PATENTS FORM 5 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Number329256
Dated 25 November 1997
COLLAPSIBLE BIN
We, TUMU TIMBERS (HASTINGS) LIMITED, a New Zealand company, of 1215 Maraekakaho Road, Stortford Lodge, Hastings, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement
'NrtLLECTUALTRO^fY OFFicT OF N Z
2 5 NOV 1998
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FIELD
The invention comprises a collapsible bin
BACKGROUND
Collapsible bins are well known in the art for freighting various items, for example 10 produce They have the advantage that they can easily be dismantled when empty to reduce storage space and freighting costs of the empty bins themselves
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an improved collapsible bin
In broad terms the invention comprises a collapsible bin comprising
a pallet base member compnsing a wooden panel or boards and,
a pair of side wall members and a pair of end wall members each also formed from a wooden panel or boards, and along lower edges thereof engageable with the base member and compnsing inter-engaging vertical tongue and groove sections on 25 the side edges of the side and end members which inter-engaging tongue and groove sections connect the side and end walls in the assembled bin, each vertical tongue or groove section extending either in the plane of the side or end member, or at an angle thereto and inwardly towards the intenor of the bin r "Mi !>,
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^EF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred forms of the collapsible bin will now be described by way of example and without intending to be limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings m 5 which
Figure 1 is an isometric view illustrating one preferred form of bin,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the bin,
Figure 3 is a cross section view of the bin along A-A,
Figure 4 is a detail of one preferred form of tongue and groove arrangement,
Figure 5 is a detail of another preferred form of tongue and groove arrangement,
Figure 6 is an isometric view illustrating another preferred form of bin,
Figure 7 is a plan view of the bin illustrated in Figure 6, and
Figure 8 is a cross section view of the bin of Figure 7 along A-A DETAILED DESCRIPTION" OF PREFERRED FORMS
As shown in Figure 1, a preferred form collapsible bin 2 comprises a base member 4, a pair of side members 6, and a pair of end members 8 The preferred shape of the bin 2 is rectangular, with side members 6 having a greater breadth than end members 8 It will be appreciated that the side members 6 may be of less breadth than the end members 8 and so references to side members and end members may be interchangeable It is envisaged that the bin 2 may be square, with side members 6 the same breadth as end members 8
One preferred form base member 4 comprises a number of wooden base planks mounted on spaced apart wooden crosspieces 14 using nails, screws, rivets or a 35 suitable adhesive The preferred crosspieces 14 may be provided with forklift pockets 10 to assist in transporting the assembled bin 2 As shown
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^N^EttKTUA^PRteTY OFFICE OF W Z
24 FEB 1999
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1 ; " r* ;4 ^ . , , I \ ) ;spieces may be arranged so that the ends of the planks are recessed from the outside edges of the outermost crosspieces forming a ledge across each end of the base member 4 ;5 The outermost base planks 12 of the base member 4 may be recessed from the ends of crosspieces 14 forming a ledge along each side of the base member 4 As shown in Figure 1 the outside edges of base planks 12 may have a wedge shaped cross section to form outwardly facing horizontal grooves between base planks 12 and crosspieces 14 ;10 ;It is envisaged that the base planks 12 may alternatively have a generally L-shaped cross section with the upper surface of each of planks 12 projecting beyond the lower surfaces to form outwardly facing horizontal grooves ;15 It will be appreciated that the base planks 12 could be arranged so that the lower surfaces of the planks 12 project beyond the upper surfaces to form ledges In this arrangement the outer edges of the planks 12 may have either a generally wedge shaped or a generally L-shaped cross section ;20 In a further preferred form the upper and lower surfaces of base planks 12 could have substantially the same breadth and be mounted on the crosspieces 14 so that the base member 4 is not provided with horizontal grooves ;Preferred side members 6 as shown in Figure 1 comprise a number of wooden side ;25 planks mounted on spaced apart wooden side battens As shown in Figure 1 the outside edges of battens 18 may have a wedge shaped cross section to form a vertical groove down each end of each side member 6 It will be appreciated that battens 18 may alternatively have a generally L-shaped cross section and be arranged to form vertical grooves ;30 ;Side members 6 may be provided with horizontal tongue sections 16 as shown in Figure 1 The preferred form tongue sections are mounted on and perpendicular to the lower side panels of each side member 6, the tongue sections 16 arranged to extend inwardly from the side panels ;35 ;t » > *
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N Z
2d FEB 1999
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re the base member 4 is provided with horizontal grooves, each of tongue sections 16 is shaped to locate in a corresponding groove in the base member 4 It will be appreciated that where the outside edges of base planks 12 have a wedge shaped cioss section, tongue sections 16 will also have a wedge shaped cross section, and that 5 where the base planks 12 have a generally L-shaped cross section, tongue sections 16 too will have a generally L-shaped cross section
Referring to Figure 1, end members 8 preferably comprise a number of wooden end planks mounted on spaced apart wooden end battens 20 Each end batten 20 may 10 have a wedge shaped cross section, forming a vertical tongue section down each side of each end member 8 Each of the end battens 20 are shaped to locate in corresponding grooves formed by side battens 18
Where the side battens have a wedge shaped cross section, the end battens too will 15 have a wedge shaped cross section Where the side battens have a generally L-shaped cross section, the end battens will also have a generally L-shaped cross section
To construct the bin 2 of Figure 1 the side members 6 are first fitted on to the base member 4 as shown in Figure 3 The preferred side member 6 is formed so that it may 20 be supported by the ledges along each side of the base member 6 on crosspieces 14, with tongue sections 16 located in the horizontal grooves formed by base planks 12 respectively The side battens are preferably flush with the ends of the crosspieces and the outer surfaces of the end planks are preferably flush with the outer surfaces of the outermost crosspieces
End members 8 are then fitted on to the base member 4 The end members 8 m a preferred form are supported by the ledges across each end of the base member 4, with the vertical tongue sections formed by end battens 20 located in the vertical grooves formed by side battens 18 Figure 2 illustrates the bin 2 in assembled form The side 30 battens are located on the outer faces of the side members in the preferred form assembled bin 2, while end battens are located on the mner faces of the end members
The vertical grooves may alternatively by formed on the end membeis and the vertical tongue sections formed on the side members
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Figure 4 illustrates a detail of the preferred wedge shaped cross section of the tongue members and groove members descnbed above As shown in Figure 5, these components may alternatively be generally L-shaped
Figures 6 to 8 illustrate a further preferred form collapsible bin 50 The bin 50 composes a base member 52, a pair of side members 54 and a pair of end members 56 The preferred form base member 52 comprises a number of wooden base planks mounted on spaced apart crosspieces 57 The preferred crosspieces 57 are provided 10 with forkhft pockets 58 to assist in transporting the assembled bin 50 As shov/r m Figure 6, the base planks may be mounted on the crosspieces 57 without ledges or recesses
Preferred side members 54 as shown in Figure 6 comprise a number of wooden side 15 planks mounted on spaced apart wooden side battens 60, 61, 62 and 63 Battens 60 and 63 may be arranged to form vertical tongue sections down side members 54, and battens 61 and 62 may be arranged to form vertical grooves The battens may have a generally L-shaped cross section or a wedge shaped cross section
End members 56 may comprise a number of wooden end planks mounted on spaced apart wooden end battens 64, 65, 66 and 67 Battens 64 and 67 may be arranged to form vertical grooves down end members 56, and battens 65 and 66 may be arranged to form vertical tongue sections down end members 56 Battens 60, 63, 65 and 66 are shaped to locate m vertical grooves formed by battens 64, 67, 62 and 61 respectively 25 It will be appreciated that the shape of the cross section of the end battens will correspond to the shape of the cross section of the side battens For example, where the grooves are formed by wedge shaped members the tongue sections will be wedge shaped, and where the grooves are formed by L-shaped members, the tongue sections too will be wedge shaped
To assemble the bin 50 of Figure 6 a side member may first be supported on base member 52, an end member fitted to the first side member, the remaining side member fitted to the first end member, then the remaining end member fitted to both side members The bin 50 may be assembled starting with an end member rather than a 35 side member The sides of the bin may also be fitted in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction
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preferred side members 54 are formed so that they may be supported by the outermost base planks along each side of the base member 52 The outer surfaces of the side members are preferably flush with the ends of the crosspieces, and the outer surfaces of the end members are preferably flush with the outer surfaces of the 5 outermost crosspieces
The end members 56 in a preferred form are supported across each end of the base member 52 on the ends of the base planks Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the bin 2 m assembled form End and side battens are located on the mner faces of the end and 10 side members in the preferred assembled bin 50
The vertical grooves may alternatively by formed on the end members and the veitical tongue sections formed on the side members
Both bin 2 and bm 50 may be securely fastened for transportation by holding the side and end members together by straps, adhesive or by nails, screws, rivets, and/or other fasteners One preferred form of fasteners are metal brackets 68 fastening the crosspieces of the base member to the side and end members Once the bm 2 has reached its destmation it may be easily disassembled and either returned in a 20 collapsed form or reused
The foregoing describes the invention including preferred forms thereof Alterations and modifications, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, are intended to be incorporated within the scope hereof, as defined by the accompanying claims
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF NZ
2d FEB 1999
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