Bulk container for catering or large food orders

Abstract

A foldable carton blank, and erected carton are provided which include vertical and/or horizontal dividers. The dividers are removably attached to the foldable carton blank. A method of erecting a carton from such a blank is also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fully-erected four-wall container made of a foldable material, comprising:
 a bottom wall panel having a front edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, and a rear edge;   a front wall hingedly joined to the front edge, a first side wall hingedly joined to the first side edge, a second side wall hingedly joined to the second side edge, and a rear wall hingedly joined to the rear edge;   a first flap hingedly joined to the front wall;   a second flap hingedly joined to the rear wall;   
       a slit in at least one of the front wall and the rear wall to create a slitted wall disposed in a substantially vertical plane, the slit shaped to define a holding flap joined to the slitted wall, the holding flap being disposed at least partially out of the substantially vertical plane of the slitted wall thereby defining a holding space between the holding flap and the substantially vertical plane; and 
       a vertical divider comprising a center member and an end member, the end member partially disposed within the holding space such that the holding flap biases the end member against the slitted wall. 
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the end member of the vertical divider is a first end member, and the vertical divider comprises a second end member. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the slit in the slitted wall is a first slit, the slitted wall is a first slitted wall, the holding flap is a first holding flap, and the holding space is a first holding space, the container further comprising a second slit in the other of the front wall and the rear wall creating a second slitted wall disposed in a second substantially vertical plane, the second slit being substantially a mirror image in shape with respect to the first slit and defining a second holding flap joined to the second slitted wall, the second holding flap being at least partially disposed out of the second substantially vertical plane of the second slitted wall thereby defining a second holding space between the second holding flap and the second substantially vertical plane of the second slitted wall, the second end member partially disposed within the second holding space. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the rear wall comprises a rear top edge, the container further comprising a lid hingedly joined to the rear top edge. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 4 , wherein the lid has a lid front edge, and the container further comprises a large flap removably attached to the lid front edge. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 5 , wherein the large flap comprises two side members. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the first flap has a cutout portion sized and shaped to allow receiving of a side member of the large flap. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , and further comprising a third flap hingedly joined to the front wall and a fourth flap hingedly joined to the rear wall. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8 , the first flap and the third flap each having a cutout portion. 
     
     
         10 . A one-piece carton blank of a foldable material, comprising:
 a substantially rectangular bottom panel disposed in a plane and having a front edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, a rear edge, and a width defined by the first edge;   a front wall panel hingedly joined to the front edge, the front wall panel having a slit therein defining a first biasing flap extending in a first direction, a front wall outer edge, a front wall first side edge, and a front wall second side edge, the first biasing flap being in a first position and configured to be moved substantially out of the plane of the bottom wall panel to a second position, the biasing flap and front wall panel configured to define a first receiving space when the biasing flap is in the second position;   a first side wall panel hingedly joined to the first side edge;   a second side wall panel hingedly joined to the second side edge;   a rear wall panel hingedly joined to the rear edge; and   a divider removably attached to the front wall outer edge, the divider comprising a center member, a first end member joined to the center member, and a second end member joined to the center member, the center member having a length dimension that is substantially the same as the width of the bottom wall panel.   
     
     
         11 . The one-piece carton blank of  claim 10 , wherein the rear wall has a slit therein defining a second biasing flap, the second biasing flap extending in the first direction. 
     
     
         12 . The one-piece carton blank of  claim 10 , wherein the divider is a first divider and the one-piece carton further comprises a second divider which is removably attached to the front wall outer edge. 
     
     
         13 . The one-piece carton blank of  claim 10 , wherein the rear wall panel has a rear wall outer edge and the one-piece carton blank further comprises a lid panel hingedly joined to the rear wall outer edge, and a small closing flap hingedly joined to the lid panel. 
     
     
         14 . The one-piece carton blank of  claim 13 , and further comprising a large outer flap removably joined to the lid panel and small closing flap.