Bulk bin with auto-closing bottom

Abstract

A bin ( 10, 40, 50, 70, 80 ) has an auto-closing bottom and can be manufactured and shipped and stored in a flattened configuration and moved to an open expanded configuration at a point of use. The bin has opposed sidewalls ( 11, 12 ) and opposed end walls ( 13, 14 and 15, 16 ) and major bottom flaps ( 18, 19 ) on the sidewalls and minor bottom flaps ( 20, 21 and 22, 23 ) on the end walls. The flaps automatically move to their closed position when the bin is moved from its flattened configuration to its expanded configuration. A connecting web ( 25 - 28, 43 ) is foldably connected between each major bottom flap and an adjacent first side edge of an adjacent minor bottom flap, and adjacent side edges of the minor bottom flaps are foldably interconnected ( 29, 30 or 44 ), so that when the sidewalls and end walls are moved from their flattened configuration to their open expanded configuration, the major and minor bottom flaps automatically fold inwardly toward one another to close the bottom of the bin.

1 . A bin having an auto-closing bottom and that can be manufactured and shipped and stored in a flattened condition and moved to an open expanded position at a point of use, comprising: 
 opposed sidewalls each having opposite side edges and a bottom edge;    opposed end walls connected to respective opposite side edges of the sidewalls, said end walls each having a bottom edge;    a major bottom flap foldably connected to the bottom edge of each said sidewall, said major bottom flaps each having opposite side edges;    a minor bottom flap foldably connected to the bottom edge of each said end wall, said minor bottom flaps each having opposite first and second side edges; and    a connecting web foldably connected between each side edge of each major bottom flap and an adjacent first side edge of an adjacent minor bottom flap, wherein said connecting webs interconnect said major and minor bottom flaps so that when the sidewalls and end walls are moved from a flattened condition of said bin to an open expanded position, the major and minor bottom flaps automatically fold inwardly toward one another to close the bottom of the bin.    
   
   
       2 . A bin as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 there are two said sidewalls disposed in opposed, spaced apart, parallel relationship to one another, and there are two opposed pairs of angularly disposed end walls connected between respective opposite side edges of said sidewalls, defining a six-sided container having a generally hexagonal shape in transverse cross-section.    
   
   
       3 . A bin as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 adjacent side edges of the minor bottom flaps on the bottom edges of adjacent end walls in at least one pair of end walls are foldably interconnected.    
   
   
       4 . A bin as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein: 
 adjacent side edges of the minor bottom flaps on the bottom edges of one pair of adjacent end walls are separated from one another by a cut; and    the foldable interconnection between adjacent side edges of the minor bottom flaps on said one pair of adjacent end walls comprises a glue flap on one minor bottom flap adhesively attached to an adjacent minor bottom flap.    
   
   
       5 . A bin as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the major and minor bottom flaps have free edges opposite their folded connection with the respective sidewalls and end walls; and    the width of the major bottom flaps between their free edge and their folded connection is greater than the width of the minor bottom flaps between their free edge and their folded connection.    
   
   
       6 . A bin as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein: 
 the connecting webs are generally triangularly shaped, having two sides converging to substantially a point at the juncture of the folded connections between adjacent major and minor bottom flaps.    
   
   
       7 . A bin as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein: 
 the minor bottom flaps have generally a trapezoidal shape; and    the major bottom flaps have generally a rectangular shape.    
   
   
       8 . A bin as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein: 
 there are two said sidewalls disposed in opposed, spaced apart, parallel relationship to one another, and there are two opposed pairs of angularly disposed end walls connected between respective opposite side edges of said sidewalls, defining a six-sided container having a generally hexagonal shape in transverse cross-section.    
   
   
       9 . A bin as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein: 
 adjacent side edges of the minor bottom flaps on the bottom edges of adjacent end walls in each pair opposed end walls are foldably interconnected.    
   
   
       10 . A bin as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein: 
 the foldable interconnections between adjacent side edges of the major and minor bottom flaps comprise triangularly shaped webs.    
   
   
       11 . A bin as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the webs have two sides converging to substantially a point at the juncture of the folded connections between adjacent minor bottom flaps; and    the webs are crushed.    
   
   
       12 . A bin as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the bin is made of corrugated paperboard.    
   
   
       13 . A bin as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 an area of said bin at said juncture of the folded connections is crushed.    
   
   
       14 . A bin as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein: 
 the webs are connected to adjacent major and minor bottom flaps along a fold line, a fold-promoting cut is made in the fold line, and said fold-promoting cut terminates in a J shaped end adjacent said juncture.    
   
   
       15 . A blank for making a collapsible paperboard bin that may be changed from a flattened condition for shipment and storage to an expanded open position at the point of use, wherein the container has an auto-closing bottom, said blank comprising: 
 an elongate, rectangularly shaped piece of paperboard having a plurality of spaced apart, parallel, transverse fold scores defining a plurality of adjacent, foldably interconnected wall panels having top and bottom edges, and including sidewall panels and end wall panels interposed between the sidewall panels;    a major bottom flap foldably connected to a bottom edge of each sidewall panel;    a minor bottom flap foldably connected to a bottom edge of each end wall panel; and    a connecting web foldably connected between adjacent side edges of each major bottom flap and an adjacent minor bottom flap.    
   
   
       16 . A blank as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein: 
 there are two spaced apart said sidewall panels and a said end wall panel on each side of each said sidewall panel.    
   
   
       17 . A blank as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein: 
 an end wall panel is at one end of the blank, followed by one of said sidewall panels, followed by two adjacent said end wall panels, followed by a second said sidewall panel, followed by another said end wall panel, followed by another end wall panel at a second end of the blank.    
   
   
       18 . A blank as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein: 
 adjacent edges of adjacent minor bottom flaps on adjacent end wall panels are separated by a cut.    
   
   
       19 . A blank as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein: 
 a glue flap is on one of said minor bottom flaps of each pair of adjacent end wall panels, adjacent said cut.    
   
   
       20 . A blank as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein: 
 said end wall panels at opposite ends of the blank comprise partial end wall panels.    
   
   
       21 . A blank as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein: 
 said sidewall and end wall panels and said major bottom flaps are generally rectangularly shaped, said minor bottom flaps are generally trapezoidally shaped, and said connecting webs and glue flaps are generally triangularly shaped.    
   
   
       22 . A blank as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein: 
 said major and minor bottom flaps each have a free edge opposite their folded connection with a respective sidewall or end wall panel, and the width of the major bottom flaps between their folded connection and free edge is greater than the width of the minor bottom flaps between their folded connection and free edge.    
   
   
       23 . A blank as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein: 
 said connecting webs and glue flaps each have two sides converging to substantially a point at the folded connections between respective adjacent major and minor bottom flaps and their associated wall panels.    
   
   
       24 . A blank as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein: 
 said major bottom flaps are foldably interconnected with adjacent minor bottom flaps by connecting webs; and    said minor bottom flaps are foldably interconnected with adjacent minor bottom flaps by connecting webs.    
   
   
       25 . A process for setting up a bin from a flattened configuration to an erected configuration, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a bin in a flattened configuration lying on a surface, wherein said bin, when erected, has opposed sidewalls and opposed end walls, a top end, and a bottom end with major and minor bottom flaps connected to the sidewalls and end walls, respectively, along a crease forming a fold line;    elevating the top end of the flattened bin, with the flaps resting on the surface;    causing the flaps to bend about said crease;    moving the sidewalls and end walls to open up the bin to an expanded tubular configuration;    rocking the bin back and forth on the major flaps to cause the major flaps to begin folding inwardly;    pressing the minor flaps inwardly; and    pushing down on the bin to cause the major and minor bottom flaps to fold to their fully closed positions.