Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates generally to plastic transport
cases, and in particular to a collapsible, integrally-molded,
full-depth plastic transport case having side walls and a top
which are foldable to a position flat with the bottom of the case
5. in a rectangular, planar configuration for storage and/or shipping
of the case.
Collapsible plastic transport cases are known in the
art. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 3,497,127. Generally
speaking, such cases are utilized for the storage and shipment of
10. articles, goods, or products of various kinds, including food
stuffs, fruits, vegetables, etc., and are fabricated by molding,
in a single unitary operation, from a suitable high impact
plastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvin~l chloride,
or a similar thermoplastic or thermosetting synthetic mater-
15. ial. The known collapsible plastic transport cases, such asthat described in the aforesaid patent, comprise four upstanding
side walls which are hinged to a bottom wall and enable the
container to be collapsed to a flat condition to save storage and
shipping space and then subsequently be readily assembled into a
20. container without the need for special tools and the like.
These transport cases have the disadvantage, however,
that the side walls are foldable outwardly, away from the bottom
of the case to their collapsed, flat position. In such a
position, the transport case has a cross-like configuration which
25. takes up a considerable amount of space. The dimensions of the
collapsed case can be further reduced and even more storage and
shipping space saved if the case is constructed so as to have a
rectangular, planar configuration when collapsed. The amount of
space taken up by the case when it is collapsed is even more if
30. the case is used to transport breakable food stuffs, such as
2.
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potato chips and the like, and is provided with a cover for
protecting such food stuffs during shipment, since any such cover
will extend the length of the side wall to which it is attached
and increase the dimensions of the cross-like configuration of
5. the case when the latter is collapsed. The amount of storage and
shipping space saved if the latter type of case can be collapsed
to a rectangular configuration is, thus, significant.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide an improved collapsible, integrally-molded full-depth
10. unitary plastic transport case which overcomes the aforementioned
disadvantages of heretofore known collapsible transport cases,
which provides full protection for articles transported therein,
and which is foldable into a position flat with the bottom of the
transport case in a rectangular, planar configuration for storage
15. and/or shipping of the case.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved
in a rectangular-shaped, collapsible, integrally-molded unitary
full-depth plastic transport case including a bottom, four
upstanding side walls hinged to the bottom, and means for releas-
20. ably fastening the side walls together in an upright positionwith respect~-to the bottom. The improvement of the invention
comprises at least one pair of opposing side walls of the case
being adapted for folding into a position flat with and over the
upper surface of the bottom of the case. In addition, the other
25. pair of side walls have planar top members hinged to the upper
edges thereof adapted for folding into a position over the case
to form a flat top for the case. The latter side walls and the
top members hinged thereto are foldable to a position flat with
and extending away from the bottom of the case, and the case has
30. a rectangular, planar configuration when the side walls are
1~)484;~3
disposed in their positions flat with the bottom for storage
and/or shipping of the case.
More specifically, the invention comprises an inte-
grally-molded, unitary plastic transport case for transporting
5. breakable food stuffs and the like in which the pair of side
walls of the case adapted for folding into a position flat with
and over the upper surface of the bottom of the case each have
a height which is no greater than approximately one half the
dimension of the bottom disposed therebetween. In addition, the
lO. top members hinged to the other pair of side walls each have a
width which is no greater than approximately one half the dimension
of the bottom disposed between the latter side walls and are
foldable over the top of thecase for forming a flat top for the
case. In one embodiment of the invention, the top members are
15. hinged to the side walls and the side walls are hinged to the
bottom of the transport case by six integrally-molded, flexible
intervening hinges formed by weakened sections of plastic along
substantially the entire length of the adjoining edges of the
side walls, bottom and top members.
20. The side walls of the transport case are movable
from a position flat with the bottom thereof to a position
perpendicular to the bottom, and the aforesaid fastening means
secures the side walls in a position perpendicular to the bottom
of the case. The side walls disposed at the longitudinal
25. ends of the case preferably have a height no greater than one
half the longitudinal length of the bottom disposed therebetween
and are foldable inwardly towards each other over the bottom of
the case. The longitudinally lateral side walls are foldable
outwardly away from each other into their position flat with and
30. extending away from the bottom of the case.
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The bottom and side walls of the case may have a
rectangular frame structure supporting an openwork wall construc-
tion, and the fastening means comprises an interlocking bayonet-
type arrangement including an oblong aperture disposed in one wall
5. of a pair of side walls to be connected and an angled flange mem-
ber extending from the other of the walls to be connected which
is adapted to be received in and interlock with the aperture.
The apertures of the fastening means are preferably disposed in
the side walls disposed at the longitudinal ends of the transport
10. case, with the other of the side walls having the flange members
disposed thereon. Additional oblong apertures may be provided on
the longitudinal end walls of the transport case at the lateral
edges thereof for receiving hook members provided on the longitu-
dinally lateral side walls of the case adapted to be received by
15. and interlock with the additional apertures for securing the side
walls in their upright position. Integrally-molded cylindrical
interlocking members may also be provided on the top members and
the bottom of the transport case which are adapted to receive or
fit within cylindrical interlocking members disposed on another
20. transport case to facilitate interlocking engagement of a stack
of transport cases. The cylindrical members on the top of the
case are preferably disposed in rows, one each on the top surface
of each of the top members.
These and other features of the invention will be
25. described in greater detail in the following detailed description.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals
denote similar elements throughout the several views thereof:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved, collapsible
transport case constructed according to the invention, showing
30. the top of the case in its open position;
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FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the transport
case, taken along section 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the top of the
transport case in its closed position;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the transport
5. case, taken along section 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional top view of the transport
case, taken along section 4-4 of FIG. l;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective end view of one
corner of the transport case, partially in cross-section, showing
lO. the means used for fastening the side walls of the transport case
in an upright position;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, exploded end view of one corner
of the transport case, showing the elements of the fastening
means illustrated in FIG. 5;
15. FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the transport
case, showing the latter in its collapsed position for shipping
and/or storage;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the transport
case in its collapsed position, taken along section 8-8 of FIG.
20. 7; and
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of
the transport case in its collapsed position, taken along section
9-9 of FIG. 7.
Referring now to the drawings, in particular FIGS. l
25. through 4, there is shown, by way of example, a rectangular-
shaped, collapsible, integrally-molded, full-depth unitary
plastic transport case, generally designated by the reference
numeral 10, which is particularly adapted for the transportation
of breakable, brittle food stuffs, such as potato chips and the
30. like. The case includes a bottom ll and four upstanding side
6.
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walls 12, 13, 14 and 15 hinged to bottom 11 so as to be movable
from a position flat with bottom 11 to a position perpendicular
to the bottom. Means for releasably fastening adjoining side
walls in their position perpendicular to bottom 11 are provided
5. and comprise, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, an
interlocking bayonet-type arrangement including oblong apertures
16 disposed at the lateral edges of side walls 12 and 14 and
angled flange members 17 extending from the lateral edges of side
walls 13 and 15 of the case. Flange members 17 are adapted to be
10. received in and interlock with apertures 16 so as to secure the
side walls in their upright position. Further details of such an
interlocking bayonet-type arrangement are described in U.S.
Patent No. 3,497,127, previously referred to herein.
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, side
15. walls 12 and 14, which comprise the longitudinal end walls of trans-
port case 10, are constructed so as to have a vertical height which
no greater than approximately one half the longitudinal dimension
of bottom 11 disposed between the walls. Such a construction
enables side walls 12 and 14 to be folded inwardly towards each
20. other into a position flat with and over the top surface of bottom
11 of the case, as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings. The other
side walls of the transport case, in the embodiment illustrated,
side walls 13 and 15, have planar top members 18 hinged to their
upper edges. These top members have a width which is no greater
25. than approximately one half the width of bottom 11 of the case
disposed between the walls and are foldable over the top of the
case to form a flat top and provide protection for the food
stuffs and the like carried in the case in, for example, cello-
phane bags 19. Side walls 13 and 15 and top members 18 hinged
30. thereto are foldable outwardly away from each other into a position
1~484Z3
flat with and extending away from bottom 11.
By constructing the transport case in the manner
described above, side walls 12 and 14, as described previously
herein, can be folded inwardly towards each other over the top
5. surface of bottom 11 into a position flat therewith, and side
walls 13 and 15 and top members 18 can be folded outwardly away
from each other into a position flat with and extending away from
the bottom of the case. The case will then have a rectangular,
planar configuration which takes up minimal space for storage
10. and/or shipping of the case.
Top members 18 are hinged to side walls 13 and 15,
and side walls 12-15 are hinged to bottom 11 of case 10, by six
integrally-molded, flexible intervening hinges 20 which are
formed by weakened sections of plastic along the adjoining
15. edges of side walls 12-15, bottom 11 and top members 18.
Hinges 20 are integrally-molded with the side walls, bottom
and top members of the case and are formed by heating, indenting
and subsequently annealing the adjoining wall portions of the
transport case, or by any other suitable method. In the embodiment
20. of case 10 illustrated in the drawings, the hinges extend substan-
tially along the entire length of the adjoining edges of the side
walls, bottom and top members of the case.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate in detail the fastening means
utilized to secure the side walls of case 10 in an upright
25. position with respect to bottom 11. Flange members 17 extend
outwardly from the side walls and are disposed perpendicular
thereto. Each flange member 17 includes an L-shaped portion 21
which extends from the flange member at approximately a right
angle thereto and fits over edge 22 of aperture 16. Flange
30. members 17 each have a substantially trapezoidal shape and each
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is wider at its vertically upper end than at its vertically lower
end and is inclined away from the side wall of the case. Simi-
larly, apertures 16 have a substantially trapezoidal shape and
each is wider at its vertically upper end than at its vertically
5. lower end. Apertures 16 are also inclined inwardly towards the
center of the side walls in which they are disposed, namely, side
walls 12 and 14, towards each other and away from the lateral
edges of the side walls. As previously stated herein, further
details of the flange members and apertures can be found in U.S.
10. Patent No. 3,497,127.
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, side
walls 12 and 14 disposed at the longitudinal ends of case 10 have
only oblong apertures 16 disposed at the lateral edges thereof,
with the other side walls-13 and 15 of case 10 having only flange
15. members 17 integrally formed therewith and extending outwardly
from the lateral edges thereof.
The fastening means may also include additional oblong
apertures 23 disposed in side walls 12 and 14 of the case at the
lateral edges thereof, specifically, at the corners of the side
20. walls, and hook-like projection members 24 extending from the
edges of the other side walls 13 and 15 of the case. The
projection members are adapted to be received by apertures 23 and
interlock therewith in a snap-fit type engagement to secure the
side walls intheir vertically upright position.
25. Bottom 11 and side walls 12-15 of transport case 10
preferably each have a rectangular frame structure having enlarged
beam members 25 disposed about the periphery of side walls 12-15,
and at one pair of opposing ends of bottom 11 of the case, whicn
support an openwork wall construction 26. Top members 18 also
30. preferably have an openwork wall construction.
~¢)4~4;~;~
Cylindrical-shaped interlocking members 27 may also
he provided on top members 18 and bottom 11, preferably in a
linear configuration, one row to each top member, and two corres-
pondingly spaced-apart rows on the bottom surface of bottom 11
5. of the case, to enable interlocking of a stack of transport cases.
Members 27 disposed on top members 18 of case 10 are adapted to re-
ceive similar members on the bottom surface of another transport
case, and members 27 on the bottom of case 10 are adapted to fit
within similar members on the top surface of another transport
10. case. Members 27 are integrally-molded with the top members and
bottom of the case. Details of the interlocking members may be
found in U.S. Patent No. 3,754,676. Flanged apertures 28 are also
provided in side walls 12 and 14 to provide carrying handles for
the case, and downwardly-extending flanges 29 are disposed on the
15. bottom surface of top members 18 to facilitate closing of the top
members over the case in a secure manner.
Transport case 10 is injection-molded in a single,
unitary operation from a suitable high impact plastic, such as
those previously mentioned herein. Bottom 11, side walls 12-15,
20. top members 18, flange members 17, hinges 20 and all other
structural elements of the transport case are integrally-molded
and form a unitary transport case structure.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has
been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments
25. thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications
and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the
broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the
appended claims. The specification and the drawings are, accord-
ingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restric-
30. tive sense.
10 .
