GB2186622A - A foldable portable bin - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable bin for the storage of building materials comprising two side walls 1 made preferably of heavy gauge polyethylene sheet which are connected hingedly to end wall sections 3 and floor sections 5. Support members 8 preferably having replaceable feet are connected hingedly to the side walls and optionally to the end walls. The latter define an opening 13 which provides access to the interior of the bin. The bin can be provided with a waterproof liner and used for the storage of water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Portable bin This invention relates to a portable bin for containing building materials such as sand, lime, chippings and other heavy materials having some capacity to flow. Ordinarily these materials are delivered to building sites either in skips which are heavy metal containers carried by vehicles which have been specially designed for the purpose or in tipper lorries.

Materials delivered in skips are often more easily accommodated by the customer because the skip contains the materials completely and it can be left with the customer until the materials have been used. On the other hand skips are relatively costly and when a customer purchases materials to be delivered in this way he has in effect to hire the skip for the time that it remains with him.

Consequently the materials cost more.

Tipper lorries have the advantage in that their size can vary to a greater extent than skip lorries and they are able to deliver larger quantities of materials. As a result the cost of buying materials for delivery by a tipper lorry can be significantly less. Nevertheless in spite of the reduced cost many customers prefer to buy materials for delivery in a skip because the materials are contained completely until they are used and there is no loss. On the other hand materials discharged from a tipper lorry tend to spread over the ground and this results not only in loss but also causes inconvenience. The present invention is directed to a portable bin which can be supplied as a kit of easily handleable parts. The kit can be delivered with the materials in the tipper lorry and assembled rapidly into a bin into which the lorry can then discharge the material.

Accordingly this invention provides a bin for easy erection and dismantling comprising two side walls each connected hingedly to an end wall section and to a floor section and each side wall being connected hingedly to an external support member.

This invention provides further a kit of parts enabling the erection of the bin described above.

This invention is illustrated but not restricted by the following drawings wherein Figure 1 shows in perspective a front view of a preferred form of the bin of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a front view of a front wall panel.

In these figures two side walls (1) are made conveniently from plywood of heavy gauge and treated with pitch for external use. Other materials can be used provided that they are sufficiently strong for example mild steel polyethylene and polypropylene. The walls are also connected by hinges (2 and 4) to end wall sections (3) and floor sections (5). The floor sections (5) can be secured together by a hinge formed from a bar (6) threaded through loops (7). The side walls (1) are inclined away from one another at an angle of about 30 and are supported by external legs (8) which are connected by hinges (not shown) to the side walls. The legs terminate in a replacable foot (9) the nature of which can be selected according to the nature of the ground on which the bin is to be erected.

End wall sections (3) define a space (13) which provides an operative access to materials which have been delivered by a tipper lorry through the open front end of the bin. If large quantities of material are to be delivered and as a consequence the bin is likely to be filled completely the open end can be closed by end wall (10) which is inserted between rails (11) secured to side walls (1). End wall (10) can also be provided with supporting legs (8) which are connected by hinges (12) to the wall. Under these circumstances additional support can be provided by connecting the tops of side walls together (1) with chains or other forms of flexible or rigid support to prevent the side walls from being forced apart.

Various types of hinges can be used for connecting together the different components of the bin. For example the hinges can incorporate removable hinge pins so that hinged components can be detached from one another.

The basic unit of the present invention comprises a side wall (1), an end wall section (3) and floor section (5) which preferably are all hinged together. Although this unit is light enough to be handled readily by one or two operatives when connected together the resulting bin has great strength. The present bins are very versatile not only with respect to the ease with which they can be varied in size but also to the uses to which they can be put. The width of the bin can be increased readily by inserting one or more end sections by a hinge arrangement which can be similar to that used for connecting floor sections. In general a width of 10 feet has been found especially convenient because many tipper lorries have a width of about 8 feet and a bin having a floor width of about 2 feet greater than the width of the lorry has been found to be very satisfactory. The length of the bin can be increased also by adding extra lengths of wall panels in a similar way.

The bins of the present invention can also provide excellent storage for water. For this purpose front end wall (10) is secured into position and an opening (13) between front end wall sections (3) is filled by an extension panel. A layer of flexible waterproof material of sufficient size made from for example polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or a natural or synthetic rubber is then used to line the whole of the inner surface of the bin. If necessary the walls can be provided with additional legs for extra support. Waterproof seals located between the panels and wall sections can also be used in the place of the layer of waterproof material.

Claims (11)

1. A bin comprising two side walls each connected hingedly to an end wall section and a floor section and each side wall being connected hingedly to an external support member.

2. A bin according to Claim 1 wherein some or all of the two side walls and the floor sections and the support members are also connected detachably.

3. A bin according to Claim 2 wherein the support members have replaceable feet.

4. A bin according to either of Claims 1 or 2 wherein the side walls are inclined away from one another.

5. A bin according to Claim 4 wherein the angle of inclination is in the region of 30".

6. A bin according to any one of the preceding claims having a wall at each end.

7. A bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one end wall or wall section defines an opening.

8. A bin according to any one of preceding claims wherein the interior surface of the bin is covered with a flexible waterproof liner.

9. A kit of parts comprising two side walls for a bin each side wall being connectable hingedly to an end wall section and to a floor section each side wall having attached hingedly thereto a support.

10. Bins as hereinbefore described with particular reference to the drawings.

11. Bins as hereinbefore claimed in any one of the preceding claims.