COLLAPSIBLE PALLET CAGE

Abstract: A collapsible storage container (10) comprising a rectangular pallet base (11) with a horizontal floor (13) and with upwardly projecting skirting walls (20, 21, 22) each being a different height above the pallet floor (13), a pair of end wall panels (23, 25), and a pair of side wall panels (27, 29) and a lid panel (30) wherein each of the wall panels (23, 25, 27, 29) is pivotally supported for inward folding movement about a horizontal axis with the horizontal axes of the wall panels being spaced at different distances from the pallet floor (13) corresponding to the height of the associated skirting wall (20, 21, 22), so as to allow the panels to be folded approximately flat one on top of the other in overlying relationship.

Description: CQL1APSIB E PALLET CAGE This invention relates to an improved collapsible or folding container for the storage of goods, and is particularly concerned with an improved collapsible pallet cage of the type having a pallet base, a pair of opposed end panels hinged with respect to the base for folding inwardly thereonto, a pair of opposed side panels hinged also with respect to the base for folding inwardly thereonto, and a lid or top panel arranged to be supported on the upper edges of said side and end panels when the cage is erected so as to close off the top end of the pallet cage, the cage (or container), when in an erected position, being of substantially parallelepiped box shaped form, whilst when in its collapsed position, the side and end panels lie in a flat condition on top of the pallet base with the top or lid panel disposed above or on top of the end panel remote from the pallet base. Collapsible storage containers comprising a front, rear and side wall panels which are either permanently or releasably hinged to the pallet base so that they fold down to a collapsed condition or can be removed from the pallet base and stacked for transport of the container in a folded down condition, are of course well known. Generally, it is considered undesirable for the side and end wall panels to be removably hinged to the pallet base and the need has existed for a collapsible pallet container which enables the side and end wall panels to be simply and quickly folded between their collapsed and erected positions - without, for example, having to individually bodily lift the panels prior to or during the folding of same - refer Australian Patent Specification No. 49913/72. It will be appreciated that, in certain cases, the weight of the panels can be quite considerable to the extent that the collapsing and erecting of prior art pallet cages cannot be carried out by a single person - or if so, certainly without considerable physical strain being exerted. A further problem with known pallet containers stems from the manner in which the panels are fastened when in their erected condition. For example, many employ "loose" removable components or items such as bolts/nuts, latches and/or clips which can be readily lost and which require the use of a spanner or similar tool in order to disengage or remove same (when the container is being collapsed for example) . A still further problem is that the prior art latch arrangements are prone to disengage easily, for example durin transport of the container, and generally do no impart sufficient rigidity to the erected structure. A still further problem is that the latches and clips are often located so th they project into the interior of the erected container and hence there is a likelihood of the goods or products stored i the container being damaged. A still further disadvantage with prior art collapsible containers/cages is that they cannot be readily and easily accessed when the container is in its erected condition and packed with goods or products, or for example when the containers are stacked one on top of the other when in their loaded condition. In some cases, the lid or top panel of the container needs to be lifted initially prior to being able to fold down the front panel or gate. Consequently with containe in a stacked condition, it has not been possible to gain acce (for the purpose of inspection), to the interior of a loaded container when another container is stacked on top thereof. Furthermore, even with the container standing alone, it has n been possible to access the interior of the container without having to lift the lid or top panel before being able to fold down the front panel or gate. It is the main object of the present invention to provid an improved collapsible storage container which is of very simple design construction, may be constructed to any size, a which allows the side and end wall panels thereof to be simpl and quickly folded between their collapsed and erected positions without any significant physical effort. It is a further object of the present invention to provi an improved collapsible storage container which is able to be readily collapsed to its transport condition without the use tools such as spanners and the need to remove bolt/nut assemblies or any other similar "loose" fasteners or connect from the panels. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved collapsible storage contain which is able to be simply and quickly accessed, for example for the purpose of inspecting the goods stored therein, with lifting its top or lid panel, whether standing alone or with other similar container stacked on top thereof. It is a still further object of the present invention t provide an improved collapsible container wherein the adjace wall panels can be conveniently locked together when in thei erected condition by means of a latching mechanism which is unlikely to disengage during use, does not project or protru into the interior of the erected container, and which is designed so that it is unlikely to be damaged when the container is in its folded down or collapsed condition. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved collapsible container wherein the pallet base, the wall panels and the top or lid panel are assembled an "integral" system both in the erected and collapsed conditions. In one aspect of this invention therefore, an improved collapsible storage container comprises a substantially rectangular support base having an horizontal floor, a pair o opposed end panels or gates (hereinafter referred to as the front and rear panels or gates) hinged with respect to the ba for folding inwardly relative to the base into a collapsed condition, and a pair of opposed side panels or gates hinged with respect to the base for folding inwardly relative to the base into a collapsed condition, the improvements comprising stub corner post, preferably of angle section, fixed vertical at each of the four corners of the base, at least three suppo base peripheral walls extending between respective pairs of said corner posts, each peripheral wall having its upper horizontal edge located above the floor of the base but below the upper ends of the corner posts, the height of each of the peripheral walls above the base being different to the height of the others, each said panel or gate being pivotally connected for swinging movement about a horizontal axis by pivot means supported by a respective pair of said stub corne posts with the horizontal axes of the panels spaced at different distances from the floor of said base so that they can be folded one on top of the other in overlying relationship, at least three of said panels, when in their erected condition, having their bottom or lower edges contiguous with respective upper edges of said at least three -peripheral walls. Preferably the front panel or gate, when in its erected condition, is arranged to have its bottom or lower edge contiguous with the floor of the support base along one side thereof, with the three remaining panels resting on the upper edges of peripheral walls extending along the remaining three sides of the base. With this arrangement, the container is collapsed by firstly folding the front panel inwardly so as t overlie approximately the whole of the floor of the base, and subsequently folding inwardly the side wall panels so as to l on top of one another on top of the folded-down front panel, and finally folding down the rear wall panel so as to lie on top of the folded down side panels. With this invention, the container is able to be folded down into a neat flat package for stowage. Preferably, the container comprises a lid or top panel which may be removably supported on the upper edges of the si and end panels, when the container is erected or may be hingedly supported by the rear panel at or adjacent its upper edge so that it can be swung outboard between a fully open position where it lies approximately parallel with the outer face of the rear panel and a closed position where it is supported on the upper edges of the side and end panels. Preferably, the lid or top panel comprises a pair of pan portions hingedly connected to one another and arranged to permit the panel portions to lie one on top of the other (whe the lid is in a folded partly open condition) or to lie co- planar with one another (when the lid is in its in-use condition) . In another preferred form of this invention, the front panel or gate is formed in two halves which are hinged togeth by hinge means to enable each of the halves to swing about an horizontal axis relative to the other half. The bottom half o the front panel is pivotally connected by a pair of laterally projecting horizontally aligned slidable pivot pins or bolts respective stub corner posts whereby the front panel as a who is able to swing or fold inwardly so as to lie flat on top of the base floor or outwardly so as to extend away from the support base. The upper half of the front panel is also provided with a pair of slidable pivot bolts, one at each sid thereof which are arranged to releaεably engage in pivot bolt engaging apertures in peripheral frame members of adjacent si wall panels whereby with the pivot bolts so engaged (and the lower pivot bolts disengaged) , the lower half of the front panel is able to be independently swung upwardly and outwardl so as to provide an access opening into the bottom half of th interior of the container. In yet another preferred aspect of the present invention there is provided an improved latching mechanism for releasab latching together adjacent panels at the upper corners of the container, when in an erected condition, the latching mechani comprising an externally mounted spring-loaded pivoted lever arm supported by one said panel adjacent an upper corner thereof on a pivot spaced from the arm intermediate its ends and extending at right angles to the plane of the panel on which it is carried, the lever arm carrying at its upper end latch pin extending at right angles to the lever arm and extending in a direction parallel to the plane of said panel, the latch pin being arranged to engage through a hole or aperture formed in the end of an external latch engaging bar slidably mounted at the upper corner of an adjacent panel for sliding to and fro movement in a direction at right angles to the axis of the latch pin, the pivotal movement of the lever arm permitting the latch pin to be selectively engaged or disengaged with the latch engaging bar. The latch engaging bar when in the latch engaging position, extends through aligned slotted openings formed in the peripheral frame members adjacent their upper corners of the adjacent panels being latched together. Preferably, further latching means are provided for releasably latching together the top or lid panel to at least one of the end or side panels - the latching means being substantially identical to the latching mechanism previously described. To enable the containers to be stacked one on top of the other, the lid or roof panel has recessed portions at each of its four corners, each of the recessed portions being arranged to seatingly engage a corresponding corner portion of the ■ pallet base of an adjacent container. The hinge mechanisms located on the lid or roof panel are housed within the confine of the panel so that there is no interference when the containers are stacked one on top of the other. In another preferred arrangement, the removable lid or to panel is provided with a depending peripheral flange, and is shaped and dimensioned so that when the container is in a collapsed condition, with the side and end panels folded down, the lid or top panel can be horizontally supported at each of its corners on top of the stub corner posts. The container whe collapsed, thereby assumes a flat neat package, enabling another collapsed container to be stowed on top thereof. In order to more fully explain the present invention several embodiments are described hereunder in some further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a storage pallet containe (with the lid shown in dotted lines in its open position) according to one embodiment; Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view of the container showing the front panel folded down and the lid open; Figs. 3 to 5 are perspective views of the container in progressively folded down conditions, with Fig. 5 showing the container fully collapsed with the lid panel folded on top thereof; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner latching mechanism between adjacent panels; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the double hinge mechanism used to hinge together the panel halves of th front panel and lid panel; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hinge between the lid panel and the rear panel; Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a pallet container according to a second embodiment; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the container fully collapsed; and Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of the pallet base only. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8, there is shown a storage pallet container/cage 10 having a rectangular pallet base 11 which is provided at each of its four corners with stub corner posts 12 of angle section, the pallet base 1 having an horizontal timber floor supported by an upper deck which in turn is supported by a lower deck 16 by short length vertical uprights 17, in addition to the stub corner posts 1 The pallet base 11 is also provided with three upwardly projecting peripheral wall or skirting members 20, 21, 22 extending along both sides and the rear of the base 11, respectively the height of the two side wall members 20, 21 being different to each other and being slightly lower than that of the rear wall member 22. In this embodiment, the fron of the pallet base 11 is left open (without a wall member), whereby the upper edges of the front, rear and sides of the pallet are spaced at different distances from the pallet floo 13. The pallet container 10 is provided with a pair of foldi end panels, 23, 25 (panel 23 constituting the front panel or gate, panel 25 constituting the rear panel or gate) and a pai of folding side panels, 27, 29 each of the panels 23, 25, 27, 29 comprising a peripheral metal frame of angle section frame members 40 to which are secured a solid timber ply panel located on the inside of the angle metal frame members. In thi embodiment each of the side panels 27, 29 and rear panel 25 is a one-piece panel whilst the front panel or gate 23 is divide horizontally into two halves 23', 23" which are hinged togethe to permit the two halves 23', 23" to hinge relative to one another. A top or lid panel 30 is hingedly connected to the rear panel 25 and which, when in its closed position, is supported on the top edges of the vertical side and end panels so as to close off the open upper end of the container 10, th top or lid panel 30 also being formed in two panel sections 30', 30", hinged together by hinge means 33 (refer Fig. 7) which permits panel section 30" to be hinged back so as to li flat on top of the other panel section 30' so that in turn, t two panel sections 30', 30" can then be bodily swung outwardl away from or outboard of the container 10 so that they are suspended from the hinges 34 which connect the top or lid pan 30 to the upper edge of the rear panel 25, whereupon the uppe end of the container 10 is fully open. Each of the panels 23, 25, 27, 29 is hingedly connected with respect to the pallet base 11 by means of a pair of laterally projecting, horizontally aligned pivot pins or bolt 35 which engage in apertures 36 formed in the corner posts 12, each of the side panels 27, 29 being hingedly mounted for inward swinging movement about an axis which is at right angl to the pivot axis of the hinge connection for the end panels 23, 25, the hinge axis for the front panel 23 being slightly below the hinge axis of the side panel 27 which in turn is slightly below the hinge axis for the side panel 29, which al in turn is slightly below the hinge axis for the rear panel 2 The panels are arranged so that the front panel 23 can be firstly folded inwardly so as to lie flat on the floor 13 of the pallet base 11 (over approximately the whole of its area) followed by the side panel 27 so as to lie approximately flat on top of the folded down front panel 23, then the side panel 29, followed finally by the rear panel 25, together with its attached top or lid panel 30, the rear panel 25 being folded inwardly so as to lie approximately flat on top of the side panel 29, with the top or lid panel 30 being supported on top of the rear panel with its two panel sections 30', 30" folded on top of one another. With the side panels 27, 29 and rear panel 25 in their erected positions, their bottom edges or edge surfaces rest or are contiguous with the upper edge surfaces of the corresponding wall members 20, 21, 22 whereby any load appli to the panels 27, 29, 25 is transmitted directly to the base via the wall members and virtually no weight is carried by t pivot pins or bolts 35 of the panels. The front panel 23, wh erect, has its lower edge resting on the floor 13 of the bas 11, but it will be realised that it too may be supported on fourth peripheral wall member having a height different to t other three. In this embodiment, each of the panel halves 23', 23" o the front panel 23 is provided with releasably engageable hi connections 38, 39 to permit either panel half to be swung outwardly relative to the other panel half or to permit the panel as a whole to be folded inwardly as described hereinabove. The hinge connection 38 for the lower panel hal 23" comprises a pair of horizontally aligned slidable hinge bolts or pins, each of which is arranged to slidably engage an aligned recess or hole formed in a respective stub corner post 12, whilst the hinge connection 39 for the upper panel half 23' similarly comprises a pair of horizontally aligned slidable hinge bolts at the lower corners thereof, each of which is arranged to releasably engage in a hole or recess formed in the metal frame member 40 of an adjacent side wall panel 27, 29. With this arrangement, the interior of the pall container can be readily accessed either through the upper o lower panel half of the front gate 23 (depending upon whether the upper half or lower half of the container interior is required to be inspected) . In addition, this arrangement permits the container to be used as a grain hopper, for example, by opening the lower half 23" of the front gate 23. The inspection feature is of course an advantage when containers are stacked one on top of the other, namely where one cannot open the lid panel to inspect the container interior. Each upper corner of the pallet container 10 (when in it erected condition) has a panel fastening or latching mechanis 43 (refer Fig. 6) to secure together adjacent pairs of panels so that the whole assembly is held securely in its erected condition. Each latching mechanism 43 comprises a vertically mounted pivoted rocking lever arm 44 rockingly supported on a pivot 45 spaced a short distance from the arm and which exten in a direction at right angles to the plane of the panel on which it is carried, the pivot 45, in this embodiment, being supported by one of the peripheral angle frame members 40 of the panel. The lever arm 44 is provided with a latch pin 47 which projects at right angles to the arm 44, the pin 47 bein arranged to engage through an aperture 48 formed adjacent the end of a slidable latch engaging bar 50 which is carried adjacent the upper corner of an adjacent panel, the latch engaging bar 50 being arranged to slide through slotted openings (not shown) formed in the frame members 40 of the adjacent panels. In this embodiment the lever arm 44 is sprin loaded - being biased towards its engaged position. The component parts of the latching mechanism 43 are designed so that their outer surfaces do not project outwardly beyond the outer edges of the angle metal peripheral angle frame members 40 of the wall panels. This minimises any likelihood of damag to the latching mechanism, particularly when the containers a being transported and also minimises the likelihood of the latching mechanisms being accidentally disengaged. Additional latching mechanisms 51 are provided between t top or lid panel 30 and the side and end wall panel 23 to ensure that the top panel 30 is firmly secured in its closed position during transportation of the container 10. Each latc mechanism 51 comprises a slidable bar releasably engaging in aperture in the frame member of the lid panel 30. The connections made by the latch mechanisms 43, 51 impa significant rigidity to the container, and of course, with th latch mechanisms located on the exterior walls of the container, the interior of the container is completely smooth and there is thus no likelihood of any damage being done to t goods stored therein. It will be realised that the front panel or gate 23 of t container 10 can be folded or hinged outwardly (as a whole) b simply disengaging the latching mechanism 43, 51 and also the hinge or pivot bolts 39 on the upper half 23' of the front panel 23, whereafter the panel 23 as a whole can be swung outwardly to completely open the front of the container witho having, for example, to lift the lid or cover panel 30 (as is normally the case with prior art containers). Turning to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11, there is shown a storage pallet container 53 having a rectangular pallet base 54 which is provided at each of its four corners with stub corner posts 57 of angle section, the base 54 having a horizontal load supporting floor 58 supporte by upper and lower decks identical to that previously described. The base 54 is also provided with three upstanding peripheral wall members 59, 60, 62 extending between respecti pairs of corner posts 57 and along both sides and the rear of the base 54. The height (i.e. distance from the floor 58) of wall member 59 is less than that of wall member 60 which in turn is less than wall member 62. The container 53 is provided with hinged wall panels, namely a front panel 63 which, when erect, rests on the floor 58, side panels 64, 66 which rest on members 59, 60 respectively, and a rear panel 67 which is supported on membe 62, whereby the panels are supported by the base 54 on different horizontal planes containing the floor 58 and the upper edge surfaces of the members 59, 60, 62. Each of the panels 63, 64, 66 and 67 is pivotally connected to the base 54 by a pair of laterally projecting, horizontally aligned pivot pins 68 welded to the panel frame and which are journalled in holes 70 formed in the corner pos 57 (or the members 59, 60, 62) the panels being mounted for inward swinging movement about horizontal axes which are contained in different horizontal planes. The panels when folded-down lie flat on top of one another with adjacent panel being in overlying relationship. The order in which the panels are folded down is the same as described for the container of the first embodiment. The height of the corner posts 57 is selected so that all four side and end panels, when folded down, are stored within the confines of the base 54 and assume a "stacked" height whic is less than the corner post height (i.e. the corner post height above the base floor 58 will be greater than 4 times th thickness of the panels). The lid panel 71, in this embodimen is removable and being of tray-like construction, is able to b supported, when the container is collapsed, at its four corner by the upper ends of the corner posts 57 (refer Fig. 10). Whe collapsed, the container 53 thus forms a relatively flat, neat package. Corner angle members 72 fixed to the corners of the lid 72 and projecting from the upper surface thereof form locating members to enable another folded-down container to be simply and securely stacked on top thereof, with the load bei transmitted through the corner posts 57. As in the first embodiment, each panel comprises a peripheral metal frame of angle section frame members 73 to which are secured a solid timber ply panel 74 located on the inside of the angle metal frame members. Instead of timber pl metal mesh or sheet metal may be used for the panels 74. If required, simple slidable latching bolts 75 are used releasably fasten together the upper corners of adjacent panels. In this embodiment, the hinge connection for the fron panel 63 is formed by slidable hinge pins or bolts 76 which when disengaged, permits the panel 63 to be bodily removed wh the container is erected and the lid 71 on. Normally, the lid 71 is removably supported on top of the upper edges of the si and end panels. A brief consideration of the abovedescribed embodiments will indicate that the invention provides for a vastly improv storage pallet container which is of extremely simple design, which is versatile in its size adaption, which can be simply and quickly folded between its erected and collapsed conditio and which may be conveniently transported in the collapsed condition.

Claims: The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. An improved collapsible storage container comprisin a substantially rectangular support base having an horizontal floor, a pair of opposed end panels (one of which constitutes the front panel, the other constituting the rear panel of the container) hinged with respect to the base for folding inward relative to the base into a collapsed condition, and a pair o opposed side panels hinged with respect to the base for foldi inwardly relative to the base into a collapsed condition, the improvements comprising: a stub corner post fixed vertically at each of the four corners of the base, panel lower edge engagement portions on said base for horizontally supporting the lower edges of said panels (when their erect condition) in four different horizontal planes, each panel being pivotally supported for said inwardly folding movement about a horizontal axis between a respective pair of said corner posts, whereby the horizontal axes of the panels are spaced at different distances from the floor of said base so that the panels can be folded inwardly approximately flat one on top of the other with adjacent panels in overlying relationship. 2. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 1 wherein said support base comprises three upstandi peripheral wall members, each extending between a respective pair of said corner posts, each said peripheral wall member supporting on its upper edge a respective said panel, said upper edge constituting a respective said panel lower edge engagement portion, the remaining panel having its lower edge in contiguous relation with the floor of said base. 3. An improved collapsible storage container according to either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said container comprises swingable lid panel hingedly supported by the rear panel at or adjacent its upper margin thereof and arranged to be supported on the upper edges of the four panels when in their erected position. 4. An improved collapsible storage container according to either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said container comprises removable lid panel removably supported on the upper edges of the panels when in their erected position. 5. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each said panel is pivotally supported by pivot means comprising laterally projecting pivo pins projecting from opposite sides of the panel at or adjace its lower end, each said projecting pin engaging in a hole formed in a respective said corner post. 6. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the front panel is formed in tw halves which are hinged together by hinge means to enable eac of the halves to swing about an horizontal axis relative to t other half, said front panel as a whole being able to be swun or folded inwardly so as to lie flat on top of the support ba or outwardly so as to extend away from the support base. 7. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 6 wherein the upper half of the front panel is provided with a pair of slidable transverse pivot pins or bolts, one at each side thereof, arranged to releasably engag in pivot bolt engaging apertures in peripheral frame members adjacent panels whereby with the pivot bolts so engaged (and the lower pivot means disengaged) , the lower half of the fron panel is able to be independently swung outwardly so as to provide an access opening into the bottom half of the interio of the container. 8. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 3 wherein said lid panel comprises a pair of panel portions hingedly connected to one another and arranged to permit the panel portions to lie one on top of the other (whe the lid is in a folded partly opened condition) or to lie coplanar with one another wherein the lid fully closes off th open upper end of the container. 9. An improved collapsible storage container according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising latchin means for releasably latching together adjacent panels of the container at the upper corners thereof, when in an erected condition, said latching means comprising an externally mount spring loaded pivoted lever arm rockingly supported by one sa panel adjacent an upper corner thereof for limited rocking movement about an axis extending at right angles to the plane of said one panel, the lever arm carrying at its upper end a latch pin extending at right angles to the lever arm and in a direction parallel to the plane of said one panel, the latch pin being arranged to engage through a hole or aperture forme in the end of an external latch engaging bar slidably mounte at the upper corner of an adjacent panel for sliding to and f movement in a direction at right angles to the axis of the latch pin, the pivotal rocking movement of the lever arm permitting the latch pin to be selectively engaged or disengaged with the latch engaging bar. 10. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein said lid panel has recessed portions at each of its four corners, each of the recessed portions being arranged to seatingly engage a corresponding corner portion of the support base of an adjacent container when stacked there on top. 11. An improved collapsible storage container according to claim 4 wherein said removable lid is shaped and dimension so that, when the container is in its collapsed condition, th lid panel can be removably supported at each of its four corners on the upper ends of said corner posts. 12. An improved collapsible storage container according to any preceding claim wherein said support base is a pallet base. 13. An improved collapsible container according to eith claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each said corner post is of angle section. 14. An improved collapsible storage container substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8 or 9 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: COOGAN JAMES DEANE, COOGAN, JAMES, DEANE
Applicants: REES OPERATIONS PTY LTD, REES OPERATIONS PTY. LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65D19
IPC codes: B65D6, B65D19