Transport container

Abstract

By eliminating the need to connect external materials to the component parts, a strong transport container is provided. [Solution] The structure includes beam members 10 assembled in a grid pattern, skewer members, and bridging members 20 attached to opposing beam members in a bridge-like manner. The beam members are provided with a pair of ears at the front end, a rectangular opening on the lower surface of the rear end, and a T-shaped cutout on the upper surface with horizontal and vertical slits extending to both sides. The bridging members have hook portions at their front and rear ends that engage with engagement holes in the opposing beam members, and through holes are provided in the hook portions. The skewer members have an insertion portion and an operating portion. When assembling the beam members in a grid pattern, the insertion portion is inserted through the insertion opening, then inserted into the through hole of the bridging member, and the operating portion is housed inside the beam member via the vertical slit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport container that does not require welding or bolt fastening.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, transport containers have been used for loading and transporting products manufactured in factories. Regarding transport containers, it is necessary to address issues such as reusability according to the products to be loaded, sufficient strength, ease of disassembly, and good loading efficiency. In order to cope with such issues, transport containers that can be disassembled and assembled without requiring welding or bolt fastening have been proposed.

[0003] As a transport container that can be assembled without bolt fastening (bolt joining) between the constituent parts of the transport container, for example, a loading rack described in Patent Document 1 is known. According to this technique, the first base member, the second base member, and the column member, which are the constituent parts of the loading rack, can be detachably engaged with each other. That is, the assembly work by bolt fastening can be made unnecessary (as unnecessary as possible).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the loading rack described in Patent Document 1, the first and second base members are made of square pipe material, to which external members such as legs and engaging protrusions are attached. Similarly, the column members are also made of square pipe material, to which external members such as support protrusions, locking members, and clamping members are attached. The function of these external members eliminates the need for bolt fastening. However, the creation of the components of the transport container itself requires the effort of attaching the external members. Furthermore, concerns about the strength of the attachment of the external members cannot be completely dispelled.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of this invention is to provide a transport container that can be assembled more easily than conventional containers and has strength by eliminating the need to connect external materials to the components of the transport container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, the transport container has beam members assembled in a grid pattern, skewer members, and bridging members attached in a bridging manner to opposing beam members, The beam member is a square pipe consisting of an upper and lower surface and left and right sides, and numerous engagement holes are provided in the length direction, linearly cut perpendicular to the length direction of the beam member across the lower surface and one of the sides. At the tip end of the beam member, the upper surface and both subsequent sides are partially removed in a first length range in the longitudinal direction, and the starting end of the first length range is linearly removed from both sides toward the lower surface to provide a pair of fitting slits, and the part of the beam member toward the tip end from the fitting slits is a pair of lugs. and On the rear end side of the beam member, a rectangular opening is provided where a second length range in the longitudinal direction is removed from the lower surface and one side surface, leaving the rearmost end of the beam member, and the edge of the one side surface serves as an engaging portion. The upper surface is removed in a T-shape with horizontal slits continuing from both sides and vertical slits extending toward the rear end in the longitudinal direction. The position where the horizontal slits continue to both sides is designated as an insertion opening, and the horizontal slits are arranged within the range of the rectangular opening in the longitudinal direction of the beam member. The bridging member has hook portions at its leading and trailing ends that engage with engagement holes in the opposing beam member, and the hook portions that enter into the engagement holes are provided with through holes. The aforementioned skewer member is made by bending a round bar into an L-shape, and has an insertion part on the long side and an operating part on the short side. When assembling the beam members in a grid pattern by inserting the lugs of the beam member into the rectangular opening of the other beam member and inserting the engaging portion into the fitting slit, the insertion portion of the skewer member is inserted from the insertion opening on the other side of one beam member through the insertion opening on the other side into the interior of the other beam member, the insertion portion is inserted into the through hole of the bridging member which is to be inserted into the engaging hole, and the operating portion is housed inside the beam member via the vertical slit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The transport container of the present invention can be assembled more easily than conventional transport containers. Furthermore, it can be assembled more sturdily than conventional transport containers. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows a transport container; Figure 1A shows the components of the transport container, and Figure 1B shows an example of assembly. [Figure 2] This diagram shows a beam member; Figure 2A is a six-view drawing of the beam member, and Figure 2B is a perspective view. [Figure 3] This diagram shows a bridge bridging member; Figure 3A is a six-view drawing of the bridge bridging member, and Figure 3B is a perspective view. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the height-retaining member; Figure 4A is a six-view drawing of the height-retaining member, and Figure 4B is a perspective view. [Figure 5] The diagrams show other components; Figure 5A is a perspective view of the rib member, and Figure 5B is a perspective view of the skewer member. [Figure 6] This diagram shows how beam members are assembled. [Figure 7] This is a magnified view of the ear portion and the connected portion. [Figure 8] This is a magnified view of the ear portion and the connected portion. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the process of assembling a transport container by placing bridging members on beam members arranged in a grid pattern. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a transport container assembly. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the transport container 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 1 shows the components of the transport container 1 (Figure 1A) and an example of its assembly (Figure 1B). The components of the transport container 1 are a beam member 10, a bridging member 20, a height-holding member 30 (Figure 4), a rib member 40, and a skewer member 50 (Figure 5B). To construct the transport container 1 with the minimum configuration of these components, four beam members, four skewer members, and one bridging member 20 are required. The four beam members are assembled in a grid pattern, and the bridging member 20 bridges the opposing beam members. Figure 1B shows a transport container 1 using two bridging members 20.

[0011] Figure 2 shows six-view drawings (Figure 2A) and a perspective view (Figure 2B) of the beam member 10. The beam member 10 is formed by performing predetermined cuts and drilling on a metal square pipe. For the sake of explanation, the four faces of the square pipe beam member 10 are named the bottom surface 10a, the top surface 10b, and the side surfaces 10c and 10d. The width of the bottom surface 10a and the top surface 10b is defined as length t.

[0012] The beam member 10 has a central main body portion 10e, an ear portion 11 at the front end (lower side of Figure 2A), and a connecting portion 19 at the rear end (upper side of Figure 2A). At the corner formed by the upper surface 10b and the side surface 10d of the main body portion 10e, numerous engagement holes 17 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 10e, cut linearly and of the same length across both sides in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The width of the engagement holes 17 is the thickness s of the plate material used for the rib member 40, bridging member 20, or height-holding member 30, which will be described later. The thickness of each surface of the beam member 10 is also equivalent to the thickness s.

[0013] On the distal end side of the beam member 10, the upper surface 10b and the subsequent side surfaces 10c, 10d are partially removed for a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the beam member 10. Further, fitting slits 12, 12 are provided by linearly removing the side surfaces 10c, 10d from the position of the starting end in the longitudinal direction of the beam member 10 toward the lower surface 10a. On the distal end side relative to the fitting slits 12, 12, portions of the side surfaces 10c, 10d form ear portions 11, 11. In other words, the ear portions 11, 11 are the portions remaining on the distal end side of the side surfaces 10c, 10d across the fitting slits 12, 12. The slit width of the fitting slits 12, 12 corresponds to the thickness s

[0014] The connected portion 19 provided on the rear end side of the beam member 10 is formed as follows. Across the lower surface 10a and the side surface 10d, the lowermost end lower surface 10a and the side surface 10d of the beam member 10 are left by a predetermined dimension, and a rectangular opening 14 is formed which is removed by a length t (the widths of the lower surface 10a and the upper surface 10b are equal to the length t) in the longitudinal direction of the beam member 10. The edge of the opening 14 on the side of the side surface 10d serves as an engaging portion 13. The upper surface 10b on the rear end side of the beam member 10 is cut into a T-shape, and the side surfaces 10c, 10d are partially removed following the transverse slit 15 of the T-shape. The removed positions of the side surfaces 10c, 10d are defined as the insertion ports p of the skewer member 50.

[0015] The edge position on the rear end side of the transverse slit 15 of the T-shape is arranged within the range of the opening 14 in the longitudinal direction of the beam member 10. It is preferable that the transverse slit 15 is located on the rear end side by a length v relative to the edge on the distal end side of the opening 14. In the drawing, the vertical slit 16 of the T-shape is open to the end of the upper surface 10b. When the vertical slit 16 of the T-shape is not opened to the end of the upper surface 10b, the length of the vertical slit 16 is set to be equal to or longer than the length u of the operation portion 52 (FIG. 5B) described later.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a six-view drawing (FIG. 3A) and a perspective view (FIG. 3B) of the bridging member 20. The bridging member 20 has a central main body portion 20e, and hook portions 21, 21 on the distal end side and the rear end side respectively.

[0017] The bridging member 20 is formed by performing predetermined cutting and drilling on a metal plate that has a U-shaped (or U-shaped) cross-section. For the sake of explanation, the three surfaces of the bridging member 20 are named as follows: the two ends of the U-shape are called the sides 20b and 20c, and the center is called the top surface 20a.

[0018] The main body 20e has connecting holes 24 and 25 on its top surface 20a, side surfaces 20b and 20c, respectively, which are necessary for attaching the pillow material described later.

[0019] At the tip end of the bridging member 20, the sides 20b and 20c are partially removed, and further, the sides 20b and 20c are linearly removed toward the upper surface 20a to provide fitting slits 22, 22, and a portion of the sides 20b and 20c toward the tip end of the fitting slits 22, 22 becomes hook portions 21, 21. In other words, the hook portions 21, 21 are the portions of the sides 20b and 20c that remain toward the tip end of the fitting slits 22, 22. The width of the fitting slits 22, 22 corresponds to the thickness s. Through holes 23, 23 are drilled in the sides 20b and 20c within the range extending from the fitting slits 22, 22 toward the tip end of the bridging member 20. The positions of the through holes 23, 23 are such that they are located inside the beam member 10 when the hook portions 21, 21 are inserted into the engagement holes.

[0020] Furthermore, the rear end of the bridging member 20 is also provided with hook portions 21, 21, fitting slits 22, 22, and through holes 23, 23, similar to the front end.

[0021] Figure 4 shows six-view (Figure 4A) and a perspective view (Figure 4B) of the height-retaining member 30. The height-retaining member 30 is formed by cutting and drilling predetermined holes in a metal plate that has been bent into a U-shaped (or U-shaped) cross-section. For the sake of explanation, the three faces of the height-retaining member 30 are named the top surface 30a, the side surface 30b, and the side surface 30c.

[0022] The height-maintaining member 30 and the rib member 40 are components used in the transport container 1 as needed. The height-retaining member 30 has a main body portion 30e and fitting slits 32, 32. Specifically, the fitting slits 32, 32 are provided by partially removing the sides 30b, 30c and then linearly removing the sides 30b, 30c toward the upper surface 30a. The part of the fitting slits 32, 32 that is toward the tip is the hook portion 31, 31, and the part toward the rear end is the main body portion 30e. Through holes 33, 33 are drilled in the upper side surfaces 30b, 30c of the hook portion 31, 31.

[0023] Figure 5A shows a perspective view of the rib member 40. The rib member 40 is formed by performing predetermined cutting and drilling on a strip of metal sheet.

[0024] The rib member 40 has a central main body portion 40e and hook portions 41, 41 at the front and rear ends, respectively.

[0025] The main body portion 40e has multiple tooth-shaped notches 44 extending inward from the top. These notches 44 are provided to prevent interference between the rib members 40 when they intersect due to the combination of their components.

[0026] At the tip end of the rib member 40, fitting slits 42, 42 are provided by linearly removing material from the top and bottom towards the center, and the portion beyond the fitting slits 42, 42 is a hook portion 41, 41. The width of the fitting slits 42, 42 corresponds to the thickness s. Through holes 43 are drilled from the fitting slits 42, 42 to the hook portions 41, 41. Similarly, at the rear end of the rib member 40, hook portions 41, 41, fitting slits 42, 42, and through holes 43 are provided.

[0027] Figure 5B is a perspective view of the skewer member 50. The skewer member 50 is a metal rod, with one end bent to form an L-shape. The skewer member 50 has an insertion portion 51 on the long side and an operating portion 52 on the short side. The operating portion 52 has a length u.

[0028] Figures 6 to 9 show how the components are assembled. Figure 6 shows how the beam members 10 are assembled.

[0029] Figure 6A shows how the four beam members 10 are assembled in a grid pattern. With beam members 10-1 and 10-2 intersecting at a 90-degree angle, the lugs 11 of beam member 10-1 connect to the connecting portion 19 of beam member 10-2 from below. Specifically, the lugs 11 are inserted toward the opening 14, and the engaging portion 13 of beam member 10-2 fits into the fitting slits 12, 12 of beam member 10-1, thereby connecting them. Because the opening 14 extends to the bottom surface 10a, the bottom surface 10a (bottom surface portion 18, see Figure 2B) of beam member 10-1, which corresponds to the position of the lugs 11, does not interfere with the bottom surface 10a of beam member 10-2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 6B, when assembled in a grid pattern, the bottom surfaces 10a of the four beam members 10 are at the same horizontal level.

[0030] Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged views of the ear portion 11 and the connected portion 19. In Figure 7A, the T-shaped horizontal slit 15 extends to the sides 10c and 10d, so that the insertion opening p is open on the sides 10c and 10d. Furthermore, because the starting position of the T-shaped horizontal slit 15 is located a length v further towards the rear end than the opening 14, there is a space between the opposing insertion openings p.

[0031] In Figures 7B and 7C, the insertion portion 51 of the skewer member 50 is inserted into the hollow interior of the beam member 10-3 through one insertion opening p to the other insertion opening p.

[0032] In Figure 8A, the operating part 52 is tilted and inserted into the T-shaped vertical slit 16. If the operating part 52 is not held vertically, the skewer member 50 cannot be pulled out from the insertion opening p. In this state, the connection between beam members 10-1 and 10-3 is completed. The same applies to the other beam members 10. The length u of the operating part 52 should be such that the tip of the operating part 52 does not protrude from the inside of the beam member 10 even when the skewer member 50 is shaken by an external impact.

[0033] The bridging member 20, height-holding member 30, and rib member 40 are provided with hook portions 21, 31, and 41, fitting slits 22, 32, and 42, and through holes 23, 33, and 43. The hook portions 21, 31, and 41 and the fitting slits 22, 32, and 42 are inserted into the engagement holes 17 of the beam member 10. Then, the insertion portion 51 of the skewer member 50 is inserted into the through holes 23, 33, and 43, thereby connecting each to the beam member 10. Figure 8B shows, as an example, the hook portion 41 of the rib member 40 inserted into one engagement hole 17 and the skewer member 50 inserted into the through hole 43. The other hook portions 21, 31, fitting slits 22, 32, and through holes 23, 33 are similarly attached to the beam member 10 by the skewer member 50.

[0034] Figure 9A shows how the transport container 1 is assembled by placing the bridging members 20 on top of the beam members 10 arranged in a grid pattern. The pitch of the engagement holes 17 in the beam members 10 matches the spacing of the ear portions 21, 21 of the bridging members 20, making it easy to change the position of the bridging members 20. After being assembled as shown in the figure, it is fastened with the skewer members 50.

[0035] Figures 9B and 9C show bolster materials M and N that can be mounted in the connecting holes 24 and 25 of the bridging member 20. For example, the bolster material M shown in Figure 9B can be the one shown in Japanese Patent No. 7215795. For example, the bolster material N shown in Figure 9C can be the one shown in Japanese Patent No. 7309249. These bolster materials M and N can be fixed using the connecting holes 24 and 25 of the bridging member 20 without the need for bolts or the like. These bolster materials are members having a preformed portion that is injection-molded beforehand and a vacuum-formed portion. The preformed portion is a portion that can be fixed using the connecting holes 24 and 25 of the bridging member 20 without the need for bolts or the like, while the vacuum-formed portion is a portion that is later formed by vacuum forming to a shape according to the mounted product, as shown by the dashed lines.

[0036] Figure 10 shows an example of the assembly of the transport container 1. In Figure 10A, the support material is placed on the bridging member 20, allowing for the storage of a wide variety of products. Furthermore, since the engagement hole 17 is provided across both sides at the corner formed by the upper surface 10b and the side surface 10d of the main body 10e, the transport container 1 can also be assembled three-dimensionally as shown in Figure 10B. Two sets of beam members 10 assembled in a grid pattern are used, and the two sets are connected by the bridging member 20. The rib member 40 is fixed in a cross shape to the center of the beam members 10 assembled in a grid pattern on the lower side. In this state, by using the support materials M and N, it is possible to support products three-dimensionally. The above explanation did not include an explanation of the use of the height-maintaining member 30. To explain it here, the height-maintaining member 30 is created for the purpose of maintaining the insertion height of the skewer member 50 inserted inside the beam member 10. For example, in Figure 9A, a height-maintaining member 30 is attached to a beam member 10 in which the bridging member 20 is not incorporated (a beam member 10 located parallel to the bridging member 20) to maintain the insertion height of the skewer member 50 inserted into the beam member. By maintaining the height, the skewer member 50 is stabilized and its detachment is prevented.

[0037] In this embodiment, the transport container 1 is easy to assemble because the connection is completed by inserting the skewer members 50. Tools for welding or bolting are not required. Furthermore, since the components of the transport container 1 are not made by combining external materials, it can have high strength. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Transport container 10, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 Beam members 10a Bottom side 10b Top surface 10c, 10d side 10e Main Unit 11 Ears 12 Insertion slits 13 Engaging part 14 Aperture 15 horizontal slits 16 vertical line slits 17 Engagement holes 19 Connected part 20 Bridged Members 20a top surface 20b, 20c side 20e Main Unit 21, 31, 41 Hook section 22, 32, 42 Insertion slits 23, 33, 43 through holes 24, 25 connecting hole 30 Retaining member 30a top surface 30b, 30c side 30e Main Unit 40 Rib members 40e Main Unit 44 Notches 50 skewer components 51 Insertion part 52 Operation section

Claims

1. A transport container having beam members arranged in a grid pattern, skewer members, and bridging members attached in a bridging manner to opposing beam members, The beam member is a square pipe consisting of an upper and lower surface and left and right sides, and numerous engagement holes are provided in the length direction, linearly cut perpendicular to the length direction of the beam member across the lower surface and one of the sides. At the tip end of the beam member, the upper surface and both subsequent side surfaces are partially removed in a first length range in the longitudinal direction, and the starting end of the first length range is linearly removed from both side surfaces toward the lower surface to provide a pair of fitting slits, and the part of the beam member toward the tip end from the fitting slits is a pair of lugs. and On the rear end side of the beam member, a rectangular opening is provided where a second length range in the longitudinal direction is removed from the lower surface and one side surface, leaving the rearmost end of the beam member, and the edge of the one side surface serves as an engaging portion. The upper surface is removed in a T-shape with horizontal slits continuing from both sides and vertical slits extending toward the rear end in the longitudinal direction. The position where the horizontal slits continue to both sides is designated as an insertion opening, and the horizontal slits are arranged within the range of the rectangular opening in the longitudinal direction of the beam member. The bridging member has hook portions at its leading and trailing ends that engage with engagement holes in the opposing beam member, and the hook portions that enter into the engagement holes are provided with through holes. The aforementioned skewer member is made by bending a round bar into an L-shape, and has an insertion part on the long side and an operating part on the short side. A transport container in which, when assembling the beam members in a grid pattern by inserting the lugs of the beam member into the rectangular opening of the other beam member and inserting the engaging portion into the fitting slit, the insertion portion of the skewer member is inserted from the insertion opening on the other side of one beam member through the insertion opening on the other side into the interior of the other beam member, the insertion portion is inserted into the through hole of the bridging member which is to be inserted into the engaging hole, and the operating portion is housed inside the beam member via the vertical slit.

2. In the transport container of claim 1, The aforementioned bridging member is a conveying container having a U-shaped cross-section, with the hook portion and the through hole provided on the left and right sides of the U-shaped surface.

3. In the transport container of claim 1, A transport container in which two sets of the aforementioned beam members are assembled in a grid pattern, and the bridging member is attached in a bridging manner between the beam members assembled in a grid pattern on one side and the beam members assembled in a grid pattern on the other side.

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