Patent Application
20080073301
The present invention concerns a foldable subdivision element for installation in a transport container or a transport frame, wherein the subdivision element has webs of flexible material which in the installed condition extend through the interior of the transport container or transport frame in separate planes arranged flat one above the other or one beside the other and subdivide the transport container/transport frame into individual compartments. This invention further concerns a transport system comprising a transport container or transport frame and at least one subdivision element according to the invention.
Containers or transport frames or frame structures are frequently used as transport containers for transporting piece goods. Arrangements are often fixed in the transport container interior which is defined by a container, transport frame or transport frame structure, to subdivide the interior thereof into two or more compartments or segments. While containers are generally composed of floor, wall and ceiling units, transport frames frequently comprise horizontal and vertical frame elements fixedly connected together and in addition can have for example a floor unit (for example a grid or a plate) and individual ones or a plurality of wall or cover portions in grid or plate form. Containers and transport frames are of defined dimensions which make it possible for the transport equipment and installations for transporting such containers to be matched to precisely those dimensions. That means that, irrespective of the size, configuration and further specific features of the various goods being transported, the transport equipment and installations once established (trucks, forklift trucks, transport lines, cranes) can be used in the long term without those items of equipment and installations having to be adapted to continuously changing dimensions in respect of the transport containers. Systems are particularly preferably established, in which given transport containers make up fractions of the transport volume of larger transport containers so that a plurality of smaller fractional containers can be disposed in a larger transport container.
In order to be able to use a transport container or a transport frame of defined external dimensions for transporting goods to be transported which inter alia differ from each other in respect of their size and external configuration, the transport container interior which is defined for example by a container, transport frame or transport frame structure is sub-divided into segments or compartments of suitable configuration by subdivision devices which are adapted to the respective goods to be transported. Such subdivision devices can themselves be rigid and inflexible (boards, floors, walls). Other subdivision devices are assembled from flexible materials and are fitted standard ex works in transport containers and frames. Flexible subdivision devices enjoy the advantage that transport containers or frames provided with hinges or joints, with such subdivision devices, can be folded together in the unladen condition for the return transport or can be stored in that condition as long as they are not required.
It will be noted however that both systems suffer from the disadvantage that, after assembly of the transport device, the way in which the interior of the container or frame is divided up is more or less fixed. In the case of flexible subdivision devices which are assembled as standard ex works in transport containers and frames, exchange is admittedly possible under some circumstances, but it is usually performed by the manufacturer of the transport device as correct positioning and fixing precisely of subdivision devices of flexible material in a transport container or frame is very difficult. As the exchange of one flexible subdivision element by another, with a compartment division which differs from the first one, is either very time-consuming and/or very costly, in many cases the interior division of a transport container remains the same over the entire surface life of the transport container or is altered only when there is an urgent need and correspondingly rarely. Instead a plurality of different transport containers or frames are usually provided in order to be able to have recourse quickly in each case to the required system.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a foldable subdivision element as described hereinbefore having webs of flexible material which in the installed condition subdivide the interior of a transport container or frame into compartments, in which the installation operation, that is to say introducing, positioning and fixing the subdivision element in a transport container/frame is so facilitated that the replacement of one flexible subdivision element by another involving a compartment division which is different from the first one can be carried out quickly and also easily by the user himself.
That object is attained by a foldable subdivision element of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, which is characterised in that the webs are arranged between rigid elements which in turn for installation of the subdivision element can be connected releasably to the frame or walls of a transport container or the frame structure of a transport frame.
The term rigid elements is used here to denote struts, bars, plates, bar systems, frame structures and similar of stiff materials and the flexible webs are preferably arranged between at least two such rigid elements and are either connected directly thereto or are fixed thereto by way of fixing means.
Preferably in subdivision elements according to the invention at least a part of the webs are arranged in mutually parallel relationship in the installed condition and the surface of the web or webs is preferably rectangular, in which respect however for example trapezoidal and triangular webs are also embraced by the present invention. Optionally the webs of the subdivision elements which are installed in the transport container or the transport frame can also extend diagonally with respect to the container or frame. In that case the webs are arranged in substantially horizontal, vertical or inclined planes, depending on the side from which the compartments are to be loaded and unloaded (from the front or from above).
A subdivision element according to the present invention is easier and simpler to fix releasably in a transport container as on the one hand the rigid elements are easier to grip than a number of interconnected flexible webs as a plurality of webs can be uniformly guided at the same time with one grip. At the same time the subdivision element can be more precisely positioned by way of the rigid elements in a transport container or a transport frame insofar as the rigid subdivision elements are applied to fixed walls, struts or frame components of the transport container. After a subdivision element according to the invention has been moved into the appropriate position in the transport container a releasable connection between the subdivision element and the transport container/frame can then also be more easily afforded, by a procedure whereby the rigid elements are fixed to the walls or struts or frame components of the transport container/frame either by cord, tape, hook-and-loop fastener strip, belts or cable ties or can be fixed with latches or locks. In particular however a subdivision element according to the invention with a predetermined compartment division can be easily replaced by another subdivision element with a different compartment division just as long as the rigid fixing elements of the other subdivision element, in terms of their dimensions and in respect of the arrangement of fixing devices which are possibly provided such as for example latching projections and openings, are of such a configuration that they can also be releasably connected to the transport container/frame. Those releasable connections which can be made and released without the use of tools are particularly advantageous.
Subdivision elements with rigid elements such as for example profile members, bars or struts can moreover also be better fixed in a transport container as tensioning of the subdivision element is possible by way of those rigid elements, using lever forces, as soon as a rigid element or a plurality of rigid elements has or have already been fixed at one end to the transport container.
The subdivision elements according to the invention basically comprise rigid elements connected together by way of flexible webs. The subdivision element in its entirety however is not rigid. That would basically be in conflict with the idea of the invention as in accordance with the stated object the subdivision element is to be foldable, which in accordance with this invention is implemented by flexible and consequently foldable webs arranged between individual rigid elements. A subdivision element according to the invention is therefore not self-supporting, that is to say admittedly depending on its respective design configuration it can also be erected without a transport container or a transport frame but basically without fixing in a transport container it is not capable of carrying loads.
The webs and/or walls are preferably made from flexible material which is selected from films of flexible material and from fabrics, woven materials and knitted materials of natural or synthetic fibres. Webs and walls of technical textiles of the most widely varying kinds are particularly preferred. In preferred embodiments of the invention, at least one reinforcing element is incorporated into or applied to the material of the webs or walls, for example a profile member or a bar of plastic material or metal, in which respect that should not adversely affect the capability of the subdivision element for being folded together.
Preferably the webs which extend in a first direction are respectively connected at oppositely disposed edges of the web to at least one rigid element. It will be noted however that this invention also embraces the feature that the rigid elements are provided at mutually adjoining edges of the webs. It is however advantageous if, by means of rigid elements arranged at oppositely disposed edges, opposite tensile forces are transmitted from the rigid elements to the webs. In that way the subdivision element is optimally tensioned and the segments or compartments which are formed are of the desired configuration.
Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention are those in which the rigid elements are provided in the form of separate struts and/or interconnected strut systems and/or frame structures. While plates and frame structures as the rigid elements are of advantage in particular when they extend completely over two respective mutually opposite or mutually adjoining sides of the subdivision element and thereby in particular in the case of complex subdivision elements with many webs and in the case of larger subdivision elements facilitate moving the subdivision element into position and fixing it in place in the transport container, separate struts or strut systems are preferred if there is a wish to save on weight as generally less strut material is necessary to establish an effective system. Strut systems and/or frame structures whose struts are arranged substantially on one plane or on adjacent planes which extend in substantially parallel relationship so that the struts in plan view onto the plane or planes define a surface are particularly preferred.
Preferably at least a part of the struts is provided transversely with respect to the plane of the webs. In some embodiments at least a part of those struts are connected to at least two corners of the webs. In further embodiments they are connected to oppositely disposed edges of the webs. The expression transversely with respect to the plane of the web is preferably used to mean that the struts are arranged at an angle of about 45°-90° relative to the plane of the webs. Preferably the struts are arranged at an angle of about 70°-90° and particularly preferably at an angle of about 85°-90° relative to the plane of the webs. It is particularly preferred that those transverse struts are inclined both in relation to a first edge of the web and also in relation to a second edge of the web which adjoins said first edge, at an angle of about 45°-90°, preferably the angle in relation to one of those edges of the web being substantially 90°.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention the struts arranged transversely with respect to the plane of the web are arranged inclinedly relative to the plane of the at least one web in such a way that the plane of the at least one web is arranged slopingly from the outside inwardly, that is to say away from the outwardly facing opening of the subdivision element and towards the middle of the subdivision element. By virtue of the sloping arrangement of the webs, when dealing with some goods to be transported, it is possible to dispense with a special covering for the opening as the goods to be transported slide into the compartment by virtue of the inclination of the plane, in which respect it will be appreciated that at the end of the compartment the items being transported are received either by a rear wall or a partitioning wall of the subdivision element or by a frame element or a wall of the transport container.
Still further embodiments of the present invention are additionally characterised in that at least a part of the struts are connected to oppositely disposed edges of the webs, wherein those struts extend on web planes and preferably extend in substantially parallel relationship with the edges of the one web.
Particularly preferred embodiments have struts which extend at least in part on web planes and which are at least in part connected to at least one strut extending transversely with respect to the a web. That combination comprising transverse struts and struts arranged on web planes is referred to herein as a strut system, wherein the struts extending on web planes are preferably passed through the at least one transversely arranged strut. It is particularly preferred if struts extending on web planes, of substantially circular cross-section, are mounted rotatably in a strut extending transversely with respect to a web. Alternatively however the struts can also be fixed to each other at their outsides or connected to each other by way of a connecting portion. It is further preferred if a subdivision element according to the invention is characterised in that the struts extending on web planes are connected to at least two struts extending transversely with respect to a web. By virtue of that arrangement the system comprising struts on the web plane and transverse struts acquire additional stability and load-bearing capability.
A substantial advantage of the combination of struts extending on web planes and struts arranged transversely with respect to the web is that that provides that load transmission is also effected by way of vertical elements of the subdivision element, if it is assumed that the web planes are oriented either horizontally or vertically. In other words, in the case of a horizontally extending web surface the weight applying a loading thereto is firstly diverted onto the struts which are then also horizontal, on the web plane, and from those struts is transmitted to transverse struts which in the installed condition are arranged substantially perpendicularly to slightly angled in relation thereto and are then carried thereby vertically onto for example a floor unit, a vertical frame element or a vertical frame element of the transport container. That is a matter of great advantage as, in the case of subdivision elements in which the entire load resting on a horizontal web is carried by the connections between horizontal and vertical components of the transport container, those connections must be of a correspondingly massive construction. In the case of the preferred subdivision elements according to the present invention, which have just been described, in contrast the main load is preferably carried by way of the vertical struts. Accordingly it is possible to use other fixing methods which can be applied more flexibly or which can be implemented more easily when assembling such subdivision elements in transport containers.
In preferred embodiments the length of a strut extending along an edge of the web is substantially equal to the length of said edge of the web. That however does not exclude the fact that in other embodiments it may be advantageous for the strut to be selected to be longer than the edge length. In order to prevent a web from sliding down in the longitudinal direction from the ends of the struts, preferred embodiments provide at the ends of the struts securing means to prevent them from slipping off.
If the struts arranged transversely with respect to the webs are arranged directly at the ends of the struts extending on the web plane, that is disadvantageous if the web over the width of the transverse struts has an opening which is not fixedly connected to the struts on the web plane. In that case a corresponding subdivision element which is assembled in a transport container would not be tensioned along the edge of the web which extends at the level of the openings between the struts on the web plane. When using web materials with a low level of stiffness that edge often hangs down for that reason because of the excessively low level of tension. When somewhat stiffer materials are involved that edge admittedly remains substantially at the plane of the rest of the well-tensioned web but it cannot carry a relatively large load. That is disadvantageous in particular because it is frequently necessary to load and unload the container by way of that edge. In other words, it is precisely in that region that there is a particular need for a high level of stability and supporting force.
The edge defining the width of a tensioned web is therefore fixed preferably over its entire length, in particular including the corner regions, to a strut arranged on the web plane, and selectively also fixed to a strut extending transversely with respect to the web. Preferred strut systems are characterised in that a strut extending on the plane of a web is arranged along an edge of the one web and is connected to the one edge, wherein preferably at least one strut extending transversely with respect to the plane of the one web is connected at a spacing from both end points of the one edge of the web to the strut extending on the plane of the web. That additionally markedly improves the tension capability involved insofar as an edge which extends between the struts arranged on the web plane is stretched and tensioned by the struts moving away from each other.
Further embodiments of the invention, between the webs connected to struts, have at least one partitioning wall or side wall or rear wall. Additional walls of that kind are connected to the webs which are connected to struts. Preferably the partitioning and side walls extend substantially parallel to a strut arranged on the web plane and preferably perpendicularly to the web plane. It will be noted however that in accordance with the invention the partitioning walls can also be embodied to extend diagonally or perpendicularly with respect to a strut arranged on the web plane. Furthermore all conceivable combinations in terms of number and configuration of partitioning, side and rear walls can be embodied. By way of example an embodiment has two side walls respectively arranged in the proximity of a strut disposed on the web plane and extending in parallel relationship with the strut, and either a rear wall or one or more partitioning walls arranged parallel to the strut arranged on the web plane or no rear wall and instead thereof one or more partitioning walls arranged perpendicularly to the strut arranged on the web plane.
Particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are those which have a number of webs arranged between struts and preferably also a corresponding number of partitioning, side and/or rear walls arranged between those webs. By way of example a preferred embodiment has three webs which extend horizontally between horizontal struts, wherein arranged between each two webs are two side walls, a rear wall and centrally between the two side walls a partitioning wall extending substantially parallel to the horizontal struts.
Preferably subdivision elements according to the invention have a number of at least two webs arranged between struts. Preferably the subdivision elements have at least 2 and optionally up to 60 webs arranged between the struts and particularly preferred are subdivision elements having 2-8 webs arranged between longitudinal struts. Preferably the subdivision elements additionally have a corresponding number of partitioning, side and/or rear walls arranged between those webs.
The advantage of subdivision elements according to the invention with a number of more than two webs arranged between struts is that webs extending between the struts can be simultaneously and uniformly tensioned with one tensioning operation. For installation of a subdivision element according to the invention in a transport container, firstly a supporting element, for example a strut, arranged transversely with respect to the web planes, of the subdivision element introduced into the transport container, is fixed on the one side of the transport container, and then a further supporting element such as for example a further transverse strut is fixed at another location on the transport container, for example on the opposite side, with the number of webs being simultaneously tensioned. That therefore eliminates the tedious operation of separately hanging webs of a conventional subdivision element in place and that provides a saving in terms of time and operating expenditure.
In some embodiments, as an additional reinforcement in respect of the carrying force of horizontal webs, the webs are respectively connected to at least one further strut, at a spacing relative to the edges connected to the struts disposed on the web plane. That further strut preferably extends parallel to the other two struts and is particularly preferably connected to at least one strut arranged transversely with respect to the web plane.
Connection of the web or webs to struts arranged along web edges is preferably effected by way of at least one respective loop which is formed by folding over an edge of the web and fixing that edge to a region of the web, which has not been folded over. Alternatively or in addition the flexible web can also be glued or stapled fast to the struts. Furthermore it is also possible for the web to be screwed fast to the strut or nailed fast thereto or for the web to be clamped into slots provided on the struts. Further possible connections between web and struts are rings fixed to the webs or loops of materials different from the web material for pulling onto the strut and the like.
The subdivision elements according to the invention serve for subdividing the transport space of transport containers of the most widely varying kinds. The term transport containers is used here to denote transport frames, transport containers, transport frame structures, boxes, shipping containers and comparable transport containers for transporting piece goods. The combination of transport container and subdivision element is referred to herein as a transport system.
Preferred transport systems in accordance with the present invention include a transport container or a transport frame and at least one subdivision element of the above-indicated kind. The transport containers or frames are so designed that at least one subdivision element according to the invention can be tensioned in that transport container/frame and releasably connected thereto or temporarily fixed therein. Preferred transport containers for transport systems with subdivision elements according to the invention have a basic support framework comprising horizontal and vehicle frame elements which are fixedly connected to each other or which can be fixedly connected to each other. Such transport containers are referred to hereinafter as transport frames. The transport frames preferably have hinges or joints arranged at the frame elements, which make it possible for the transport frame to be folded down after unloading and possibly also after removal of the subdivision element.
The struts of subdivision elements according to the invention can be connected to the transport container or transport frame for example by cord, tape, loop-and-hook closure tape, belts, or cable ties, in which respect hooks, eyes and/or bores are preferably provided for that purpose on the frame elements. The struts however can preferably also be releasably connected to the transport container by screw means. However those releasable connections which can be made or released without using a tool are particularly advantageous.
Particularly preferred transport systems according to the invention are characterised in that the subdivision element or the struts thereof, strut system or frame structure can be fixed in the transport container or transport frame by way of latches or locking bolts. In that case the latching projections and/or locking bolts can either be provided on the struts of the subdivision element and the latching opening and/or bolt openings provided on the frame elements of a transport frame or on wall, floor, ceiling or frame elements of a transport container such as for example a shipping container. Alternatively, the other way round, the latching projections and/or locking bolts can be provided on the frame elements of the transport frame or on wall, floor, ceiling or frame elements of a transport container and the latching openings and/or locking openings provided on the struts of the subdivision element. Further included within the scope of the invention are immobile rigid push-in projections which engage into openings of a corresponding configuration.
Particularly preferred embodiments of transport systems according to the invention are those in which a number of separate subdivision elements can be fixed in a transport container or frame in laterally mutually juxtaposed relationship, one above the other and/or one behind the other. For that purpose the subdivision elements are so designed that they represent fractions of the volume of the interior of the transport container. In that way a plurality of fractions (including with a differing compartment division) can be arranged in a transport container. Preferably in that case the mutually adjoining subdivision elements can be releasably connected together with double-sided adhesive tape, loop-and-hook fastener strips, rivets, hooks and/or eyes.
After a prolonged period of use of subdivision elements according to the invention it can come about that the flexible webs stretch somewhat and consequently lose tension in the tensioned condition. Therefore in particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention a system for re-tensioning the webs is provided on the subdivision element or the transport container or frame. Production tolerances of different subdivision elements can also be compensated thereby.
For the purposes of the original disclosure it is pointed out that all features as are to be found in the present description, the drawings and the claims from the point of view of the man skilled in the art, even if they have been described in specific terms only in relation to given further features, can be combined both individually and also in any combinations with others of the features or groups of features disclosed herein, unless that has been expressly excluded or technical factors make such combinations impossible or meaningless. It is only for the sake of brevity and readability of the description that the comprehensive and explicit representation of all conceivable combinations of features is not set forth here. As an example in terms of free combinability of individual features and groups of features attention is directed in particular to the specific description relating to
Besides the foregoing description further features, possible combinations of features and advantages deriving therefrom will be apparent from the following specific description. In the drawings:
The embodiment of a transverse strut 4 shown in
The embodiment shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-2004-015-129.4 | Sep 2004 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP05/54850 | 9/27/2005 | WO | 7/16/2007 |
