초록 ▼

A cardboard box with four side panels, four bottom flaps and four top flaps. The box is made from a blank having a first height measured between the outermost edges of the top and bottom flaps. The flaps are rotated into abutting contact with the exterior surface of the panels thereby reducing the o

A cardboard box with four side panels, four bottom flaps and four top flaps. The box is made from a blank having a first height measured between the outermost edges of the top and bottom flaps. The flaps are rotated into abutting contact with the exterior surface of the panels thereby reducing the overall height of the box to the height of the panel. Adjacent pairs of top and bottom flaps are provided with living hinges that enable them to remain in this position when the box is collapsed. The collapsed box is shipped through the mail in this diminished size and then erected into a box of the same height as the panels.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of shipping products comprising: providing a box that has four side panels, each panel having a top edge and a bottom edge with a top flap extending outwardly from the top edge and a bottom flap extending outwardly from the bottom edge; and wherein each panel is of a first height as meas

1. A method of shipping products comprising: providing a box that has four side panels, each panel having a top edge and a bottom edge with a top flap extending outwardly from the top edge and a bottom flap extending outwardly from the bottom edge; and wherein each panel is of a first height as measured between the top and bottom edges thereof; andcollapsing the box for mailing so that, when collapsed, the box has a height that is equal to the first height; and wherein the step of collapsing the box further includes: folding the top flaps downwardly through 180° relative to the side panels and thereby into contact with an exterior surface of the side panels;folding the bottom flaps upwardly through 180° relative to the side panels and thereby into contact with the exterior surface of the side panels;mailing the collapsed box through the mail to a first location at a non-flat postage rate;erecting the collapsed box at the first location;loading the products to be shipped into the erected box; andmailing the loaded box to a remote second location at a flat postage rate. 2. The method of shipping products as defined in claim 1, wherein the steps of mailing the collapsed box and mailing the loaded box each further include the step of inserting the box into a standard size mail carrier's bag. 3. The method of shipping products as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of collapsing the box further includes the step of: moving the box to a collapsed condition where a hinge that connects two adjacent top flaps or two adjacent bottom flaps together is disposed on an outermost corner of the box. 4. The method of shipping products as defined in 3, wherein the step of mailing the box to a second location further includes the step of: applying a mailing label to an outwardly facing interior surface of one of the folded top and bottom flaps. 5. The method of shipping products as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of mailing the collapsed box to the first location is preceded by the step of applying a flat-rate postage decal to one of the side panels of the box prior to collapsing the box for mailing to the first location. 6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein after the step of folding each of the top and bottom flaps through 180°, the top and bottom flaps are disposed parallel and adjacent to the side panels. 7. A method of forming, shipping and erecting a box, comprising the steps of: providing a substantially planar blank having a plurality of foldlines thereon configured to permit the blank to be erected into the box; wherein said foldlines divide the blank into a plurality of panels each having a top edge and a bottom edge with a top flap extending outwardly away from the top edge and a bottom flap extending outwardly away from the bottom edge; and wherein the blank is of a first height as measured between an outermost edge of the top flap and an outermost edge of the bottom flap; and wherein the panels are of a second height as measured between the top and bottom edges thereof; and the first height is greater than the second height;securing a first and second side portion of the blank together to form a substantially continuous member;folding the blank into a first collapsed condition where a gap between a pair of adjacent top flaps and a gap between a pair of adjacent bottom flaps falls on an outermost corner of the folded blank;folding each of the top and bottom flaps through 180°from a first position where the top and bottom flaps are coplanar with the side panels of the blank into a second position where the top and bottom flaps are in abutting contact with an exterior surface of one of the panels; whereby the blank is of the second height;moving the blank from the first collapsed position to a second collapsed position wherein one of a first hinge that connects a pair of adjacent top flaps together and a second hinge that connects a pair of adjacent bottom flaps together falls on the outermost corner of the folded blank, and the blank in this second collapsed position is of the second height;retaining each top flap and each bottom flap in abutting contact with the side panels:shipping the blank to a remote location in the second collapsed position at a non-flat postage rate;erecting the blank to form a box;placing goods to be shipped within the erected box; andmailing the erected box containing the goods to a second location at a prepaid-flat postage rate. 8. The method as defined in claim 7 further comprising the step of: applying a shipping label with a shipping address thereon to an interior surface of one of the top flaps and bottom flaps. 9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of applying a shipping label includes the step of: printing the shipping address on the interior surface of the one of the top and bottom flaps. 10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the step of printing the shipping address includes the step of: passing the blank beneath a print head. 11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the step of printing the shipping address includes the step of: passing the blank beneath the print head when the blank is in one of the first and second collapsed positions. 12. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of shipping the folded blank in the second collapsed position includes the step of: depositing the folded blank into the mail for shipping thereof to the shipping address. 13. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising the step of: applying erecting and shipping instructions on the interior surface of another of the top and bottom flaps. 14. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising the step of: applying a prepaid postage decal on an exterior surface of one of the panels, top flaps and bottom flaps in an area to be covered by the top and bottom flaps when the blank is folded in either of the first and second collapsed positions. 15. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising the step of: applying a retaining strap around the folded blank when in the second collapsed position. 16. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising the steps of: erecting the box; and wherein the step of erecting the box includes the steps of: breaking the second hinge;moving the folded blank from the second collapsed position to an erected position where the panels are oriented in a substantially rectangular pattern relative to each other;rotating the bottom flaps out of abutting contact with the exterior surface of the panels;rotating the bottom flaps inwardly toward each other to close off access to an opening in a bottom end of the erected blank;securing the bottom flaps to each other to seal off access to the opening in the bottom end; whereby the box is in a loading condition and is able to retain articles in an interior cavity defined by the panels and the bottom flaps. 17. The method as defined in claim 16, further comprising the steps of: breaking the first hinge;rotating the top flaps out of abutting contact with the exterior surface of the panels;rotating the top flaps inwardly toward each other to close off access to an opening in a top end of the box;securing the top flaps to each other to seal off access to the opening in the top end. 18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising the step of: applying a mailing label to the exterior surface of one of the panels, top flaps and bottom flaps. 19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the step of applying a mailing label to the box includes the step of printing at least one mailing label area on the exterior surface of one of the panels, top and bottom flaps; said mailing label area including a plurality of spaced apart horizontal lines for filling in of a mailing address thereon. 20. The method as defined in claim 19, further comprising the step of: depositing the loaded box into the mail for mailing to the mailing address on the mailing label. 21. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the step of applying a mailing label to the box includes: sticking a mailing label containing a mailing address thereon onto the exterior surface of one of the panels, top flaps and bottom flaps. 22. The method as defined in claim 21, further comprising the step of: depositing the loaded box into the mail for mailing to the mailing address on the mailing label. 23. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the height and thickness of the folded blank in the collapsed condition are small enough to fit easily within an interior of a standard delivery bag for a mail carrier. 24. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the step of shipping the folded blank further comprises the steps of: assembling a plurality of substantially identical blanks in a vertical stack, where each of the blanks is in the second folded position; andsecuring the stack of blanks together prior to shipping. 25. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the step of securing the stack of blanks together comprises the step of wrapping at least one retaining strap around the stack thereof. 26. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising the step of: printing indicia onto one or both of an interior surface and an exterior surface of the blank. 27. The method as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of printing indicia precedes one or both of the steps of securing the first and second side portions of the blank together and folding the blank into the first collapsed position. 28. The method as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of printing indicia includes the steps of: printing first indicia onto the exterior surface of the blank prior to one or both of the steps of securing the first and second side portions of the blank together and folding the blank into the first collapsed position; andprinting second indicia onto an outwardly facing region of the interior surface of the blank after the step of folding the blank into the first collapsed position.