WO1996020861A1

WO1996020861A1 - A goods container

Info

Publication number: WO1996020861A1
Application number: PCT/GB1996/000021
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harry Hagelberg; Markku Matoniemi
Original assignee: Elopak Limited
Priority date: 1995-01-07
Filing date: 1996-01-08
Publication date: 1996-07-11
Also published as: GB9500291D0

Abstract

A nestable roll container includes a goods-supporting base wall (1) which is latched in a nesting condition by engagement of a pin (27) in a pocket (29) off a horizontal guide slot (28) formed through a vertical, laterally inner plate (18) of a wheelbox (5), the pin (27) being at the free end of an arm (26) pivotally mounted on the wall (1). When an adjacent lateral wall (7) is turned laterally inwards, as the wall reaches its end position of movement the pin (27) is lifted out of the pocket (29) by a lifting cam fixed to the inner end of a rigid strap (31) connected to the wall (7) and serving to limit laterally outward turning of the wall (7). Thus, the pin (27) is then free to slide forwards along the slot (28), to allow the base wall (1) to turn downwards into a horizontal position in which it engages in front wheel mountings (13). There are preferably two latching devices (26-29) and two releasing devices (32), one at each lateral side of the roll container.

Description

"A GOODS CONTAINER" This invention relates to a goods container- Nestable roll containers are known, from for example US-A-4199164 and WO-A-81/01820, comprising a rear crosspiece mounting a pair of rear ground wheels, two lateral walls pivotally supported at their rears on the crosspiece so as to be turnable about respective vertical axes and supported at their fronts by respective front ground castor wheels, and a base pivotally supported at its rear on the crosspiece so as to be turnable about a horizontal axis. The base is turnable between a horizontal position in which it carries goods and a substantially vertical position in which it can be nested horizontally with the bases of identical roll containers. The lateral walls are turnable between respective goods-confining positions substantially parallel with each other and respective outwardly-swung positions in which they can be nested horizontally with the respective lateral walls of the identical roll containers. The lateral walls and the base are retained, and released from, their various end positions in various ways.

In US-A-4199164, the lateral walls have respective spiral camming plates fixed to their rears and co-operating with respective hook-form followers fixed to the sides of the rear part of the base. The camming arrangement is such that turning downwards of the base forcedly turns the lateral walls inwards and that turning upwards of the base forcedly turns the lateral walls outwards, the followers dropping into notches in the camming plates (with the base of course dropping therewith) when the base reaches a vertical position, to prevent the base from falling back into its horizontal position, in which downward protrusions from the front part of the base engage in holes in front wheel plates of the respective lateral walls.

In WO-A-81/01820, the side walls of the container also include a front gate and a rear wall to which the lateral walls are hingedly connected. The lateral walls are retained in their goods-confining positions by engagement of downward protrusions from the base in holes in front wheel plates of the lateral walls, which are prevented from swinging outwardly beyond their desired nesting positions by co-operation of locks thereon with upwardly bent parts on the crosspiece. The base mounts a lock which co-operates with an upwardly bent portion of the crosspiece for retention of the base in its nesting position.

In GB-A-1454034, the lateral walls are so hinged, to a rear wall itself fixed to the crosspiece, as to permit not only the swinging of the lateral walls but also a limited upward movement of the lateral walls. The base is retained in its substantially vertical position, in which it is slightly forwardly inclined, by engagement between two hooks fixed to respective opposite sides of the front part of the base and respective gripping means provided on the lateral walls and adapted to co-operate with the hooks so that the base and the lateral walls are retained in the nesting condition relative to each other. The lower edges of the lateral walls are each of inverted channel section and the hooks include respective beads adapted to co-operate with the inverted channels to retain the lateral walls in their goods-confining positions. To bring the lateral walls to their outwardly-swung conditions, the lateral walls are first swung slightly inwards while being slightly raised to clear the beads and then, when their lower edges are free of the hooks, are raised to positions in which they can be swung outwardly over the hooks. In its horizontal position, the base rests upon a frame which includes the rear crosspiece and mounts the four ground wheels.

According to the present invention there is provided a goods container comprising a substantially horizontal goods- supporting wall, first and second, substantially vertical, lateral, goods-confining walls at respective opposite sides of said supporting wall, substantially horizontal pivot means pivotally mounting said supporting wall for turning about a substantially horizontal axis, in an edge region of said supporting wall, between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position, first and second substantially vertical pivot means pivotally mounting the respective confining walls for turning about respective substantially vertical axes, in respective edge regions of said confining walls, between respective goods-confining positions in which said confining walls are substantially parallel with each other and respective outwardly-swung positions in which the confining walls have been swung outwardly away from each other, and latching means arranged to latch said supporting wall in said substantially vertical position, characterised in that releasing means carried by the goods container itself serves to release said latching means to permit return of said supporting wall to said substantially horizontal position when the first confining wall is swung inwardly into substantially its goods- confining position. Owing to the invention it is possible to ensure that the supporting wall remains latched in its substantially vertical position unless the first confining wall occupies substantially its goods-confining position.

Advantageously, while the supporting wall is in its substantially vertical position, it is continuously urged to return to its substantially horizontal position, for example under its own weight, in which case it does not turn into a truly vertical position, and/or under the action of a spring, the latching means serving to latch the supporting wall against return to its substantially horizontal position.

It is also advantageous if the releasing means is operated by the first confining wall, so that the latching means is automatically released by swinging of the first confining wall into substantially its goods-confining position.

Preferably, the latching means is fully released by the releasing means only when both confining walls are swung inwardly into substantially their respective goods-confining positions, to ensure that both confining walls are in substantially their goods-confining positions before the supporting wall can return to its substantially horizontal position. In such circumstances, the latching means may consist of two latching devices at the respective opposite sides of the supporting wall and the releasing means comprise two releasing devices operated by the respective confining walls.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a roll container, Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the roll container,

Figure 3 is a side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow III in Figure 1, of an inside plate of a rear wheelbox of the roll container, and

Figure 4 shows a plan view of a plate serving to limit outward swinging of a lateral vertical wall of the goods container.

Referring to the drawings, the goods container includes a substantially horizontal, goods-supporting, base wall 1 in the form of a wire mesh 2 fixed on top of a metal framework 3; a rear, metal cross-bar 4; two rear wheelboxes 5 welded to respective opposite ends of the horizontal cross-bar 4; a vertical, rear, goods-confining wall 6 consisting of a metal framework; respective, opposite, lateral, vertical, goods- confining walls 7 and 8 in the form of respective metal frameworks and, at their rear vertical edges, hinged to the respective vertical edges of the wall 6 by way of vertical pivots 9 and 10; a vertical, goods-confining front wall 11 in the form of a metal framework and hinged at one of its vertical edges to the front vertical edge of the lateral wall 7 by way of a vertical pivot and latchable at its other vertical edge to the front vertical edge of the lateral wall 8 by way of a latching loop 12; respective castor wheel mountings (of which one is shown and referenced 13) at the lower front corners of the respective lateral walls 7 and 8; respective ground, castor wheels (of which one is seen and referenced 14) carried by the mountings (13) and respective rear ground wheels (of which one is seen and referenced 15) mounted in the respective wheelboxes 5. Each wheelbox 5 consists of four metal plates, namely a horizontal top plate 16, a vertical rear plate 17, a vertical, laterally inner plate 18 and a vertical, laterally outer plate 19. The plates 18 and 19 are formed with respective bearing holes 20 and 21 for an axle 22 of the rear wheel (15) . The respective inner plates 18 are formed with respective bearing holes 23 for a horizontal pivot pin 24 extending along the rear edge of the base wall 1 and about which the wall 1 may be turned from the horizontal position shown in Figure 1 into the substantially vertical position shown in Figure 2. At the respective opposite lateral edges of the wall 1 and a short distance forward from the pin 24 are respective horizontal, co-axial, pivot pins (of which one is seen and referenced 25) . whereby respective links 26 are mounted upon the wall 1. At their other ends, the links 26 have fixed thereto respective horizontal cylindrical heads 27 (if desired, the items 27 may take the form of rollers instead of fixed heads) . Formed through the respective inner plates 18 and extending generally in a front-to-rear sense of the roll container are respective substantially horizontal slots 28, the rear ends of which are formed as respective downward pockets 29. The heads 27 slide guidedly in the respective slots 28 and can drop into and thereby engage in the pockets 29 in the substantially vertical position of the wall 1 shown in Figure 2. In the horizontal position of the wall 1 shown in Figure 1, the heads 27 are just short of the front ends of the slots 28. Formed through the respective outer plates 19 are respective horizontal slots 30, again extending in the front-to-rear sense of the roll container. Extending through the respective slots 30 are hook-shaped, horizontal plates 31, the outer ends 31' of which are welded to the underneaths of the respective lateral walls 7 and 8. The plates 31 act, in effect, as rigid straps to limit the extent of outward swinging of the walls 7 and 8 about their pivots 9 and 10, by the edge vertical surfaces 31" of the respective plates 31 coming to abut against the inside surfaces of the respective outer plates 19 of the wheelboxes 5. The plates 31 have welded thereto (or formed integrally therewith) respective, substantially horizontal extensions 32, which are so designed that, as the respective walls 7 and 8 closely approach their goods-confining positions shown in Figure 1, rounded corners 32' of the respective extensions

32 are pressed beneath the respective heads 27 and cam the same upwardly out of the pockets 29 to allow the heads 27 to slide forwards and thus the wall 1 to fall into its horizontal position, in which it engages, by means not shown, in the mountings 13 and so retains the lateral walls

7 and 8 in their substantially parallel, goods-confining positions.

In use, a plurality of roll containers identical to that described and shown above may be transported by lorry in an empty, horizontally nested condition, in which the base wall 1 is in its substantially vertical position of Figure 2 and in which the lateral walls 7 and 8 are in their outwardly-swung limit positions, with the gate 11 having been swung back and held against the outside of the lateral wall 7. On arrival at premises where goods are to be loaded into the roll containers, the nested roll containers are fed automatically onto a conveying system where the lateral walls 7 and 8 are automatically swung inwards into their positions shown in Figure 1, whereby the extensions 32 automatically release the latching devices 25-29 at respective opposite sides of the base wall 1, so that the latter falls under gravity into its horizontal position in which it retains the lateral walls 7 and 8 in their goods- confining positions shown in Figure 1 (of course, in a system where the lateral walls 7 and 8 are manually swung inwards, the extensions 32 automatically release the latching devices 25-29) . Before or after the goods are loaded, the gate 11 is closed. The loaded containers are wheeled onto lorries for transport to supermarkets, for example. Once the roll containers have been emptied at the supermarkets, and with the gate 11 held against the outside of the side wall 7, the base wall 1 is lifted to release itself from the mountings 13, the lateral walls 7 and 8 are swung outwards into their limit positions and the base wall 1 is raised into its position shown in Figure 2, whereupon the heads 27 drop into the pockets 29 and the roll container thereby brought into its nesting condition for transport back on a lorry.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A goods container comprising a substantially horizontal goods-supporting wall (1) , first and second, substantially vertical, lateral, goods-confining walls (7,8) at respective opposite sides of said supporting wall (1) , substantially horizontal pivot means (24) pivotally mounting said supporting wall (1) for turning about a substantially horizontal axis, in an edge region of said supporting wall (1) , between a substantially horizontal position and a ¹⁰ substantially vertical position, first and second substantially vertical pivot means (9,10) pivotally mounting the respective confining walls (7,8) for turning about respective substantially vertical axes, in respective edge regions of said confining walls (7,8) , between respective -^ goods-confining positions in which said confining walls

(7,8) are substantially parallel with each other and respective outwardly-swung positions in which the confining walls (7,8) have been swung outwardly away from each other, and latching means (26-29) arranged to latch said supporting 20 wall (1) in said substantially vertical position, characterised in that releasing means (32) carried by the goods container itself serves to release said latching means (26-29) to permit return of said supporting wall (1) to said substantially horizontal position when the first 25 confining wall (7) is swung inwardly into substantially its goods-confining position.

2. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said substantially vertical position is slightly inclined towards said substantially horizontal position, whereby, while the

30 supporting wall (1) is in said substantially vertical position, it is continuously urged to return to said substantially horizontal position under its own weight against the action of said latching means (26-29) .

3. A goods container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a 35 spring continuously urges said supporting wall (1) to return from said substantially vertical position towards said substantially horizontal position against the action of said latching means (26-29) .

4. A goods container according to any preceding claim, wherein said releasing means (32) is operated by said first confining wall (7) , so that said latching means (26-29) is automatically released by swinging of the first confining wall (7) into substantially its goods-confining position.

5. A goods container according to claim 4, wherein said releasing means (32) comprises a lifting cam (32) connected to said first confining wall (7), said lifting cam (32) being substantially horizontally turnable with said first confining wall (7) between an inoperative position which corresponds to the outwardly-swung position of said first confining wall (7) and an operative position which corresponds to the goods-confining position of said first confining wall (7) and in which said lifting cam (32) renders said latching means (26-29) ineffective.

6. A goods container according to claim 5, wherein said lifting cam (32) constitutes an extension of a rigid strap (31) which serves to limit the extent of laterally outward turning of said first confining wall (7) .

7. A goods container according to any preceding claim, wherein said latching means (26-29) includes an arm (26) pivotally connected to said supporting wall (1) so as to be turnable about a second substantially horizontal axis and a cam (28,29) which is fixed relative to the first-mentioned substantially horizontal axis and horizontal axis and along which a free end of said arm (26) is guidedly displaceable, said cam (28,29) including a detent (29) in which said free end releasably latches.

8. A goods container according to claim 7, wherein said cam (28,29) comprises a substantially horizontal slot (28), said detent (29) comprises a pocket (29) extending downwards from said slot (28) , and said free end of said arm (26) comprises a pin (27) guided in said cam (28,29).

9. A goods container according to claim 7 or 8 as appended to claim 5, wherein said lifting cam (32) acts upon said free end to lift said free end out of latching co-operation with said detent (29) .

10. A goods container according to any preceding claim, wherein said latching means (26-29) is fully released by said releasing means (32) only when both of said confining walls (7,8) are swung inwardly into substantially their respective goods-confining positions.

11. A goods container according to claim 10, wherein said latching means (26-29) consists of two latching devices (26- 29) at the respective opposite sides of the supporting wall (1) and said releasing means comprise two releasing devices (32) operated by the respective confining walls (7,8).