Palletized Container with Clip-Locked Sleeve

Abstract

A molded plastic clip for attachment to the edge of a container sleeve to form part of a passive lock operable between the sleeve and a base structure such as a molded plastic pallet having a peripheral groove for receiving the edge of the panel. The clip comprises a molded plastic body having two generally planar panels joined at one end by a double hinge that allows the panels to be folded into a parallel condition spaced apart by the geometry of the double hinge wherein the inner surfaces of the panels are provided with integral male and female snap lock features and an outer panel is provided with an integral protruding tab feature near the double hinge to fit into a locking slot or opening in the structure groove. The clips are used in multiples.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,875, issued Aug. 25, 1998 to Lyle H. Shuert of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, discloses a container comprising the combination of a four-sided foldable corrugated sleeve and a pair of identical molded plastic members, shaped to act as forklift truck compatible pallets, attached to the top and bottom edges of the sleeve respectively, by means of hand operated slide latches. The slide latches include elongate plastic members movable by direct hand action between extended and retracted positions relative to slots formed in the sleeve near the top and bottom edges. When the latch members are extended, they fit into the slots to hold the sleeve and pallets together.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

As described herein, a three-part container generally of the type described in the Reissue patent is improved by the substitution of a passive locking arrangement for the slide lock latches. By “passive,” we mean that the locking arrangement allows the sleeve sidewalls to be securely attached to top and bottom molded plastic members by simple insertion of the sleeve edges and without the necessity for moving components of latch devices by direct hand action. The bottom member can be a pallet with legs arranged to be compatible with a forklift truck for handling purposes. The top member may be of a different configuration to simply act as a cover but may, if desired, be identical to the bottom pallet.

As illustrated, the bottom pallet and the top cover are each constructed in a four-sided configuration with a peripherical rim forming the outside wall of a continuous groove that receives the edges of a four-sided sleeve therein. The four-sided configuration is merely illustrative as other shapes are possible. In the first of two disclosed embodiments, fixed lock tabs are integrally formed in the peripheral rim of the pallet and cover so as to extend inwardly across the sleeve edge-receiving groove in locations chosen to fit into slots formed such as by die cutting in the sidewalls of the sleeve near the top and bottom edges.

Relief areas or depressions are molded into the interior decks of the pallet and cover immediately across from the fixed tabs to provide clearances that allow inward flexing of the sleeve side walls during insertion and removal thereof relative to the pallet and cover grooves.

In all disclosed embodiments, the tabs are shaped with sloped top and bottom surfaces to act as a cam on edges of the sleeve and/or a sleeve slot during insertion and removal. In addition, the tabs are wedge-shaped with rounded outside edges.

The bottom pallet is preferably configured with nine feet which are integral with the pallet deck and rim, one foot at the middle of each side, and the ninth foot in the center of the deck. This makes the pallet compatible with forklift trucks and provides four-way entry.

In a second embodiment herein disclosed, the locations of the tabs and slots are reversed; i.e., fixed lock tabs are located on the sleeve and the “slots” are in the pallet and cover but are preferably formed as pockets. The tabs may be formed on clips attached to the sleeve sidewalls. Again, the tabs are sloped on top and bottom surfaces to facilitate insertion and removal of the sleeve tabs into and from the pockets.

The cover and pallet may be of hollow twin-sheet construction. The cover has bosses formed in the inner deck surface for rigidity. In the disclosed embodiments, the lock tabs and slots associated with the sleeve are provided on only two sides at the top because the sleeve has deep cutouts on two sides for access and/or inspection purposes. However, these cut-outs are illustrative only; i.e., the sleeves can have solid, unbroken sides, in which case there can be locks on each side of the sleeve, both top and bottom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled container comprising a pallet bottom, a cover, and a sleeve with cutouts in two sides;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pallet bottom showing the legs, peripheral rim sleeve-receiving groove and locking tabs;

FIG. 2A is a detail of a locking tab formed on the inside surface of the pallet rim and extending inwardly toward a relief area;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sleeve attached to a bottom pallet and with top cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a pallet with a sleeve inserted and locked into a peripheral groove;

FIG. 4A is a partial sectional view of a pallet with a section through an inserted sleeve;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a container with the sleeve separated from the pallet but with an installed molded plastic cover;

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 4 but with illustrative dimensions;

FIG. 7 shows a locking tab with illustrative dimensions;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a cover;

FIG. 9 is a partial view in sections of a twin sheet cover with a locking tab inserted into a sleeve slot;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a single sheet lock tab clip for attachment to a sleeve top or bottom edge;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cover bottom side;

FIG. 11A is a detail of a locking tab in the cover;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a foldable lock tab clip for attachment to a sleeve edge;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a foldable sleeve clip;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a folded tab clip;

FIGS. 15-17 are views of a foldable lock tab clip for attachment to a sleeve edge;

FIG. 18 shows clips attached to a sleeve bottom edge;

FIG. 19 shows a tab clip inserted into a pallet pocket; and

FIG. 20 shows a detail of a pallet pocket.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the clip of FIGS. 19 and 20 attached to a container sleeve;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the top surface of a pallet adapted to receive the sleeve with clip tabs;

FIG. 23 is a detail of the clip-tab-receiving aperture in the pallet;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the complete container with the sleeve separated from the pallet and the cover fully installed.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an accordion folding sleeve; and

FIG. 26 is a diagrammatic view of the folding sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an assembled container 10 is disclosed. The container 10, in all disclosed embodiments, comprises three principal parts, a molded plastic bottom pallet 12 compatible with forklift handling, a foldable four-sided sleeve 14 of corrugated organic material or the like, and a molded plastic top cover 16. Two sides of the sleeve have cutouts 18 extending to opposite top edges while the other two sides are solid. These cutouts are optional; i.e., all four sides of the sleeve may be solid. The pallet 12 and cover 16 can be vacuum-assist thermoformed of polyethylene or other suitable polymer while the sleeve 14 can be constructed of corrugated paperboard, preferably treated for waterproofing, or any other suitable material with fold joints 20 at the four vertical corners between side panels. The material thickness is chosen such that the side panels exhibit a degree of flexibility and may be die cut to form slots 22 and 24 adjacent the top and bottom edges, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Additional slots or openings 25 may be formed in the sleeve 14 for handling purposes as desired.

Detailed Description of the First Embodiment

The first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5-11A and corresponds essentially to what is shown in FIG. 1 as far as the three major components are concerned. It includes passive locks comprising tabs 26 in locations that correspond to the locations of slots 24 that are cut into the side walls of the sleeve 14. As a result, the tabs 26 fit into the slots 24 to passively secure the sleeve 14 to the pallet 12 simply by pushing the properly configured sleeve bottom edge into a groove 28 formed around the periphery of the pallet 12 inside of a surrounding rim 30. A similar arrangement is provided at the top of the combination to secure the cover 16 to the top edge of the sleeve 14. This includes the slots 22 in the solid sides of the sleeve and tabs 26 molded into the interior wall of a groove 28 inside of a rim 40 extending around the outside of the cover 16 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 11A. Here, tabs 26 are formed on only two sides of the cover because there are no slots in the sleeve on two of the sides. However, in a container having a sleeve with no cutouts 18, slots and tabs can be provided on all four sides. Again, the locations of the tabs 26 and slots 22 are chosen to coincide so the tabs fit into the slots when the cover 16 is pushed down on the top of the sleeve edge.

Looking specifically to FIGS. 2 and 2A, the bottom pallet 12 can be vacuum thermoformed, preferably out of single sheet of material, to produce a central general flat deck 42, tapered feet 44 in each of the four corners of the pallet bottom 12, a tapered foot 46 midway in each of the four sides, and single center foot 48. All of the feet are thermoformed using a die and vacuum to draw the polymeric sheet material into cavities in the die after the material has been heated to make it flow more readily. The feet are provided with vertical side grooves for additional strength and rigidity as will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the vacuum thermoforming art.

The peripheral rim 30 runs continuously around all four sides of the pallet to define the continuous peripheral groove 28 which is dimensioned and configured to receive therein the entire bottom edge of the sleeve 14 after the sleeve has been unfolded and reconfigured as a four-sided body. The depth of the groove 28 is such that lock tabs 26 enter slots 24 in the sleeve 14 when the bottom edges of the sleeve engage the bottom of the groove as shown in FIG. 6. This is important in that it is desirable, especially when loaded containers are stacked, to transfer stacking loads down through the sleeve and the pallet feet to the floor on which the bottom pallet sits.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, each of the locking tabs 26 and 36 is wedge-shaped and has a semi-circular outside edge. The tabs 26 and 36 also have sloped top and bottom surfaces 50 and 52 to act as cams during insertion and removal of the sleeve into the groove and, in particular, while the locking tabs encounter the bottom edge of the sleeve (during insertion) and the bottom edge of the slots 24 during removal.

To aid in the insertion and removal steps, a box-shaped relief or depression 54 is formed in the pallet surface 42 directly opposite each of the locking tabs 26 in the groove 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A. The floor of each relief 54 coincides with the bottom of the groove 28 in FIG. 4A to provide space into which the wall of the sleeve 14 can flex during insertion and removal steps. The groove 28 is otherwise narrow enough to prevent excessive play between the sleeve and the pallet.

The Cover

The embodiment here described further comprises a molded plastic cover 16 which, to a great extent, mirrors the bottom pallet 12 with the exception that the cover in this example is less deep and has no feet. As shown in FIGS. 9-11A, the cover 16 is formed with a continuous groove 28 inside of a peripheral rim 40 to receive the top edge of the sleeve 14 for assembly purposes.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cover 16 fits onto the top edge of the sleeve 14 and is pushed down until all of the locking tabs 26 enter into the slots 22 to passively lock the cover in place.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 11A, reliefs 39 are formed in the cover directly opposite the locations of the tabs 26 to provide space into which the sleeve material can flex during the insertion and removal steps. The floors of the reliefs are on the same level as the groove 28 so that the tabs 26 are above the relief floor when the cover is inserted as shown.

As shown in FIG. 11, the cover 16 has an interior deck 60 with bosses 62, a peripheral groove 28 bordered by a rim 40 that extends around the entire cover. The lock tabs 26 are molded into the inside surface of groove 28 as shown in FIG. 9A. The cover tabs 26 may be of twin sheet construction as shown in FIG. 9 or single sheet per FIG. 10.

Detailed Description of the Second Embodiment

The second embodiment is generally similar to the first embodiment described above and also corresponds to the overall view as shown FIG. 1. The major difference is that the locations of the locking tabs and receiver slots are reversed; i.e., the locking tabs are located on the sleeve and the “pockets” that receive the tabs are in the pallet and cover. The overall function is the same as in the first embodiment, i.e., the container is assembled by pushing the sleeve bottom edge into the pallet groove and pushing the cover down on the sleeve top edge after filling the container. Disassembly is done in reverse order. The tabs are created using molded plastic, foldable clips 60 that are installed on the sleeve 14 whereas the receiver slots are formed as pockets 62 in the structures of the pallet and cover to receive clip tabs 64 and provide the locking operation. In other respects, the two embodiments are essentially the same.

Referring to FIGS. 12-14, there is shown a foldable clip structure 60 of molded plastic which is used to create double-ply locking tabs 64 along the top and bottom edges of a sleeve 14′. These locking tabs, once the clips 60 are installed in the proper locations, fit into pockets 62 that are molded into the groove of the pallet and the cover, a pocket 62 in the pallet being shown in FIG. 20. Holes are die cut into the sleeve 14′ at the proper locations to coincide with the location of the clip features that extend through the sleeve material. The clips have double fold lines 66 that are spaced apart by approximately the thickness of the sleeve so the clips can be folded to bring male tab 65 into the female tab 64 on the opposite side of the clip 60 and the clip 60 is thereby attached to the sleeve as shown in representative drawing FIG. 18.

FIGS. 15, 16, 17 and 18 illustrate the clip 60 and show male and female locking buttons 68 and 70 respectively that snap together to hold the clips together when assembled to a sleeve edge. An adhesive may be used to cement the clips in the folded/applied condition.

It will be understood that the terms “lock” and “locking” as used herein to define the relationship between the sleeve, pallet, and cover when joined by the tabs and slots/pockets, refers to a fastening protocol that, while secure, is achieved and removed without the need to manually move a bolt or slide latch into a keeper or to use tools for operation.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-26, an additional configuration of the foldable plastic clip 80 is shown. In these figures, the clip 80 is formed of a plastic material such as polyethylene to have two panels 82 and 84 joined by an integral double hinge 85 which permits the two panels to be folded essentially as shown in FIG. 20 into a parallel configuration to sandwich the sleeve material 102 between them as shown in FIG. 21. The double hinge 85 is configurated with two hinge lines far enough apart to accommodate the thickness of the sleeve between them, e.g., 9mm to 11 mm. In addition, the sleeve is configured to fold flat accordion-style by means of center fold lines 83 in two of the four panels.

Clip panel 84 has formed in the inside surface thereof an oblong protrusion 86 which fits into a hole 88 in the panel 82 to firmly locate the two panels 82 and 84 relative to one another when the panels are folded into a parallel configuration and locked together as hereinafter described. As shown in FIG. 21 a hole 104 is formed in the sleeve to accommodate the protrusion 86 as it makes its way into the elongate aperture 88 in panel 82.

In addition, panel 84 has formed on the inside surface thereof a male locking mechanism 90 on one side of the protrusion 86 and a female locking receptacle 94 on the other side of the protrusion 86. Opposite gender elements 92 and 96 are formed integrally on the inside surface of the panel 82; i.e. a female locking mechanism 92 is configured to receive a male locking element or barb 90 on the opposite panel in a locking relationship therein. It will be noted that the male element has staggered insertion surfaces; i.e. one element being extended in one direction and the other element in the other direction and the female locking receptacle 92 is similarly configured to have undercut recesses of opposite configuration that are staggered so that when the male elements 90 fit therein they lock together. Again, a hole 108 is formed in the sleeve to allow passage of the locking elements therethrough.

In a similar fashion locking element 96 on the panel 82 is staggered from side to side and the undercut receptacle 94 on the opposite panel is similarly configured to receive the staggered male element therein in a locking relationship. Conventional undercuts are used to insure a snap fit in both locking mechanisms and holes 106 and 108 are formed in the panel to receive all of the elements of the locking tabs.

As shown in FIGS. 24-26, it is desirable to be able to fold the sleeve 14 flat for storage or return shipment. To accomplish this, inwardly folding hinge lines 83 are formed in two opposite sleeve panels and the sleeve can thus fold “accordion-style” as shown in FIG. 26.

To ensure that the outwardly-protruding tabs of the clips 80 on these inwardly-foldable panels do not collide and prevent full-folding, the clips 80 on the accordion-fold panels are offset from center and slots 81 are provided to receive the tab of the clip 80 on the adjacent panel when fully folded. A similar arrangement is made for the cover 16.

Although the most common arrangement is to have eight locks on each of the pallet-sleeve combination and the cover-sleeve combination, with two clips on each of the top and bottom sleeve panel edges, various alternative arrangements are possible. For example, the cover may have locks only on two panels as shown in FIG. 24.

Assembly of the clips to the sleeve 102 is reasonably simple; i.e. the three necessary slots are formed in the sleeve 102 at every location where a lock is to be provided; e.g., there will be two sets of such slots on each of the faces or sides of the sleeve. The clips are folded and locked together with the sleeve material 102 sandwiched between them and with the locking tab 96 formed on the outside surface of panel 84 pointing in the direction of an aperture 62 in, for example, the pallet side wall is shown in FIG. 22. After all of the clips have been installed, the sleeve can be inserted into the peripheral groove of the pallet with the tabs 96 fitting into the apertures 62 in the outer peripheral rim or wall of the pallet to lock them elements together. Again, there can be a relief or a slight widening of the groove opposite the aperture 62 formed in the interior deck of the pallet.

A similar arrangement is provided for the cover, i.e., the cover receives the top edge of the sleeve inside of the rim with the clips providing tabs that snap into apertures in the outside rim. It is important that the sleeve edge fully contact the cover inside surface as shown in FIG. 9 so stacking of containers does not impose a vertical load on the tab lock.

By way of summary, a passive locking mechanism between a container sleeve and both the pallet and cover of a three-part container is provided. In all cases the locking mechanism is provided by means of sets of protruding tabs and either pocket or apertures in the opposite member which receive those tabs. In one embodiment the tabs are formed in the pallet and cover and slots to receive the tabs are formed in a simple fashion along the top and bottom edges of the sleeve.

In the second and preferred embodiments the tabs are provided by means of foldable plastic clips that lock on to the interior and outside surfaces of the sleeve walls at various locations, preferable two spaced apart locations on the top and bottom edges of the sleeve panels. In these embodiments, simple apertures are provided in the outside rim or wall of the pallet and the outside wall of the cover to receive the tabs therein. The tabs or clips containing the tabs snap lockingly on to the sleeve sidewalls and essentially reinforce the slots in the sleeve to prevent tearing. In all embodiments, the tab locks do not engage until the sleeve edges are fully inserted; i.e., the sleeve edge “bottoms out” on the floor of the pallet groove and the top of the cover deck.

It is to be understood that the invention has been described with respect to illustrative embodiments and that various modifications thereto may be made to accommodate size and material requirements and the like without departing from the sprit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A container comprising: a pallet base; an open ended sleeve with a bottom edge configured to fit peripherally into the pallet base; anda plurality of molded plastic clips attached to the sleeve adjacent the bottom edge to passively lock into the pallet base when inserted therein.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein the sleeve has four walls.

3. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein the clips have two geometrically similar panels joined in a parallel configuration by a hinge wherein a sleeve wall fits into and between the parallel clip panels when a clip is attached thereto.

4. A container as defined in claim 3 wherein the clip panels have passive locking means integrally formed on inner surfaces thereof to passively engage through apertures in a sleeve wall.

5. A container structure comprising: a four-sided pallet base and an open-ended sleeve adapted for joinder to said four-sided pallet base wherein the sleeve comprises four wall panels at least some of which are joined by hinges;at least two opposite walls being provided with apertures adjacent but spaced from a bottom wall edge; and a plurality of one piece, molded plastic clips having integral parallel panels joined by a double hinge; said clips being joined to said sleeve solely by integral passive locking elements joined through said apertures in said sleeve walls wherein the clips have wedge shaped tabs integrally molded onto an outside panel surface for passively locking said sleeve to said pallet base.

6. A container assembly comprising: a pallet base;a four-walled sleeve configured for attachment to said pallet base; anda set of molded plastic clips each having a panel with inner and outer parallel surfaces; said clips being attached to a sleeve wall with the inner panel surfaces thereof against an outer surface of a sleeve wall; andone of said clips and pallet base further having a locking tab molded onto a surface thereof for passive locking attachment to the other of the clip and pallet base by bringing the clip and attached sleeve into conjugal relationship with said pallet base.

7. A container assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein the locking tab is wedge shaped and is integrally molded with said clip and said pallet base has means formed therein to passively receive and lock to said clip tab and sleeve when said conjugal relationship is achieved.

8. A container assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein each clip is formed with two geometrically similar panels attached to one another by means of an integral hinge section and said clips are attached to said sleeve with a sleeve wall between said clip panels by means of a snap lock structure integrally molded onto the inner parallel surfaces and passively joined to each other through an aperture in said sleeve wall.

9. A container assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein said sleeve has center fold lines in two opposite walls to allow the sleeve, when detached from said pallet base, to be folded accordion style.

10. A container assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the clips attached to said opposite walls are staggered relative to said center fold lines.