FR2942617A1 - Element e.g. perfusion liquid packet, storing and transporting method for hospital use, involves displacing plate vertically at interior of belt using lifter, where plate is maintained at desired height - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves displacing a plate (2) vertically at an interior of a belt using a lifter, where the plate is maintained at desired height. An upper opening of the belt is closed after filling process. The plate is lowered to low position after filling process. The belt and the plate are integrated in a reversible manner. Upper flaps (12) are provided in the upper part of the belt for closing the upper opening of the belt. An independent claim is also included for a pallet box comprising a belt.

Description

1 DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a pallet box consisting of a belt forming the vertical walls of the box and a plate perpendicular to the belt and a method of storage in such a box.

The invention describes a special carton for storing and transporting large quantities of items such as hospital-use fluid bags. Such bags may contain from 4 to 6 liters of infusion fluid. They are stored in cartons of two to four pockets so that these cartons can be lifted by one person. These cartons are then placed on a pallet and shipped to hospitals. Since hospitals have a high consumption of these bags, a large amount of cardboard waste results. A carton the size of standard vane cartons would significantly reduce lost packaging and also reduce the workload associated with the opening of all cartons.

However, the disadvantage of such a cardboard pallet lies in the height of its walls. The person responsible for filling the carton does not have the possibility of handling the relatively heavy bag at an ergonomic working height, especially for the first layers placed at the bottom of the carton.

For example, EP 1695915 A2 discloses a pallet box consisting of a carton 25 with at least bottom flaps that rest on the pallet. To center the cardboard on the pallet, it is expected that the pallet is provided with at least one return which is folded upwards and on which the cardboard is supported. Returns therefore surround the cardboard.

Boxes of variable height are known, such as those described in document FR 2 893 916 A1. The height of these boxes may be adapted to the contents to be packaged. However, once the height of the box is reduced and the box filled, it is no longer possible to go up the walls to complete the filling of the box. In addition, the establishment of the first layers always requires the user to lean to an unfavorable height. Finally, these cartonnages are of a particularly complicated design and the amount of cardboard remains the same regardless of the height of packaging retained.

It is also known to stack on a pallet the products to be stored and then put on the pile and made a belt whose lower edge is supported on the pallet. The perimeter of the pallet is therefore greater than that of the belt. This device requires the construction of a regular stack well centered and stable as it is possible to obtain by stacking boxes. However, it would be practically impossible to achieve such a stack with the liquid bags mentioned above. In addition, the user must always lean to place or resume the elements of the lower layers of the palette.

Also known from GB 103 595 A a closed metal box down and provided with a tray slidable inside the box. The tray is provided on its underside with tilting legs attached to two opposite side edges of the tray. These legs, in the lower position of the tray, are folded on the underside of said tray. In addition, the upper face of the bottom of the box is provided with shoulders. In addition, there are provided lifting means consist of rods sinking vertically into the box and provided at their lower ends with hooks for hooking the tray when the rods are raised. When the tray is lifted using the lifting means, the legs tend, under their own weight, to straighten with their free ends sliding on the bottom of the box. These ends pass over the successive shoulders. When the lifting means are released, the legs remain stuck in more or less rectified position, held by the last shoulder exceeded, and the tray can not go down. This device allows to mount the tray, but prohibits descent until the tray is not completely removed from the box. This device facilitates the release of products, but it does not improve the filling of the box. In addition, it requires in each box very strong legs that, like the bottom, can not be made of cardboard or a semi-rigid material easily recyclable.

GB 863,906 A discloses a wooden box for egg trays with a false bottom which can slide inside the box. To remove the eggs, it is planned to place the wooden box in a hollow display rack at its center with a truncated cone that will raise the false bottom and thus project the egg trays. This device makes it possible to empty the wooden box as well as to fill it. However, it only allows two extreme positions, namely the position at the bottom of the box and the fully extended position. In addition, in the high position, the height of the filling layer increases as and when the accumulation of egg pallets. Such a device can not be used for heaps of significant heights. In addition, during the entire filling procedure, the side walls of the wooden box surround only the first layers. The upper layers are no longer held by the side walls of the belt. If it is not a problem for egg trays that are embedded in each other, it can be more annoying when you pack bags or other items that can not be held by their neighbors. These objects may slip out of the pile and cause the pile to collapse.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method and a pallet box that allow easy filling and emptying so that the filling layer is always at the most ergonomic height possible.

This objective is achieved with the method of the invention concerning the storage of good in a box consisting of a belt forming the vertical walls of the body and a plate perpendicular to the belt. According to the invention, the tray can be moved vertically inside the belt by means of an elevator and maintained at the desired height. Thus, it is possible to bring the filling plane close to the level of the filling opening of the belt during the entire filling procedure. As soon as a layer is filled, it is possible to lower the tray inside the belt by the equivalent of the height of the product layer to be placed. Thus, the layers already piled up are inside the belt and can no longer slide. It is preferable that the height of the filling plane is slightly below the upper free edges of the belt so that the belt surrounds and retains the layer being filled.

This process works for both filling and emptying crates.

By correctly choosing the elevator, it is possible to make the plate take all possible positions between the two extreme positions, namely the lowest position at the bottom of the belt and the highest position flush with the opening of filling, or even below and above both extremes. For carrying out the method, there is provided a box consisting of a belt forming the vertical walls of the box and a plate perpendicular to the belt. According to the invention, the dimensions of the tray are chosen so that it can slide vertically inside the belt and the belt and / or the tray are made of cardboard or a semi-rigid material.

In order to facilitate the handling of the boxes, it is preferable to have the plate of pads or pads on its underside.

It is preferable that after filling, the tray is lowered to its lowest position, and that the belt and the tray are secured reversibly, for example by strapping. For this, it is advantageous to provide flaps or recesses in the lower part of the belt. In the case of lower flaps, they are preferably folded below the tray after the descent of the latter in its lowest position, and if necessary before strapping.

It is preferable to size and position the lower flaps or recesses so that they are located, and if necessary folded, between two consecutive studs or two consecutive pads. In order to protect the good contained in the box, it is best to close the upper opening of the belt after filling. For this, the belt will preferably be provided with flaps in its upper part to close the upper opening of the belt.

It is preferable that the length and the width of the tray are each between 400 mm and 1300 mm. In addition, the need to continuously optimize the supply chain has created standards that have become increasingly important in Europe and North America, adapted to the respective characteristics of each continent. It is therefore preferable that the plate has standard dimensions, preferably the dimensions 1 200 30 mm x 800 mm (Europe pallet) or 800 mm x 600 mm (half pallet Europe) or 1219 mm x 1016 mm (American pallet ). The invention is described in more detail with the aid of the following figures which show: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a filling device for a pallet box consisting of a belt provided with upper flaps and a tray placed on an elevator; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a stack of infusion fluid bags as it is inside a pallet box; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of a pallet box according to the invention being filled, the plate being in position for the establishment of the first layer; Figures 4a-d: perspective views of the filling device of the pallet box 10 according to the invention during its filling, the front panel of the box being removed for better understanding; Figure 5: a perspective view of the underside of the box with the tray in the lower position, the lower flaps are not yet folded; Figure 6a-c: bottom perspective views (a-c) of the pallet box during the strapping operation and a perspective view of the top (d) of the closed and circled pallet box; Figure 7: an exploded view of the underside of the pallet box with the belt provided with lower flaps and the plate provided with pads, the plate and the pads being again shown exploded at the bottom of the figure; Figure 8 is a perspective view from below of a tray according to the invention, with a first embodiment of the pads; Figures 9a-c: perspective views from above (a) and from below (b, c) of a plate with a second embodiment of the pads.

The crate according to the invention consists on the one hand of a belt (1) and on the other hand of a plate (2). For filling or emptying the crate, the tray is placed on an elevator (3).

In the examples shown in the figures, the belt (1) consists of a strip of cardboard folded and glued on itself to form the four vertical walls (11) of a box. Each wall (11) is extended in its upper part by an upper flap (12). These upper flaps (12) will be folded in a conventional manner on the upper opening (filling opening) of the belt to close after filling.

The plate (2), like the belt, is preferably made of corrugated cardboard. Depending on the destination of the pallet box, the carton may be single corrugated or multicolored. It is provided with skates (21). The tray (2) forms a parallelepiped of the same shape as the cross section of the belt (1), but its dimensions are slightly smaller so as to allow it to slide without friction inside the belt (1) in a parallel direction to the generatrix of the walls of the latter (1). The plate (2) is perpendicular to the generatrix of the walls (11) of the belt (1).

The dimensions of the belt and the tray will preferably be chosen to correspond to the standard sizes for the transport pallets. For example, pallets Europe (europallets: 1,200 mm x 800 mm), half-pallets Europe (800 mm x 600 mm) or American pallets (48 "x 40", or substantially 1,219 mm x 1,016) can be produced. mm). Other dimensions are of course possible, such as 540 mm x 770 mm. The height varies according to the needs. A commonly held height is 930 mm including tray. It is of course not imperative that the section be standardized or rectangular and any other shape (polygonal, round, etc.) may also be suitable. Such pallet box can support a load of several hundred kilos.

According to the invention, the tray (2) is placed on an elevator (3), such as a lifting platform, and the belt is placed over it so that the tray (2) penetrates inside the the belt forming a mobile bottom. The belt (1) is held with the lower edges of its walls (11) resting on the ground or on a stationary support. The height of this support is chosen so that the upper opening of the belt is at an ergonomic height for the user, for example at height height or chest. At the beginning of filling, the elevator is mounted so that the tray (2) is slightly below the filling opening. Its exact position is adapted to the height of the goods to be stored. In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4a, the difference in height between the filling opening and the filling plane (coincides with the plateau at the beginning of the operation) corresponds substantially to the thickness of a pocket of liquid ( 22).

When the first pocket layer (22) is finished, the platform (31) of the elevator (3) is lowered by the equivalent of the thickness of the second layer. The user only has to fill this second layer. This procedure continues until the cash register is fully filled. In the example of FIGS. 2 and 4a to 4c, there are altogether four filler layers. During the last manipulation, the bottom of the pallet (2), in the case shown in FIG. 4d, is the lower faces of the pads (21), is at the same level as the lower edges of the walls (11). of the belt.

The major advantage of the method and the body of the invention lies in the fact that, as shown in particular in Figures 4a to 4d, the filling plane of the body remains constant whatever the level of filling. The user does not need to bend or dive into the crate to drop an object at the bottom.

Once the box is filled, the upper flaps when there are are folded over the filling opening, then the belt and the tray placed in the lower position are secured, preferably reversibly.

Traditionally, this can be done by strapping using straps (14) of polyester or polypropylene using a strapping machine. For this, if, as in the examples shown in the figures, the plate (2) is provided with pads (21), it is preferable to provide lower flaps (13) in the bottom of the walls (11) of the belt . These flaps are pre-cut in the carton and folded as shown in Figure 6a below the plate (2) between two pads (21) in succession. It is then possible to surround the belt (1) and the plate (2) to secure them as shown in Figures 6b to 6d. In place of the lower flaps (13) visible in particular in Figures 5 and 7, it is also possible to simply provide cutouts (13 ') of corresponding dimensions as on the belt (1) of Figures 1 and 3.

For convenience, it may be preferable to embed the elevator in the ground so that in the retracted position, its platform is aligned with the ground. This is the case of the example shown in Figures 4a to 4d. This solution will be particularly suitable for belts (1) high height. The elevator can also be recessed in a worktop if the height of the belt is less important. Of course, it is not necessary for the elevator to be recessed.

As shown at the bottom of Figure 7, the pads are fixed on the underside of the plate and can be made of another material. However, it is preferable, according to the invention, that the pads (21) are also made of cardboard. In the example of FIGS. 8 and 9, the pads consist of elongate rectangular tubes (23) of a length corresponding to the width of the plate (2) and reinforcements. In the example of Figure 8, the reinforcements consist of cylinders (24) in cartons arranged vertically inside the rectangular tubes (23). In the examples of FIG. 9, the reinforcements consist of strips of cardboard glued one behind the other (FIG. 9b) or of an accordion-folded cardboard strip (FIG. 9c), these reinforcements being introduced inside the tubes. rectangular when mounting. It is thus possible to minimize the size of the pallet before use.

The distance between the pads (21) and the height of the latter are preferably chosen so that it is possible to grip the pallet boxes using a fork lift truck.

Figures show crates with upper flaps and trays with skates. It is obvious that it is possible to renounce the first as the second. In particular, it is possible to replace pads with cardboard blocks, plastic or wood for example. Similarly, the belt and the tray are not necessarily made of cardboard. They can either, or both, be made for example in semi-rigid plastics materials, such as cellular materials.

20 List of references: 1 Belt 11 Vertical walls 12 Upper flaps 13 Lower flaps 25 13 'Cut-outs 14 Strapping 2 Tray 21 Skids 22 Pouches of infusion liquid 30 23 Rectangular elongate tubes 24 Reinforcing tubes 25 Glued reinforcement 26 Accordion-reinforced stretcher Lift 31 Platform of the elevator 3 35

Claims (11)

Revendications1. Method of storage in a box consisting of a belt (1) forming the vertical walls (11) of the box and a plate (2) perpendicular to the generatrix of the walls (1 1) of the belt (1), characterized in that the plate (2) can be moved vertically inside the belt (1) by means of an elevator (3) and maintained at the desired height. 2. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the upper opening of the belt (1) is closed after filling. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that after filling, the plate (2) is lowered to its lowest position, then the belt (1) and the plate (2) are reversibly secured. for example by strapping. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that after descent of the plate (2) in its lowest position, and if necessary before strapping, 20 flaps (13) formed in the lower part of the belt (1) are folded below the plate (2). 5. Box for carrying out the method consisting of a belt (1) forming the vertical walls (11) of the box and a plate (2) perpendicular to the belt (1), characterized in that the the dimensions of the tray (2) are chosen so that it can slide vertically inside the belt (1) and in that the belt (1) and / or the tray (2) are made of cardboard or in a semi-rigid material. 6. Case according to the preceding claim, characterized in that flaps (12) are provided in the upper part of the belt (1) in the extension of the walls (11) to close the upper opening of the belt (1). . 7. Case according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the plate (2) is provided on its underside of pads or pads (21). 8. Case according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that flaps (13) or recesses are provided in the lower part of the belt (1). 9. Box according to claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the flaps (13) below or the lower recesses are sized and placed so that they are located, and can be folded if necessary, between two studs or two consecutive pads (21). 10. Case according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the length and width of the tray are each between 400 mm and 1300 mm. 11. Case according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the plate has standard dimensions, preferably dimensions 1200 mm x 800 mm or 800 mm x 600 mm or 1219 mm x 1016 mm.