GB2192383A

GB2192383A - Collapsible containers

Info

Publication number: GB2192383A
Application number: GB08715659A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Walton
Original assignee: Walton Industrial Containers Ltd
Current assignee: Walton Industrial Containers Ltd
Priority date: 1986-07-08
Filing date: 1987-07-03
Publication date: 1988-01-13
Also published as: GB8616555D0; GB8715659D0

Abstract

A container comprises a box-like carcase (2) of a flexible material including four sides (4,6,8,10) and a base, two opposed sides (6,10) of the carcase (2) housing rigid panels (14) forming a first pair of opposed sidewalls of the container. A pair of envelopes (16,18) each of which contains a rigid panel (20) are being pivotal within the carcase (2) between operative positions in which they overlie the other two sides (4,8) of the carcase whereby the panels (20) therein comprise the second pair of opposed sidewalls of the container, and inoperative positions in which they overlie one or other of the panels (14) forming the first pair of opposed sidewalls. The pivotal envelopes (16, 18) and the first two id 4 opposed sides (6, 10) of the carcase (2) can be folded into a storage position in which the four rigid panels (14,20) therein overlie one another, with the other two opposed sides 14 (4,8) of the carcase (2) folded therebetween. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to containers This invention relates to containers and has particular, though not exclusive, application to containers for granular or powdery materials such as plastics, as well as for pharmaceutical materials and tobacco.

It is often necessary to supply substantial quantities of plastics raw materials, such as PVC and compounds, polyethylene and polypropelene, for pastics processing purposes. Although it is possible to utilise bulk handling systems involving silos and transporters, such systems incur high capital costs, are reiatively inflexible and depend to a substantial extent on automatic conveying systems.

Consequently it is now established practice to provide individual containers capable of holding up to, for example, 1000 kgms of material, a preferred container comprising four sidewalls of a rigid material such as fibreboard, hardboard or the like, together with a separate base member and a lid. Such containers may or may not be used in conjunction with an associated wooden pallet.

However, such rectangular boxes suffer from certain disadvantages in that, when the box is filled, the sidewalls tend to bow out and distort the base member as well as making it difficult to put the lid on.

Further, such boxes are bulky and are therefore inconvenient to transport when empty.

It would be desirable to be able to provide a container iess prone to distortion than heretofore and more readily transportable when empty.

According to the present invention there is provided a container comprising a box-like carcase of flexible material including a base and four sides, a first two opposed sides of said carcase incorporating therein rigid panels whereby said panels form a first pair of opposed sidewalls of the container, the container further comprising a pair of envelopes in each of which is housed a rigid panel, said envelopes being located within and attached to the carcase to be pivotal therein between operative positions in which the rigid panels therein form the second pair of opposed sidewalls of the container and inoperative positions in which the rigid panels therein are located to overlie one or other of the panels forming the first pair of opposed sidewalls, the container having a storage condition in which the four rigid panels overlie one another with the other two opposed sides of the carcase located therebetween.

Thus it will be appreciated that, in the operative erected condition of the container, the four rigid panels co-operate to comprise the sidewalls of the container with the base of the carcase serving to restrain the lower edges of said sidewalls, while the container has a flat collapsed storage condition with the four panels lying on top of one another with the other two flexible opposed sides of the carcase folded therebetween.

Clearly containers collapsed in this way are of an extremely compact nature and can be readily transported.

Preferably said first two opposed sides of the carcase each comprise an envelope in which the associated rigid panel is housed, while the base of the carcase may also comprise an envelope containing an associated rigid panel. In the latter case, and in the storage condition of the container, the four rigid panels overlie one another and overlie the base of the carcase.

Conveniently the pivotal envelopes are of a flexible material, one upright edge of each envelope being attached, preferably by sewing, to an associated corner junction within the carcase.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pivotal envelopes are attached one to each of two diagonally opposed corner junctions of the carcase, while in an alternative embodiment of the invention the pivotal envelopes are attached to the corner junctions of the carcase one to each side of one of the first two opposed sides of the carcase.

Preferably the carcase and pivotal envelopes comprise woven polypropelene, while the rigid panels comprise fibreboard or hardboard.

By way of example only an embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention on an associated pallet; Fig. 2 is a plan view from above of the container of Fig. 1 without its lid and about to be collapsed into its storage condition; Fig. 3 is a plan view from above of the container of Fig. 1 without its lid with the pivotal envelopes in their inoperative positions, and Fig. 4 shows the container of Figs. 1 to 3 about to reach its collapsed storage condition.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated container comprises a box-like carcase indicated generally at 2 of a flexible material such as woven polypropelene and including four rectangular sides 4,6,8 and 10 and a rectangular base 12.

The opposed sides 4,8 comprise thin single sheets of said material, while the other two opposed sides 6,10 comprise open-sided envelopes in each of which is received a rigid panel 14 of fibreboard, hardboard or the like forming a first pair of opposed sidewalls of the container.

A further pair of rectangular, open sided envelopes 16,18 of the same flexible material are each sewn along an upright side edge thereof into the carcase 2 as best seen in Fig.

2, one in the upright corner junction between the sides 4,10 and the other in the upright corner junction between the sides 8,10 of the carcase 2.

The envelopes 16,18 are thus pivotal within the carcase 2 between operative positions in which they overlie the sides 4,8 respectively of the carcase 2, and inoperative positions in which they overlie each other and the side 10 of the carcase 2.

Each envelope 16,18 contains therein a rigid panel 20 similar to the panels 14, and it will thus be appreciated that, with the envelopes 16, 18 in their operative positions, the panels 20 and the panels 14 form the four rigid walls of the container.

Such a container with a flexible base 12 will normally be supported by a wooden pallet 22, the container being completed by an associated lid 24.

The described container can be collapsed into a substantially flat storage condition as follows.

The envelope 16 together with the associated panel 20 received therein is pivoted about its line of attachment with the carcase 2, as indicated by the arrow 'A', from its operative position into an inoperative position overlying the inner face of the envelope 10.

The envelope 18 is then similarly pivoted as indicated by the arrow 'B' into its inoperative position overlying the envelope 16 and whereby the envelopes 10,16,18 and the panels 14,20 contained therein lie parallel and adjacent to one another as shown in Fig. 3.

The remaining, opposed side 6 of the carcase 2 and the panel 14 therein can then be positioned onto the envelope 18 by moving said side 6 towards the envelope 18 and folding the sides 4,8 and the base 12 of the carcase inwardly between the side 6 and the envelope 18, or the envelopes 10,16,18 can be folded down onto the base 12 to overlie said base 12 and the side 6 can then be folded down onto the envelopes 10 with the sides 4,8 being folded inwardly therebetween.

Alternatively, the side 6 can first of all be folded down onto the base 12 and the envelopes 10,16,18 can then be folded down onto the side 6 with the sides 4,8 folded inwardly between the side 6 and the envelope 18.

In all cases the result is a compact, flat pack that is readily transportable.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the two envelopes 16,18 are sewn into diagonally opposite corners of the carcase 2, the envelopes 16,18 therefore having inoperative positions one adjacent each of the sides 6,10. The storage condition of the container is again achieved with the envelopes 6,18,10,16 one on top of the other.

The base 12 of the flexible carcase may also comprise an envelope in which is received a rigid panel, said envelope conveniently opening within the carcase 2 whereby the panel can only be inserted into or removed from the base 12 with the carcase 2 turned inside out. The provision of a rigid base to the container eliminates the necessity for an associated wooden pallet.

Collapsing of such a container requires the envelopes 16,18 in their inoperative positions, together with the sides 6,10 containing the panels 14, to be folded down onto, to overlie, the base 12 of the container with the flexible sides 4,8 folded inwardly therebetween.

Thus there is provided a rigid container having a readily obtained and compact storage condition facilitating transport thereof when empty, the integral base 12 serving to prevent distortion of the container when full without the necessity for the heretofore conventional separate rigid base cap.

Clearly the precise dimensions of the sides 4,6,8,10 and base 12 of the carcase 2, as well as of the panels 14,20, are chosen to enable the desired storage condition of the container to be achieved without any undue strain on the material of the carcase 2.

Claims

1. A container comprising a box-like carcase of flexible material including a base and four sides, a first two opposed sides of said carcase incorporating therein rigid panels whereby said panels form a first pair of opposed sidewalls of the container, the container further comprising a pair of envelopes in each of which is housed a rigid panel, said envelopes being located within, and. attached to, the carcase to be pivotal therein between operative positions in which the rigid panels therein form the second pair of opposed sidewalls of the container and inoperative positions in which the rigid panels therein are located to overlie one or other of the panels forming the first pair of opposed sidewalls, the container having a storage condition in which the four rigid panels overlie one another with the other two opposed sides of the carcase located therebetween.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which said first two opposed sidewalls of the carcase each comprise an envelope in which the associated rigid panel is housed.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the base of the carcase comprises an envelope containing an associated rigid panel, the four rigid panels within the first two oppposed sides of the carcase and within the pivotal envelopes overlying said base of the carcase in the storage condition of the container.

4. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the pivotal envelopes are of a flexible material, one upright edge of each pivotal envelope being attached to an associated corner junction within the carcase.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4 in which the upright edge of each pivotal envel ope is sewn to the associated corner junction of the carcase.

6. A container as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which the pivotal envelopes are attached one to each of two diagonally opposed corner junctions of the carcase.

7. A container as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which the pivotal envelopes are attached to the corner junctions of the carcase one to each side of one of the first two opposed sides of the carcase.

8. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 in which the carcase and pivotal envelopes comprise woven polypropelene and the rigid panels comprise fibreboard or hardboard.

9. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 and further comprising a lid therefor.

10. A container substantially as described with reference and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.