This invention concerns metal storage enclosures, such as tool chests, cabinets, containers and work bench enclosures.

Storage enclosures of this kind are often used on worksites and typically formed of a sheet metal construction for reasons of security, safety and structural rigidity. Such enclosures are typically free standing units that remain on a site and provide secure storage of tools and other equipment when not in use. In some situations, the enclosures may be fixed in place, e.g. in the form of containers that may house equipment for extended periods.

Conventional enclosures have a hinged lid or doors that are lockable. The size of such enclosures, and the potential weight of their contents, mean that castors or forklift openings are often provided on the underside of the enclosure to allow portability. That is to say, such enclosures can be distinguished from conventional toolboxes or smaller chests that would have a carrying handle for portability.

Whilst such enclosures have become ubiquitous, there are a number of issues with their manufacture, supply and repair.

The sheet metal enclosure is conventionally of a welded construction. Weld lines running the full height and width of the enclosure represents inefficiency, both in terms of the time required to construct the enclosure, and also the energy that is consumed. The quality of a weld is also determined by the skill of the welder and is prone to potential errors, particularly if the speed of production is increased.

Furthermore, once the enclosure has been constructed it represent a relatively large footprint. The construction industry in particular often creates significant demand for enclosures to be provided in a short time period, e.g. to supply a new site. Thus enclosures need to be manufactured in advance and stored in sufficient numbers to meet such immediate demands. The footprint/volume of the enclosures is thus an issue since it limits the number of enclosures that can be stored in a given facility. It also causes similar problems with shipping, requiring relatively large vehicles or containers to be used to deliver a relatively small number of enclosures from the manufacturer to a warehouse for stockpiling.

Similar demands for quick supply of metal enclosures can arise in other industries also.

It is common for the enclosures to be become degraded or damaged, e.g. due to the movement of heavy equipment and materials around the site or mishandling of the enclosure itself. The refurbishment of conventional enclosures requires the enclosure to be completely torn down before refabrication/ re-welding of the enclosure. This is time consuming and costly and means that many used enclosures become discarded/replaced, instead being reused. Also, the profit margins available for repairing enclosures are relatively small, discouraging manufacturers from offering such repairs.

It is an aim of the invention to mitigate one or more of the above problems.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a worksite enclosure having walls of a sheet metal construction to define an internal storage space within the enclosure, a closure for selectively opening and closing the enclosure and a lock for maintaining the closure in a closed condition, wherein the walls comprise panels shaped to define a flange along an edge thereof held in abutment with an opposing flange of an adjacent panel, an interface between the abutting flanges comprising a plurality of fasteners spaced along the edge and passing from the flange into the opposing flange, wherein the opposing flange comprises a corresponding plurality of openings arranged to receive the fasteners.

The fasteners may be deformable, e.g. between engaged and disengaged positions between the adjacent panels. This avoids the need for an opposing fastener element on the opposing flange and can help to improve construction efficiency. The fasteners may be insertable/deformable through the openings to retain the abutting relationship between the flange and opposing flange, e.g. to hold the adjacent panels in place.

The fasteners may be integral with, or provided on, the flange. The fasteners may be formed within the profile of the flange.

The fasteners may take the form of tab portions. The tab portions may be defined by one or more cuts/discontinuities in the sheet metal of the panel/flange or sheet metal member shaped to retain the flange(s). The cuts/discontinuities may be three-sided, e.g. U-shaped, in plan. The tab portions may have a flat base, e.g. about which the tab portion is deformed/folded in use.

The fasteners/tab portions may be reversibly deformable. This permits simple removal of a panel for repair or replacement, e.g. allowing quick repair of an enclosure by replacing only one or more damaged panel without requiring removal of other panels. Alternatively, the fastener/tab portions may be frangible or breakable to allow removal of a panel.

The tab portions may be folded or foldable.

Three, four, five, six or more fasteners/tab portions may be provided along each edge. Only some of the fasteners/tab portions may be deformed along the panel edge once constructed, e.g. with some fasteners/tab portions left undeformed. Alternate fasteners/tab portions may be deformed.

The provision of more fasteners (and opposing openings) than are required for construction of the enclosure may be beneficial for repair of used enclosures. If the tabs/fasteners are deformed in a reverse direction, or else broken, to detach a panel from an adjacent panel, it may cause damage to one or more tab/fastener. Thus the previously unused tabs/fasteners provide further options for reattaching the panel during repair or refurbishment. The flange or opposing flange may be folded at an angle to the panel wall. The flange or opposing flange maybe substantially perpendicular to a plane of the panel wall.

A U-bend or channel may be provided. The fasteners may depend from, or be provided on, the a wall of the U-bend/channel. An opposing wall of the U- bend/channel may comprise the corresponding openings. At least one flange may be received in the U-bend. One of the flange or opposing flange may be doubly folded and/or may be folded to define a U-shape in section. The other of the flange or opposing flange may be received therein. Additionally or alternatively, a separate U-shaped member may be provided. The flange and/or opposing flange may be received in the U-shaped member, e.g. in an abutting or face-to-face relationship.

One of the flange or opposing flange may be shaped to receive the other of the flange or opposing flange.

One of the flange or opposing flange may be shaped to define a channel or slot within which the other of the flange or opposing flange is received. The depth of the channel or slot may be equal to the height of the other of the flange or opposing flange.

In any of the above embodiments, said one of the flange or opposing flange may comprise the fastener/tab portions. Said one of the flange or opposing flange may comprise the fastener/tab portions on a first flange portion and may comprise openings on a second tab portion. Said openings may be aligned with the fastener/tab portions, e.g. having equal spacings with the tab portions. The first flange portion may be distal the panel wall and the second flange portion may be intermediate the first flange portion and the panel wall.

The flange and/or opposing flange may extend substantially the full length of the edge of the panel. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a worksite enclosure, comprising: providing a plurality of panels of sheet metal construction, each panel shaped to define a flange along an edge thereof; placing the flange of a first panel in abutment with the flange of a second panel; providing a plurality of fasteners at an interface between the abutting flanges of the first and second panels, the fasteners being spaced along the edge of the first panel and depending from the first panel wherein the second panel has a plurality of openings along its edge arranged to receive the fasteners; applying the fasteners such that they depend from the first panel and are received in the openings in the second panel such that the first and second panels are thereby held together at said flanges in order to provide adjacent walls of the enclosure.

The fasteners may be deformable and/or frangible.

The fasteners may be held in a predetermined spacing, e.g. relative to the flange of the first and/or second panel. The fasteners may be held in a predetermined array, e.g. a linear array. The fasteners may be held in a spacing that matches the spacing of the plurality of openings in the flange of the second panel.

The fasteners may be planar or sheet-like in form, e.g. taking the form of tab members. The fasteners may be formed of the same sheet/metal material as the panels.

The fasteners may be deformable between disengaged and engaged conditions. In the disengaged condition, the fasteners may or may not lie in a plane substantially parallel with a sheet member in which they are formed, e.g. the first flange or a fastener-bearing member located against the first flange. In an engaged condition, the fasteners may be deformed relative to the plane, e/.g. such that the fasteners depend outwardly from the plane.

The fasteners may be frangible. When removing a panel for repair, the fasteners may be cut or deformed such that they no longer provide engagement between the flanges of the first and second panels. The flanges between the first and second panels may be devoid of welds. Each flange may be integral with its respective panel. The fasteners may be devoid of welds.

The method may comprise collating and/or storing a plurality of the panels (e.g. the first panels and/or second panels) in a storage facility. The method may comprise selecting the panels and assembling the enclosure at a desired location and/or in response to an order for an enclosure by a customer. The method may comprise transporting the panels in a collated, e.g. stacked, format prior to assembly of the enclosure at a desired location.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of repairing a worksite enclosure according to the first aspect, wherein the method comprises releasing the fasteners from the corresponding openings in the flange of the adjacent/second panel and thereby removing an individual panel of the enclosure; repairing or replacing the individual panel so as to provide a replacement panel; and inserting the replacement panel in the place of the removed panel.

The method of repair may comprise applying a further set of fasteners between a flange of the replacement panel and the openings of the second/adjacent panel.

Only a single/damaged panel need be removed and replaced for repair.

The releasing of the fasteners may comprise cutting or deforming the fasteners. A cutter may be moved along the interface between the flanges of the adjacent first and second panels to release the fasteners.

Any of the optional features defined above in relation to any one aspect of the invention may be applied to any further aspect wherever practicable. Workable examples of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 shows a front view of worksite enclosure according to an example of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the worksite enclosure of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 shows a front view of a worksite enclosure according to a further example of the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic section view through one panel of a worksite enclosure and an associated plan view of its flange;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic section view through a further panel of a worksite enclosure and an associated plan views from opposing sides of its flange;

Figs. 6A to 6C show section views through an alternative flange assembly for joining adjacent panels at different stages of assembly;

Fig. 7 shows section views taken during the fastening process using the assembly of Fig. 6 and an associated tool.

Turning firstly to Fig. 1 , there is shown a worksite enclosure 10 in the form of a storage chest or cabinet for tools and other equipment. The enclosure 10 is constructed using sheet metal walls, provided in the form of panels which make up a front wall 12, rear wall 20 and side walls 16 and 18. The enclosure is therefore rectangular in plan. A base 22 and roof 24 of the enclosure may also be formed using a similar panel construction.

The enclosure 10 has a closure in the form of a hinged lid 26, which is hingedly mounted to the rear wall 20 in this example. The hinged lid 26 has a depth to it, i.e. comprising the roof 24 and partial front 12A and side 16A walls depending downwardly therefrom. The closure may be formed of a panel construction akin to the remainder of the enclosure 10, e.g. with separate panels for the lid 24 and partial side/front walls. However, in other examples, the closure may comprise a simple hinged lid that closes atop the front/side walls, i.e. without the partial front/side walls. The closure comprises a lock or latch for retaining the closure in a closed/locked condition. In this manner the enclosure 10 provides a secure storage facility for preventing tampering, theft or unauthorised use of tools/equipment contained therein.

As can be seen from the side view in Fig. 2, the side panel 16 shares an interface 30A with the front panel 12 and a further interface 30B with the rear panel 20. Thus the panels can be formed independently and fastened together in a manner to be described herein.

The enclosure 10 is typically too large/heavy to be carried by a single individual.

The enclosure typically has wheels/castors 32, e/g/ swivelling wheels, to allow the enclosure to be manoeuvred around a site. The wheels may be auto-braking or else may have a conventional brake mechanism, allowing a user to latch one or more wheel in a braked condition to prevent rotation of the wheel(s). In other examples, the enclosure may have lift points, e.g. for engagement by a lifting mechanism. Fork lift channels may be provided on the underside of the enclosure in some examples.

Within the enclosure, there may be provided one or more removable shelf (not shown). The removable shelf may be formed of a folded sheet panel construction and may have one or more tab or hook formation for engaging with an opening in the rear wall 20. A series of openings may be provided in the rear wall, e.g. on opposing sides thereof, to allow selective height positioning of one or more shelf. The tab or hook formations may comprise a profile cut out of the sheet material of the shelf panel. The openings in the rear wall to receive said formations may comprise slots.

In any examples disclosed herein, the panels may be coated. The panels may be powder coated or coated using another conventional method. The panels may be coated and stored to be used in assembling an enclosure only when required. The present invention is not limited to the type of enclosure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Other forms of chest, cabinet, cupboard or equipment housing may be accommodated using the features and methods disclosed herein. Such examples, may comprise one or more hinged door instead of, or in addition to, the hinged lid 26 disclosed above. A pair of cabinet doors may be provided in a ‘wardrobe’ or cupboard-type arrangement. Each closure/door may have its own lock if desired.

The enclosure/housing may accommodate equipment in use, as well as for storage thereof. For example, the enclosure could house a dust extraction system or other electrical/electronic components or machinery.

In Fig. 3, there is shown an example of a cutting station or work station 100, e.g. comprising a work surface 102 upon which various operations can be performed on site. The work station 100 is provided with an integral storage enclosure 104 of the type described herein beneath the work surface 102. Thus the work surface 102 can define the upper panel of such an enclosure. In other examples, the work surface 102 comprises a different construction, e.g. being different from the sheet panel construction of the side walls. The work surface could be of greater wall thickness. Alternatively, the work surface may comprise a support frame beneath it to support the loading on the work surface in use. In other examples, the work surface may comprise a turntable or other structure for enabling specific tasks to be performed. In any such examples, the side/rear and base panels of the enclosure may be constructed using the panel assembly methods and associated features described herein.

Further details of a work bench or cutting station of this type can be found in published patent application GB2546551A.

In the example of Fig. 3, the enclosure also has an upper canopy or hood 106 extending above the work surface 102. The canopy 106 defines a partially enclosed work area around the work surface 102. A rear wall of the canopy 108 may be common with the rear wall of the enclosure 104. Additionally or alternatively, either side wall 110 of the canopy 108 may be common with the corresponding side wall of the enclosure.

Features and methods for fastening/attaching adjacent panels of the above enclosures 10, 100 together are described below with reference to Figs. 4 to 7.

Figs. 4 and 5 show embodiments of different panels which may form walls of the enclosure. The panel 34 of Fig. 4 comprises a metal sheet defining a major surface 36, e.g. a wall portion, of the panel. The panel 34 is folded to define a flange 38 along an edge thereof. The flange may extend substantially the full length of the panel edge.

Whilst a simple right angled flange is shown in Fig. 4, it will be appreciated that the panel may be doubly-folded, e.g. with a second fold being performed about location 40. Thus the flange 38 may depend from a folded intermediate panel region in between the major surface 36 and the flange formation which comprises the outermost/distal edge of the panel. The intermediate fold around location 40 allows the flange to be orientated behind the major face 36, thereby allowing attachment to an adjacent panel at 90°

Along the flange 38 there are provided a plurality of openings 42 as shown in the plan view of the flange 38 in Fig. 4. The opening 42 are spaced along the flange, e.g. in the form of a linear array. The openings are each located a small distance from the edge of the panel. A portion of the flange is shown in Fig. 4 as having three openings. The full length of the flange will have a minimum of three openings but will typically have more than three openings, e.g. having between four and ten or twelve openings along its length. A greater number of openings could be provided if needed for longer edges.

Turning now to Fig. 5, there is shown an example of a further panel 44, which may be attached to the panel 34. The further panel is also formed of a metal sheet having a major surface 46 which can define a wall portion of the enclosure in use. The further panel 44 is also folded to form a flange formation 48 along its edge, which can cooperate with the flange 38 of panel 34 in use. The flange formation 48 may run along substantially the entire edge of the wall portion, i.e. the major surface 46, of the panel 44. However the flange formation 48 comprises a U- shaped flange formation defining a channel 50 in which the flange 38 can be received.

The flange formation 48 comprises a pair of flange walls 52 and 54, spaced by a short intermediate flange portion. The intermediate flange portion 56 is approximately equal in width to the wall thickness of the flange 38.

Along one of the flange walls 52, there is provided a plurality of fasteners formations 58.

Along the other flange wall 54, there is provided a corresponding plurality of openings 54. The number and spacing of the fasteners 58 matches the number and spacing of the openings 60 as well as the openings 42 in flange 38.

The spacing of the openings/flanges along the edge of the panel may be between 2cm and 30cm, e.g. greater than 3cm, 4cm or 5cm and/or less than 30cm, 25cm, 20cm or 15cm. However the spacing may otherwise be tailored to achieve a desired joint strength for the interface between the adjacent panels.

The fasteners 58 are formed in the flange formation 48, e.g. being integral with the panel/sheet material itself. The fasteners are formed in the flange wall 52 and in this example comprise cut profiles in the flange wall 52 shaped to define tab formations. The cut profile is three-sided, e.g. being generally U-shaped in form so as to define a correspondingly shaped fastener tab which has opposing sides and a free end. The sides may be straight, whilst the end may be rounded.

A fourth side of the tab formations is not cut. In this way, each tab can be deformed by folding of the tab 58 out of the plane of the flange wall 52, i.e. out of the plane of the sheet material in which the tab is formed. The tab formations may be folded about the fourth side of the tab. The fasteners 58 are thus deformable between an at-rest condition in which the fastener/tab lies within the plane of the flange wall 52, and a deformed condition, in which the fastener/tab is folded out of the plane of the flange wall 52. The fastener/tab 58 may be folded by up to 90° or more between the at-rest and deformed conditions.

In this way, when the flange 38 of the panel 34 is inserted into the flange formation 48 of the panel 46 such that the openings 42 align with the fasteners 58, the fasteners 58 can then be folded into/through the openings 48 to engage with the openings and thereby fasten/lock the flanges together. This therefore locks the adjacent panels 34 and 44 together.

The openings 42 and 60 are shaped to receive the fasteners 58 in order to attach the adjacent panels together. Thus the width of the openings is substantially equal to the width of the fasteners 58. The openings are curved/round in plan in this example. This provides a gradual/curved engagement with the fastener formations 58 as the fasteners 58 are deformed into the openings. This gradual engagement helps to ensure a tight engagement between the fastener and opening even if the fastener is not fully deformed by 90°, e.g. if the fastener is deformed partially about an oblique angle relative to its flange. In any example of the invention, there may be used a combination of a strait edge on one of the fastener and opening and a curved edge on the other of the fastener and opening such that the straight and curved edges come into contact during deformation of the fastener into the opening.

Using the above method, opposing flange formations of adjacent edges may be fastened together in order to assemble the different wall panels of an enclosure. Some or all of the wall panels may be assembled in this manner.

The fasteners 58 may be deformed using a tool of the type shown in Fig. 7, e.g. having a shaft/handle and a profiled head arranged to receive the flange formation(s) therein such that rotation of the shaft causes the shaped head to force the fastener to deform into the adjacent opening, e.g. by folding of the fastener. Whilst the U-shaped flange formation 48 is not absolutely essential to the fastening method, it has been found to be beneficial in holding the adjacent flange members together both during and after fastening. The U-shaped channel helps to increase the strength of the join.

The opposing flange faces may form the interfaces 30A and 30B shown in Fig. 2.

Turning now to Fig. 6, there is shown a further example of the interface between the adjacent panels and associated fastening features. In this example the opposing flanges both take the form of the flange 38 in Fig. 4, i.e. simple perpendicular flanges, each having a plurality or array of openings 42 therein.

The opposing flanges 38 are brought into abutment as shown in Fig. 6A such that the openings 42 are aligned. The flanges are thus in a face-to-face arrangement.

For this arrangement, a fastening member 64 is provided to fasten the opposing flanges 38 together. The fastening member comprises a U-shaped member, substantially mimicking the shape of the flange formation 48 of Fig. 5. However the U-shaped fastening member defines a channel 66 of width sufficient to receive both of the abutting flanges 38 therein. That is to say the width of the channel 66 may be approximately double the wall thickness of flange 38 and may be sufficient to receive the abutting flanges with a close/tight fit.

Unlike the flange formation 48 of Fig. 5, the U-shaped fastening member 64 is not integral with the panel itself. Instead it is provided as a separate component. The length of the fastening member 48 may be at least half, or a majority of the length of the flange formations 38. The fastening member 48 may extend the full length of the flanges 38, e.g. the full length of the panel/wall edge to be joined.

The channel 66 is defined by the opposing walls 68 and 70 of the fastening member 64. The walls 68 and 70 are spaced by an intermediate wall portion. The fastening member may be formed of a sheet metal material, e.g. the same material as the wall panels 34/44.

An array of openings 72 are provided in the wall 68, i.e. on one side of the channel 66. An array of fasteners 74 are provided in the other wall 70. The fasteners and/or openings are otherwise as described above in relation to flange formation 48.

Turning now to Figs. 6C and 7, it can be seen that the fastener member 64 can be placed over the abutting flanges 38 such that both flanges are received in the channel 66. The openings 42 and 72 are aligned, along with the fasteners 74.

The fasteners are then deformed by folding the fasteners through the aligned openings 42 in the manner described above. In this regard the tool 76 is used to provide a lever action to reduce the effort required to deform/fold the fasteners.

Once the fasteners are deformed into/through the openings 42, the adjacent flanges and panels are thus fixed together in the arrangement shown in Figs. 6C and 7.

The ability to form the different panels independently and fasten them together in a simple and unskilled manner is particularly important. It allows the panels to be mass produced in significant numbers and transported or stored as stacked, i.e. generally flat, panels.

Only when an enclosure is specifically required does it need to be erected using the required collection of panels and fastened together using the methods and features described herein. This storage method uses significantly less space than storing fully erect enclosures and also permits more efficient transportation and handling of the panels.

The method of fastening the panels significantly reduces the time to erect an enclosure. This means that panels can be stored in a warehouse or other facility until a specific order for an enclosure is received, allowing the order to be quickly fulfilled and a fail-safe manner without requiring the supplier to maintain large numbers of pre-erected enclosures in stock.

Furthermore the repair of the assembled enclosures is simplified since individual panels can be removed and repaired/replaced as needed without requiring disassembly of the entire enclosure.

In one method of disassembly/repair, the fasteners 58/74 are deformed in a reverse direction, e.g. using the tool shown in Fig.7 but in a reverse operation. Once the fasteners are released, the panel can be removed and replaced. A new/refurbished panel can be assembled using the same method as described above for assembly of the panels. In case the reverse deformation of the fasteners 58/74 results in some fasteners becoming broken or unusable, there may be provided a replacement/new fastener member 64 or new flange formation 48. Alternatively, it is proposed that the flange formations may have more fasteners58/74 and openings 42/60/72 than are required for sufficient attachment of adjacent panels. In this manner alternate fasteners may only need to be applied to assemble the panel. If a panel is replaced, the remaining (previously unused) fasteners may be engaged to fix the new/refurbished panel in place. Thus, even if any fasteners are broken or unusable, the panel can still be safely replaced without requiring the provision of a new adjoining panel or member 64.

In other examples of repair, it may be simpler to cut through the deformed fasteners to break the fasteners. This may be achieved by cutting along the interface 30A, 30B shown in Fig. 2. A saw, such as a circular saw may be used to cut through the fasteners.

In this example, the fasteners may be described as being purposely frangible.

In this manner the fastener member 64 or panel 44 bearing the flange formation 48 would become disposable upon repair/replacement thereof and would be replaced with a new component as part of the repair process. In this regard, the embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7 may be preferable to minimise the value of the disposed parts during the repair process.

The fastening member/strip 64 described herein could be made integral with one of the panels in further embodiments. Thus a fastening member, flange or strip of U-shaped profile may be common to either embodiment, regardless of whether the fastening member is integral with a panel or separate therefrom.

When assembling the panels disclosed herein it has also been found that a simple fastener can be used to affix one end of a fastening member 64 to a panel and the remainder of the member can be hammered or otherwise urged into tight engagement with the relevant flange portions of the adjacent panels. In this way the fastening member pivots into engagement about the fastened end, which serves as a pivot point. This can help speed assembly of the panel joint whilst ensuring a tight fit with the fastening member is achieved.

Based on the above description, it will be appreciated that the invention described herein may accommodate each of an enclosure, a method of assembling an enclosure and/or a method of repair of an enclosure.