EP0524659B1 - Plastic container and pallet system - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to provide a plastic container system and a pallet system which is connected thereto, in which a plurality of containers can be placed together to form a unit, possibly in conjunction with a specially constructed pallet, a container system having containers (11) and at least one pallet (100) is proposed, having a strap device (124) to connect the stacked containers (11) to the pallet (100), the strap device (124) comprising a multiplicity of straps which are each dimensioned such that they fit into the grooves (112) situated below each bottom rail (102) and extend upwards beyond the end of the containers (11) directly over the bottom rail (102) at one end of the stack, through each of the grooves (40) in the containers (11) at the tip of the stack directly above the bottom rail (102) through which the strap runs, and downwards beyond the other end of the container directly above the bottom rail (102) and up to the other end of the stack, and having means for connecting the two ends of the strap. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a container system with containers and with at least one pallet with bottom rails, on the underside of which at least one groove is formed, through which packaging or fastening tapes can be pulled, which are placed around the goods after the pallet has been loaded.

Such a container system preferably uses at least one box-like plastic container with two end frame parts and a longitudinal part of the container which can be attached between the end frame parts and forms the bottom part and the side walls and with means for fastening the end frame parts to the longitudinal part of the container, the plastic container having end walls as a frame-shaped on its two opposite end sides Fitting with an upper and a lower edge, a pair connecting these parallel side edges and with a plate-shaped insert made of rigid foam, which receive between them a longitudinal section of a container formed as a strand-shaped profile body made of non-foamed plastic, which has at least two cross-sections running in its longitudinal direction has thinner than the remaining region of the longitudinal part, slightly flexible hinge regions along which the container longitudinal part can be bent, and the front frame parts are provided at their upper and lower edges near their corners with projections and recesses, which when stacking several identical plastic containers fit in pairs.

It is known to use rigid foams, rigid foams being understood to be a hard foam which is characterized in that it exhibits low elastic deformability with a relatively high resistance to deformation, a distinction being made here between tough and brittle hard foams. As a starting material for the production of rigid foams, i.a. Polystyrene and polyurethane are proposed. However, a special note to provide the material selection for a container or pallet in such a way that the end walls are made of polypropylene, while the container longitudinal wall part consists of a non-foamed plastic, has not yet been given, since very special difficulties in container construction have to be overcome here were. This is because very special, specifically designed devices are required in order to form a container or a pallet from the aforementioned plastic material variation (Römpps Chemie-Lexikon, 1973, p. 1417 / "Leichtstoffe und Leichtstoffapplement", Kunststoffe Band 42, 1952, Issue 12, P.450 -455).

According to the prior art, several exemplary embodiments of a plastic pallet produced by injection molding are known. They range from a large pallet consisting of one part to pallets made from a large number of identical parts. An example of a one piece plastic pallet is described in US-A-3,636,888 to Angelbeck. An example of a large-area pallet consisting of two parts, in which two parts are connected by vibration welding, is shown in FR-A-2,387,850. Another approach is to create a series of differently shaped connected parts that are assembled to build pallets of different sizes from small to very large. Such a pallet using snap-in parts is described in US-A-3,307,504. DE-A-2 241 289 describes an example of a pallet with brackets for connecting each part. An example of a screwed-together pallet with two standardized molded plastic parts is described in DE-A-2 057 361. Finally, US-A-3,277,849 describes a pallet that uses a variety of uniformly shaped parts.

Each of these attracted descriptions of pallets pose one or more problems. The first four examples shown consist of very large parts, which are expensive and time-consuming for the manufacturer to spray. Due to their dimensions, they are very bulky and difficult to transport even when assembled. A pallet produced according to the description of the second German published patent application is very labor-intensive to assemble, since the individual parts have to be screwed together. The palette of the last drawn description is not very suitable, since the individual parts that make it up cannot be connected to each other, which means that the palette can only be lifted from two sides, otherwise it would fall apart during lifting.

From DE-A-2 365 344 a plastic pallet with a skid formation is known, a depression or a groove being formed in the longitudinal direction of the skid on the underside of the skids, through which packaging or fastening tapes can be pulled, which after loading the pallet can be put around the good.

With FR-A-2 140 093 a stackable container has become known which has grooves through which packaging or fastening tapes can also be pulled.

The invention has for its object to provide a plastic container and a related pallet system, in which the individual container is resistant to deformation even under thermal stress, has a permanent connection between the components, is easy to stack and inexpensive to manufacture, and one or more containers if necessary can be combined to form a unit in conjunction with a specially designed pallet.

This object is achieved by the features characterized in claim 1.

This design of the container makes it possible to combine containers with one another to form a composite and to arrange them on a pallet.

Such a plastic container includes a pair of plastic end walls that are attached to the opposite ends of a plastic side wall. Each of these end walls includes a pair of narrow side edges that are spaced apart by a pair of wide, parallel top and bottom side edges. The narrow side edges each have at the opposite ends an upward projection which engages with the recesses of an adjacent container when the containers are stacked vertically one above the other. Each of these upward projections also defines a molded, upwardly open groove, the bottom surface of the groove being substantially parallel to the upper edge of the end wall.

A further embodiment of the plastic container on which this invention is based comprises a pair of plastic end walls with a plastic longitudinal wall fastened between them. In addition, a lid is provided with a pair of end edges arranged at a distance from one another and having a plurality of projections extending outwards. The end walls are each provided with a pair of narrow side edges spaced apart by parallel wide upper and lower side edges, the wide upper edges having at least one upper pin spaced from at least one lower pin, their first faces run parallel to the wide upper edge. Each of the top tenons of the end walls is arranged to receive one of the lid protrusions when the lid is closed on the plastic side wall and to be displaced from the lid protrusions when the lid is displaced from the plastic side wall.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the plastic container comprises a pair of plastic end walls with a longitudinal plastic wall between them, which consists of a fixed part and a removably fastened part. The fixed part of the side wall comprises one side, the bottom and a lower lip part of the other side of the container. The removably attached part generally consists of one flat, rectangular plate which is provided with fastening devices for closing the container along an edge for engaging in the lower lip part.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the container also comprises a fixed part and a removably fastened part of the side wall. In this embodiment, the fixed part has a first side, a bottom and a second side, the second side delimiting a rectangular opening located therein. The removably attached portion includes a rectangular plate for closing the second side when inserted into the container.

The preferred embodiment of the pallet comprises a certain number of extruded bottom rails with a generally rectangular cross-section and a certain number of extruded transverse parts, which also have a generally rectangular cross-section and are fastened between the bottom rails. Each of the floor rails consists of an outer shell delimiting an inner cavity, the cavity serving to reinforce the floor rail by receiving an insert. In the cavity of the outer shell there are channels which engage the pins formed on the insert. In addition, the outer shell includes a pair of rails attached to a surface that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bottom rail to create feet. Limit these rails also a trapezoidal groove in between. Each of the transverse parts has a plurality of projections which are arranged at a distance from one another and are perpendicular to the longitudinal side of the transverse part. These protrusions are generally above a floor rail and extend away from the floor rail.

Another embodiment on which the invention is based is a light container with a multiplicity of stackable plastic containers and a plastic pallet. This system includes all the containers described above with the pallet described above. In this composition, when the containers are stacked on the pallet, the projections provided on the transverse parts of the pallet are in engagement with the recesses of the adjacent containers. By aligning the bottom rail directly under the narrow side parts of the end faces of the containers, a band can also be inserted into the groove located under each bottom rail, leading upwards over the outer surfaces of the containers stacked on the pallet and with one another over the containers Connect the loop, holding it in the trapezoidal grooves on the front of the top container directly above the bottom rail.

The plastic container and pallet system according to the invention is composed of stackable, interlocked in a stacked state Plastic containers that can also be locked in a similar manner to the pallets on which they are stacked. Each container includes a pair of molded end walls with protrusions along their top edge and recesses along their bottom edge. Thus, if one container is stacked on top of another, the recesses in the bottom edge of the upper container are in engagement with the projections of the lower container. Similarly, the pallet is provided at certain intervals with mounting projections which engage with the recesses in the bottom of each container. Each protrusion along the top edge of the molded end wall of the containers includes a band groove that is aligned with the band groove under each bottom rail of the pallet when the containers are stacked on the pallet. By attaching the tape through the tape grooves in the protrusions of the containers on the top level under each floor rail and beyond the stack, all containers can be attached to the pallet.

The containers are made entirely of a special plastic material and are joined to form a unit by vibration welding. In one embodiment, a side wall of the container can be removed to create an office storage system with these containers on the pallet. An advantageous method for attaching the lid to each container is also provided.

The pallet consists of two basic components, namely a number of floor rails with a number of transverse parts attached to them at an angle of 90 ° and at a distance from one another. Each of these cross members consists of a honeycomb-shaped construction and is connected by vibration welding or rivet welding (stake welded).

Further features and advantages of the present invention are specified in the subclaims and will become apparent from the following description together with the drawings.

• Fig. 1 die Explosionsansicht eines der vorliegenden Erfindung zugrundeliegenden und die Merkmale einer ersten Ausgestaltungsform aufweisenden Kunststoffbehälters,
• Fig. 2 die vergrößerte Teilansicht einer Konstruktion entlang der Linie 2-2 der Fig.1,
• Fig. 3a und 3b die vergrößerten Teilansichten der Konstruktion entlang der Linie 3-3 der Fig.1,
• Fig. 4 die vergrößerte Teilansicht der Konstruktion entlang der Linie 4-4 der Fig.1,
• Fig. 5a und 5b die Frontansicht der Innenflächen der Stirnwand des Behälters nach Fig.1,
• Fig. 6 die Explosionsansicht eines Lagerbehälters ähnlich dem Behälter der Fig.1, jedoch in einer zweiten der vorliegenden Erfindung zugrundeliegenden Ausgestaltungsform,
• Fig. 7a und 7b die perspektivische Explosionsansicht eines Lagerbehälters ähnlich dem Behälter der Fig.1, jedoch in einer dritten der vorliegenden Erfindung zugrundeliegenden Ausgestaltungsform,
• Fig. 8a und 8b jeweils die vergrößerte Teilansicht einer Konstruktion entlang der Linie 8-8 der Fig. 7a und 7b,
• Fig. 9 die perspektivische Ansicht der Tür zur Schaffung eines Lagerbehälterverschlusses nach Fig. 7a und 7b,
• Fig. 10a, 10b und 10c jeweils die oberen, vorderen und seitlichen Ansichten einer Palettenkonstruktion mit den dieser Erfindung zugrundeliegenden Merkmalen,
• Fig. 11 eine Querschnittsansicht der Bodenschienen der Palette nach Fig. 10a, b und c,
• Fig. 12 die perspektivische Ansicht einer Zusammensetzung mit Paletten in drei Größen nach Fig. 10a, b und c,
• Fig. 13 die perspektivische Ansicht des ganzen Verpackungsbehälter- und Palettensystems mit den auf der Palette nach Fig. 10a, b und c gestapelten Behältern der Fig.1,
• Fig. 14 die perspektivische Ansicht des Aufbaus der Verpackungsbehälter nach Fig. 6 oder 7a und 7b mit dem Palettensystem nach Fig. 10a, b und c zur Bildung einer festen Ablageeinheit, und
• Fig. 15 die perspektivische Ansicht der Lagerbehälter nach Fig. 6 oder 7a und 7b mit dem Palettensystem nach Fig. 10a, b und c als bewegliche Ablageeinrichtung.

Ausführungsbei games of the invention are explained below with reference to the drawings. Show it:

• Fig . 1 shows the exploded view of a plastic container on which the present invention is based and which have the features of a first embodiment,
• Fig . 2 shows the enlarged partial view of a construction along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,
• Fig . 3a and 3b are the enlarged partial views of the construction along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1,
• Fig . 4 the enlarged partial view of the construction along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1,
• Fig . 5a and 5b the front view of the inner surfaces of the end wall of the container according to FIG. 1,
• Fig . 6 shows the exploded view of a storage container similar to the container of FIG. 1, but in a second embodiment on which the present invention is based,
• Fig . 7a and 7b show an exploded perspective view of a storage container similar to the container of FIG. 1, but in a third embodiment on which the present invention is based,
• Fig . 8a and 8b are each the enlarged partial view of a construction along the line 8-8 of FIGS. 7a and 7b,
• Fig . 9 shows the perspective view of the door to create a storage container closure according to FIGS. 7a and 7b,
• Fig . 10a, 10b and 10c each show the top, front and side views of a pallet construction with the features on which this invention is based,
• Fig . 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the bottom rails of the pallet according to FIGS. 10a, b and c,
• Fig . 12 is a perspective view of a composition with pallets in three sizes according to FIGS. 10a, b and c,
• Fig . 13 is a perspective view of the entire packaging container and pallet system with the on 10a, b and c stacked containers of Fig.1,
• Fig . 14 is a perspective view of the structure of the packaging container according to FIG. 6 or 7a and 7b with the pallet system according to FIGS. 10a, b and c to form a fixed storage unit, and
• Fig . 15 shows the perspective view of the storage container according to FIG. 6 or 7a and 7b with the pallet system according to FIGS. 10a, b and c as a movable storage device.

1 shows a plastic container 11 which comprises a pair of end walls 12 preferably molded from structural foam such as polypropylene foam. The end walls 12 generally form a frame made from a pair of wide upper and lower parallel side edges 13 and 14, each of which is connected to a pair of generally parallel narrow side edges 15 and 16.

A longitudinal wall 18 connects to the end walls 12. This longitudinal wall 18 is made of plastic, such as high-impact styrene of polypropylene, and is preferably produced in the extrusion process.

The longitudinal wall 18 comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs 19 which first extend in the longitudinal direction of the container 11 and parallel to the side lips 21. The extension forms beyond each of the edges of the wall 18 the lip 21 by 90 ° inward to the side of the container 11 ears 132 (Fig.4). An advantageous embodiment of the extruded longitudinal wall 18 comprises a pair between two reinforcing ribs 19 and articulations 22 running parallel thereto. To form a U-shape with adjacent reinforcing ribs 23, the wall 18 is bent on one side by 90 °. During bending, the longitudinal wall 18 is bent into the U-shape described above under the action of moderate heat and moderate pressure on the articulations 22 in order to achieve permanent deformation of the longitudinal wall 18. Here, the ears 132 are also bent inwards.

The end walls 12 and longitudinal wall 18 can be assembled by several known methods including gluing and vibration welding. The preferred method is vibration welding. In both methods, the end wall 12 engages in the end of the longitudinal wall 18, the reinforcing ribs 23 abutting the narrow side edges 15 and 16 and the bottom side edge 14 of the end side 12. A detailed description of the structure of these parts can be found in the description of FIGS. 5a and 5b.

The end walls 12 are provided with a central opening 24 into which the insert 25 is inserted. The insert 25 is generally flat and rectangular and is provided with imprints which serve to indicate the origin of the packaged goods through the opening 24. The stake also exists made of a plastic material, such as high-impact styrene or polypropylene, and is preferably produced using the extrusion process. The insert 25 is fastened in the rectangular recess 26 on the inside of the end walls 12 with the aid of a suitable adhesive, cement or by vibration welding. Vibration welding is the preferred method for attaching the insert 25. The insert 25 is provided with holes 27 for easy ventilation of the container 11. The longitudinal wall 18 also has a plurality of elongated holes 27 for venting the container 11.

A plastic cover 28 serves to close the upper longitudinal wall 18. The cover 28 is provided with a resilient groove 29 which, as shown in FIG. 2, for releasably gripping or clamping the upper side lip 21 of the longitudinal wall panels along the side lips of the cover 28 is arranged. The resilient groove 29 according to this construction encompasses about 225 ° of the lip 21. This is done by including a snap lip 30 within the U-shaped groove 29 in order to meet the lower outer edge of the lip 21. This construction also stabilizes the top edge of each side of the container 11 when the lid 28 snaps into place. To facilitate the attachment and removal of the lid 28, finger engagement holes 31 are provided halfway near the side edges of the lid 28. The cover 28 also has reinforcing lips 19 running parallel to one another over the entire width of the cover 28. Also are along the upper side edge of each end wall 12 pairs of upper and lower pins 32 and 34 are provided, which are in engagement with the cover projections 35 when the resilient grooves 29 are in engagement with the side lips 21 (Fig. 3a, 3b, 5a and 5b ).

FIG. 3 a shows the cover 28 that is assembled and locked with the longitudinal wall 18. In this position, three of the projections 35 of the cover are aligned with the upper pins 32. To remove the cover 28, the resilient grooves 29 have to be released from the side lip 21 and the cover 28 has to be moved in one direction until the cover projections 35, as shown in FIG. 3b, release the upper pins 32 of the end wall 12. It should be mentioned here that in this position one of the resilient grooves 29 extends beyond one side of the side wall 18, while the other resilient groove 29 is located above the interior of the container 11 created by the side wall 18. In this position, the lid 28 can be lifted vertically from the container 11. To close the container 11, proceed in the reverse order. 5a and 5b show a cover channel 36 created by the upper and lower pins 32 and 34. By adding the lower pins 34, a support along the end walls 12 is provided with the aid of the cover projections 35 arranged between the upper and lower pins 32 and 34 the downward pressure created. To create another support for the cover 28 with respect to downward forces, the lower pins 34 could be replaced by a single lower pin extending over a substantial portion of the upper side edge 13 of each end wall 12. This would support each of the tab protrusions 35, and not just those held by the upper pins 32.

1, 3a, 3b, 5a and 5b, the end walls 12 are each provided with a pair of upwardly directed stacking projections 38 at the ends opposite the upper edge 13. The stacking projections 38 meet the stacking recesses 39, which are located at the ends opposite the lower wide edges 14, in order to prevent the vertically stacked containers 11 from shifting towards one another. Each stacking projection 38 is also provided with a band groove 40, through which the stacked containers 11 can be held together with the pallet to form a transportable composite. This feature is described in more detail after the introduction of the pallet construction. The lid 28 includes a plurality of elongated passages 27 to promote ventilation of the container 11. The lid is preferably made by the extrusion process.

5a and 5b, FIG. 5a describes the inner surface of the end wall 12 with recesses 26 and 134, lower pins 41 and device rails 44. FIG. 5b shows the insert 25 mounted in the recess 26, with its lower edge butting against the device rails 44. As already described, the insert 25 is preferably assembled by vibration welding. When the insert 25 is mounted, it can be seen that its upper edge contributes to the limitation of the cover groove 36 between the upper and lower pins 32 and 34. Its side edges together with the edge rails 45 create a mounting groove 43 which, together with the mounting groove 42 formed by the device rails 44 and the lower pins 41, delimit the engagement area in which the end of the longitudinal wall 18 is connected to the end wall 12. The lower pins 41 and edge rails 45 provide additional support for the longitudinal wall 18 against the forces acting from the interior of the container 11. The recesses 134 hold the ears 132 of the longitudinal wall 18.

In the manufacture of the cover 28 and the longitudinal wall 18, the reinforcing ribs 19 are preferably integrated into the extruded plastic part and the extruded plate is cut to the side to the desired length and to form ears 132. Openings are punched in to create ventilation holes 27.

In the folded state, the plastic container 11 consists of a series of relatively flat parts that can be transported in a small space. The containers are advantageously assembled ready for use only in the field or in the packaging building by unfolding the side plates of the longitudinal wall 18 and welding the end walls 12 against the end edges of the longitudinal wall 18.

The plastic container 11 can easily be returned to the production process by grinding the plastic parts and reusing the plastic material as an extruder load for the extrusion of the longitudinal wall 18, the lid 28 and the insert 25. Due to the extrusion of the cover 28, the longitudinal wall 18 and the insert 25, the manufacturing costs for the plastic container 11 are significantly lower than in known paper, wood or plastic molded containers. Since the entire container 11 is made of plastic, it can be used both as a transport and as an exhibition container that meets all FDE guidelines, since the material does not absorb any juice from the fruits or vegetables in the container and thereby mold in or on Container prevented while it is in the grocer's food area.

6 shows a further form of a plastic container 11 '. Essentially, the container 11 'is the same container 11 according to FIG. 1. The only exception is the longitudinal wall consisting of two walls 18' and 18 ''. The wall 18 'consists of the rear wall 46, the bottom part 47 and the front lip part 48. The front lip 48 only stretches on the bottom part 47 along its side edge and forms part of the front wall of the container 11'. The remaining part of the front wall forms the wall 18 ″. When the container 11 'is closed, the front lip 48 of the wall 18' engages in the groove 49 along the lower edge of the wall 18 '' like the tongue in a groove. Along their top Edge includes wall 18 "a resilient groove 50 which, when closed over lid 28 ', engages lip 51 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 2. The rear edge of the lid 28 engages the top edge of the rear wall 46 in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 2 for the container 11 of FIG. 1. In addition, the container 11 'can be closed in the closed state by connecting the locking hole 52 to the finger engagement hole 31 with a metal or plastic closure or with a lock with a long locking band.

The container 11 'also differs from the container 11 of FIG. 1 in that no passages are provided and the insert 25 has an opening in one end of the container in which an identification card 53 can be attached. The wall 18 ″ is also made narrower to expose the edge rails 45 along the inner surfaces of the end walls 12.

7a and b, 8a and b, and 9 show a further embodiment of the container 11 ''. The container 11 ″ essentially corresponds to the container 11 of FIG. 1, with the exception that no ventilation passages are provided and an access hole 136 has been punched into the wall 18 ″. Access hole 136 is less than the full width or height of the side wall into which it was punched.

Access hole 136 is closed with the aid of a hatch cover 138. The hatch cover 138 is extruded from the same material as the wall 18 ″ and then cut to form protrusions 146. In addition, the hatch cover 138 is cut to a width which is smaller than the inner distance between end walls 12. The container 11 ″ is closed by pushing the hatch cover 138 between the inner surface of the wall 18 ″ and “L” clips 142 ( made of the same material), which are welded to the inner surface of the inserts 25 in both end walls 12. The projections of hatch cover 138 extend through slots 144 in the bottom of wall 18 ''. If the hatch cover 138 is in the position provided for it, the cover 28 snaps over the lip 21, as shown in FIG. 2, and engages both the wall 18 ″ and the upper edge of the hatch cover 138. To achieve a more flush one Closure, the lock strap of the lock can be passed through the finger hole 31 of the cover 28 and the locking holes 140 and 140 'in the wall 18 and hatch cover 138.

10a, b and c show a pallet 100 for receiving six containers in one plane of the type shown in FIGS. 1, 6 or 7a and b, three of which are stacked one above the other and two one behind the other. The pallet 100 consists of two basic units; Bottom rails 102 and cross members 104. Depending on the length of each of these units, a pallet 100 can be used to hold the containers 11 or 11 'assemble individually, two or three pieces in width and individually or two pieces in depth (see Fig. 12). As shown in FIGS. 10b and 11, floor rails 102 consist of two parts, an outer rectangular part 116 with feet 118 and an inner, substantially diamond-shaped insert 114. The retraction of the feet 118 at the lower end of the outer rectangular part 116 forms the Band groove 112, which will be described in more detail later. Between the inner and the outer rectangular part 116 there are channels 122 which fit into the lugs 120 of the insert 114. Both the insert 114 and the external part 116 are extruded, for example, from high-impact styrene or polypropylene and then cut to the desired length. The bottom rail 102 is assembled by inserting the insert 114 into the outer part 116, the pins 120 being held by the channels 122, and this structure is connected by vibration welding. Then, to provide access for the forklift, fork grooves 110 are cut from the lower part of the floor rails 102 with an appropriate intermediate distance into the side of the stacked containers 11.
Each of the transverse parts 104 also comprises projections 108 which are at a certain distance from one another and which engage with the stack recesses 39 for receiving the first layer of containers 11 or 11 'stacked on the pallet 100. The cross members 104, when extruded, include a short, vertical one upstanding mandrel along an edge. This mandrel is cut to form assembly projections 108 of appropriate size and distance and the cross member 104 to the desired length. The material for the cross members 104 preferably consists of, for example, high-impact styrene or plypropylene and, as shown in FIG. 10c, is extruded in a honeycomb pattern. The final assembly of the pallet 100 is done by placing the cross members 104 on the floor rails 102 perpendicular to the floor rails located under the engaging projections 108. The pallet 100 can then be connected by vibration welding or rivet welding (stake welding) with the aid of the access holes 106 which extend through the cross members 104 into the floor rails 102. In rivet welding, the welding device creates a thermocompression connection between the lower plate of the cross member 104 and the upper plate of the bottom rail 102.

Due to the nature of the pallet 100 made of high-impact styrene or polypropols and the use of a honeycomb pattern inside the bottom rail 102 and the transverse part 104, the low weight of the pallet with high stability is achieved, which, like the containers 11, can be built up in the field. Like the container 11, the pallet 100 can be easily reused by grinding the plastic parts and reusing the plastic material as an extruder load and returning it to the production process.

13 shows a pallet 100 assembled with 30 containers 11 mounted thereon. The containers 11 are fastened on the pallet 100 with the aid of pallet straps 124, which are located under each bottom rail 102 in band grooves 112, upward over the end walls 12 of the containers 11 extend through the band grooves 40 of the upper container 11, which extend over the upper container 11, and are returned to the back of the stack. The tapes can be made of a rigid, non-stretch plastic material and can be made using known methods, e.g. can be connected by thermal connection or clamping.

14 shows a similar stacking system with a pallet 100 and 32 containers 11 'or 11' '. This system is also connected using straps 124 in the same manner as described in FIG. 13. 14 also shows removable space dividers 128 within the container 11 'to increase storage flexibility.

15 finally shows mobile storage units 128. Each of these units comprises a pallet 100 with four wheels 126 and a certain number of containers 11 'arranged thereon.

The container pallet system on which this description is based offers numerous advantages. These advantages can be seen not only in the stability of all parts forming the system, but also in the fact that they are only a third of the weight of conventional ones Apply crate and pallet systems. The wide temperature range that they can withstand without damage is of exceptional interest. Styrene or polypropylene are materials that can withstand a wide range of temperatures, from the freezer to temperatures that are significantly higher than those found in very hot climates. The units can be steam cleaned before they are used again. Bacteria do not multiply with this type of plastic, so that the food does not have to be removed before being displayed on the counter.

Through its connecting projections and channels, the whole system prevents the containers from slipping and moving on the pallet during transport, since all walls 12 of the containers 11, 11 'and 11' 'have been formed into precision shapes and the individual containers have a higher degree of uniformity have cardboard or wooden containers currently in use. In addition, the stacking technology creates a boundary on all sides between the containers 11 stacked one above the other. This provides for better ventilation during transport in and around the contents of the containers. The increased air movement reduces the risk of spoilage of sensitive foods in the containers and thus increases the retailer's profits. Transport costs are also reduced, as the total weight of the containers and pallets built together is significantly lower and therefore benefits everyone involved.

Claims (4)

1. Container system with containers (11) and at least one pallet (100) with bottom tracks (102), on whose underside at least one groove (112) is formed, through which packaging or fixing bands can be drawn, which, subsequent to the loading of the pallet, are laid around the merchandise,
   characterized by
   a band device (124) for connecting the stacked containers (11) with the pallet (100) provided with the bottom tracks (102) and the transverse members (104), more particularly for transportation, in which case the band device (124) comprises a plurality of bands which, in each case, are dimensioned in such a way that they fit into the longish, in particular, rectangular grooves (112) to be found underneath each bottom track (102), extending upwardly over the end of the containers (11) directly above the bottom track (102) at one end of the stack, through each of the grooves (40) in the containers (11) at the top of the stack immediately above the bottom track (102), through which the band runs and downwardly over the other end of the container immediately above the bottom track (102) and up to the other end of the stack and by means for connecting the two band extremities for the formation of a number of band loops around the containers (11) and the pallet (100), in that the pallet (100) is provided with wheels (126) on each of its corners, in that at least one container (11') possesses a removable space divider (128) for increasing the storage flexibility, in that each pallet (100) possesses a plurality of extruded bottom tracks (102) of rectangular cross section and a plurality of extruded transverse members (104) of rectangular cross section which are securable between the bottom tracks (102) for connecting the latter, in that each bottom track (102) comprises an external casing (116) enclosing an interior space, in which case the external casing (116) possesses a pair of tracks (118) secured to one of its surfaces and disposed at a distance from each other, which, for the formation of a foot, proceed parallel to their longitudinal axis and, between them, delimit a groove-like recessed portion (112), in that the bottom tracks (102) possess channel-like grooves (110) extending vertically to the longitudinal axis of the bottom track (102) from one of their sides for the formation of a forklift truck access from the side of the bottom tracks (102) disposed at a distance from each other and in that the transverse members (104) possess a plurality of projections (108) disposed at a distance from each other along and vertically to one of the longitudinal sides of the transverse member (104).
2. Container system according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the bands of the band device (124) are comprised of strong, inextendible plastic material.
3. Container system according to either Claim 1 or 2, with at least one box-like plastic container (11) with two front frame portions (12) and a longitudinal container portion (18) mountable between front frame portions which form the bottom part and the side walls and with means serving for the attachment of the front frame portions (12) to the longitudinal container portion (18), in which case the plastic container (11), on its two opposite front ends, possesses terminal walls in the form of a frame-like shaped part with an upper and a lower rim, a pair of parallel lateral rims connecting the same and with a plate-shaped insert (25) of hard foamed material, which, between them, accommodate a longitudinal container portion (18) constructed in the form of a strand-like sectional member of non-framed plastic, which possesses at least two slightly pliant hinge regions proceeding in its longitudinal direction which are constructed so as to be thinner in their cross section than the remaining area of the longitudinal portion, along which the longitudinal container portion (18) is flexible and in that the front frame portions (12), on their upper and lower rims, in the proximity of their corners, are provided with projections and recesses which, when several identical plastic containers (11) are stacked on top of each other, fit into each other pairwise,
   characterized in that
   the upwardly pointing projections (38) of the front frame portions (12), in each case, possess the formed-in upwardly open groove (40), while the bottom surface of the groove (40) proceeds substantially to the upper rim of the front frame portion (12).
4. Container according to Claim 3,
   characterized in that,
   the groove (40), in the projections (38) of the front frame portions (12), is essentially constructed rectangularly, while the two lateral faces of the groove (40) proceed so as to be vertical to the bottom area.

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