Patent Grant
9302811
The present invention relates to a transport container system, in particular for bulk goods, comprising a stackable transport container, preferably a crate, which may be of the collapsible or non-collapsible type. This type of crate is known and used in particular for transporting bulk goods such as fruit and vegetables. The term bulk goods as used in the context of the present invention shall denote a unit of goods to be transported which consists of discrete pieces of a minimum size between 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm.
The non-collapsible and collapsible containers of the prior art, in particular crates, for transporting fruit and vegetables are made of cardboard, wood or plastic. The special feature of collapsible transport containers is that their side walls can be moved down onto the inner bottom surface of the transport containers, which results in a volume reduction of the empty transport container. When folding the container up again, the side wall elements will be arranged perpendicular (at 90°) to the inner bottom surface and will be detachably connected to each other through various means. While the bottom surface of the transport containers is of a defined size, there are containers which have side walls of different heights, in which two or four side wall elements have the same height, to allow different transport volumes to be obtained. Furthermore, on their upper side facing away from the bottom surface, the side wall elements are provided with a profile or a means to make them stackable. In order to increase the stability of the transport containers, especially as regards their stackability, these are preferably reinforced at their corners. The maximum volumetric capacity of the prior art transport containers is defined by the size of the bottom surface and the height of the side wall elements. For a higher volumetric capacity, the transport containers must have different and higher side wall elements. This does not allow for a fast adjustment of their volumetric capacity to changing consumer demands.
The sizes of certain kinds of fruit and vegetables wilt vary from one harvest season to the next depending on different factors, for example during their growth period. The sizes of fruit or vegetables to be packaged are specified in EC regulations. The varying sizes of the bulk goods to be transported are thus a known problem in the transport of bulk goods such as fruit and vegetables which makes optimal filling of transport containers difficult. In order to cope with the varying demands posed by the bulk goods, the transport containers, in particular crates, are machine-produced in certain sizes which are also determined by the production line and/or by the production parameters selected. This makes it impossible to rapidly change the size—and thus the volumetric capacity—of a vast number of transport containers so as to ensure optimal filling of the containers based on the size of the bulk goods without major logistic transport problems or a time-consuming change-over of production lines and resulting high costs.
The above mentioned problem will crop up with the prior art transport containers especially when relatively easy-to-produce cardboard packaging for transporting bulk goods such as fruit and vegetables is replaced with returnable containers made of plastic or a material similarly suitable for this purpose which are friendlier to the environment but also more complex and costly in production. An ideal adjustment of the transport containers to the size of the bulk goods to be transported will prove especially complex and difficult in the case of the prior art returnable plastic containers. For maximum utilization of the means of transport, the transport containers can be stacked which allows a vast number of them to be transported in large containers, on loading areas, in goods wagons or similar means of transport. The bulk goods thus transported must not protrude above the upper edge of the transport containers since this would interfere with the stacking of the transport containers or otherwise damage the bulk goods. As a consequence, the volumetric capacity of the prior art transport containers cannot be fully utilized in many instances.
The applicant's returnable transport containers, the technical term for which is “round trip containers”, come in at least ten different designs which differ in the height of their side wall elements. The heights of the side wall elements range between 8 cm and 28 cm, with heights of 8 cm, 10 cm, 13 cm, 15 cm, 16 cm, 18 cm, 20 cm and 23 cm being preferably used. The bases of these transport containers are preferably rectangular in shape and their external measurements are preferably 600 mm×400 mm. This is approximately an integer fraction of the size of the surface area of standard Euro and U.S. pallets. However, transport containers of a different size, for example 400 mm×300 mm, are also used.
NL 93 00 986 discloses a container having at least one bottom element and one wall element. Provided on the wall element are projections which can be made to engage in recesses provided in the bottom element to connect the wall element to the bottom element. It is furthermore disclosed in NL 93 00 986 how a circumferential one-piece frame may be placed on a container to enlarge its volume which is delimited by the wall element and the bottom element.
DE 103 26 574 A1 discloses a transport container, in particular for transporting bulk goods such as fruit and vegetables, comprising a collapsible or non-collapsible stackable crate having a bottom element as well as four side wall elements of a pressure- and/or load-resistant structure. For increasing the volumetric capacity of the transport container, an attachment unit is provided whose shape corresponds to that of the side wall elements and which can be placed on top of the side wall elements of the crate. The attachment unit has been designed to form a closed frame which can be folded at its diagonal corners. The foldable attachment unit is preferably made of cardboard and will be disposed of after use. The side wall elements of the crate and the side wall elements of the attachment unit can be snapped into mutual engagement when the attachment unit is put on top of the crate, and can be released again when the attachment unit is taken off.
US 2004/0222222 A1 discloses a collapsible transport container which is adjustable in height. The transport container has a base which also constitutes the bottom surface of the transport container. The transport container furthermore includes a pair of long side walls extending opposite each other and a pair of short side walls extending opposite each other, with extension walls being provided on each of the side walls. Together with the extension walls, the short and the long side walls can be folded down onto the base to reduce the volume of the empty transport container to a minimum. The short side walls and the long side walls can be arranged so as to extend perpendicular to the bottom surface in which position they will then be locked with each other by means of locking elements provided on the short side walls. If required, long extension walls may be folded out from the long side walls and short extension walls may be folded out from the short side walls so as to form—in a first embodiment—upwards extensions each of the long and of the short side walls. Once folded out, the extension walls will be mutually locked, by means of additional locking elements disposed in the short extension walls, so as to form a frame.
The attachment unit can thus be taken off and disposed at the place of delivery. Once it has been emptied and cleaned, the reusable crate may for example be folded and stacked and will then be ready for future use for which no attachment units, attachment units of a different height or the same attachment units but a different amount thereof may be required. In most cases, it therefore makes more sense to store the crates separately from the attachment units. This leads to various costs, on the one hand for producing the attachment units and on the other hand for storing crates and attachment units separately, with the increased expenditure being incurred both at the place where the crates are filled and at the place where they are made. Additional costs will also be incurred at the place where the crates with the attachment units are emptied, due to the disposal of the cardboard attachment units.
In view of this prior art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a crate having means for increasing its volumetric capacity, which means will only be used when required, and when not used will neither change the crate dimensions nor interfere during transport or use of the crate.
A transport container system according to the invention is characterized by a stackable transport container, in particular a crate, which consists of a bottom element and four side wall elements of a dimensionally stable and pressure resistant structure. The stackable crate is preferably of a collapsible, i.e. folding, type but may also be non-collapsible.
The transport container system of the present invention furthermore comprises an attachment element for each side wall element such that the four attachment elements of the respective side wall elements taken together will allow an increase of the volumetric capacity of the crate. To this end, the attachment elements are foldably or pivotably and/or slidably connected to the respective side wall elements so as to enable the attachment elements to be brought into an attached or erected position, if required, in which they rest or are supported on the top or an upper contact surface of the respective side wall element, for example. The side wall elements furthermore include guides for maintaining the attachment elements in the folded up or erected position. In the folded down or integrated position, the attachment elements can be accommodated in or introduced into the side wall element so as to prevent the attachment elements from protruding substantially over the thickness or height of the side wall elements.
The fact that attachment elements are foldably or pivotably and/or slidably mounted and accommodated in the side wall elements allows a variable and optimal adjustment of the transport container to the bulk goods to be transported therein since the attachment elements may be folded up and down, or extended and retracted, or pivoted up and down as required. This eliminates logistics costs or additional transport costs for additional parts—as incurred in the prior art.
A particular advantage of the invention is obtained when the side wall elements of the stackable crate are likewise of the folding type. In this case, the side wall elements can be folded down from an upright position, in which the side wall elements are substantially perpendicular to the bottom element, into a horizontal position relative to the bottom element in which the side wall elements extend substantially in parallel to the bottom element. Preferably, the dimensions of the side wall elements and of the attachment elements have been chosen such that the attachment elements can be integrated into the side wall elements so as to prevent them from protruding or from protruding substantially over the dimensions of the side wall elements. As used herein, the term “not substantially” shall mean that, at the most, the attachment elements will protrude over the dimensions of the side wall elements only to such an extent that all side wall elements can be folded down essentially in parallel onto the bottom element so as not to interfere with an easy and compact stacking of the collapsed crates. This also requires the mechanisms needed for erecting and folding to be capable of being integrated into the side wall elements in such a manner that they will not protrude over the side wall elements in the direction of their thickness.
When the attachment elements are folded down, they must not or not substantially protrude over the thickness of the side wall elements in their upright position so as not to or not substantially increase the outer dimensions of the crate. The preferred outer dimensions of the crate are 600 mm×400 mm which is a quarter of the surface area of a standard Euro pallet. However, the invention can also be used with smaller crates, such as crates of a size of 400 mm×300 mm.
For stacking the crates, a special profile is provided at the top of the side wall elements which will support the corresponding circumferential regions on an underside of the bottom element and will thus ensure that the crates can be stacked without shifting. To enable the crates to be stacked without shifting even with raised or moved-up attachment elements, the top sides of the attachment elements have to match up with the profile on the underside of the bottom element in those areas where they contact the underside of the bottom element of a crate on top of them. In other words: Essentially the same profile is provided at the top of the attachment elements as at the top of the side wall elements or as the inverted profile of the circumferential edge on the underside of the bottom element.
To ensure that crates of this type can be stacked easily without shifting, the corner portions of adjacent side wall elements are preferably specially designed. To also guarantee safe stacking without shifting of the crates with the attachment elements in place, at least parts of these corner portions have to find a match in the attachment elements. For this purpose, however, it is not necessary for two adjacent attachment elements to contact each other in the corner areas or even to be connected to or locked with each other—even if this falls under the inventive concept. Even if it is possible to design the attachment elements such that they completely match the corner areas of the side wall elements, it will suffice for most cases to only replicate portions of these corner areas to ensure stability and prevent shifting of the crates, and to abstain from connecting the attachment elements in the corner areas.
To ensure stable and reliable stacking, however, the attachment elements must be fixed in their folded-up position. In this case, the attachment elements may directly bear on the top sides of the side wall elements, for example in the direction of gravity; and guiding in directions which run in a plane perpendicular to gravity can be accomplished through recesses provided in the side wall elements and/or by mounting the attachment elements on the side wall elements by means of joints. Preferably, the recesses in the side wall elements are designed such that no additional sliders are required for their production in an injection moulding process. For example, the attachment elements can be folded up by pivoting them upward by 180° such that, in its pivoted-up position in the direction of the pivoting movement, the attachment element will bear directly on a stop provided on the side wall element, and will be prevented from pivoting downward again by detent lugs which accommodate a nose or a guide rod of the attachment element. At the same time, mobility of the attachment element in the direction of the pivot axis will be prevented by suitably designed support walls, stops and recesses.
Furthermore, to ensure good stackability of the crates with the attachment elements folded up, it is obvious that the top sides of the attachment elements must extend in a common plane in parallel to the bottom element. In this context it is irrelevant whether the side wall elements are of the same height since this can be compensated by different heights of the attachment elements. Even if it is normally assumed that the top sides both of the side wall elements and of the attachment elements, i.e. the respective bearing surfaces for a bottom element of another crate placed atop the present crate, are each arranged in a common plane extending in parallel to the bottom element, the invention shall also encompass embodiments of transport containers in which the top sides or bearing surfaces both of the side wall elements and of the attachment elements do not each extend in a common surface in parallel to the bottom element. Thus a crate is conceivable in which only the shorter side walls, i.e. the front walls, have the function of supporting and guiding the crate placed on it. If a crate is used for example in which the height of the front walls is half of the length of the crate, and if this crate is folded such that opposing side wall elements, in a horizontal position thereof, will be in the same plane, i.e. the folded-down side wall elements will not overlap, then the maximum height of the long side wall elements will amount to half of the width of the crate and will thus be, in the case of a rectangular crate, lower than the front walls.
In order to compensate for the difference in height, attachment elements may be provided on the longitudinal side wall elements in this case. As with the crates whose side wall elements all have the same height, also the volumetric capacity of a crate of this kind can even be increased by using suitably adapted attachment elements.
It is irrelevant for the purposes of the present invention whether the attachment elements can be folded up, from a folded down position thereof, from an inner side facing the opening of the crate or from an outer side facing away from the opening of the crate. In either case, it must be ensured that—once the attachment elements have been folded up—they will be fixed in their folded-up positions such that the crates can be stacked safely, and that in the folded-down position, the outer dimensions of the bottom element will not be exceeded in the directions of its length and of its width.
The attachment elements may be made from the same material as the side wall elements or also from a different material. The same is true as far as colouring is concerned, with attachment elements of a different colour being well suited for applying a logo or other information for advertising purposes thereon.
In summary, it may be concluded that the present invention provides a flexible means for varying the volumetric capacity of a crate, in particular for transporting fruit and vegetables, in a fast and simple way. For this purpose, the invention provides attachment elements which—when folded down—are integrated into the side wall elements of a crate and—when folded up—will increase the volumetric capacity of a crate depending on the height of the attachment element, at the same time making the crates safely stackable. Use of attachment elements of different heights for one type of crate makes individually adapted solutions possible.
Use of likewise suitable pivoting or folding mechanisms or combinations of swivel or sliding joints will allow the attachment elements to be located at different height levels for example, which will in turn allow an additional, more flexible adjustment of the volumetric capacity of the container to the goods to be transported therein. The term “swivel-sliding joint” as used in the present invention shall denote a joint which allows both a rotation and a simultaneous or subsequent translation of the attachment element.
Furthermore, what matters for the practical implementation of the inventive principle is not the number of joints used for connecting the attachment element to the side wall elements but only that use of the attachment elements allows a variable adjustment of the volumetric capacity of the crates to the goods to be transported therein and that such adjustment is reversible and repeatable or variable, for which purpose the devices are undetachably connected to the crate.
Although the inventive principle preferably has the attachment elements undetachably connected to the crate or its side walls, this does not mean that they cannot be removed and reattached. Preferably, this may be effected through a suitable catch mechanism. This proves particularly advantageous for replacing a damaged attachment element.
The inventive attachment elements may be used both with crates whose side wall elements will overlap when folded down and with crates whose folded-down side wall elements will not overlap. Where the side wall elements do overlap when folded down, and irrespective of whether the attachment elements have been folded down or up, this will increase the stacking height of the empty collapsed crates, thus making them more difficult to stack. The transport container system of the present invention shall also encompass this type of crate.
The following is an exemplary description of some embodiments of the crate according to the invention in which reference is made to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, identical reference numerals are used for parts which have the same function. As will be clear to the skilled person, other embodiments also fall under the inventive concept.
With the attachment elements 15 and 16 folded down and the side wall elements 11, 11a, 12 and 12a folded up, the upper bearing surfaces 23, 23a, 24 and 24a of the side wall elements 15 and 16 will serve as supports for a crate 10 placed thereon. Once the attachment elements 15 and 16 have been folded up, the upper bearing surfaces 25 and 26 of the attachment elements 15 and 16 will take the function of support surfaces for the bottom element 13 of another crate 10 which has been placed on top of the present crate 10.
When the attachment element 16 is folded up, as shown in
As is further shown in
For moving the attachment element 16, as for example shown in
As is shown in
To also ensure such a shift-proof connection with the attachment elements 15 and 16 folded up, the attachment elements 15 and 16 include upper bearing surfaces 25 and 26. These upper bearing surfaces 25 and 26 on the attachment elements have the same function as the upper bearing surfaces 23, 23a, 24 and 24a on the side wall elements and will define the increased transport volume of the crate 10 when the attachment elements have been folded up.
The attachment element is additionally guided laterally—even if this is not absolutely necessary—through the engagement of guiding projections 28 in recesses 27, both of which are preferably formed so as to support the attachment elements 15 and 16 in the direction in which they are folded down, i.e. their dimensions as viewed in the direction of the thickness of the side walls are smaller than the thickness of the side wall elements.
The recesses 27 shown in
In yet another embodiment of the recesses 27 in the side wall elements for which no slider is required, the openings of the recesses 27 do not face in the direction in which the attachment element is folded down as shown in
When the attachment element 16 shown in
Once the sliding movement has been completed, the attachment element 16 can be pivoted into the receiving space 34 in the side wall element 12. Taking the example of the attachment element 15 and the receiving space 33 provided in the side wall element 11,
In yet another embodiment, the swivel-sliding joints 17 are formed as pure swivel joints 17a, with a detent lug 21 retaining the attachment element 16 in the swivelled-up position. One detent lug 21 is provided for each swivel joint 17a and mounted on the side wall element, as is exemplarily shown in
The embodiment of
However, the locking means are preferably designed so as not to protrude at all or not substantially over the side wall elements in the direction of their thickness.
Also, the embodiment of the swivel joint which swivels about the swivel pins 18 is only given as one example, and other swivel joints may also be used whose swivelling axis extends in parallel to the bottom surface 13.
In the direction of the height of the side walls, the attachment elements 15 and 16 are supported by spacer lobes 22, as in the previous embodiment, and the number of spacer lobes 22 provided on each side of the crate can be varied.
For improving lateral guidance, i.e. in the direction of the thickness of the side wall element, recesses 27 and guide projections 28 are provided, as already shown in the embodiment of
For returning the attachment element to its folded-down position when it is not locked in position, only the resistance of the retaining or detent elements 21 needs to be overcome to trigger a return movement in this embodiment. The retaining elements 21 for example take the form of detent lugs 21 which will on the one hand allow and ensure the upright position of the attachment elements 15 and 16 through elastic deformation of their detent bodies and, on the other hand, will release the attachment elements again, for example when a jerking force is imposed, to allow them to be pivoted down into the respective receiving spaces in the associated side walls. In this position, the attachment elements may likewise be immobilized in a suitable way, for example through latching, clamping or interlocking by means of hook-and-pile fasteners etc. to prevent the folded-down attachment elements from being loose or dangling in their respective receiving spaces and being in the way during handling of the crates 10, both in the erected and in the collapsed state of the side wall elements.
In yet another embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the upper sides 25 and 26 of the attachment elements 15 and 16, both in their lowered positions and in their raised positions with the side wall elements 11, 11a, 12 and 12a folded up, serve as support surfaces 25 and 26 for the bottom element 13 of another crate 10 which has been placed atop the present crate 10.
In the integrated position of the attachment elements 15 and 16 in the side wall elements 11, 11a, 12, 12a, the attachment elements 15 and 16 of the third embodiment as shown in
An advantage of the embodiment of
As was explained in the embodiments, attachment elements can be mounted on side wall elements 11, 11a, 12, 12a in various ways. Embodiments not explicitly listed here shall also be covered by the inventive concept as long as attachment elements which can be varied in position are mounted on a transport container, in particular a crate 10, in such a manner that in their different positions, they will define different transport volumes of the transport container and are undetachably mounted on the transport container. In this case, the support surfaces 23, 23a, 24 and 24a of the side wall elements 11, 11a, 12, 12a or the support surfaces 25 and 26 of the attachment elements 15 and 16 will be arranged at an appropriate distance from the bottom element 13 as viewed in the direction of the height of the side walls so as to increase or decrease the volumetric capacity of the transport container.
Both in the erected position of the attachment elements 15 and 16 and in their integrated position in the respective side wall elements 11, 11a, 12, 12a, quite an effort is required to remove the attachment elements 15 and 16 from the side wall elements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2006 052 877 | Nov 2006 | DE | national |
This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/983,628, filed Nov. 9, 2007, which was issued on Feb. 15, 2011 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,926, which claims priority to German Patent Application Serial No. 10 2006 052 877.8, filed Nov. 9, 2006, which are each incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference thereto.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20110094916 A1 | Apr 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11983628 | Nov 2007 | US |
| Child | 12984449 | US |
