Containers

Details Containers Containers

1997-07-07

1998-11-10

Pollard, Steven M.

Receptacles

Compartmented container

Compartment partition is movable or removable

220 15, 220 6, B62B 300

Patent

active

058331140

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to containers and in particular containers for the secure storage and transport of items.


BACKGROUND ART

There is need for the secure storage and transportation of postal items within and between sorting offices after those items have been sorted.
There is also need for the secure storage and transportation of items within a commercial or industrial environment--for example within an office block where items may need to be delivered to and collected from various departments or in a factory in which various parts may be taken to and collected from different places within a building or complex of buildings.
Within a commercial environment such as a shop or store there is often need for the secure storage and transportation of relatively small but high value items (e.g. records, tapes and the like) from a storeroom to a display case or shelf.
Each of these needs requires that any container used for the storage and transportation of the items must be readily movable, must allow the easy placement of items within, and removal of items from, the container, furthermore, (in view of the variety of sizes of different items that may on occasion need to be transported) the container should be readily adaptable to carry items of different size. Again, the container should be readily securable against unauthorised access to items therein.
Generally within the UK postal system mail is carried between offices in fabric bags or sacks. More recently proposals have been made that the mail be carried between offices in rigid trays.
Transport of items within a commercial environment is usually effected by means of rigid trolleys with a number of separate open shelves of fixed spacing in which items are placed for delivery or after collection. Such trolleys are usually heavy and of significant size. Items placed on them are not secure.
EP-A-0261012 discloses a container for the secure transportation of items including a plurality of sets of elements manipulatable between folded and extended positions. When extended the sets of elements form a series of shelves or trays in vertical register. The sets of elements may be folded to allow access to a base of the container and then successively extended, as items are placed on the shelves. When all the required items have been placed on the shelves a door is closed to close all the shelves and secure the items in the container. Such an arrangement, whilst protecting the items once the container has been filled and the door closed does not protect those items when the container is only partially filled.
An object of the invention is to provide a container which meets the noted needs and which, moreover, alleviates and/or overcomes the disadvantages seen in the prior art.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly the invention provides a container for the secure storage and transportation of items which comprises a plurality of sets of elements carried above a base and manipulable between folded and extended positions in which they form with the base a series of trays in vertical register, each set of elements being foldable to allow access to a bottom tray formed by the base and being successively extendable to form said series of trays, and which is characterised in that the bottom tray is closable by a wall pivotally coupled to the edge of the base and in that each other tray is closable by a wall pivotally coupled to and forming part of said set of elements.
The container may comprise a rigid rectangular base wall with rigid side walls upstanding from opposed edges thereof, a rigid back wall extending generally normally of the base wall between said side walls, and a plurality of partition walls each pivotally connected along one edge to the back wall, each partition wall being movable between a folded position which is held against or parallel to the back wall and an extended position in which it extends away from the back wall and is supported by elements carried on the side walls, wherein the base wall and each partition wall has pivot

REFERENCES:
patent: 529230 (1894-11-01), Zimmerman
patent: 2564940 (1951-08-01), Weber

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