Abstract:
A container adapted to be lifted by a forklift having a pair of prongs, including a receptacle having a floor, a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of opposed sidewalls, wherein a front edge, a rear edge and side edges of the floor define a perimeter of the floor. A plurality of bolsters is attached to the floor such that each bolster is within the perimeter, each bolster including a lower panel and a pair of sidewalls extending upwardly to the floor and forming a first entry window configured to slidably receive one of the prongs of the forklift. Each bolster is positioned such that its first entry window is accessible from one of the opposed side edges of the floor, and the prongs of the forklift are slidably receivable between a pair of the bolsters from one of the front edge and the rear edge of the floor.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/930,563 filed Oct. 31, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/857,879, filed Nov. 9, 2006, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to containers, and in particular, the bolsters for construction containers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Large storage containers, including boxes and cabinets, used in the construction industry are often formed of steel sheet. The floor, walls and ceiling (or lid) of the container can be formed either from a single sheet of steel that is bent at intersecting edges of these surfaces or from multiple pieces of sheet steel that are welded together. Many containers have bolsters underlying the floor, and some will include casters beneath the bolsters. Typical sizes for such a cabinet or box can range from 5 ft 3  to 150 ft 3  or even larger. Exemplary storage containers include those sold under the name JOBOX™ by Delta Consolidated Industries, Jonesboro, Ark. and those sold under the name JOBMASTER™ by Knaack Manufacturing, Crystal Lake, Ill. Large storage containers may be heavy and difficult to move, especially when fully loaded with construction materials. A forklift may be employed to move large storage containers; however, the bolsters and/or casters may make it 25 difficult to orient the forklift prongs under the container to achieve proper balance and a secure lift. The forklift prongs and/or the location of the container may limit the container to be lifted from only one or two sides. Operators may be required to reorient the container so that the desired container side is facing the forklift. This may be difficult and/or time-consuming, especially if space for moving and reorienting the container is limited. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a container adapted to be lifted by a forklift with a pair of prongs, including a receptacle having a floor, a front wall extending upwardly from a front edge of the floor, a rear wall extending upwardly from a rear edge of the floor, and a pair of opposed sidewalls extending upwardly from a pair of side edges of the floor, wherein the front edge, rear edge and side edges of the floor define a perimeter of the floor. A plurality of bolsters is attached to an underside surface of the floor such that each bolster is within the perimeter of the floor, each bolster including a lower panel spaced apart from the underside surface of the floor and a pair of sidewalls extending from the lower panel to the floor such that a first entry window is formed, the first entry window being configured to slidably receive one of the prongs of the forklift. Each bolster is disposed on the underside surface of the floor such that its first entry window is accessible from one of the opposed side edges of the floor, and the prongs of the forklift are slidably receivable between a pair of the plurality of bolsters from one of the front edge and the rear edge of the floor. 
         [0005]    Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a container adapted to be lifted by a forklift with a pair of prongs, including a receptacle having a floor, a front wall extending upwardly from a front edge of the floor, a rear wall extending upwardly from a rear edge of the floor, and a pair of opposed sidewalls extending upwardly from a pair of side edges of the floor, wherein the front edge, rear edge and side edges of the floor define a perimeter of the floor, and the front and rear edges of the floor are longer than the opposed side edges. A first bolster, a second bolster, a third bolster and a fourth bolster are attached to a respective corner of an underside surface of the floor such that each bolster is within the perimeter of the floor, each bolster including a lower panel spaced apart from the underside surface of the floor, and a pair of sidewalls extending from the lower panel to the floor such that a first entry window is formed, the first entry window being configured to slidably receive one of the prongs of the forklift. Each bolster is disposed on the underside surface of the floor such that its first entry window is accessible from one of the opposed side edges of the floor, and the prongs of the forklift are slidably receivable between a first pair of the bolsters from one of the front edge of the floor and a second pair of the bolsters from the rear edge of the floor. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a container having bolsters according to embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial top perspective view of the container and bolster of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the container and bolsters of  FIG. 1  with the casters removed; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bolster of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the bolster of  FIGS. 1-4 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the bolsters of  FIGS. 1-5 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the bolsters of  FIGS. 1-6 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the container of  FIGS. 1-3  being lifted by a forklift from the front of the container; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the container of  FIGS. 1-3  being lifted by a forklift from the side of the container; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a partial top perspective view of the container and a bolster according to further embodiments of the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a top perspective view of a container and bolsters according to still further embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The present invention now will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
         [0019]    Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. 
         [0020]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.” 
         [0021]    Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. 
         [0022]    It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting&#39;” etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature. 
         [0023]    Spatially relative terms, such as ‘under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of “over” and “under”. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise. 
         [0024]    It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a “first” element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could also be termed a “second” element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a container  10  is shown therein. The container  10  includes a receptacle  20  having a front wall  21 , opposing sidewalls  22  that are perpendicular to the front wall  21 , a rear wall  23  that opposes the front wall  21 , and a floor  24 . A cover  25  is attached via a hinge to the rear wall  23 . The container  10  also includes four bolsters  30  on the underside of the floor  24 . The bolsters  30  each define at least two entry windows  50 ,  60 . As shown in  FIG. 3-5 , two bolsters  30  may be formed as a single, unitary dual bolster assembly  31 . 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , each of the bolsters  30  includes a lower panel  32  with projections  34  that extend downwardly from the lower panel  32  to form the entry window  50 . A pair of walls  36  extend upwardly from the lower panel  32  to the floor  24  and form the other entry window  60 . In addition, the lower panel  32  includes creases  38   a ,  38   b . The projections  34  include apertures  40 . The apertures  40  are configured to receive casters  48  therein as shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an upper panel  42  connects one or more of the bolsters  30 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , the bolsters  30  provide entry windows  50 ,  60  that are substantially perpendicular to one another such that the container  10  may be lifted by a forklift  70  from the sides or from the front or back of the container  10 . The entry windows  50 ,  60  form openings that are accessible from a side of the container  10  (i.e., via window  50 ) and from a front of the container  60  (i.e., via window  60 ). As illustrated, prongs  72  of the forklift  70  may be inserted in respective entry windows  60  to lift the container  10  from the front ( FIG. 8 ) or the prongs  72  of the forklift  70  may be inserted in respective entry windows  50  to lift the container from the side ( FIG. 9 ). 
         [0028]    Those skilled in this art will recognize that the container  10  may take other configurations. For example, various sizes, shapes and configurations can be used to form the bolsters  30  and entry windows  50 ,  60 . In particular, as shown in  FIG. 10 , a container  100  includes a bolster  130  having entry windows  150 ,  160 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the bolster  130  includes walls  136  that extend downwardly from the container  100  and a lower panel  134 . The walls  136  have an opening that forms the entry window  150 . The walls  136  and the panel  134  together form the entry window  160 . In this configuration, the entry windows  150 ,  160  are accessible from a side and a front of the container. 
         [0029]    As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , a container  200  includes bolsters  230  extending along a side  222  of a receptacle  220 . The receptacle  220  has a front wall  221 , opposing sidewalls  222  that are perpendicular to the front wall  221 , a rear wall  223  that opposes the front wall  221 , a floor  24 , and a cover  235  that is attached via a hinge to the rear wall  223 . The bolsters  230  define an entry window  250  adjacent the front wall  221 . The bolsters  230  also include a notch  232  adjacent the side walls  222 , which defines another entry window  260 . In this configuration, the prongs from a forklift may be inserted from the front of the container  200  via the entry window  250  or from the side of the container  200  via the entry window  260 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIGS. 4-7 , the bolster  30  is formed as a unitary member. In particular, the dual bolster assembly  31  may be formed from a unitary member such as a single sheet of metal and connected by the upper panel  42 . The sheet of metal may have a thickness between 0.0299 and 0.5 inches. The bolsters  30  may be attached to the floor  24  by the panel  42  and the upper portion of the walls  36 , for example, by welding In some embodiments, the upper panel  42  is omitted, and the bolsters  30  are formed separately from one another. 
         [0031]    The bolsters  30  include creases  38   a ,  38   b , which may increase the strength and/or rigidity of the bolster  30 . The lower crease  38   b  may also guide the prong  72  of the forklift  70  into the entry windows  60  as shown in  FIG. 8 . In some embodiments, the creases  38   a ,  38   b  are omitted. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the bolster walls  36  extend at an angle with respect to the upper panel  42 , the lower panel  32  and the container floor  24  such that the bolster walls  36  are not perpendicular to the container floor  24 . As illustrated, the angle at which the walls  36  extend with respect to the container floor  24  and the panels  32 ,  42  may strengthen the structure of the bolsters  341  for bearing weight from the container  10 ; however, in some embodiments, the bolster walls  36  may be perpendicular to the container floor  24  and the panels  32 ,  42 . 
         [0033]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 , the projections  34  of the bolsters  30  include apertures  40 , which may be used to hold casters  48  therein as shown in  FIG. 2 . Pairs of the projections  34  on the bolsters  30  define the entry window  50  such that, when the container  10  is positioned on a flat surface, such as the ground or floor, the entry window  50  provides sufficient space for the prongs  72  of the forklift  70  so that the forklift  70  can lift the container  10  from the front ( FIG. 2  and  FIG. 8 ). In some embodiments, the projections extend at least 0.25 inches from the lower panel  32 . However, the apertures  40  and casters  48  may be omitted, and the bolsters  30  may rest directly on the ground or floor. If the casters  48  are omitted, the projections  34  may extend a greater distance from the lower panel  32  to provide sufficient space for the prongs  72  of the forklift  70 , such as at least 0.25 inches from the lower panel  32 . 
         [0034]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , two casters  48  are affixed to each bolster  30  on respective projections  34  by screws  48   a . The illustrated two-caster configuration may provide stability and support to the container  10 ; however, one caster  48  per bolster  30  may be used, or more than two casters  48  may be used on a single bolster  30 . The casters can have a height of between three and sixteen inches. The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.