Patent GB-1080290-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a folding crate
IPC: B65D6/00
Filed: 1966-03-01
Abstract: 1,080,290. Folding crates. L. R. SINCLAIR. March 1, 1966 [March 2, 1965], No. 8936/66. Heading B8P. [Also in Division E2] A collapsible crate 10 comprises a base 11 and four walls 12, 13, 15, 16 each of which is hinged at its lower end to enable it to be folded down into a horizontal position above the base, to collapse the crate. A lid 18 is hinged to one wall 13 so as to close the crate when it is erected, and to fold back over the horizontally folded walls when the crate is collapsed, Fig. 7 (not shown), the contacting edges of the lid and wall being complementarily inclined. Each wall is hinged by U-shaped metal straps 49 to L-shaped hinge pins (51), Fig. 3 (not shown), carried by a bar (38) within a hollow housing, such as (23), connected rigidly along one edge of the base 11. Gaps (47) in the upper surface (28) of the housing permit the straps to enter therein to engage the hinge pins (51). The bar (38) is slidably mounted within the housing, being supported on loose sleeves (37) on crossshafts (36), Fig. 2 (not shown), longitudinal movement of the bar being prevented by the engagement of a spring-biased pawl (42) with ratchet teeth (41) on the upper surface of the bar (38). When the pawl is raised by lifting a pin (45) extending from the pawl into the body of the crate through a slot in the housing (23) by means of a spring-steel hook (57) at the lower end of a rod 55, slidably mounted in a recess (54) on the inside of the wall 12, the bar (38) may be slid along within the housing to disengage the L-shaped hinge pin (51) from the strap (49), permitting the walls to be removed from the base to facilitate unpacking, or to enable the base to be used as a pallet. A pin 60, attached to the bar (38), extends through a slot in the outer housing wall and passes through a slot 61 in a lever 63 to enable the bar to be slid along within the housing. A resilient pad (53), Fig. 2 (not shown), stuck in a recess (52) on the lower edge of the wall 12 presses against the top of the housing (23) to weather-seal the crate along the hinge line. The top inner edge 30 of the housing is rounded to permit the wall 12 to be folded inwardly to the collapsed position. The heights of the housings on which the four walls of the crate are mounted differ by amounts corresponding to the thicknesses of the walls, to permit all the walls to lie horizontally on the base. In the erected position the end walls 15, 16 lie inside the side walls 12, 13, and are prevented from falling outwards by the engagement of clips (94), Fig. 5 (not shown), on the end walls with brackets (85) on the side walls, sprung detents (100) retaining the end wall in the vertical position after erection. In order to collapse the end walls, the detents (100) are pressed into recesses (106), permitting the end walls to hinge inwardly between the side walls. An upper section 79 of one side wall 12 may be outwardly hinged attached to the rest of that wall, to permit inspection of the crate contents without collapsing the walls, or raising the lid. In this case the clip and bracket arrangement to retain the end walls is mounted at the top of the lower section 78. A hasp on the lid engages a loop 110 on the upper part 79 of the wall 12, to permit locking of the crate. In the collapsed position a hook (117), Fig. 7 (not shown), on the lid engages a pin (113) on the base, to hold the folded sections together. The hook (117) is hinged to a bar (115), Fig. 8 (not shown), which slides within a bore (118) in the lid, a spring engaging with an internal shoulder (121) in the bore to withdraw the bar (115) and the straight portion of the hook 117 into the bore when the hook is not required; i.e. when the crate is erected. A recess (126) accommodates the head of the hook.