EP2431283B1

EP2431283B1 - Reinforced crate

Info

Publication number: EP2431283B1
Application number: EP10177617.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Orgeldinger
Original assignee: IFCO Systems GmbH
Current assignee: IFCO Systems GmbH
Priority date: 2010-09-20
Filing date: 2010-09-20
Publication date: 2013-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 2030-09-20
Also published as: PL2431283T3; HRP20131036T1; DK2431283T3; EP2431283A1; SI2431283T1; ES2426263T3; PT2431283E

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention concern a crate or container for accommodating products, more specifically, embodiments of the invention concern a plastic crate that is provided for receiving and/or for transporting foods, like fruits, vegetables, meat and the like.
Crates for storing and transporting products such as fruits and vegetables are widely used in the market. Such crates are light and stable which makes them suitable for bringing the crops from the field to the customer. For example, for tropical fruits like bananas, it is common to harvest the crop while it is still unripe and pack it into the crates for subsequent shipping and transportation. On this journey, the fruits have time to ripen. Also, other fruits like apples or the like, or vegetables like lettuce or the like, but also meat or eggs may be put into the crates at the producers site and transported using such crates.
Before the transport, the filled crates are usually stacked on top of each other and arranged side by side on two pallets and the pallets, as a whole, are then transported to respective transport facilities. Often, a specific cross-stacking technique is used, for example, a "5-down configuration". In such a 5-down configuration, five crates are arranged adjacent to each other into a rectangular array, such that two of them form a row in the length direction and the other three form a row in the width direction. One problem with such kind of arrangement is that upon stacking the crates in this way, the three crates forming the row in the width direction abut with their shorter end walls the longer side walls of the two crates forming the row in the length direction. Thus, a force acting onto the lateral side walls of the crate arrangement in the length direction is high, especially in the central area of the side walls of the crates arranged in the length direction. This may result in a damaging of the crates during the transport or during stacking.
The above described crates may be plastic crates that comprise opposing end walls and opposing side walls extending from a bottom having a generally rectangular shape. The crates may also be formed from other materials, like wood, carton or the like. The crates may be so-called foldable crates, which means that the end walls and the side walls can be folded downward into the direction of the bottom. This allows the transport of empty crates in their folded state, for example to the fields, where the crop is harvested and directly put into the respective crates. This allows for shipping a high number of folded crates, using a minimum amount of transport capacity, thereby bringing the folded crates to the desired locations in an economical way. There are crates of different heights, i.e. some crates have walls extending from the bottom by a first distance, whereas others extend upward by a second distance that may be more than the first distance. The height of the crates, when being unfolded, depends on the products to be received therein and transported. The structure of the crate having the foldable walls may be such that the side walls when being folded downward onto the bottom may overlap. In such a case, to obtain a minimum possible height, conventional crates require a specific sequence of folding the respective wall portions. For example, first of all, the two end wall portions are to be folded onto the bottom and then a first of the two side walls is folded downward to rest on the folded-down end walls and then a second of the side walls is folded down afterwards. The respective side walls are configured in such a way that a minimum height of the folded crate is obtained without any parts extending beyond this height.
However, this approach is disadvantageous as it requires the user of a crate to be aware of how the crate is to be folded, i.e., the respective wall portions need to be folded in the correct way, otherwise the minimum height is not obtained and, in addition, elements of the wall portions may extend beyond the minimum height, thereby avoiding proper stacking of the folded crates. One solution to this problem is to provide a projection on the edge of the bottom extending upwardly from the bottom by a predefined distance, thereby ensuring that independent of the way the two side walls are folded, even in the "worst case", none of the parts of the side walls extend above the upper end of the projection. While this solves the problem regarding parts extending beyond the height of the folded crate, it increases, at the same time, the height of the folded crate and thereby limits the overall number of folded crates that can be stacked and shipped. While this may seem a minor problem when looking only at a single crate, one has to consider the situation that a high number of such crates is folded and shipped by being placed on respective pallets and the projection having the increased height as mentioned above, may result in a loss of transport capacity of about 15%.
The crates described above, which are foldable, further comprise a locking mechanism that ensures a secure connection of the side walls and the end walls in the unfolded state of the crate. At the same time, an easy to handle mechanism must be provided for releasing the latch when it is desired to fold the crate after all products have been removed and the crate is to be shipped back to the supplier, for example, for cleaning. Crates having foldable walls therefore comprise release mechanisms that act onto the latch elements provided for releasing the latch and thereby allowing folding downward the respective side walls. For example, the side walls may comprise respective receptacles formed at a lateral edge thereof, a lateral edge is being adjacent to the end walls. In the end walls movable latch mechanisms may be provided, for example, a hook that is biased into a downward direction and engages with the receptacle in the side wall upon bringing the respective walls into their upright position. For example, when moving a side wall from the bottom position to the upright position, the hook is lifted upon passing the elements of the side wall and then, due to the downward bias, the hook is received in the receptacle. For releasing the latch by means of the release mechanism, the hook is lifted, so that the latch elements are disengaged and the side wall can be folded downward into the direction of the bottom again.
These mechanisms provide an easy to handle way for unfolding the crate, however, the mechanisms, in general, are provided such that same can be actuated any time the crate is in the unfolded state. This is disadvantageous as it also allows actuating the release mechanism when a plurality of crates are stacked, for example on a pallet. In such a situation due to a shock or to an erroneous handling a latch mechanism of one or more of the crates inside the stack may be actuated, thereby unlocking the respective wall element, making the stack as a whole unstable. In the worst case, this may result in the collapse of the stack because one or more of the crates inside the stack may no longer provide the required stability for supporting the crates stacked on top thereof.
As mentioned above, the crates may be used for transporting foods, like vegetables, fruits and meat or the like. These products may require cooling and it is therefore desired to provide to the interior of the crate a cooling liquid, like ice-water or the like ensuring that the goods stay fresh and/or at a desired temperature. While the crates, in general, have openings in the side walls and the bottom for allowing the circulation of air, these openings may not be sufficient to allow a sufficient flow of cooling liquid into the interior of the crate, for example, when using ice-water, it may well be that ice particles are within the fluid stream which cannot pass the holes provided for air ventilation and, that may actually block the holes, thereby avoiding that the liquid reaches the interior of the crate.
US 5,582,296 A describes a stackable tray including a body formed of rigid plastics material and consisting of a bottom wall integrally formed with opposite side walls and opposite front and rear walls. The front wall defines an access area to allow removal of articles from the bottom wall when the tray is in a superposed stacked relationship with similarly constructed trays. The front wall has an upper edge defining an enclosed tubular section extending from side wall to side wall to reinforce the tray when in a stacked relationship with similarly constructed trays and to counteract sagging of the bottom wall due to weight of articles placed thereon.
US 3,327,896 describes a stacking container including a generally rectangular bottom wall bounded by upstanding side walls. The container has upper, upwardly presented stacking surfaces along the upper edges of two opposite side walls and lower, downwardly presented stacking surfaces at the underside of said bottom wall directly below said upper stacking surfaces. Metal reinforcing members including vertical load-bearing reinforcing rods extend between and into vertical supporting relation with the vertically aligned upper and lower stacking surfaces. The container can be stacked with other like containers one on top of the other to form a vertical container stack.
EP 2 072 411 A2 describes a foldable bulk container including a base and a plurality of walls surrounding the base. In use, the walls are adapted to fold down over the base. At least one of the walls includes reinforcing means in the form of a first elongate hollow being substantially parallel to the base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved crate which is less likely to be damaged.
This object is achieved by a crate of claim 1.
In accordance with embodiments the stiffening portion is U-shaped and extends in a central area of a side wall towards the lower edge. In embodiments of the invention, the stiffening portion extends towards the lower edge such that a distance to the lower edge is smaller than or equal to half the height of the side wall. Alternatively, the stiffening member may extend to the lower edge of the side wall.
Embodiments may include a continuous stiffening member having a plurality of stiffening portions extending towards the lower edge of the side wall. In such embodiments, the plurality of stiffening members may have the same or different distances to the lower edge of the side wall.
Embodiments of the invention may provide a crate that is made of plastic and the continuous stiffening member may be formed by water injection molding. The crate may be foldable such that the end walls and the side walls can be folded with respect to the bottom. Embodiments of the invention provide a crate that is formed of plastic and that is provided for receiving and/or transporting foods, like fruits, vegetables, meat and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1: is a perspective view of an exemplary crate;
Fig. 2: is a side view of the exemplary crate of Fig.1;
Fig. 3: is a schematic representation of one layer of a stack of exemplary crates provided in the 5-down configuration;
Fig. 4: shows a side wall of a crate having a modified stiffening member in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and
Figs. 5(a)-(c): show different configurations of the modified stiffening member of Fig. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary crate 100 comprising a bottom 102 that may comprise a plurality of openings 104. The crate 100 further comprises a first end wall 106a and a second end wall 106b being opposed to the first end wall 106a. Further, two opposing side walls 108a and 108b are provided opposite to each other. As can be seen, the side walls 108a and 108b are longer than the end walls 106a and 106b. In accordance with embodiments of the invention the side walls and end walls may be foldable towards the bottom 102 such that, for example, first of all the end walls 106a and 106b are folded onto the bottom and then the side walls 108a and 108b are folded towards the bottom. The dimension of the side walls in the height direction may be such that upon folding same towards the bottom, the side walls may overlap. The advantage of folding the side walls and end walls towards the bottom is that the remaining volume of the crate is minimal, so that in the folded state the crate occupies only a low height, so that a large number of empty crates may be stacked, for example onto a single pallet for transport. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the crate is made of plastic, thereby providing a low weight and a high stability for storage and/or transport applications. Besides the holes 104 in the bottom 102 also holes 110 are formed in the respective walls and provide vent holes. Further, larger holes 112a and 112b are provided in the upper part of the end walls 106a and 106b, the holes 112a and 112b defining grip holes. As can be seen, an upper edge 114a and 114b of the end walls may have an increased thickness thereby ensuring that carrying the crate when griping the grip holes 112a and 112b is secure and that a sufficient strength of the portion of the end wall above the grip holes is provided.
Fig. 2 shows a side view of the crate 100. In Fig. 2(a) the first side face 108a is shown that extends upward from the bottom 102. As mentioned above, in case the crate is a foldable crate, Fig. 2(a) shows the side wall 108a in its upright position or unfolded position. Further, a plurality of vent holes 110 is shown. The side wall 108a comprises a stiffening member 116 having a first part extending parallel to a first lateral edge 118 of the side wall 108a. The lateral edge 118 is, for example, adjacent to the first end face 106a shown in Fig. 1. The stiffening member 116 also extends parallel to a second lateral edge 120 of the side wall 108a wherein the second lateral edge 120 is adjacent to the second end wall 106b. The stiffening member further extends parallel to an upper edge 122 of the side wall 108a wherein the upper edge 122 is distant from a lower edge 124 that, in turn, is adjacent to the bottom 102. As is shown in Fig. 2(a), the stiffening member 116 is a continuous stiffening member that is, for example, obtained during molding the plastic side wall 108a, using the water injection molding process. The continuous stiffening member 116 extends, as mentioned above, parallel and adjacent to the first lateral edge, the upper edge and the second lateral edge in a manner as shown in Fig. 1, and the vent holes 110 are provided in an area of the side wall 108a that is surrounded by the stiffening member 116 and the lower edge 124.
Fig. 2(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the side wall 108a along the line b-b'. As can be seen, the stiffening member 116 has a hollow structure with a cavity 116a there between that is formed by the water injection molding process and provides for a member having a high stiffness with a reduced amount of material and thereby also with a reduced amount of weight.
The side wall structure shown in Fig. 2(a) is disadvantageous in situations where a plurality of crates are stacked in the above-mentioned 5-down configuration. Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of one layer of a stack of crates provided in the 5-down configuration. As can be seen, three crates 100a-100c are arranged side by side, i.e. side walls of the crates 100a-100c are adjacent. In addition, two further crates 100d and 100e are arranged adjacent to the end walls of the crates 100a-100c such that two end walls of the crates 100d and 100e are adjacent. Thus, as can be seen from Fig. 3, the shorter end walls of crates 100a-100c abut the longer side walls of the crates 100d and 100e, resulting in the above-mentioned problem that a force that acts onto the side walls of the crates 100d and 100e is high in a central part of the side wall and may result in damaging the crates100d and 100e in case of a movement of one or more of the crates 100a-100c due to a shock or the like. For example, upon stacking first the crates 100e and 100d are provided and then the further crates 100a-100c are added and during the arrangement of the additional crates 100a-100c they may impact onto the side walls of the crates 100d and 100e, resulting in a possible damaging of the side walls.
Thus, the stiffening structure of the side wall of the crate shown in Fig. 2(a) which works fine when the crates are arranged parallel to each other like the crates 100a-100c is disadvantageous in case of an arrangement of the crates as shown in Fig. 3.
Thus, in accordance with embodiments of the invention a modified stiffening member is provided. Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of such a modified stiffening member. Fig. 4 shows the side wall 108a having the modified stiffening member 126. Again, the stiffening member 126 has a first part 126a extending parallel and adjacent to the first lateral edge 118. A second part 126b of the modified stiffening member 126 extends parallel and adjacent to the second lateral edge. The modified stiffening member 126 is also a continuous stiffening member extending continuously from the lower left-hand corner of the side wall 108a along the lateral edge 118 and along the upper edge towards the second lateral edge and downward to the lower right-hand corner of the side wall 108a. The modified stiffening member 126 further comprises in a central area of the side wall 108a a U-shaped portion 128. The U-shaped portion 128 comprises two vertical stiffening member parts 126c and 126d, being substantially parallel to the parts 126a and 126b. Further, a part 126e is provided adjacent to the lower edge 124. In the left and right portions outside the central portion of the side wall 108a the modified stiffening member 126 comprises the parts 126f and 126g being arranged adjacent to the upper edge 122. As mentioned above, the modified stiffening member 126 is a continuous member, i.e. all parts 126a-136e are connected with each other, thereby forming the continuous member in a way as shown in Fig. 4. The vent holes 110 are provided in the left and right portions of the side wall with the stiffening member being provided between the vent holes and the lateral edges 118 and 120, respectively, the central area and the upper edge 122. In the central area the vent holes are provided with a stiffening member between the left and right portions and the lower edge 124. The arrangement of Fig. 4 provides for an increased stiffness of the side wall 108a and the central part, thereby avoiding damages in situations as described above when the plurality of crates are stacked in a 5-down configuration shown in Fig. 3.
Embodiments of the invention are not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4, rather different configurations of the modified stiffening member 126 may be provided. Such embodiments are now described with regard to Figs. 5(a) to (c). The respective figures show schematically the side wall 108a also described with regard to Fig. 4 with respective modified stiffening members 126. In embodiment shown in Fig. 5(a) the side wall comprises two U-shaped portions of the modified stiffening member, both of which extend all the way towards the lower edge. Fig. 5(b) shows a schematic representation of a different embodiment in accordance with which the U-shaped portion of the stiffening member only extends half the height of the side wall 108a down towards the lower edge. Fig. 5(c) shows a schematic representation of yet another embodiment using three U-shaped stiffening member portions with different "depths", i.e., extending by different amounts toward the lower edge of the side wall.
While embodiments described above refer to U-shaped stiffening member portions extending towards the lower edge it is noted that the invention is not limited to such embodiments. Rather, in accordance with further embodiments, the portion of the stiffening member extending in an area of the side wall away from the lateral edges toward the bottom may be different, for example the portion may be V-shaped or may have , if desired, also an unsymmetrical shape.
The above described embodiments are merely illustrative for the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and the details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. It is the intent, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the patent claims and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of embodiments herein.

Claims

A crate, comprising:
a bottom (102);

two end walls (106a, 106b); and

two side walls (108a, 108b),

wherein each of the side walls (108a, 108b) comprises a first lateral edge (118) adjacent to the first end wall (106a), a second lateral edge (120) adjacent to the second end wall (106b), a lower edge (124) adjacent to the bottom (102), and an upper edge (122) distant from the bottom (102),

wherein each side wall (108a, 108b) comprises a continuous stiffening member (126) extending parallel to the lateral edges (118, 120) and at least partly to the upper edge (124), and

wherein the continuous stiffening member (126) comprises a stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d) extending at least in one area between the lateral edges (118, 120) from the upper edge (122) in the direction towards the lower edge (124) and back to the upper edge (122),

characterized in that

each side wall (108a, 108b) comprises vent holes (110); and

the stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d) extends towards the lower edge (124) such that the vent holes (110) are provided between the upper edge (122) of the side wall (108a, 108b) and the stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d).
The crate of claim 1, wherein the stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d) is U-shaped and extends in a central area of the side wall (108a, 108b) toward the lower edge (124).
The crate of claims 1 or 2, wherein the stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d) extends towards the lower edge (124) such that a distance to the lower edge (124) is smaller than or equal to half the height of the side wall (108a, 108b).
The crate of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stiffening member (126) extends to the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b).
The crate of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the continuous stiffening member (126) comprises a plurality of stiffening portions extending towards the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b).
The crate of claim 5, wherein the plurality of stiffening portions have the same or different distances to the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b).
The crate of one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the crate is a plastic crate.
The crate of claim 7, wherein the continuous stiffening member (126) is formed by water injection molding.
The crate of one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the end walls (106a, 106b) and the side walls (108a, 108b) are configured to be foldable with respect to the bottom (102).
The crate of one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the crate is provided for receiving and/or transporting foods, for example fruits, vegetables, meat and the like.