US20110127259A1

US20110127259A1 - Freight container with doors

Info

Publication number: US20110127259A1
Application number: US12/955,162
Authority: US
Inventors: Jussi Lemola; Maunu Martti Idänpään-Heikkilä; Lambertus Snoek; Tom Mellin
Original assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Current assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Priority date: 2009-11-30
Filing date: 2010-11-29
Publication date: 2011-06-02
Also published as: EP2327641B1; CA2722106A1; EP2327641A1

Abstract

There is provided a collapsible container for transporting goods. An exemplary container comprises a floor and a plurality of side walls adjacent to the floor. At least one first side wall has at least one door for loading and unloading the container, and at least one side wall adjacent to the door has at least one guide rail arranged essentially horizontally for swiveling the door and for sliding the door along the guide rail, in such a way that, by lifting the door. The door can be moved in the guide rail without it being possible for the door hinge to be removed from the guide rail, and in this state, the door can be slid along the guide rail parallel to the side wall, so that the door hinge is also attached to the door so as to rotate around a vertical axis of rotation. The guide rail has on the front a cutout through which a sliding guide installed on the inside of the door engages into the guide rail for purposes of preventing the door from tilting when it is slid along the guide rail, and the sliding guide is guided by the guide rail during the further movement.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European (EP) Patent Application No. 09 014 834.7, filed on Nov. 30, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

BACKGROUND

Freight containers have to be loaded and unloaded quickly, as a result of which they usually have a side wall that can either be completely removed, collapsed or opened in the form of a door. In the case of a side wall that functions as a door, the way in which this door can be opened is of crucial importance for fast loading and unloading. The person skilled in the art is familiar with various door mountings. Doors are generally opened or closed on hinges that only allow the door to swivel, or else on rollers and rails that only allow the door to slide. As an alternative, the hinges can also be mounted so as to slide. With the latter construction, the door can easily be inadvertently moved out of its closed position. Moreover, this construction is less resistant to mechanical stresses on the inside and/or outside of the door. In the case of collapsible freight containers, the door mountings also have to be suitable to allow the freight containers to be collapsed.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a freight container with doors that are sturdy and easy to operate.
Moreover, exemplary embodiments relate to a collapsible freight container having at least one door that can be opened and closed easily and reliably.
A collapsible container for transporting goods according to an exemplary embodiment, comprises a floor and a plurality of side walls, preferably four side walls, encompassing a transport volume that is defined in the set-up state by the top, preferably a rectangular top, of the floor, and by the insides of the side walls, whereby at least one first side wall has at least one door for loading and unloading the container, and at least one side wall adjacent to the door has at least one guide rail arranged essentially horizontally for swiveling the door and for sliding the door along the guide rail, whereby the door engages vertically via a pin into a first hole or into a first depression in the guide rail on one door hinge per guide rail so as to swivel, and the guide rail is configured in such a way that, by lifting the door, the pin can be removed from the first hole or from the first depression without it being possible for the door hinge to be removed from the guide rail, and in this state, the door can be slid along the guide rail parallel to the side wall, so that the inside of the door faces the outside of the side wall, so that the door hinge is also attached so as to rotate around a vertical axis of rotation, and so that the guide rail has a cutout on the front, preferably a vertical slot, through which a sliding guide installed on the inside of the door engages into the guide rail, and the sliding guide is guided by the guide rail during the further movement.
Here, the pin that engages into the guide rail is part of the door hinge that, as seen in the horizontal direction, extends around the side wall in order to engage into the guide rail. Due to the door hinge, which is likewise rotatably mounted on the door, the distance between the door and the side wall can be minimized when the door is being slid along the guide rail. Preferably, the door slides along the guide rail when it is being moved. The sliding guide, which engages into the guide rail, effectively prevents a tilting of the door when it is being slid along the guide rail.
The word “door” is intended to encompass all types of doors, for example, doors with a homogeneously continuous door surface, doors with cutouts in the door surface, or doors that consist of a door frame and an inner surface within the door frame. In the case of doors with door frames, the inner surface can be made of a compact material or of a grid. Within the scope of this invention, the person skilled in the art can consider additional configurations. The material of the door may be a sturdy material in order to resist the loads during the freight transport. The door may be configured as a frame and the inner surface is configured as a grid made of steel, preferably hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel. The configuration of the inner surface as a grid accounts for a reduction in the weight of the freight container in comparison to freight containers with solid doors. As an alternative, the inside could also be made of a composite material that is likewise characterized by its high strength and low weight.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the other side walls can have any suitable form and configuration. Preferably, the side walls are configured as side walls with posts that are arranged at the corners of the floor and with a grid that is arranged between the posts. Preferably, the grid and the posts, especially preferably posts that are hollow on the inside, are made of steel, preferably of hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel. The grid and the posts, which are optionally hollow on the inside, account for a reduction in the weight of the freight container in comparison to freight containers with solid side walls. As an alternative, the side walls, especially the parts of the side wall between the posts of one side wall, could also be made of a composite material that is likewise characterized by its high strength and low weight.
In order to collapse the container, the side walls can be folded onto the floor of the container using hinges. Preferably, the hinges are arranged on the posts of the side walls. The person skilled in the art is familiar with many possible hinges with which a collapsible container can be created. For example, bushings are arranged on the corners of the floor into which the posts can penetrate in order to set up the side walls. The posts are affixed, for example, via a screw or a bolt in a vertical slot in the bushing in such a way that the posts can be lifted up along the slot so that the side walls can be folded down in the direction of the floor and can be folded down onto the floor or in the direction of the floor due to the appropriately shaped inside of the bushing. In this manner, for the sake of transport safety, the side walls remain firmly joined to the floor, also when the container is being transported in the collapsed state. Here, the length of the slot determines the variability in the order in which the side walls are folded down onto the floor. If the slots in all of the bushings are long enough, the side walls can be folded down onto the floor in any random order. Here, the first side wall is folded directly down onto the floor. The next side wall is lifted up in the bushing along the slot above the first side wall until it can be folded down onto the first side wall in the direction of the floor. The remaining side walls follow correspondingly. Here, it is random which side wall is joined to a door. The side wall that is joined to a door is folded down with the door, which has been slid in the guide rail in front of the outside of the side wall onto the floor or onto a previously folded-down side wall. For purposes of the folding-down procedure, the bushings with the slot do not have a bushing wall in the folding direction of the side walls. In one exemplary embodiment, the posts as well as the bushings have a rectangular shape, whereby the rectangular shape of the bushings is adapted to the rectangular shape of the posts that are arranged in the bushings. A slot here refers to an elongated bore or groove. Its narrow sides are closed off by semi-circles. The collapsed container requires less transport volume so that the empty container can be transported more efficiently, that is to say, with more containers per transport volume.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the floor of the container can have any suitable shape and configuration, preferably with a flat loading surface. Preferably, the floor comprises a frame in which a grid is arranged as the loading floor. The grid and the frame, which here is especially preferably a frame that is hollow on the inside, are made of steel, preferably of hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel. The grid and the frame, which is optionally hollow on the inside, account for a reduction in the weight of the freight container in comparison to freight containers with solid floors. As an alternative, the floor, especially the part of the floor between the frame, could also be made of a composite material that is likewise characterized by its high strength and low weight.
The term “inside” refers to the sides of the side walls and to the doors that face in the direction of the goods loaded in the container. Accordingly, the term “outside” refers to the sides of the side walls and of the doors that face away from the container.
The term “guide rail” encompasses any type of guide rails that are suitable for moving door hinges without the door hinges being able to come out of the guide rail. This prevents the door from being lost or damaged. The guide rails have, for example, a grooved shape on at least one side (top or bottom) and an enclosing, or at least delimiting, opposite side, so that the door hinge cannot be removed from the guide rail either towards the top or towards the bottom. The terms top and bottom refer to the directions that are opposite from the floor or facing the floor. An essential horizontal arrangement of the guide rail refers to an orientation of the guide rail that only diverges by just a few degrees from an ideal parallel orientation of the guide rail with respect to the loading surface of the floor. Here, a guide rail can be made of any material that is suitable to securely guide doors. Preferably, the guide rails and/or the door hinges are made of steel, preferably hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel. Steel allows, for example, the guide rails to be welded onto the container if the latter is likewise made of steel (at least the posts). As an alternative, the guide rails and/or the door hinges could also be made of a composite material that is characterized by its high strength and low weight. In this case, the guide rails would be screwed onto the side walls. The person skilled in the art can also consider alternatives for attaching the guide rails to the side walls, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The term “front” refers here to the end of the guide rail that faces the same side as the outside of the door in the closed state. Correspondingly, the rear of the guide rail refers to the side that is opposite from the front, that is to say, the other side of the guide rail. The front part of the guide rail is the part of the guide rail that is close to the front of the guide rail. Correspondingly, the rear part of the guide rail is the part of the guide rail that is close to the rear of the guide rail. The term “close to” refers to a distance of a few centimeters.
The term “cutout” refers here to a gap on the front of the guide rail, which is suitable to allow a sliding guide of the door to pass through into the guide rail. The guide rail of the door is slid into the guide rail through the cutout when the door is being slid. The geometric shape of the cutout is preferably adapted to the geometric shape of the sliding guide. In one exemplary embodiment, the cutout is a slit. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the person skilled in the art can also consider other geometrical shapes for the cutout. In one exemplary embodiment, the cutout widens in the direction of the front. This widening makes it easier to slide the sliding guide into the cutout. Here, the sliding guide does not have to precisely come into contact with the cutout when it is being slid in, but rather an erroneous positioning of the sliding guide is tolerated by the widened cutout and it is corrected along the tapering of the cutout so that the sliding guide can be slid into the guide rail. The widening of the cutout can extend in the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction.
The term “sliding guide” here refers to all kinds of guides that are suitable to give the door additional stability in a guide rail, in order to prevent the door from tilting when it is being slid. For this purpose, the sliding guide has to engage into the guide rail in a suitable manner. Suitable forms of the sliding guide are, for example, angle brackets with a horizontal leg that is attached perpendicularly to the door frame, and a vertical leg that is positioned on the horizontal leg and that extends parallel to the door frame at a suitable distance. This vertical leg is inserted through a vertical slit as a cutout into the guide rail, and its sliding on the bottom part of the guide rail prevents tilting of the door in the direction of the floor by the force of gravity acting on the door. As an alternative, in the case of differently configured guide rails, for example, with a U-shaped profile at the bottom, the vertical leg of the sliding guide, together with the upwards-facing outer leg of the U-shaped profile, can prevent the door from swiveling away from the side wall when the door is being slid along the guide rail. Here, the vertical leg can either slide on the bottom of the guide rail, or, as an alternative, the horizontal leg of the guide rail can slide on the upwards-facing outer leg of the guide rail. Both approaches effectively prevent the door from tilting when the door is slid along the guide rail. The sliding guide can be made of any material that allows repeated sliding on the guide rail. Preferably, the guide rail is made of steel, preferably hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel, so as to be suitable for repeated use. As an alternative, the sliding guide could also be made of a composite material that is likewise characterized by its high strength. Depending on the material of the sliding guide, it can be welded or screwed to the door frame, or else attached in some other manner.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the door hinge is configured as a rod that is bent multiple times. The term “rod” here refers to any elongated shapes that are suitable to form a door hinge. The rod as set forth in this invention can have different thicknesses or cross sections, whereby a circular cross section is preferred. This rod is attached to the door, preferably to the door frame, and, as seen in the horizontal direction, it extends around the side wall. The term “as seen in the horizontal direction” does not refer to the horizontal orientation of the rod, but rather, to the direction in which the rod encircles the side wall. Here, the rod extends around the posts of the side wall and, in one exemplary embodiment, it extends a few centimeters beyond the posts along the side wall. In order to anchor the door hinge, configured here, for example, as a rod that is bent multiple times, the rod is bent with respect to the side wall by 90° downwards in the direction of the floor and it extends a few centimeters in this direction. This vertical part of the door hinge is referred to here as a pin. The lower end of the pin can have a flat side or a semispherical curvature. The pin engages into a first hole or into a first depression in the guide rail so as to rotate freely. The door is thus held by its weight in the guide rail via the door hinge, so that no additional fasteners are needed to firmly hold the door. The arrangement of the pin in the first hole or in the first depression firmly affixes the door hinge in the horizontal direction in the guide rail, while the door hinge can be moved vertically via the pin, and can also be removed from the first hole or from the first depression by lifting (raising) the door. However, the guide rail is configured here in such a way that the door hinge that has been removed from the first hole or from the first depression cannot fall out of (be taken out of) the guide rail.
In one exemplary embodiment, the door hinge is rotatably mounted on the door as a vertical pin in a bushing that is attached to the door and that has an inner diameter that is adapted to the pin, whereby the pin is configured in such a way that it is affixed to the bushing in the vertical direction. The pin can be tapered in the area of the bushing, and the bushing can have a diameter that is adapted to the tapered pin, so that the pin can rotate freely in the bushing without being moved vertically with respect to the bushing. As an alternative, the pin could also be attached to the bushing by a bolt or splint-pin above and below the bushing. In such an exemplary embodiment, the pin is, for example, the one end of a rod that is bent multiple times, that is bent above the bushing by 90° into a horizontal plane, so that it extends in the direction of the side wall, and, in the further extension of the rod, said rod is bent by 90°, once again in the horizontal direction, in order to extend around the front corner of the side wall, and in the further extension, said rod makes a third 90° bend in the vertical direction in order to engage as a pin at its other end into the first hole or into the first depression of the guide rail. These bends can be configured at a right angle or with a curved radius.
Due to the door hinge, which is mounted so as to rotate (swivel) in the guide rail and mounted on the door, the distance between the door and the side wall can be varied when the door is slid along the guide rail. In particular, the door can thus be slid close to the guide rail or—in contact with the guide rail—along the guide rail. Here, it is advantageous for the door to be slid along the guide rail in direct contact with the guide rail. In this manner, the door can be slid in front of the side wall with the smallest possible space requirement so that, in order to save space, containers of this type are placed close next to each other for an optimized loading and unloading operation in a logistics center, while the doors can still be opened and closed as desired. In order to configure the placement of the containers close to each other even more optimally, the guide rails of containers with double-leaf doors are arranged at a different height on the left-hand side wall than on the right-hand side wall. In this configuration, the containers can be placed especially close next to each other, door-to-door, without the door hinges of adjacent containers that might project beyond the doors (in contact with the guide rails) preventing the placement of adjacent containers directly door-to-door because of their coming into contact with each other. Here, the terms “left-hand” and “right-hand” refer to the arrangement of the side walls adjoining the door, as seen in the direction of the door.
In one exemplary embodiment, the front of the guide rail comprises a front stop that prevents the door hinge from being pulled out of the front of the guide rail. The term “front stop” refers to any shape of the front that provides a resistance against the door hinge being pulled out. A front stop can be, for example, a vertically arranged piece of metal. In another embodiment, the front stop can also be a screw projecting from the side wall. In another embodiment, the guide rail has a rear stop in the rear part in order to prevent the door hinge from being pulled out of the rear of the guide rail. The same explanations as for the front stop apply to the rear stop. The rear stop may be positioned in the guide rail in such a way that the door can only be slid so far into the guide rail that, when containers are placed next to each other, the opened doors—after they have been slid along the side walls—can only be slid so deep into the guide rail that the doors can be pulled out of the guide rails again without a need to first push the containers apart. This would call for unwanted extra work. The rear stop should preferably be situated one door's width behind the front edge of the side wall, preferably one door's width minus 5 centimeters behind the front edge of the side wall, in order to further simplify the operation of the door. The front edge of the side wall is the part of the side wall that, as seen from the outside in the direction of the door of the container, is the closest to the observer. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the person skilled in the art can consider different front stops and/or rear stops. In one exemplary embodiment, the rear stop is a second hole or a second depression into which the pin of the door hinge engages vertically. As an alternative, another stop can be arranged behind the second hole or the second depression. The second hole or the second depression allows the door to be affixed at this position in the guide rail.
In one exemplary embodiment, the guide rail comprises an essentially U-shaped profile as the bottom part, and a strip projecting essentially vertically from the side wall as the top part. The part of the guide rail that faces the floor on which the container has been placed is referred to as the bottom part. Accordingly, the part of the guide rail that faces in the opposite direction is referred to as the top part. The term an essentially U-shaped profile refers to all profile shapes that have a bottom part and two legs of any desired shape that extend away from the floor in the same direction. Here, the term “in the same direction” relates not only to legs arranged in parallel but also to legs that diverge from the bottom of the profile at an angle to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the U-shaped profile corresponds to a U-shape. The top part of the guide rail is meant to prevent the door from slipping out of the guide rail and, at the same time, to allow the door to slide more easily in the guide rail. Thus, the distance of the top part is adapted to the length of the vertical pin of the door hinge. Preferably, the distance between the top part of the guide rail and its bottom part is a few millimeters greater than the length of the vertical pin that engages into the first hole or into the first depression. Here, the top part can be configured, for example, as a strip that is either attached directly to the side wall or that forms a one-piece guide rail together with the bottom part. This strip may be desirably arranged essentially vertically (perpendicularly) to the side wall so as to prevent the door from slipping out upwards, whereby the term “essentially” allows a deviation of the orientation by a few degrees from a vertical line relative to the side wall. The term “strip” comprises all shapes that prevent the door hinge from slipping upwards out of the guide rail. Thus, the strip can also be shaped as an angle bracket. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the guide rail comprises an essentially U-shaped profile as the top part, and a strip projecting essentially vertically from the side wall as the bottom part. In one exemplary embodiment, the sliding guide is configured in such a way that it engages into the U-shaped profile and slides on the outer edge of the U-shaped profile. The outer edge here is the edge of the guide rail that is furthest away from the side wall in the vertical direction with respect to the side wall.
In another exemplary embodiment, the sliding guide is configured in the form of at least two angle brackets attached to the inside of the door at essentially the same height, or else it is configured as an angle rail or rail with a U-shaped profile that is attached essentially horizontally to the inside of the door. As used herein, the term “essentially” means at the same height or else at a different height of the angle brackets that only differs by a few millimeters—by less than 10 millimeters—in a horizontal orientation that diverges from the horizontal plane by a few degrees—by less than 10 degrees. An angle rail comprises all kinds of rails that project vertically from the door surface or from the door frame. Here, the angle rail can comprise two adjacent legs or it can be a strip that, after being attached, forms an angle with the door or with the door frame. Thus, a U-shaped rail is advantageous since it engages into the guide rail and, together with a likewise U-shaped guide rail, prevents the door from rotating away from the side wall while it is being slid.
In an exemplary embodiment of the collapsible container, the side wall that is adjacent to the door has two guide rails, and the door has two door hinges for swiveling the door and for sliding the door along the guide rail. Swiveling here refers to the opening and closing of the door on a pin located in the first hole or in the first depression, whereby the door is rotated around the vertical axis of rotation of the pin in the first hole or in the first depression. A door with two door hinges, for example, with a first door hinge on the top part of the door or door frame, and with a second door hinge on the bottom part of the door or door frame, is mounted much more sturdily on the side wall than a door with only one door hinge, which is preferably mounted onto the door or door frame at a height that is halfway up the door. Doors with two hinges at the top and bottom cannot be bent as easily by loads in the top and bottom areas as would be the case with doors having only one door hinge. Since each door hinge requires a guide rail in order for the door to be slid, in the case of two door hinges, there are also two guide rails on the side wall. Especially in the case of two door hinges, there is a greater risk of tilting, which, in extreme cases, can even cause the door to jam in a tilted position in the absence of further measures to guide the door when it is being slid. This jamming can be so severe that the door cannot be freed again without tools. The door might even be severely damaged in this process, so that its function is impaired or made completely impossible. Consequently, in order to achieve a flawless and maintenance-free operation of the doors, it is essential to use one or more guide rails (depending on the number of door hinges) and to have a corresponding sliding guide so as to prevent tilting of the door.
In another exemplary embodiment of the collapsible container, the first side wall comprises two doors that are configured as a double-leaf door. As a result, the operation of the doors is simplified since each of the two double-leaf doors is smaller than in an embodiment with only one door, and thus can be opened and closed more easily in a smaller space. Here, the double-leaf doors can be of the same size or of different sizes. The double-leaf doors can intermesh when they are closed, which would translate into a sturdy joining of the doors when the container is being transported. It is advantageous to have double-leaf doors that do not intermesh so that the doors can be opened and/or closed in any desired order, independently of each other.
In another exemplary embodiment, on the side of the door opposite from the door hinges, the door has a first fastening device that is provided in order to join the door to the side wall that is opposite from the door hinges, or, in the case of a double-leaf door, said fastening device is provided for joining the one door to the other door of the double-leaf door. This fastening device can be any form that is suitable for joining a door to a side wall or to another door. This fastening device can be, for example, a lock, a door latch, a sliding bolt, a hook or a spring. In an exemplary embodiment, the fastening device is arranged on the top of the door so as to fold away, and comprises a ring-shaped protection cap that can be placed over a second fastening device provided for this purpose or that can be placed over the door frame of the other door of the double-leaf door that is adjacent to said door. The top of the door is the side of the door that is furthest away from the floor of the container. The term “ring-shaped” refers to any kind of protection cap that forms a continuous ring with a hole in the middle. This ring can be circular or elongated in shape. The shape of the protection cap is adapted to the shape of the second fastening device or to the shape of the door frame of the other door of the double-leaf door. In an exemplary embodiment, the protection cap is placed over the top door frame of the other door of the double-leaf door, whereby the protection cap is shaped to be so elongated that it encloses the top corner of the other door on both sides by a 45°-angle. Depending on the configuration, this angle can also be, for example, 30° or 60°. An angle of 45° may be advantageous angle since the protection cap is attached sufficiently tightly to the other door and is of a manageable size. In the case of larger and smaller angles, on the one hand, it would not fit as tightly and, on the other hand, the dimension of the fastening device would be very large for a sufficiently tight fit, and thus it would be difficult to handle. The above-mentioned angles refer to the angle between the protection cap extending over the other door and the vertical line.
In another exemplary embodiment, at least one first locking device is arranged on the side of the door facing the floor, and correspondingly, at least one second locking device is arranged on the floor of the container, whereby the first and second locking devices are configured in such a way that the door is affixed to the floor when the first locking device engages with the second locking device. For example, the first and second locking devices may comprise a stud or a tab and a correspondingly shaped hole to receive the stud or the tab. As an alternative, the first and second locking devices can be two intermeshing angle brackets or latches or else combinations such as a hook and eye, or a tongue and groove.
The fastening device, the protection cap and the first and second locking devices can be made of any suitable sturdy material. Preferably, they are made of steel, preferably hardened steel and/or stainless steel such as high-grade steel or VA steel. As an alternative, they could also be made of a composite material that is likewise characterized by its high strength and low weight. The fastening device and the first locking device are firmly joined to the door frame, for example, by screwing or by using a welded connection. The second locking device is firmly attached to the floor, for example, by screws or with a welded connection.
The exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples of the present invention. Any modifications of the embodiments by a person skilled in the art are likewise encompassed by the scope of protection of the present invention. Additional details of the invention are shown in the following drawings and in the comprehensive description of the embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a freight container according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with a door held by two door hinges in two guide rails;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the freight container from FIG. 1 with a door pushed in front of the side wall;

FIG. 3 is a cut-away view of a front of a guide rail, with a door that has been slid and with a sliding guide according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a guide rail, with a door that has been slid and a detailed top view of the front according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the inside of a door with sliding guides, including an angle bracket and (b) angle rail; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a double-leaf door and floor with fastening and locking devices, including: (a) a front view and (b) a view from the top.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a collapsible container according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, having a rectangular floor 1 and, by way of an example, a side wall 2 to which a door 3 is connected via two door hinges 5, each having a guide rail 4. The door hinges 5 have a pin 51 at one end so as to engage rotatably into a first hole 41 or into a first depression 41 in the guide rail 4. The door hinges 5 likewise have a pin 52 at their other end so as to rotatably engage in a bushing 53 attached to the door 3, whereby the pin 52 and the bushing 53 are configured in such a way that the door 3 can rotate around an axis of rotation 33, with the bushing 53 around the pin 52, and also the pin 51 can rotate around an axis of rotation 54 around the first hole 41 or the first depression 41. The side wall 2 shown in this embodiment has two posts 22. In this embodiment, the door hinge extends as a rod that is bent multiple times from the pin 52 around the post 22 of the side wall 2 on its outside 21 (90° curvature), and then extends a few centimeters beyond the post 22 along the side wall 2. In order to anchor the door hinge 5 in the guide rail 4, the door hinge is once again bent downwards by 90° on the outside 21 of the side wall in the direction of the floor 1, and it engages into the first hole 41 or into the first depression 41 of the guide rail 4.
The posts 22 in FIG. 1 are mounted using an additional bushing that has a slot and that is attached to the floor so that said posts can be folded down onto the floor 1 (not shown in detail here). For the sake of clarity, the other side walls were omitted in this drawing. Of course, the side walls surround the container completely, so that the floor and the side walls encompass a transport volume that is enclosed on all sides. In another embodiment, the container can also be closed using a lid that is attached to the side walls or that can be pulled down over the side walls.
FIG. 2 schematically shows the same container as in FIG. 1, whereby here the door 3 has been slid in front of the side wall 2.
FIG. 3 shows the front 45 of the guide rail 4 mounted onto the outside 21 of the side wall 2. In this embodiment, the guide rail 4 has a U-shaped bottom part 49 and a rail-shaped top part 48 as a cover of the guide rail 4, so as to prevent the door hinge 5 from slipping out of the guide rail 4. The front 45 comprises a slit-like vertical cutout 46 for inserting the sliding guide 7, 71, 72 into the guide rail 4 when the door is being slid along the guide rail 4. Moreover, the front 45 has a front stop 43 so that the door hinge 5 cannot be pulled out of the front of the guide rail 4. The sliding guide 7, 71, 72 here engages into the U-shaped bottom part 49 of the guide rail 4 in such a way that, on the one hand, the door is secured by the horizontal leg of the sliding guide that rests on the U-shaped bottom part so that said door does not tilt when it is being slid and, on the other hand, the door 3 is secured against swiveling by the vertical leg of the sliding guide that is guided by the upright leg of the U-shaped bottom part 49.
FIG. 4 shows a top view of the front part of bottom part 49 of the guide rail 4, whereby the top part 48 of the guide rail has been omitted for the sake of clarity. The door is slid at a minimal distance from the guide rail 4 and thus from the outside of the side wall along the guide rail. Here, the sliding guide 7 is configured as two angle brackets 71 at a suitable distance from each other. The greater the distance of the angle brackets, the more securely they prevent tilting of the door 3. The door hinge is rotatably mounted on the bushing 53 and, in this embodiment, it projects beyond the outside 31 of the door 3. In FIG. 4, the door 3 is in its final position after being slid, since here, the door hinge 5 passes through the second hole or through the second depression as the rear stop 44, as a result of which it is affixed in this position. A fixation in the final position is important when the container needs to be collapsed. In order for the doors not to be damaged when they are collapsed, they first have to be moved into the final position in front of the side walls 2 and affixed in this position using the rear stop 44. Optionally, another rear stop 44 can be arranged behind the second hole or behind the second depression in order to prevent the door from being pulled out via the rear of the guide rail.
In FIG. 4, an enlarged depiction of the front 45 of the guide rail 4 is also shown. In order to better insert the sliding guide 7 into the guide rail 4, the cutout 46 is provided with struts 47 that guide the sliding guide 7 into the cutout 46.
FIG. 5 shows the inside 32 of the door 3 with the sliding guides 7 that are configured (a) as an angle bracket 71, and (b) as an angle rail 72. The two door hinges are not shown here, but rather are symbolically indicated by the corresponding bushings 53. The angle brackets 71 are arranged at the same height for each of the two guide rails. Accordingly, the angle rails 72 are arranged horizontally.
FIG. 6 shows (a) two doors 3 of a double-leaf door as the first side wall in a front view. The outsides of the doors can be seen above the bushings 53 for the door hinges 5. The door sides of the two doors facing each other are firmly joined to each other by a fastening device 8. Here, the one door is securely joined to the other door by the fastening device 8 that is attached to said door in such a way as to fold down and that comprises a ring-shaped protection cap 81 that is pulled down over the door frame of the other door 3. FIG. 6 (b) shows a top view of the fastening device 8 in the closed state. Here, one can see how the ring-shaped protection cap 81 extends around the door 3 or around the door frame of the door 3, thereby firmly joining the two doors to each other. This fastening approach is characterized by its high stability and, at the same time, easy and quick handling. In order to further increase the stability of the doors 3 in the closed state, the doors are additionally joined to the floor using first and second locking devices 91, 92 that engage with each other and are each arranged on the bottom of the door 3 and on the floor 1.
The exemplary embodiments shown here merely constitute examples of the present invention and therefore, they must not be construed in a limiting manner. Alternative embodiments taken into consideration by the person skilled in the art are likewise encompassed by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A collapsible container for transporting goods, comprising:

a floor; and

a plurality of side walls adjacent to the floor, the plurality of side walls and the floor encompassing a transport volume that is defined in the set-up state by the top of the floor, and by the insides of the side walls, whereby at least one first side wall has at least one door for loading and unloading the container, at least one side wall adjacent to the door, and at least one guide rail being arranged essentially horizontally for swiveling the door and for sliding the door along the guide rail, whereby the door engages vertically via a pin into a first hole or into a first depression in the guide rail on one door hinge per guide rail so as to swivel, and the guide rail is configured in such a way that, by lifting the door, the pin being removable from the first hole or from the first depression without allowing the door hinge to be removed from the guide rail, and in this state, the door sliding along the guide rail parallel to the side wall, so that the inside of the door faces the outside of the side wall, so that the door hinge is also attached so as to rotate around a vertical axis of rotation, and so that the guide rail has a cutout on the front, preferably a vertical slot, through which a sliding guide installed on the inside of the door engages into the guide rail, and the sliding guide is guided by the guide rail during the further movement.

2. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the front of the guide rail comprises a front stop that prevents the door hinge from being pulled out of the front of the guide rail.

3. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the guide rail has a rear stop in the rear part in order to prevent the door hinge from being pulled out of the rear of the guide rail.

4. The collapsible container recited in claim 3, in which the rear stop includes a second hole or a second depression into which the pin of the door hinge engages vertically.

5. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the cutout widens in the direction of the front.

6. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the guide rail comprises an essentially U-shaped profile as the bottom part, and a strip projecting essentially vertically from the side wall as the top part.

7. The collapsible container recited in claim 6, in which the sliding guide engages into the U-shaped profile and slides on the outer edge of the U-shaped profile.

8. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the guide rail comprises an essentially U-shaped profile as the top part, and a strip projecting essentially vertically from the side wall as the bottom part.

9. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the sliding guide comprises at least two angle brackets arranged essentially at the same height on the inside of the door or as an angle rail or rail having a U-shaped profile and attached essentially horizontally to the inside of the door.

10. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the door hinge is rotatably mounted on the door as a vertical pin in a bushing that is attached to the door and that has an inner diameter that is adapted to the pin, whereby the pin is configured in such a way that it is affixed to the bushing in the vertical direction.

11. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the side wall that is adjacent to the door comprises two guide rails, and the door comprises two door hinges for swiveling the door and for sliding the door along the guide rail.

12. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which the first side wall comprises two doors that are configured as a double-leaf door.

13. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which, on the side of the door opposite from the door hinges, the door has a first fastening device that is provided in order to join the door to the side wall that is opposite from the door hinges, or, in the case of a double-leaf door, the fastening device is provided for joining the door to the other door of the double-leaf door.

14. The collapsible container recited in claim 13, in which the fastening device is arranged on the top of the door so as to fold down, and comprises a ring-shaped protection cap that can be placed over a second fastening device provided for this purpose or that can be placed over the door frame of the other door of the double-leaf door that is adjacent to the door.

15. The collapsible container recited in claim 1, in which at least one first locking device is arranged on the side of the door facing the floor, and correspondingly, at least one second locking device is arranged on the floor of the container, whereby the first and second locking devices are configured in such a way that the door is affixed to the floor when the first locking device engages with the second locking device.