DE20011114U1 - Folding pallet container has steel construction with wide profile support brackets and hinged sides - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding pallet container has a steel construction with a support base of hollow section steel with a cover plate and with ground supports of U-shaped metal brackets with a large surface area. The corners of the pallet are fitted with L-shaped brackets to support hinged sides. The sides have hollow section frames with sheet material covers and are erected or folded with a simple pull and fold action with pivot studs located in slots, with guide pins running on the curved edges of the L-shaped brackets and with locking catches to secure the erected setting. The folded pallets occupy a minimum of space inside a larger container. The wide support brackets spread the load for laden containers inside a large (sea) container.

Description

Dipl.-Lng. A. Wasmeier Dipl.-lng. H. Graf

Authorized before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office · Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office

Patent Attorneys PO Box 10 08 26 93008 Regensburg

German Patent
and Trademark Office
Zweibrückenstr. 12

80297 Munich

D-93008 REGENSBURG P.O. BOX 10 08 26

D-93055 REGENSBURG GREFLINGERSTRASSE 7

phone

(0941)79 20 85 (0941)79 20 86 (0941)79 51 06

fax
E-mail:
wasmeier-graf@t-online.de

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Your Ref.

Your Message Your Letter

Our Ref.

J/g 19.653

Date
Date

19 June 2000 W/schü

Applicant:

J.O.S.T. MARKETING GmbH Terassenweg 1a CH-6300 ZUG Switzerland

Title:

Folding container

Accounts: HypoVereinsbank (bank code 750 200 73) 5 839 Postgiroamt l/lOncbea^BLZjeO 100^80*693 69j801 _# ; Place of jurisdiction Regensburg

.; A19653.DOC
• 21.06.00 11:21

Folding container

The innovation concerns a folding container for shipping industrial products, in particular sheet metal and assembly parts, for sea containers.

Sheet metal and assembly parts are used for shipping in disposable and reusable wooden containers. Such containers have a short lifespan and cause high costs for replacement. There is a loss of around 30% per shipping cycle (round trip).

The aim of the innovation is to provide a steel container that is foldable and stackable, that is suitable for fully utilising the usable volume of a sea container in terms of space, and that, due to its stable design, has a long service life and is therefore significantly more cost-effective to operate.

According to the innovation, this object is achieved with a folding container which is characterized by the features of claim 1.

The new special folding container for sea containers is designed in such a way that different sizes of folding containers can be stacked on top of each other, thus allowing the usable volume of a sea container to be filled optimally and at the same time ensuring that the container can be accessed with a forklift truck. Such a folding container has the following structure:

Stacking feet of the folding containers

The stacking feet of all containers are the same. The design of the feet distributes the weight of the stacked containers evenly across the bottom of the container, so that the surface pressure is not too high. This is achieved by using a bent sheet U-profile made of hot-rolled steel with a thickness of e.g. 5 mm. The foot has a height of approx. 100 mm, a width

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of 100 mm and a length of 220 mm. To stiffen the U-profile, a filler plate is welded into the U-profile, which is open at the top, so that the area between the floor and the underside of the base frame of the container is filled.

Base frame of the folding container:

The base frame of the folding container is designed as the supporting structure. It consists of rectangular tubes with dimensions of e.g. 50 x 30 x 2mm. In order to minimize the base frame height, the tubes are welded to one another with a height of approx. 30 mm. Angle profiles made of L-material measuring 30 x 30 x 3 mm are welded flush with the rectangular tubes in the four corners at an angle of 45° to stiffen the diagonals of the container and as additional stiffening of the container feet. A base plate approx. 1 mm thick is welded flat and without any edges to the base frame from below with tack seams 15 - 20 mm long to the rectangular tubes and the angle profiles. In another type of container, the base profiles are made of rectangular tubes measuring e.g. 80 x 30 x 2mm for static reasons. 2.5 mm or rectangular tube of approx. 70 x 30 x 3 mm. These profile cross-sections ensure a sufficient section modulus under extreme loads.

Stacking corners of the folding containers

Stacking and holding corners for the side walls are welded to the base frame at the four corners. These corners are made of sheet metal with a thickness of approx. 5 mm and are formed and embossed using special tools. Due to the two-dimensional alignment (L-profile) and a multiple function, they form the bearing points for the side walls and center them, and on the other hand they ensure that the stacked containers can be stacked. They also form the minimum stacking size of the containers when folded. Holes are drilled in the stacking corner for screwing the two upper side walls from the outside. The embossings on the sides, running in the longitudinal and radial directions, form the stops for pre-centering the side walls. The two upper side walls are lifted up when folded up by the run-off radii and thus brought into the defined locking position with a positive fit. A hole is used on the

lower end of the stacking corner for screwing the lower side walls, which are opened last. The sufficient height clearance of the upper side walls results from a slot in the stacking corner in which the hinges of these side walls can perform a vertical movement.

Upper folding side walls

Two identical parts are used for the two opposite narrow-sided upper folding side walls, which include a frame, a filling plate and locks.

The frame is welded from a 20 x 20 x 2 mm square tube at the bottom and a 40 x 20 x 2 mm rectangular tube on the uprights and a stacking angle of L 30 x 30 x 3 mm. The bearing points are inserted into the ends of the 20 mm square tube and welded firmly on one side with a protruding 16 mm round steel bar; a welded, self-locking nut is screwed on the other side.

The entire frame is lined with a filler sheet of approximately 1 mm thickness and welded to the ends of the folded sheet with weld seams. A trapezoidal bead is embossed into the sheet in the middle, which is welded all the way around the outside of the container to the upper angle frame and the 20 mm square tube below. The bead thus provides additional reinforcement for the stacking frame from an angle of 30 x 30 x 3mm, which can be subjected to extreme loads when stacking containers of different sizes and when stacking the same containers on top of each other, even in the middle of the container side wall. This design of the filler sheet and the all-round welding replace additional upright profiles made of flat steel. This means that the high costs of investment and ongoing transport of the folding containers can be saved by lowering the tare weight of the containers.

The locks form a locking hole on the upper side walls in the 40 mm wide side of the upright tube made of rectangular tubing 40 x 20 x 2 mm and a flat iron 25 x 5 mm, which is angled and which holds the lower side wall that follows later in a form-fitting manner to the outside of the container. Two locking bolts made of round steel 10 mm, which are also welded into the upright tubes and protrude, lift the side wall on the curve of the stacking corner when it is lifted. When the side wall is in the vertical position, the bolts on both sides lock into a stamped U-shaped retaining latch on the stacking corner. This keeps the upper side walls free-standing and does not pose a safety risk for the operator if they fall over. Above the locking holes in the rectangular tubes, embossings are made from the tube, which create play with the lower side walls. These sides are therefore centered when set up.

Lower folding side walls

After the two upper side walls have been set up, the lower side walls, which are also equipped with the same joints, are lifted up and locked in place using welded, linearly movable locking bolts. The hinges on these side walls run in holes and thus hold the entire structure of the folding pallets in place with almost no play via the stacking corners on the base frame. These side walls include the frame, filler plate and locks.

The frame is made up of rectangular tubes of 40 x 20 x 2 mm welded together at a mitre on three sides and an angle profile L 30 x 30 x 3 mm attached as a stacking frame on the upper side. The hinge pins are constructed in the same way as the upper side walls and are welded in.

The entire frame is lined with a 1 mm thick filler sheet and welded to the ends of the folded sheet using weld seams. A trapezoidal bead is stamped into the middle of the sheet, which is attached to the outside of the container.

is welded all the way around to the upper angle frame and the rectangular tube below. The bead thus forms an additional rigid support for the stacking frame at an angle of 30 x 30 x 3 mm, which can bear extremely high loads when stacking containers of different sizes and when stacking the same containers on top of each other, even in the middle of the container side wall. This design of the filling plate and the all-round welding replace additional upright profiles made of flat steel. This means that high costs can be saved when investing and during the ongoing transport of the folding containers due to the lower tare weight of the containers.

The locks are made from 10 mm round steel. The linearly and radially adjustable level is held in an open and closed position by a stepped grid. With a linear displacement of approx. 25 mm, the tapered round steel of the locking tip engages in a form-fitting manner in the hole in the upper side wall, which is at a right angle to it. The stepped grid holds the latch in a closed position and cannot come loose due to vibrations during transport. Since the lower side wall is locked on both sides, symmetrically designed left and right latches must be used. The latches are dimensioned in such a way that they cannot fall out of the guide when unlocked.

The advantages achieved with the new folding container are:

Large-area supports on the feet that evenly distribute the surface pressure on the container floor,

smooth surface support in the floor area,

Underride height 100 mm,

4-way pallet,

low stacking height when folded (e.g. 220 mm), narrow side walls for optimal usable volume (maximum 20 mm), all-round stacking frame for multiple stacking,

Interior surfaces with smooth surface,

Possibility of easy replacement of the four side walls, whereby only one screw per wall has to be loosened and then the complete wall can be removed

Surface powder-coated or seawater-resistant,

Suitable for chain conveyors in the transverse and longitudinal directions.

The innovation is illustrated below using an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the figures in the drawing.

Fig. 1 shows in a perspective view the right part of a folding container according to the innovation, with a stacking foot of the folding container designated S, a stacking corner SE of the folding container in the erected state, and a

Locking mechanism V of the folding container;
Fig. 2 shows two folding containers stacked on top of each other in the set-up position in

a representation corresponding to that of Figure 1; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of part of a folding container (a corner) in

folded state;
Fig. 4 shows a corner of a folding container with raised side wall, where the

Bolt runs along the contour of the stacking corner and lifts the side wall; Fig. 5 shows a corner of the opened folding container with raised side walls and

open lock;
Fig. 6 shows a view of a corner of four stacked

Folding containers in the folded state; Fig. 7 shows a representation of the locking mechanism with the lower side wall lifted up and centered with the flat retaining bracket and with the wall just before the retaining bracket engages;

Fig. 8 shows a representation of the locking mechanism with the wall engaged in the retaining bracket of the upper side wall, but the locking mechanism is open;

E19653.DOC
25.08.2003

Fig. 9 shows a view of the partially inserted lock with the lever not secured;

Fig. 10 shows a representation of the lock fully engaged and secured.

Claims (1)

1. Folding containers for the shipment of industrial products, in particular sheet metal and assembly parts, for transport in sea containers, characterized by a) stacking feet on the container floor, arranged in such a way that an even weight distribution is achieved on the container floor and consisting of U-profiles and angle profiles on the container feet, b) a base frame made of rectangular tubes with corner stiffeners and a base plate welded to the rectangular tubes and the angle profiles, c) deformed and embossed L-shaped stacking and holding corners of the folding containers, which provide the bearings and form centring points for the side walls and ensure the stackability of the containers, with holes for screwing the two upper side walls, and with embossings for stops for pre-centring the side walls and with an elongated hole for vertical movement of the hinges, d) upper, foldable side walls, consisting of a welded tubular frame, a filler plate for the frame with a central trapezoidal bead for additional stiffening of the stacking frame, and a locking mechanism on the upper side walls, each with a locking hole and an angled flat iron that holds the lower side wall in a form-fitting manner to the outside of the container, furthermore with two locking bolts welded into the upright tubes, which lift the side wall when it is lifted up on the curve of the stacking corner and lock into the retaining catches of the stacking corner in a form-fitting manner, e) lower, foldable side walls, which are raised after the two upper side walls have been erected and locked in place by means of sliding locking bolts, whereby the hinges of the side walls run into holes and hold the structure of the folding pallet on the base frame without play via the stacking corners, f) a frame of the lower side walls, which consists of welded rectangular tubes and an attached angle profile, whereby the hinge pins are designed and attached in the same way as the upper side walls, g) a filler plate for the lower side walls is welded to the ends of the folded sheet and has a trapezoidal bead which is welded to the outside of the container with the upper angle frame and the rectangular tube below, this bead forming an additional stiffening of the stacking frame and h) Locks on the lower side walls made of round steel engage in the holes in the upper side wall arranged at right angles to them, whereby the step grid holds the latch in the closed position without it being able to come loose due to vibrations.