DE29613118U1 - Cardboard folding box (base pallet) - Google Patents

Description

Patent attorney Dipl.-Ing. Mario Wagner, Technology Center, Europaplatz, 52068 Aachen Applicant: Wellpappenwerk Rheinland Johannes Krieger W04-002

Cardboard folding box (base pallet)

The invention relates to a base pallet according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such base pallets are known (cf. DE 41 27 309 C2) and are used for secondary placement of goods in supermarkets and self-service stores. Secondary placement of goods means arranging goods in places where they are easy to sell, for example near cash registers, outside of the shelf space intended for these goods (primary placement). Secondary placement of goods is chosen, for example, when introducing new products for which retailers do not immediately provide primary placement space.

For the secondary placement of goods, packaging or presentation containers must be provided, which can preferably be placed on the floor and can form the sales offer in themselves. It is often not desirable to place the goods directly on the floor, as this means that customers have to bend down very low to take the last goods. For this reason, base pallets are used nowadays, which form a certain minimum sales height and are optionally provided with visually appealing covers.

The dimensions of these base pallets are usually such that several such base pallets can be arranged on standard Euro or ISO pallets. A further requirement for such base pallets, from production to retail, is that they have hollow spaces on their undersides into which common lifting devices, such as forklifts, can reach and thus transport the base pallets.

However, the base pallets known so far have a number of disadvantages.

They consist of a relatively large number of individual parts, e.g. 9 pieces, or even 10 pieces including the colour-printed cover. If you take into account parts that occur more than once, such packaging consists of four different components, or five with a cover. On the one hand, this requires a very complex production process, in which appropriately designed, different punching tools must be kept on hand. On the other hand, appropriate storage is necessary for the customer, who puts the base pallets together. Due to the large number of parts, it is relatively complicated and time-consuming to put a base pallet together from the individual parts. This is partly because certain parts can only be used in one orientation.

Another disadvantage of known base pallets is that a relatively large amount of material is required to form a base pallet. This increases the production costs, but also the weight of the finished base pallet.

Since the individual pallet components are also constructed in a relatively complicated manner, a considerable amount of waste (offcuts) is generated during the production of these parts.

Another disadvantage of the base pallets that are known on the market is that without the cover, there are no smooth surfaces, the base pallet as such, i.e. without the cover, is not visually appealing and therefore cannot be used. In addition, the known base pallets only achieve a certain strength through the interaction with the cover.

The stacking crush strength of known base pallets is also not high enough for some applications.

The well-known base pallets also do not allow any variation in height, i.e. the sales height. However, there are limits to the use of larger cuts with a correspondingly higher sales height, as most of the punching machines used can only punch corrugated cardboard up to approx. 1500 mm in length, which means that base pallets with the corresponding height cannot be folded.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to create a base pallet that can be folded or plugged together from a few, as many of them as possible, identical parts, while avoiding the disadvantages known in the prior art, that is visually appealing even without a cover, that has a high stacking crush resistance and can be manufactured with as little material expenditure and waste as possible. It is a further object of the present invention to create a base pallet that can be adjusted in height to different sales heights.

The above-mentioned first object is achieved by a base pallet made of cardboard or similar foldable material, which comprises the following: a first blank which, when folded several times, forms the base, the lid and the side walls of a cuboid-shaped body, and two second blanks which, when folded several times, each form two base feet connected by an end wall, which can be inserted into openings formed on the base of the body.

This design results in an extraordinarily stable and lightweight base pallet. It consists of only three parts (cuts), two of which are identical. All parts are symmetrical, so that no particular alignment is required when assembling them. There is little waste when making the cuts. The base pallet is also

very easy to assemble by untrained personnel. Due to the essentially smooth and therefore visually appealing outer walls, the use of a cover hood is not absolutely necessary. If necessary, the base pallet itself can also be printed. Furthermore, the use of a cover hood is not necessary for stability reasons.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of subclaims 2 to 4.

Thus, it is preferred if the first cut is generally rectangular and foldable six times and consists of a base, two side walls adjoining the sides of the base, two lid flaps adjoining the side walls, together forming the lid, and two insert parts adjoining the lid flaps, which protrude perpendicularly to the lid into the interior of the folded body, and if the second cuts are generally rectangular and foldable eight times and each consist of an end wall and four base foot parts adjoining the two sides of the end wall, which, when rolled up, form a base foot on each side of the end wall, wherein the base feet have a standing wave pattern.

The shape and the vertical wave pattern of the square base feet and the end walls on the underside of the lid result in a base pallet with very high stacking crush strength.

It is further preferred if the end walls have a centrally arranged slot on their upper side, running perpendicular to the outer edge, which can be plugged together with slots arranged in the plug-in parts at corresponding points and running perpendicular to their outer edge.

This further increases the rigidity of the base pallet.

To simplify assembly, it is preferred if the base feet formed from the base foot parts can be secured against rolling up by means of a punched-in or punched-out insertion tab connection.

The further task of creating a base pallet that can be adjusted in height is solved by an extension part that consists of a cut-out that, when folded several times, forms the base, the lid and the side walls of a cuboid-shaped body and that can be inserted into corresponding slots in the lid of the base part by means of insertion tabs bent out of the base.

The "standard" base pallet can be increased by attaching one or more extension parts. This makes it possible, for example, to create arrangements with stepped sales heights.

Preferred embodiments are the subject of subclaims 6 and 7.

If the cut of the extension part is generally rectangular and can be folded six times and consists of the base, two side walls adjoining the sides of the base, two lid flaps adjoining the side walls and together forming the lid, and two insert parts adjoining the lid flaps, which protrude perpendicular to the lid into the interior of the folded body, then this is a preferred embodiment that is easy to assemble.

It is further preferred if the insert parts are held together by tabs or cutouts located on their narrow outer edges, and that the insert parts have the same height as the side walls, with insert tabs being formed on their longitudinal outer edges, which reach through slots formed in the base.

This design stiffens the construction and creates an additional contact point with the base pallet underneath.

The invention is explained below by way of example using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, which show the following:

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a first cut of a first embodiment of the base pallet according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a second cut of a first embodiment of the base pallet according to the invention;

Fig. 3 a and Fig. 3 b show perspective views of the final assembly of a first embodiment of the base pallet according to the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the base pallet according to the invention;

Fig. 5 shows a plan view of a second cut of a further embodiment of the base pallet according to the invention;

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of a blank of a first embodiment of an extension part according to the invention for a base pallet;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the folded extension part from Figure 6; and

Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of a base pallet extended with the extension part.

Figures 1 and 2 each show a top view of the two blanks 1 and 2, which together form the base pallet, whereby the first blank 1 shown in Figure 1 is used once and the second blank 2 shown in Figure 2 is used twice.

The first blank 1 consists of a largely rectangular piece of corrugated cardboard. This can be folded six times using folds 3 to 8, which are arranged perpendicular to the length of the blank 1.

In the middle of the first cut 1 there is a base 9. This base 9 has two openings 10 and 11, the position and shape of which will be discussed later. Two side walls 14 and 15 are connected to the two sides 12 and 13 of the base 9. Two cover flaps 18 and 19 are connected to the sides 16 and 17 of the side walls 14 and 15, which together form the cover of the base pallet. Since the body of the base pallet formed from the first cut 1 is cuboid-shaped, the widths of the cover flaps 18 and 19 are half the width of the base 9.

Finally, on the outer sides 20 and 21 of the lid flaps 18 and 19, two narrow insert parts 22 and 23 are arranged, which, when the cuboid body is folded up, protrude perpendicularly to the lid into the interior of the folded up body. The insert parts 22 and 23 have cuts or slots 24 and 25 on their outer edges, which protrude perpendicularly to the outer edge up to approximately half of the insert parts 22 and 23 and whose function will be described below.

It should already be noted that the distance a of the slots 24 from the longitudinal edge 26 of the first blank 1 is greater than the distance b of the slots 25 from the other longitudinal edge 27 of the first blank 1. The distances a and b correspond to the distances that the openings 10 and 11 have from the longitudinal edges 26 and 27 of the first blank 1.

When folded, this first cut 1 thus results in a largely cuboid-shaped body, which is, however, open at the front sides.

In order to achieve a high stack compression strength, it is preferred if the entire first cut 1 has the wave pattern indicated at 28 parallel to its longitudinal extension. This results in a standing wave pattern in the folded-up side walls 14 and 15, which can withstand particularly high loads in the vertical direction, in which the load occurs during later use.

The second blank 2 is shown in Figure 2. This is largely rectangular in shape and can be folded eight times at the folds 29 to 36 running perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the blank 2.

The second blank 2 consists of an end wall 37, which when put together forms the end walls that are still missing in the cuboid-shaped body of the first blank 1. On the outer edges of the end wall 37, in the middle and perpendicular to the outer edges, there are slots 38, the depth of which corresponds to the slots 24 and 25 of the first blank 1. When put together, one of the slots 38 engages - depending on which opening 10 or 11 the folded second blank 2 is put into - either in the two then adjacent slots 24 or the two then adjacent slots 25. This measure locks the insertion tabs 22 and 23 on the end wall 37, so that the entire base pallet can no longer be opened.

In principle, it would be sufficient to provide only a single slot 38 on the front wall 37. However, it is still preferred if two slots 38 are provided, since the second blank 2 is then symmetrical and it therefore does not matter in which orientation the folded blank 2 is inserted into the openings 10 or 11 of the first blank 1. This makes final assembly considerably easier.

Four base foot parts 41 are connected to the sides 39 and 40 of the front wall 37, which, when rolled up, form a base foot on each side of the front wall 37. There are two trapezoidal recesses 43 on each of the two outer base parts 42. When the base foot parts 41 are rolled up to form a square base foot, these recesses 43 lie next to the trapezoidal, punched-out tabs 44 on the front wall 37. To fix the base foot parts 41 in the rolled-up state, each of the tabs 44 is pressed into the corresponding recess 43.

This results in an end wall 37 with two square base feet at the end. When aligning the second cut 2, care must be taken to ensure that the wave path of the corrugated cardboard is aligned as indicated at 45. This results in a standing wave path in the finished end wall/base foot part, which can bear extremely high loads in the vertical direction (the later load direction).

The final assembly of a base pallet is carried out as shown in Figures 3a and 3b. First, two second blanks 2 are folded together as just described, so that they form two end wall/base foot parts. Then the first blank 1 is folded together to form a cuboid-shaped body. The body must first be secured against opening by itself, e.g. by holding the two adjacent insert parts 22 and 23 together with one hand. To simplify the next assembly step, it is recommended that the openings 10 and 11 point upwards, i.e. that the cuboid-shaped body lies on the cover parts 18 and 19.

Now all that remains is to insert the prefabricated front wall/base foot parts into the openings 10 or 11 of the cuboid body until one of the slots 38 fits into the paired

wise adjacent slots 24 and 25 (hidden in Figure 3b). The cuboid-shaped body is then secured against opening and the base pallet is fully assembled, as shown in Figure 4.

The openings 10 and 11 of the base 9 must therefore have a shape that corresponds to the folded blanks 2. In the present case, each opening 10 or 11 consists of two square openings 46 that are connected by a slot 47, the width of which corresponds to the thickness of the corrugated cardboard material used for the second blank 2. The openings 10 and 11 are arranged towards each other, i.e. so that the two end walls 37 of the two second blanks 2 face outwards.

The distance a of the opening 10 from the outer edge 26 of the first blank 1 and the distance b of the opening 11 from the outer edge 27 of the first blank 1 are different. This design results from the dimensional relationships used for Euro or ISO pallets and the requirement to be able to move the base pallet with conventional lifting vehicles. In individual cases, however, symmetrical distances between the front wall/base foot parts and the outer edges are also possible.

The base pallet formed in this way has dimensions for 1/4 Euro pallet (length x width x height » 570 mm x 380 mm x 390 mm) and uses double-wall corrugated cardboard (quality 125 gm" ² kraftliner, 120 gm" ² corrugated material, 125 gm" ² Schrenz, 120 gm" ² corrugated material, 125 gm" ² kraftliner) and a stacking crush strength of approx. 9500 N and is therefore significantly superior to conventional base pallets in terms of strength.

Figure 5 shows a further embodiment 77 of a second blank. Identical or equivalent parts as in Figure 2 are designated with the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the rolled-up base feet are locked by tabs 78 that are provided on the fold lines 29 and 36 of the respective outer base foot parts 41 and that engage in and through corresponding slots 79 in the front wall 37. This results in a front wall 37 that is not smooth on the outside, so that the finished front wall/base foot parts can no longer be inserted through the openings 10 or 11. The final assembly is carried out when using this embodiment 77 of a second cut by inserting the front wall/base foot parts from the inside through the openings 10 or 11, then folding up the side walls 14 and 15, folding over the cover parts 18 and 19 and inserting the insert parts 22 and 23 into the corresponding slots 38 of the front wall/base foot parts.

The outer surfaces of the finished base pallet can be adapted to the requirements of the customer and can have further cuts, punchings or the like at certain points. In the present embodiment, the base 9 of the first blank 1 has two parallel

and slots'48 arranged at a distance from the edges 12 and 13. Fastening tabs from optically more attractively designed cover hoods (not shown here) that are put over the raw base pallet can be inserted into these slots 48, whereby the cover hood is fastened to the base pallet.

For special presentation means arranged on the base pallets, openings can also be provided at various points, for example on the lid or in the lid parts 18 and 19 of the first blank 1. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, two slots 49 are provided in the lid parts 18 and 19, which are parallel to the edges 20 and 21 and spaced from them and serve to accommodate the extension part for base pallets described below.

This extension part 50 is shown in Figure 7 and consists of a blank 51 shown in Figure 6, which, when folded several times, forms the base, the lid and the side walls of a cuboid-shaped body that is open at the front. This blank 51 is largely rectangular and can be folded six times along the fold lines 52 to 57 that extend perpendicular to the longitudinal edge 58.

The blank 51 has a largely rectangular base 59 in its center, to whose outer edges 60 and 61 two side walls 66 and 67 are connected. At their outer edges 62 and 63 two lid flaps 68 and 69, which together form the lid, are connected, and at their outer edges 64 and 65 two insert parts 70 and 71, which protrude perpendicularly to the lid into the interior of the folded body. The insert parts 70 and 71 have insert tabs 72 on their outer edges, which, when folded, reach through slots 73 formed at the corresponding point in the base 59 and through it, so that they still protrude above the level of the base 59.

There are trapezoidal cutouts 74 on the narrow sides of the plug-in part 70 and trapezoidal tabs 75 on the narrow sides of the plug-in part 71. In the folded state, the tabs 75 are located next to the cutouts 74 and are folded into them, so that a locking mechanism is created that prevents the extension part from folding out again. The folded extension part is shown in Figure 7.

The wave pattern of the cut 51 of the extension part 50 should be as shown at 80, i.e. parallel to the long edge of the cut 51, as this creates the standing wave pattern that is favorable for the subsequent loading in the vertical direction.

In order to attach the extension part 50 to the base pallet, it is necessary that the base pallet has corresponding recesses 81 at the point where the insertion tabs 73 protrude through the base 59 of the extension part. Since the insertion tabs 72 primarily

serve to stabilize the extension part 50 and thus only make a small contribution to the fastening of the extension part 50 to the base pallet, it is preferred if further and larger insertion tabs 76 are punched out in the base 59 of the extension part 50, which can be bent vertically downwards from the base 59 and pressed into corresponding slots 49 in the base pallet. This results in a better fastening of the extension part 50 to the base pallet. The assembled base pallet with extension part 50 is shown in Figure 8.

If necessary, the extension part 50 can be provided separately with a cover hood. However, it is also possible to provide a correspondingly larger cover hood that can be pulled over a base pallet with extension part 50. The outsides of the extension part 50, in particular its top side, can again be designed in accordance with the customer's wishes, as with the base pallets, and if necessary provided with cutouts or slots.

In particular, the extension parts 50 on the top should be designed in such a way (by punching out slots 49) that additional extension parts 50 can be attached if necessary.

All cuts can be made in the traditional way, especially by punching. In addition to various corrugated cardboards (e.g. A-, B-, E-flute, etc.), other foldable materials can also be used.

The objects mentioned at the outset are fully achieved by the invention presented using embodiments, the scope of protection of which is defined by the following claims.

Claims (7)

Patent attorney Dipl.-Ing. Mario Wagner, Technologiezentrum am Europaplatz, 52068 Aachen Applicant: Wellpappenwerk Rheinland Johannes Krieger W04-002 Protection claims: 1. Base pallet made of cardboard or similar foldable material, comprising: - a first blank (1) which, when folded several times, forms the base, the lid and the side walls of a cuboid-shaped body, and - two second blanks (2) which, when folded several times, each form two base feet connected by an end wall (37) which can be inserted into openings (10, 11) formed on the bottom (9) of the body. 2. Base pallet according to claim, characterized in - that the first blank (1) is generally rectangular and can be folded six times and consists of a base (9), two side walls (14, 15) adjoining the sides (12, 13) of the base (9), two side walls (14, 15) adjoining the side walls (14, 15) and together form the lid, and two insert parts (22, 23) adjoining the lid flaps (18, 19) which protrude perpendicularly to the lid into the interior of the folded body; and - that the second blanks (2) are generally rectangular and can be folded eight times and each consist of an end wall (37) and four base foot parts (41) adjoining the two sides (39, 40) of the end wall (37), which, when rolled up, form a base foot on each side of the end wall (37), the base feet having a standing wave shape. 3. Base pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end walls (37) have on their upper side a centrally arranged slot (38) running perpendicular to the outer edge, which can be plugged together with slots (24, 25) arranged at corresponding points in the plug-in parts (22, 23) and running perpendicular to their outer edge. 4. Base pallet according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base feet formed from the base foot parts (41) can be secured against rolling up by means of a respective inserted or punched-out insert tab connection (43, 44; 78, 79). 5. Extension part for base pallet according to one of claims 1 to 4, consisting of a blank (51) which, when folded several times, forms the base, the lid and the side walls of a cuboid-shaped body and which can be inserted into corresponding slots in the lid of the base part by means of insertion tabs (76) bent out of the base. 6. Extension part according to claim 5 ₅ , characterized in that its blank (51) is generally rectangular and foldable six times and consists of a base (59), two side walls (66, 67) adjoining the sides (60, 61) of the base (59), two lid flaps (68, 69) adjoining the side walls (66, 67) and together forming the lid, and two insert parts (70, 71) adjoining the lid flaps (68, 69) and projecting perpendicular to the lid into the interior of the folded body. 7. Extension part according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the insertion parts (70, 71) are held against one another by tabs (74) or punched-outs (75) located on their narrow outer edges, and that the insertion parts (70, 71) have the same height as the side walls (66, 67), with insertion tabs (72) being formed on their longitudinal outer edges, which reach through slots (73) formed in the base (59).