BACKGOUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a collapsible container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a collapsible container including a stiffener for locking the collapsible container in the erected condition.

Collapsible containers are known in the art and are commonly available and used for a multitude of purposes. Collapsible containers are particularly common in single-use applications. These containers typically include a base having a plurality of sidewalls extending therefrom, with at least a pair of the sidewalls defining fold lines that allow such sidewalls to collapse onto themselves. When the collapsible sidewalls collapse onto themselves by folding along such fold lines, it enables the other of the sidewalls to subsequently collapse onto the base. The systematic collapsing of sidewalls allows the container to collapse into a relatively small volume for effective storage and/or transportation of such container. An example of such a collapsible container is disclosed by R.T. Frieders et al. in US patent document no. 2 551 324.

Further, collapsible containers having a means for locking the container in the erected condition are also known. An example of such a container and locking means is taught by W.J. Coughlin et al. in US patent document no. 4 014 292, disclosing a container having sidewalls collapsible onto themselves along converging fold lines, as well as J-shaped channels for locking the container in the erected condition by providing a rigid structure across the converging fold lines. These J-shaped channels can be removed from the sidewalls to which they are connected in order to enable such sidewalls to collapse along the fold lines defined thereon.

The aforementioned prior art forms the basis for the current invention, however, a major drawback of the Coughlin et al. invention is that the requirement for the J-shaped channel to be completely removed from the container to enable collapsing of the sidewalk This requirement is disadvantageous in that it increases the likelihood of misplacing or losing such channels and prevents a user from assembling a container in preparation for usage while allowing the container to be stored in the collapsed condition. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to address the aforementioned disadvantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a collapsible container including: at least one shell comprising: a base; a plurality of sidewalls extending from the base, each of the sidewalls defining a first end connected to the base and an opposing second free end, wherein at least two opposing sidewalls of the shell are collapsible sidewalls each defining thereon a pair of fold lines extending from the first end of the respective collapsible sidewall towards the second free end thereof in a converging fashion, so as define a fold line dimension as measured between the converging fold lines at the second free end of the collapsible sidewall; wherein the collapsible sidewalls are: divided by the fold lines between a central portion, lying on one side of the fold lines, and a pair of lateral portions each flanking the central portion on an opposite side of the respective fold lines; and

movable between: a collapsed condition, wherein the collapsible sidewalls collapse on themselves along the fold lines to lie on the base with the other of the sidewalls lying over the collapsed sidewalls; and an erected condition, wherein the sidewalls stand erected from the base to form a receptacle structure; and at least one stiffener including: a pair of engaging zones spaced from one another across a stiffening axis by a dimension being greater than the fold line dimension; and a mounting formation for slidably mounting the stiffener on the central portion of the collapsible sidewall, wherein the mounting formation is located on a mounting axis, being orthogonal with the stiffening axis and lying between the engaging zones, the mounting formation being spaced from the stiffening axis along the mounting axis by a mounting distance being greater than a dimension by which the engaging zones extend from such stiffening axis in the same first direction; characterized in that the stiffener is slidably movable on the collapsible sidewall between: an unlocked condition, wherein the engaging zones of the stiffener are displaced beyond the second free end of the collapsible sidewall and consequentially disengaged from the lateral portions thereof thereby to enable movement of the collapsible sidewall between the collapsed and erected conditions; and a locked condition, wherein the engaging zones engage the lateral portions of the collapsible sidewall at or near the second free end thereof such that the stiffener spans across and beyond both converging lines thereby to stiffen and lock the collapsible sidewall in the erected condition.

Preferably, the stiffener defines thereon a virtual gripping triangle having: a pair of base corners at or near which the engaging zones lie; a basal line extending between the base corners and being coaxial or parallel with the stiffening axis; and a vertex at or near which the mounting formation lies such that the virtual gripping triangle comprises sides tapering from the basal line towards the vertex; wherein the virtual gripping triangle comprises a locking line lying: (i) between the basal line and the vertex; and (ii) parallel with the basal line; the locking line having a dimension, as measured across the tapering sides, substantially similar to the fold line dimension, such that the virtual gripping triangle has a:

(i) first width as measured across the tapering sides and lying between the basal line and the locking line, which first width is greater than the fold line dimension; and

(ii) a second width as measured across the tapering sides and lying between the locking line and the vertex, which second width is less than the fold line dimension; such that: (i) in the locked condition, the first width of the virtual gripping triangle spans across the converging fold lines at or near the second free ends of the collapsible sidewalls; and (ii) in the unlocked condition, with the second width of the virtual gripping triangle lying at least partially on the central portion of the collapsible sidewalls, the first width of the virtual gripping triangle is displaced beyond the second free ends of the collapsible sidewalls thereby to disengage the engaging zones from the lateral portions thereof.

In an alternative embodiment, each of the collapsible sidewalls defines: a pair of engagement apertures in the respective lateral portions thereof; and a mounting slot in the central portion thereof; wherein the stiffener includes in each of the engaging zones an engaging post being engageable with the one of the engagement apertures in the locked condition; and further wherein, the mounting formation is a mounting post slidable along the mounting slot through movement between the locked and unlocked conditions.

In a preferred embodiment, the stiffener includes: a spine locatable along the second free end of the collapsible sidewall; a support extending from the spine in the first direction, the support being locatable on a first face of the collapsible sidewall; and a pair of engaging formations defining the pair of engaging zones, wherein each of the engaging formations extend from the spine in the first direction such that each of the engaging formations is locatable on one of the lateral portions of a second face of the collapsible sidewall such that the collapsible sidewall is captured between the engaging formations and the support in the locked condition, and further wherein, the mounting formation extends from the spine in the first direction and is locatable on the central portion of the second face of the collapsible sidewall, such that the collapsible sidewall is captured between the support and the mounting formation while moving between the locked and unlocked conditions.

In a further embodiment, the collapsible container may include a pair of shells hingedly attached to one another along second free ends of one of the sidewalls of each of the shells, thereby defining hinged ends of the shells and opposing free ends thereof, such that the shells are movable relative to one another between: (i) an open condition, wherein the free ends of the shells are spaced from one another; and (ii) a closed condition wherein the free ends of the shells abut or are proximate one another.

Typically, each of the shells includes a handle, for operative engagement with the fingers of a user.

Optionally, the second free end of at least one of the sidewalls defines serrations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible container in an erected condition according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, with shells thereof in a closed position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a stiffener for use with the collapsible container of Figure

1 ; is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a stiffener for use with the collapsible container of Figure 1 ; is a perspective view of the collapsible container of Figure 1 in the erected condition, with the shells thereof in an open position having four stiffeners engaged thereon in different conditions; is a side view of the first collapsible sidewall of the collapsible container of Figure 4 having the stiffener engaged thereon in the locked condition; is a side view of the second collapsible sidewall of the collapsible container of Figure 4 having the stiffener engaged thereon in the raised unlocked condition; is a detailed side view of the third collapsible sidewall of the collapsible container of Figure 4 having the stiffener engaged thereon in the lowered unlocked condition; is a perspective view of the collapsible container of Figure 1 moving between the collapsed and the erected conditions, with four of the stiffeners engaged thereon in their respective unlocked conditions; is a side view of a collapsible sidewall of the collapsible container of Figure 1 with a third embodiment of a stiffener located thereon in the locked condition; and

Figure 6B is a side view of a collapsible sidewall of the collapsible container of Figure 1 with the stiffener of Figure 6A located thereon in the unlocked condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A collapsible container according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is designated generally in Figure 1 by reference numeral 10. The collapsible container 10 is made up of first and second shells 20 hingedly connected to one another by hinge formation 12 to define respective hinged ends 22 and free ends 24. Each of the shells 20 further includes a handle 16 located nearer hinged end 22 for enabling a user to manipulate the shells 20 relative to one another. Each of the shells 20 comprises a base 26, with opposing pairs of end walls 28 and collapsible sidewalls 30 extending from the respective bases 26 thereof. Each of the collapsible sidewalls 30 comprises first ends 32, connected to the base 26, and opposing second free ends 34. Furthermore, each of the collapsible sidewalls 30 defines a pair of converging fold lines 36 extending from opposing sides of the first ends 32 toward the second free ends 34 to define a fold line dimension 38, as measured between the fold lines 36 at the second free ends 34. The converging fold lines 36 divide the collapsible sidewalls 30 into a central portion 40, located between the two fold lines 36, and a pair of lateral portions 42, flanking the central portion 40 on opposite sides of the fold lines 36.

The fold lines 36 enable each of the collapsible sidewalls 30 to collapse onto themselves and towards the respective bases 26 by folding along such fold lines 36, which consequentially folds end walls 28 toward respective bases 26 and onto the collapsed collapsible sidewalls 30. In this manner each of the shells 20 and the collapsible container 10 folds into a collapsed condition wherein the end walls 28 and collapsible sidewalls 30 are sandwiched between the respective bases 26. This is the condition in which the collapsible container 10 will be transported, retailed and stored until required for use. In use, the collapsible container 10 is configured into its erected condition by simply pulling the sidewalls 28, 30 from outwardly from the base 26.

The end wall 28 located at the free end 24 of each shell 20 also defines serrations 14 along an edge of its second free end 34. The combination of handles 16 and serrations 14 allow the collapsible container 10 to be used as a collector for animal excrements. It will be appreciated that with a user's forefingers and thumb engaged with the respective handles 16, the collapsible container 10 is moveable by the user's hand between respective open and closed positions. The serrations 14 increase the efficiency of the collapsible container 10 when collecting excrements among blades of grass or loose gravel. Referring now to Figure 2 of the illustrations, a stiffener 50 comprises a spine 52 having a support 54 depending therefrom in a first direction "D". A pair of engaging formations 56 extends from the spine 52 in the same first direction "D", spaced substantially parallel from a support face 54A of the support 54, thereby to define therebetween respective engaging zones 57 in which a portion of the collapsible sidewalls 30 of the shells 20 may be slidably captured within. The engaging formations 56 are preferably located near lateral ends of the stiffener 50 such that they are spaced from one another along a stiffening axis 58 by a dimension greater than the fold line dimension 38, to enable each of the engaging formations 56 to engage one of the lateral portions 42 of one of the collapsible sidewalls 30. A mounting formation 60 extends from a central section of the spine 52, also in the first direction "D" and spaced substantially parallel from the support face 54A of the support 54, thereby to slidably capture the central portion 40 of the collapsible sidewall 30 between it and the support 54. The mounting formation 60 extends from the spine 52 along a mounting axis 62, which is orthogonal to the stiffening axis 58. The mounting formation 60 extends from the spine 52 for a mounting distance "d1 ", being greater than the distance "d2" by which the engaging formations 56 extend from the spine 52 in the same first direction "D". It will be appreciated that this configuration is essential in order to enable the mounting formation 60 to remain engaged with the collapsible sidewall 30 while moving the stiffener 50 between the locked and unlocked conditions as will be explained below with reference to Figures 4A to 4C and Figures 6A and 6B.

Figure 3 of the illustrations shows an alternative embodiment of a stiffener 150, which stiffener 150 includes engaging posts 156 and a mounting post 160. Corresponding apertures may be defined in the lateral portions 42 of the collapsible sidewalls 30 for receiving the engaging posts 156. Additionally, the central portion 40 of the collapsible sidewall 30 may define a slot for receiving the mounting post 160, such that the stiffener 150 is able to slide along the collapsible sidewall 30 while remaining engaged therewith. In this manner, the stiffener 150 may be slidably mounted to the collapsible sidewall 30 by engaging the mounting post 160 in the slot defined in the central portion 40 of the collapsible sidewall 30. Further, the collapsible sidewall 30 may be locked in the erected condition by engaging the engaging posts 156 in the apertures defined in the lateral portions 42 of the collapsible sidewalls 30 and, conversely, unlocked by removing the engaging posts 156 from such apertures.

Figure 4, and with reference now back to the preferred embodiment of the invention, depicts the various conditions of a plurality of stiffeners 50 relative to the collapsible container 10 in its erected condition, with the end walls 28 and collapsible sidewalls 30 standing erect from the respective bases 26, and in its open condition, with its respective shells 20A, 20B lying in the open position about the hinged ends 22. The stiffeners 50 as mounted on the opposing collapsible sidewalls 30A, 30B of the first shell 20A are shown in their respective locked conditions, as will be explained in more detail later in this specification, particularly with reference to Figure 4A. The stiffener 50 as mounted on one of the collapsible sidewalls 30A of the second shell 20B is shown in its respective raised and unlocked condition, as will be explained in more detail later in this specification, particularly with reference to Figure 4B.

The stiffener 50 as mounted on the other of the collapsible sidewalls 30B of the second shell 20B is shown in its respective lowered unlocked condition, as will be explained in more detail later in this specification, particularly with reference to Figure 4C.

With reference to Figure 4A, and with the stiffener 50 slidably lowered along the collapsible sidewall 30A of the shell 20A into the locked condition, the spine 52 is located along the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall 30A, spanning across the fold line dimension 38, such that the stiffener 50 stiffens the collapsible sidewall 30A through restricting folding about the fold lines 36 and, in so doing, locking the collapsible sidewall 30A of the shell 20A in the erected condition. It will be appreciated that in the locked condition, the lateral portions 42 of the collapsible sidewall 30A are captured in the engaging zones 57 between the support 54 and the respective engaging formations 56. Simultaneously, the central portion 40 of the same collapsible sidewall 30A is captured between the support 54 and the mounting formation 60.

With reference now to Figure 4B, it can be seen that the spine 52 of the stiffener 50 is slidably raised beyond the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall 30A of the shell 20B into the unlocked condition. In this raised unlocked condition, the engaging formations 56 are too raised beyond the free end 34 of the same collapsible sidewall 30A, and consequentially out of engagement with the lateral portions 42 thereof, thereby to enable folding of the collapsible sidewall 30A about the fold lines 36 and therefore movement thereof from the erected condition towards the collapsed condition.

It will also be appreciated that due to the mounting distance "d1 " of the mounting formation 60 being greater than the distance "d2" of the engaging formations 56, the collapsible sidewall 30A remains captured between the mounting formation 60 and the support 54 with the stiffener 50 slid into the locked condition, the unlocked condition or any condition there between. With reference now to Figure 4C, the stiffener 50 is again shown in a lowered condition relative to the collapsible sidewall 30B of the shell 20B, but without the lateral portions 42 thereof captured between the engaging formations 56 and the support 54. In other words, the engaging formations 56 and the support 54 are located on the same side of the collapsible sidewall 30B such that even in this lowered condition, the stiffener 50 remains in an unlocked condition relative to such collapsible sidewall 30B.

Figure 5 of the accompanying illustrations depicts the collapsible container 10 being moved between the erected and the collapsed conditions, with the stiffeners 50 mounted to each of the collapsible sidewalls 30 in the unlocked condition.

Figure 6A and 6B illustrates the principal through which the sidewalls 30 are locked by way of an alternative embodiment in which the sidewall 30 defines a mounting slot 44 in the central portion 40. The stiffener 250 comprises a body 252 from which extends a mounting post 260 configured for insertion into and for sliding retention in the mounting slot 44. The stiffener 250 further includes two engaging formations 256 extending from the body 252 for capturing the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall 30 between the body 252 and the engaging formations 256.

The stiffener 250 is shown as mounted to one of the collapsible sidewalls 30, with detail being shown for the fold lines 36. The stiffener 250 is shown as moving between the locked and unlocked conditions with Figure 6A illustrating the stiffener 250 in the locked condition and Figure 6B illustrating the stiffener 250 in the unlocked condition.

The body 252 is substantially triangular (or whether triangular or of another shape, defines a virtual gripping triangle) defining a pair of base corners 266 extending laterally beyond the fold lines 36 as measured at the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall. These base corners 266 represent the engaging zones 57 wherein engaging formations 256 can be located to resist folding of the collapsible sidewall 30. The base corners 266 are spaced from one another across a basal line 268, being coaxial with or parallel to the stiffening axis 58. Further, and as can be seen from Figures 6A and 6B, the dimension of the base line 268 is greater than the fold line dimension 38, while the vertex 270 of the body 252 as measured on a line across the tapering sides 273 and parallel to the basal line 268 defines a dimension that is smaller than the fold line dimension 38. Disposed between the basal line 268 and the vertex 270 is a locking line 272 that extends across the tapering sides 273 and is parallel to the basal line 268. The dimension of the locking line 272, as measured across the tapering sides 273 of the body 252 (or virtual gripping triangle thereof) is substantially similar to the dimension of the fold line dimension 38. The locking line 272 represents the line that must be displaced beyond the free end 34 of the collapsible container 10 in order to allow unobstructed folding of the collapsible sidewall 30. This principal can be seen in Figures 6A and 6B, the locking line 272 is located proximate the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall 30 in Figure 6A, the base corners 266 obstructing the folding of the lateral portions 42. In Figure 6B the locking line 272 is displaced beyond the free end 34 of the collapsible sidewall 30 and, consequently, the base corners 266 no longer obstructs the folding of the lateral portions 42. The movement between the locked and unlocked conditions is achieved while maintaining the engagement of the stiffener 250 with the collapsible sidewall 30.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that many modifications or variations of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.