Technical Field

The present invention relates to a roll container for transporting load, wherein specifically it relates in particular to a wheel plate solution for a roll container, which enables good compactness and easy transport of the sidewalls of the roll container.

Background of the Invention

In the current state of the art, roll containers having a so-called A-frame are often used for transporting goods or other load. The A-frame comprises two side arms that are non-parallel to each other and which are connected at one end such that the resulting shape of the frame resembles the shape of the letter A. To this A-frame, two mutually opposite sidewalls are attached, wherein each sidewall is typically attached in two places, namely at the rear side of the frame and also at the front side of the frame, which is typically narrower than the rear side of the frame. A so-called wheel plate is used to connect the sidewall to the frame at its front end, which is provided with wheels to allow the roll container to be moved around comfortably. The English term “wheel plate” is also used in the Czech environment, however, a suitable Czech equivalent used by wheel manufacturers is the term “plotynka”. It is basically a sheet-metal piece that is attached to the sidewall and to the bottom part of which a fixed or rotational wheel is fastened.

In the prior art, the wheel plates are permanently welded to the sidewalls. However, such a connection is particularly disadvantageous because several sizes of A-frames are used in practice and therefore also several types of wheel plates depending on the size of the A-frame. There are basically two basic variants of the A-frame available, the so- called 66cm A-frame and the so-called 70cm A-frame, wherein said dimensions correspond to the outer distance of the sidewalls in case the sidewalls are attached to both sides of the frame. Thus, the individual sidewalls as well as the individual wheel plates cannot be stored separately or transported efficiently. This is because a sidewall with a welded wheel plate does not allow for a space-efficient stacking and takes up significantly more space than the sidewall itself, which can be viewed as an essentially two-dimensional structure because its thickness is significantly less than the other two dimensions. Due to the significantly lower price of steel outside of Europe, the manufacture of sidewalls is often outsourced to e.g., China, from where the pieces are then transported by sea containers. However, the rental of these sea containers is very expensive, and therefore there is a need for maximum compactness of the transported pieces.

It would therefore be advisable to come up with a solution that would be characterized by good compactness and that would allow easy and less expensive transport of parts of the roll container, in particular the sidewalls of the roll container.

Summary of the Invention

The above shortcomings are to a certain extent eliminated by a wheel plate for a roll container for transporting load having a frame of the roll container and at least two mutually opposite sidewalls of the roll container attached to the frame of the roll container, wherein the wheel plate comprises a support part adapted for attaching a wheel. The wheel plate also comprises a hook for removable attachment of the wheel plate to the frame of the roll container. This allows the sidewall to be removed (unhooked) from the frame and, once the wheel plate is removed from the sidewall, the sidewall itself can be obtained, which can be stored efficiently. The essence of the wheel plate of the present invention lies in the fact that it further comprises an element for removable attachment of the wheel plate to the sidewall of the roll container.

Thanks to the removable connection of the wheel plate to the sidewall of the roll container, it is possible to store the two components separately, i.e., the wheel plate separately from the sidewall. Especially in the case of the sidewalls, the storage is greatly facilitated by their essentially two-dimensional shape, or rather by their minimal thickness, which is not disturbed by the attached wheel plate. In addition, a wheel plate of the appropriate size (e.g., a wheel plate for the so-called 66cm A-frame or a wheel plate for a 70cm frame) can be later attached to the stored sidewalls as required, thus increasing the variability of the production of the roll containers. The advantage of the removable connection between the wheel plate and the sidewall is also applicable when transporting the sidewalls of the roll container e.g., in trucks or sea containers, which are very expensive to rent. It is because significantly more sidewalls without the wheel plate fastened to them can be stored in the container, which leads to the desired savings in transport costs.

The element for the removable attachment of the wheel plate to the sidewall of the roll container is preferably a reinforcement profile, wherein the reinforcement profile is adapted to be inserted into the sidewall of the roll container. The reinforcement profile not only allows the wheel plate to be removably attached to the sidewall but also reinforces the sidewall and makes it more resistant to external impacts, i.e., e.g., impacts of the roll container against another roll container or against the wall of the hall or other obstacles.

The wheel plate preferably comprises a locking mechanism for ensuring a fixed position of the wheel plate relative to the sidewall of the roll container. The locking mechanism primarily ensures that the wheel plate does not rotate in the sidewall or slide out of the sidewall. Thus, although the connection of the wheel plate to the sidewall is removable, it is also sufficiently strong when the wheel plate is attached to the sidewall.

The wheel plate preferably comprises a locking part, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged in the locking part and wherein the locking part extends perpendicularly from the support part. Such an arrangement allows the wheel plate to be attached to the sidewall without any problems and is also easy to manufacture.

The locking mechanism preferably comprises at least one locking opening arranged in the wheel plate. Screws can be guided through this locking opening, or multiple locking openings, and the wheel plate can be screwed to the sidewall to ensure a fixed position of the wheel plate relative to the sidewall.

The above-mentioned shortcomings are also eliminated to a certain extent by an assembly for assembling a roll container comprising a sidewall of the roll container and the wheel plate of the present invention. The essence of the assembly of the present invention lies in the fact that the sidewalls of the roll container and the wheel plate are adapted to be removably connected to each other. The removable connection contributes to good compactness and allows less expensive transport of the sidewalls.

The above-mentioned shortcomings are also eliminated to a certain extent by a roll container for transporting load comprising a frame of the roll container, at least two mutually opposite sidewalls of the roll container attached to the frame of the roll container and further at least two wheel plates of the present invention individually attached to the sidewalls of the roll container, wherein each wheel plate is provided with a wheel. The essence of the roll container of the present invention lies in the fact that the wheel plate is attached to the sidewall of the roll container removably. This enables efficient assembling or disassembling of the roll container and also storage or transport of its parts, especially the sidewalls. The term “roll container” is a well-known term in this technical field and is used for a mobile container with at least two opposite sidewalls, which is used for transporting load in the so-called “retail” area, typically for transporting goods in stores or warehouses.

The frame of the roll container is preferably an A-frame. This type of frame allows, among other things, efficient stacking of the roll containers. As there are several variants of this frame with different dimensions, the respective wheel plates are also implemented in different dimensions.

Description of Drawings

Summary of the invention is further clarified using exemplary embodiments thereof, which are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 shows a wheel plate of the present invention with a wheel attached, fig. 2 shows a sidewall of a roll container with fixing openings for attaching the wheel plate of the present invention, fig. 3 shows an assembly for assembling the roll container of the present invention with the wheel plate attached to the sidewall of the roll container and provided with the wheel, fig. 4a shows the assembly for assembling the roll container of the present invention in a top view, fig. 4b shows the assembly for assembling the roll container of the present invention in a bottom view, fig. 4c shows the assembly for assembling the roll container of the present invention in a view of the front edge of the sidewall of the roll container, and fig. 4d shows the assembly for assembling the roll container of the present invention in a side view.

Exemplary Embodiments of the Invention

The invention will be further described using exemplary embodiments with reference to the respective drawings.

In order to maintain a good logical continuity of the entire application, an embodiment of a wheel plate 1 will be described in detail first, followed by an embodiment of an assembly for assembling a roll container with an emphasis on the mutual connection between the wheel plate 1 and a sidewall 2, and finally the entire roll container comprising a frame of the roll container, at least two mutually opposite sidewalls 2 of the roll container attached to the frame of the roll container, and at least two wheel plates 1 individually attached to the sidewalls 2 of the roll container.

The wheel plate 1 for the roll container for transporting load of the present invention in the first exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 comprises a support part 1 b and a locking part c. In the first exemplary embodiment, the support part 1 b and the locking part 1 c are formed from a single piece of material, as an example, a steel sheet, wherein the partition between these parts is defined by the bending of the sheet at a certain place. The material of the wheel plate 1 is bent such that the locking part 1 c forms a right angle with the support part 1_b. Alternatively, the support part 1 b and the locking part 1 c may be implemented as two initially separate parts and the locking part 1 c may be welded to the support part 1 b during manufacture of the wheel plate 1.

The support part 1 b is adapted at its first end for removable attachment to the sidewall 2 of the roll container, and at its opposite second end, it is adapted for removable connection to the frame of the roll container. At the first end of the support part 1 b, the locking part 1_c, as already indicated above, and also a reinforcement profile 1 a extend from the support part 1 b, wherein the reinforcement profile 1 a extends from the top surface of the support part 1 b of the wheel plate 1_. In the first exemplary embodiment, the reinforcement profile 1 a is welded to the support part 1 b and to the locking part 1 c and is implemented as a solid bar, which is adapted by its cross-section and dimensions for insertion into the sidewall 2 of the roll container, particularly into a receiving cavity 2a arranged in the sidewall 2 of the roll container, as will be described below and as seen e.g. in fig. 3. Alternatively, the reinforcement profile 1 a may have a cross-sectional shape other than circular, e.g., a square cross-section, if this embodiment allows the reinforcement profile 1 a to be inserted into the sidewall 2 of the roll container. In order to ensure a fixed position of the wheel plate 1 relative to the sidewall 2 of the roll container, i.e., in particular to prevent rotation of the reinforcement profile 1 a in the receiving cavity 2a and to prevent the reinforcement profile 1 a from sliding out of the receiving cavity 2a, the wheel plate 1 comprises a locking mechanism that will be described in more detail below.

At its other end, the support part 1 c is terminated by a hook 1 e for removable connection of the wheel plate 1 to the frame of the roll container, wherein the hook 1 e is formed in the first exemplary embodiment by bending the support part 1 b away from the top surface of the support part 1 b and subsequently bending it back such that a part of the hook 1 e is approximately parallel to the top surface of the support part 1 b. Thus, between this approximately parallel part of the hook 1 e and the top surface of the support part 1 b, a space is defined for receiving the frame of the roll container. In the first exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 , the shape of the hook 1 e and the dimension of the defined space correspond to the shape and dimensions of the so-called A-frame of the roll container. The size of the wheel plate 1, i.e., especially the length of its support part 1 b, is selected according to the type of the frame of the roll container. For example, the size of the wheel plate 1 for the so-called 66cm A-frame is different than for the so- called 70cm A-frame.

The wheel plate 1 is further adapted for attaching a wheel 3 to the bottom side of the wheel plate 1, particularly to the bottom surface of the support part 1 b. For this purpose, the support part 1 b is provided with an opening for attaching a fork 4, which is further adapted for attaching the wheel 3. This opening can be seen e.g., in fig. 4a and fig. 4b.

Next, an assembly for assembling the roll container will be described in order to illustrate the mutual connection between the wheel plate 1 and the sidewall 2 of the roll container and also to describe in more detail the locking mechanism ensuring a fixed position of the wheel plate 1 relative to the sidewall 2 of the roll container.

The assembly for assembling the roll container comprises the wheel plate 1 of the present invention, as described in detail above, and also the sidewall 2 of the roll container, wherein the sidewall 2 of the roll container and the wheel plate 1 are adapted for mutual removable connection. The sidewall 2 of the roll container comprises four side edges - a rear edge, a front edge, a bottom edge, and a top edge, wherein these edges form the basic shape of the sidewall 2 of the roll container and may be further mutually connected by a grid as can be seen in fig. 4d. This grid both reinforces the entire structure of the sidewall 2 of the roll container and prevents the transported load from falling out when the sidewalls 2 of the roll container are mounted on the roll container. In the first exemplary embodiment, the respective edges of the sidewall 2 of the roll container are made of hollow steel profiles and form an approximately rectangular shape of the sidewall 2 of the roll container. Alternatively, however, the sidewall 2 of the roll container may also be implemented in other ways, e.g., it may be made of a different material, or it may form a shape other than a rectangle, or it may comprise solid walls instead of the grid to prevent the load from falling out, etc. As will be described below, the front edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container serves to attach the sidewall 2 of the roll container to the front side of the frame (via the wheel plate 1) and the rear edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container serves to attach the sidewall 2 of the roll container to the rear side of the frame.

For the mutual removable connection to the wheel plate 1, the front edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container comprises the receiving cavity 2a, i.e., as an example, a cavity defined by hollow steel profiles. In the first exemplary embodiment, the receiving cavity 2a has a square cross-section but alternatively may have e.g., a circular crosssection, provided that the shape and dimensions of the receiving cavity 2a and the shape and dimensions of the reinforcement profile 1 a allow the reinforcement profile 1 a to be inserted into the receiving cavity 2a and also the reinforcement profile 1 a to be removed again from the receiving cavity 2a. The receiving cavity 2a is also formed in the rear edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container, as can be seen in fig. 4b, however, this receiving cavity 2a does not serve to attach the wheel plate 1 but to attach directly to the rear side of the frame of the roll container, as will be mentioned below when describing the entire roll container.

A detail of the connection between the sidewall 2 of the roll container and the wheel plate 1 is shown in fig. 3. In addition to the reinforcement profile 1 a inserted into the receiving cavity 2a, fig. 3 also shows the connection of the locking part 1 c of the wheel plate 1 to the sidewall 2 of the roll container by means of a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism in the first exemplary embodiment comprises two locking openings 1 d formed in the locking part 1 c and further two fixing openings 2b formed in the bottom edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container, as can be seen in fig. 2. These fixing openings 2b in the first exemplary embodiment are threaded, wherein the attachment of the locking part 1 c to the sidewall 2 of the roll container is implemented by means of screws that pass through the locking openings 1 d in the wheel plate 1 and are further screwed into the thread of the fixing openings 2b in the sidewall of the roll container 2. Thanks to the locking mechanism, a fixed position of the wheel plate 1 relative to the sidewall 2 of the roll container is ensured, wherein in particular, a fixed position of the reinforcement profile 1 a in the receiving cavity 2a is ensured in the sense that there is no sliding or rotational movement of the reinforcement profile 1 a in the receiving cavity 2a. Alternatively, the locking mechanism may be implemented differently, e.g. it may comprise a different number or location of the locking openings 1d or fixing openings 2b, provided that such an embodiment ensures the fixed position of the wheel plate 1 relative to the sidewall 2 of the roll container. In an alternative and less preferred embodiment, the wheel plate 1 does not need to comprise the reinforcement profile 1 a if it comprises another element for removable attachment of the wheel plate 1 to the sidewall 2 of the roll container. The role of this element can theoretically also be fulfilled by the locking part 1 c described above. In the first exemplary embodiment, the roll container of the present invention comprises a frame of the roll container, at least two mutually opposite sidewalls 2 of the roll container attached to the frame of the roll container, and further at least two wheel plates 1 individually removably attached to the sidewalls 2 of the roll container, wherein the removable attachment has been described in more detail in the description of the assembly for assembling the roll container. Each wheel plate 1 is further provided with a wheel 3 on the bottom side. In addition to these two front wheels 3 arranged individually on two wheel plates 1, the roll container in the first exemplary embodiment also comprises two rear wheels that are attached to the rear side of the frame (e.g. by means of a fork or a cap). The rear wheels are typically fastened so that they cannot turn, while the front wheels 3 are preferably attached to the wheel plate 1 so that they can turn to facilitate the handling of the roll container, i.e., to allow comfortable turning. Alternatively, the rear wheels can also turn.

For attaching the sidewall 2 of the roll container to the rear side of the frame of the roll container, the frame of the roll container comprises, as an example, a pin on which the sidewall 2 of the roll container is mounted - in particular, by the receiving cavity 2a in the rear edge of the sidewall 2 of the roll container. In this way, the sidewalls 2 of the roll container can be fastened to two mutually opposite sides of the roll container, wherein alternatively the roll container can also comprise additional sidewalls 2 of the roll container or screens that cover the two free sides defined by the two attached opposite sidewalls 2 of the roll container. In addition, the pin on the rear side of the frame of the roll container allows the rotational movement of the sidewall 2 of the roll container relative to the frame of the roll container. After disconnecting the wheel plate 1 from the front side of the frame of the roll container (by unhooking the hook 1 e), it is thus possible to open both sidewalls 2 of the roll container and subsequently optionally also remove them from the rear side of the frame. Moreover, the removed sidewalls 2 of the roll container can be efficiently stored since the wheel plate 1 of the present invention can be further removed from the sidewall 2 of the roll container. The advantage of the removable connection of the wheel plate 1 is also applicable when transporting the sidewalls 2 of the roll container, e.g., in sea containers or trucks.

Thus, the roll container of the present invention comprises two wheel plates 1 of the present invention, wherein these individual wheel plates 1, i.e. left and right, are implemented mutually symmetrically such that when attached to the individual sidewalls 2 of the roll container, the hooks 1 e face each other.

The roll container may further comprise, in addition to the frame of the roll container and the sidewalls 2 of the roll container, a floor attached to the sidewalls 2 of the roll container. This floor is used to store the load and prevents the load from falling under the roll container.

In the first exemplary embodiment, the frame of the roll container is made as the so-called A-frame, which is known in the prior art. The A-frame comprises two side arms that are non-parallel to each other and that are connected at one end such that the resulting shape of the frame resembles the shape of the letter A. The front side of the frame is narrower than the rear side of the frame, wherein the gradual narrowing of the frame facilitates the stacking of the roll containers. Alternatively, the frame of the roll container is designed as a different type of frame.

List of Reference Signs

1 - wheel plate

1 a - reinforcement profile

1 b - support part

1c- locking part

1d- locking opening

1e- hook

2 - sidewall of the roll container

2a - receiving cavity

2b - fixing opening

3 - wheel

4 - fork