Patent Publication Number: US-7588156-B2

Title: Collapsible container for transport and storage of goods

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/446,969, filed May 28, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,040, issued on Feb. 13, 2007. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to collapsible container for transport and storage of goods. 
   2. Description of Related Prior Art 
   Collapsible containers are rather popular since they will make a radical saving of the empty return transport volume possible. Foldable containers are advantageously made of thermoplastic materials which will give light and still sturdy containers which are easy to keep clean. Another advantage is that the tare-weight of such containers is very stable which is not the case with, for example, wood containers where the tare-weight can double when the wood becomes wet. Yet another advantage is that thermoplastic materials do not corrode, which is the case with containers made from metal such as steel and aluminum. Most thermoplastic materials furthermore have a good resistance to chemical substances such as acids and bases, which is not the case with most metals. 
   A container will have to cope with a vast number of different mechanical strains during its life cycle, and there are some cases where foldable containers of thermoplastic material have not been possible to use due to unfavourable cases of load. It is also desired to have packaging which is difficult to tamper with without leaving clearly visible traces. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It has, through the present invention, been made possible to solve the above-mentioned problem so that a collapsible container can be used for the handling of goods. The invention relates to a collapsible container for transport and storage of goods, which container includes a carrying base part, a plurality of collapsible side walls and a lid. The side walls are movably attached to said base part by means of lower hinge members. The side walls are arranged as a first and a second side wall being arranged parallel to each other. There is further a third and a fourth side wall being arranged parallel to each other and adjacent to the first and the second side walls. The first and second side walls are moveably attached to an upper frame member via upper hinge members. The first and second side wall are further parted into each an upper and a lower section via a vertical folding line. An upper edge of said third and fourth side walls are each provided with at least one locking lip. These locking lips limits the outwards movement of said third and fourth side walls by interacting with an inner edge of said upper frame member. The lid is provided with an inner rim which interacts with the inner edge of the upper frame member. This inner rim furthermore interacts with the locking lips thereby limiting inwards movement of the third and fourth side walls while the lid is arranged on the collapsible container. Undesired collapsing of the collapsible container is hereby prevented while the lid is properly arranged on the container. 
   A container according to the present invention is preferably manufactured through means of a manufacturing method selected from the group consisting of; injection moulding, vacuum moulding, blow moulding and press moulding. The container is suitably manufactured of a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of; polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polyvinylchloride, polyalkylene-therephtalate, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer, polyamide, polycarbonate and a combination thereof. 
   The lid may according to one embodiment of the invention be provided with gripping lid coupling members in at least two opposite edges. These coupling members are intended to interact with corresponding rim coupling members at the upper edge of the upper frame member. 
   According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the lid is provided with coupling hole members in at least two opposite edges. These coupling hole members are intended to interact with corresponding rim coupling hole members at the upper edge of the upper frame member. The coupling hole members and rim coupling hole members are arranged so as to allowing a sealing pin to be inserted through said coupling hole members and rim coupling hole members. 
   The sealing pin is preferably provided with snapping wedges and a manoeuvring section. The locking pin is further dimensioned to break at removal whereby unauthorised tampering with said collapsible container is made detectable. 
   The lid is further suitably provided with an upper rim. This upper rim is dimensioned to receive a footprint of said base part thereby securing vertical alignment of stacked collapsible containers with lids arranged thereon. 
   The upper frame member preferably allows the lid to be arranged thereon when the collapsible container is in both erected and collapsed state. 

   
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT EXAMPLES 
     The invention is described in more detail together with enclosed illustrations showing different embodiment of the invention whereby, 
       FIG. 1  shows in perspective view a collapsible container  1  with a lid  40 . 
       FIG. 2  shows in perspective view upper inside parts of a collapsible container  1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows in perspective view a lower side of a lid  40 . 
       FIG. 4  shows in perspective view an accessory in the form of a sealing pin  60 . 
       FIGS. 5   a - 5   b  shows in perspective view upper inside parts of a collapsible container  1  according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 6  shows in perspective view a lower side of a lid  40  according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 7  shows in perspective view outside parts of a collapsible container  1  according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1  showing a collapsible container  1  for transport and storage of goods. The container includes a carrying base part  20 , and four collapsible side walls  30 . The side walls are arranged as a first and a second side wall  31  and  32  respectively, being arranged parallel to each other and a third and a fourth side wall  33  and  34  respectively, being arranged parallel to each other and adjacent to the first and the second side walls  31  and  32  respectively. The second and fourth side walls  32  and  34  respectively, are arranged on sides not visible in the  FIG. 1 . The container is further provided with a lid  40 . Said side walls  30  are movably attached to said base part  20  by means of lower hinge members  3 . Said first and second side walls  31  and  32  respectively are moveably attached to an upper frame member  50  via upper hinge members  35 . The first and second side wall  31  and  32  respectively, are further being parted into each an upper and a lower section via a vertical folding line  36 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2  showing an upper edge of the third side wall  33 . Said third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively, are each provided with two locking lips  37 . The locking lips  37  limits the outwards movement of said third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively, by interacting with an inner edge  51  of said upper frame member  50 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3  showing a lower side of a lid  40 . Said lid  40  is provided with an inner rim  41 . This inner rim  41  interacts with said inner edge  51  (see  FIG. 2 ) of said upper frame member  50 . The inner rim  41  furthermore interacts with the locking lips  37  (see  FIG. 2 ) thereby limiting inwards movement of said third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively (see  FIG. 2 ), while the lid  40  is arranged on the collapsible container  1 . Undesired collapsing of said collapsible container  1  is thereby prevented while said lid  40  is properly arranged on said collapsible container  1 . 
   The lid  40  is provided with coupling hole members  42  (see  FIG. 1 ) in at least two opposite edges which coupling hole members  42  interacts with corresponding rim coupling hole members  52  (see  FIG. 2 ) at the upper edge of the upper frame member  50 . The coupling hole members  42  and rim coupling hole members  52  are arranged so as to allowing a sealing pin  160  (see  FIG. 4 ) to be inserted through said coupling hole members  42  and rim coupling hole members  52 . The sealing pin  160  is provided with snapping wedges  161  and a manoeuvring section  162 . According to a special embodiment of the invention the locking pin  160  is dimensioned to break at removal whereby unauthorised tampering with said collapsible container  1  is made detectable. The lid  40 , as best seen in  FIG. 1 , is provided with an upper rim  43 . The upper rim  43  is dimensioned to receive a footprint of said base part  20 , thereby securing vertical alignment of stacked collapsible containers  1  with lids  40  arranged thereon. 
   The upper frame member  50  allows the lid  40  to be arranged thereon when the collapsible container  1  is in both erected and collapsed state. 
   A collapsible container, as herein disclosed, is suitably manufactured through means of injection moulding of polyethylene or polypropylene. 
   It is furthermore advantageous to provide the third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively with a locking pin which inserted into a hole on the inside of the upper rim  51 . This hole and locking pin is preferably arranged so that one such locking pin and matching hole is located on either side of the handle area. The third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively will hereby take up loads when the container  1  is carried in the handles. Without this solution the upper rim  50  will bend upwards on the short sides when the container  1  is carried in the handles  53  especially when the container  1  contains heavy goods. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b  and  6  showing portions of a collapsible container  1  for transport and storage of goods and a lid according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The container  1  corresponds in the main with the container shown in  FIG. 1 . An upper edge of said third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively are each provided with at least one locking lip  37 . The locking lips  37  limits the outwards movement of said third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively by interacting with an inner edge  51  of said upper frame member  50 . A lid  40  (see  FIG. 6 ) is provided with an inner rim  41 , said inner rim  41  interacting with the inner edge  51  of the upper frame member  50 . The inner rim  41  furthermore interacts with the locking lips  37  thereby limiting inwards movement of the third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively while the lid  40  is arranged on said collapsible container  1 . Undesired collapsing of the collapsible container  1  is hereby prevented while said lid  40  is properly arranged on said container  1 . The third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively are further provided with each two locking pins  60  which each are inserted into one matching hole  61  (see  FIG. 5   b , where portions are cut away to facilitate understanding) arranged on the inside of the upper rim  51 . The hole  61  and locking pin  61  is arranged so that the locking pin  60  and its matching hole  61  will transfer loads exerted on the upper frame  50 . The third and fourth side walls  33  and  34 , respectively, may also be provided with snapping elements (not shown), each of which snaps into engagement with portions of the upper frame  50 . 
   The lid  40  is provided with gripping lid coupling members  45  (see  FIG. 6 ) in the form of edge gripping lid coupling members  45   I  (see  FIG. 6 ) arranged at a short side edge. The edge gripping lid coupling members  45   I  are intended to interact with edge hole rim coupling members  55   I  (see  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b ) arranged on the inside of the upper frame member  50 . The edge gripping lid coupling members  45   I  and the edge hole rim coupling members  55   I  are intended to engage one another by horizontal sliding of the lid  40 . 
   The lid  40  is further provided with gripping lid coupling members  45  in the form of top edge gripping lid coupling members  45   II  (see  FIG. 6 ) arranged on the two long side edges. The top edge gripping lid coupling members  45   II  are intended to interact with top edge slot rim coupling member  55   II  (see  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b ) arranged on the top side of the upper frame member  50 . The top edge gripping lid coupling members  45   II  and the top edge slot rim coupling members  55   II  are intended to engage one another by downwards movement followed by horizontal sliding of the lid  40 . 
   The lid  40  is also provided with gripping lid coupling members  45  in the form of lid knob coupling members  45   III  (see  FIG. 6 ) arranged at a short side edge. The lid knob coupling members  45   III  are intended to interact with knob hole rim coupling members  55   III  (see  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b ) arranged on the inside of the upper frame member  50 . The lid knob coupling members  45   III  and the knob hole rim coupling members  55   III  are intended to engage one another by downwards movement of the lid  40 . 
   The lid knob coupling members  45   III  are arranged at a first short side edge of the lid  40  while the edge gripping lid coupling members  45   I  are arranged at the opposite short side edge of the lid  40 . The upper frame member is provided with rim coupling members  55  allowing the lid  40  to be assembled with the container  1  even if turned 180° around the vertical axle. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 . The first and second side walls  31  and  32  respectively are provided with clamping hooks  62  arranged at a vertical edge  31   I  and  32   I  respectively. The third and fourth side walls  33  and  34  respectively are provided with clamping holes  63  at a position matching the position of the clamping hooks  62  when all side walls  31 ,  32 ,  33  and  34  respectively are erected. The interaction between the clamping hooks  62  and the clamping holes  63  will prevent unauthorised access to the content of the container caused by attempts at prizing adjacent side walls apart. 
   The invention is not limited by the embodiments shown since they can be altered in different ways within the scope of the invention.