The invention has been primarily developed for use as a garbage bin insert or liner, a collapsible garbage bin or a shopping bag and will be described hereinafter with reference to these applications. However, It will be appreciated that the invention is suited for numerous other container uses.

Background of the invention Australian Petty Patent No. 738196 discloses a storage container suitable for use as a collapsible garbage bin. The container includes a polypropylene sidewall piece which is joined to itself along a single seam by sonic welding. The container also has a base piece which is attached to the sidewall by sonic welding. This construction method has two main disadvantages. Firstly, the cutting of the polypropylene sheet and sonic welding constitute two separate manufacturing steps. Secondly, sonic welding is labour and equipment intensive and thus a relatively expensive process.

Object of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the prior art disadvantages discussed above Summary of the Invention Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a container formed from a flexible material, the container including : an open end ; a closed end; at least one sidewall having a seam of interlocking tabs and openings formed therein.

The container is preferably a collapsible container adapted for configuring in a use configuration with an increased internal volume and a storage configuration with a reduced interior volume.

The container preferably has one sidewall joined to itself, with seam being adjacent each of its opposed ends.

The closed end is preferably defined by a base that is at least partially attached to the sidewall (s) by interlocking tabs and openings in the base and the sidewall (s).

In one preferred form, the container has a single sidewall and a separate base.

In another preferred form, the container has an integral sidewall and base.

The openings are preferably substantially rectangular cut-outs. The tabs are preferably in spaced apart pairs formed by generally U-shaped slits. The tabs in each pair are desirably adapted for deformation towards each other into a substantially parallel position normal to the container for passage through a respective one of the openings, whereafter they resiliently return to a position parallel and adjacent the container.

In one embodiment, the tabs/openings are preferably oriented with the tabs outer edges substantially parallel to the direction of an expected separating force being applied to the parts of the container being connected by the tabs/openings. For example, in the sidewall (s), the tabs/openings are oriented in a row with the tabs outer edges substantially normal to a longitudinal axis of the container. In the base, the tab/openings are oriented in a row with the tabs outer edges substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container.

In another embodiment, the tabs/openings are preferably oriented with the tabs outer edges substantially normal to the direction of an expected separating force being applied to the parts of the container being connected by the tabs/openings. For example, in the sidewall (s), the tabs/openings are oriented in a row with the tabs outer edges substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the container.

Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2A is a side view showing engagement of tabs and openings: Figure 2B is a cross sectional side view showing an engaged tab and opening; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a container according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 4A is a developed plan view of the sidewall of the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 4B is a developed plan view of the base of the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 5A is a developed plan view of the container shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5B is a developed plan view of the base of the container shown in Figure 3 ; Figure 6 is a developed plan view of a container according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 7A is a partial perspective view of a container according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; Figure 7B is a partial cross sectional view of the container shown in Figure 7A along line 7B-7B; and Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of a container according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a container according to the invention, in the form of a garbage bin insert (liner) 10. The bin insert 10 has a capacity of about 60 litres and has an open (upper) end 10a and a closed (lower) end 10b.

The bin insert 10 is formed from two pieces of polypropylene, namely a sidewall 12 and a base 14, which are shown in isolation in Figures 4A and 4B. One end of the sidewall 12 includes a row of six rectangular cut-out openings 16 (see Figure 4A). The other end of the sidewall 12 includes a row of six pairs of tabs 18, which are formed by generally U-shaped slits.

The bottom edge of the sidewall 12 has a row of eight openings 20 which correspond to the eight pairs of tabs 22 formed around the periphery of the base 14.

The top edge of the sidewall 12 also includes four large flanges 24 that each have U-shaped openings cut therein to form folded handles 26. The tabs/openings 16/18 and 20/22 are used to connect the sidewall 12 to itself and to the base 14 in order to assemble the bin insert 10, as will be described below with reference to Figures 2A and 2B.

Figure 2A shows a pair of tab pairs 18a and 18b being initially manually deformed towards each other, in the direction of arrows 28, into a substantially parallel position, normal to the container 10. The tabs 18a, 18b can then both be passed through a corresponding one of the openings 16, in the direction of arrow 30. Once the tabs 18a and 18b have passed through the openings 16, and the manual pressure released, they resiliently return to a position parallel and adjacent the container, as indicated by arrows 32. In this position, the tabs 18a and 18b abut the sidewall 12 adjacent the opening 16

and thus connect the two opposed ends of the sidewall 12 together, thus forming a seam.

A similar process is used to connect the sidewall 12 to the base 14.

Both rows of tabs/openings 20/22 are oriented with the outer edges of the tabs 18 normal to the separating force expected to be applied to the parts of the insert 10 being connected (ie. the seam). In the case of the sidewall 12, the expected separating force is indicated by arrows 34 in Figure 1. In the case of the base 14, the expected separating force is indicated by the arrows 36. This orientation maximises the strength of the connection.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of a container according to the invention, in the form of a collapsible garbage bin 40. The bin 40 has a capacity of about 100 litres.

The bin 40 uses a similar construction and assembly method to that of the bin insert 10 described above and like reference numerals to those used in relation to the insert 10 have been used to indicate like features in the bin 40. However, the bin 40 is also constructed to fold and collapse in a similar manner to the bins disclosed in Australian Petty No. 738196, the contents of which are incorporated herein by cross- reference. This allows the bin 40 to be configured in either a use configuration with an increased internal volume, as shown in Figure 3, or a flattened storage configuration with a reduced interior volume.

Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of a container according to the invention, in the form of a collapsible shopping bag 50. The bag 50 has a capacity of about 18 litres.

The bag 50 uses a similar construction and assembly method to that of the bin 40 described above and like reference numerals to those used in relation to the bin 40 have been used to indicate like features in the bag 50.

The main difference between the bag insert 50 and the bin 40 is the bag's smaller size allows it to be cut from one piece of polypropylene, with the sidewall 12 and base 14 being joined along fold line 52.

Figures 7A and 7B show a fourth embodiment of a container according to the invention, in the form of a garbage bin insert 60. The insert 60 uses a similar construction and assembly method to that of the insert 10 described above and like reference numerals to those used in relation to the insert 10 have been used to indicate like features in the insert 60. However, the flanges 24 that form the handles 26 in the insert 60 have two differences. Firstly, the lower edge of the handle has double edged folds 62 (see Figure 7B), which form a lip without a sharp edge and thus provides a comfortable handle.

Secondly, a tab/opening 16/18 has been added to each of the flanges 24 to retain the handle 26 in the open position shown.

Figure 8 shows a fifth embodiment of a container according to the invention, in the form of a garbage bin insert 70. The insert 70 uses a similar construction and assembly method to that of the insert 10 described above and like reference numerals to those used in relation to the insert 10 have been used to indicate like features in the insert 70. However, in the insert 70, the row of tabs/openings 16/18 in the sidewall 12 are oriented with the outer edges of the tabs 18 parallel to the separating force expected to be applied to the parts of the insert 70 being connected. In the case of the sidewall 12, the expected separating force is indicated by arrows 34. This orientation advantageously minimises the likelihood of garbage catching on the tabs 18 in the liner interior.

The primary advantage of the bin insert 10, bin 40, bag 50, insert 60 and insert 70 described above is that they can be assembled without requiring sonic welding, which leads to substantial savings in production costs and time. An added benefit of this construction method is that the two components of the insert/bin, or the single component of the bag, can be easily sent to a user unassembled either in flat pack form or rolled into a cylindrical postage container. In either case, the labour cost of assembly can be avoided and transport costs are reduced.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. For example, the containers can be produced in numerous shapes other than those shown. Also, the number of tabs/openings and the volumes of the insert/bin/bag can all be varied. Further, the handle arrangements shown in Figures 7A and 7B can also be utilised with the other embodiments of inserts/bins/bags. Finally, the containers can be produced with inwardly or outwardly facing tabs.