FR2667298A1 - CONTAINER WITH FOAM ELEMENTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

The container comprises relatively rigid plastic foam elements (2, 4) held by a support structure comprising two shells (6, 8) movable relative to each other around a direction of articulation (D) . Locking means (38, 40) are provided to hold the container in a closed position. The foam elements (2, 4) protrude from the shells (6, 8) at their axially opposite ends with respect to their direction of articulation (D).

Description

The present invention relates to a device for containing objects, or

  container, comprising plastic foam elements for handling or

transport of these objects.

  Foam plastic containers are appreciated for their lightness, thermal insulation and shock absorption qualities. They are particularly suitable for transport

fragile objects.

  It is known from US-A-3 327 882 to produce containers formed from relatively rigid plastic foam panels which can be assembled in a removable manner for the maritime transport of various goods. According to this document, the cohesion of the container is

  secured by straps that surround it externally.

  These straps are impractical to put in place and strongly compress the foam when passing over the edges

  of the container This may result in incipient bursts.

  The storage of these straps also poses a problem of

even the risk of their loss.

  In its previous French patent application No. 89 13077, the applicant described a container formed of several elements of plastic foam assembled in a removable manner, in which a body and a cover coming from the cutting of a block of plastic foam, are removably assembled by means of anchoring plates supported on the external surface of the body and of the cover and comprising hooks engaged in oblique recesses formed in the foam, the plates

being connected by fasteners.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a container with foam plastic elements which is well suited for handling fragile objects and which has improved robustness qualities while

remaining light and handy.

  According to the invention, this container comprising plastic foam elements is characterized in that it further comprises a support structure comprising at least two shells movable relative to each other around a direction of articulation and locking means for holding the container in a closed position, and in that the foam elements protrude from the shells at their ends axially

  opposite with respect to said direction of articulation.

  In the container according to the invention, the support structure stiffens the device and protects the foam elements surrounded by the shells The ends of the container are nevertheless part of foam elements, which reduces the risk of damage to objects that it contains in the event of shock, by damping

  shock from the foam near the ends.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one foam element is fixed

  removably in a shell of the support structure.

  The device is then modular, the same support structure being able to receive different foam elements when it is desired to transport or present

different objects.

  In a preferred version of the invention, each shell of the support structure comprises a main face, a rear flange carrying articulation means and a front flange carrying locking means. The container can then be handled like a suitcase whose sides are stiffened by the main faces of the shells and whose ends are protected by the foam elements protruding from the shells. Other features and advantages of the

  present invention will appear in the description

  detailed below of a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment, read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container according to the invention in the partially opened position; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 in the closed position; Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of components of the container of Figures 1 and

2;

  Figure 5 is an elevational view of the container of Figures 1 to 4 in the fully open position; and Figure 6 is a perspective view

  illustrating a variant of the invention.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, it can be seen that the example described of a container according to the invention comprises two relatively rigid plastic foam elements 2, 4 whose outer contour has a shape

parallelepiped.

  The foam constituting the elements 2, 4 may have a density of 45 kg / m 3 for example, the foam chosen being all the more dense the heavier the objects to be housed in the container or the greater the mechanical resistance required of the container. A suitable material for making elements 2, 4 is polyurethane, in the form of closed cell foam.

to ensure their impermeability.

  A rectangular recess 12, 14 is made

  in the larger face of the foam elements 2, 4.

  These recesses 12, 14 serve to house the objects in the container. Possibly the recesses 12, 14 may contain other elements of lighter and more flexible foam (not shown) in which are cut patterns conforming to the outer contour.

  objects housed in the container.

  The relatively rigid foam elements 2, 4 are arranged in two rigid shells 6, 8 forming

  part of a support structure 10 of the container.

  In the description below, we will designate

  by container body the assembly formed by the foam element 4 and the shell 8 and by the container cover

  the assembly formed by the foam element 2 and the shell 6.

  The support structure 10 of the container is shown in FIG. 4 without the foam elements 2, 4 Each of the shells 6, 8 is formed from a rectangular aluminum plate of which two opposite sides are folded along an edge 3, 7 to form a front edge 16, 18 and along an edge 5, 9 to form a rear edge 20, 22 extending to about 900 from a main face 24, 26, on the same side of said main face 24, 26 Des light rigid materials other than aluminum can of course be used to make the shells 6, 8, for example a plastic material (PVC or the like) The shells 6, 8 are hinged together by their rear edges 20, 22 which carry articulation means 28 In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the articulation means comprise three hinges 28 whose articulation axes define the direction D of articulation of the shells 6, 8 This direction of articulation D is parallel to x edges 3, 5, 7, 9 of the shells 6, 8 marking the fold between the flanges 16, 18, 20, 22 and the main faces 24, 26 Each hinge 28 comprises two metal members 30, 32 pivoting one relative to the other around an axis of articulation 34 coinciding with the direction of articulation D of the shells 6, 8 Said members 30, 32 are fixed respectively to the flanges 20, 22 of the shells 6, 8 near their ends parallel to the direction of articulation D and opposite the edge 5, 9 For example, they can each be fixed by

multiple rivets 36.

  On the front flanges 16, 18 of the shells 6, 8 are fixed locking means, respectively 38, The container can thus be held in the position illustrated in FIG. 2, by closing two locks each consisting of a first part 38 riveted to the front edge 16 of the shell 6 of the cover, near the end opposite the edge 3 and to a second piece riveted to the front edge 18 of the shell 8 of the body, near the end opposite to the edge 7 These second lock pieces 40 each carry a lever attachment of a well known type which, in the closed position of the container, cooperates with a complementary groove shape carried by the first lock piece 38 to lock the container in closed position In order to guide and position the container body relative to the cover in the closed position, the first lock piece 38 has a tongue 42 which engages in an additional housing 44 pr seen on the second piece

lock 40.

  The positioning of the body and of the cover in the closed position is also made more precise by the fact that the front edge 18 of the shell 8 of the body has a height greater than the thickness of the foam element 4 while the rim front 16 of the shell 6 of the cover has a height less than the thickness of the foam element 2 We see in Figures 1 and 2 this configuration which ensures precise positioning of the

  cover relative to the container body.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that, parallel to the direction of articulation D, the length of the foam elements 2, 4 is greater than that of the shells 6, 8 so that, at the ends 46, 48 of the shells 6, 8 axially opposite with respect to the direction of articulation D, the foam elements 2, 4

protrude from the shells 6, 8.

  When the container is in the closed position (Figure 2), the foam elements 2, 4 are surrounded by their shell 6, 8 except beyond their

ends 46, 48.

  In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the foam elements 2, 4 are

  removably mounted in their respective hulls 6, 8.

  One can for example slightly compress a foam element 2 to make it penetrate between the two opposite edges 16, 20 of the same shell 6 The foam element 2 then holds in place by the elastic force exerted by the foam. In this embodiment, it can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, that the foam element 2 is further wedged by means of lateral flanges 50 folded 900 inwards at the lateral ends 46 of the shell 6, these flanges lateral 50 being engaged in complementary slots 52 provided on the surface of the foam element 2 intended to be applied against the main face 24 of the shell 2 The lateral flanges 50 have of course a reduced height compared to the thickness of

the foam element 2.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the container comprises a grip handle 56 mounted on two supports 58 riveted to the front edge 18 of the shell 8 of the container body, the supports 58 being of course fixed in a position intended to balance the container when lifted by the

handle 56.

  The elevation view of FIG. 5 shows that the container comprises feet, in particular in the form of protrusions 60, 62 carried respectively by the rear flanges 20, 22 of the shells 6, 8 These protrusions, 62 can be rubber pads riveted in the flanges 20, 22 The shell 8 of the body of the container may also have feet 64 of the same type on its

  main face 26 for laying the container flat.

  In FIG. 5, the container is shown in the fully open position. It can be seen that the feet 60, 62 are arranged on the rear edges 20, 22 in an offset manner so that their presence does not hamper the opening of the container. In addition, the hinges 28 are provided so that the height h of the feet 60, 62 does not prevent the container from being completely opened at 1800. For this purpose, their pivoting members 30, 32 each have a flat part 31, 33 riveted respectively on the rim , 22 of the corresponding shell 6, 8 and the difference d between the plane defined by any one of said flat parts 31, 33 and the hinge axis 34 of the hinge 28 is greater than half the height h feet, 62 This prevents the feet 60, 62 from opposing the complete opening of the container at 1800 by abutting against

the edges 22, 20.

  The container described above is well suited for the transport of fragile objects Its sides are reinforced by the rigid shells 6, 8 and the shocks which it could undergo are generally absorbed because these shocks most often occur at the lateral ends of the container, which are, in the context of the invention,

  formed by parts of the foam elements 2, 4.

  In addition, the container according to the invention is inexpensive, although it has satisfactory mechanical qualities and it can easily be aesthetic or carry ornamental patterns. It also has an advantage of modularity since the same container can be used for transport different objects by replacing the lighter foam elements housed in the recesses 12, 14 or by changing the relatively rigid foam elements 2, 4 while retaining the same support structure 10 The container according to the invention

  can easily be custom made.

  Many variations can be made

  in the example described without departing from the scope of the invention.

  Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a shell 102 can have an opening 100 in its main face 124, a plate 104 being placed inside the shell 102 between its main face 124 and the element

  foam (not shown) to be housed in the shell 102.

  In the example shown in Figure 6, the plate 104 has a projecting portion 101 whose dimensions coincide with those of the opening 100 and a rabbet 103 intended to bear against the main face 124 of the shell 102 The plate 104 is held in the shell 102 by the presence of the foam element and by the adaptation of the projecting part 101

in opening 100.

  In this example, the shell 102 can be made of aluminum and the plate 104 made of plastic, with the

  projecting part 101 bearing a pattern or the like.

  Of course, other assembly methods can be used to constitute the shells of the

support structure.

  In the examples shown in the figures, the recess 12, 14 passes through the thickness of the foam element 2, 4 in which it is made, which facilitates the introduction of a lighter foam secondary element into said recess 12 Of course, the recess 12 could have a depth less than the thickness of the foam element or have any shape, for example following the contours of the object to be

carry.

  Other variants will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is possible, for example, to glue the foam elements in the shells or to provide suitable hinges so that the body and the lid of the container can be separated in the open position. This type of modification does not not allow you to distinguish yourself from the

present invention.

Claims (7)

  1 container comprising plastic foam elements (2, 4), characterized in that it further comprises a support structure (10) comprising at least two shells (6, 8) movable relative to each other around an articulation direction (D) and locking means (38, 40) to keep the container in a closed position, and in that the foam elements (2, 4) protrude from the shells (6, 8) at their ends (46, 48) axially opposite with respect to   said articulation direction (D).   2 container according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one foam element (2) is removably fixed in a shell (6) of the support structure (10). 3 Container conforming to one of   claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each shell   (6, 8) of the support structure (10) comprises a main face (24, 26), a rear edge (20, 22) carrying articulation means (30, 32) and a front edge   (16, 18) carrying locking means (38, 40).   4 container according to claim 3, characterized in that each shell (6, 8) of the support structure (10) further comprises at least one side flange (50), and in that a foam element (2 , 4) disposed in said shell (6, 8) comprises a slot (52) complementary to said side flange (50), the side flange (50) being engaged in said slot (52) to hold the foam element (2) together , 4) and the hull (6, 8). Container conforms to one of   claims 3 or 4, characterized in that it comprises   gripping means (56) carried by the front edge (18) of a shell (8) of the support structure (10). 6 Container conforming to one of   Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that it comprises   feet (60, 62) in the form of protuberances on the   rear edges (20, 22) of the shells (6, 8).   7 container according to claim 6, characterized in that the shells (6, 8) are hinged together by at least one hinge (28) comprising two members (30, 32) pivoting relative to each other around an articulation axis (34) defining the articulation direction (D) of the shells (6, 8), these two members (30, 32) each comprising a flat part (31, 33) fixed on the rear edge (20, 22) of a respective shell (6, 8), the difference (d) between the plane defined by one of said planar parts (31, 33) and the articulation axis (34) being greater at half the height (h) of feet (60, 62).   8 container according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one shell (102) of the support structure is produced by assembling elements comprising at least one plate (104) disposed   along the main face (124) of said shell (102).