EP3494071A1

EP3494071A1 - Collapsible container

Info

Publication number: EP3494071A1
Application number: EP17791138.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rafal DREWNICKI; Sylwia MILOSZ; Maciej FOLWARCZNY
Original assignee: Kontenery Spolka Z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnoscia
Current assignee: Kontenery Spolka Z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnoscia
Priority date: 2016-08-03
Filing date: 2017-07-28
Publication date: 2019-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-28
Also published as: WO2018025135A1; PL418190A1; EP3494071B1

Abstract

The collapsible container (1) contains a door part (2), a rear part (3) and a central part (4). The central part (4) comprises at least one collapsible module (5), which comprises a floor (6), a roof (7) and two side walls (8, 9). The first side wall (8) is connected tiltably with its bottom edge (10) to the floor (6), and it is connected detachably to the roof (7) with use of a locking means (11), and the second side wall (9) is connected with its top edge (12) tiltably to the roof (7) and it is supported slidably with its bottom edge (13) on the floor (6), and in unfolded position of the collapsible module (5) it is attached detachably to the floor (6) with use of a locking means (11'). The first side wall (8) is additionally fastened to the roof (7) with use of a connecting means (14) in such a way that when the locking means (11, 11') are unlocked, the roof (7) can be lowered by holding through the connecting means (14) the first side wall (8) which is tilted towards the second side wall (9) and folded towards the floor (6), and the second side wall (9) is also tilted and folded towards the bottom (6). In the folded position at least one collapsible module (5) can be put into the rear part (3) closed subsequently directly by the door part (2).

Description

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER

Description Technical Field

The invention refers to a collapsible container, in particular a modular- segment collapsible container for freight of goods in sea, road and railroad transport.

Background Art

It is a frequent situation in sea, road and rail transport that the quantity of goods transported one way, e.g. from China to Europe, is greater than the quantity of goods transported in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is necessary to transport empty containers in the opposite direction, which is non-economical because of the empty space inside the transported containers. This problem is partially solved by collapsible containers which can be folded thanks to foldable or collapsible walls, thus occupying less space during transport without goods. The Dutch patent no. NL2006748C reveals a collapsible transport container in which side walls are folded towards the interior of the container, and the front and rear walls are connected tiltably with the bottom of the container and are connected with fastening elements being sort of tension members with the container's roof, so with use of adequate equipment, e.g. forklift or crane, the roof of the container can be lowered, and the container is folded as a result. When folded the container's height is a few times smaller compared to the height of standard container of the same dimensions and a few such folded containers can be stacked on top of one another. On the other hand, document US 2014/042157 A1 relates to a freight container with side walls foldable horizontally which can be also folded by lowering the roof by means of a specialised fork-lift or crane. However, these collapsible containers require heavy equipment for folding/unfolding and they cannot be used, after being folded, for transporting any goods.

Therefore, the intention of the present invention is to provide a collapsible container, particularly a collapsible modular-segment container for sea, road and rail transport of goods, which can be folded and unfolded without using a specialised equipment dedicated for such containers.

Disclosure of Invention The subject of the invention is a collapsible container comprising a door part, a rear part and a central part, characterized in that the central part contains at least one collapsible module, comprising floor, roof and two side walls, wherein the first side wall is connected tiltably with its bottom edge to the floor, e.g. with use of hinges, and it is releasably connected to the roof with locking means, and the second side wall is connected tiltably with its top edge to the roof, e.g. with use of hinges, and it is supported slidably with its bottom edge on the floor, furthermore, when the collapsible module is unfolded, it is temporary fastened to the floor with a locking means. The locking means can be standard components such as a clamps, a clamping levers or a bolts and these will not be described in detail herein. The first side wall is additionally connected to the roof with use of connecting means such as, for example, articulated tension members made of bars or lines, in such a way, that once the locking means are unlocked, the roof can be lowered, holding the first side wall through the connecting means, which first side wall, while folding, is tilted towards the second side wall, and said first side wall is folded towards to the bottom, whereas the second side wall, while folding, is also tilted and folded towards the bottom, wherein the bottom edge of the second side wall is slid on the floor under the first side wall in such a way, that when the roof reaches its lower dead position, that is when it touches the bottom, the floor, roof, the first side wall and the second side wall are in the collapsed arrangement, occupying at most 25% of the height of the collapsible module before folding. In the folded position, at least one collapsible module can be inserted, particularly in a position turned by 90° in relation to the normal unfolded position, to the rear part, which is then closed directly by the door part. The connecting means can be made as e.g. two rails in the roof, and respectively two rolls, attached to the top edge of the second side wall, situated slidably in the said rails. Such solutions are known and they do not require a more detailed description. In this description the expression„unfolded" used in the context of the collapsible module refers to a collapsible module in which adjacent walls are generally connected at right angle, and the expression "folded" refers to a form of the collapsible module in which adjacent walls are inclined in relation to each other, thus forming between each other an angle of less than 20°. Preferably, after folding, the collapsible module takes maximum 20% of height of the collapsible module before folding, and more preferably, the collapsible module takes maximum 10% of the height of the collapsible module before folding. In a particularly preferable case the collapsible module takes maximum 5% of the height of the collapsible module before folding. The term ..height of the collapsible module before folding" refers to a distance from the ground, on which the collapsible module is situated, to the highest point in relation to the ground measured perpendicularly to the ground. Preferably, the collapsible container contains two collapsible modules, designed to be temporary connected to one another and/or with the door part and the rear part of the collapsible container. To be more precise, each collapsible module has two assembly openings defined by the unoccupied edges of the floor, the roof and both side walls, generally corresponding to cross section of the collapsible container, wherein in the unfolded position the first assembly opening of the first collapsible module is on one side connected with the assembly opening of the door part, and on the other side it is connected with the first assembly opening of the second collapsible module, and the second assembly opening of the second collapsible module is connected with the assembly opening of the rear part. The collapsible modules after folding can be arranged in upright position, that is in a position inclined by 90° in relation to normal position in unfolded position, one beside another, and the collapsible modules arranged in such a manner, separately or joined in one group, can be placed in the rear part of the collapsible container which subsequently can be closed by the door part and locked with fastening means, thus making up a container of external length shorter than the initial length of the collapsible container before folding. Particularly preferably, the collapsible container can contain three collapsible modules, suitable for releasably connecting with one another and/or with the door part and the rear part of the collapsible container as described above, wherein said collapsible modules after folding can be arranged in upright position one beside another, and such arranged collapsible modules, separately or joined in one group, can be secured or blocked egainst the rear part, which can be then closed by the door part, thus making up a container of external length equal to 1 /3 of the initial length of the collapsible container before folding. In the case when the collapsible module after folding occupies 20% of the height of the collapsible module before folding, a group of three collapsible modules occupies about 60% of the space in the container formed by the rear part and the door part connected together, thus leaving about 40% free space where suitable cargo can be loaded, if needed. In the case, when the collapsible module after folding occupies 5% of the height of the collapsible module before folding, the free space available for loading is equal to about 85% respectively. A group of collapsible modules can be positioned and fastened by one of the side walls or centrally along the longitudinal axis of the container to provide the possibility of uniform loading of cargo on its both sides. The roof of the collapsible module can comprise openings designed to receive a forks of the forklift, and firmly fixed side brackets, generally perpendicular to the external edges of the roof, on sides corresponding to side walls in such a way, that after folding of the collapsible module, the side brackets rest on the floor and can be locked with the roof with use of the clamps, the levers, the bolts or other standard fastening means. The door part and the rear part can be folded, however, in the presented embodiment, the door part and the rear part are not collapsible and preferably contain openings designed to receive a forks of the forklift, and a structural elements for transferring loads during transport or storage of containers one on top of another. Such structural elements can be steel L-profiles, T-profiles, closed profiles or other profiles suitable for transferring loads. In the case of freight containers for sea, rail and road transport, standardized containers of unified structure and dimensions are used, however, for the most popular types of containers the external dimensions are as follows:

The following terms used herein: 20' container, 20-foot container or twenty- foot container can be used alternately and refer to standard containers of standardized dimensions as provided in the table above. The same refers to containers of other standard dimensions. Due to the fact that British Imperial System of Units is widely used in this area of technology (e.g. feet, inches), the present description contains also imperial units to define dimensions of containers, however, "feet" can be also denoted as ' and "inch" as ". Preferably, the dimension of the door part in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container is 2,5 feet, the dimension of the collapsible module in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container is 10 feet, and the dimension of the rear part in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container is 12,5 feet. The collapsible container according to the invention can contain separate stabilizing elements concealed in the recesses of the door part. Preferably, the collapsible container contains three collapsible modules and the dimension of each collapsible module in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container is 10 feet, wherein the total dimension of the collapsible container in the direction towards its length in the folded position is 45 feet. In other embodiments of the invention other dimensions of individual parts of the collapsible container are also possible. In a specific case the total length of the collapsible container after unfolding can also be equal to 48 feet and 53 feet, with adequately modified dimensions of the door part, the rear part and the collapsible module.

The subject of the invention is also a method of unfolding the collapsible container, in particular a 45-foot collapsible container. The method includes the following steps:

a) detaching successive fastening means, which can be made in a form of clamps, starting from the door part,

b) disconnecting the door part and placing it aside,

c) detaching fastening means of the first collapsible module,

d) disconnecting the first collapsible module and placing it aside, e) inserting the fork-lift's fork in the openings at the bottom of the roof of the collapsible module,

f) folding the collapsible module by lowering the roof towards the bottom with concurrent inclining the top edge of the first side wall, connected slidably with the roof, towards the second side wall, and from the top to the bottom, and with concurrent moving of the second side wall's bottom edge, supported slidably on the floor, along the width of the floor in the direction towards the bottom edge of the first side wall,

g) attaching the fastening elements and inclining the collapsible module by 90° onto one of the side brackets,

h) attaching a stabilizing element on one side of the collapsible module, in order to secure against tilting when other collapsible modules are added,

i) detaching the fastening elements of the next collapsible module, J) disconnecting the second collapsible module and placing it aside, k) folding the second collapsible module (acc. to step f), attaching the fastening element in the second collapsible module, tilting the collapsible module by 90° onto one of the side brackets and placing it beside the first collapsible module, I) attaching fastening elements between the first and the second collapsible module,

m) detaching the fastening elements of the third collapsible module, n) disconnecting the third collapsible module and placing it aside, o) folding the third collapsible module (acc. to. step f), attaching the fastening element in the third collapsible module, turning on side the third collapsible module and placing beside the two previously folded and attached collapsible modules,

p) attaching fastening element between the third and the second collapsible module,

q) detaching the stabilizing element from the first collapsible module and concealing it in the recess of the door module,

r) picking up the three previously folded collapsible modules with standard fork-lift and placing them into the rear part,

s) establishing the position of the collapsible modules inside the rear part and securing them against tilting or sliding in the rear part,

t) picking up the door part with standard fork-lift and moving it to the rear part until it touches the assembly opening of the rear part,

u) joining the door part and the rear part with fastening elements, thus forming a 15-foot container,

v) joining with fastening elements the front parts of the three 15-foot containers obtained acc. to previous steps, in order to obtain a 45-foot container.

The subject of the invention is also a method of folding the collapsible container which includes the following steps:

a) disconnecting the front parts of three 15-foot containers forming one 45-foot container,

b) putting aside the 15-foot containers to make them available for individual disassembly acc. to further steps,

c) disconnecting the door part from the rear part,

d) putting aside the door part,

e) unlocking the collapsible modules from the locked position inside the rear part, f) sliding out the collapsible modules from the rear part with use of standard fork-lift,

g) putting aside joined collapsible modules, wherein "putting aside" means putting in a place that is in the vicinity of performed operations, providing the possibility of further handling,

h) taking out the stabilizing element from the recess in the door module and attaching the stabilizing element to the first collapsible module, i) detaching the edge collapsible module from other collapsible modules and laying it in a position in which the floor is lying on the ground, j) dismantling the collapsible module by raising the roof with a standard fork-lift with concurrent movement of side walls to upright position, k) locking the elements of unfolded collapsible module in relation to each other with locking means, and putting it aside in a position ready to join with subsequent collapsible modules,

I) detaching subsequent collapsible module and leaving the last the collapsible module in a position secured against tilting with use of the stabilizing element which can be a standard element in the form of, e.g. a pipe, an L-profile, a T-pfofile or a closed profile,

m) dismantling subsequent collapsible module in the same way as described in steps j), k),

n) placing the unfolded collapsible module beside the previously unfolded collapsible module and joining them with use of fastening elements, o) picking up the last folded collapsible module with a fork-lift, detaching the stabilizing element, inclining it to the side to a position in which the floor lies on the ground, and then performing the steps as described in steps j), k), n),

p) attaching the rear part to three collapsible modules joined together, locking them with fastening means, and then attaching the door part to them and locking with fastening means,

q) placing the stabilizing element in the recess and securing it against falling out,

r) unfolding the two remaining 15-foot collapsible containers acc. to steps c) to q), s) making the three 45-foot collapsible containers, unfolded acc. to the above steps, available for loading or transport to another place.

Brief Description of Drawings

The invention is presented in more detail in embodiment and in the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents schematically a perspective view of a collapsible container of total length of 45 feet according to the invention,

Fig. 2 represents schematically a perspective view of a collapsible container of total length of 45 feet according to the invention, with highlighted separate parts which are shown in this view as spaced apart,

Fig. 3 represents schematically a perspective view of the collapsible container according to the invention with three collapsible modules partly loaded to the rear part of the collapsible container,

Fig. 4 represents schematically a perspective view of the collapsible container according to the invention with three collapsible modules partly loaded to the rear part of the collapsible container,

Fig. 5 represents schematically a perspective view of the collapsible module in the step of partial folding, and

Fig. 6 represents schematically a perspective view of the door part with open door. Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

The collapsible container 1 according to the invention represented schematically in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 includes the door part 2, the rear part 3 and the central part 4. The central part 4 contains three collapsible modules 5, each of which contains the floor 6, the roof 7 and two side walls 8, 9. The first side wall 8 is connected tiltably with its bottom edge 10 to the floor 6, and it is connected temporary to the roof 7 with use of locking means 1 1 , and the second side wall 9 is connected with its top edge 12 tiltably to the roof 7 and it is supported slidably with its bottom edge 13 on the floor 6, and in unfolded position of the collapsible module 5 it is attached temporary to the floor 6 with use of locking means 1 1 '. The first side wall 8 is additionally connected to the roof 7 with use of connecting means 14 in such a way that when the locking means 1 1 , 1 1 ' are unlocked, the roof 7 can be lowered by holding the first side wall 8 through the connecting means 14, and the wall is tilted towards the second side wall 9 and it is folded to the bottom 6, whereas the second side wall 9 is also tilted and folded towards the bottom 6, whereas the bottom edge 1 3 of the second side wall 9 is slid on the floor 6 under the first side wall 8 in such a way that when the roof 7 reaches its lower dead position, the floor 6, the roof 7, the first side wall 8 and the second side wall 9 are in the collapsed arrangement, occupying 20% of the height of the collapsible module 5 before folding. In the folded position, the three collapsible modules 5 can be put into the rear part 3 that can subsequently closed directly by the door part 2. Fig. 3 shows the collapsible container with the three collapsible modules 5, placed in upright position one beside another, and as joined into one group with use of connecting means they are put into the rear part 3 of the collapsible container 1 , which can subsequently be closed by the door part 2, thus making up a container of external length equal to 1 /3 of the initial length of the collapsible container 1 before folding, as represented schematically in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows a collapsible module in the step of partial folding. The roof 7 is highlighted, which includes firmly fixed side brackets 16, generally perpendicularly to the external edges 17 of the roof 7, on sides corresponding to the side walls 8, 9 in such a way, that when the collapsible module 6 is folded, the side brackets 16 rest on the floor 6 and can be interlocked with it. In this embodiment of collapsible container the door part 2 and the rear part 3 are not collapsible and they have openings 15 designed to receive the forks of the fork-lift, and the structural elements 17 designed to transfer loads during movement or storage of the collapsible container 1 one on top of another. The dimension of the door part 2 in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container 1 is 2,5 feet, the dimension of the collapsible module 5 in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container 1 is 10 feet, and the dimension of the rear part 3 in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container 1 is 12,5 feet. The collapsible container also contains separate stabilizing elements concealed in recesses 18 of the door part 2, represented schematically in Fig. 6.

As shown in Fig. 1 , the collapsible container 1 contains three collapsible modules 5 and the dimension of each collapsible module 5 in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container 1 is 10 feet, however, total dimension of the collapsible container 1 in its longitudinal direction in folded position is 15 feet, and in unfolded position is 45 feet.

Fig. 2, 5, 3 and 4 represent also the main steps of the method of folding the collapsible container 1 (for reasons of simplification, the fork-lift is not shown): a) releasing subsequent clamps 19, starting from the door part 2, b) disconnecting the door part 2 and placing it aside,

c) releasing the clamps 19 of the first collapsible module 5,

d) disconnecting the first collapsible module 5 and placing it aside, e) inserting the fork-lift's forks in the gaps at the bottom of the roof 7 of the collapsible module 5,

f) folding the collapsible module 5 by lowering the roof 7 towards the bottom 6 with concurrent inclining the top edge of the first side wall 8, connected slidably with the roof 7, towards the second side wall 9 and from the top to the bottom, and with concurrent moving of the second side wall's 9 bottom edge, supported slidably on the floor 6, along the width of the floor 6 towards the bottom edge 10 of the first side wall 8, g) attaching the fastening elements 20 and inclining the collapsible module 5 by 90° onto one of the side brackets 16,

h) attaching the stabilizing element 21 on one side of the collapsible module 5, in order to secure against tilting when other collapsible modules 5 are added,

i) detaching the fastening elements 20 of the next collapsible module 5, j) disconnecting the second collapsible module 5 and placing it aside, k) folding the second collapsible module 5 (acc. to step f), attaching the fastening element 20 in the second collapsible module 5, tilting the collapsible module 5 by 90° onto one of the side brackets 16 and placing it beside the first collapsible module 5, I) attaching fastening elements 20 between the first and the second collapsible module 20,

m) detaching fastening elements 20 of the third collapsible module 5, n) detaching the third collapsible module 5 and placing it aside,

o) folding the third collapsible module 5 acc. to step f, attaching the fastening element 20 in the third collapsible module 5, turning the third collapsible module 5 on its side and placing it beside the two previously folded and joined collapsible modules 5,

p) attaching the fastening element 20 between the third and the second collapsible module 5,

q) detaching the stabilizing element 21 from the first collapsible module 5 and concealing it in the recess 18 of the door module 2,

r) picking up the three previously folded joined collapsible modules 5 with standard fork-lift and placing them into the rear part 3,

s) establishing the position of the collapsible modules 5 inside the rear part 3 and securing them against tilting or sliding in the rear part 3, t) picking up the door part 2 with standard fork-lift and moving it to the rear part 3 until it touches the rear part 3,

u) joining the door part 2 and the rear part 3 with the fastening elements 20, thus forming a 15-foot container,

v) using the fastening elements 20 to join the front parts of the three 15- foot containers obtained acc. to previous steps, in order to obtain a 45- foot container.

Fig. 2, 5, 3 and 4 represent also the main steps of the method of unfolding the collapsible container 1 , which in this embodiment is performed acc. to the following steps:

a) disconnecting the front parts of the three 15-foot containers forming one 45-foot container,

b) putting aside the 15-foot containers to make them available for individual unfolding acc. to further steps,

c) disconnecting the door part 2 from the rear part 3,

d) putting aside the door part 2, e) unlocking the collapsible modules 5 from the locked position inside the rear part 3,

f) moving out the collapsible modules 5 from the rear part 3 with use of standard fork-lift,

g) putting aside the joined collapsible modules 5,

h) taking out the stabilizing element 21 from the recess 18 in the door module 2 and attaching the stabilizing element 21 to the first collapsible module 5,

i) disconnecting the edge collapsible module 5 from other collapsible modules 5 and laying it in a position, in which the floor 6 is lying on the ground,

j) unfolding the collapsible module 5 by raising the roof 7 with the forks of the standard fork-lift with concurrent movement of the side walls 8, 9 to the upright position,

k) locking the elements of the unfolded collapsible module 5 in relation to each other with the locking means 1 1 , and putting it aside in a position ready to attach with subsequent collapsible modules 5,

I) disconnecting another collapsible module 5, leaving the last collapsible module 5 in a position secured against falling over with use of the stabilizing element 21 ,

m) dismantling subsequent collapsible module 5 in the same way as described in steps j), k),

n) placing the unfolded collapsible module 5 beside the previously unfolded collapsible module 5 and joining them together with use of the fastening elements 20,

o) picking up the last folded collapsible module 5 with the forks of the fork- lift, detaching the stabilizing element 21 , inclining it to the side to a position in which the floor 7 lies on the ground, and then performing the steps as described in steps j), k), n),

p) attaching the rear part 3 to the three collapsible modules 5 joined together, locking them with use of the fastening means 20, and then attaching the them to the door part 2 to and locking with use of the fastening means 20, q) placing the stabilizing element 21 in the recess 18 and securing it against falling out,

r) unfolding the two remaining 15-foot collapsible containers acc. to steps c) to q),

s) making the three 45-foot collapsible containers 1 , unfolded acc. to the above steps, available for loading or transport to another place.

The presented embodiment of the collapsible container or the method of folding or unfolding of the collapsible container does not limit the invention in any way. Various modifications are possible, e.g. a 48-foot or 53-foot container can be used instead of a 45-foot container.

Industrial Applicability

The advantage of the collapsible container according to the invention is its simple structure and the possibility of unfolding and folding with use of standard fork-lift of maximum load of 3,5 tons lifting capacity. Such fork-lifts are widely available in places of loading and unloading of containers, which is why such containers can be widely used also in places where there is no specialised equipment. Furthermore, in the case of collapsible modules made in the version in which they occupy less space, e.g. when three folded collapsible modules are loaded into the rear part of the collapsible container, there is still some free space left, e.g. 1/3 or ¼ of the volume inside the rear part, directly connected with the door part, which space can be used for loading some goods.

List of references:

1 - collapsible container

2 - door part

3 - rear part

4 - central part

5 - collapsible module

6 - floor 7 - roof

8 - first side wall

9 - second side wall

10 - bottom edge of the first side wall 1 1 - locking means

12 - top edge of the second side wall

13 - bottom edge of the second side wall

14 - connecting means

16 - side brackets

17 - structural elements

18 - recesses

19 - fastening means

20 - fastening elements

21 - stabilizing element

Claims

1 . A collapsible container (1 ), containing a door part (2), a rear part (3) and a central part (4), characterized in that the central part (4) comprises at least one collapsible module (5), comprising a floor (6), a roof (7) and two side walls (8, 9), wherein the first side wall (8) is connected with its bottom edge (10) tiltably to the floor (6), and is connected releasably to the roof (7) with use of a locking means (1 1 ), and the second side wall (9) is connected with its top edge (12) tiltably to the roof (7) and it is supported slidably with its bottom edge (13) on the floor (6), and also in the unfolded position of the collapsible module (5) it is releasably connected to the floor

(6) with use of locking means (1 1 '), wherein the first side wall (8) is additionally fixed to the roof (7) with use of a connecting means (14) in such a way that when the locking means (1 1 , 1 1 ') are unlocked, the roof (7) can be lowered by holding through the connecting means (14) the first side wall (8) which is tilted towards the second side wall (9) and folded towards the floor (6), and the second side wall (9) is also tilted and folded towards the floor (6), wherein the bottom edge (13) of the second side wall (9) is slid on the floor (6) under the first side wall (8) in such a way, that when the roof (7) reaches its bottom dead position, the floor (6), the roof

(7) , the first side wall (8) and the second side wall (9) are in the folded arrangement, occupying maximum 25% of the height of the collapsible module (5) before folding, and in the folded position at least one collapsible module (5) can be placed into the rear part (3) subsequently closed directly by the door part (2).

2. The container according to claim 1 , characterized in that after folding the collapsible module (5) takes up maximum 20% of the height of the collapsible module (5) before folding, and more preferably the collapsible module takes up maximum 10% of the height of the collapsible module (5) before folding.

3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises two collapsible modules (5) suitable for releasable connecting with one another and/or with the door part (2) and the rear part (3) of the collapsible container (1 ), wherein the collapsible modules (5) after folding can be put in upright position one beside another, and such arranged collapsible modules (5), separately or joined in one group, can be put in the rear part (3) of the collapsible container (1 ), which can be then closed by the door part (2), thus making up a container of external length shorter than the initial length of the collapsible container (1 ) before folding.

The container according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises three collapsible modules (5) suitable for releasable connecting with one another and/or with the door part (2) and the rear part (3) of the collapsible container (1 ), wherein the collapsible modules (5) after folding can be arranged in upright position one beside another and such arranged collapsible modules (5), separately or joined in one group, can be put in the rear part (3) of the collapsible container (1 ), which can be then closed by the door part (2), thus making up a container of external length shorter than the initial length of the collapsible container (1 ) before folding.

The container according to any of previous claims, characterized in that the roof (7) comprises a openings (15) designed to receive the forks of the fork-lift, and a side brackets (16) firmly fixed generally perpendicularly to the external edges (17) of the roof (7), on the sides corresponding to the side walls (8, 9) in such a way that when the collapsible module (5) is folded, the side brackets (16) rest on the floor (6) and can be interlocked with it.

The container according to any of previous claims, characterized in that the door part (2) and the rear part (3) are not collapsible and they have openings (15) designed to receive the forks of the fork-lift, and a structural elements (17) designed for transferring loads during movement or storage of the collapsible container (1 ) one on top of another.

The container according to any of previous claims, characterized in that the dimension of the door part (2) in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container (1 ) is 2,5 feet, the dimension of the collapsible module (5) in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container (1 ) is 10 feet, and the dimension of the rear part (3) in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container (1 ) is 12,5 feet.

8. The container according to any of previous claims, characterized in that it comprises separate stabilizing elements concealed in a recesses (18) of the door part (2).

9. The container according to any of previous claims, characterized in that the collapsible container (1 ) comprises three collapsible modules (5) and the dimension of each collapsible module (5) in the longitudinal direction of the collapsible container (1 ) is 10 feet, wherein the total dimension of the collapsible container (1 ) in its longitudinal direction in the folded position is 45 feet.

10. The method of folding the collapsible container (1 ) according to claim 9, characterized in that it includes the following steps:

a) releasing the subsequent clamps (19), starting from the door part (2), b) disconnecting the door part (2) and placing it aside,

c) releasing the clamps (19) of the first collapsible module (5),

d) disconnecting the first collapsible module (5) and placing it aside, e) inserting the fork-lift's fork in the gaps at the bottom of the roof (7) of the collapsible module (5),

f) folding the collapsible module (5) by lowering the roof (7) towards the bottom (6) with concurrent inclining the top edge of the first side wall

(8) , connected slidably with the roof (7), towards the second side wall

(9) and from the top to the bottom, and with concurrent moving of the second side wall's (9) bottom edge, supported slidably on the floor (6), along the width of the floor (6) towards the bottom edge (10) of the first side wall (8),

g) attaching a fastening elements (20) and tilting the collapsible module (5) by 90° onto one of the side brackets (16),

h) attaching a stabilizing element (21 ) on one side of the collapsible module (5), in order to secure against tilting when other collapsible modules (5) are added,

i) releasing the fastening elements (20) of the next collapsible module (5), j) detaching the second collapsible module (5) and placing it aside, k) folding the second collapsible module (5) (acc. to step f), attaching the fastening element (20) in the second collapsible module (5), tilting the collapsible module (5) by 90° onto one of the side brackets (16) and placing it beside the first collapsible module (5),

I) attaching the fastening elements (20) between the first and the second collapsible module (20),

m) releasing the fastening elements (20) of the third collapsible module (5),

n) detaching the third collapsible module (5) and placing it aside, o) folding the third collapsible module (5) (acc. to. step f), attaching the fastening element (20) in the third collapsible module (5), turning on side the third collapsible module (5) and placing it beside the two previously folded and joined collapsible modules (5),

p) attaching the fastening element (20) between the third and the second collapsible module (5),

q) detaching the stabilizing element (21 ) from the first collapsible module (5) and concealing it in the recess (18) of the door module (2), r) picking up the three previously folded joined collapsible modules (5) with standard fork-lift and placing them into the rear part (3),

s) establishing the position of collapsible modules (5) inside the rear part (3) and securing them against tilting or sliding in the rear part (3), t) picking up the door part (2) with standard fork-lift and moving it towards the rear part (3) until it touches the rear part (3),

u) joining the door part (2) and the rear part (3) with the fastening elements (20), thus forming a 15-foot container,

v) joining with the fastening elements (20) the front parts of the three 15- foot containers obtained acc. to previous steps, in order to obtain the 45-foot container.

The method of unfolding the collapsible container (1 ) according to claim 9, characterized in that it includes the following steps:

t) disconnecting the front parts of the three 15-foot containers forming one 45-foot container, u) putting aside the 15-foot containers to make them available for individual unfolding acc. to further steps,

v) disconnecting the door part (2) from the rear part (3),

w) putting aside the door part (2),

x) unlocking the collapsible modules (5) from the locked position inside the rear part (3),

y) moving out the collapsible modules (5) from the rear part (3) with use of standard fork-lift,

z) putting aside the joined collapsible modules (5),

aa)taking out the stabilizing element (21 ) from the recess (18) in the door module (2) and attaching the stabilizing element (21 ) to the first collapsible module (5),

bb)disconnecting the collapsible module (5) at the edge from the other collapsible modules (5) and laying it in a position in which the floor (6) is lying on the ground,

cc) unfolding the collapsible module (5) by raising the roof (7) with standard fork-lift with concurrent movement of side walls (8, 9) to upright position,

dd)locking the elements of the unfolded collapsible module (5) in relation to each other with the locking means (1 1 ), and putting it aside in a position ready to join with other collapsible modules (5),

ee)disconnecting another collapsible module (5), leaving the last collapsible module (5) in a position secured against falling over with use of the stabilizing element (21 ),

ff) dismantling another collapsible module (5) in the same way as described in steps j), k),

gg)placing the unfolded collapsible module (5) beside the previously unfolded collapsible module (5) and joining them with use of fastening elements (20),

hh) picking up the last folded collapsible module (5) with a fork-lift, detaching the stabilizing element (21 ), inclining it to the side to a position in which the floor (6) lies on the ground, and then performing the steps as described in steps j), k), n), ii) attaching the rear part (3) to three collapsible modules (5) joined together, locking them with use of the fastening means (20), and then attaching the door part (2) to them and locking with use of the fastening means (20),

jj) placing the stabilizing element (21 ) in the recess (18) and securing it against falling out,

kk) unfolding the two remaining 15-foot collapsible containers acc. to steps c) to q),

II) making the three 45-foot collapsible containers (1 ), unfolded acc. to the above steps, available for loading or transport to another place.

Representative: Dariusz Mielcarski, M.Sc. Eng.

Patent Attorney