BR112012024854B1 - Cashier - Google Patents

Abstract

"CASHIER". 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 side wall, each end wall comprising a handle hole, wherein region (A) is a distance (d(A)) away from a corner of the box, the distance (d(A)) being 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 grip hole.

Description

DESCRIPTION

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

Boxes for storing and transporting products such as fruits and vegetables are widely used in the market. Typically, these boxes are lightweight and stable, which makes them suitable for transporting crops from the field to the customer. Especially for tropical fruits such as bananas, it is common to harvest it while it is still immature and pack it in boxes for dispatch and subsequent transport. On their journey, the fruits have time to ripen. Prior to transport, the boxes are normally 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, free and uniform 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 insofar as 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 hard 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.

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

Finally, another known disadvantage associated with open-top boxes is that if two of them are stacked one on top of the other, the products protrude slightly beyond the upper end of the lower box (e.g. curved portions of a banana). ) can come into contact with a load in the upper case, eventually leading to product damage.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a box that allows for improved airflow, packaging, access for inspection, 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 ventilation 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 dA from a corner of the box, the distance dA being equal to the distance dGH, that the grip hole is away from the same corner of the box. Furthermore, the height hA of region A is substantially equal to the height hGH of the handle hole, i.e. the heights are such that they at least partially overlap in the height direction.

This ensures a ventilation path to provide optimal airflow between adjacent boxes, which are, for example, arranged in a “five-down” configuration. Consequently, by this ventilation route, a fast and especially uniform air flow can be achieved, resulting in consistent temperature control for fruit quality.

According to the 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 ventilation holes may be spaced less than a dimension of the handle hole. A ventilation hole of the plurality of ventilation openings may comprise a horizontal dimension being smaller than the dimension of the handle hole. The side walls and end walls can be configured to be collapsible with respect to the bottom wall such that, in a collapsed state, a remaining volume of the box is minimal. The bottom wall may comprise two pairs of ventilation openings, each ventilation 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 ventilation opening of the second being 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 of 30 mm or greater and a length of 100 mm or greater.

Embodiments of the invention pertain to a two box arrangement in accordance with embodiments of the invention, wherein the boxes are arranged such that an end wall of a first box is adjacent a side wall of a second box, in 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 longitudinal axis parallel to a side wall of the second box, the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis being perpendicular to each other, wherein a side wall of the first 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 ventilation hole of the plurality of ventilation holes of the second box is provided, such that a path of v ventilation between the first box and the second box is provided. The plurality of boxes may be configured in 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 external surface of the respective side walls and end walls only. The side walls and end walls may be made of plastic to provide a smooth inner surface (810). The convex shape of the smooth inner surface may have a smaller dimension than the lateral curvature, a maximum lateral dimension of the side wall, where the inner surface is substantially curved in a region of the single side wall, where the non-continuous reinforcing element that extends along a vertical direction the side wall is interrupted, and where the region is a central region.

In accordance with another embodiment, at least one end wall comprises a narrow portion, the narrow portion being adapted to allow the user to cut the end wall to provide an opening for inspection. The narrow portion of the end wall may be a groove around a predefined 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 arranged along the groove, each hole having a diameter greater than the width of the groove. The narrow portion may be configured to provide a hinged openable portion attached 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. at least three sides of the predefined area. The preset area can be larger than one third of an end wall area. The end wall (130) may be made of plastic. An arrangement of a plurality of boxes in accordance with embodiments of the invention may have the plurality of boxes disposed adjacent to each other such that at least one end wall comprising the narrow portion is accessible by the user.

In yet another embodiment, the lower part is shaped like a curved arc towards the inside 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 two boxes to be stacked on top of each other 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 side wall of the box. The bottom may be wavy-shaped along a sidewall direction of a border region of the sidewall, a first portion of the wavy-shaped bottom may be at a plane height, and a second wavy-shaped portion may be at a maximum height from a lower end of the upper portion. The lower part may comprise an upper part and a lower part recessed with respect to the external point of the walls, and a distance from the recess may be equal to the thickness of the walls, allowing the connection of the lower portion 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; the side walls and end walls may comprise inner surfaces and outer surfaces, wherein an area inside may be defined by the inner surfaces with a top edge of the box, and where an outside may be defined by the outside surfaces at the top edge of the box, where the area may be approximately equal to the area and the area which 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 internal area defined by the inner surfaces of an upper end of the first box and an area defined by an outer perimeter. from the bottom of the second box, where the area and area are equal, such that movement between the first box and the second box is prevented when the second box is stacked on top of the first box. The bottom of the second box may comprise a plurality of ventilation 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, where: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a box; Fig. 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the box according to fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a side view of a side wall of the box embodiment 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 a corner of it; 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 boxes of the embodiment of Figs. 1-5 in the “five-down” setting, partial; 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 one embodiment of a plurality of boxes of the embodiment of fig. 6 in the “five-down” setting, partial; 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 top view of a side wall of another embodiment of a box with a smooth inner convex-shaped surface; Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a box with an openable part; Fig. 11a shows a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a box with an arc-shaped bottom; Fig. 11b shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the box according to fig. 11-A; Figs. 12a, 12b illustrate details of the underside 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. 13b shows a partial side view of an additional 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 bottom 110 and two respective pairs of opposing side walls 120 and end walls 130. Referring to fig. 1, side wall 120 has a greater extent than end wall 130. Both side walls 120 and end walls 130 are collapsible with respect to bottom 110. In particular, side walls 120 and end walls 130 are attached to the bottom 110 so that they can be folded into them in the direction of the arrows, as shown in Fig. 1. In a folded state, the remaining volume of 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 low 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 the wall 130 comprises a handle hole 135. The plurality of vent holes 125 is essentially located in a region A that extends along from 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 reinforcement elements 121, 122 in the vicinity of the upper end of the housing 100, in which a plurality of non-continuous reinforcement elements 123 are not interrupted. It can also be seen in fig. 1, that side walls 120 and 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 ventilation openings, which may be symmetrically arranged with respect to an axis parallel 205 to the end wall 130 along a central longitudinal axis 201. Specifically, each first pair vent opening 210 can have a width 212 equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length 214 equal to or greater than 126 mm, while each second pair vent opening 220 can 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 ventilation openings must be dimensioned such that they are sufficiently large to provide proper ventilation through the bottom 110. However, they cannot be chosen too large, as in this way specific products will fall out of the box 100. As can already be seen in fig. 2 , an inner surface 121 of side wall 120 is configured to be folded out of housing 100, which will be described in detail later. Fig. 3 shows a side view of a side wall 120 of the embodiment of the box 100 according to fig. 1. In the view of fig. 3, the plurality of ventilation holes 125 can be clearly seen. In particular, the plurality of ventilation holes 125 may comprise a pair of ventilation holes 310. Together, these ventilation holes may have a combined shape similar to that of the 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 ventilation holes 310 and the handle hole 135, when, for example, two boxes are arranged in a "five-down" configuration. With reference 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. Here, the width is defined as a dimension in the vertical direction 301 of the side wall 120, while the length is defined as a dimension in the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120. In addition, the continuous reinforcement elements 121, 122 and 123 of the The plurality of non-continuous reinforcing elements 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 embodiment of the box 100 according to fig. 1. As can be seen in 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 from 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 carrying a cargo box 100. Referring to FIG. 4, the 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, the width is defined as the dimension in a 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 an upper 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 may be attached to the end wall 130 where it may be connected with the recess 128 provided in a portion 126 of the side wall 120. Here, the fastening mechanism may function on the basis of a displacement element. 142 of the fastener 140 can be moved 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 including a handle hole portion 135. The purpose and other details about narrow portion 410 will be described later. Another feature of the end wall 130 is that a plurality of reinforcing elements 420 can be located close to an edge region of the end wall 130. This provides an increase in the carrying capacity of the aforementioned locking mechanism.

Arrangement of ventilation holes (first appearance)

A first aspect of the present invention eliminates the disadvantage that, in a "five-down" configuration, for example, a uniform air flow is not provided between adjacent boxes according to the prior art. Fig. 5 shows the end wall 130 and the side wall 120 of the box 100 unfolded in the same curve 505 of the 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, wherein the first box 510 is aligned with the second box 520 at corner 505. As illustrated, the side wall 120 of the box 100, or alternatively, the side wall 522 of the second box 520 comprises a plurality of ventilation 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 dA from corner 505 and has a height hA. In addition, end wall 130, or, in an alternative, end wall 512 of first housing 510, includes handle hole 135. In embodiments, handle hole 135 is a distance dGH from the same corner 505 and has a hGH height. It can be seen in fig. 5 in an embodiment where the distance dA is approximately equal to the distance dGH and the height hA is approximately equal to the height of hGH. 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 housing 510 and at least one ventilation hole (e.g. , ventilation hole 515) of the second housing 520 can be provided, and consequently ventilation paths between the two housings 510, 520 will be obtained. Fig. 6 illustrates the dimensions of a plurality of ventilation holes 615 and a handle hole 135 according to another embodiment of the housing 100. The plurality of ventilation holes 615 shown in fig. 06 may correspond to the plurality of ventilation holes 125 shown in Fig. 3. In the embodiment of fig. 6, the plurality of ventilation holes 615 are spaced along the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120 by a distance sVH. In addition, each ventilation hole can be of the same length and can be rectangular in shape. The distance sVH can be chosen such that it is less than a dimension lGH of the handle hole 135, where the dimension lGH can correspond to the maximum horizontal extent 139, as shown in Fig. 4. In addition, the horizontal dimension lHV of a vent hole can be chosen smaller than the dimension lGH of the grip hole 135. A vertical dimension of the vent hole along the vertical direction 301 can also be smaller than the vertical extent of handle hole 135. Therefore, a characteristic dimension of the plurality of vent holes 615 is generally configured to be smaller than that of 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 boxes of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 in a partial five-down setting. In this context, "partial" means that only three instead of five "five-down" configuration boxes 100 are shown. Referring to Figs. 7a and 7b, 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 along a first longitudinal axis 701, while the second housing 520 is aligned along a second longitudinal axis 702. As can be seen in figs. 7a; 7b, the first longitudinal axis 701 and the second longitudinal axis 702 are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, a side wall 720 of the first box 510, which may correspond to the side wall 120 of fig. 3, and an end wall 730 of the second housing 520, which may correspond to that of the top wall 130 of fig. 4, are aligned to align with this partial “five-down” configuration. Accordingly, at least a partial overlap of the handle hole 125 of the first housing 510 and the vent hole of at least a plurality of vent holes 125 of the second housing 520 can be provided. The thus obtained ventilation path 710, which is indicated by a dark arrow, presents an outlet path for the air flow, thus ensuring good ventilation of the interior of the respective boxes 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 housing 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 boxes of the embodiment described with respect to fig. 6 of a partial “five-down” configuration. In this context, "partial" means that only three instead of five "five-down" configuration boxes 100 are shown. Referring to Figs. 8a and 8b, 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 along a first longitudinal axis 751, while the second housing 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. In addition, a side wall 770 of the first housing 510 and an end wall 780 of the second housing 520 are aligned to align with this partial "five-down" configuration. Accordingly, at least partial overlap of the handle hole 135 of the first housing 510 and the at least vent hole 515 of a plurality of vent holes 615 of the second housing 520 may be provided, wherein the region of overlap 765 is indicated by a dark mark. The thus obtained ventilation path 760, which is indicated by an arrow, shows a discharge path for the air flow, thus ensuring good ventilation of the interior of the respective boxes 510, 520. Figs. 8c, 8d and 8e 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 755, 756; 759 at the bottom and/or near a corner (region 757) of housing 510 can be provided, eventually leading to better ventilation properties. Internal surface of the box (second appearance)

A second aspect of the present invention eliminates the additional disadvantage that the inner surfaces of the side walls of known boxes are not straight and free from sharp and/or hard objects. Fig. 9 shows a top view of side wall 120 of housing 100 in more detail. It can be seen in fig. 9 that the side wall 120 comprises reinforcing elements 815, including the reinforcing elements 121, 122, which have also been shown in fig. 1. Sidewall 120 may include a smooth inner surface 810 being molded into a convex shape to the outside of housing 100. In addition, reinforcement elements 815 may be provided on the outer surface of sidewall 120 only. In order to provide the smooth inner surface 810, the housing 100, or at least the side wall 120, may be made of plastic. It can be seen in fig. 9 that the smooth inner convex shaped surface 810 has a lateral dimension, curvature lC less than a maximum lateral dimension dSW of the side wall 120. Here, the lateral dimension is defined as the dimension in the lateral perpendicular direction 801 to the side wall 120 Inner surface 810 is substantially curved in region B of sidewall 120 only. With reference to fig. 3, this region B is defined as a region in which the non-continuous reinforcement members 123 extending along the vertical direction 301 are interrupted. Region B is therefore a central region, which is not near a corner 805 of the housing 100, and which is essentially surrounded by continuous reinforcement 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 Inside of the Box (Third Aspect)

A third aspect of the present invention solves the additional disadvantage of not being able to easily and quickly access the interior of a specific box, when these are, for example, stacked within a column, on 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, 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 may 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. As can be seen in the embodiment of Fig. 10, the predefined area 905 is substantially rectangular. The zoom view shows that the groove 910 comprises a thickness 1GR in the direction perpendicular to the end wall 130, which is more than half the thickness 1EW of the end wall 130. This feature of the groove 910 allows for easy cutting. Furthermore, along the groove 910, a plurality of holes 915 may be arranged where each hole may have a diameter 917 greater than the width 912 of the groove 910. The width 912 may normally be equal to or greater than 6mm (see also Fig. 4.). The sizing of the 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 groove 910, a portion 920 that can be The 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 look inside the box 100 to inspect the accommodated products. For example, you can check whether fruits such as bananas have already reached a certain degree of ripeness. Again, the 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 can 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 should be arranged in such a way that the slot 910 of at least one end wall 130 is accessible by a user. Arch-shaped box bottom (fourth aspect)

A fourth aspect of the present invention eliminates the additional disadvantage that products protruding from a lower crate can be damaged by a load from an upper crate when the upper crate is stacked on top of the lower crate. Figs. 11a, 11b show perspective views of other embodiments of a box 100, in which the lower part 110 is particularly curved in an arc towards the interior of the box 100. The lower part 110 can be curved in 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 sectional view along a line L1 - L1 of fig. 11a, while Fig. 12b is a partial sectional view along a line L2 - L2 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 external point 1101 of the walls of the box 100. As can be clearly seen 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 S space which has been created is illustrated in fig. 12a as a gradual increase in cross-sectional area to the right.

The partial section view of fig. 12b shows that the bottom 110 can have a similar wavy shape along the direction 1002 around the side wall 120. Note that L2 - L2 is taken to a boundary region of the box 100, as shown in fig. 11th In particular, the waveform of the bottom 110 causes protrusions 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 housing 100, the curvature of the protuberances 1125 may also gradually become more pronounced in the direction 1001 (i.e., in a direction closer to the side wall 120).

In other embodiments, a first corrugated lower portion 110 is at a height of plane P, while a second corrugated lower portion 110 is at a maximum height of a lower end of the upper portion 1110 corresponding to an extension waveform maximum. Figs. 13a, 13b show side views of additional embodiments, in which, 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 dR from the recess can be chosen such that it will be equal to the thickness lW of the walls. In this way, an engagement of the lower part 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, the lower portion 1120 has an area ALP defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion 1120, while the upper portion 1110 has an area defined by an outer perimeter AUP of the upper portion 1110. In addition, an inner area AIS can be be defined by the inner surfaces of the walls of an upper end of the box 100, whereas an external area AOS may be defined by the outer surfaces of the walls of the upper end of the box 100. In particular, the area ALP is approximately equal to the area AIS, while the PUA area is approximately equal to the AOS area.

In other embodiments, an internal area AIS, 1 defined by the internal surfaces with an upper end of the first housing 1210 and an area ALP, 2 defined by an external perimeter of the lower portion 1120 of the second housing 1220 may be equal, such that the first box 1210 and second box 1220 precisely fit together when second box 1220 is stacked on top of first box 1210.

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

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

In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide a box such as a banana box, wherein the design of the ventilation holes of the box allows for adequate ventilation inside the box, even in the case that it is stacked so that two boxes are arranged so that the end wall of one box is adjacent to a side wall of another box (e.g., a "five-down" configuration). Specifically, by providing a ventilation path, even air distribution 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 must be such that at least one ventilation hole must be provided in the wall at a distance from each of the corners, the distance being equal to the distance from the handle hole in the wall of the end which is away from the same corner, thus guaranteeing at least a partial overlap of the handle hole and at least one ventilation hole, in case of stacking a plurality of boxes, as mentioned above. In accordance with other embodiments, pairs of ventilation holes may be provided together, which may have a similar shape to the handle hole. Furthermore, a plurality of ventilation 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 consists in the fact that the smooth inner surface of the same is molded convex in relation to the external part and the products, therefore, with rounded surfaces, such as bananas, are more easily accommodated in the lateral portions of the box, providing the convex or inner curved surface. This can be applied to both side walls and end walls. According to other embodiments, reinforcing elements such as ribs and the like are provided only on the outside of the box.

Yet another aspect of the embodiments is the arrangement of a narrow portion in the end walls, allowing a cut therefrom to provide an opening, allowing a user of the box to look into the box, which is important for determining a lot. full 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 does not have any 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 lower box, thus preventing slightly damaged product from protruding beyond the upper edge of the lower box. The arch-shaped and wavy-shaped bottom allows to accommodate such products which come out slightly from the box below.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent 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 describing and explaining embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. Box (100), comprising a bottom (110) and two respective pairs of opposing side walls (120) and end walls (130), each side wall (120) comprising a plurality (125; 615) of ventilation 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), wherein the region (A) is a distance (dA) away from a corner (505) of the box (100), the distance (dA) being equal to the distance (dGH) from the handle hole (135) is away from the same corner (505) ) of the box (100), and wherein the height (hA) of the region (A) is equal to the height (hGH) of the handle hole (135), characterized in that the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes comprises a pair (310) of vent holes having a combined shape similar to the handle hole (135), wherein an extension of the upper end of the combined shape is greater than one extending from the bottom edge of the combined shape, the top edge extending parallel to the bottom edge. A box according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes are spaced with a distance (sVH) being less than a dimension (lGH) of the handle hole (135). A box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a ventilation hole (515) of the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes comprises a horizontal dimension (lVH) being smaller than the dimension (lGH) of the ventilation hole. catch (135). A box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side walls (120) and the end walls (130) are configured to be folded with respect to the lower part (110), such that in the folded state , the remaining volume of the box (100) is minimal. A box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower part (110) comprises two pairs (210, 220) of ventilation openings, wherein each ventilation opening of the first pair (210) is of equal width or greater than 40 mm and a length of 126 mm or greater, and wherein each vent opening of the second pair (220) has a width of 40 mm or greater and a length of 25 mm or greater. Box according to any one of the preceding claims, 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 24 mm. Box according to any one of the preceding claims, 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. Two box arrangement as defined in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the boxes (510, 520) are arranged such that an end wall (512) of a first box (510) is adjacent to a side wall. (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 housing (520) is configured to be aligned along a second longitudinal axis (702) parallel to a side wall (522) of the second housing (520), the first longitudinal axis (701) and the second longitudinal axis (702) perpendicular to each other, wherein a side wall (720) of the first housing (510) and an end wall (730) of the second housing (520) are aligned such that at least a partial overlap of the handle hole (135) of the first housing (510) and at least one ventilation hole of the plurality (125; 615) of ventilation holes of the second housing (520) is provided such that a ventilation path (710) between the first housing (510) and the second housing (520) is provided. Arrangement of a plurality of boxes according to claim 8, characterized in that the plurality of boxes is configured in a five-down configuration (five-down configuration), such that a ventilation path between boxes adjacent is provided.

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