BE1021613B1 - LID FOR ISOLATED BOX AND METHOD OF STORING PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

Lid (3) for an insulated box (2), with a cooling element (8) forming part of the lid (3), which cooling element (3) is filled with refrigerant intended to be cooled or frozen to subsequently have a cooling function to exercise.

Description

Lid for insulated box and method for storing products.

The present invention relates to an insulated box lid and a method for storing products.

It is known to temporarily store products that are to be stored in an insulated box, which is closed by means of a lid, in which box a pre-cooled or frozen cooling element is present. This is done, for example, in order to be able to transport such products without heating them up.

A box is hereby considered as a general term for a wide amount of roughly rectangular storage means, which in principle are intended to be carried by a person and which can also be designed as a container or crate, for example in plastic.

The products in question are, for example, frozen products, meat products, dairy products, medicines, flowers and vegetables.

A cooling element for use with such a box is typically a closed casing in which a coolant, for example water, is provided. This cooling element is cooled or frozen before use. In use, the cooling element is introduced into the insulated box together with the products to be cooled, whereby the contents of the box, partly due to good insulation of the box and the lid, can remain sufficiently cool for a longer period of time, typically ten hours.

Various types of cooling elements are known herein, which are designed to maintain a specific temperature interval during use. These cooling elements mainly differ from each other due to the formulation of the coolant.

The cooling elements are normally located separately in the box, because they can then be compactly cooled or frozen again in a cooling or freezing device for reuse.

Such boxes, however, have a number of disadvantages which are particularly apparent in industrial practice. This mainly concerns the risk of mistakes that can occur and the lack of possibilities to determine this.

For example, it is possible that no or too few cooling elements are accidentally placed in a box by someone who places a product in the box and then closes the box.

It can also happen that someone is confused by the presence of cooling elements for different temperature intervals, so that incorrect cooling elements are used that are not or less suitable for the product in question.

These errors cannot be observed, and therefore cannot be corrected, after the box has been closed.

A further drawback is that placing the cooling elements is labor-intensive.

Also, the cooling elements take place which could otherwise be useful, and can move in the box, for example during transport of the box, and thereby damage themselves, the box and / or the product placed therein.

It is also relatively easy for an uneven distribution of cooling functionality to take place over the volume of the box.

The present invention has for its object to provide a solution to the aforementioned and other disadvantages in that it provides a cover for an insulated box, with a cooling element forming part of the cover, which cooling element is filled with cooling agent intended to be cooled or frozen to subsequently perform a cooling function.

This reduces the number of operations in the cooled packaging of products, since no step is necessary to place cooling elements in the box, because these are necessarily present by placing the lid.

This also reduces the risk of errors.

The cooling element normally forms a permanent part of the cover. That is, the cooling element is integrated into the lid and that the lid and the cooling element are not intended or suitable to allow for regular removal of the cooling element from the lid, although the possibility of removing the cooling element from the lid may be present for example, to replace a damaged cooling element

Normally this is a passive cooling element, that is a cooling element without connection to an energy source. Optionally, the cooling element could also be an activatable cooling element, i.e. a cooling element with different compartments with different chemicals which, when brought together, for example by breaking through a partition, absorb energy from the environment and thereby perform a cooling function.

In a preferred embodiment, the cooling element is designed to perform its cooling function at a specific temperature interval, the lid being provided on its outside with a mark that, or a color that, is an indication of the temperature interval for which the cooling element is designed.

Naturally, an identification legend must be agreed upon and used to link a specific mark or color to a specific temperature interval.

In this way, the identification of a suitable cooling element, based on the optimum storage conditions of the product to be stored, becomes easier, because the different types can easily be distinguished from each other.

This reduces the risk of errors with regard to the use of the correct type of cooling element.

The invention also relates to a combination of a lid as described above and an insulated box on which the lid fits.

The lid is herein preferably a lid with a mark or color to indicate the optimum temperature interval of the cooling element, wherein a mark corresponding to the mark on the lid is provided on the outside of the box or wherein the outside of the box is designed in a color similar to the outside of the lid.

This reduces the risk of errors even further, because a clearly marked mark or a specific color on the box is easily recognizable.

This preferably concerns two or more of the combinations mentioned, wherein a first one of the covers has a cooling element that is designed for a first temperature interval and a second one of the covers has a cooling element that is designed for a second temperature interval.

This has the advantage that in a situation where products with different optimum temperatures have to be packaged, the risk of errors is smaller because only the color or the mark on the box, which is easy to observe even for someone who does not have product knowledge, the determining factor is for which cover, and therefore what type of cooling element, should be used.

Moreover, a later check on correctness is very simple.

The invention also relates to a method for storing and / or transporting products in a cooled manner, wherein the products can comprise products of a first type, which are intended to be stored at a temperature in a first temperature interval, and products of a second type can be stored. comprising, which are intended to be stored at a temperature in a second temperature interval, characterized in that use is made of two or more of the above combinations of box of lid, wherein the lids are stored for a sufficiently long time at a suitable temperature to sufficiently store the cooling elements. cooling, whereby the following steps are followed for each product to be stored: A: the product to be stored is placed in a box, B: a lid is selected on the basis of agreement between the mark or color of the lid and the desired temperature interval for the type of product, C: the selected lid is used to adjust the d to close.

Preferably, use is made here of two or more combinations, the following step being carried out for step A: a box is selected on the basis of agreement between the mark or color and the desired temperature interval for the type of product, this box is used in step A, wherein step B can optionally be performed indirectly by selecting a lid based on correspondence between the mark or the color of the lid and the mark or the color of the box.

These methods have the advantage that they can be carried out in whole or in part by people without knowledge of the desired cooling temperature for the various products, and that the risk of errors, so that the above-mentioned embodiment treated, is very low.

With the insight to better demonstrate the characteristics of the invention, a preferred embodiment of a cover and combination according to the invention is described below, as an example without any limiting character, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically and in perspective represents a combination according to the invention; figure 2 represents a section according to line II-II of a part of the combination of figure 1; figure 3 represents a section according to line III-III of another part of the combination of figure

Figure 4 represents the combination of Figure 1 in section in a position of use.

The combination 1 shown in the figures comprises an insulated box 2 and a lid 3 that fits on the insulated box 2.

The box 2 is double-walled and made of plastic. The space 4 between the walls 5 is filled with an insulating foam.

The plastic of which the walls 5 are made forms at the upper edge of the box 2 two lips 6 with a widening 7, which are somewhat resilient due to the nature of the plastic.

The outside of the box 2 is blue.

The lid 3 is also double-walled and filled with foam. Two cooling elements 8 are arranged in the lid 3, against the bottom wall 9 of the lid, i.e. the wall that faces the box 2 when the box 2 is closed by the lid 3. The lid 3 is blue in the same shade.

The lid 3 is of narrowed construction on its underside such that this narrowed part 10 fits into the box 2. The lid 3 is provided on its upper side with two recesses 11 at positions corresponding to the lips 6 on the box 2.

The cooling elements 8 are designed to maintain a temperature of approximately -23 ° C.

The use of the lid 3 and the box 2 is simple and as follows.

This use takes place at a location where many different products must be packed, for example to be transported to an end user.

These products can be classified on the basis of three different types, namely a first type of products, for example deep-frozen foods, which must be stored at temperatures below -10 ° C, a second type of products, for example fresh meat or meat products. , which must be stored at a temperature between 0 ° C and 4 ° C, and a third type of product, for example fresh vegetables, which must be stored at a temperature of 10 ° C to 15 ° C.

The above-described blue boxes 2 and blue lids 3 are present at the location. There are also yellow boxes 2, yellow lids 3, green boxes 2 and green lids 3. The yellow boxes 2 and green boxes 2 are, apart from their color, identical to the above-mentioned blue boxes 2.

The yellow lids 3 and the green lids 3 have, in addition to a different color, different types of cooling elements 8 than the blue lids 3. More specifically, the green lids 3 have cooling elements 8 designed to maintain a cooling temperature around 10 ° C, and the yellow covers 3 cooling elements 8 designed to maintain a cooling temperature just above 0 ° C.

The covers 3 are cooled in an industrial freezing installation or cooling installation until the cooling elements 8 present in the covers 3 have the correct temperature, that is to say cooled to a temperature which allows them to optimally fulfill their cooling function. Normally, a period specified by the supplier is used for this purpose in a cooling or freezing installation, which period is determined by the supplier on the basis of tests.

Then the packaging of the products is started. The lids 3 are hereby laid out ready for the persons who carry out this method.

This can, depending on the circumstances, and the expected amount of lids 3 required, mean that they are ready in a cooling or freezing device, or that they are all located close together at the location in question. An intermediate form is also possible in which a sub-stock is ready at the location, which sub-stock is regularly replenished from a cooling or freezing device.

A first product is now being taken. If this is a product of the first type, it is placed in a blue box 2. If this is a product of the second type, this is placed in a yellow box 2. If this is a product of the third type, this is placed in a green box 2. Naturally, instead of one product, a number of products of the same type can be placed simultaneously or successively in the same box 2.

To facilitate this, information boards are available at the location that make clear which type of product should be placed in which color of box 2.

The box 2 is then closed with a lid 3, wherein only the color of the box 2 has to be looked at and a lid 3 of the same color has to be taken. The color of the lid 3, and therefore the temperature for which the cooling elements 8 are designed, is therefore indirectly selected via the color of the box 2 on the basis of the type of product.

When closing, the lips 6 of the box spring out slightly until the widening 7 of these lips fall into the recesses 11 in the lid 3, as a result of which the box 2 is properly closed.

It is now certain that the closed combination 1 of box 2 and lid 3 is provided with cooling elements 8 and that these cooling elements 8 are of the correct type. This has been achieved in a very low number of operations.

The closed box 2, as shown, for example, in Figure 4, is now ready to be shipped. The box shown in Figure 4 is filled with sausages 12. The box 2 and lid 3 are yellow.

The sausages 12 are hereby kept cool because the bottom wall 9 of the lid 3 does not form a significant thermal barrier, so that the cooling elements 8 can perform their cooling function well, while the insulating foam present ensures that heat from outside the box 2 is only delayed in the box 2 can enter.

The box 2 and the lid 3 can be reused after the product 12 has been delivered to the customer, the lid 3 again being placed in the cooling or freezing device for a sufficient time after which it is ready for use again.

Naturally, instead of the colors mentioned, other colors or other markings may also be used, of which these markings are of course preferably as clear as possible.

The method can also be carried out in steps in which in a first step an employee with product knowledge places the products in boxes 2 associated with the product type and in a second step an employee without product knowledge provides the boxes 2 with a lid 3 with color a corresponding color.

The first step can also be carried out at different locations, in which only products of a certain type are placed in the boxes 2 at each location, so that only boxes 2 of the color corresponding to that type are required at that location.

The cooling or freezing device in which the covers 3 with the cooling elements 8 present are cooled can be the same for each color of cover 3, but separate devices with different temperatures can also be used for this. This choice depends on which types of cooling elements 8 are used, and which cooling they must undergo, necessarily or preferably, in order to perform their cooling function sufficiently or optimally.

Although a lid with two cooling elements is shown as an example above, such a lid according to the invention can of course also be provided with only one cooling element, or with a number of cooling elements larger than two.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiment described by way of example and shown in the figures, but a lid and a method according to the invention can be realized in all shapes and variants without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

Conclusions. 1. - Lid (3) for an insulated box (2), with a cooling element (8) forming part of the lid (3), which cooling element (3) is filled with coolant intended to be cooled or frozen in order to then perform a cooling function. Lid - according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling element is a passive cooling element (8) that forms a permanent part of the cover (3). The lid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cooling element (8) is designed to perform its cooling function in a specific temperature interval, the lid (3) being provided on its outside with a mark or color. which is an indication of the temperature interval for which the cooling element (8) is designed. Combination (1) of a lid (3) according to one of the preceding claims and an insulated box (2) on which the lid (3) fits. Combination (1) of a lid (3) according to claim 3 and an insulated box (2) on which the lid (3) fits, characterized in that on the outside of the box (2) a mark with the mark on the lid (3) the corresponding mark is affixed or that the outside of the box (2) is in a color similar to the outside of the lid (3). Two or more combinations (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a first one of the covers (3) has a cooling element (3) designed for a first temperature interval and a second one of the covers (3) a cooling element (3) 8) has been designed for a second temperature interval. 7. Two or more combinations (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a first of the covers (3) has a cooling element (3) designed for a first temperature interval and a second of the covers (3) a cooling element (3) 8) which is designed for a second temperature interval and wherein the first of the covers (3) and the second of the covers (3) have the same shape. 8. - Method for storing and / or transporting products in a cooled manner, wherein the products may comprise products of a first type, which are intended to be stored at a temperature in a first temperature interval, and products of a second type may comprise , which are intended to be stored at a temperature in a second temperature interval, characterized in that use is made of two or more combinations (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the lids (3) are stored at a suitable temperature for a sufficient time to sufficiently cool the cooling elements (8), whereby the following steps are followed for each product to be stored (12): Ä: the product to be stored (12) is placed in a box (2), B: a lid (3 ) is selected based on correspondence between the mark or color of the lid (3) and the desired temperature interval for the type of product (12), C: the selected lid (3) is used to close the box (2). Method according to claim 8, characterized in that use is made of two or more combinations (1) according to claim 5, wherein for step A the following step is carried out: a box (2) is selected on the basis of agreement between the mark or the color of the box (2) and the desired temperature interval for the type of the product (12), wherein this box (2) is used in step A, wherein step B can optionally be carried out indirectly through a lid (3) ) based on agreement between the mark or color of the lid (3) and the mark or color of the box (2).