Patent Application
20070149063
This application claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/753,063, entitled Tapered Drop Box, which was filed Dec. 21, 2005, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Disclosed embodiments concern material containers, such as a drop box, and even more particularly a drop box that can be nested with similar drop boxes for transportation.
Dispensing and/or storage bins, commonly referred to as drop boxes, drop containers, or similar terms, are known and are routinely used for receiving and/or transporting a variety of materials, such as construction material refuse. Many drop boxes have been patented including, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,271, which describes a drop box container for bottom release of contained bulk material.
A common problem associated with all such devices is transportation to and from remote sites. For example, slash material produced during a logging operation might need to be removed from a work area remote from more inhabited areas where the drop boxes are stored. Typically a single drop box is transported per trip by truck from the storage location to the remote location, dropped off for receiving desired material, and then transported back to a material disposal or processing site.
Some disclosed drop box embodiments are shaped so as to be nested together in a stack. This has many advantages, including facilitating transport from a first location to a second location. Some of these disclosed embodiments comprise end wall portions that taper from a first end to a second end. For example, the width of these end wall portions adjacent to an open top portion of the drop box can be greater than their width adjacent to a bottom wall, The end walls can be coupled to the bottom wall, which also can taper from a first end to a second end, such as tapering from a wide end adjacent a front end wall to a narrower end adjacent a back end wall. The drop box thus can have a taper in a first direction and a taper in a second direction. These tapers in the first and second directions can be sized and shaped to allow a first drop box to be nested with a second drop box, such as for transport or storage.
Certain disclosed embodiments also include at least one crease in at least one wall, such as a side wail, The crease, or creases, can extend along a substantial portion of at least one dimension of the drop box, such as from a front end wall to a back end wall.
The disclosed drop boxes can include an openable end, openable ends, and/or an open or openable top or bottom to facilitate loading or unloading material. The openable end or ends can include at least one door, or can include plural doors, or can include at least one door per each end of the drop box. The door, or doors, can be securely but removably coupled to an end, such as by using a lever actuated assembly.
The disclosed drop boxes can be made from any suitable material. Exemplary materials include metals, metal alloys, polymers, wood, and combinations thereof.
One particular embodiment of a disclosed metal or metal alloy drop box comprises plural end panels, at least one of which is openable. The drop box tapers from a first end adjacent to an open or openable top to a second end. An openable end of the drop box includes a door and typically includes plural doors that are securely but removably coupled to the end portion by a lever actuated assembly. The side wall includes at least one crease and more typically plural such creases which extend along at least a substantial portion of a side wall dimension, such as extending substantially the entire length of the drop box side wall. The drop box also can include a bottom panel that tapers from the first openable end to a second hack wall. The assembled drop box therefore can have a first taper and a second taper.
The drop boxes can be stacked to provide a combination of drop boxes. The combination can comprise a first drop box and at least a second drop box nested with the first drop box. Generally, at least one of the first and second drop boxes is tapered in two dimensions and more typically both the first and second drop boxes are tapered in two dimensions. In some embodiments the first drop box is configured to be nested within the second drop box such that the first drop box extends through an open front end of the second drop box, the second drop box having a front end door configured to be secured in an open position. The front end door of the second drop box can be configured to swing about 270° between a closed position and the open position.
A method for transporting drop boxes also is disclosed, The method can comprise providing a first drop box that is tapered in at least two dimensions, providing a second drop box that is tapered in at least two dimensions, and stacking the first drop box with the second drop box to provide a nested combination,
Finally, a method for making drop boxes is disclosed. One embodiment of the method comprises providing or forming at least one end panel that tapers from a wide end to a second narrower end. A bottom wall also can be provided or formed that tapers from a first wide end to a second narrower end. The drop box then can be assembled by coupling the end panel or panels to the bottom wall.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.
I. Definitions
The following explanations of terms and methods are provided to better describe the present disclosure and to guide those of ordinary skill in the art in the practice of the S present disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to one or more than one, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “or” refers to a single element of stated alternative elements or a combination of two or more elements, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, “comprises” means “includes.” Thus, “comprising A or B,” means including A, B, or A and B,“without excluding additional elements.
Unless explained otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, suitable methods and materials are described below. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
II. Description of Disclosed Embodiments with Reference to Drawings
Doors 14 and 16 can be of substantially identical design, shape, and/or dimensions. Alternatively, doors 14 and 16 can have different designs, shapes, dimensions, etc. Illustrated drop box 10 includes frame members 28 and 30, with cross members 32 and 34, respectively. Panels 36 and 38 are coupled to frame members 28 and 30 by any suitable means, such as welding or fasteners, to define doors 14 and 16. Top door portion 16 can be coupled to bottom door 14, such as to preclude opening during transport, using any suitable mechanism.
Assembly 18 illustrated by FIG, 1 and
Thus, in some embodiments, a rectangular drop box 10 tapers in a first direction that extends along a short axis from a first end to a second end, and also has a taper in a second direction that extends along a long axis from a first end to a second end. By including such tapers, plural drop boxes 10 can be nested one with another for transport.
III. Materials and Assembly
Various materials, gauges of materials, panel or frame dimensions, etc., can be used to construct working embodiments. Exemplary useful materials for constructing disclosed drop boxes include metals, metal alloys, polymers, wood, etc. Combinations of these materials also can be used. Particular examples of metals and metal alloys include, without limitation, iron, aluminum, and iron and aluminum alloys. Working embodiments typically were made from metal. Material choice may be dictated, at least in part, by end-use applications and the strength, weight and durability required to satisfy end-use applications.
Components, such as doors 14 and 16, can have a substantially unitary construction, for example, if press formed, or may have various components coupled together. Assembly can include permanent joining techniques, such as welding, non-permanent joining techniques, exemplified by use of fasteners, such as bolts, washers, screws, and combinations of such techniques and parts.
IV. Applications
Embodiments of the disclosed drop box can be used for a variety of applications. In some embodiments, two or more nested drop boxes are transported from a first location to a second location by a conventional transportation method, such as by truck. Once the drop boxes reach the second location, they can be unloaded, for example, by removing the drop boxes in order from the innermost nested drop box to the outermost nested drop box. In some embodiments, the innermost nested drop box is removed at the second location and then the remaining drop box or boxes are transported to a third location where the next innermost drop box is removed. In this way, multiple drop boxes can be delivered to one or more locations without the need for multiple trips to a drop box storage area.
In some embodiments, the drop boxes have front walls that are either removable or hinged such that they can be folded back against the side wall and secured (
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. I therefore claim as my invention all that comes within the scope and spirit of these claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60753063 | Dec 2005 | US |
