Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/02—Large containers rigid
  • B65D88/12—Large containers rigid specially adapted for transport
  • B65D88/121—ISO containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/52—Large containers collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected
  • B65D88/522—Large containers collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected all side walls hingedly connected to each other or to another component of the container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/52—Large containers collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected
  • B65D88/526—Large containers collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected with detachable side walls
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
  • B65D90/02—Wall construction
  • B65D90/021—Flexible side walls or doors

Definitions

• the invention relates to a container structure of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 1.
• a drawback with standardized transport containers is that they contain goods only during a part of the time of transport.
• transporting of an empty container is relatively expensive, and it has therefore been suggested to make the containers foldable so that they only require a small volume in folded condition.
• the container structure should have a simple design permitting quick, simple and effective erection and folding of the container, into a size which preferably will permit folded containers to be inserted into an erected container through an open longside of such a container of standard size.
• the object of the invention is to provide a container structure having the above mentioned features.
• the invention will be disclosed in the form of a simplified example of a container structure, which contains the necessary features for working the invention.
• the container structure will therefore be described as a specific but not limiting embodiment which can be further developed in various ways into a standard container being practically useful.
• Figure 1 shows schematically a side view of a container structure in folded condition.
• Figure 2 shows a side view of one half of the container structure being erected.
• Figure 3 shows an upper corner portion of the structure according to figure 2 at a final phase of the erection of the container structure.
• Figure 4 shows schematically the erected structure in a perspective view.
• Figure 5 shows, in a larger scale, the portion V in figure
• FIG 1 there is shown an elongated rectangular bottom plate 1 and a roof plate 2 of substantially equal size and parallel to the bottom plate, and two end walls 4 which are pivotably connected by a pivot joint 5 at each end of the bottom plate 1.
• the end walls 4 have a forwardly projecting journaling tongue 41 which is connected to the pivot joint 5 being situated at half the height of the bottom plate 1 and at a corresponding distance from the end of the bottom plate 1, so that the end walls 4, in a 90° erected position from the bottom plate 1, will be supported by the ends of the bottom plate and possibly also by the ground underlying the bottom plate 1.
• the end walls 4, at the end portion being freely movable in relation to the pivot' joint 5, carries a link 7 which is connected to the end wall by a pivot joint 6, for example at the corner between its inside and its end surface.
• the other end of the link 7 has a perpendicular pin 72, which is received in a longitudinal groove 20 in the side surface of the roof plate 2.
• the groove 20 has a first end in the region of the link 7, i.e. at the joint 6, and a second end 21 adjacent to the adjoining end of the roof plate 2.
• a spring 30 inserted between the pin 72 and the end 21 of the groove.
• the roof plate 2 has a length which is substantially equal to the length B of the bottom plate 1.
• the length of each end wall 4, in the plane of figure 1, is less than half of B.
• a lifting fork is inserted into the roof plate in its longitudinally central region for lifting the roof plate 2, so that the end walls 4 are erected at the joint 5 towards the position shown in figure 2.
• the roof plate may have transversal openings for the fork fingers 71 of the lifting fork between the upper and lower sides of the plate.
• the roof plate may have lifting fittings which can be located flush with the roof plate between the operations for lowering and lifting the roof plate.
• the link 7 will have a tendency of compressing the spring 30 against the end 21 of the groove.
• the movement upon further lifting the fork 71, the movement will not pass the position shown in figure 2, where the walls 4 stand at an acute angle ⁇ relative to the vertical .
• a compression spring 40 is inserted between a shaft 45 at the bottom plate 1 and a pin 42 engaging in a groove 32 on the tongue 41.
• the longitudinal central point of the groove 43 will lie on a connecting line 42 between the pivot joint 5 of the end wall 4 and the journaling shaft 45 of the spring 40.
• the longitudinal direction of the groove 43 is now substantially perpendicular to the connecting line 44 between the shafts 45 and 5. If the angle ⁇ (figure 2) is increased, as is the case when folding the container structure, i.e. folding the wall 4 towards the bottom plate 1, the pin 42 will be displaced to the lower end of the groove 43.
• the walls 4 at their inside may have supporting means 8 for the roof plate 1 when the latter is correctly received between the upper portions of the erected side walls, so that the upper side of the roof plate 2 is flush with the upper edge of each erected side wall 4.
• the side walls 4 When the side walls 4 are totally erected, they will be supported at their lower ends at their inside on the end of the bottom plate 1, at least at a level below the level of the pivot joint 5.
• the ends of the bottom plate 1 may be rounded in the region above the level of the pivot joint 5 in order to permit the pivoting movement of the end wall 4.
• the erected container structure i.e. according to figure 4, can be closed by means of parallel walls covering the respective opening being defined by the side edges of the roof plate, the bottom plate and the end walls.
• These walls may for example consist of a flexible cover in order to prevent rain and dust to enter into the inside of the container structure.
• a container structure according to figure 4 may be folded together in a simple manner by engaging a lifting fork 71 with a roof plate 2 in its longitudinally central area and lifting the roof plate 2 towards the position shown in figure 3 and further upwards, whereby the walls 4 will be pivoted at the pivot joints 5 by the action of the springs 30, so that the spring 40 will be compressed and the pin 42 moves downwards towards the lower end of the groove 43, whereupon the walls 4 will be folded by gravity towards the bottom plate 1 when the lifting fork 71 is lowered, so that the container structure will be folded into the state shown in figure 1.
• the device according to figure 5 may be regarded as an energy accumulator 50 which is loaded when the wall is erected and, above all, may provide a mechanical force so as to exert a rotary torque on the side wall 4 for erecting the latter, when the wall 4 has reached its maximum erective movement under the influence of the lifting fork 71 and the interaction between the pin 72 of the link 7 and the spring 30.
• the accumulator 50 will thus be loaded by the lifting fork when erecting the wall 4 and may thereupon provide a rotary torque causing the wall 4 to exert an extra pivoting movement towards a vertical position, so that the roof plate 2 can be lowered between the upright walls 4.
• the compression spring 40 is guided on a central rod extending between the pivot shaft 45 and the pin 42.
• the spring 40 may be accommodated within a cylindrical chamber inside a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder part having a piston, the cylinder part and the piston being mutually displaceable along the axis of the cylinder part and being connected to the pin 42 and the pivot shaft 45, respectively.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
• Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=40468147

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (6)

Citations (5)

• 2007
  • 2007-09-19 SE SE0702093A patent/SE0702093L/sv not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2008
  • 2008-09-17 WO PCT/SE2008/000517 patent/WO2009038518A1/en active Search and Examination

Patent Citations (5)

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