Container With In-Molded Exposed Panel

Abstract

A container has a base bottom and a base side wall extending up from and circumferentially around a perimeter of the base bottom. The base side wall terminates at an upper end with a top opening at the upper end into an interior of the container. The base side wall is formed in part by a molded plastic skeleton and in part by at least a wall section of a pre-formed panel structure in-molded with and carried by the skeleton. The wall section is joined to the skeleton along perimeter edges of the panel structure. Portions of both an inner surface and an outer surface of the wall section are exposed and not covered by the skeleton.

1 . A container comprising:
 a skeleton of a molded plastic; and   a pre-formed panel structure in-molded with and carried by the skeleton, the panel structure having one or more inner surfaces, outer surfaces, and perimeter edges and forming, together with the skeleton, a container base having
 a base bottom, 
 a base side wall extending up from and circumferentially around a perimeter of the base bottom and terminating at an upper end, and 
 a top opening at the upper end into an interior of the container base, 
   wherein a portion of the base side wall is formed in part by the skeleton and in part by at least a wall section of the panel structure joined to the skeleton, and wherein side wall portions of both the inner and outer surfaces of the panel structure are exposed and not covered by the skeleton.   
     
     
         2 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the base bottom is formed in part by the skeleton and in part by at least a bottom section of the panel structure joined to the skeleton, and wherein bottom wall portions of both the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom section are exposed and not covered by the skeleton. 
     
     
         3 . A container according to  claim 2  wherein the wall section has a perimeter edge joined to the skeleton and the bottom section has a perimeter edge joined to the skeleton. 
     
     
         4 . A container according to  claim 2 , wherein the wall section and the bottom section of the panel structure are integrally coupled to one another along a joint. 
     
     
         5 . A container according to  claim 4 , wherein the panel structure is in part a paper product and the joint is a fold joint. 
     
     
         6 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the panel structure is a non-plastic material formed of paper, paperboard, laminate paper, or fabric and has a wall thickness less than a thickness of the skeleton to which it is joined. 
     
     
         7 . A container according to  claim 1  wherein the panel structure is a thin film plastic or a thermoformed plastic material and has a wall thickness less than a thickness of the skeleton to which it is joined. 
     
     
         8 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the side wall includes multiple discrete sides. 
     
     
         9 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the side wall has multiple segments and the skeleton has a plurality of upstanding posts that separate each of the multiple segments from one another. 
     
     
         10 . A container according to  claim 9 , wherein the skeleton has a bottom rib interconnected with at least two of the plurality of upstanding posts and traversing the base bottom. 
     
     
         11 . A container according to  claim 9 , wherein the skeleton has a top ring joined to each of the plurality of upstanding posts and forming the top end of the side wall 
     
     
         12 . A container according to  claim 9 , wherein the side wall has four corners and four of the segments arranged in a generally rectangular configuration, one corner between each pair of the four segments, and wherein the skeleton has four of the plurality of upstanding posts, one positioned at each of the four corners. 
     
     
         13 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises a selectively openable lid sized to fit on the upper end of the side wall to close off the top opening. 
     
     
         14 . A container according to  claim 13 , wherein the lid has a plastic molded lid ring and has a preformed lid panel joined to the lid ring wherein portions of both an inner surface and an outer surface of the lid panel are exposed and not covered by plastic of the lid ring. 
     
     
         15 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the skeleton includes a top ring extending around the upper end of the side wall. 
     
     
         16 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the skeleton includes a bottom rib traversing a portion of the base bottom. 
     
     
         17 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the skeleton includes a bottom ring along a lower end of the side wall and around the perimeter of the base bottom. 
     
     
         18 . A container according to  claim 1 , wherein the skeleton is molded from a thermoplastic elastomer, polypropylene, or polyethylene material. 
     
     
         19 . A container comprising:
 a base bottom;   a base side wall extending up from and circumferentially around a perimeter of the base bottom, the base side wall terminating at an upper end; and   a top opening at the upper end into an interior of the container,   wherein the base side wall is formed in part by a molded plastic skeleton and in part by at least a wall section of a pre -formed panel structure in-molded with and carried by the skeleton, wherein the wall section is joined to the skeleton along perimeter edges of the panel structure and such that portions of both an inner surface and an outer surface of the wall section are exposed and not covered by the skeleton.