EP0777618B1 - Transport box for fresh food - Google Patents

Transport box for fresh food Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0777618B1
EP0777618B1 EP95931459A EP95931459A EP0777618B1 EP 0777618 B1 EP0777618 B1 EP 0777618B1 EP 95931459 A EP95931459 A EP 95931459A EP 95931459 A EP95931459 A EP 95931459A EP 0777618 B1 EP0777618 B1 EP 0777618B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
box
bottom section
recesses
beads
transport box
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP95931459A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0777618A1 (en
Inventor
Oddvar Bogen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Norsk Hydro ASA
Original Assignee
Norsk Hydro ASA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Norsk Hydro ASA filed Critical Norsk Hydro ASA
Publication of EP0777618A1 publication Critical patent/EP0777618A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0777618B1 publication Critical patent/EP0777618B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
    • B65D81/24—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants
    • B65D81/26—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators
    • B65D81/261—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators for draining or collecting liquids without absorbing them
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0209—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position
    • B65D21/0215—Containers with stacking feet or corner elements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a transport box for handling fresh food such as meat, fish, vegetables or the like, comprising a bottom section, sidewalls and possibly a lid, where the interior side of the bottom is provided with draining means for draining liquid as blood serum or the like that exudes from the food where the drainage means communicates with recesses that are arranged in the bottom section and extend from the corners along the sides of the box, the recesses forming beads at the underside of the bottom section, the beads serving as reinforcement of the bottom section.
  • the Norwegian patent no. 162.335 shows a transport box where liquid exuding from fresh food contained therein being collected in a cavity comprised in a double bottom section.
  • D-A-3718504 discloses a box with drainage means in the form of recesses that are arranged in the bottom section and extend from the corners along the sides of the box, where the recesses are forming beads at the underside of the bottom for reinforcement of the bottom section and for drainage purposes.
  • This box is, however, not intended for stacking on top of another.
  • the present invention discloses a transport box with provisions for collecting liquid that exudes from fresh food contained therein, meanwhile it is easy to clean and thus is hygienic in use. Further, the box is robust, it has good and safe stacking properties, it is cheap to produce and is very suitable for reuse.
  • the box according to the invention is characterised in that the beads are so formed that they serve as guiding means when stacking the box on top of another.
  • the box according to the invention may be collapsible and made out of a thermoplastic material well suited for reuse.
  • a box of this type is further described and shown in the applicants Norwegian patent no. 172283.
  • Figure 1 shows an unfolded material blank 1 from which a box is fabricated, comprising a bottom section 2 and sides 3, 4, 5, 6 which are hinged or otherwise joined to the bottom section.
  • draining means In the bottom section of the box, at the interior side thereof, there are arranged draining means that communicate with recesses or pits 8 that are rounded at the corners of the box and extending along the sides thereof.
  • the recesses or pits may be interconnected with passages 10 allowing the liquid to move freely between these.
  • This feature secures that all of the recesses may be filled up with liquid, providing a maximum collecting capacity.
  • it may be arranged one sole recess that extends continuously along the sides of the box (not shown).
  • the volume of the recess(es) may be 2 - 5 % of the box volume. However, this will depend on the field of use. For instance, a box designed for transport of meat and having approximately 40 litres of transport volume, the appropriate volume of the recess(es) may be 1 - 1,5 litres of liquid.
  • one object of the recesses is to collect liquid. Another important object is to reinforce the bottom section of the box. As will be seen in figure 2 and 3, the recesses projects downwards and are forming projections or beads 11 beneath the sides and the bottom of the box. These beads appears as "corrugations" in the plain bottom section, and provide increased stiffness and bending strength of the bottom section.
  • the beads have a third function, namely to serve as support and guiding devices when stacking one box on top of another.
  • the beads are so formed that they fit the inside of an underlying box, and rest against the interior sidewalls of said box.
  • the beads may cooperate with recesses arranged in the lid or projections formed thereupon (not shown).

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
  • Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
  • Bridges Or Land Bridges (AREA)
  • Stackable Containers (AREA)
  • Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
  • Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)

Abstract

A transport box (1) for handling fresh food such as meat, fish, vegetables or the like, comprises a bottom section (2), sidewalls (3, 4, 5, 6) and possibly a lid. The interior side of the bottom is provided with draining means (9) for draining liquid such as serum or the like that exudes from the food. The draining means comprise recesses or pits (8) arranged in the bottom section extending from the corners and along the sides of the box. At the underside of the bottom section, the recesses form projections or beads (11) that serve as supporting and guiding means when stacking the box on top of another. Additionally, this arrangement serve as reinforcement of the bottom section. Alternatively, the recesses may be interconnected with passages (10), or extend continuously along the sides of the box forming one sole recess.

Description

The present invention relates to a transport box for handling fresh food such as meat, fish, vegetables or the like, comprising a bottom section, sidewalls and possibly a lid, where the interior side of the bottom is provided with draining means for draining liquid as blood serum or the like that exudes from the food where the drainage means communicates with recesses that are arranged in the bottom section and extend from the corners along the sides of the box, the recesses forming beads at the underside of the bottom section, the beads serving as reinforcement of the bottom section.
Known in the art are boxes for transport of fish where ice water and blood plasma from the fish is drained out of the boxes through holes made in the corners between the walls and the bottom section. One problem related to this type of boxes is that the draining liquid from the boxes will pollute their surroundings wherever they are placed or put into stock.
Further, it is known to place a cloth or the like in the bottom of a transport box or the similar packing, the cloth is arranged to absorb liquid that exudes from the fresh food. The use of a cloth as mentioned above, represents increased costs due to the work related to arranging/removing the cloth and to the purchase costs of the cloth itself. Moreover, this solution does not fully satisfy hygienic demands.
As an additional example of the state of the art, the Norwegian patent no. 162.335, owned by the applicant, shows a transport box where liquid exuding from fresh food contained therein being collected in a cavity comprised in a double bottom section.
The above mentioned arrangement prevents pollution of the surroundings when the box is in use, but as the cavity of the double bottom is difficult to clean after use, this box is not suited for reuse.
Further, D-A-3718504 discloses a box with drainage means in the form of recesses that are arranged in the bottom section and extend from the corners along the sides of the box, where the recesses are forming beads at the underside of the bottom for reinforcement of the bottom section and for drainage purposes. This box is, however, not intended for stacking on top of another.
The present invention discloses a transport box with provisions for collecting liquid that exudes from fresh food contained therein, meanwhile it is easy to clean and thus is hygienic in use. Further, the box is robust, it has good and safe stacking properties, it is cheap to produce and is very suitable for reuse.
The box according to the invention is characterised in that the beads are so formed that they serve as guiding means when stacking the box on top of another.
The independent claims 2-4 define advantageous features of the present invention.
The invention will now be described in more detail by means of examples and with reference to the drawings in which:
Fig. 1
shows, in top view, a material blank which the box according to the invention is formed from
Fig. 2
shows a box formed from the material blank shown in figure 1, seen in partial side and top view
Fig. 3
shows the box seen in partial side and bottom view
Preferably, the box according to the invention may be collapsible and made out of a thermoplastic material well suited for reuse. A box of this type is further described and shown in the applicants Norwegian patent no. 172283. Figure 1 shows an unfolded material blank 1 from which a box is fabricated, comprising a bottom section 2 and sides 3, 4, 5, 6 which are hinged or otherwise joined to the bottom section. In the bottom section of the box, at the interior side thereof, there are arranged draining means that communicate with recesses or pits 8 that are rounded at the corners of the box and extending along the sides thereof. The recesses or pits may be interconnected with passages 10 allowing the liquid to move freely between these. This feature secures that all of the recesses may be filled up with liquid, providing a maximum collecting capacity. Possibly, instead of arranging passages 10 interconnecting distinctive recesses 8 as shown in Fig. 1, it may be arranged one sole recess that extends continuously along the sides of the box (not shown). The volume of the recess(es) may be 2 - 5 % of the box volume. However, this will depend on the field of use. For instance, a box designed for transport of meat and having approximately 40 litres of transport volume, the appropriate volume of the recess(es) may be 1 - 1,5 litres of liquid.
As described above, one object of the recesses is to collect liquid. Another important object is to reinforce the bottom section of the box. As will be seen in figure 2 and 3, the recesses projects downwards and are forming projections or beads 11 beneath the sides and the bottom of the box. These beads appears as "corrugations" in the plain bottom section, and provide increased stiffness and bending strength of the bottom section.
Further, the beads have a third function, namely to serve as support and guiding devices when stacking one box on top of another. The beads are so formed that they fit the inside of an underlying box, and rest against the interior sidewalls of said box. In case the underlying box has a lid, the beads may cooperate with recesses arranged in the lid or projections formed thereupon (not shown).

Claims (4)

  1. Transport box (1) for handling fresh food such as meat, fish, vegetables or the like, comprising a bottom section, sidewalls and possibly a lid, where the interior side of the bottom is provided with draining means (9) for draining liquid as blood serum or the like that exudes from the food, where the drainage means communicates with recesses (8) that are arranged in the bottom section and extend from the corners along the sides of the box, the recesses forming beads (11) at the underside of the bottom section, said beads serving as reinforcement of the bottom section,
    characterized in that
    the beads (11) serve additionally as supporting and guiding means when stacking the box on top of another.
  2. Transport box as disclosed in claim 1,
    characterized in that
    the recesses (8) are interconnected with passages (10).
  3. Transport box as disclosed in claim 1,
    characterized in that
    the recesses (8) are formed continuous and defines an uninterrupted recess along the sides of the box.
  4. Transport box as disclosed in claim 1-3,
    characterized in that
    the volume of the recesses represents 2 - 5 % of the total box volume.
EP95931459A 1994-09-05 1995-09-01 Transport box for fresh food Expired - Lifetime EP0777618B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NO943274A NO300008B1 (en) 1994-09-05 1994-09-05 Device at transport box
NO943274 1994-09-05
PCT/NO1995/000148 WO1996007603A1 (en) 1994-09-05 1995-09-01 Transport box for fresh food

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0777618A1 EP0777618A1 (en) 1997-06-11
EP0777618B1 true EP0777618B1 (en) 1998-11-25

Family

ID=19897369

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP95931459A Expired - Lifetime EP0777618B1 (en) 1994-09-05 1995-09-01 Transport box for fresh food

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0777618B1 (en)
JP (1) JP3655634B2 (en)
AT (1) ATE173711T1 (en)
AU (1) AU3486695A (en)
DE (1) DE69506265D1 (en)
NO (1) NO300008B1 (en)
WO (1) WO1996007603A1 (en)
ZA (1) ZA957416B (en)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2272190B1 (en) * 2005-10-11 2008-02-16 Miguel Angel Rioja Calvo METAL DRAWER FOR FURNITURE.
CA2628737A1 (en) * 2005-11-08 2007-05-18 Saeplast Dalvik Ehf. Open-topped stackable container
US10611547B2 (en) * 2017-09-05 2020-04-07 Rehrig Pacific Company Collapsible container
GR1009569B (en) * 2018-02-15 2019-08-06 Ευθυμια Ιωαννη Αλεβιζου Inflated polystyrene packaging for the protection and secure transport of sensitive products
GB202008550D0 (en) 2020-06-05 2020-07-22 Softbox Systems Ltd A wet cold chain distribution system and apparatus therefor
CN115486623A (en) * 2022-09-30 2022-12-20 北方长龙新材料技术股份有限公司 Mountain region carrying box

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1586649B1 (en) * 1967-01-13 1970-12-03 Gruenzweig & Hartmann Stackable packaging container for wet and cold room goods
FR2044386A1 (en) * 1969-05-19 1971-02-19 Hutin Ets Jules Evacuated (pvc) pack for soft, wet cheeses
DE3718504A1 (en) * 1987-06-03 1988-12-15 Gerrit Jan Reinders Transport container
DE4103333A1 (en) * 1991-02-05 1992-08-13 Bernd Schumacher Rectangular container for transporting fish, meat or fruit - has bottom with drainage ducts and holes, longitudinal and transverse sides, and reinforced top rim

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ZA957416B (en) 1996-04-15
NO300008B1 (en) 1997-03-17
NO943274L (en) 1996-03-06
JP3655634B2 (en) 2005-06-02
NO943274D0 (en) 1994-09-05
AU3486695A (en) 1996-03-27
JPH10505048A (en) 1998-05-19
DE69506265D1 (en) 1999-01-07
EP0777618A1 (en) 1997-06-11
ATE173711T1 (en) 1998-12-15
WO1996007603A1 (en) 1996-03-14

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