We have 20,000 of these plastic bins and we'd like to know what they
were used for. The bin can be seen at:
http://www.bidservice.com/images/whatisit.htm

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Request for Question Clarification by politicalguru-ga on 03 Nov 2005 14:27 PST

Looks to me - for diskettes.

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Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 03 Nov 2005 15:04 PST

Those bins look very similar to compartments I have in my
refrigerator. What do you think?

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 03 Nov 2005 23:31 PST

Hello deilenberger-ga,

Are the numbers on the bottom significant? (I make out 0# 2004-1703
001, but I'm not sure.) Is this the part number you assigned or was it
originated by someone else?

I also notice that BidService sells used/refurbished inventory in the
following categories:
 -- Used Semiconductor Processing 
 -- Used Test and Electronics 
 -- Used Laboratory Equipment 
 -- Used Optical Microscopes 
 -- Used Electron Microscopes 
 -- Used High-Vacuum Equipment 

What category do these bins belong to? Are they plastic or lucite? Do
you have any history of where they came from?

How were the 20,000 packaged? Is there anything on the packaging that
might give a hint as to their origin or purpose? Do they stack or fit
together? Are they all identical? The two you have pictured seem to
differ slightly -- the top picture shows a notched opening on the left
while the bottom picture shows a completely open end on the right.

Can you give us any additional information, no matter how seemingly insignificant? 

I look forward to your clarification.

~ czh ~

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Clarification of Question by deilenberger-ga on 04 Nov 2005 06:07 PST

Clarifications:

1. Diskettes don't really fit in it.

2. These are very small for refrigerator bins - look at the dimensions
on the photo.

3. The numbers on the bottom were put on by the US Customs auction.
That is where these were purchased. They have nothing at all to do
with our normal business, and as far as we know are not related to
anything else we sell (if they were, we'd probably know what they are
- we're good at our speciality.)

4. As far as the fan - it isn't related at all - it just happened to
be in the photo. Sorry.

Some more description since the photos may not show enough detail:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bins appear to be made to slide and lock into something. The lugs
on the bottom of the sides look like they would fit in slots allowing
the bin to slide, and the slots at the open end in the sides (which
are through the sides) look like a locking mechanism might go into
them. The open end also has slots on the inside edge where it appears
something may slide down into the end to close it off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Clarification of Question by deilenberger-ga on 04 Nov 2005 06:22 PST

More clarification:

1. The 20,000 appear (I haven't seen them - this is from a description
from someone who has) to be packed in heavy cardboard cartons which
are then on pallets. The only hint on the packaging is the words
"Amcor Flexible" (who makes plastic and paper packaging) and BAX
Global (who appears to be a shipping expeditor.)  The person who
described them also made some mention of different colors, but this
wasn't terribly clear.

2. As far as we can tell - they don't stack or fit together.

3. The photo is of the same one - we only have the one sample from the
auction. The open end does have slots next to it.

4. They appear to be made from a good grade of clear plastic -
probably in the lucite family.

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 04 Nov 2005 08:36 PST

Amcor Flexibles makes (among other things) plastic drawers for
shelving and storage.

AMCOR FLEXIBLES
http://www.af-europe.com/

One of the products they make is a plastic drawer for Equipto,
Equiptoflex and other storage cabinets and shelves like the ones
pictured here.

MATERIAL FLOW
http://www.materialflow.com/Plastic_Bin_Storage_Units#M59

Because of the railings and grooves on the side of your bins I believe
these were originally designed to function as drawers, bins or tip-out
containers for such a cabinet-style storage unit.

Please let me know if this proves useful.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by deilenberger-ga on 04 Nov 2005 09:23 PST

We thought about it being used in some sort of rack-storage-unit like
"EquiptoFlex" - but can't imagine why one end would be open and what
the slots on the sides are for...  If it is something like this - we
need to know exactly where it was used.

Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 04 Nov 2005 09:27 PST

I have some emails out. Hopefully I will get a response.

tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by deilenberger-ga on 04 Nov 2005 10:19 PST

Thanks.. looking forward to it..

It is of a similar size to the center of that fan in the background,
and has 2004 1of3 on it, written in a direction to suggest that it is
the top of a container.  The shape is quite similar to the top of a
diskette container for the hard little disks, although I don't know
why anyone would have used those in 2004...

These are trays for computer punch cards.  As used for programming in
the 1970s and more recently for things like reading exam answers,
surveys...

Standard punch card dimensions are: 3 1/4 × 7 3/8 inches in size and
0.0065 inches in thickness .  These trays would hold 300 cards.

Have you actually seen this bin being used for punch cards?

No, I can't say that I have specifically.  But I am fairly sure that
these are input or output trays from a smaller automated card reader. 
Not the large mainframe readers for programming, these are too small
for that.

If you know where they were shipped from....maybe related to vote
counting, a university.

Sorry I can't give you the exact machine.  Hope it has helped

I've had a similarly designed extending container before.  You have a
bin composed of two of these designed so that this unit would lie
inside a second unit facing opposite directions (the second unit also
having an open end, thus the "opposite" orientation).  The second unit
would have grooves to allow the bumps on the side of the one pictured
to run in maintaining an overall four sided box wherever you slid it
to.  The side cut out on the pictured unit then acts as a positional
lock.  On the inside of the second unit you would have a raised area
that matches the punch out on the pictured part.  These raised points
would be at both the closed and extended positions that would hold the
unit at the spot you wanted it (raised square locking into the
cut-out).  This requires only a minimum of force and mild compliance
of the exterior material to pull it off the stop.  Often the stop is
mildly tapered in height or rounded on edges to facilitate transfer on
and off of it.

Could easily be a mechanism for feeding the afore-mentioned punch
cards.  Lock at extended position and then could be released and
allowed to slide inward as cards were fed out if on a vertical or
partially elevated orientation.  Lock could also serve as a safety
stop to prevent the tray from being fully removed.  The open back
would be perfect for feeding a mechanism or simply as an extending box
like I described above.... anyway, beats me.

I think it's a cover that goes over a thermostat.

Ogi