RETURNABLE SHIPPING RACK

Abstract

A shipping rack for transporting rolls of flexible material includes a generally flat base for supporting a lower end of the rolls of flexible material thereon. A lid is spaced from the base for supporting an upper end of the rolls of flexible material, and a plurality of upright columns extend vertically between the base and the lid at a perimeter of the base. At least two hinges are defined in each of the upright columns to permit each of the upright columns to be moved between a vertical extended configuration wherein lower, intermediate and upper portions of the upright column are aligned and a collapsed configuration wherein the lower, intermediate and upper portions are obliquely arranged with respect to one another. A latch is associated with each of the hinges to selectively maintain the upright columns in the extended configuration.

Claims

1. A shipping rack for transporting rolls of flexible material, the shipping rack comprising: a generally flat base for supporting a lower end of the rolls of flexible material thereon; a lid spaced from the base for supporting an upper end of the rolls of flexible material; a plurality of upright columns extending between the base and the lid at a perimeter of the base; at least two hinges defined in each of the upright columns, the hinges spaced from one another to permit each of the upright columns to be moved between an extended configuration wherein lower, intermediate and upper portions of the upright column are aligned and a collapsed configuration wherein the lower, intermediate and upper portions are obliquely arranged with respect to one another; and a latch associated with each of the hinges to selectively maintain the upright columns in the extended configuration.

2. The shipping rack of claim 1, wherein the at least two hinges are defined about orthogonal axes.

3. The shipping rack of claim 2, wherein upright columns are rectangular in cross section and wherein the orthogonal axes are aligned with sides of the rectangular cross section.

4. The shipping rack of claim 1, wherein the upright columns include notches defined therein to receive a bolt and thereby positively latch to lid to the upright columns.

5. The shipping rack of claim 4, wherein the notches include pairs of notches including a lower notch arranged for latching the lid to the upright columns to secure rolls of the flexible material with a nominal width and an upper notch spaced from the lower notch for securing rolls of the flexible material with a wider than nominal width.

6. The shipping rack of claim 4, wherein the bolt includes a tapered end to be received in the notches and wherein the bolt is selectively movable into and out of the notches with a latch mechanism secured to the lid.

7. The shipping rack of claim 1, wherein the base includes an array of protrusions extending upwardly therefrom, and wherein the lid includes an array of protrusions extending downwardly therefrom, and wherein the array of protrusions on the lid is aligned with the array of protrusions on the base when the lid is coupled to the upright columns.

8. The shipping rack of claim 1, further comprising a lower stacking connector adjacent the base and an upper stacking connector defined on an upper end of the upright columns.

9. The shipping rack of claim 8, wherein the lower stacking connector is an opening aligned with the upright columns and the upper stacking connector is a boss defined at an upper end of the upright columns.

10. The shipping rack of claim 9, further comprising a lower rail tapering downward from the lower stacking connector to define a forklift pocket between the lower rail and the base, and wherein the lower rail defines a lower-most surface of the shipping rack.

11. A method for shipping rolls of flexible material on a returnable shipping rack, the method comprising: unfolding upright columns of the shipping rack about at least two hinges defined in the upright columns such that the upright columns extend from a base of the shipping rack; loading rolls of the flexible material onto the base of the shipping rack; securing a lid to the upright columns above the rolls of flexible material; and transporting the shipping rack and the rolls of flexible material to shipping destination together on a transport vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising arranging a plurality of shipping racks on the shipping vehicle such that the upright columns of each shipping rack abut upright columns of adjacent shipping racks.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising arranging the shipping racks in at least two vertical layers by connecting a lower stacking connector of the shipping racks on an upper vertical layer with an upper stacking connector of shipping racks on a lower vertical layer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the lid to the upright columns includes inserting a bolt on the lid into a notch defined in the upright columns to positively secure the lid to the upright columns.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the notch from a plurality of notches defined in the upright columns based on a width of the rolls of flexible material.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising unloading the rolls of flexible materials from the shipping racks at the shipping destination and folding the upright columns about the at least two hinges to move the shipping racks to a collapsed configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising loading the shipping racks on the shipping vehicle in the collapsed configuration for a return shipment, and wherein loading the shipping racks on the shipping vehicle in the collapsed configuration includes arranging the shipping racks in at least four vertical layers.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein unfolding the upright columns includes unfolding the upright columns about at least two axes arranged orthogonally to one another.

19. A shipping rack for transporting rolls of flexible material, the shipping rack comprising: a base for supporting a lower end of the rolls of flexible material thereon; a plurality of upright columns extending from the base, each upright column including at least one notch defined therein; a lid for supporting an upper end of the rolls of flexible material, the lid removably coupled to the plurality of columns by bolts selectively extendable from the lid into the notches.

20. The shipping rack of claim 19, wherein the plurality of upright columns include at least one hinge to permit each of the upright columns to be moved between an extended configuration wherein lower and upper portions of the upright column are aligned and a folded configuration wherein the lower and upper portions are obliquely arranged with respect to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIGS. 1A and 1B are front and perspective views, respectively, of a returnable shipping rack loaded with rolls of flexible material in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a lower corner of a base of the returnable shipping rack of FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrating a lower stacking connector for the returnable shipping rack.

[0010] FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of an upright column of the returnable shipping rack illustrating a pair of knuckle joints that permit collapsing the returnable shipping rack.

[0011] FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged views of a clamp in engaged and disengaged configurations, respectively, for securing a lid to the upright columns of the returnable shipping racks.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the returnable shipping rack in an empty or unloaded configuration.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the returnable shipping rack in a collapsed configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. Like elements in the various figures may be denoted by like reference numerals for consistency. Further, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description. Additionally, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the scale of the elements presented in the accompanying Figures may vary without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0015] Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure generally relate to a frame for supporting and protecting rolls of flexible material during shipping. The frame generally includes a base that supports one or more of the rolls in a vertical orientation, a plurality of upright columns extending from the base, and a lid coupled to the upright columns such that the lid engages an upper end of the one or more rolls supported on the base. The lid may include one or more clamps for coupling to the upright columns. The clamps engage the columns at a plurality of heights to accommodate manufacturing variations that may occur in the size of the rolls. The upright columns include a plurality of joints defined therein, which permit the frame to collapse once the flexible material is unloaded. Collapsing the frame facilitates stacking the frames for a return shipment or for storage. The base of the frames are arranged to engage an upper end of a frame stacked underneath, whether the frames are in collapsed or expanded configurations. The base of the frames are also arranged not to protrude laterally beyond an envelope defined by the upright columns such that the frames may abut one another closely when arranged side-by-side on a shipping vehicle.

[0016] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a returnable shipping rack 102 loaded with rolls of flexible material 104 in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The shipping rack 102 may be constructed of steel or another durable material that promotes the reuse of the shipping rack 102 in multiple shipments of the flexible material 104. The shipping rack 102 generally includes a flat, rectangular base 108 supporting the rolls of flexible material 104 in a vertical orientation. In other embodiments, the base 108 may be generally round, hexagonal or exhibit another shape without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, nine rolls of flexible material 104 are supported on the base 108 in three rows, each containing three rolls of the flexible material 104. More or fewer rolls may be supported on the base 108 in a variety of other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The base 108 may include a grid of protrusions 502 (FIG. 5) that extend upward into cores of the rolls of flexible material 104 and laterally support the rolls of flexible material 104 on the base 108.

[0017] Extending vertically from the base 108 are four upright columns 110. The upright columns 110 are disposed at the corners of the rectangular base 108 and are generally constructed as tubular members with rectangular or square cross-sections although other cross-sectional shapes such as circles are contemplated. The upright columns 110 extend vertically beyond the rolls of flexible material 104 when the shipping rack 102 is in the extended configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The upright columns 110 each include a pair of knuckle joints 110A and 110B defined therein, which permit collapsing of the shipping rack 102 as described in greater detail below. In the extended configuration, the upright columns 110 support a lid 112 above the flexible material 104. The lid 112 may include a grid of protrusions 112A (see FIG. 4A) that extend downward into the cores of the rolls of flexible material 104 to laterally support the flexible material 104. The lid 112 is secured to the upright columns with clamps 114 provided on the lid 112. The clamps 114 may include an over-center mechanism or similar structure that may be manipulated to selectively fix the location of the lid 112 with respect to the upright columns 110 and to release the lid 112 from the upright columns 110.

[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a lower stacking connector 202 is defined at each of the corners of the base 108. The lower stacking connector 202 extends downward from the base 108 and may be generally constructed as a hollow tubular member with a rectangular or square cross-section similar to the upright columns 110. The lower stacking connector 202 may include an opening 204 at a lower end thereof. The opening 204 may receive an upper stacking connector 402 (FIG. 4A), such as a boss or other protrusion defined at an upper end of an upright column 110 of a shipping rack 102 stacked beneath the lower stacking connector 202.

[0019] The lower stacking connector 202 does not extend laterally beyond the upright columns 110, and in some embodiments the lower stacking connectors 202 are generally aligned with the upright columns 110. The lower stacking connectors 202 thus permit shipping racks 102 to be arranged side-by-side with the upright columns 110 adjacent to one another or abutting with one another. This arrangement may permit two shipping racks 102 to be positioned in each row of a packing array on a narrow truck or other shipping vehicle. If the shipping vehicle can accommodate the height of two shipping racks 102 stacked upon one another, the lower stacking connectors 202 also permit the shipping racks 102 to be arranged in multiple vertical layers as well.

[0020] A lower rail 206 tapers downward from the lower stacking connector 202 such that a forklift pocket 208 is defined between the lower rail 206 and the base 108. The lower rail 206 defines a lower-most surface of the shipping rack 102 and supports the lower stacking connector 202 above the ground surface G or other surface supporting the shipping rack 102. This arrangement provides a stable surface for supporting the shipping rack 102 on the ground surface G, and allows the two shipping racks 102 to interlock with one another when stacked vertically.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, an upright column 110 of the returnable shipping rack 102 is illustrated detailing knuckle joints 110A and 110B. The knuckle joints 110A each include a hinge 302 and a latch 304 to facilitate moving the shipping rack 102 to a collapsed configuration (see FIG. 6). The hinges 302 generally divide the upright column 110 into a lower portion 308A, intermediate portion 308B and an upper portion 308C. Two or more of the hinges 302 may be arranged along orthogonal axes A1 and A2 such that the intermediate portion 308B may pivot in a direction of arrow 310 about axis A1 with respect to the lower portion 308A and the upper portion 308C may pivot in a direction of arrow 312 about axis A2 with respect to the intermediate portion 308B. Angles other than orthogonal are also contemplated. The latches 304 are operable to secure the three portions 308A, 30B, 308C in an aligned arrangement as illustrated in FIG. 3, and may be operated to permit the upright columns 110 to be moved to the pivoted or folded arrangement of FIG. 6.

[0022] Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, a clamp 114 is illustrated in engaged and disengaged configurations, respectively. The clamp 114 includes a tapered bolt 404 that engages one of a pair of notches 406A, 406B to secure the lid 112 to the upright column 110. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, four pairs of notches 406A, 406B are provided along the upright column 110 to accommodate different heights (widths) of rolls of the flexible material 104. Lower notches 406A may be provided at heights H1, H2, H3 and H4 above the base 108 appropriate to support rolls of flexible material 104 having nominal widths of 44, 54, 56 and 61 inches, although support of other widths is contemplated. An upper notch 406B is provided about inch above each lower notch 406A to accommodate wider than nominal rolls of flexible material 104. For example, inaccuracies and imperfections in the winding of the rolls may result in coning as the flexible material 104 migrates along an axis of the roll as it is being wound. Any such inaccuracies may produce a roll of flexible material 104 that is wider than the nominal width. The upper notch 406B of each pair of notches 406A, 406B may accommodate these rolls which may be within acceptable tolerances, but wider than the nominal width. The clamp 114 may include an over-center mechanism to move the tapered bolt 404 into and out of the appropriate notches 406A, 406B to positively engage the upright column 110. For example, moving the tapered bolt 404 into the notches 406A, 406B does not rely only on friction between the bolt 404 and the upright column 110 to limit movement between lid 112 and the upright columns 110. Draw latches, cam latches, slide latches, etc. may also be employed as the clamp 114 to positively move the bolt 404 into one of the notches 406A, 406B.

[0023] The lid 112 may include downward facing protrusions 412 (FIG. 4A) that extend downward into cores of the rolls of flexible material 104. When the lid 112 is positioned above the rolls of flexible material 104, the protrusions 412, together with the protrusions 502 (FIG. 5) of the base 108, laterally support and restrict the rolls in a spaced arrangement with one another to protect the flexible material 104 in transit. Securing the clamps 114 to the upright protrusions 110 allow lateral transit loads on the flexible material to be transferred to the shipping rack 102.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 5, the shipping rack 102 is illustrated in an empty or unloaded configuration. The latches 304 of each of the knuckle joints 110A, 110B are engaged to secure the upright columns 110 in a vertical configuration. The lid 112 is secured to the upright columns 110 by the latches 114 on the lid 112. In this configuration, the protrusions 502 on the base 108 are aligned with the protrusions 412 on the lid.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 6, the shipping rack 102 is illustrated in a collapsed configuration. The lid 112 is positioned directly on the base 108, and the upright columns 110 are pivoted about the hinges 302 of the knuckle joints 110A, 110B. The lower portion 308A, intermediate portion 308B and the upper portion are obliquely arranged with respect to one another. In this arrangement, the lower portions 308A of the upright columns 110 define the upper-most portion of the shipping rack 102. The lower stacking connectors 202 of a collapsed shipping rack 102 may positioned on the lower portions 308A to stack shipping racks 102 in a collapsed configuration. When stacked in this manner, the lower rail 206 extends between the lower portions 308A allowing the stacked shipping racks to be interlocked with one another. At least 4 shipping racks 102 may be stacked vertically in a standard semi-trailer.

[0026] In an example operational scenario, a manufacturer may load the shipping racks 108 with rolls of flexible material 104 in a manufacturing facility. The lid 112 may be removed to facilitate placement of the rolls of flexible material 104 on the base 108 such that the protrusions 504 extend into a core of each roll. Once the rolls of flexible material 104 are loaded onto the base 108, the lid 112 may be placed onto the rolls such that the protrusions 412 extend downward into the cores. The clamps 114 may then be operated to drive the tapered bolts 404 into the appropriate notches 406A, 406B to secure lid 112 to the upright columns 110. Several shipping racks 108 may be similarly loaded.

[0027] The shipping racks 102 may then be loaded onto a shipping vehicle. A first vertical layer of shipping racks 102 such that upright columns 110 of the shipping racks abut the upright columns of adjacent shipping racks 102. This close packing of the shipping racks 102 may allow for the first vertical layer to include two shipping racks in a single row across a narrow shipping vehicle. This would not be possible with shipping racks that may have feet or other structures protruding laterally beyond the upright columns. A second vertical layer may be stacked on top of the first vertical layer by placing the lower stacking connectors 202 of shipping racks in the second vertical layer on the upper stacking connectors 402 of the shipping racks 102 in the first vertical layer. Arranging the shipping racks in this manner efficiently uses the available space on a shipping vehicle.

[0028] The shipping racks 102 and rolls of flexible material 104 may then be transported to a user, who may unload the shipping racks 102 from the shipping vehicle and unload the rolls of flexible material 104 from the shipping racks. The user may then place the lid 112 directly on the base, disengage the latches 304, and fold the upright columns 110 about the hinges 302 to collapse the shipping racks 102. The collapsed shipping racks 102 may then be loaded on the shipping vehicle in stacks with four vertical layers, for example. The shipping racks may be returned to the manufacturer in the collapsed configuration, such that fewer return trips may be required than for the initial delivery.

[0029] Once the shipping racks 102 are returned to the manufacturer, the upright columns 110 may be unfolded and latched with the latches 304 to return the shipping racks 102 to the extended configuration. The manufacturer may then reload the shipping racks for an additional shipment, and in this manner, the shipping racks 108 may be reused.

[0030] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, for example, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms contains, containing, includes, including, comprises, and/or comprising, and variations thereof, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0031] Terms of orientation are used herein merely for purposes of convention and referencing and are not to be construed as limiting. However, it is recognized these terms could be used with reference to an operator or user. Accordingly, no limitations are implied or to be inferred. In addition, the use of ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third, etc.) is for distinction and not counting. For example, the use of third does not imply there must be a corresponding first or second. Also, if used herein, the terms coupled or coupled to or connected or connected to or attached or attached to may indicate establishing either a direct or indirect connection, and is not limited to either unless expressly referenced as such.

[0032] While the disclosure has described several exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents can be substituted for elements thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications will be appreciated by those skilled in the art to adapt a particular instrument, situation, or material to embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, or to the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.