The present invention relates to a multi-use receptacle having longitudinally and laterally variable dimensions, comprising a planar bottom and lateral and longitudinal extension devices which cooperate with said bottom by slidingly moving elongate members which are comprised in said extension devices and which are integral with walls forming the walls of the receptacle in an assembly position.

An expansible tool cabinet includes a stationary outer housing which has two opposed vertical side walls that are formed with a plurality of spaced projections on the inner wall surfaces of the side walls. The projections cooperatively define a plurality of vertical slide ways and longitudinal slide ways thereamong. A slidable inner housing has a horizontal top wall which has two opposite longitudinal edges that are formed with a plurality of spaced downwardly extending guiding strips. Each of the strips has a plurality of spaced protrusions protruding inwardly therefrom. The protrusions cooperatively define a plurality of longitudinal slide ways thereamong. The inner housing is disposed slidably in the outer housing and is movable between a first position, wherein each of the longitudinal slide ways of the outer housing overlaps with a corresponding one of the longitudinal slide ways defined by the protrusions, drawers being removably received in the overlapping longitudinal slide ways of the outer and inner housings, and a second position, wherein the drawers are removably and selectively received in the longitudinal slide ways of the outer housing and the longitudinal slide ways of the inner housing. A retaining unit is provided on the outer housing and is operable to retain selectively the inner housing in one of the first and second positions.

A method of packaging generally flat material utilizing a packaging frame having a substantially planar rectangular base defined by four sides, a substantially rectangular upright side frame at each side of the base, the base being fixed relative to the side frames, the base being formed with a pair of intersecting recessed channels which extend transversely across the base between respective pairs of opposed sides and the channels being from about 10 to about 25 mm in width, and the channels having respective end openings in the base which end openings are externally accessible even when the packaging frame contains material, wherein the packaging frame is loaded with generally flat material, and then fastening straps are manually passed through the channels via end openings thereof until an end of each strap extends beyond the opposite end opening in the channel, arranging the fastening straps around the generally flat material, engaging free ends of the fastening straps and then tensioning the fastening straps to form a bundle of generally flat material, and removing the bundle from the packaging frame.

A unitary package comprising a plurality of individual inner packages juxtaposed with each other at one or more interfaces. At least some inner packages are wrapped in a wrapper and are peripherally disposed along at least first and second outside walls of the unitary package, defining these first and second outside walls. A first sheet of material having at least one line of weakness is juxtaposed with the first outside wall and interconnects all peripherally disposed inner packages by engaging each of them. Preferably, a second sheet of material is juxtaposed with the second outside wall interconnecting all peripherally disposed inner packages. Preferably, both sheets of material have a self-registering pattern of a plurality of lines of weakness running in both mutually perpendicular directions and comparatively closely spaced such that there is a high probability that at least one of these lines is positioned at the interface of the individual inner packages. The unitary package can be carried as an integral unit and disassembled fully or partially along the lines of weakness.