US 5,094,356 AGranted

Knock down bulk container

AssigneeBuckhorn Material Handling Group, Inc.

InventorDaniel R. Miller

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Abstract

A knock down bulk container has side and end panels hinged to a base. In assembling the container for use, first the end panels are uprighted to a substantially vertical position, and then the side panels are swung to an upright position. As the side panels are swung into their upright position, lift pins formed to protrude laterally outwardly from each side edge of the side panels engage a lift track in an end wall of the base to raise each of the side panels vertically with respect to its hinge axis. To connect the panels together, the end panels are formed with pockets along their edges adjacent the corners of the container, and the side panels have hooks that are seated within the pockets of the end panels. As the side panels are swung into their upright position, the hooks are positioned vertically above the pockets by the engagement of the lift pins with the tracks. Once in the vertical position, the lift pins disengage from the tracks and the side panels drop downwardly to seat the hooks within the pockets to form the corners of the container.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A container having a base with base side and end walls, a pair of container end walls and a pair of container side walls wherein the container side and end walls are panels pivotally mounted to the base to lie substantially parallel with the base in an unassembled position and are swung into an upright position and joined at adjacent vertical edges to form corners of the container, comprising:

one of said pairs of side and end panels being hinged to a respective pair of base side and end walls for being first swung into an upright position;
the other of said pairs of side and end panels being mounted to said other of said base side and end walls by hinge means providing lost motion;
said one pair of panels having pockets formed along each vertically extending edge and said other pair of panels having hooks corresponding in position to said pockets formed along each vertically extending edge for engaging said pockets, said hooks being received within said pockets when both said pairs of panels are substantially in an upright position to form corner joints of the container, said hooks being seated within said pockets by downward movement of said other pair of panels with respect to said one pair of panels and said base as permitted by said hinge means;
and
means for lifting said other pair of panels to raise each of said other pair of panels with respect to said base as each is swung into an upright position so that said hooks are positioned above said pockets, and said means for lifting further lowering each of said other pair of panels with respect to said one pair of panels when said hooks and said pockets are substantially aligned with one another to allow said hooks to be seated within said pockets to form the corner joints.

2 more elements

one of said pairs of side and end panels being hinged to a respective pair of base side and end walls for being first swung into an upright position;
the other of said pairs of side and end panels being mounted to said other of said base side and end walls by hinge means providing lost motion;
said one pair of panels having one of pockets and hooks and said other pair of panels having one of said pockets and said hooks that correspond in position for engagement when said pairs of panels are in a substantially upright position to form corner joints between adjacent ones of said panels, said hooks and said pockets being engaged by downward movement of said other pair of panels with respect to said one pair of panels and said base, said downward movement being permitted by said hinge means;
and
means for lifting said other pair of panels to raise each of said other pair of panels as each is swung into the upright position so that one of said hooks and said pockets are positioned above the other, and said means for lifting further lowering each of said other pair of panels with respect to said one pair of panels when said hooks and pockets are substantially aligned with one another so that said hooks engage said pockets to form the corner joints.

2 more elements

one of said pairs of side and end panels being hinged to a respective pair of base side and end walls for being first swung into an upright position;
the other of said pairs of side and end panels being mounted to said other of said base side and end walls by hinge means providing lost motion;
said one pair of panels having pockets and said other pair of panels having hooks corresponding in position to said pockets for engaging said pockets when said pairs of panels are in a substantially upright position to form corner joints between adjacent ones of said panels, one of said hooks and said pockets being seated within the other by downward movement of said other pair of panels with respect to said one pair of panels and said base, said downward movement being permitted by said hinge means;
each of said other pairs of panels having at least one pin extending outwardly from at least one corresponding side of each side panel and spaced from said hinge means;
and
one of said one pair of panels and said base having a track for receiving each said at least one pin, said track having a shape that guides said at least one pin to lift said panel as each said other pair of panels is swung into the upright position for vertically positioning said hooks above said pockets, and said track further having a shape that guides said at least one pin to lower each of said other pair of panels when said hooks and pockets are substantially aligned to seat said hooks within said pockets for forming the corner joints.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.