This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Finnish Patent Application No. 20165824 filed Nov. 2, 2016.
The present disclosure relates to logistics equipment. In particular, the invention relates to containers for transporting parceled goods.
Before delivery to the recipient, most items are transported in consolidated units. There are known a vast variety of containers for facilitating such bulk transports. In mail logistics at least, roll containers are the de facto solution for transporting letters and packages between and within hubs before the parcel is delivered to the recipient. Conventional containers include three fixed wall sections and a door, which covers the fourth lateral side of the container. Both the fixed wall sections and the door feature a peripheral frame surrounding a mesh tight enough to safely keep all contents within the container. A problem associated with conventional roll containers is that when the design of the door, or more generally the closing system, is a trade-off between security and usability. By adding sturdy closing mechanisms to the container, the usability is compromised because the operator must manipulate several locks, latches, etc. to open or close the door.
It is therefore an aim of the present proposal to introduce a solution that would not only close the container in a safe way but also be very useable.
A novel proposition is herein presented for providing a safe and user-friendly way of closing containers, especially logistics containers.
Firstly, a novel door is presented, which includes a quadrilateral frame, which defining the perimeter for the door. The frame has a diagonal guide which extends diagonally inside the perimeter of the door and which has an inner cavity. A latch has a first projection which is provided movably into the inner cavity of the diagonal guide of the frame so as to be manipulated between a locking state, in which at least a distal portion of the latch protrudes outside said perimeter, and a released state, in which the distal portion is flush with or inside said perimeter. The diagonal guide guides the latch between the locking state and the released state by allowing deviation of the latch along a path diagonal to the quadrilateral shape of the frame. The door is equipped with a holding mechanism for holding the latch in the released state or locking state or selectively both. The holding mechanism has an opening provided to the diagonal guide and a holding protrusion provided to the first projection of the latch. The holding protrusion may be deviated in a dimension perpendicular to the main extending dimension of the first projection for releasably engaging the opening, when the latch is in the released state.
Secondly, a novel closing system is presented including a first door jamb with a first catch, a second door jamb provided at a distance from the first door jamb, and a door as described above. The door is hinged to the second door jamb so as to be turned between a closed state and an open state. The door includes a quadrilateral frame defining a perimeter for the door. The door frame has a diagonal guide which is configured to guide a latch between the locking state and the released state by deviating the latch along a path diagonal to the quadrilateral shape of the frame. The door also includes a corresponding latch provided to the frame so as to be manipulated between a locking state, in which at least a distal portion of the latch protrudes into the first catch of the first door jamb, and a released state, in which the distal portion is outside of the first catch of the first door jamb. The frame of the door includes a diagonal guide, which guides the latch between the locking state and the released state by deviating the latch along a path diagonal to the quadrilateral shape of the frame.
Thirdly, a novel logistics container is presented including a closing system as described above. The first jamb of the system is a frame beam of a first side wall of the logistics container and the second jamb is a frame beam of second side wall opposing the first side wall.
Considerable benefits are gained with aid of the novel design. Because the latch is guided on a diagonal track, the vertical component of the guide provides a natural bias towards the closed state. The design also enables multiple locking points between the door and the jamb. Further benefits of the novel design will become apparent in connection with particular embodiments described here after.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the following certain embodiments are described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the present context, the term quadrilateral refers to a shape having four distinct sides connected successively to each other through connecting portions. The sides may be straight or exhibit chamfers, bends, kinks, etc. The connecting portions between sides may feature corners that may be angular, chamfered, rounded or otherwise shaped so as to introduce a change of orientation. In the illustrated example, the connecting portions are corners having a generally right angle.
In this context, the term diagonal refers to a direction having a vertical and a horizontal component. Diagonal members may connect a side frame section to a top section or a side frame section to a corner, two corners to each other or two lateral side frame sections to each other.
The door 100 is further fitted with a diagonal guide 150, 160 for providing a diagonal movement for a latch 200. More specifically, the purpose of the diagonal guide 150, 160 is to guide the latch 200 between the locking state and the released state by allowing deviation of the latch 200 along a path diagonal to the quadrilateral shape of the frame. By having a vertical component in the extending direction of the guide, gravity is utilized to bias the latch 200 towards the adjacent door jamb and ultimately towards the locking state. In the illustrated example the latch 200 includes two locking features, whereby the door 100 includes two corresponding diagonal guides 150, 160, namely a first guide 150 and a second guide 160, which extend between a first side frame section 110 and top frame section 130 of the door frame. The guides 150, 160 include an inner cavity to receive projections of the latch 200. It could also be possible to arrange the diagonal guides in another angle to extend between the side frame sections (not shown). However, the two locking features provide for a very sturdy connection between the door and an adjacent door jamb. A reinforcement 180 may be provided to connect the longer guide 160 to the adjacent side frame section.
The frame defines a perimeter for the door. The door also includes a latch 200, which is provided to the frame in a movable fashion so as to be toggled between a locking state and a released state.
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The second projection 230 of the latch 200 may have a similar structure to the first projection 220 in that it extends from the handle 210 and terminates to a distal portion 234, which includes a bend. Since the second projection 230 is relatively long, a crease 232 may be added between the first and second wire section 231, 233. The crease 232 increases the width of the projection and prevents buckling. A third wire section 235 extends from the distal portion 234 and terminates to an end 236. The end 236 may include a slight kink or bend so as to smoothen the end of the projection 230 for promoting fluent motion of the latch 200 in the guide 160 and for avoiding scraping of the latch 200 against the inner cavity wall.
A speciality of the novel door 100 is a slanted feed action of the latch 200 provided for by the diagonal guides 150, 160.
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Generally speaking the door 100 with the novel latch 200 forms a closing system including a first door jamb 300 with a catch 310 and a second door jamb 400 at a distance from the first door jamb 300. The first and second door jambs 300, 400 may be aligned so as to set up a frame work for the door 100. Accordingly, the door 100 extends between the first door jamb 300 and the second door jamb 400 in a closed state, whereas in the open state the door 100 extends in an angle in respect to the closed state. The second door jamb 400 provides a pivoting point for the door 100 and is attached thereto through the hinges 170. The first door jamb 300 provides a locking interface for the door 100. Accordingly, the first jamb 300 includes a catch for each locking feature of the door. In the illustrated example, the door 100 includes two locking features, namely the distal portions 222, 234 of the first and second projections 220, 230, respectively, whereby the first door jamb 300 includes two catches 310, 320, respectively. Accordingly, the distal portions 222, 234 of the projections 220, 230 of the latch 200 are configured to protrude into the second catches 310, 320 of the first door jamb 300, when the latch 200 is in the locking state, and to be outside the catches 310, 320 of the first door jamb 300, when the latch 200 is in the released state.
It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed are not limited to the particular structures, process steps, or materials disclosed herein, but are extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
Reference throughout this specification to one embodiment or an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Where reference is made to a numerical value using a term such as, for example, about or substantially, the exact numerical value is also disclosed.
As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. In addition, various embodiments and example of the present invention may be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In this description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of lengths, widths, shapes, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.
The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of also un-recited features. The features recited in depending claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an”, that is, a singular form, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20165824 | Nov 2016 | FI | national |