Hand formed reinforced polygonal containers and blanks for making the same

A polygonal container formed from a blank of sheet material, said container comprising:

• a bottom wall;
• two opposing side walls, each side wall emanating from a side edge of the bottom wall;
• two opposing end walls, each end wall comprising an end panel and a foldover panel, each end wall emanating from an end edge of the bottom wall, each foldover panel opposite the end edge and positioned in an at least partially overlying relationship with the end panel;
• and
• a first reinforcing panel assembly extending between a first end wall of the two end walls and a first side wall of the two side walls, the first reinforcing panel assembly comprising:
• a corner panel emanating from a side edge of the first side wall, the corner panel having a first width and a first height;
• a first reinforcing end panel emanating from a side edge of the corner panel;
• a second reinforcing end panel emanating from a side edge of the first reinforcing end panel;
• and
• an inner reinforcing corner panel emanating from a side edge of the second reinforcing panel, the inner reinforcing corner panel having a second width substantially equal to the first width, the inner reinforcing corner panel having a second height substantially equal to the first height, wherein the corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel are disposed in juxtaposed face-to-face relation to one another to form a corner wall extending from an end edge of the first side wall to an end edge of the first end wall.

A method for forming a polygonal container from a blank of sheet material, the polygonal container including at least five sides, the method comprising:

• (a) providing the blank having:
• a bottom panel;
• two opposing side panels, each side panel extending from a side edge of the bottom panel;
• two opposing end panels, each end panel extending from an end edge of the bottom panel;
• a first foldover panel extending from a top edge of a first end panel of the two end panels;
• and
• a reinforcing panel assembly extending from a first side edge of a first side panel of the two side panels, the reinforcing panel assembly comprising:
• an outer reinforcing corner panel extending from the first side edge of the first side panel, the outer reinforcing corner panel having a first width and a first height;
• an outer reinforcing end panel extending from a side edge of the outer reinforcing corner panel;
• an inner reinforcing end panel extending from a side edge of the outer reinforcing end panel;
• an inner reinforcing corner panel extending from a side edge of the inner reinforcing end panel, the inner reinforcing corner panel having a second width substantially equal to the first width, the inner reinforcing corner panel having a second height substantially equal to the first height;
• and
• an inner reinforcing side panel extending from a side edge of the inner reinforcing corner panel;
• (b) rotating the inner reinforcing end panel toward an interior surface of the outer reinforcing end panel about a fold line connecting the inner reinforcing end panel and the outer reinforcing end panel;
• (c) rotating the outer reinforcing corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel toward an interior surface of the first side panel about a fold line connecting the inner reinforcing corner panel and the inner reinforcing side panel and about a fold line connecting the outer reinforcing corner panel and the first side panel;
• (d) rotating the first side panel inwardly into a substantially perpendicular relationship with the bottom panel about a fold line connecting the first side panel and the bottom panel, the first side panel and inner reinforcing side panel forming a first side wall of the polygonal container and the outer reinforcing corner panel and the inner reinforcing corner panel forming a first corner wall of the polygonal container;
• and
• (e) rotating the first foldover panel inwardly into at least a partially overlying relationship with the first end panel.