GB2277319A

GB2277319A - Collapsible containers

Info

Publication number: GB2277319A
Application number: GB9408166A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Timothy Goodier; Ronald William Blick
Original assignee: FORMOLD Ltd
Current assignee: FORMOLD Ltd
Priority date: 1993-04-23
Filing date: 1994-04-25
Publication date: 1994-10-26
Also published as: GB9308445D0; GB9408166D0

Abstract

A collapsible box has its four upstanding walls 1 formed by fold-divisions of a carcass 16 of cardboard sheeting that slots inside an upstanding rim 4 of a plastics base 2. The box is closed by a plastics lid 3 that fits over the carcass 16 with the carcass 16 slotting into the lid 3 inside a deep down-turned rim 17. In the collapsed condition of the box, the carcass is concertinaed down to lie flat on the base 2 within the rim 4, and the lid 3 then fits over it with the rim 17 snapped down over the rim 4 of the base 2. <IMAGE>

Description

Containers The present invention relates to containers, and particularly to containers for use in the packaging of items for storage and/or transportation.

The invention is especially concerned with containers that are re-usable, so as to enable economies of cost and material to be made in packaging. More especially, it is an object of the present invention to provide a re-usable packaging container that can be collapsed after use to a condition in which it can be economically stored before being brought back into use, and/or can be economically transported when being returned for re-use.

According to the present invention there is provided a container that has erect and collapsed conditions, wherein one or more members for defining walls of the container engage with a base member to be upstanding from the base member in the erect condition of the container, and a lid member engages with the one or more upstanding wall-defining members in that condition to close the container, and wherein the lid and base members are adapted for interengagement with one another in the collapsed condition of the container with the one or more wall-defining members disengaged from the base member and lying flat within the interengaged lid and base members to be contained by them.

The one or more wall-defining members may be of cardboard, wood or plastics, and may be engaged with the base member by slotting into grooving of the base member.

The engagement of the lid member with the one or more wall-defining members may also be by slotting into grooving.

The erect container may be in the form of a rectangular box and such that the one or more wall-defining members provide the four side-walls of the box. A single member that defines all four side-walls may in this case be provided by way of a unitary, rectangular shell or carcass. The carcass may have folds or other means to allow the side-walls to be set substantially at rightangles to one another for the erect condition of the box and to be laid flat on one another for the collapsed condition. In the latter respect, two opposite sidewalls of the carcass may be adapted such that each can readily fold upon itself, so as to enable the carcass to concertina flat upon itself for the collapsed condition.

The base member may be in the form of a pallet base to assist with easy handling of the container when loaded and also when stacked, in either the erect or collapsed condition, with other containers.

The lid member may have a rim that extends over the base member in the collapsed condition, and the engagement between the lid and base members in this condition may be by snap action between the rim and a portion of the base member.

A container according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the container in its erect condition; Figure 2 shows a cardboard shell or carcass used in the container of Figure 1; Figures 3 to 5 are, respectively, a plan, a partsectional side-elevation, and an end-elevation of a pallet base of the container of Figure 1, the section of Figure 4 being taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figures 6 to 9 are, respectively, an underneath plan, a plan from above, a side-elevation and an end-elevation of a lid of the container of Figure 1; and Figure 10 shows the cardboard carcass partially concertinaed down for accommodation within the container in the collapsed condition.

The container to be described with reference to the drawings is in the form of a rectangular box having base dimensions of 1200 mm x 800 mm, to a standard pallet size, however, the invention is applicable to other sizes, larger and smaller.

Referring principally to Figure 1, the erected box has four side-walls 1 of cardboard sheeting that stand upright from a sheet-plastics pallet base 2 and are capped by a sheet-plastics lid 3 to close the box. The side-walls 1 are engaged with the rectangular base 2 within an upstanding rim 4 that runs around the four sides 5 of the base 2. More particularly, the bottom edges 6 (Figure 2) of the side-walls 1 fit firmly within peripheral grooving 7 (Figure 3) of substantially rectangular cross-section defined in the base 2 between the upstanding rim 4 and an upper platform area 8 that provides the bottom to the box interior.The platform area 8 is quartered by cross-grooves 9 of the same form and depth as the peripheral grooving 7, and is interrupted for further strengthening by deeper, squaresection recesses 10 at its four corners 11 and at the intersections of the grooves 9 with one another and the grooving 7.

The side-walls 1 of the erected box are four individual sections of a single rectangular sheet of corrugatedcardboard laminate, as illustrated in Figure 2. The walls 1 are divided off from one another in the sheet by folds that run from the bottom edges 6 to the top edges 13 of the walls 1 and establish the corners 14 of the box. The ends 15 of the sheet overlap one another at one of the corners 14 and are bonded firmly together so as to form a unitary, rectangular shell or carcass 16 open at top and bottom.

The carcass 16 is presented to the pallet base 2 during erection of the box, with its bottom edges 6 in direct register with the peripheral grooving 7 around the four sides 5 of the base 2. Downward pressure on the carcass 16 engages the edges 6 fully within the grooving 7 to hold the walls 1 firmly upright with one another.

Engagement of the corners 14 within the grooving 7 is facilitated by slight conical flaring of the rim 4 outwardly at the corners 11 of the base 2.

The lid 3, which has a deep down-turned rim 17 running around its four sides 18, closes the box over the top edges 13 of the walls 1. More particularly, the lid 3 is fitted over the walls 1 to engage the edges 13 firmly within peripheral grooving 20 of rectangular crosssection defined in the underside of the lid 3 (Figure 6).

Engagement of the corners 14 in the grooving 20 is facilitated by slight conical flaring of the rim 17 outwardly at the corners 21 of the lid 3.

The grooving 20 is defined between the rim 17 and an area 22 on the underside of the lid 3, that provides the top to the box interior. The area 22 is quartered by crossgrooves 23 of the same section as the grooving 20, so that the upper surface of the lid 3 (Figure 7) is configured with cross-ridges 24 within upstanding peripheral ridging 25 defined by the underside grooving 20. Further strengthening of the lid 3 is provided by a central, raised region 26 of the upper surface at the intersection of the ridges 24, and by four lugs 27 that project above the peripheral ridging 25 within the corners 21.

The lid 3 and base 2 are both of thermo-formed plastics sheet, for example, of high density polyethylene or acrilonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). Although the lid 3 is of unitary construction, the base 2 is assembled from two thermo-formed trays 2a and 2b of identical, or substantially-identical configuration. The tray 2b is turned upside down with respect to the tray 2a, and the two are bonded together with the tray 2a standing on the tray 2b. More particularly, the tray 2b has nine downwardly-facing recesses 28 (see Figure 4) corresponding to the nine upwardly-facing recesses 10 of the tray 2a, and these configure the tray 2b with nine upwardly-projecting pillars 29, and it is on these that the corresponding downwardly-directed pillars 30 (configured by the recesses 10) of the tray 2a, stand.

The pillars 29 and 30 are bonded together, with those at the corners 11 being also secured together by pin and socket couplings (not shown).

The downwardly-facing recesses 28 at the corners 11 of the base 2 are of particular relevance in the stacking of the box. In this respect the erect box can be readily stacked on another box of the same form, by engaging the recesses 28 at the corners 11 of the base 2 with the upwardly-projecting lugs 27 of the lid 3 of the box below. Another box of the same form can then be stacked on top by engagement of the recesses 28 in the base 2 of this latter box with the lugs 27 at the corners 21 of the lid 3. The engagement in this way of the base 2 of each box within the stack with the lid 3 of the box below, ensures a secure stack.

The box when loaded with one or more items for storage or transportation may be secured in its erect assembled condition by strapping that extends round the box from top to bottom. As an alternative, the box may be encased within shrink-film.

After use of the box it is collapsed for economic storage or return and re-use. To this end, with the lid 3 removed, the carcass 16 is disengaged from the grooving 7 and laid flat. In this latter respect, folds 31 are provided centrally of the two narrower walls 1, so that the carcass 16 can be concertinaed down as shown in Figure 10, and laid flat on the platform area 8 within the compass of the rim 4 of the base 2. The lid 3 is then fitted over the flat carcass 16 on the base 2, with its rim 17 extending down over the rim 4 of the base 2.

The rim 17 is indented at two spaced positions along each side 18 of the lid 3 so as to provide inwardly-directed ribs 32 (see Figure 6). The ribs 32 snap under respective outwardly-pushed portions 33 of the rim 4 on the four sides 5 of the base 2, so as to retain the lid 3 firmly in place on the base 2. As so assembled, the collapsed box with the contained carcass 16, is secure for storage or transportation, until it is required for use again in the erect condition.

The interior of the erect box may be divided into four individual compartments if desired, simply by using dividers that engage with the base 2 within the crossgrooves 9, and with the lid 3 within the cross-grooves 23; as a general matter, more than four divisions may be provided. The dividers in this respect may be cardboard elements that are slotted together and fold flat upon one another so that they can be contained with the carcass 16 within the collapsed box.

Claims

Claims:

1. A container having erect and collapsed conditions, wherein one or more members for defining walls of the container engage with a base member to be upstanding from the base member in the erect condition of the container, and a lid member engages with the one or more upstanding wall-defining members in that condition to close the container, and wherein the lid and base members are adapted for interengagement with one another in the collapsed condition of the container with the one or more wall-defining members disengaged from the base member and lying flat within the interengaged lid and base members to be contained by them.

2. A container according to Claim 1 wherein the one or more wall-defining members is/are of cardboard.

3. A container according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the one or more wall-defining members engages/engage with the base member in the erect condition of the container by slotting into grooving of the base member.

4. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the lid member engages with the one or more walldefining members in the erect condition of the container by slotting of the one or more wall-defining members into grooving of the lid member.

5. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 having the form of a rectangular box in the erect condition, wherein the one or more wall-defining members provide the four side-walls of the box.

6. A container according to Claim 5 wherein a unitary, rectangular shell or carcass defines all four side-walls of the box and has folds or other means to allow the side-walls to be set substantially at right-angles to one another for the erect condition of the box and to be laid flat on one another for the collapsed condition.

7. A container according to Claim 6 wherein two opposite side-walls of the carcass have folds such that each can fold upon itself and enable the carcass to be concertinaed flat upon itself for the collapsed condition.

8. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the lid member has a rim that extends over the base member in the collapsed condition.

9. A container according to Claim 8 wherein the lid and base members engage with one another in the collapsed condition with a snap action between the rim of the lid member and a portion of the base member.

10. A container having erect and collapsed conditions, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.