JP3104222U - Foldable container - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a foldable container for housing, transporting, and storing agricultural products and the like without deteriorating their quality.
One of the four vertical panels 2, 3, and 4 (for example, the front panel 2) is composed of upper and lower two panels 2-1 and 2-2, and when used, two upper and lower rotating members are used. It is a foldable container that is supported by the fitting 12 and is foldably connected at the center at the time of storage and removal of agricultural products, and that can be folded over the floor 5 when not in use. The upper and lower front panels 2 are connected by hinges 2-3, and when assembled, each panel is directly supported on the floor 5 and positioned by pins of different heights. The position of each pin in the height direction is the lowest on the front panel, and is higher in the order of the rear panel and the side panel.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

  This invention is a container for accommodating, transporting and storing crops such as yams, onions, potatoes, etc. without damage. At least one panel can be folded in two, and when not in use, it is compact. For a container that can be folded.

  For example, on a large-scale farm such as the Hokkaido area, harvested crops such as yams, onions, potatoes are stored in containers in fields and transported to facilities such as warehouses and fruit sorting facilities. There are various types of containers, and generally, a rectangular parallelepiped container is used in which a grid-like panel made of steel is assembled with a floor. Once the specification (basic size) of such a container is determined, ancillary facilities such as conveyors and other transport equipment and warehouses are installed in accordance with the specification. Therefore, changing the basic size of the container is not preferable.

  Containers such as those described above often need to have sufficient strength because they are stacked while containing crops. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned facilities are often transported from the above-mentioned facilities to farmland while they are empty, and they must be stored in a warehouse when not in use, it is desirable that they can be folded compactly.

  1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams showing a state in which a conventional foldable container is folded, wherein FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view. In the figure, the dashed line indicates the position of the panel when the panel is assembled. As shown in the drawing, in the conventional foldable container 1, when the front panel 2, the rear panel 4 and the side panel 3 are folded down, the lower ends 2a, 3a and 4a of the respective panels protrude from the ends of the floor 5. In addition, the side panels that are folded upward have a large amount of protrusion. In addition, the panel is folded by being rotated by 90 ° about the pin as a fulcrum. For this purpose, the panel must be designed so that its end does not hit the floor 5 when the panel is rotated. Therefore, when the panel is raised, that is, when used as a container, there is a gap between the bottom of the lower end of the panel and the floor, and the panel does not have a structure on the floor 5, and the weight of the panel is 7, the pins may be damaged when the containers are stacked in multiple layers.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present applicant has proposed that the amount of protrusion at the lower end of the panel folded according to Patent Document 1 is small, and when the panel is raised, there is no gap between the lower end and the floor, We proposed a foldable container that would not be damaged.

Japanese Patent No. 299279

  Long crops, such as yams, green onions, burdock, etc., may break or be damaged if not handled carefully, reducing their commercial value. Therefore, after harvesting, it is necessary to manually store and take out the container. The container has a structure in which the crop is loaded from the upper opening. However, in the case of a deep container, a deep (high) container cannot be used because the crop is severely damaged when the crop is dropped.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which can prevent damage to a perishable agricultural product such as yam even when it is a deep container, and which can be folded compactly.

  The gist of the present invention resides in a foldable container having the following features (1) to (5) (see FIGS. 2 to 5).

  (1) This is a rectangular parallelepiped foldable container 1 in which the vertical panels 2, 3 and 4 provided on the four circumferences can be fallen to the upper part of the floor 5, and the upper part is opened.

  (2) The front panel 2 is divided into two upper and lower panels 2-1 and 2-2, and the upper panel 2-1 is fixed so as to be rotatable 180 ° around the lower side. Positioned by pins 7-1 and 7-2 provided on the columns 6-1 and 6-2 at both ends and movable in the axial direction, they are assembled in contact with the floor 5.

  (3) The rear panel 4 is provided at a position higher than the pin (2) of the support columns 6-3, 6-4 on both ends of the rear surface of the floor, and the pins 7-3, 7-4 are movable in the axial direction. And is assembled in contact with the box-shaped member 9 having a rectangular cross section.

  (4) The left and right side panels 3, 3 are rotatably attached to the pins 8 fixed to the four columns 6-1 to 6-4, and are assembled in contact with a box-shaped member 10 having a pentagonal cross section. .

  (5) All of the pins are attached to the columns offset to the inside of the container.

  The above-mentioned container of the present invention has a panel and a floor which are individually manufactured and assembled and assembled, and preferably has the following features (6) and / or (7).

  (6) The floor has a steel cage structure (preferably a hat-shaped steel cross-section), and the panel has a lattice structure consisting of vertical and horizontal beams and bars made of steel. Have been.

  (7) The lower part of the floor has a structure in which at least a forklift claw can be inserted between the ground and the floor when the container is grounded.

  In the container of the present invention, at least one of the four panels can be bent near the center in the height direction, so that even a deep (high) container can be used for crops such as yam. Storage and removal operations are facilitated and crops are not damaged. In addition, assembling and folding are easy, and the amount of protrusion of the lower end of the panel in the folded state is small. Furthermore, since a box-shaped member having a pentagonal cross section is provided on the bottom of the side panel, the protrusion at the lower end can be completely eliminated. Therefore, even when the size (volume) when assembled is the same as that of a conventional container, the volume when the panel is folded can be reduced by about 20%. Moreover, since each panel and floor are individually manufactured and assembled, it is easy to repair or replace a part thereof. The pins connecting the panel and the floor do not share the vertical load of the panels when assembled, so they will not be damaged by stacking containers.

  Hereinafter, the container of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing preferred embodiments. In this description, the front panel is a panel that can be folded in half.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B are conceptual views of the container of the present invention as viewed from the side of the container for explaining the procedure of folding the panel. FIG. 2A is a view showing the procedure of folding the front panel in half and then folding the front panel. () Is a diagram showing a state in which the side panel is folded after the rear panel is folded. FIG. 3 is a conceptual view of the container according to the present invention, as viewed from the front of the container, for explaining the procedure of folding the panel.

  4A and 4B are conceptual views showing the assembled state of the container of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a side sectional view of the front panel, and FIG. FIG. 4D is a side cross-sectional view of the rear panel, and FIG.

  The left half of FIG. 4A shows the front of the front panel 2 and the side of the side panel 3, and the right half shows the state where the front panel is folded and the inside of the rear panel 4 as viewed from inside the container. FIG. 5A and 5B are views showing the side panel 3, in which FIG. 5A is a front view as viewed from the side of the container, FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. It is a top view.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the front panel and the columns. FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of a portion A (lower left corner) of FIG. 4A, and FIG. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of a part (lower right corner), FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of a part C in FIG. 4D, and FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the container 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped structure having four open panels 2 to 4 and a floor 5, and an open top. For convenience, two of the four panels are referred to as a front panel, three as a side panel, and four as a rear panel. Each of these panels has a lattice structure composed of vertical and horizontal steel beams and bars. The reason why the lattice structure is adopted is that when agricultural products and the like are stored, air permeability is ensured and the quality of agricultural products is prevented from deteriorating. A net N made of, for example, a synthetic resin (only a part is shown) may be provided on the inner surfaces of the panels 2 to 4 and the upper surface of the floor 5.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the front panel 2 is composed of an upper panel 2-1 and a lower panel 2-2, and the upper panel can be bent forward by approximately 180 ° at a substantially central portion by a hinge 2-3. Are linked. In this description, the front panel can be folded in two, but the rear panel or the side panel may be folded in two.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, the front panel 2 and the rear panel 4 are provided with pins 7 attached to short columns 6-1, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-4 provided at four corners of the floor 5. -1, 7-2 and 7-3, 7-4 are inserted into the holes of the vertical beams 2-21, 2-22 of the lower panel 2-2 on the front and the vertical beams 4-1, 4-2 of the rear panel 4 Thus, it is positioned with respect to the floor 5. Also, by rotating the rotary engagement tool 12 provided at the upper part and the middle part of the side panel 3 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4 (a), the vertical beams 2-21, 2-22 and 4-1 of the front and rear panels are turned. The side panel is connected to the front panel or the rear panel by being inserted into a long hole (not shown) provided on the side surface, and is set up on the upper surface of the vertical beam 5-1 of the floor 5.

  The pins 7-3 and 7-4 provided on the rear panel 4 are provided at positions higher than the pins 7-1 and 7-2 provided on the front panel 2 by substantially the same thickness as the front panel. By doing so, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the front panel 2 is first folded and then the rear panel 4 is folded, both panels can be overlapped substantially horizontally.

  Reinforcing members (gussets) 15 are provided at the corners where the upper and lower horizontal beams and the left and right vertical beams of each panel intersect as shown in FIG. 4, and containers are stacked on the left and right upper surfaces of the upper horizontal beams of the side panels. A time stop 16 is provided.

  At the lower part of the rear panel 4, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), a box-like member 9 having a rectangular cross section is provided between the vertical beam 5-2 of the floor and almost the entire width of the container. The rear panel 4 stands on the box-shaped member 9. The height of the rear panel 4 is shorter than the front panel by the height of the box-shaped member 9.

  The side panel 3 is rotatably mounted around a pin 8 fixed to four columns 6-1 to 6-4, and as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 described later, a box-shaped member having a pentagonal cross section. Standing on top of 10. The box-shaped member 10 is fixed on the bar 5-3 of the floor 5 over substantially the entire depth of the container. The pin 8 is fixed to the columns 6-1 to 6-4 at a position higher than the pins 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, and 7-4. Its height is substantially the same as the total thickness of the front panel and the rear panel, as shown in FIGS. In this way, the side panel 3 can be horizontally overlapped on the front panel and the rear panel when folded.

  Since the container of the present invention has such a structure, the panels 2 to 4 on the four sides are in contact with the floor beam or the box-shaped member and are assembled without any gap. Therefore, when the containers are stacked, the vertical load of the panel can be transmitted to the floor 5 without passing through the pins. Thereby, breakage of the pin can be eliminated.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a space 11 into which a forklift claw can be inserted is provided below the container floor 5. This makes it easy to load and unload containers on trucks and the like, and to move and stack containers in a warehouse using a normal forklift. In addition, air permeability with the ground (the floor of the warehouse) can be secured, and moisture can be prevented.

  Next, the procedure for folding the front panel of the container of the present invention in two will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When storing agricultural products, the rotation engaging tool 12 that locks the upper front panel is removed from the vertical beam of the upper front panel, and as shown in FIG. And fold it in half. The crops are stored in this state. Therefore, since the fall distance of the crop is reduced, not only the damage is reduced but also the storing operation is facilitated.

  When the crop reaches near the upper side of the lower front panel, the upper front panel is rotated to be vertical, and the rotation engagement tool 12 is inserted and fixed. After that, keep storing crops.

  Next, a procedure for folding the container of the present invention will be described.

  6A and 6C show the state of the pin 7-1 when the front panel 2 is assembled. FIGS. 6C and 6D show the state of the pin 7-1 when the front panel 2 is folded. It is a figure showing the state of. Each of the columns 6-1 to 6-4 is a channel steel having a length exceeding the height when each panel is folded. Each of the pins 7-1 to 7-4 is inserted through two flange portions of the support, and a handle 13 for moving the pin in the axial direction is attached by welding or the like. A stopper 14 is mounted inside the column to stop the movement of the pin. The stopper 14 is formed by notching a part of one of the angle iron steel flanges in a key shape, and the one not-notched flange portion is attached to the support.

  To assemble the panel, as shown in FIGS. 6 (b) and 6 (c), the handle 13 is rotated from vertical to horizontal to remove it from the stopper 14, and the pins 7-1 and 7-2 are moved out of the container (FIG. Then move from left to right) and pull out from the vertical beams 2-21 and 2-22 of the panel. In this state, the panel is raised, the pins are moved inside the container (from right to left in the figure), and the handle 13 is rotated to fix the pin to the stopper 14. When the panel is folded, the movement of the pins is the same.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the lower part of FIG. 5B (however, the side panel 3 is turned down). In this figure, the state where the front panel 2 and the rear panel 4 are folded is indicated by a dashed line, and the assembled state of the side panel 3 is indicated by a broken line. The side panel 3 is rotatably attached by pins 8 provided on the support columns 6-4, with the bottom portion placed on the upper surface of the box-shaped member 10 as indicated by a broken line.

  The pin 8 is attached to the groove-shaped rib portion of the column 6-4 by welding or the like at a position offset toward the inside of the container. Further, a hole in the side panel for rotating the side panel by engaging with this pin is also provided at a position deviated to the inside of the container. An inclined portion 10-1 is formed on the upper surface of the box-shaped member 10 so that the side panel 3 can be easily rotated when folded.

  The container of the present invention has the following features because it has the above structure.

  (a) The front panel is divided into two parts, and the upper panel can be folded in the assembled state, so the height of the front panel is reduced, preventing damage to crops during storage, storage and removal work Can be done easily.

  (b) When the panels 2 to 4 are assembled, the pins 7 and 8 only act to position the panel and the floor, the bottom of each panel being the floor 5 or three box-like members 9. , Can stand upright on the top surface of 10. As a result, the vertical load when the containers are stacked is transmitted to the floor via the vertical beams or the box-like members, so that almost no load is applied to the pins, and there is no possibility that the pins will be damaged. Therefore, containers can be stacked in multiple layers.

  (c) For the front panel 2 and the rear panel 4, move the pins 7-1, 7-2 and 7-3, 7-4 in the axial direction of the pins, pull them out of the holes in each panel, and remove each panel from the container. You can fold it by flipping it inward. After falling down, the pins can be inserted again into the holes to secure the panel.

  (d) Since the pentagonal box-shaped member 10 is provided at the lower part of the side panels 3, 3, the pentagonal box-shaped member 10 can be rotated by 90 ° about the fixing pin 8 to be folded. Further, since the fixing pin 8 is provided at a position deviated to the inside of the container, it is possible to eliminate the protrusion at the lower end of the panel when folded. Similarly, since the box-shaped member 9 is provided also at the lower portion of the rear panel 4, the amount of protrusion at the lower end of the panel can be made smaller than that of a conventional container. Such compact folding improves transport efficiency when many containers are transported simultaneously, and also saves storage space.

  In the container of the present invention, since at least one panel can be folded in two, even when the container is deep, damage during storage of crops such as yam can be prevented, and storage and removal operations can be easily performed. When not in use, it can be folded compactly, saving storage space.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which folded the conventional foldable container, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. FIGS. 3A and 3B are conceptual views of the container according to the present invention when viewed from the front of the container for explaining the procedure of folding the panel. FIG. 4A is a view showing the procedure of folding the front panel in half and then folding the front panel. It is a figure showing the state where the side panel was folded after folding. FIG. 4 is a conceptual view of the container according to the present invention as viewed from the front to explain a procedure of folding the panel of the container. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the assembled state of the container of this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a figure which shows the side cross section of a front panel and the state which folded the upper panel, (c) is the side of a rear panel. Sectional drawing, (d) is a plan view in which a part of the support portion is cut away when viewed from above. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a side panel 3, in which FIG. 3A is a front view as viewed from the side of the container, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the front panel and the support, where FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 4A, FIG. FIG. 3D is an enlarged view of a portion C, and FIG. It is the figure which expanded the lower part of FIG.5 (b).

Explanation of reference numerals

1 ... container, 2 ... front panel, 3 ... side panel, 4 ... rear panel, 5 ... floor,
6-1 to 6-4 ... pillars, 7-1 to 7-4, 8 ... pins, 9, 10 ... box-shaped members, 11 ... space,
12 ... Rotating engagement tool, 13 ... Handle, 14 ... Stopper, 15 ... Reinforcement member, 16 ... Stoppage

Claims (2)

Foldable container characterized by the following (1) to (5).
(1) A rectangular parallelepiped foldable container that can be laid horizontally on the upper part of the floor with vertical panels provided on all four sides.
(2) At least one of the four panels is composed of upper and lower panels, which are connected at the center in the height direction so as to be bendable, and are positioned by pins provided on the pillars at both ends on the front surface of the floor. The pins must be assembled on the floor, and their pins must be movable in the axial direction.
(3) The rear panel is positioned with pins provided on the pillars at both ends on the rear face of the floor and is assembled in contact with a rectangular box-shaped member having a cross section, and the pins are pins provided on the pillars on both ends of the front face. Higher than that and movable in the axial direction.
(4) The left and right side panels are rotatably attached to pins fixed to the four pillars and are assembled in contact with a box-shaped member having a pentagonal cross section. The two left and right vertical beams are provided with two rotary engaging members, and the left and right vertical beams on the rear panel side are provided with one rotary engaging member.
(5) All of the pins are attached to the columns so as to be biased inside the container. The floor is a truss structure made of shaped steel, and the panel is a lattice structure consisting of a steel frame and vertical and horizontal beams and crossbars.The inner surface of the panel and the upper surface of the floor are covered with nets, and the lower part of the floor is The foldable container according to claim 1, wherein a space is provided for inserting a claw of a forklift.

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