EP3753857A1 - Wall element of a pallet stacking frame and pallet stacking frame - Google Patents

Abstract

In the case of a wall element (1) of a pallet attachment frame, the wall element (1) being made of plastic and having a hinge element at each of its two front ends for connection to an adjacent wall element (1) such that several wall elements (1) form a closed Ring can be joined together, the invention proposes • that the wall element (1) has an extruded hollow chamber profile (2), • with a closed inner wall (4), which is directed into the interior of the ring, and a closed, outwardly directed outer wall (3), • and that the hollow chamber profile (2) is closed at both of its front ends by a cover strip (12), • at least one insertion tab (14) protruding from the cover strip (12) into a cavity in the hollow chamber profile (2), • wherein a fastening element extends through the hollow chamber profile (2) and into the push-in tab (14), • and wherein the outer wall (3) is adjoined by a downwardly projecting retaining strip (10).

Description

The invention relates to a wall element of a pallet attachment frame according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a pallet attachment frame having such wall elements.

From the DE 10 2018 102 960 A1 a pallet stacking frame with wall elements of the generic type is known. The wall elements are produced by first producing two molded parts from a plastic film each and then joining them together so that a hollow-chamber sheet is created. The wall elements preferably have stiffening profiles that can be designed as ribs, beads or indentations in the wall elements.

Also from practice, for example at "https://shop-kiga-gmbh.de/de/aufsatzrahmen-aus-kunststoff-2.html", a pallet stacking frame is known which has wall elements of the generic type. A total of six wall elements are used to create a stacking frame which is rectangular in its position of use and can be placed on an equally rectangular pallet. This creates a pallet container that is open at the top and is suitable for receiving bulk goods is, which can be in the form of a large number of individual bags and is held securely on the pallet by means of the attachment frame. By using a lid that is placed on the stacking frame, a pallet container that is closed on all sides can be created, which offers optimal product protection, for example from the weather, for the goods to be transported in the pallet container.

Two longitudinal walls of the attachment frame each consist of one wall element, and two end walls each consist of two wall elements, with adjacent wall elements being connected to one another in an articulated manner via hinges. Thus, the stacking frame can be folded approximately in a W-shape in the area of its two front ends until the two sections of a front wall lie on top of one another and the two longitudinal walls run parallel to one another with a minimal distance so that the stacking frame assumes a rest position that is as space-saving as possible, for example for empty trips or return transports.

From the DE 103 45 285 A1 a pallet stacking frame with wall elements is known, which are designed as twin-wall sheets and are produced by a combination of injection molding and thermoforming. By essentially L-shaped tabs at their ends, which are aligned differently in adjacent wall elements, the wall elements at the corners of the pallet top frame can be positively connected to one another in the manner of a hook lock and separated from one another if necessary.

From the DE 29 36 258 A1 a pallet collar with wall elements is known, which are designed as twin-wall sheets and produced by blow molding. Adjacent wall elements are connected to one another in an articulated manner by means of tubular hinges, so that the initially unfolded pallet collar can be folded up when not in use.

Inwardly protruding support strips make it possible to insert a floor into the unfolded pallet collar.

From the DE 94 15 551 U1 a pallet frame is known, the wall elements of which are partially hollow in order to form receiving pockets which are used to receive tongues of an adjacent component. Two U-shaped assemblies each have a wall element and then two sections of the two adjacent wall elements, so that the combination of the two assemblies creates the pallet frame.

The invention is based on the object of improving a generic wall element in such a way that it has a high mechanical stability and enables the creation of a pallet attachment frame which can be used with a large number of different pallet types. Furthermore, the invention is based on the object of creating a pallet stacking frame having these advantages.

This object is achieved by a wall element according to claim 1 and by a pallet attachment frame according to claim 8. Advantageous embodiments are described in the subclaims.

In other words, the invention proposes that the wall elements be designed to be stable, in particular with regard to their flexural rigidity, in that the wall elements each have an extruded hollow chamber profile, with the inner wall directed towards the inside of the container as well as the outside wall directed towards the outside of the container being designed to be closed and thus in addition to the mechanical Stability is also hygienically advantageous and easy to clean.

The hollow chamber profile is closed by a cover strip at both of its front ends. First, this is also This is advantageous for hygienic reasons and, secondly, in turn serves to improve the mechanical stability of the wall element, because at least one insertion tab extends from a cover strip into a cavity of the cavity profile. A fastening element extends through the hollow chamber profile and into the push-in tab, so that this fastening element can be anchored in a larger amount of material than where there is no push-in tab inside the hollow chamber profile.

The fastening element is therefore particularly well protected against loosening in the wall element or being pulled out of the wall element. For example, the fastening element can only be used to fix the cover strip on the hollow chamber profile. This can be the case, for example, when the cover strip itself is designed as part of a hinge in order to articulately connect two adjacent wall elements to one another. The fastening element can, however, also serve to fasten additional components to the hollow chamber profile or to the cover strip, for example if a separate component is to be fastened as a hinge element on the end face of the wall element.

The fastening element can, for example, extend from the cover strip in the longitudinal direction of the hollow chamber profile and, for example, be designed as a screw that interacts with a threaded hole, the circumference of which is partially formed by the tuck-in flap and partly by the hollow-chamber profile, so that the tuck-in flap and the hollow-chamber profile be positively connected to each other by the screw. Alternatively, it can be provided that the fastening element extends transversely of the hollow chamber profile, either only as far as the push-in flap or by completely penetrating the push-in flap and extending into the opposite wall of the hollow chamber profile or the hollow profile is completely penetrated over its entire width.

Finally, the wall element has a downwardly projecting retaining strip which is connected to the outer wall. In this way, the mounting frame can be mounted on almost any pallet, provided the pallets have a certain base area, because the mounting frame according to the invention can be placed on these different pallets regardless of the contouring or profiling of the pallet deck. It is secured against horizontal displacement, as it engages around the outside of the pallet with the downwardly protruding retaining strips of the wall elements.

It is known to let the hinge elements, which are made of a different material than the wall elements, for example made of metal, reach deeper than the wall elements, so that retaining tabs are created there, by means of which a conventional pallet frame extends over the outside of the pallet. Due to the comparatively narrow design of the hinge elements and, accordingly, also of the retaining tabs, the retaining tabs are exposed to comparatively great forces. Since the wall element according to the invention is produced in the extrusion process, the retaining bar initially extends automatically over the entire length of the wall element unless the wall element is reworked and the retaining bar is shortened in some areas. The supporting effect of the retaining strip can consequently be distributed over a much larger area in the wall element according to the invention than is the case with the retaining tab of a hinge element of a conventional pallet attachment frame.

Another advantage of producing the wall element according to the invention using the extrusion process is that a practically endless hollow-chamber profile strand is produced as the base body of the wall element. In this way, the hollow profile provided, whose two end faces are then provided with the cover strips. Accordingly, wall elements of any length can be produced in a simple and very economical manner in that a section of the desired length is cut off from the endless profile strand. Adaptations to a large number of different pallet sizes, namely to any number of different pallet sizes, both in terms of length and width of the pallet, can be implemented within a very short time by simply changing the length of the sections that are separated from the endless profile strand. In particular, no new molds are required for this, as would be required, for example, in injection molding, thermoforming or blow molding processes. The adaptation to different pallet sizes can therefore not only be made possible with a low financial outlay, but also in particular with a quick change that does not require long set-up times for a changeover of the production systems, so that the production of wall elements according to the invention or inventive pallet collars with a high flexibility and quick adaptation to customer requirements is possible.

The hollow chamber profile can advantageously not only have a single, large cavity, but rather have an intermediate wall in its interior between the inner wall and the outer wall. Furthermore, connecting webs are provided which extend from the partition to the inner wall and connecting webs which extend from the partition to the outer wall, so that on both sides of the partition the cavity of the hollow profile has two or more chambers that act as channels through the hollow profile in its longitudinal direction run away. The design of the hollow chamber profile with the partition and the connecting webs improves the mechanical stability of the hollow chamber profile. Furthermore, the tuck-in tabs of the cover strips can be made comparatively small, since they only each have to fill the cross-section of one of the channels and do not have to fill the entire cavity cross-section in order to be supported all around. Accordingly, in the structural design of the cavity profile, the individual chambers or channels can be provided where fastening elements are to be arranged, so that a plug-in tab of a cover strip protrudes into the respective channel at these points.

It can be provided in an economically advantageous manner to be able to arrange two or more stacking frames one above the other in order to be able to produce a pallet container of the desired size without the need for respectively adapted stacking frames of different heights. For this purpose, the hollow chamber profile can advantageously have complementary projections and recesses on its upper and lower edges in order to create a bond between the wall elements arranged on top of one another, for example in the manner of a tongue-and-groove connection. This embodiment also includes a recess in the upper region of the outer wall, which is used to receive the downwardly projecting retaining strip of a wall element arranged above it.

In the aforementioned embodiment, a longitudinal rib can advantageously be provided on the upper edge of the wall element and the groove complementary thereto can be provided on the lower edge. In this way, as wide a contact area as possible on the underside of the attachment frame or its wall elements is made possible with correspondingly reduced surface pressures, so that the wall element itself, but also the pallet below, is protected.

In one embodiment, the cover strip can consist of a mechanically resilient material in such a way that it has a hinge element of the same material and in one piece. Surprisingly, it was found in the first tests that Even when using plastic as the material for such a cover strip, the hinge can withstand the loads, so that advantageously both the hollow chamber profile and the cover strips and the hinges of a pallet attachment frame designed as parts of the cover strips can be made of the same material, which can later be used or recycled makes recycling easier. The fastening elements, which extend through the hollow chamber profile and into the insertion tabs of the cover strips or completely penetrate the hollow chamber profile and the insertion tab arranged therein, can be made of metal or advantageously of the same plastic.

In another embodiment, provision can be made to use metal elements as the hinge element in a manner known per se and proven in practice, such as are used, for example, in pallet stacking frames whose wall elements are made of wood.

The outer wall of the wall element can advantageously run essentially flat, that is to say in one plane. This not only facilitates cleaning and is hygienically advantageous, but it also enables problem-free printing for logistical reasons or for advertising purposes, as well as problem-free and durable labeling.

Fig. 1

einen Vertikalschnitt durch ein Wandelement,

Fig. 2

einen Abschnitt eines Hohlkammerprofils des Wandelements aus Fig. 1 in perspektivischer Ansicht,

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf eine Deckleiste von deren Rückseite her, und

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt durch die Deckleiste von Fig. 3 entlang der abgewinkelt verlaufenden Linie A - A.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the purely schematic representations. It shows

Fig. 1

a vertical section through a wall element,

Fig. 2

a section of a hollow chamber profile of the wall element Fig. 1 in perspective view,

Fig. 3

a plan view of a cover strip from the rear thereof, and

Fig. 4

a section through the cover strip of Fig. 3 along the angled line A - A.

Fig. 1 shows a wall element 1 in vertical section, the wall surface of the wall element 1 being formed by a hollow chamber profile 2. Fig. 2 shows a section of this hollow chamber profile 2 in a perspective view.

The hollow chamber profile 2 is extruded from plastic and has an outer wall 3, an inner wall 4 and an intermediate wall 5 between them, connecting webs 6 extending from the intermediate wall 5 both to the outer wall 3 and to the inner wall 4. In the illustrated embodiment, two connecting webs 6 are opposite each other. The intermediate wall 5 and the connecting webs 6 divide the cavity of the hollow chamber profile 2 between the two outer and inner walls 3 and 4 into a plurality of channels 7 which extend over the entire length of the hollow chamber profile 2.

At its lower edge, the hollow chamber profile 2 is provided with a longitudinal groove 8 which extends over the entire length of the hollow chamber profile 2. Complementary to this, the upper edge of the hollow chamber profile 2 has a longitudinal rib 9, so that two hollow chamber profiles 2 are stacked on top of one another and can thereby form a composite.

Furthermore, the outer wall 3 is adjoined by a downwardly projecting retaining strip 10, which has a greater wall thickness compared to the outer wall 3. Complementary to the retaining bar 10, a recess 11 is provided in the corner area between the upper edge and the outer wall 3 of the hollow chamber profile 2, into which a retaining bar 10 of a similar hollow chamber profile 2 stacked over it can engage. The dimensions of the overall pallet top frame formed in such a way to the dimensions of the pallets interacting therewith adapted so that the pallets are encompassed on the outside by the retaining strips 10 of the respective pallet attachment frames and the attachment frames are held on the pallet so that they cannot move.

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a cover strip 12 from its contact side, that is, from the side with which the cover strip 12 rests against the hollow chamber profile 2. On this contact side, the cover strip 12 is provided with a multiplicity of insertion tabs 14, the arrangement and cross-sectional shape of which is adapted to the channels 7. The cover strip 14 is designed as an injection molded part made of plastic.

Fig. 4 shows a section through the cover strip 12 along the line A - A Fig. 3 . It can be seen that some of the push-in tabs 14 are designed to be hollow in such a way that they have an annular cross section. Other of the tuck-in lugs 14 are designed differently as special tuck-in lugs 14 and are therefore also referred to as assembly lugs 15. The mounting tabs 15 have a solid material cross section and serve to improve the hold of a fastening element which extends into the hollow chamber profile 2 and such a mounting tab 15.

What Fig. 3 it can also be seen that the cover strip 12 has a recess 16 which corresponds to the recess 11 of the hollow chamber profile 2. Accordingly, two different, symmetrical cover strips 12 are provided, which are mounted on the two front ends of the hollow chamber profile 2 and the recesses 16 of which continue the recess 11 of the hollow chamber profile 2. The recess 16 prevents a disruptive overhang which the cover strip 12 would otherwise create at the end of the recess 11 of the hollow chamber profile 2 and which would damage the cover strip 12 or their removal from the hollow chamber profile 2 in an undesirable manner.

Reference number:

1

Wall element

2

Hollow chamber profile

3

Outer wall

4th

Inner wall

5

Partition

6th

Connecting bridge

7th

channel

8th

Longitudinal groove

9

Longitudinal rib

10

Retaining bar

11

Recess

12

Cover strip

14th

Tuck-in flap

15th

Mounting bracket

16

Recess

Claims (8)

Wall element (1) of a pallet attachment frame,
wherein the wall element (1) consists of plastic and has a hinge element at each of its two front ends for connection to an adjacent wall element (1) such that several wall elements (1) can be joined together to form a closed ring, characterized in that, • that the wall element (1) has an extruded hollow chamber profile (2), • with a closed inner wall (4), which is directed into the interior of the ring, and a closed, outwardly directed outer wall (3), • and that the hollow chamber profile (2) is closed at both ends by a cover strip (12), • at least one push-in tab (14) protruding from the cover strip (12) into a cavity in the hollow chamber profile (2), • with a fastening element extending through the hollow chamber profile (2) and into the push-in tab (14), • and where the outer wall (3) is followed by a downwardly projecting retaining strip (10). Wall element according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the hollow chamber profile (2) has an intermediate wall (5) between the outer wall (3) and the inner wall (4),
and that connecting webs (6) extend from the intermediate wall (5) both to the inner wall (4) and to the outer wall (3) in such a way that several channels (7) extend through the hollow chamber profile (2) in its longitudinal direction. Wall element according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized,
that the hollow chamber profile (2) has complementary projections and recesses on its upper and lower edges, including a recess on the upper edge which is designed complementary to the retaining strip (10) on the lower edge,
in such a way that two wall elements (1) of the same type, stacked one on top of the other, create a form-fitting connection. Wall element according to claim 3,
characterized,
that the upper edge has a longitudinal rib (9) and the lower edge has a longitudinal groove (8) complementary thereto. Wall element according to one of Claims 1 to 4,
characterized,
that the cover strip (12) has a hinge element made of the same material and in one piece,
two adjacent wall elements (1) having two mutually interacting hinge elements forming a joint. Wall element according to one of Claims 1 to 4,
characterized,
that the wall element (1) has a metallic hinge element,
wherein the fastening element also extends through a portion of the hinge element. Wall element according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
that the outer wall (3) of the wall element (1) essentially runs in one plane. Pallet stacking frames,
with wall elements (1) arranged in a ring and articulated to one another, each of which is designed according to one of claims 1-7.

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