GB2406848A - Collapsible stillage - Google Patents

Abstract

A stillage comprises a rectangular base <B>1</B> bounded by panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> on at least three sides. The panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> are each hinged to the base <B>1</B> in such a way that they may be folded from an upright position into a position facing the base <B>1</B> with the panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> folded one above another. In the upright position, edges of the panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> which are adjacent to one another are provided with linkages <B>23, 24</B> capable of being interengaged with another in a direction generally parallel to the adjacent edges, whereby the panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> are held together by the corners. The hinge of at least one of the panels <B>2, 3, 4</B> incorporates a lost motion coupling effective in a direction perpendicular to the base to allow engagement and disengagement of the linkages <B>23, 24</B>. The stillage may have three sides, two opposite panels <B>2, 3</B> being joined by an intermediate panel <B>4,</B> there being an opening opposite the intermediate panel <B>4</B>. The two opposite panels <B>2, 3</B> bounding the opening are linked to the base by stays <B>15</B>, which are foldable, to prevent outward displacement. The width of the base <B>1</B> is greater than the depth, the two opposite panels <B>2, 3</B> being of a height corresponding to the width of the base and the intermediate panel <B>4</B> is hinged horizontally to enable folding of two halves across the base.

Description

q! 2406848

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO COLLAPSIBLE STILLAGES

This invention concerns improvements in and relating to collapsible stillages.

Stillages are conventionally used for the transportation and storage of items that are not capable of being stacked for transportation upon a pallet. Thus, a stillage is effectively a pallet provided with side panels for enclosing items to be stored upon the pallet base.

A stillage may have three adjacent side panels bounding three sides of a rectangular base so that one side is left open for the loading and removal of items to be stored.

Since stillages may be stacked one above another with the side frames of a lower stillage supporting the base of one above, means may be provided for preventing distortion of the side panels under load.

Since such stillages may be used for delivery of materials and may thus be required to be returned empty to a depot, conventional stillages may be disassembled and packed in a substantially flat condition to enable space to be saved when empty stillages are to be transported.

However, known stillages adapted for disassembly have the disadvantage that disassembly for storage is relatively time consuming, and there is a tendency for individual components of the stillages to become displaced, thus making the reassembly of the stillages a relatively laborious process.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible or foldable stillage that may be transported integrally as a single unit, without the need for disassembly, yet being capable of transport in a compact form, when empty.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a stillage comprising a generally rectangular load supporting base bounded by side panels on at least three sides, each panel being hinged to the loading base in such a manner that it may be folded from an upright condition into a condition facing the base with the respective panels folded one above another, edges of the respective panels that are adjacent to one another when in the upright condition being provided with linkages capable of being interengaged with another in a direction generally parallel to said adjacent edges, whereby the panels are held together at corners of the upright stillage, and the hinge of at least one of the panels incorporating a lost motion coupling effective in a direction perpendicular to the loading base to allow engagement and disengagement of said linkages without disassembly of the panel from the loading base.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, two side panels of the stillage that are opposite one another when in the upright condition are directly hinged to the loading base and an intermediate panel that adjoins said two opposite panels is provided with the hinge incorporating said lost motion coupling.

Conveniently, the linkage between the panels at corners of the stillage is effected by hooks and mating brackets that can be engaged and disengaged by vertical movement of the intermediate panel.

An opening may be provided between the said two opposite panels at the side of the loading base that is opposite to said intermediate panel, and edges of said two opposite panels bounding said opening may be linked to said mounting base by stays to prevent outward displacement of the upright panel edges in a direction away from one another, said stays being foldable to accommodate hinging of the panels.

A sttilage in accordance with the invention may be designed in proportions appropriate to an available loading space, whilst the depth of the stillage, in a direction away from the said opening, may be adapted to the longitudinal dimension of individual products to be stored. In the case of products, such as insulation, that are supplied in roll form, the depth of the stillage may correspond to the length of particular rolls to be stored. Advantageously, however, the width of the loading base between the two opposite side panels is greater than the depth of the base in order to accommodate folded side panels of a suitable height. In order that the remaining panel may also be accommodated in the narrower dimension of the base when folded, this panel may be hinged horizontally to enable folding of two halves of the panel across the loading base.

In this case, hooks for securing the lower and upper portions of the folding panel at the corners of the stillage may be of longer and shorter effective lengths, so that the upper portion of the panel can be disengaged and folded before the lower portion of the panel.

Advantageously the folding stays that locate the remaining panels relatively to the loading base are arranged to have a stable over centre condition for retaining the said two remaining panels in the upright condition whilst the intermediate panel is disengaged and folded.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stillage in accordance with one embodiment of the invention shown in the upright condition, Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the stillage in a folded condition for transportation when empty, Figure 3 is a plan view of the loading base of the stillage, shown with the remaining components removed for clarity, Figure 4 is a side view of the base shown in Figure 3 taken in the direction of the arrow X of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a front view of a rear panel of the stillage, shown in a condition removed from the stillage for clarity, Figure 6 is a side view of one of two opposite side panels of the stillage, also shown removed from the stillage, for clarity, and Figure 7 is a plan view of the panels shown in Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings, a stillage comprises a loading base indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, bounded on two opposite sides by panels indicated generally at 2 and 3, and at a rear side by a panel indicated generally by the reference numeral 4. The loading base comprises four upright members 5 of angle section steel that are supported from dished feet 6 formed by metal pressings.

Between the members 5 is supported a frame 7 of rectangular section steel tube.

Side members of the frame 7 are provided with downwardly extending hoops that, in known manner, serve for the reception of the prongs of a forklift truck by which the stillage is to be transported. Metal bars 8 join forward and rearward members 5 to provide additional bracing.

Each of the two side panels 2 and 3 comprises two upright members 9 formed of steel angle matching that of the members 5 of base 1, between which are secured transverse members 10 of steel strip. The lower ends of the members 9 are provided with downwardly extending steel plates 11 that extend over the adjacent members 5 of the base 1 and are pivoted thereto at 12. On the front faces of rearward flanges 9a of the members 9 are secured metal eyes 13 and 14 that will be referred to again below. As can be seen from Figure 2, forward and rearward flanges of the members 5 of the base are angled at 5a and the lower ends of corresponding flanges of the members 9 bearing the plates 11 have a matching angle to facilitate folding of the members 9 about the hinge points 12. The front and rear faces of member 5 are provided with stops 5b for engaging the plates 11 to locate members 9 in the upright position.

The side panels 2 and 3 are additionally linked to the base 1 by means of stays 15 that are pivoted to the members 9 at points 16 and to a forward member of the frame 7 at points 17. Each stay 15 comprises two limbs 15a and 15b of steel bar that are relatively pivoted at points 18. As can be seen more clearly from Figure 2, the limbs 15a extend beyond the pivots 18 and are provided with transversely extending pins 19 that can engage slots 20 in the limbs 15b in order to retain the stays 15 with the limbs stably in an over centre condition as shown in Figure 1.

The rear panel 4 is formed in two halves 4a, 4b each comprising a rectangular frame formed from members 20 of rectangular section steel tube, between the longitudinal members of which are located transverse members of steel strip 21. Hinges 22 are secured to the rear faces of adjacent members 20 of the upper and lower frames in such a manner that the upper frame can fold rearwardly as viewed in Figure 5. At the vertical edges of the upper and lower halves of the panel 4, there are provided hook-shaped steel plates 23, 24 secured to the forward faces of the respective members 20. As can be seen from Figure 5, the lower hooks 24 have tangs that are longer than those of the hooks 23, for a purpose to be described below. The lower horizontal member 20 of the lower half 4b of the panel 4 has secured thereto outwardly projecting pins 25 that form hinges for the panel 4 as will be described below.

As shown in Figure 4, the rear members 5 of the base 1 have secured thereto vertically extending plates 26 that are spaced from the members 5 by means of spacers 27. When assembled in the stillage, the pins 25 of the rear panel 4 are trapped between the plates 26 and the members 5, in such a manner that the rear panel 4 can pivot about the axis of the pins 25, while the pins 25 can also move vertically within the space between the plates 26 and members 5.

When the stillage is in the upright condition shown in Figure 1, the two side panels 2 and 3 are held in the upright condition by means of the stays 15 and stops 5b preferably in such a manner that the upper front ends of the panels are angled slightly inwards as shown in Figure 1. This is to counteract the tendency of the panels 1 to spread outwardly at the forward upper ends under load from contents of the stillage.

The rearward panel 4 is located in position at the lower end by means of the pins 25 held by means of the plates 26, and the hooks 23 and 24 of the panel 4 respectively engage within the eyes 13 and 14 provided on the two side panels 2 and 3. Thus, the base and three sides of the stillage are secured stably in their relative positions.

When the stillage is to be folded for transport, the panel 4 is firstly lifted upwards until the hooks 23 disengage from the eyes 13. Since the longer hooks 24 remain within the eyes 14, the upper half of the panel 4a can now be folded rearwardly until the two halves of the panel are in facing relationship. The panel 4 is now lifted further until the hooks 24 disengage from the eyes 14, and the panel 4 can then fold forwardly about the pins 25 to lie flat against the frame 7 of the base 1. After release of the panel 4, the panels 2 and 3 are retained stably in their upright conditions by means of the stays 15. By pivoting the limbs 1 5a and 1 5b of the stays 15 out of their over centre condition, the panels 2 and 3 can now be forwarded inwardly about the pivots 12 until they adopt the position shown in Figure 2.

It will be appreciated that the dished feet 6 of the base 1 are so arranged that the hollow underside can fit over the upper ends of the members 9 of the side panels 2 and 3 when in the upright condition, so that stillages can be stacked one above another. In a similar manner, when the stillages are folded, the feet 6 can engage over the upper ends of the members 5 of the base 1, to enable stillages to be stacked securely for storage and transport.

Whilst the stillage described above constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that modifications and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention to be defined in the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. Claims 1. A stillage comprising a generally rectangular load supporting

   base bounded by side panels on at least three sides, each panel being hinged to the loading base in such a manner that it may be folded from an upright condition into a condition facing the base with the respective panels folded one above another, edges of the respective panels that are adjacent to one another when in the upright condition being provided with linkages capable of being interengaged with another in a direction generally parallel to said adjacent edges, whereby the panels are held together at corners of the upright stillage, and the hinge of at least one of the panels incorporating a lost motion coupling effective in a direction perpendicular to the loading base to allow engagement and disengagement of said linkages without disassembly of the panel from the loading base.
2. 2. A stillage as claimed in Claim 1 in which two side panels of the stillage that are opposite one another when in the upright condition are directly hinged to the loading base and an intermediate panel that adjoins said two opposite panels is provided with the hinge incorporating said lost motion coupling.
3. 3. A stillage according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the linkage between the panels at corners of the stillage is effected by hooks and mating brackets that can be engaged and disengaged by vertical movement of the intermediate panel.
4. 4. A stillage according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein an opening is provided between the said two opposite panels at the side of the loading base that is opposite to said intermediate panel, and edges of said two opposite panels bounding said opening are linked to said mounting base by stays to prevent outward displacing of the upright panel edges in a direction away from one another, said stays being foldable to accommodate hinging of the panels.
5. 5. A stillage as claimed in Claim 2, or Claim 3 or 4 as appended thereto, wherein the width of the loading base is greater than the depth of the base, the two opposite side panels are of a height corresponding to the width of the base, and the remaining panel is hinged horizontally to enable folding of two halves of the panel across the loading base.
6. 6. A stillage as claimed in Claim 5, wherein hooks for securing the lower and upper portions of the folding panel at the corners of the stillage are of longer and shorter effective lengths so that the upper portion of the panel can be disengaged and folded before the lower portion of the panel.
7. 7. A stillage according to Claim 5 or 6 wherein the folding stays that locate the said two opposite panels relatively to the loading base are arranged to have a stable over centre condition for obtaining the said two panels in the upright condition whilst the intermediate panel is disengaged and folded.
8. 8. A stillage substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.