EP3015391B1 - Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce - Google Patents
Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3015391B1 EP3015391B1 EP14190700.6A EP14190700A EP3015391B1 EP 3015391 B1 EP3015391 B1 EP 3015391B1 EP 14190700 A EP14190700 A EP 14190700A EP 3015391 B1 EP3015391 B1 EP 3015391B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- crate
- side boards
- support beams
- bottom plate
- boards
- 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.)
- Not-in-force
Links
- 239000002023 wood Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 description 28
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000013399 edible fruits Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- 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
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/0235—Containers stackable in a staggered configuration
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- 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
- B65D9/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of wood or substitutes therefor
- B65D9/06—Boxes or crates of polygonal cross-section
-
- 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
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/30—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
- B65D85/34—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure for fruit, e.g. apples, oranges or tomatoes
Definitions
- the present invention relates to crates for agricultural and horticultural produce, such as for example fruit, vegetables, flower bulbs, etc.
- a commonly used type of wooden crate for storing and transporting agricultural and horticultural produce is composed of a bottom plate arranged at the bottom side of the crate, four support beams each arranged in one of the four corners of the crate, and eight side boards arranged per two on each of the four side faces of the crate.
- the side boards and the bottom plate enclose a storage space for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein, which agricultural and horticultural produce may be introduced and removed from the crate through an opening at the top side of the crate.
- the support beams extend upwards from the bottom plate in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom plate, and have an height of approximately 20 cm. Normally, the support beams have a right-angled triangular cross section with the right angles arranged in the corners of the crate. However, the support beams can also have other shapes such as for example a square cross section.
- the support beams are provided for supporting one or more crates stacked on top of the crate.
- the two side boards on each side face of the crate extend in their longitudinal direction between the support beams arranged at the edges of each of the side faces, and are arranged with their width direction along the height direction of the crate. At their ends the side boards are attached to the support beams, for example by means of staples.
- the two side boards on each side face are arranged substantially parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other.
- the lowest one of the two side boards on each side face of the crate, thus the lower side board is arranged with a lower edge near the bottom plate of the crate, and preferably touching the bottom plate with said lower edge.
- the lower side boards are attached to the bottom plate, for example by means of staples.
- the highest of the two side boards on each side face of the crate, thus the upper side board is positioned such that an upper edge of the upper side board is located at a distance of at most 14,0 cm from the bottom plate.
- the side boards all have the same width in the range of 5,0-6,0 cm, a length approximately equal to the length of the side face they are arranged on, and a thickness in the range of 3.0-4.0 mm. All of the lower side boards are arranged at approximately the same distance from the bottom plate, and likewise for the upper side boards. Usually, the side boards are manufactured from wood veneer.
- the bottom plate has a rectangular shape with a length of approximately 50 cm, a width of approximately 30 cm and a thickness of approximately 3 mm. Usually, the bottom plate is manufactured from hardboard.
- the support beams having a height of approximately 20 cm and the upper side boards having their upper edge positioned at a distance of at most 14,0 cm from the bottom plate, there remains a relatively large empty space above the storage space of the crate which is not used for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein.
- the agricultural and horticultural produce in the crate may protrude from the storage space into this space, but only to a limited extent, otherwise the agricultural and horticultural produce could fall out of the crate.
- approximately 30% of the volume of the crate is mostly not used for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein.
- the present invention provides a crate for agricultural and horticultural produce, the crate comprising:
- the crate of the present invention By providing the crate of the present invention with the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement, the crate is reinforced and thereby provided with additional strength.
- the at least one reinforcement provides a more rigid and sturdy crate.
- the crate of the present invention is used for stacking several of the crates on top of each other, each crate thereby supporting on the support beams of the crate below it, the weight of the crates and the agricultural and horticultural produce stored in the crates has to be carried by the support beams. Most of the forces of this weight are exerted on a top side of the support beams located at the top side of the crate and at a bottom side of the support beams located at the bottom side of the crate. The inventors found that at the bottom side of the support beams, these forces are transferred beneficially along the lower side boards which are attached close to the bottom side of the support beams, thereby reducing the load on the support beams.
- the lower side boards also prevent the support beams to which they are attached from being pulled apart as a result of the forces on the bottom side of the support beams.
- the upper side boards are attached to the support beams at least at an attachment position close to the upper edge of the upper side boards, such that the upper side boards hold the support beams together at a position as close as possible to the top side of the support beams.
- the inventors have found that a trade-off has to be made between a first requirement of further reinforcing the crate by moving the upper edge closer to the top side of the support beams and a second requirement of preventing agricultural and horticultural produce from falling out of the crate through the gap between the upper side boards and the lower side boards below by limiting the size of the gap, thus reducing the distance between the upper side boards and the lower side boards.
- the inventors have found that by positioning the upper edge of the upper side boards at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm or in any of the other preferred ranges, an optimal and beneficial trade-off is reached between said two requirements.
- Providing the crate of the present invention with the first reinforcement also has the advantage that no additional material is needed to provide the crate with additional strength.
- the crate of the present invention even uses less material because of the lower height of the support beams. Therefore, the crate of the present invention is more economical and ecological to manufacture.
- Providing the crate with side boards with a larger width, such as described for the second reinforcement, has the advantage that the bending modulus is increased. This makes the side boards more stronger and suitable to withstand the forces on the support beams. Hence, the second reinforcement provides a stronger crate by providing the side boards with an increased strength.
- Providing the crate with both the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement as defined in claim 1 has the advantage that the contribution of the first reinforcement to the strength of the crate and the contribution of the second reinforcement to the strength of the crate are combined, resulting in a stronger crate which is able to support larger loads.
- the width of the upper side boards and the lower side boards and the position of the upper side boards and the lower side boards along the height direction of the support beams and with respect to each other should be chosen such that there is no overlap between the upper side boards and the lower side boards at the different side faces of the crate.
- the side faces of the crate which are oriented along the width direction of the crate are referred to in this document as the short side faces of the crate, whereas the side faces of the crate which are oriented along the length direction of the crate, are referred to in this document as the long side faces of the crate.
- the upper side boards and the lower side boards are attached to the support beams at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of the side boards.
- Attaching the lower side boards and the upper side boards to the support beams at a plurality of attachment positions which are distributed along the width direction of the side boards, has the advantage that the transfer of the forces on the support beams to the side boards is divided over the plurality of attachment positions. This beneficially reduces the load on the individual attachment means provided at each attachment position for attaching the side boards to the support beams, such that said attachment means are less likely to break the connection between the side boards and the support beams.
- the attachment positions being distributed along the width direction of the side boards has the advantage that the side boards are holding the support beams together over the entire width direction of the side boards, thereby further preventing any movement of the support beams with respect to each other and with respect to the side boards, and thus further preventing the support beams from being pulled apart as a result of the forces on the support beams.
- this effect is even increased for the at least one side board having a larger width than the remaining side boards, because it is attached to a larger part of the support beams compared to the remaining side boards.
- the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, and said two upper side boards are arranged on opposing side faces of the crate.
- Providing the crate of the present invention has the advantage that two opposing side faces of the crate are reinforced according to the first reinforcement, while it is still possible to stack two of the crates upside down on top of each other without increasing the height of the stack compared to a similar stack of crates of the state of the art.
- empty crates are not stacked on top of each other by supporting each crate with its support beams on the support beams of the crate below.
- the empty crates are paired by two, and each pair of crates is oriented such that the two crates are facing each other, hence with one of the crates oriented up side down with respect to the other and with the support beams aligned with each other.
- the crates are shifted with respect to each other in the length direction of the crates, such that the crates can be slid into each other with the support beams arranged at one of the short side faces of each crate positioned outside the other crate, and with the support beams arranged at the opposing short side face positioned inside the other crate.
- the two crates support onto each other with the upper side boards arranged on the long side faces of the crates.
- Another possibility is to shift the crates with respect to each other in the width direction of the crates, such that the crates can be slid into each other with the support beams arranged at one of the long side faces of each crate positioned outside the other crate, and with the support beams arranged at the opposing long side face positioned inside the other crate.
- the two crates support onto each other with the upper side boards arranged on the short faces of the crates.
- all the paired crates which are slid into each other are then stacked on top of each other.
- the total height of the two crates which are slid into each other is determined by the distance from the bottom plate of the upper edge of the upper side boards with which the two crates are supporting onto each other.
- the two upper side boards are arranged on short side faces of the crate, which short side faces are the side faces of the crate along the width direction of the crate.
- Positioning the upper edge of the upper side boards arranged on the short side faces at a larger distance from the bottom plate while the upper edge of the upper side boards arranged on the long side faces are arranged at a smaller distance from the bottom plate, has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is still readily accessible from the longest of the side faces of the crate, without thereby being hindered by the upper side boards arranged on those side faces.
- This also has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is better visible from the longest of the side faces of the crate, which is for example beneficial for inspecting the agricultural and horticultural produce in stacked crates.
- the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- Providing all the side boards of the crate of the present invention with a larger width, as compared to the width of the side boards of the crate of the state of the art, has the advantage that all the side boards are provided with an increased strength, such that all side boards add to the total strength of the crate of the present invention.
- Providing all the side boards of the crate of the present invention with a larger width, as compared to the width of the side boards of the crate of the state of the art, has the advantage that the gap between the upper side board and the lower side board on all side faces of the crate is reduced in size because of the larger width of the side boards, such that agricultural and horticultural produce is prevented from falling out of the crate through those gaps.
- Providing the crate with both the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement has the advantage that the contribution of the first reinforcement to the strength of the crate and the contribution of the second reinforcement to the strength of the crate are combined, resulting in a stronger crate which is able to support larger loads.
- the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, said two upper side boards are arranged on opposing side faces of the crate, and the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, said two upper side boards are arranged on short side faces of the crate, which short side faces are the side faces of the crate along the width direction of the crate, and the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,
- the bottom plate, the support beams, the upper side boards and the lower side boards comprise a material selected from the list consisting of wood and plastic, and preferably wood.
- the bottom plate preferably comprises hardboard, but may also comprise wood veneer, triplex, Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF), or other wood based boards known by the person skilled in the art.
- MDF Medium-Density Fibreboard
- the upper side boards an the lower side boards preferably comprise wood veneer, but may also comprise hardboard, triplex, MDF, sawn wood, or wood based boards known by the person skilled in the art.
- the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the crate for agricultural and horticultural produce of the present invention, the method comprising the steps of:
- top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.
- Figures 1 , 3 and 5 show a crate 1 known from the state of the art.
- Figure 1 shows the crate 1 in a perspective view from above
- Figure 3 shows the crate 1 in a side view looking at one of the short side faces 8 of the crate 1
- Figure 5 shows two of the crates 1 stacked upside down on top of each other.
- Figures 2 , 4 and 6 shows a crate 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- Figure 2 shows the crate 1 in a perspective view from above
- Figure 4 shows the crate 1 in a side view looking at one of the short side faces 8 of the crate 1
- Figure 6 shows two of the crates 1 stacked upside down on top of each other.
- both the crate 1 known from the state of the art and the crate 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprise one bottom plate 2, four support beams 3, four upper side boards 4 and four lower side boards 6.
- the bottom plate 2 has a rectangular shape and is arranged at the bottom side of the crate 1.
- the support beams 3 are arranged in the corners of the bottom plate 2, thereby extending upwards from the bottom plate 2 in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate 2.
- the lower side boards 6 are arranged on the side faces 8, 9 of the crate 1, with their lower edge 7 located near the bottom plate 2. At their lower edge 7, the lower side boards 6 are attached to the bottom plate 2 by means of attachment means 10, more specifically staples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the length direction of the lower side boards 6. At their ends along their length direction, the lower side boards 6 are attached to the support beams 3 which are arranged on the same side face 8,9 on which the lower side board 6 is arranged. Thereby, the lower side boards 6 are attached to the support beams 3 by means of attachment means 10, more specifically staples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of the lower side boards 6.
- the upper side boards 4 are arranged on the side faces 8, 9 above the lower side boards 6 and parallel to the lower side boards 6. At their ends along their length direction, the upper side boards 4 are attached to the support beams 3 which are arranged on the same side face 8,9 on which the upper side board 4 is arranged. Thereby, the upper side boards 4 are attached to the support beams 3 by means of attachment means 10, more specifically staples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of the upper side boards 4.
- the upper side boards 4, the lower side boards 6 and the bottom plate 2 of the crate 1 together enclose a storage space for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein.
- an opening for inserting and removing agricultural and horticultural produce in/from the crate 1 is formed between the support beams 3 and the upper side boards 4.
- the bottom plate 2 is a rectangular hardboard with a length of approximately 50 cm, a width of approximately 30 cm and a thickness of approximately 3 mm.
- the upper side boards 4 and the lower side boards 6 are boards of wood veneer with a thickness of approximately 3-4 mm.
- the side boards 4, 6 have approximately the same length as the length of the side face 8,9 of the crate 1 on which they are arranged.
- the side boards 4, 6 which are arranged on the short side faces 8 of the crate 1 have a length of approximately 30 cm
- the side boards 4, 6 which are arranged on the long side faces 9 of the crate 1 have a length of approximately 50 cm.
- the side boards 4, 6 of the crate 1 known from the state of the art all have a width of approximately 5,5 cm, whereas the side boards 4, 6 of the crate 1 according to the present invention all have, according to the second reinforcement of the present invention, a larger width preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- the larger width provides the side boards 4, 6 with a larger bending modulus and thus a larger strength, such that the strength of the crate 1 of the present invention is increased.
- the lower side boards 6 are arranged with their lower edge 7 near the bottom plate 2, as described above, and thereby all lower side boards 6 are located at the same distance from the bottom plate 2.
- all the upper side boards 4 are located with their upper edge 5 at a distance from the bottom plate of approximately 14 cm.
- the upper side boards 4, which are arranged on the long side faces 9 of the crate 1 are located with their upper edge 5 at a distance from the bottom plate 2 of approximately 14 cm
- the upper side boards 4, which are arranged on the short side faces 8 of the crate 1 are located, according to the first reinforcement of the present invention, at a larger distance from the bottom plate 2 of approximately 16 cm.
- the support beams 3 are wooden beams with a right-angled triangular cross section of which the legs, i.e. the sides adjacent to the right angle, have a length of approximately 3 cm.
- the support beams 3 are positioned in the corners of the bottom plate 2, such that the right angle of the cross section of the support beams 3 is located in the corners of the bottom plate 2.
- the support beams 3 of the crate 1 known from the state of the art have a height of approximately 20 cm, whereas the support beams 3 of the crate according the present invention have a lower height of approximately 18 cm.
- the lower height of the support beams 3 of the crate 1 according to the present invention has the advantage that more of the crates 1 can be stacked on top of each other with each crate 1 supporting on the support beams 3 of the crate 1 below it, as compared to a stack of the crates 1 known from the state of the art, which is stacked in a similar way, and which has approximately the same height.
- a standard intermodal container it is possible to stack twelve of the crates 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention on top of each other, whereas with the crates 1 known from the state of the art it is only possible to stack eleven crates 1 on top of each other.
- Figures 5 and 6 respectively show how two empty crates 1 known from the state of the art and two empty crates 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention are stacked upside down on top of each other.
- the two crates 1 are oriented upside down with respect to each other, thus oriented such that the top sides of the two crates 1 are facing each other.
- the two crates 1 are aligned with each other such that the side boards 4, 6 on the long side faces 8,9 of the two crates are located in the same plane.
- the two crates 1 are shifted with respect to each other, such that the support beams 3 arranged at one of the short side faces 8 of each crate 1 are positioned just outside the other crate 1, and such that the support beams 3 arranged at the opposing short side face 8 are positioned just inside the other crate 1.
- the two crates 1 support onto each other with the upper side boards 4 arranged on the long side faces 9 of the two crates 1.
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- Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to crates for agricultural and horticultural produce, such as for example fruit, vegetables, flower bulbs, etc.
- A commonly used type of wooden crate for storing and transporting agricultural and horticultural produce, as can be seen in
Figures 1 and3 , is composed of a bottom plate arranged at the bottom side of the crate, four support beams each arranged in one of the four corners of the crate, and eight side boards arranged per two on each of the four side faces of the crate. The side boards and the bottom plate enclose a storage space for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein, which agricultural and horticultural produce may be introduced and removed from the crate through an opening at the top side of the crate. - The support beams extend upwards from the bottom plate in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom plate, and have an height of approximately 20 cm. Normally, the support beams have a right-angled triangular cross section with the right angles arranged in the corners of the crate. However, the support beams can also have other shapes such as for example a square cross section. The support beams are provided for supporting one or more crates stacked on top of the crate.
- The two side boards on each side face of the crate extend in their longitudinal direction between the support beams arranged at the edges of each of the side faces, and are arranged with their width direction along the height direction of the crate. At their ends the side boards are attached to the support beams, for example by means of staples. The two side boards on each side face are arranged substantially parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other. The lowest one of the two side boards on each side face of the crate, thus the lower side board, is arranged with a lower edge near the bottom plate of the crate, and preferably touching the bottom plate with said lower edge. The lower side boards are attached to the bottom plate, for example by means of staples. The highest of the two side boards on each side face of the crate, thus the upper side board, is positioned such that an upper edge of the upper side board is located at a distance of at most 14,0 cm from the bottom plate.
- The side boards all have the same width in the range of 5,0-6,0 cm, a length approximately equal to the length of the side face they are arranged on, and a thickness in the range of 3.0-4.0 mm. All of the lower side boards are arranged at approximately the same distance from the bottom plate, and likewise for the upper side boards. Usually, the side boards are manufactured from wood veneer.
- The bottom plate has a rectangular shape with a length of approximately 50 cm, a width of approximately 30 cm and a thickness of approximately 3 mm. Usually, the bottom plate is manufactured from hardboard.
- With the support beams having a height of approximately 20 cm and the upper side boards having their upper edge positioned at a distance of at most 14,0 cm from the bottom plate, there remains a relatively large empty space above the storage space of the crate which is not used for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein. The agricultural and horticultural produce in the crate may protrude from the storage space into this space, but only to a limited extent, otherwise the agricultural and horticultural produce could fall out of the crate. Thus, with an height difference of at least 6,0 cm between the top sides of the support beams and the upper edges of the upper side boards, approximately 30% of the volume of the crate is mostly not used for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein.
- When the crates are transported by means of a truck, this relatively large amount of unused space is less of a problem, because mostly the trucks are already loaded up to their maximum weight or load capacity when filled completely with crates which are filled with agricultural and horticultural produce. Nowadays, however, more and more of the transport of agricultural and horticultural produce is done with intermodal containers on boats, trains, trucks for intermodal containers, etc. With these intermodal containers, the large amount of empty space is a disadvantage, because the intermodal containers can carry more weight. Thus, even when completely filled with crates containing agricultural and horticultural produce, the intermodal containers are not filled up to their maximum weight capacity. Hence, with the crates the available storage space in transportation means such as intermodal containers, trucks, etc. is not efficiently used.
- When using support beams with a lower height, more crates can be stacked on top of each other. This, however has the disadvantage that the crates at the bottom of the stack of crates are not able to carry the weight of the additional crates stacked on top of them, which causes them to collapse, thereby damaging the agricultural and horticultural produce stored therein. The collapse of the crates at the bottom of the stack may also cause the collapse of the entire stack of crates, thereby damaging all agricultural and horticultural produce stored in the crates of the stack, and thereby possibly also damaging the people and objects in the surroundings of the stack of crates.
- It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved crate for storing and transporting agricultural and horticultural produce with a lower height which is suitable for carrying more weight.
- This aim is achieved according to the invention with a crate for agricultural and horticultural produce showing the technical characteristics of the characterising part of the first claim.
- Therefore, the present invention provides a crate for agricultural and horticultural produce, the crate comprising:
- a bottom plate which has a generally rectangular shape, which is arranged at the bottom side of the crate, which has a width in the range of 20-40 cm, preferably in the range of 25-35 cm, more preferably in the range of 28-32 cm, even more preferably in the range of 29-31 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 30 cm, and which has a length in the range of 40-60 cm, preferably in the range of 45-55 cm, more preferably in the range of 48-52 cm, even more preferably in the range of 49-51 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 50 cm;
- an upright support beam arranged in each corner of the bottom plate, extending upwards from the bottom plate in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom plate, and provided for supporting other crates stacked onto the crate;
- a lower side board, which is arranged on each side face of the crate and positioned such that a lower edge of the lower side board is located near the bottom plate, and wherein each lower side board is attached, preferably at its ends along its length direction, to the support beams on the corresponding side face; and
- an upper side board, which is arranged on each side face of the crate above and generally parallel to the lower side board arranged on the corresponding side face, and wherein each upper side board is attached, preferably at its ends along its length direction, to the support beams on the corresponding side face, preferably at least at an attachment position close to the upper edge of the upper side board, and more preferably at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of the upper side board;
- a first reinforcement, wherein two of the upper side boards are positioned such that upper edges of the upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, and wherein the remaining upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of the remaining upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate of at most 14,0 cm, and
- a second reinforcement, wherein all side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- By providing the crate of the present invention with the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement, the crate is reinforced and thereby provided with additional strength. This has the advantage that the crate of the present invention is able to support the extra weight of additional crates stacked thereon, without the risk of collapsing and thereby possibly damaging the agricultural and horticultural produce stored in the crate or any objects or persons in the surroundings of the crate. Hence, the at least one reinforcement provides a more rigid and sturdy crate.
- Because the crate of the present invention is used for stacking several of the crates on top of each other, each crate thereby supporting on the support beams of the crate below it, the weight of the crates and the agricultural and horticultural produce stored in the crates has to be carried by the support beams. Most of the forces of this weight are exerted on a top side of the support beams located at the top side of the crate and at a bottom side of the support beams located at the bottom side of the crate. The inventors found that at the bottom side of the support beams, these forces are transferred beneficially along the lower side boards which are attached close to the bottom side of the support beams, thereby reducing the load on the support beams. From this beneficial position close to the bottom side of the support beams, the lower side boards also prevent the support beams to which they are attached from being pulled apart as a result of the forces on the bottom side of the support beams. In the crate of the state of the art, however, there are at the top side of the support beams no means such as the lower side boards to reduce the load on the support beams and to prevent the support beams from being pulled apart.
- Therefore it is beneficial to position two of the upper side boards with its upper edge at a larger distance from the bottom plate, hence closer to the top side of the support beams, such as described for the first reinforcement. Thereby, the support beams which are arranged at the side face of the crate where the upper side boards are arranged are held together at a position closer to the top side of the support beams. This is advantageous for reducing the load on the support beams resulting from forces at the top side of the support beams, and for preventing the support beams from being pulled apart. For this reason it is also advantageous that the upper side boards are attached to the support beams at least at an attachment position close to the upper edge of the upper side boards, such that the upper side boards hold the support beams together at a position as close as possible to the top side of the support beams.
- In the positioning of the upper edge of the upper side boards, however, the inventors have found that a trade-off has to be made between a first requirement of further reinforcing the crate by moving the upper edge closer to the top side of the support beams and a second requirement of preventing agricultural and horticultural produce from falling out of the crate through the gap between the upper side boards and the lower side boards below by limiting the size of the gap, thus reducing the distance between the upper side boards and the lower side boards. The inventors have found that by positioning the upper edge of the upper side boards at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm or in any of the other preferred ranges, an optimal and beneficial trade-off is reached between said two requirements.
- Not positioning the upper edge all the way at the top side of the support beams, also has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is more readily accessible from all sides of the crate, without thereby being hindered by the upper side boards.
- Providing the crate of the present invention with the first reinforcement, also has the advantage that no additional material is needed to provide the crate with additional strength. In comparison with the crate of the state of the art, the crate of the present invention even uses less material because of the lower height of the support beams. Therefore, the crate of the present invention is more economical and ecological to manufacture.
- Providing the crate with side boards with a larger width, such as described for the second reinforcement, has the advantage that the bending modulus is increased. This makes the side boards more stronger and suitable to withstand the forces on the support beams. Hence, the second reinforcement provides a stronger crate by providing the side boards with an increased strength.
- Providing the crate with both the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement as defined in
claim 1 has the advantage that the contribution of the first reinforcement to the strength of the crate and the contribution of the second reinforcement to the strength of the crate are combined, resulting in a stronger crate which is able to support larger loads. - It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that the width of the upper side boards and the lower side boards and the position of the upper side boards and the lower side boards along the height direction of the support beams and with respect to each other, should be chosen such that there is no overlap between the upper side boards and the lower side boards at the different side faces of the crate.
- The side faces of the crate which are oriented along the width direction of the crate, are referred to in this document as the short side faces of the crate, whereas the side faces of the crate which are oriented along the length direction of the crate, are referred to in this document as the long side faces of the crate.
- In an embodiment of the crate according to the present invention the upper side boards and the lower side boards are attached to the support beams at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of the side boards.
- Attaching the lower side boards and the upper side boards to the support beams at a plurality of attachment positions which are distributed along the width direction of the side boards, has the advantage that the transfer of the forces on the support beams to the side boards is divided over the plurality of attachment positions. This beneficially reduces the load on the individual attachment means provided at each attachment position for attaching the side boards to the support beams, such that said attachment means are less likely to break the connection between the side boards and the support beams.
- The attachment positions being distributed along the width direction of the side boards, has the advantage that the side boards are holding the support beams together over the entire width direction of the side boards, thereby further preventing any movement of the support beams with respect to each other and with respect to the side boards, and thus further preventing the support beams from being pulled apart as a result of the forces on the support beams. When the crate is provided with the second reinforcement, this effect is even increased for the at least one side board having a larger width than the remaining side boards, because it is attached to a larger part of the support beams compared to the remaining side boards.
- In the crate according to the present invention the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, and said two upper side boards are arranged on opposing side faces of the crate.
- Providing the crate of the present invention has the advantage that two opposing side faces of the crate are reinforced according to the first reinforcement, while it is still possible to stack two of the crates upside down on top of each other without increasing the height of the stack compared to a similar stack of crates of the state of the art.
- Normally, empty crates are not stacked on top of each other by supporting each crate with its support beams on the support beams of the crate below. For stacking empty crates, the empty crates are paired by two, and each pair of crates is oriented such that the two crates are facing each other, hence with one of the crates oriented up side down with respect to the other and with the support beams aligned with each other. Then, the crates are shifted with respect to each other in the length direction of the crates, such that the crates can be slid into each other with the support beams arranged at one of the short side faces of each crate positioned outside the other crate, and with the support beams arranged at the opposing short side face positioned inside the other crate. In this case the two crates support onto each other with the upper side boards arranged on the long side faces of the crates. Another possibility is to shift the crates with respect to each other in the width direction of the crates, such that the crates can be slid into each other with the support beams arranged at one of the long side faces of each crate positioned outside the other crate, and with the support beams arranged at the opposing long side face positioned inside the other crate. In this case the two crates support onto each other with the upper side boards arranged on the short faces of the crates. Finally, all the paired crates which are slid into each other are then stacked on top of each other.
- In each case, the total height of the two crates which are slid into each other is determined by the distance from the bottom plate of the upper edge of the upper side boards with which the two crates are supporting onto each other. Hence, if only the upper side boards on two opposing side faces of the crate are positioned such that their upper edge is located at a larger distance from the bottom plate as the upper side boards on the other side faces, it is still possible to slide two of the crates upside down into each other, either by shifting in the length direction or by shifting in the width direction, without increasing the total height of the stack.
- Not positioning the upper edge of the upper side boards arranged on the other side faces at a larger distance from the bottom plate, also has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is still readily accessible from those side faces of the crate, without thereby being hindered by the upper side boards arranged on those side faces.
- In an embodiment of the crate according to the present invention the two upper side boards are arranged on short side faces of the crate, which short side faces are the side faces of the crate along the width direction of the crate.
- Positioning the upper edge of the upper side boards arranged on the short side faces at a larger distance from the bottom plate while the upper edge of the upper side boards arranged on the long side faces are arranged at a smaller distance from the bottom plate, has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is still readily accessible from the longest of the side faces of the crate, without thereby being hindered by the upper side boards arranged on those side faces. This also has the advantage that the agricultural and horticultural produce inside the crate is better visible from the longest of the side faces of the crate, which is for example beneficial for inspecting the agricultural and horticultural produce in stacked crates.
- In the crate according to the present invention the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- Providing all the side boards of the crate of the present invention with a larger width, as compared to the width of the side boards of the crate of the state of the art, has the advantage that all the side boards are provided with an increased strength, such that all side boards add to the total strength of the crate of the present invention.
- Providing all the side boards of the crate of the present invention with a larger width, as compared to the width of the side boards of the crate of the state of the art, has the advantage that the gap between the upper side board and the lower side board on all side faces of the crate is reduced in size because of the larger width of the side boards, such that agricultural and horticultural produce is prevented from falling out of the crate through those gaps.
- Providing the crate with both the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement has the advantage that the contribution of the first reinforcement to the strength of the crate and the contribution of the second reinforcement to the strength of the crate are combined, resulting in a stronger crate which is able to support larger loads.
- In the crate according to the present invention the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, said two upper side boards are arranged on opposing side faces of the crate, and the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- In an embodiment of the crate according to the present invention the crate is provided with the first reinforcement in such a way that two of the upper side boards are positioned such that the upper edges of said two upper side boards are located at a distance from the bottom plate in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, preferably in the range of 15,5-16,5 cm, more preferably in the range of 15,8-16,2 cm, even more preferably in the range of 15,9-16,1 cm and yet even more preferably of approximately 16,0 cm, said two upper side boards are arranged on short side faces of the crate, which short side faces are the side faces of the crate along the width direction of the crate, and the crate is provided with the second reinforcement in such a way that all the side boards have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm, preferably in the range of 6,2-7,6 cm, more preferably in the range of 6,3-7,4 cm, even more preferably in the range of 6,4-7,2 cm, and yet even more preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm.
- In embodiment of the crate according to the present invention the bottom plate, the support beams, the upper side boards and the lower side boards comprise a material selected from the list consisting of wood and plastic, and preferably wood.
- The bottom plate preferably comprises hardboard, but may also comprise wood veneer, triplex, Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF), or other wood based boards known by the person skilled in the art.
- The upper side boards an the lower side boards preferably comprise wood veneer, but may also comprise hardboard, triplex, MDF, sawn wood, or wood based boards known by the person skilled in the art.
- The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the crate for agricultural and horticultural produce of the present invention, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the bottom plate, the support beams, the upper side boards and the lower side boards;
- attaching the lower side boards and the support beams to each other;
- attaching the upper side boards and the support beams to each other;
- attaching the bottom plate and the lower side boards to each other; and
- optionally, attaching the support beams and the bottom plate to each other.
- The invention will be further elucidated by means of the following description and the appended figures.
-
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a crate for agricultural and horticultural produce of the state of the art. -
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a crate for agricultural and horticultural produce according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
Figure 3 shows a side view of the crate for agricultural and horticultural produce ofFigure 1 . -
Figure 4 shows a side view of the crate for agricultural and horticultural produce ofFigure 2 . -
Figure 5 shows a side view of two of the crates for agricultural and horticultural produce ofFigure 1 , which are stacked upside down onto each other. -
Figure 6 shows a side view of two of the crates for agricultural and horticultural produce ofFigure 2 , which are stacked upside down onto each other. - The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.
- Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can operate in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.
- Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.
- The term "comprising", used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It needs to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.
-
Figures 1 ,3 and5 show acrate 1 known from the state of the art.Figure 1 shows thecrate 1 in a perspective view from above,Figure 3 shows thecrate 1 in a side view looking at one of the short side faces 8 of thecrate 1, andFigure 5 shows two of thecrates 1 stacked upside down on top of each other. -
Figures 2 ,4 and6 shows acrate 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 shows thecrate 1 in a perspective view from above,Figure 4 shows thecrate 1 in a side view looking at one of the short side faces 8 of thecrate 1, andFigure 6 shows two of thecrates 1 stacked upside down on top of each other. - It should be noted that the dimensions of the crates shown in these figures are not completely accurate, but nonetheless the figures clearly show the important differences between the crate known from the state of the art and the crate of the present invention.
- As can be seen in
Figures 1-4 , both thecrate 1 known from the state of the art and thecrate 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprise onebottom plate 2, foursupport beams 3, fourupper side boards 4 and fourlower side boards 6. - The
bottom plate 2 has a rectangular shape and is arranged at the bottom side of thecrate 1. The support beams 3 are arranged in the corners of thebottom plate 2, thereby extending upwards from thebottom plate 2 in a direction perpendicular to thebottom plate 2. - The
lower side boards 6 are arranged on the side faces 8, 9 of thecrate 1, with theirlower edge 7 located near thebottom plate 2. At theirlower edge 7, thelower side boards 6 are attached to thebottom plate 2 by means of attachment means 10, more specificallystaples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the length direction of thelower side boards 6. At their ends along their length direction, thelower side boards 6 are attached to the support beams 3 which are arranged on thesame side face lower side board 6 is arranged. Thereby, thelower side boards 6 are attached to the support beams 3 by means of attachment means 10, more specificallystaples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of thelower side boards 6. - The
upper side boards 4 are arranged on the side faces 8, 9 above thelower side boards 6 and parallel to thelower side boards 6. At their ends along their length direction, theupper side boards 4 are attached to the support beams 3 which are arranged on thesame side face upper side board 4 is arranged. Thereby, theupper side boards 4 are attached to the support beams 3 by means of attachment means 10, more specificallystaples 10, at a plurality of attachment positions distributed along the width direction of theupper side boards 4. - In this configuration, the
upper side boards 4, thelower side boards 6 and thebottom plate 2 of thecrate 1 together enclose a storage space for storing agricultural and horticultural produce therein. At the top side of thecrate 1, an opening for inserting and removing agricultural and horticultural produce in/from thecrate 1 is formed between the support beams 3 and theupper side boards 4. - The
bottom plate 2 is a rectangular hardboard with a length of approximately 50 cm, a width of approximately 30 cm and a thickness of approximately 3 mm. - The
upper side boards 4 and thelower side boards 6 are boards of wood veneer with a thickness of approximately 3-4 mm. Theside boards side face crate 1 on which they are arranged. Thus, theside boards crate 1 have a length of approximately 30 cm, and theside boards crate 1 have a length of approximately 50 cm. - The
side boards crate 1 known from the state of the art all have a width of approximately 5,5 cm, whereas theside boards crate 1 according to the present invention all have, according to the second reinforcement of the present invention, a larger width preferably in the range of 6,5-7,0 cm. The larger width provides theside boards crate 1 of the present invention is increased. - The
lower side boards 6 are arranged with theirlower edge 7 near thebottom plate 2, as described above, and thereby alllower side boards 6 are located at the same distance from thebottom plate 2. In thecrate 1 known from the state of the art, all theupper side boards 4 are located with theirupper edge 5 at a distance from the bottom plate of approximately 14 cm. In thecrate 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, however, only theupper side boards 4, which are arranged on the long side faces 9 of thecrate 1, are located with theirupper edge 5 at a distance from thebottom plate 2 of approximately 14 cm, whereas theupper side boards 4, which are arranged on the short side faces 8 of thecrate 1, are located, according to the first reinforcement of the present invention, at a larger distance from thebottom plate 2 of approximately 16 cm. This has the advantage that the support beams 3 are held together by theupper side boards 4 at a position closer to the top side of the support beams 3, where theupper side boards 4 are more suitably positioned to reduce the load on the support beams 3 caused by forces acting on the support beams 3, and where the upper side boards are more suitably positioned to prevent the support beams 3 from being pulled apart by said forces. - The support beams 3 are wooden beams with a right-angled triangular cross section of which the legs, i.e. the sides adjacent to the right angle, have a length of approximately 3 cm. The support beams 3 are positioned in the corners of the
bottom plate 2, such that the right angle of the cross section of the support beams 3 is located in the corners of thebottom plate 2. The support beams 3 of thecrate 1 known from the state of the art have a height of approximately 20 cm, whereas the support beams 3 of the crate according the present invention have a lower height of approximately 18 cm. - The lower height of the support beams 3 of the
crate 1 according to the present invention has the advantage that more of thecrates 1 can be stacked on top of each other with eachcrate 1 supporting on the support beams 3 of thecrate 1 below it, as compared to a stack of thecrates 1 known from the state of the art, which is stacked in a similar way, and which has approximately the same height. For example, in a standard intermodal container it is possible to stack twelve of thecrates 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention on top of each other, whereas with thecrates 1 known from the state of the art it is only possible to stack elevencrates 1 on top of each other. - As mentioned above,
Figures 5 and6 respectively show how twoempty crates 1 known from the state of the art and twoempty crates 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention are stacked upside down on top of each other. - Hereby, the two
crates 1 are oriented upside down with respect to each other, thus oriented such that the top sides of the twocrates 1 are facing each other. In the width direction, the twocrates 1 are aligned with each other such that theside boards crates 1 are shifted with respect to each other, such that the support beams 3 arranged at one of the short side faces 8 of eachcrate 1 are positioned just outside theother crate 1, and such that the support beams 3 arranged at the opposingshort side face 8 are positioned just inside theother crate 1. In this configuration, the twocrates 1 support onto each other with theupper side boards 4 arranged on the long side faces 9 of the twocrates 1. - Comparing
Figure 5 withFigure 6 , clearly shows that the total height of the twoempty crates 1 stacked upside down on top of each other, is the same for the twocrates 1 known from the state of the art and the twocrates 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
- 1
- crate
- 2
- bottom plate
- 3
- support beam
- 4
- upper side board
- 5
- upper edge of side board
- 6
- lower side board
- 7
- lower edge of side board
- 8
- short side face crate
- 9
- long side face crate
- 10
- staple
Claims (4)
- A crate (1) for agricultural and horticultural produce, the crate (1) comprising:- a bottom plate (2) which has a generally rectangular shape, which is arranged at the bottom side of the crate (1), which has a width in the range of 20-40 cm, and which has a length in the range of 40-60 cm;- an upright support beam (3) arranged in each corner of the bottom plate (2), extending upwards from the bottom plate (2) in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom plate (2), and provided for supporting other crates stacked onto the crate (1);- a lower side board (6), which is arranged on each side face (8, 9) of the crate (1) and positioned such that a lower edge (7) of the lower side board (6) is located near the bottom plate (2), and wherein each lower side board (6) is attached to the support beams (3) on the corresponding side face (8, 9); and- an upper side board (4), which is arranged on each side face (8, 9) of the crate (1) above and generally parallel to the lower side board (6) arranged on the corresponding side face (8, 9), and wherein each upper side board (4) is attached to the support beams (3) on the corresponding side face (8, 9) at least at an attachment position close to the upper edge (5) of the upper side board (6);characterised in that the support beams (3) have a height in the range of 17,0-19,0 cm, in that two of the upper side boards (4) are positioned such that the upper edges (5) of said two upper side boards (4) are located at a distance from the bottom plate (2) in the range of 15,0-17,0 cm, wherein said two upper side boards (4) are arranged on opposing side faces (8, 9) of the crate (1), and wherein the remaining upper side boards (4) are positioned such that the upper edges (5) of the remaining upper side boards (4) are located at a distance from the bottom plate (2) of at most 14,0 cm, and in that all side boards (4, 6) have a width in the range of 6,1-8,0 cm.
- The crate (1) according to claim 1, wherein the two upper side boards (4) are arranged on short side faces (8) of the crate (1), which short side faces (8) are the side faces (8) of the crate (1) along the width direction of the crate (1).
- The crate (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom plate (2), the support beams (3), the upper side boards (4) and the lower side boards (6) comprise a material selected from the list consisting of wood and plastic, and preferably wood.
- A method for manufacturing the crate (1) for agricultural and horticultural produce according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of:- providing the bottom plate (2), the support beams (3), the upper side boards (4) and the lower side boards (6);- attaching the lower side boards (6) and the support beams (3) to each other;- attaching the upper side boards (4) and the support beams (3) to each other;- attaching the bottom plate (2) and the lower side boards (6) to each other; and- optionally, attaching the support beams (3) and the bottom plate (2) to each other.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PL14190700T PL3015391T3 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2014-10-28 | Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce |
EP14190700.6A EP3015391B1 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2014-10-28 | Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce |
NL2015282A NL2015282B1 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2015-08-07 | Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural products. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP14190700.6A EP3015391B1 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2014-10-28 | Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3015391A1 EP3015391A1 (en) | 2016-05-04 |
EP3015391B1 true EP3015391B1 (en) | 2017-06-28 |
Family
ID=51862116
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP14190700.6A Not-in-force EP3015391B1 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2014-10-28 | Improved crate for agricultural and horticultural produce |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP3015391B1 (en) |
NL (1) | NL2015282B1 (en) |
PL (1) | PL3015391T3 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN106966014A (en) * | 2017-03-31 | 2017-07-21 | 福建盈浩工艺制品有限公司 | Waste plastic recycles Christmas ball Combined-type plastic material frame and its manufacture method of production |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CH248126A (en) * | 1945-10-08 | 1947-04-15 | Duboule Max | Crate for packing and transporting fruit. |
GB703847A (en) * | 1950-10-19 | 1954-02-10 | Oscar Leslie Devereux | Baskets or boxes for packaging fruit or other suitable substances |
FR2297170A1 (en) * | 1975-01-10 | 1976-08-06 | Cure Yonne | Wooden crate for fruit or vegetables - has base and sides formed from single bent slats |
-
2014
- 2014-10-28 EP EP14190700.6A patent/EP3015391B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2014-10-28 PL PL14190700T patent/PL3015391T3/en unknown
-
2015
- 2015-08-07 NL NL2015282A patent/NL2015282B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
None * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
NL2015282B1 (en) | 2016-10-04 |
EP3015391A1 (en) | 2016-05-04 |
PL3015391T3 (en) | 2017-10-31 |
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