FR2493270A1 - TRAY IN A SEMI-RIGID MATERIAL, PARTICULARLY IN A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, FOR PACKAGING OBJECTS OF VARIOUS FORMS, SUCH AS FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A SHIM TRAY OR CRADLE IN A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, INCLUDING A BOTTOM 1 AND SIDE WALLS 2, 3 SENSITIVELY CONTINUOUS. DEPENDING ON THE INVENTION, THE WALLS 2, 3 HAVE AT LEAST ONE PROJECTING PART 6, 7 FORMING A BELLOWS AND DIRECTED TOWARDS THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRAY, PREFERABLY WITH A CUT OR NOTCH 6, 7 AT ITS LEVEL. UPPER EDGE, WITH A VIEW TO BEING ABLE TO DEFORM UNDER THE SOLICITATION OF THE PACKAGED OBJECTS AND OR THE SHEATH OF STRETCHABLE OR RETRACTABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL OR STRETCHABLE PLASTIC NET OR ANY OTHER COVERING MATERIAL ON THE SAID TRAY AND SUCH OBJECTS. APPLICATION TO THE PACKAGING OF FRUITS OR VEGETABLES.

Description

- * - 2493270

  The invention relates to a tray - also designated in the art by the term "cradle rigging" - in a semi-rigid material for packaging fruit, vegetables or,

  more generally, products of various shapes.

  It relates more particularly to a tray or cradle rigging a thermoplastic material, made by thermoforming, and it is to this type of tray that one

  will be referred to later in this description without

  this implies however a limitation of the invention.

  We know that a mode of conditioning more and more used for fruits and vegetables consists in housing them in a container made of a semi-rigid material (cardboard, plastic material etc ...), which is then wrapped with its contents by means of a sheet of stretch or retractable plastic material or of a plastic stretch net or of another

  type of material. Conditioned objects are thus

  held firmly in position and it is possible to deliver them to the retailer in the same form where they will be put on sale,

  in lots of four, six, eight objects or even more.

  Thus, in commerce, pears, apples, tomatoes etc. are presented to the buyer in such packaging, which protects them from direct contact with the hands of sellers or buyers or with the surrounding objects, according to the material used, without separating them from the ambient atmosphere necessary for their good conservation, with which they remain in communication through the film or stretch or retractable net, which is

preferably permeable to gases.

  In practice, however, these packages have a number of disadvantages. Indeed, regardless of the origin of the fruits or vegetables to be packaged and regardless of the care that is brought to sort them according to their volume, their size is essentially variable, while the chain conditioning centers are equipped with machines adapted to specific types of trays or cradles. If the fruits are too small, they do not occupy the whole volume of the tray which -2-

  intended for them and, despite the stretch or shrink wrap

  table that encloses them, they are not held firmly enough and may move, hitting against each other. On the contrary, if they are too large, they protrude laterally above the walls of the tray and may be "injured" and even cut by the edge

superior of this wall.

  Of course, one could use trays of different sizes, which one would choose according to the size of the objects to be packaged. But, in general, packaging services never know in advance what the characteristics of the objects to be packaged and they must be able to process, almost without notice, any type of fruits and vegetables. In addition, the selection of a tray specially adapted to the dimensions of the objects to be packaged would greatly complicate the series packaging operations and therefore would be very telling. The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a tray that can be deformed to fit the size of the objects to be packaged, while then clasping tightly, under the stress of the plastic film stretchable or retractable or net

plastic stretch.

  To this end, the subject of the invention is a tray made of a thermoplastic material, comprising a bottom and substantially continuous lateral walls, characterized in that said walls comprise at least one projecting part forming a bellows and directed inwards or outwards. the outside of the tray, preferably with a cut or notch at its upper edge, in order to be deformed under the load of the packaged objects and / or the plastic sheath stretchable or retractable

  wrapping said tray and said objects.

  Of course, said bellows portions will preferably be disposed at the contact plane of the contiguous objects. Their dimensions may be absolutely arbitrary and, at the limit, two parallel side wall portions may come into substantial contact with one another to form a partition wall between the two.

contiguous objects.

  In section parallel to the bottom, their section may be absolutely any rectangular, trapezoidal or rounded, the simplest form being naturally that

an accordion fold.

  In the case of a thermoplastic material, the deform-

  mations of the tray will be substantially elastic.

  The cuts or notches provided at the top or bellows are naturally intended to facilitate the

deformation of these bellows.

  It is conceivable that, under these conditions, in the case of bulky objects, the tray may be deformed laterally and longitudinally, expanding and flaring, to adapt to the dimensions of the objects, without hurting them, which will be held firmly in position by the shrinkable or stretchable film or by the stretchable plastic net or any other material which solicits them as well as

the tray.

  On the contrary, in the case of low volume objects, the tray will be compressed by said film to contract

  and thus adapt to the size of objects.

  The accompanying drawings, which are not limiting in nature, illustrate an embodiment of the tray according to the invention. In these drawings: Figures 1 and 2 are views of the tray, respectively from above and in perspective; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tray filled with fruit and shrink wrapped film or stretchable. The tray shown in the drawings is made by thermoforming a thermoplastic material (polyvinyl chloride or other) and has a section of generally rectangular shape. It comprises a bottom 1, two longitudinal walls 2 and two transverse walls 3 connecting to the preceding de.faitçon continuous in the corners by curved portions 4. This tray is intended to receive -4- two rows of three fruits and, to separate longitudinally the two rows, the bottom 1 has a projecting portion 5,

forming partition.

  In accordance with the invention, the longitudinal and transverse walls 3 comprise protruding parts, 6 and 7 respectively, cut at their upper part, respectively at 6 'and 7'. These protruding parts are arranged according to the contact planes of the different objects,

  thus defining cells for housing thereof.

  Their dimensions can be absolutely arbitrary, in

  depending on the desired effect. These parties may

  be engaged between the objects to be conditioned and

thus to guard their separation.

  These parts 6 and 7, with their upper cutout 6 'and 7', can thus deform in the manner of a bellows, to allow the walls 2 and 3 to adapt to'the size of the objects 8 housed in the tray , oranges for example (Figure 3). If these objects are very bulky, the bellows 6 and 7 can open under their thrust thus increasing the effective length of the walls. The objects will nevertheless be firmly held in position in the tray under the load of the film 9 of stretch or retractable material, which will then surround the full tray. Similarly, if the objects are small and do not completely fill the tray, the film 9 will compress the bellows b and 7 by shortening the effective length of the walls, to bring them into close contact with the objects and to maintain these

last in place.

  The invention thus proposes a simple and inexpensive way to adapt the size of the trays to that of fruits, vegetables or other objects which are housed therein, thus allowing packaging in the same type of tray and overwrapping with a plastic film of objects of different sizes, without complicating the packaging operations and practically eliminating the risks

deterioration of these objects.

  In its application to the packaging of fruits and vegetables, the container according to the invention is thus revealed

particularly useful.

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Claims (5)

  1.- tray or cradle of a thermoplastic material, comprising a bottom (1) and substantially continuous side walls (2, 3), characterized in that said walls (2, 3) comprise at least one projecting part ( 6, 7) and directed towards the inside or the outside of the container, preferably with a cutout or notch (6t, 7 ') at its upper edge, in order to be deformable under the stress of packaged articles and / or plastic sheath stretchable or retractable   or plastic stretch net or any other material that is   said tray and said objects.   2. Tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said portions (6, 7) forming a bellows are   disposed according to the contact plane of said objects.   3. Tray according to claim 2, characterized in that said portions (6,7) bellows protrude inside the tray on a distance such   they form separations between contiguous objects.   4. Tray according to one of claims 1 to 3   performed by thermoforming a thermoplastic material.   5.- Packaging for objects of various shapes, including fruit or vegetables, comprising in combination a tray according to one of claims 1 to 4 and an envelope of a stretchable or shrinkable material or a plastic stretch net or any other material sheathing said tray and said objects.