ES1256660U - BOX FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF OILED AND LIGHT WEIGHT PARTS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

A box (1, 100) suitable for the storage and transport of pieces (10) of little weight and size that are externally covered with grease, characterized by the fact that: - the box (1, 100) is made of a plastic material, and - It comprises a plurality of projecting protrusions (2) arranged distributed over all or practically all of the internal surface of the base and of the side walls of the box itself, and - where the protrusions (2) are configured with such a geometry to break the adherence of the greased parts (10) due to the surface tension generated by the grease, and - wherein the protrusions (2) are made of the same plastic material as the box (1, 100). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

BOX FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF OILED PARTS AND

LIGHTWEIGHT

The present invention refers to a box designed for the storage and transport of a plurality of aluminum pieces, in which these aluminum pieces are externally greased and have little size and weight, the main function of the box being that the pieces do not remain stuck on the internal walls of the box in the operation of dumping the box for emptying and the greased parts fall under their own weight.

Background of the invention

At present, in the industry of the manufacture of aluminum components aimed at the perfumery, cosmetics and pharmacy sectors, such as ferrules and push buttons for bottles, a type of aluminum components are manufactured, which during their manufacturing process are drawn and later anodized.

Said aluminum components can have, for example, a body of revolution, of a substantially cylindrical configuration, with external dimensions of diameter of 12 to 22 mm and a height of between 6 and 12 mm and a weight range of 0.2 to 2 gr.

At a certain point in the manufacturing process, these aluminum parts are externally covered with oil or a similar lubricant, as this is needed to lubricate the aluminum strip that passes through the drawing machines and that ends up being transformed into the “blank” part. ”. This layer of oil or lubricant is removed in later phases of the manufacturing process, to continue with the anodizing processes in smooth plastic boxes.

The handling and transfer of said externally lubricated / greased aluminum parts is usually carried out inside cardboard boxes or alternatively (less frequently) in smooth plastic boxes (that is, without any reliefs). Said cardboard or smooth plastic boxes can house a large number of these aluminum pieces inside them, since the pieces have very low dimensions and weight, compared to the dimensions of the box. As an example, in a box they can be transported from 10,000 to 25,000 units of pieces / box, always depending on the size of each piece model and box model.

Said boxes used today have the great drawback that when an operator overturns the box to transfer them to the next workstation in the parts production chain, as the box is full of a large number of lubricated / greased aluminum parts , some of them are stuck in different parts of the internal walls of the box. This circumstance forces the operator to make them fall manually or with a tool, either by hitting the box, shaking it in the air or scraping it with some element or tool, which slows down and makes the emptying operation difficult. This existing problem of the lubricated / greased aluminum parts being stuck is due, on the one hand, to the low weight of the parts (from 0.2 to 2 gr.) And on the other hand to the surface tension and capillarity of the fluids that are in contact (that is oil from the part with the cardboard of the box or oil from the part with the smooth plastic of the box).

In physics, the surface tension of a liquid is the amount of energy necessary to increase its surface per unit area. This definition implies that the liquid presents resistance as its surface increases, which in effect allows some insects, such as the shoemaker, to be able to move across the surface of the water without sinking. Surface tension (a manifestation of intermolecular forces in liquids), together with the forces between liquids and solid surfaces that come into contact with them, give rise to capillarity. The effect is the elevation or depression of the surface of a liquid in the area of contact with a solid.

A lubricating oil has relatively high surface tension, which generates this surface tension that holds a one-piece contact surface together with a portion of the inner wall of the case.

On the other hand, another of the drawbacks of using this type of cardboard boxes in industry is that their manufacturing material, cardboard, presents an environmental problem associated with being a contaminated solid with an average use of about 4 o 5 uses. In other words, a box becomes impregnated with oil or lubricant from the parts themselves, and in the long run the box becomes useless and is also contaminated.

Still another of the drawbacks of using this type of cardboard boxes is that they are associated with the danger of deformation of the pieces housed inside due to accidental breakage of the box or due to improper handling of them by the operator ( especially in transport or during transport). The fact that the box is internally impregnated with oil or lubricant from the parts ends up weakening its structure and facilitating and may even cause the box to break.

And yet another of the drawbacks of using this type of cardboard boxes is that, in case of accidental breakage of the box, contamination of the pieces located inside can occur and also the unwanted mixing of different references of pieces , in the event of being affected by breakage of several boxes containing in turn a variety of references.

This same problem of mixing references can occur with smooth plastic boxes, because as pieces remain attached to the box, as the boxes are used interchangeably for several models or references, the different models or references can be mixed based on subsequent uses. The economic cost of the failure that some part of another reference can be mixed with a batch of parts is really very high.

In view of the above, there is an obvious need for an improved design of this greased aluminum parts storage and transport box, to allow the emptying of the greased aluminum parts to be a much faster and more efficient operation.

Description of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a box for the storage and transport of pieces of little weight and size where the pieces are externally coated with grease, which solves the aforementioned drawbacks and presents the advantages that are described below.

The present invention provides a box, which is characterized by the fact that:

- is made of a plastic material, and

- It comprises a plurality of protruding protrusions arranged distributed over all or practically all of the internal surface of the base and of the side walls of the box itself, where the protrusions are configured with such a geometry to break the adherence of the greased parts due to the surface tension generated by the grease, and where the protrusions are made of the same plastic material as the box.

The underlying idea of this invention is to replace the cardboard or smooth plastic boxes that are conventionally used with improved boxes made of a plastic material that have the above characteristics.

Preferably, the plastic material of the box and the protrusions is polypropylene and the weight of the box is between 1,500 and 2,500 grams. This material provides the box of the invention with optimal resistance against possible blows and manipulations that it may suffer during its useful life.

Preferably, the box has a prismatic configuration with a rectangular or square base and open at the top. The height of the box is designed so that there is on the order of 5 to 7 cm of margin once it is full of pieces.

Preferably, this height of the box is between 50 and 200 mm. and with a square base with a side between 100 and 250 mm. The thickness of the wall of the box is preferably constant and comprised between 1.5 and 5 mm.

In the four inner corners of the box it can comprise vertical stripes, replacing protrusions. This alternative provided with vertical stripes in the internal corners has the advantage that it facilitates the manufacture by injection molding of the box and reduces the cost of the box manufacturing mold.

Preferably, the protrusions are part of the box itself. They are also preferably distributed over the length and width of the internal walls of the box in a homogeneous way, and over all or practically all of the internal face of the base and the side walls of the box itself. In other words, the protrusions extend over all or practically all of the internal faces of the box. This means that there may be some small area without protrusions, but the technical effect is achieved by providing on most of the internal faces of the box with protrusions separated from each other.

The fact that the protrusions are present on all or practically the entire internal surface of the box, that is to say on the base and also on the side walls, guarantees that the pieces will not get caught on any of the internal surfaces of the box, nor on the base or on any of the interior side walls. By referring to "practically the entire internal surface of the box" it means a significant part of the interior walls, that is to say at least 70% of its total internal surface of the box. The specific areas that are covered with bumps will depend on the geometry, size and weight of the parts to be stored.

According to a possible configuration, a smooth area of reduced size (that is to say devoid of protrusions) may remain between two adjacent protrusions.

According to a possible configuration, the protrusions have the same external geometry and are separated from each other by a distance of about 8 mm between the centers of two contiguous protrusions, and have the same height of about 2 mm.

Preferably, the protrusions have a convex outer surface and can be, for example, hemispherical, although other non-hemispherical geometries may also be perfectly possible as long as they break the surface tension.

The bumps can be hollow or solid inside.

The protrusions are made of the same plastic material as the box, since it is preferably manufactured through an injection molding process, where the mold is manufactured so that the protrusions are part of the box itself, so that they cannot break, detach or let go of the walls.

Preferably, the box is capable of housing a large quantity of greased parts of small size and weight to be transported made of aluminum, although other types of materials could also be possible. For example, the box could also be suitable for the transport of screws or washers.

The pieces of small size and weight to transport can be a splint or button for a bottle of the perfumery, cosmetics and pharmacy, where the piece has, for example, a weight range of 0.1 to 2 grams with a diameter of 10 to 25 mm and a height of 5 mm to 15 mm. As an example, the part may have a body of revolution, of a substantially cylindrical configuration, with external dimensions of diameter of 12 to 22 mm and a height of between 6 and 12 mm and a weight range of 0.1 to 2 grams. . With these part measurements, the box of the invention can hold between 10,000 and 25,000 units per box.

The holder of the invention has carried out empirical tests of these boxes with different models of ferrules and pushbuttons inside and has found that none of the greased parts remains adhered when the box is completely turned over.

Advantageously, as there are no lubricated parts adhered to the base and / or interior walls of the box of the present invention, the problem that exists today of improper mixing of a part reference with another batch of other references disappears completely, which greatly increases the reliability and traceability of the entire product manufacturing process.

Furthermore, the box of the present invention, being made mostly of plastic, can withstand a much higher temporary use when compared to a cardboard box (which has an average use of about 4 or 5 uses). This advantage makes it an improved box with much less associated environmental problems, compared to conventional cardboard boxes.

Finally, since the box of the invention is made of plastic, it does not undergo so many deformations or break during its useful life when it is impregnated with oil or lubricant in its internal part, if we compare it with the cardboard box that is conventionally used.

Brief description of the figures

For a better understanding of what has been stated, some drawings are attached in which, schematically and only by way of non-limiting example, some practical cases of realization of the box are represented.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the box of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of the box of the invention shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view along line C-C of figure 2, where two different pieces can be seen placed in different positions inside the box.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the box of the invention shown in figure 1, where the two pieces placed inside the box can be seen, and where a detail of a part of the protrusions has been represented of the inner face of the bottom base of the box.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line G-G of figure 4, where one of the two pieces placed on the lower base of the box can be seen.

Figure 6 represents a second embodiment of the box of the invention.

Figure 7 shows a specific moment of the process of emptying a conventional box of the State of the Art to transfer the pieces to another location, where the situation is observed where some of the pieces covered with grease that are stored inside they are attached to the base of the box (without falling due to the effect of gravity), so the operator must manually detach them from the base.

Figure 8 shows a specific moment of the process of emptying a box of the invention, where the same situation as figure 7 is observed, but in this case no piece covered with grease remains adhered to the base or walls of the box , but they all fall.

Description of some preferred examples of embodiment

Next, two embodiment examples of the box (1, 100) of the present invention are described, a first embodiment example of the box (1) with specific reference to Figures 1 to 5 and a second embodiment of the box (100) with specific reference to figure 6.

As can be seen in figure 7, the boxes conventionally used today do not present any type of protrusion, so some number of pieces (10) Greased, small in size and weight, they remain undesirably attached, due to the effect of surface tension, to any of the interior surfaces of the box and do not fall under their own weight when the operator overturns the box.

On the other hand, as seen in figure 8, when the same situation as figure 7 occurs, but using a box (1, 100) like the one described in the present invention, none of the greased parts (10) remains adhered to the internal surface of the box (1, 100), but they all fall due to the combined action of the force of gravity and the action of the existing protrusions, which is why the operation of overturning the pieces (so manual or automatic) is totally efficient.

As can be seen in the attached figures 1 to 5, the first embodiment of the invention concerns a box (1), with a hollow outer body of prismatic dimensions and a square base, formed by four walls (7) and a base ( 6). In this specific embodiment, the outer dimensions of the box are height (h) 100 mm, and square base of side (B) 166 mm. In this specific case, the thickness (e) of the wall (3) of the box (1) is constant of 2.5 mm (see figure 3) and presents an outward rim (4) around the perimeter of its mouth (5) to improve its grip by the user and additionally to allow the boxes (1) to be stackable in height, one above the other. Externally, the four corners (8) have reinforcements that extend along the entire edge. In this first embodiment, there are protrusions (2) located on the five internal faces (the four sides (7) and the base (6)) of the box (1).

In particular reference to Figure 3, it is observed how the distribution in space of the plurality of protrusions (2) is homogeneous on one of the side faces of the box. In this specific embodiment of the invention, all the five walls of the box have a plurality of protrusions (2) of the same configuration (hemispherical), the same size and distributed in the same way and uniformly. In this same figure 3 it can be seen how the positions of the protrusions (2) in a first row are interspersed with respect to the positions of the protrusions (2) of an adjacent second row. The same happens with the positions of the protrusions (2) of two adjacent columns, forming a mesh shape where a protuberance (2) is at the same distance with respect to the protrusions (2) that it has adjacent to it.

In particular reference to figure 4, it shows a detail of the base (6) of the box where it is shown that the distance (d) between centers of two contiguous protrusions (2) is 8 mm in any direction.

In particular reference to figure 5, it can be seen that the height (hP) of the protrusions (2) is the same and in this case 2 mm and with a radius of curvature (rP) of the hemisphere of 2 mm . In this same figure 5 it is observed how the piece (10) has a diameter "D" of 12 mm. Therefore, the diameter of the part (10) is greater than the distance (8 mm) between the center of two contiguous / adjacent protrusions (2).

Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of the box (100), where the base of the box is rectangular (length 60 cm, width 40 cm, and height 23 cm.) Instead of square as in the first example of realization. In this second embodiment, both the base (600) and the internal faces of the four side walls (700) are covered with convex protrusions (2). In this second embodiment, the distance (d) between the centers of two contiguous protrusions (2) is also 8 mm, as in the first embodiment and they present an equal equidistant distribution between adjacent protrusions (2), forming a distribution where the The centers of the bumps (2) are joined to form an 8 mm equilateral triangle. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, in this second embodiment, a plurality of projecting vertical stripes (101) are provided arranged along the four inner corner sides. These vertical stripes (101) are slightly spaced one from the next stripe and replace the protrusions in these four areas.

Despite the fact that reference has been made to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the box (1, 100) described is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications, and that all the mentioned details can be substituted. by others technically equivalent, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A box (1, 100) suitable for the storage and transport of pieces (10) of little weight and size that are externally covered with grease, characterized by the fact that: - the box (1, 100) is made of a plastic material, and - It comprises a plurality of projecting protrusions (2) arranged distributed over all or practically all of the internal surface of the base and of the side walls of the box itself, and - wherein the protrusions (2) are configured with such a geometry to break the adherence of the greased parts (10) due to the surface tension generated by the grease, and - where the protrusions (2) are made of the same plastic material as the box (1, 100). The box (1, 100), according to the first claim, wherein the plastic material of the box (1) and of the protrusions (2) is polypropylene. 3. The box (1, 100), according to the first claim, in which all the protrusions (2) have the same geometry and are homogeneously distributed. The box (1, 100), according to claim 1, in which a smooth area (ie devoid of protrusions) remains between two adjacent protrusions (2). The box (1, 100), according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions (2) are spaced about 8 mm apart between the center of one protrusion with the next protrusion, and the protrusions (2) have a height about 2 mm. 6. The box (1, 100), according to the first claim, in which the protrusions (2) have a convex geometry that is substantially hemispherical. The box (1, 100) according to the first claim, wherein the protrusions (2) are present on the entire surface of the internal walls of the box (1, 100). The box (1, 100) according to the first claim, wherein the positions of the protrusions (2) in a first row are interspersed with respect to the positions of the protrusions (2) of a second adjacent row, and the positions of the protrusions (2) of two adjacent columns, forming a mesh where a protrusion (2) is at the same distance with respect to the protrusions (2) that it has adjacent to she. The box (1, 100) according to the first claim, wherein the box has a prismatic configuration with a rectangular or square base. 10. The box (1, 100), according to claim 1, wherein it comprises an outward flange (4) on the perimeter of its mouth (5) to be stackable in height.