Lightweight knockdown container

Claim 2

A lightweight knockdown container including in combination, a base, a front, respective sides and a top, means forming an inwardly opening groove along the side and back edges of said base, means forming respective outwardly extending lips along the bottom edges of said back and sides for reception in said base groove, means forming respective grooves along the side edges of said back, said grooves opening inwardly in a direction generally parallel to the plane of said back, means forming respective lips along the back edges of said sides, said side back edge lips extending in a direction generally parallel to the back edges of said sides to engage in said back side edge grooves in response to sliding movement of said sides outwardly of said container from the interior thereof, and readily releasable means carried by the inside of said back and responsive to said sliding movement for engaging the inner surfaces of said sides to hold said sides erected on said base.

Claim 3

A container as in claim 1 including means forming respective grooves along the side edges of the front, said front side edge grooves opening inwardly in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the front, means forming respective lips along the front edges of said sides, said side front edge lips extending in a direction generally parallel to the front edges of said sides to engage in said front side edge grooves in response to said sliding movement, and second readily releasable means on the inside of said front and responsive to said sliding movement for engaging the inner surfaces of said sides.

Claim 4

A container as in claim 1 in which said releasable means comprises respective biased catches movable between operative and inoperative positions, each of said catches being positioned to be engaged by an edge of side panel as it is erected whereby to move the catch from operative to inoperative position and each of said catches being adapted to return to operative position to engage the inner surface of a panel after the panel is erected.

Claim 5

A container as in claim 1 in which each of said lip forming and groove forming means comprises respective members L-shaped in cross section and positioned so that one leg of each is secured to an edge to be joined and the other leg is spaced from the edge to provide interengaging lips.

Claim 6

A container as in claim 4 including a plurality of gaskets, each of said gaskets being supported by one of said members and positioned to be engaged by the lip of the other member.

Claim 7

A container as in claim 4 in which each of said members is formed from sheet metal.

Claim 8

A lightweight knockdown container including in combination, a base, a front, respective sides and a top, first interengageable means extending around the periphery of said base and respective outwardly directed lips along bottoms of said front and back and sides, second interengageable means extending along the side edges of said back and along the back edges of said sides, said second intErengageable means comprising inwardly directed lips extending along the side edges of said back and outwardly directed lips extending along the back edges of said sides, third interengageable means extending along the side edges of the front and along the front edges of the sides, said third interengageable means comprising inwardly directed lips extending along the side edges of the front and outwardly directed lips along the front edges of the sides, said second and third interengageable means adapted to engage in response to sliding movement of said sides outwardly of the interior of said container after erection of said front and back on said base, and biased catches on the inside of the front and back for holding said sides and front and back erected, said catches being movable between operative and inoperative positions, said catches being adapted to be moved from operative to inoperative positions by the edges of a side and back to operative position to engage the inner surface of the side in response to said sliding movement thereof.

Claim 9

A lightweight knockdown container including in combination, a base, a front, respective sides and a top, first interengageable means extending around the periphery of said base and respective outwardly directed lips along bottoms of said front and back and sides, second interengageable means extending along the side edges of said back and along the back edges of said sides, said second intErengageable means comprising inwardly directed lips extending along the side edges of said back and outwardly directed lips extending along the back edges of said sides, third interengageable means extending along the side edges of the front and along the front edges of the sides, said third interengageable means comprising inwardly directed lips extending along the side edges of the front and outwardly directed lips along the front edges of the sides, said second and third interengageable means adapted to engage in response to sliding movement of said sides outwardly of the interior of said container after erection of said front and back on said base, and biased catches on the inside of the front and back for holding said sides and front and back erected, said catches being movable between operative and inoperative positions, said catches being adapted to be moved from operative to inoperative positions by the edges of a side and back to operative position to engage the inner surface of the side in response to said sliding movement thereof.

Claim 10

A container as in claim 7 in which said sides comprise a body of synthetic-resin foam and a corrugated reinforcing element embedded in said foam.

Claim 11

A container as in claim 7 in which said lips are formed by members of L-shaped cross section one leg of which is attached to an edge to be joined with the other leg spaced from the edge to form the lip.

Claim 12

A container as in claim 7 including fourth interengageable means along the upper edge of said back and the rear edge of said top, said fourth interengageable means comprising an outwardly directed lip at the upper edge of the back and an inwardly directed lip along the rear edge of the top.

Claim 13

A container as in claim 10 including a latch for securing said top to said front, said latch comprising interengageable elements elongated in a direction laterally of said front.

Claim 14

A container as in claim 11 including sealing gaskets disposed between the undersurface of the container top and the upper edges of said sides.

Claim 15

A container as in claim 1 including arcuate interengageable means along the front edge of the base and along the bottom edge of the front to permit the front to be swung into closed position.

Claim 16

A container as in claim 13 including gaskets positioned between the front edges of the container top and sides and said front.

Claim 17

A container as in claim 13 including resilient tabs on the front edges of said sides and means on the side edges of the front for receiving said tabs as said front swings to closed position.

Claim 18

A container as in claim 1 including interengageable means along the front edge of the base and along the bottom edge of the front adapted to engage upon vertical movement of the front.

Claim 19

A container as in claim 16 in which said interengageable means comprises an upwardly directed lip along the lower edge of the front and a downwardly directed lip along the front edge of the base.

Claim 20

A container as in claim 16 in which said interengageable means comprises an upwardly directed lip along the front edge of the base and a downwardly directed lip along the lower edge of the front.

Claim 21

A lightweight knockdown container including in combination a base and a front and a back and sides and a top, first interengageable means comprising inwardly extending side hooks running around the perimeter of said base and outwardly extending end hooks running along the bottom edges of each of the sides and the back and the front for connecting said sides and back and front to said base, second interengageable means comprising inwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of said back and outwardly extending side hooks along the back edges of the sides for connecting said sides to said back, third interengageable means comprising inwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of the front and outwardly extending hooks along the front edges of the sides for connecting the sides to the front, fourth interengageable means coMprising an inwardly directed side hook along the back edge of the top and an outwardly directed end hook along the top edge of said back for connecting said top to said back, fourth interengageable means comprising downwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of the top and upwardly extending side hooks along the top edges of the sides for connecting said sides to said top, and releasable means for connecting said top to said front.

Claim 22

A lightweight knockdown container including in combination a base and a front and a back and sides and a top, first interengageable means comprising inwardly extending side hooks running around the perimeter of said base and outwardly extending end hooks running along the bottom edges of each of the sides and the back and the front for connecting said sides and back and front to said base, second interengageable means comprising inwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of said back and outwardly extending side hooks along the back edges of the sides for connecting said sides to said back, third interengageable means comprising inwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of the front and outwardly extending hooks along the front edges of the sides for connecting the sides to the front, fourth interengageable means coMprising an inwardly directed side hook along the back edge of the top and an outwardly directed end hook along the top edge of said back for connecting said top to said back, fourth interengageable means comprising downwardly extending end hooks along the side edges of the top and upwardly extending side hooks along the top edges of the sides for connecting said sides to said top, and releasable means for connecting said top to said front.

Claim 23

A container as in claim 19 in which said releasable means is a flush latch assembly.