Folded product container that is formed as a reinforced opened top display tray that can be stacked
A folded product container provides the benefit of reduced cost of a container formed from a single sheet of material that is folded to produce the container without requiring gluing. The novel configuration of the folded container provides four triangular cross-section column walls at the four corners of the container that reinforce the container for stacking, while still allowing display of products in the container through a top opening and front and rear openings of the stacked containers.
1. A folded product container comprising:
a rectangular bottom panel with parallel front and rear edges and parallel left side and right side edges;
a front panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel front edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel front edge;
a front panel flap connected integrally with the front panel along a fold line between the front panel and the front panel flap, the fold line being parallel with and on an opposite side of the front panel from the bottom panel front edge, the front panel flap being folded over the front panel and extending downwardly from the fold line across the front panel toward the bottom panel edge;
a pair of front flanges extending outwardly from opposite sides of the front panel flap;
a rear panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel rear edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel rear edge;
a rear panel flap connected integrally with the rear panel along a fold line between the rear panel and the rear panel flap, the fold line between the rear panel and the rear panel flap being parallel with and on an opposite side of the rear panel from the bottom panel rear edge, the rear panel flap being folded over the rear panel and extending downwardly from the fold line between the rear panel and the rear panel flap across the rear panel toward the bottom panel rear edge;
a pair of rear flanges extending outwardly from opposite sides of the rear panel flap;
a left side panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel left side edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel left side edge;
a right side panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel right side edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel right side edge;
a hollow, tubular, front left column extending upwardly from the bottom panel between the front panel and the left side panel, the front left column having a slot that receives one of the pair of front flanges extending outwardly from the opposite sides of the front panel flap thereby securing both the front panel and the front panel flap to the front left column;
a hollow, tubular, front right column extending upwardly from the bottom panel between the front panel and the right side panel, the front right column having a slot that receives the other of the pair of front flanges extending outwardly from the opposite sides of the front panel flap thereby securing both the front panel and the front panel flap to the front right column;
a hollow, tubular, rear left column extending upwardly from the bottom panel between the rear panel and the left side panel, the rear left column having a slot that receives one of the pair of rear flanges that extend outwardly from the opposite sides of the rear panel flap thereby securing both the rear panel and the rear panel flap to the left rear column; and,
a hollow, tubular, rear right column extending upwardly from the bottom panel between the rear panel and the right side panel, the rear right column having a slot that receives the other of the pair of rear flanges extending outwardly from the opposite sides of the rear panel flap thereby securing both the rear panel and the rear panel flap to the rear right column.
2. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, and the rear right column all extending upwardly from the bottom panel at right angles relative to the bottom panel, each of the columns being formed from a plurality of column panels that are separated from each other by fold lines, and the slot of each column being in one of the fold lines that separates column panels of each of the columns.
3. The folded product container of claim 2 , further comprising:
the column panels of each of the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, and the rear right column including at least four column panels that are folded relative to each other along the fold lines separating the column panels and form each of the columns with a triangular cross-section.
4. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the four column panels of the front left column are separated from the left side panel by a fold line, the four column panels of the front right column are separated from the right side panel by a fold line, the four column panels of the rear left column are separated from the left side panel by a fold line, and the four column panels of the rear right column are separated from the right side panel by a fold line.
5. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, the rear right column, the left side panel, and the right side panel each having an equivalent height dimension extending upwardly from the bottom panel.
6. The folded product container of claim 5 , further comprising:
the front panel and rear panel each having an equivalent height dimension extending upwardly from the bottom panel, and the height dimension of the front panel and the rear panel being smaller than the height dimension of the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, the rear right column, the left side panel, and the right side panel.
7. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the folded product container being cut from a single sheet of material.
8. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the folded product container being unglued.
9. The folded product container of claim 1 , further comprising:
the folded product container having an open top defined by the front panel, the rear panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel.
10. A folded product container comprising:
a rectangular bottom panel with parallel front and rear edges and parallel left side and right side edges;
a front panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel front edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel front edge;
a rear panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel rear edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel rear edge;
a left side panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel left side edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel left side edge;
a left top panel connected integrally with the left side panel along a fold line between the left top panel and the left side panel, the fold line being parallel with and on an opposite side of the left side panel from the bottom panel left side edge;
a left top flap connected integrally with the left top panel along a fold line between the left top flap and the left top panel, the left top flap being folded over the left top panel and extending across the left top panel from the fold line between the left top flap and the left top panel toward the left side panel;
a right side panel connected integrally with the bottom panel along the bottom panel right side edge and extending upwardly from the bottom panel right side edge;
a right top panel connected integrally with the right side panel along a fold line between the right top panel and the right side panel, the fold line being parallel with and on an opposite side of the right side panel from the bottom panel right side edge;
a right top flap connected integrally with the right top panel along a fold line between the right top flap and the right top panel, the right top flap being folded over the right top panel and extending across the right top panel from the fold line between the right top flap and the right top panel toward the right side panel;
a hollow, tubular front left column between the front panel and left side panel and extending upwardly from the bottom panel, the front left column having a left column flap that extends from the front left column between the left top panel and the left top flap;
a hollow, tubular front right column between the front panel and the right side panel and extending upwardly from the bottom panel, the front right column having a right column flap that extends from the front right column between the right top panel and the right top flap;
a rear hollow, tubular left column between the rear panel and the left side panel and extending upwardly from the bottom panel, the rear left column having a rear left column flap that extends from the rear left column between the left top panel and the left top flap; and,
a hollow, tubular rear right column between the rear panel and the right side panel and extending upwardly from the bottom panel, the rear right column having a rear right column flap that extends from the rear right column between the right top panel and the right top flap.
11. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, and the rear right column all extending upwardly from the bottom panel at right angles relative to the bottom panel.
12. The folded product container of claim 11 , further comprising:
the front panel, the rear panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel all extending upwardly from the bottom panel at right angles relative to the bottom panel
the column panels of each of the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, and the rear right column including at least four column panels that are folded relative to each other along the fold lines separating the column panels and form each of the columns with a triangular cross-section.
13. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the four column panels of the front left column are separated from the left side panel by a fold line, the four column panels of the front right column are separated from the right side panel by a fold line, the four column panels of the rear left column are separated from the left side panel by a fold line, and the four column panels of the rear right column are separated from the right side panel by a fold line.
14. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, the rear right column, the left side panel, and the right side panel each having an equivalent height dimension extending upwardly from the bottom panel.
15. The folded product container of claim 14 , further comprising:
the front panel and rear panel each having an equivalent height dimension extending upwardly from the bottom panel, and the height dimension of the front panel and the rear panel being smaller than the height dimension of the front left column, the front right column, the rear left column, the rear right column, the left side panel, and the right side panel.
16. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the folded product container being cut from a single sheet of material.
17. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the folded product container being unglued.
18. The folded product container of claim 10 , further comprising:
the folded product container having an open top defined by the front panel, the rear panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel.