EP0093059B1 - Process and container for packaging and handling fishery products - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a container for packaging and handling fishery products.

It is known from document GB-A-745.784 to package the fish in cardboard boxes in the form of a belt, having openings in the vicinity of the free edge of the flaps of the box, and towards the middle of these flaps, to close the body by a link passing through these openings. In this case to ensure the closure of the box, it is necessary to pass the link through the openings, then surround the box with the link before tying it.

Such a packaging box, of the type set out in the preamble of claim 1, is suitable for small volumes, fully closed, and the link can practically not be used for handling the box.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container for the packaging and handling of fish, particularly suitable for making it easy to fill from the top and empty from the bottom.

The invention relates to a container for the packaging and handling of fishery products, of the type consisting of a cardboard box assembled in the form of a belt and capable of being stored flat, having two longitudinal lateral faces. and two transverse lateral faces each carrying a lower flap and a small upper flap respectively, said box being kept closed by straps after setting in volume, characterized in that the longitudinal faces have, in the vicinity of the articulation lines of their flaps, slots; in that the lower and upper flaps carried by said longitudinal faces have, in the vicinity of their articulation lines and facing said slots, slots; and in that the lower flaps carried by the transverse faces have on their opposite edges notches intended to be placed opposite the slots of the lower flaps carried by the longitudinal faces so that the closure of the container is ensured by the passage of the straps the slots.

• les rabats inférieurs portés par les faces transversales ont une dimension correspondant sensiblement à la moitié du fond du conteneur ;
• les rabats inférieurs portés par les faces longitudinales présentent sur leur bord libre des encoches destinées à venir en regard des fentes portées par lesdites faces longitudinales,
• la mise en volume du conteneur se fait par repliage des rabats inférieurs portés par les faces transversales puis par repliage successif des rabats inférieurs portés par les faces longitudinales,
• après mise en volume du conteneur, les sangles sont accrochées deux à deux sous le fond du conteneur, passent à l'intérieur du conteneur entre les fentes voisines, et sont accrochées deux à deux sur le dessus du conteneur.

According to other characteristics of the invention: the lower flaps worn by the longitudinal faces have a dimension corresponding substantially to the bottom of the container;

• the lower flaps carried by the transverse faces have a dimension corresponding substantially to half the bottom of the container;
• the lower flaps carried by the longitudinal faces have on their free edge notches intended to come opposite the slots carried by said longitudinal faces,
• the container is brought into volume by folding the lower flaps carried by the transverse faces then by successive folding of the lower flaps carried by the longitudinal faces,
• after volume of the container, the straps are hung two by two under the bottom of the container, pass inside the container between the adjacent slots, and are hung two by two on the top of the container.

• Figure 1, une vue à plat d'un exemple de réalisation d'un flan de carton découpé et rainé pour constituer un conteneur de conditionnement et de manutention selon l'invention ;
• Figure 2, une vue perspective de dessous du conteneur de la figure 1 au cours de son montage ;
• Figure 3, une vue perspective de dessus du conteneur de la figure 2, après montage ;
• Figure 4, une vue perspective de dessous d'un conteneur selon l'invention, les sangles étant guidées différemment sous le fond ;
• Figure 5, une vue d'une variante de réalisation du système d'accrochage des sangles ;
• Figure 6, une vue à plat de la pièce métallique de verrouillage utilisée dans le système d'accrochage des sangles de la figure 5,
• Figure 7, une vue des deux éléments métalliques utilisés pour réaliser le système d'accrochage des sangles de la figure 5, la pièce métallique de la figure 6 ayant été repliée sur elle-même.

Other characteristics of the invention emerge from the description which follows, made with reference to the appended drawing in which one can see:

• Figure 1, a flat view of an exemplary embodiment of a blank of cardboard cut and creased to form a packaging and handling container according to the invention;
• Figure 2, a perspective view from below of the container of Figure 1 during assembly;
• Figure 3, a perspective view from above of the container of Figure 2, after assembly;
• Figure 4, a perspective view from below of a container according to the invention, the straps being guided differently under the bottom;
• Figure 5, a view of an alternative embodiment of the strap attachment system;
• FIG. 6, a flat view of the metallic locking piece used in the system for attaching the straps of FIG. 5,
• Figure 7, a view of the two metal elements used to make the attachment system of the straps of Figure 5, the metal part of Figure 6 having been folded back on itself.

Referring to the drawing, it can be seen that the container for packaging and handling fishery products is in the form of a cardboard box, the top of which is not completely closed. This container is made from a cut blank, it is made up in the form of a belt and stored, flat, to be loaded on board trawlers going on the campaign. It is designed to ensure immediate and immediate packaging at sea of fishery products with conservation ice, and to allow rapid and economical unloading of the cargo, as well as its handling to the place of sale or emptying of the container .

This container is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped once mounted. Flat and before assembly into a belt, it is as in FIG. 1; two longitudinal side faces, 1, 2, and two transverse faces, or head 3, 4 are hinged on each other. The face 4 carries a band 5 of assembly with the longitudinal face 1 for the constitution of the belt.

Each face 1 to 4 carries a large lower flap 6 to 9 respectively and a small upper flap 10 to 13 respectively. By construction, the longitudinal side faces 1, 2 are twice as wide as the transverse faces 3, 4.

By construction also, the large lower flaps 6, 7 each constitute a bottom for the container, and the flaps 8 and 9 of the transverse faces each cover only half of the bottom of the mounted container.

Each longitudinal side face 1, 2, or large face, has slots allowing the passage of two assembly straps. For side 1 for example, a first strap passes through the slot 14 located near the bottom and through the slot 15 located near the top of the container, and a second strap passes through the slots 16 and 17 respectively. Similarly, for face 2, a first strap passes through the slots 18 and 19, and a second strap through the slots 20 and 21, respectively.

These slots are located approximately a quarter of the length of the longitudinal faces, and in the vicinity of the articulation lines of the lower and upper flaps of each face. The lower flaps 6 and 7. have corresponding slots, 22 to 25, respectively symmetrical with the slots 14, 16, 18, 20 with respect to the line of articulation of the flaps 6 and 7 on the faces 1 and 2.

Similarly, the upper flaps 10 and 11 have slots 26 to 29 opposite the slots 15, 17, 19 and 21 respectively.

The lower flaps 8 and 9 articulated on the transverse faces 3 and 4 have on their opposite sides notches facing the slots of the adjacent faces. Thus, the flap 8 has a notch 30 facing the slot 16 and a notch 31 facing the slot 18. Similarly the flap 9 has two notches 32 and 33 respectively facing the slots 20 and 14.

The transverse lateral faces 3 and 4 have, at the level of the articulation line of their lower flap, orifices 34, 35 and 36, 37 respectively, intended for the possible flow of the melting water from the storage ice Fish.

Finally, these same transverse faces 3 and 4 have in their upper part, slots 38, 39 and 40, 41 respectively intended for the passage of handling forks for example when the containers are emptied. Preferably, above these openings, 38 to 41, a reinforcing wire 42, synthetic for example, is placed in the material of the blank to form a frame.

Furthermore, the lower flaps 6 and 7 have, opposite their slots 22 to 25, notches 43 to 46 for letting through the straps ensuring the closure of the container.

The container is shaped when it is used. First folded (Figure 2) the two lower flaps 8 and 9 which each cover substantially half of the bottom of the container. The two large lower flaps 6 and 7 are then folded one after the other, each covering substantially the entire bottom of the container.

The bottom of the container therefore consists of three thicknesses of cardboard, which makes it particularly resistant.

Before filling the container, the straps are attached to each other under the bottom of the container. These straps 47-50 (Figure 3) each consist of a rot-proof woven band, folded back on itself at each end so as to constitute an eye. One end carries a flattened 9-shaped loop 51. The strap 47, on the top of the container for example, is integral with the loop 51, its eye being formed around the upper part of the 9 of the loop. On the other hand, the end of the strap 50 does not carry a buckle, and the leg of the 9 of the buckle 51 can be manually slid into the eye of the strap 50, so as to link the two straps together. Under the bottom of the container, on the contrary, it is the strap 50 which carries the buckle and the strap 47 can be fixed there. These straps 47-50 are placed in the factory in the corresponding slots of the container, so as to be at outside the mounted container (Figure 3), except near the edges where they pass inside the container.

When the container is set in volume, the straps 47 and 50 on the one hand, 48 and 49 on the other hand, are attached to them under the bottom. With the top of the container open, you can fill the container with ice and fish, for example. When it is substantially full, the small upper flaps 12, 13 are folded, then the large flaps 10-11. Straps 47 and 50 are then attached to one another, 48 and 49 on the other hand, on the top of the container which is closed.

It should be noted that the upper flaps are shortened so as to leave an opening on the top of the box allowing refrigerant ventilation of the contents of the box.

Furthermore, the fact that the straps pass through the container in the vicinity of the edges makes it possible to prevent them from moving sideways and not to weaken the resistance of the body.

The dimensions of a container thus formed are for example approximately 1 x 0.5 x 0.5, the unit of length being the meter, and its weight when filled, is of the order of 250 kg. Such a container is handled for the unloading of the trawler, by means of a hoist for example, provided with two hooks to which the straps are directly hooked. When the containers are placed two by two in the trawler's alveoli, they can be handled in pairs by means of a hoist with four hooks.

When the container is brought to the point of sale, it can be emptied from the top by unhooking the straps on the top and turning it over. It can also and preferably be emptied from the bottom because the lower flaps are neither glued nor stapled, they open by themselves under the weight of the contents.

To carry out this operation, it is necessary to rest the container on an external support so as to relax the straps in order to unhook them from one another. The removable support is then removed to release the lower flaps, while an external system keeps the body in suspension. For this purpose, metal forks passing through the slots 38-39 or 40-41 can be used, for example transverse faces 3 and 4 of the container, or else suction cups applied to the lateral faces of the container, and preferably to the transverse faces. dirty.

In the alternative embodiment of Figure 4, the straps 47 and 48 go around the container and pass outside the longitudinal edges of the bottom of the container. To ensure their correct positioning, the bottom flap 7 is provided with two pairs of lights, 52-53 for the strap 47 and 54-55 for the strap 48. These lights are arranged in the vicinity of the longitudinal axis of the bottom 7 and are used to guide the straps. According to the embodiment of Figure 5, the straps end at each of their ends by an eye. In the vicinity of one of the ends, each strap carries an extension 56 constituted by a piece of strap sewn on the strap itself. This extension only has the role of allowing easier gripping of the end of the strap when hooking the two ends of the same strap. To this end, the eye 57 of the end of the strap opposite the extension 56 receives a part 58 in the shape of a U, the two wings of which have slots 59 and 60 (Figure 7). In these two slots must penetrate a pin 61 (Figure 7) provided with locking claws 62, 63 (Figure 6). This pin 61 is an elongated metal sheet (Figure 6), the ends of which are chamfered to ensure its easy passage through the slots 59 and 60 of the U-shaped part 58. In its central part, this pin has an enlargement 64 intended to constitute a stop during the introduction of the spindle into the U-shaped part 58. The spindle of Figure 6 has two locking claws 62 and 63 each located on one side relative to the longitudinal axis of the spindle, and each in the vicinity of one of the ends of the pin 61. The sheet of Figure 6 is then folded back on itself to form the pin 61 itself (Figure 7). This spindle is endowed with a certain elasticity in the transverse direction, parallel to the plane of the spindle. Thus, during the introduction of the spindle into the slots 59 and 60, the chamfered end ensures easy guidance, and the transverse elasticity allows the locking claws 62, 63 to pass through the slots and then to ensure locking by prohibiting the withdrawal of the spindle 61. Furthermore, the bulge 64 prohibits the spindle from passing through the slot 59 and ensures that it remains in position.

The container is then opened for example by removing the pin 61 using a special clamp ensuring the erasure of the claws 62, 63.

• il est à usage unique,
• il est en matériau recyclable,
• il est stocké à plat et ne tient que peu de place à vide, il est très léger,
• ! il est mis en forme sans accessoire extérieur tel que colle ou agrafe,
• il est utilisable pour le conditionnement du poisson sur le lieu de pêche,
• il est placé dans les alvéoles de stockage des chalutiers pour y être rempli,
• il est manutentionnable aisément en raison de ses sangles de fermeture,
• il est susceptible d'être vidé rapidement par le fond.

The container according to the invention has the following advantages, among others:

• it is for single use only,
• it is made of recyclable material,
• it is stored flat and takes up little empty space, it is very light,
• ! it is shaped without an external accessory such as glue or staple,
• it can be used for packaging fish at the fishing site,
• it is placed in the trawlers' storage cells to be filled,
• it is easy to handle because of its closing straps,
• it is likely to be emptied quickly from the bottom.

Such a container is preferably made of double-sided double-fluted corrugated cardboard having undergone a treatment of total impregnation of micro-wax paraffin.

Claims (6)

1. Container for the packing and handling of fishery products, of the type constituted by a cardboard box assembled to form an enclosure and capable of being stored in a flat state, having two longitudinal sides (1, 2) and two transverse sides (3, 4) each comprising a lower flap (6-9) and a small upper flap (10-13) respectively, the said box being held closed by straps after being assembled into its votume form, characterised in that the longitudinal sides (1, 2) have slots (14 to 21) in the vicinity of the folding lines of the flaps of these sides ; in that the lower flaps (6, 7) and upper flaps (10, 11) provided at the said longitudinal sides (1, 2) have, in the vicinity of their folding lines and opposite the said slots (14 to 21), further slots (22 to 29) ; and in that the lower flaps (8, 9) provided at the transverse sides (3, 4) comprise, .at their opposite edges, notches (30-33) which are intended to be positioned opposite slots (14, 16, 18, 20) of the lower flaps (6, 7) provided on the longitudinal sides (1, 2) in such a manner that the closing of the container is effected by passing the straps (47-50) through the slots (14-29).

2. Container according to claim 1, characterised in that the lower flaps (6, 7) provided at the longitudinal sides (1, 2) are given a size corresponding substantially to the bottom of the container.

3. Container according to claim 2, characterised in that the lower flaps (8, 9) provided on the transverse sides (3, 4) are given a size corresponding substantially to half the bottom of the container.

4. Container according to claim 1, characterised in that the lower flaps (6, 7) provided on the longitudinal sides (1, 2) have, at their free edge, notches (43-46) which are intended to be positioned opposite the slots (14, 16, 18, 20) comprised by the said longitudinal sides (1, 2).

5. Container according to claim 1, characterised in that assembling the container to its volume form is effected by folding the lower flaps (8, 9) comprised by the transverse sides (3, 4), then by successively folding the lower flaps (6, 7) comprised by the longitudinal sides (1, 2).

6. Container according to claim 5, characterised in that after the container has been assembled to its volume form the straps (47, 50) are coupled in twos below the bottom of the container, passed within the inside of the container between the neighbouring slots (22, 14 ; 15, 26) and are coupled in two on top of the container.

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