WO2008145784A1

WO2008145784A1 - Container with foldable side walls for bulk materials

Info

Publication number: WO2008145784A1
Application number: PCT/ES2008/000363
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manuel Blay Orenga; Luis Asensio Cotillas; Rafael Perucho Montalvo; Javier Ramon Garcia Aranda; Emilio Gil Serrano
Original assignee: Industrias Alegre, S.A.
Priority date: 2007-05-25
Filing date: 2008-05-23
Publication date: 2008-12-04
Also published as: ES1065563Y; ES1065563U

Abstract

Container with foldable side walls for bulk materials which has a bottom, lesser sides and greater sides. With at least two foldable opposite sides. Each foldable side comprises an upper section and a lower section, with means of hinging and/or fastening between said sections and between the lower section and the rest of the container. The size of the upper section is less than half the size of the lower section and for opposite sides the same folding direction for the hinging means is applied. Thus, when it is folded on one side by acting on both hinging means, and on the opposite side by acting on the first means, it is possible to act on this opposite side on the second means in such a way as to leave the upper sections, of said opposite sides, coplanar, parallel to their lower sections and parallel to the bottom of the container.

Description

CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR MATERIALS

BULK OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as expressed in the statement of this specification, refers to a container with folding side walls for bulk materials whose essential purpose is to provide a container with folding side walls that incorporates a folding system for its walls prior to folding, thus optimizing the occupied space of the container once folded. Said container is intended for the transport of bulk materials and can be used in the logistics and transportation industry of different materials and / or parts; however, other applications of the invention are not discarded.

By folding the container, its use cycle is optimized, so that once empty, its transport is facilitated to its starting position of the corresponding cycle in which the material to be transported would be reloaded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various types of folding containers for the logistics and transportation industry are known, these known containers incorporating various implementations of the folding of their walls to optimize the cycle of use of the corresponding containers.

Thus, two examples of these conventional containers are those reflected in EP 1910275 and ES 1020520, these containers being embodiments with certain folding systems of their walls, however very different, as any average expert in the matter can be appreciated, to the container provided by the present invention.

We do not know in the current state of the art any container that presents a type of folding in its side walls analogous to that facilitated by the invention, with first folding sectors prior to folding and providing three different heights in the configuration of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the inconveniences indicated in previous sections, the invention consists of a container with foldable side walls for bulk material, the container or box having a bottom, with smaller or front sides and larger sides. or sides and being foldable at least two opposite sides of said sides.

Novelly, according to the invention, each of said foldable sides is composed of an upper section and a lower section, establishing first means of articulation and / or fixation between said sections and second means of articulation and / or fixation between the lower section and the rest of the container, the size of the upper section being smaller than half of the lower section and the direction of folding of said first means being established on opposite sides in the same direction; so that having folded on one of the sides, acting on the first and second means, and on the opposite side on the first means, one can act on this opposite side on the second means to be the upper sections, of said opposite sides, coplanar, parallel to its lower sections and parallel to the bottom of the container. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the container has a rectangular contour in which the aforementioned foldable sides, with lower section and with upper section, are established only on the major sides of the box or container; while the smaller sides have a conventional folding by means of inward folding.

In addition, in the aforementioned preferred embodiment, the sides, bottom, sections and means, that is, the entire container, is made of plastic material.

The aforementioned first means and second means are capable of being conventional means of articulation and / or fixation.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the invention, said upper sections include closure pieces that can be connected to the smaller or front sides, provided with a tilting axis, a latch that penetrates or exits on the corresponding minor side as it is in the position of locking or releasing the latch, and a flexor element whose pressure enables the said release position; Presenting the main body of this closing piece an "L" section that facilitates a hollow for the user's fingers in the extension and collection operations of the upper sections. With the structure described above, the container of the invention has the advantage that it facilitates a novel type of folding, with means of easy realization and simple use, providing a container that optimizes the occupancy space by means of a very different original embodiment. of those existing in the state of the art. In addition, the container with collapsible side walls described in the present invention can incorporate, in its lower sides or front walls and in the lower sections of its larger sides, reinforcement profiles or ribs. Said profiles or ribs may adopt a cross-shaped configuration to give greater mechanical strength and stiffness to the walls.

Next, in order to facilitate a better understanding of this descriptive report and as an integral part thereof, some figures are attached in which the object of the invention has been shown as an illustrative and non-limiting nature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1.- Represents a perspective view of a container with folding side walls for bulk materials made according to the present invention and with its walls fully deployed; having removed part of one of its sides for a better appreciation of the rest of the container. Figure 2.- Represents a perspective view of the container of the previous figure 1 once part of the folding thereof has been made.

Figure 3.- Represents a perspective view of the container of the previous figures, an additional folding operation having been carried out with respect to the situation of figure 2.

Figure 4.- Represents a perspective view of the container of the previous figures completely folded on two opposite sides, that is with an additional folding operation with respect to the situation of figure 3.

Figure 5.- Represents an elevation view of a detail of the container of the previous figures, showing the connection between a major and minor side of the container by means of a closing piece, said piece being in the locked position.

Figure 6.- It is a view analogous to that of the previous figure 5 but the closing part being in the release position, showing with an arrow the pressure to be exerted on the said part to determine said release position.

Figure 7. - Represents a perspective and sectioned view according to the cut-off line AA indicated in the previous figure 5 of a detail of said closing piece, to show its "L" section that provides a hollow for the user's fingers .

Figure 8.- It is a perspective view of the closure piece referred to in Figures 5 to 7, separated from the rest of the container.

Figure 9.- It is another perspective view of the piece referred to in the previous figure 8.

Figure 10.- Perspective view of a particular embodiment of the container with folding side walls for bulk materials described in the present invention; having removed part of one of its sides for a better appreciation of the rest of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Next, a description of an example of the invention is made with reference to the numbering adopted in the figures.

Thus, the container with foldable side walls for bulk materials of the present example is a container or box 1 with two smaller sides or slats 2, with a bottom 3 and with larger sides or determined sides each of them by an upper section 4 and by a lower section 5, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Between each upper section 4 and lower section 5 there are first articulation and fixing means 6, while between each lower section 5 and the rest of the container 1 there are second articulation and fixing means.

7, as can be seen in Figures 1 to 3.

In the present example, the container 1 has a rectangular contour in which foldable sides according to the invention are established that correspond only to the larger sides of the container 1, but in other examples this type of folding could be used for the smaller or front sides , or for the four sides of the container, the same type of folding being carried out on two opposite two sides. In the present example, the smaller sides 2 have a conventional folding by inwardly folding.

Likewise, in the present example both sides 2, and bottom 3, upper sections 4 and lower sections 5, and the first means 6 and second means 7, that is to say the entire container 1 is made of plastic material, but in others Other embodiments of the invention could be used.

On the other hand, in the present example, said first means 6 and second means 7 are conventional articulation and fixing means, but in other embodiments, articulation and / or fixing means of specific design could be employed.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the upper sections 4 include closure pieces 8, shown in Figures 5 to 9, which connect the smaller sides or pockets 2 with said upper sections 4. These pieces, to the As was said for the rest of the container, they can also be made with plastic material.

Each closure piece 8 is provided with a tilting shaft 10 and a latch 9 that penetrates or exits on the corresponding minor side 2 determining the locking and release positions shown in Figures 5 and 6.

In addition, each closure piece 8 includes a flexor element 11 whose pressure enables the release position of Figure 6. On the other hand, each closure piece 8 is provided with an "L" section, as shown in Figure 7 , which provides a gap 12 for the user's fingers in the extension and collection operations of the corresponding upper section 4. When these closing parts 8 are included, the folding of the upper 4 and lower sections 5 on one of the sides must be carried out in simultaneously, since the side walls of the smaller sides 2 would prevent the folding of the upper section 4 on the side that said folding is made inwards due to the retention system determined by the closure pieces 8, so that the container only It has two useful positions, one in which it is fully folded which is the storage position and another in which it is fully deployed which is the loading position.

In the folding of the container one of the major sides with its sections 4 and 5 folds in zigzag, while on the opposite side the two sections 4 and 5 fold in the same direction towards the inside of the container. In order for the folding according to the invention to be carried out, the upper sections 4 must be less than half the size of the corresponding sections lower 5, so that the folded upper section 4 adapts to the space provided by the stepping of the folded and folded opposite side, as can be seen in Figure 3. This use of space is facilitated due to the same direction of folding of the upper sections 4, as seen in figures 1 to 2.

The process of folding the container is shown sequentially in Figures 1 to 4, so that the container being fully deployed (Figure 1) proceeds to the folding of an upper section 4 and the corresponding lower section 5 in zig-zag (Figure 2 ). Next, an opposite side is folded inwards, folding its two sections but instead of zig-zag in the same direction (figure 3) to finally be the two upper sections 4 coplanar to the bottom 3 of the container (figure 4). Obviously, the deployment of the container is carried out by reverse steps to those described for folding.

Additionally, in a particular embodiment, the container with collapsible side walls for bulk materials described in the present invention incorporates, on its minor sides or slats (2) and on the lower sections (5) of its major sides, profiles or ribs ( 13) reinforcement, adopting said profiles or ribs (13) cross-shaped configuration to give greater mechanical strength and stiffness to the walls.

Claims

1. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, presenting the container or box (1) a bottom (3), smaller sides or pockets (2) and larger sides or sides, being foldable at least two opposite sides of said sides; characterized in that each of said foldable sides is composed of an upper section (4) and a lower section (5), establishing first articulation and / or fixing means (6) between said sections (4, 5) and a few second means of articulation and / or fixation (7) between the lower section (5) and the rest of the container (1); the size of the upper section (4) being less than half the size of the lower section (5) and the direction of folding of said first means (6) being established on opposite sides in the same direction; so that having made the folding on one of the sides when acting on the first and second means, and on the opposite side on the first means, one can act on this opposite side on the second means to be the upper sections (4 ), of said opposite sides, coplanar, parallel to their lower sections and parallel to the bottom (3) of the container (1).

2. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized in that said container has a rectangular contour in which said foldable sides, with lower section (5) and with upper section (4), are established only in the major sides of the box or container (1); while the smaller sides (2) have a conventional folding by means of inward folding

3. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized because said sides (2), bottom (3), sections (4, 5) and means (6, 7), that is the container (1) as a whole, is made of plastic material.

4. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized in that said first means (6) and second means (7) are capable of being conventional articulation and / or fixing means.

5. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper sections (4) include closure pieces (8) connectable to the smaller or tester sides (2), provided with a tilting axis (10), a latch (9) that penetrates or exits on the corresponding minor side (2) as it is in the locked or released position of the latch

(9), and a flexor element (11) whose pressure enables said release position; the main body of this closure piece (8) presenting an "L" section that facilitates a gap (12) for the user's fingers in the extension and collection operations of said upper sections (4).

6. - CONTAINER WITH FOLDING SIDE WALLS FOR BULK MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized incorporates, in its minor sides or tester (2) and in the lower sections (5) of its major sides, profiles or reinforcement ribs (13) , adopting said profiles or ribs (13) cross-shaped configuration.