AU744123B2 - Collapsible stackable container - Google Patents

Description

1 COLLAPSIBLE STACKABLE CONTAINER This invention relates to a container for transporting articles such as produce or components for use in manufacture or the like.

Generally it is preferred that produce and components are transported in suitably sized containers which are collapsible so that after the produce or components have been transported to a desired location the containers can be collapsed and returned to a manufacturer or producer for re-use. The collapsibility of the containers ensures that when the containers are returned minimum space is occupied therefore ensuring that the pay load to be carried by a truck or other vehicle is as large as possible. Furthermore, the collapsibility of the container also facilitates storage thereof when not in use.

The problem of creating a workable collapsible container has been addressed in prior art patent references. Some of these earlier patents have attempted to address the problems of maintaining stackability of the container in both the collapsed form and the erected form.

In one reference, United States Patent No. 4186841, there is described a stackable, collapsible container having four corner posts with an upper portion of each post including a protrusion and a lower portion of each post including an aperture. The containers may be stacked on top of each other in the erected S: 20 configuration such that the protrusions on the upper portion of the posts of one container co-operate with the corresponding apertures of the container S immediately thereabove.

This reference also describes the provision of additional protrusions at a median section of each post such that, when the container is collapsed, the 25 protrusions in the median section are exposed to enable co-operation of the additional protrusions with corresponding apertures in another container in the collapsed configuration stacked immediately thereabove.

The device described in this reference has the difficulty that, as a result of the manner of collapsing of the container, the height of the side walls of the container is limited to being less than the length of the end walls thereof, and the height of the end walls is limited to being less than the length of the side walls thereof. If the end and/or side walls are of greater length than this, folding would not be possible as the walls would impact against each other in the folding process. This device also requires that the protrusion at the median section of the post is the same as that at the upper portion thereof. The containers also, whether in the erect or collapsed configuration, require quite accurate placement of the containers in relation to each other to ensure that the protrusion is properly positioned within the aperture.

United States Patent No. 3981410 describes a similar device in which protrusions are positioned at the lower portion of the corner posts, with apertures provided in the median and upper portions of the corner posts. A further disadvantage of this type of construction is highlighted in this patent, in that this type of construction requires two of the walls to be of a different strength to the other two walls, as two of the walls are supported by the main support posts, whereas the other two are not. This causes an inherent degree of weakness in the unsupported wall.

Another reference, International Patent Publication No. WO95/09110 discloses a container which is collapsible, however, it does not specifically address the issue of the ability to stack the container in the collapsed and erected configurations. Once again, the device described in this reference has 20 the same limitation described above regarding the height of the container walls in the erected configuration being limited by the lengthwise dimensions of the container.

It is also an ongoing problem with stackable containers that difficulties can be encountered when stacking the containers in that in many prior art devices the 25 containers must be positioned accurately in relation to each other to ensure that the mating components connect correctly. This is particularly the case where the container is in the erected condition as significant height can be attained on stacking of a small number of containers, and a greater height often results in more difficulty in positioning the containers with respect to one another.

Moreover, it is of course highly desirable to have access to the container when it is erected for loading purposes but also to enable the container to be easily 3 collapsed to the collapsed state without having to remove or totally separate any of the parts forming the container to ensure that they occupy a minimum space when collapsed for return and reuse.

An objective of the present invention is therefore to provide a collapsible stackable container which overcomes or ameliorates at least one or more of the problems existing with prior art devices of this type, or provides a new and useful alternative to existing devices.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a container is provided for transporting articles when in an erect condition and being collapsible to a collapsed state when not required for transporting articles, said container including a base having a floor structure and a generally rectangular perimeter; o a plurality of wall components coupled to the base for defining a rectangular storage compartment when in said erect condition with two of said 15 wall components forming side walls of the storage compartment and two of said wall components forming end walls of the storage compartment, at least one of the wall components forming an end wall of the storage compartment having access door means enabling access to an interior region of the storage container while said wall components remain in the erect condition, said access door 20 means being pivotable about an upright axis when opened or closed and including retainer means to selectably retain said access door means in a closed 'state, and said wall components being collapsible from the erect condition to said collapsed state relative to said base; and at least one of said wall components being formed in two portions which are hingedly coupled to one another such that the portions can be folded at hinge means between the portions and simultaneously collapsed to reduce the container to said collapsed state.

A container as set out in the foregoing allows the wall components to remain coupled to the floor structure but be reconfigured between a collapsed state and an erected state with the door means as defined allowing access to the floor structure when loading or unloading without having to lift over or walk over any of the container components.

Preferred aspects and features of this invention may be as defined in claims 2 to 26 as annexed hereto which are hereby made part of this disclosure.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in the erected configuration; Figure 2 is an end view of the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged end elevational view of the foot portion of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the foot of Figure 3; g.ur Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the portion of the container indicated in Figure 2 relating to the connection between respective wall components of that 15 embodiment; Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the portion of the container indicated in Figure 2 relating to the connection between the wall components and the base posts of the container of that embodiment; Figure 7 is an end elevational view of a container in accordance with the 20 embodiment of Figure 1 in the collapsed configuration; Figure 8 is a side elevational view of two containers of the type shown in Figure 1 in the collapsed configuration and stacked one above the other; and Figure 9 is a side elevational view of two containers of the type shown in Figure 1 in the erected configuration and stacked one above the other.

With reference to Figure 1 a container 10 is shown which has side wall components 12 and 14 and end wall components 16 and 18. The end wall component 18 forms a door which can be opened and closed in the direction of double headed arrow A to gain access to the container 4a The wall components 12 to 18 are coupled to a base 20 so that the wall components can be folded down into a collapsed condition as will be described in more detail hereinafter. Each of the wall components 12, 14, 16 and 18 is a bifold wall component formed from two portions, for example for the side wall 12, this wall is comprised of portions 12a and 12b shown in Figure 1 which are *•o hinged together so that the portions 12a and 12b can fold in relation to each other as will also be described in more detail hereinafter. The side wall component 14 is similar to the wall component 12 and also formed in two parts.

End wall components 16 and 18 are also formed in two parts although in other embodiments, may be formed as one part. See, for example, parts 18a and 18b as shown in Figure 1.

The container 10 has a foot 30 at each corner for enabling stacking of the containers in both the erected article transport condition shown in Figure 1 and in a collapsed condition as described in more detail hereinafter. The base includes a rectangular frame formed by opposed side bars 20a and opposed end bars 20d. Connected between the opposed side bars 20a are channels 32 for receiving the tynes of a forklift truck to enable the container to be lifted from either side 12 or 14. The base 20 also includes channels 34 between opposed base end frame members 20d for receiving the tynes of a forklift truck to enable the container 10 to be lifted from the ends 16 or 18. The channels 32 and 34 include bottom plate strips 36, which are provided to help prevent tipping of the container when in use. A panel (not shown) may be provided as the internal floor for the container.

The wall components 12, 14, 16 and 18 have end wall component posts :20 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 and 27. Intermediate posts (not shown) may also be provided in the wall components 12, 14, 16 and 18 and the wall components may S be completed by suitable panels, mesh or the like in a known way.

As is shown in Figure 1, adjacent wall component posts of adjacent wall components, such as the wall component post pairs 15 and 17, 19 and 21, 23 25 and 25, and 27 and 13 are arranged adjacent one another but do not overlap so that a small space is formed therebetween. The space between the wall component post pairs accommodates cooperating connection members (which will be described in more detail hereinafter) for coupling the wall components together.

As shown in Figure 2, the wall component 18 includes the wall component panels 18a and 18b which are coupled together by hinges 35 so that the panels 77T_7 7 77 18a and 18b can be folded with respect to each other. The wall component 18 also functions as a door. Apart from the components which enable the wall component 18 to function as a door, as will be apparent from the description as follows, the wall component 16 is similar to the wall component 18. The wall component 18 has an upper wall component frame 41 and a lower wall component frame 43 formed around the panels 18a and 18b respectively.

The upper and lower portions of posts 19 and 17 are hinged together by hinges 49 and 51 respectively. The hinges 35 are co-axial with the hinges 49 and 51 so that when the panels 18a and 18b located within the upper and lower frame members 41 and 43 the wall component 18 are coplanar with the posts 17 and 19, the frame members 41, 43 together with the upper parts of posts 19 and 17 can fold in the direction of arrow C in Figure 1 to bring the upper frame portion 41 into overlapping and adjacent relationship with respect to the lower frame member 43.

In order for the wall component 18 to function as a door the panels 18a and 18b are not fixed to posts 17 and 19 as in the case of the end panel 16 (being attached to posts 25 and 27) but rather the panels 18a and 18b are fixed to the frame members 41 and 43, which are hinged to the post 17 by hinges 61 and 63 shown in Figure 2. The frame members 41 and 43 have latches 62 and 64 which can engage with sleeves (not shown) on the post 19. The panels 18a and 18b therefore form a door 59. In the erect condition, in order to open the door 59, the latches 62 and 64 are simply released and the panels 18a and 18b swing about hinges 61 and 63 as a single unit to enable the door to open. With this arrangement the panels 18a and 18b form the door 59 of the wall component 25 18 with the posts 17, 19 and upper joining frame member 47 and lower frame member 48 acting as the door frame.

As mentioned above, and shown in Figure 1, the side wall components 12 and 14 are formed from the two panels, being 12a and 12b in the case of the side wall component 12, and 14a and 14b in the case of the side wall component 14. Panels 12a and 12b are hinged together, and panels 14a and 14b and are hinged together, by hinges 75 so that the top part can fold downwardly relative to the lower part as shown by arrow D on side wall component 12 (Figure 1).

In order to hold the side wall components 12 and 14 in fixed relation to the end wall components 16 and 18 when the container is in the erected condition shown in Figure 1, connector components 40 are provided for each of the upper and lower portions of each of the side and end wall components 12, 14, 16, and 18. The connector components 40 are shown in greater detail in Figure 5. The connection between the posts 19 and 21 will now be discussed in an exemplary manner, with similar constructions being assumed for the other connector components.

As shown in Figure 5, the post 19 has a protruding bar component 70, in the form of a plate which has a first section 72 welded to the post 19 and a second section 73 which is bent outwardly of the post 19, and then extends some distance along the length of the post parallel thereto.

The wall component post 21 carries a securing sleeve component 80 of the connecting member 40. The securing sleeve component 80 comprises a pair of plates 81 and 83 with a bar 85 extending therebetween. A square sleeve 87 is arranged on the bar 85 for sliding movement up and down along the bar 85. The sleeve 87 is considerably bigger than the bar 85 and, when the wall components are in the erected condition shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sleeve 87 can be moved into a position whereby the sleeve 87 slides down over the portion 73 of S the plate 70 to thereby couple the component 80 to the component 70 to in turn couple the adjacent wall component 19 and 21 together. Thus, the adjacent wall components can be locked together by moving the sleeve 87 downwardly so that 25 it engages the plate 70 or released by moving the sleeve 87 upwardly so as it releases from the plate Figures 3 and 4 show in more detail the foot 30 of each corner of the container 10. The foot 30 at the intersection of the base frame members and 20d will be described in an exemplary manner. Extending upwardly from the base 20 at the corner is a base post 90 which is formed from square section hollow tube. The foot 30 includes a square tube section 91 which extends 8 diagonally across the corner of the container 10 and which is cut flush with the frame members 20a, Lower surface 93 of the tube section 91 forms a generally horizontal abutment surface the function of which will be described hereinafter. The tube section 91 has an outwardly directed surface 95 and an inwardly directed surface 97. Welded to the surface 95 is a downwardly projecting pin 99 and welded to the surface 97 extending downwardly from the surface at an angle to the vertical is a generally downwardly inclined angled plate 98. The angled plate 98 is inclined with respect to the vertical by approximately 37 degrees, though the actual angle may be varied somewhat. Angles of up to 60 degrees and even higher are considered particularly useful.

The components in Figure 6 will now be considered. The wall components 12, 14, 16, and 18, as described above are hinged at the base edge thereof to the base of the container. To assist in maintaining the wall components in the erected position, fixing means 102 are provided on the wall component posts for connection with the respective base posts 90. The fixing means 102 comprises a latch 103 provided on the relevant wall component post (in this case wall component post 13 associated with wall component 14), which latch 103 is receivable in an aperture in the top of base post 90 as shown in Figure 6. To release the wall component 14 from the base post 90 the latch 103 is simply lifted so that it releases from the base post The end wall components 16 and 18 are hinged directly to the frame members 20d and 20b respectively of the base 20 by hinges 121. As is shown in Figure 1, a first short wall section 107 extends between the base frame member 25 20a and the side wall component 12. A second short wall section 108 extends between base frame member 20c and side wall component 14. As can be seen in Figure 2, the second short wall section 108 is slightly taller than the first short :0.00.

wall section 107 for reasons which will be explained. The wall component 12 is hingedly connected to the top of the short wall section 107 by hinges 105. The wall component 14 is also arranged on top of short wall section 108 and pivoted ii: between the adjacent post 90 in the same manner as the wall component 12 by a hinge 109.

In order to collapse the container the cooperating connection members are released from one another and each of the wall components 12 to 18 are first folded in half by lowering the top part of the wall components 12 to 18 down adjacent to the bottom parts of those wall components. The latches 103 are removed from the base post 90. The end wall components 16 and 18 are then folded about the hinges 121 down flat onto the base 20. The two end wall components 16 and 18 in the folded down position do not overlap one another and are merely arranged adjacent one another on the base The wall component 12 is then folded about hinge 105 onto the two end wall components 16 and 18. It should be noted that the height of the wall 105, as is best shown in Figure 7, is just level with the height of the upper surface of the collapsed wall components 16 and 18 so that when the wall component 12 is folded downwardly into position shown in Figure 13 it sits neatly and squarely on top of the folded wall components 16 and 18.

The wall component 14 is then folded down about hinge 109 on top of the S wall component 12. In this regard it should also be noted that the height of the wall 108 is approximately equal to the height of the upper surface of the wall :20 component 12 when it is in its folded condition so that the wall component 14 can .o be folded down neatly and squarely on top of the wall component 12.

In order to stack the folded and collapsed wall component as shown in Figure 7, one container 10 is located above another container 10' as is shown in Figure 8. The pins 99 associated with the container 10 shown in Figure 8 are 25 inserted into the base posts 90' of the lowermost container 10' and the container rests on top of the base posts 90' by virtue of the abutment of the abutment surface 93 of each foot 30 on top of a respective post 90'. The location of the pins 99 in the post 90' prevent substantial movement of the upper container relative to the lower container 10' and the engagement and abutment of the abutment surface 93 on top of the base post 90' ensures secure and firm location of the container 10 above the container I' Figure 9 shows an end view of erected containers as per that shown in Figure 2, but in a stacked condition for transport on a truck or the like. The upper container 10 is located on the lower container 10' so that the abutment surface 93 of each foot 30 of the top container 10 rests down on top of the adjacent side wall component posts at each corner of the lower container 10'. An abutment surface 93 will rest upon each of the wall component post pairs 15' and 17', 19' and 21', 23' and 25', and 27' and 13' at the relevant corners of the containers and 10'. The inclined plate 98 acts to centre the foot 30 with respect to each of the post pairs by the top of those posts engaging the inclined plate 98 when the containers are being stacked, and guiding the upper container 10 into the proper position directly above the lower container 10' as the container 10 moves downwardly onto the container In a further embodiment, the container 10 may include a lid or cover which is preferably formed from fabric such as canvas, polyethylene or the like. The cover may be secured to one of the wall components, such as wall component 14 by any suitable attachment and may include straps which may be used to tie down the cover to close the container 10. If desired, plastic ties (not shown) can be used in conjunction with the straps and which must be cut before the straps can be removed to show that the lid has been removed or opened. This can be used to indicate tampering with the contents of the container 10 if the ties are cut prior to receipt of the container at the required destination. Similarly, plastic ties and the like can also be used in conjunction with the door on the wall component 18 which must be cut in order to open the door 18 to provide an indication on whether the door 18 has been previously opened which may suggest tampering 25 with the contents of the container Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily S: be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.

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Claims (10)

1. A container for transporting articles when in an erect condition and being collapsible to a collapsed state when not required for transporting articles, said container including a base having a floor structure and a generally rectangular perimeter; a plurality of wall components coupled to the base for defining a rectangular storage compartment when in said erect condition with two of said wall components forming side walls of the storage compartment and two of said wall components forming end walls of.the storage compartment, at least one of the wall components forming an end wall of the storage compartment having S access door means enabling access to an interior region of the storage container while said wall components remain in the erect condition, said access door means being pivotable about an upright axis when being opened or closed and *including retainer means to selectably retain said access door means in a closed state, and said wall components being collapsible from the erect condition to said collapsed state relative to said base; and at least one of said wall components being formed in two portions which are hingedly coupled to one another such that the portions can be folded at hinge means between the portions and simultaneously collapsed to reduce the container to said collapsed state.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the base includes a post member at each corner of the floor structure, each of said post members being configured whereby in a stack of said containers disposed in the collapsed state, a lower end of each said post member of a first said container engages with and is supported by an upper end of a said post member of the container located immediately below the first said container. 14

16. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base includes a post member fixed to said floor structure located at each corner of the floor structure; a said wall component coupled to the base extending along each side of the rectangular floor structure, each said side wall component being formed in two portions hingedly coupled by said hinge means to one another with a lowermost one of said portions being hingedly coupled to said base by further hinge means whereby the portions can be folded at each of said hinge means when being disposed into the collapsed state with said portions being disposed generally parallel with said floor structure; a said wall component coupled to the base extending along each end of the rectangular floor structure, the end wall components being hingedly *e connected to said base whereby in the collapsed state, said end wall .components are disposed generally parallel to said floor structure; first and second coupling means being provided operable between adjacent edge zones of the side wall components and the end wall components when disposed in the erect condition upright relative to said floor structure, said first and second coupling means being activatable to retain said adjacent edge zones of the side wall and the end wall components together, but be releasable therefrom when the container is to be returned to said collapsed state; and each of said post members being configured whereby in a stack of said containers disposed in the collapsed state, a lower end of each said post member of a first said container engages with and is supported by an upper end of a said post member of the container located immediately below the first said container.

17. A container as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least one of the side wall components of the container include fixing means cooperable with a said base post member to maintain the side wall component or components in an erect condition.

18. A container as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, wherein at least one of the wall components of the container include fixing means cooperable with a 3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the or each said access door means is disposed to swing about said upright axis between said closed state closing one end of said container and an open state located substantially outwardly of said container providing access to the floor structure within said container. 4. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said wall components forming side walls of the container when in the erect position are both formed in said two portions that are foldable at the hinge means between the portions when the container is collapsed to said collapsed state. 5. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in said collapsed state, said wall components are retained coupled to said base and remain substantially within the perimeter of said base. 6. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein all of said wall components are each formed within said two portions hingedly coupled to one another. 7. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the or each said wall component including a said access door means, also includes a wall component post which is formed in two parts and hinged together to facilitate folding of the wall component, said access door means being hingedly coupled to the wall component so that said access door means can be swung from a closed position to an open position whilst the wall component is in the erected condition. 8. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein two wall component posts of two adjacent said wall components, being arranged adjacent one another in the erect condition of the container, include respective first and second coupling means, so that the first and second coupling means can be connected together to secure the wall components together. 13 9. A container as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of the adjacent wall components includes a securing bar and the other adjacent wall component includes a securing sleeve so the sleeve of one said wall component can be slid over the bar of the other wall component to couple the adjacent wall components together when the wall components are in said erect condition. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said securing bar includes a bar protruding from said wall component and extending substantially parallel with the edge of the wall component from which it protrudes. 0. 11. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said wall components are pivotally coupled by hinge means to the base so that the wall components can be folded down onto the floor structure of the base in non- conflicting, substantially parallel relationship. 12. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein said base includes mounting sections whereby opposing said wall components of the container are hingedly mounted thereto at different heights in relation to the floor structure of the base of the container. S 13. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein the base includes an additional short wall component provided between the floor structure and a respective said wall component of the container, with the wall component being hingedly connected to the additional short wall component. 14. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a fabric lid is provided and coupled to one of the wall components for closing said container when the container is in the erect condition and filled with articles. A container as claimed in. claim 14, wherein the fabric lid includes a sheet Sof material such as canvas or polypropylene. said base post member to maintain the end wall component or components in an erect condition.

19. A container as claimed in claim 1, further including a base post forming part of said base and projecting upwardly at each corner of the base and having a free end with an aperture at its upper portion; a container foot at each corner below each of the base posts, each foot including: a generally horizontal abutment surface; a downwardly projecting pin; and an angled abutment surface extending downwardly at an angle from the vertical; and wherein said container, when in an erect condition, is able to be stacked on another like container, one, above the other, by locating each foot of said container upon the wall components of said like container so that the generally horizontal abutment surface is located on a part of the wall components of said like container and where said angled abutment surface prevents said container from sliding off the wall components of said like container, and when in S* the collapsed state, said container can be stacked upon said like container by locating said generally horizontal abutment surface of each foot on a .corresponding base post of said like container, with the pin of each foot projecting into the aperture of the base post to thereby prevent the said container from sliding off the said like container. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the wall components include wall component posts at each end of the wall components, which wall component posts, in the erect condition of the container, are generally vertical, and the portion of the wall components which receive the generally horizontal abutment surface are adjacent posts of adjacent wall components.

21. A container as claimed in claim 20, wherein the angled abutment surface R comprises an inclined plate which is inclined so as to guide the wall component 16 posts relative to the generally horizontal abutment surface so as to centre the wall component posts with respect to the generally horizontal abutment surface when the containers are in the erect condition and stacked one above the other.

22. A container as claimed in claim 21, wherein the angled abutment surface is provided at an angle of between 35 and 65 degrees from vertical.

23. A container as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the generally horizontal abutment surface comprises a surface of a rectangular tube connected to a lower portion of the base, the tube having a generally vertical 000 surface and the pin being connected to and projecting downwardly from the generally vertical surface of the tube. S 24. A container as claimed in claim 23, wherein the downwardly extending plate extends downwardly from the lower surface of the tube on the opposite side of the tube to said pin. A container as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the wall components of the container are formed in at least two sections which are hingedly attached to one another to facilitate collapsing of the container. a..

26. A container as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 25, wherein the wall components are hingedly attached to the base posts of the container. DATED THIS 26TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2001 GE CAPITAL RETURNABLE PACKAGING SYSTEMS LTD. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA SKP:JC P15752AUPC