ES2650369T3 - Waterproof tray for transporting wet products - Google Patents

Abstract

Waterproof tray for the transport of wet products formed from a compact cardboard sheet (1) with main folding lines that define a base (3) and four side walls (4, 5) facing two to two, in which a flange (2) is arranged in each of the four corners of the base, in which each of the tabs in turn comprises two fold lines (21) that join it to two side walls and a third fold line diagonal (23) that runs from the corner of the base to a free edge (22) of the flange, in which said flange folds into the tray when the side walls are raised during the assembly of the tray, characterized because at least one of the side walls also comprises at its ends extensions (41) defined by folding lines (42) that coincide with the vertical edges of the tray, in which the extensions comprise two additional folding lines onals (43, 44) that divide each of the extensions into 3 portions and form a polyhedral structure that has a triangular section when the intermediate portion is folded into the tray and the outermost portion is folded out of the tray being placed against the side wall.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Waterproof tray for transporting wet products Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to the technical field of containers for the transport of products and more specifically to boxes or cardboard trays for the transport of wet products.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, starting from a single compact cardboard sheet, a tray for the transport of wet products provided with a completely sealed bottom.

Background of the invention

Currently, the transport of wet products such as fish, meat or other perishable products is usually carried out in expanded polystyrene or “white cork” packaging that allows the products to be protected and kept fresh during the entire cold chain.

This type of packaging has serious environmental problems, since it is a very polluting material that is virtually impossible to recycle. Once the packaging in a landfill is discarded, polystyrene is inert and does not decompose, but will remain there forever, which has even caused its ban in some countries.

There are some solutions in the state of the art that face this problem by resorting to alternative materials such as cardboard, but although there are documents such as ES2384907 that use waterproofing compounds to ensure that the material, corrugated cardboard in this case, retains its structural properties in wet conditions, they do not guarantee an appropriate seal since they do not propose any solution for the typically weaker points in this aspect, such as the lower corners. In addition, the handles located on the lower edges also play to the detriment of the tightness of the packaging. Finally, the need to resort to other elements to reinforce the structure, such as in this case fiberglass mesh, makes the subsequent recycling process more complex.

Other solutions disclose corners with bellows, such as FR 2 688 478 A1, which discloses a tray according to the preamble of claim 1, which refers to an angular postal package with a self-adhesive closure. It consists of a sheet of corrugated or compact cardboard divided by folding lines in several panels that constitute the six sides of the package. The folding lines formed in the elements (16) and (18) allow the formation of bellows folds intended to maintain the vertical faces (17) after assembly. A longitudinal face (8) located at the end of the cutout has three free sides and comprises, at its outer edge, a self-adhesive element (19). This element (8) can be folded and glued to the opposite elements (13) or (12) after assembly, giving a closure that is very efficient and very easy to use. This package is intended to send objects through postal mail.

Also GB 2 085 405 A comprises corner fins with bellows suitable for hermetic properties, since said document discloses a pre-assembled folding tray having a pair of opposite walls, each of which comprises two panels one next to the another and an additional portion of the raw material sandwiched between the panels; at least in each corner region of the tray, each additional portion being defined by a fin articulated jointly to the end of one of said panels.

A similar solution is proposed by US 3 182 886 A, which discloses a cardboard box comprising long sides of double walls and short sides in the form of rectangular hollow elements in cross section whose elements at the lower edges of their interior walls they have extensions in the form of wing parts, the wing parts of the long sides glued to the bottom of the box and the inner walls of the long sides that have a preferably vertical groove near each end through which a fin is inserted lock that forms an extension of the end of the inner wall of the adjacent short side.

GB 2 264 697 A discloses a container made from corrugated cardboard having a base and two pairs of opposite vertical side walls that are articulated to the base, each side wall having a corner portion that is common to two adjacent sides . Each corner portion is articulated to its neighboring sides and has a folding line that extends diagonally through it.

It would therefore be a valuable contribution to the state of the art, a packaging, tray or transport box for wet products that, avoiding the use of polystyrene, presented similar resistance and sealing characteristics, or at least sufficient to carry out product transport perishable keeping the chain cold.

Brief Description of the Invention

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The present invention has as its object a watertight tray for the transport of wet products, such as fresh fish, formed from a compact cardboard plate with main folding lines that define a base and four side walls facing two to two . The tray comprises a flange arranged in each of the four corners of the base, where each of the tabs in turn comprises two fold lines that join it to two side walls and a third diagonal fold line that runs from the corner from the base to a free edge of the tab, where said tab folds into the tray when the side walls are raised in the tray assembly.

Advantageously, the structure of the tray of the present invention offers a complete seal thanks to the combination of the chosen material, compact cardboard and the solution presented for the corners of the base. Folding eyelashes guarantee complete isolation and avoid any damage caused by the humidity of the transported goods. It should be noted that the corners and edges in these types of materials are critical points in that they are the weakest points to moisture. Therefore, the reinforcement of the base in this sense is essential to achieve a certain durability of the trays containing wet products.

According to one of the embodiments of the invention, the tabs are quadrangular in shape and the diagonal folding line runs from the corner of the base to a free corner of the flange formed by two cutting lines. According to the invention, the side walls may comprise at their ends extensions defined by folding lines that coincide with the vertical edges of the tray. Said extensions have two additional fold lines which, therefore, divide each of the extensions into 3 portions and form a triangular polyhedral structure when the intermediate portion is folded into the tray and the outermost portion is folded into the outside of the tray being attached to the side wall. Advantageously, a column is formed in each of the corners of the tray that structurally reinforce it and allows the stacking of several trays.

Optionally, it is contemplated that the side walls may comprise an upper flap defined by a longitudinal folding line that allows the upper section of the polyhedral structures to be covered when the flaps are folded into the box. In this way, a support surface is advantageously achieved for stacking other trays while reinforcing the structure of the tray.

It is contemplated, in one of the embodiments of the invention, that the upper flaps comprise at each of its ends a flap whose only contact with the flap is a folding line, where the flap is placed against the adjacent side wall when folded into the box. Advantageously, it is thus possible to structurally reinforce the tray by trapping the adjacent side wall between one of the columns and one of the fins in a sandwich structure.

The use of compact cardboard in the present invention provides the tray with sufficient rigidity and strength to dispense with additional materials, unlike other state-of-the-art solutions that have to resort to fiber meshes at the base of the tray . The recycling of the present invention is therefore more complete and simple to process, being totally environmentally friendly.

The tightness of the base also implies the advantage of retaining any liquid that derives from the transported wet products, which guarantees the maintenance of the cleanliness and hygienic conditions of warehouses or means of transport used.

Description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, in accordance with some preferred examples of practical embodiments thereof, a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of this description. where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a plan view of a tray in an unfolded position, according to one of the embodiments of the invention.

Figure 2 shows in detail the folding of the wings that make up the reinforcing columns according to one of the embodiments of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a 3-dimensional view in detail of the lower tabs of the half-folded tray, according to one of the embodiments of the invention.

Figure 4 shows a 3-dimensional view of the waterproof tray for the transport of fully assembled wet products, according to one of the embodiments of the invention

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

In view of the figures outlined, it can be seen how the tray proposed in the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a compact cardboard sheet (1) with several main cuts and folding lines

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that define a base or bottom and four lateral walls that in extended position are extensions of the base, but with the armed box, they are arranged vertically with respect to the base and facing two to two.

As can be seen in Figure 1, where the unfolded plate is shown, a flange (2) is arranged in each of the corners of the base (3) of the tray. Said flange is connected to two consecutive side walls by means of the corresponding folding lines (21), the other two edges of the flange being free thanks to the respective cutting lines (22). The tab thus defined is therefore a common extension to two consecutive side walls and the base. The tab has an additional fold line (23) that runs along one of its diagonals, specifically the diagonal that joins the corner of the base defined by the crossing of the main folding lines with the opposite corner of the tab, so that in the assembly of the tray, it allows folding, as shown in figure 3, the tab along said folding line towards the inside of the tray, thus achieving a total tightness at the bottom of the tray.

The side walls (4) of one of the pairs of facing side walls have folding wings (41) by means of the corresponding folding line (42). In turn, said lateral wings have additional folding lines (43, 44) that, once the tray is assembled, form a column-shaped polyhedral structure at each corner of the tray. For example, with the two folding lines of this preferred embodiment, shown in detail in Figure 2, a column with a triangular section (45) is obtained where the last part (46) of the wing, defined by the folding line ( 44) closer to the end, is arranged parallel to the side wall and preferably glued thereto.

Preferably, the last part of the wing (46) adheres at a point on the side wall such that the first part of the wing is arranged perpendicularly to the side wall and the second part of the wing runs diagonally from the corresponding folding line (43 ) to the next fold line (44), which is in contact with the side wall.

In this way, a greater resistance of the tray to the compression is guaranteed, which allows the stacking of several trays.

The two pairs of facing side walls are of different size so that the mounted tray has, as can be seen in Figure 4, two sides of greater height (4) and two sides of smaller height (5). Advantageously, the stacking of trays according to this preferred embodiment guarantees the entry of air for the aeration of the transported products. In other embodiments, the side walls can be of the same dimensions, and the same effect of aerating the products transported in the tray can be achieved by means of different folding lines at the top of the side walls or directly by a recess in the central part of the same.

The sides of greater height, according to the preferred embodiment, are narrower than the sides of lower height, these measures being defined by the base, but the proportions could be varied according to other embodiments of the invention and even be equal in width in the case of a square base.

Two of the facing sides, preferably those of greater height, have openings or grooves as handles (6) to transport the trays. Preferably these handles are located in a central or upper position of the side walls, so as not to damage the tightness of the tray.

The handles have a small flange (7) in its upper part that joins the side wall by means of a folding line. This tab can be folded into the tray to facilitate transport by an operator, who introduces his hands in the handles finds a greater contact surface and avoids or reduces possible discomforts or even cuts.

The side walls of greater height have an upper portion (47) defined by a folding line (48), where in turn said upper portion has a fin (49) at each of its ends, also defined by its corresponding folding line The upper portion is configured to fold into the tray by its folding line so that, with the tray in an armed position, it covers the upper end of the triangular section columns and also offers a surface for stacking other trays. . The fins of the ends are configured to be folded by their corresponding folding line and fixed to the adjacent side wall, preferably by gluing, to reinforce the structure of the tray.

The lower side walls (5) have two cutting lines (51) near their upper corners and arranged perpendicularly to the main folding line. Between the cutting lines a folding line (52) is provided parallel to the main folding line so that a flap (53) is defined between the cutting lines and said folding line. The flap folds down the fold line to reinforce the structure of the box and eliminate sharp edges on the top of the tray. Preferably, the flap is fixed by gluing to the inner face of the side wall on which it is folded. The upper ends (54) that are arranged on both sides of the flap, between the cutting lines and the outer edges of the side wall, are trapped once the tray is mounted, in a sandwich structure between the columns (45) and the fins (49) to reinforce the structure of the tray.

As for the process of assembling the tray, starting from the unfolded plate as seen in figure 1, it starts with the folding of the wings (41), as illustrated in figure 2. Next, The compact cardboard plate (1), with the columns (45) already formed, passes to an erection machine that produces the erection of all the side walls, arranging them perpendicularly with respect to the base (3) of the tray.

5 During erection, an erection machine tool pushes the tabs (2) into each of the corners of the base into the tray, so that the flange, as can be seen in figure 3, is folded by the diagonal (23) and the base of the tray is completely sealed when closing its four corners, as shown in Figure 4. Additionally, in the area of the sides, next to the flange, a tail line is dispensed Hot melt type to ensure tightness from the bottom up.

10 In general, each of the parts that are folded over others, receives a glue that reinforces the joint and maintains the shape and structure of the tray.

The material for the tray according to the invention is compact cardboard, since its structural properties of hardness, stiffness, strength and impermeability are suitable for the intended use of transporting wet products without the need for additional materials or treatments.

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Claims (3)

1. - Waterproof tray for the transport of wet products formed from a compact cardboard plate (1) with main folding lines that define a base (3) and four side walls (4, 5) facing two to two, in which a tab (2) is arranged in each of the four corners of the base, in which each 5 one of the tabs in turn comprises two fold lines (21) that join it to two side walls and a third diagonal fold line (23) that runs from the corner of the base to a free edge (22) of the tab, in which said tab folds into the tray when the side walls are raised during the assembly of the tray, characterized in that at least one of the side walls also comprises at its ends extensions (41) defined by fold lines (42) that coincide with the vertical edges of the tray, in which the extensions comprise two additional fold lines (43, 44) that divide each of the extensions into 3 portions and form a polyhedral structure having a triangular section when the intermediate portion is folded towards the inside of the tray and the outermost portion is folded towards the outside of the tray being placed against the side wall. 2. - Tray according to claim 1, wherein the flange is quadrangular in shape and wherein the diagonally folded line runs from the corner of the base to a free corner of the flange formed by two lines cutting 3. - Tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one of the side walls comprises an upper flap defined by a longitudinal folding line that allows the upper section of the polyhedral structures to be covered when folding the flaps inside the box. 20 4. Tray according to claim 3, wherein the flap also comprises in each of its ends a fin whose only contact with the flap is a folding line, in which the fin is placed against the adjacent side wall when folded into the box.