Collapsible container

Claim 2

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, said border frame, upper and lower side wall sections, said end walls and said bottom wall being separately formed, means providing snap hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing snap hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed.

Claim 3

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, said border frame, upper and lower side wall sections, said end walls and said bottom wall being separately formed, means providing snap hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing snap hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed.

Claim 4

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, said border frame, upper and lower side wall sections, said end walls and said bottom wall being separately formed, means providing snap hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing snap hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing snap hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed.

Claim 5

The container defined in claim 1, wherein each hinge connection comprises a hinge knuckle in the form of an elongated open ended tubular member of generally cylindrical form but longitudinally slotted from end to end, the inner surface of said tubular member being cylindrical and more than 180* in arcuate extent from one edge of the slot to the other, and a hinge pin of a diameter greater than the width of said slot received in said hinge knuckle and being insertable laterally therein through said slot, said tubular member being formed of a sufficiently flexible plastic to yield when said pin is inserted therein as aforesaid.

Claim 6

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, said border frame, said upper and lower side wall sections, said end walls and said bottom wall being separately formed, means providing hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed, said border frame being of inverted U shape in cross section having inner and outer flanges connected at the top by a web, said means providing said hinge connections between said border frame and each end wall and between said border frame and said upper edge of each upper side wall section comprising an elongated locking bar, an elongated slot in the web of said border frame, said locking bar having along its upper edge a locking part of generally T-shape consisting of an upstanding rib of no greater length than said slot and a head at the top of greater width than said slot, the rib of said locking part projecting into said slot with said head overlying said slot to prevent withdrawal of said locking bar, said locking part being insertable into said slot by being pressed upwardly between the flanges of said border frame, said border frame being of sufficiently flexible plastic material to admit said locking part into said slot during assembly and to snap into locked relationship therewith after assembly.

Claim 7

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, said border frame, said upper and lower side wall sections, said end walls and said bottom wall being separately formed, means providing hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed, said border frame being of inverted U shape in cross section having inner and outer flanges connected at the top by a web, said means providing said hinge connections between said border frame and each end wall and between said border frame and said upper edge of each upper side wall section comprising an elongated locking bar, an elongated slot in the web of said border frame, said locking bar having along its upper edge a locking part of generally T-shape consisting of an upstanding rib of no greater length than said slot and a head at the top of greater width than said slot, the rib of said locking part projecting into said slot with said head overlying said slot to prevent withdrawal of said locking bar, said locking part being insertable into said slot by being pressed upwardly between the flanges of said border frame, said border frame being of sufficiently flexible plastic material to admit said locking part into said slot during assembly and to snap into locked relationship therewith after assembly.

Claim 8

The container defined in claim 3, wherein said rib and slot are of greater length than said head so that said slot may have sufficient flexibility to clear said head during insertion of said locking part as aforesaid.

Claim 9

The container defined in claim 3, wherein each hinge connection comprises a hinge knuckle in the form of an elongated open ended tubular member of generally cylindrical form but longitudinally slotted from end to end, the inner surface of said tubular member being more than 180* in arcuate extent from one edge of the slot to the other, and a hinge pin of a diameter greater than the width of said slot received in said hinge knuckle and being insertable laterally therein through said slot, said tubular member being formed of a sufficiently flexible plastic to yield when said pin is inserted therein as aforesaid.

Claim 10

The container defined in claim 5, including pilot means for guiding said pin through said slot during insertion thereof into said hinge knuckle.

Claim 11

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed, one of said hinge connections comprising a hinge knuckle in the form of an elongated open ended tubular member of generally cylindrical form but longitudinally slotted from end to end, the inner surface of said tubular member being cylindrical and more than 180* in arcuate extent from one edge of the slot to the other, and a hinge pin of a diameter greater than the width of said slot received in said hinge knuckle and being insertable laterally therein through said slot, said tubular member being formed of a sufficiently flexible plastic to yield when said pin is inserted therein as aforesaid.

Claim 12

A plastic collapsible container comprising a rectangular bottom wall, two opposed vertical side walls, two opposed vertical end walls, a top rectangular border frame defining the top of the container, said side walls each having upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall sections, means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said upper wall sections and said border frame and means providing hinge connections between the lower edges of said lower wall sections and said bottom wall to permit inward folding of said side walls when said container is collapsed, and means providing hinge connections between the upper edges of said end walls and said border frame to permit inward swinging of said end walls to a substantially horizontal position when said container is collapsed, one of said hinge connections comprising a hinge knuckle in the form of an elongated open ended tubular member of generally cylindrical form but longitudinally slotted from end to end, the inner surface of said tubular member being cylindrical and more than 180* in arcuate extent from one edge of the slot to the other, and a hinge pin of a diameter greater than the width of said slot received in said hinge knuckle and being insertable laterally therein through said slot, said tubular member being formed of a sufficiently flexible plastic to yield when said pin is inserted therein as aforesaid.