Tubular rivet connection for components of metal, plastic or wood, especially for assembling transport and storage containers for liquids and flowable material

{
  "publication_number": "US7866501B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Tubular rivet connection for components of metal, plastic or wood, especially for assembling transport and storage containers for liquids and flowable material",
  "abstract": "A tubular rivet connection is provided for assembling a transport and storage container that has a support frame, an inner plastic container with a filling socket and a discharge socket, and an exterior jacket. The support frame for the inner container has corner and center legs mounted on a base frame. The top of the support frame and the exterior jacket are attached to the corner legs and center legs by the tubular rivet connection that has a tubular rivet stem connected to a first component; the tubular rivet stem is formed as a monolithic part of the first component or is a separate part welded to the first component. A second component to be riveted to the first component has a rivet hole. A free end of the tubular rivet stem that projects past the second component after insertion into the rivet hole is deformed to a driven head.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A transport and storage container for liquids and flowable material, the transport and storage container comprising: a pallet-like support frame, an inner container of plastic material that rests on the support frame and comprises a closable filling socket and a discharge socket to be connected to a discharge fitting, and an exterior jacket in the form of a grid basket or a sheet metal jacket, wherein the support frame has a top supporting the inner container and has corner legs and center legs made of metal that are mounted on top of an underframe made of metal or skids made of metal, plastic or wood, wherein the top of the support frame, the underframe and the exterior jacket of the inner container are attached to the corner legs and the center legs by tubular rivet connections, each tubular rivet connection having at least one tubular rivet stem formed as a monolithic part of or welded to one of a top side or a bottom side of one of the corner legs and the center legs and project upwardly or downwardly from the top side or the bottom side, respectively, and rivet holes provided in the exterior jacket, the top of the pallet-like support frame and the underframe to receive free ends of the tubular rivet stems, wherein each tubular rivet stem passes through at least one of the rivet holes and is deformed to a driven head to provide fastening, wherein each tubular rivet connection fastens the exterior jacket and an exterior edge of the top of the support frame to one of the corner legs or center legs or fastens one of the corner legs or center legs to the underframe.",
    "2. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein the corner legs each comprise a curved sheet metal part having a top support edge and a bottom support edge, wherein the top support edges and the bottom support edges are provided with outer sections and wherein the tubular rivet stems that projects upwardly and downwardly are connected to the outer sections, respectively.",
    "3. The transport and storage container according to claim 2, wherein, relative to the tubular rivet stems that project upwardly, the tubular rivet stems that project downwardly are staggered parallel inwardly and, in a vertical direction, in accordance with a vertical spacing of the upper support edge to the bottom support edge of the corner leg.",
    "4. The transport and storage container according to claim 3, wherein the curved sheet metal part has outer edges provided with inwardly angled legs and wherein the tubular rivet stems that project downwardly are connected to the inwardly angled legs.",
    "5. The transport and storage container according to claim 2, wherein the curved sheet metal part has outer edges and inwardly angled legs connected to the outer edges, wherein the inwardly angled legs each have a pipe section welded or roll-formed on the inwardly angled legs, wherein the pipe sections have upper and lower bent ends and the bent ends are the tubular rivet stems projecting upwardly and downwardly, respectively.",
    "6. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein two of the center legs are laterally arranged on the support frame and wherein one of the center legs is arranged rearwardly on the support frame, wherein the two laterally arranged center legs and the rearwardly arranged center leg each have a box shape, the two laterally arranged center legs and the rearwardly arranged center leg each having an upper wall forming a support surface, a bottom wall forming a contact surface, and sidewalls, wherein the sidewalls have pipe sections welded or rollformed on the sidewalls, wherein the pipe sections each have a lower end and the lower ends are the tubular rivet stems projecting downwardly, wherein the tubular rivet stems projecting upwardly are connected to the upper walls, respectively.",
    "7. The transport and storage container to claim 6, wherein the lower wall of the two laterally arranged center legs has an inner side provided with a support surface and at least one inwardly oriented hollow rivet stem formed on the lower wall, wherein the bottom of the support frame comprises a reinforcement stay having two downwardly bent outer ends that are supported on the support surface of the lower wall of the two laterally arranged center legs, respectively, wherein the at least one inwardly oriented hollow rivet stem formed on the lower wall is configured to rivet the bent outer ends of the reinforcement stay to the two laterally arranged center legs.",
    "8. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein two of the center legs are laterally arranged on the support frame and have a box shape, the two laterally arranged center legs each having an upper wall forming a support surface and a lower wall forming a contact surface, and sidewalls having a slanted top edge, wherein the sidewalls have pipe sections welded or roll-formed on the slanted top edge, wherein the pipe sections each have upper and lower bent ends and the bent ends are the tubular rivet stems projecting upwardly and downwardly, respectively.",
    "9. The transport and storage container according to claim 8, wherein the lower wall of the two laterally arranged center legs has an inner side provided with a support surface and at least one inwardly oriented hollow rivet stem formed on the lower wall, wherein the bottom of the support frame comprises a reinforcement stay having two downwardly bent outer ends that are supported on the support surface of the lower wall of the two laterally arranged center legs, respectively, wherein the at least one inwardly oriented hollow rivet stem formed on the lower wall is configured to rivet the bent outer ends of the reinforcement stay to the two laterally arranged center legs.",
    "10. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tubular rivet stem is rollformed on the corner legs and the center legs of the support frame."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThe invention relates to a tubular rivet connection for assembling transport and storage containers for liquids and flowable material (bulk material). The transport and storage containers are provided with a pallet-like support frame, an inner container of plastic material resting on the support frame and comprising a closable filling socket and a discharge socket to be connected to a discharge fitting, and with an exterior jacket in the form of a grid jacket or sheet metal jacket. The support frame has a top for supporting the inner container and also has corner legs and center legs made of metal that are mounted on a base frame made of metal or skids made of metal, plastic or wood, wherein the bottom of the support frame as well as the exterior jacket of the inner container are attached to the corner legs and the center legs.\n\n2. Description of the Related Art\n\nWhen assembling transport and storage containers for liquids of the aforementioned kind as disclosed in DE 100 62 088 C2, the underframe of the metal grid basket and the sheet metal top of the pallet-like support frame on which the inner plastic container for liquids rests are screwed to the corner or center legs of the support frame and the legs are welded to the base frame of the underframe. Because of the employed different connecting techniques and the resulting significant assembly expenditure as well as the small parts required for mounting, e.g., sheet-metal or self-tapping screws and washers, the manufacturing costs of the liquid container are accordingly high.",
  "cpc": [
    "B65D 77/0466",
    "B65D 19/10",
    "B65D 2519/00024",
    "B65D 2519/00059",
    "B65D 2519/00094",
    "B65D 2519/00129",
    "B65D 2519/00164",
    "B65D 2519/00273",
    "B65D 2519/00288",
    "B65D 2519/00323",
    "B65D 2519/00333",
    "B65D 2519/00373",
    "B65D 2519/00407",
    "B65D 2519/00437",
    "B65D 2519/00442",
    "B65D 2519/00512",
    "B65D 2519/00572",
    "B65D 2519/00621",
    "B65D 2519/00661",
    "B65D 2519/008",
    "F16B 17/00",
    "F16B 19/08"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B21J 15/00",
    "B21J 15/04",
    "B65D 19/10",
    "B65D 77/04",
    "B65D 77/06",
    "B65D 88/12",
    "B65D 90/04",
    "F16B 17/00",
    "F16B 19/08",
    "F16B 5/04"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Schuetz GmbH and Co KGaA"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Udo Schütz"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2005-02-18",
  "publication_date": "2011-01-11",
  "grant_date": "2011-01-11",
  "priority_date": "2004-02-27",
  "application_number": "US-6185105-A",
  "family_id": "32240902",
  "cited_by_count": 10,
  "citations": [
    "US3952913A",
    "US5253777A",
    "US6202844B1",
    "US6719162B2",
    "DE10062088A1"
  ]
}