Pacific Bin Corporation

Robert H Afflerbach

Peter D Wilson

Vipin Kumar

Dustin Miller

John R McKnight

Craig M Watjen

David E Griffin

A collapsible container for containing goods, including a liquid and/or solid/liquid mixture, configured to be assembled and disassembled manually without the use of tools. The container includes a plurality of upright panels coupled to a base by their bottom portions. Each panel of a first type is flanked along its opposing upright edges by a pair of adjacent panels of a second type. Each of the edges of each of the panels is coupled by an edge joining assembly to one of the edges of one of the flanking panels. The assembly comprises a first elongated edge joining member having a longitudinal channel with alternating partially enclosed portions and substantially unenclosed portions and a second elongated edge joining member having longitudinally extending spaced apart locking members. Each unenclosed portion is configured to receive a locking member, which are slid longitudinally within the channel into an adjacent partially enclosed portion.

Collapsible container

A collapsible container for containing goods, including a liquid and/or solid/liquid mixture, configured to be assembled and disassembled manually without the use of tools. The container includes a plurality of upright panels coupled to a base by their bottom portions. The bottom portion of each panel has a relieved portion that extends into a corresponding groove formed in the base. The panels include panels of a first type and panels of a second type, with the relieved portion of the panels of the first type differing from the relieved portion of the panels of the second type. Each panel of the first type is flanked along its opposing upright edges by a pair of adjacent panels of the second type. Each of the edges of each of the panels is coupled by an edge joining assembly to one of the edges of one of the flanking panels.

A self-adjusting goods display system maintains a proper shelf level for a display bin containing goods. An implementation has an open bin with side walls having top edges and a moveable shelf to receive a pile of goods. A light source and a light receiver are positioned on the top edges of opposing walls of the bin, and the light source generates light to be received by the light receiver. When the pile of goods is reduced so that the pile no longer obstructs the light from being received by the light receiver a signal indicates a need to raise the general level of the remaining pile contained in the bin. A controller receives the signal and controls operation of a motor to raise the height of the shelf until the remaining pile of the shelf again blocks the light, or the shelf is at a position of maximum height.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Robert H Afflerbach