EP0192585A1 - Handling container - Google Patents

Abstract

This container is characterised in that its four faces (1, 2, 3, 4), its base (5) and its top (6) consist of wooden elements assembled together as a wooden case, and its four vertical edges are equipped with four rigid brackets (10), advantageously made from metal and having, at both their ends, metal pieces (8, 9) comprising orifices (11, 12, 13) for handling the container and making it fast. Application to the production of single-use containers. <IMAGE>

Description

• - de soulever et manutentionner ces conteneurs au moyen d'appareils de levage,
• - de les immobiliser dans des cales de navires ou sur des plateaux de véhicules_f
• - et de les immobiliser les uns par rapport aux autres en position de gerbage.

For the transport of goods and miscellaneous products, rectangular metal containers are commonly used, the four vertical edges of which terminate in parts which, generally designated by the name "iso corners", have orifices through which it is possible:

• - to lift and handle these containers using lifting devices,
• - immobilize them in the holds of ships or on vehicle platforms _f
• - And immobilize them relative to each other in the stacking position.

Their high price, these containers must be the subject of sufficient traffic to ensure their profitability. However, it turns out that in certain countries the shipping companies using these containers have difficulties in quickly finding the goods allowing their return. As a result, these containers, instead of performing an intense service, are often stored at a loss, because their immobilization does not eliminate the cost of the rental and involves additional costs of immobilization on an unloading site, for example a port, and sometimes temporary import fees.

To partially solve this problem, when it occurs in certain countries, it has been proposed to use for these countries relatively old containers and therefore depreciated and whose return is no longer necessary. These containers are usually qualified by the expression "last voyage".

Apart from the fact that they are often difficult to find, these "last trip" containers reveal another serious problem. This is the unnecessary space to which they give rise due to their volume, when their expiry date has been reached. Being made of thick sheet metal, their demolition is indeed difficult, and their nature as well as their arrangement make them unsuitable for other possibilities of use in other fields.

The invention overcomes all these drawbacks. Its object is a container, the four sides, bottom and cover of which are made up of wooden elements: side members, crosspieces, planks ... assembled together like a wooden box, and the four vertical uprights are provided with four rigid angles, advantageously metal, having, at their two ends, metal parts comprising orifices for handling and mooring the container.

The means of handling such a container are numerous: lifting devices by hooks, lifting devices by slings, forklifts, or any other device gripping the container from above and / or from below.

This list of devices is not exhaustive, because the handling of this container can also be done by means of devices equipped with arms which form clamps and grip the container laterally and from below. In this case, however, there is provided under each of the two side rails of the container, near each of its two ends, a U-shaped iron which serves as the cradle of the beam, is fixed to it by nailing and is fixed by welding to the angle iron participating in the constitution of the corresponding vertical upright. This profiled iron constitutes a reinforcement for the spar in the zone with which the clamp of the lifting device cooperates.

So that this clamp does not rip during the lifting of the container, each of these four reinforcements has a lower rim or rib, directed downwards and located at the outer edge of the bottom of the iron constituting the reinforcement.

This reinforcement has, moreover, another characteristic linked to the presence of the crosspieces situated under the floor of the container. While the wings of the four reinforcements extend to the ends of the container, the bottom of each of them is notched to allow the passage of the corresponding cross member and its attachment to the floor.

The dimensions of this container can be any; but they are advantageously identical to those of the usual containers, so that in a loading or a storage it is possible to combine the containers object of the invention with the usual ones.

The handling and storage of containers according to the invention does not pose any particular problem. On the contrary, the wooden nature of the container gives it additional advantages.

• - le bois constitue un matériau relativement isolant, grâce auquel il est possible de stocker des marchandises dans un tel conteneur sans danger de dégradation et pendant de très longues durées sur des sites soumis à un très fort ensoleillement ;
• - en raison de sa nature en bois, ce conteneur peut être facilement détruit lorsqu'il a atteint un certain degré de vétusté, et. bien plus il peut même alors être utilisé comme bois de chauffage ;
• - et en raison encore de sa nature en bois et donc de ses propriétés isolantes, ce conteneur peut, après son rôle premier, devenir un baraquement de chantier ou d'habitation.

Among these advantages, it should be noted that:

• - wood is a relatively insulating material, thanks to which it is possible to store goods in such a container without danger of degradation and for very long periods on sites subject to very strong sunshine;
• - due to its wooden nature, this container can be easily destroyed when it has reached a certain level of obsolescence, and. much more it can even then be used as firewood;
• - And again due to its wooden nature and therefore its insulating properties, this container can, after its primary role, become a hut for construction or housing.

The latter possibility results from an important characteristic according to which at least one of the two front faces of the container has a rectangular opening closed by a wooden panel which, at a later door destination, is articulated by hinges and is equipped with a lock, but is originally locked from the inside.

According to another characteristic of the invention, this container also has internally, on each of its two longitudinal faces, a horizontal beam usable as a support for an intermediate floor and above which at least a fraction of one and / or the other of these two faces can be converted into a window. The possible presence of an easy-to-install floor increases the possibilities of using the container, by making it possible to have products or devices to be transported on two levels; and the possibility of arranging windows increases the interest of this container, when it becomes a barrack.

The constitution of this wooden container and its realization in the manner of a box finally have the effect of allowing the mounting of the container at the place of its first use, because it is easy to assemble between them the six panels constituting the four sides, bottom and cover. The transport and storage costs of the container before actual use are therefore very low compared to those of a usual metal container.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, a metal reinforcing strip is provided which extends over the entire length of the container at each of its two lower longitudinal edges between the two extreme vertical uprights or between the two horizontal reinforcements. starting from these uprights and extending over part of the length of the two lateral beams, this blade being fixed by nailing on the wall of the container and by welding on the uprights or on the aforementioned reinforcements.

• Figure 1 en est une vue en perspective en position d'utilisation ;
• Figure 2 est la même vue après enlèvement et retournement de l'une de ses deux faces frontales ;
• Figure 3 est encore la même vue après dégagement complet de cette face frontale ;
• Figure 4 est une vue en perspective et par l'intérieur de l'une des faces latérales du conteneur, dans le cas où cette face comporte un agencement permettant l'aménagement d'une fenêtre ;
• Figure 5 est, à plus grande échelle, une vue en perspective de l'une des cornières constituant l'un des quatre montants du conteneur, et
• Figure 6 est aussi, à plus grande échelle, une vue en coupe suivant VI-VI de figure 1.

The invention will moreover be clearly understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this handling container:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view in the position of use;
• Figure 2 is the same view after removal and inversion of one of its two end faces;
• Figure 3 is still the same view after complete release of this front face;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view from the inside of one of the side faces of the container, in the case where this face has an arrangement allowing the arrangement of a window;
• FIG. 5 is, on a larger scale, a perspective view of one of the angles constituting one of the four uprights of the container, and
• Figure 6 is also, on a larger scale, a sectional view along VI-VI of Figure 1.

This container is of generally parallelepiped shape and has the dimensions of the usual metal containers. It differs from it essentially by its nature because its constituent material is wood. It is in fact formed by assembling four faces, a bottom and a cover which are produced by assembling wooden elements, namely spars, crosspieces and boards. The four faces are designated respectively by (1) and (2) for the two lateral faces, by (3) and (4) for the two frontal faces; the bottom is designated by (5) and the cover is designated by (6). The four faces (1, 2, 3, 4), the bottom (5) and the cover (6) constitute panels, the mounting of which is carried out like that of the panels of a wooden case; and these panels are then assembled by nailing like the panels of a wooden case.

The box thus made up of only the panels (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) could not be assimilated to a usual container because it contains neither the elements giving it resistance sufficient mechanical, nor those allowing its handling and mooring under the various conditions of use.

So that the box becomes a container, it is equipped with four metal uprights (10) cooperating with its four vertical edges and arranged along these four edges. Each of these four uprights is constituted by a metal angle (7) and by two end pieces, namely one lower (8) and the other upper (9). By its two wings, the angle iron (7) comes to bear respectively against the edge and on the external face of the lateral face considered (1) or (2).

As for the end pieces (8) and (9), they are also metallic and are fixed by welding to the two ends of the angle iron (7). These two parts (8) and (9), which have dimensions and an arrangement identical to the corresponding parts used on the metal containers, have three orifices respectively (11), (12) and (13). Those (1 1) and (12), which are arranged in the lateral faces extending the two wings of the angle iron, are intended in particular for the passage of organs allowing the lifting and handling of containers, as well as for the passage of organs allowing the mooring of containers while they are being transported. As for the orifices (13), they are drilled respectively in the lower face of the part (8) and in the upper face of the part (9). They are intended for the passage of pins allowing the immobilization of the containers, either on the platform of a vehicle or at the bottom of a ship's hold, or in the stacking position on each other. As for the connection of each angle iron (7) with the side faces (1) and (2) of the container, it is made by nailing through a plurality of small holes (14) drilled in the angle iron.

So that each upright (10) is rigidly and efficiently. fixed to the body constituting the container, other connecting means are however provided. On the one hand, it is a flat iron (15) which is integral with the lower part (8) and which is taken in the bottom (5) of the container; and it is, on the other hand, a flat iron (16) which is integral with the upper part (9) and which is taken under the cover (6) of the container.

To reinforce the container and to allow its handling by all types of apparatus, including those with clamps, a lateral reinforcement is provided near the two ends of each of the two lateral beams (22). As shown in Figure 6, this reinforcement is constituted by a U-shaped metal section (23) trapping the two side faces and the underside of the spar. This reinforcement extends over part of the length of the beam to the corresponding upright (10); but its bottom has a shorter length in order to leave the corresponding crosspiece (24) in contact with the beam (22), including in the area of the reinforcement, and thus allow effective fixing between the cross member and the beam. As for the connection between the reinforcement (23) and the container, it is obtained by nailing the outer wing of this reinforcement on the beam (22) and by welding the end of the reinforcement to the upright (10).

The four reinforcements (23) allow the handling of the container by means of clamps; and each of them has a lower outer rib (25) which projects beyond the reinforcement and avoids any risk of the clamp gripping.

Finally, to increase the rigidity of the container, a metal blade (26) is provided over the entire length of the two lower edges in the area between the two reinforcements (23). This blade (26) is fixed by nailing on the wall of the container and by welding on the two reinforcements (23).

This arrangement allows the realization of a container which, while being essentially made of wood, has a rigidity, a solidity and a resistance to compression which are substantially identical to those of a usual metal container; and the fact that this container is equipped with four lower corner pieces (8) and four upper corner pieces (9) identical to those of metal containers, the lifting, handling and mooring of this container are done under the same conditions as in the case of a metal container.

Compared to metal containers, this wooden container has, due to its wooden nature, additional arrangements which increase its possibilities of use.

As shown in FIG. 1, this container has, in the central part of its front face (3), a zone (17) which is arranged in the manner of a door in an opening provided in this face. This door (17) is in fact constituted by a panel produced under the same conditions as the panel constituting the front face (3); and this panel (17) is originally immobilized in the corresponding opening provided in the panel (3) by means of crosspieces (18) which are nailed to the rear faces of the front face (3) and of the panel (17) respectively. This fastening system is visible in Figure 2.

The presence of this panel (17), which can be removed with respect to the front face (3) after removal of the crosspieces (18), allows to transform this panel into a door. It is sufficient for this to be mounted hinges and a lock respectively allowing the articulation of the door on the front face and its closure.

As shown in Figure 3, each of the two side faces (1) and (2) has an inner spar (19) whose purpose is to allow the mounting of an intermediate floor (20) inside the container. Thanks to this floor (20), it is possible to place products or goods on two levels inside the container.

As shown in Figure 4, the presence of the two beams (19) has the other effect of allowing the development on one and / or the other of the two side faces (1) and (2), of a or several panels detachably fixed in the upper part of these two lateral faces (1) and (2) and capable of being subsequently transformed into a window (21).

Thanks to the various arrangements which have been described above, this container therefore behaves like the usual metal containers and has the same applications as them; but it has the additional advantage of being able, at will, to be used for another purpose, since it is very easily convertible into a hut for construction or housing.

Claims (6)

1 - Handling container, characterized in that its four faces (1, 2, 3, 4), its bottom (5) and its cover (6) are made up of wooden elements (beams, crosspieces, boards ... ) assembled to each other like a wooden box, and its four vertical uprights are provided with four rigid angles (7), advantageously metal, having, at their two ends, metal parts (8, 9) comprising orifices (11, 12, 13) for handling and mooring the container. 2 - handling container according to claim 1, characterized in that each of its two lateral beams (22) comprises, at each of its two ends, a reinforcement (23) consisting of a U-shaped iron which serves as cradle to the beam , is fixed to it by nailing and is fixed by welding to the angle iron participating in the constitution of the corresponding vertical upright. 3 - handling container according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that each reinforcement (23) has a lower edge or rib (25), directed downward and located at the outer edge of the bottom of the iron constituting the reinforcement. 4 - Handling container according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bottom of each reinforcement (23) is notched to allow the passage of the corresponding crosspiece (24) and its attachment to the floor. 5 - Handling container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of the two front faces (3) of the container has a rectangular opening closed by a wooden panel (17) which, to the door, is hinged and fitted with a lock, but is originally locked from the inside. 6 - handling container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it has, on each of its two longitudinal faces (1, 2), a horizontal beam (19) usable as a support for a floor intermediate (20) and above which at least a fraction (21) of one and / or the other of these two faces can be converted into a window.

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