BR112012024854A2 - box - Google Patents

Abstract

"BOX". The present invention relates to a box comprising a bottom and two respective pairs of opposing side walls and end walls, each side wall comprising a plurality of vent openings of a region (A) extending along a direction horizontal of the side wall, each end wall comprising a handle hole, wherein region (A) is at a distance (d(A)) away from a corner of the box, the distance being (d(A)) equal to the distance (d(GH)) that the handle hole is away from the same corner of the box, and where the height (h(A)) of region (A) is equal to the height (h(GH)) of the handle hole.

Description

Invention Patent Descriptive Report: "CAIXA".

DESCRIPTION f The present invention relates to a box for accommodating products such as fruits and vegetables and, in particular, to a banana box.

' 5 Boxes for storing and transporting products, such as fruits and vegetables, are widely used in the market. These crates are typically lightweight and stable, making them suitable for transporting crops from the field to the customer. Especially for tropical fruits such as bananas, it is common to harvest while it is still immature and pack it in boxes for shipment and subsequent transport. On your journey, the fruits have time to ripen. Prior to transport, the boxes are usually stacked on top of each other and arranged side by side on pallets. Here, often a specific cross-stacking technique is used such as in the case of a “five-down” configuration, “five-down” configuration. In this "five-down" configuration, five boxes are arranged adjacent to each other in a rectangular array such that two of them form a line in the length direction and the other three form a line in the width direction.

However, a problem is that in such a configuration, uniform free air circulation between a short side (of the top wall) and a long side (of the side wall) of adjacent boxes according to the prior art is not guaranteed. This is disadvantageous in —since fruits cannot receive uniform temperature control during transport and storage as a result of uneven air distribution.

Another known disadvantage of boxes is that the inner surfaces of their side walls are straight, very irregular and may include sharp and/or rigid objects such as corners or edges. Therefore, especially products with rounded surface portions such as bananas, apples or oranges can be easily damaged by these uneven surfaces.

In addition, for quality control purposes, it may be necessary for a controller to be able to have easy and quick access to the interior of a specific box, when this box (not the topmost one) is arranged in a stack of a plurality of boxes. However, the known boxes do not offer this possibility, which means that the controller has to partially disassemble and reassemble the battery, when a look inside a specific box becomes necessary. This procedure is inefficient and also not convenient, thus representing another inconvenience.

Finally, another disadvantage associated with known open-top boxes is that, in case of stacking two of them on top of each other, the products protrude slightly beyond the upper end of the lower box (eg curved portions of a banana ) may come into contact with a top case charge, eventually leading to product damage. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a box that allows for improved airflow, packaging, inspection access, and stacking of transportable products. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to an embodiment of the present invention, the box comprises a bottom and two respective pairs of opposing side walls and end walls, each side wall comprising a plurality of vent holes in a region A extending along a horizontal direction of the side wall, and in each end wall comprising a handle hole. Here, region A is the distance d from a corner of the box, the distance da, being equal to the distance d, that the grip hole is away from the same corner of the box. Furthermore, the height ha of the region A is substantially equal to the height hey of the handle hole, i.e. the heights are such that they overlap at least partially in the height direction.

16 This ensures a ventilation path to provide an optimal airflow between adjacent boxes, which are, for example, arranged in the “five-down” configuration. Uniform can be achieved, resulting in consistent temperature control for fruit quality.

According to embodiments, the plurality of vent holes may comprise a pair of vent holes that have a combined shape similar to the handle hole. The plurality of vent holes can be spaced a distance less than one dimension from the handle hole. A vent hole of the plurality of vent openings may comprise a horizontal dimension being smaller than the dimension of the handle hole. The side walls and the end walls can be configured to be foldable relative to the bottom wall, such that, in a folded state, a remaining volume of the box is minimal. The bottom wall may comprise two pairs of vent openings, each vent opening of the first pair having a width equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 126 mm, and each vent opening of the second pair has a width equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 25 mm. Each vent hole of the plurality of vent openings may have a width equal to or greater than 20 mm and a length equal to or greater than 24 mm. Each handle hole may have a width equal to or greater than 30mm and a length equal to or greater than 100mm. Embodiments of the invention concern an arrangement of two boxes according to embodiments of the invention, wherein the boxes are arranged in such that an end wall of a first box is adjacent to a side wall of a second box, wherein the first box is configured to be aligned along a first longitudinal axis parallel to a side wall of the first box, and wherein the second box is configured to be aligned along a second parallel axis: the longitudinal axis of a sidewall of the second box, the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis being perpendicular to each other, wherein a sidewall of the first box box and an end wall of the second box are aligned such that at least a partial overlap of the handle hole of the first box and at least one hole of the plurality of ventilation holes of the second box is provided, such that a ventilation path between the first box and the second box is provided.

The plurality of boxes can be configured as a “five-down” configuration, such that a ventilation path between adjacent boxes is provided.

According to another embodiment, each side wall comprises a smooth inner surface to be molded in a convex shape to the outside of the box, thus providing an inner surface to accommodate products having rounded surface portions, preventing damage to the products.

The side walls and end walls may comprise reinforcing members, which are provided on an outer surface of the respective side walls and end walls only.

The side walls and end walls can be made of plastic to provide a smooth internal surface (810). The convex shape of the smooth inner surface may have a dimension smaller than the lateral curvature, a maximum lateral dimension of the sidewall, wherein the inner surface is substantially curved in a region of the single sidewall, where the non-continuous reinforcement element that extends along a vertical direction of the sidewall is interrupted, and in that region is a central region.

According to another embodiment, at least one end wall comprises a narrow portion, wherein the narrow portion is adapted to allow the user to cut through the end wall to provide an opening for inspection.

The narrow portion of the end wall may be a groove around a pre-defined area of the end wall, wherein the groove comprises a thickness of more than half the thickness of the end wall.

The end wall (130) may further comprise a plurality of holes to be disposed along the groove, each hole having a diameter greater than the width of the groove.

The narrow portion may be configured to provide a hingedly openable portion connected to the end wall when the narrow portion is cut by the user, wherein the predefined region is substantially rectangular, and wherein the groove is adjacent to the fur. minus three sides of the predefined area.

The predefined area can be greater than one third of an end wall area. The end wall (130) can be made of plastic. An arrangement of a plurality of boxes according to embodiments of the invention Y may have the plurality of boxes arranged adjacent to each other, such that at least one end wall comprising the narrow portion is accessible by the user.

According to yet another embodiment, the lower part is in the form of an arc curved towards the interior of the box, such that a space S between a lower surface of the lower part and a plane P defined by a lower end of the box is provided. This essentially allows you to stack two boxes on top of each one, without squeezing or damaging the products protruding from the bottom of the box into the S space. The bottom can be arched along one direction of an end wall or along a direction of a sidewall of the box. The bottom portion may be wavy in shape along a sidewall direction of a border region of the sidewall, a first portion of the bottom portion in wavy shape may be at a height from the plane, and a second portion of wavy shape may be at a maximum height from a lower end of the upper portion. The lower part can comprise an upper part and a lower part recessed in relation to the external point of the walls, and the distance from the recess can be equal to the thickness of the walls, allowing the connection of the lower part with an opening in the top of an additional box. . The lower portion may have an area defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion and the upper portion may have an area defined by an outer perimeter of the upper portion of the side walls and end walls may comprise inner surfaces and outer surfaces, in which an area The inner surface can be defined by the inner surfaces with a top edge of the box, and where an outer part can be defined by the outer surfaces at the top edge of the box, where the area may be approximately equal to the area and the area may be approximately equal the area. Embodiments define a stack of two boxes according to the invention, wherein a first box and a second box are configured to provide an inner area defined by the inner surfaces of an upper end of the first box and an area defined by an outer perimeter of the bottom of the second box, the area and area being equal, such that movement between the first box and the second box is impeded when the second box is stacked on top of the first box. The bottom of the second box may comprise a plurality of vent openings being configured to provide a ventilation path between the first box and the second box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a box; : Fig. 2 shows a top view of the box embodiment according to fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a side view of a side wall of the Y-box embodiment 5 according to fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows a side view of an end wall of the box embodiment according to fig. 1; Fig. 5 shows a side view of the end wall and the side wall of the box according to fig. 1 unfolded in one corner of the same; Fig. 6 illustrates the dimensions of a plurality of ventilation holes and a handle hole according to a further embodiment of a box; Figs. 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement of a plurality of cases of the embodiment of Figs. 1-5 in the partial five-down configuration; Fig. 7c shows a side view of an end wall of a box according to Figs. 7a;7b; Fig. 7d shows a side view of a side wall of a box of the arrangement according to Figs 7a;7b; Fig. 7e shows a top view of a box of the arrangement according to Figs.7a;7b; Figs 8a 8b;show a perspective view of a embodiment of a plurality of cases of the embodiment of Fig. 6 in the partial "five-down" configuration; Fig. 8c shows a side view of an end wall of a box of the arrangement according to Figs. 8a; 8b; Fig. 8d shows a side view of a side wall of a box of the arrangement according to figs. 8a; 8b; Fig. 8e shows a top view of a box of the arrangement according to figs. 8a; 8b; Fig. 9 shows a detailed view of the upper part of a side wall of another embodiment of a box with a smooth inner convex shaped surface; Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box with an openable part; Fig. 11a shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box with an arc-shaped lower part; Fig. 11b shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the box according to fig 11-A, figs. 12a, 126 illustrate details of the lower part of the box embodiment according to figs. 11-A; 11b;

Fig. 13a shows a partial side view of an embodiment of a stack of two boxes stacked on top of each other, and Fig. 138b shows a partial side view of a further embodiment of the stack according to fig. 13a with a space (S) between the two boxes. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a box 100. The box 100 comprises a lower part 110 and two respective pairs of opposing side walls 120 and end walls 130. if fig. 1, side wall 120 has a greater length than end wall 130. Both side walls 120 and end walls 130 are foldable relative to bottom 110. In particular, side walls 120 and end walls 130 are attached to the lower part 110 so that these can be folded into them in the direction of the arrows, as shown in Fig. 1. In a folded state, the remaining volume of the box 100 is minimal. This has the advantage that, in the folded state, the box 100 occupies only a low height. Therefore, a large number of empty boxes can be stacked on a pallet for transport. In embodiments, the box 100 is made of plastic in order to provide light weight and high stability for storage and/or transport applications. As shown in fig. 1, each side wall 120 comprises a plurality of vent holes 125, while each end of wall 130 comprises a handle hole 135. The plurality of vent holes 125 is essentially located in a region A extending along the length. of a horizontal direction 101 of the sidewall 120. Here, the horizontal direction is defined as a direction along a longer side of a respective sidewall. Furthermore, region A is essentially defined as a region surrounded by two continuous reinforcing elements 121, 122 in the vicinity of the upper end of the box 100, in which ! a plurality of non-continuous reinforcement elements 123 are uninterrupted. It can also be seen in fig. 1, that the side walls 120 and the end walls 130 can be secured together by means of a fastener 140 when the box 100 is in its unfolded state. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the box 100 according to fig.

1. In particular, the bottom 110 may comprise two pairs 210, 220 of vent openings, which may be symmetrically disposed with respect to an axis 205 parallel to the end wall 130 along a central longitudinal axis 201. Specifically, each The first pair's vent opening 210 may have a width 212 equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length 214 equal to or greater than 126 mm, while each — the second pair's vent opening 220 may have a width 222 equal to or greater than than 40 mm and a length of 224 equal to or greater than 25 mm. Here, the width is defined as a dimension parallel to the end wall 130, while the length is defined as the dimension parallel to the side wall 120. The two pairs 210, 220 of vent openings must be dimensioned in such a way that they are sufficiently They are large to provide proper ventilation through the bottom 110. However, they cannot be chosen too large in size, as in this way: 5 specific products will fall out of the box 100. As can already be seen in fig. 2, an inner surface 121 of sidewall 120 is configured to be folded outwardly of box 100, which will be described in detail later.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a side wall 120 of the housing 100 embodiment according to fig. 1. In the view of fig. 3, the plurality of vent holes 125 can be seen clearly. In particular, the plurality of vent holes 125 may comprise a pair of vent holes 310. Together, these vent holes may have a combined shape similar to that of handle hole 135 (comp. fig. 1). This is advantageous because, by adapting the combined shape, it is possible to achieve an optimal overlap of the pair of vent holes 310 and the handle hole 135, when, for example, two boxes are arranged in a "five-down" configuration. Referring to Fig. 3, each vent hole 125 of the plurality of vent openings may have a width 312 equal to or greater than 20 mm and a length 314 equal to or greater than 24 mm. dimension in the vertical direction 301 of the sidewall 120, while the length is defined as a dimension in the horizontal direction 101 of the sidewall 120. In addition, the continuous reinforcement elements 121, 122 and 123 are of the plurality of non-continuous reinforcement elements which extending in the vertical direction 101 of the side wall 120 are clearly seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows a side view of an end wall 130 of the housing embodiment 100 according to Fig. 1. As seen in Fig. fig. 4 , the handle hole 135 is centered with respect to two edges 131, 132, 100 of the box. Handle hole 135 is also recessed with respect to an upper end of housing 100 by a distance 133 of approximately 30mm. In particular, by joining the handle hole 135 to a portion of the upper thickened structure 134 of the end wall 130, a strong grip can be provided for transporting a cargo box 100. Referring to FIG. 4.0 handle hole 135 may have a width 137 equal to or greater than 30 mm and a length 139 equal to or greater than 100 mm. Here, width is defined as the dimension in the vertical direction 402 of the end wall 130, while the length is defined as the dimension in a horizontal direction 401 of the end wall 130. It can also be seen that the handle hole 135 tapers from a maximum horizontal extension at a higher point 136 to a minimum horizontal extension at a lower point 138, thus providing an ergonomic grip. The fastening element 140 is also clearly visible in fig. 4. The fastening element 140 can be secured to the end wall 130 where it can be connected with the recess 128 provided in a portion 126 of the side wall 120. Here, the fastening mechanism can function based on the fact of an element of displacement 142 of fastener 140 can be displaced against the force of a spring element. Furthermore, as already indicated in fig. 4, end wall 130 may comprise a narrow portion 410 essentially around a central portion of end wall 130 includes a portion of handle hole 135. The purpose and other details of narrow portion 410 will be described later. Another feature of the end wall 130 is that a plurality of reinforcing elements 420 may be located close to an edge region of the end wall 130. This provides an increase in the supportability of the aforementioned closure mechanism. Arrangement of ventilation holes (first aspect) A first aspect of the present invention eliminates the disadvantage that, in a “five-down” configuration, for example, a uniform airflow is not provided between boxes — adjacent according to the state of the technique.

Fig. 5 shows end wall 130 and side wall 120 of box 100 unfolded in the same curve 505 of box 100. In an alternative, fig. 5 may also illustrate an end wall 512 of a first box 510 adjacent a side wall 522 of a second box 520, where the first box 510 is aligned with the second box 520 at corner 505. As shown, the side wall 120 of box 100, or alternatively, side wall 522 of second box 520 comprises a plurality of vent holes 125 in a region A. Region A is indicated in FIG. 5 by a dashed line 501. In embodiments, region A is a distance from corner 505 and has a height ha. In addition, end wall 130, or, in an alternative, end wall 512 of first box 510 includes handle hole 135. In embodiments, handle hole 135 is a distance daw from the same corner 505 and has a height of he. It can be seen in Fig. 5 in one embodiment that the distance da is approximately equal to the distance of, and the height h, is approximately equal to the height of hem. Subsequently, especially in the "five-down" configuration (see Fig. 7b, 7a, 8a, —8b), at least a partial overlap of the handle hole 135 of the first box 510 and at least one ventilation hole (for example , vent hole 515) of the second box 520 can be provided, and, accordingly, ventilation paths between the two boxes 510, 520 will be obtained.

Fig. 6 illustrates the dimensions of a plurality of vent holes 615 and a handle hole 135 according to another embodiment of box 100. To the plurality of vent holes 615 shown in FIG. O6 may correspond to the plurality of vent holes 125 shown in Fig. 3. In the embodiment of fig. 6, the plurality of vent holes 615 are spaced along the horizontal direction 101 of the sidewall 120 by a distance sy4. In addition, each vent hole can S be the same length and can be rectangular in shape. The distance sy, can be chosen such that it is less than a dimension ls, of the handle hole 135, in which the Y5 dimension lg, can correspond to the maximum horizontal extension 139, as shown in Fig.

4. In addition, the horizontal dimension ly of a vent hole can be chosen with a size smaller than the ley dimension of the grip hole 135. A vertical dimension of the vent hole along the vertical direction 301 can also be smaller than the vertical extension of the handle hole 135. Therefore, a characteristic dimension of the plurality of vent holes 615 is generally configured to be smaller than that of the handle hole 135, such that an overlap of at least one vent hole 515 with the handle hole 135 can be provided, as in the case of the "five-down" configuration. Figs. 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement 700 of a plurality of cases of the embodiment described with reference. to Figs. 1 to 5 in a partial “five-down” configuration. In this context, "partial" means that only three instead of five boxes 100 of "five-down" configuration are shown. Referring to Figs. 7a and 7b, the two specific boxes 510, 520 are arranged such that the wall end 512 of first box 510 is adjacent to sidewall 522 of second box 520. Here, first box 510 is aligned along a first longitudinal axis 701, while second box 520 is aligned along a second longitudinal axis. 702. As can be seen in Figures 7a; 7b, the first longitudinal axis 701 and the second longitudinal axis 702 are perpendicular to each other. In addition, a side wall 720 of the first box 510, which may correspond to the side wall 120 of the Fig. 3, and an end wall 730 of the second box 520, which may correspond to that of the top wall 130 of Fig. 4, are aligned so as to be aligned with this partial five-down configuration. Accordingly, at least a partial overlap of the handle hole 125 of the first box 510 and the vent hole of at least a plurality of vent holes 125 of the second box 520 can be provided. The thus-obtained ventilation path 710, which is indicated by a dark arrow, presents a discharge path for the air flow, thus ensuring good ventilation of the interior of the respective housings 510, 520. Figs. 7c, 7d and 7e show different views of end wall 512, side wall 522 and housing 510, respectively. Specifically, in the depicted embodiments, other different formations of vent regions 705, 706; 709 at the bottom of the box 510 can be provided, eventually leading to better ventilation properties.

Figs. 8a 8b; show a perspective view of an arrangement 700 of a plurality of cases of the embodiment described with respect to FIG. 6 of an Is partial “five-down” setting. In this context, “partial” means that only three instead of five boxes 100 of “five-down” setting are shown. Referring to: Figs BaeB8b, the two specific boxes 510, 520 are arranged such that the end wall 512 of the first box 510 is adjacent to the side wall 522 of the second box 520. Here, the first box 510 is aligned with the along a first longitudinal axis 751, while the second box 520 is aligned along a second longitudinal axis 752. As can be seen in Figs. 8a; 8b, the first longitudinal axis 751 and the second longitudinal axis 752 are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, a side wall 770 of the first box 510 and an end wall 780 of the second box 520 are aligned so as to be aligned with this partial five-down configuration. 135 of the first box 510 and the at least vent hole 515 of a plurality of vent holes 615 of the second box 520 may be provided, wherein the overlap region 765 is indicated by a dark mark. , which is indicated by an arrow, shows a discharge path for the air flow, thus ensuring good ventilation of the interior of the respective housings 510, 520.

Figs. 8c, 8d and 8e show different views of the end wall 512, the side wall 522 and the box 510, respectively. Specifically, in the depicted embodiments, other different formations of ventilation regions 755, 756; 759 at the bottom and/or near a corner (region 757) of the 510 box can be provided, eventually leading to better ventilation properties.

Internal surface of the box (second aspect) A second aspect of the present invention eliminates the additional disadvantage that the internal surfaces of the side walls of known boxes are not straight and free of sharp and/or rigid objects.

Fig. 9 shows a top view of the side wall 120 of the box 100 in more detail. It can be seen in fig. 9 that the side wall 120 comprises reinforcing elements 815, including reinforcing elements 121, 122, which have also been shown in fig.

1. Sidewall 120 may include a smooth inner surface 810 that is being molded into a convex shape to the outside of housing 100. In addition, reinforcing elements 815 may be provided on the outer surface of sidewall 120 only. In order to provide the smooth inner surface 810, the box 100, or at least the side wall 120, can be made of plastic. It can be seen in fig. 9 that the inner smooth convex shaped surface 810 has a lateral dimension, curvature l. less than a maximum lateral dimension dsw of the sidewall 120. Here, the lateral dimension is defined as the dimension in the perpendicular lateral direction 801 to the sidewall 120. The inner surface 810 is substantially curved in a region B of the sidewall 120 only. With reference to fig. 3, this region B is defined as a region in which non-continuous reinforcing members 123 extending along the vertical direction 301 are interrupted. Region B is, therefore, a central region, which is not close to a corner 805 of the box 100, and which is essentially surrounded by the continuous reinforcing elements 121, 122. The advantage of using the inner convex shaped surface 810 is that, on the one hand, the box 100 will be particularly suitable for accommodating products with rounded surface portions. On the other hand, since the inner surface 810 can be made very smooth, i.e. without sharp edges or corners, the risk of damaging or crushing the transportable products during their transport can be minimized. Quick Access to the Interior of the Box (Third Aspect A third aspect of the present invention solves the additional disadvantage of the lack of possibility of easy and quick access to the interior of a specific box, when these are, for example, stacked inside a column, on top of a pallet Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box 100 with an openable portion. In the embodiment of Fig. 10, the end wall 130 comprises a narrow portion 910, which may correspond to the narrow portion 410 shown in Fig. 4, wherein the narrow portion 910 can be configured as a groove. This groove 910 is made in the end wall 130 and surrounds at least three sides of a predefined area 905. can be seen in the embodiment of Fig. 10, the preset area 905 is substantially rectangular. The zoom view shows that the slot 910 comprises a thickness lg in the direction perpendicular to the end wall. ade 130, which is more than half the thickness lkw of the end wall 130. This feature of the groove 910 allows for easy cutting. In addition, along slot 910, a plurality of holes 915 may be arranged in which each hole may have a diameter 917 greater than the width 912 of slot 910. The width 912 may normally be equal to or greater than 6mm (see also Fig. 4.). The sizing of holes 915 is therefore such that a knife, which is normally used by a controller, can be easily inserted into them and then cut along the groove.

910. By cutting the slot 910, an openable portion 920 can be provided which is essentially attached to the end of the wall 130. The openable portion 920 can be unfolded, as indicated by the arrow. The purpose of providing such an openable portion is that the user can take a look inside the box 100 to inspect the accommodated products. For example, one can check whether fruits such as bananas have already reached a certain degree of ripeness. Again, end wall 130 can be made of plastic, such as a normal knife, which can be used by the controller. The embodiment of Fig. 10 also shows that the predefined area 905 may be greater than one third of the area of the end wall 130 in order to provide a sufficiently large inspection opening. In embodiments, where two or more boxes of 100 are stacked adjacent to each other, such as in the "five-down" configuration partially shown in Figs. 7a; 7b, 8a, 8b, which are to be arranged such that the slot 910 of at least one end wall 130 is accessible by a user. Bottom of the arc-shaped box (fourth aspect A fourth aspect of the present invention eliminates the additional disadvantage that the products protrude from from a lower case can be damaged by a load from a upper case when the upper case is stacked on top of the lower case.

Figs. 11a, 11b show perspective views of other embodiments of a box 100, wherein the lower part 110 is particularly curved in an arc shape towards the interior of the case 100. The lower part 110 may be curved or along a direction 1001 from end wall 130 (see fig. 11a) or along a direction 1002 to side wall 120 (see fig. 11b). As can be clearly seen in Figs. 11a, 11b, both models provide an additional space S between the lower surface of a lower part 110 and a plane P. In this case, the plane P is defined by a lower end of the housing 100, respectively.

Figs. 12a, 12b show more details of the lower part 110 of other embodiments of the box 100 according to Figs. 11a, 11b. In particular, fig. 12a is a partial cross-sectional view along a line L1 - L of FIG. 11a, while Fig. 12b is a partial cross-sectional view along a line L> - Le of fig. 11th. In both figures, Fig. 12a and Fig. 12b, the lower portion 110 comprises an upper portion 1110 and a lower portion 1120, wherein the lower portion 1120 may be recessed with respect to an outer point 1101 of the walls of the housing 100 As can be seen clearly, in the sectional view of fig. 12a, the lower part 1120 of the bottom 110 can be curved upwards along the direction 1001 such that a bulge 1125 will be obtained. The additional space S which has been created is illustrated in fig. 12a as an increase—gradual of a cross-sectional area to the right.

The partial section view of fig. 12b shows that bottom 110 may have a similar wavy shape along direction 1002 in the vicinity of sidewall 120. Note that L> -Ly is brought to a boundary region of box 100, as shown in FIG. 11th. In particular, the waveform of the bottom 110 causes bulges 1125 to be — located along the direction 1002, i.e. along the end wall 120, which causes the bottom 110 to become very rigid.

In other embodiments, from a central longitudinal axis of a box 100,

the curvature of protrusions 1125 may also gradually become more pronounced in direction 1001 (i.e., in a direction closer to sidewall 120). In other embodiments, a first portion of the wavy bottom portion 110 is at a height of the plane P, while a second portion of the wavy bottom portion 110 is at a maximum height of a lower end of the corresponding top portion 1110. to the maximum extent of the waveform.

Figs. 13a, 13b show side views of further embodiments, where, for example, two boxes 1210, 1220 are stacked on top of each other. Both in the embodiments of figs. 12 and fig. 13, a distance dg of the recess can be chosen such that it will be equal to the thickness lh of the walls. In this way, an engagement of the bottom 1120 of the second box 1220 and an upper opening of the first box 1210 can be achieved, thereby preventing a lateral movement in the direction 1201 shown in FIG. 13th.

In other embodiments, lower portion 1120 has an area Ar- defined by an outer perimeter of lower portion 1120, while upper portion 1110 has an area defined by an outer perimeter Av- of upper portion 1110. As can be defined by the inner surfaces of the upper end walls of the box 100, whereas an outer area Ao can be defined by the outer surfaces of the upper end walls of the box 100. In particular, the area Ar- is approximately equal to the area A, while the Pu area, is approximately equal to the Aos area.

In other embodiments, an inner area Ar1 defined by the inner surfaces with an upper end of the first box 1210 and an area Ai' defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion 1120 of the second box 1220 may be the same, such that the first box of 1210 and second box 1220 fit precisely together when second box 1220 is stacked on top of first box 1210.

In other embodiments, the second lower box 1220 may also comprise a plurality of vent openings to provide a ventilation path between the first box 1210 and the second box 1220.

With reference to fig. 13b, the advantage of providing the additional space S is that, in practice, when two or more boxes are stacked on top of each other within a column, on a pallet, the products 1205 extend beyond an upper end of the lower box. 1210 of the column, such as the curved portions of a banana protruding from plane P, can be efficiently protected from being compressed by a heavy load from the top box 1220 of the column.

In summary, embodiments of the present invention provide a box such as a banana box, wherein the design of the box's ventilation holes allows for adequate ventilation within the box, even if it is stacked such that two boxes are arranged such that the end wall of one box is adjacent to a side wall of another box (eg, a “five-down” configuration). Specifically, by providing a vent path, a z 5 distribution. dear uniform and therefore consistent temperature control for fruit quality can be achieved with such a design.

Here, the arrangement of the ventilation openings in the side walls should be such that at least one ventilation hole should be provided in the wall at a distance from each of the corners, the distance being equal to the distance of the handle hole in the wall of the end that is remote from the same corner thus ensuring at least a partial overlapping of the handle hole and at least one ventilation hole, in case of stacking a plurality of boxes, as mentioned above. According to other embodiments, pairs of vent holes can be provided together, which can be similar in shape to the handle hole. Furthermore, a plurality of vent holes which are equally spaced can be provided with a spacing which is less than the dimension of the handle hole.

Another aspect of the embodiments is the fact that the smooth inner surface of the same is molded in a convex shape in relation to the outside and the products, therefore, with the rounded surfaces, such as bananas, are more easily accommodated in the lateral portions of the box, providing the inner convex or curved surface. This can be applied to both the side walls and the end walls. According to other embodiments, reinforcement elements such as ribs and the like are provided only outside the box.

Yet another aspect of the embodiments is the provision of a narrow portion on the end walls, allowing a cut thereof to provide an opening, allowing a user of the box to look into the box, which is important in determining a complete batch of boxes if the product inside the box, for example bananas, has already reached a desired degree of ripeness.

The fourth feature refers to the lower part, which is arch-shaped. This has no direct impact on the products inside the box, but on the stacking of a plurality of boxes on top of each other. This allows for additional space provided in a bottom box, thus preventing slightly damaged product from protruding beyond the top edge of the bottom box. The arch-shaped and wavy bottom allows to accommodate such products which come out slightly from the box below.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations to the arrangements and details described herein will be evident to others skilled in the art.

It is intended, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the following patent claims and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. Box (100), characterized in that it comprises a lower part (110) and two: respective pairs of opposite side walls (120) and end walls (130), the each side wall (120) comprising a plurality (125 615) of Tr 5 -vent holes of a region (A) extending along a horizontal direction (101) of the side wall (120), and each of the end walls (130) comprising a handle hole (135), in which region (A) is at a distance (d,) away from a corner (505) of the box (100), the distance (da) being equal to the distance (der) of the handle hole (135 ) is spaced apart from the same corner (505) of the box (100), and in which the height (h.) of region (A) is equal to the height (hos) of the handle hole (135), characterized by the fact that the plurality (125; 615) of vent holes comprise a pair (310) of vent holes having a combined shape similar to the handle hole (135), wherein an upper end extension r of the blended shape is greater than an extension of the lower edge of the blended shape, the upper edge extending parallel to the lower edge. A box according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes are spaced apart with a distance (s11) being less than a dimension (lex) of the handle hole (135). A box according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that a vent hole (515) of the plurality (125; 615) of vent holes comprises a horizontal dimension (lv) being smaller than the dimension (lgx) of the hole handle (135). A box according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the side walls (120) and the end walls (130) are configured to be folded in relation to the lower part (110), such that, in the state, doubled, the remaining volume of the box (100) is minimal. A box according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the lower part (110) comprises two pairs (210, 220) of vent openings, each vent opening of the first pair (210) being of equal width. or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 126 mm, and wherein each vent of the second pair (220) has a width equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 25 mm. A box according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in that each ventilation hole (515) of the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes has a width equal to or greater than 20 mm and a length equal to or greater than that 24 mm. A box according to one of the claims 1-6, characterized in that each handle hole (135) has a width equal to or greater than 30 mm and a length equal to or greater than 100 mm. Arrangement of two boxes according to one of claims 1-7, characterized (512) of a first box (510) is adjacent to a sidewall (522) of a second box (520), wherein the first box (510) is configured to be aligned along a: first longitudinal axis (701 ) parallel to a side wall (720) of the first box (510), and wherein the second box (520) is configured to be aligned along a second longitudinal axis (702) parallel to a side wall (522) of the second box (520), the first longitudinal axis (701) and the second longitudinal axis (702) perpendicular to each other, wherein a side wall (720) of the first box (510) and an end wall (730) of the second box (520) are aligned such that at least a partial overlap of the handle hole (135) of the first box (510) and at least one vent hole of the plurality (125; 615) of vent holes of the second box ( 520) is provided such that a ventilation path (710) between the first box (510) and the second box (520) is provided. Arrangement of a plurality of boxes according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the plurality of boxes is configured as a five-down configuration ("five-down" configuration), such that a path of ventilation between adjacent boxes is provided.