A Pitchable Box
The present invention relates to an erectable box of the kind defined in the preamble of the accompanying Claim 1.
Boxes of this kind are known from SE-507 945 for example.
Such boxes are preferably made of cardboard or paperboard and can be raised from a flat state to an enlarged state and may be used in particular as goods carts, wherewith they may be provided with slide bars or runners, so as to enable them to be dragged along an underlying support surface, or with wheels on which the cart can be rolled.
The bottom construction of the box is an important feature when the box is made of cardboard, paperboard, or some similar material.
One object of the invention is to provide a box that has a favourable bottom construction.
Another object is to provide a bottom construction which uses a through-passing shaft or axle as a supporting element in the bottom construction of the box.
These objects are achieved either fully or partially by a box constructed in accordance with the invention. The invention is defined in the accompanying Claim 1.
Further embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the depending claims.
The box is primarily intended for use as a goods cart and can be erected from a flat state and is intended to run on cart wheels.
The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a front view of a goods cart.
Figure 2 is a side view of a goods cart.
Figure 3 is a horizontal view taken on the line III-III in Fig. 2.
Figure 4 is a schematic sectioned view taken on the line IN-IN in Fig. 1.
Figure 4A shows a variant of the subject of Fig. 4.
Figure 5 is a schematic view taken on the line N-V in Fig. 2.
Figure 6 is a view taken on the line NII-NII in Fig. 5.
Figure 7 is a view corresponding to the view of Fig. 5 and shows a modified goods cart.
Figure 8 is a view taken on the line NIII-NIII in Fig. 7.
Figure 9 illustrates a first stage of the method according to Fig. 8.
Figs 1-4 illustrate a goods cart comprised of a front panel 1, a rear panel 2, and side panels,, 3, 4. The panels are rectangular in shape and are preferably comprised of cardboard or like- material. The panels are mutually connected by parallel fold lines. The side panels 1, 2 have mutually the same width. The widths of the panels 1 - 4 are chosen to allow the panels to be displaced to a generally common plane about the fold lines, and to allow the panels to be displaced in generally common planes, whilst pivoting about said fold lines, into mutually relative positions in which the panels define a vertical cavity which together with a bottom structure forais a storage space. The bottom of the rear panel 2 includes an extension sheet 5 which is folded inwardly into the box interior so as to form at least a part 5 of the bottom construction. (The part 5 may be folded up against the inner surface of the panel 2 in the flat state of the box). The front panel or wall 1 has at its bottom edge a first extension lamella 7 which is folded back against the inner surface of the panel 1 about a fold line, and also has panel or sheet 8 which is joined to the panel 1 via a fold line, said sheet 8 forming a further part of the bottom construction 9 of the box. As will be seen, the cart also includes an axle 20 which extends through the side panels 3, in the region beneath the sheet parts 5, 8, in the proximity of the rear panel 2. The axle 20 is shown to carry wheels 21 on the outside of the panels 3,4. The sheet part 8, and indirectly also the sheet
part 5, are shown to be supported by bearing means in the form of zig-zag- folded portions 10 that are formed by extensions downwardly of the panels 3, 4. As shown, these extensions are Z-folded such that the lamellae 11 of respective pleated portions 10 mutually define generally a right angle (an angle in the range of 20 to 140° .The downwardly facing angles of the fold 10 may be provided with downwardly open slots 12 (see Figure 6), so as to enable the pleat 10 to be dropped down against the pre-mounted axle 20 and so that said axle supports against the bottoms of respective slots. The side panels may also include such downwardly open slots. This enables the wheel axle to be subsequently mounted, by pressing the axle into the slots.
In one embodiment of the invention (Fig. 4A), the slots 12 may slant generally upwards as seen from one side of the front panel 1, or front wall, of the cart. The upper end part 12 A of the slot may therewith be angled from the lower part of the slot such as preferably to extend generally vertically when the cavity walls are vertically upright. This upper end part 12A of the slots may optionally be widened slightly relative to the lower part of the slot. The pleated part 10, 11 is suitably compressed to a state in which its pleat lamellae are parallel with one another when the axle 20 is pressed into the slots. When the pleated part -.• 10, 11 is developed into the configuration shown in Fig. 5 by virtue of its elasticity, the .*,_& slots 12 exert an enclosing action which strives to hinder the axle 20 from leaving the upper part of respective slots.
Alternatively, the lamellae 11 of the pleated part may include, midway of their height, openings through which the axle can be pushed. These openings may be adapted with respect to size and orientation so as to allow the upwardly facing spines of the pleat lamellae to be situated at a level which corresponds to the level of the bottom sheets 5, 8 on the one hand and, on the other hand, to limit the angle between adjacent lamellae to a value at which said spines support the sheets 5, 8 at a correct level.
As will be understood, the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 may have pleats 10 that include further lamellae 11, for instance so that both pleats 10 meet at a point corresponding to half the width of the cart and stabilise each other.
The variant illustrated in Fig. 7 - 9 resides fundamentally in the separation of the last lamella 11 in the pleat 10 from the adjacent lamella along the major part of the fold line, wherewith the separated part of the lamella is provided with transverse fold lines 13 and is
zig-zag folded around said lines. The additional pleat 14 defined by the fold lines 13 has axle-accommodating openings, wherewith the axle 20 supports the pleat and the pleat supports the bottom sheets 5,8. A further axle 20 may extend through the pleats 10 in a position closer to the front panel 1, so as to support the pleats 10 at two mutually separate locations along the spines of respective pleats.
One advantage afforded by allowing the pleat to spread in plane that is generally perpendicular to the panels 1 - 4 is that the sheet 5 is supported over a major part of its width.
As shown, the panels 2,3,4 have openings which form handgrips.
As an alternative to allowing the bottom sheet 5 to be joined to one of the panels 1, 2, the bottom sheet may be included as a separate part which is inserted into an erected box and caused to rest on the pleats 10 and possibly also on additional supports provided on, for example, the panels 1, 2, such that said bottom sheet will fill-out essentially the free cross- section of the erected box and therewith stabilise said box in its erected state.