GB2094272A

GB2094272A - A collapsible container

Info

Publication number: GB2094272A
Application number: GB8200542A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-01-09
Filing date: 1982-01-08
Publication date: 1982-09-15
Also published as: ES8300621A1; AU7922982A; DE3200216A1; FR2500816A1; BR8200013A; ES508592A0; IL64716A0

Abstract

A container comprises top and bottom panels 4, side wall panels 1 and end frames 9 bearing hinged doors 11. On pivoting the end frames 9 away from engagement with the side wall panels 1, the panels 1 may be folded down to a flattened form with the one pair of panels 1, 4 overlying the other. Alternatively, the side wall panels may each be formed of two relatively pivotable, inwardly collapsible wall portions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A container The present invention relates to a container, which can be folded and stacked, for packaging and enclosing materials of any kind.

Large-volume containers designated for temporary storage of various products to be transported to some location are known. Such containers are typically formed as rigid prismatic structures which, regardless of being empty or filled, occupy the same large volumes during transportation.

Although the containers are usually empty during their return trips their empty volume is billed by the transporting company on a scale corresponding to the filled containers. This leads to important extra cost as does the storages of empty containers in depots to which the containers are returned to be refilled or kept.

The goal of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties by introducing containers which can be folded and stacked to occupy a minimum of space. The containers can be reused or stored, with the concurrent considerable reduction in the cost of freight or storage.

The present invention provides a container comprising a structure delimited or orthogonally arranged walls and provided with doors for access to the interior of the container structure, panels forming side walls of the structure being arranged in parallel spaced relationship with opposite longitudinal edges thereof hinged to upper and lower panels forming, respectively the roof and the floor of the container, one of the adjacent longitudinal edges of said panels at each hinge being provided with a sealing ledge; cover members constituting end walls of the structure each being formed by a frame which acts as a reinforcing support for said panels and provides surfaces on which said panels can rest, at least one of said cover members being provided with hinged doors; and said cover members and panels being connected by fixing elements removable to permit said panels to swivel about their hinges to form a structure of reduced height.

In the assembled or unfolded state, the structure forms a rigid container.

In one embodiment, the side wall panels and the upper and lower panels are of similar shape; the hinge joining one side wall panel to the upper panel is on the outside of the side wall panel whereas the hinge joining said one side wall panel to the lower panel is on the inside of that side wail panel; and the hinge joining the other side wall panel to the upper panel is on the inside of that side wall panel whereas the hinge joining said other side wall panel to the lower panel is on the outside of that side wall panel.

In this emobodiment, each said cover member is hingedly joined to a side wall panel and foldable thereon to permit said reduction of the height of the structure.

Each said cover member frame preferably has a profile such that the supporting surfaces are formed along the edges adjacent the said upper and lower panels.

The fixing elements may comprise screws which are adapted to be shifted freely in the cover member frames to coincide with threaded holes in at least one of the side wall panels of the container.

Preferably said upper and lower panels comprise a frame composed of U profiles fixedly attached to edge members in the form of hollow prismatic bodies having an elongate upper aperture adapted to receive and accommodate a hoisting element.

The sealing ledges may be disposed at the longitudinal edges of said side wall panels or alternativeiy they may be disposed at the longitudinal edges of the upper and lower panels in regions that face the longitudinal edges of said side wall panels.

The embodiment of the structure described above can be rapidly folded or errected, with the aid of hoisting equipment such as a crane.

The container can be transported with its walls in the folded state to the place where the container is to be filled.

This embodiment is, however, not without some shortcomings because, in the folded state, the opposing side walls, which are hinged to the upper and lower panels, respectively, are folded around their hinge axes in the same direction, whereby the transverse dimension of the folded container is the sum of the width of the bottom plus the height of one side wall. This may cause problems in transportation as in the folded state the container may extend beyond the lateral edges of the transportation means and may therefore cause difficulties when being transported in stacks over highways or on railroad lines.

It is therefore desirable that the transverse dimension of the container in the folded state be such that the container can be transported in the empty, folded state on standard means of transportation.

In a further and preferred embodiment the invention, therefore, each of side wall panels is formed by a pair of rectangular frames hingedly joined along adjacent longitudinal edges, one having its other longitudinal edge hinged to said upper panel and the other having its other longitudinal edge hinged to the lower panel, the hinging enabling said pair of frames of a side wall panel to fold in the manner of a bellows upon the lower panel of the container.

Preferable said cover members in this embodiment are hinged to opposite ends of said lower panel, and are formed by frames which act as reinforcing structural elements and carry access doors. The reinforcing frames serve to keep the container walls in orthogonal relationship when the container is errected.

The ends of the panels forming the side walls and the ends of the upper panel preferably all have projecting shoulders together forming counterframes to receive the cover members.

The cover members are arranged to fold down on to the lower panel, folding and unfolding being effected by employing mechanisms, applied when the container is to be assembled or folded, while the roof of the container is suspended from a crane or other hoisting apparatus. Such mechanisms may comprise pulleys or rollers on the upper panel of the container and metal rings attached to the reinforcing frames of the cover members at points at which cables or similar elements are connected to pass through the access doors.

The bottom of the lower panel may be slightly elevated above the lower edge of a surrounding frame, to accommodate brake shoes or similar means facilitating the hoisting of the container in transfer operations.

Preferably the panels each comprise a profile frame that is covered by a flat, or corrugated sheet.

It has been found that five containers of this construction occupy when folded the same space as that occupied by a single errected container.

So that the invention may be better understood embodiments will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the container of the invention in an erected or assembled state, with lifting means indicated by dashed lines, Figure 2 is a schematic front view of an intermediate folded condition of the container in Fig. 1; Figure 3 shows the container of Fig. 1 in the fully folded state; Figure 4 is a front view of the container of Fig. 1 and shows details of the hinge and attachment means of the front end frame provided with door means; Figure 5 is a detailed view of the container of Fig. 1, showing the connection between the side walls and the sealing means;; Figure 6 is a section along line VI-VI of Fig. 4 and shows the support on the upper and lower lateral faces of the container; Figure 7 is a section along line Vil-VIl of Fig. 4; Figure 8 is a perspective detailed view of the container of Fig. 1, showing an edge member with lifting means indicated by dashed lines; Figure 9 is a detailed view of the container of Fig. 1, showing the frame attachment of one of the cover members to a side wall; Figure 10 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a container according to the invention, shown in a partially assembled state; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the container of Fig. 10 in an intermediate position with folded side walls; Figure 12 is a transverse section along line E-F of Fig. 11; Figure 13 is a transverse section of the container of Fig. 10 in a fully folded position;; Figure 14 is a detailed schematic representation of the folding and mounting of the frames or reinforcing structural elements of the cover members of the container shown in Fig. 10; Figure 15 is a schematic representation of an example of hoist means used to position the cover members relative to the walls of the container shown in Fig. 10; and Figure 16 shows schematically a number of the containers of Fig. 10 folded and stacked to occupy a volume equivalent to that of an assembled, unfolded container.

Figs. 1 to 9 show one embodiment of the invention in which the container comprises two rectangular side wall panels 1, disposed in parallel opposing relationship. The panels 1 are connected by means of continuous or sectional hinge members 2 to a pair of upper and lower panels 4 of the same shape and length as the panels 1. Sealing ledges 3 are provided between the mating edges of panels 1 and 4.

Each of the panels 1 and 4 comprises an integral U profile frame, 1 a and 4a respectively, welded on to the faces of edge members 5 that are formed as hollow prismatic bodies. The edge member 5 of the upper panel 4, and the upper panel 4 itself, are provided with elongated apertures 6 to enable the introduction of standardized lifting elements 7 which have the same shape as the apertures 6. On introduction into the interior of the bodies 5, the elements 7 can be rotated and locked into position.

The hinge member 2 joining one side wall panel 1 to the upper panel 4 is on the outside of the side wall panel 1 whereas the hinge member 2 joining said one side wall panel to the lower panel 4 is on the inside of that side wall panel; and the hinge member 2 joining the other side wall panel 1 to the upper panel 4 is on the inside of that side wall panel whereas the hinge joining said other side wall panel 1 to the lower panel 4 is on the outside of that side wall panel.

The panels 1 and 4 can be erected to form a rectangular tubular shaped container which is closed at both ends by front and rear cover members 8 which are attached by hinges 10 to one of the side panels 1.

The front cover member 8 has a frame 9, formed by integral profile elements, that pro vides a supporting structure for panels 1 and 4, respectively. Frame 9 is rotatably joined to one edge of one of the panels 1 - by means of the hinge 10, thus enabling the cover member 8 to be folded back on to that side panel 1 when the container is folded. The frame 9 is also provided with hinged doors 11 comprising known closure and locking means.

In the assembled container the frame 9 of the front cover member 8 is situated between lower and upper panels 4 such that it rests on the edge members 5 of the panels 4. The side panel 1 which is opposite to the means 10 of cover member 8, is slightly shorter than the parallel, opposing panel of the container so as to define a space equal in width to frame 9 of the cover member 8 at each end of that panel 1 to accommodate the cover member 8 in the assembled container.

The vertical profile sections of the frame 9 therefore define supports for the panels 4 so that a stable structure can be obtained in the assembled state of the container. As shown in Fig. 9, the frame 9 is attached to the edges of the side panel 1 of reduced length by means of screws 9a to prevent the folding of the container during use. The positions of screws 9a coincide with threaded holes 9b which are provided in side panel 1 of the container.

The rear cover member 8 may have the same structure as the front cover member 9 described above, or it may be formed without the doors 11. In both cases the rear cover member 8 comprises a frame 9 having the same characteristics as that described for the front cover member 8.

The container can be easily folded and assembled as outlined below.

To assemble the container, the lifting elements 7 are inserted into the apertures 6 and suspended from a hoisting device which, when assembling the container, raises and holds the panels 4 into a position orthogonal to panels 1. Thereafter, the corresponding cover members 8 are folded back and precisely fit on to the profiles in the receiving sections formed by the edge members 5 of the panels 1 and 4. The fixing screws 9a are then screwed into their corresponding holes 9b of the side panel 1. In this fashion the sealing ledges 3 are compressed and hermetic sealing of the container is obtained.

To fold the container, it is suspended from a hoisting apparatus and the fixing elements 9a are released; cover members 8 are folded until they rest on the outer side of the panel 1 to which they are hinged. The panels are then folded until flat as shown in Fig. 3. During the folding operation the cross section is at first rhomboid, when two diagonally opposed edges are urged towards each other, and by gradual deformation, the folded state shown in Fig. 3 is attained. The panels and doors, which are of equal thickness, are superimposed so that the stacking of the folded containers is facilitated.

Figs 10 to 1 6 show a second preferred embodiment of a container according to the invention which has two rectangular side wall panels 100 disposed in parallel opposed relationship and connected by hinge members 102, which may be either continuous or sectional, to a pair of upper and lower panels 104 of the same length and shape as panels 100. Ledges or sealing joints 103 are provided between the contracting edges of panels 100 and 104.

Each of the side panels 100 comprises a pair of rectangular frames 105 and 106 of equal shape and dimensions which are joined along their adjacent edges by means of hinge members 102a. A ledge or sealing means (not shown) is provided between the adjacent edges of frames 105 and 106.

The pair of frames 105 and 106 that form each of the side panels 1 00 are made from profile members of different cross sections; the shorter sides having a projecting shoulder 107, the function of which will be explained below.

The upper panel 104 is formed by a profile frame and comprises a pair of cross beams 1 04a which incorporate a stadardized hook member 1 04b to enable hoisting of the container.

The lower panel 104 is also formed by a profile frame and has a bottom 104c, that is slightly elevated above the lower edge of the frame, and side apertures 104dto allow entry of hook members during the transfer of the folded or unfolded container.

The profile frame of upper panel 104 is provided with a projecting shoulder 1 04e, on its shorter sides. In conjunction with shoulders 107 of frames 105 and 106, these shoulders form the opposite end sections of the container and create support areas for front and rear cover members 1 08a and 1 08 b, respectively. The cover members 1 08a and 1 08b are mounted on hinge members 1 10 that are provided on opposite ends of the lower panel 104.

The cover members 1 08a and 1 08b comprise frames 109 that are similar to the frames 9 described above, and are provided with doors 111 which can be swivelled and are provided with known closure and locking means. The inner side of the door 111 is provided with locking means 1 09a that cooperate with means (not shown) provided on the inner surface of panels 100 and 104 to obtain a fixed relationship in the assembled state of the container. A variety of locking elements such as hooks, clamps, screws, etc.

can be employed for this purpose.

The container can be folded and unfolded in a very simple fashion as outlined below.

To assemble the container a hoisting element 11 2 is inserted into the standardized hook means 1 04b of the upper panel 104 and is then lifted to produce concurrent orthogonal positioning of frames 105 and 106 which form part of side panels 100. This is effected with the aid of hinge means 102 and 1 02a, while the lower panel 1 04 rests on the floor (Figs. 10 and 12).

Once the fully erect position shown in Fig.

10, has been reached, cover members 108a and 1 08b are unfolded into position to close the container, the frames 109 of the cover member 108a, 108b, forming the reinforcing structural elements of the container.

Fig. 1 5 illustrates one type of lifting means that can be employed in the folding and unfolding operations. Pulleys 11 3 are disposed on opposite sides of the upper panel 104 and hook members 114 are disposed on and upper member of the frames 109. The hook members 114 may be metal rings, which may be removable or affixed to the frames 109. The end of the cable 1 15 is affixed to hook members 11 4 and run over the pulleys 11 3 such that, on application of a lifting force the frames 109, are raised, pivoting on the hinges 11 0, until they rest on the shoulders 1 07 and 104e, at which time the locking means 109a are attached to secure the cover members 1 lO8a and 108b in posi- tion.

To fold the container, the hoisting element 112, is engaged while the container is in the unfolded state. Locking elements 109a are set free so that cover members 1 08a and 1 08b can move freely. Prior to this operation, pulleys resembling pulleys 11 3 are inserted inside the container and a cable 11 5 is passed through metal rings 11 4, the pulleys 11 3 and through the door opening opposite the cover member to be moved. The cable 11 5 is then tensioned until the cover member 108a or 108b rests on lower panel 104.

Once folded the containers can be stacked for storage or transportation as required.

As shown in Fig. 1 3, the transverse dimension of the folded container is equal to the width of the lower and upper panels. The volume occupied by five folded containers (Fig. 16) has been found to be equivalent to the volume of a single unfolded or assembled container.

Claims

1. A container comprising a structure delimited by orthogonally arranged walls and provided with doors for access to the interior of the container structure, panels forming side walls of the structure being arranged in parallel spaced relationship with opposite longitudinal edges thereof hinged to upper and lower panels forming, respectively, the roof and the floor of the container, one of the adjacent longitudinal edges of said panels at each hinge being provided with a sealing ledge; cover members constituting end walls of the structure each being formed by a frame which acts as a reinforcing support for said panels and provides surfaces on which said panels can rest, at least one of said cover members being provided with hinged doors; and said cover members and panels being connected by fixing elements removable to permit said panels to swivel about their hinges to form a structure of reduced height.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the side wall panels and the upper and lower panels are of similar shape; the hinge joining one side wall panel to the upper panel is on the outside of the side wall panel whereas the hinge joining said one side wall panel to the lower panel is on the inside of that side wall panel; and the hinge joining the other side wall panel to the upper panel is on the inside of that side wall panel whereas the hinge joining said other side wall panel to the lower panel is on the outside of that side wall panel.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each said cover member is hingedly joined to a side wall panel and foldable thereon to permit said reduction of the height of the structure.

4. A container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each said cover member frame has a profile such that supporting surfaces are formed along the edges adjacent the said upper and lower panels.

5. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said fixing elements comprise screws which are adapted to be shifted freely in the cover member frames to coincide with threaded holes in at least one of the side panels of the container.

6. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said upper panel comprises a frame composed of U profiles fixedly attached to edge members in the form of hollow prismatic bodies having an elongated upper aperture adapted to receive and accommodate a hoisting element.

7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said sealing ledges are disposed at the longitudinal edges of said side wall panels.

8. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said sealing ledges are disposed at the longitudinal edges of the upper and lower panels in regions that face the longitudinal edges of said side wall panels.

9. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein hinge members joining said panels extend over spaced sections of the adjoining longitudinal edges of said panels.

10. A container according to claim 1, wherein each of said side wall panels is formed by a pair of rectangular frames hingedly joined along adjacent longitudinal edges, one having its other longitudinal edge hinged to said upper panel and the other having its other longitudinal edge hinged to the lower panel, the hinging enabling said pair of frames of a side wall panel to fold in the manner of a bellows upon the lower panel of the container.

11. A container according to claim 10, wherein said cover members are hinged to opposite ends of said lower panel.

1 2. A container according to claim 11, wherein the ends of the panels forming the side walls and the ends of the upper panel all have projecting shoulders together forming a counterframe to receive the cover members.

1 3. A container according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein said cover means have removable elements that are adapted to lock the cover member in place when the container is erect.

14. A container according to claim 13, wherein the upper panel has a cross member that incorporates a hook member to enable hoisting of the container.

1 5. A container according to claim 11, 12, 1 3 or 14, wherein said cover members are provided with means adapted to attach the end of a cable or the like and have removable pulleys to facilitate folding of said cover members.

1 6. A container according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the joining edges of the pairs of side wall-forming rectangular frames, and the edges of said cover members, are provided with sealing means.

1 7. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the panels comprises a profile frame covered by flat or corrugated sheets.

18. A container substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A container substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 10 and 1 6 of the accompanying drawings.

20. Every novel feature and every novel combination of features disclosed herein.