Collapsible container

Abstract

The present invention is a self-contained, six sided, reusable container for goods, having both an assembled form and a collapsed form. The container includes a bottom, a top, two ends, and two sides. In the collapsed form, the ends and sides are stored between the top and bottom, thus achieving the desired low return ratio to promote reuse of the container. Preferably, the ends are hinged to the bottom and fold inwardly onto the bottom. The sides and ends are interconnected while the container is in its assembled form. This interconnection is achieved using a corner hook latching mechanism that is easily attached and detached. The latching mechanism has the useful property of forming a connection on both sides of the structure, thus allowing the front side of the container to be stored by connecting it to the back side, even when the back side is attached to the ends. Such storage is particularly useful during unloading of the container contents. The preferred embodiment of the container is structured such that multiple containers, either assembled or collapsed, can be stably stacked because the top and the bottom nest. Preferred embodiments of this invention include load isolation systems which allow loads to be safely placed within the container and effectively deflect external forces away from the load during transport.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.