A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping.[1] Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term is most frequently applied to devices made from materials that are durable and are often partly or completely rigid.
Intermediate bulk containers, commonly used in industrial settings for the handling, transport, and storage of liquids, semi-solids, pastes, or solids.
A container can also be considered as a basic tool,[2][3] consisting of any device creating a partially or fully enclosed space that can be used to contain, store, and transport objects or materials.
Humans have used containers for at least 100,000 years, and possibly for millions of years.[4] The first containers were probably invented for storing food,[4][5] allowing early humans to preserve more of their food for a longer time, to carry it more easily, and also to protect it from other animals. The development of food storage containers was "of immense importance to the evolving human populations", and "was a totally innovative behavior" not seen in other primates.[6] The earliest containers were probably objects found in nature such as hollow gourds,[7] of which primitive examples have been found in cultures such as those of the Tharu people,[8] and native Hawaiian people.[9] These were followed by woven baskets, carved wood, and pottery.
Containers thereafter continued to develop along with related advances in human technology, and with the development of new materials and new means of manufacture.[10] Early glass bottles were produced by the Phoenicians; specimens of Phoenician translucent and transparent glass bottles have been found in Cyprus and Rhodes generally varying in length from three to six inches.[11] These Phoenician examples from the first millennium BC were thought to have been used to contain perfume.[12] The Romans learned glass-making from the Phoenicians and produced many extant examples of fine glass bottles, mostly relatively small. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, sizes for retail containers such as glass bottles had become standardized for their markets.[13]
In 1810, Frenchman Philippe de Girard came to London and used British merchant Peter Durand as an agent to patent his own idea for a process for making tin cans.[14] The canning concept was based on experimental food preservation work in glass containers the year before by the French inventor Nicholas Appert. Durand did not pursue food canning, but, in 1812, sold his patent to two Englishmen, Bryan Donkin and John Hall, who refined the process and product, and set up the world's first commercial canning factory on Southwark Park Road, London. By 1813 they were producing their first tin canned goods for the Royal Navy.
For transportation of goods on a larger scale, larger containers remained a problem, as customs officials inspecting imports had to deal with a lack of standardization in this field, and because predominantly wooden containers in use well into the twentieth century were prone to leaking or breaking.[13] The standardized steel shipping container was developed in the 1950s, and quickly became ubiquitous for the large-scale transportation of commercial goods.
Towards the end of the Twentieth century, the introduction of computer-aided design made it possible to design highly specialized containers and container arrangements, and also to make form-fitting labels for containers of unusual shapes.[15]
Modern characteristics
A number of considerations go into the design of modern containers:
The product characteristics that create utility for a container go beyond just providing shock and moisture protection for the contents. A well-designed container will also exhibit ease of use, that is, it is easy for the worker to open or close, to insert or extract the contents, and to handle the container in shipment. In addition, a good container will have convenient and legible labeling locations, a shape that is conducive to efficient stacking and storing, and easy recycling at the end of its useful life.[16]
Variety
Practical examples of containers are listed below.
^ Soroka, W (2008). Illustrated Glossary of Packaging Terms. Institute of Packaging Professionals. p. 51. ISBN978-1-930268-27-2.
^David P. Braun, "Pots as Tools", in J. A. Moore and A. S. Keene, eds., Archaeological Hammers and Theories (1983), pp. 108–134.
^Karen Gayle Harry, Stephanie Michelle Whittlesey, Trixi Bubemyre, Pots, Potters, And Models: Archaeological Investigations at the SRI Locus of the West Branch Site, Tucson, Arizona (2005), p. 283: "The perspective taken in this chapter is that ceramic containers are tools (Braun 1983) and, as a crucial part of the technological repertoire, can provide considerable information about activity organization, production technology, food-preparation and storage technology, settlement function, and economic organization".
^ abClive Gamble, Origins and Revolutions: Human Identity in Earliest Prehistory (2007), p. 204.
^David A. Munro, A Place For Everything (1968), p. 92.
^Bernard Grant Campbell, Human Evolution: An Introduction to Mans Adaptations (2009), p. 306.
^Chuck Groth, Exploring Package Design (2005), p. 3.
^Sameera Maiti, The Tharu: Their Arts and Crafts (2004), p. 178.
^Irving Jenkins, The Hawaiian Calabash (1989), p. 5.
^Lewandowski, Krzysztof (2016). "Growth in the Size of Unit Loads and Shipping Containers from Antique to WWI". Packaging Technology and Science. 29 (8–9): 451–478. doi:10.1002/pts.2231. ISSN 1099-1522. S2CID 113982441.
^Perrot and Chipiez, Histoire de l'art, v iii, 734–744
^George Rawlinson, History of Phoenicia, 1889, Green Longmans publisher, 583 pages
^ abWarren Belasco, Roger Horowitz, Food Chains: From Farmyard to Shopping Cart, pp. 98–99.
^Geoghegan, Tom (2013-04-21). "BBC News – The story of how the tin can nearly wasn't". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
^Geoff A. Giles, Design and Technology of Packaging Decoration for the Consumer Market (2000), p. 82: "Container designers also found that shrink sleeves gave them new-found freedom to design containers that until then had been viewed as impossible to decorate".
^Anthony F. Buono, Henri Savall, Socio-economic Interventions in Organizations (2007), p. 231.
Sources
Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN978-0-470-08704-6
External links
Media related to Containers at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of container at Wiktionary
March 03, 2023
container, this, article, about, physical, containers, standardized, shipping, unit, intermodal, container, other, uses, disambiguation, container, receptacle, enclosure, holding, product, used, storage, packaging, transportation, including, shipping, things, . This article is about physical containers For the standardized shipping unit see Intermodal container For other uses see Container disambiguation A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage packaging and transportation including shipping 1 Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure The term is most frequently applied to devices made from materials that are durable and are often partly or completely rigid Simple containers made from gourds being sold for use as calabash in Kenya Display of a woven basket from the Maya peoples of Mexico A corrugated fiberboard box A spine car with a 6 metres 20 ft tank container and an open top intermodal shipping container with canvas cover Intermediate bulk containers commonly used in industrial settings for the handling transport and storage of liquids semi solids pastes or solids A container can also be considered as a basic tool 2 3 consisting of any device creating a partially or fully enclosed space that can be used to contain store and transport objects or materials Contents 1 History 2 Modern characteristics 3 Variety 4 References 4 1 Sources 5 External linksHistory EditHumans have used containers for at least 100 000 years and possibly for millions of years 4 The first containers were probably invented for storing food 4 5 allowing early humans to preserve more of their food for a longer time to carry it more easily and also to protect it from other animals The development of food storage containers was of immense importance to the evolving human populations and was a totally innovative behavior not seen in other primates 6 The earliest containers were probably objects found in nature such as hollow gourds 7 of which primitive examples have been found in cultures such as those of the Tharu people 8 and native Hawaiian people 9 These were followed by woven baskets carved wood and pottery Containers thereafter continued to develop along with related advances in human technology and with the development of new materials and new means of manufacture 10 Early glass bottles were produced by the Phoenicians specimens of Phoenician translucent and transparent glass bottles have been found in Cyprus and Rhodes generally varying in length from three to six inches 11 These Phoenician examples from the first millennium BC were thought to have been used to contain perfume 12 The Romans learned glass making from the Phoenicians and produced many extant examples of fine glass bottles mostly relatively small By the beginning of the eighteenth century sizes for retail containers such as glass bottles had become standardized for their markets 13 In 1810 Frenchman Philippe de Girard came to London and used British merchant Peter Durand as an agent to patent his own idea for a process for making tin cans 14 The canning concept was based on experimental food preservation work in glass containers the year before by the French inventor Nicholas Appert Durand did not pursue food canning but in 1812 sold his patent to two Englishmen Bryan Donkin and John Hall who refined the process and product and set up the world s first commercial canning factory on Southwark Park Road London By 1813 they were producing their first tin canned goods for the Royal Navy For transportation of goods on a larger scale larger containers remained a problem as customs officials inspecting imports had to deal with a lack of standardization in this field and because predominantly wooden containers in use well into the twentieth century were prone to leaking or breaking 13 The standardized steel shipping container was developed in the 1950s and quickly became ubiquitous for the large scale transportation of commercial goods Towards the end of the Twentieth century the introduction of computer aided design made it possible to design highly specialized containers and container arrangements and also to make form fitting labels for containers of unusual shapes 15 Modern characteristics EditA number of considerations go into the design of modern containers The product characteristics that create utility for a container go beyond just providing shock and moisture protection for the contents A well designed container will also exhibit ease of use that is it is easy for the worker to open or close to insert or extract the contents and to handle the container in shipment In addition a good container will have convenient and legible labeling locations a shape that is conducive to efficient stacking and storing and easy recycling at the end of its useful life 16 Variety EditPractical examples of containers are listed below Ceramic cylindrical vessels including Ancient vessels including Amphoras Kvevri Pithos and Dolium Bottles similar to a jar in being traditionally symmetrical about the axis perpendicular to its base and made of glass Jars traditionally cylindrical and made of glass Cylindrical vessels including Barrels made of wooden staves bound by rope wooden or metal hoops Cans traditionally cylindrical and sheet metallic Drums similar to a can but definitely cylindrical and not necessarily metallic Tub Rectilinear vessels including Boxes Crates a box or rectilinear exoskeleton designed for hoisting or loading Wooden boxes Lift vans Corf Certain waste containers Flexible containers including Bags such as shopping bags mail bags sick bag Luggage including satchels backpacks and briefcases Packets Gunny sacks flour sacks Wallets Shipping containers including Corrugated boxes made of corrugated fiberboard Intermodal containers a k a ship container or cargo container Twenty foot equivalent units an industry standard intermodal container size Intermediate bulk containers Unit load devices similar to a crate Flexible intermediate bulk containersReferences Edit Soroka W 2008 Illustrated Glossary of Packaging Terms Institute of Packaging Professionals p 51 ISBN 978 1 930268 27 2 David P Braun Pots as Tools in J A Moore and A S Keene eds Archaeological Hammers and Theories 1983 pp 108 134 Karen Gayle Harry Stephanie Michelle Whittlesey Trixi Bubemyre Pots Potters And Models Archaeological Investigations at the SRI Locus of the West Branch Site Tucson Arizona 2005 p 283 The perspective taken in this chapter is that ceramic containers are tools Braun 1983 and as a crucial part of the technological repertoire can provide considerable information about activity organization production technology food preparation and storage technology settlement function and economic organization a b Clive Gamble Origins and Revolutions Human Identity in Earliest Prehistory 2007 p 204 David A Munro A Place For Everything 1968 p 92 Bernard Grant Campbell Human Evolution An Introduction to Mans Adaptations 2009 p 306 Chuck Groth Exploring Package Design 2005 p 3 Sameera Maiti The Tharu Their Arts and Crafts 2004 p 178 Irving Jenkins The Hawaiian Calabash 1989 p 5 Lewandowski Krzysztof 2016 Growth in the Size of Unit Loads and Shipping Containers from Antique to WWI Packaging Technology and Science 29 8 9 451 478 doi 10 1002 pts 2231 ISSN 1099 1522 S2CID 113982441 Perrot and Chipiez Histoire de l art v iii 734 744 George Rawlinson History of Phoenicia 1889 Green Longmans publisher 583 pages a b Warren Belasco Roger Horowitz Food Chains From Farmyard to Shopping Cart pp 98 99 Geoghegan Tom 2013 04 21 BBC News The story of how the tin can nearly wasn t Bbc co uk Retrieved 2013 06 04 Geoff A Giles Design and Technology of Packaging Decoration for the Consumer Market 2000 p 82 Container designers also found that shrink sleeves gave them new found freedom to design containers that until then had been viewed as impossible to decorate Anthony F Buono Henri Savall Socio economic Interventions in Organizations 2007 p 231 Sources Edit Yam K L Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology John Wiley amp Sons 2009 ISBN 978 0 470 08704 6External links Edit Media related to Containers at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of container at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Container amp oldid 1099618558, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
