Reusable folding container

Claim 1

A collapsible shipping and storage container comprising: a four-sided base structure, four panel members each mountable on a different edge of said base structure, hinge means, one for interconnecting each of said panels to a different edge of said base structure, each of said hinge means comprising a resilient member connected at one end to one of said panel members and at the other end to a different edge of said base structure, said resilient member being provided with a plurality of spaced slots extending longitudinally of an edge of said base structure outwardly of said container and part way through said resilient member, the pivotal axis of each hinge means being arranged along a different slot thereof from a reference point on said base structure to pivot inwardly of the juxtapositioned edge of the base structure over a common surface of it to a position substantially parallel with said surface, said pivotal axis of the four hinge means being mounted sequentially each at a greater distance substantially equal to the thickness of the associated panel than the preceeding one from said reference point, and fastening means mounted along parallel edges of said panels which are laterally positioned to its hinge means for cooperatively engaging with juxtapositioned edges of adjacent panels when all of said panels are positioned substantially perpendicular to said base structure for holding said panels in container erected position.