GB2514196A

GB2514196A - Box

Info

Publication number: GB2514196A
Application number: GB1312548.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Rodgers
Original assignee: IMPAQ Ltd
Current assignee: IMPAQ Ltd
Priority date: 2013-07-12
Filing date: 2013-07-12
Publication date: 2014-11-19
Also published as: GB201312548D0

Abstract

A box is formed of sheet material having two pairs of opposing side walls 2, 4 interlocking 10, 12 at their edges. A base has a tab 16 along each edge engaging a slot 14 in each side wall. An aperture 18 below the slot in each of one pair of side walls is suitable to receive the tines of a fork lift truck. Ideally the interlocking is achieved by rough water jet cut dovetail formations. A lid 6 could interlock 22 with the upper edges of the side walls. The base, walls and lid could be made from ply wood or oriented strand board. Preferably there are two horizontally spaced apertures 18 in each side wall, which are open below. There is preferably an insert to support articles, a shock absorbing means, and an arrangement to indicate shock absorbance.

Description

BOX

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a box for transporting goods, and in particular to a box that can readily be dismantled when empty for return transport.

Background to the Invention

Goods are conveniently transported in boxes, typically made of card-board or wood, placed on pallets to permit a pallet load to be lifted into and out of transport vehicles using fork-lift devices. Pallets are typically constructed of timber and add a significant weight to be transported, adding to cost, as well as being bulky to return for re-use. Equally, while wooden crates can be used for transporting, for example, machines or machine parts, serving to protect and hold the contents during transport, they are costly both to construct and to re-turn for re-use.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a box for transporting goods, formed from sheet material and comprising at least four side members and a base member, each side member having opposed side edges and bottom and top edges, edge formations being formed along the two opposed side edges, the edge for-mations on one edge of a side member being configured to co-operate with the edge formations on the opposite edge of another of the side members to form a separable joint therewith, whereby the side members form a continuous enclo-sure, each side member also having at least one slot formed therein extending parallel to and spaced from the bottom edge thereof, each edge of the base member being provided with at least one tab engageable in the respective slot to hold the base member in position within the enclosure, and at least one aper-ture being provided in each of at least two opposed side members between the slots and the bottom edge permitting insertion of lifting forks therein.

Preferably, the box further comprises a lid member having edge for- mations co-operating with edge formations on the top edges of the side mem-bers to form separable joints therewith.

The formations are preferably configured to form dovetail joints between the co-operating edges.

The sheet material is suitably plywood, oriented strand board or the like.

The edge formations, and indeed the complete members, are preferably cut using water-jet cutting.

The apertures, of which there is preferably a horizontally-spaced pair in each side member, may open at the bottom edges of the side members.

The box may include article-supporting inserts therein. These may in- clude shock-absorbing means between the box and at least a portion of the in-serts. Means may also be incorporated for indicating when the box has been subjected to a shock load in excess of a predetermined value.

The edge formations are preferably cut with roughened edges to en-hance the formation of joints therebetween. This may be achieved at higher linear speeds of water jet cutting.

The box of the invention is strong and light in weight, and can readily be dismantled and flat-packed for return for re-use, thereby minimising costs.

Briet Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the partially-assembled box, one side and one end being absent; Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the box shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the box; Figure 4 is a top plan view; Figure 5 is an exploded diagram showing a modification to provide inter-nal support within the box; and Figure 6 is an exploded diagram showing an alternative arrangement to that shown in Figure 5.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Figure 1 shows the box incompletely assembled to enable its structure to be understood; front and side members will complete the structure. The box has four interconnected, but readily separable, side members, of which only two 2 and 4 are shown in the Figure, and lid 6 and base 8 members. The side members 2 and 4, illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, each consist of an essentially rectangular sheet, for example of plywood cut with edge formations enabling assembly with an adjacent member and with the lid member with a dovetail joint holding the members together without the need for additional straps or fixings, but enabling disassembly when the box has been emptied and is to be trans-ported back to the starting point. Thus, the side members 2 are provided with shaped cut-outs 10 in the top and side edges, while the side members 4 are provided with shaped tongues 12, those in the side edges engaging with the cut-outs 10 in the sides of the adjacent members 2 to form an enclosure. While this enclosure, as shown in the drawings, forms an upright rectangular box, it will be appreciated that the side members need not be rectangular or upright, for example sloping outwards so that the box is wider at the top than at the bot-tom (or indeed vice versa).

Each side member is also provided with a centrally-arranged horizontal- ly-extending slot 14 spaced from the bottom edge thereof, while the base mem-ber 8 has a corresponding tongue 16 projecting from each edge thereof, the tongues 16 being inserted into the slots 14 before final assembly of the side members 2 and 4, as shown in Figure 1.

Each side member 2, 4 is further provided with two apertures 18 cut into the lower part thereof, beneath the slots 14 and opening at the bottom edge of the member to allow lifting forks, for example from a fork-lift truck. to be inserted under the box enabling it to be lifted and moved in the manner of a pallet. The portion 20 of the member separating the apertures 18 serves as a load support directly beneath each slot 14, thereby supporting the load within the box via the tongues 16 extending from the base member 8.

The lid member 6, as may be seen from Figure 4 in particular, is of simi-lar shape and configuration to that of the base member 8, except that, instead of plain tongues 16, the tongues 22 projecting from each edge of the member is shaped so as to co-operate with the cut-outs 10 in the top edges of the sides to form a dovetail joint, serving further to rigidify the box as well as closing it.

The members forming the box are preferably cut using a computer-controlled water jet cutter which uses a very fine high pressure water jet as the cutting medium. This enables repeatable accurate cutting at low cost. An ad-vantage of using water jet cutting is that, as the linear cutting speed increases, an increasingly roughened or striated cut edge results, which has been found advantageous in holding edge formations together. The following table illus-trates the roughening achieved at different cutting speeds.

TABLE: EFFECTS OF CUTTING SPEED ON EDGE STRIATIONS Cutting Speed Approximate % Approximate Wavelength (mm) (mm/mm) Striations Depth of Stria-tions (mm) 250 15 0.3 1-2 500 15 0.5 1-2 1000 50 0.75 1-2 1500 50 1.0 1-2 2000 70 1.0 1-2 It appears that the higher levels of striations on the edges give the best locking effect in holding the dovetail joints together without the need for any ad-ditional fastening means.

Figure 5 shows a possible modification to the box of Figures 1 to 4 to provide shaped supports for specialist machines or components. A supporting member 50 is cut from the same material as the box. The supporting member has a cut-out 53, shaped to provide support for the article to be carried within the box, and a pair of projecting tabs 49 extending from the opposed ends of the member. Two side members 52, of which only one is shown for clarity, each have a slot 51 therein to receive the respective projecting tab 49 to hold the supporting member 50 in position. The side members 52 are conveniently separate from, but fitting into, the box, for example as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, but it would also be possible to form the slots 51 in opposed side walls of the box itself. It will be appreciated that two or more of the supporting members might be used to provide support for different parts of the article.

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative arrangement where some protection from shock is required. In this embodiment, the supporting member 57 is es-sentially the same as that shown in Figure 5, but with a smaller vertical depth so that the supporting member does not rest on the base member 62 of the box, but is spaced a short distance from it, to allow space for a spring 60 or other re-silient member to be positioned between it and the base member 62. The tabs 56 on the supporting member 57 are a sliding fit in slots 55 in the side members 54, which slots are of a length allowing vertical sliding movement of the tabs 56 therein. This in turn prevents direct transmission of shocks experienced by the box in transit to the article carried in it, the spring 60 or other resilient member absorbing at least some of the forces involved.

In a further adaptation, it would be possible to install between the base member 62 and the underside of the supporting member 57 a shock indicator of the type adapted to rupture or otherwise permanently change when a predeter-is mined shock load has been exceeded.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A box for transporting goods, formed from sheet material and comprising at least four side members and a base member, each side member having opposed side edges and bottom and top edges, edge formations being formed along the two opposed side edges, the edge formations on one edge of a side member being configured to co-operate with the edge formations on the opposite edge of another of the side members to form a separable joint there- with, whereby the side members form a continuous enclosure, each side mem-ber also having at least one slot formed therein extending parallel to and spaced from the bottom edge thereof, each edge of the base member being provided with at least one tab engageable in the respective slot to hold the base member in position within the enclosure, and at least one aperture being pro-vided in each of at least two opposed side members between the slots and the bottom edge permitting insertion of lifting forks therein.
2. A box according to Claim 1, further comprising a lid member hav-ing edge formations co-operating with edge formations on the top edges of the side members to form separable joints therewith.
3. A box according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the formations are con-figured to form dovetail joints between the co-operating edges.
4. A box according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sheet material is plywood, oriented strand board or the like.
5. A box according to any preceding claim, wherein the edge for-mations are cut using water-jet cutting.
6. A box according to any preceding claim, wherein the apertures open at the bottom edges of the side members.
7. A box according to any preceding claim, wherein each side mem-ber has a pair of horizontally spaced apertures.
8. A box according to any preceding claim, incorporating article-supporting inserts therein.
9. A box according to Claim 8, wherein the article-supporting inserts include shock-absorbing means between the box and at least a portion of the inserts.
10. A box according to any preceding claim, incorporating means for indicating when the box has been subjected to a shock load in excess of a pre-determined value.
11. A box according to any preceding claim, wherein the edge for- mations are cut with roughened edges to enhance the formation of joints there-between.
12. A box for transporting goods, substantially as described with ref-erence to, and/or as shown in, the drawings