GB2150533A

GB2150533A - Box pallets

Info

Publication number: GB2150533A
Application number: GB08331720A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allan Parker; Michael Clifford Chapman
Original assignee: Reed International Ltd
Current assignee: Reed International Ltd
Priority date: 1983-11-28
Filing date: 1983-11-28
Publication date: 1985-07-03
Also published as: GB2150533B; GB8331720D0

Abstract

A container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base 3 such as a pallet, comprises a floor 2 fixedly securable to such a rigid base and including a pair of hinged floor members 5,7,7 movable between horizontal positions for forming the container floor and upright folded positions for assembly and disassembly of the container. A container body has a base formed by panels 10, 11 defining an aperture 12 for the passge of said upright folded floor members during said assembly and disassembly. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Containers This invention relates to containers made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, and has as its principle object to provide an improved container which is adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet.

Patent Specification No. 1535579 discloses such a container comprising a floor which is securable via a central strip thereof to a pallet and has two similar floor members hingedly connected to said strip on the two sides thereof in butterfly fashion, and a container body having narrow inwardly projecting flanges around the bottoms of its sidewalls, two opposite ones of such flanges being specially slotted to enable the said floor members to be passed upwardly therethrough, when folded up vertically, before being folded down on top of the said flanges to releasably connect the body and the floor member together.A disadvantage of this container is that it is not sufficiently stable, particularly when empty, in that there is nothing, other than the contents of the container when it is in use, to prevent relative separating movement between the container body and its floor if the container body is lifted or is rocked or otherwise displaced in directions transverse to the floor member hinges.

Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet, such container comprising a floor fixediy securable to such a rigid base and including a pair of hinged floor members movable between horizontal positions for forming the container floor and upright positions for assembly and disassembly of the container, and a container body having a base formed with an aperture for the passage of said upright floor members during said assembly and disassembly, wherein opposite edges of the said base aperture are substantially spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the base in line with the hinges of the floor members and the latter members are adapted to be temporarily folded transversely to their said hinges to enable them to be passed through the said base aperture when desired.

With such an arrangement, when the container has been assembled by passing the folded floor members upwardly through the base aperture and unfolding them to overlie the base, the container body cannot be lifted, or rocked transversely to the floor member hinges, because the engagement of the floor members with those parts of the base located outwardly of the base aperture in line with the hinges prevents any substantial movement of this kind.

The container floor could be formed in one piece as in the aforementioned Specification No. 1535379, with only a central strip thereof adapted to be secured to a rigid base such as a pallet. However, for added stability, we prefer for the container floor to be securable to such a rigid base over substantially its whole area. Preferably, therefore, the container floor is formed in two separate pieces each adapted to overlie substantially one half of the area of a said rigid base and hingedly carrying the said floor members at their respective mutually adjoining edges, substantially centrally of the assembly.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a panel for forming one half of the base of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing two such panels secured to a pallet; Figure 3 is a perspective view, partially cut away, illustrating the manner of interengagement of the assembly of Figure 2 and the body of the container of this embodiment; and Figure 4 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view of the assembled container.

Referring first to Figure 1, a floor piece 1 for a container according to the invention comprises a sheet of double-thickness corrugated board cut and scored to define a panel 2 for securing to a pallet 3 (Figure 2) and a floor member 4 comprising a central panel 5 hinged to the panel 2 about a double fold line 6 and two wing panels 7 hinged to the panel 5. To assemble the container floor two such pieces 1 are nailed to a pallet 3 as shown in Figure 2, with their (crushed) regions 8 overlapping, so that the floor members are hingeable between upright (folded) positions for passing through the apertured base of the container body, as described below, and positions in which they lie flat on their associated panels 2.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a container body comprises four side walls 9 hingedly carrying base panels 10 and 11 which are cut to define a central rectangular aperture 12. To assemble the container the floor members 4 are located in their upright positions as shown in Figure 3 and the body is lowered over them so that they pass upwardly through the aperture 12. The floor members are then unfolded as indicated in ghost lines in Figure 3 and hinged down to overlie the base panels 10 and 11. It will be understood that the container body is then held against being lifted or rocked relative to the container floor and the pallet, by virtue of the engagement of the bottom edge regions of the wing panels 7 with the regions of the base panels 11 which are located in line with the hinges 6 of the floor members.

1. A container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet, said container comprising a floor fixedly securable to such a rigid base and including a pair of hinged floor members movable between horizontal positions for forming the container floor and upright positions for assembly and disassembly of the container, and a container body having a base formed with an aperture for the passage of said upright floor members during said assembly and

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Containers This invention relates to containers made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, and has as its principle object to provide an improved container which is adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet. Patent Specification No. 1535579 discloses such a container comprising a floor which is securable via a central strip thereof to a pallet and has two similar floor members hingedly connected to said strip on the two sides thereof in butterfly fashion, and a container body having narrow inwardly projecting flanges around the bottoms of its sidewalls, two opposite ones of such flanges being specially slotted to enable the said floor members to be passed upwardly therethrough, when folded up vertically, before being folded down on top of the said flanges to releasably connect the body and the floor member together.A disadvantage of this container is that it is not sufficiently stable, particularly when empty, in that there is nothing, other than the contents of the container when it is in use, to prevent relative separating movement between the container body and its floor if the container body is lifted or is rocked or otherwise displaced in directions transverse to the floor member hinges. Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet, such container comprising a floor fixediy securable to such a rigid base and including a pair of hinged floor members movable between horizontal positions for forming the container floor and upright positions for assembly and disassembly of the container, and a container body having a base formed with an aperture for the passage of said upright floor members during said assembly and disassembly, wherein opposite edges of the said base aperture are substantially spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the base in line with the hinges of the floor members and the latter members are adapted to be temporarily folded transversely to their said hinges to enable them to be passed through the said base aperture when desired. With such an arrangement, when the container has been assembled by passing the folded floor members upwardly through the base aperture and unfolding them to overlie the base, the container body cannot be lifted, or rocked transversely to the floor member hinges, because the engagement of the floor members with those parts of the base located outwardly of the base aperture in line with the hinges prevents any substantial movement of this kind. The container floor could be formed in one piece as in the aforementioned Specification No. 1535379, with only a central strip thereof adapted to be secured to a rigid base such as a pallet. However, for added stability, we prefer for the container floor to be securable to such a rigid base over substantially its whole area. Preferably, therefore, the container floor is formed in two separate pieces each adapted to overlie substantially one half of the area of a said rigid base and hingedly carrying the said floor members at their respective mutually adjoining edges, substantially centrally of the assembly. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a panel for forming one half of the base of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing two such panels secured to a pallet; Figure 3 is a perspective view, partially cut away, illustrating the manner of interengagement of the assembly of Figure 2 and the body of the container of this embodiment; and Figure 4 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view of the assembled container. Referring first to Figure 1, a floor piece 1 for a container according to the invention comprises a sheet of double-thickness corrugated board cut and scored to define a panel 2 for securing to a pallet 3 (Figure 2) and a floor member 4 comprising a central panel 5 hinged to the panel 2 about a double fold line 6 and two wing panels 7 hinged to the panel 5. To assemble the container floor two such pieces 1 are nailed to a pallet 3 as shown in Figure 2, with their (crushed) regions 8 overlapping, so that the floor members are hingeable between upright (folded) positions for passing through the apertured base of the container body, as described below, and positions in which they lie flat on their associated panels 2. Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a container body comprises four side walls 9 hingedly carrying base panels 10 and 11 which are cut to define a central rectangular aperture 12. To assemble the container the floor members 4 are located in their upright positions as shown in Figure 3 and the body is lowered over them so that they pass upwardly through the aperture 12. The floor members are then unfolded as indicated in ghost lines in Figure 3 and hinged down to overlie the base panels 10 and 11. It will be understood that the container body is then held against being lifted or rocked relative to the container floor and the pallet, by virtue of the engagement of the bottom edge regions of the wing panels 7 with the regions of the base panels 11 which are located in line with the hinges 6 of the floor members. CLAIMS

1. A container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable sheet material, adapted to be readily secured to a rigid base such as a pallet, said container comprising a floor fixedly securable to such a rigid base and including a pair of hinged floor members movable between horizontal positions for forming the container floor and upright positions for assembly and disassembly of the container, and a container body having a base formed with an aperture for the passage of said upright floor members during said assembly and disassembly, wherein opposite edges of the said base aperture are substantially spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the base in line with the hinges of the floor members and the latter members are adapted to be temporarily folded transverseiy to their said hinges to enable them to be passed through the said base aperture during said assembly and disassembly.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the containerfloor is formed in two separate pieces each comprising a floor panel adapted to overlie substantially one half of the area of a said rigid base, said floor panels hingedly carrying the said floor members at their respective mutually adjoining edges in use, substantially centrally of the assembly.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said floor members are of substantially the same size and shape as their associated floor panels, so as to overlie the latter when in their floor-forming positions.

4. A container as claimed in any of claim 1 to 3, wherein each of the said floor members is temporarily foldable as aforesaid along two parallel hinge lines defining a central panel and two opposite wing panels thereof.

5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said aperture in the base of the container body is central rectangular aperture.

6. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.