JP2006527144A - Transport container system especially for commodities such as fruits and vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport container system (10) that is particularly suitable for transporting commodities such as fruits and vegetables. The system includes a stackable crate (20) that may or may not fold, the crate comprising a bottom (13) constructed in a pressure resistant manner and four lateral wall portions (11). , 11a, 12 and 12a) and a top (30) for expanding the capacity of the shipping container (20). The top portion (30) is formed in a manner that complements the crate opening formed by the lateral wall portions (11, 11a, 12, 12a) of the crate (20), the lateral wall portions (11, 11a, 12, 12a). The crate (20) and the top portion (30) of the shipping container system (10) may be separably engaged in such a way that the shipping container system (10) is stackable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a shipping container system, particularly for goods, having a stackable shipping container, preferably a crate. Stackable shipping containers may or may not be foldable. Such crate is particularly known and used to transport commodities such as fruits and vegetables. Within the framework of the present invention, merchandise is understood to be transported merchandise units comprising individual articles of a size of at least 0.5 cm-1.0 cm.

  Foldable or non-foldable shipping containers already known for fruits and vegetables include cardboard, wood, or plastic. The collapsible shipping container is characterized in that its lateral wall portion can be moved towards the inner bottom of the shipping container, thereby achieving a reduction in the volume of the shipping container when empty. When not folded, the lateral wall portions are at a 90 ° angle to the inner bottom and can be separably engaged with each other using various means. There are two or four containers in which the bottom of a non-foldable or foldable shipping container has a defined size, while the lateral wall portions have different heights to obtain different shipping volumes The height of the lateral wall portion is the same. Further, the lateral wall portion has a profile or device on the top side opposite the bottom that allows the shipping containers to be stacked. The transport container preferably has corner reinforcements, particularly with regard to stackability, in order to increase the stability of the non-foldable or foldable transport container. Known transport containers have a maximum capacity determined by the size of the bottom and the height of the lateral wall portions. If a higher capacity is required for the shipping container, the shipping container must be provided with other, higher lateral wall portions. Thus, the quick adaptation of shipping container capacity to changing user requirements can only be brought about conditionally.

  The size of certain fruits and vegetables depends on different factors such as the growing season and varies with the season. The size of fruits and vegetables to be packed is determined by the rules of the European Community. Thus, one known problem in the transportation of commodities such as fruits and vegetables arises from the varying sizes of commodities transported in order to optimally pack transport containers. In order to be able to take into account the varying requirements of goods, shipping containers, in particular crate, are machined to a specific size that can also be specified by the production facility or determined by the choice of production parameters. Therefore, the size of the shipping container and the accommodation according to it in the sense of the optimal packing depending on the size of the goods, without the large logistics transportation problems or complex changes that occur in the production facility and the associated high costs. It is impossible to change the amount quickly.

The aforementioned problems occur with known shipping containers, in particular, corrugated packaging that is relatively simple to produce and suitable for shipping goods such as fruits and vegetables was made of plastic or similar material suitable for such use. When it is replaced by a container that is more environmentally friendly and reusable but expensive to produce. For known plastic reusable containers, it has proved particularly complex and difficult to optimally fit the shipping container to the size of the goods to be transported. The shipping containers can be stacked to obtain maximum utilization of the transportation equipment, and these multiple containers can be transported within the container on a truck loading platform, freight train, or similar transportation equipment. The goods to be transported must not protrude from the upper edge of the transport container. This is because the shipping container is no longer stackable and / or the article is damaged. As a result, the capacity of known transport containers cannot be optimally used in many cases.

  Applicant's reusable shipping container is referred to in the industry as a “reciprocating container” and is available in about 10 different embodiments, distinguished by the height of the lateral wall portion. The height of the lateral wall portion varies from 8 cm to 28 cm, and the preferred heights used here are 8 cm, 10 cm, 13 cm, 15 cm, 16 cm, 18 cm, 20 cm, and 23 cm. The bottom of these shipping containers is preferably rectangular and has an outer dimension of 600 mm × 400 mm. This means that it corresponds to the bottom dimensions of standardized EURO and US pallets. The object of the present invention is to be able to quickly and variably adapt the capacity of the shipping container to the various sizes of the goods to be transported and thereby allow an optimal packing of the shipping container. Is to design a shipping container system.

  This object is obtained as an invention by a transport container system having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

  One inventive shipping container system is distinguished by a stackable shipping container that is particularly crate, including a bottom and four lateral wall portions that are constructed to be stable under pressure. Stackable shipping containers are either foldable or not foldable. In addition, the shipping container system includes a top that allows for increased shipping container capacity. The top itself includes four wall portions arranged in a shape-matching manner over the crate opening, and the top is made of cardboard, plastic, wood or similar suitable stable material. These materials can be advantageously provided with an inscription, label or another mark, which preferably facilitates recognition, registration, or a particularly preferred advertising purpose. Producing the top with a natural product, such as wood or cardboard, that allows the top to be disposed of at the merchandise destination, has special advantages and does not incur the cost of returning the top to the vendor.

  Another advantage of the present invention is that the top lateral wall portions are produced at different heights so that the capacity of the shipping container is optimally adapted to the variable size of the goods being transported, especially fruits and vegetables It comes from being done. The height of the lateral wall portion at the top is preferably 2 cm-8 cm, particularly preferably 3 cm-5 cm. The at least two substantially parallel lateral wall portions are preferably of the same height, particularly preferably all four lateral wall portions have the same height.

The top lateral wall portion, which matches the shape of the shipping container, is preferably separably engaged with the shipping container using fastening means. The fastening means is preferably attached to the top and the shipping container and can be separably engaged therewith. It is particularly preferred that the top or shipping container has a fastening means that detachably engages with the shipping container or top. The top preferably locks to an area with a lateral wall portion or bottom of the shipping container. Particularly suitable as fastening means are any means that provide a separably engageable connection between the transport container and the top, such as an eye, hook, screw connection and the like. The shipping container and the top are preferably separably engageable using external fastening means such as clamps, clips, etc. that are not permanently attached to the shipping container system. These fastening means advantageously prevent the top from being displaced relative to the shipping container so that the goods contained in the shipping container system are not damaged. Another advantage of the separably engaged top of the shipping container is that the top can be removed from the shipping container without problems at the destination of the goods being transported, and thus emptied. Reduce the volume of the shipping container. This is particularly advantageous when using reusable shipping containers.

  The wall strength of the top lateral wall portion is preferably selected such that a transport container system filled with the goods to be transported can be stacked. The transport container system is stackable by the fact that the four top lateral wall portions have the same height and, particularly preferably, the bottom bottom contour or auxiliary contour of the transport container and the top top Preferably, the contours are preferably matched, in particular by promoting the separable engagement of the top with the shipping container. The profile of the top and shipping container advantageously facilitates stacking of the shipping container system and prevents the system from shifting during shipping. Therefore, during transport, preferably no additional fixing of the stacked transport container system is necessary. This advantageously contributes to maximizing the capacity of the transport equipment without damaging the goods being transported.

  The top can preferably be crushed into a thin strip, especially using the folding positions at the edges of the four corners. One advantage is the low transport volume of the folded top, which facilitates optimal use of the transport means. This is because the top must often be transported over a very long distance, particularly from the fruit and vegetable harvesting area to the product packaging area, and in the case of a reusable top, it must be returned to the vendor.

  The frame-like top preferably has corner reinforcements to increase stability. In particular, a further increase in stability is obtained when the top comprises a strip and is made by connecting the free ends of the strip-like lateral wall sections, or particularly preferably when realized as an extrusion profile. It is done.

  Additional application options and advantages of the present invention are provided by the following description in conjunction with the drawings.

  FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the shipping container system 10 of the invention. The shipping container system 10 shown in FIG. 1 a includes a non-folding or folding shipping container 20 and a top 30. The shipping container 20 of the inventive shipping container system 10 includes a rectangular bottom 13, two generally parallel lateral wall portions 11 and 11a, and two generally parallel lateral walls 12 and 12a. The transverse wall portions 11, 11a, 12, 12a are foldable relative to the inner surface of the bottom 13 of the shipping container 20, as shown in FIG. 1b.

  FIG. 1 a shows the unfolded or unfolded shipping container of the folding shipping container 20, with the lateral wall portions 11, 11 a, 12, 12 a on the inner surface of the bottom 13 of the shipping container 20. It has an angle of 90 ° with respect to it. In the upper region of the two lateral wall portions 12 and 12a, there are handle recesses 14, 14a that facilitate the transport of the transport container system. Such handle recesses 14, 14a can also be considered in the two lateral wall portions 11 and 11a, but they are not shown for the sake of clarity. Furthermore, FIG. 1a shows a frame-like top 30 arranged on the lateral walls 11, 11a, 12, 12a in a manner consistent with the shape. The top 30 corresponding to the shipping container 20 likewise includes two substantially parallel lateral wall portions 15 and 15a and two generally parallel lateral wall portions 16 and 16a. As shown in FIG. 1 a, the lateral wall portions 11, 11 a, 12, 12 a of the shipping container 20 are preferably similar in height to the lateral wall portions 15, 15 a, 16, 16 a of the top 30. Equally, the height of the lateral wall portion of the top 30 and the height of the lateral wall portion of the shipping container 20 are preferably different.

The lateral wall portions 11, 11a, 12, 12a of the transport container end in a straight line in the wall region facing the bottom 13, as shown in FIG. 1a, or FIG. 2, FIG. 5, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5b, it has a profile 21. The same applies to the bottom 13 of the shipping container 20. In FIG. 1 a, the bottom 13 is realized as a straight line, whereas in FIGS. 2, 5, 5 a and 5 b, the bottom side of the bottom 13 of the shipping container 20 shows a contour 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 a, 2, 5, 5 a and 5 b, the contour 31 of the top 30 coincides with the lateral wall portions 11, 11 a, 12, 12 a and the bottom 13 of the transport container 20. Preferably, the top 30 is separable from the transverse wall portions 11, 11a, 12, 12a (FIGS. 2, 3, 3a, 5, 5a and 5b) of the transport container 20, preferably in a lattice structure. It includes fastening means 32 made of top 30 material to engage. The fastening means 32 can be made of any material other than the top or shipping container material. Preferably, the shipping container 20 or top 30 has a counterpiece 23 for the fastening means 32 that detachably engages with the fastening means 32. Particularly preferably, the fastening means 32 is attached to the top 30 and detachably engages the lateral wall portions 11, 11 a, 12, 12 a or the bottom 13 of the transport container 20. In another embodiment (FIG. 3b), the anchoring means is coupled to the transport container 20 and detachably engages the lateral wall portions 15, 15a, 16, 16a of the top 30.

  FIG. 3 a shows a fastening means 32 that is attached to the top 30 and detachably engages the lateral wall of the shipping container 20. In this exemplary embodiment, the hook-like fastening means are shown to be separably engaged in a lattice structure on the wall surface of the vehicle 20. The design in which the contours of the top 30 as shown in FIG. 2 match is advantageous in that the transport container system 10 can be advantageously stacked, similar to the manner in which the top 30 is separably engaged with the transport container 20 using the fastening means 32. Promote being.

  FIG. 4a shows the top 30 of the invention when folded. The top 30 can assume two different physical shapes. A frame-like implementation in which the top 30 is collapsed to save space for transport to the location where it is used (FIG. 4a) or the top 30 is not folded and becomes a component of the transport container system ( 4b).

  The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 b and 5 has a fold line 18 in the corner region of the top 30 that facilitates folding of the top 30. Once folded, the lateral wall 15 of the top 30 borders the lateral wall 16 and comes into contact with the lateral walls 16a and 15a. The corner reinforcement 17 promotes the stability of the top portion 30 when the top portion 30 is not folded and has a frame shape. These corner reinforcements 17 are preferably attached to all four corners.

  FIGS. 1 b and 4 a show that in addition to the top 30, the shipping container 20 of the shipping container system 10 also has two physical shapes. Thus, the shipping container system 10 exists in an optimal space-saving shape used during shipping, the top 30 is removed from the shipping container 20, and the top 30 and the shipping container 20 are folded or crushed. It is in the state. The top of the shipping container system 10 is not folded, the folding shipping container 20 is open, and the top 30 is separably engaged with the non-folding or folding shipping container 20. ing. Here, the top 30 leads to an increase in the capacity of the shipping container 20 as desired, which leads to an optimal utilization of the capacity of the shipping container 20. The top height, available at different heights at the point of use, should be selected to ensure optimal packing even in the presence of a shipping container system 10 having some non-optimal size of the shipping container 20. Can do.

  FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment at the top of the invention where only one fastening means 32 is attached to each side 15, 15a, 16, 16a. As shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, each fastening means is attached to the center of the side faces 15, 15a and / or 16, 16a.

1 is an elevational perspective view of one embodiment of a shipping container system of the invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a folding shipping container and a folding top. It is a perspective view of the top part corresponding to the outline. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of a fastening means attached to the top. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of a fastening means attached to a shipping container. It is a figure which shows the top part at the time of being folded. It is a figure which shows the frame-shaped top part which has a corner | angular reinforcement material. FIG. 6 is a perspective elevation view of the top along the contour. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side view of the apex in line with the contour, with fastening means. FIG. 4 is a transverse side view of the top in conformity with the anchoring means.

Claims (11)

  The bottom (13) and the four lateral wall parts (11, 11a, 12, 12a) are constructed to be stable under pressure and the top (30) is made of natural product, not foldable or folded A transport container system (10) for transporting commodities, in particular fruits and vegetables, having a stackable crate (20) of the formula, in the lateral direction of the crate (20) to increase the capacity Including four wall portions (15, 15a, 16, 16a), the top (30) being a single piece, foldable along a fold line at the corners, on the side facing the crate opening of the crate The crate opening formed by the lateral wall portions (11, 11a, 12, 12a) coincides in shape and faces away from the crate opening for stacking Can be realized as a profile 22 at least in the corner region of the bottom (13) on the side, and can be arranged above the lateral wall portion (11, 11a, 12, 12a) of the crate, A transport container system that is separably engageable with the lateral wall portion by means of fastening means (32) so that the transport container system (10) can be stacked.   The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the top (30) comprises wood or cardboard and is disposed of after a single use.   The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fastening means (32) are attached to the top (30) and / or to the lateral wall portion (11, 11a, 12, 12a) of the crate. 10).   The system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the top (30) can be collapsed.   The system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the top (30) comprises a corner reinforcement (17).   The system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the top (30) is realized as an extrusion profile.   A top (30) of the shipping container system (10) according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the top (30) is a stackable crate, particularly for the transport of goods such as fruits or vegetables. Four frame-shaped lateral wall portions (14, 15a, 16, 16a) that can be arranged to be connected to each other and crushed along the fold line (18) The top (30) is sized and shaped so that it can be attached to a crate dimensioned to fit an EURO pallet, and the top is dependent on the height of the desired expansion of the crate capacity. Top (30), characterized in that it has a height that can be adapted gradually and has a strength that allows one crate of a plurality of crate to be stacked on top of another crate.   8. Top (30) according to claim 7, characterized in that the top (30) comprises a fastening means (32) or a fastening means part (23).   9. The side of the top (30) facing the opening of the industrial crate has a contour (21) that matches the shape of the lower side of the industrial crate at least in the corner region. Top of description (30). The lateral wall portions (15, 15a, 16, 16a) of the top (30) are formed of corrugated cardboard, the height of the lateral wall portions being from 3 cm to 10 cm, in particular from 3 cm to 6 cm, Item 10. The top (30) according to any one of Items 7 to 9.   Use of the transport container system (10) according to any of claims 1 to 6 for transporting goods such as fruits or vegetables.

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