EP0542009B1 - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a returnable transport device having a portable, dimensionally stable outer container in which at least one bag (70) is arranged so as to be removable, which bag is matched to the hollow space of the outer container (100), is made of natural fibres and projects upwards with a vertical section (73) beyond the side wall (90) of the outer container (100), which vertical section is sealed and is stowed in the region of the plane of the opening. This results in a returnable transport system which allows practical merchandise delivery in a secured transport package and use of the transport package which is economic even in disposal. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a transport device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Transport devices are required for the distribution of individual parts, such as cosmetic or pharmaceutical articles. So far, portable containers made of sheet steel, light metal or plastic have been used, in which open baskets made of plastic or light metal are used as removable inserts. The baskets form a transport packaging for picked products that are not secured against unauthorized access or falling out due to the unlocking of the baskets. The sender cannot guarantee that the delivery is complete. Since all components of known transport devices are reusable items that have to be filled and transported back and forth empty, a transport chain organization is necessary, which has disadvantages because the recipient of the goods generally does not remove the goods from the insert baskets in the presence of the supplier and into his storage racks or the like, the supplier initially only takes the outer containers again and the insert baskets remain with the recipient until the supplier visits again. For him, even with stackable insert baskets, there are space problems due to the long-term storage of the stored goods. In addition, the supplier must purchase and circulate very large quantities of insert baskets so that the transport system works. This is expensive. The raw material of the insert baskets can be reused by means of recovery processes; However, this is not cheap for plastics and metals. In the case of cosmetic or pharmaceutical articles, as well as for the delivery of food or the like, the frequent reuse of the insert baskets is questionable from a hygienic point of view, because when the empty insert baskets are stacked, the outer surfaces of the parts of the floor that become dirty over the course of time Inside the insert baskets comes into contact. In addition, the insert baskets can be contaminated by contents emerging from damaged packages.

Another disadvantage of insert baskets is that they are not suitable for closed goods deliveries. For this purpose, assembled individual parts are packed in boxes and, for example, sent to dealers or delivered directly there. The removal of the boxes is the responsibility of the customer, who must take care of the waste disposal. As a result of the often considerable amounts of voluminous cardboard material that has to be brought to the collection points for reusable raw materials, this places a heavy burden on the customer through the use of personnel and means of transport.

US-A-3 499 594 describes a shipping package for sharp and oxidizable articles. Two (or more) cuboid cartons are placed in an outer carton, the at least one inner carton being encased in a sack made of moisture-impermeable material. It is in particular plastic material. The outer solid outer carton is closed with foldable tabs and the result is an all-round closed package with a three-layer outer surface. At the recipient, the outer carton, the plastic bag and the at least one inner carton are opened and after removing the package contents, all components of the packaging are thrown away.

Due to the often considerable amounts of voluminous cardboard and plastic material that has to be brought to the collection points for reusable raw materials, this type of packaging is a heavy burden on the recipient; under today's aspects of economy and environmental protection, this packaging can only be tolerated for the special intended purpose of shipping products to be protected against atmospheric humidity. This package packaging is not a reusable transport device, because the outer outer carton not only does not survive repeated transporting back and forth, but cannot be handled well by a supplier.

The invention has for its object to improve a transport device of the type mentioned so that a reusable transport system results, which allows a practical delivery of goods in secure transport packaging and including the disposal economical use of the transport packaging.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

The transport device is ideally suited for reusable transport from an economic and ecological point of view. There is a transport and theft-proof delivery in a reusable container combined with a disposable container, which is easy to handle and which is taken back by the supplier immediately after removal of the filled, sealed bag from the recipient. The bag made of natural fiber remains with the dealer as the transport packaging material, which causes a considerable reduction in the transport packaging material to be disposed of when manufactured from paper and can be passed on to the buyer for reuse by the dealer when made from linen or linen-like material. In both cases, the lockable insert is economically useful in that it can be easily disposed of with a reduced material content and on the other hand initiates an ecologically advantageous multiple-use chain by passing it on to the end user.

The significant advantage of the reusable transport device according to the invention is its sensible and cost-effective usability, which is given by the fact that at the same time the delivery boxes are immediately returned with a drastic reduction in packaging waste.

The reusable transport device is already used as a unit in the picking of goods. It is irrelevant for the filling of the bags whether manual or semi-automatic order picking systems are used. The goods packed in the bag remain in the transport container until it has been delivered to the dealer.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are contained in subclaims 2-6.

The bag made of natural fiber material is preferably designed as a block-shaped folding bag or paper carrying bag, which serves as a delivery unit for a closed delivery of goods to the dealer's premises.

After completion of the picking process, the bag is closed at the packing station by means of an open stitching, a releasable clamping or clamping mechanism or an adhesive connection, the closing line being able to be in the plane of the opening of the outer container or above it. Necessary information carriers, which were usually designed as stickers, can be sewn on or clamped on so that they can be removed and do not contaminate the bags for further use.

When the bag is designed as a block-shaped folding bag made of paper, a fold fold can be designed as a fin seam fold at the upper edge, the adjacent strips of which are held together by gluing, stapling or sewing.

The block-shaped folding bag made of paper can be stiffened by glued-on cardboard tapes that extend over the bottom and side wall. The strips of the fin seam are also preferably reinforced by glued cardboard tapes.

The handover of the delivery of goods to the recipient is completed by removing the at least one bag from the outer container, a temporary closed storage until the recipient has checked for completeness. The significant advantage of the reusable transport device according to the invention is its sensible and cost-effective usability, which is given by the fact that at the same time the delivery boxes are immediately returned with a drastic reduction in packaging waste.

A particularly favorable natural fiber material for the use according to the invention is paper. As a result of the relatively low proportion of waste paper compared to cardboard, a paper bag can be brought to a collection point without any significant expenditure on personnel and means of transport and can therefore be disposed of in a simple manner.

The outer dimensions of the preferably box-shaped outer container, which can be made of plastic or metal, are preferably matched to the Euro pallet size (1200mm x 800mm). In the usual way, the outer container forms a recyclable reusable container, which is designed such that a plurality of filled containers can be stacked on top of one another and, after the bags have been removed, can be nested to save space when the empties are transported back.

At least one viewing window can be formed in the side wall of the outer container, through which inscriptions on the bag used can be seen at a corresponding point on the bag.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the outer container has foldable brackets on two mutually opposite edges, which can be pivoted from an outer inactive position into the clear cross section of the opening of the outer container and are supported to form a support for at least one further outer container. Such outer containers allow easy, flexible and non-slip stacking in the smallest of spaces - in the filled state one above the other and empty due to the outwardly folded brackets. Ergonomically recessed handles can make use even easier. The outer containers are expediently adapted to the euro dimensions and are produced in two sizes, so that a corresponding outer container or two outer containers of half the size can stand on a large lower outer container. This makes it easy to adapt the system to larger and smaller commissions. The manufacture of the outer container from plastic, i.e. Made of fully recyclable material, serves environmental protection as well as the production of bags made of natural fiber, such as paper.

The bottom part of the bag, which is completely or half-sized to match the format of the outer container, for example a paper carrier bag, is removed from the outer container and handed over to the recipient in a sewn or sealed state. This enables the immediate take-back of the outer containers without the need for an immediate inspection of the goods.

The number of carrier bags is acknowledged. The shipping company takes care of the return of the outer containers. There are no special trips to collect outer containers - this means maximum use.

• Fig. 1 einen füllbereiten Transportbehälter in perspektivischer Ansicht,
• Fig. 2 einen blockförmigen Beutel aus Naturfaserstoff in geöffnetem Zustand vor Einsetzen in einen Außenkasten,
• Fig. 3 den Transportbehälter nach Fig. 1 in verschlossenem Zustand,
• Fig. 4 einen Papierzuschnitt zur Herstellung eines Faltbeutels,
• Fig. 5 eine Seitenansicht eines mit zwei Tragetaschen gefüllten Außenbehälters,
• Fig. 6 den Zustand des Aufsetzens eines gefüllten Außenbehälters auf den Außenbehälter gemäß Fig. 5 und
• Fig. 7 eine Draufsicht auf den unteren Außenbehälter gemäß Fig. 6 - allerdings der Deutlichkeit halber ohne Inhalt.

In the drawing, two embodiments of the invention are shown schematically. It shows:

• 1 a ready-to-fill transport container in a perspective view,
• 2 shows a block-shaped bag made of natural fiber material in the open state before being inserted into an outer box,
• 3 shows the transport container according to FIG. 1 in the closed state,
• 4 shows a paper blank for the production of a folding bag,
• 5 is a side view of an outer container filled with two carrier bags,
• 6 shows the state of placing a filled outer container on the outer container according to FIGS. 5 and
• Fig. 7 is a plan view of the lower outer container of FIG. 6 - but without content for the sake of clarity.

In a rigid box-shaped outer container 10 made of recyclable plastic (eg low-pressure polyethylene), with a rectangular bottom 11 and a matching side wall 12 of uniform height, which delimits a free upper opening 14, there is a folding bag 20 made of paper. The folding bag 20 is block-shaped, ie it is delimited on all sides by approximately rectangular areas its bottom 21 is also rectangular and flat. The cross-sectional dimension of the folding bag 20 is, in particular in its longitudinal extent, less than the dimensions of the bottom 11 of the outer container 10, so that the folding bag 20 is not damaged by the fingers of the person handling the transport container, which passes through grip holes 13 in the outer container 10. The side wall of the folding bag 20 is approximately twice as high as the side wall 12 of the outer container 10 and it is divided into a filling section 22 and a height section 23. The height of the filling section 22 corresponds approximately to the height of the side wall 12 of the outer container 10 and the height section 23 forms a closure by folding in along a circumferential fold line 24, through which the folding bag 20 receives a flat end 25 slightly below the upper opening 14 of the outer container 10 ( Fig. 3).

Through a viewing window 15 in the side wall 12 of the outer container 10, information can be read that is attached to the folding bag 20 in the region of the viewing window 15.

The folding bag 20 is reinforced on its outer surface with glued cardboard tapes. Two cardboard tapes 26, 27 are arranged along the longitudinal sides of the upper edge, while the transverse sides of the upper edge are free of stiffening strips. Further mutually parallel cardboard strips 28, 29 and 28a, 29a run from the cardboard strip 26 to the cardboard strip 27, they extend over the height section 23, the filling section 22 and the bottom 21. When the height section 23 after the filling section 22 has been filled by pressing in the two transverse sides 23a, 23b in the direction of the arrows A along the fold line 24 and is folded the flat end 25 forms at the level of the fold line 24, the inner areas of the two cardboard strips 26, 27 come to rest against each other and form a standing fin seam 30 which is held together by gluing, stapling or sewing.

To transfer a delivery of goods to a recipient, the closed folding bag 20 is removed from the outer container 10. It is disposed of by the recipient after emptying, while the outer container 10 is immediately taken back by the supplier and used as a reusable container. So that the transport volume of the empty outer containers 10 is as small as possible, they are designed such that they can be stacked on top of one another in the filled state and placed one inside the other when empty. A particularly favorable design of such outer containers is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7.

FIG. 4 shows a blank for producing the folding bag 20. It consists of a rectangular, elongated paper web 120, which facilitates the production of the folding bag 20 by longitudinal and transverse fold lines and incisions. A longitudinal fold line 124 extends over the entire length of the paper web 120 and divides an outer longitudinal strip 123 and a longitudinal central strip 122 from one another. The longitudinal central strip 122 is divided by a further longitudinal fold line 109 against tabs 105, 106, 107 and 108, which are separated from one another by transverse incisions 102, 103 and 104 in a second outer longitudinal strip 121. The incisions 102, 103, 104 extend from the longitudinal edge of the paper web 120 to the fold line 109.

On one surface of the paper web 120 are narrow cardboard tapes of about 2 mm in thickness, which are intended to stiffen the folding bag 20. On one longitudinal edge two cardboard tapes 126 and 127 are attached at a mutual axial distance, which are assigned to the longer sections between the transverse fold lines. Transversely oriented cardboard tapes 128, 129 and 128a, 129a adjoin the cardboard tapes 126, 127 at right angles and extend to the opposite longitudinal edge of the paper web 120.

In the erected state of the paper web 120, the tabs 105, 106, 107, 108 form the bottom 21 of the folding bag 20, the filling section 22 results from the longitudinal central strip 122 and the closure-forming vertical section 23 results from the longitudinal strip 123. The bottom 21 is glued.

An outer container 100 made of plastic with special advantages for the reusable transport device is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. It is an injection molded product with a stabilizing edge profile, in which handles are incorporated, which are not shown for the sake of clarity. The outer containers 100 that can be used for the reusable transport device are dimensioned such that either the same-sized outer containers 100 can be stacked on one another or a large outer container 100 can be occupied with two smaller outer containers that stand next to one another and whose longitudinal axes are transverse to the longitudinal axis of the large outer container 100.

Each outer container 100 is rectangular in plan view. It has a downwardly tapered side wall 90, which ends at the bottom on a flat bottom 89 and delimits an opening 94 at the top. On the two narrow upper edges three recesses 88 are formed, in each of which an endless flat securing band 87 made of metal or plastic is inserted so that it cannot move (FIG. 6). The securing straps 87 securely hold the two filled carrying bags 70, which essentially occupy the cavity of the outer container 100, which are preferably made from recyclable environmental paper, in the outer container 100 and also form an anti-theft device. The carrier bags 70 are provided with a fillable lower part and a foldable height section 73 projecting upward above the side wall 90 of the outer container 100, to which a handle 71 is attached. The filled carrier bags 70 are closed below the handle 71 with an easily openable seam 72. Alternatively, a seal or terminal block closure or an adhesive connection can be attached. It is advantageous if the closure can be opened without leaving any traces, so that the carrier bag 70 can be used by the recipient of the goods.

In order to be able to place the filled outer container 101 on the lower filled outer container 100, two brackets 93 are folded into the opening 94 of the outer container 100 and still hold their inactive outer position in the container 101. The brackets 93 are located on the two long sides of the outer container 100 and 101, respectively. They have a C shape and their legs 93a, which are bent towards one another, engage in bearing pieces 95 which are fastened on the upper edge of the edges 91, 92. Both the brackets 94 and the bearing pieces 95 are preferably made of metal. The brackets 93 - as can be seen in Figure 6 - bent several times at an angle, so that the two short legs 93c (Figure 7) serve as a support on the upper edge of the respective edge 91, 92 when the bracket 93 is pivoted in and the straight long leg 93b of the two brackets 93 forms the supporting frame for the attached outer container 101 or two smaller outer containers.

The end supplier opens the securing straps 87 and hands the closed carrier bags 70 to the recipient. The outer containers 100, 101 are immediately taken back and the recipient can open the carrier bags 70 at a suitable time and remove the undamaged goods. The carrier bags can - e.g. if they consist of linen, are reused several times or if necessary are recycled when they are made from paper.

Claims (6)

1. A transport device, comprising a portable, rigid outer container (10) having a bottom (11) and side walls (12) defining an upper opening (14), and at least one bag adapted to the cavity of the outer container (10) and being removable, the bag, in open condition, projecting upwardly over the side walls (12) of the outer container (10) with a height section (23), which, in closed condition, is packed in the region of the plane of the opening (14),
   characterized in that
   the outer container (10) is configured for multi-way transport as a box made of plastic or metal comprising a handle device and being nestable within one another in empty condition,
   and that the bag consists of natural fibre fabric, such as paper or linen or linen-like material and serves as sole transport packing for commissioned products.
2. The transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bag is configured as a block-shaped gusset-bag (20) or carrier bag (70) of paper.
3. The transport device according to claim 2, comprising a fin-fold (30) at the upper edge of the bag, whose upstanding strips bearing against each other are interconnected, characterized in that the block-shaped gusset-bag (20) of paper is stiffened by sticked-on cardboard bands (28,29;28a,29a) which extend over the bottom and the side walls, and that the strips of the fin (30) are reinforced by sticked-on cardboard bands (26,27).
4. The transport device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a rippable stitch seam, a releasable clamping or stapling mechanism, or bonding serves to close the bag.
5. The transport device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer container (100) comprises hinged brackets (93) at two edges (91,92) opposite each other, which brackets are pivotable from an outer inactive position into the free cross section of the opening (94) of the outer container (100) and which are supported to form a bearing for at least one further outer container (101).
6. The transport device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the upper opening (94) of the outer container (100;101) is bridged by at least one securing band (87).

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