EP2986522B1 - Transport container having an identification carrier - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a transport container according to the preamble of claim 1.

The DE 203 19 100 U1 shows as the closest prior art, a transport container having a cavity for receiving a smart card. Ribs press the smart card against the inner surface of the outer wall so that the Smartcard is fully against the outer wall. In addition, deformable locking lugs are provided on the transport container, which secure the smart card, however, undesirable to slip out of the cavity. Overcoming this deformation resistance, the smart card can be pulled out of the cavity. The cavity is open at the bottom, so that the smart card can be inserted from below into the cavity and pulled down out of the cavity. The actual wall surface of the outer wall is free in this way from an opening.

The identification tag, which is usually referred to as an RFID tag or as a transponder, has an electronic circuit in the form of a chip and an antenna. It is provided that the identification carrier is encapsulated on all sides in a housing, said housing independently is referred to by its dimensions as a so-called smart card or hard tag. Such smart cards are known either in a credit card sized format or as elongated sticks. This design ensures excellent moisture protection for the identification carrier, since it is encased inside the smart card on all sides and thus protected against water.

The double-walled wall portion of the transport container is not intended to provide a hermetically sealed cavity in which the label carrier is provided. Such cavities have the disadvantage that, in the case of deformations of the container wall, the hermetically sealed covering of the cavity can be torn open at seams, for example along weld seams. As a result, water can enter the cavity, which leads to a functional impairment when reading the identification carrier. In addition, by such unplanned and structurally unscheduled cracks of the transport container in particular are also affected hygienically, because the then accessible to bacteria and other contaminants cavities can not be cleaned well. Therefore, it is provided to arrange in the double-walled wall portion ribs between the inner wall and the outer wall, so that these ribs form a kind of spacer, because they are arranged such that these ribs define a receiving space which is used for receiving the smart card.

The electronic, wireless tag carriers are advantageous over adhesive labels, as they allow a machine identification of the transport container. For example, if the transport container serves as a fish box to contain freshly caught fish and ice, the tag carrier will be used to identify a specific fish box that has already been sold online while the fishing vessel is still on the high seas. The problem-free further readability of this identification carrier is therefore of considerable importance for the further handling and transport of the fish box.

In particular when used as a fish box, considerable requirements must be placed on the affixing of the identification carrier. On the one hand, a certain minimum distance from water must be maintained, since otherwise the readability of the identification carrier can be considerably impaired, depending on the radio frequency band of the identification carrier used. The proximity to fish with its high water content and also to the ice used for keeping fresh therefore represents an obstacle to the readability of the marking carrier.

Particularly in the field of the food industry, such as in the mentioned fish boxes, the problem-free and hygienic cleaning of the transport container is of great importance. The attachment of the marking carrier must allow such cleaning.

The equipment of the transport container with a marking carrier is not desired in every case and for every customer. It is therefore advantageous to design the transport container in such a way that it can be factory-equipped with as little effort as possible with or without a marking carrier. It is advantageous if a subsequent equipment of the transport container, for example, the customer can be done with a label carrier, for example, if a customer wants to change its existing transport container to a labeling system.

The invention has for its object to improve a generic transport container to the effect that this economically possible the optional design of the transport container with or without marking carrier as well as a secure reading of the electronic wireless identification carrier also allows when the transport container is filled with water or the filling has a high water content, and that a later replacement or subsequent retrofitting of the identification carrier is possible, the transport container easily and high hygienic standards can be cleaned satisfactorily.

This object is achieved by a transport container with the features of claim 1.

• In der Außenwand des doppelwandigen Wandabschnittes ist eine Einschuböffnung vorgesehen, durch die die Smart Card in den erwähnten Aufnahmeraum eingeschoben werden kann. Die Einschuböffnung ist allerdings zu dem Aufnahmeraum versetzt. Dabei geht der vorliegende Vorschlag von der Überlegung aus, dass die Smart Card elastisch verformt werden kann und unter elastischer Verformung von der Einschuböffnung bis in den Aufnahmeraum verbracht werden kann. Sollte die Smart Card keine ausreichende Verformbarkeit aufweisen, ist vorschlagsgemäß vorgesehen, dass ähnlich wie bei der genannten DE 203 19 100 U1 , welche verformbare Rastnasen aufweist, der Transportbehälter verformbar ausgestaltet ist, indem nämlich stattdessen die Außenwand, welche die Einschuböffnung aufweist, entsprechend elastisch verformbar ist, so dass jedenfalls die Smart Card trotz des Versatzes zwischen Einschuböffnung und Aufnahmeraum bis in den Aufnahmeraum eingebracht werden kann.

In other words, the invention proposes the following measures:

• In the outer wall of the double-walled wall portion an insertion opening is provided, through which the smart card can be inserted into the mentioned receiving space. However, the insertion opening is offset to the receiving space. The present proposal is based on the consideration that the smart card can be elastically deformed and can be moved under elastic deformation from the insertion opening into the receiving space. If the smart card does not have sufficient deformability, it is proposed that similar to the mentioned DE 203 19 100 U1 , Which has deformable locking lugs, the transport container is designed deformable, namely instead the outer wall, which has the insertion opening, is correspondingly elastically deformable, so that in any case the smart card despite the offset between the insertion opening and receiving space can be introduced into the receiving space.

When the smart card has been inserted into the receiving space, the offset between the receiving space and the insertion opening ensures that the smart card is now held captive in the receiving space and not without can come out again to the insertion opening and out of the insertion opening, so it can not be removed accidentally from the transport container.

• Unter Inkaufnahme der Verformung der Smart Card bzw. des Wandabschnittes, der die Einschuböffnung aufweist, kann unter Überwindung der entsprechenden Verformungskräfte die Smart Card aus dem Transportbehälter wieder entfernt werden. Sollte die Smart Card also beschädigt werden und der Kennzeichnungsträger nicht mehr auslesbar sein, kann problemlos der Kennzeichnungsträger ausgewechselt werden, so dass der Transportbehälter nach wie vor einsatzfähig gehalten werden kann. Zudem ist es möglich, die Transportbehälter, die zunächst ohne Kennzeichnungsträger ausgeliefert werden, später problemlos mit einem Kennzeichnungsträger zu bestücken, indem dieser einfach durch die Einschuböffnung bis in den Aufnahmeraum eingeschoben wird. Diese nachträgliche Bestückung kann entweder werkseitig erfolgen, beim Hersteller des Transportbehälters, so dass dieser auf Wunsch bereits fertig mit Kennzeichnungsträgern bestückte Transportbehälter ausliefert. Diese Bestückung mit Kennzeichnungsträgern kann jedoch auch später, beispielsweise nach einem mehrere Monate oder mehrere Jahre andauernden Gebrauch, beim Kunden erfolgen.

The function of the mentioned ribs as spacers ensures that no liquid film can form between the marking carrier and the adjacent outer wall or inner wall of the double-walled wall section, which could impair the readout of the identification carrier. Also in favor of a most complete and hygienic cleaning is advantageous that according to the proposal, the ribs create a distance of at least 1.5 mm between the smart card and the next adjacent portion of the inner wall and the outer wall, so that a cleaning using water jets is easily possible , In this position, the smart card is optimally protected against external impacts such as may occur during transport.

• By accepting the deformation of the smart card or the wall portion having the insertion opening, the smart card can be removed from the transport container, overcoming the corresponding deformation forces. Should the smart card therefore be damaged and the identification carrier no longer be readable, the identification carrier can be easily replaced, so that the transport container can still be kept operational. In addition, it is possible, the transport container, which are initially delivered without identification carrier, later easily equipped with a label carrier by this is simply inserted through the insertion opening into the receiving space. This subsequent assembly can be done either at the factory, the manufacturer of the transport container, so that this already delivered on request already equipped with identification carriers transport container. This assembly with identification carriers However, it can also be done later by the customer, for example after several months or several years of use.

Advantageously, the double-walled wall section may be provided on the transport container where, in any case, a mechanical reinforcement of the transport container is often provided, namely by providing an upper circumferential collar of the transport container. The receiving space is advantageously slightly increased, that is provided at a distance from the lower edge of the double-walled wall portion, so that the marking carrier is optimally protected mechanically. For example, even if by means of hook-like tools such a collar is grasped in order to lift in this way the transport container or to attract over a floor to itself. By the distance from the lower edge of the collar can be achieved that the smart card is located outside the point of application of such tools.

Advantageously, it can be provided that a rapid optical control is made possible, whether a marking carrier, ie a smart card, is provided in the transport container or not. For this purpose, advantageously, a recess in the double-walled wall portion may be provided, so that a view of the smart card is made possible by this recess forms a viewing window, which is provided in the double-walled wall portion.

If, as mentioned above, the double-walled wall section is advantageously designed in the form of the upper circumferential collar of the transport container, the mentioned viewing window can advantageously be located in a connecting web of the wall geometry of this double-walled wall section, ie in a lying section which connects the inner wall to the outer wall , This may, for example, the upper final surface of this substantially U-shaped, be downwardly open wall section, so that when you look from the top of the transport container immediately the presence of the smart card is recognizable.

The detection of the smart card within the transport container can be simplified in particular by the fact that the smart card has a deviating from the material of the transport container color. In this way, the detection of the presence of the smart card by optical means is possible, not only by machine, but also for each person in using or handling the transport container by simple visual inspection.

Advantageously, it can be provided that the smart card is designed as a flat body whose width and length are each greater than its thickness. The smart card is located in the receiving space such that the surface is upright. This allows the design and arrangement of an antenna of the identification carrier within the smart card, which is optimally readable in a reading direction, which is aligned as a surface normal. This orientation is contrary to many existing in practice electronic readout devices for RFID tags or transponders, so that the proposed transport container can be easily used in such an existing infrastructure. Advantageously, the arrangement of stacking surfaces can be provided in the transport container in a conventional manner. Such stacking surfaces are usually located within the area enclosed by the outer wall of the transport container, so that a transport container can be adjusted from above into a similar second transport container and stands on the stacking surfaces of the lower transport container, for example, about 3 cm below the upper edge of the transport container are located. In such an embodiment, it can be advantageously provided that the receiving space for the smart card is provided above the stacking surfaces, because here on the transport container a well-protected double-walled area is created, on which the smart card is well protected from mechanical damage, and here the greatest possible distance to the contents of the transport container is given, so that impairments in reading the identification carrier are avoided as possible.

Advantageously, it can be provided that the transporter is designed as a rotating stack container. This per se known from practice embodiment of containers means that in a first orientation two superimposed containers to a large extent overlap, by the upper container can dive very far into the lower container. This so-called "nesting" or "nesting" is used to reduce the required transport volume when a variety of empty transport containers to be handled. Turning the upper container 180 ° about its vertical axis, it can only be set with a lower degree of coverage in the lower container, for example, to stack two filled containers to each other, without requiring the lower container requires a lid, which has a footprint for would form the upper container. Rather, the upper container is placed on the stacking surfaces already mentioned above, which are provided on the lower container.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht von schräg oben auf einen Transportbehälter,

Fig. 2

in gegenüber Fig. 1 vergrößertem Maßstab eine perspektivische Ansicht auf den Bereich, in welchem ein Kennzeichnungsträger angeordnet ist,

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf den Bereich von Fig. 2,

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Ansicht auf den Bereich von Fig. 2 aus einer anderen Blickrichtung,

Fig. 5

eine Ansicht in das Innere des Transportbehälters,

Fig. 6

eine perspektivische Ansicht von unten auf den Transportbehälter,

Fig. 7

zwei ineinander gestapelte gleichartige Transportbehälter,

Fig. 8

zwei ineinander genestete gleichartige Transportbehälter, und

Fig. 9

eine perspektivische Ansicht von unten auf den Bereich von Fig. 2.

As already mentioned, a particularly advantageous application for the transport container designed according to the proposal can serve as a fish box in one application. Fish boxes have several features specifically adapted to their purpose, for example, a floor having elevated portions on which the fish rests as dry as possible, and several contrast deeper sections, for example in the form of grooves that serve to absorb liquid. An embodiment of a transport container will be explained in more detail with reference to the purely schematic representations. It shows

Fig. 1

a perspective view obliquely from above on a transport container,

Fig. 2

in opposite Fig. 1 enlarged scale a perspective view of the area in which a marking carrier is arranged,

Fig. 3

a top view of the area of Fig. 2 .

Fig. 4

a perspective view of the area of Fig. 2 from a different perspective,

Fig. 5

a view into the interior of the transport container,

Fig. 6

a perspective view from below of the transport container,

Fig. 7

two similar transport containers stacked in one another,

Fig. 8

two similar transport containers nested in one another, and

Fig. 9

a perspective view from below of the area of Fig. 2 ,

In the drawings, a total of 1 denotes a transport container, which is designed as a fish box. The transport container 1 has a double-walled wall section 2, which is configured as the upper circumferential collar of the transport container 1. The wall portion 2 is closed at the top by a lying aligned connecting web 3, which connects an inner wall 4 and an outer wall 5 of the double-walled wall portion 2 together. In the connecting web 3, a plurality of drain holes 6 is provided, can run through the rinse water when the transport container 1 is upside down flushed with water while the water penetrates into the double-walled wall section 2. The inner wall 4 extends beyond the double-walled wall portion 2 down and forms the side walls of the Transport container 1 and also goes in one piece in the bottom of the transport container 1.

The double-walled wall section 2 has an insertion opening 7, through which a smart card 8 can be inserted into the double-walled wall section 2. Like from the Fig. 2 and 3 it can be seen, the insertion opening 7 is staggered to a receiving space 9, which is provided between the inner wall 4 and the outer wall 5 of the wall portion 2. How out Fig. 2 is further shown, the smart card 8 is designed as an elongate flat rod, which is indeed aligned with its entire length lying, but is aligned edgewise with its surface in the receiving space 9 due to its flat configuration.

Inside the transport container 1, a stacking surface 10 is provided, in which an outwardly leading gutter 11 is provided. The outer mouth of this gutter 11 is in Fig. 1 and 2 seen.

In Fig. 3 is also apparent that drain holes 6 are not only provided in the connecting web 3, but also on the stacking surface 10 and even deeper, namely in the container bottom. This container bottom has raised bearing surfaces 12 and adjoining grooves 14, on the liquid, for. As melt water from the ice, run through the drain holes 6 and can be performed from the transport container 1, so that the fish located in the transport container 1 can be stored as dry as possible.

Purely by way of example is particular Fig. 3 clearly visible that the receiving space 9 may be limited by guide webs 15, so that the smart card when it is first inserted into the insertion opening 7, automatically guided and deformed by such guide webs until the smart card 8 completely arrived in the receiving space 9 is. There the smart card 8 can then be held tension-free, so that they are all around no surfaces of the transport box 1 constantly and under tension. Rather, a loose recording of the smart card 8 in the receiving space 9 is ensured in this way, so that the smart card 8 can be washed when cleaning the transport container 1 on all sides of the rinse water.

The 3 and 4 show that in the connecting web 3, a large-area recess is provided, which not only serves as a drain hole 6, but in particular creates a viewing window 16, through which the smart card 8 is visible from above on the transport container 1. Conversely, the lack of a marking carrier can accordingly be determined at a glance, if no smart card 8 can be seen through the viewing window 16.

Fig. 5 shows a view into the interior of the transport container 1, with the support surface 12, which rises increasingly from the container center to the front end of the transport container 1 towards the circumferentially provided grooves 14.

Fig. 6 shows a view from below of the transport container 1. It can be seen that the double-walled wall portion 2 is open at the bottom, so that here rinse water can be injected into the double-walled wall portion 2, which can then drain through the drain holes 6. By this downwardly open configuration of the double-walled wall portion 2, it is also possible to detect the smart card 8, either manually or mechanically, and to deform the smart card 8 and push out of the insertion opening 7 of the double-walled wall section 2. In this way, a defective marking carrier can be replaced or, for example, tag carriers can be replaced if writable label carriers are to be used, the then customer-specific, for example, with certain information has been described.

Furthermore, it is off Fig. 6 It can be seen that the transport container 1 is equipped at its two opposite ends with so-called columns 17. These columns 17 are arranged offset to one another, such that the two columns have at one end face a different distance from one another compared to the two columns 17 on the opposite end face of the transport container 1. As a result, the transport container 1 is designed as a so-called rotating stack container, as based on FIGS. 7 and 8 In the arrangement of two similar transport container 1 one above the other, in which both transport containers are aligned offset from one another, the transport container 1 according to Fig. 7 stacked in each other. Namely, the offset means that the columns 17 of the lower transport container 1 each have a different distance from each other than the columns 17 at the front end of the upper transport container 1, which is located above the front end of the lower transport container 1. The columns 17 of the upper transport container 1 are therefore on stacking surfaces 10 of the lower transport container 1.

If the upper transport container 1 with respect to the stacking arrangement, as in Fig. 7 is shown, pivoted about 180 ° about its vertical axis, so are located at the same front end of this container assembly each column 17 on top of each other, which have the same to each other. As a result, the transport container 1 and its columns 17 dive into one another, so that a particularly high degree of coverage of the two transport containers 1 is achieved, namely until the double-walled wall section 2 of the upper transport container 1 touches the double-walled wall section 2 of the lower transport container 1. This nested arrangement of the two transport container 1 allows the most space-saving transport of the largest possible number of empty transport container. 1

Fig. 9 shows the double-walled wall portion 2 in perspective from below: the receiving space 9 is limited by a plurality of guide ribs 15, so that the smart card 8 is framed almost on all sides, namely at its two longitudinal sides and at its remote from the insertion opening 7 front end. The guide webs 15 extend only over a small portion of the height of the smart card 8. Only to the insertion opening 7 out of the receiving space 9 is open, but it is offset to the insertion opening 7, so that the smart card 8 is not deformation-free from the receiving space 9 and removed from the transport container 1 through the insertion opening 7 or unintentionally herausgeraten from the transport container 1.

The top right in Fig. 9 apparent guide bar 15 extends arcuately from the smart card 8 to the outside on the outer wall 5 and thus provides a space that allows first threading the smart card 8 in the receiving space 9 when the smart card 8 from the insertion opening 7 forth in the receiving space 9 is inserted. Even later, if the smart card 8 is to be removed from the transport container 1, the curved course of this guide web 15 provides the necessary space to bend the smart card 8 and to move to the insertion opening 7 can.

Some of a plurality of ribs 18 extending transversely between the inner wall 4 and the outer wall 5 are also provided in the double-walled wall portion 2. The guide webs 15 also represent ribs, which, however, extend only over a small portion of the height of the smart card 8. Therefore, the larger ribs 18 have slots which also define the receiving space 9 and through which the smart card 8 extends. The ribs 18 limit the receiving space 9 down and ensure that the smart card 8 can not fall down from the receiving space 9, and that it keeps a sufficient distance to the inner wall 4 and to the outer wall 5. This distance of at least 1.5 mm ensures that no water film can form between the smart card 8 and the adjacent inner wall 4 or outer wall 5, which could impair radio transmission to the smart card 8.

Deviating from the illustrated embodiment may be less than those in Fig. 9 shown guide webs 15 may be provided. However, the number and length of the illustrated guide webs 15 advantageously ensures that the smart card 8 is reliably guided through the slots of the ribs 18 and does not abut with its front end against the ribs 18 when introduced into the transport container 1 or removed therefrom shall be.

Claims (9)

1. Transport container (1) with double-walled wall section (2) comprising an inner wall (4) and an outer wall (5) and with an electronic wireless identification carrier, where the identification carrier is sealed on all sides into a housing which is formed as a so-called smart card (8), where ribs (18) are provided in the double-walled section (2) between the inner wall (4) and the outer wall (5), which ribs (18) form the limits of a retaining cavity (9) for receiving the smart card (8),
   characterised in that the outer wall (5) has an insertion opening (7) which is offset in relation to the retaining cavity (9), where the outer wall (5) and/or the smart card (8) are elastically pliable,
   in such a way that, by virtue of this elastic pliability, the smart card (8) can be pushed through the insertion opening (7) and introduced into the retaining cavity (9) and is then held safely in the retaining cavity (9) in a slightly deformed state in relation to it, where the ribs (18) create a gap of at least 1,5 mm between the smart card (8) and the adjacent sections of the inner wall (4) and the outer wall (5).
2. Transport container in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the double-walled section (2) forms a collar running around the top of the transport container (1) and that the retaining cavity (9) is provided at a distance from the lower edge of the double-walled wall section (2).
3. Transport container in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that a recess is provided in the double-walled wall section (2) in the area of the retaining cavity (9) which recess forms a window (16) allowing the smart card (8) in the retaining cavity (9) to be viewed.
4. Transport container in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that the double-walled wall section (2) forms a collar running around the top of the transport container (1) which has a substantially U-shaped cross section open at the bottom, where the viewing window (16) is provided in a horizontal connecting strip (3) joining the inner wall (4) with the outer wall (5).
5. Transport container in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the smart card (8) is of a colour different from that of the material of the transport container (1).
6. Transport container in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the smart card (8) is designed as a flat body whose width and length are each greater than its thickness, where the smart card (8) is held in the retaining cavity (9) in such a way that it is aligned upright by the surface tension effected by the width and the length of the smart card (8).
7. Transport container in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterised in that horizontal projections described as stacking surfaces (10) are provided on which a second transport container (1) of the same type can be placed while maintaining a usable amount of transport space in the first container (1) and where the retaining cavity (9) is provided above the stacking surfaces (10).
8. Transport container in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transport container (1) is designed as a stack and nest container in such a way that two transport containers (1) of the same type stacked on top of one another can be stacked in a first alignment while maintaining a usable amount of transport space in the transport container (1) stacked beneath,
   in such a way that the upper transport container (1) projects upwards beyond the lower container (1) by more than half its own height and that the upper transport container (1) can be "nested" in a second container in an alignment rotated by 180° around its vertical axis in such a way that the upper transport container (1) projects into the lower container (1) by more than half its own height.
9. Transport container in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transport container (1) is designed as a fish box.

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