GB2242893A

GB2242893A - Collapsible containers

Info

Publication number: GB2242893A
Application number: GB9106901A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Pentti Ilmari Peltomaa
Original assignee: Elopak Systems AG
Current assignee: Elopak Systems AG
Priority date: 1990-04-06
Filing date: 1991-04-02
Publication date: 1991-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2011-04-02
Also published as: GB9106901D0; GB2242893B; FI911597A0; FI96291C; NO911320L; FI911597A; SE9101001D0; NL9100585A; FI96291B; NO176386C; NO176386B; NO911320D0; SE9101001L; GB9007887D0

Abstract

In a roll container, a latticework base wall 7 is obstructed from being inadvertently turned upwards by being releasably wedged beneath wire protrusions 13 fixed to vertical wires 14 of a latticework lateral wall 5 of the container. The base wall 7 is releasable by sliding horizontally along the lowermost horizontal wire 12 of the wall 5. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPE IN CR REEAfl To This invention relates to a goods container.

Goods containers of metal latticework are known, from for example EP0183889 and, FR7101172, in which the container is collapsible by folding a base wall upwardly about an edge thereof hinged on one of two horizontal bars along the bottom of respective opposite lateral walls, and then displacing the two lateral walls inwards towards each other. In the uncollapsed conditions of the containers the opposite edge of the base wall rests upon the opposite horizontal bar. In both prior containers, the base wall is free to be turned upwards from its lowered condition. This uncontrolled freedom can be disadvantageous in each of the prior containers, but particularly so in the container of FR7101172, in which the base wall serves to hold the two horizontal bars apart to prevent unwanted collapse of the container.A particular risk of this happening would arise if the container of FR7101172 were to be handled by means of a forklift, by inserting the forks into the gap between the base wall and the floor and then lifting the forks. Such unwanted upward turning of the base wall and laterally inwards collapse of the container can be especially disadvantageous in automatic handling machinery equipped with such forklifts.

According to the present invention, there is provided a goods container comprising a base wall, a second wall extending upwardly from an edge zone of said base wall, at which edge zone said base wall is pivotally mounted so as to be turnable between a substantially horizontal, lowered condition in which it extends transversely of said second wall and a raised condition in which it extends upwardly beside said second wall, and detaining means arranged to lie in a path of turning of said base wall from said lowered condition to said raised condition to engage another edge zone of said base wall to obstruct turning of said base wall from said lowered condition, said base wall and said detaining means being displaceable one relative to the other to bring said base wall and said detaining means into a relative position in which said detaining means does not obstruct turning of said base wall from said lowered condition to said raised condition.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to prevent unwanted upward turning of the base wall fran its lowered condition.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roll container ready for use, Figure 2 shows a plurality of containers, identical to the container shown in Figure 1, in a stored condition in which they are folded and are stacked one within another, Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the container of Figure 1, Figure 4 shows an end elevation of a base wall of the container, and Figures 5 and 6 show the respective parts V and IV of Figure 3 in greater detail.

Referring to Figure 1, the gcods container comprises a substantially V-shaped base member 1 extending in a horizontal plane and connected at its ends by respective vertical pivots to respective horizontal bottom members 2 and 3 of vertical side walls 4 and 5 of the container. At their respective ends, the members 2 and 3 have castor ground rolls 6. In Figure 1 there is shown resting upon the members 1 to 3 a rectangular base wall 7 which, as the walls 4 and 5, is made of wire latticework. At one of its edge zones,wires in the base wall 7 terminate as hooks 8 having respective severed ends 9 which, although not so shown in Figures 3 and 6, are bent round the lowermost horizontal wire 10 of the wall 4 in the manner of substantially closed loops to hinge the wall 7 to the wall 4.At the opposite edge zone of the wall 7, the wires are bent to form hooks 11 which are not severed but which, instead, when the wall 7 is installed in the container, remain of the form shown in Figure 3 in which they are of Ushape as seen in side elevation and in Figure 5 in which they are of inverted U-shape as seen in end elevation.

In the condition of the container shown in Figures 1 and 3, the hooks 11 engage over the lowermost horizontal wire 12 of the wall 5 and thus tend to retain the roll container in its ready for-use condition. However, if the container is to be handled by means of a fork-lift, whether goods are in the container or not, and with the container in the condition shown in Figure 1, there would be a risk of the wall 7 turning upwards, with the hooks 11 being lifted off the wire 12, and possibly with the walls 4 and 5 turning inwards about the aforementioned vertical pivots.To prevent this from happening, whilst still allowing the roll container to be readily collapsed for nesting, wire protrusions 13 are fixed to respective vertical wires 14 of the wall 5 at locations immediately above the wire 12, and the wall 7 is displaceable in both horizontal directions parallel to the walls 4 and 5 by a limited amount equal to the horizontal pitch of the vertical wires of the wall 5 minus the overall dimension of each hook 11 along the wire 12, this limited amount being slightly greater than the maximum projection along the horizontal wire 12 of each protrusion 13 from its vertical wire 14. Thus, in the relative position of each protrusion 13 and the hook 11 immediately therebelow in the condition shown in Figure 3,.

the protrusions 13 lie in the path of turning of the base wall 7 from its lowered condition shown in Figures 1 and 3 to its raised condition shown in Figure 2, and thus engage the adjacent edge zone of the wall 7 to obstruct turning of the wall 7 from its lowered condition, so as to detain it in that condition. It is in the relative position of the protrusions 13 and the hooks 11 shown in Figure 6 that the container is handled by the forklift. The lowermost surface of each protrusion 13 is advantageously slightly inclined towards its vertical wire 14, so that the associated hook 11 is wedged therebelow during normal use, to prevent the hooks 11 and thus the wall 7 from being shaken loose from beneath the protrusions 13 during such use. When it is desired that the container should be folded, the wall 7 is manually slid horizontally relative to the protrusions 13 to bring the hooks 11 from beneath the protrusions 13, whereby the wall 7 can be turned upwardly about the horizontal wire 10 from the lowered condition shown in Figure 1 into the raised condition shown in Figure 2.

A releasable belt 15 is provided to prevent the walls 4 and 5 from being forced too far outwards by goods carried in the container.

Claims

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1. A goods container comprising a base wall, a second wall extending upwardly from an edge zone of said base wall, at which edge zone said base wall is pivotally mounted so as to be turnable between a substantially horizontal, lowered condition in which it extends transversely of said second wall and a raised condition in which it extends upwardly beside said second wall, and detaining means arranged to lie in a path of turning of said base wall from said lowered condition to said raised condition to engage another edge zone of said base wall to obstruct turning of said base wall from said lowered condition, said base wall and said detaining means being displaceable able one relative to the other to bring said base wall and said detaining means into a relative position in which said detaining means does not obstruct turning of said base wall from said lowered condition to said raised condition.

2. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said base wall is displaceable able relative to said second wall and said detaining means to bring said base wall and said detaining means into said relative position in which said detaining means does not obstruct turning of said base wall from said lowered condition to said raised condition.

3. A goods container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said detaining means is provided at a third wall arranged opposite said second wall.

4. A goods container according to claims 2 and 3, wherein said detaining means projects substantially horizontally along said third wall and said base wall is displaceable substantially horizontally along said third wall to a limited extent.

5. A goods container according to claim 4, wherein the base, second and third walls are of latticework form and substantially horizontal members of the base wall slide on substantially horizontal members of the second and third walls and are limited in their substantially horizontal displacement by substantially vertical members of the third wall, to which substantially vertical members the detaining means is attached.

6. A goods container according to any preceding claim, wherein said base wall is wedged beneath said detaining means in a relative position in which said detaining means obstructs turning of said base wall from its lowered condition.

7. A goods container according to claims 4 and 6, or 5 and 6, wherein said detaining means has underneath surfaces which are slightly inclined to the horizontal for wedging of said base wall therebeneath.

8. A goods container according to any preceding claim, wherein said detaining means comprises wire protrusions.

9. A goods container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.