Storage container

Claim 2

A lightweight carton for storing and shipping packaged materials which are subject to settling or flow, said carton comprising a. four rectangular cells assembled in abutting relationship in the quadrants about a central vertical axis to form a fourcelled carton having the same rectangular cross-sectional configuration and height as the individual cells, b. one outer face only of each cell being fastened to the abutting outer face of an adjoining cell, c. each of the sidewalls of the carton which are parallel to the fastened cell wall faces, being covered by a sheet material fastened thereto, and d. the top and bottom of the carton being capped by removable covers which extend partially down the outer walls of the carton.

Claim 3

The carton of claim 1 in which the larger contacting outer faces of adjoining cells are fastened together.

Claim 4

A four-compartment container assembly comprising four tubular container subassemblies each of rectangular cross section each having two side panels and two end panels with said panels carrying bottom-forming flaps; a first two of said container subassemblies being joined together in transverse aligned relation at a single side panel to form a first pair of joined container subassemblies; a second two of said container subassemblies also being joined together in transverse aligned relation at a single side panel to form a second pair of joined container subassemblies; said first and second pairs being arranged to form an array in which end panels of the subassemblies of one pair are in adjacent opposed relation to end panels of the subassemblies of the other pair with the subassemblies of one pair in longitudinal alignment with the subassemblies of the other pair; a rigid reinforcing panel secured on each of the two opposite sides of the array to the outer faces of the aligned subassembly side panels; the two remote subassembly end panels of the array being exposed and forming the end faces of the container assembly, the adjacent and facing end panels of the container subassemblies being unattached and capable of being separated to form a diamond-shaped configuration and the opposite exposed subassembly end panels forming an angular configuration with the apices of the configuration extending outwardly from the center of the assembly as said reinforcing panels are moved toward each other to collapse said four-compartment container and provide a substantially flat contour for the collapsed container.

Claim 5

A four-compartment container assembly comprising four tubular container subassemblies each of rectangular cross section each having two side panels and two end panels with said panels carrying bottom-forming flaps; a first two of said container subassemblies being joined together in transverse aligned relation at a single side panel to form a first pair of joined container subassemblies; a second two of said container subassemblies also being joined together in transverse aligned relation at a single side panel to form a second pair of joined container subassemblies; said first and second pairs being arranged to form an array in which end panels of the subassemblies of one pair are in adjacent opposed relation to end panels of the subassemblies of the other pair with the subassemblies of one pair in longitudinal alignment with the subassemblies of the other pair; a rigid reinforcing panel secured on each of the two opposite sides of the array to the outer faces of the aligned subassembly side panels; the two remote subassembly end panels of the array being exposed and forming the end faces of the container assembly, the adjacent and facing end panels of the container subassemblies being unattached and capable of being separated to form a diamond-shaped configuration and the opposite exposed subassembly end panels forming an angular configuration with the apices of the configuration extending outwardly from the center of the assembly as said reinforcing panels are moved toward each other to collapse said four-compartment container and provide a substantially flat contour for the collapsed container.