BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary top perspective view showing a portion of the interior of the container of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the major components of the container of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a pallet and blank during an early assembly stage for making the container of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a top perspective view showing the container of FIG. 1 during a later stage of assembly.
FIG. 6 is a top perspective view showing the container of FIG. 1 in a final stage of assembly.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, with portions broken away, of a portion of a container according to the invention, showing the reinforced sidewall at the outer edge of a tine-receiving opening.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a blank for making an alternate embodiment of the container of the invention, wherein the interlocking means is rectilinear rather than rounded as in the FIG. 1 embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a blank for making the pallet deck and pallet flanges used in the container of the invention.
FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a runner for use in the pallet of the invention, showing multiple strips of material laminated together to form the runner.
FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet used in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a blank for making the cover for the container of the invention.
FIG. 13 is a top perspective exploded view of a container, pallet and cover according to a further embodiment of the invention, wherein the container is designed for four-way entry of the tines of a forklift.
FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet in the container of FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a blank for making the container of FIG. 13.
FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a blank for making the pallet deck of the pallet shown in FIG. 14.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a runner as used in the pallet of FIG. 14.
FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of the container of FIG. 13, shown fully assembled.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A first embodiment of the shipping container of the invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 1-7. The container comprises a box 11 with a bottom wall 12, opposite end walls 13 and 14, opposite sidewalls 15 and 16, an open top 17, and a pallet 18 integrated into the container bottom. Openings 19 and 20 are provided in the end walls immediately above the bottom wall 12 and extending outwardly to adjacent the respective side edges of the container for receiving the tines of a forklift (not shown). Reinforcing structure 21 is provided at the outer side edges of the openings, as described in greater detail hereinafter.
A separate cover 22 (see FIG. 3) is provided for closing the open top of the container.
The construction of the shipping container with integrated pallet is best understood with reference to FIGS. 3-7. FIG. 3 shows the box 11, pallet 18 and cover 22 in exploded relationship; FIGS. 4-6 depict various stages in assembling the container; and FIG. 7 shows details of the reinforcing structure 21 at the outer side edges of the tine-receiving openings 19 and 20.
The box portion 11 of the container 10 is formed from a single unitary blank B, as seen best in FIG. 4, preferably of triple-ply construction. The blank B comprises a central bottom panel 25 that forms the bottom wall 12 in the completed container, opposite sidewall panels 26 and 27 foldably joined to opposite side edges of the bottom panel along respective fold lines 28 and that form outer sidewall panels in the sidewalls 15 and 16 of a completed container, and opposite end wall panels 29 and 30 foldably joined to opposite end edges of the bottom panel along respective fold lines 31 and that form the end walls 13 and 14 in the completed container.
First sidewall flaps 32 and 33 are foldably joined to opposite side edges of one of the end wall panels 29 along respective fold lines 34, and form inner sidewall panels in the completed container. The flaps are separated from the respective adjacent sidewall panels 26 and 27 by cuts 35, and a shaped cut-out 36 is formed in the outer end edge of each flap for a purpose described hereinafter.
Second sidewall flaps 37 and 38 are foldably joined to opposite side edges of the other end wall panel 30 along respective fold lines 39, and form inner sidewall panels in the completed container. The flaps are separated from the respective adjacent sidewall panels 26 and 27 by cuts 40, and a shaped projection 41 is formed on the outer end edge of each flap 37 and 38. The projections 41 are shaped complementally to the shaped cut-outs 36 in the first sidewall flaps, and when the container is erected the projections fit into the cut-outs to form an interlocking means or key-lock to prevent separation of adjacent first and second sidewall flaps from one another.
With particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 9-11, the pallet 18 comprises a pallet deck 45 having down-turned side flanges 46 and 47 foldably joined to opposite side edges thereof, and up-turned end flanges 48 and 49 foldably joined to opposite end edges. The deck and flanges are formed from a single unitary blank B1, preferably of double-ply construction. Pallet runners 50 and 51 are adhesively attached to the underside of the deck in inwardly spaced relationship to opposite side edges thereof. The pallet runners may have any suitable construction, but in the particular example shown and described herein they are made of a plurality of strips 52 of corrugated paperboard adhesively laminated together. The number of strips can be varied to achieve a pallet of desired width or thickness.
To erect the container of the invention, pallet 18, with runners 50 and 51 adhesively secured to the underside of the pallet deck and with the side flanges 46 and 47 bent downwardly and the end flanges 48 and 49 bent upwardly, is applied to the top of the bottom wall panel 25 of the container blank,. Adhesive is applied to the underside of the runners to adhesively attach them to the upper surface of the container bottom wall. Adhesive is also applied to the entire inner (or upper) surface of the sidewall panels 26 and 27 of the container and to the outer surfaces of the side flanges 46 and 47 and end flanges 48 and 49 of the pallet. The container end wall panels 29 and 30 are folded upwardly perpendicular to the bottom panel and against the outer surface of the upturned flanges 48 and 49, with the side flaps 32, 33 and 37, 38 folded inwardly parallel to the side edges of the bottom panel and against the outer surfaces of the down-turned flanges 46 and 47. The pallet is thus adhesively secured to the top of the container bottom wall via the runners, which are adhesively attached to both the pallet deck and the container bottom wall. In addition, the upturned flanges 48 and 49 are adhesively attached to the container end walls, and the down-turned flanges 46 and 47 are adhesively attached to the side flaps 32, 37 and 33, 38. The projections 41 on flaps 37 and 38 are inserted into the respective complementary cut-outs 36 in flaps 32 and 33 to provide a mechanical lock preventing separation of flap 32 from flap 37 and flap 33 from flap 38. Staples or other fasteners may be applied across the top of the sidewall panels and side flaps to hold them in place while the adhesive cures.
It will be seen that the interlocked pairs of side flaps 32, 37 and 33, 38 form inner sidewall panels at respective opposite sides of the container, and the sidewall panels 26 and 27 form outer sidewall panels at respective opposite sides of the container. Further, the down-turned side flanges on the pallet are secured to the inner surface of the sidewall flaps, or inner sidewall panels, thus forming a triple wall construction at opposite sides of the container, extending downwardly from the pallet deck to the container bottom. Since the container is made of triple-ply material and the pallet deck is made of double-ply material, in a preferred example, there are six plies of material in the bottom edges of the sidewalls at the outer side edges of the tine-receiving openings 19 and 20, forming a structure that is as strong or nearly as strong as a runner if placed in the same location. See FIG. 7.
A blank B2 for making the cover 22 is shown in FIG. 12. The blank includes a center panel 53, with side flanges 54, 55 and end flanges 56, 57 foldably joined to respective opposite side and end edges. Glue tabs 58 are provided on opposite ends of the side or end flanges (the end flanges in the example shown) to hold the side and end flanges in positions folded perpendicular to the panel 53.
An alternate embodiment of the invention is indicated at 10′ in FIG. 8. This embodiment is identical to that described above, except that the projections 41′ and complementary cut-outs 36′ are rectilinear rather than rounded as in the first embodiment. In the particular example shown, the projections have a trapezoidal shape, but any other shape could be provided that achieves interlocking of the side flaps.
A further embodiment is indicated at 60 in FIGS. 13-18, wherein the container is, designed for four-way entry of the tines of a forklift. The container in this embodiment incorporates the same inventive features as in the previous embodiments, i.e., it has an integrated pallet and a narrow width dimension so that three of the containers can be placed side-by-side in a standard sea container, it has the interlocking structure on the inner wall panels, and the outermost pallet runners, which extend in the length dimension of the container, are inset relative to the outer side edges of the container so that the tine-receiving openings will accommodate the tines of a forklift at their normal setting. Thus, the container 60 has substantially the same width dimension W as the embodiments described above, e.g., 30 inches, but it is elongated in the length dimension L, e.g., it has a length of 47 inches compared with a length of 36 inches in the previous embodiments. In this regard, it should be understood that the containers of all embodiments disclosed herein could have other width and length dimensions as suitable for an intended use or purpose.
With particular reference to FIGS. 13 and 18, the container 60 comprises a box 61 having opposite end walls 62 and 63, opposite sidewalls 64 and 65, an open top 66, a bottom wall 67, a pallet 68 integrated into its bottom, and a cover 69. First tine-receiving openings 70 and 71 are provided in each of the end walls at their outer side edges immediately above the bottom 67, and second tine-receiving openings 72 and 73 are provided in each of the sidewalls, spaced inwardly from opposite ends of the container. The spacing between the respective pairs of openings corresponds to the spacing between the tines of a forklift when they are set to handle conventional containers, as discussed previously herein. Thus, the spacing between openings 72 and 73 is the same as the spacing between openings 70 and 71.
The box 61 is made from a single unitary blank B3 (FIG. 15), preferably of triple-ply construction, and having an elongate central bottom wall panel 74, end wall panels 75 and 76 foldably joined to respective opposite ends thereof along fold lines 77, sidewall panels 78 and 79 foldably joined to respective opposite sides thereof along fold lines 80, and end wall flaps 81, 82 and 83, 84 foldably joined along fold lines 85 to respective opposite ends of respective sidewall panels 78 and 79. It will be noted that in this embodiment of the invention the flaps 81, 82 and 83, 84 are foldably connected to the sidewall panels 78 and 79, rather than to the end wall panels as in the prior embodiments, and that the flaps comprise inner wall panels in the end walls of the container rather than in the sidewalls. Thus, the end walls rather than the sidewalls are of double-wall construction, having inner wall panels and outer wall panels.
Shaped cut-outs 86 are made in the end edges of end wall flaps 81 and 82, and correspondingly shaped projections 87 are formed on the end edges of end wall flaps 83 and 84. Although the shaped cut-outs and correspondingly shaped projections are shown as being rectilinear, with a trapezoidal shape, they could equally as well have the rounded shape of the first embodiment, or any other suitable shape that will function to lock the flaps together as described in relation to the previous embodiments. Further, due to the location of the flaps 81, 82 and 83, 84 on the sidewall panels rather than the end wall panels, and the fact that they form inner wall panels in the end walls of the container, cut-outs 70′ and 71′ are made in the bottom edges of these flaps adjacent the fold lines 85, whereby when the flaps are folded into operative relationship in a container erected from the blank, the openings 70′ and 71′ are in registry with the openings 70 and 71 in the end wall panels.
With particular reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the pallet 68 comprises a pallet deck 90 having down-turned side flanges 91 and 92 foldably joined to opposite side edges thereof, and up-turned end flanges 93 and 94 foldably joined to opposite end edges. The deck and flanges are formed from a single unitary blank B4, preferably of double-ply construction. Pallet runners 95 and 96 are adhesively attached to the underside of the deck in inwardly spaced relationship to opposite side edges thereof. The pallet runners may have any suitable construction, such as, for example, that described in relation to the first embodiment. Pallet 68 differs from pallet 18 primarily in that is more elongate and has cut-outs or notches 97, 98 in the bottoms of the side flanges 91 and 92, and notches 99, 100 in the underside of the runners 95 and 96. The notches in the flanges 91 and 92 and in the runners 95 and 96 are in alignment with one another and with the openings 72, 73 in sidewall panels 78 and 79, for receiving the tines of a forklift or other tool for handling the container.
With the exception of the relocation of the flaps 81, 82 and 83, 84 to the end walls, the box 61 is erected identically to the box 11 in the first form of the invention.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to one or more preferred embodiments thereof, it is not the intention of the applicants that the invention be restricted to such detail. Rather, it is the intention of the applicants that the invention be defined by all equivalents, both suggested hereby and known to those of ordinary skill in the art, of the preferred embodiments falling within the scope hereof.
Patent Application
20070267308
