GB2536268A

GB2536268A - Container

Info

Publication number: GB2536268A
Application number: GB1504138.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jarvi Mikko
Original assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Current assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Priority date: 2015-03-11
Filing date: 2015-03-11
Publication date: 2016-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-11
Also published as: GB201504138D0; GB2536268B

Abstract

A roll container 100 with a movable base 140 directly pivoted to a pair of pivot arms (151, 152, Fig. 7) and indirectly pivoted on a back wall 110 with said pivot arms, the back wall 110 having side profiles (111, Fig. 6) on opposing lateral sides of the back wall. The pivoting mechanism 150 pivots a base 140 relative to the back wall between a deployed orientation orthogonal to the back wall, and a folded orientation at an angle less than orthogonal to the back wall. Pivot arms (151, 152, Fig. 7) of the pivoting mechanism are connected to the side profiles to be rotated about a first horizontal axis. The mechanism includes an axle (153, Fig. 6), extending between the pivot arms (151, 152, Fig. 7) and is offset from the first horizontal axis to create a second horizontal axis. The base is rotatably connected to the pivot arms through the axle so as to be rotated directly about the second horizontal axis and about the first horizontal axis at a radius of said offset allowing for nesting of such roll containers, as well as providing plural levels at which the base 140 may be mounted.

Description

CONTAINER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to logistics equipment. In particular, the invention relates to roll containers, which may be folded into a nesting configuration. More specifically, the invention relates to a container according to the preamble portion of claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART

Roll containers are a popular means of moving and temporary storage of goods. Roll containers typically comprise a fixed rear wall, an articulated base, side walls and a plurality of rigid or swivel castors or both or both attached to the rear or side walls or to a chassis, which acts as a mounting platform for the components of the container. There is a variety of different types of roll containers, but a nesting type has achieved great popularity. Nesting roll containers may be divided into different sub-categories depending on which element of the container acts as the mounting platform. The so called V-frame roll container features a rear wall, wherein the side walls and base are attached to opposing ends of the rear frame element in a pivoting manner. The rear wall of a V-frame roll container therefore acts as the chassis In order to achieve a nesting condition, the base is raised to a vertical position and the side walls are turned outwards to form a V or U shape. Two rigid castors are attached to the rear of the container, namely to the rear frame element, whereby two swivel castors are attached to the front of the container, namely to the front ends of the side frame sections. Roll containers of the nesting type are described in greater detail in the European standard for roll containers EN12674-1, which uses somewhat different terminology to refer to the chassis of the roll container. Indeed, the V-frame roll container is efficient and light and therefore especially popular in transporting small items, such as postal parcels.

While being volumetrically efficient, traditional V-frame roll containers of the nesting type may be considered unergonomic because the operator must reach quite low down to grab the items lying on the base of the container. Solutions for minimizing the need to crouch are known for raising the base of rigid roll containers. Such solutions include, for example, scissor platforms, the height of which may be finely adjusted. A scissor platform is, however, very heavy and is therefore only suitable for heavy duty containers.

In addition, the scissor platform mechanism prevents the roll container for folding, whereby the containers cannot be nested, which severely impedes the efficiency of the container.

It would therefore be desirable to further improve the ergonomics of containers intended for logistics use. In particular, there is a need for a light nesting roll container, which would be more ergonomic than traditional V-frame roll containers. More specifically, it is a particular aim of certain embodiments to provide a roll container, which would not only enable nesting but also be comply with modern working ergonomics requirements applied in postal logistics, for example.

SUMMARY

The aim of the present invention is achieved with aid of a novel container having a back wall with a first side profile at a lateral side of the back wall and a second side profile at an opposing lateral side of the back wall. Connected to the first profile is a first side wall and connected to the second side profile is a second side wall. The roll container also includes a pivoting mechanism, which pivots a base in respect to the back wall between a deployed orientation, in which the base extends orthogonally in respect to the back wall, and a folded orientation, in which the base extends in an angle closer to being parallel than orthogonal in respect to the back wall. A first pivot arm of the pivoting mechanism is arranged to a gap between the first side profile and the first side wall and pivotably connected to the first side profile to be rotated about a first horizontal axis. A second pivot arm of the pivoting mechanism is arranged to a gap between the second side profile and the second side wall and pivotably connected to the second side profile to be rotated about the first horizontal axis. The pivoting mechanism further includes an axle, which extends between the first pivot arm and the second pivot arm and is offset from the first horizontal axis by an offset so as to create a second horizontal axis offset from the first horizontal axis. The base is rotatably connected to the first and second pivot arm through the axle so as to be rotated directly about the second horizontal axis and about the first horizontal axis at a radius of said offset.

More specifically, the roll container according to the present invention is characterized by the characterizing portion of claim 1.

Considerable benefits are gained with aid of the present invention. Because the novel pivoting mechanism is arranged to the side of the rear wall, the container may be folded and the base may be guided into two horizontal positions and two folding vertical positions. Especially when used in connection with a folding roll container, the novel mechanism greatly improves the ergonomics compared to conventional V-frame roll containers and on the other hand volumetric efficiency and lightness compared to rigid roll containers with elevating scissor platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail 10 with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 presents a perspective view of a roll container according to one embodiment in a deployed configuration, in which the base is set to a horizontal position at a lower height, Fig. 2 presents a side elevation view of the roll container of Fig. 1 with the side wall on the foreground omitted for illustrative purposes, Fig. 3 presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of the roll container of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 presents a perspective view of the roll container of Fig. 1 in a nesting configuration, in which the base is set to a lower height, Fig. 5 presents a side elevation view of the roll container of Fig. 4 with the side wall on the foreground omitted for illustrative purposes, Fig. 6 presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of the roll container of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 presents a perspective view of the roll container of Fig. 1 in a nesting configuration, in which the base is set to a higher height, Fig. 8 presents a side elevation view of the roll container of Fig. 7 with the side wall on the foreground omitted for illustrative purposes, Fig. 9 presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of the roll container of Fig. 8, Fig. 10 presents a perspective view of a roll container of Fig. 1, the base of which being set to a horizontal position at a higher height, Fig. 11 presents a side elevation view of the roll container of Fig. 10 with the side wall on the foreground omitted for illustrative purposes, Fig. 12 presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of the roll container of Fig. l Fig. 13 presents the roll container of Fig. 1 with the majority of the first side wall omitted for highlighting the connection between the base and the swivel castor, Fig. 14a presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of Fig. 13, Fig. 14b presents the view of Fig. 14a with the base omitted for highlighting the wheel plate of the swivel castor, Fig. 15 presents the roll container of Fig. 4 with the majority of the first side wall omitted for highlighting the connection between the base and the swivel castor, Fig. 16a presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of Fig. 15 on the left and Fig. 16b presents a detail view of the highlighted portion of Fig. 15 on the right. 15 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Certain embodiments are hereafter described with reference to Figs. 1 to 16b, which present the novel concept in connection with a folding roll container. While it is appreciated that the concept is equally applicable to any container, such as a crate with fixed side walls, particular benefits are gained, when the mechanism hereafter described is adapted to a folding roll container.

As presented in Fig. 1, the roll container 100 according to one embodiment includes a fixed back wall 110, which acts as a chassis on which the roll container 100 is built. The back wall 110, in turn, is erected on castors 180, which in the illustrated example are rigid castors, i.e. not swivel castors. More particularly, the back wall 110 extends vertically from the top surface of the wheel plate 181 of the rigid castors 180 (see Fig. 3).

The back wall 110 has a first side profile 111 at a lateral side thereof appearing closer in Fig. 1 and a second side profile (no ref numeral) at the opposing lateral side. The side profiles act as mounting platforms to side walls 120, 130 -namely a first side wall 120 and a second side wall 130 -and to a base 140, which also is pivotably attached to the side profiles. The side walls 120, 130 include a frame made of a hinged rear vertical beam 121, 131, an opposing distal vertical beam 122, 132 and horizontal beams 123, 124, 125, 126, 132, 133, 134, 135 and 136 connecting them. The side walls 120, 130 may include a panel, mesh or similar barrier (not shown) attached to the beams 121 -126 for preventing access to the contents of the roll container. The base 140 is a simple platform for receiving the items to be transported and contains a base plate 141 supported on a frame made of a terminal transversal beam 142, a pivoting transversal beam 143 on opposite ends of the base 140 and longitudinal beams 144 connecting them.

The first side walls 120 is hinged to the first side profile 111 by a hinge, which is set up by the aligned and cooperating hinge counterparts 127, 128 arranged to the vertical beam 121 of the first side wall 120 and to the first side profile 111. The resulting hinge allows the first side wall 120 to be articulated between a distanced nesting configuration (see Figs. 4 and 7), in which the distal end of the first side wall 120, which opposes the hinged end, is deviated outward and a proximal deployed configuration (see Figs. 1 and 10), in which the first side wall 120 extends orthogonally in respect to the back wall 110. The second side wall 130 is similarly hinged to the second side profile of the back wall 110. Accordingly, the distal ends of the side walls 120, 130 are further apart from each other in the distanced nesting configuration than the hinged ends. Conversely, the distal ends of the side walls 120, 130 are at equal distance from each other as the hinged end in the proximal deployed configuration. Either or preferably both of the cooperating hinge counterparts 127, 128 is cammed so as to limit the movement of the resulting hinge.

The base 140 is pivotably connected to the back wall 110 through a pivoting mechanism 150, which guides the base 140 between four locked positions through intermediate positions there between. These four locked or basic positions may be divided into two categories and two sub-categories in each category. The first category defines the angular relationship between the base 140 and the back wall 110. Firstly, the base 140 may be arranged into a deployed orientation, in which the base 140 extends orthogonally in respect to the back wall 100, which is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 and 11 to 14. As is best seen in Fig. 13, the base 140 extends from the back wall 110 virtually gapless by virtue of the pivoting mechanism 150 being arranged to the side of the roll container. In other words, the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140 is adjacent to and preferably engages the bottom horizontal beam 112 of the back wall 110. Secondly, the base 140 may be arranged into a folded orientation, in which the base 140 extends substantially parallel to the back wall 100, which is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9, 15 and 16. In this context, substantially parallel means that base 140 extends in respect to the back wall 110 in an angle, which closer to being parallel than orthogonal. According to a particular embodiment, the base 140 extends in the folded orientation in a 0 to 45 degree angle, preferably 0 to 20 degree angle, formed at the second horizontal axis in respect to the back wall 110. The second horizontal axis shall be discussed in greater detail later on in the description.

The second category defines the elevation of the base 140, which may be articulated into a lower elevation shown in Figs. 1 to 6 and 13 to 16 and into a higher elevation shown in Figs. 7 to 12. With aid of the pivoting mechanism 150, the base 140 may be guided into either angular orientation at either elevation. The features of the pivoting mechanism 150 enabling the four locked positions are discussed in greater detail in the following.

The pivoting mechanism 150 includes two opposing pivot arms; a first pivot arm 151 pivotably connected to the first side profile 111 of the back wall 110 and a second pivot arm 152 connected to the second side profile of the back wall 110. The pivot arms 151, 152 are illustrated as contoured plates in the illustrated examples, but it is understood that also other shapes are conceivable. It is also to be understood that the first and second pivot arms 151, 152 similar arms provided as mirrored counterparts on the opposite lateral sides of the roll container 100. Accordingly, the features of the first pivot arm 151 discussed here after are similarly applicable to the second pivot arm 152.

Turning now particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, which show that the first pivot arm 151 is arranged to a gap between the first side profile 111 and the first side wall 120. The first pivot arm 151 is pivotably connected to the first side profile 111 to be rotated about a first horizontal axis. Similarly but not as explicitly shown in the Figs., the second pivot arm 152 is arranged to a gap between the second side profile and the second side wall 130. The second pivot arm 152 is pivotably connected to the second side profile to be rotated about the same first horizontal axis as the first pivot arm 151. The first horizontal axis is in the illustrated example formed by a pin 151d extending from the first pivot arm 151 towards the back wall 110 and a receptive opening Illa provided to the side profile 111 of the back wall 110 and dimensioned to allow a sliding fit there between. The resulting hinge 111a, 151d is preferably a sliding hinge, whereby the opening 111a is elongated in the vertical direction for allowing the first horizontal axis to translate vertically. Naturally, the same result would be achieved by reversing the pin-opening construction.

The first horizontal axis allows the pivot arms 151, 152 to be rotated between the position shown in Figs. 1 to 6 and 13 to 16, which results to the lower elevation position of the base 140, and the position shown in Figs. 7 to 12, which results to the higher elevation position of the base 140. When the pivot arms 151, 152 are in the position, which yields the lower elevation position of the base 140 (i.e. Figs. 1 to 6 and 13 to 16), the end opposing the hinged end of the pivot arm 151, 152 rests against the wheel plate 181, which therefore acts as a stopper for the rotating movement of the pivot arms 151, 152.

When, on the other hand, the pivot arms 151, 152 are in the position, which yields the higher elevation position of the base 140 (i.e. Figs. 7 to 12), the pivot arms 151, 152 are secured to that position by means of mutually cooperating forms provided to the side profiles of the back wall 110 and on the pivot arms 151, 152. Such cooperating forms may be provided, for example, by one or more retainer pin(s) 111b, 111c protruding from the side surface of the side profile 111 of the back wall 110. Conversely, the pivot arm 151 includes one or more respective recess(es) 151a, 151b, which are shaped to engage with the cooperating retainer pin 111b, 111c so as to hold the pivot arm 151 retained on the retainer pin(s) 111b, 111c. In the illustrated example, the cooperating forms include two pins, namely a first retainer pin 111c and a second retainer pin 11 lb. The first retainer pin 111c is sturdier than the second retainer 111b and therefore constructed to bear majority of the load of the base 140 in the higher elevation position (see Figs. 9 and 12). The second retainer pin 111b, on the other hand, is provided underneath the first retainer pin 111c to receive and withstand the bending moment caused by the weight of and on the base 140. The double pin construction has the benefit of removing most of the load from the sliding hinge 111a, 151d thus extending the life of the pin 151d. The recess 151b on the pivot arm 151 for engaging the first retainer pin 111 c is preferably shaped so as to require a lifting motion of the pivot arm 151, when rotating the pivot arm 151 about the first horizontal axis for preventing accidental rotation of the pivot arm. A suitable shape is illustrated in Fig. 3 and includes cavity on the bottom of the recess thus creating a claw-like side wall for the recess. The lifting motion is enabled by the vertically elongated opening 111a.

In addition to the first horizontal axis, a second horizontal axis is provided to the pivot arm for mutual rotation between the pivot arm and the base 140. The second horizontal axis is provided by means of an axle 153, which extends between the first pivot arm 151 and the second pivot arm 152. The axle 153 is arranged to run in the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140. More specifically the axle 153 is provided to the hollow transversal beam 143 of the base 140 via a sliding fit there between so as to establish a rotation of the base 140 about the second horizontal axis. In the illustrated example the axle 153 extends between the pivot arms 151, 152 by connecting them. While the connection is not necessary, it adds the benefit for ensuring that the pivot arms 151, 152 are rotated simultaneously so as to avoid any warping and wedging of the base 140. In other words, it would be possible to equip both pivot arms with individual "short" axles (not shown), which would pivot the base in respect to the pivot arm.

The second horizontal axis is offset from the first horizontal axis by an offset. The base is therefore rotatably connected to the first and second pivot arm 151, 152 through the axle 153 so as to be rotated directly about the second horizontal axis and about the first horizontal axis at a radius of the offset. The second horizontal axis enables the deployed orientation of the base 140, which is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 and 11 to 14, and the folded orientation, which is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9, 15 and 16. The first and second pivot arms 151, 152 are therefore pivotable about the first horizontal axis so that the second horizontal axis is rotatable between a lower height position (Figs. 1 to 6 and 13 to 16), in which the second horizontal axis is at most at the same height as or preferably lower than the first horizontal axis, and a higher height position (Figs. 9 and 12), in which the second horizontal axis is higher than the first horizontal axis.

In the deployed orientation, the base 140 is kept in the horizontal orientation by a locking mechanism 160, which shall be described in greater detail later in the description. In the folded orientation, the base 140 is kept in the substantially vertical orientation (Fig. 6), i.e. in an angle closer to being parallel than orthogonal in respect to the back wall 110, by means of guiding surfaces provided as contours on the pivot arm and respective protrusions provided to the base 140. More specifically, in the lower elevation position, the base 140 is kept in the substantially vertical orientation by a protrusion 146, which protrudes laterally from the base 140 and which is configured to rest against the side surface of the recess 151b of the pivot arm 151. It is to be noted that in Fig. 6, for example, the protrusion 146 is not shown in contact with pivot arm 151. In practice, the base 140 would be rotated about the first horizontal axis to bring the protrusion 146 into contact with the side surface of the recess 15 lb. The same notion applies to the rest of the drawings. Therefore as mentioned above, the folded orientation is to be understood as the substantially vertical orientation. In the higher elevation position (Fig. 9), the base is kept in the substantially vertical orientation by a pin 144a, which protrudes laterally from the base 140 and which is configured to rest against the side surface of appropriately contoured pivot arm 151. The pivot arm 151 is therefore shaped to include a limiting section, i.e. a step, which extends vertically, when the pivot arm 151 is in the position where the second horizontal axis is in the higher height, for retaining the base 140 in the folded orientation via the pin 144a. As is also visible from Fig. 9, the recess 151c is shaped to conform to the path of the 144a that is formed by the rotation and translation between the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140 and the axle 153 therein. The translation mentioned above is described later on in the description.

The pivot arms 151, 152 preferably each include a central opening 151e and the side walls 120, 130 a respective pin 121a to improve safety of the roll container 100. The pin 121a extends towards the base 140 and is be inserted into the opening 151e of the respective pivot arm 151, 152, when the side wall 120, 130 is turned from the distanced nesting configuration into the proximal deployed configuration. In this context, distanced nesting configuration refers to a configuration, where the side walls 120, 130 are turned about the hinge in respect to the back wall 110 such that the ends of the side walls 120, opposing the hinged end are further apart from each other than the hinged ends. This opened state facilitates nesting. Also, proximal deployed configuration 'Vers to a configuration, where the roll container is in a deployed state, in which the side walls 120, 130 extend orthogonally from the back wall 110. The ends of the side walls 120, 130 opposing the hinged ends and said hinged ends are at similar distance from one another. The contact between the pin 121a and the opening 151e therefore prevents rotation of the pivot arms 151, 152 about the first horizontal axis, whereby the elevation of the base 140 may only be adjusted, when the side walls are in the distanced nesting configuration, i.e. opened. The opening 151e is preferably elongated so as to allow the pin 121a of the side wall 120 to be inserted into the opening 15 le of the pivot arm 151, 152 in both the lower height position of the second horizontal axis and higher height position of the second horizontal axis.

In the deployed orientation in the higher elevation position (Figs. 10 to 12), the base 140 is kept in the horizontal orientation by a locking mechanism 160, which is provided to the end of the base 140, which opposes the pivoting mechanism 150, i.e. to the distal end. More specifically, the locking mechanism 160 is attached to the terminal transversal beam 142, which opposes the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140. The locking mechanism 160 includes a laterally protruding securing pin 161, which is preferably biased, such as spring-biased, to actively push away from the base 140 towards the side wall 120. The preferably suspended securing pin 161 not only facilitates easy locking action but also prevents the mechanism from damage. Accordingly, the side wall 120 includes a cooperating receptive slot 135a for receiving the securing pin 161 to lock the base 140 into the deployed orientation. The locking mechanism 160 may simply be arranged by means of an elongated shell terminating to a closed end acting as a stopper 162, against which an internal biasing spring (not shown) may rest. The securing pin 161 is then arranged on the biasing spring to be biased outward and held in the shell by a flange, which limits the extension of the securing pin 161 by engaging with a circumferential limiter at the open end. The securing pin 161 preferably includes an annular groove or recess (not shown) for engaging with the vertical edge of the receptive slot 135a so as to lock the securing pin 161 to the receptive slot 135a. The groove or recess enables disengagement by simply lifting the base 140 while preventing the side walls 120, 130 from being opened.

In the deployed orientation in the lower elevation position (Figs. 1 to 3, 13 and 14), the base 140 is kept in the horizontal orientation by the anchors 145, which protrude from the bottom surface of the base 140. The anchors 145 are configured to engage with the wheel plate 171 of the castors 170, which are connected to the bottom horizontal beams 126, 136 of the side walls 120, 130. In the illustrated example, the castors 170 are swivel castors, which are arranged to oppose the castors at the back of the roll container, namely the rigid castors 180. The wheel plates 171 of the castors 170 extend from the opposing bottom horizontal beams 126, 136 of the side walls 120, 130 toward each other so as to create a support for the base 140 in the deployed orientation in the lower height. The wheels 172 of the castors 170 are therefore positioned slightly off the bottom horizontal beams 126, 136 of the side walls 120, 130. As best seen in Figs. 14a and 14b, the wheel plate 171 is specifically shaped as a cup for receiving the appropriately shaped anchor 145. In other words, the anchor 145 is a protuberance and the wheel plate 171 is shaped to include a recess for receiving the anchor 145 in a removable manner. The anchor 145 and the corresponding wheel plate 171 are such dimensioned that the width of the anchor fits the shape of the wheel plate 171 so as to prevent the side walls 120, 130 to be turned about the hinges 127, 128.

The above-described embodiments provide a roll container, which not only enables nesting but is also ergonomic to use by virtue of the base, which can be deployed in to different elevations. The roll container 100 may be converted from the deployed configuration depicted in Fig. 1 into the folding configuration depicted in Fig. 4 by lifting the base 140 from the small handle bar transversally connecting the longitudinal beams 144 by hand or by the foot. The anchors 145 simply lift off the wheel plates 171 and the base 140 may be rotated about the second horizontal axis, i.e. the axle 153 going through the hollow longitudinal beam 144 of the base 140. The side walls 120, 130 are simultaneously separated, i.e. rotated about the hinge 127, 128. The rotation of the base 140 is then continued and the base 140 lifted so that protrusion 146 is received into the recess 151b on the pivot arms 151, 152. The lifting of the base, i.e. the vertical translation of the base 140, is enabled by an appropriate play between the axle 153 and the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the pivoting transversal beam 143 of the base 140 is a profile having a generally C or U shaped cross section. The pivoting transversal beam 143 is dimensioned such that there is play between the axle 153 and the surrounding profile so as to enable translation and rotation of the base 140 in respect to the axle 153 and therefore in respect to the second horizontal axis. The translation is specifically created for allowing the base NO to be slightly moved vertically so as to allow, for example, the pin 144a to be dropped into the locked position shown in Fig. 9 and the protrusion 146 to be dropped into the locked position shown in Fig. 6. The pivoting transversal beam 143 is closed as closed profile by a closing plate having extensions, which are attached to the bottom surface of the longitudinal beams 144 of the base 140 (see Figs. 4 and 7).

The design of the pivoting transversal beam 143 and the shape of the anchors 145 have a cooperating function. Firstly, cross-sectional profile of the pivoting transversal beam 143 includes a flat bottom created by the closing plate. Secondly, the anchors 145 are tapered such that when the anchors 145 engage with the wheel plate 172 (see Figs. 14a and 14b), the slanted side portions of the anchors 145 make contact and slide in respect to the upright collar portion of the wheel plate 172. The sliding movement guides the base 140 rearward, i.e. toward the back wall 110. The rearward movement of the base 140 is on the other hand enabled by the play between the pivoting transversal beam 143 and the axle 153. With the base 140 moved against the back wall 110, the flat bottom of the pivoting transversal beam 143 rests tightly against the flat back wall 110, which prevents items on the base 140 from escaping between the base NO and back wall 110.

The base 140 may then be converted from the folding configuration in the lower elevation position (Fig. 4) into the folding configuration in the higher elevation position (Fig. 7) by rotating the pivot arms 151, 152 about the first horizontal axis, i.e. about the hinge formed between the pin 151d of the pivot arm 151 and the receptive opening 111a in the side profile 111 of the back wall 110. The pivot arms 151, 152 are simultaneously lifted by virtue of the vertical elongation of the opening 111a such to position the retainer pins 111b, 111c in respect to the recesses 151 a, 151b of the pivot arms. The pivot arms 151, 152 are then dropped by virtue of said elongation so that the pivot arms 151, 152 rest on the retainer pins. During this rotation and translation movement, the mutual orientation between the pivot arms 151, 152 and the base 140 is also changed such that protrusion 146 of the base 140 is removed from the recess 151b now occupied by the retainer pin 111c. Instead, the base 140 is held in the substantially vertical orientation by means of the pin 144a resting against the appropriately formed step in the pivot arm.

The base 140 may then be converted from the folding configuration in the higher elevation position (Fig. 7) into the deployed configuration in the higher elevation position (Fig. 10) by lifting the base 140 in respect to the axle 153 by means of the play there between so as to raise the pin 144a over the limiting step. The base 140 is then rotated about the second horizontal axis so as to bring the securing pin 161 into contact with the receptive slots 135a on the horizontal beams 135 of the side walls 130. Simultaneously the side walls 120, 130 are preferably brought towards each other so as to re-enter the pins 121a of the side walls 120, 130 into the openings 151e in the pivot arms 151, 152. With the pins 121a in the openings 151e the base 140 is forced rotate about the second horizontal axis without significant translation impeding the rotation. With the base close to the horizontal orientation, the securing pins 161enter the receptive slots 135a, whereby the base 140 is locked into the side walls 120, 130.

Each maneuver may be reversed in a reversed order so as to reconfigure the roll container between the four locked positions.

TABLE 1: LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS.

Number 100 Part Number Part base roll container 140 back wall 141 base plate 111 side profile 142 terminal transversal beam 111a elongated opening 143 pivoting transversal beam 111b second retainer pin 144 longitudinal beam 111c first retainer pin 144a pin 112 bottom horizontal beam 145 anchor first side wall 146 protrusion 121 vertical beam 150 pivoting mechanism 121a pin 151 first pivot arm 122 vertical beam 151a recess 123 horizontal beam 151b recess 124 horizontal beam 151c recess horizontal beam 151d pin 126 horizontal beam 151e opening 127 hinge counterpart 152 second pivot arm 128 hinge counterpart 153 axle second side wall 160 locking mechanism 131 vertical beam 161 securing pin 132 vertical beam 162 stopper 133 horizontal beam 170 swivel castor 134 horizontal beam 171 wheel plate horizontal beam 172 wheel 135a receptive slot 180 rigid castor 136 horizontal beam 181 wheel plate

Claims

CLAIMS1. A container (100) comprising: a back wall (110) having a first side profile (111) at a lateral side of the back wall (110) and a second side profile at an opposing lateral side of the back wall (110), - a first side wall (120) connected to the first side profile (111), a second side wall (130) connected to the second side profile, - a base (140), and - a pivoting mechanism (150) connecting one end of the base (140) to the back wall (110) so as to pivot the base (140) in respect to the back wall (100) between: o a deployed orientation, in which the base (140) extends orthogonally in respect to the back wall (110), and o a folded orientation, in which the base (140) extends in an angle closer to being parallel than orthogonal in respect to the back wall (110), characterized in that the pivoting mechanism (150) comprises: a first pivot arm (151), which is arranged to a gap between the first side profile (111) and the first side wall (120) and which is pivotably connected to the first side profile (111) to be rotated about a first horizontal axis, a second pivot arm (152), which is arranged to a gap between the second side profile and the second side wall (130) and which is pivotably connected to the second side profile to be rotated about the first horizontal axis, and an axle (153) extending between the first pivot arm (151) and the second pivot arm (152) and offset from the first horizontal axis by an offset so as to create a second horizontal axis offset from the first horizontal axis, wherein the base (140) is rotatably connected to the first and second pivot arm (151, 152) through the axle (153) so as to be rotated directly about the second horizontal axis and about the first horizontal axis at a radius of said offset.
2. The container (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pivot arms (151, 152) are pivotable about the first horizontal axis so that the second horizontal axis is rotatable between: a lower height position, in which the second horizontal axis is at most at the same height as or preferably lower than the first horizontal axis, and a higher height position, in which the second horizontal axis is higher than the first horizontal axis.
3 The container (100) according to claim 2, wherein the side profiles and the first and second pivot arms (151, 152) comprise mutually cooperating forms for securing the first and second pivot arm (151, 152) into the respective side profile of the back wall (110) in the higher height position of the second horizontal axis.
4 The container (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: the side profiles (111) of the rear wall (110) comprise at least one protruding retainer pin (11 lb, 111c), and wherein the pivot arms (151, 152) comprise respective at least one recess (151a, 151b) shaped to engage with the at least one retainer pin (111b, 111c) and to hold the pivot arms (151, 152) retained on the at least one retainer pin (111b, 111c), when the pivot arm (151, 152) is rotated about the first horizontal axis such that second horizontal axis is in the higher height position.
5. The container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pivoting motion between the pivot arms (151, 152) and the side profile of the rear wall (110) is enabled by a sliding fit between a pin (151d) and elongated opening (111a) provided to the pivot arm (151) and to the side profile (111), respectively, or vice versa.
6. The container (100) according to claims 3 or 4 and 5, wherein the elongated opening (111a) extends in the vertical direction for providing clearance between the cooperating forms of the pivot arms (151, 152) and the side profile of the rear wall (110).
7. The container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base (140) comprises a protrusion (146) extending from the base (140) so as to be received into a corresponding recess (151b) in the pivot arm (151), which recess (151b) is configured to lock the base (140) into the folded orientation.
8. The container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container is a roll container.
9. The roll container (100) according to claim 8, wherein the roll container is a folding roll container: the first side wall (120) of which is hinged to the first side profile (H1) of the back wall (110), and the second side wall (130) of which hinged to the second side profile of the back wall (110).
10. The roll container (100) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: the pivot arms (151, 152) each comprise a central opening (151e), and wherein the side walls (120, 130) each comprise a pin (121a) extending towards the base (140) and configured to be inserted into the opening (151e) of the respective pivot arm (151, 152) upon turning the side walls from a distanced nesting configuration into a proximal deployed configuration for preventing rotation of the pivot arms (151, 152) about the first horizontal axis.
11. The roll container according to claim 10, wherein the opening (151e) is elongated so as to allow the pin (121a) of the side wall (120, 130) to be inserted into the opening (151e) of the pivot arm (151, 152) in both the lower height position of the second horizontal axis and higher height position of the second horizontal axis.
12. The container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: an end of the base (140) opposing the pivoting mechanism (150) is provided with a locking mechanism (160) having a laterally protruding securing pin (161), the first and second side wall (120, 130) are provided with a receptive slot (135a), which is configured to receive the securing pin (161) for locking the base (140) into the deployed orientation.
13. The container (100) according to claim 12, wherein the securing pin (161) is biased to protrude away from the base (140) toward the side wall (120, 130).
14. The container (100) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the securing pin (161) comprises an annular groove or recess for engaging with a vertical edge of the receptive slot (135a)
15. The roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims 8 to 14, wherein: the side walls (120, 130) each comprise a bottom horizontal beam (126, 136), a castor (170) is connected to the bottom horizontal beam (126, 136) of both side walls (120, 130) from a wheel plate (171), whereby the wheel plates (171) of the opposing castors (170) which extends from the bottom horizontal beam (126, 136) toward each other so as to create a support for the base (140) in the deployed orientation in the lower height, and wherein the bottom surface of the base (140) comprises anchors (145), which are configured to engage with the exposed wheel plates (171) of the castors (170) for locking the base (140) into the deployed orientation.
16. The roll container (100) according to claim 15, wherein the anchor (145) is a protuberance and wherein the wheel plate (171) is shaped to include a recess for receiving the anchor (145).
17. The roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims 8 to 16, wherein the side walls (120, 130) are hinged to the respective side profiles of the back wall (110) so as to be articulated between a: a distanced nesting configuration, in which the ends of the side walls (120, 130) opposing the hinged ends are further apart from each other than the hinged ends, and a proximal deployed configuration, in which the ends of the side walls (120, 130) opposing the hinged ends are at equal distance from each other as the hinged ends.
18. The container (100) according to any of the preceding claims 8 to 17, wherein the side profile (111) and the side walls (120, 130) comprise cooperating hinge counterparts (127, 128), whereby the hinge counterparts (127, 128) form a hinge for pivoting the side walls (120, 130) away from each other to prepare the roll container (100) for nesting, wherein at least either hinge counterpart is cammed so as to limit the movement of the resulting hinge.
19. The roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims 8 to 18, wherein in the folded orientation, the base (140) extends in a 0 to 45 degree angle, preferably 0 to 20 degree angle, formed at the second horizontal axis in respect to the back wall (110).