Containers

Abstract

A container for goods is disclosed, wherein the bottom of the container on which the goods are to rest comprises at least two superimposed layers of material and wherein there are provided a plurality of supports to space the bottom of the container from the ground, each of which supports comprises a first part sandwiched between the two layers and a second part disposed beneath the lower of the two layers, which parts are connected by another part which projects through an aperture in the said lower layer. The other part may be integral with either the first part or the second part, and the second parts of the supports may be interconnected by spacing means outside the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to container assemblies having containers.

The term "container" is intended to include any casing, holder or support for goods which has a bottom wall on which the goods can rest. The invention is thus applicable to pallets and stillages.

It is known to produce pallets for carrying goods, wherein the bottom of the pallet -- on which the goods are to rest -- comprises a single layer of cardboard material, and wherein there are provided a number of supports to space the bottom of the pallet from the ground. The supports are a tight push-fit in holes drilled through the single layer of cardboard, and are pushed in from the topside of the layer.

Disadvantages of this known construction are that it would not be rigid enough to withstand repeated handling by warehouse fork lift trucks, and that the weight of any load not uniformly spread over the whole pallet area would tend to separate the bottom of the pallet from its supports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a container assembly for goods, including a container, and wherein the bottom of the container on which the goods are to rest comprises at least two superimposed layers of material and wherein there are provided a plurality of supports to space the bottom of the container from the ground, each of which supports comprises a first part sandwiched between the two layers and a second part disposed beneath the lower of the two layers, which parts are connected by another part which projects through an aperture in the said lower layer.

The other part may be integral with either the first part or the second part.

The first and second parts may be foldable relatively to one another whereby the first part may be passed through the aperture and deflected into position between the two layers. For example, the other part connecting the first and second parts may comprise a hinge connection or a flexible element.

Each support may comprise a single second part to which are connected two or more first parts passing through separate apertures in the lower of the two layers of the bottom wall of the container.

The container may be formed from any suitable material such as cardboard, fibre board, wood, plastics or the like.

The container may be of the kind which is folded from a blank and having a bottom wall made up of two or more flaps folded from different side walls of the container so as to overlie one another, the flaps forming the bottom wall of the container then constituting the aforesaid layers.

Each aperture may comprise a slot formed in the lowermost layer or layers. Preferably each slot runs parallel to an adjacent fold of the container. Alternatively each aperture may be constituted by the edge gap formed when the container flaps are folded to overlie one another.

Each aforesaid second part may provide one or more apertures vertically spaced to permit entry of the forks of a fork lift truck laterally through said second part.

In any of the above arrangements in which a flexible element is provided, the flexible element and the second part may be integrally formed from a suitable material, for example a flexible or semi-flexible plastics material.

Where more than one support is provided, the second parts of the supports may be interconnected by spacing means outside of the container.

The invention includes within its scope a set of components for forming a container assembly of any of the kinds referred to above, the set comprising a blank from which may be folded a container having a bottom wall comprising at least two superimposed layers of material, the flaps which are to form the lowermost layers having a number of apertures formed therein, and a number of supports of any of the kinds referred to above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a corrugated fibre board blank for forming a container;

FIG. 2 shows the blank partially assembled into a container, two walls being cut away for clarity; and

FIG. 3 shows to a larger scale a vertical section through the completely assembled container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a corrugated fibre board sheet blank is formed with weakened folds extending along its surface. The folds divide the sheet blank into four walls 51, 52, 53, 54, four base closure flaps 55, 56, 57, 58, four top closure flaps and a fastening strip 71 adjoining one edge of the endmost wall of the blank. Two of the base closure flaps, 56 and 58, each of which will hinge on opposed side walls of the assembled container, are provided with elongate slots 59, 61 running parallel to the flap folds.

For use with the container there are provided two supports, each consisting of two wooden battens 62, 63 between which are sandwiched two wooden blocks 64, 65. In this embodiment, the wooden blocks are located at opposite ends of the battens and are nailed into place. One of two thin flexible sheet metal strips 66 is sandwiched between the topmost batten and each wooden block, and the two strips 66, 67, have rivetted to them plywood tongues 68, 69 respectively which are sized to fit the aforementioned slots 59, 61.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the container is assembled by folding the ends of the blank together and stapling the overlapping fastening portion 71 to the opposite wall 51 to form a rectangular box. The two base closure flaps 55, 57 are then folded towards one another across the lower end of the box, and the closure flaps 56, 58 having the slots are also folded across the lower end of the box so as to be beneath the other base closure flaps.

The plywood tongues of each support are then inserted into the slots from beneath the base of the container so that the topmost batten seats against the base, and are folded flat inside the container to be sandwiched between the two sets of closure flaps and retained in position, the flaps being pressed down on top of the plywood tongues. The two layers formed by the flaps act as a floor for the container, and the presence of the wooden supports -- which straddle the outermost flap join -- prevents the weight of goods in the container from bursting open the base closure flaps. When the container has been filled, the top closure flaps are folded and stapled together to close the container in known manner.

The height of the supports, and the spacing between the wooden battens, are such that entry of the forks of a fork lift truck beneath the container is possible, and the lower edges of the lowermost batten are chamfered to facilitate sliding of the container over an uneven floor.

Although two supports are used in the embodiment just described, it will be appreciated that other embodiments could use different numbers of support depending upon such factors as the size and shape of the container and the weight of goods to be supported.

Further embodiments having alterations to some or all of the features of that described above, but which remain within the scope of the invention are also possible. For example, the slots in the outermost base closure flaps may be dispensed with and the support tongues inserted into the edge-gaps formed when the two sets of base closure flaps are folded to overlie one another. In this embodiment, the supports would span the container from edge to edge. The tongues themselves may be located at points on the support other than one of the outer edges -- for example, they may be located at a central portion of the support -- and there could be any suitable number of them. One 62 of the support battens of the embodiment described above could be dispensed with, and in that embodiment the two supports could be interconnected by further battens 72 or connecting means to form a composite structure. In such an arrangement, the positioning of the tongues on the supports would have to be suitably matched to the spacing apart of the slots in the blank.

Where the container is in the form of a pallet or stillage, the side walls are usually omitted or are in the form of upturned edges serving to reinforce the horizontal edge. Thus to form for example a 48 .times. 40 inch pallet using three supports, the side walls of a container blank (without top closure flaps) could be folded over again to overlie the two sets of base closure flaps and thus form a pallet of several thicknesses of board. The tongues of alternate supports could then be sandwiched between different layers of board to take the weight of goods carried by the pallet.

A simpler form of pallet embodying the invention comprises a flat sheet corrugated board, whose two opposed comparatively narrow end flaps are slotted as described above and then turned under the sheet to receive the tongues of the supports.

Claims

We claim:

1. A container assembly for goods, said container assembly comprising:

a container folded from a blank and having a bottom wall made up of at least two flaps folded from different side walls of said container so as to overlie one another;

a plurality of supports to space the bottom of said container from the ground, each said support comprising at least two first parts foldably connected to a single second part;

the lowermost of said flaps of said bottom wall having therein a plurality of slots each extending parallel to an adjacent fold of said container; and

said first parts of said supports passing through respective of said slots and being folded towards their associated second parts and sandwiched between overlying of said flaps of said bottom wall to locate said supports against the bottom of said container.

2. A container assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said second parts has therein at least one aperture, vertically spaced and sized to permit lateral entry therein of the forks of a fork lift truck.

3. A container assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising spacing means positioned outside said container interconnecting all of said second parts of said supports.