1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers, and more specifically to a collapsible shipping container made of light, strong and durable materials. This invention may also be used in other embodiments as a collapsible refuse receptacle for municipalities or individuals. It may also be used as a general-purpose storage container.
2. Background of the Invention
Intercontinental shipping containers are designed to be large, cumbersome and bulky. These seemingly negative traits have often been seen as beneficial in the long-haul shipping industry. The individual or company that is shipping the goods desires to have as large a capacity as possible for their goods. The shipper desires to have the ability to fill its bulkhead quickly with cargo by using standard-sized containers positioned by cranes and other handling equipment.
The large capacity and the standardization in size of the shipping containers are a benefit. However, when not in use or once emptied the large size and bulky nature of these containers is a serious issue. The storage of these containers when not in use has been accomplished until now by stacking the containers near the shipping area. The containers are not safe above a certain height, therefore they are stacked generally less than ten high. The containers are then placed next to each other taking up far more space than is necessary.
The standardization as bulky and heavy also serves to make the containers in the prior art unsuitable for buoyancy. The present invention improves over the prior art by ensuring that the material is light enough to allow the collapsible container to float. Each hinge, joint and door frame in the collapsible container are sealed against water. Therefore, the collapsible container, when in its fully erect state is completely water-tight and will float if dropped into a large body-of water. This will keep the goods safe while providing time to find the floating container.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means by which containers may retain the features of standard size, large capacity, durability, and strength while further providing the ability to collapse the container when not in use to a considerably smaller size for easy storage. It is an additional object of this invention to provide containers that are buoyant and can be spotted floating on the water at night. It is another object of this invention to provide means by which the containers may be tracked locally and globally. These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.