ES2226080T3 - CONTAINER PROVIDED WITH A PORTILLO. - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION REFERS TO A CONTAINER (1) EQUIPPED WITH SIDE WALLS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH DEFINES A SIDE ACCESS WALL (4, 8) PROVIDED WITH A PORTILLO. THE PORTILLO (14) CAN MOVE BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION, IN WHICH IT LEAVES A STEP (26) TO THE INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER WHEN MOVING TOGETHER WITH A PART (16) OF SUCH ACCESS WALL (4) AND A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH OBTAIN SUCH STEP. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, THE PORTILLO (14) AND THE WALL PART (16) DEFINE A SENSITIVELY ALIGNED ASSEMBLY WITH THE REST OF THE ACCESS WALL AND THAT PRESENTS A THICKNESS AT LEAST SENSITIVELY EQUAL TO THAT OF THE ACCESS WALL (4), APPEARS OF THE PORTILLO AND THE CONSIDERED PART. Thus, IN OPEN POSITION, THE PORTILLO IS INTEGRATED IN THE EXTERNAL VOLUME OF THE REST OF THE CONTAINER.

Description

Container provided with a gate.

The present invention aims at a container such as a box comprising walls of which one at least defines a side access wall inside the container.

The invention is intended in principle to propose a solution that allows access to the interior of the container without needing to go through the open top of the container, where its content is eventually loaded and / or emptying

A box disclosed in particular for the document FR-A-2 686 061 whose access wall lateral comprises a mobile gate between:

- an open position where you release a step into the container, extending in front of a portion of said access wall,

- and a closed position where it is sealed He passed.

But, this gate implies various obligations concerning the handling of the container to avoid deteriorate it The invention is further intended to propose a robust, reliable and / or little expensive solution.

To solve this problem the invention proposes that in the open position, of the gate:

- the gate and said portion wall define a set that has a thickness less than or substantially equal to thickness of said access wall separated from the gate and said portion,

- and said set extends substantially in alignment with the rest of said access wall, so that in this open position, the gate is integrated into the total volume of the rest of the container.

In other words, the set formed by the gate and the wall portion does not substantially overflow from the rest of the container when the gate is in the open position and that is not It does so when the gate is in the closed position.

Thus, the gate is not highlighted when it is in open position. This avoids starting it or damaging it by bumping against him when maintenance operations take place.

In order to avoid significantly reducing the resistance to the container at the level of the gate and said portion, the invention further advantageously proposes that said portion of wall and the gate have noticeable shapes complementary that happen to be embedded in each other when the gate is in open position.

An embodiment that particularly contributes Satisfaction is that:

- said portion of the access wall and the portillo each have a smooth face and a face that presents some undulations, and

- in the open position of the gate, the faces of said portion and of the gate that present these undulations face each other, so that your undulations are interwoven in each other.

The undulations on one of the faces increase the stiffness, as well as the resistance of the gate and the portion of wall. The overlapping of undulations as well as smooth faces allow to reduce the volume of the set for a rigidity and a resistance given. In addition, the undulations present, with respect to the usual ribbing of the walls, the advantage of facilitating the wall cleaning by limiting liquid stagnation in particular, getting rid of living angles. Problems Bacteriological will then be less acute.

An accomplishment that also brings satisfaction is that:

- the access wall is substantially flat,

- the gate is articulated in rotation with with respect to the access wall along an axis parallel to the plane of the access wall, to move from the closed position to the position open,

- said portion of the access wall and the portillo each have an internal face and an external face that they extend in the closed position of the gate substantially according to the plane of the access wall, the inner face being located in this position on the load volume side and the outer face by  the opposite side,

- the inner face is smooth and the outer face it presents undulations directed according to the direction of the axis of gate joint,

- the outer faces of the gate and said portion they are substantially in contact with each other in an open position of the gate.

This solution allows to obtain, in position closed gate, a smooth internal face that facilitates filling inside the container, reducing the liquid stagnation Being the undulations directed substantially according to the direction of the articulation axis, the same they will prevent this axis from becoming deformed, which will therefore facilitate the gate manipulation and will reduce your risk of deterioration.

Another feature of the invention provides for improvement. even the resistance of the container while facilitating its utilization. For this, according to the invention:

- comprises a base that has elements of support intended to support the container,

- is superimposable on a container identical,

- the support elements of a container that is above or compatible that is substantially above the gate comprise a recess made in the vertical of the gate or are displaced with respect to the vertical of the gate to avoid contact between the gate and its elements from
support for,

The superposition of two containers facilitates their stored. It was already certainly known in the art previous. However, until then or none of the support elements of the container arranged above was arranged noticeably above the gate, or they rested on the gate and prevented it from opening, or they also rested on a fixed beam above the gate which reduced the functionality of access to the interior of the container.

The solution of the invention allows to preserve the Total functionality of the gate, the use of all the elements of support when the container is placed on the ground; only the use of some of the support elements of a container Overlay is not possible.

In order to improve the relationship between robustness of the container and its weight, the invention also proposes that:

- the walls) side (s) comprise an envelope material surrounding a  core product of lower density than the material of envelope,

- the base comprises the multitude of ribs crisscrossed

Taking into account some solicitations important to which the base that supports the greatest is subjected part of the efforts of the container, this ribbed structure It allows to prevent it from being too important. In what concerns the side wall (s), the lower density of the core product allows to reduce the weight of the container with respect to a solid wall and therefore improves the wall resistance increasing its section without increasing Too much your weight.

In addition, according to the invention, the Container has the following characteristics:

- the base is made by injection of plastic material,

- the side walls of plastic material It is made by extrusion, blowing, thermoforming or rotomolded.

The injection is particularly adapted for performing a ribbed piece while extrusion blown, thermoformed, rotomolded, and foamed allow to obtain robust parts of a relatively cost modest.

Broken foam is understood as the realization of one piece per rotomoulded with a foamed plastic material in the inside of the rotomoulded piece. The core product is Then a foamed plastic material.

The invention will appear even more clearly in the description that follows, given with reference to the attached plans, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention slightly seen by over,

- Figure 2 represents the container of the figure 1 seen slightly below,

- Figure 3 represents the sectional container according to the plane III-III of figure 2, on the which an identical container has been superimposed,

- figure 4 represents the sectional container according to the plane IV-IV of figure 1, on which an identical container is superimposed.

These figures illustrate a material container plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene. It includes two walls 4, 8 identical main sides arranged opposite and two 2, 6 identical side walls also arranged facing each other, as well as a rectangular bottom wall 10 that It belongs to the base socket. These noticeably flat walls define an internal load volume 1a. The side walls 2, 4, 6, 8 are linked to the base by articulation axes 22, 24 in order to allow its folding or rebutting on the base 10.

The base 10 comprises four feet 10a, 10b, 10c or 10d arranged in the corners. A removable sole 20 is fixed on the corner feet. This sole 20 comprises four feet centrals - only 20a, 20b of the four- that come into contact with the base 10 between the feet of corners 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and a perimeter plate 20c joining each central foot to the adjacent corner foot. So when the container is arranged on the ground, the perimeter plate 20c comes into contact with this soil and transmits the efforts to the 10 base through the central feet and the corner feet. The plate 20c stiffens the base 10, in particular the feet and allows for other part tilt the container in view of its pouring with the help of a fork conveyor.

The base 10 and the sole 20 are made by injection and comprise multiple crisscrossing ribs 30.

In the continuation of the description, the "inferior" and "superior" terms shall include the sense of lifting height, the container being assumed resting at its base, through the sole on a floor substantially horizontal.

It will have been understood by the general description that just came from the container that this is usually defined under the expression "box-pallet folding".

The main side walls 4, 8 of the illustrated container comprise a substantially flat support 12 on which a gate 14. is articulated in rotation. gate articulation is done around an axis 18 contained in the plane of the support 12 and parallel to the plane of the base 10. The gate is therefore mobile between a position open illustrated in figure 1 by arrow 26 and a position closed gate illustrated in figure 2. In the open position, the gate is refuted to support against a release portion 16 of the access wall 4.

The side walls of this container are made by extrusion and blowing. They could also be obtained by rotomolding or thermoforming. They understand a plastic wrap inside which is arranged a low density product, advantageously a gas and here air. They have a smooth inner face that delimits the inner volume, and an outer face that presents some undulations. This is particularly illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 at the level of the gate 14 and the release portion 16.

The inner face 14a, 16a, and the outer face 14b, 16b come into contact with each other in areas 15, 17 where they are maintained with respect to the other by merger of plastic material - they have been applied against each other when the blown extrusion operation takes place. These contacts, usually called bridges, stiffen the walls.

The undulations of the outer face 14b, 16b of the gate and the release portion have an axis of elongation parallel to the axis of articulation of the gate 14, is say that it is noticeably horizontal while the undulations of the support 12 are perpendicular, that is to say vertical

In addition, the undulations of the outer face 14b of the gate and the outer face 16b of the release portion are complementary, so that they are inserted into each other when the gate 14 is retracted against the release portion 16. Thus, in this position, illustrated in particular in Figure 4, the outer faces come into contact with one another and the thickness e of the assembly formed by the release portion and the gate is substantially equal to the thickness e ' of the support 12. This assembly is also in alignment with the support 12, and therefore does not protrude - in particular the gate 14 in the open position - of the volume, in particular outer side, total of the rest of the container.

In Figures 3 and 4, another container is superimposed on the one described above. Being these two substantially identical containers, the elements of the second Containers are referenced by a number increased by 100.

As illustrated in these figures, the container "on top" 101 rests by means of its feet corner 110c on the walls 4 of the container below 1. In order of correctly positioning these two containers relatively the with each other and prevent them from moving, the bottom 132 of the corner feet and plate 120 are fitted to give them a complementary form of the upper part 34 of the wall on the which are supported. They are advantageously beveled for facilitate the positioning of the containers one above the other.

The axis of rotation 18 of the gate is inserted in oblong holes 28 that allow immobilization of the gate in closed position or its opening by elevation. In order to allow this maneuver, the central feet 120b and the part of the sole 120c located in the vicinity of the gate 14 are displaced towards the center of the container with respect to the vertical of the gate. The container above 101 does not rest therefore on the gate 14 of the container 1 below.

When the container is in the folded position with its side walls folded on the base, the undulations of the side walls and the base run the risk of constituting some retention areas In order to allow the evacuation of a liquid that could stagnate in it - particularly rainwater - The container comprises multiple perforations that pass through part by part its walls and its base, which generates the flow of said liquid. With respect to a wall that presents externally some ribs, a wall that has undulations needs a lower number of perforations.

Of course, the invention is not in any way limited to the embodiment described above. So, you could provide that the release portion extends into the base. Would however, more difficult to fold the container with the open gate.

You could also plan to make a gate that have undulations directed substantially perpendicularly to the base and a release portion that presents some complementary undulations The gate could then slide substantially according to the direction of the undulations. This gate  could even be inserted in the open position in the portion of release.

The sole could be integrated in the base and not removable.

The side walls and the base could be obtained according to other techniques than those recommended. So, the side walls could be made by injection and the base by extrusion or other similar techniques, even though this Look less judicious.

Claims (9)

1. Container (1) comprising walls (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) of which one at least defines an access wall lateral (4, 8) to the interior (1a) of the container comprising a gate (14) mobile between: - an open position where you release a step (26) into the container extending in front of a portion (16) of said access wall (4), - and a closed position where it is sealed He passed, characterized in that in the open position of the gate: - the gate (14) and said wall portion (16) define a set that has a thickness (e) lower or substantially equal to the thickness (e ') of said access wall (4) separated from the gate and said portion, - and said set extends substantially in alignment with the rest of said access wall, so that in this open position, the gate is integrated into the total volume of the rest of the container. 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that said portion (16) of the access wall (4) and the gate (14) have substantially complementary shapes (16b, 14b) that come to be interwoven into each other when the gate It is in open position. 3. Container according to claim 2, characterized in that: - said portion of the access wall (16) and the portillo (14) each have a smooth face (16th, 14th) and a face that has undulations (16b, 14b), and - in the open position of the gate, the faces (16b, 14b) of said portion and of the gate that these undulations are facing each other, so that their undulations are interwoven in each other. 4. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that: - the access wall (4) is substantially flat, - the gate (14) is articulated in rotation with respect to the access wall along an axis (18) parallel to the plane of the access wall, to move from the closed position to the open position, - said portion (16) of the access wall and the gate (14) each have an internal face (16th, 14th) and a external face (16b, 14b) extending, in the closed position of the gate, substantially according to the plane of the access wall, the inner face being located in this position inward of the container and the outer side of the side opposite the face internal, - the inner face is smooth and the outer face it presents undulations directed along the axis of articulation of the gate, - the outer faces of the gate and said portion come into contact with each other in position open to the gate. 5. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that: - comprises a base (10) which has some supporting elements (10a, 10b, 10c, 20a, 20b, 20c) intended for hold the container, - is superimposable on an identical container (101), - the support elements (120b, 120c) of a identical or compatible top container that remains noticeably above the gate (14) comprise a recess made in the vertical of the gate or are displaced with respect to the vertical of the gate to avoid contact between the gate and These supporting elements. 6. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that: - the side wall (s) they comprise an envelope material surrounding a product of core of lower density than the envelope material, - the base (10) comprises a multitude of crisscrossing ribs (30): 7. Container according to claim (6), characterized in that the core product is a gas. 8. Container according to claim 6, characterized in that the core product is made of foamed plastic material. 9. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that: - the base (10) is made by injection of plastic material, - the side walls (2, 4, 6, 8) of plastic material is made by extrusion, blown, thermoformed or rotomolded.