EP1411005A1

EP1411005A1 - Packaging for a plant tray

Info

Publication number: EP1411005A1
Application number: EP20030078134
Authority: EP
Inventors: Albert Johan Ferdinand Voges
Original assignee: Voges Verpakking BV
Current assignee: Voges Verpakking BV
Priority date: 2002-10-15
Filing date: 2003-10-08
Publication date: 2004-04-21
Also published as: NL1021649C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging (1) for a plant tray comprising a container (2) designed for accommodating the plant tray, and suitable for placing into a transport box, wherein the container (2) comprises a bottom (3) and raised side walls (4) and is provided with flaps (5,6) positioned at opposite side walls of the container, and whose free ends furthest away from said side walls can be fastened to each other.

Description

The invention relates to a packaging for a plant tray comprising a container designed for accommodating the plant tray, and suitable for placing into a transport box.
Such a packaging is known from practice and serves to allow plants contained in a plant tray to be transported in a suitable manner. In order to be able to transport the packaging with the plant tray accommodated therein, it needs to be placed in a transport box.
A problem of the known packaging is that for the accommodation of the plant tray many operations are required. An additional problem is that after the packaging has been placed in the transport box, the same must be filled up with the necessary filling material in order to avoid possible transport damage to the plants accommodated in the plant tray. These two problems raise the costs; the necessary use of filling material also entails environmental problems.
The object of the invention is to provide a packaging, with which the problems of the known packaging are completely or partly avoided.
To this end there is proposed in a first aspect of the invention a packaging, characterised in that the container comprises a bottom and raised side walls and is provided with flaps positioned at opposite side walls of the container, which can be bent towards each other, and whose free ends furthest away from said side walls can be fastened to each other.
A plant tray can be placed very easily into this packaging without requiring many operations. This means a considerable saving in costs, compared with the prior art packaging.
It is preferred for a first flap of the packaging to be provided with a series of openings and for a second flap to be provided with a projection designed to interact with an opening of the series of openings in the first flap, for fastening the first flap and the second flap to each other. Thanks to this embodiment of the packaging according to the invention, the packaging can be easily adapted to the size of the plants to be transported. To this end each projection of the series of projections on the first flap corresponds with a different size of plants to be transported in the packaging.
It is further desirable for the packaging to be manufactured in a thermoplastic plastic. For one thing it is economical, but for another thing it affords the advantage that the first flap and the second flap can be embodied to be flexible so that by means of the earlier-mentioned projections on the first flap and the opening on the second flap, they can simply be fastened to each other such as to adjust the size as desired.
The above-mentioned embodiment in thermoplastic plastic has the further advantage that the opening in the second flap may be formed by the back of a projection that is provided in said second flap, and which corresponds with the projections in the first flap, whose fronts form the series of projections of the first flap.
To render positioning more easy, it is further preferred that when unfastening the first flap from the second flap, said flaps have a preferential position, leaving the container freely accessible for the plant tray.
In a further aspect of the invention, the packaging is characterised in that on or to at least two opposite sidewalls of the container legs are mounted, having a length such that when placed in the transport box, they will fix the packaging to prevent movement in the longitudinal direction of the legs.
In still a further aspect of the invention the packaging is characterised in that the first flap and the second flap are provided with protuberances located near the container, designed such that when fastening the first flap and the second flap to each other, a plant tray placed in the container is fixed in place therein.
As preferred embodiment of the packaging according to the invention it may further be mentioned that the bottom of the container is water-tight. This allows the plants transported in the packaging to travel under better conditions, so that less damage occurs during transport.
Hereinbelow the invention will be further elucidated with reference to the drawing.
In the drawing a non-limited exemplary embodiment shows in:

Fig. 1 a packaging according to the invention in open situation, and in
Fig. 2 the packaging shown in Fig. 1 in a closed situation.

Identical reference numbers used in the figures refer to similar parts.
Both Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the packaging according to the invention indicated generally with reference number 1. This packaging 1 serves for transport of a plant tray (not shown) and comprises a container 2 designed for accommodating the plant tray. This packaging 1 further serves for being placed in a transport box, which is known as such, and is embodied appropriately for this purpose.
The container 2 has a bottom 3 and connected with the bottom 3, raised side walls 4 and is further provided with a first flap 5 and a second flap 6.
Fig. 2 shows the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 bent towards each other. Incidentally, the first flap 5 and second flap 6 must always be positioned at opposite side walls 4 of the container 2.
As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the first flap 5 is provided with a series of openings 7 and 8 and the second flap 6 is provided with a projection 9, 10, designed to always interact with one opening of the series of openings 7, 8 on the first flap, in order to fasten the first flap 5 and second flap 6 to each other. Fig. 2 shows the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 in this fastened situation. In order to allow the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 to easily bend towards each other, it is propitious for the packaging 1 to be manufactured in thermoplastic plastic.
As non-limiting example, which may be varied in numerous ways, Figs. 1 and 2 show that the projection 9, 10 in the second flap 6 is formed by the front of a projection made in said second flap 6. This projection corresponds with projections in the first flap 5, the backs of which form the series of openings 7, 8 of the first flap 5.
It is an advantage that when unfastening the first flap 5 and the second flap 6, these two flaps 5, 6 have a preferential position, leaving the container 2 freely accessible for positioning the plant tray. This is clearly shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 and more particularly Fig. 2 further show that legs 11, 12 are mounted to the top of two opposite side walls 4 of the container 2. In the unfastened situation of the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 they may, for example as shown in Fig. 1, lie in the plane of said flaps 5, 6, whereas when fastening the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 to each other, the legs 11, 12 may assume a substantially vertical orientation. The length of said legs 11, 12 should be chosen such that when placing the packaging 1 into the transport box, said legs 11, 12 will ensure that the packaging is fixed in place in the transport box in the longitudinal direction in which the legs 11, 12 are then oriented. In this way the use of additional filling material to realize such fixing is rendered superfluous.
Figs. 1 and 2 further show that the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 are provided with protuberances 13 and 14 positioned near the container 2, which are designed such that when fastening the first flap 5 and the second flap 6 to each other (as shown in Fig. 2), they fix a plant tray placed in the container 2.
Finally, is should be observed that it is preferred for the bottom 3 of the container 2 to be water-tight, to allow it to hold a small supply of water, possibly supplemented with additives, for feeding the plants to be transported.
It is emphasised that the foregoing is to be understood as a non-limiting description of an exemplary embodiment. Within the scope of the invention many variations are possible; the above-given explanation must therefore be appreciated as being an elucidation on the appended claims which determine the protective scope the invention merits, without limiting the same in any way.

Claims

A packaging (1) for a plant tray comprising a container (2) designed for accommodating the plant tray, and suitable for placing into a transport box, characterised in that the container (2) comprises a bottom and raised side walls (4) and is provided with flaps positioned at opposite side walls (4) of the container, and which can be bent towards each other, and whose free ends furthest away from said side walls can be fastened to each other.
A packaging according to claim 1, characterised in that a first flap (5) is provided with a series of openings (7,8) and in that a second flap (6) is provided with a projection (9,10) designed to interact with an opening of the series of openings (7,8) in the first flap (5), for fastening the first flap (5) and the second flap (6) to each other.
A packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the same is manufactured in a thermoplastic plastic.
A packaging according to claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the projection (9,10) in the second flap (6) is formed by the front of a projection made in said second flap (6) which corresponds with projections in the first flap (5), the backs of which form the series of openings (7,8) of the first flap (5).
A packaging according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that when unfastening the first flap (5) from the second flap (6), said flaps have a preferential position, leaving the container (2) freely accessible for the plant tray.
A packaging according to one of the claims 1-5, characterised in that on or to at least two opposite side walls (4) of the container (2) legs (11,12) are mounted, having a length such that when placed in the transport box, they will fix the packaging to prevent movement in the longitudinal direction of the legs.
A packaging according to one of the claims 1-6, characterised in that the first flap (5) and the second flap (6) are provided with protuberances (13,14) located near the container (2), designed such that when fastening the first flap (5) and the second flap (6) to each other, a plant tray placed in the container (2) is fixed in place therein.
A packaging according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the bottom of the container is water-tight.