EP3875385B1 - Stacking crate and transport and / or storage system comprising two or more stacking crates - Google Patents

Description

The invention is generally in the field of logistics and relates in particular to a stacking box with the features of the preamble of claim 1 and a transport and/or storage system which contains two or more such stacking boxes.

In the field of logistics, crates are often used in order to arrange and store objects to be transported or stored in them. Boxes of this type are often, even regularly, set up to be stacked to form stacks of boxes made up of largely identically formed boxes. This can be done in particular without intermediate storage of a cover closing the receiving opening of a lower crate and accommodating the bottom area of an erected crate by providing support structures in the area of the upward-facing opening of a lower crate of a stack of crates to be formed, on which an upper crate to be stacked is placed and can be put down without being placed in the box below. In this way, such boxes with items or goods arranged in them can be stacked one on top of the other without the load of the stacked boxes resting on the items or goods stored in the boxes. Such boxes placed in such a manner in a stacked stack of boxes with objects in them are stackable, can also be referred to as stackable boxes.

In order to store such stacking boxes in an empty state in a space-saving manner or to transport them in a space-saving manner, it is often also provided that these stacking boxes can be placed one inside the other and joined together in a nested stack of boxes. Here, further stacking boxes are used in the receiving space of a stacking box placed at the bottom with the bottom on a shelf, or in the receiving space of a stacking box already set in such a stacking box, and a nested or nested stack of boxes is thus formed.

In order to be able to achieve this with a set of similar stacking boxes, i.e. to be able to form stacks of boxes placed on top of one another as well as stacks of boxes housed or nested in one another, there are various proposals to modify the stacking boxes as required in order to stack the stacking boxes on top of each other to form a respective receiving space of the Stacking crates releasing stack of crates, or to allow the stacking crates nesting, nesting stacking of empty stacking crates to a space-saving stack.

One way to achieve this is for example in the U.S. 6,047,853 described. The stacking box described there is asymmetrical in terms of design on two opposite end faces in such a way that the structures provided there allow nested, nested stacking in a first orientation of the boxes in relation to a rotation about a perpendicular to the bottom of the box running axis is made possible to place the stacking crates on top of one another to form a stack of stacking crates placed in a second position of the stacking crate to be set up, rotated by 180° to the first position about the axis of rotation perpendicular to the ground. So, in order to assemble these stacking boxes nested in one another, the respective boxes must be in a first relation to the axis of rotation, which runs perpendicular to the ground, selected rotational position and can then be nested and nested stacked. If these stacking boxes are to be placed on top of one another, especially after they have been filled with goods that need to be transported or stored, they must be rotated by 180° with respect to the axis of rotation running perpendicular to the bottom of the box and can then be stacked on top of one another will.

This procedure is simple insofar as it requires no further handling of the stacking boxes other than the said appropriate alignment in relation to the rotation about the axis of rotation running perpendicular to the floor. However, precisely this orientation is particularly tedious and exhausting for a person handling it, particularly a strain on the back, if a person is holding a stacking box already equipped with goods or goods in front of him and has to turn it by said 180° about an axis of rotation running perpendicular to the bottom of the box, before the person can further build the stack of boxes by placing the box on top of a bottom box. This applies all the more, the higher the weight of the loaded stacking box. Automated handling is also complex, since a manipulation unit always has to align the stacking boxes correctly in terms of their rotational orientation and can only then set them down to form a top-down stack.

Another approach, on the one hand to allow stacking boxes to form a stack of boxes stacked on top of each other, and on the other hand to allow the nested, nested formation of a space-saving stack of empty stacking boxes, is for example in WO 1998/056668 A1 shown and described. The stacking boxes shown there have positioning elements that can be moved between a supporting position and a resting position, which in the supporting position allow another stacking box to be placed on the positioning elements, which, when brought into the resting position, allow another stacking box to be placed in the receiving space of a stacking box underneath to form a nested stack of boxes from empty stacking boxes. This type of design of stacking boxes, which depicts the preamble of claim 1, no longer requires rotating the stacking boxes by 180° about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the bottom of the stacking box. However, this requires that the erection elements, which in the known stacking boxes are actively moved from the rest position to the support position, or vice versa, are moved from the rest position to the rest position, in each case according to the resulting requirement, namely the erection elements in the support position to move when a stack of stacked boxes filled in particular in the receiving spaces is to be formed, or to move into the rest position when the boxes are to be used nested in one another to form a space-saving stack of empty stacking boxes.

Against this background, it is the object of the present invention to specify a stacking box which, with simple handling and without any special intervention by a user, enables a stack of boxes to be formed from stacking boxes placed one on top of the other, as well as storing the empty stacking boxes in a nested and thus nested box space-saving stack.

This object is achieved on the one hand by a stacking box having the features of claim 1, advantageous developments of this solution being specified in the dependent claims 2 to 9. A further aspect of a solution to this problem is a transport and/or storage system which comprises at least two, in particular several, stackable boxes of the type according to the invention.

According to the invention, a new type of stacking box has, and this is in general agreement with known stacking boxes, a base, a wall which, starting from the base, extends transversely thereto in one direction, in particular circumferentially, delimits a receiving space of the stacking box together with the base, and a wall secured by a dem Floor opposite edge of the wall limited receiving opening. On the stacking crate are also mounted back and forth displaceable erection elements between a rest position and a support position. These installation elements are like this in the support position positioned so that they allow a storage area for a stacked stack of boxes forming a stacking of the stacking box and another, essentially identical stacking box. In the rest position, on the other hand, the erection elements are positioned in such a way that they enable the stacking box and another stacking box, which is essentially structurally identical, to be placed one inside the other to form a nested stack of boxes.

The wall and the floor can - be formed in solid construction and uninterrupted - in whole or in part, in particular to store and transport small-sized objects. However, it is also possible to provide the wall and/or floor with openings, at least in parts, e.g. to save material for manufacturing the stacking box, to reduce the weight of the stacking box, to enable easy cleaning of the stacking box and/or to ventilate goods stored in the stacking box, e.g. groceries such as fruit or vegetables.

Up to this point and as described above, the stacking box according to the invention is still similar to one as shown in FIG WO 1998/056668 A1 is described. What is special about the stacking box according to the invention is that, unlike the stacking box known from the above document, the installation elements do not have to be actively moved by a corresponding intervention by the user, but rather that the installation elements are designed and attached to the stacking box in such a way that the erection elements, when the stacking box is placed on the floor with the floor essentially horizontally aligned on a base and is aligned with the receiving opening pointing essentially vertically upwards, are shifted into the supporting position driven solely by gravity. Furthermore, the positioning elements are designed and attached to the stacking box in such a way that the positioning elements, when the stacking box is set up on the edge with the receiving opening in a substantially horizontal orientation on a base and is aligned with the bottom pointing substantially vertically upwards, are caused solely by gravity are driven into the rest position.

The erection elements are thus displaced solely by the effect of gravity, depending on the orientation of the stacking box according to the invention with respect to a rotation about an axis of rotation running in or parallel to the plane of the floor. Driven by gravity, they move into the support position when the stacking box is placed on a base with its opening pointing upwards. They move to the rest position when the stacking box is turned upside down, so to speak, i. H. with the opening facing down and the bottom vertically above it. In contrast to the otherwise known stacking boxes, the nested stacks of empty boxes are now formed in a space-saving manner, in that first a box arranged at the bottom is placed upside down, i.e. on its edge, which delimits the receiving opening, and other stacking boxes are then placed with the receiving opening downwards placed pointing over the bottom of the stacking box below. This is easily possible because in this orientation, as already mentioned above, due to the displacement of the positioning elements caused by gravity, these are in the rest position, i.e. do not prevent nested or nested stacking of the stacking boxes in a space-saving stack. If a stacking box according to the invention is now to be used, in particular by bringing goods, goods or other objects to be arranged there into the receiving space, it must be rotated through 180° around the axis of rotation lying in the floor plane or running parallel thereto and with the opening facing be aligned facing up. Here, again driven solely by gravity, the erection elements are automatically shifted into the support position, so that appropriately aligned stacking boxes according to the invention, whether filled or even empty, can be placed on top of one another and stacked on top of each other to form a stack of boxes, in which a respective upper stacking box is not inserted into the receiving space of the stacking box underneath.

A user of a stacking box according to the invention therefore no longer has to pay special attention to actively moving the positioning elements from the rest position to the support position depending on the currently intended use of the stacking box relocate or vice versa. This happens entirely automatically, driven solely by gravity, simply by correctly aligning the stacking box with the receiving opening pointing upwards or with the receiving opening pointing downwards. With the stacking box according to the invention, it is also not necessary to rotate the stacking box by 180° about an axis of rotation running perpendicularly to the plane of the floor in order to enable stacking. A user only has to note that the stacking box according to the invention can only be nested in one another and stacked up to save space in a nested state in which it is placed upside down, i.e. with the opening pointing downwards, in contrast to the previous situation known procedure of nesting such stacking boxes with upward-pointing openings.

In principle, it is irrelevant at which position in the stacking box the installation elements are located. However, a stacking box according to the invention can be implemented particularly easily if the positioning elements are arranged in the area of the edge of the wall of the stacking box so that they can be displaced between the support position and the rest position in such a way that the positioning elements in the support position move into the area of the receiving opening in such a way protrude, that a further, essentially structurally identical stacking crate can be placed with its bottom on the positioning elements located in the support position to form a stacked stack of crates, and that the positioning elements release the area of the receiving opening in the rest position in such a way that a further, essentially structurally identical stacking crate for forming a nested stack of crates can be inserted with its bottom first into the receiving opening and guided into the receiving space of the stacking crate.

The erection elements can be formed in a plate-like manner, for example by means of elements of this type arranged pivotably on the wall of the stacking box in the area of the receiving opening and/or in the area of the floor. If they are arranged in the area of the edge of the wall, the installation elements can, for example, be limited to positions in the corners of a In particular, a stacking box having a rectangular outline can be arranged, but they can also have more, in particular the entire; Areas of longitudinal and / or transverse edges of the stacking box extend along the top edge of the wall.

The positioning elements can be arranged, for example, with hinge joints on the stacking box, as a result of which they can be pivoted between the support position and the rest position. Other types of articulated arrangement or displaceable arrangement are also conceivable here. What is essential is the purely gravity-driven shifting of the positioning elements from the rest position to the support position and vice versa when the stacking box is "turned over" about an axis of rotation running in the plane of the floor or parallel thereto.

In the case of the stackable box according to the invention, the bottom and wall can be made in particular from a plastic, in particular in one piece, although other materials, such as metals or wood, can also be considered. Here, however, plastic has the advantage of being light in weight while at the same time being very strong and stable, which is of particular advantage in the area of logistics, transport and storage and the associated handling.

The positioning elements can in particular be made of a metal in order to provide them with sufficient stability to absorb the forces when stacking boxes filled with objects are placed on top of one another. However, other materials are also possible, such as plastic, for example a reinforced, in particular fiber-reinforced, plastic. The stacking box according to the invention is in particular formed mirror-symmetrically to a first and to a second center plane, each running orthogonally to the floor and perpendicular to one another. Alternatively, a point-symmetrical structure of the cross-section running parallel to a plane of the base can advantageously also be selected, with a respective center of symmetry of the point symmetry forming the center point of the cross-sectional contour. It is just not necessary with the stacking box according to the invention, here one Provide asymmetry, as is the case with the by rotation about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane of the floor to be aligned separately for stacking stacking boxes according to U.S. 6,047,853 is required.

One or more supports for supporting the positioning elements in the support position can advantageously be formed on the wall and/or on the floor. These supports can have support surfaces that run essentially parallel to the ground, but also those that run obliquely. It is essential that they offer a secure support for the positioning elements and a stop in relation to the gravity-driven movement of the positioning elements into the support position. Such supports can be used to derive the weight of a stacking crate according to the invention arranged underneath in a stack of crates via the erection elements and further down to the base or onto the subsoil. Such a support can be, for example, a type of columnar projection which is formed in the wall of the stacking box and on the end face of which an erecting element rests and is supported by it in the support position.

In order to enable stacking boxes of the type according to the invention to be stacked securely, centered and in particular without shifting, centering structures formed on the positioning elements can advantageously be provided and counter-structures formed on the stacking box outside of the positioning elements, the centering structures having an essentially identical construction with the counter-structures Stacking box when stacked cooperate to center the stacked stacking crate in relation to the stacking crate below and also to fix in a plane parallel to the bottom of the stacking crate.

In order to move the positioning elements solely by gravity, arrangements can be selected, for example, in which the pivot point of a rotary or pivoting movement is offset to a projection of the center of gravity of the respective positioning element on the level of the bottom of the stacking box or on the the edge delimiting the receiving opening spanned level is arranged. Separately arranged weight elements shifting the center of gravity can be provided or the like. It is also possible to provide positioning elements with a cranked shape, which due to this shape are then displaced between the support position and the rest position, driven solely by gravity in the manner according to the invention. The person skilled in the art will be able to easily shape the positioning element and/or its attachment in order to achieve the effect according to the invention within the framework of a constructive design; corresponding solutions are known to him.

Two, in particular several, stacking boxes as described above can be contained in an advantageous transport and/or storage system according to the invention. The stacking boxes contained in this system can either be stacked with their openings pointing upwards (filled or empty) in a stacked stack, in which case the installation elements are then in the support position, or they can be placed nested in one another to save space, if they are placed with their receiving opening pointing downwards with a stacking box placed at the bottom on a subsurface and are placed one on top of the other like a hat with other stacking boxes placed on top.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkiste in einer aufrechten, zum Aufeinanderstapeln von mehreren erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkisten geeigneten Position;

Fig. 2

in einer vergrößerten Ausschnittdarstellung das Aufstellelement in der Auflagestellung;

Fig. 3

schematisch das Vorgehen zum Aufeinanderstapeln von zwei erfindungsgemäß gebildeten Stapelkisten zu einem Kistenstapel;

Fig. 4

schematisch einen aus zwei aufeinander aufgesetzten erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkisten gebildeten Kistenstapel;

Fig. 5

schematisch einen aus zwei umgekehrt angeordneten, ineinander geschachtelten erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkisten gebildeten genesteten Kistenstapel;

Fig. 6

in einer vergrößerten Ausschnittdarstellung das Aufstellelement in der Ruhestellung;

Fig. 7

schematisch eine Aufsicht auf eine zum Aufstapeln mit der Aufnahmeöffnung nach oben weisend ausgerichteten erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkiste; und

Fig. 8

schematisch eine Ansicht von unten auf eine zum verschachtelten und nestenden Ineinanderstellen mit der Aufnahmeöffnung nach unten weisend ausgerichteten erfindungsgemäßen Stapelkiste.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached figures. show:

1

a schematic sectional view of a stacking box according to the invention in an upright position suitable for stacking a plurality of stacking boxes according to the invention;

2

in an enlarged sectional view, the positioning element in the supporting position;

3

schematically shows the procedure for stacking two stacking boxes formed according to the invention to form a stack of boxes;

4

schematically a stack of boxes formed from two stacked boxes according to the invention;

figure 5

schematically a nested stack of boxes formed from two inverted, nested stacking boxes according to the invention;

6

in an enlarged sectional view, the positioning element in the rest position;

7

a schematic plan view of a stacking box according to the invention which is aligned for stacking with the receiving opening pointing upwards; and

8

schematically shows a view from below of a stacking box according to the invention oriented for nesting and nesting with the receiving opening facing downwards.

In the figures, possible embodiment variants of a stacking box according to the invention and of a transport and/or storage system formed from at least two such stacking boxes are shown in highly schematic drawings. The figures are highly schematic representations and only serve to illustrate the principle according to the invention and the essential elements. They are by no means to be understood as complete construction sketches and are also not true to scale.

In figure 1 is first shown a stacking box 1 according to the invention in a first position. The stacking box 1 has a base 2 on which the stacking box 1 in figure 1 shown position is parked, for example on a ground. Starting from the base 2 and directed upwards in this first position, a wall 3 runs around the outside of the crate here, with the base 2 and wall 3 enclosing a receiving space 4 . In principle, however, further sections of the wall 3 delimiting the receiving space 4 can also be provided, which are separated from the peripheral wall on the outside, for example in the form of walls from the bottom in an inner section towering pillars or the like. The wall 3 ends at a peripheral edge 5 which surrounds a receiving opening 6 . Positioning elements 7 are arranged on the wall 3 in the region of the rim 5 , offset somewhat below the upper edge of the rim, here articulated via hinge joints 8 to the wall 3 of the stacking box 1 . In the as in figure 1 shown position of the stacking box 1 are the erection elements 7 driven solely by gravity and to that extent forced to move in the figure 1 shown support position spent or relocated. As will be described below, the positioning elements 7 can also be shifted into a rest position by being pivoted about the hinge joint 8 .

figure 2 shows an enlarged section for better clarification of the support position in which the positioning element 7 is in the figure 1 shown position of the stacking box 1 is located. It can also be seen here that the positioning element 7 in the supporting position on a column 9 formed on the wall 3 of the stacking box 1 rests on a supporting surface 10 on the upper side (cf figure 6 ) rests and is supported by this column 9.

Figures 3 and 4 show that two essentially structurally identical stacking boxes 1 according to the invention are stacked in one as in figure 1 shown position and can be stacked one on top of the other with the positioning elements 7 moved by gravity into the support position. In figure 3 this is illustrated with the arrow indicating the stacking motion, figure 4 shows the stacked state. In this way, two or more of the stacking box 1 according to the invention can be stacked one on top of the other, with items to be stored or transported being arranged and stored in the receiving spaces 4 of the stacking box 1 .

In figure 5 is an "empty box stack" formed with a stacking box 1 according to the invention rotated about an axis of rotation that runs within the plane of the base 2 or is parallel to it, i.e. placed upside down, in which the stacking box 1 is nested in one another in a nested manner are shown. Here, stacking boxes 1 according to the invention become cone-like placed one above the other, with wall 3 and bottom 2 of a lower stacking box 1 penetrating into the receiving space 4 of a stacking box 1 placed thereon.

This is possible because in the as in the figure 5 shown, compared to that in FIG figure 1 shown position rotated by 180 ° about said axis of rotation, ie upside down, position of a stacking box according to the invention, the positioning elements 7 driven solely by gravity and thus automatically from the in the Figures 1 to 4 support position shown in the Figures 5 and 6 rest position shown are shifted. Driven by gravity, the positioning element 7 folds down around the hinge joint 8 from the support 10 on the column 9, on which it previously rested in the support position, so that it allows for a floor 2 an underlying stacking box 1 is no longer in the way, the stacking box 1 can be nested nested in the upside down position.

Also a comparison of Figures 7 and 8 with the schematic representations shown there makes it clear once again how the displacement of the positioning elements 7 works solely driven by gravity. In figure 7 is a top view of a stacking box 1 aligned vertically upwards with the receiving opening, ie in a position as in FIG figure 1 , shown. The positioning elements 7 are pivoted into the supporting positions, so that another stacking box 1 can be placed on them with the bottom 2 in front. the figure 8 on the other hand, shows a view from below of a stacking box 1 turned upside down, in which - again driven solely by gravity - the positioning elements 7 in the as in figure 8 are located in the rest position shown, so that a stacking box 1 rotated in this way can be placed on a stacking box 1 underneath it, which is also arranged upside down, to form a nested and thus space-saving stack of empty stacking boxes 1.

It should be particularly clear at this point that the configurations of the stacking boxes and their components shown in the figures are highly schematic and shown in a possible example. So here are installation elements shown, which are only arranged in the four corner areas of the rectangular plan of the stacking box. Equally conceivable are strip-like arrangements that extend, for example, along the narrow end edges or those that run along the longitudinal edges or even circumferentially along the entire edge. There are no limits for the person skilled in the art here, as long as the erection elements are moved between the rest position and the supporting position, driven solely by gravity by turning the stacking boxes 1 upside down or uprighting them, and in the supporting position the erecting elements carry another stacking box 1 with the objects arranged therein and carry the load can safely endure.

Reference List

1

stacking box

2

floor

3

Wall

4

recording room

5

edge

6

intake opening

7

installation element

8th

hinge joint

9

pillar

10

edition

Claims (10)

1. A stacking crate (1) with

   • a floor (2),

   • a wall (3) extending from the base (2) transversely thereto in one direction, in particular a circumferential wall (3), which together with the base (2) delimits a receiving space (4) of the stacking crate (1), and

   • and a receiving opening (6) bounded by an edge (5) of the wall (3) opposite the base (2),

   wherein support elements (7) which can be displaced back and forth between a rest position and a support position are mounted on the stacking crate (1), wherein the support elements (7) are positioned in the support position in such a way that they enable a support surface for a stacking of the stacking crate (1) and a further stacking crate (1) of substantially identical construction to be placed one on top of the other to form a stacked box,

   wherein the stacking elements (7) are positioned in the rest position in such a way that they allow the stacking crate (1) and a further, substantially identical stacking crate (1) to be placed one inside the other in order to form a nested stack of boxes, characterised in that

   the support elements (7) are designed and attached to the stacking crate (1) in such a way that, when the stacking crate (1) is placed on the base (2) with the base (2) substantially horizontally aligned, the support elements (7) are positioned on a support with the receiving opening (6) pointing substantially vertically upwards, the stacking crate (1) is placed on the bottom (2) with the bottom (2) substantially horizontal on a support and with the receiving opening (6) oriented substantially vertically upwards, the stacking crate (1) being displaced into the rest position driven solely by gravity, characterized in that, - when the stacking crate (1) is placed on the edge (5) with the receiving opening (6) substantially horizontal on a support and with the bottom (2) oriented substantially vertically upwards, the resting elements (7) are displaced into the rest position driven solely by gravity.
2. Stacking crate (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the support elements (7) are arranged in the region of the edge (5) of the wall (3) of the stacking crate (1) in such a way that they can be displaced between the support position and the rest position,

   • in that, in the support position, the support elements (7) project into the region of the receiving opening (6) in such a manner that a further, essentially identical stacking crate (1) can be set down with its base (2) on the support elements (7) located in the support position in order to form a stacked box,

   • and in that the positioning elements (7), in the rest position, expose the region of the receiving opening (6) in such a way that a further substantially identical stacking crate (1) for forming a nested box stack can be introduced with its base first into the receiving opening (6) and inserted into the receiving space (4) of the stacking crate (1).
3. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by plate-like placement elements (7) which are pivotably arranged on the wall (3) of the stacking crate (1) in the region of the receiving opening (6) and/or in the region of the bottom (2).
4. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support elements (7) are arranged on the stacking crate (1) with hinge joints (8) so as to be pivotable between the support position and the rest position.
5. A stacking crate (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom (2) and the wall (3) are formed of a plastic material.
6. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the placement elements (7) are formed of a metal.
7. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is formed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a first and a second centre plane to a second central plane which in each case runs orthogonally to the base (2) and is perpendicular to one another, or in that it is formed, in a top view, with point-symmetrical cross sections, each having a centre of symmetry of the point symmetry which forms the centre of the cross-sectional contour.
8. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by supports (9, 10) formed on the wall (3) and/or on the base (2) for supporting the support elements (7) in the support position.
9. A stacking crate (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by centring structures formed on the support elements (7) and by counter-structures formed on the stacking crate (1) outside the support elements (7), the centring structures cooperating with the counter-structures of a substantially identical stacking crate (1) in the stacked state in order to centre the stacked stacking crate (1) with respect to the stacking crate (1) located below it.
10. A transport and/or storage system comprising at least two, in particular several, stacking crates (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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