DE29615781U1 - Transport and storage system - Google Patents

Description

Description

The invention relates to a transport and storage system according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a transport and storage system is known from WO 95/14616. Although this known system already meets a large number of requirements of the economy for the areas of transport and storage, further investigations carried out within the framework of the present invention have shown that even more stringent requirements are placed on a modern transport and storage system. These investigations have shown above all that a consistently well-thought-out modular design is desired, which enables even very individual user requirements to be met cost-effectively and allows for conversion and expansion variants to be adapted to requirements. It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop a transport and storage system of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1, which has as its subject a modular system, which can be designed variably and can be easily and inexpensively adapted to a wide variety of applications.

This problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

The design of the transport and storage system according to the invention firstly enables the rapid, cost-effective and preferably tool-free creation of the simplest pallets through to special load carriers, for example for highly sensitive devices and instruments, including the creation of a transport and storage system that can be moved using integrated rollers, through the selective exchange of its coordinated components.

Depending on the requirements profile, the goods receiving facility can

either - e.g. to create a flat pallet - be a areal unit, or represent a spatial unit, which preferably enables the formation of containers, in particular one-piece folding containers, or of special load carriers with shock-absorbing and preferably flexible and collapsible containers.

Since all components of the transport and storage system according to the invention are designed in a modular manner, are fully compatible with one another and can be assembled and disassembled from one another, the result is a system with almost unlimited options for adapting to requirements. Its components are preferably made from aluminum hollow profiles, so that a single material is largely achieved and complex assembly tools are not required.

The subclaims contain advantageous further developments of the invention.

To accommodate the wheel arrangement, the support foot is constructed as a housing that is open on at least one side. For this purpose, the support foot can be a simple U-profile, for example, but also a cube or cuboid closed on five sides, which has an insertion opening through which the roller arrangement can be moved into the interior of the support foot.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the roller arrangement has a support plate to which a fixed roller or a swivel roller can be attached. In order to transfer the roller arrangement from its non-operating position to its operating position, a particularly preferred embodiment provides a hinge joint that allows a swivel angle of 270°. The hinge is attached to the support device to link the roller arrangement. In this case, it is possible, for example, to attach a suitably designed retaining flange to the support foot itself, preferably

to attach it in one piece, to which the hinge can be attached. This design enables the creation of a support foot with an integrated roller arrangement, which represents an independently manageable object according to the invention. This unit consisting of support foot and roller arrangement can be used, for example, as a retrofit kit for existing transport and storage systems. The roller arrangement can be mounted on the support foot in such a way that, depending on the installation, it is possible to fold it out in a varying orientation to the respective goods receiving device.

Alternatively, it is possible to mount the hinge of the roller assembly on a pallet skid, for example when using only a U-shaped support foot.

In order to improve the guidance of the roller arrangement in the operating position, a guide pin is preferably arranged on the support plate, which in the operating position engages in a guide recess either on the support foot housing or on another part, for example a pallet skid.

In addition, it is possible to fix the roller arrangement in its operating position. Preferably, a spring-loaded pressure piece is used for this, which can be integrated, for example, in the guide pin and, in the operating position, engages in a suitable counterpart, for example a stationary retaining groove. Alternatively, it is possible to provide the guide pin with a retaining groove and to arrange the spring-loaded pressure piece, for example, in the runner profile, so that an engagement that secures the operating position is made possible.

As already mentioned, pallet decks, folding containers and containers in the form of a folding frame with an integrated inner container are possible designs for the goods receiving device. The last-mentioned variant in particular makes it possible to create a flexible and collapsible

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to clamp a labile inner container using shock absorbing elements. With a rectangular folding frame and an inner container arranged in it that is rectangular when clamped, the shock absorbing elements are attached to the eight corner points of the inner container and preferably fixed in all directions at an angle of 45° to adjacent attachment points of the folding frame. The folding frame and inner container are dimensioned so that the inner container has dimensions that are preferably smaller in all spatial directions than the dimensions of the folding frame. The shock absorbing or vibration damping elements thus keep the inner container clamped both when unfolded and when the folding frame is folded together when the container collapses. One of the special advantages of this variant is that by using the damping elements, even extremely sensitive goods can be transported with shock and vibration dampening. When empty, the folding frame can be folded up, preferably in an M-fold pattern, whereby the inner container collapses and the entire arrangement can be stored or transported in an extremely space-saving manner.

With this construction it is basically possible to attach a support device in the form of a support foot or, as a rule, a plurality of support feet to the bottom ends of the upright struts, so that with this variant too, a design with a roller arrangement can preferably be provided.

It is also possible to arrange the folding frame on a surrounding frame onto which the upright supports can be folded out when empty.

Further details and features of the invention emerge from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawing.

It shows:

Fig. IA to IE schematically simplified principle representations of the basic design variants of the transport and storage system according to the invention;

Fig. 2A to 2E slightly simplified detailed representations of the roller arrangement according to the invention of the transport and storage system according to the invention;

Fig. 3A to 3D a variant of a special goods container with associated folding scheme;

Fig. 4A to 4C show the folding scheme of another variant of the special goods container according to Fig. 3A to 3D; and

Fig. 5A to 5D views of a closure device according to the invention.

The overview of the slightly simplified representation according to Figs. IA to IE shows a transport and storage system 1 according to the invention with its most important components.

In detail, Fig. 1A shows a possible embodiment of a support device 2. In the simplest case, the support device of the transport and storage system 1 according to the invention consists of at least one support foot, but as a rule a plurality of support feet are provided. In Fig. 1A there are a total of nine support feet, one of which is representative of all and is designated with the reference number 3. As Fig. 1A shows, in the particularly preferred embodiment shown, three support feet 3 are connected to one another by means of a runner 4 to 6. The runners 4 to 6 and the support feet 3 are preferably designed as hollow profiles which can be secured to one another, for example, by means of screw connections. Suitable grooves, bores, passages

and threaded sleeves located in the profiles.

In Fig. IA, a reinforcing strut 7 is also shown, which, in the assembled state of a flat pallet shown for example in Fig. IC, lies in a groove on the underside of the pallet deck and reinforces the pallet deck in this position.

In Fig. IB, a partially broken-away and simplified representation of the support foot 3 shown in Fig. IA is shown as a detail. Fig. IB shows that the support foot 3 forms a housing for a roller arrangement 8, which is arranged in the non-operating position in Fig. IB. The details of this construction will be explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 2A to 2E.

Fig. IC illustrates a first embodiment of the transport and storage system according to the invention, in which a goods receiving device 9 in the form of a flat pallet is arranged on the support device 2. The goods receiving device 9 has a surrounding frame 10, which consists of four profiles joined together via miter cuts, which surround a pallet deck 11 in the form of a flat plate. The plate 11 can engage in a clamping and sealing groove of the profile frame 10. For example, screw connections can be provided to fasten the goods receiving device 9, which engage through the optionally provided skid 4 and the support feet 3 in the corresponding holding recesses or threads of the frame 10.

Fig. ID illustrates a second variant of the transport and storage system according to the invention. In the embodiment shown there, the support device 2 is again provided, which in this case corresponds exactly to the embodiment according to Fig. IA. On the support device 2 is a goods receiving device 9' in the form of a one-piece

Folding container. As Fig. ID shows, the folding container has a base plate 12 with a raised edge 13 to form a receiving space 14. A rear wall 16 is hinged to the base plate 12 via a hinge arrangement 15. On the sides of the rear wall 16, in turn, two divided side walls 17 and 18 are hinged in a foldable manner via hinge arrangements not shown in more detail. The side walls 17 and 18 are divided and also have hinge arrangements that connect their halves to one another. Fig. ID also shows a front wall 19, which is hinged on its narrow sides to the side walls 17 and 18 via hinges or joints, as well as a sliding lid 20, which is hinged to the rear wall 16 via a hinge arrangement not shown in more detail. The goods receiving device 9' shown in Fig. 1D in the form of a one-piece folding container can be completely sunk into the receiving space 14, whereby in the sunk state the lid 20 closes off the compact unit.

The base plate 12 can be fixed to the support device 2, for example, using screw connections that can engage through the runners and support feet into the edge profiles that form the edge 13 of the base plate 12.

In Fig. IE, a further variant of the transport and storage system according to the invention is shown. In this embodiment, a goods receiving device 9'' is provided, which comprises a folding frame 21 and a flexible and collapsible inner container 22. The inner container 22 is shown in the example in its tensioned transport state, in which it is held with the folding frame 21 unfolded by a total of eight shock absorbing or spring elements, of which the shock absorbing elements 23 to 29 are visible. The folding frame 21 and the inner container 22 are designed in their dimensions relative to one another in such a way that in the state shown in Fig. IE, the shock absorbing

me elements form an angle of at least approximately 45° to the respective reference edge of either the folding frame 21 or the inner container 22 from all viewing angle planes. The folding frame 21 has in the embodiment shown in Fig. IE four upright supports 30 to 33 ai}f. Support feet are provided at the bottom ends of the supports 30 to 33, one of which is identified by the reference number 3. The design preferably corresponds to the support foot shown in Figs. IA and IB, although it is not absolutely necessary to provide a support foot with a roller arrangement. It is also possible to connect the supports 30 and 33 in one piece with a respective support foot.

On the long sides, the supports 30 and 33 are connected to one another via one-piece longitudinal struts 34 and 35, while the supports 31 and 32 are connected to one another via corresponding longitudinal struts 36 and 37. On the narrow sides, the supports 30 and 31 are connected to one another via split cross struts 38 and 39 and the supports 32 and 33 are connected to one another via cross struts 40 and 41. The cross struts are each provided with a hinge or joint in the middle, of which the hinge 42 of the cross strut 39 is representatively identified by the other joints.

The illustration in Fig. IE shows that the inner container 22 is reduced in its height relative to the cross struts 38 and 39 and 41 as well as in its width relative to the longitudinal struts 34 to 37, whereby the aforementioned 45° angle of the shock absorbing elements 23 to 29 is possible. Furthermore, this reduction in the dimensions of the inner container 22 has the advantage that in the folded state of the folding frame 21 the struts do not come to rest on the inner container 22, so that complete folding is made possible when the inner container 22 collapses. In order to make it possible to fold the folding frame, the supports 30 to 33 are also designed as in.

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Rotatable joints or hinges are designed so that folding according to an M-fold is possible.

In Figs. 2A to 2E, to which reference is made below, two embodiments of a roller arrangement 8 according to the invention are explained in more detail. In the sectional views of Figs. 2A to 2C, the support foot 3 is visible in side view, which in this case is designed as a U-profile. In the example case, the top of the open U-profile is covered by one of the possible embodiments of the goods receiving device. In this embodiment of the support foot 3, the bottom is covered by one of the runners 4 to 6. As previously explained, it is also possible to design the support foot 3 as a cube that is only open on one side but otherwise closed. In any case, the support foot 3 forms a receiving housing for the roller arrangement 8.

The roller arrangement 8 itself has a support plate 42, which is hinged to the runner 4 via a hinge 43 in the example. Alternatively, the hinge 43 can of course also be arranged on a wall of the support foot 3 itself if it is closed on more than three sides, which is shown by way of example in Fig. 2E.

A bearing block 44 for a fixed castor or a swivel castor is attached to the support plate 42. For example, the bearing block 44 can be screwed onto the support plate 42. However, other fastening options are also possible.

The hinge 43 enables a pivot angle of 270°, which is evident from the combination of Fig. 2A to 2C. The figures also show a guide pin 46, which is attached to the surfaces facing outwards according to Fig. 2A or the surface 47 opposite the roller 45. In the outer surface 48 of the runner 4 facing away from the roller 45, a guide recess 49 is arranged, the dimension and position of which

is selected so that the guide pin 46 can engage in the guide recess 49 in the operating position shown in Fig. 2C.

The overview of Fig. 2A to 2C shows the movement sequence from the non-operating position shown in Fig. 2A via the intermediate position shown in Fig. 2B into the operating position of the roller arrangement 8 shown in Fig. 2C. Fig. 2A also shows that the dimensioning of the support foot 3 and in this case the runner 4 is such that in the non-operating position no parts protrude beyond the outer edge 50, which in this case is formed by the outermost surface of the pallet deck, so that a completely smooth contour on the outside is ensured.

To fix the hinge 43, screw connections can be provided, which can, for example, engage in corresponding threaded recesses in the runner profile. In the case of fixing the roller arrangement 8 to the support foot body itself, preferably integrally formed bearing flanges are provided, by means of which a suitable dimensionally stable hinge connection can be created.

Fig. 2D shows a top view of a support foot 3, which is designed as a U-profile. The dot-dash line shows the pivot axis S of the hinge 43 and thus of the roller arrangement 8. Furthermore, four feedthrough channels 51 to 54 for screws or other fastening means are shown as examples, which can run through the support foot 3 into the runner on the one hand and into the pallet deck or the other goods receiving devices on the other hand.

Furthermore, two possible forms of insertion openings 55 and 56 for folding frames or stanchions etc. are shown as examples, as is another in a corner area next to the

Through opening 57 located in the insertion opening 56. Fig. 2E again shows a side view of a support foot profile with a roller arrangement 8 moved into the operating position.

In this embodiment of the support foot 3, a closed housing is formed which has an open side identified by the reference number 58 for forming a receiving opening which is closed by the holding plate 42 in the non-operating position shown in Fig. 2E. In this state, the embodiment of the support foot 3 shown in Fig. 2E forms a cuboid or cube-like housing which is closed on all sides.

As in the other embodiments, a roller 45 is mounted on the support plate 42 via a bearing block 44, so that reference can be made to the previous description. This also applies to the guide pin 46 and the guide recess 49, which in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 2E is arranged in a bottom wall 59 of the support foot.

Fig. 2E illustrates an embodiment in which the support plate 42 is provided in one piece with a hinge 57, which is fastened to the base plate 59 of the support foot housing. The hinge 57, which is attached in one piece to the base plate 42, also enables a pivot angle of 270° and for this purpose has a rounded portion pointing outwards as shown in Fig. 2E, which is identified in Fig. 2E with the reference number 60. Furthermore, this hinge 57 has a pivot axis 61, which in this embodiment can be formed, for example, by a threaded bolt that bridges the distance between two opposing hinge flanges of the support foot 3 to form the pivot axis 61, the hinge flanges being attached to walls of the support foot housing that are arranged parallel to one another. A spacer sleeve is preferably attached to the threaded bolt in order to

to avoid jamming of the hinge 57 when screwing the threaded bolt. The threaded bolt is therefore guided through the recess 62 provided in the hinge 57 to form the joint axis 61 and the said hinge flanges on the support foot housing, whereby the hinge and thus the support plate 42 or the entire roller arrangement 8 is mounted on the support foot 3. It should be emphasized that Fig. 2E shows that the attachment of the support plate 42 to the support foot 3 is carried out in such a way that even in this embodiment no part, in particular the guide pin 46, protrudes beyond the outer contour in the non-operating position.

In Fig. 3A, another embodiment of a folding frame of a goods receiving device according to Fig. IE is shown. The figure shows that in principle the same construction as in Fig. IE is implemented, but that the cross struts have vertical joint supports 57 and 58 in their dividing plane. However, since the construction of the folding frame otherwise follows the principles explained in Fig. IE, in order to avoid repetition of the explanations there and to disclose the special design of the folding frame 2IE shown in Fig. 3A, explicit reference is made to the graphic representation in this figure.

Fig. 3B to 3D show a schematic representation of the folding states of the folding frame 21'. To simplify the illustration, the inner container 22 visible in Fig. IE has been omitted. Fig. 3B illustrates the fully unfolded state, which corresponds to that of Fig. IE. In this state, the inner container 22 is in its transport position, i.e. completely clamped by the shock absorbing elements.

In Fig. 3C, a representation is chosen that shows the so-called M-folding principle, whereby an intermediate state between the fully unfolded state visible in Fig. 3B and

the fully folded state visible in Fig. 3D is selected.

The embodiment according to Figures IA and 3A to 3D provides the particular advantage that the inner container 22 is held in the operating position in any position of the folding frame 21 or 21'. This is due to the specific arrangement of the shock absorbing elements, which hold the inner container 22 in its operating position even when the folding frame is lying on its side or upside down, for example.

Figures 4A to 4C show an alternative embodiment in which the folding frame is arranged on a rectangular frame 57. Here, two supports 58 and 59 of the four existing upright supports can be seen, which are movably connected to the four corners of the frame 57 via joints or hinges.

This overview of Figures 4A to 4C again illustrates the states between the fully unfolded state shown in Fig. 4A and the fully folded state shown in Fig. 4C.

Figures 5A to 5D show a closure device 63 according to the invention. With the closure device 63 it is possible, for example, to fix the lid 20 of the folding container shown in Figure ID to the front wall 19 in the closed lid position. Furthermore, it is possible to fix the front wall 19 to the edge 13 of the receiving space 14 if this should be desired. In Figures 5A to 5D, an attachment of the closure device 63 between a lid profile 64 and a front wall profile 65 is described below as an example.

The closure device 63 is arranged in an elongated receiving recess 66, for example in a U-shaped manner,

wherein the receiving recess 66 has an engagement opening 68 visible in Fig. 5B, into which an operator can reach with a finger in order to grip behind a locking lever 67 of the locking device 63 lying completely in the receiving recess 66.

The arrangement of the locking lever 67 within the receiving recess 66 is shown in Figures 5A, 5B and 5C.

The locking lever 67 as part of the locking device 63 has a locking element 69, which in the example of Figures 5A to 5D is designed as a hammer screw. The locking element 69 is arranged in a recess 72 of the locking lever 67, which is particularly evident from Figure 5D. The recess 72 is fixed in a bearing area 75 that is larger than an elongated handle part 74. The fixing can be carried out, for example, by a split pin that is guided through a split pin hole 70 shown in Figure 5A, which is aligned with a corresponding hole in the locking element 69.

In the assembled state, the locking element 69 is guided through a through opening 71 in the front wall profile 65, so that the head 76 of the locking element 69 comes to lie in a cavity 77 below the through opening 71. Fig. 5A shows the locking position in which the head 76 engages behind the surrounding wall areas of the through opening 71, so that the cover profile 64 is locked to the front wall profile 65. Figures 5A and 5C show in particular that in this closed position the locking lever 67 is completely received in the receiving recess 66, so that no area protrudes beyond the outer wall surface 78 (see Fig. 5A).

If the cover profile 64 is to be released from the front wall 65, the locking lever 67 is pivoted 90° out of the receiving recess 66 as shown in Fig. 5C. An operating person can

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The user can then reach into the engagement opening 68 with a finger and reach behind the handle part 64 so that the finger engages in the area 79 indicated in Fig. 5C. The locking lever 67 can thus be pivoted by 90°. As a ^result, the head 76 of the locking element 69 is also pivoted by 90°. The passage opening 71 is dimensioned such that in this open position pivoted by 90°, the head 76 can pass through the passage opening 71 when the cover profile 64 is lifted so that the cover profile can be separated from the front wall profile 65.

Claims (9)

Expectations 1. Transport and storage system (1) - with a goods receiving device (9; 9 ¹ ; 9"); and - with a support device (2) which has at least one support foot (3) and a connecting device for fixing the goods receiving device (9; 9 ¹ ; 9''), - wherein at least the support device (2) is designed as a modular, mountable and dismountable arrangement and wherein the goods receiving device (9; 9'; 9 ¹ ') and the support device (2) can be mounted and dismounted on one another, characterized in that - that the goods receiving device (9; 9'; 9'·) is designed as a selectively replaceable surface or spatial unit that can be connected to the support device (2), and - that a mountable and demountable roller arrangement (8) is provided which is movable between an operating position and an inoperative position in which the roller arrangement (8) is completely accommodated in the support foot (3). 2. Transport and storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support foot (3) is designed as a receiving housing for the roller arrangement (8) that is open on at least one side. 3. Transport and storage system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the roller arrangement (8) has a support plate (42) that can be pivoted through 270° for fastening a fixed or swivel castor (45), the support plate being articulated on the receiving housing of the support foot (3) or on the support device (2). 4. Transport and storage system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the support plate (42) has a guide pin (46) for engaging in a guide recess (49) of the support device (2). 5. Transport and storage system according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the roller arrangement (8) can be fixed in its operating position and/or non-operating position. 6. Transport and storage system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the goods receiving device (9) is designed as a pallet deck which has a plate (11) and a frame (10) made of profile struts which surrounds it on all sides. 7. Transport and storage system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the goods receiving device (9 ¹ ) is designed as a folding container. 8. Transport and storage system according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a locking device (63) for releasably locking profile parts (64, 65) that can move relative to one another, the locking device (63) having a locking lever (67) that can preferably be operated manually, which in the locking position is completely received in a receiving recess (66) of one (64) of the two profiles (64, 65) and is mounted so as to be pivotable by 90° out of the receiving recess (66) into its open position. 9. Transport and storage system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the goods receiving device (9 ¹ ·) has a folding frame (21; 21') in which a flexible and collapsible inner container (22) is clamped by means of shock absorbing elements (23 to 29). 10, Transport and storage system according to claim 9, characterized in that the inner container (22) is smaller in its dimensions in all spatial directions than the folding frame (21, 21').