U.S. patent application number 10/862705 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-27 for returnable recyclable container having reinforced forklift entries.
This patent application is currently assigned to Inter-Pack Corporation. Invention is credited to Calandra, Frank N., Vergiels, Michael R. O..
Application Number | 20050017000 10/862705 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33563752 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050017000 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vergiels, Michael R. O. ; et
al. |
January 27, 2005 |
Returnable recyclable container having reinforced forklift
entries
Abstract
A collapsible, reusable, and recyclable container is disclosed
having reinforced entry-ways for the tines of a forklift.
Inventors: |
Vergiels, Michael R. O.;
(Adrian, MI) ; Calandra, Frank N.; (Monroe,
MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FRASER MARTIN BUCHANAN MILLER LLC
132C WEST SECOND STREET
PERRYSBURG
OH
43551-1401
US
|
Assignee: |
Inter-Pack Corporation
Monroe
MI
|
Family ID: |
33563752 |
Appl. No.: |
10/862705 |
Filed: |
June 7, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60476339 |
Jun 6, 2003 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/4.28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2519/00348
20130101; B65D 2519/00925 20130101; B65D 2519/00318 20130101; B65D
2519/00159 20130101; B65D 2519/0099 20130101; B65D 2519/00597
20130101; Y02W 30/80 20150501; B65D 2519/00019 20130101; B65D
2519/00288 20130101; B65D 2519/00054 20130101; B65D 2519/00447
20130101; B65D 2519/00194 20130101; B65D 2519/0093 20130101; B65D
2519/00139 20130101; B65D 2519/00273 20130101; B65D 2519/00796
20130101; B65D 19/20 20130101; B65D 2519/00915 20130101; Y02W
30/807 20150501 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/004.28 |
International
Class: |
B65D 006/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A container structure comprising: a main body portion which may
be collapsed after use to reduce the overall volume to facilitate
the return thereof; and a base portion for receiving a lifting
mechanism wherein the opening is provided with a reinforcement to
militate against damage.
2. A container comprising: an upstanding side wall normally
defining a first zone for containing articles to be shipped, said
side wall including at least two spaced apart generally parallel
panels having upper and lower marginal edges, each panel being
foldable about respective axes to enable said side wall to be
selectively collapsed from a position defining the first zone to a
position defining a second zone of decreased volume; and a base
portion normally receiving the lower marginal edges of the panels
of said side wall to enable said side wall to normally define the
first zone for containing articles to be shipped, said base portion
including a bottom panel having a cooperating rim wall for
supporting said side wall in an upstanding position and of
sufficient height to receive said side wall in a collapsed
position.
3. The container defined in claim 2 wherein the upper marginal
edges of said side wall are formed by a portion of said side wall
being folded upon itself.
4. The container defined in claim 2 wherein the lower marginal
edges of said side wall and said base portion are provided with
aligned entryways for receiving the tines of a lifting
mechanism.
5. The container defined in claim 3 including a top positioned over
the upper marginal edges of said side wall and covering the first
zone defined by said side wall.
6. The container defined in claim 4 including reinforcing inserts
disposed within the entryways of said side wall and said base
portion.
7. The container defined in claim 2 wherein the upper and lower
marginal edges of the parallel panels of said side wall are
parallel.
8. The container defined in claim 7 wherein the respective axes are
generally perpendicular to the marginal edges.
9. The container defined in claim 2 wherein each of the parallel
panels is provided with crease lines to facilitate the following of
the respective panels of said side wall.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
patent application Ser. No. 60/476,339, filed Jun. 6, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to containers and more particularly to
containers which may be returned to the sender to be reused or
recycled and which contain reinforced entries for forklifts.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Shipping containers of the heavy duty type employed for
shipping goods used in the manufacture of vehicles have typically
been manufactured from metal, wood and plastic. The resultant
shipping containers have been successfully utilized to handle the
forces typically exerted by the weight of heavy products shipped
with these containers.
[0006] However, it has been discovered that the use of the above
materials for fabricating the containers has a number of
disadvantages. Amongst the disadvantages, metal, wood, and plastics
are relatively expensive in raw material cost, as well as
production. Furthermore, the materials are heavy causing the
inherent shipping costs to be high since the weight of the
containers is necessarily an integral factor in determining
shipping costs.
[0007] In the automotive industry, the containers are oftentimes
required to be returnable and must be returned to the manufacturer
of the shipped parts for reuse. Since all containers have a useable
duty cycle, the containers must be recycled upon completion of
their usefulness.
[0008] It has been found that the above noted materials, such as
metal, wood, and plastics, present certain difficulties in
recycling from an environmental standpoint. Containers fabricated
from kraft paper, and kraft board presented reduced difficulties in
recycling, and were relatively light in weight, but were
nonetheless found to typically have a shorter duty cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the
problems of the prior art and to produce a container which is
readily recyclable, light in weight, and may be collapsed after its
use for shipping in order to be returned to the manufacturer in a
form occupying a reduced amount of space.
[0010] Another object of the present invention to produce a
container which may be used for shipping various products and may
be reused.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to produce a container
for shipping goods which may be readily collapsed and returned to
the sender for reuse.
[0012] Still another object of the invention is to produce a
container having a base portion with reinforced forklift entries
which militate against container damage by the forks of forklift
moving equipment, for example.
[0013] Another object of the invention is to produce a container
provided with reinforced forklift entries wherein the entries are
formed of the same material as the containers.
[0014] A further object of the invention is to produce a container
with reinforced forklift entries wherein the entire container is
formed of recyclable biodegradable material.
[0015] The above objects may typically be achieved by a container
structure having collapsible side walls to reduce the overall
volume to facilitate the return thereof, and a base containing
reinforced forklift entries wherein the entire structure is formed
of biodegradable material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The above objects and advantages of the invention will
become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from reading
the following detailed description of the invention when considered
in the light of the accompanying photographs, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container incorporating
the features of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container
illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the side panels have commenced being
collapsed preparatory to being packed for shipment to the original
shipper to be reused;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container illustrated in
FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 showing the side panels substantially completely
collapsed and housed with the bottom section;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container illustrated in
FIG. 4 wherein the side panels have been completely collapsed
within the base section and covered by the top cover; and
[0022] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the container
illustrated in FIG. 5 more clearly illustrating the reinforcement
tubes inserted within the forklift entries.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a container
structure incorporating the features of the invention. The
container structure includes a main body portion 12 having integral
side walls 14, 16, 18, 20. The main body 12 may typically be formed
from a single blank of corrugated kraft board stock. Suitable
crease lines are formed to facilitate the bending of the blank to
facilitate the definition of the individual side walls 14, 16, 18,
20. Two of the opposing sides 16, 20 are provided with centrally
disposed crease lines 22, 24 respectively which extend the full
length of the respective side wall and extend parallel with the
crease lines that define the space apart crease lines between
adjacent ones of the side walls. The crease lines 22, 24 facilitate
the inwardly bending of the respective side walls 16, 20 to enable
the same to be folded inwardly during the collapsing of the body
portion 12, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 preparatory to the
return shipping of the empty container to the shipping origin.
[0024] The uppermost margins of the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 are
provided with reinforcing flaps 26, 28, 30, 32, respectively. It
will be noted that the flaps 26, 28, 30, 32 are suitably notched
adjacent any cease lines to facilitate the folding of the flaps as
illustrated. Also, the side walls 14, 18 include suitably disposed
slots 34, 36 respectively, to facilitate the manipulation of the
container by allowing the entry of the hands of an operator
therewithin.
[0025] The bottommost margins of the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 are
provided spaced apart notches 38, 40, 42, 44, respectively, which
are suitably disposed to receive the tines of a forklift truck, for
example, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.
[0026] A top 46 with downwardly depending side walls 48 is provided
to fit over the uppermost marginal edges of the main body portion
12 including the reinforcing flaps 26, 28, 30, 32 when the side
walls are properly erected.
[0027] The depending side walls 48 may be reinforced by forming the
same from extensions of the blank from which the top 46 is formed
and folding the extensions upon themselves to create additional
strength and rigidity.
[0028] The container also comprises a bottom or base portion 50
which includes a bottom panel 52 and a rim comprised of four
cooperating upstanding side walls 54, 56, 58, 60 as clearly
illustrated in FIG. 2. The side walls 54, 56, 58, 60 of the bottom
portion 50 each contain a pair of spaced apart openings 62, 64, 66,
68, respectively, which in the illustrated embodiment, are
rectangular in shape with the bottom leg of each rectangle being
parallel with the bottom panel 52 and substantially in alignment
therewith.
[0029] In the assembled form of the container, it will be noted
that the openings 38, 40, 42, 44 of the side walls of the main body
portion are of the same size as the openings in and aligned with
the openings 62, 64, 66, 68, respectively, of the bottom portion
50.
[0030] Suitably dimensioned inserts 70 are formed to be received
snuggly within the respective openings in the main body portion and
the base portion. The inserts may be held in place by a suitable
adhesive which may be biodegradable along with the material from
which the other portions of the container are formed such as kraft
board, for example.
[0031] The inserts are effective to increase the resistance to
damage which might be caused by the entry within the openings of
the lifting members or tines of a forklift truck, for example. It
will be appreciated that the use of the reinforcing inserts
increases the stability of the bottom portion or pallet deck. The
reinforcing inserts also are effective to form a solid barrier
between any product within the container and the tines of the
forklift.
[0032] It must also be recognized that the use of the reinforcing
inserts increases the total p.s.i. loading from the top to the
bottom of the associated container and tend to maintain the overall
integrity of the side walls of the container. All of these
advantages increase the repetitive uses of the container
structure.
[0033] FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate the sequence which may be
employed to collapse the container after it has been utilized to
ship articles from one manufacturer of vehicle components to the
manufacturer of the completed vehicle. The empty containers are
collapsed by folding the panels of the side wall 16, 18 and axes
defined by the respective crease lines 22, 24 as specifically
illustrated in FIG. 3 to the ultimate position being approached in
FIG. 4 wherein the zone defined by the fully erected position of
FIGS. 1 and 2 is reduced sufficiently to enable the main body 12 to
be substantially in volume to be accommodated within the zone
defined by the side walls 54, 56, 58, 60 of the base portion
50.
[0034] Finally, in the fully collapsed condition of the main body
12 within the confines of the bottom or base portion 50, the
depending walls 48 of the top 46 are positioned to encompass the
outer surface of the side walls 54, 56, 58, 60 of the base portion
50 and is held snuggly in place.
[0035] It will further be noted from an examination of FIGS. 3, 4,
5, and 6 that in the collapsed position, the container requires
minimal storage and/or return transit space.
[0036] Since the entire container may be formed of a kraft paper,
the resultant structure is light in weight and biodegradable.
[0037] While the illustrated embodiment of the invention discloses
the use of reinforcing inserts which are rectangular in
cross-sections, other cross-sectional configurations may be used
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0038] In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes,
the present invention has been described in what is considered to
represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be
understood that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as
specifically illustrated and described without departing from its
spirit or scope.
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