Patent Description:
Containers for collecting items and transporting them inside a workplace have been long known in the field of bulk item transport.

Generally, these containers have an essentially prismatic shape, with pairs of sidewalls perpendicular to a bottom wall, thereby creating an internal item storage space.

Depending on users' needs, these containers are made of different sizes using rigid materials, such as iron and steel, to support the weight of the materials collected thereby.

In addition, the containers often have feet for secure ground contact, or wheels for easy transport by a user.

Nevertheless, when not in use, these containers occupy a large volume, and hence are bulky and not easily stored.

In an attempt to at least partially overcome this drawback, containers have long been made with removable sidewalls, so that they can be disassembled and thus occupy a smaller volume when not in use.

<CIT> discloses a disassemblable container comprising a base frame, having a substantially rectangular plan shape, with rods being coupled at its vertices, perpendicular to such frame.

These rods have coupling means for retaining the removable side walls.

Optionally, a substantially concave support is provided at the top end of these rods, for receiving the feet of a second container of the same type on top of the first container, to facilitate stacking.

A first drawback of this known container is that it is composed of a plurality of components, all of which are removable, resulting in a complex assembly/disassembly that takes a considerable amount of time.

Furthermore, in order to meet different users' needs, the container has to be constructed from time to time with predetermined dimensions, thus increasing manufacturing costs.

<CIT> discloses a collapsible container, which comprises a substantially rectangular base with rods hinged at its vertices.

Using a pivot pin, the rods can be rotated <NUM>° to move from an idle position parallel to the base to an operating position in which the rods are perpendicular to the base.

When the rods are perpendicular to the base, stays and an upper frame may be attached thereto to create a space for holding items therein.

Nevertheless, once assembled, this container does not have adequate stiffness and is unable to contain a plurality of small items, as they might escape from the side walls.

<CIT> discloses a modular container comprising a base with posts at its vertices for coupling with removable walls and for housing rods having feet or wheels at their lower ends.

The rods are designed to be extended downwards, thereby allowing the height of the container to be adjusted to the needs of a user.

In addition, since the rods are individually adjustable, they allow the base to be tilted, thereby facilitating unloading/loading of items from/into the container.

Nevertheless, the container is difficult to disassemble and still occupies a large volume when not used.

Conclusively, prior art containers are impractical, bulky and difficult to assemble/disassemble.

In light of the prior art, the technical problem addressed by the present invention is to provide a container having improved configuration versatility and a smaller footprint in the idle condition.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problem by providing a modular container for storage and transport of items, that is highly efficient and cost-effective.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described hereinbefore that can be easily assembled and disassem bled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described above that has a small footprint when not used.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described hereinbefore that can be easily transported within a work environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described hereinbefore that affords safe transport of various types of items/materials.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described hereinbefore that has a high load capacity with respect to its total volume and a relatively simple construction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a modular container as described hereinbefore, that requires no particular operator skills during use.

These and other objects, as better explained hereafter, are fulfilled by a modular container for storage and transport of items as defined in claim <NUM>.

In particular, the container comprises a peripheral frame having a substantially rectangular plan shape, a plurality of transverse members rigidly joined to the frame and longitudinally spaced apart to form a bottom wall with transverse gaps, a pair of longitudinal walls and a pair of transverse walls, which are both removable and substantially perpendicular to the frame, and a post attached to the peripheral frame at each vertex of the frame.

In addition, each post is a hollow profile accommodating at one end a first extendable rod with a ground support foot, and at the opposite end a second extendable rod.

Each post has a first outer face with first coupling means for attaching one of the longitudinal walls, and a second outer face with second coupling means for attaching one of the transverse walls.

According to a peculiar aspect of the invention, the posts are pivotally attached to the frame to move from an operating configuration in which the posts are substantially perpendicular to the frame, thereby allowing both first and second rods to extend and the longitudinal and transverse walls to be attached, to an idle configuration in which the longitudinal and transverse walls are removed and the posts are pivoted <NUM>° with the first coupling means accommodated in the transverse gaps.

Due to this combination of features, when not in use, and therefore in the idle configuration, the container has a small footprint.

Moreover, by extending the first and second rods, a user will be able to adjust the height of the container according to his needs.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are as defined in the dependent claims.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reading of the detailed description of a modular container for storage and transport of items, which is described as a non-limiting example with the help of the annexed drawings, in which:.

Particularly referring to the figures, there is shown a modular container, generally designated by numeral <NUM>, for storage and transport of items, not shown.

As best shown in <FIG>, the modular container <NUM> comprises a peripheral frame <NUM> having a substantially rectangular shape and a plurality of transverse members <NUM> rigidly joined to the frame <NUM> and longitudinally spaced apart to form a bottom wall <NUM> with transverse gaps <NUM>.

The container <NUM> further comprises a pair of longitudinal walls <NUM> and a pair of transverse walls <NUM>, which are both removable and substantially perpendicular to the frame <NUM>, and a post <NUM> attached to the peripheral frame <NUM> proximate each vertex of the frame.

Preferably, the container <NUM> may be made of a rigid material selected from the group comprising iron, stainless steel, aluminum, reinforced synthetic materials and other similar materials.

Advantageously, the container <NUM> may have its longitudinal walls <NUM> and transverse walls <NUM> with holes, as best shown in <FIG>, or unperforated as shown in the embodiment as shown in <FIG>.

This will afford safe transport of items of different shapes and sizes without the risk of them falling out of container <NUM>.

In addition, with large items, such as cases and box-like packages, the longitudinal walls <NUM> and the transverse walls <NUM> may be entirely removed, so that the item lying on the bottom wall <NUM> can slightly protrude out of the perimeter of the frame <NUM>.

As shown in the figures, each post <NUM> is a hollow profile accommodating at one end a first extendable rod <NUM> with a support foot <NUM> adapted to rest on the ground S, and at the opposite end a second extendable rod <NUM>.

Advantageously, the second rod <NUM> may be telescopic and composed of a plurality of profiles fitting one into another, as shown in <FIG>.

This allows the second rod <NUM> to extend to a considerable extent, and nonetheless be compact when retracted.

In addition, each post <NUM> has a first outer face <NUM> with first coupling means <NUM> for attaching one of the longitudinal walls <NUM>, and a second outer face <NUM> with second coupling means <NUM> for attaching one of the transverse walls <NUM>.

Conveniently, each of the second extendable rods <NUM> has, at one end, a support element <NUM> having a substantially concave or partially funnel-like shape for guiding and receiving a corresponding foot <NUM>' of another container <NUM>' stacked thereupon.

With these features, multiple containers <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>",. , may be stacked one on top of the other into a stack, as shown in <FIG>, so that several objects can be stored in a compact manner.

In addition, by extending the first rod <NUM> and the second rod <NUM>, the distance between a container <NUM> and the one stacked thereupon <NUM>' may be adjusted according to the overall dimensions of the items collected and the needs of a user.

Advantageously, due to the robust construction of the modular container <NUM>, hoisting gear and special lifting fork vehicles may be used to lift a container <NUM>' and place it on top of another container <NUM> of the same type.

Each first rod <NUM> and second rod <NUM> is held in the extended position by a pin <NUM> extending through one of the holes <NUM> of a respective post <NUM> that contains it.

In order to extend the corresponding rod <NUM>, <NUM> to the desired position, the pin <NUM> will be simply pulled out of one hole <NUM> and locked into another one of the holes <NUM>.

This imparts stability and safety to the stack of containers <NUM>, <NUM>',. , one on top of the other, thereby avoiding any risk to workers in the vicinity.

Conveniently, each first rod <NUM> and second rod <NUM> can have its extension individually adjusted.

Thus, to facilitate loading and/or unloading of items into/from the container <NUM>, a user may adjust the first rods <NUM> to different heights to tilt the bottom wall <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

According to a peculiar aspect of the invention, the posts <NUM> are pivotally attached to the frame <NUM> to move from an operating configuration (as shown in <FIG>), in which the posts <NUM> are substantially perpendicular to the frame <NUM>, thereby allowing both the first rod <NUM> and the second rod <NUM> to extend and the longitudinal wall <NUM> and the transverse wall <NUM> to be attached, to an idle configuration (see <FIG>), in which the longitudinal wall <NUM> and the transverse wall <NUM> are removed and the posts <NUM> are pivoted <NUM>° with the first coupling means <NUM> accommodated in the transverse gaps <NUM>.

As best shown in <FIG>, in the idle configuration the container <NUM> does not rest on the feet <NUM>.

Thus, short cramps <NUM> are fixed proximate the vertices of the frame <NUM> to directly rest on the ground S.

Conveniently, the width d of each transverse gap <NUM> is larger than the dimensions of the first coupling means <NUM>.

This allows the posts <NUM> to be pivoted to the point where the first coupling means <NUM> contact the frame <NUM> and are easily received in the corresponding gaps <NUM>.

Therefore, in this idle configuration, the posts <NUM> will be substantially parallel to the bottom wall <NUM>, which will greatly reduce the volume of collapsed container <NUM>.

Preferably, the posts <NUM> are locked in the operating or idle configuration respectively by means of a pin-or screw-type latch <NUM>.

In addition, the longitudinal walls <NUM> and the transverse walls <NUM> may be stored on the bottom wall <NUM>, so that several containers <NUM>, <NUM>',. , not in use can be stacked one on top of the other in a compact and space-saving arrangement as shown in <FIG>.

Advantageously, these features will also afford easier packaging of various containers <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>",. , for easier shipment to customers, which entails logistical and economic benefits.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the modular container of the invention fulfills the intended objects and namely can be configured in response to users' needs.

It also allows various items to be stored in a compact arrangement, and when not used it can be stored with a reduced footprint.

While the modular container has been described with particular reference to the accompanying figures, the numerals referred to in the description and claims are only used for the sake of a better intelligibility of the invention and shall not be intended to limit the claimed scope in any manner.

The same reference numerals in different figures will designate identical or similar members and the attached figures are not necessarily to scale.

Claim 1:
A modular container (<NUM>) for storage and transport of items, which container (<NUM>) comprises:
- a peripheral frame (<NUM>) having a rectangular plan shape;
- a plurality of transverse members (<NUM>) rigidly joined to said frame (<NUM>) and longitudinally spaced apart to form a bottom wall (<NUM>) with transverse gaps (<NUM>);
- a pair of longitudinal walls (<NUM>) and a pair of transverse walls (<NUM>), which are both removable and perpendicular to said frame (<NUM>);
- a post (<NUM>) attached to said peripheral frame (<NUM>) proximate each vertex thereof;
wherein each post (<NUM>) is a hollow profile accommodating at one end a first extendable rod (<NUM>) with a support foot (<NUM>) adapted to rest on the ground (S), and at the opposite end a second extendable rod (<NUM>), each post (<NUM>) having a first outer face (<NUM>) with first coupling means (<NUM>) for attaching one of said longitudinal walls (<NUM>), and a second outer face (<NUM>) with second coupling means (<NUM>) for attaching one of said transverse walls (<NUM>);
characterized in that the posts (<NUM>) are pivotally attached to said frame (<NUM>) to move from an operating configuration in which said posts (<NUM>) are perpendicular to said frame (<NUM>), thereby allowing both said first rod (<NUM>) and second rod (<NUM>) to extend and said longitudinal wall (<NUM>) and transverse wall (<NUM>) to be attached, to an idle configuration in which said longitudinal wall (<NUM>) and transverse wall (<NUM>) are removed and said posts (<NUM>) are pivoted <NUM>° with the first coupling means (<NUM>) accommodated in said transverse gaps (<NUM>).