EP0064973A1

EP0064973A1 - A container which can be unfolded and folded down

Info

Publication number: EP0064973A1
Application number: EP80901626A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carl Richard Göte LARSSON
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-08-15
Filing date: 1980-08-15
Publication date: 1982-11-24
Also published as: NO821240L; WO1982000626A1; DK169382A

Abstract

Conteneur pouvant etre deplie et replie, concu pour le transport de materiaux divers tels que de l'ecorce, des copeaux de bois, des aiguilles de pins et autres, dans le domaine de l'exploitation forestiere rationnalisee. Le conteneur comprend une base rectangulaire, et des rabats extremes et lateraux disposes de maniere pliable le long de ses bords, et attaches a l'aide de charnieres. Les extremites et les rabats sont divises de preference a la moitie de leur hauteur et sont equipes de charnieres de telle sorte que les sections puissent etre repliees les unes sur les autres. De maniere a ce que les conteneurs puissent etre utilises a de nombreuses fins, toutes les charnieres de pliage (4) comprennent une piece d'articulation (8) fixee en permanence sur une partie du rabat extreme ou lateral respectivement et une piece (9) comprenant le goujon de charniere (10) et pouvant etre deplacee lateralement par rapport a la premiere partie de charniere d'une distance suffisante dans les deux directions pour permettre aux rabats d'etre replies dans les deux sens. Toutes les charnieres de pliage (7) sur la base (1) comprennent une piece d'articulation (15) qui peut etre deplacee a angle droit sur la base et s'etend dans le sens de deplacement, et elle est guidee dans son mouvement de deplacement par un tube de guidage (16) fixe sur la base, d'une longueur telle qu'il permet aux goujons d'articulation des charnieres de bordure de se deplacer vers le haut d'une distance suffisante au-dessus de la base lorsque les rabats lateraux et extremes, qui ont ete plies en deux, sont rabattus sur la base pour rester a plat l'un contre l'autre.Container that can be unfolded and folded, designed for the transport of various materials such as bark, wood chips, pine needles and others, in the field of rationalized logging. The container has a rectangular base, and end and side flaps foldably arranged along its edges, and attached with hinges. The ends and the flaps are preferably divided at half their height and are fitted with hinges so that the sections can be folded over each other. So that the containers can be used for many purposes, all the folding hinges (4) include a hinge piece (8) permanently attached to a part of the end or side flap respectively and a piece (9) comprising the hinge pin (10) and capable of being displaced laterally with respect to the first hinge part by a sufficient distance in both directions to allow the flaps to be folded in both directions. All the folding hinges (7) on the base (1) include an articulation piece (15) which can be moved at right angles to the base and extends in the direction of movement, and it is guided in its movement of displacement by a guide tube (16) fixed on the base, of a length such that it allows the articulation studs of the edge hinges to move upwards by a sufficient distance above the base when the side and end flaps, which have been folded in half, are folded over the base to remain flat against each other.

Description

A Container which can be Unfolded and Folded Down

The present invention relates to a container which can be unfolded and folded down, designed for transporting miscellaneous goods, preferably shavings, bark, wood-chips, pine-needles and the like, associated with rationalised forestry farming, comprising a base which is rectangular in plan and has folding ends and side flaps attached along its edges by means of hinges, these ends and flaps being divided at preferably half their height and equipped with hinges so that the sections can be folded onto each other.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose container which, by reason of its structure, may be used as an open low-sided container on a lorry or the like as well as as a normal container, and which can be folded down during the return journey of the empty container so that it occupies the minimum amount of space. The container also has the advantage that it can be unloaded via its sides or its ends.

The above-mentioned advantages and others which will become apparent from the attached Drawing and the following description are obtained due to the fact that the container according to the present invention has the characteristics given in the Patent Claims.

The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to the attached Drawing in which Figure 1a is an isometric projection showing how two containers are used to form a low-sided lorry container. Figure 1b shows three containers on a four-axle trailer, again in an isometric projection. Figure 2a shows a container with tie ends and side flaps unfolded and shows schematically how ϋhese co-act with uprights, and how the ends of the container can be opened to make easy and rapid unloading possible. Figure 2b shows how the container is normally arranged when it is used as a low-sided container as shown in Figure 1a, and Figure 2c shows an example of how the ends and side flaos can be folded. Figure 2d shows a completely unfolded container. Figure 3a is a detail showing an example of locking devices which are effective between the uprights and the side flaps or ends respectively. Figure 3b shows an example of how the ends and side flaps respectively can be arranged to enable them to be folded both inwards and outwards. Figure 4 shows how the length of supporting profile can be connected via a U-shaped beam to the chassis beam on a lorry, and Figure 4b is a detail which shows an example of how a container can be locked securely to the said U-shaped beam, and also how the monitoring of the secure locking of the container to the chassis is accomplished by a terminal position switch connected to a signalling system. Finally, Figures 5a and 5b illustrate different ways of folding the sides and ends of the container. On the Drawing the same reference symbols are used throughout for parts with the same effect.

On the Drawing, 1 designates the base and 2 and 3 folding ends and side flaps respectively, on a container according to the present invention, A distinguishing feature of the invention is the fact that the ends 2 and the side flaps 3 are divided at preferably half their height and are equipped with hinges 4 which allow the ends 2 and the flaps 5 to be folded both outwards and inwards. The construction of the hinge 4 which can be seen in more detail in Figures 3a and 3b is such that in the completely folded state the end and flap sections respectively lie tight against each other as shown in Figures 2b, 2c, 2d and 5a. Furthermore, the ends 2 and the side flaps 3 can be folded at the base 1 both outwards/downwards like the flaps on a lorry, and also inwards onto the base 1, as can be seen in Figures 2c, 2d, 5a and 5b.

According to a special characteristic of the invention the ends 2 and the side flaps 3 are designed to co-act with fixed or movable uprights 5, which are preferably divided in the middle as shown in Figures 2b and 2c.

According to another special characteristic of the invention there are locking devices 6 acting between the uprights 5 and the ends 2 or side flaps 3 respectively; the construction of these devices can be seen clearly in Figure 3a.

In order to enable the ends 2 and the side flaps 3 to fold both outwards/downwards and inwards they are mounted on an intermediate part 7, the construction of which can be seen in Figure 3a.

The hinge 4, the construction of which can be clearly seen in Figures 3a and 3b, consists of a T-shaped mounting 8 made of strip-iron, disposed on the lower half of an end or a side flap, together with a corresponding U-shaped mounting 9 made of round-iron which is slidably disposed in the T-shaped mounting 8 and is fixed on the corresponding upper half. In each hinge the lower half is provided with a track-shaped recess 10 in which the U-shaped mounting 9 rests when the end 2 or flap 3 is in the unfolded state. In Figure 3b dashed lines indicate how the hinge 4 functions when the upper section of the end or flap takes up various positions. Obviously, the hinge 4 functions equally well if the mounting 8 and the recess 10 are arranged in the upper half of the end or side flap, and the mounting 9 in the lower half, instead. The locking device 6 arranged on the uprights and acting between the latter and the ends or side flaos respectively can be constructed, for example, as shown in Figure 3a. Such a locking device consists of a pin 11 which passes through the upright 5 which is equipped on both sides of the upright with a plate 12 and on the outside with a handle 15 as well. The locking device 6 thereby prevents the ands 2 and the side flaps 3 respectively from moving either inwards or outwards, and it is also easy to manipulate by the handle 13.

The intermediate part 7 which allows the ends and side flaps to be folded according to the invention (see Figures 5a and 5b) consists of a hinge acting between the base 1 and the lower part of the end or side flap respectively, one half 14 of this hinge being fixed on the said lower part and the other half 15 being slidably mounted in a tube 16 attached to the base 1 and disposed at right-angles thereto. By means of this construction it is ensured that the pivot of the hinge can occupy different positions relative to the base 1 of the container, depending or. whether the end 2 or flap 3 is resting on the base 1 folded in two as shown in Figure 2d, or whether a flap 3 folded in two is resting on top of an end 2 folded in two, as shown in Figures 5a and 5b .

So that the container according to the present invention may be able to be transported securely on the chassis of a tractor, lorry or trailer vehicle the container has a length of supporting profile 17 which fits in a profile bar 19 disposed on the said chassis 18 as shown in Figures 4a and 4b . The container is locked securely onto the profile bar 19 by means of pins 20 which pass through concentric holes in the length of supporting profile 17 and the profile bar 19; these pins can preferably be manipulated by means of a hydraulic piston unit 21. When the locking pin is oushed right in it actuates a terminal position switch 22 which is connected to the starting or brake system of the vehicle so that the vehicle cannot be driven until the container is securely attached to the vehicle.

The container according to the present invention affords great flexibility in its use. It can be seen from Figures 1a, 2b, 2c and 5a that the ends and side flaps of the container can be folded in two so that the container can be used as a low-sided lorry container. By reason of the fact that the ends and flaps can be folded according to the characteristics of the invention, the container may be folded down so that it occupies an optimum small amount of space (see Figure 2d) which is of value when returning empty containers. The advantages of a container system according to the invention with collapsible ends and folding side walls are that unnecessary load-transferring is eliminated and the number of empty runs can be reduced to a minimum. The fact that the sides of the container can be opened in all directions reduces the risk of accidents with pockets of shaving and wood-chips, and reduces wastage which might otherwise occur when tipping a conventional container.

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s

1. A container which can be unfolded and folded down, designed for transporting miscellaneous goods, preferably shavings, bark, wood-chips, pine-needles and the like associated with rationalised forestry farming, comprising a base which is rectangular in plan and has folding ends and side flaps attachedalong its edges by means of hinges, these ends and flaps being divided at preferably half their height and equipped with hinges so that the sections can be folded onto each other, characterised in that all the folding hinges (4) of the ends (2) and the side flaps (3) comprise a hinge part (8) attached securely to one part of the end or side flap respectively, and also a part (9) which comprises the pin (10) of the hinge and can be displaced laterally relative to the hinge part (8) in both directions sufficiently far for folding of the flaps to be possible in both directions, and that all the folding hinges (7) on the base (1) comprise a hinge part (15) which can be displaced at right-angles relative to the base and extends in the displacement direction, and which is guided in its displacement movement by a guide tube (16) which is fixed to the base, and which is of such a length that it allows the hinge pin of the edge hinges to move up sufficiently far over the base when the side flaps and ends, which have baan folded in two, are folded down onto the base for these to rest flat on each other.

2. A container according to Patent Claim 1, characterised in that the fixed part (8) of the folding hing (4) comprises an arrangement which centres the hinge pin (10) in a central position when the ends (2) and the side flaps (3) are in the unfolded state.

3. A container according to Patent Claim characterised in that at least the side flaps (3) are divided into sections, and that between these sections and in the corners of the container there are uprights (5) which co-act with the ends (2) and side flaps (3) respectively.