Receptacles – Sectional – Folding
Patent
1995-02-21
1997-08-26
Moy, Joseph M.
Receptacles
Sectional
Folding
200336, B65D 8852
Patent
active
056602910
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to collapsible cages useful for the transportation or storage of a wide variety of items.
BACKGROUND ART
The transportation of goods in containers to a destination is often followed by the return of the containers, empty of goods, to their source.
The empty containers are conventionally returned in their original shape and take up the same carrying area or volume on the transportation vehicle as they had when they were loaded with goods.
It would be advantageous if the containers, once emptied, where reduced in overall size so that the transportation vehicle were able to carry a greater number of containers or allocate carrying space to goods for the return journey.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome substantially ameliorate the shortcomings of the prior art.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a collapsible cage comprising a base, a plurality of side panels adapted to be supported on the base in both an upright and collapsed position, locking means adapted to allow the panels to be locked into and unlocked from their upright position when forming the cage, and collapsing means adapted to allow the panels to be collapsed and assume a substantially horizontally stacked position over the base.
In a preferred form of the invention, the collapsible cage includes a top panel adapted to be supported oh the side panels when in an upright position, wherein the top panel is lockable by locking means and collapsible by collapsing means so that the side panels and top panel can assume a substantially horizontally stacked position over the base.
The locking means preferably comprises a lockable member mounted on a first panel and a recessed portion on an adjacent second panel, the lockable member including catch means adapted to engage within the recessed portion, thereby locking the first panel to the adjacent second panel.
The collapsible cage of the invention may also include Guide means adapted to cooperate with the locking means, whereby the guide means ensure that the panels are properly orientated in their cage forming position before the panels are locked or unlocked by the locking means.
It is also preferred that the collapsing means includes means for pivoting a first side panel about an adjacent second side panel so that the said first and second side panels are substantially coplanar to each other and means for lowering the substantially coplanar panels onto the base, so that the panels assume a substantially horizontally stacked position over the base.
Preferably, the pivoting means includes double axis hinge means that provide a first axis of rotation of the first side panel about the second side panel to enable the first side panel to pivot to a first outer position and a second axis of rotation of the first side panel about the second side panel to enable the first side panel to pivot from the first outer position to a second outer position where the said first and second side panels are substantially coplanar to each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a collapsible cage according to a first embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 2 is an isometric top view of a locking arrangement for the collapsible cage of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of a pivoting hinge assembly for the cage of FIGS. 1 and 2,
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a collapsible cage according to a second embodiment of the invention showing a side panel having been pivoted outwardly,
FIG. 5 is a sectional top view through AA of the pivoting hinge assembly of FIG. 3 when the hinge assembly is supporting coplanar panels at a first open cage orientation of 0.degree. to each other,
FIG. 6 is a sectional top view through AA of the pivoting hinge assembly of FIG. 3 when the hinge assembly is supporting panels at a closed cage orie
REFERENCES:
patent: 1352299 (1920-09-01), Mertz
patent: 3497127 (1970-02-01), Box
patent: 4005795 (1977-02-01), Mikkelsen et al.
patent: 4170313 (1979-10-01), Caves et al.
patent: 4266670 (1981-05-01), Mykleby
patent: 4735330 (1988-04-01), Hoss
patent: 4775068 (1988-10-01), Reiland et al.
patent: 4917255 (1990-04-01), Foy et al.
patent: 4960223 (1990-10-01), Chiang et al.
Derwent Abstract Accession No. 90-273607/36 Apr. 4,1983 "Multiple Folding Container - Spring Catches at Each Corner are Released by Rotating Cranks" .
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