Self-standing foldable container apparatuses and methods of using the same

Abstract

A self-standing foldable composite container apparatus comprises, preferably, a vertical cuboid body, namely having the shape of a square prism, rectangular prism, or cube. The container apparatus may be made from one or a plurality of layers of woven polymeric material, further having plastic inserts therein to maintain the shape thereof, reinforce the sides thereof, and further allow the containers to self-stand. The top and bottom of the container apparatus may comprise covers that may be relatively flat, the top cover having a flap openable by one or more zippers and having at least a pair of lifting loops for lifting the same with a forklift or other like lifting mechanism. Methods of using the same are further provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A container apparatus comprising:
 a body having a tubular configuration formed from a plurality of flexible layers and having a plurality of side walls, the body having a plurality of corners, each corner forming a vertex of the plurality of side walls thereby forming a cuboid shape, the body further having a top cover and a bottom cover thereby forming an interior space within the body;   a flap disposed in the top cover configured to open forming an opening in the top cover to access the interior space;   an inner liner bag disposed within the interior space; and   first and second flat panel inserts within first and second pockets, respectively, within each of the plurality of side walls forming a fold line between the first and second flat panel inserts within each of the side walls.   
     
     
         2 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the layers are made from woven polypropylene. 
     
     
         3 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each of the corners is rounded. 
     
     
         4 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the flap comprises a zipper around a periphery thereof for closing to and opening from the top cover. 
     
     
         5 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the inner liner bag is adhered to an inner wall of the body. 
     
     
         6 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a tab extending from an inner wall of the body, wherein the inner liner bag is affixed to the tab. 
 
     
     
         7 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a spout disposed through the inner liner bag configured to open and allow material to fill the space within the inner liner bag or remove the material from the inner liner bag. 
 
     
     
         8 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a first strap connected to a first corner of the body and a second corner of the body forming a first loop. 
 
     
     
         9 . The container apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the first corner and the second corner are adjacent to each other. 
     
     
         10 . The container apparatus of  claim 8  further comprising:
 a second strap connected to a third corner of the body and a fourth corner of the body forming a second loop. 
 
     
     
         11 . The container apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the first and second corners are adjacent to each other and the third and fourth corners are adjacent to each other. 
     
     
         12 . The container apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the inner liner bag comprises a neck that is configured to extend through opening in the top cover. 
     
     
         13 . A method of using a container apparatus comprising the steps of:
 providing a container apparatus comprising a body having a tubular configuration formed from a plurality of flexible layers and having a plurality of side walls, the body having a plurality of corners, each corner forming a vertex of the plurality of side walls thereby forming a cuboid shape, the body further having a top cover and a bottom cover thereby forming an interior space within the body, and first and second flat panel inserts within first and second pockets, respectively, within each of the plurality of side walls forming a fold line between the first and second flat panel inserts within each of the side walls, wherein the container apparatus is in a folded state;   unfolding a first sidewall via a first fold line between the first and second panel inserts within the first sidewall;   unfolding a second sidewall via a second fold line between the first and second panel inserts within the second sidewall; and   standing the body upright with each of the sidewalls in an unfolded configuration.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a flap disposed in the top cover configured to open forming an opening in the top cover to access the interior space; 
 opening the flap and forming the opening in the top cover; and 
 accessing the interior space of the body. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the flap comprises a zipper around a periphery thereof and wherein opening the flap is caused by unzipping the zipper around the periphery of the flap. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising the steps of:
 providing an inner liner bag within the body having an opening accessible through the opening in the top cover; and 
 opening the inner liner bag and accessing an interior of the inner liner bag. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the inner liner bag comprises a neck that is configured to extend through the opening in the top cover, and further comprising the step of:
 extending the neck of the inner liner bag through the opening prior to opening the inner liner bag and accessing the interior of the inner liner bag. 
 
     
     
         18 . A method of using a container apparatus comprising the steps of:
 providing a container apparatus comprising a body having a tubular configuration formed from a plurality of layers and having a plurality of side walls without any vertical seams, the body having a plurality of corners, each corner forming a vertex of the plurality of side walls thereby forming a cuboid shape, the body further having a top cover and a bottom cover thereby forming an interior space within the body, and first and second flat panel inserts within first and second pockets, respectively, within each of the plurality of side walls forming a fold line between the first and second flat panel inserts within each of the side walls; and   folding a first sidewall at the fold line between the first and second flat panel inserts within the first sidewall inwardly toward the interior space.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising the steps of:
 folding a second sidewall at the fold line between the first and second flat panel inserts within the second sidewall inwardly toward the interior space; and 
 flattening the body of the container apparatus. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a third panel insert within the bottom cover of the container apparatus, wherein the third panel insert is foldable.