Flexible bottom containers

• US 4,046,277 A
• Filed: 09/24/1975
• Issued: 09/06/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Morrison, Hadley F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Application Number:
  US05/616,492
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 220/1.5, 220/83, 220/72, 105/367, 105/366, 105/392.5, 105/393, 105/467, 52/758 D, 52/63, 267/156, 267/157, 296/28 E, 244/118 R
• US Class Current: 220/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/14 by air

Abstract

An improved hard sided cargo container having a top, bottom and four vertical walls, two opposing walls of said container being pliant to permit incremental vertical expansion or contraction of said walls responsive to loads on the floor of the container.

Claims

1. An enclosed solid four-sided cargo container comprising:

a top,

a bottom,

a first set of two rigid opposing walls attached to said top and bottom providing support for the top,

a second set of two opposing walls attached to the top and to the bottom comprising distortable pleats which vary in width, said pleats having their greatest width at the center of the wall, the width of the pleats decreasing in both directions toward the side edge of the wall to zero depth, providing a flat surface at the edge of the wall, said pleats orientated parallel to the bottom to impart pliability to said second set of walls in a direction perpendicular to said bottom, whereby said walls permit incremental flexure of the bottom of the container along the line of contact between the second set of walls and the bottom of the container.

2. The enclosed solid four-sided container of claim 1 having telescoping support beams attached to the top and the bottom, said beams positioned parallel and adjacent to the outside of the second set of walls, said beams providing additional support for said walls in a direction perpendicular to said walls.

3. An enclosed solid four-sided cargo container comprising:

a top,

a bottom,

a first set of two opposing rigid walls attached to the top and the bottom providing support for the top,

a second set of two opposing walls attached to the top and to the bottom comprising a distortable spring joint orientated parallel to the bottom, said joint being constructed of two coiled spring panels which dovetail together, the terminal edges of which overlap and abut to provide pliability in a direction perpendicular to the bottom, said second set of walls permit incremental flexure of the bottom of the container along the line of contact between the second set of solid walls and the bottom of the container.