EP1379450B1 - Zusammenklappbarer transportbehälter - Google Patents

Zusammenklappbarer transportbehälter Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1379450B1
EP1379450B1 EP02718368A EP02718368A EP1379450B1 EP 1379450 B1 EP1379450 B1 EP 1379450B1 EP 02718368 A EP02718368 A EP 02718368A EP 02718368 A EP02718368 A EP 02718368A EP 1379450 B1 EP1379450 B1 EP 1379450B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
container
liner
flexible material
envelope
plug
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
EP02718368A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP1379450A1 (de
Inventor
Edwin Francis Tattam
Robin William Hills
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
Priority claimed from GB0109764A external-priority patent/GB0109764D0/en
Priority claimed from GB0206245A external-priority patent/GB0206245D0/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP1379450A1 publication Critical patent/EP1379450A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1379450B1 publication Critical patent/EP1379450B1/de
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
    • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
    • B65D75/002—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers in shrink films
    • B65D75/004—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers in shrink films with auxiliary packaging elements, e.g. protective pads or frames, trays
    • 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
    • B65D59/00—Plugs, sleeves, caps, or like rigid or semi-rigid elements for protecting parts of articles or for bundling articles, e.g. protectors for screw-threads, end caps for tubes or for bundling rod-shaped articles
    • B65D59/02—Plugs
    • 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
    • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
    • B65D77/003—Articles enclosed in rigid or semi-rigid containers, the whole being wrapped
    • 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
    • B65D81/02—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage
    • B65D81/05—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents
    • B65D81/127—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 specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents using rigid or semi-rigid sheets of shock-absorbing material
    • 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
    • B65D81/38—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 with thermal insulation
    • B65D81/3813—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 with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container
    • B65D81/3823—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 with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container formed of different materials, e.g. laminated or foam filling between walls

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a transport container for use in safely transporting products.
  • Transported products generally need to be protected from physical shocks and damage, and therefore there is a general need for transport containers which provide impact resistance to the products they contain.
  • Some products are temperature sensitive and hence may require either being kept cool or being protected from chilling during transit.
  • Examples of products that need to be kept cool whilst being transported from place to place, for example by postal or courier services (particularly from a manufacturer or distributor to a consumer) include frozen food products, pharmaceutical and biochemical products (including diagnostic agents), and organs for transplantation.
  • Examples of products that, by contrast, need instead to be protected from chilling during transport (particularly, for example, from freezing as part of air cargo), include heated foodstuffs and further pharmaceutical products, as well as blood products.
  • Both types of goods conventionally have been transported in thermally insulated, rigid containers such as boxes fabricated of polystyrene foam.
  • polystyrene boxes can be fragile and are expensive to manufacture, as well as being space-inefficient.
  • French Patent Application No. 7808251 (published as FR-A-2419884) discloses a rigid container comprising sides having at least two layers of sheets of plastic material laminated with metal, which provide thermo-insulation of any contents.
  • the sheets are metalised, the container cannot be collapsed and remains in a bulky, non-collapse state even when no contents are held.
  • NL 83368 C discloses a transport container, comprising a liner which is collapsible, in a direction transecting a "vertical axis" of the container, such that the container is configurable between states that are non-collapsed and at least partially collapsed.
  • the preamble of claim 1 is based on this disclosure.
  • the container should preferably also provide a space efficient outer shape when full of transportable products, so that the number of containers that can be transported per given transit space may be maximised.
  • the present invention provides a transport container, comprising a liner which is collapsible, in a direction transecting a "vertical axis" of the contalner, such that the container is configurable between states that are non-collapsed (for holding transportable contents therein) and at least partially collapsed (for compact storage when empty); characterized In that the collapsible liner is substantially rigid, and further characterized in that the container further comprises a plurality of layers of flexible material surrounding the liner.
  • vertical axis is meant an axis extending through opposite ends of the liner, preferably at least one such end of the liner being open or openable to allow a transported product to be inserted Into, and removed from, the transport container.
  • the (or each) open or openable end of the liner is closable by means of a respective substantially rigid plug (described below).
  • the use of the term “vertical” is not intended necessarlly to denote any particular orientation with respect to gravity, although the transport container will usually be oriented with the "vertical axis" of the liner in a substantially vertical orientation with respect to gravity in order to allow the insertion and/or removal of a product into and out of the transport container conveniently.
  • the flexible material preferably is impact resistant. Additional or alternatively the flexible material may be resiliently compressible. In some embodiments of the invention the flexible material may be elastic.
  • the flexible material may be thermally insulating
  • the transport container includes one or more substantially rigid plug(s) for insertion inside the liner when the container is in its non-collapsed state.
  • the invention preferably provides a transport container comprising a substantially rigid liner, a plurality of layers of flexible material surrounding said liner, and one or more substantially rigid plug(s) inserted inside the liner to retain the liner in a non-collapsed configuration (for holding transportable contents therein), wherein the, or each, plug is removable from the liner and when so removed the liner Is collapsible, in a direction transecting a vertical axis of the container, such that the container is configurable between its non-collapsed state and an at least partially collapsed state (for compact storage when empty).
  • the liner provides a means for altering the shape of the container between collapsed and non-collapsed conjurations, whereas the surrounding flexible material provides the container with appropriate additional structural integrity (In combination with the liner) and preferably also thermally and/or physically protective insulation properties. Goods can be stored safely Inside the non-collapsed liner, which Is kept in such a configuration by means of the one or more plug(s), once the latter have been inserted.
  • the transport container of the present invention is constructed such that it can be collapsed into a space saving, flattened configuration when empty, and hence can be easily stored and moved prior to, or after, holding any transportable contents.
  • the collapsible container of the present invention is preferably constructed of materials that can be re-cycled and thus are ecologically friendly.
  • the pre-chilled product may be placed inside the non-collapsed container together with a desired quantity of "dry Ice” in granulated, sliced or chunk form,
  • a separate sealed bag containing a refrigerant, or warmed liquid respectively can be placed inside the container together with the product.
  • the flexible material comprises a plurality of layers of the flexible material, and this generally has the advantage of increasing its thermal and/or physical Insulation properties.
  • the flexible material may comprise one or more sheets or loops wound around the liner one or more times, thereby providing a plurality of layers of flexible material.
  • the flexible material preferably comprises a polymeric foam material e.g, polyethylene foam.
  • the plug(s) can be removed, as mentioned above, so allowing the container to be flattened by an operator into Its space saving, collapsed configuration. In this way, multiple flattened containers can be stored or transported without taking up substantial room.
  • a second aspect of the invention provides a method of constructing a transport container according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising either:
  • the liner and the flexible material may have greater an the required vertical length for a single transport container, and the method may include the step of cutting the assembled liner and flexible material into a plurality of assembled liners and associated flexible material, thereby to form a plurality of transport containers therefrom.
  • the method also includes the step of inserting at least one of said plug(s) inside the liner to maintain the non-collapsed state of the container.
  • the transport container according to the invention preferably further comprises an envelope surrounding the exterior of the flexible material.
  • the method according to the second aspect of the invention preferably further comprises the step of surrounding the exterior of the flexible material with an envelope.
  • the envelope is preferably a pressure envelope which provides compression to the flexible material and/or the liner, at least when the liner is In its non-collapsed configuration.
  • the envelope may be shrunk around the flexible material, preferably by heat-shrinkage, e.g. by means of a hot air gun-
  • the envelope is bonded to at least part of the exterior of the flexible material, for example by means of shrinkage, especially heat-shrinkage, of the envelope.
  • the method according to the second aspect of the invention includes the following additional steps:
  • the fully constructed container has an optional envelope, when present, that is preferably bonded (In separate stages) to both the outermost of the plurality of layers of the flexible material and to the one or more plug(s).
  • an optional envelope when present, that is preferably bonded (In separate stages) to both the outermost of the plurality of layers of the flexible material and to the one or more plug(s).
  • the flexible material, the liner, and the, or each, plug, may be contained within a box, for example a box in the form of a carton.
  • the box is preferably collapsible, and preferably the collapsed liner and flexible means (preferably also with one or more plug(s)) may be supplied together with the collapsed box.
  • the assembled liner, flexible materiel and inserted plug(s) preferably all enclosed within an envelope
  • the box therefore provides additional structural integrity and protection to the remainder of the transport container, and therefore provides additional protection to the product(s) contained therein.
  • the box (e.g. a carton) is preferably made from cardboard, especially reinforced cardboard (e.g. corrugated cardboard).
  • a collapsible transport container is shown in Figures 4A to C that has been fully constructed in its non-collapsed state and has been sealed, and thus is ready for transporting goods (not shown) previously placed within the cavity 1 of the container.
  • the container comprises a liner 2 that optionally has a rigidity substantially in a direction parallel to a vertical axis C-C' of the container.
  • the container is collapsible, in a direction transecting this vertical axis, between a non-collapsed state, as shown in Figures 4A to C, and an at least partially collapsed state, as shown in Figures 2A to E and Figure 3A.
  • Flexible material 3 (which is preferably thermally insulating and/or impact resistant) surrounds the liner 2 so as to form sides of the container with two insulating plug(s) 4 inserted inside the liner 2 in its non-collapsed state.
  • the liner 2 itself may be provided with flaps (not shown) at either end, which can be inserted instead of the plugs 4, and which can act as a lid and a base for the container.
  • flaps may simply be unitary pieces of material or may be provided in a segmented form so as to form "crash-lock" ends to the container.
  • flaps When flaps are present they may be kept in their inserted position by optional locking means, or may be retained simply by bonding the envelope 5 directly to them.
  • plugs 4 and flaps may be employed, if desired.
  • containers can be constructed that are collapsible in directions that transect the vertical axis C-C' at various angles
  • the container shown in the Figures is collapsible in a direction that is perpendicular to the vertical axis.
  • the liner 2 is usually extruded in a flat form and then die stamped to shape (see Figure 1A). Cardboard liners 2 are then folded and their ends are glued together, whereas plastic ones are creased and the ends are then heat bonded (see Figure 1 B). If such a plastic liner 2 is made of a foam, it can be extruded with integral shallow mitred grooves 7 that allow the liner 2 to be easily folded rather than creased.
  • Preferred materials for a plastic liner 2 are blown, or solid, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, nylons and so forth.
  • the plugs 4 may be of similar materials, if desired, although are typically extruded in such a manner as to be more rigid than the walls of the liner 2. Further, the flexible material 3 may also be extruded from the same or similar types of blown plastics as mentioned above.
  • the material forming the walls of the liner 2 may optionally be corrugated and examples of such material include corrugated cardboard, corrugated plastic (such as CorrexTM and TwinplastTM) and so forth.
  • the corrugations of such material are fluted in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal plane containing the line B-B' (see Figure 4A) of the container.
  • This type of fluting provides the container with substantial rigidity, since in the non-collapsed position the corrugations tend to buckle somewhat. This pushes the corners of the liner 2 outwards, so increasing the tension in the sides of the container.
  • the presence of the inserted rigid plug(s) 4 provides the container with extra lateral rigidity.
  • the container's overall rigidity is an important property that enables the transported goods to be insulated from physical shocks during transit.
  • Vertical rigidity is predominantly provided by the rigidity of the walls of the liner 2.
  • the air trapped within the flutes of the corrugations can also provide a degree of thermal insulation of the goods held within the container.
  • the corrugations may be fluted in a direction substantially parallel to the vertical plane containing the line C-C' (see Figure 4A again).
  • the transport container shown in Figures 4 A to C further comprises a heatshrunk envelope 5 that applies pressure around the exterior of the sides of the container, especially when the container is in its non-collapsed state.
  • the envelope also contributes to providing the container's overall rigidity.
  • the flexible insulating material 3 comprises a plurality of layers, which optionally consist of at least one sheet of the material wound a plurality of times around itself.
  • the air trapped within the layers can provide the container with increased properties of insulation.
  • the material 3 is in the form of a winding, the innermost and outermost edges are typically secured by heat bonding.
  • the layers of the winding can still move relative to one another.
  • the container may remain in its non-collapsed state despite the absence of any plug(s) 4.
  • the plugs do, of course, need to be inserted if any contents are to be securely held inside the container.
  • the envelope 5 can comprise loose edges 6 that protrude away from the plurality of layers of flexible insulating material 3. Such loose edges 6 can be bonded (see Figure 4 C) to the plugs. Alternatively, the loose edges 6 can be bonded (not shown) to the edges of the plurality of layers of flexible insulating material 3.
  • At least a portion of an outermost layer of the flexible insulating material 3 is bonded to an adjacent, inner layer of said flexible insulating material 3.
  • the liner 2, the plurality of flexible layers, the plugs 4 and the envelope are made of a convenient thermoplastic such as a low-density polyethylene.
  • the envelope 5 is heat-shrinkable for ease of sealing the container. It is particularly preferred for all components to be made of the same thermoplastic.
  • plugs 4 shown in the Figures are used as container closure means, alternative plugs 4 can be used as content separator means for sub-dividing the cavity 1 into compartments. Dividing the container in this manner can also help give the container extra physical strength to protect any contents during transit.
  • the plugs 4 may be simple disks of material or, as illustrated in the Figures, may be cut into the form of blocks with an outer protruding ledge 8 for closing over the edge of the flexible insulating material 3.
  • relatively simple disks when relatively simple disks are used, they may be constructed to have slits 9 cut into one of their major surfaces (see Figure 3), so as to be adapted to receive the ends of the liner 2.
  • slits 9 cut into one of their major surfaces (see Figure 3), so as to be adapted to receive the ends of the liner 2.
  • such disks can be used to cap the latent openings at the ends of the liner 2, so as to form a base and lid of the container.
  • This type of arrangement is particularly easy to assemble if the ends 10 of the liner 2 protrude outwards away from the flexible means 3, that is when the latter is shorter in the length than the liner 2.
  • the walls of the liner form a tessellating shape when the liner is in its non-collapsed state.
  • the outer shape of the fully constructed container filled with goods will allow multiple containers to be packed efficiently together without wasting space during transit.
  • the container can be assembled (either by its manufacturer or by a subsequent customer) from a kit comprising the following components: at least one of the liners 2, each being surrounded by an amount of flexible insulating material 3; at least one set of a couple of plugs 4; and at least one envelope 5.
  • kit and thus the transport container, can be easily constructed by way of the following method steps which define a procedure that is sequentially illustrated by the accompanying drawings in an order starting from Figure 2A and finishing at Figure 3C.
  • a liner 2 is placed in its collapsed state (see Figures 2A and B) around a flat mandrel (not shown).
  • a plurality of layers of flexible insulation material 3 is wound around the outside of the liner 2 (see Figures 2C and D). If a relatively long mandrel is used, multiple container units may be produced at the same time.
  • the partially constructed container is removed from the flat mandrel and may be supplied in this flattened state.
  • a manufacturer may supply such a product directly to a customer wishing to transport goods, in a kit form (as mentioned above) that further comprises the required separate plugs 4 and separate envelopes 5.
  • the long, partial construction that is removed from the mandrel can be cut into separate container units, so that multiple container units can be simultaneously produced.
  • the customer can bond at least part of each envelope 5 around the outside of the plurality of layers of each container with the liners 2 still in their collapsed state (as illustrated in Figures 2E and F and Figure 3A).
  • plugs 4 can be inserted at each end of the liners 2. This helps to maintain the non-collapsed state of the liner of each container, as shown in Figures 3B and C, and the goods can be placed inside the container. Finally, the loose protruding edges 6 of the envelope of each container can be bonded to both plugs 4, so as to seal the contents within the container.
  • the bonding steps are achieved by heat shrinking, for example when the envelope 5 is also a thermoplastic material.
  • Such an envelope 5 is typically formed as a mono-extrusion of low density polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and so forth.
  • the container need not only be substantially rectangular, but can be generally any shape, including substantially polygonal shapes, as desired, when three or more walls are present.
  • a customer can purchase a kit that can be easily assembled into a transport container comprising components composed of a single, re-cyclable material.
  • the assembled container can be efficiently and simply sealed, for example, by using only a single piece of bonding machinery such as a heat-shrinking device.
  • the resultant transport container is easy to store when it is empty, because it is at least partially collapsible and can therefore be flattened to a compact state. It may also have a space efficient outer shape in its non-collapsed state, so that the number of such containers that may be transported per given transit space can be maximised.
  • Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of liner 12 in which the collapsibility of the liner is provided by means of longitudinal folds 14 in a pair of opposing sides 16 of the liner, as indicated by the arrows.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
  • Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
  • Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)

Claims (21)

  1. Transportbehälter, der eine Auskleidung (2, 12) aufweist, die in einer Richtung zusammenfaltbar ist, die eine "vertikale Achse" des Behälters, d.h. eine Achse, die durch gegenüberliegende Enden der Auskleidung verläuft, durchschneidet, so dass der Behälter zwischen einem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand zur Aufnahme von zu transportierendem Inhalt darin und einem wenigstens teilweise zusammengefalteten Zustand für eine kompakte Lagerung im Leerzustand konfiguriert werden kann, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die zusammenfaltbare Auskleidung (2, 12) im Wesentlichen starr ist, und ferner dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Behälter ferner eine Mehrzahl von Lagen aus flexiblem Material (3) aufweist, das die Auskleidung (2, 12) umgibt.
  2. Behälter nach Anspruch 1, der ferner einen oder mehrere im Wesentlichen starre Stöpsel (4) zum Einsetzen in die Auskleidung (2, 12) umfasst, wenn sich der Behälter in seinem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand befindet.
  3. Behälter nach Anspruch 2, bei dem der oder jeder Stöpsel (4) in die Auskleidung (2, 12) eingesteckt wurde und die Auskleidung (2, 12) sich in ihrem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand befindet.
  4. Behälter nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, bei dem das flexible Material (3) stoßfest und/oder elastisch komprimierbar ist.
  5. Behälter nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, bei dem das flexible Material (3) elastisch und/oder wärmeisolierend ist.
  6. Behälter nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, bei dem die Mehrzahl von Lagen aus flexiblem Material (3) eine oder mehrere Folien oder Schleifen aus dem flexiblen Material (3) umfasst, das um die Auskleidung (2, 12) ein oder mehrere Male gewickelt wurde.
  7. Behälter nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, bei dem das flexible Material (3) ein polymeres Schaumstoffmaterial wie z.B. Polyethylenschaumstoff umfasst.
  8. Verfahren zum Konstruieren eines Transportbehälters nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, wobei das Verfahren einen der folgenden Schritte umfasst:
    (a) Wickeln einer Mehrzahl von Lagen des flexiblen Materials (3) um die Außenseite der Auskleidung (2, 12); oder
    (b) Wickeln einer Mehrzahl von Lagen des flexiblen Materials (3) um einen Dorn und anschließend Einführen der Auskleidung (2, 12) in die innerste Lage des gewickelten flexiblen Materials (3).
  9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8 in Abhängigkeit von Anspruch 2 oder einem der davon abhängigen Ansprüche, das ferner den Schritt des Einführens von wenigstens einem der genannten Stöpsel (4) in die Auskleidung (2, 12) umfasst, um den Behälter in seinem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand zu halten.
  10. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8 oder Anspruch 9, bei dem die Auskleidung (2, 12) und das flexible Material (3) eine größere als die benötigte vertikale Länge für einen einzelnen Transportbehälter haben und das Verfahren den Schritt des Schneidens der zusammengefügten Auskleidung (2, 12) und des flexiblen Materials (3) zu einer Mehrzahl von zusammengefügten Auskleidungen (2, 12) und zugehörigem flexiblem Material (3) beinhaltet, um so eine Mehrzahl von Transportbehältern zu bilden.
  11. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 8 bis 10, das ferner den Schritt des Umgebens der Außenseite des flexiblen Materials (3) mit einer Umhüllung (5) umfasst.
  12. Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, der ferner eine Umhüllung (5) um die Außenseite des flexiblen Materials (3) umfasst.
  13. Verfahren oder Behälter nach Anspruch 11 oder Anspruch 12, wobei die Umhüllung (5) eine Druckhülle (5) ist, die das flexible Material (3) und/oder die Auskleidung (2, 12) wenigstens dann komprimiert, wenn die Auskleidung (2, 12) in ihrer nicht zusammengefalteten Konfiguration ist.
  14. Verfahren oder Behälter nach Anspruch 13, wobei die Umhüllung (5) um das flexible Material (3) geschrumpft wird, vorzugsweise durch Wärmeschrumpfen.
  15. Verfahren oder Behälter nach Anspruch 14, wobei die Umhüllung (5) auf wenigstens einen Teil der Außenseite des flexiblen Materials (3), vorzugsweise durch das genannte Aufschrumpfen der Umhüllung (5) gebondet wird.
  16. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 8 bis 11 oder 13 bis 15, wobei das Verfahren die folgenden zusätzlichen Schritte umfasst:
    (c) Bonden, z.B. durch Wärmeschrumpfen, von wenigstens einem Teil einer Umhüllung (5) um die Außenseite der Mehrzahl von Lagen aus dem flexiblen Material (3), vorzugsweise mit der Auskleidung (2, 12) in ihrem zusammengefalteten Zustand;
    (d) Gewährleisten, dass die Auskleidung (2, 12) in ihrem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand ist; und
    (e) Einführen von wenigstens einem der genannten Stöpsel (4) in die Auskleidung (2, 12), um den Behälter in seinem nicht zusammengefalteten Zustand zu halten.
  17. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, das ferner den folgenden Schritt umfasst:
    (f) Bonden, z.B. durch Wärmeschrumpfen, von wenigstens einem weiteren Teil der Umhüllung (5) auf wenigstens einen der genannten Stöpsel (4).
  18. Behälter oder Verfahren nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, wobei der Behälter ferner einen Kasten umfasst, in dem der Rest des Behälters enthalten ist oder aufgenommen werden kann.
  19. Behälter oder Verfahren nach Anspruch 18, wobei der Kasten zusammenfaltbar ist.
  20. Behälter nach Anspruch 2 oder Behälter oder Verfahren nach einem der vorherigen Ansprüche in Abhängigkeit von Anspruch 2, wobei der/die Stöpsel (4) aus einem polymeren Schaumstoffmaterial geformt ist/sind.
  21. Behälter oder Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 15 oder einem davon abhängigen Anspruch, wobei die Umhüllung (5) aus einem dünnen, flexiblen polymeren Material gebildet ist.
EP02718368A 2001-04-20 2002-04-19 Zusammenklappbarer transportbehälter Expired - Lifetime EP1379450B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0109764 2001-04-20
GB0109764A GB0109764D0 (en) 2001-04-20 2001-04-20 Collapsible transport container
GB0206245A GB0206245D0 (en) 2002-03-18 2002-03-18 Collapsible transport container
GB0206245 2002-03-18
PCT/GB2002/001822 WO2002085749A1 (en) 2001-04-20 2002-04-19 Collapsible transport container

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1379450A1 EP1379450A1 (de) 2004-01-14
EP1379450B1 true EP1379450B1 (de) 2006-06-07

Family

ID=26245991

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02718368A Expired - Lifetime EP1379450B1 (de) 2001-04-20 2002-04-19 Zusammenklappbarer transportbehälter

Country Status (7)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1379450B1 (de)
JP (1) JP2004528240A (de)
AT (1) ATE328814T1 (de)
AU (1) AU2002249438B2 (de)
DE (1) DE60212112T2 (de)
GB (1) GB2374861A (de)
WO (1) WO2002085749A1 (de)

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FR2937100B1 (fr) * 2008-10-10 2014-02-28 Renault Sas Element protecteur pour organe a proteger, notamment un flexible d'echappement
US20140021221A1 (en) * 2011-02-10 2014-01-23 Stephen Derby Refillable container with a zero waste dispensing system
WO2018157978A1 (en) * 2017-02-28 2018-09-07 Softbox Systems Limited An insulating transport and storage container
CN108820563B (zh) * 2018-06-21 2019-11-05 国网山东省电力公司烟台供电公司 一种可伸缩的电压互感器的保护装置
WO2021093996A1 (en) 2019-11-13 2021-05-20 Softbox Systems Limited An insulating storage, transport and delivery container
GB202017874D0 (en) 2020-11-12 2020-12-30 Softbox Systems Ltd A thermal control board and insulating transport and storage of a container thereof
WO2023118614A1 (en) 2021-12-24 2023-06-29 Softbox Systems Limited An insulating transport and storage container, method and material associated
GB202203312D0 (en) 2022-03-09 2022-04-20 Softbox Systems Ltd An insulating transport and storage container

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GB1085837A (en) * 1963-06-11 1967-10-04 Robinson E S & A Ltd Collapsible container made of cardboard or like material
US3630349A (en) * 1970-02-16 1971-12-28 Norton Co Grinding wheel package and method of packaging them
US4115909A (en) * 1976-08-24 1978-09-26 Corella Arthur P Reinforcing insert for collapsible packages
FR2419884A1 (fr) * 1978-03-17 1979-10-12 Lincrusta Emballage de protection thermique
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KR101836449B1 (ko) 2013-11-06 2018-03-09 알티씨 인더스트리즈, 인크. 휴대용 아이스 배럴

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2002085749A1 (en) 2002-10-31
JP2004528240A (ja) 2004-09-16
DE60212112D1 (de) 2006-07-20
EP1379450A1 (de) 2004-01-14
GB0208973D0 (en) 2002-05-29
ATE328814T1 (de) 2006-06-15
DE60212112T2 (de) 2006-12-21
GB2374861A (en) 2002-10-30
AU2002249438B2 (en) 2007-06-28

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