EP2391553B1 - Method for producing a pallet unit and pallet unit - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a packaging or pallet unit according to the preamble of claim 1.

Are known pallet units, consisting essentially of a transport and / or storage pallet usual training (hereinafter pallet simplified), arranged on a pallet pallet on this pallet and a product stack, which by using a suitable device, for example using a palletizing robot or a machine or workstation having such a robot is machined on top of a bottom plate of the pallet tray by stacking a plurality of product units.

Product units are for the purposes of the invention, for example, filled with a product larger packaging or containers with several each combined into a single unit packaging, for example. in the form of bottles, cans, containers, soft packs, bags etc.

In the context of the invention, "palate tray" is thus generally understood to mean an element which is produced from a single-layer or multi-layer flat material, in particular from cardboard or cardboard, also corrugated cardboard, with a base plate for resting on the respective pallet and with a cover the top of the bottom plate protruding edge.

In order to enable machine-building of the respective product stack, conventional pallet-type trays are formed with a rim which is made in one piece with the bottom plate and whose height is significantly smaller than the total height of the product stack, i. usually smaller than the height of the bottom layer of this product stack.

Such pallet trays are for example by the LU 61 633 A1 and the US 3,650,459 known. Both writings show edge pallet trays. More in detail, the deals LU 61 633 A1 with a pallet tray, which is provided with a cover and a cover after loading with the goods to be transported, while the US 3,650,459 dealt with a pallet tray, in which prior to loading initially three of the four side walls are placed. By loading will be on the side walls attached bottom flaps by the goods to be transported complains, creating a certain stability is achieved. The fourth side wall and a cover are only installed after the pallet tray has been completely loaded.

Recently, pallet units are desired in which u.a. to secure the product stack on the pallet, also to secure the cohesion of the product stack the pallet tray is designed as outer packaging with an edge in the form of a product stack over its entire height or substantially over its entire height enclosing shell (peripheral wall), however, with the usual procedures and using the usual and already existing facilities, the machine production of such pallet units is not readily possible. The term "substantially" in the sense of the invention generally means deviations from the respective exact value by +/- 10%.

The object of the invention is to provide a method which enables a rational creation of pallet units with pallet trays designed as outer packaging. To solve this problem, a pallet unit gem. Claim 1 is formed.

The method makes it possible to machine pallet units using equipment, for example using high-performance palletizing robots, and in particular also using equipment and installations as they are also used to create pallet units in which the edge of the pallet trays only has a much smaller height compared to the product stack.

To make this possible, according to the invention each formed as outer packaging pallet tray of a bottom plate with one, for example, one piece bottom plate edge low height, ie with a height many times smaller than the height of the product stack, and a jacket, which only after the establishment of the the respective product stack enclosing this and is applied supportingly on the associated base plate. Base plate and jacket are made of the single or multilayer flat material, in particular of cardboard or cardboard, also corrugated board.

The jacket consists of at least one wall element, which is already formed or connected to the closed cover during placement on the product stack and on the bottom plate or is connected to the closed jacket after placement.
Or else the jacket consists of at least two wall elements, which are connected to each other after placing on the product stack and on the bottom plate to the closed shell, for example by gluing, stapling or other suitable manner.

The respective jacket or its wall elements are preferably kept ready during the mechanical formation of the product stack outside the working and / or movement space of the used palletizing device, for example palletizing robots, at a distance from the pallet and the product stack. At the palletizing position, that is, where the building of the product stack takes place, there is thus no additional space requirement for receiving and accommodating the shell or the wall elements forming it. This results in space-saving and compact design of the palletizing especially short ways for a palletizing and resulting high robot or Pallettierleistungen. In addition, there is also the possibility of extending already existing palletizing equipment in such a way that even the pallets produced in these palletizing units can be provided with a circumferential wall.

Further developments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures. In this case, all described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination are fundamentally the subject of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their dependency. Also, the content of the claims is made an integral part of the description.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter Darstellung eine Palette zusammen mit einem auf dieser Palette innerhalb eines Palettentrays in Form einer Umverpackung angeordneten Produktstapel;

Fig. 2 und 3

einen Zuschnitt aus einem Flachmaterial bzw. eine aus diesem Zuschnitt geformte Bodenplatte der Umverpackung;

Fig. 4 - 8

jeweils in perspektivischer Darstellung die Palette zusammen mit den Elementen der Umverpackung bei unterschiedlichen Ausführungen der Erfindung.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a simplified representation of a pallet together with a product stack arranged on this pallet within a pallet tray in the form of an outer packaging;

FIGS. 2 and 3

a blank of a flat material or a bottom plate of the outer packaging formed from this blank;

Fig. 4-8

each in a perspective view of the pallet together with the elements of the outer packaging in different embodiments of the invention.

In the figures, 1 is a substantially made of wood transport and / or storage pallet or conventional training, as they u.a. used for the transport, storage, consumption, sale etc. of products. On the pallet 1, a product stack 3 is arranged within an outer packaging 2, which consists of a plurality of product units 4.

The outer package 2, which is produced at least essentially exclusively from the single-layer or multi-layer flat material, in particular from cardboard or corrugated cardboard, has a multi-part construction and consists of a base plate 5 which rests on the upper side of the pallet 1 and the shape of the upper side of the pallet 1 is formed in accordance with plan substantially rectangular in plan view. On the pallet 1 facing away from the top of the bottom plate 5 of the product stack 3 is on. The outer package 2 further consists of a peripheral wall or of a jacket 6, which is an independent, ie manufactured independently of the bottom plate 5 element and is flush or substantially flush with the peripheral sides of the pallet 1 extending and accordingly four perpendicular contiguous wall sections has, which are each oriented with their surface sides perpendicular to the plane of the bottom plate 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, the height of the jacket 6 is equal to the height of the product stack 3, so that it is covered on the circumference over its entire height by the jacket 6 of the outer package 2. At the top of the outer packaging 2 is open.

In order to enable a sale of the product units 4 arranged on the pallet 1 outer packaging 2 in shops, markets, etc., at least one wall portion of the shell 6 is formed so that the jacket 6 along there in the FIG. 1 6.1 line can be opened, for example, characterized in that the wall section in question is provided with a following line 6.1 perforation and / or with at least one ripcord, which allows opening along the line 6.1 by pulling or tearing.

The FIG. 2 shows a blank 8 made of the flat material for the bottom plate 5. The substantially rectangular blank 8 is designed so that it by notches 9 in the corner areas and between these notches parallel to the peripheral sides of the blank 8 extending folds 10 on the circumference four narrow blank sections 8.1 - 8.4 forms, which form a fold over the respective fold 10 a over the top of the bottom plate 5 protruding flat bottom plate edge 5.1.

In the region of each fold 10, the blank 8 is provided with a plurality of separating cuts 11, each extending from the fold 10 into a blank section 8.1-8.4 and then ending again in the fold 10. Due to these separating cuts 11, when the blank sections 8.1 - 8.4 are raised on the circumference of the base plate 5 over the outer surface of the bottom plate edge 5.1, protruding lugs or attachment lugs 12 are obtained.

The jacket 6 can be realized in many different ways. It consists for example of the FIG. 4 corresponding to two complementary to the shell 6 angle-shaped wall elements 13, each of which each with a wall element section 13.1 a longitudinal side and with a wall section element 13.2 a Narrow side of the shell 6 forms. About angled tabs or wall element sections 13.3, the wall elements 13 in a suitable manner, for example by gluing, stapling, etc. to the jacket 6 connected to each other, which is arranged with its open bottom on the bottom plate 5 such that it surrounds the bottom plate edge 5.1 with its lower edge and gets up on the local support tabs 12. In addition, the jacket formed by the wall elements 13, for example, by gluing or otherwise connected to the bottom plate edge 5.1.

When in the FIG. 5 illustrated embodiment, the jacket 6 consists of a single wall element 14, which forms the four mutually perpendicular wall element sections 14.1 - 14.4. The two wall element sections 14.1 and 14.4 are then connected to each other in a suitable manner, for example via a tab 14.5 by gluing or in another suitable manner to the closed jacket 6.

The FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the jacket 6 is formed by two wall elements 15 and 16, of which the wall element 15 has three wall-generated by folding and one side of the jacket 6 forming wall element sections 15.1 - 15.3. The wall element 16 connected in a suitable manner, for example by using the tabs 16.1 by gluing and / or stapling with the wall element sections 15.1 and 15.3, forms the fourth side of the shell 6.

The FIG. 7 Finally, shows an embodiment in which the jacket 6 is formed by a single wall element 17 with four interconnected and one side of the shell forming wall element sections.

The FIG. 8 Finally, shows an embodiment in which the jacket 6 is formed by a single wall element 17 with four interconnected and one side of the shell forming wall element sections, wherein the shell 6 additionally rejects another, a lid (18) forming portion which a complete wrapping of the product stack allowed.

The preparation of the pallet unit 7 takes place despite the different embodiments of the outer package 2 and the shell 6 generally in the form that after placing the bottom plate 5 on a pallet 1 on the bottom plate 5, the product stack 3 is completely formed, namely under machine Use of a corresponding device or plant, for example, using a high-performance palletizing robot. Only after completion of the product stack 3 of the jacket 6 is applied, which is also mechanically easily and with high accuracy, in particular by the projecting beyond the peripheral surface of the bottom plate 5 support tabs 12 is possible on the shell 6 and the wall elements forming these 13 - 17th be supported supported at its lower edge. The wall elements 13-17 are kept ready during the formation of the product stack 3 at a distance from this stack and the pallet 1. As a result, the formation of the product stack 3 is not hindered by the outer package 2 or its elements. Furthermore, the molding of the product stack 3 can take place in a small footprint, since an additional space around the respective pallet 1 for receiving wall elements of the outer package 2, especially from flat or obliquely arranged wall elements to the final completion of the product stack 3 is not needed, the wall elements rather, they are kept ready at a distance from the pallet 1 and from the product stack 3 and in particular also outside the working and / or moving space of the device for machine stacking or palletizing.

Since preferably the width of the blank sections 8.2 and thus the height of the bottom plate edge 5.1 formed from these sections are smaller than the height of the packaging units 4, by the bottom plate 5 even with already raised bottom plate edge 5.1, the machine formation even the bottom layer of the product stack 3 is not essential with special needs.

Especially with a larger height of the bottom plate edge 5.1, it is also possible to place the bottom plate 5 or the blank 8 first in the flat state on the pallet 1 and only after formation of one or more layers of the product units 4 or only after completion of the entire product stack 3 and before placing the wall elements 13 - 17 to form the bottom plate edge 5.1 by folding up the sections 8.2.

The wall elements 13 - 16 can be applied laterally to the peripheral region of the product stack 3 and then connected to the jacket 6 with each other. Furthermore, the wall elements 13 - 17 can also be connected to the bottom plate edge 5.1. In the execution of the FIG. 7 the wall element 17 is pushed from above onto the product stack.

The embodiments of the Figures 3 - 6 make it possible to deduct the material for the wall elements 13-16 each as a continuous material from a supply or a roll and to shape just before mounting in the required manner.

However, all embodiments have the advantage that the product stack 3 can be formed by machine without obstruction by the outer packaging 2, namely using such facilities or facilities that already provided in an operation for the production of product stacks on pallets conventional form without the outer packaging 2 are. The possibility of using existing facilities or facilities results in significant savings in investment costs.

Another essential advantage of the invention is the basic decoupling of palletizing, ie the formation of the product stack 3 and the formation of the outer packaging 2. By this decoupling in one and the same system pallet units without outer packaging 2 and without bottom plate 5 or pallet units with pallet trays with low edge, for example, with the base plates used as pallet trays 5 or the pallet units 7 are formed with the reaching to the top of the product stack 3 outer package 2.

It is also possible to use the sheath 6 or the wall elements forming this sheath in situ, i. in the creation of the outer package 2 or immediately before to print, for example by inkjet printers, etc.

The invention has been described above in one embodiment. It is understood that changes and modifications are possible without thereby departing from the invention as defined by the claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

palette

2

overpack

3

product stack

4

product unit

5

baseplate

5.1

Base plate edge

6

Coat or coat

6.1

line

7

pallet unit

8th

cut

8.1 - 8.4

Section of the blank 8

9

notch

10

fold

11

incision

12

Attachment or support strap

13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Wall or jacket elements

13.1 - 13.3

Section of the wall element 13th

14.1 - 14.5

Section of the wall element 14th

15.1 - 15.3

Section of the wall element 15th

16.1

flap

17.1 - 17.4

Section of the wall element 17th

18

cover

Claims (4)

1. Pallet unit comprising at least of a pallet (1), a pallet tray arranged on the pallet (1), a single-layer or multi-layer flat material, and a product stack (3), wherein the pallet tray is formed as a enclosing packing element (2), with a jacket covering (6) enclosing the product stack (3) over its entire height or substantially over its entire height, and the jacket covering (6) is formed from at least one wall element (13, 14, 15, 16) produced independently of the base plate (5), which is supported on the base plate (5), characterised in that the jacket covering (6) encloses a base plate edge (5.1), which projects over the side of the base plate (5) facing away from the pallet (1), and is supported with a lower edge on support tabs (12), said tabs projecting over the outer surface of the base plate edge and produced as one piece with the base plate (5).
2. Pallet unit according to claim 1, characterised in that the base plate edge (5.1) is formed by folding edge sections (8.1 - 8.4) of a base plate shaped section (8) along fold lines, for example along creases (10), and that, in order to produce the support tabs (12), incisions (11) are provided in the region of the fold lines (10), which in each case extend going outwards from a fold line (10) into an adjacent section (8.1 - 8.4) forming the base plate edge, and are guided back to the fold line (10) or end in it.
3. Pallet unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the jacket covering is formed from at least one wall element (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) produced from the flat material.
4. Pallet unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the jacket covering (6) is formed from at least two wall elements (13, 15, 16) connected to one another.

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