U.S. patent application number 11/542095 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-05 for large load carrier.
Invention is credited to Jean-Marc Dubois, Christian Mathews, Jurgen Straub.
Application Number | 20070075077 11/542095 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37663231 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070075077 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dubois; Jean-Marc ; et
al. |
April 5, 2007 |
Large load carrier
Abstract
A large load carrier having a rectangular, palette-like floor
part and lengthwise and crosswise side walls that rise from the
floor part. Either the lengthwise side walls or the crosswise side
walls have contact points for several frames disposed one above the
other, in the region against the other side walls, as carriers for
the inserts (layers) that carry the goods to be transported. The
side walls can be folded on top of one another towards the inside,
and the frames are releasably mounted in the contact points.
Inventors: |
Dubois; Jean-Marc;
(Bremgarten, CH) ; Mathews; Christian; (Weil der
Stadt, DE) ; Straub; Jurgen; (Albershausen,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WILLIAM COLLARD;COLLARD & ROE, P.C.
1077 NORTHERN BOULEVARD
ROSLYN
NY
11576
US
|
Family ID: |
37663231 |
Appl. No.: |
11/542095 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/1.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2519/00199
20130101; B65D 19/12 20130101; B65D 2519/00422 20130101; B65D
2519/0082 20130101; B65D 2519/00059 20130101; B65D 2519/00338
20130101; B65D 2519/00656 20130101; B65D 2519/00522 20130101; B65D
2519/00572 20130101; B65D 2519/009 20130101; B65D 21/086 20130101;
B65D 2519/00611 20130101; B65D 2519/00805 20130101; B65D 2519/00532
20130101; B65D 19/385 20130101; B65D 2519/00164 20130101; B65D
2519/00024 20130101; B65D 19/40 20130101; B65D 2519/00731 20130101;
B65D 2519/00875 20130101; B65D 19/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/001.5 |
International
Class: |
B65D 88/00 20060101
B65D088/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 5, 2005 |
DE |
10 2005 047 816.6 |
Claims
1. A load carrier, comprising: a rectangular, palette-like floor
part; lengthwise and crosswise side walls that rise from said floor
part; and several frames disposed one above the other and mounted
at contact points to either the lengthwise side walls or the
crosswise side walls, said frames acting as carriers for inserts
that carry goods to be transported, wherein the side walls can be
folded on top of one another towards the inside, and the frames are
releasably mounted in the contact points.
2. A load carrier according to claim 1, wherein the contact points
are formed by bores in the side walls.
3. A load carrier according to claim 2, wherein the frames are
mounted in the bores so as to pivot.
4. A load carrier according to claim 2, further comprising strips
attached on an inside of the side walls through the bores, said
strips being vertically disposed and extending the entire height of
the side walls.
5. A load carrier according to claim 4, wherein several bores are
provided in the strips, one above the other, into which screws can
be screwed.
6. A load carrier according to claim 5, further comprising tabs
disposed on the sides of the frames that face the side walls having
the strips, said tabs adapted to be attached to the strip by
screws.
7. A load carrier according to claim 5, further comprising bolts
attached in the bores, said bolts forming pivot axles of each
frame.
8. A load carrier according to claim 7, wherein the bolts are
inserted into the bores in the strips, and wherein the bolts are
disposed, together with a ball head, on a flat crosspiece that fits
into a complementary recess on the back of the strip, and wherein
the ball head projects past the strip on a side of the strip.
9. A load carrier according to claim 4, wherein the strips are
screwed onto the side walls.
10. A load carrier according to claim 4, wherein the strips are set
onto screws inserted into the bores of the side walls.
11. A load carrier according to claim 10, further comprising a plug
element provided on said strips, above an oblong hole, said plug
element working together with the screws.
12. A load carrier according to claim 9, further comprising grooves
that run at a slant from front to back in a side of the strip that
faces the frame, to accommodate frame pivot axles.
13. A load carrier according to claim 1, further comprising spacer
elements provided on the frames, said spacer elements being
disposed at a right angle to a plane that passes through each
frame.
14. A load carrier according to claim 1, further comprising strips
disposed at defined intervals on the side wall not having the
contact points, said strips having supports for a free front part
of the frames, which supports can be folded out and in.
15. A load carrier according to claim 14, wherein the supports are
held in their folded-in state by magnets.
16. A load carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a
bracket for an uppermost frame, said bracket being disposed on a
side wall not containing the contact point, said bracket having a
shank that rests on a front part of the frame.
17. A load carrier according to claim 16, wherein the bracket is
attached to a part of the side wall that can be folded out.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a large load carrier having a
rectangular, pallet-like floor part and lengthwise and crosswise
side walls that rise from the floor part. The lengthwise side walls
or the crosswise side walls have contact points for several frames
disposed one above the other, in an area against the other side
walls, as carriers for the inserts (layers) that carry the goods to
be transported.
[0003] 2. The Prior Art
[0004] Up to the present, steel large load carriers have been used,
which are either welded completely or have four corner profiles and
three crosswise profiles that are screwed onto a base frame.
Movable frames onto which work piece accommodations (layers) can be
attached can be pushed through a bore in the corner profile on the
crosswise side wall, for example, and then be secured by means of a
screw or a plug-in fixation element. Gas pressure springs are used
laterally on the frames, in order to hold the brackets in the
flipped-up state at the top. The work pieces stored on the
individual layers are worked off from the topmost layer down, in
automobile production, for example. This layer is then flipped up,
together with the frame, so that the layer that lies underneath
becomes accessible.
[0005] A disadvantage of these steel large load carriers is that
they always have the same outside volume, during transport back and
forth and during storage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
large load carrier where after removal of the work pieces that have
been delivered, the container can be collapsed, in order to save
both storage space and return transport costs.
[0007] This object is accomplished according to the invention by a
carrier having side walls that can be folded on top of one another
towards the inside, and having frames releasably mounted in the
contact points.
[0008] The advantages that result from this become clear in the
following example. As an example, two large containers according to
the invention are delivered, each of them having three layers with
frames and work piece carriers.
[0009] Each container has contact points for six frames. After both
large containers have been emptied, the frames with the work piece
carriers are removed from one of the large containers, and inserted
into the other large load carrier, so that the large load carrier
now has such frames on all of the contact points, while the first
large load carrier is completely empty. This can then be collapsed
in a known manner, so that the lengthwise side walls are first
folded on top of one another, and then the two crosswise side
walls.
[0010] In the case of such collapsible large load carriers, bores
are integrated into the crosswise side walls in a fixed interval
pattern, for example. The bores accommodate the rotation axles of
the frames as well as the attachment of the gas springs on the
container side.
[0011] Since the locks for the lengthwise and crosswise side walls
are situated in the upper edge region in the collapsible large load
carriers, there is no room there for such bores, and that is also
true for the lower container region, i.e., the hinge region.
[0012] Therefore, if contact points for the frames mentioned above
are also required in these regions, there can be provided strips
for the contact points of the frames, which strips are vertically
disposed and take up the entire height of the crosswise side walls.
The strips can be attached on the inside of the crosswise side
walls, through the bores in the crosswise side walls. However,
depending on the embodiment, the contact points can also be
provided in the lengthwise side walls.
[0013] If such a container is supposed to be collapsed after having
been emptied, the strips attached to the crosswise side walls are
removed, and laid flat into the floor of the container. Afterwards,
the container can be collapsed.
[0014] The frames, as said above, are mounted to pivot in the
contact points, and are held in their pivoted position by means of
gas pressure springs. Such contact points can be provided by the
crosswise side wall bores themselves, as stated above.
[0015] The contact points can be bores in the strips, disposed
vertically one above the other. The points of rotation of the
frames can be formed by tabs.
[0016] As an alternative, bolts can be attached in the strips,
which bolts form the pivot axles of the frame. For this purpose,
the lengthwise strut of the frame on the contact point side is
extended beyond the crosswise struts. Since the frame is formed
from rectangular profiles, a part is cut out of the edge region of
the frame extension, so that an accommodation opening for the bolt
is formed and thereby it is assured that the frame will not slip
out of this accommodation opening when it is pivoted up.
[0017] A sleeve or the bolt can be inserted into each of the strip
bores, and this sleeve or this bolt, respectively, together with a
ball head, is disposed on a flat crosspiece that fits into a
complementary recess on the back of the strip. The ball head
projects past the strip on the side. This ball head serves as the
attachment of the gas pressure spring on the container side.
[0018] Strips are screwed onto the crosswise side walls,
specifically through some bores that are present in the crosswise
side walls. The strips can be set onto the heads of screws inserted
into the bores of the crosswise side walls, similar to what is
usual for picture frame hangers.
[0019] Oblong holes are provided in the strips, in the upper region
of which a plug element is provided. The plug element can be set
onto the screw head attached in the crosswise side wall.
[0020] With this solution, it is possible to pull off the strips
easily after a container has been emptied, and to lay them flat
onto the floor of the container, before the container is
collapsed.
[0021] The side of the strip that faces the frame has slots that
run from the front at a slant to the back, to accommodate the frame
pivot axles. In this manner, it is possible simply to push the
frames with the work piece accommodations into the container.
[0022] With this alternative, gas pressure springs are not
necessarily required, since after a work piece accommodation has
been emptied, it can be pulled out of the container, along with the
frame.
[0023] In order for the frames to maintain their parallel distance
from one another, spacer elements are provided on the frame,
disposed at a right angle on the plane that passes through the
frame. These are disposed in the front, free frame region, in such
a manner that the lower frame forms the support for the frame
disposed above it, with its spacer elements.
[0024] Alternatively, strips can be disposed on the lengthwise side
wall, which is removed from the contact points. Supports for the
free front part of the frames, which supports can be folded out and
in, are provided at defined intervals on the strips.
[0025] The supports are held by means of the magnets in their
folded-in state. In the folded-down state, they therefore also
serve as spacers. After the frame is pivoted, these supports are
folded up against the strip.
[0026] Finally, a bracket for the uppermost frame is provided on
the lengthwise side wall that is removed from the contact points.
The shank of the bracket, facing the container, rests on the front
frame part. Thus, if the spacer elements are provided, all of the
layers are secured by the bracket to prevent vertical movement.
[0027] The bracket is attached to a part of the lengthwise side
wall that can be folded out. These folding parts serve to make the
contents of the container more easily accessible. Such regions that
can be folded out can be present both in the lengthwise side walls
and in the crosswise side walls.
[0028] As soon as such a part, on which the bracket is attached,
has been folded down, the uppermost frame is automatically
unlocked. It can now either be taken out of the container,
according to one alternative, or it can be pivoted away upward
after the work pieces have been removed.
[0029] Existing large load carriers can be retrofitted with the
strips and brackets in a simple manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] Other objects and features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description considered
in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be
understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an
illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the
invention.
[0031] In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote
similar elements throughout the several views:
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a collapsible large load container according to
one embodiment of the invention;
[0033] FIG. 2 shows a large load carrier according to FIG. 1, with
a lengthwise side wall and crosswise side wall left out;
[0034] FIGS. 3a and b show strip elements for use with the
container according to the invention;
[0035] FIG. 4 shows a detail A from FIG. 3;
[0036] FIG. 5a shows, in detail, a strip element with part of a
frame;
[0037] FIG. 5b shows an alternative frame configuration;
[0038] FIG. 6a shows an alternative type of attachment of the
strips from FIG. 3;
[0039] FIG. 6b shows a perspective representation of the type of
attachment shown in FIG. 6a;
[0040] FIGS. 7a and b show strips with support elements in the
folded-out and folded-in state;
[0041] FIG. 8 shows a front lengthwise side wall of a large load
carrier with holder bracket for the uppermost frame; and
[0042] FIG. 9 shows a large load carrier according to the state of
the art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0043] In FIG. 9, a large load carrier is shown and indicated in
general with the reference symbol 1. It consists of a pallet-shaped
floor part 2, from which two crosswise side walls 3 and two
lengthwise side walls 4 rise. In this case, floor part 2 is a base
frame onto which four corner profiles 5 and three crosswise
profiles 6 are screwed or welded.
[0044] In the rear region of the container, contact points 7 are
provided in the crosswise side walls 3, in which four frames 8, in
the present case, are mounted so as to pivot. In this case, contact
points 7 are bores present in the crosswise side walls 3, and are
secured by a screw or a plug-in fixation element. Pneumatic springs
9 are disposed on frame 8, so that they can hold the frame up in
the flipped-up state.
[0045] Frames 8 each carry a work piece accommodation (layer) 10.
The work piece accommodations are worked off from top to bottom in
production. Each worked-off layer 10 is then flipped up, so that
the layer that lies underneath becomes accessible.
[0046] Once the container has been emptied completely, it is
transported back, and the outer volume is unchanged.
[0047] FIG. 1 shows the fundamental concept of a large load carrier
according to the invention. In the case of this large load carrier,
partial regions 11 in the lengthwise and crosswise side walls can
be folded out, in order to optimize the accessibility of the
container.
[0048] Both crosswise side walls 3 and lengthwise side walls 4 can
be folded against one another and on top of one another, if
container 1 has been completely emptied. As is evident from FIG. 1,
bores 12 are integrated into the corner regions of side walls 3 and
side walls 4, respectively, in a certain pattern.
[0049] A container 1 according to FIG. 1 is also shown in FIG. 2.
Here, one lengthwise side wall and one crosswise side wall have
been left out for reasons of clarity. In crosswise side walls 3,
strips 13 are attached in the region against lengthwise side wall
4, which take up the entire height of the container walls, and have
contact points 7 on which a frame 8 is attached so as to pivot by
means of tabs 14, in each instance, as shown in the lower region of
container 1.
[0050] Spacers 16 that project vertically upward are disposed in
the front, free region 15 of frame 8. Lower frame 8, in each
instance, therefore supports the frame situated above it.
[0051] In the present example, strips 13 are attached in the bores
of crosswise side walls 3 by three screws 17. The configuration of
strips 13 is more clearly evident from FIGS. 3a and 3b. FIG. 3a
shows the strip from its side that faces into the container, while
FIG. 3b represents the back of the strip.
[0052] Elements 17 as shown in Detail A in FIG. 4 are attached to
strips 13 at specific intervals. These elements 17 consist of a
crosspiece 18 on the one side of which a sleeve or a journal 19 is
disposed, and on the opposite side a ball-head screw 20. Crosspiece
18 fits into a corresponding recess in the back of strip 13,
specifically in such a manner that ball head 20 projects past strip
13 on the side, and is disposed somewhat lower than journal 19.
[0053] Ball head 20 serves as a container-side attachment point for
pneumatic spring 9 shown in FIG. 9. Journal or sleeve 19, serve as
contact points for the pivoting attachment of frame 8.
[0054] The component shown in FIG. 4 is a standard part that can be
used independent of the container series. Only strips 13 must be
adapted accordingly.
[0055] Tab 14 of the frame is attached with a screw here, as shown
at the top. However, an alternative is shown in FIG. 5a, in which
journal 19 projects beyond the front side of strip 13 and serves as
a shaft for frame 8. In this connection, frame 8 is configured in
such a manner that rear part 21 of the frame projects laterally and
has an opening 22, in which journal 19 can be accommodated.
[0056] However, it is a disadvantage in this embodiment that if the
frame is pivoted upward, the journal can exit from opening 22.
[0057] In order to avoid this, a different solution is shown in
FIG. 5b. Here, opening 22 is introduced into the edge region of the
projecting part of frame part 21. If the frame is pivoted upward,
the bolt still rests against a contact point. Slipping out is
therefore precluded.
[0058] As shown further above, strips 13 can be screwed onto the
inside of the side crosswise wall, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0059] An alternative embodiment is shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b.
[0060] As the lower figure in FIG. 6a shows, a screw 24 is screwed
into crosswise side wall 3, the head of which screw serves as a
plug-on element for strip 13.
[0061] For this purpose, oblong holes 26 are made in strip 13 at
regular intervals, one above the other, at the upper end of which a
plug element 27 is attached. Plug element 27 acts together with
screw head 25 during the plug-on process. The advantage of this
embodiment can be seen in that after a large load carrier 1 has
been emptied, the strips can be rapidly removed, laid into the
floor region of the container, and then the container can be
collapsed without problems.
[0062] As is evident from the drawings of FIG. 6a, grooves 28 that
lead vertically downward and to the rear are worked into the side
of strip 13 that faces the container interior, and serve as
alternative accommodations for frames 8.
[0063] With this solution, the frames, with the layers, can be
easily pushed into or pulled out of container 1, without a pivoting
movement and the related pneumatic spring being required.
[0064] A strip 29 is shown in FIG. 7a and 7b, which can be disposed
individually or in pairs on the crosswise or lengthwise side wall 4
that lies removed from the contact points of frame 8. Support
elements 30 are disposed on strips 29, so as to tilt. In FIG. 7a,
element 30 is folded down, and the front, free end of frame 8 can
be supported on this element.
[0065] If frame 8 has been removed or pivoted away to the top,
element 30 is tilted up against the strip and held in place there
by a magnet that is inserted into accommodation 33. Finally,
lengthwise side wall 4 mentioned in FIG. 7 is shown in FIG. 8.
[0066] However, here the additional strips 29 are no longer
present. Here, a bracket 31 is shown in the upper region of
lengthwise side wall 4, which bracket is attached to region 11 of
this lengthwise side wall that can be folded out. The shank of
bracket 31 that faces inward sits on the top of uppermost frame 8.
The frame is therefore secured during transport. If region 11 is
folded down and outward, this securing mechanism for the frame is
cancelled out and it can be pivoted away upward.
[0067] All of frames 8 disposed one above the other stand in
connection by way of spacer elements 16, as indicated in the
figure, bottom right, and all of the frames and the layers
supported on them are thereby secured against vertical movements
during transport, by means of bracket 31.
[0068] Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many
changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *