Stacking display containers

Abstract

A one-piece container having front, back and end walls is disclosed for use in storing, shipping and displaying the contents thereof. The front and back walls are reinforced in high stress areas, such as wall diagonals, by column members formed from panels that are integrally connected to the side and back walls. These column members thus remain tightly associated with the side and back walls and provide maximum strength and structural rigidity to the container. The column members are held in place by folding end wall panels that are integrally formed with the container bottom and which fold over the column members and lock into place with the bottom. The column members may be hollow geometric structures, or they may be flat sandwich structures formed from plural material layers. The container can be provided with registration tabs and corresponding openings to allow like containers to be stacked for storage or display.

1 . A container comprising: 
 a plurality of panels defining a bottom, longitudinally opposite first and second end walls, and laterally opposite first and second side walls;    each end wall having an outer end wall panel joined to the bottom, the end wall panel having end, top and inner panel portions; each side wall further comprising a side portion joined to the bottom, and a pair of column-forming panels, one of the column-forming panels disposed adjacent to the first end wall and the other column-forming panel disposed adjacent to the second end wall, each column-forming panel further having an assembled configuration in which the panel is folded to assume a column member having a substantially geometric shape;    wherein each end wall panel is sized and configured such that when a pair of associated column-forming panels are in the assembled configuration, the end, top and inner panel portions of the end wall are foldable about the resulting column members and securable to the bottom to form the first or second end wall to configure the container to an assembled state.    
   
   
       2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second side walls has a cutout for manual access to contents of the container; and wherein the cutout extends only part way from a top edge of the associated side wall to the bottom, and further comprising a reinforcing panel folded inwardly along an edge of the cutout such that the associated wall is at least a double thickness from the cutout to the bottom.  
   
   
       3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the side walls and the end walls are integrally joined at mutually orthogonal folds to a bottom panel;    wherein the reinforcing panel of the cutout is folded inwardly along a line parallel to and spaced from one of said folds that joins one of said side walls containing said cutout to the bottom panel, said reinforcing panel having a lateral edge;    wherein at least one of said column forming panels is integrally joined to the side wall containing the cutout, at a fold line perpendicular to said one of the folds joining the side wall containing the cutout to the bottom;    wherein said column forming panels comprise a terminal tab portion that is folded inwardly and glued to an inside of the side wall containing the cutout such that a terminal edge abuts against the lateral edge of the reinforcing panel.    
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein each of the column members associated with the first end wall is sized to span about half of a lateral width of the end wall.  
   
   
       5 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein each of the column members associated with the first end wall is sized to span less than half of a lateral width of the end wall.  
   
   
       6 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein each of the column members associated with the first end wall is sized to span from about 20% to about 40% of a lateral width of the end wall.  
   
   
       7 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the geometric shape is a rectangle.  
   
   
       8 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the side walls and end walls are integral with the bottom.  
   
   
       9 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the column-forming panels are integral with their respective side walls.  
   
   
       10 . The container of  claim 9 , wherein the inner panel portion of each end wall comprises a locking tab that engages with at least one of the bottom and side wall when the extension is folded over the associated column members.  
   
   
       11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the bottom comprises a tab receptacle and the tab locks in the tab receptacle in the assembled state of the container.  
   
   
       12 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the side wall comprises a tab receptacle and the tab locks in the tab receptacle in the assembled state of the container.  
   
   
       13 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the bottom comprises at least one registration tab configured to lock into a corresponding opening in the top panel portion of one of the end walls such that the container is stackable in registry with similar said containers by engaging the registration tab of one said container with the registration opening of a similar said container stacked thereon.  
   
   
       14 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the cutout is disposed between corners of the container, each corner comprising the location at which the top and inner panel portions of the end wall meet the associated side wall side portion.  
   
   
       15 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein first and second portions of the column-forming panel are adhesively attached together to form the associated column member.  
   
   
       16 . The container of  claim 15 , wherein the reinforcing panel is adhesively attached to the associated side wall portion.  
   
   
       17 . The container of  claim 14 , wherein the end panel portion of at least one of the end walls comprises a removable panel for manual access to a portion of the contents of the container.  
   
   
       18 . The container of  claim 17 , wherein the portion of the contents of the container that is accessible via the end panel portion is separate from the contents of the container that is accessible via the side wall cutout.  
   
   
       19 . The container of  claim 17 , wherein the column-forming panels associated with the at least one end wall each are configured so that the resulting column member has a cutout disposed toward the end wall for allowing manual access to an interior portion of the column member.  
   
   
       20 . A container comprising: 
 a plurality of corrugated paperboard panels defining a bottom, laterally opposite front and back walls, and longitudinally opposite end walls;    each front and back wall further comprising a pair of column-forming panels, one panel disposed adjacent to each end wall, each column-forming panel further having an assembled configuration in which the panel is folded to assume a column member having a substantially geometric shape;    wherein the end walls comprise an outer end wall panel joined adjacent to a respective one of the front and back walls to an extension at each opposite end of each of the end walls, each extension being foldable over one of said pairs of column members, the extension having fixation means for enclosing the column members; and    wherein each of the front and back walls has a cutout extending part way from a top end toward a lower wall portion adjacent the bottom for manual access to contents of the container.    
   
   
       21 . The container of  claim 20 , wherein the panels are integral parts of a single piece of flat stock.  
   
   
       22 . The container of  claim 20 , wherein the fixation means comprises gluing.  
   
   
       23 . The container of  claim 20 , wherein the fixation means comprises a locking tab formed on the extension and configured to engage a corresponding recess formed in the container bottom.  
   
   
       24 . The container of  claim 20 , wherein the lower wall portion of the front and back walls comprises a folded-inward reinforcing web.  
   
   
       25 . The container of  claim 24 , wherein the reinforcing web is glued to the associated lower wall portion.