Patent Application
20230192356
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to European Application No. 21 215 688.9, filed Dec. 17, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates to an open container that can be connected together with a further container that is identical and turned upside down to form a common closed container.
Containers are known from the prior art where a container that is open at the top can be turned upside down and the container can be placed upside down on a further, identical container to obtain a single closed container. The two open containers are connected, for example, by clamps or the like.
DE 93 00 535 U1 describes an open container whose side walls are configured in such a way that a further identical container, when turned upside down, fits onto the container in such a way that a closed, rectangular or cuboid container is formed. The open container has projections and recesses on the upper edges of the side walls which fit into corresponding recesses and projections of the further container and prevent the two containers from slipping.
It has been shown that containers such as those known from DE 93 00 535 U1 do not exhibit optimum stackability or are unable to withstand greater stacking loads. When a load is applied from above to the upper container, which acts as a container lid, the side walls placed one above the other may slip sideways despite the interlocking projections and recesses. As a result, one of the two containers may slide or dip into the other container, causing both containers to jam. This means that the container deforms sideways (outward or inward) when loaded from above and is no longer stable. Although the container of DE 93 00 535 U1 has a rib which encloses the side wall of the other container, this rib prevents lateral slipping in only one direction (outward and not inward).
The object of the disclosure is therefore to provide an open container which can be connected together with a further, identical or at least compatible container to form a closed container and which has improved stackability and stability. Furthermore, the open container is to be suitable for the presentation of goods.
The present disclosure relates to an open container, in particular a plastic container, for transporting and displaying goods. The container has a bottom, a rear wall protruding from the bottom, two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom, and a front wall provided with a cutout and opposite the rear wall. The open container can be completed/assembled with a further, identical container turned upside down to form a closed container. The side walls have several side wall portions which are offset to each other laterally or in the transverse direction of the wall and overlap with corresponding side wall portions of the identical, upside-down container over the entire height of the side wall portions or over the entire height of the side wall, respectively, and are fitted together.
The open container can thus be assembled/connected with an identical container, which is placed upside down on top of the container, to form a common, closed container. A number of the side wall portions are offset inward toward the center of the container. A number of the side wall portions are offset outward. The offset side wall portions of the first and the other container interlock. Thus, the side wall portions overlap and form a double container wall.
The open container has a number of advantages. Since the container is open, it is suitable for the presentation of goods. When two containers are connected to form the closed container, the closed container protects the goods inside the container. The side wall portions, which overlap each other, give the closed container a high stability. Since the outer walls of the closed container are doubled by the overlapping side wall portions, bulging of the container is prevented.
The container may be a folding container, so that the rear wall, front wall (if present) and the side walls are hinged to the bottom and can be folded inward or can be erected from the inside outward. In the erected state, the rear wall, front wall (if present) and the side walls can be locked together or locked in place.
If the side wall portions of the same height are configured in a trapezoidal shape, i.e. if the side wall portions taper away from the bottom, then V-shaped incisions are created between adjacent side wall portions, which allow a lateral view into the interior of the container or respectively to the goods in the container.
According to one optional aspect of the present disclosure, adjacent and laterally offset side wall portions may partially overlap in the longitudinal direction of the side wall, in particular in the region near the bottom, and may form a reinforced portion in the overlap region. This increases the stability of the container on its own, i.e. without a second container fitted on top of it, since the container is reinforced in the overlap region or has twice the wall thickness. Preferably, those regions of the side wall portions where the side walls are hinged to the bottom may be reinforced.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, when the two containers are fitted together, the side wall portions of the further container lie parallel next to the side wall portions of the open container and the respective side wall portions form a double side wall. Since the side wall portions of the respective containers overlap over the entire height of the container, the respective side wall portions form a double/reinforced side wall. The double side wall gives the closed container a high degree of stability. This effectively prevents the two containers from slipping against each other, even under high loads. The double side wall also prevents bulging of the side walls under high loads.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, at least some of the side wall portions have a number of recesses or holes in at least a portion of the side wall portions. The number of recesses reduces the weight of the container. As a result, the container can be transported more easily. The number of recesses also saves material. This means that the container can be produced more cost-effectively. In addition, the number of recesses in the side wall makes it possible to look inside the container. The recesses allow a user to look inside the container through the respective side wall portions. This makes the container suitable for presenting goods. The side wall portions with the number of recesses thus enable the side wall portions to be as high as the rear wall or front wall of the container, but still allow a view from outside into the interior of the container.
The front wall of the container may also have a number of recesses.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the recesses form a grid. The grid allows the respective side wall to have thin bars with large recesses / holes while still being stable. The grid shape of the side wall ensures that the side wall portions have the necessary stability and the recesses are still large enough to allow a view into the interior of the container.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the recesses are arranged in a honeycomb shape. This arrangement of the recesses allows the side walls to have only filigree bars while still having high stability. The recesses are large due to the filigree bars, which results in good visibility into the container interior and low material consumption.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the side wall portions that are offset toward the center of the container have the number of recesses, while the side wall portions that are offset toward the outside form a continuous side wall without recesses. That is, the side wall portions that have recesses or holes are on the inside and the side wall portions that do not have recesses are on the outside. When two containers are joined to form a closed container, the outer side wall portions surround the inner side wall portions. Likewise, the rear wall of the container, which does not have recesses, surrounds the front wall with the number of recesses. Since the outer side wall portions do not have any recesses, the closed container does not have recesses on the outside. Thus, a closed container with continuously closed outer sides is provided. Continuously closed in this context means that the outer sides do not have recesses or holes.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the side wall portions adjacent to the rear wall and the rear wall together form a rear-side container wall portion extending over the entire height of the container. The front wall of the container lies further inward and the rear-side container wall portion lies further outward and the rear-side container wall portion of the further, upside-down container encompasses / embraces the front wall, preferably over the entire height.
In other words, fourth side wall portions, which are L-shaped and merge into the rear wall and are positioned on the rear side of the container, embrace the front wall of the container. The fourth side wall portions lie against the rear wall and, together with the rear wall, form the rear-side container wall portion. For this purpose, the rear-side container wall portion is offset further outward and the front wall further inward. The container wall portion and the front wall overlap over the entire height of the container. This means that both front sides of the closed container are double-walled. This increases the stability of the closed container. The front sides and corner areas, which are usually subject to higher loads, e.g. due to impacts, are more stable and resistant due to the container wall portions overlapping or respectively being double-walled over the entire height. Since the container wall portions and the rear wall or respectively the front wall embrace each other, the connected containers cannot slip sideways against each other.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the front wall has recesses / holes. The recesses also save material and weight for the front wall. Since the front wall is enclosed by the container wall portion together with the rear wall, the front wall faces inward when the container is closed. As a result, the recesses are also arranged on the inside and the closed container is completely closed on the outside and without recesses.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the top rim of the side walls is configured such that the further container is stacked on the open container. Thereby, the bottom of the upper container rests on the upper rim of the rear wall as well as on the upper rim of the side walls of the lower container. The goods in the lower container are protected from being damaged by the upper container since the upper container does not penetrate into the interior space of the lower container. By stacking open containers, goods can be presented in a space-saving way.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the container comprises a latch at the bottom that receives and secures the upper rim of the bottom container when stacking two containers.
In other words, the upper side wall portion of the container can dip into a bottom-side opening of the further container when stacking several containers on top of each other. The upper side wall portion can be locked in the bottom-side opening by a locking device. The upper side wall portion is immersed in the bottom-side opening to such an extent that the upper container rests level on the upper rims of the side wall and the rear wall. The locking prevents the containers from slipping or tipping over when stacked.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, side-wall corner portions are positioned at the front side of the container. In other words, the side-wall corner portions are attached to the (cut-out) front side of the container. In the broadest sense, the side-wall corner portions have the function of a corner pillar. The side-wall corner portions have a high degree of stability. Due to the high rear wall on one side and the side-wall corner portions on the other side of the container, the container has an approximately symmetrical structure and is stable. The side-wall corner portions are configured in such a way that the rear wall surrounds the side-wall corner portions from the outside when they are inserted into each other. The rear wall thus embraces the side-wall corner portions. The overlapping of the rear wall and of the side-wall corner portions increases the stability of the closed container and prevents relative movement between the connected containers.
According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, the fourth side wall portion merges into the rear wall in an L-shape. This means that the fourth side wall portion has a side that protrudes into the rear wall of the container. This increases the stability of the container wall portion. When the containers are nested, the side that projects into the rear wall surrounds the front wall of the other container. The L-shaped container wall portion surrounds the front wall, providing additional stability to the closed container.
A first side wall portion 10 is directly adjacent to the front wall 8. The first side wall portion 10 is offset inward. The first side wall portion 10 is the same height as the highest portion of the front wall 8. The first side wall portion 10 is drawn around the corner or has an approximate L-shape. The first side wall portion 10 merges into the front wall 8. This results in side-wall corner portions 11 at the front side of the container 1. A second side wall portion 12 is arranged next to the first side wall portion 10, but offset outward in comparison with it. The second side wall portion 12 has the same height as the first side wall portion 10. A third side wall portion 14 is in turn arranged next to the second side wall portion 12 and offset inward relative to the latter. This means that the third side wall portion 14 is offset inward by the same amount as the first side wall portion 10. A fourth side wall portion 16 is offset outward with respect to the third side wall portion 14 and is therefore offset outward by the same amount as the second side wall portion 12. Thus, the side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16 are alternately offset inward or outward. The fourth side wall portion 16 adjoins the rear wall 6 and is the same height as the latter. The fourth side wall portion 16 merges into the rear wall 6 in an L-shape. The fourth side wall portion 16 and the rear wall 6 together form a container wall portion 18. As explained above, some of the side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16 comprise the recesses 20. In this regard, precisely the side wall portions 10, 14 have the recesses 20 that are offset inward. The side wall portions 12, 16 that are offset outward, on the other hand, do not have any recesses. Thus, side wall portions with and without recesses 20 alternate along the length of the container 1.
The recesses 20 reduce the material required to manufacture the container 1. The reduced material consumption reduces manufacturing costs and especially the weight of the container. Furthermore, the recesses 20 allow a user to look inside the container 1 from the outside through the side walls 4. Together with the missing lid, the container 1 is thus suitable for the presentation of goods. Nevertheless, the goods in the container 1 are protected by the (partly grid-shaped) side walls 4.
The side walls 4 are not continuous. The second and third side wall portions 12, 14 are trapezoidal. The first and fourth side wall portions have the shape of a half trapezoid. In the longitudinal direction of the container, the side wall becomes lower at one trapezoidal flank, reaches a minimum at the transition between two side wall portions, and then rises again at the trapezoidal flank of the next side wall portion. Overall, each side wall 4 is configured in an undulating manner by the four side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16. The lower portions in the side walls 4 make it easier to see into the container 1 from the outside.
The side walls 4, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 are each configured to be foldable. The rear wall 6 has a number of (folding) hinges 21 for this purpose. The rear wall 6 can be folded inward with the aid of the hinges 21 in such a way that the rear wall 6 lies flat on the bottom 2. The front wall 8 has corresponding hinges (not shown) that can also be folded inward toward the bottom 2. The side walls 4 can also be folded in. For this purpose, the side walls 4 have folding hinges 23. The folding hinges 23 are preferably positioned in overlapping regions of the individual side wall portions 10, 12, 14, 16. The side walls 4 are reinforced in the overlapping regions. Since the folding hinges 23 may be subject to higher forces as compared to other portions of the side walls 4, it is advantageous to arrange the folding hinges 23 in the reinforced overlapping regions. The folding hinges 23 of the side walls 4 are spaced further apart from the bottom 2 than the hinges 21 of the rear wall 6 or front wall 8. As a result, the side walls 4 come to rest over the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 when they are folded down. When folded up, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 engage in the corner areas of the side walls 4. For this purpose, the side walls 4 have latching devices 25 at the ends for connecting the side walls 4 to the rear wall 6 or front wall 8, respectively.
Since the side walls 4 are offset to each other several times and overlap or interlock with each other, the side walls 4 are protected against bulging outward or being constricted inward. This means that even if a force from above acts on the container 1 and thus on the side walls 4 and the rims of the side walls 4 would slip against each other due to this force, the overlapping of the side wall portions 10, 12, 14, 16 holds the side walls 4 together and prevents kinking, bulging and/or jamming of the side walls 4. The closed container 201 has a high degree of stability due to the fact that the rear wall 106 and the fourth side wall portion 116 engage around the front wall 8 with the first side wall portion 10. Since the side wall portions interlock, the individual containers 1, 101 are secured against slipping relative to each other. In particular, the fact that the fourth side wall portion 116 embraces the front wall 8 over its entire height significantly increases the stability of the container 201.
When the container 1 is open to present goods, several open containers 1 can also be stacked on top of each other. This is shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 215 688.9 | Dec 2021 | EP | regional |
