SHIPPING CASE AND CONNECTING DEVICE FOR USE WITH CASE
A connecting device for attachment to an inside surface of a container wall in order to secure products therein, includes a plate member adapted to engage the inside surface and having fastener holes formed therein for attaching a product supporting member to the plate member. A clip is attached to the plate member and extends over a rear surface thereof. During use of the device, the clip can be inserted into a recess or hole formed in the inside surface and it can be moved to engage a section of the container wall having an exposed planar surface which engages the plate member. A shipping case is also disclosed in which one or more of these connecting devices can be used. This case includes a bottom, side walls and a top cover. At least one of the case sides has at least one wall section on an inner side thereof which has a plurality of connecting holes formed therein.
This invention relates to connecting devices for use in shipping cases and also relates to shipping cases for transporting and storing of products, including cases adapted to be collapsed or disassembled when not in use and subsequently restored to full size and shape when required for shipping purposes.
A variety of cases have been developed for shipping components and parts, including cases which are simply disposed of after use and cases which can be collapsed or disassembled after the components or parts have been removed therefrom so that the cases can be shipped back to the manufacturer for reuse. The prior art reusable or collapsible shipping containers generally comprise a plurality of panels including a base panel, side panels and a top panel or cover and these can be coupled to one another with the aid of various forms of fasteners or attaching devices. In some cases, the fasteners comprise hinge connectors which can both connect adjacent panel edges together and also permit adjacent panel members to be pivoted relative to one another either to reconstruct the container or to collapse the container.
Shipping containers made of cardboard and wooden pallets are also well known in the shipping industry. A disadvantage of cardboard containers is that they can become damaged easily during shipping. With the use of wooden shipping pallets, efficient packing of the pallets and the goods or boxes arranged thereon can be difficult, if not impossible. Also, wooden pallets generally do not have reliable means for securing the components, parts or boxes on the pallet or any means for protecting the parts, components or boxes from damage or tampering during loading, unloading or shipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,599 issued Nov. 9, 1976 to Mary Rowley describes a knock-down, reusable shipping container that includes completely separable top, base and sidewalls and fasteners for securely fastening adjoining corners of the walls. Spring clip fasteners cooperate with reinforcing plates on the container walls to provide corner connections.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,011 issued Oct. 9, 2001 describes a stackable, knock-down box for transportation of produce, this box comprising a base pallet and six sidewall panels which are hinged together to define a sidewall enclosure which can be folded. Base clip arrangements are provided for releasably holding the sidewall enclosure to the base pallet.
Recent U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,756 describes a knock-down stillage box that includes a base pallet assembly and four sidewalls. In the assembled state, the box contains stillage components for storing cargo such as panels inside the box. Lower sidewall panels are connected to the base panel by means of L-shaped clips. The stillage components and the clips for a box can be housed within a subvolume of the box when the knock-down box is shipped.
Despite these various known shipping containers and boxes, there remains the need for an improved shipping case for transporting and storing of products which can be collapsed or disassembled when not in use and subsequently restored to its full size and shape when required for shipping purposes and which has an efficient connecting arrangement which can be used to secure parts or components in the shipping case in order to prevent or reduce damage to these parts or components during transport of the case. There is also a need for an improved connecting device for use in a shipping container and in particular such a device which can be made at a low cost and which can easily be used by shippers a number of times.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSUREAccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a connecting device for attachment to an inside surface of a container wall in order to secure one or more products inside of the container includes a plate member adapted to engage the inside surface and having fastener holes formed therein for attaching a product supporting member to said plate member by means of fasteners. The device further includes a clip attached to the plate member and extending over a rear surface of the plate member. During use of the connecting device, the clip can be inserted into a recess or hole formed in the inside surface and can then be moved to engage a section of the container wall having an exposed planar surface which engages the plate member. In this manner, the connecting device can be detachably attached to the container wall.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the aforementioned connecting device, the clip is integrally attached to the plate member and is located centrally relative to the plate member. The fastener holes are located on opposite sides of the clip.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a connecting device for use in a shipping case having a bottom and walls adapted to extend upwardly from the bottom and about a peripheral edge of the bottom, includes a rigid plate member having two opposite ends and two opposite side edges extending between the opposite ends. A series of fastener holes are formed in this plate member. The device also includes an integral clip attached to the plate member, projecting from a rear surface of the plate member, and extending along the rear surface in a longitudinal direction parallel to the side edges. The clip is sized to be insertable into a connecting hole formed in the planar wall section of at least one of the walls. The connecting device can be detachably connected to the planar section by first inserting the clip into the connecting hole and then moving the connecting device with its clip in a direction parallel to an adjacent surface of the planar wall section so as to move the planar wall section snugly between an inner surface of the clip and the rear surface of the plate member.
According to an exemplary embodiment of this connecting device, the clip is formed from a bent cut-out section of the plate member cut inwardly from one of the ends thereof and the clip is formed midway between the two side edges.
According to an other embodiment of the disclosure, a shipping case for transporting and storing of products is adapted to be collapsed or disassembled when not in use and to be restored to its full size and shape when required for shipping purposes. This case includes a case bottom, sidewalls adapted to extend upwardly from the bottom and adapted for connecting to respective side edges of the bottom, and a top cover for attachment to the sidewalls. At least one of the bottom, the sidewalls and the top cover has at least one wall section on an inner side thereof which has a plurality of connecting holes formed therein. The shipping case has at least one connecting device for connection to the at least one wall section. The or each connecting device comprises a rigid plate member with means for securing a product support member thereto and a clip integrally attached to the plate member and projecting from a rear surface of the plate member. The clip can be inserted into a selected one of the holes and, after insertion, the respective connecting device with its clip can be moved in a direction parallel to the adjacent planar wall section so as to engage an edge section of the adjacent wall section in the clip and thereby detachably fasten the connecting device with the clip to the adjacent wall section.
According to an exemplary embodiment of this shipping case, the clip is formed from a bent cut-out section of the plate member cut inwardly from one of the ends thereof and the clip is formed midway between the two side edges. Further, the clip is bent to form a substantially S-curve extending from the plate member to a free end of the clip.
These and other aspects of the disclosed shipping case and connecting devices for use with the shipping case will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
So that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the subject invention, exemplary embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to the drawings, wherein:
In the detailed description which follows, exemplary embodiments of a shipping case and connecting devices for use in a shipping case are described, particularly with reference to the figures appended hereto. However, the particularly disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of shipping cases and connecting devices according to the present disclosure.
Shown in
The shipping case 10 is also provided with a top cover 36, the upper surface of which can be a flat, rectangular panel as shown in
The upper corners of the sidewalls 14 to 17 can be connected to one another and to the top cover by means of corner brackets or corner connectors 40, details of which can be seen from
Each of the first and second plates 42, 44 as shown is formed with a hook or locking device 60 which is located next to a rectangular opening 62 in the plate. These hooks are used to mount each corner bracket in a corner of the case bottom 12 when the shipping case has been disassembled (not shown). A vertical portion 64 of each hook is inserted in the edge channel which extends along a respective edge of the case bottom. The corner brackets are used in this manner to support the weight of one or more collapsed containers that are mounted on top of their respective collapsed container. The corner brackets also help to hold the sidewalls and the top cover which have been placed horizontally on the case bottom in their proper position on the case bottom.
As illustrated, each of the holes in the corner bracket is formed in a protective recess, including recesses 64, 66 adjacent the bottom edges of the plates and recesses 68, 70 formed near the top of the corner bracket. By means of these recesses, the heads of the bolts used to secure the corner bracket in place are protected as they will not protrude from the adjacent flat side of the plate 42 or 44. It will be understood that by the use of these recesses, damage to the bolts can be avoided during loading, shipping and unloading of the container.
Turning to
Turning now to the construction of the exemplary connecting device 20 illustrated in
The connecting device 20 further includes an integral clip 110 which is attached to the plate member 90, projects from a rear surface 112 of the plate member, and extends along this rear surface in a longitudinal direction parallel to the side edges 96, 98. In a particular embodiment of this clip, the width and height of the clip is slightly smaller than the corresponding dimensions of the connecting holes 78, thereby permitting the clip to be easily inserted into a chosen connecting hole in order to attach the connecting device to an inner surface of the case. In other words, the clip is sized to be insertable into a selected one of the connecting holes formed in a planar section of one wall, the bottom or the top of the shipping case. It will be understood that this planar section can include the flat, exposed surface of the above described metal plate 76 or the plate 80.
The illustrated clip is formed from a cut-out section of the plate member 90 cut inwardly from the one end 92 of the plate member. Also, the illustrated clip is formed midway between the two side edges 96, 98 and this can help to properly support and orient the connecting device on the wall or bottom of the container. The exemplary clip 110 is bent to form a substantially S-shaped curve as can be seen clearly from
In an exemplary embodiment and in order to prevent the connecting device from easily becoming detached from its respective plate member, a holding tang 125 can be integrally formed on the plate member 90 adjacent the free end 114 of the clip and projecting rearwardly from the rear surface of the plate member a short distance. The tang can typically be formed by punching a generally rectangular hole in the plate member between the clip and right angle corner 126. The holding tang in use acts to hold the clip securely in a fully connected position on the planar wall section. The tang can accomplish this by engaging the edge of an adjacent hole 78, that is the hole next to the hole 78 in which the clip has been inserted. The tang will operate in this manner whether the connecting device is joined to the adjacent wall section in the upright position shown in
The connecting device of
The exemplary connecting device 20 also has two shallow channels 142 located in the minor plate section 104 and aligned with the channels 134, 136. These channels form upwardly projecting, flat topped ribs 144. The channels 142 are located on opposite sides of the clip 110 and the open top of these channels is on the outer side of the minor plate section which is the bottom side as seen in
The connector 200 can be used to temporarily hold the sidewalls in their correct relative position where they meet at the top corners and prior to attachment of the top cover 36. The connector has a triangular, planar main section 202 having a right angle corner at 204. Downwardly extending edge flanges are provided at 206 to 209 and the edge flanges 207 and 208 can be joined along the vertical edge where they meet. These edge flanges extend substantially perpendicular to the main section 202. A locking tab or tongue 210 is provided between the flanges 206 and 207 and a further locking tab or tongue 212 is provided between the flanges 208 and 209. The plane of each of these tabs is spaced a short distance from the plane of the adjacent flanges as shown. The tabs extend perpendicular to the main portion 202 and downwardly therefrom. It will be understood that a connector 200 can be placed on top of each corner where two sidewalls meet and can then be used to more securely connect the adjacent sidewalls together at their top corner. This is accomplished by inserting the tabs 210, 212 in their respective slots 192. When these tabs are inserted, the flanges 206 to 209 extend snugly along the outside surfaces of their respective sidewalls.
While the present invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in various exemplary embodiments, ie. embodiments having particular utility in shipping container applications, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details shown herein since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the disclosed shipping case and connectors and their methods of use may be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily adapt the present disclosure for various other applications without departing from the spirit and scope of this present invention.
Claims
1. A connecting device for use in a shipping case having a bottom and walls adapted to extend upwardly from said bottom and about a peripheral edge of said bottom, said device comprising:
- a rigid plate member having two opposite ends and two opposite side edges extending between said opposite ends, a series of fastener holes being formed in said plate member; and
- an integral clip attached to said plate member, projecting from a rear surface of said plate member, and extending along said rear surface in a longitudinal direction parallel to said side edges,
- wherein said clip is sized to be insertable into a connecting hole formed in a planar wall section of at least one of said walls and said bottom whereby said connecting device can be detachably connected to said planar wall section by first inserting said clip into said connecting hole and then moving said connecting device with its clip in a direction parallel to an adjacent surface of said planar wall section so as to locate said planar wall section snugly between an inner surface of said clip and said rear surface of said plate member.
2. A connecting device according to claim 1 wherein said clip is formed from a bent cut-out section of said plate member cut inwardly from one of said ends of the plate member and wherein said clip is formed midway between the two side edges.
3. A connecting device according to claim 2 wherein said clip is bent to form a substantially S-shaped curve extending from said plate member to a free end of the clip, said free end being defined by an end section extending at an acute angle to said rear surface of the plate member when said clip is viewed from a side edge thereof.
4. A connecting device according to claim 3 wherein said plate member includes a major planar plate section to which said clip is attached and a minor planar plate section extending at an angle of about 90 degrees from a front side of said major planar plate section.
5. A connecting device according to claim 3 wherein said plate member extends in a single plane between said two opposite ends and between said two opposite side edges.
6. A connecting device according to claim 1 including a holding tang integrally formed on said plate member adjacent a free end of said clip and projecting rearwardly from said rear surface of the plate member, wherein said holding tang in use acts to hold said clip securely in a fully connected position on said planar wall section.
7. A connecting device according to claim 2 wherein said plate member has two shallow channels extending parallel to each other, located on opposite sides of said clip, and having open channel tops on the rear side of the plate member, and wherein at least some of said fastener holes are formed in bottoms of said channels.
8. A connecting device according to claim 4 wherein each of said major and minor plate sections has two shallow channels extending parallel to each other, located on opposite sides of said clip, and having open channel tops on the rear side of the major plate section and on an outer side of the minor plate section, and wherein at least some of said fastener holes are formed in the channels of both plate sections.
9. A shipping case for transporting and storing of products, said case being adapted to be collapsed or disassembled when not in use and to be restored to its full size and shape when required for shipping purposes, said case comprising:
- a case bottom, side walls adapted to extend upwardly from said bottom and adapted for connection to respective side edges of said bottom, and a top cover for attachment to said side walls, at least one of said bottom, said side walls, and said top cover having at least one wall section on an inner side thereof which has a plurality of connecting holes formed therein; and
- at least one connecting device for connection to said at least one wall section, the or each connecting device comprising a rigid plate member with means for securing a product support member thereto and a clip integrally attached to said plate member and projecting from a rear surface of the plate member,
- wherein said clip can be inserted into a selected one of said holes and, after insertion, the respective connecting device with its clip can be moved in a direction parallel to the adjacent wall section so as to engage an edge section of said adjacent wall section in said clip and thereby detachably fasten the connecting device with said clip to the adjacent wall section.
10. A shipping case according to claim 9 wherein said clip is formed from a bent cut-out section of said plate member cut inwardly from one of said ends thereof and wherein said clip is formed midway between the two side edges, said clip being bent to form a substantially S-curve extending from said plate member to a free end of the clip.
11. A shipping case according to claim 9 wherein said at least one wall section is at least one elongate metal plate welded to the inner side of one of said bottom, said side walls, and said top cover, and said plurality of connecting holes formed in the or each wall section is a row of rectangular holes distributed in a lengthwise direction along the metal plate.
12. A shipping case according to claim 9 wherein the or each connecting device can be connected to said at least one wall section in any one of four different orientations with a selected orientation dependent on the orientation of the clip when the clip is inserted into a selected one of said holes.
13. A shipping case according to claim 9 including a holding tang integrally formed on said plate member adjacent a free end of said clip and projecting rearwardly from said rear surface of the plate member, wherein said holding tang in use acts to hold said clip securely on the adjacent wall section by engaging either a plate edge defining a side of a connecting hole adjacent to said selected hole or an exterior side edge of the adjacent wall section.
14. A shipping case according to claim 9 wherein said securing means including two parallel rows of fasteners holes with each row formed in a respective shallow channel formed in the plate member, an open top of each channel being located on a rear side of the plate member.
15. A shipping case according to claim 10 wherein said plate member includes a major planar plate section to which said clip is attached and a minor planar plate section extending at an angle of about 90 degrees from a front side of said major planar plate section.
16. A connecting device for attachment to an inside surface of a container wall in order to secure one or more products inside of the container, said connecting device comprising:
- a plate member adapted to engage said inside surface and having fastener holes formed therein for attaching a product supporting member to said plate member by means of fasteners, and
- a clip attached to said plate member and extending over a rear surface of said plate member,
- wherein during use of said connecting device, said clip can be inserted into a recess or hole formed in said inside surface and can then be moved to engage a section of the container wall having an exposed planar surface which engages said plate member, whereby said connecting device can be detachably attached to said container wall.
17. A connecting device according to claim 16 wherein said clip is integrally attached to said plate member and is located centrally relative to the plate member and wherein said fastener holes are located on opposite sides of said clip.
18. A connecting device according to claim 16 wherein said plate member includes a major planar plate section to which said clip is attached and a minor planar plate section extending at an angle of about 90 degrees from a front side of said major planar plate section.
19. A connecting device according to claim 16 including a holding tang integrally formed on said plate member adjacent a free end of said clip and projecting rearwardly from said rear surface of the plate member, wherein said holding tang in use acts to hold said clip securely in a fully connected position on said container wall.
20. A connecting device according to claim 17 wherein said plate member has at least one pair of shallow, parallel channels formed therein and located on opposite sides of said clip, at least some of said fastener holes being formed in flat bottoms of said channels.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 28, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 5, 2009
Inventor: Arun MODGIL (Mississauga)
Application Number: 11/846,208
International Classification: B65D 19/16 (20060101); B65D 6/16 (20060101);