Cleanable shipping container

Abstract

A shipping container is made with a bottom and walls of a first rigid material and hinges connect the walls that are made of a second, flexible material. The hinge material is fused to the bottom and walls so that there are no crevices to collect contaminants. The container has an erect position in which the walls extend upward from the bottom, and it can be knocked down by folding the walls outward until they are splayed out from the bottom or inward until they lie flat on top of the bottom. The sides and bottom include structural elements that engage each other when the container is in the erect position to transfer loads between the sides and the bottom and so relieve the hinges of carrying such loads. This arrangement allows the hinges to be flexible and elastic. When the container is knocked down with the walls spread outward from the base, it can be cleaned easily before reuse because there are no enclosed areas such as around conventional hinges that use hinge pins to retain hidden contaminants. The container is held in its erect position by a band or strap surrounding the upper perimeter of the erect container. The band may be cut and discarded to knock the container down. When the sides are folded inward onto the bottom, the container is compact, facilitating return shipment of the empty, knocked down container.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A reusable, collapsible, cleanable shipping container having: 
 a bottom with a peripheral edge,    first and second opposed pairs of walls,    hinges connecting the walls each to an edge of the bottom, the hinges being informed of a unitary piece of resilient, flexible material fused to the walls and bottom to form a seamless joint their between,    the walls having a first open position in which they extend away from the bottom and lie generally in the plane of the bottom, and    a second, erect position in which the walls extend upward from the base to form a container, and    force transmitting surfaces on the walls and bottom that transmit forces between the walls and the bottom when the walls are in the erect position and thereby limit the extent to which said forces are transmitted between the walls and bottom through the hinges.    
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the bottom includes elevated surfaces for mounting at least some of the hinges.  
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2  wherein alternate walls are hinged to elevated surfaces.  
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1  where in the walls each define a plane and the surfaces on the walls include surfaces substantially normal to the respective planes.  
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 4  wherein the bottom includes a T shaped projection that forms a part of the force transmitting surfaces.  
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 4  wherein the bottom includes at least two T shaped projections and at least some of the walls include T shaped openings that cooperate with the T shaped projections of the bottom to transmit loads between the walls and the bottom.  
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the walls define an outside surface when in the erect position and include a recess for receiving a band extending around the outside surface that retains the walls in the erect position.  
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 7  wherein the band is removable.  
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 7  wherein the walls include a ribs and the recess includes notches formed in the ribs adjacent an edge of at least some of the walls.  
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 3  wherein the walls have a third position in which alternate walls are folded flat against the bottom, and the remaining walls are folded against the alternate walls.  
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 1  wherein the walls and bottom are formed of a thermoplastic material and the hinges are formed of a different thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 11  wherein the walls and bottom are injection molded and thereafter the hinges are injection molded, the process of injection molding the hinges simultaneously fusing the hinges to the walls and bottom.  
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 1  including a third opposed pair of walls.