FR2551726A1 - Pallet box - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallet box, particularly but not exclusively intended for the packaging of detached parts and for the grouping of pre-packed goods and merchandise. According to the invention, the pallet box, comprising a box 2 made of cardboard provided with a removable lid 8, whose base is fixed permanently on a rigid element 3, of the pallet type, is characterised in that the two opposite lateral walls 5 and 7 of the box 2 are each divided into two panels 14 and 15, 18 and 19, these panels being respectively articulated on the other two lateral walls 4 and 6 of the box 2, the latter themselves being articulated on the rigid element 3 such that the lateral walls 4, 5, 6, 7 of the box may be folded onto the rigid element 3.

Description

 The invention relates to a pallet box, in particular but not exclusively intended for the packaging of spare parts, for the grouping of material and prepackaged goods. It will find its application in the field of packaging.

 In this field, it is known to use wooden cases to package parts and goods of relatively large weight. The handling of these wooden boxes is generally carried out using forklifts, whose gripping members engage in the lower part of the boxes which have a pallet structure. Such cases, made entirely of wood, have a relatively high cost price due to the high cost of the wood and the labor required to produce them.

 Furthermore, the packaging of such articles in simple cardboard boxes placed on handling pallets is not satisfactory because the absence of rigidity in the cardboard boxes does not allow the stacking of several pallets loaded one on top of the other. . However, empty packaging can be returned by folding the cardboard boxes, which considerably reduces the volume of packaging to be returned to the filling site.

 The main purpose of this invention is to provide a pallet box which combines the advantages of wooden boxes and those of cardboard boxes. For this, the invention proposes to permanently fix a cardboard box whose structure has been reinforced on a handling pallet, and to adapt the structure of the cardboard box so that it is easily foldable on the pallet.

 Thus, such packaging can easily be handled and it has the advantage of being stackable. In addition, its collapsible structure allows empty packaging packages whose volume is significantly less than that which it occupies when it is filled.

There is thus a considerable gain in the volumes transported.

 The packaging according to the invention has the advantage of having a lower cost price than that of a wooden case.

Indeed, the wooden elements are used judiciously for the realization of the pallet and the reinforcements of the cardboard box. This results in a lower weight of the packaging than that of a wooden case, for an identical ballot box.

 One of the advantages of the pallet box according to the invention is that it has a cover used both for closing the box in the mounted position, and for covering the walls of the box when they are folded over the pallet. This gives a well-determined volume packaging, perfectly closed and easily gripped.

 Another object of the present invention is to propose a packaging whose production is simple, and whose transformation requires only elementary operations which can be carried out in very short times.

 Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear during the description which follows, which is given only for information and which is not intended to limit it.

 The pallet box, intended in particular but not exclusively for the packaging of spare parts and for the grouping of materials and pre-packaged goods, comprising a cardboard box provided with a removable cover, the base of which is fixed permanently to an element rigid, of the pallet type, is characterized by the fact that two opposite lateral walls of the body are each dissociated into two panels, these panels being respectively articulated on the two other lateral walls of the body, the latter being themselves articulated on the 'rigid element, so that the side walls of the box can be folded over the rigid element.

 The invention will be better understood if reference is made to the description below as well as to the accompanying drawings which form an integral part thereof.

 Figure 1 shows schematically a preferred embodiment of the pallet box according to the invention.

 FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically in plan view the pallet box of FIG. 1.

 FIG. 3 illustrates an elevation of the folding of the pallet box of FIG. 1.

 Figure 4 illustrates the articulation of the vertical walls on the pallet.

 Figure 5 illustrates the pallet box in the empty transport position.

 The invention is intended for the industrial packaging of any article or merchandise. It will be in particular but not exclusively intended for the packaging of spare parts, for example, hollow plastic parts, stamped sheets, spare parts of all kinds. It can also be used for the grouping of materials or goods of any kind pre-packaged individually. More generally, it will be used for the packaging of products whose volume and weight are relatively large.

 The pallet box, of which FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment, comprises in particular a box 2, of parallelepiped shape, doat the base is fixed permanently on a rigid element, constitutes for example by a pallet 3.

 The walls of the body 2 will preferably be made of a semi-rigid and light material, such as for example corrugated cardboard.

However, other materials may be used for the realization of the walls of the box, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.

 The body 2 is delimited by side walls 4, 5, 6 and 7, the walls 4 and 5 being respectively opposite the walls 6 and 7.

In the following, the walls 5 and 7 will be designated as the longitudinal walls, and the walls 4 and 6 will be designated as the transverse walls, these designations do not prejudge the respective dimensions of these different walls. The box 2 further comprises a removable cover 8, of rectangular shape, which fits over the upper edges of the side walls. Finally, the body 2 has a rectangular bottom 9 which comes to bear on the rigid element 3.

 For its part, the pallet 3 will be of any type ordinarily used for handling, and it will preferably have a rectangular shape delimited by the edges 10, 11, 12 and 13, the edges 10 and 11 being respectively opposite to the edges 12 and 13. In addition, the respective dimensions of the body and the pallet will be identical so that the panels 5 and 7 bear on the pallet respectively near the edges 11 and 13, and that the walls 4 and 5 take support on the pallet near the edges 10 and 12.

 According to the invention, each of the longitudinal walls of the box consists of two independent panels, each articulated on the adjacent transverse wall.

 In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the longitudinal wall 5 comprises the panels 14 and 15, the panel 14 being articulated on the transverse wall 4 at the edge 16 of the body, and the panel 15 is articulated on the transverse panel 6 at the vertical edge 17. In an identical manner, the longitudinal wall 7 is formed by the panels 18 and 19, the panel 18 being articulated on the wall 4 at the edge 20, and the panel 19 being hinges on the wall 6 at the edge 21.

 It follows that these various panels constituting the side walls are connected to the cardboard box only at the vertical edges thereof. For example, the panel 14 is delimited by the horizontal edges 22 and 24 and the vertical edge 23. The upper edge 22 is preferably located in the same plane as the upper edges 25 of the transverse walls 4 and 6, thus defining the plane for supporting the cover 8. On its side, the lower edge 24 is located near the upper face of the pallet 3.

 The design thus adopted allows the panels 14 and 18 to be folded internally against the transverse wall 4, and the panels 15 and 19 internally against the transverse wall 6. The respective size of the panels and the transverse walls should be carefully determined to allow this folding, that is to say that the width of the panels must be less than that of the transverse walls.

 In addition, to allow complete folding of the box on the pallet, the transverse panels 4 and 6 are articulated at their base on the edges of the pallet. Thus, the wall 4 will be articulated near the edge 10 of the pallet at the level of the horizontal lower edge 26 of the body, and the wall 6 will be articulated on the pallet at the level of the lower edge 27, located near the edge 12 of the pallet.

 The method of folding the box will be better understood if we refer to Figures 2 and 3. Thus, we will begin for example by folding the panels 15 and 19 on the wall 6, and then the panels 18 and 14 on the wall 4. Then, the two folded half-boxes, 28 and 29 will be folded successively onto the upper face 30 of the pallet 3, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3. To allow this folding, the length of the elements 28 and 29 , i.e. the height of the body will be slightly less than the longitudinal dimension of the pallet 3.

 In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the panels belonging to the same longitudinal wall will have a delimited covering area, for example for the wall 5 between the edge 23 of the panel 14 and the edge 31 of the panel 15, these edges preferably being parallel. between them.

 - In Figure 1, there is shown the body with the panels 14 and 18 outside the panels 15 and 19. Another arrangement could be considered, that is to say that the panel 14 would be outside the panel 15 and the panel 18 would be inside the panel 19. In addition, at the level of the overlap area 32, the panels 14 and 15 come to bear externally against a flat edge 33, fixed on the edge 34 of the central tab 35 of the pallet. For their part, the panels 18 and 19 also bear against a similar rim.

 At its vertical edges, the box has longitudinal reinforcements which give each of the vertical walls good stiffness properties in a vertical direction, thus allowing the boxes to be stacked on top of each other. For example, the transverse wall 4 is provided with longitudinal reinforcements 36 and 37, applied against the wall 4-near the edges 16 and 20.

These reinforcements, preferably made of wood, come to bear at their lower edge 38, against the upper face of the outer tab 39 of the pallet.

 Quantauxchantssupérieur40 of the longitudinal reinforcements, they come to bear against the reinforcements 41 integrated into the cover 8.

More specifically, these reinforcements 41 are arranged on the periphery of the panel 42, which defines, in combination with the longitudinal edges 43 and the transverse edges 44, the cover 8. These edges come to cover the upper part of the vertical walls externally when the cover is placed on the body, which avoids untimely separation of the panels constituting the longitudinal walls.

 The bottom of the box, illustrated in plan in Figure 2 includes in particular a flap 45 articulated on the wall 4 at the fold 46, this flap being fixed permanently on the upper face of the pallet. In addition, to allow proper stacking of the folded elements 28 and 29, the flap 45 will have a second fold 47, parallel to the fold 46, which will define therewith a strip 48 whose width corresponds substantially to the thickness of the either of the folded elements 28 or 29.

This longitudinal strip 48 will be placed almost vertically when the wall 4 is folded over the pallet.

 In an identical manner, the wall 6 will be secured to a tongue 49 fixed on the pallet 3.

 For their part, the longitudinal panels will be provided with a removable flap, which will come to bear on the upper plane of the pallet. For example, the panel 14 is secured at its lower edge 24 to a flap 50, which it will be necessary to fold upwards against the interior face of the panel 14 before folding this panel against the wall 4.

 The combination of these different flaps defines the bottom of the box, and depending on the widths adopted, they can completely or partially hide the surface of the pallet.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, when the side walls of the box are folded over the pallet, their outer contour remains included in the volume delimited by the pallet, so that the cover 8 can be placed directly on the pallet, as illustrated in Figure 5. More specifically, the folded walls are housed in the volume defined between the upper face 30 of the pallet, the upper panel 42 and the side edges 43 and 44. In this configuration, the edges longitudinal 43 are locked internally against the flanges 33 described above, which ensures the immobilization of the cover.

 In the preferred mode illustrated in FIG. 1, one of the side panels, for example, the panel 14 will include a horizontal fold 51 connecting the edge 23 to the edge 16 which defines an upper flap 52, shown in dotted lines at the Figure 1. The side 53 of this flap, located on the side of the panel 4 will obviously be cut at the edge 16. This flap gives lateral access to the interior of the pallet box.

We can provide a second flap in the outer panel belonging to the opposite side.

 The production of such a box therefore requires two identical cardboard panels, each comprising a transyersal wall bordered laterally by two longitudinal panels, and by a flap which ensures the fixing of the half-box on a pallet.

 The fasteners between the various elements constituting the pallet box will be of the traditional type, and one could, for example, use staples to ensure the connection between the cardboard panels and the wooden reinforcements.

 The respective dimensions of the pallet box will be determined judiciously so that the folding of the side walls on the bottom of the box can be carried out as indicated by the present invention.

Claims (9)

 1. Pallet box, intended in particular but not exclusively for the packaging of spare parts and for the grouping of materials and pre-packaged goods, comprising a cardboard box (2) provided with a removable cover (8), the base of which is fixed permanently on a rigid element (3) of the pallet type, characterized in that two opposite side walls (5) and (7) of the body (2) are each separated into two panels (14) and (15), ( 18) and (19), these panels being respectively articulated on the two other walls the tepals (4) and (6) of the body, the latter being themselves articulated on the rigid element (3), so that the side walls (4, 5, 6, 7) of the body (2) can be folded over the rigid element (3).  2. Pallet box according to claim 1, characterized in that the panels (14) and (15) of the same wall (5) have a covering zone (32) at which they come to bear externally on a rim (33) fixed on the edge (34) of the rigid element (3).  3. Pallet box according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the box (2) has at its vertical edges (16) longitudinal reinforcements (36) rigid to make it stackable.  4. Pallet box according to claim 3, characterized in that the longitudinal reinforcements (36) are fixed on the outer face of the side walls (4).  5. Pallet box according to any one of claims there 4, characterized in that the bottom (9) of the box (2) consists on the one hand by two flaps (45, 49) fixed permanently on the rigid element (3) and connected to the side walls (4) and (6), and on the other hand by flaps (50) articulated on the panels (14).  6. Pallet box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the cover (8) of which is in the form of a panel (42) bounded by a flange (43, 44) which covers the lateral walls externally ( 4, 5, 6, 7) of the body (2), characterized in that the side walls (4,5, 6, 7) in the folded position can be housed inside the cover (8) placed directly on the element  rigid (3).  7. Pallet box according to claim 6, characterized in that the cover (8) has integrated reinforcements (41), which, when it is arranged on the box (2) come to bear on the longitudinal reinforcements (36) with which the edges (16) are provided.  8. Pallet box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer panel (14) has a fold (51) defining an upper flap (52) giving access to the inside of the box (2).  9. Pallet box according to claim 5, characterized in that the flap (45) has a fold (47) parallel to the articulation fold (46) with the side wall (4) which defines with this last fold, a th longitudinal strip (48) whose width corresponds to the thickness of the folded walls (28) on the rigid element (3).