Container having generally L-shaped slotted tracks to facilitate movement of dunnage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676548-B2
Application number	US-201414539339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A container for holding product therein during shipment and being returned for reuse has guides containing generally L-shaped slotted tracks having horizontal and vertical portions. A plurality of dunnage supports extend between the tracks. Dunnage is suspended by the dunnage supports. The dunnage supports have narrowed portions engaged with the slotted tracks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A container for holding product therein during shipment, the container comprising:
a bottom, a front, a rear and two sides;
two stationary guides, each of the guides being spaced inwardly from one of the sides of the container and generally parallel to the container sides, each of the guides being secured to one of the sides of the container and having a generally L-shaped slotted track fully extending through the guide, each of the generally L-shaped slotted tracks having at least one substantially horizontally oriented portion and at least one substantially vertically oriented portion extending towards the bottom from each substantially horizontally oriented portion and terminating proximate the container bottom; and
a plurality of movable dunnage supports generally inside the container, each of the dunnage supports having a narrowed portion at each end, the narrowed portions of each dunnage support being engaged with and slidable along the slotted tracks to facilitate movement of dunnage supported by the dunnage supports.

2. The container of claim 1 further comprising at least one door.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein the dunnage comprises pouches.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein each of the dunnage supports is tubular.

5. The container of claim 1 further comprising multiple spacers located between each guide and each side of the container.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein each of the guides is a single member.

7. The container of claim 1 wherein at least one of the dunnage supports comprises multiple pieces.

8. The container of claim 1 wherein at least one of the dunnage supports is a unitary member.

9. The container of claim 2 wherein each door comprises multiple pieces.

10. A container for holding product therein during shipment, the container comprising:
a bottom and two side structures;
two stationary guides, each of the guides being supported by one of the side structures, each of the guides having an L-shaped slotted track fully extending through the guide, each of the generally L-shaped slotted tracks having at least one substantially horizontally oriented portion and at least one substantially vertically oriented portion extending towards the bottom from an end of each substantially horizontally oriented portion and terminating proximate a lower edge of the guide; and
movable dunnage supports generally inside the container, each of the dunnage supports having narrowed portions, the narrowed portions of each dunnage support being engaged with and slidable along the slotted tracks to facilitate movement of the dunnage supports; and
dunnage supported by the dunnage supports.

11. The container of claim 10 further comprising at least one door.

12. The container of claim 11 wherein each door comprises multiple pieces.

13. The container of claim 10 wherein the dunnage comprises pouches.

14. The container of claim 10 wherein at least one of the dunnage supports comprises multiple pieces.

15. The container of claim 10 wherein at least one of the dunnage supports comprises a unitary piece.

16. The container of claim 10 further comprising multiple spacers located between each guide and each side of the container.

17. A container for holding product therein during shipment, the container comprising:
a bottom and two opposed sides;
two guides, each guide being spaced from one of the sides of the container by at least one spacer, each of the guides having an L-shaped slotted track extending fully through the guide and comprising at least one generally horizontally oriented portion and at least one generally vertically oriented portion extending towards the bottom from each generally horizontally oriented portion and terminating proximate a lower edge of the guide;
a plurality of dunnage supports extending between opposed slotted tracks, each of the dunnage supports having narrowed portions, the narrowed portions of each dunnage support being engaged with and slidable along the slotted tracks to facilitate movement of the dunnage supports; and
dunnage suspended by the dunnage supports.

18. The container of claim 17 wherein the dunnage comprises pouches hanging from the dunnage supports.

19. The container of claim 17 further comprising at least one slidable door.

20. The container of claim 17 further comprises a door having multiple segments, each of the segments being vertically movable.

Assignees

• Bradford Co

Inventors

• Bradford Judson A
• Burns Allen L
• Sanger Matthew S
• Dobrinski Brian T
• Bruinsma Eric S
• Bublitz Timothy A

Classifications

• B65D2519/00611

  side walls maintained connected to each other by means of auxiliary locking elements, e.g. spring loaded locking pins · CPC title

• B65D2519/00233

  Metal · CPC title

• B65D2519/00288

  made of one piece · CPC title

• B65D2519/00532

  Frame structures · CPC title

• B65D2519/00069

  Plastic · CPC title