Folding apparatus for the containment and transport of bottles and method of use

Abstract

A new and useful folding apparatus for the containment and transport of bottles which is lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, stronger and more resilient than current shipping containers and is easily disassembled and compactly stored when not in use. The apparatus essentially comprises a flat rectangular sheet that is made of a rigid and lightweight material such as cardboard or foam core, is scored or creased along its length and exhibits multiple flaps cut into the sheet. The creases along the sheet allow folding during assembly and define panels along the sheet which become the sides of the container when assembled. In concert, the creases, panels, and flaps allow the user to fold the sheet into a three-dimensional prismatic container for transporting bottles.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Not Applicable.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not Applicable.REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX[0003]Not Applicable.TECHNICAL FIELD[0004]The present invention is in the technical field of shipping containers. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of shipping containers for generally cylindrical objects. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of shipping containers for bottles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0005]The shipping of bottles, particularly wine bottles is currently conducted using two-piece and double bottle shipping containers currently available on the market. These containers are most often made of cardboard and typically cubical in shape. The interior is often sectioned for the placement of bottles and requires extra-packing materials in addition to the exterior box. Sometimes a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention provides a new and useful folding apparatus for the containment and transport of bottles which is lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, stronger and more resilient than current shipping containers and is easily disassembled and compactly stored when not in use. This apparatus is believed to be useful in the bottle packaging industry wherein packaging and transport of bottles, including mailing, requires quick packing options that minimize damage and failure when used. An apparatus according to the invention is also believed to be favorable for use in the direct retail market of bottled goods such as wine.

[0009]In one of its basic embodiments, the present invention comprises a flat rectangular sheet that is made of a rigid and lightweight material such as cardboard or foam core. The sheet is scored or creased along its length and exhibits multiple flaps cut into the sheet. The creases along the sheet create axes of movement or hinge-like areas where the sheet can be bent or folded for assembly. The creases further define panels along the sheet which become the sides of the container when assembled. The flaps are punched or cut into the sheet and create other structural components of the container when assembled. Most importantly, two flaps act as end caps to the container. These end caps are generally triangular in shape, are located near the ends of the second panel of the apparatus, and exhibit a plurality of tabs along its edges. When these end caps are folded and raised perpendicularly, the tabs on the end caps engage and form structural joints with slots cut into the adjacent panels when assembled. In concert, the creases, panels, and flaps allow the user to fold the sheet into a three-dimensional prismatic container for transporting bottles.

[0015]Thus the present invention provides a new and useful apparatus for the containment and transport of bottles which is lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, stronger and more resilient than current shipping containers, and is easily disassembled and compactly stored. Typical situations and settings that would benefit from the availability of such an apparatus would be: large scale manufacturing and bottling plants and distributers, smaller end user retail vendors of bottled goods such as wine, as well as single private individual consumers.

Problems solved by technology

The containers in the current art are relatively expensive and do not successfully withstand the predictable rigors of transport and delivery.

Current containers are susceptible to crushing, and easily damaged by couriers along the way.

In the applicant's experience there is a deficiency in the existing and prior art wherein there are no sufficiently lightweight, inexpensive, easily stored when not in use, and resilient containers for the purpose of transporting and shipping wine bottles.

Further, the cubical shape of currently available containers invite failure and damage to the interior contents because the interior square wells do not snuggly fit around and adequately support the cylindrical bottles inside.

This invites excessive shifting, movement and eventually damage to the bottles during transport.

This shape causes the vectors of force and gravity to be directed straight into the box below and its interior contents, thereby leading to more damaged goods and failure rates overall.

In the applicant's experience, the current shipping containers are also unwieldy and are not easily collapsed for storage and reuse.

Most often the empty shipping boxes in the current art stack requiring the same volume of storage space as when full and do not compactly store easily when not in use.

Images