ES2545862T3 - Armored container - Google Patents

Abstract

Buildable container, comprising a side cover (3), a lower platform (1) with corner support feet (4) and intermediate support feet (5,6), and a frame (2) with vertical uprights (11) insertable and fixable on the corner support feet (4), two intermediate crossbars (12) located on two opposite side faces of the container and two upper crossbars (13) located opposite and parallel on the other two remaining side faces of the container, all of them mounted at their ends between facing housings (18) of consecutive vertical uprights (11), the housings (18) of the upper crossbars (13) being made from the upper end section of said vertical uprights (11). The support feet (4,5,6) are hollow and pluggable with each other, allowing the stacking of platforms, being closed by the lower base and open by the upper base, and presenting in said lower base conformations for the support on the vertical uprights (11) and upper crossbars (13), allowing the stacking of two or more containers.

Description

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E14709986

08-20-2015

DESCRIPTION

Armored container

Field of the Invention

The present invention is encompassed within the field of armored containers, which are known

e.g. in EP-A-0894728.

Background of the invention

There are currently two types of containers. First, a cardboard container, consisting of a cardboard box with tubular pillars also made of cardboard, located on a wooden pallet. The main drawbacks of this container are the lack of ventilation, since the box has a dense cardboard bottom and is placed on a second surface that is the pallet, and the low resistance of the container because its only component is cardboard.

The second type is a collapsible container entirely of plastic. Its main drawback is the high cost. Normally it is rented and must be returned once its use is finished, so that at great distances it is no longer operational since the logistic cost of return soars.

The present invention proposes a new type of container with a novel constitution.

Description of the invention

The present invention relates to an armored container comprising the characteristics of claim 1, constituted on the basis of three independent components, easily assembled together, and all of them of a reusable or recyclable nature.

The container object of the invention is specially designed for the transport of fruits, vegetables, plants, etc., due to its high degree of ventilation. It comprises a lower pallet-type platform that forms the ground or the base thereof, an armor that is mounted on the platform, and by a wall that surrounds and laterally compresses the armor, closing the horizontal parts of the container.

The platform is made of plastic material, of robust constitution, easily transportable and storable thanks to its possibility of stacking. In addition, this platform is reusable, both for the production of new containers, and for individual use as a loading platform. Its size corresponds to what would be half European pallet, thus facilitating its standardization in both logistics and transport.

The vertical structure is made up of simple pieces of solid wood, and consists of four uprights or vertical feet, introducible and fixed by its lower end on the platform, and by four horizontal flat crossbars, based on boards, two intermediate and two parallel superiors, all mounted at their ends between opposite housings of the vertical uprights.

The vertical uprights are of triangular section as a square and contain the grooves where the slats or horizontal crossbars are embedded. The intermediate crossbars are located at the same height, between two consecutive vertical uprights, those of smaller distance from each other, being of smaller section than the upper crossbars.

The upper crossbars occupy parallel positions, mounted between independent pairs of uprights. The housings in which they are fixed consist of vertical grooves made from the upper end section of the uprights, so that the upper longitudinal edge of these crossbars is flush with said upper end section. By having greater edge they allow the support of more load on the edge of the container, giving it a greater resistance to compression, channeling the loads through the uprights and the base and preventing the load from being transmitted through the cardboard collar. All components of this armor are reusable.

To allow the stacking of platforms, the feet of support of the same are hollow and pluggable, being closed by the inferior base and opened by the superior. These support feet have at the bottom base conformations or inserts for the support on the uprights and upper crossbars, thus allowing the stacking of two or more containers, and guaranteeing a greater resistance to the sliding of the supports.

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The side cover, based on cardboard, is mounted tightly around the uprights, in turn has a fold in its lower perimeter that has a multiple function, on the one hand it prevents the cardboard collar from sliding below the level for which It is conceived, both during assembly and during handling and loading, on the other, the L-structure it generates guarantees greater rigidity and non-deformability. In addition, the neckline that is made during the punching of this element borders the wooden uprights and prevents the collar from rotating on the structure horizontally.

The cardboard collar is reinforced with peripheral pressure strips that in turn compress the uprights against the crossbars. This is done above the lateral cardboard cover thus favoring the distribution of the punctual force exerted by the strap, which is distributed through the cardboard on the uprights, thus ensuring the stability of the reinforcement. In this way a stable and uniform structural system is obtained where the wooden elements absorb the compressions, the strapping and the cardboard the tractions, leaving to the plastic pallet the mixed function of base, support and balance of forces.

The lateral cover has, at least in one of its walls and from the upper free edge thereof, a central area that is limited by a line of climbing or weakening, through which a window is formed through which it is broken. visible the contained product, facilitating access to it, especially in bulk products when the load is at the minimum level. At the same time, the area or portion separated by the breakage of the said climbing line has, from its edge, grooves that allow its mounting on the upper edge of the remaining walls of the container, to serve as a price indicator support or other information . There is also the option of using a climbing or die form a triptych holder for commercial purposes, this triptych holder is easily assembled through its extremely intuitive die cutting and bending.

In short, the container is composed of a series of components that can be easily attached and fixed together, without the need to use accessory connecting elements, such as staples, nails, or glues, etc.

On the other hand, the cover or side wall, based on cardboard, is easily recyclable, while the armor, based on wood, and the plastic material platform are reusable.

All the elements once disassembled considerably reduce their volume with respect to the assembled product.

With the constitution exposed, the containers can be superimposed or stacked, by arranging the legs of each platform of plastic material of conformations that ensure the stacking position.

The plastic material platforms are reusable both for the formation of successive containers and by themselves, the power to be used as loading platforms. In addition, these platforms can be stacked together, facilitating their transport and storage.

A further advantage of the container of the invention is its reduced weight, due to the nature of the components that form it.

The characteristics and advantages of the container of the invention may be better understood with the following description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings and illustrations, in which an exemplary embodiment is shown, given by way of non-limiting example.

Brief description of the drawings

A series of drawings that help to better understand the invention and that expressly relate to an embodiment of said invention which is presented as a non-limiting example thereof is described very briefly below.

Figures 1A, 1B and 1C show the constituent elements of the container.

Figure 2 is a top floor of a container platform of the invention.

Figure 3 is a side view of the platform, according to the direction A of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of the platform, according to the direction B of Figure 2.

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Figure 5 shows two overlapping and plugged platforms, sectioned according to the cutting line VII-VII of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a partial section of the platform, taken according to the cutting line VIII-VIII of Figure 2. The Figure 7 shows an elevation of the upper face of the platform. Figure 8 shows an elevation of the bottom face of the platform.

Figure 9 shows an elevation of several overlapping platforms. Figures 10A, 10B and 10C show the components of the container frame for three different sizes (G 50, G 70 and G 100, respectively).

Figure 11 shows the container already assembled and with products. Figures 12A, 12B and 12C show the different phases of pocket assembly for commercial purposes. Figures 13A and 13B show the pocket already mounted in the container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As can be seen in Figures 1A, 1B and 1C, the container of the invention is formed by a

bottom reusable platform 1, of plastic material, by a reinforcement 2 or wooden substructure mountable on the platform, and a wall or side cover 3 of corrugated cardboard that surrounds the armor. Its assembly is very simple, by means of inserts.

Figures 2 to 7 show different views and cuts of the container platform: -Figure 2: upper floor. -Figure 3: side view according to the direction A of Figure 2. -Figure 4: side view according to the direction B of Figure 2. -Figure 5: two overlapping and plugged platforms sectioned according to the cutting line VII — VII of the

Figure 2. -Figure 6: partial section of the platform taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 2. -Figure 7: elevation of the upper face of the platform. -Figure 8: elevation of the bottom face of the platform. -Figure 9: elevation of several overlapping platforms. The reusable platform 1 of plastic material is rectangular in shape, as shown in the

Figure 2, and has lower legs or feet of corner support 4 and intermediate legs or feet of support (5,6), all of them hollow, open at the upper base and closed at the lower base. All these feet have two sections of different sections, the lower section being the one with the smallest section, so that by superimposing two or more platforms in a coincident position, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, the different legs are partially plugged each other, thus facilitating the stacking and storage of said platforms.

As can be seen in Figures 2 and 6, the corner support feet 4 internally have a diagonal partition 7 that delimits an external housing 8 for mounting the frame 2, as will be explained later.

The bottom of the corner feet 4 forms a step 9 (Figures 3, 5, and 6), which facilitates the stacking of the containers. For this, in addition, the intermediate feet 5 located on the greater side of the platform have a central groove 10 (Figure 5).

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The reusable platform of plastic material 1 can be used by itself as a loading platform. In addition, these platforms are stackable with each other, as shown in Figure 5, thus facilitating their storage and transport. As can be seen in Figure 2, the reusable plastic platform has multiple openings (17) that will allow ventilation of the product housed in the

5 container

The reinforcement 2 of the container is composed, as shown in Figures 10A, 10B and 10C and in Figures 1B and 1C, by four vertical uprights 11, of triangular section, and by four crossbars (12,13), two intermediate 12 that are arranged between two consecutive uprights 11 of the minor side, and two upper 13 that are mounted between pairs of uprights 11 independent of the major side, so that

10 occupy parallel positions.

The crossbars (12,13) are introduced at their ends in intermediate housings 18 made in the uprights 11, as can be seen in Figures 1B and 1C.

The containers can be arranged in an overlapping or stacked position, supporting the step 9 of the corner feet 4 of a container at the upper end of the uprights 11 of the container located

15 immediately below, while the groove 10 of the intermediate feet 5 of the major side will rest on the upper edge of the upper crossbars 13, thereby ensuring the stacking position.

There are three different sizes of containers depending on their height, whose trade names are "G 50" (Figure 10A), "G 70" (Figure 10B) and "G 100" (Figure 10C), indicating the number the height in cm . These containers are 80 cm long and 60 cm wide. However, the dimensions of the container

20 in height, width and length may vary, adapting to any standard.

The side cover 3 has, at least on one of its walls and from the upper free edge thereof, a central area that is limited by a line of climbing or weakening, by means of which a window is formed through which it breaks the product 16 contained is visible, as shown in Figure 11, facilitating access to it.

25 There is also the option of forming, by means of a climbing or die, a triptych holder or pocket 20 for commercial purposes. This pocket 20 is easily assembled through its highly intuitive die-cutting and folding, as shown in Figures 12A, 12B and 12C, which represent the different stages of pocket assembly.

Figures 13A shows the pocket already mounted in the container. Figure 13B shows the enlarged pocket.

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Claims (12)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five 1.-Armored container, comprising a lower platform (1), an armor (2), and a side cover (3), the platform (1) having lower corner support feet (4) and intermediate support feet (5,6), and the reinforcement (2) having vertical uprights (11) that can be inserted and fixed on the corner support feet (4) of the platform (1), where the support feet (4,5,6 ) of the platform are hollow and pluggable with each other, allowing the stacking of platforms, being closed by the lower base and open by the upper base, characterized in that the frame (2) has crossbars that run between the vertical uprights (11), said crossbars comprising two intermediate crossbars (12) located on two side faces of the container facing each other and two upper crossbars (13) facing each other and parallel on the two other side faces of the remaining container, all of them mounted at their ends between housings (18) facing consecutive uprights (11), the housings (18) of the upper crossbars (13) being made from the upper end section of said vertical uprights (11); and because the support feet (4,5,6) of the platform have in their lower base conformations for the support on the vertical uprights (11) and upper crossbars (13), allowing the stacking of two or more containers, each foot of corner support (4) of the platform (1) externally presenting a step (9) adaptable on the upper end of the vertical uprights (11) of another container, and the intermediate support feet (5) located in the side faces of the container where the upper crossbars (13) are located, externally disposing at the bottom of a groove (10) attachable on the edge of the upper crossbars (13) of another container. 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the crossbars (12,13) are flat, with the vertical transverse edges and the upper longitudinal edge of the upper crossbars (13) running flush with the upper end section of the vertical uprights (eleven). 3. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vertical uprights (11) are triangular in cross-section. 4. Container according to claim 3, characterized in that the corner support feet (4) internally have a diagonal partition (7) that delimits an external housing (8) of triangular section for mounting the vertical uprights (11) . 5. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side cover (3) is mounted tightly around the vertical uprights (11) and reinforced with peripheral pressure strips. 6. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side cover

(3)

It has a fold in its lower perimeter to prevent it from sliding below the expected level and to ensure greater rigidity and non-deformability.

7. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side cover

(3)

it has, at least on one of its faces and from the upper free edge thereof, a central area that is limited by a line of climbing or weakening (14), through which a window (15) is formed through breakage which is visible product (16) content.

8. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side cover

(3)

has, at least one of its faces, a climbing or die to form a pocket (20) for commercial purposes.

9. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side cover

(3)

It is made of cardboard.

10. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each crossbar (12,13) is formed by at least one wooden board. 11. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the platform (1) is made of plastic material and has multiple openings to allow ventilation of the product housed in the 6 container. 12. Container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that to allow the stacking of platforms (1) the support feet (4,5,6) have two sections of different section, the lower section being the one with the smallest section. 7