Collapsible Container Having Collapsible Dunnage With Integral Stabilizing Members

Abstract

This invention provides a collapsible container for holding product therein during shipment and being returned for reuse that has a body including at least two collapsible side structures with support members attached thereto. Dunnage is suspended from the support members. The dunnage comprises a plurality of flexible members, at least some of the flexible members having stabilizers attached to the flexible member for stabilizing and protecting product being shipped. In one embodiment, tracks may be attached to opposite sides of the body, and support member assemblies extend between the tracks. Dunnage is suspended from the support member assemblies. Portions of the support member assemblies move in the tracks to move products suspended by the dunnage to a more ergonomically friendly position for loading or unloading.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to containers for use in shipping, and more particularly, to containers which are returnable in an empty state for reuse.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]A large number of different container structures are utilized by manufacturers to ship a variety of different products to end users, which may be, for example, assembly plants. In the automobile industry for example, an assembly plant assembling a particular automobile might utilize a number of different parts from different manufacturers. These manufacturers ship their respective parts to the assembly plant in reusable container structures where the parts are then removed from dunnage or support members inside the container structure and assembled into a finished automobile.[0003]The return and reuse of empty containers results in a substantial cost savings for the supplier and / or the end manufacturer or assembler because reuse reduces the number of new containers which mus...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]The present invention provides a reusable and returnable collapsible container for holding product therein during shipment. The collapsible container has a body having at least two opposing and moveable side structures or walls. These side structures or any portion therefore may be secured to a base or bottom of the container. These side structures are configured for being moved outw

Problems solved by technology

Furthermore, the returned containers alleviate the assembly plant's task and associated costs with storing, destroying, or otherwise disposing of the containers.

While returnable and reusable containers reduce costs by eliminating the need to constantly purchase new containers and reduce disposal costs, it may still be relatively costly to provide for their return shipment.

Therefore, there was not much of a shipping cost savings when returning empty reusable containers even though empty containers weighed less.

Furthermore, the cost of storing conventional reusable containers may further reduce the other economic benefits they offer because empty containers also require the same warehouse or storage space as full containers.

Storage space is valuable and may be limited, and it is usually desirable to utilize the space for something other than bulky, empty containers waiting to be shipped or returned.

Additionally, collapsed, stored containers require substantially less storage space.

While some such containers address the issue of return shipment and storage costs, they still have certain drawbacks.

The dunnage elements are then discarded or otherwise disposed of by the assembly plant, further adding to the plant's overall cost for the shipment.

Furthermore, the supplier incurs additional costs by constructing or acquiring new dunnage elements each time the returned container is reused.

Additionally, the labor costs associated with constructing and installing dunnage elements in a container, and the additional labor for collapsing, removing and disposing of the dunnage elements after shipment, further increases the overall cost of shipping product utilizing conventional containers.

Therefore, even with existing collapsible, returnable containers, high shipping costs may be incurred on both ends, i.e., by the supplier who constantly acquires new dunnage elements and by the assembly plant which constantly must dispose of the old dunnage elements or pay to have those dunnage elements returned with the container.

Moreover, dunnage elements, depending on the size of the container, may be heavy, and as such, the assembly of the dunnage elements to accept a product can be physically stressful for the worker and may lead to job related injuries.

Job related injuries increase costs.

Additionally, because someone must physically assemble the dunnage, the dunnage ele

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