Patent Application
20090057191
The invention relates to a stackable and collapsible pallet container, especially suited for receiving and protecting paletted goods. The container is sized to receive a pallet of stacked articles. The storage container is stackable, to support a similar container stacked on top, without damage to the paletted contents stored within the container. The load of the storage container stacked above is handled by the walls of the storage container below. Preferably, the four walls of the pallet container hinge at the base of each wall, to fold flat for compact storage. The walls may be solid, slatted, meshed or grate. The walls interlock, when raised from the flat, storage position, to prevent unwanted folding of the container. The storage container may be employed as a stand-alone rack system, or in a carrier, such as a rail car, flatbed truck or trailer combination.
All types of manufactured and agricultural goods and produce are stored and transported on pallets. The standard pallet is a flat box with approximately four-foot sides in length and width, and a height dictated by the thickness of the materials, often wood, that the pallet is made from, and with the additional consideration that the pallet must be able to receive the forks from a common “fork-lift” or some similar pallet jack or pallet moving device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,305 to Hart discloses a collapsible walled storage framework that attaches to the top surface of a pallet. The walls of the container hinge to each other, and each wall includes a “hook” element to engage the pallet. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,918, also to Hart, focuses on the mechanism used to hinge the walls of the framework. These patents fail to provide for a stacking of the collapsible containers.
A collapsible walled storage container is needed that incorporates a standard pallet, which is also stackable to support a similar container stacked on top of it, without damage to the palleted contents stored within the container.
The following is a disclosure of the present invention that will be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The invention provides a collapsible container for receiving a pallet and paletted goods.
The pallet base 20 is able to receive a pallet 30, with “palleted goods” 31 stacked upon the pallet, as shown in
Preferably, the pallet 30 is a conventional, freight pallet, often made of wood and able to be moved by a typical forklift. In North America, the standard pallet is forty inches wide, which is the side of the pallet corresponding to the front side edge 22 and the rear side edge 26 of the pallet base 20. Additionally, the standard pallet is forty-eight inches deep, which is the side of the pallet corresponding to the first side edge 24 and the second side edge 28 of the pallet base. Any conventional pallet could be employed for use with the present invention, with a properly sized pallet base.
The pallet 30 is employed as a supporting platform for palleted goods 31, stacked upon it. When the collapsible container 16 of the present invention receives a pallet of goods, the goods are referred to herein as the palleted goods, “enclosed goods,” or simply, goods. The pallet is received onto the framed interior 29 of the pallet base 20 and so, the palleted good are received into an enclosed space 32, within the sidewalls 21. The palleted goods may be a single item, a portion of a greater, later assembled item, or a plurality of stacked materials or manufactured products. Additionally, the goods may be encased in a single container or multiple containers, organized onto the pallet. Within the collapsible container, the palleted goods are stackable on similar collapsible containers, without resting on the goods within the containers below, preventing damage to the palleted goods.
Each of the sidewalls 21 includes a lower sidewall edge 33 that abuts to the pallet base 20. As detailed in
A rear sidewall 36 hingably mounts to the pallet base 21, proximate to the rear side edge 26, the rear sidewall can hingably fold onto the pallet base, laying flatly on the pallet base, similar to the first sidewall 34. The rear sidewall also includes a rear upper edge 37. The rear upper edge of the rear sidewall is the opposite edge of the rear sidewall, relative to the lower sidewall edge 33, where the hinged connection to the pallet base is located.
A second sidewall 38 hingably mounts to the pallet base 21, proximate to the second side edge 28, the second sidewall can hingably fold onto the pallet base, similar to the first sidewall 34 and the rear sidewall 36, laying flatly on the pallet base. The second sidewall also includes a second upper edge 39. The second upper edge of the second sidewall is the opposite edge of the second sidewall, relative to the lower sidewall edge 33, where the hinged connection to the pallet base is located.
Together, the first sidewall 34, the rear sidewall 36 and the second sidewall 38 are referred to herein as “the sidewalls” 21. The sidewalls may be manufactured from a variety of materials, such as metal or plastic. The sidewalls may be solid, slatted, meshed or grated. Preferably, as shown in
As shown in
Preferably, each of the sidewalls 21 includes its own sidewall post 47, which is receivable into the socket 45 that corresponds to the sidewall post within the second pallet base 44, above it. In a most preferred embodiment, as shown in
The second pallet base 44 is the supportive base of a second collapsible container 60, stackable on top of the first collapsible container 16. Specifically, as discussed above, the first upper edge 35, the rear upper edge 37, and the second upper edge 39 of the sidewalls 21 of the first collapsible container, together support the second pallet base. This support prevents the second pallet base from resting on the enclosed goods 31 of the collapsible container, below. By not contacting the enclosed goods of the first collapsible container, the second pallet base is supported without relying upon the enclosed goods either for primary, or supplemental support. Structurally, the load of the storage container stacked above is transferred through the frame 41 of the storage container below. The enclosed goods are contained within the sidewalls of the collapsible container without being crushed or compacted, which is a great advantage, when compared to conventional pallet stacking schemes.
The stacking relationship of the second collapsible container 60 onto the first collapsible container 20 may be repeated as needed, upward or to either side and to the back or rear of the containers. Additionally, the collapsible containers may be emptied of the pallet 30, which includes the enclosed goods 31, and used as a scaffolding or a framework of temporary storage cages for pallets of goods. With a forklift, the pallets and goods can be removed from or placed into the enclosed space 32 of any similar collapsible container, placed into another collapsible container, or de-palleted, shipped or stored, as needed.
To retain the goods 31 within the enclosed space 32 within the sidewalls 21 of the collapsible container 16, a gate 23 can be included, to span between the first sidewall 34 and the second sidewall 36, directly above the front side edge 22 of the pallet base 20, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As discussed above, and shown in
The connection between each of the sidewalls 21 and the pallet base 20, is preferably accomplished with sidewall hinges 62. As discussed above, the lower sidewall edge 33 of each of the sidewalls 21 abuts to the pallet base 20, closely proximate to where the hinged connection to the pallet base is located. As detailed in
The first sidewall 34 hingably mounts to the pallet base 21, proximate to the first side edge 24 of the pallet base, at the first sidewall hinge 64. The first sidewall can hingably fold on the pallet base, laying flatly onto the pallet base, as shown in
The rear sidewall 36 hingably mounts to the pallet base 21, proximate to the rear side edge 26 of the pallet base, at the rear sidewall hinge 66. The rear sidewall, like the first sidewall 34, can hingably fold on the pallet base, laying flatly onto the pallet base, as shown in
The second sidewall 38 hingably mounts to the pallet base 21, proximate to the second side edge 28 of the pallet base, at the second sidewall hinge 68. The second sidewall, like the first sidewall 34 and the second sidewall 36, can hingably fold on the pallet base, laying flatly onto the pallet base, as shown in
The proximity of the sidewall hinges 62 to the respective side edges 19 of the pallet base is important in that collapsing or lowering each of the sidewalls 21 preferably results in each sidewall matching the outside dimensions of, or approximately covering the framed interior 29 of the pallet base. If each sidewall hinged at the same relative distance from the pallet base, the sidewalls will interfere with one another, when all three of the sidewalls are knocked-down, lowered or collapsed. Preferably, the first hinge height 74, the rear hinge height 76 and the second hinge height 78 are all different, and unequal relative to each other. This difference in hinge height, allows the first sidewall 34, the rear sidewall 36 and the second sidewall 38 to all fold flat onto the pallet 30 received within the pallet base 20. The difference in the hinge heights is preferably close to the thickness of each sidewall. The purpose of the hinge heights' inclusion of the height of the pallet, is to allow the framed interior of the pallet base to still receive the empty pallet, when the container is in the collapsed configuration 61, as shown in
Specifically, as an example, if each of the sidewalls 21 are approximately one inch in thickness, as preferred, the above listed hinge heights will begin at approximately the height or thickness of the thickest pallet 30 expected to be received into the pallet base 20, and then the hinge heights would follow at one inch increments greater than that height, for each successive hinge. If, for instance, the thickest pallet to be received within the pallet base will be three inches high, the first hinge height 74 for the first sidewall hinge 64 could be built at three and one-half inches above the pallet base, which allows a tolerance for some irregularities, such as preexisting warp or damage to the pallet. If the sidewalls are one inch in thickness, the rear hinge height 76 for the rear sidewall hinge 66 could be four and one-half inches, followed by the second hinge 68 having a second hinge height 78 of five and one-half inches.
As shown in
Alternative folding orders, from the preferred order listed above, easily could be implemented. An alternative preferred order of the folding of the sidewalls 21 onto the pallet base 20 of the collapsible container 16 is the folding of the second sidewall 38, as shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the collapsible container 16, the sidewalls 21 are able to interlock with one another, when the sidewalls are raised from the flat, collapsed configuration 61.
This prevents unwanted folding of the container, and maintains the desired abutment of the sidewalls to each another. One or more of the sidewalls can include a sidewall clasp 81, to engage neighboring sidewalls. Preferably, one or more sidewall post can include one of the sidewall clasps. Most preferably, as shown in
In an additional preferred embodiment of the collapsible container 16, the sidewalls can include sidewall handles 90 to aid in moving, grasping, folding or unfolding the sidewalls.
Preferably, as shown in
In compliance with the statutes, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features and process steps. While this invention is susceptible to embodiment in different forms, the specification illustrates preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and the disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other embodiments and variations of the invention are possible, which employ the same inventive concepts as described above. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited except by the following claims, as appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
