Receptacles – Sectional – Folding
Patent
1991-01-31
1993-03-02
Pollard, Steven M.
Receptacles
Sectional
Folding
220 15, B65D 726
Patent
active
051901790
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to containers for the transportation of cargo and bulk material and is particularly concerned with an improved form of collapsible container. The invention will be described with reference to shipping containers as these are the principal type of containers to which the invention has applicability, however it will be readily appreciated that containers for various uses on land or air may equally well incorporate such improvements; the reference to shipping containers merely being by way of exemplification and simplification of description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The transportation of empty containers, as well as their handling and stowage, causes particular problems on board ships as well as on land, and this all adds significantly to overall freight costs. The handling and stowage of empty containers on ships can result in stability and safety complications, and congestions at cargo loading/unloading facilities on the wharf can be significantly increased thereby adding to the turn-around time for shipping. Costs are incurred in transportation whether by ship, land or air due to the same volume of space being taken up as for a full container, and the stowage of empty containers at a depot is no less expensive than the stowage of full containers.
It can be seen from all these factors that it is in the shipping industry's interest to have a container which, between the time of transportation of cargo or bulk material, can be reduced in volume and which can easily be handled in such a state. To this end, many forms of collapsible shipping containers have been proposed during recent years, and a selection of the most pertinent prior art is embodied in the following patent specifications: U.S. Pat. No. 3398850, U.S. Pat. No. 3529741, U.S. Pat. No. 3570698, U.S. Pat. No. 3765556, U.S. Pat. No. 3796342, U.S. Pat. No. 4177907, U.S. Pat. No. 4214669, U.S. Pat. No. 4388995, U.S. Pat. No. 4577772 and AU-A-68129/87.
There are, however, a number of problems with all these prior art containers and they therefore have not generally been endorsed by the shipping industry. One major problem is that the containers are not waterproof and the fittings are subject to high rates of rusting. Such rusting is particularly apparent when the containers are in a collapsed state since there is generally no external sealing of the interiors and hinges from the elements. Another major problem is that the inclusion of folding parts results in a considerably weakened structure and the containers do not adequately meet the rigid industry requirements. Furthermore, containers which appear at first instance to be quite satisfactory are found to be insufficient in withstanding the rough treatment that they are habitually subjected to and after a short time are worthless.
A still further problem with a number of the prior art containers is that they include a number of separable components which invariably are lost or damaged thereby giving rise to substantial inconvenience and delay.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible container which obviates or at least minimises the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cost collapsible container or, at least, one which falls within the cost structures of the majority of freight industry companies.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible container which meets ISO freight container specifications.
Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible container which has a rigid base construction which counteracts distortion and is of lightweight construction.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be fully understood from the following summary and detailed description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a collapsible box container having a base, two end walls, a top wall and two side walls; said base comprising a rigid reinforced rectan
REFERENCES:
patent: 3570698 (1971-03-01), Dougherty
patent: 3602388 (1971-08-01), Hurkamp
patent: 3684122 (1972-08-01), Bonomi
patent: 4088238 (1978-05-01), Berwald et al.
patent: 4214669 (1980-07-01), McQuiston
patent: 4360115 (1982-11-01), Saunders
patent: 4577772 (1986-03-01), Bigliardi
patent: 4848613 (1989-07-01), Yuan et al.
patent: 4858779 (1989-08-01), Zimmerlund
Fisk Frank M.
Richter Geoffrey R.
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