Patent Document

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/943/839, filed Jun. 13, 2007. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to collapsible crates and more particularly to a collapsible crate with support members for supporting another container thereon. 
   Collapsible crates are well known. Four walls each connected via a hinge to a base are selectively movable about the hinge between a use position, in which the wall is generally perpendicular to the base, and a collapsed position onto the base. Various mechanisms have been provided to connect adjacent walls at the corner to selectively lock the crate in the use position. 
   Some collapsible crates also include retractable supports so that another container can be supported thereon. One such crate includes end walls each having a support that is partially supported on the adjacent walls when in the support position. As the end walls are pivoted to the upright position, a biasing member on the support contacts a portion of the adjacent wall to automatically move the support to the support position. However, the biasing members are subject to breakage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a collapsible container having a plurality of walls collapsible onto the base. At least one wall has a support movable between a support position where it is partially supported on an adjacent wall and a retracted position. In the retracted position, the wall can lie flat on the base. 
   In one embodiment, when the wall is pivoted to the upright position, a hard stop on the adjacent wall moves the support to the support position. Thus, the supports are always guaranteed to be fully in the support position, so that a container stacked thereon will not fall into the lower container and damage the goods in the lower container. 
   In another embodiment, the hard stop moves the support only partly from the retracted position toward the support position. This makes it easier for the user to move the support fully to the support position. The support in the partly retracted position permits some additional access to the mouth of the container. 
   The supports may be formed on short end walls of the container, such that the supports and end walls can be collapsed onto the base and the long side walls can be pivoted onto the end walls. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages of the present invention can be understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention in the assembled position. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the container of  FIG. 1  in a collapsed position. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a quarter of the container of  FIG. 1 . The other quadrants would be mirror images. 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the corner of the container of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is partial section view of the container of  FIG. 1  with the end wall in the collapsed position. 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 5 , with the end wall being pivoted toward the upright position. 
       FIG. 7  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 5  with the end wall in the upright position and the support in the deployed position. 
       FIG. 8  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 7  of a container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a mold half for making the side wall of  FIGS. 1-7  or  FIG. 8  or a side wall without a stop. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a container  10  includes a base  12  having upstanding side walls  14  (or long walls) and upstanding end walls  18  (or short walls). The side walls  14  and end walls  18  are pivotably connected along long and short edges of the base  12 , respectively. The side walls  14  and end walls  18  are movable between the upright position shown in  FIG. 1  and a collapsed position on the base  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , each end wall  18  has a support  20  (or flap). The support  20  is pivotably mounted at its lower edge to a position spaced below an upper edge of the end wall  18 . The support  20  is shown in  FIG. 3  in a support position where it projects into the interior of the container  10 , partly narrowing the mouth of the container  10 . The support  20  includes a tab  21  projecting from each side into the side wall  14 . The end wall  18  includes a lip  36  protruding inwardly from the uppermost edge above the support  20 . The lip  36  includes at least one inwardly-open cutout  38  therethrough. 
   The interiors of the side walls  14  each include an upper frame portion  22  protruding into the container  10 . A curved channel  24  is formed through each upper frame portion  22 . The interior of the side walls  14  each further include a lower frame portion  26  having a pair of channels  28  formed therethrough. A recess  30  is defined between the upper frame portion  22  and the lower frame portion  26 . The base  12  includes a pair of side upstanding portions  32  to which the side walls  14  are pivotably attached. Each side upstanding portion  32  includes a pair of channels  34  formed on an interior thereof. The channels  24 ,  28  and  34  are aligned with one another and with the tabs  21  on the supports  20 , so that the end walls  18  can be pivoted to the collapsed position. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the base  12  includes a pair of shallow recessed channels  45  (one shown) in alignment with the channels  34  of the side upstanding portions  32 . When the end wall  18  is collapsed onto the base  12  as shown in  FIG. 5 , the lip  36  of the end wall  18  and the upper edge of the support  20  are received in the channel  45  in the base  12 . The lip  36  and the support  20  both project toward the interior of the container  10  further than the inner surface of the remainder of the end wall  18 , so the recess  45  permits the end wall  18  to lie flatter on the base  12 . This reduces the overall stacking height of the container  10  in a collapsed position. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , each side wall  14  includes a stop  40  projecting inward adjacent the channel  24 . As the end wall  18  is pivoted toward the upright position, the tab  21  ( FIG. 3 ) of the support  20  passes through the channel  24  in the side wall  14 . In  FIG. 6 , the end wall  18  is being pivoted toward the upright position from the position of  FIG. 5 . The tab  21  passes through the channels  24 ,  28 ,  34  and the recess  30  in side wall  14  as the end wall  18  is pivoted toward the upright position, as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the support then contacts the stops  40  (one shown—the other one is on the opposite side wall  14 ) and is forced from the retracted position below lip  36  to the support position as shown. Thus, in this embodiment, the support  20  cannot be moved to the retracted position when the end wall  18  and the side wall  14  are in the upright position. This guarantees that the supports  20  will be ready to support a container thereon. Further, there is no need for a user to manually deploy the supports  20  after erecting the walls  14 ,  18 . 
   As another feature of the present invention, the side wall  14  is designed such that the stop  40  can easily be removed from the mold (such as by adding an insert). As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , the channel  24  continues past the stop  40 , such that without the stop  40 , the support  20  could be retracted completely into the end wall  18 . Thus, containers with or without the automatic deployment of the supports  20  could be made in the same molds. 
   A container  110  according to another embodiment is shown in  FIG. 8 . The container  110  is identical to the container  10  of  FIGS. 1-7  except as shown in  FIG. 8  or described below. The container  110  has a stop  140  that is closer to the end wall  18  than the stop  40 , such that the support  20  is only partially deployed by the stop  140  as the end wall  18  is moved to the upright position.  FIG. 8  illustrates the support  20  moved to the partially deployed position by the stop  140 . This makes it easier for the user to move the support  20  to the fully deployed position, similar to that as shown in  FIG. 7 . Gravity may then permit the support  20  to fall the rest of the way into the support position, but also permit the support  20  to be moved toward the end wall  18  to the extent shown for greater access through the opening of the container  110 . Alternatively, the container  110  can be used with the support in the partially deployed position (without supporting another container thereon), in which case, the supports  20  restrict the mouth of the container  110  less than the supports  20  of the container  10  of  FIGS. 1-7 . 
     FIG. 9  illustrates a mold half  200  for making the side wall  14  of  FIGS. 1-7  or a side wall  114  according to  FIG. 8  or a side wall without a stop  40 ,  140 . A side wall without a stop can be made by using the insert  202  in the mold half  200 . A side wall  14  with a full hard stop  40  according to  FIGS. 1-7  can be made with the insert  202   a  in the mold half  200 , the insert  202   a  having a recess  204   a  corresponding to the hard stop  40 . A side wall  114  with a partial hard stop  140  according to  FIG. 8  can be made with the insert  202   b  in the mold half  200 , the insert  202   b  having a recess  204   b  corresponding to the hard stop  140 . Thus, the same mold half  200  can be used to make any of the desired types of side walls  114 . 
   In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.

Technology Category: b