Rolled article storing and transporting container

A foldable container for storing and transporting rolled articles wound on a spool or a support tube, comprising a top cover, a bottom panel fixed to the bottom frame, front and rear partition panels, and left and right panels. The front and rear panels are each divided into upper and lower parts along division lines, and formed therein with support holes aligned with the division lines and opposed between the front and rear partition panels. The two halves of each of the support holes are covered at their inner peripheries with elastic protectors, and opposite end parts of the support tubes are received in the support holes so as to suspend the rolled articles between the partition panels. Thereby it is possible to surely store the rolled articles with less time and labor, and to reduce consumption of packing material to a minimum value with no damage thereto being caused even though primary packing is eliminated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a container for storing and transporting 
rolled articles in which a long web-like material such as a film, paper or 
fabric is wound on a spool, a bobbin or the like. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Conventionally, upon transportation of rolled articles each composed of a 
long web-like material such as a film, paper or fabric which is wound on a 
spool, a bobbin or the like, the rolled articles are individually packed 
with sheets at a primary packing stage, and then, they are bundled into 
several groups each of which is stored in a transporting container such as 
a corrugated card board container, and is then transported. 
Since the rolled articles have to be individually packed with sheets, huge 
time and labor have been required, and further, since large quantity of 
packing materials have been consumed, a high packing cost has been 
required, and further, a large quantity of waste materials is also 
unavoidable due to consumption of a large quantity of packing materials. 
On the contrary, if the rolled articles would be packed in a single 
container by a large number without packing, the rolled articles would 
chafe against one another so as to raise various problems including a 
problem of damage to the rolled articles. 
The applicant has studied the above-mentioned problems and had such an idea 
that rolled articles which are suspended in a packing container can 
prevent the outer surfaces of the rolled articles from being happened to 
be made into contact with one another or with the inner surface of the 
container. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is devised in order to eliminate the above-mentioned 
problems, and accordingly, an object of the present invention is to 
provide measures for packing rolled articles, which can pack rolled 
articles with less time and labor, and which can reduce consumption of 
packing materials so as to reduce the quantity of waste to a minimum 
value, and further, which can prevent damage to the rolled articles even 
though the above-mentioned primary packing stage at which the rolled 
articles are individually packed, is eliminated. 
To the end, according to the present invention, there is provided a 
foldable container for storing and transporting rolled articles each 
composed of a long web-like material wound on a spool serving as a support 
tube, comprising a removable top cover, a bottom frame adapted to be fixed 
to a pallet, a bottom panel removably set on the bottom frame, front and 
rear partition panels removably set upright on the bottom panel in the 
bottom frame, and left and right side panels removably set upright on the 
bottom panel in the bottom frame so as to define a space in which the 
rolled articles are stored, in cooperation with the front and rear 
partition panels, the top cover and the bottom panels, wherein each of the 
partition panels are divided along division lines into a plurality of 
parts, each of the partition panels being formed therein with a required 
number of support holes on the division lines at positions which are 
opposed to those of the support holes formed in the front and rear 
partition panels so that the support holes are divided into upper and 
lower halves by the division lines, the upper and lower halves of each of 
the support holes having upper and lower inner peripheral parts which are 
covered thereover with elastic material protecting members, the support 
tube having opposite end parts which are received by the support holes so 
that the rolled article can be suspended and supported between the 
partition panels. It is noted that the rolled article and the support tube 
or the spool are not essential in the present invention. 
In the container for storing and transporting rolled articles, according to 
the present invention, composed of the top cover, the bottom panel set in 
the bottom frame mounted on the pallet, and the side panels and the 
partition panels arranged upright at the four sides of the bottom frame so 
as to form a box-like container, the number of the support holes formed in 
each of the partition panels, for receiving the support tubes of the 
rolled articles corresponds to a maximum number of rolled articles to be 
stored in the container, and the distance between the partition panels is 
more or less shorter than the length of the support tube. The container 
body is mainly made of plywood, the components thereof such as the top 
cover, the bottom panel, the side panels and the partition panels are 
separatable from one another, and accordingly, the container body may be 
folded and received within the bottom frame which are made of wood, resin 
or metal. The support tube is preferably made of metal in view of a 
strength required therefor, and may be either solid or hollow. The 
web-like article may be directly wound on the support tube, or may be 
wound at first on a hollow spool and then the support tube may be inserted 
into the hollow spool. 
In the above-mentioned container, each of the front and rear partition 
panels which are supported by the left and right side panels and the 
bottom panel set in the bottom frame, are divided along at least one 
division line, and accordingly, the support holes are also divided into 
upper and lower halves respectively having the upper and lower inner 
peripheral parts which are covered with semicircular elastic protecting 
members having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter 
of the support tube. The elastic member is preferably made of rubber. 
These elastic protecting members define circular holes which can receive 
and hold therein the support tubes when the upper and lower halves of the 
support holes are mated with each other, and effects damping action and 
non-slip action. It is noted that the number of divisions of each 
partition panel in the vertical direction is optional, that is, it may be 
two or more. That is, the number of the division lines may be one or more 
as shown in FIG. 1. 
The method of storing rolled articles in the above-mentioned container 
comprises the steps of: horizontally laying the bottom panel in the bottom 
frame, setting the left and right side panels on the bottom panel in the 
bottom frame so that they stand upright to the bottom panel, inserting the 
lower parts of the front and rear partition panels in vertical grooves 
formed in the side panels along side edges thereof, and sliding down the 
lower parts of the partition panels through the vertical grooves until the 
lower parts of the partition panels reach the bottom panel, fitting 
support tubes, that is, the spool of the rolled articles, on the 
semicircular lower halves of the support holes, formed in the upper edges 
of the lower parts of the partition panels, then inserting the upper parts 
of the partition panels in the vertical grooves of the side panels and 
sliding down them, and fastening the side panels and the partition panels 
together by using fixtures provided to the upper parts of the partition 
panels. Thus, the roller articles are suspended within the inside space of 
the container between the front and rear partition panels, being supported 
by the support tubes. In such a case that the spool of each rolled article 
is separatable from the support tube, the support tube is inserted through 
the hollow part of the spool as mentioned above. 
In a first preferable embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral 
edge parts and the edges parts, along the dividing lines, of the front and 
rear partition panels of the above-mentioned container for storing and 
transporting rolled articles, are protected by U-like cross-sectional 
shape plastic protecting members. 
With this arrangement in which the edges parts of the partition panels are 
protected by the plastic protecting members, the slidability and the 
durability thereof can be enhanced, and accordingly, no burring occurs 
even after using several times. It is noted that the plastic protecting 
members are preferably made of ABS resin. 
In a second preferable embodiment of the present invention, the 
above-mentioned side panels of the container for storing and transporting 
rolled article are reinforced at their upper and lower end parts with 
U-like cross-sectional shape metal reinforcing members, and are provided 
at their left and right edge parts with metal reinforcing members formed 
therein with the vertical grooves in which the partition panels are held. 
With this arrangement in which the upper and lower end parts, and the left 
and right edge parts of the side panels are reinforced by the metal 
reinforcing members, the container has a strength with which the container 
bears against a heavy load caused by multi-stacking of containers. 
Further, the partition panels are inserted in the vertical grooves of the 
reinforcing members at the left and right edge parts of the side panels, 
and accordingly the partition panels are held upright. It is noted that 
these reinforcing members are preferably made of steel. 
In a third preferable embodiment of the present invention, the upper or 
middle parts of the partition panels of the container for storing and 
transporting roller articles, are incorporated with fixtures for fastening 
the partition panels and the side panels together. 
With this arrangement, the fixtures can prevent the space between the side 
panels for holding the partition panels by means of the vertical grooves, 
from being widened, thereby it is possible to prevent the partition panels 
from coming off out of the vertical grooves. The fixtures have any of 
structures which can fasten the side panels to the partition panels, 
firmly together. 
In a fourth preferable embodiment of the present invention, the bottom 
frame of the container for storing and transporting roller articles, which 
is preferably fixed on a pallet, is made of metal angle members, and is 
formed therein with grooves for holding the side panels upright. 
With this arrangement in which the bottom frame is made of metal, and 
formed at its a pair of opposed sides with the grooves for holding the 
side panels upright, the partition panels are supported at another pair of 
opposes sides with no grooves, and the bottom panel is horizontally set in 
the bottom frame. It is noted that pin grooves through which the side 
panels are coupled to the bottom frame by pins are formed in the bottom 
frame and the side panels at positions where they overlap with each other. 
In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the top cover of the 
container for storing and transporting rolled articles, is formed of a 
plywood board surrounded at its periphery with a frame formed of metal 
angle members, and attached at its four corners of the rear surface with 
corner fittings, and is water-proofed. 
With this arrangement, the metal angle members and the corner fittings bear 
against load caused by multi-stacking of containers or the like, so as to 
protect the top cover, and further, it is protected from rain water or the 
like during transportation since it is water-proofed. It is noted that the 
metal angle members of the frame are preferably made of steel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Explanation will be hereinbelow detailed of a preferred embodiment of the 
present invention with reference to the drawings. 
Referring to FIG. 1 which is a perspective view illustrating a container 
for storing and transporting rolled articles, which is generally denoted 
by reference numeral 100, the container 100 is composed of a top cover 1, 
front and rear partition panels 2, left and right side panels 4, a bottom 
frame 5 set on a pallet 6, and a bottom panel 51 set in the bottom frame 
5. A steel angle frame 11 is provided around the outer periphery of the 
top cover 1, and triangular corner fittings 12 are attached at four 
corners of the rear surface of the top cover 1. Each of the partition 
panels 2 are vertically divided into three parts along division lines 21, 
that is, an upper part, a middle part and a lower part, and is formed 
therein with support holes 22 which are aligned with the division lines 
21. Each of the support holes 22 is protected at its inner periphery by a 
rubber protector 23. Further, each partition panel 2 is protected at its 
outer peripheral edge part, and at the divided edge part by ABS resin 
protectors 24. The upper part or the intermediate part of each of the 
partition panels 2 is provided with fixtures 25. Each of the side panels 4 
is provided, along its outer periphery, with a steel reinforcing member 41 
incorporated therein with vertical grooves 42. 
The thus formed container 100 is stored therein with rolled articles 7 each 
having a spool or a support tube, which is not essential in the present 
invention. 
The container 100 has a box-like shape composed of the top cover 1, the 
bottom panel 51 set in the bottom frame 51 fixed to the pallet 6, and the 
partition panels 2, 2 and the side panels 4, 4, having a length, a width 
and a height which are all about 1 m. This container 10 can store therein 
four rolled articles 7 having a length less than 1 m. The support tube 71 
of each of the rolled articles is slightly longer than the distance of the 
space between the partition panels 2, 2. If the length of the support tube 
71 is shorter than the distance of the space between the partition panels 
2, 2, a ring-like damper is inserted between each end face of the roller 
article 7 and the associated partition panel 2. The main body of the 
container is mainly made of plywood, and the components thereof can be 
separated from one another so that they can be folded and stored within 
the bottom frame 3. The pallet 6 may be made of wood or resin. 
In the container 100, the front and rear partition panels 2, 2 held by the 
left and right side panels 4, 4 and the bottom panel 51 in the bottom 
frame 5, are divided in the vertical direction, along the division lines 
21, and are formed therein with the opposed support holes 22, being 
aligned with the division lines 21. In this embodiment, the number of 
pairs of the opposed support holes 22 is four. 
It is noted that rectangular reinforcing strips (indicated by the dotted 
line in FIG. 1) having an arbitrary thickness may be laid on the upper end 
edges of divided parts of the partition panels 2, 2 along the division 
lines 21, bridging between the support holes 21 in order to enhance the 
shock-proof strength during transportation, storage or handling thereof. 
The support holes 21 are also divided into upper and lower halves which are 
covered at their inner periphery with semicircular rubber protectors 23 
having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the 
support tube 7. These protectors 23 define circular holes which can 
receive therein the support tubes 71 when the vertically divided parts of 
the partition panels 21 are joined together, and effect damping action and 
nonslipping action for the support tubes 71. FIG. 2A is a perspective view 
which shows the rubber protector 23. 
FIG. 2B is a sectional view which shows the peripheral edge part and the 
division line part of the partition panel 2. These parts of the partition 
panel are protected by protectors 24 made of ABS resin and formed in an 
U-like cross-sectional shape. With this arrangement, the slip ability and 
the durability of the partition panel 2 can be enhanced, causing no 
burring even after using several times. 
FIG. 2C is a sectional view which shows the peripheral edge part of the 
side panel 4. The peripheral edge part of the side panel 4 is reinforced 
by a steel reinforcing member 41 having a U-like cross-sectional shape so 
as to exhibit a strength which can bear against a load caused by 
multi-stacking of containers 100. It is noted that the reinforcing members 
4 provided to the left and right edge parts of the side panel 4 
incorporate vertical grooves 42 in which the partition panels 2 are fitted 
so as to be held upright. 
The top cover 1 is made of plywood, and is reinforced at its outer 
periphery by the steel angle member frame 11 while the corner fittings 12 
are attached at the four corners of the rear surface thereof, and is 
subjected to water-proof treatment. The steel angle member frame 11 and 
the corner fittings 12 receive downward load in the case of multi-stacking 
of the containers 10 and so forth so as to protect the top cover, and the 
water-proof treatment can protect the top cover from rain water or the 
like during transportation. 
The steel bottom frame 5 may be made of steel, having four sides among 
which two opposed sides are formed thereon with vertical channels in which 
the side panels 4 are held upright. Further, the partition panels 2 are 
held at their lower end parts on the bottom panel 51 at other two opposed 
sides, having no channels, within the bottom frame 5. The overlapping 
parts of the bottom frame 5 and the side panels 4 are formed therein pin 
grooves 42, 54 for coupling the side panels 4 to the bottom frame 5. 
When the rolled articles 7 are stored in the container 100 for storing and 
transporting the roller articles 7 in this embodiment constituted as 
mentioned above, at first, the bottom panel 51 is horizontally set in the 
bottom frame 5, then the left and right side panels 4 are set upright on 
the bottom panel 51, and the lower parts of the front and rear partition 
panels 2, 2 are fitted and slid down in the vertical grooves provided 
along the left and right edges of the side panels 4 until they reach the 
bottom panel 51. Thereafter, the support tubes 71 of the rolled articles 7 
are set at their opposite ends on the lower halves of the support holes 22 
having a semicircular shape at the upper edges of the lower parts of the 
partition panels 2, 2, then, the upper parts of the partition panels 2, 2 
are fitted in the vertical grooves of the side panels 4, 4, and the side 
panels 4 and the partition panels 2 are fastened together by the fixtures 
25 provided to the upper parts of the partition panels 11. Thus, the 
roller articles 7 supported by the support tubes 71 are suspended between 
the front and rear partition panels 2, 2 within the container 100. The 
removal of the roller articles 7 form the container 100 can be made by 
carrying out the above-mentioned steps in the reverse order. 
As mentioned above, in the container for storing and transporting rolled 
articles, according to the present invention, the rolled articles are held 
in such a condition that they can be prevented from being made into 
contact with one another or with the interior of the container, and 
accordingly, the rolled articles can be safely protected against chafing 
or the like even though individual packing therefor is eliminated during 
storage thereof. Thereby it is possible to save labor and materials for 
the primary packing. 
When the rolled articles are stored, the rolled articles can be simply 
suspended between the partition panels since the partition panels are 
divided in the vertical directions, and further, the partition panels are 
slippery since they are protected at their outer peripheral parts with the 
plastic protectors, and are durable against several repeated uses with no 
burring. 
The container incorporates the top cover, the side panels, the metal bottom 
frame with the corner fittings and the reinforcements, and accordingly, it 
can bear against large external force so that they can be stacked one upon 
another. Thereby, it is possible to save their storage space, and to 
enhance the efficiency of transportation. 
Further, the container is foldable so as to be repeatedly usable, and 
accorordingly, the storage thereof during no use, the returning thereof 
for reuse and so forth can be efficiently carried out, and further, since 
no individual packing for rolled articles is required, substantially no 
quantity of waste of packing material is caused. 
Although the present invention has been explained in the form of the 
preferred embodiment in which the rolled articles are stored and 
transported, the present invention should not be limited to this 
embodiment. The present invention can be applied for transportation of 
another articles having similar support tubes.