GB2450923A

GB2450923A - Collapsible container with flexible walls

Info

Publication number: GB2450923A
Application number: GB0713599A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raphael Gilbert Barbet
Original assignee: Polymer Logistics UK Ltd
Current assignee: Tosca Services UK Ltd
Priority date: 2007-07-12
Filing date: 2007-07-12
Publication date: 2009-01-14
Also published as: GB0713599D0

Abstract

A folding container has a base 2, an open upper frame 4 of substantially the same size and shape as the base, and collapsible support means 5 which can be either be pivoted to one of the base or the frame, and slidable on the other. Alternatively, the support means can be pivoted at an intermediate point 21 and at both end points (7, 22, Fig.9) on the base and the frame respectively. The container may comprise a flexible side panel 12 adapted to extend between the upper frame and the base which can be made of a sheet of elastic material, a mesh or net formed from flexible or elastic filaments, a slitted sheet or a fanfold panel. The base and the frame may have cavities (15, Fig.7) to receive part of the panel as it is collapsed, and it also may incorporate a rolling mechanism (18, Fig.8) to take the panel slack as it is collapsed.

Description

FOLDING CONTAINER

The present invention relates to folding containers, and is particularly concerned with containers of the type used for transporting produce between suppliers, distribution depots and retail outlets, particularly in the supermarket sector.

Produce is currently shipped in one of two types of open-topped containers (nesting containers and folding containers) until it reaches the retail outlet, when the produce is removed from the container and placed on the supermarket shelf. Some types of produce, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are left in the containers for customers to pick their selection directly. Furthermore, the types of container currently used are utilitarian rather than particularly attractive in appearance, and the fact that the container is only open on its upper side reduces the visibility of the goods, particularly when containers are in a stack.

This use of shipping containers for retail display is thought inappropriate to many forms of pre-packaged goods, and the requirement for an attractive display of the shop's offering leads to the need to remove produce from the shipping containers and place it, for example on open shelves, in a more prominent and attractive display position.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a container which can serve for the transportation of produce from a supplier to a retail outlet, and can then act as an attractive display unit providing accessibility to the product for the customer to make a selection.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a folding container comprising a base, an upper frame of substantially the same size and shape as the base, and support means connected between the base arid the upper frame to support the upper frame in an erected condition in which the upper frame is generally parallel to and spaced from the base, and a collapsed condition in which the upper frame lies substantially adjacent to the base.

Preferably, the base comprises a substantially planar support surface and a lower frame extending round the perimeter of the support surface, the lower frame

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coinciding in size and shape with the upper frame.

The support means preferably comprises a number of struts pivotally mounted to the base or to the upper frame and movable between an erected condition in which the strut is generally perpendicular to the base, and a folded position in which the strut lies generally parallel to the base. The struts may be single elongate components attached at one end by a pivot to the base, and mounted at their other ends to the upper frame for sliding movement relative thereto.

Alternatively, the struts may be attached at one end by a pivot to the upper frame, and mounted at their other ends to the base for sliding movement relative thereto. In an alternative embodiment, the struts may be formed from two parts, one part pivotally mounted to the base, and the other pivotally mounted to the upper frame, the two parts of the strut being connected together at a central pivot joint.

The container may further comprise a flexible side panel adapted to extend between the upper frame and the base in at least one plane substantially perpendicular to the base when the container is in its erected condition.

The side panel may be a single side panel extending around the periphery of the base, or it may be a number of side panels each extending along one side of a polygonal base. The side panel may be a sheet of flexible material, a sheet of elastic material, or a mesh or net formed from flexible or elastic filaments, or from a slitted flexible or elastic sheet. In a particular embodiment, the side panel is of fanfold the construction.

The container is preferably rectangular in form, and the supporting means comprises a supporting strut placed at each corner of the container.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first display container according to the invention, in its erected condition; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the initial stage of collapsing the container;

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Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the container in an intermediate, semi-erect condition; Figure 4 shows the container nearing its fully collapsed condition; Figure 5 shows the container of Figures 1 to 4 in the fully collapsed condition; Figure 6 is a sectional view, to a larger scale, showing the upper and lower frames of the container of Figures 1 to 5 in greater detail; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing an alternative structure for the container; Figure 8 is a view similar to Figures 6 and 7, showing a further alternative structure for the container; Figure 9 is a perspective view of an erected container according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the container of Figure 9 in an initial stage of folding; Figure 11 shows the container of Figures 9 and 10 in the semi-collapsed condition; Figure 12 shows the container of Figures 9 to 11 close to its fully collapsed condition; and Figure 13 shows the container of Figures 9 to 12 in its fully collapsed condition.

Referring to the Figures, Figures 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the invention in the form of a display container 1. The container 1 comprises a solid rigid base 2 of rectangular form, a lower frame 3 extending around the perimeter of the base 2 and rigidly attached thereto, an upper frame 4, and four corner columns 5. The lower frame 3 comprises a pair of parallel longer side walls 3a, and a pair of parallel shorter end walls 3b. The upper frame 4 comprises a pair of parallel longer side walls 4a, and a pair of parallel shorter end walls 4b. The base 2 may be formed with openings to reduce the weight of the container, and/or with reinforcing ribs. The underside of the base may be formed with formations to engage with the upper frame of an underlying like container, to locate containers together in a stack.

Each corner column 5 is received In an upwardly-open recess 6 formed in a side wall 3a of the lower frame 3, and is pivotally attached to the lower frame 3 by a pivot pin 7 which is received in a circular opening 8 in the lower frame 3. The upper end of each corner column 5 is received in a downwardly-open recess 9 (see Figure 6) formed in a side wall 4a of upper frame 4, each column 5 being slidable along its respective recess 9. A pin 10 mounted to the column 5 is received in a slot 11 extending along the upper frame 4, to retain the column in the recess 9, and to limit the extent of the sliding movement of the upper end of the column 5 relative to the upper frame 4. It will be understood that in an alternative embodiment, the structure of the columns 5 could be reversed, with the columns 5 being pivotally mounted to the upper frame 4, and slidably received in recesses in the lower frame 3.

In the fully erected condition, the lower end of the column 5 stands on the upwardly-facing base of the recess 6 formed in the lower frame 3, while the upper end of the column 5 bears against the downwardly-facing base 9a of the recess 9. The relative positioning of the pivot pin 7 and the pin 10 is such that, as the column 5 is erected, the pin 10 passes through a position vertically above the pivot pin 7 before the fully erected position of the column 5 is reached. Downward force on the column 5, when in the fully erected position, is offset to the left of the pivot pin 7 (as shown in Figure 1), and tends to maintain the column in its upright position.

As is clear from Figures 2 to 6, the container is collapsed by moving the upper ends of the columns 5 towards each other, with the pins 10 sliding along their respective slots 11, and the columns 5 pivoting about the pivot pins 7 so that each column 5 is received within the recess 6 formed in the side wall 3a of the lower frame 3. The upper frame 4 moves downward, so that in the fully collapsed condition that the upper frame 4 rests on the lower frame 3, and the columns 5 are concealed by being received in the recesses 6 and 9, respectively.

A side panel 12 extends between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 3. In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 6, the side panel 12 is formed from a sheet of elastic material which is stretched when the container is erect. When the container is collapsed, as seen in Figure 5, the side panel Contracts to lie adjacent to the inner faces of the upper and lower frames 3 and 4.

The side panel 12 may be formed from a continuous elastic sheet, or may be made from a mesh or net formed from elastic material such as rubber strands with a braided cover, commonly referred to as "Bungee" cord. In a further alternative, the side panel may be formed from an elastic sheet having horizontally-extending slits, so that when the container is erected the side panel is stretched in a direction transverse to the slits, and expands to take on the appearance of a mesh. In a yet further alternative, the side panel may simply be a flexible sheet attached to the inner faces of the upper and lower frames, the flexible sheet simply folding down between the frames and the product within the container when the container is collapsed. The flexible sheet may be a single sheet, or separate panels may be provided for each side of the container.

To erect the container, the user grasps one end wall 4b of the upper frame and the adjacent end wall 3b of the lower frame, and pulls the upper frame away from the lower frame. This will cause the pins 10 of the columns 5 to move along their respective slots 11 toward the end wall 4b, bringing the columns 5 into a position substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower frames. The user then ensures that the columns S are fully erected, by checking that the pins 10 are at the ends of their respective slots, and if they are not then the user pulls the upper ends of the columns S until the fully erect position is reached. The user then erects the other end of the container in the same way. The resilient stretching of the side panel 12 during erection of the container applies a force to urge the upper and lower frames together, and this force is sufficient to maintain the container in its erected condition.

Latching means may be provided between the upper ends of the columns S and the upper frame 4, to retain the columns in their erected position. Inadvertant collapsing of the container by accidental displacement of the columns can be resisted by latching the columns in place. The slot 11 may have an upturned end section (not shown) into which the pin 10 enters when the column 5 is fully erect, to prevent sliding movement of the column relative to the upper frame until the latch is disengaged by pulling the upper frame upwards against the tension of the sidewall 12.

Alternatively the base of recess 9 may be formed with an abutment to resist movement of the column 5 out of its erect position, again disengaged by pulling the upper frame upwards against the tension of the sidewall 12. In a further alternative, a resilient latching detent to may be provided in the upper frame to retain the column 5 in its upright position, the detent being released by manual operation of the user when the container is to be collapsed.

The container may then be filled with produce, and shipped to its final destination in the retail outlet.

Erected containers may be stacked one upon the other, and interlocking formations may be provided on the upper frame 4 and/or on the base 2 and/or the lower frame 3 to prevent containers from moving horizontally relative to one another when formed into a stack. To preserve a sleek appearance of the display containers, the interlocking formations are preferably provided on the under surface of the base 2 or the lower frame 3.

In order to display the produce for sale, the retail operative collapses the container by moving the upper ends of the columns 5 towards each other, so that the upper frame 4 rests on the lower frame 3, and the contents of the container are thus displayed above the upper frame 4. Produce can thus be displayed in a stack of containers, with the uppermost container collapsed so that its side panels 12 do not obscure the customer's view of the produce. The side panels 12 of the other containers in the stack will prevent the customers from removing produce from them until the produce in the uppermost container is depleted and the collapsed container removed from the top of the stack. The retail operative will then collapse the next container in the stack, so that the produce can be picked from the (now) uppermost container.

If the containers are not provided with side panels 12, the customer has access to the produce in the lower containers of a stack. While this may lead to a less ordered picking of the produce, the customer's perception of choice is increased, since the customer can pick produce from any of the containers in the stack.

Figures 6 to 8 illustrate three alternative arrangements of the side panel 12. In Figure 6, the side panel 12 is formed by a resilient elastic sheet, which is bonded or otherwise attached to the inner faces of the upper and lower frames 3 and 4. The elastic sheet may be a continuous sheet, or may be formed with slits 13 extending parallel to the upper and lower frames. As the container is erected, the slits 13 are pulled open so that the side panel 12 takes on the appearance of a mesh panel, allowing consumers to view the contents of the container through the opened slits.

Figure 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment, in which side walls 4a and end walls 4b of the upper frame 4 are formed with a second downwardly-facing recess 14 spaced inwardly of the recess 9, and the side walls 3a and end walls 3b of the lower frame 3 are formed with a second upwardly-facing recess 15 spaced inwardly of the recess 6. When the container is in the collapsed condition, the recesses 14 and 15 are aligned to form an enclosed cavity. In this embodiment, a fanfolded side panel 16 has its upper and lower edges, respectively, attached to the bases of the recesses 14 and 15, so that when the container is collapsed the side panel 16 is received within the cavity formed by the recesses 14 and 15, and when the container is erected the fanfolded side panel 16 is extended between the upper and lower frames. The fanfolded side panel 16 may be a continuous panel extending around the upper and lower frames, or may be formed from four separate fanfolded panels.

Figure 8 shows an alternative arrangement for the side panels. In this embodiment, four separate side panels are provided. Each side of the lower frame is formed with a cavity 17 in which a spring-loaded roller 18 is mounted, a flexible side panel 19 being rolled around the roller 18 and extending out of a slot 20 formed on the inner face of the lower frame 3. The side panel 19 is attached to the inner face of the corresponding wall of the upper frame. The spring-loaded roller maintains a tension in the side panel 19, and as the container is collapsed the side panel 19 passes inward through the slot 20 and is rolled on to the roller 18.

As the container is erected, movement of the upper frame 4 away from the lower frame 3 draws the side panel 19 out of the slot 20. The side panel 19 may be slightly resilient, or may simply be a flexible material such as woven or non-woven fabric, or a plastics sheet material. The side panel 19 may be S. transparent, or may be formed with transparent windows or openings, to enable customers to view the contents of the container while the container is still in its erected condition.

In order to facilitate folding of the container, the upper surfaces of the side walls 4a of the upper frame 4 may be slotted, so that a projection (not shown) formed on the upper end of the corner column 5 may extend above the slot, and be engagaiDle by a user to push the upper end of the column in a direction away from the adjacent end wall 4b, to initiate collapsing of the container. This slot may itself be positioned in a recess in the upper surface of the upper frame, so that the projection does not extend above the upper surface of the upper frame.

The two corner columns 5 at one end of the container may be joined together to form a "U" shape, the base of the "U" being pivotally attached to the base 2 or to the lower frame 3 of the container, and the uprights of the "U" forming the two corner columns S. With this construction, the two corner columns at each end of the container will fold in unison, and a user may collapse all four columns of the container simultaneously by urging the two corner columns on one side of the container together.

In a further embodiment of the container, the upper ends of diagonally opposed corner columns 5 may be joined by tension elements extending within passages in the upper frame 4, so that movement of a corner column out of its erected position will exert tension on the tension element, and thus pull the diagonally opposed corner column out of its erected position.

With reference to Figure 1, the upper end of the column S and the extreme left of the Figure will be connected to the upper end of the column 5 at the extreme right of the Figure, by a tension element extending within the left-hand end wall 4b and the side wall 4a nearest the viewer (as seen in Figure 1).

Thus, when the left-hand column 5 rotates clockwise (as seen in the Figure) towards its collapsed position, the tension element will draw the upper end of the right-hand column 5 along the side wall 4a of the upper frame, towards its collapsed position.

A further tension element may be arranged between the left and right columns, this time extending along the end wall 4b to the right of the picture and the side wall 4a to the rear of the picture. This tension element will bring the right-hand column 5 toward its erect position when the left-hand column 5 is rotated anti-clockwise towards the erected position. The tension elements may be cords, plastics monofilaments or straps, chains, wires, or any other suitable flexible tension element. A further pair of tension elements may be arranged to join the other two columns together, so that the other diagonally opposed pair of columns move in unison. If the two columns at each end of the container are joined to each other, for example by being formed as a single "U" shaped component, then by providing two sets of tension elements, all of the columns may be made to fold or unfold simultaneously if the user engages only one of the columns to move it either to or from the erected position.

Figures 9 to 13 are views similar to Figures 1 to 6, respectively, but showing an alternative embodiment of the collapsible container. To avoid repeating the description, corresponding parts will be given like reference numbers. In this embodiment, the corner columns 5 of the container 1 are formed in two parts with a central pivoting joint. Each corner column 5 has a lower part Sa pivotally attached to the lower frame 4 by a pivot pin 7 received in an opening 8. At the other end of the lower pare 5a of the column, a pivoting joint 21 attaches an upper part 5b of the column to the lower part 5a. The upper part 5b of the column is pivotally attached to the upper frame 4 by a pivot pin 22 received in a circular opening 23 in the side wall 4a of the upper frame 4. The positioning of the openings 8 and 23 is such that, as the corner column 5 moves from its collapsed position to its erected position, the pivot joint 21 crosses a line joining the pivot axes of the pivot pins 7 and 22. An upwardly-open recess 6 in the lower frame 3, and a downwardly-open recess 9 in the upper frame are provided, to accommodate the lower and upper parts of the column 5 when the container is in the collapsed condition.

In order to collapse the container from its erected condition, the user pushes the pivot joints 21 at the mid-points of the corner columns S away from the ends of the container. This initially urges the upper and lower frames apart, until the joint 21 crosses the line joining the pivot axes of the pivot pins 7 and 22. Continued folding of the pivot joint 21 brings the upper frame 4 towards the lower frame 3, with the respective lower and upper parts 5a and 5b of each corner column 5 being received in the recesses 6 and 9, respectively. When the container is fully collapsed, as seen in Fig-ure 13, the corner columns 5 are completely received within the recesses, and that the upper frame 3 rests in contact with the lower frame 4.

It will be appreciated that, as an alternative to the structure illustrated in Figures 9 to 13, the upper and lower parts 5a and 5b of each column may be mounted to their respective frames at pivot positions 7 and 22 spaced from the corners of the container, with the central pivot joint 2]. arranged so that the upper and lower parts 5a and 5b of each column are moved towards the ends of the container as the container is being collapsed.

The container of Figures 9 to 13 is, as before, provided with a side pane]. 12 which may be a resilient sheet material, a mesh made from resilient material, or any of the other possibilities disclosed in relation to Figures 1 to 8.

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The lower parts 5a of the two corner columns 5 at one end of the container may be joined together to form a "U" shape, the base of the "ti" being pivotally attached to the base 2 or to the lower frame 3 of the container, and the uprights of the "U" forming the lower parts 5a of the corner columns 5. Similarly, the upper parts Sb of the two corner columns 5 at one end of the container may be joined together in an inverted "U" shape, the arms of the "U" forming the upper parts Sb of the corner columns and the central part of the "U" being pivotally attached to the upper frame 4. With this construction, the two corner columns at each end of the container will fold in unison, and a user may collapse the container by simultaneously urging the central joints 21 of the two corner columns on one side of the container together.

In the illustrated embodiments, the upper frame is generally rectangular in vertical cross-section. It is foreseen that the inwardly-facing sides of the upper frame may be angled so as to face both inwardly and downwardly. With this construction, as the upper frame is moved downwardly when the container is full, product within the container will be directed inwards by this inclined surface and collapsing of the container will be facilitated.

In the illustrated embodiments, the corner columns 5, 5a Sb are positioned outboard of the side panels 12.

It is, however, envisaged that folding containers may be constructed in which the side panel 12 extends outboard of the corner columns 5, 5a, 5b in order to give a sleek appearance to the erected container.

In a further alternative embodiment, not illustrated, the pivoting struts of the support means are replaced by a number of scissor mechanisms, each scissor mechanism comprising two elongate members pivotally joined at their midpoints, with one of the elongate members being pivotally joined to the lower frame at one of its ends and slidingly attached to the upper frame at its other end, and the other elongate member being pivotally joined to the upper frame at one of its ends and slidingly attached to the lower frame at its other end. The sliding attachment between the elongate members and they upper and lower frames may comprise transverse pins on the elongate members sliding in slots formed in the respective frames. The slots may be formed with upturned ends, or some other latching mechanism may be provided, in order to lock

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the scissor mechanisms in an extended position when the container is erected. It is foreseen that a rectangular container may be provided, with two scissor mechanisms connected between the upper and lower frames and extending along opposed sides of the rectangle. Alternatively, one or more scissor mechanisms may be provided on each side of the container.

While the illustrated embodiments are all generally rectangular in plan, it is foreseen that the base 2 of the container may have some other polygonal shape such as a triangle or a hexagon, and the upper frame 4 and lower frame 3 will be correspondingly shaped.

Furthermore, it is foreseen that the base 2 of the container may be circular, elliptical, or of some other curved shape, with the upper and lower frames corresponding.

Claims

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23 --Claims: 1. A folding container comprising a base, an open upper frame of substantially the same size and shape as the base, and support means connected between the base and the upper frame to support the upper frame in an erected condition in which the upper frame is generally parallel to and spaced from the base, and a collapsed condition in which the upper frame lies substantially adjacent to the perimeter of the base.
2. A folding container according to claim 1, the container further comprising a flexible side panel adapted to extend between the upper frame and the base in planes substantially perpendicular to the base when the container is in its erected condition.
3. A folding container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base comprises a substantially planar support surface and a lower frame extending round the perimeter of the support surface, the lower frame coinciding in size and shape with the upper frame.
4. A folding container according to claim 3 as dependant on claim 2, wherein the lower frame and the upper frame are formed with recesses which, when the lower and upper frames are brought together, define a substantially closed cavity in which at least a part of the side panel is received.
5. A folding container according to any preceding claim, wherein the support means comprises a number of elongate struts pivotally mounted to the base at one of their respective ends and each movable between an erected position in which the strut is generally perpendicular to the base, and a folded position in which the strut lies generally parallel to the base.
6. A folding container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support means comprises a number of elongate struts each formed from two parts, one part pivotally mounted to the base, and the other pivotally mounted to the upper frame, the two parts of the strut being connected together at a central pivot joint.
7. A folding container according to any preceding claim, wherein the container is rectangular in form, and the supporting means comprises a supporting strut placed at each corner of the container.
8. A folding container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support means comprises a scissor mechanism of two elongate members pivotally joined at their midpoints, one of the elongate members being pivotally joined to the lower frame at one of its ends, and slidingly attached to the upper frame at its other end, and the other elongate member being pivotally joined to the upper frame at one of its ends and slidingly attached to the lower frame at its other end.
9. A folding container according to any preceding claim, wherein the side panel is a single side panel extending around the periphery of the base.
10. A folding container according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base is polygonal and the side panel comprises a number of side panels each extending along one side of the base.
11. A folding container according to claim 10, wherein a respective roller extends along each side of the base, a side panel is wound around each roller and is attached to a corresponding side of the upper frame, and each roller is resiliently biased to apply a tension to the side panel.
12. A folding container according to any preceding claim, wherein the side panel comprises a sheet of elastic material.
13. A folding container according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the side panel comprises a mesh or net formed from flexible or elastic filaments.
14. A folding container according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the side panel comprises a slitted flexible or elastic sheet.
15. A folding container according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the side panel is of fanfold construction.
16. A folding container according to claim 2, wherein the supporting means is within the volume bounded by the side panel when the container is erected.
17. A folding container according to claim 2, wherein the support means is outside the volume bounded by the side panel when the container is erected.
18. A folding container substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 5, Figure 6, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figures 9 to 13 of the accompanying drawings.