EP0825954A1

EP0825954A1 - Foldable, foursided framework

Info

Publication number: EP0825954A1
Application number: EP96914518A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Magnus STRÖMBERG
Original assignee: Masab Magnus Stromberg AB
Current assignee: Masab Magnus Stromberg AB
Priority date: 1995-05-19
Filing date: 1996-05-15
Publication date: 1998-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-15
Also published as: SE9501863D0; WO1996036541A1; AU5785796A; SE503665C2; EP0825954B1; DE69607342T2; SE9501863L; DE69607342D1

Abstract

A foldable, foursided frame, particularly intended for use as a side-wall member in a case (1), as a loading-pallet collar or the like, has two confronting long side walls (2, 3) and two confronting short side walls (4, 5), said long and short walls being hingedly interconnected at the frame corners by means of corner joining members (6-9), such as flexible joining strips. One (2) of the long side walls consists of two juxtaposed wall parts (2', 2'), one (2') of which is hingedly connected to one (4) of the short side walls by means of one (6) of the corner joining members, whereas the other wall part (2') is hingedly connected to the opposite short side wall (5) by means of another one (9) of the corner joining members, said wall parts being hingedly interconnected by means of a supplementary joining member (10), such as a flexible joining strip. Said one (2') wall part has a width equalling that of said one (4) of the short side walls.

Description

FOLDABLE, FOURSIDED FRAMEWORK

The subject invention relates to a foldable, four- sided frame intended particularly for use as a side-wall member in a case, e.g. as a loading-pallet collar or rim, said frame having two confronting long side walls and two confronting short side walls, said long and short side walls being hingedly interconnected at the frame corners by means of corner joining members, such as flexible joining strips.

In the manufacture of wooden cases from panels, such as plywood plates of wood-fibre base panels, the panels forming the long walls of the case usually are hingedly interconnected in order to allow the case to be trans¬ ported in a collapsed, space-saving condition when not in use, and to be erected into box shape in preparation for use. In order to allow the case to be folded or collapsed it is necessary that the case bottom panel be removable or else be hingedly connected to one of the side walls. This also applies to the case lid, if provided.

In accordance with prior-art technology a flexible yet comparatively rigid metal tape is used to intercon¬ nect the panels. The metal tape is formed with spikes or barbs which have been punched in the tape in rows extend¬ ing along the tape and which project at right angles from one side thereof. The spikes are pointed and to intercon- nect two panels they are hammered into the panels to anchor the tape thereto.

However, the metal tape is disadvantageous in the respect that it can be bent forwards and backwards only once or twice before cracking or the spikes loosening from the panels. Thus, it does not lend itself to repeat¬ ed folding and unfolding and consequently it prevents repeated use of the case. In addition, the metal tape is unpleasant to handle since the spikes easily cause inju¬ ries. The risk that this should happen is particularly imminent when the tape has separated from the panels. A further disadvantage in using metal tapes is that they are inconvenient to dispose of in connection with destruction of the case, for instance through incinera¬ tion. A different, prior-art technology therefore prefer¬ ably is resorted to for the interconnection, involving the use of a joining strip of a flexible plastics mate¬ rial which is attached to the two panels that are to be hingedly interconnecte . When an empty, foursided case having panel-shaped side walls that are hingedly interconnected by means of flexible metal tapes or plastic strips is collapsed or folded for transportation, it will have a width corre¬ sponding to the height of the case and a length corre- sponding to the sum of the widths of two joined-together side walls. When the box is large, which in this case should be understood as a case having side walls of con¬ siderable width, the collapsed case will have such a length that, when positioned on a loading pallet, it will project beyond the latter, which obviously is not desir¬ able.

The Swedish Patent Application 9201608-8 discloses a method of hingedly interconnecting two panel-shaped side walls of a case. This method makes it possible to so fold, in a simple manner, a case having at least two of its side walls hingedly interconnected in accordance with the disclosed method whereas remaining side walls are hingedly interconnected in another manner that the length of the collapsed case will correspond to the width of the widest side wall. In accordance with this prior- art method two side walls are interconnected by means of two joining profile sections, each attached along a side edge of its associated side wall, and by means of a join¬ ing strip which is releasably connected to the two join- ing profile sections. The joining profile sections and the joining strip usually are manufactured from a flex¬ ible plastics material. Because the joining strip is releasably connected to the joining profile sections, the hinge joint may be separated, allowing all side walls of the case to be placed one on top of the other by folding the case. The separation of the joint is effected by removing the joining strip, with the ensuing disadvantage that the strip may easily be lost.

The purpose of the subject invention is to provide a foldable, foursided frame of the kind defined in the preamble, which is foldable in such a manner that when in its folded or collapsed condition its length corresponds to the width of the widest side wall, i.e. to the width of one long side wall, this being achieved without neces¬ sitating collection of unattached parts once when the folding is completed. This purpose is achieved in accordance with the subject invention in that one of the long side walls consists of two juxtaposed wall parts, one of which is hingedly connected to one of the short side walls by means of one of the corner joining members, whereas the other part is hingedly connected to the opposite side wall by means of another one of the corner joining mem¬ bers, said wall parts being hingedly interconnected by means of a supplementary joining member, for instance in the shape of a flexible joining strip, said one of the wall parts being equal in width to said one of the short side walls.

In accordance with one preferred embodiment the sup¬ plementary joining member is in the form of a flexible plastics strip extending along the entire height of said one of the long side walls.

The invention will be described in closer detail in the following with reference to the accompanying draw¬ ings, wherein:

Fig. 1 in a view from above illustrates a case pro- vided with a frame in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a lateral view, illustrating one long side wall of the case. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates the case in a partly folded posi¬ tion. Fig. 5 illustrates the case in a completely folded position.

In the case 1 illustrated in the drawings a frame in accordance with the subject invention is used as a side- wall element. The frame is foursided and in its position of use, illustrated in Figs 1 and 2, it has a rectangular shape as seen from above. The frame has two long side walls 2 and 3 and two short side walls 4 and 5. The long side walls 2 and 3 and the short side walls 4 and 5 are hingedly interconnected at the corners of the case 1 by means of vertical joining strips 6-9 made from a flex¬ ible plastics material. These joint strips 6-9 form the rounded corners of the frame and thus of the case 1 (see Fig. 1).

Each one of the two short side walls 4 and 5 of the frame consists of a rectangular plywood panel. Both panels 4 and 5 are of equal size. Also one long side wall 3 of the frame consists of a rectangular plywood panel. The other long side wall 2 of the frame is formed by two juxtaposed wall parts 2' and 2", each one of which con- sists of a rectangular plywood panel, and by a vertical joining strip 10 of a flexible plastics material extend¬ ing along the entire height of the long side wall 2 and hingedly interconnecting the two panels 2' and 2". One 2' of the two panels 2' and 2" has a width equalling that of the panels 4 and 5 whereas the other one 2" of the two panels 2' and 2" has such a width that the long side wall 2 formed by the two panels 2' and 2" and the joining strip 10 extending therebetween, has the same width as the long side wall 3. The joining strip 10 is of the same nature as the corner joining strips 6-9 and is distinguished from the corner strips only in that in the position of use of the frame it is not bent but forms a rectilinear transition between the two panels 2' and 2". Along each of its two lengthwise edges each joining strip 6-10 is formed with a pocket or channel for reception therein of the side edge portion of its associated panel 2', 2", 3, 4, 5. The joining strips 6-10 are secured to its associated panels 2', 2", 3, 4, 5 by means of screws, staples or the like.

A horizontal board 11, placed edgewise, extends along each one of the two short end walls 4 and 5 at the lower portion thereof. The boards 11 are attached to the inner face of their associated ^"one of short side walls 4, 5 by means of screws or similar fasteners. The case 1 is formed with a removable bottom panel 12 which is loose¬ ly positioned on top of the boards 11, being supported thereon.

In addition, the case 1 is formed with an interior bottom unit 13 formed by three bottom flaps 13a, 13b, 13c. The flap 13c extends along the long side wall 3 and occupies approximately half of the bottom area of the case 1. The flap 13c is hingedly connected to the long side wall 3 by means of two flexible plastics strips 14, which are attached to the flap 13c and to the wall 3 by means of screws, staples or the like. The flaps 13a and 13b extend along wall parts 2' and 2", respectively, and are hingedly connected to their associated one of these parts by means of two and one, respectively, flexible plastics strips 15 and 16, respectively, which strips likewise are secured by means of screws, staples or the like. The flap 13c is formed with two dovetail-shaped pro¬ jections 17 and 18 on its side edge remote from the long side wall 3. The flap 13a is formed on its side edge fac¬ ing away from the long side wall 2 with a dovetail-shaped recess 19 for reception of the projection 17, and with a further recess which together with a recess formed in the flap 13b forms a dovetail-shaped recess 20 for reception of the projection 18. The purpose of the dovetail ar- rangement 17-20 is to achieve an interlocking effect, preventing the two long side walls 2 and 3 from being forced apart when being bent outwards, for instance when exposed to loads from objects contained in the case 1. When the case 1 is to be folded or collapsed, the flaps 13a, 13b and 13c are initially folded upwards and the bottom panel 12 is removed. The frame is then folded in such a manner (see Fig. 4) that the joining strip 10 is moved towards the corner joining strip 7. Since panels 2' and 4 have the same width, the two joining strips 7 and 10 will be positioned in mutually facing relation¬ ship, allowing the panels 2' and 4, which after this first folding operation will be positioned adjacent one another, to be jointly folded inwards to a position on top of the panel 3 which after the first folding opera¬ tion assumes a position on top of the panels 2' and 5. After this second folding operation (see Fig. 5), the folded case/frame thus has a length which essentially coincides with that of the long side walls 2 and 3. When several identical cases 1 that have been used for trans¬ portation of goods from a dispatcher to a receiver, for instance, are to be returned to the dispatcher for re¬ use, some of the cases are employed as transport con¬ tainers, while remaining cases are collapsed in the man- ner described above and are positioned inside these transport cases.

The frame in accordance with the invention has been described when used as the side-wall element in a case but it should be obvious that it could be used for many other purposes, for instance as a loading-pallet collar or the like.

Claims

1. A foldable, foursided frame intended particularly for use as a side-wall member in a case (1), as a load¬ ing-pallet collar, or the like, said frame having two confronting long side walls (2, 3) and two confronting short side walls (4, 5), said long and short side walls being hingedly interconnected at the frame corners by means of corner joining members (6-9), such as flexible joining strips, ch a r a c t e r i s e d in that one (2) of the long side walls consists of two juxtaposed wall parts (2', 2"), one (2') of which is hingedly connected to one (4) of the short side walls by means of one (6) of the corner joining members, whereas the other wall part (2") is hingedly connected to the confronting short side wall (5) by means of another one (9) of the corner join¬ ing members, said wall parts being hingedly interconnect¬ ed by means of a supplementary joining member (10), such as a flexible joining strip, said one (2') of the wall parts being equal in width to said one (4) of the short side walls.

2. A frame as claimed in claim 1, ch a r ac ¬ t e r i s e d in that said supplementary joining member is a flexible plastics strip extending along the height of said one (2) of the long side walls.