EP0861194B1

EP0861194B1 - Palletizable container, beam and pallet

Info

Publication number: EP0861194B1
Application number: EP96938186A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giorgio Polacco
Original assignee: Eco Di Polacco Giorgio
Current assignee: Eco Di Polacco Giorgio
Priority date: 1995-11-15
Filing date: 1996-11-12
Publication date: 2000-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2016-11-12
Also published as: ES2148811T3; DE69609190D1; ATE194318T1; ITPD950220A0; DE69609190T2; WO1997018133A1; ITPD950220A1; EP0861194A1

Abstract

A palletizable container made of paper-like material, such as corrugated cardboard or the like, comprising a box-like containment body (11), on the bottom whereof flaps (29) are formed by cutting; the free end (30) of the flaps is larger than the rest and the flaps are adapted to be folded and inserted in shaped holes (26) formed in beams (13) for resting the box-like body (11) on the ground, providing anchoring through the interlock coupling of the larger ends to portions of the holes (26) that are narrower than tthe free ends (30).

Description

The present invention relates to a palletizable container.

Background Art

Display pallets made of recyclable paper-like material, such as fairly thick cardboard, particularly of the corrugated type, are increasingly demanded by the market.
Merely by way of example, one of the various fields of application that requires an ever-increasing amount of display pallets is the field of food retails commonly known as "hard discounts", where food items are sold to the public without arranging them on shelves or furniture meant for display but are left inside the pallets, from which they are removed directly by the user.
Display pallets made of paper-like material are also used in stores, exhibitions, and in several fields of application.
Despite the variety of application purposes, commercially available display pallets have a substantially common basic structure that is constituted by a collapsible box-like containment body formed by cutting and folding sheets of paper-like material.
In most cases, the box-like containment body is produced according to a folding method that is commonly known in the field as "American box".
The box-like containment body is supported on the ground by two or more beams, made of wood or other material, which are usually glued to the bottom of the box-like containment body.
Commercially available display pallets, despite performing their intended task, are not free from drawbacks, the main one being the fact that the box-like body thereof is distributed with the beams already glued or otherwise fixed to its bottom, whereas nowadays there is an increasing need to palletize any container, regardless of whether it was originally manufactured to become a pallet or not.
However, commercially available palletizing methods either require specifically prepared containers or require gluing or coupling operations that are often unfeasible in unequipped locations where the need for palletization usually arises.
Moreover, commercially available pallets, indeed because of the presence of the beams, which are usually made of wood or plastics, are not fully collapsible, and this entails storage drawbacks.
Another drawback of conventional display pallets is related to the fact that once they have been uncovered and once the objects contained therein start being removed, further removals become increasingly difficult as one approaches the bottom, and this is particularly true if the contained object is tightly packed, such as for example exercise-books, books, etcetera.
A collapsible pallet structure is known from the document EP-A-0 619 238. Document WO-A-9 202 246 discloses a composable pallet made of laminates with paper inserts, while in document EP-A-0 112 411. It is described a palletized container.

Disclosure of the Invention

A principal aim of the present invention is to provide a container that can be palletized simply and even in locations that are not particularly equipped and furthermore has a fully collapsible structure so as to provide, prior to use, high degrees of packing that are in any case higher than those of conventional display pallets.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a container which, in its conversion into a pallet, has no components that are associated to each other by gluing, stapling or other external means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container that is entirely made of recyclable paper-like material once it has been converted into a pallet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container that allows easy removal of the objects contained therein even when close to the bottom.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container that can be manufactured with conventional technologies and assembly whereof during use is very simple and can be performed even by unskilled personnel.
This aim, these objects, and others that will become apparent hereinafter a e achieved by a palletizable container, a beam and a pallet with features as set forth in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
figure 1 is a perspective view of a palletizable container according to the invention;
figure 2 is an exploded view of the container of figure 1;
figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the container of figure 1;
figure 4 is a bottom view of a detail of figure 3;
figure 5 is a sectional view of another detail of the container of figure 1;
figure 6 is an exploded view of the detail of figure 5.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With particular reference to figures 1 to 6, a palletizable container according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
The container 10 comprises a box-like containment body, generally designated by the reference numeral 11, which is constituted, in this case, by a tray-like base 12 formed by cutting and folding paper-like material, particularly rather strong cardboard such as corrugated cardboard; said base is recyclable and rests on the ground by means of beams 13, three beams being provided in this case. Obviously, the number of beams 13 is not limited to three and can be any desired.
The container 10 also comprises a parallelepiped-like containment element 14 that is open at the top and at the bottom, is formed by cutting and folding paper-like material, particularly corrugated cardboard, and is recyclable.
The parallelepiped-like element 14 is closed at the top by a detachable lid 15 that is also conveniently made of corrugated cardboard.
The bottom of the parallelepiped-like element 14 is furthermore inserted in the tray-like base 12.
This structure of the box-like containment body 11 allows the cover 15 to be removed preliminarily during use, allowing access to the items that are stored in the upper region; when said items are removed, the further removal of items that are close to the bottom is facilitated by the fact that the parallelepiped-like element 14 can be extracted from the tray-like base 12, thus leaving the further contained items exposed and easily accessible.
Each one of the beams 13 is constituted, in this case, by three elements, conveniently made of corrugated cardboard, that can be assembled to each other by mutual interlock coupling and are described hereinafter.
Each one of the beams 13 comprises a first element 16 shaped so as to form cusps 17, in each whereof two first transverse slots 18 are formed; the cusps are connected to each other by flat portions 19.
A second element 20, also conveniently made of corrugated cardboard, is shaped so as to have a U-shaped cross-section with parallel, converging, or diverging wings and second transverse slots 21 wherein the cusps 17 fit upon assembly.
On assembly, the wings 22 of the second element 20 fit in the first slots 18 of the first element 16.
When the first element 16 and the second element 20 are associated one another, they form a structure that is fully collapsible prior to use but offers very high structural compressive and flexural strength on assembly.
Once the first element 16 and the second element 20 are associated to each other, they are contained by a third element 23 that is also made of corrugated cardboard and is also shaped so as to have a U-shaped cross-section with parallel, converging, or diverging wings; centering protrusions 25 protrude from the wings 24 of the third element, and their association with the tray-like base 12 is described hereinafter.
Beams 13 are fixed to the bottom of the tray-like base 12 by shaped holes 26 that have a tapering portion 27 and are associated, in opposition to said tapering portion, with a retention tab 28; the holes 26 are formed in the wings 24 of the third elements 23.
Moreover, flaps 29 are obtained by cutting the bottom of the tray-like base 12; each flap has a free end 30 that is larger than the rest and fits in a corresponding hole 26 on assembly and after downward folding.
Centering protrusions 25 fit, upon assembly, in the opening left by the cutout of the flaps 29.
Each one of the flaps 29, once it has been inserted in the wider region of the corresponding hole 26, is then retained by interlock coupling, since the weight of the pallet and of the items contained therein force it, even in association with the corresponding retention tab 28, to slip out, if at all, at the tapering portion 27, but this is not allowed because of the larger free end 30.
In this case, the flaps 29 are arranged in pairs of parallel lines transversely to the direction of the longer side of the tray-like base 12, but it is also possible to provide other adapted arrangements.
Each one of the two parallel lines relates to a corresponding beam 13.
In practice, it has been observed that the present invention has achieved the intended aim and objects: it should in fact be noted that the container according to the invention can be palletized simply and quickly, since it requires only a contoured cut of the bottom to form the flaps 29 or prefracture lines to obtain the flaps 29, without thereby weakening the structure or complicating the production steps.
The container according to the invention is furthermore fully collapsible for destruction after use, even as regards the beams, which are also made of recyclable paper-like material.
Practical tests have furthermore shown that in particular the display pallet obtained from a container is particularly sturdy and adapted to bear even considerable loads.
The container according to the invention has, as described above, a structure that allows easy access even to the items that are stored near its bottom.
Moreover, the structure of the display pallet obtained from the container, according to the invention, is particularly simple to assemble, does not require specific expertise, and also allows, by simply modifying the time interval between the cutting of successive pairs of flaps, to modify the axial distances between the beams according to the load to be carried and to the axial distance of the forks meant to move the pallets.
The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations within the scope of the claims; thus, for example, it is possible to provide for a separate pallet that can be subsequently associated with a container to palletize it, the pallet comprising a base to which ground resting beams are fixed in the manner described above; in at least one of the beams, the corresponding third element can be formed monolithically by cutting and folding an edge region of the base.
Finally, it should be noted that in the above-described pallet, as in the palletizable container, the beam coupling flaps may be provided in various positions so as to couple the beams at different mutual distances according to the distance between the forks of the handling means and/or to the weight that must bear thereon and to the corresponding deflection angle that one wishes to have on the bottom of the container or of the palletizing base.
The materials, provided that they are compatible with the contingent use, and the dimensions may be any according to requirements.

Claims

A beam for palletizing a container adapted to contain storable items and comprising a tray-like base (12), the beam (13) being adapted to be anchored through interlock coupling to said base (12) of the container and being constituted by at least three elements (16, 20, 23) that are assembled to each other by interlock coupling, characterized in that a first (16) and second (20) said elements are associated one another to form a structure being fully collapsible before use while, upon assembly, having a high structural compressive and flexural strength and being completely contained by a third said element (23), whereby said elements (16, 20, 23) achieving altogether, in the assembled state, the overall appearance of a ground resting pallet beam (13).
A beam according to claim 1, characterized in that said first one (16) of said at least three elements is shaped so as to form cusps (17), each one of said cusps having first transverse slots (18), and the cusps being interconnected by flat portions (19), said second one (20) of said elements being shaped so as to have a single or multiple U-shaped cross-section with parallel wings (22) and second transverse slots (21) in which said cusps (17) fit on assembly, the wings (22) of said second shaped element (20) fitting inside said first transverse slots (18), said third element (23) being associatable with the bottom of the tray-shaped base (12) of the box-like body (11).
A beam according to claim 2, characterized in that said third element (23) is shaped so as to have a U-shaped cross-section, in the concavity whereof said first (16) and second (20) elements are contained on assembly.
A beam according to claim 3, characterized in that protrusions (25) for centering during association with the bottom of said box-like body (11) protrude from the wings of said third element (23), shaped holes (26) and corresponding retention tabs (28) being also formed in the wings of said third element (23).
A pallet made of paper-like material, such as corrugated cardboard or the like, comprising a base (12) associated with a containment element (14) having flaps (29) being formed by cutting, with the free ends (30) of said flaps being larger than the rest, characterized in that said base (12) is further associated with a plurality of ground resting beams (13) having each the structure set forth in claim 1, and in that said flaps (29) are adapted to be folded and inserted in shaped holes (26) formed in said beams (13) so as to provide said interlock coupling of the beams (13) with said base (12) by interlock coupling of said free ends (30) of the flaps with portions of said holes (26) that are narrower than said free ends (30), whereby said base (12) resting on the ground by way of said ground resting beams (13).
A pallet according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of said beams (13) is constituted by a third element (23) that is formed monolithically by cutting and folding in a U-like manner a corresponding edge region of said base (12), said third element (23) surrounding the assembly constituted by a first element (16) that is shaped so as to form cusps (17), in each whereof two or more first transverse slots (18) are formed, and which are connected to one another by flat portions (19), and by a second element (20) that is shaped so as to have at least a single U-shaped cross-section and second transverse slots (21) in which said cusps (17) fit on assembly, the wings (22) of the second shaped element (20) fitting in said first transverse slots (18).
A palletizable container for containing therein storable items and made of paper-like material, such as corrugated cardboard or the like, comprising a tray-like base (12) on the bottom whereof flaps (29) are formed by cutting, the free ends (30) of said flaps (29) being larger than the rest, said flaps (29) being folded and inserted in shaped holes (26) formed in ground resting means (13) for resting said tray-like base (12) on the ground, whereby the flaps (29) providing anchoring through the interlock coupling of the free ends (30) thereof to portions of said holes (26) that are narrower than said free ends (30), characterized in that said ground resting means are constituted by a plurality of beams (13) being each of the type and having a structure as set forth in claim 1, and in that it further comprises a parallelepiped-like containment element (14) having an open bottom which is freely insertable in said base (12) for constituting a box-like containment body (11) and is respectively extractable therefrom so as to leave the contained items exposed for easy access, said ground resting means being constituted by beams (13) lying lengthwise across the bottom of the try-like base (12) so as to palletize said container.
A container according to claim 7, characterized in that each one of said shaped holes (26) has a tapering portion (27) and is associated with a retention tab (28) in opposition to said portion (27).
A container according to claim 7, characterized in that said flaps (29) are arranged along pairs of parallel lines, each line being related to a corresponding beam (13).
A container according to claim 7, characterized in that said parallelepiped-like element (14) is open at the top and closeable by a removable lid (15).