The present invention relates to a storage and transport con¬ tainer made of a polymeric material and especially intended for mercantile goods.

Storage and transport containers made of polymeric materials normally comprise a bottom part, four upwards directed side¬ walls and an upper opening for goods optionally covered by a lid or the like. These containers normally have standardised inner and outer measures. Folding and collapsible containers have recently in order to minimise the space occupied by empty containers during return transportation and during storage, been developed. A folding container is disclosed in i.a. DE-G 78 36 695. This container comprises a bottom part, two opposite rigid walls, two opposite hinged walls and an upper rim. The two rigid walls are linked to the upper rim and are upwards foldable. The two hinged walls are horizontally divided in two halves and hinged to the bottom part and to the upper rim.

Rigid and folding containers are useful in many areas, but are, however, not suitable for mercantile goods, which goods must be possible to take out of or put into a container placed in a stack, on a storage shelf or the like. Containers for such uses having one sidewall transformed into an flap door or the like, are known, but are usually reluctantly or not at all accepted by the users as the flap door has a pronounced tendency to interfere with adjacent containers and requires a comparatively large surrounding space for its opening and closing.

Containers having one sidewall transformed into a revolving shutter are also used. The revolving shutter is for its opening arranged in such a way that it for instance can be lowered and positioned under the bottom part. Known is also a sidewall forming a flap door or the like hinged to the bottom part. The flap door is here turned downwards in an angle of 90° and by

means of guiding rails or the like pushed into a cavity in the bottom part of the container.

Plastic containers having a sideways situated opening for goods provided with a flap door or the like, wherein the flap door is pushed into or under the bottom part, exhibit a number of dis¬ advantages. The bottom or the sidewalls must be provided with guiding rails or the like and the bottom part must be designed having a trap opening or an open space corresponding to the flap door. Such arrangements result in a more difficult injec¬ tion moulding requiring unnecessary complex moulding tools. Furthermore, rigidity problems occur in the bottom part, where¬ by the bottom and existing rails are deformed by heavy payloads rendering difficulties in opening and closing the flap door. It is also a common fact that vertical and/or horizontal guiding rails diminish the opening leading to obstructions when taking out or putting in large articles.

Through the present invention above drawbacks have been reduced or eliminated and a storage and transport container comprising a sideways situated opening for goods and a rigid bottom, with¬ out hollow parts such as a trap opening, have been developed. The container according to the invention is made of a polymeric material and comprises a bottom, sidewalls, at least one side¬ ways situated opening with at least one door and optionally a top cover, a lid or the like. The door comprises a flapping section, including a frame, hinged at its upper, lower, left or right side and a sliding section consisting of at least one sliding shutter with a vertical or horizontal trapping direc¬ tion. The door can, thus, be said to constitute a combined sliding and flapping door.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the the sliding and flapping door is hinged to the upper part of the container and the frame includes a partly closed or closed wall segment arranged opposite to the hinged side of the frame, i.e. down-

wards. The sliding shutter traps in such an embodiment verti¬ cally and preferably downwards. In alternative embodiments, the flapping and sliding door comprises one lower and one upper sliding shutter, each provided with at least one positioning and supporting mean. The sliding shutter can also comprise one or more vertically arranged guiding means, which in design and measures correspond to the positioning and supporting means. The sliding shutter may be provided with a grip or handle, pre¬ ferably arranged opposite to its trapping direction. A sliding and flapping door as disclosed in the present invention can be used with, rigid, folding or collapsible containers and pallet containers.

One embodiment of the invention will be more fully disclosed in the following description in conjunction with appended Figures 1-6, wherein:

- Figures 1 - 3 show in perspective views a container according to an embodiment of the invention. The container is of a fol¬ ding type, wherein one side is provided with a combined sli¬ ding and flapping door comprising a frame and a sliding sec¬ tion. The sliding section of the door is in Figure 1 closed and the flapping section partly open, while in Fig. 2 and 3 the sliding section is partly open, in this case two thirds, (Fig. 2) or open (Fig. 3) and the flapping section closed.

- Figures 4 - 6 show in flat views, seen from the side which is provided with a sliding and flapping door, the same container as Figures 1 - 3. The flapping section is closed and the sli¬ ding section is closed (Fig. 4) or partly open, i.e. open one third (Fig. 5) and two thirds (Fig. 6).

The storage and transport container comprises a bottom 1, side¬ walls, one sideways situated opening provided with a combined sliding and flapping door 3 constituting one of the short side¬ walls, an upper rim 4 and a top cover 5. The two opposite long

sidewalls 2 are horizontally divided into an upper and a lower half, which halves individually are hinged to each other and to the bottom 1 or to the rim 4. The top cover 5 is longitudinal divided into two halves and is hinged to the upper rim 4. The top cover 5 covers an upper opening in the container. The door 3 covering the sideways situated opening comprises (i) a frame 6 with a partly closed wall segment 16, which frame 6 is hinged to the upper rim 4 and through a surrounding recess 7 matched to the bottom 1, the sidewalls 2 and the top cover 5 and (ii) a sliding section divided into two vertically working and down¬ wards trapping sliding shutters 8 and 9. The two sliding shut¬ ters 8 and 9 run parallelly in a rail 10 applied in the frame 6. Each sliding shutter 8 or 9 is provided with vertically arranged guiding means 11 and 12 and positioning/supporting means 13 and 14. A guiding mean such as 11 or 12 contributes to the stability of the door 3. The upper sliding shutter 9 is provided with a handle 15 arranged at its upper part.

The sideways situated opening is used primarily intended for taking goods out of a container stored for instance in a stack, on a storage shelf or the like. The upper sliding shutter 9 is then first opened by pulling the handle 15 and thus the sliding shutter down to an end position (see Fig. 5), whereby goods can be taken out from the upper part of the container. In a second step, the lower sliding shutter 8 is opened by pulling the handle 15 and thus the two shutters 8 and 9 down to a second end position (see Fig. 6), whereby further goods can be reached. The door 3 is completely opened by turning the flapping section outwards and upwards by means of the hinged engagement between the frame 6 and the rim 4. The container can, thus, be comple¬ tely emptied or refilled through the sideways directed opening.

While a particular embodiment of the invention have been shown, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications falling within the true spirit and scope of the invention may be made.