US3529741A - Container having collapsible side walls - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 22, 1970 R. o; WALKER E-TAL 3,529,741

CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS Filed Nov. 18, 1968 Y 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 I F|GL4 n T* f ROV- D/A O/V W ll/(7? 2 JOHN HERO/V WWW M W Sept. 22, 1970 R. D. WALKER ETAL 3,529,741

CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS a Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 18, 1968 Sept. 22, 1970 R. D. WALKER ETAL CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 18, 1968 a She e ts-Sheet 4 FIGS . R. D.- WALKER ETAL CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS FIGS Sept. 22, 1970 Filed Nov. 18, 1968 ll'll.

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CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS Filed Nov. 18, 1968 v 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 F|G.I7c 078 70 57 C 7/ Z @9 H/A/VENTOPS' W, M M

United States Patent 3,529,741 CONTAINER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE SIDE WALLS Roy Dixon Walker and John Tabron, Barrow-in-Furness,

England, assignors to Vickers Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Nov. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 776,545 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 17, 1967, 52,531/ 67 Int. Cl. B65d 7/28, 7/32 US. Cl. 220--7 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A goods container suitable for carrying timber has longer sides connected to a base for pivoting inwardly towards, and outwardly away from, the base to collapse and erect the container. Its shorter sides are connected to one of its longer sides for pivoting inwardly about vertical axes to positions against the inside of that longer side. In corner posts of the base are twist-locks operable to lock the longer sides erect, and also operable to lock the collapsed container to an identical collapsed container placed thereon, so that the two containers form a unit liftable by lifting the upper of the two.

According to the present invention there is provided a goods container which has side portions thereof connected to base portions thereof so as to be pivotable inwardly towards, and outwardly away from, said base portions, whereby said container can be collapsed and erected alternately, the plan outline of said container when erected being of substantially the same size as its plan outline when collapsed, and said base portions having substantially permanently mounted thereon latching means whereby, with the container and an identical container both collapsed and placed one upon the other, the two containers can be locked together to form a unit liftable by lifting the upper of the two collapsed containers.

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:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic end elevation of an opentopped goods container suitable for carrying timber, the container being in an erected condition,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but of the container in a collapsed condition,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation thereof,

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line IV--IV in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 shows a fragmentary vertical section through a corner post of the container,

FIG. 6 shows a fragmentary vertical section through the corner post, but at right-angles to the section plane of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 shows a fragmentary side elevation of the corner post,

FIG. 8 shows a section taken on the lines VIII-VIII of FIGS. 5 and 6,

FIG. 9 shows a section taken on the lines IX-1X of FIGS. 5 and 6,

FIG. 10 shows a section taken on the lines X-X of FIGS. 5 and 6,

FIG. 11 shows a vertical section through a modification of the container,

FIG. 12 shows a side elevation of this modification,

FIG. 13 shows a vertical section through another modification of the container,

FIG. 14 shows a side elevation of this other modification,

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FIG. 15 shows a vertical section through part of a further modification of the container,

FIG. 16 shows a vertical section through another part of this further modification, and

FIG. 17 is a sectional side elevation showing a hand lever of this other part in a different position.

Referring to the drawings, the container includes a base frame 1 which has eight corner castings 2, two at each corner of its oblong rectangular shape. At each corner there is a short pillar 3 integral with and rigidly interconnecting the two castings 2 at the corner. The four bottom corner castings 2 are interconnected by rectangular section tubing 4 of the frame 1.

Each narrower side of the container has its lowest quarter in the form of a transom 5 of box section tubing with wire mesh filling. Each transom 5 is hinged at its top edge by hinges 6 to the bottom edge of the remaining threequarters 7 of the narrower side. Each part 7 is itself hinged to one of the wider sides 8 of the container by hinges 9, and consists of a rectangular box frame 7 with Wire mesh filling. At the opposite edge of each part 7 to the hinges 9 are locating pin arrangements 10 consisting of lugs 11 fixed to the adjacent side 8, lugs 13 fixed to the part 7, and pins 12 inserted into the lugs 11 and 13.

Each side 8 consists of two corner castings 2 at the ends of its top edge, and rectangular box section framework with wire mesh filling. End uprights 14 of each side 8 bear on the upper four castings 2 and are pivotable about pins 15 at the lower ends of the uprights 14. Intermediate uprights 16 of each side 8 are pivotable about pins 17 at the lower ends of the upright 16. Pins 18 inserted in lugs 19 fixed to the uprights 16 and lugs 20 fixed to the base frame 1 can be provided if necessary to maintain the sides 8 erected. However, the sides 8 are preferably maintained erected by only latching means consisting of four vertical twist-locks mounted in the four corner posts of the container.

One of these four corner posts and its twist-lock is shown in FIGS. 5 to 10. The corner post is a casting made up of the two corner castings 2 joined by a U-section part 21 forming the pillar 3.

A twist-lock pin 22 is arranged to slide up and down through the upper corner casting 2. The pin 22 comprises upper and lower portions 23 and 24 of oblong cross-section joined by a portion 25 of circular cross-section of a diameter equal to the width of the oblong cross-section.

The lower end of the upright 14 is of cast construction with a hollow section to accept the portion 23 (see the chain-line position in FIG. 5) when the longer sides of the container are in the erected position.

To lock the upright 14 in position, the portion 23 is turnable through in the lifted position of the pin 22 so that the portion 23 engages behind wall portions of the upright 14. For this purpose the lower end of the pin 22 has attached to it a radial bar 26 which protrudes through an L-shaped slot in the part 21 and has mounted on its free end under the load of a compression spring 27 a cup 28 with vertical finger posts 29. The cup assembly is arranged to be fixed in any one of the three positions P, Q and R defining the L-shaped slot, at which positions the slot is widened to receive the cup. To put the cup 28, and thus the pin 22, into the desired position, the cup is pulled out of the slot, moved over the slot and then released in the desired position.

Not only are the upper corner casting 2 and the lower end of the upright 14 formed with oblong slots 30 and 31 through which passes the portion 23, but the lower corner casting 2 is formed with a similar oblong slot 32, whereby, when the containers are stacked one upon another in the collapsed condition, the portions 23 of any one container may be engaged behind the slots 32 of the container directly above, so latching together the containers in the stack. The pins 22 thus avoid the use of known latching means and can, with the cups 28 in the positions Q, be used as guides during stacking.

After use, the erected container as shown in FIG. 1 may be folded into the collapsed condition shown in FIG. 2. To do this, the transoms 5 are folded up against the inside faces of the parts 7, the pins 12 are then removed from the lugs 11 and 13 and the whole narrower sides folded about the hinges 9 against the inner face of the side 8 carrying the hinges 9. After release of its twistlocks, and removal of its pins 18 if provided, this side 8 is then turned inwardly about the pins 15 and 17 onto the base frame 1, and the other side 8 then similarly lowered onto the first side 8. It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the collapsed container comes wholly within the boundaries indicated by the eight castings 2.

All of the castings 2 and 2' are to British Shipping and International Shipping Organisation Standards. The design is such that the lower four corner castings 2 of one collapsed container can be placed on top of the upper four corner castings 2 of an identical collapsed container, and these castings can then be latched together by the twist-locks. The collapsed containers can be arranged four high and latched to one another to form a standard container to suit B.S. and 1.5.0. standards. Each container is 20 X 8' X 8 when erected and 20 x 8 x 2' when collapsed.

Not only can the containers be stacked one upon another when in the collapsed condition, but they can also be so stacked when in the erected condition.

The hinges 17 require accurate drilling and positioning. To avoid the need for this, the modification of FIGS. 11 and 12 can be used, which is a hinge which requires no drilling. These figures show that the lower end of the upright 16 has a part-cylindrical extremity 40 which slides in a part-cylindrical housing 41. Incorporated in the housing 41 is a bar 42. A nose 44 of the extremity 40 is shown fitting between the bar 42 and the housing 41, thus aiding transmission of tensile forces between the base frame 1 and the upright 16. The position of the lower end of the upright 16 in the collapsed condition is indicated at 16'.

A further replacement for each hinge 17 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The lower end of the upright 16 has a tongue 50 which, when the upright 16 is in its vertical position, projects downwardly and then outwardly into a hole 51 formed through an insert 52 welded into a cutaway of the tubing 4. Normally, there is clearance 53 between the uppermost surface bounding the hole 51 and the uppermost surface of the outwardly projecting part of the tongue 50. However, when, during lifting of the erected container, an upward force is applied to the upper end of the upright 16, the clearance 53 is taken up and thus a major part of the tensile force in the upright 16 is applied to the insert 52. When the upright 16 is swung downwards during collapsing of the container, the tongue 50 is swung out of the hole 51.

An alternative to the modification of FIGS. 5 to 10 is shown in FIGS. 15 to 17. Here, the pin 22 receives a vertical brass tube 60 fixed to the pin 22 by a screw 61. Attached to the tube 60 for raising and lowering the same is the radial bar 26 which protrudes through the L-shaped slot (not shown). This movement of the tube 60 is guided by a vertical stud 62 clamped by a nut 63 at its lower end in a web 64 of the pillar 3, the pillar and its integral corner castings 2 being indicated merely diagrammatically in FIG. 15. This improved guiding of the upward and downward movement of the pin 22 reduces any tendency that the pin may have to jam. As shown in FIG. 16, the bar 26 is welded to a collar 64 fixed to the tube 60 by a screw 65. A helical compression spring 66 encircles the bar 26 and urges outwardly along the bar a collar 67 of which the inner end zone is of an external width virtually the same as the width of the L-shaped slot as widened at the positions P. Q and R. The outer end zone of the collar 67 is of an external width virtually the same as the width of the Lshaped slot intermediate the positions P, Q and R. Articulated to the outer end of the bar 26 is a hand lever 68 having a camming nose 69 which serves to press the collar 67 inwardly against the action of the spring 66. In FIGS. 16 and 17, the bar 26 is shown in the position P. To allow the bar 26 to be lifted from the position P, the lever 68 must be swung upwardly from the vertical condition shown in FIG. 16 into the horizontal condition shown in FIG. 17, thereby moving the inner zone of the collar 67 out of the widened part of the L- shaped slot at P. The hand lever 68 is of course of a suitable width to allow its inner end to move in the parts of the L-shaped slot intermediate the positions P, Q and R. The lever 68 is held in the vertical and horizontal conditions shown by the action of the spring-loaded collar 67 on two perpendicular faces 70 and 71 of the lever 68. However, if desired, it would be possible to arrange for the lever 68 to bear with its lower end against the pillar 3 or the lower corner casting 2 when in its swung-down condition by forming a suitable downwardly-deepening recess 72 in the face 71, as shown in FIG. 16.

To prevent inward leaning of one of the sides 8 during erection of the container, as may occur when the somewhat heavy, narrower sides are swung away from the side 8 on which they are mounted, the top horizontal of one of the sides 8 can have connected thereto so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane one or more horizontal struts (not shown). During erection of the container and immediately following latching of the sides 8 in their vertical positions, the or each such strut is swung away from the top horizontal to which it is connected into a position perpendicular to that top horizontal, in which position its free end is attached to the top horizontal of the other side 8, whereafter the narrower sides are swung away from the side 8 on which they are mounted.

We claim:

1. A goods container comprising side portions and base portions, said base portions including substantially vertically extending posts, means for pivoting said side portions to said posts above the base portions to enable said side'portions to be swung inwardly toward said base portions to collapse said goods container, the plan outline of said goods container when erected being of substantially the same size as its plan outline of said goods container when erected being of substantially the same size as its plan outline when collapsed, said pivot means at each post comprising a first pivot member carried by the post intermediate its upper end and the base portions, and a second pivot member carried by said side portions at the position of said post engaging and cooperating with said first pivot member, said second pivot member being located on the lower part of said side portions at the position of said post, said lower part of the side portions extending upwardly along the post from the pivot means and then laterally across the top of the post so as to rest on the top of the post.

2. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said side portions comprise projections which, when said side portions are erect, depend downwardly and then extend laterally, and said base portions comprise bridging portions which, when said side portions are erect, extend immediately above the laterally extending parts of said projections, the arrangement being such that, when a sufiieient lifting force is applied directly to said side portions, said laterally extending parts bear on said bridging portions, but, when said side portions are swung inwardly towards said base portions in collapsing said goods container, said laterally extending parts are moved from beneath said bridging portions.

3. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said side portions are twolonger sides of said goods container, and said container has two shorter sides each pivotally connected to one of said two longer sides so as to be turnable about a vertical axis while said one of said two longer sides is erect.

4. A goods container according to claim 3, wherein in collapsing said goods container, said two shorter sides are turned to positions against the inside of said one of said two longer sides, and said one of said two longer sides is then pivotable inwardly towards said base portions before the other of said two longer sides is pivotable inwardly towards said base portions.

5. A goods container according to claim 4, wherein said two shorter sides comprise respective transoms which, when the shorter sides are erect, depend downwardly and are turnable upwardly about respective horizontal axes.

6. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said goods container is of a height when erected which is a multiple of its height when collapsed.

7. A goods container according to claim 1, and including substantially vertical twist locks mounted in said posts, parts of said side portions defining holes therein with which said twist locks cooperate to lock said side portions in upright positions which said side portions occupy when said goods container is erected.

8. A goods container according to claim 7, wherein said twist locks are operable to cooperate with means on an identical container and lock said goods container to said identical container, with said goods container collapsed and with said identical container placed upon said goods container.

9. A goods container according to claim 7, wherein each twist-lock comprises a substantially vertical pin displaceable among an operative position in which it locks one of said side portions to the relevant post, an inoperative position, and an intermediate position in which it serves to guide said identical container into position upon said goods container, each post having upper and lower end walls apertured to receive a twist-lock pin.

10. A goods container according to claim 9, wherein each pin comprises upper, intermediate and lower portions, said intermediate portion being of lesser horizontal sectional area than and interconnecting said upper and lower portions.

11. A goods container according to claim 9, wherein each pin has fixed thereto a laterally extending bar, and each post is formed with an inverted L-shaped slot through which said bar extends from inside the post to outside the post, there being retaining means whereby each bar can be retained in a selected one of three positions in its slot, a first of said three positions being in the region of the lower end of the vertical limb of the slot and corresponding to said inoperative position, a second of said three positions being in the region of the junction between the vertical limb and the horizontal limb of the slot and corresponding to said intermediate position, and the third of said three positions corresponding to said operative position and being in the region of that end of said horizontal limb remote from said junction.

12. A goods container according to claim 11, wherein said slot widens at said three positions, and said retaining means comprises a spring-loaded engaging piece carried by said 'bar and capable of engaging in said slot at any of said three positions under the action of its spring-loading, but too wide to enter said slot at locations intermediate said three positions.

13. A goods container according to claim 12, including a camming hand lever pivotally connected to said bar outside the relevant post, said camming hand lever being turnable to cam the engaging piece out of the slot.

14. A goods container according to claim 9, including a guide tube fixed to said pin, and a co-axial guide rod fixed to the relevant post received in and having a sliding fit with the guide tube.

15. A goods container according to claim 1, wherein said posts comprise four corner posts.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

g g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Segtember 22, 1970 Patent No. 3 529, 741 Dated n Rov Dixon Walker and John Tabron It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, lines 45 to 47 (Claim 1, lines 8 to 10) after "outline", cancel "of said goods container when erected being of substantially the same size as its plan outline Signed and sealed this 26th day of September 1972.

, (SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK I EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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