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US 4,674,647 AGranted
Collapsible storage bin
AssigneeXytec Plastics, Inc.
InventorsAndrew Gyenge, Michael D. Johnson, John A. Malmanger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a heavy duty, high strength, collapsible pallet type container which may be formed entirely by injection molded plastic techniques and which is designed for nesting when stacked in the erected or collapsed mode. The side and end walls of the container are pivotally connected to the pallet base means of integrally molded snap-fitting hinges.
Claims16
A collapsible container comprising;
- base means providing a container bottom wall,
- said base means including opposite facing base end and base side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall,
- a pair of opposing side wall members pivotally attached to respective ones of said base side walls,
- a pair of opposing end wall members pivotally attached to respective ones of said base end walls,
- each of said side wall members including side edge flanges extending inwardly from the inner face thereof along a substantial length thereof,
- each of said end wall members including end edge flanges extending away from the inner face thereof along a substantial length thereof,
- said side and end edge flanges including mating groove and ridge portions to prevent the end and side wall members from pivoting beyond the vertical in an outward direction when engaged, whereby loading on the interior of said wall members serves to enhance the engagement between said flanges;
- and
- means acting between said side and end edge flanges for preventing longitudinal movement therebetween when engaged.
6 more elements
A container comprising in combination;
- base means providing a container floor, an opposing pair of side and an opposing pair of end walls, hinge means pivotally connecting said side and end walls to said base means with the side and end walls being pivotal between an upright position and a collapsed folded position disposed over said floor, mating engagement means on the respective adjacent pairs of side edges of said side and end walls for preventing said walls when in their upright position from pivoting outwardly beyond the vertical when engaged, said mating engagement means including for an adjacent pair of said edges presented by a pair of adjacent side and end walls a flange extending along the side edge of the end wall projecting away from the inner face of the end wall and a flange extending along the side edge of the side wall projecting inwardly from the edge of the side wall and in parallel spaced relation to the inner face of the side wall, said flanges interfitting to become engaged with the side and end walls moving from their collapsed to their upright position, and means on said mating engagement means preventing relative longitudinal movement of the respective edges having said flanges when the flanges are engaged.
A container comprising:
- molded plastic base means including a rectangular floor forming the bottom of the container, a pair of oppositely facing upstanding subwalls extending upwardly from said floor at ends of the floor and a pair of oppositely facing upstanding subwalls extending upwardly from said floor at the sides of the floor,
- a first pair of molded plastic opposed wall members and hinge means pivotally attaching the wall members to respective ones of one of said pair of subwalls for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis and a second pair of molded plastic opposed wall members and hinge means pivotally attaching said second pair of wall members to respective ones of the other of said pair of subwalls for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis,
- said first and second pair of wall members being pivotally moveable from an upstanding position toward each other to a collapsed position disposed over the floor of the container,
- each of the subwalls along the upper edge thereof including a groove extending along the inner side of the subwall and a shoulder extending beside the groove and each wall member including along the lower edge thereof a bottom expanse which comes to rest on the shoulder with the wall member upright and a lip which seats within the groove with the wall member upright,
- adjacent edges of adjacent wall members with the wall members upright further having oppositely facing flanges which fit beside each other and engage with the wall members upright to prevent the wall members from pivoting outwardly beyond the their upright position,
- said hinge means including a hinge body extending downwardly from the bottom edge of a wall member molded integral with the wall member and a mating recess with sides formed in the subwall to which the wall member is attached, the recess having at least one boss projecting from a side thereof molded integral with the subwall, the hinge body extending into the recess, said hinge body and boss being configured to produce a disconnectable interfitted relationship producing hinging movement of the wall member with respect to its subwall.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.