GB2034283A

GB2034283A - Folding Containers

Info

Publication number: GB2034283A
Application number: GB7929618A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Sea Containers Ltd
Current assignee: Sea Containers Ltd
Priority date: 1978-08-24
Filing date: 1979-08-24
Publication date: 1980-06-04
Also published as: JPS5564084A; ZA794460B; FR2434087A1; IT1122847B; AU5020979A; DE2934124A1; IT7925228A0; GB2034283B; SE7907100L

Abstract

A collapsible container for transporting cargo has an elongated rectangular base 1 and two end walls 6 hinged to the ends of the base for swinging movement between a collapsed position in which the walls lie on the base 2 and an erect position in which they can support superimposed containers and cargo can be carried on the base 1. In the erect position lower edge faces defined by cut-outs in corner posts 7 of the end walls rest on top of corner castings 5 to transmit loads directly onto the base. The end walls 6 are locked in their upright positions by locking members 24 pivoted to the base structure at 25 and swingable into locking positions in which they make wedging contact with heel portions 21 of the corner posts 7 to hold the posts 7 erect. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Folding Containers The present invention relates to folding containers which, in their erect condition, can be loaded with goods and stacked one upon another and which, after unloading, can be folded flat and stacked for transit in an empty condition. The invention is particularly concerned with constructing such containers to comply with the I.S.O. Standards laid down by the International Standards Organisation.

A folding container according to the present invention comprises a generally rectangular container base on which goods may be loaded, and corner posts articulated to each corner of the base for movement between a folded condition in which they lie substantially flat on the container base and an erect position in which the corner posts extend substantially vertically upwards from the container base for supporting a superimposed container or stack of containers, each corner post being prevented from movement beyond the erect position by engagement of abutment surfaces on the corner post and base, wherein a locking member for each corner post is movable longitudinally of the container into and out of a locking position in which it engages further, locking abutment surfaces on the container base and the corner post to prevent movement of the corner post from the erect position when the corner post is erect and the locking member is in its locking position.

Conveniently, the locking member may be stowable in the locking position in the folded condition of the container.

Advantageously the locking member is pivotally mounted on one of the container parts for swinging movement into and out of the locking position.

Preferably the container has a stub-corner post forming part of the container base, the upper ends of the stub-corner posts being capable of supporting a stack of superimposed loaded containers. Advantageously, the two abutment surfaces on each corner post are formed on upper and lower faces of a block integral with the corner post.

In one preferred form of construction the locking member in the locking position abuts a pair of spaced locking abutment surfaces on the corner post or base, the locking abutment surface on the base or corner post being relatively movable through the space between those on the corner post or base when the locking member is removed.

Preferably, the locking member has at least one slightly inclined wedging surface which cooperates with a corresponding surface on the corner post to avoid any play or backlash in the locking position. A manually operable cam lever can then be pivotted to the container base and have a pair of angularly spaced cam surfaces to engage the locking member, for respectively forcing it into the fully locked position and prising it out of the fully locked position.

An embodiment of the invention, in the form of an I.S.O. flat-rack container will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa side elevational view of the container; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bottom left hand corner of the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the container in its folded condition; Figure 4 is an end elevational view of a modified container; Figure 5 shows a portion of Figure 4 on an enlarged scale; Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view on the Line VI--VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view on the line VIl-VIl of Figure 5; Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 3 of the container shown in Figures 4 to 7;; Figure 9 is a vertical section on the line IX-IX of Figure 5; Figure 10 shows a portion of an elevational view of the container in its folded conditions; and Figure 11 is a vertical section on the line X-X of Figure 10.

The container shown in Figure 1 to 3 of the drawings comprises a fabricated steel base 1 having a load carrying surface 2 formed by timber planking. At each end, the base 1 includes a stubcorner post 3 which incorporates a standard bottom I.S.O. corner casting 4 and a modified I.S.O. top corner casting 5.

The container includes a pair of end walls 6 which can be folded down from an erect position to a folded position in which they lie flat on the load carrying surface 2. Each end wall 6 includes a pair of corner posts 7 the lower ends of which have cranked extensions 8, the lower ends of which are pivoted to the container base 1 by substantial pivot pins 9 which pass through a pair of extension brackets 10 of the stub corner posts 3.

Thus, each stub corner post 3 is formed by two substantial L-shaped plates 11 which are separated by a sufficient distance to accommodate the corner post extension 8. The top corner casting 5 on the stub corner post 3 is modified as can be seen in Figure 3 in that the inner side of its top surface is cut away to convert the conventional top hole into a slot 1 2 to accommodate the corner post extension 8 in the erect condition. When the container is in its folded condition, other containers (whether folded or erected, or other types of container) may rest on the top face 1 3 of the corner casting 5 and be coupled to it by means of a coupling member 1 5 having a base 1 6 which engages under the sides of the slot 12 and a transverse hole 1 7 to receive a bolt 1 8 of a superimposed container.The coupling member 1 5 has ribs 1 9 which can rest on the upper edges of the slot 12 while the superimposed container is being manoeuvred into position.

The corner post 7 has a lower edge 14 which overlies the casting 5 in the erect condition and the corner post extension 8 has a heel portion 21 the lower surface 22 of which forms an abutment surface which, in the erect condition, rests on the top face 23 of the bottom corner casting 4. A locking bar 24 is L-shaped in horizontal plan and is pivotally mounted at 25 to the stub corner post 3 by means of a pair of spaced lugs 26 in which the pivot pin 25 is secured. The locking bar 24 can thus be swung from the "locking" position shown in Figure 2 to the "unlocked" position shown in Figure 3 in which the locking bar is out of the way of the heel 21.In the erect condition shown in Figure 2, however, the locking bar 24 fits snugly between the top surface of the heel 21 and the bottom surfaces of the two plates 11, thereby preventing upward movement of the heel 21 and thus any pivoting of the corner post 7 about the pivot pin 9. A sliding bolt 27 can be moved downwards into a hole 28 in the locking bar 24 so as to retain the latter in the locking position both when the container is in the erect condition and when it is the folded condition.

To fold the container from the erect condition shown in Figure 2, all that is necessary is to raise the bolts 27, move the locking bar 24 to the position shown in Figure 3 so that the heels 21 may then pass upwards between the plates 11 as the end walls 6 are lowered with their corner posts 7 and then return the locking bars 24 to the locked position and re-engage the bolts 27.

The folding container shown in Figures 4 to 11 is of generally similar construction to that shown in Figures 1 to 3 and corresponding elements are indicated by the same reference numeral primed.

However, the locking member 24' is mounted immediately below the corner casting 5' and its pivot pin 25' has one end engaged in a bore in the lower face of the corner casting 5' while its lower end is engaged in bore in a projecting lug 31 and the L-shaped plate 11'. The under surface of the locking member 24' is inclined at a small angle so as to cooperate with the upper surface 32 of the heel 21' when the corner post 7' is in its upright position. Thus, when the locking member 24' is pushed home into its locking position with the end wall 6' upright, the locking member by its lower surface exerts a wedging action on the surface 32, thereby pulling the surface 14' down onto the top surface 1 3' of the corner casting 5' and thereby avoiding any backlash or looseness of the end wall 6'.

A locking member 24' is forced into, and prised out of, its locking position by means of a manually operable locking lever 35 having a head 36 pivotted to the frame of the container base 1 by means of a headed pivot pin 37. The head 36 carries a locking cam lug 38 and a prising cam lug 39 in positions to cooperate respectively with inclined cam surfaces 41 and 42 on a cam lug extension 40 of the locking member 24'.

To lock the corner post 7' in the vertical position, the locking member 24' is rotated about its pin 25' until it engages the surface 32. The locking lever 35 is then swung downwards from the position shown in Figure 8 to the downwardly depending position shown in Figure 4. During the latter part of the movement of the lever 35, the cam lug 38 engages the surface 41 on the lug 40 and forces the locking member 24 home into the fully locked position. Also during the latter part of this movement, a pair of projections 44 and 45 near the free end of the locking lever 35 pass either side of a catch peg 46 the outer end of which is slotted to receive a catch member 47 (Figure 5) which is formed with a profiled slot 48 through which passes a pin 49 secured transversely of the peg 46. In the position shown in Figure 5, the catch 47 holds the locking lever 35 securely in the locked position.

When it is required to lower the end walls 6', the catch 47 (at each end of the end wall) is rotated to the horizontal position so that the locking lever is then freed to be swung the locking position shown in Figure 5 to the position shown in Figure 8. The first part of this movement disengages the locking cam lug 38 from the cam lug 41 and the later part of this movement brings the prising cam lug 39 into engagement with the rear face 42 of the cam lug 40 to prise the locking member 24' out of wedging engagement with the surface 32. The end wall 6' can then be lowered, the locking member 24' stowed in its locking position and the locking lever 35 and catch 47 returned to their secured position as shown in Figure 5.

To enable the end wall 6' to be raised and lowered safely by one man, counterbalancing springs 51 may be incorporated and extend between a lower anchorage 52 secured to the base 7' adjacent the corner casting 5' and are upper ends engaged with an anchorage 53 on the corner posts 7'. In order to prevent the end walls 6' tending to rise under the action of the counterbalance springs 51 when the container is in motion in its folded condition, for example, in a ship in rough sea, at ieast one corner post 7' of each end wall 6' is provided with a cranked locking bolt 61 (Figures 10 and 11) near its upper end. The shank of the bolt 61 is slidable and rotatable in a block 62 fixed to the corner post 7'.

The cranked end 63 of the bolt hooks under an element 64 of the base 1'. At its upper end, the bolt 61 has an operating handle 65 which in its locked position is received in a pocket formed by a tab 66 on the corner post 7' and is thus prevented from rotating. To free the bolt from the member 64, the handle 65 is lifted to free it from the tab 66 and is then rotated to a position in which it is free from the member 64.

Clearly, the locking arrangement as shown in Figure 4 to 11 can be applied individuaily or collectively to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Claims

1. A folding container comprising a generally rectangular container base on which goods may be loaded, and corner posts articulated to each corner of the base for movement between a folded condition in which they lie substantially flat on the container base and an erect position in which the corner posts extend substantially vertically upwards from the container base for supporting a superimposed container or stack of containers, each corner post being prevented from movement beyond the erect position by engagement of abutment surfaces on the corner post and base, wherein a locking member for each corner post is movable iongitudinally of the container into and out of a locking position in which it engages further locking abutment surfaces on the container base and the corner post to prevent movement of the corner post from the erect position when the corner post is erect and the locking member is in its locking position.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is stowable in the locking position in the folded condition of the container.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking member is pivotally mounted on one of the container parts for swinging movement into and out of the locking position.

4. A container according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container has a stub-corner post at each corner forming part of the container base, the upper ends of the stub-corner posts being capable of supporting a stack of superimposed loaded containers and the two abutment surfaces on each corner post are formed on upper and lower faces of a block integral with the corner post.

5. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the locking member in the locking position abuts a pair of spaced locking abutment surfaces on the corner post or base, the locking abutment surface on the base or corner post being relatively movable through the space between those on the corner post or base when the locking member is removed.

6. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the locking member has a slightly inclined lower wedging surface which co-operates with a corresponding surface on the corner post to avoid any play or backlash in the locking position.

7. A container according to claim 6, wherein a manually operable cam lever is pivotably mounted on the container base and has a pair of angularly space cam surfaces to engage the locking member, for respectively forcing it into the fully locked position and prising it out of the fully locked position.

8. A folding container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A folding container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.