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.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         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.