Patent ID: 7819270

Claim:
A nestable bulk storage bin, said bin comprising: a base segment having a bottom, a vertical rear panel attached to the bottom and an open top; a pair of opposing sides each attached to the bottom, and the base segment having an open end opposite the vertical rear panel; said opposing sides having a parallel relationship and a separation distance, width W 1 ; a side panel having generally a U shape and having a nested mode inside the base segment and an extended mode outside the base segment; said side panel having a bottom with a width slightly narrower than W 1 ; said side panel having a pair of sides attached to its bottom, in a parallel relationship to each other and having an open top, front and rear; wherein the side panel in the extended mode has a locking means functioning to lock its sides to the respective sides of the base segment, thereby forming a continuous bottom from the vertical rear panel to the front of the side panel and forming continuous, parallel sides from the vertical rear panel to the front of the side panel; wherein the locking means further comprises a pocket on the outside of each adjoining side and a horseshoe shaped locking fork secured into the pockets in a downward fashion; wherein each of the sides of both the base segment and the side panel has a horizontal flange mounted along its top edge, the side panel flanges nesting above the base segment flanges in the nested mode, and in the extended mode a bolt means functions to secure the base segment side flange to the side panel side flange via aligned holes; wherein the sides of the side panel each have a support strut extending from the flange down to the bottom of the side panel, wherein the support strut and the side it supports can withstand tons of side pressure from a pile of gravel inside the base segment and the extended side panel; said width W 1 large enough to accommodate a skid steer vehicle; and said opposing sides of said base segment and said side panel all having a height of about four feet.