Roll container

Abstract

The invention relates to a roll container having a container bottom (1) and having transport rollers (5, 6), which are attached to the underside of the container bottom (1). An additional maneuvering roller (10) is fastened to a lever (9) below the container bottom (1) such that said maneuvering roller is rotatable in a plane parallel to the container bottom. By means of the lever (9), the maneuvering roller (10) can be lowered to such an extent that the maneuvering roller takes on at least part of the weight of the roll container. The additional maneuvering roller (10) allows simple force-saving and controlled movement of the roll container in tight spaces, in particular even if one or more of the rollers are fixed rollers that are not rotatable in a plane parallel to the container bottom.

Description

[0001] Roll container

[0002] The present invention relates to a roll container with a container base and with transport rollers that are mounted on the underside of the container base.

[0003] Such roll containers, which typically have a width of 720 mm and a length of 800 mm, are used for delivering goods to, for example, grocery stores, drugstores, or gas stations because they can be moved to the desired locations within the stores, even in confined spaces with narrow passageways, without the need for additional transport or maneuvering equipment. However, difficulties often arise when maneuvering the roll containers in these spaces or on the narrow transport areas of delivery vehicles such as trucks, especially when the containers have casters that are permanently attached to the container base and cannot rotate in a plane parallel to the container base.

[0004] From JP H07 - 33 027 A, a transport trolley with transport rollers and a motor-driven additional roller is known. The additional roller is formed on a longitudinal beam of a T-shaped base frame, with the longitudinal beam extending between the adjacent fixed rollers.

[0005] JP 2 566 987 Y2 relates to an automotive assembly line in which carts are provided for transporting components to be assembled onto or to the assembly line. They have three movable rollers and one fixed roller at the corners of the cart. A further fixed roller is provided, which can be lowered by means of a lever to move the cart perpendicular to the actual running direction.

[0006] The publication DE 42 38 187 A1 describes a lifting and moving base for pallets with fixed and rotating rollers, as well as an additional roller that is height-adjustable and located between the fixed rollers. The trolley known from the publication GB 2 611 063 A is equipped with a two-roller wheel unit 80 between the rollers. The additional rollers are fixed and serve as brake wheels.

[0007] From the document DE 43 19 516 A1 a hospital bed is known in which a lowerable and raiseable central castor is arranged between four rotatable castors.

[0008] The transport trolley known from document DE 20 2008 001 085 U1 has four rotating casters and a fifth, non-rotating caster 4 between the casters. The fifth caster can be raised and lowered using a lifting device.

[0009] The publication FR 2 675 691 B1 describes four rotating transport rollers for the trolley described therein. There are also rollers on the opposite sides of the trolley, but these are not rotating.

[0010] EP 2 675 691 B1 shows and describes a transport trolley with one pair of rotating casters and a second pair of fixed casters. Two additional rotating casters replace the function of the second pair of casters after the additional casters are lowered.

[0011] The invention is based on the object of creating a roll container which is easy to move and maneuver in any direction, particularly in confined spaces, for example in supermarkets, but also on the transport areas of trucks, and without requiring great effort from the user.

[0012] This object is achieved with the roll container according to the invention in that the roller is a maneuvering roller and that the roll container has a fixed roller at adjacent corner areas on the underside of the container base and a swivel roller at the opposite corner areas that can rotate in a plane parallel to the container base, and the lever extends in an intermediate area between the fixed rollers on the one hand and the swiveling swivel rollers on the other hand.

[0013] The at least one additional maneuvering roller enables easy and controlled movement of the roll container in confined spaces, especially when one or more of the rollers are fixed rollers that cannot rotate in a plane parallel to the container floor. This is possible in particular due to the arrangement of the lever between the fixed rollers on the one hand and the rotating rollers on the other. When the lever is lowered and the maneuvering roller at least partially absorbs the weight of the roll container, the entire roll container moves perpendicular to the direction of travel of the fixed rollers, allowing the roll container to be maneuvered in the smallest of spaces and, in particular, moved in the smallest gaps, for example, on the loading area of ​​trucks.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lever extends to one side of the container base so that it can be pushed down with a user's foot. The lever is preferably releasably locked in a position in which the at least one maneuvering roller supports at least part of the roll container's weight, so that the transport rollers are relieved of load or raised off the ground. The end of the lever serves as a pedal and is optionally located in a recess on the side of the container base.

[0015] To keep the lever in the lowered position when maneuvering the roll container, a locking mechanism or locking plate is provided on the side of the container base to which the lever is guided or from which the lever protrudes, against which the lever can be locked after being pressed down. To lock the lever, the lever is moved slightly sideways - if necessary against the spring force of a return spring. This lateral movement is facilitated by the maneuvering roller itself. Preferably, at least one tension spring is provided between the lever and the container base, with which the lever can be returned to its basic position in which the maneuvering roller does not touch the floor after the locking mechanism is released.

[0016] To absorb the forces acting on the maneuvering roller or lever in the functional position, a lever plate is preferably provided, attached to the underside of the container base, with a bearing for the lever mounted on the underside. Within the bearing, the lever should be sufficiently movable, at least vertically, but also horizontally, to allow it to be moved sideways and locked in the locking position.

[0017] With such roll containers, their direction can be safely maintained and / or steered by using two swivel castors on one side when it is pushed or pulled on the side with the swivel castors.

[0018] The loading area of ​​a semi-trailer truck is approximately 13.20 m long and 2.45 m wide. If the usual roll containers with a width of 720 mm and a length of

[0019] 800 mm, the semi-trailer can only accommodate 51 roll containers if they are loaded lengthwise, but 54 if loaded crosswise. This means that 5.6% more roll containers can be loaded if they are loaded crosswise. In addition to the better utilization of the loading area with crosswise loading, there is also the advantage that the containers are positioned closer together and the space between the containers is smaller. This increases driving safety, as movement of the containers in the loading area is reduced and possible rocking of the containers is avoided, because with crosswise loading the containers can be loaded more positively. Loading and unloading conventional roll containers with even partially fixed

[0020] Rolling is associated with the following significant disadvantages, especially with small loading areas.

[0021] In a cross-loading situation with three conventional containers arranged side by side, placing the first two containers in a cross-row is initially easy thanks to the swivel casters provided. However, the third container must be pushed into the remaining gap perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the fixed casters. Since only a few millimeters remain on the left and right, it is not possible to "maneuver in". The third container must therefore be pushed into the gap using a pallet truck or, as is usually the case in practice, with the driver's muscle power. At the delivery location, where a pallet truck is not usually available, the driver must again pull the first container out of the row of containers using muscle power.

[0022] When loaded, roll containers weigh up to 500 kg. In addition, the floors of a truck bed are typically and deliberately designed to have a high frictional resistance to prevent unwanted movement or shifting of the load during transport. They are often made of corrugated aluminum sheeting or a plastic floor for noise-free loading and unloading of the containers at night in residential areas. Both of these factors make moving the container perpendicular to the rolling direction of the fixed rollers very laborious and, above all, very back-damaging, especially since the driver has to grip the heavy container relatively low on the side rail to prevent the rail from bending. The driver must therefore bend over and pull at least one container in a row of three out of the cross row perpendicular to the rolling direction of the fixed rollers, with great effort.

[0023] This improper loading of the roll container and its casters causes rapid wear and tear on the material, significantly shortening its service life. In addition to back injuries and resulting work absences, the direct consequences of this sideways loading include bent grids, broken casters, and worn holes in the side grids.

[0024] All these disadvantages are avoided by the present invention, particularly in the case of roll containers with partially fixed rollers, namely by the lowerable maneuvering roller, with which the fixed rollers of the roll container are relieved of load or are released from the ground.

[0025] A further advantageous embodiment of the roll container according to the invention consists in that the lever is mounted off-center between the fixed castors on the one hand and the swivel castors on the other, closer to the fixed castors. This makes it possible, in particular, to lift and release the fixed castors from the ground. The roll container then essentially rests only on its two movable castors and the maneuvering castor, all of which can be aligned in the desired direction of travel. This allows the roll container to be easily moved in all directions. For example, the third roll container can be easily pushed into the gap when loading crosswise on a truck and pulled out of the cross row during unloading.

[0026] Once the roll container has reached its position, the maneuvering roller is returned to its starting or rest position by operating the lever again in the opposite direction or by releasing the lever and the load of the roll container is again taken over by the actual transport rollers.

[0027] Guide plates are provided, essentially parallel to the lever, to guide the forks of a pallet truck.

[0028] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention consists in that the maneuvering roller and the lever are part of a structural unit that can be attached to the underside of the container base. This structural unit makes it possible to retrofit or equip existing roll containers with a maneuvering roller and the corresponding associated components. Particularly for such a retrofit, it is advantageous to provide the structural unit with fastening areas that can be easily attached to the receiving areas for the transport rollers, for example by arranging the fastening areas between the underside of the container and the fastening plates of the transport rollers and fastening them together with them.

[0029] The guide vanes are preferably formed as part of the structural unit or are attached to the structural unit.

[0030] The invention is explained below using preferred embodiments with reference to the figures. They show schematically:

[0031] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container bottom with a maneuvering roller according to the invention;

[0032] Fig. 2 is a side view of the base plate looking towards a shorter side of the base plate with the maneuvering roller inoperative;

[0033] Fig. 3 is a side view of the base plate looking towards a shorter outer side of the base plate with the maneuvering roller in operation;

[0034] Fig. 4 a section of the longer side of the base plate with the position of the lever when the maneuvering roller is inoperative;

[0035] Fig. 5 a section of the longer side of the base plate with the position of the lever when the maneuvering roller is in operation;

[0036] Fig. 6 a view of the base plate from below with guide plates for a lifting truck;

[0037] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the assembly comprising the maneuvering roller and the lever, and

[0038] Fig. 8 shows the underside of the container base with the structural unit attached to it. Fig. 1 schematically shows a container base 1 of a conventional roll container with a shorter outer side 2 having a length a and a longer outer side 3 having a length b, as well as with fastening inserts 4 for attaching or inserting side grids or side walls (not shown). In conventional roll containers, a is 720 mm and b is 800 mm. On the underside of the container base 1 there are rotatable castors 5 which can rotate in a plane parallel to the container base 1, and on the opposite corner areas there are fixed castors 6 which cannot rotate in a plane parallel to the container base 1. In an intermediate area between the fixed castors 6 on the one hand and the rotatable castors 5 on the other hand, a stable lever plate 7 is attached to the underside of the container base 1, for example by screwing or welding.A bearing 8 for a lever 9 with a lever end 12 is provided on it, projecting downwards, which extends between the bearing 8 and the longer outer side 3 of the container bottom 1.

[0039] The longer outer side 3 has a recess 13 into which the lever end 12 of the lever 9 projects, but without protruding beyond the longer outer side 3. The lever 9 is located in a recess 14 provided in the recess 13.

[0040] Between the bearing 8 and the longer outer side 3 of the container base 1, a maneuvering roller 10 is attached to the underside of the lever 9 via a shaft 11, so that the maneuvering roller 10 can rotate in a plane parallel to the container base 1. In Fig. 1, the lever 9 lies in the recess 14, i.e., it is in an upper position, in which it is held in this position, for example, by a spring (not shown) between the lever 9 and the underside of the container base 1 or the lever plate 7. The maneuvering roller 10 is therefore free from the ground in this lever position, or at least does not bear a significant part of the roll container's weight. In this position, in which the maneuvering roller 10 is out of function, the weight of the roll container rests on the steering rollers 5 and the fixed rollers 6. Fig. 2 shows the side view looking towards the shorter outer side 2 of the container base 1 when the maneuvering roller 10 is out of function, ieis located at a distance c above the ground. Details and components of Fig. 2 that correspond to those of Fig. 1 are provided with the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0041] Fig. 3 corresponds to Fig. 2, but now for the case where the maneuvering roller 10 is in operation. Here, too, details corresponding to those in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 are provided with the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0042] Fig. 3 shows the maneuvering roller 10 in its working position, which now supports the entire roll container weight, i.e., both the fixed rollers 6 and the swivel rollers 5 are clear of the ground. The location of the bearing 8 below the container floor 1 with respect to the fixed rollers 6 and the swivel rollers 5 can be selected depending on whether only the fixed rollers 6 are to be released from the ground and the swivel rollers 5 - possibly with a lower contact weight - remain on the ground. In this case, which is particularly preferred, the roll container can be aligned and rolled in any desired direction thanks to the three movable rollers, which now support the load. Due to the three support points that remain, the position of the roll container remains stable despite the fixed rollers 6 being released.

[0043] Once the roll container has reached its desired position, the maneuvering roller 10 is returned to its original position by actuating or lifting the lever 9 or the lever end 12 again, releasing it from its locking position. After the maneuvering process, the roll container rests on its actual rollers, namely the fixed rollers 6 and the swivel rollers 5. This is important because the fixed rollers 6, in particular, absorb a large portion of the truck's acceleration energy, thus preventing the roll container or the entire load from rolling forwards and backwards while driving.

[0044] When unloading roll containers from the loading area of ​​a truck, the procedure is reversed. The first roll container in each row is lifted by pressing down lever 9 or lever end 12, so that at least the two fixed rollers 6 are relieved of pressure or are completely clear of the ground. In this position, the roll container can be pulled out of the row without great effort and, after unlocking, is placed back on the fixed rollers 6 and the swivel rollers 5.

[0045] An embodiment of the locking and final locking of the lever 9 or the lever end 12 is shown schematically in Fig. 4. The lever 9 is located in the recess 14, i.e., in an upper position, in which it is held, for example, by a spring (not shown). The maneuvering roller 10 is not in contact with the ground and is therefore inoperative. This corresponds to the illustration in Fig. 2.

[0046] Fig. 5 corresponds to Fig. 4, but with the lever 9 or the lever end 12 in a position in which the maneuvering roller 10 is in operation, ie in which it touches the ground and at least partially supports the roll container weight and lifts at least the fixed rollers 6 off the ground.

[0047] By pressing down with the user's foot, the lever end 12, after it has been released from the recess 14, is slightly displaced or offset parallel to the container bottom and moved under a downwardly projecting edge 15 on one side of the recess 14, in which it can be fixed in this position by means of a locking device 16 in the form of, for example, a downwardly projecting part. The bearing 8 or its suspension on the lever plate 7 should be selected such that lateral movement of the lever 9 in the bearing 8 is possible, e.g., be elastic. Alternatively, the suspension of the lever 9 in the bearing 8 has a small amount of play necessary and sufficient for the lateral movement. Fig. 2 - with the position of the lever 9 according to Fig. 4 - shows the maneuvering roller 10 in its working position, in which the maneuvering roller 10 now carries the entire roll container weight, i.e. both the fixed rollers 6 and the steering rollers 5 are free from the ground.The location of the bearing 8 below the container floor 1 relative to the fixed rollers 6 and the swivel rollers 5 can be selected depending on whether only the fixed rollers 6 are to be released from the floor or whether the swivel rollers 5 remain on the floor—possibly with a lower bearing weight. In the latter case, which is particularly preferred, the roll container can be oriented and rolled in any desired direction thanks to the three movable rollers 9, 5, which now carry the load. The three support points ensure that the roll container remains stable.

[0048] By appropriately applying the lever laws (force x force arm = load x load arm) and, depending on this, selecting the length division of the lever or the location of the maneuvering roller 10 on the lever 9, the user is able to easily lift a roll container, which can weigh up to 500 kg, by e.g. 10 mm from the ground using the lever, so that the fixed rollers 6, if not completely lifted from the ground anyway, are at least considerably relieved.

[0049] It is advantageous to position the lever 9 slightly offset closer to the fixed casters 6 than to the swivel casters 5, as shown in Fig. 1. This makes it easier and safer to relieve the load on the fixed casters 6, or to clear the floor. The fixed casters 6—as previously described in detail—represent the greatest resistance and the greatest limitation when maneuvering the roll container in tight spaces.

[0050] In the previously described embodiments, the lever 9 is arranged parallel to the short outer side 3 and between the swivel casters 5 and the fixed casters 6. Without departing from the spirit of the invention, however, it is also possible to mount the lever 9 with the maneuvering roller 10 perpendicular to the shorter outer side 3 between the two swivel casters 5 and the two fixed casters 6, in order to also relieve the load on the swivel casters 5 or lift them off the floor 11 by lowering the lever 9.

[0051] Fig. 6 shows the container base 1 viewed from its underside. Details and elements already shown and described in Figures 1 to 5 are provided with the same reference numerals and will not be explained again.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, guide plates 17 are provided which protrude from the underside of the container base 1 and are arranged in such a way that they guide the forks of a lifting truck or limit their movements when the forks are brought from one of the two long sides 6 of the roll container under the container base 1 in order to lift the roll container onto a truck transport surface or unload it from there. The guide plates 17 enable the user to bring the lifting truck or its forks into a defined, predetermined position under the roll container. Furthermore, the guide plates 17 prevent damage to the roll container, for example to the rollers 5, 6 or the arrangement 7, 8, 9, 10 for raising or lowering the roll container.

[0053] In Fig. 7, a structural unit 18 is shown schematically and in perspective, which comprises the bearing 8, the lever 9 and the maneuvering roller 10, which in the embodiment shown is chosen as a heavy-duty double roller.

[0054] The maneuvering roller 10 is rotatably mounted on the underside of the lever 9 via a shaft 19. The maneuvering roller 10 is in its working position, i.e., the lever end 12 is located on the downwardly projecting edge 15.

[0055] In this embodiment, the guide plates 17 are provided or formed on the assembly parallel to the lever 9. The assembly has fastening areas 20, 21, 22, 23, which are arranged and designed such that they fit onto the fastening plates for the swivel casters 5 or for the fixed casters 6 and, together with the swivel casters 5 or the fixed casters 6, can be easily fastened between them and the container base 1, for example by screwing to the container base 1.

[0056] Fig. 8 shows a schematic representation in which the structural unit 18 is fastened to the underside of the container base 1 by screwing the fastening areas 20, 21, 22, 23 between the fastening plates of the rollers 5 and 6. By using such a structural unit 18, it is not only possible to simplify the fitting of a roll container with a maneuvering roller 10, but also, in particular, to retrofit roll containers with a maneuvering roller in a simple manner.

[0057] The invention has been described above using preferred embodiments. However, numerous modifications and embodiments are possible for those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A roll container with a container base (1), with transport rollers (5, 6) mounted on the underside of the container base (1), and with an additional roller (10) which is rotatably mounted on a lever (9) below the container base (1) in a plane parallel to the base, with which the roller (10) can be lowered so far that it supports at least part of the weight of the roll container, characterized in that the roller (10) is a maneuvering roller and in that the roll container has a fixed roller (6) at adjacent corner regions on the underside of the container base (1) and a steering roller (5) rotatable in a plane parallel to the container base (1) at the opposite corner regions, and the lever (9) extends in an intermediate region between the fixed rollers (6) on the one hand and the rotatable steering rollers (5) on the other.

2. Roll container according to claim 1, characterized in that the lever (9) is guided to an outer side (3) of the container base (1) in order to be pressed downwards by the foot of a user.

3. Roll container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lever (9) can be locked in a position in which the maneuvering roller (10) relieves at least one of the transport rollers (5, 6) or this is lifted off the ground (11).

4. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that on an outer side (3) of the container base (1), up to which the lever (9) is guided, a locking device (15, 16) is provided, with which the lever (9) can be locked after it has been pressed down.

5. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by at least one tension spring provided in a plane parallel to the container base (1) below it between the lever (9) and the container base (1), with which the lever (9) after release of the locking device in its basic position can be returned in which the maneuvering roller (10) is substantially free from contact with the ground.

6. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by a lever plate (7) fastened to the underside of the container base (1), on the underside of which a bearing (8) for the lever (9) is provided.

7. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lever (9) is mounted off-center between the fixed rollers (6) and the steering rollers (5) closer to the fixed rollers (6).

8. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that guide plates (17) for guiding the forks of a lifting truck are provided parallel to the lever (9) and / or the lever plate (7).

9. Roll container according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the maneuvering roller (10) and the lever (9) are part of a structural unit (18) which can be fastened to the underside of the container base (1).

10. Roll container according to claim 9, characterized in that the structural unit (18) has fastening areas (20, 21, 22, 23) which can be fastened to the container base (1) together with the receiving plates for the transport rollers (5, 6). 11 . Roll container according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the guide plates (17) are part of the structural unit (18).

Images