GB2318328A - Multiple identity embossing of materials handling units. - Google Patents

Abstract

A materials handling unit 10 having tubular or other section frame members 15, 17 incorporated in its side walls 16 and/or base, rear wall, gate or shelves is overtly marked by repeatedly impressing or embossing its frame members with the name 19 or other identification of the legitimate owner and/or a warning 20. Impressions or embossed markings are provided along more than one side of the tubular frame members and the impressions are of such depth that subsequent finishing processes will not obscure them.

Description

MATERIALS HANDLING UNITS This invention relates to materials handling units, such as rollcontainers used to supply shops, stores and supermarkets with commodities, such as foodstuffs.

An increasingly prevalent problem for the commodity suppliers is that their materials handling units are being stolen and sold on to third parties, any attached identification labels being removed by the thief to prevent or make most difficult identification of the legitimate ownership.

The object of the present invention is, therefore, the provision of means whereby stealing of materials handling units is deterred.

U.S. Patent 5 158 311 describes a shopping cart having a pair of reinforcing rails running along the top of the basket with a small gap between them and the face of each rail which faces the opposing rail is stamped at spaced intervals along its length with identifying or security indicia.

The small gap between the rails is stated as making it difficult to remove or obliterate the indicia without dismantling the rails from the cart. However, these covert markings could simply be obscured by a plastics moulding sprung or glued in place above and between the rails.

In contrast, according to the present invention, a materials handling unit having frame members incorporated in its side walls and/or base, rear wall, gate or shelves, is overtly marked by repeatedly impressing or embossing its frame members with the name or other identification of the legitimate owner and/or a warning.

Whereas a single overt marking may be removed or obscured readily by a thief, removing or obscuring of a multiplicity of overt markings of such an indelible nature would be such a time-consuming and troublesome task as to deter a thief especially as any attempts to remove or obscure the markings would be so obvious to third parties as to make it very evident that such marked units had been stolen, or become visually undesirable for subsequent purchase or use.

The frame members may be tubular, angle-iron, T-section, U-section, flat or round bar or other suitable section.

The markings are preferably provided along more than one side of the frame members, e.g., along diametrically opposed sides of tubular or other round-section frame members, so as to be most evident, and impressions may be applied after forming of the tubular frame members or to strip metal before rolling into tube and seam welded. Impressions may be of such depth that subsequent finishing processes, such as anodizing, painting or coating, will not obscure them.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a materials handling unit in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of tube in the frame of a side wall of the unit of Figure 1 incorporating the name of the owner of the unit, together with a warning, and Figure 3 is a turther enlarged section on the line A-A of Figure 2.

In Figure 1, a materials handling unit 10 comprises, a roll pallet 11 with fixed and castor wheels 12, 13 and corner sockets 14 in which are secured the lower ends of tubular frame members 15 of side frames 16 (only one being shown), each of which is completed by a tubular cross-member 17 and mesh wires 1 8 In accordance with the invention, and as more particularly detailed by Figures 2 and 3, the name 19 of the owner of the unit, e.g., TWIL, and a warning 20 e.g., NOT FOR HIREILOAN/RESALE are repeatedly impressed into the tubular frame members 15, 17, and preferably on opposite sides, as indicated in Figure 3. Similar markings 19, 20 are also indicated as being impressed in or embossed on the frame members of the roll pallet 11, to increase security against theft of all of the unit 10 or any part of it Figure 3 also indicates that the tubular frame members 15, 17 can be formed from strip, roll-formed into circular cross-section and seam welded at 21 along the adjoining edges, and the impressions 19, 20 may be applied to the strip or to the completed tube. Either way, the impressions may be of such depth that subsequent finishing processes, such as anodizing, painting or coating, will not obscure them.

Claims (8)

1. A materials handling unit having frame members incorporated in its side walls and/or base, rear wall, gate or shelves, overtly marked by repeatedly impressing or embossing its frame members with the name or other identification of the legitimate owner and/or a warning.

2. A unit as in Claim 1, wherein the markings are provided along more than one side of the frame members.

3. A unit as in Claim 2, wherein the markings are provided along diametrically opposed sides of tubular or other round-section frame members.

4. A unit as in Claim 3, wherein the impressions are applied after forming of tubular frame members.

5. A unit as in Claim 3 wherein impressions are applied to strip metal before rolling into tube and seam welded.

6. A unit as in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein impressed markings are of such depth that subsequent finishing processes will not obscure them.

7. A materials handling unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A materials handling unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to all of the accompanying drawings.