flexibly secured to the rear panel to selectively tilt with respect thereto between an open position away from the front panel and a closed position substantially in contact with the front panel and having a front lock tab extending therefrom to fit within the front slot;
• the front panel further comprising a registration panel extending above the front slot to receive the front lock tab therein, registering the front lock tab upon contact therewith and urging the front lock tab into the front slot;
• a ledge extending horizontally, spacing apart, respectively, and interconnecting, each end panel with respect to the corresponding end tuck panel in an assembled configuration, the ledge being positioned to support the lid panel in a vertical direction when the box is in the assembled configuration, the lid and the front tuck panel extending toward one another in the knocked down configuration.

A box, repeatedly and selectively configurable between a knocked down configuration and an assembled configuration and constituted by a single piece of planar material having uniform properties with respect to the planar extent and formed into a plurality of panels, each continuous and contiguous with at least one other one thereof, the panels comprising:

• a bottom panel to support contents placeable in the box and provided with bottom apertures;
• a front panel operating as a shear wall to support the bottom;
• a rear panel operating as a shear wall to support the bottom;
• end panels adjacent to and extending between the front panel, rear panel, and bottom panel;
• a plurality of hinge panels, each hinge panel thereof formed with a free portion, extending continuously and contiguously from an edge of one of the end, front, and rear panels, and a fixed portion, fixed permanently to a surface of an adjacent one of the end, front, and rear panels to erect all thereof together in response to movement of any thereof toward an erected position, and to fix the positions of the front, rear, and end panels with respect to each other and the bottom panel in an assembled configuration;
• the plurality of hinge panels, wherein the each hinge panel is further formed with a score region, between the free and fixed portions, bending therealong to form a hinge line, the plurality of hinge panels further connected to re-fold closed, drawing the front and end panels down substantially coplanar with their respective end panels;
• a front tuck panel extending downward from proximate the top of the front panel to proximate the bottom panel and provided with a front slot formed proximate a score between the front panel and the front tuck panel;
• end tuck panels extending from proximate the top of each respective end panel and extending downward to be fixed with respect to the bottom panel in the bottom apertures;
• a lid flexibly secured to the rear panel to selectively tilt with respect thereto between an open position away from the front panel and a closed position substantially in contact with the front panel and having a front lock tab extending therefrom to fit within the front slot;
• the front panel further comprising a registration panel extending above the front slot to receive the front lock tab therein, registering the front lock tab upon contact therewith and urging the front lock tab into the front slot.