JP2023516681A - Stacking boxes and transport and/or storage systems containing two or more stacking boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

A stacking box 1 comprising a bottom 2, a wall 3 defining a storage space 4 with the bottom 2, and a storage opening 6 defined by an edge 5 of the wall 3. FIG. The stacking box 1 is fitted with a positioning element 7 which is reciprocally movable between a rest position and a support position. The positioning elements 7 in the supporting position provide a stacking surface for forming stacked box stacks of stacking boxes 1 and further stacking boxes 1 . The positioning element 7 in the rest position allows the stacking box 1 and the further stacking box 1 to enter each other in order to form a nested box stack. The positioning element 7 is driven by gravity alone to move into the supporting position when the stacking box 1 with the bottom 2 down is set on the floor, so that the stacking box 1 with the edge 5 down is in the receiving opening. When set on the floor with 6 facing down, it moves to a rest position driven by gravity alone. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention is generally in the field of logistics, and in particular relates to a stacking box with the features of the preamble of claim 1 as well as a transport and/or storage system comprising two or more such stacking boxes.

In the field of logistics, various boxes are used for placing and storing objects to be transported or stored therein. Boxes of this kind are then frequently, even regularly aligned, stacked in box stacks consisting of substantially identically shaped boxes. This is especially true by providing a support structure in the region of the upward opening of the boxes below the forming box stack, closing the receiving opening of the box below to receive the bottom region of the set box. This can be done without temporarily retracting the lid, and on top of this support structure the upper box to be stacked can be placed without loading the box below it. In this way, boxes of this kind can be stacked with the objects or articles placed therein without the load of the stacked boxes being applied to the objects or articles stored in the boxes. A box of this kind which is stackable in such a way with the articles present therein into a stacked box stack may also be referred to as a stacking box.

For space-saving storage or space-saving transport of such stacking boxes in an empty state, they are often set together so that they can be assembled into nested box stacks. done. In this case, further stacking boxes are loaded into the receiving space of the lowest stacking box with its bottom resting on the floor or into each stacking box already stored in such a stacking box and thus nested within each other. A shaped box stack is formed.

and to enable this to be achieved by a set of homogeneous stacking boxes, i.e. to form both stacked box stacks and nested box stacks nested within each other. allows stacking of stacking boxes to form a box stack that frees up the accommodation space of each of the stacking boxes, or space-saving stacking of empty stacking boxes with stacking boxes nested within each other. For this reason, there are various proposals for modifying the stacking box as required.

A possibility to achieve this is described, for example, in US Pat. The stacking box described there is designed asymmetrically with respect to the form on the two end sides facing each other, i.e. the structure provided there in each case allows nested stacks of nested stacks to be formed on the first of the boxes. Orientation is possible with respect to rotation about an axis that extends perpendicular to the box bottom so that the stacking boxes extend perpendicular to the bottom to form stacks from the set stacking boxes. Aligned with each other in a second position of the stacking box to be set, which is rotated 180° with respect to the first position about the existing axis of rotation. Therefore, in order to assemble the stacking boxes nested together, each box must be oriented in a first rotational position selected with respect to the axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the bottom, and then They can be nested within each other. And when stacking the stacking boxes on top of each other, especially after they have been filled with goods or articles that need to be transported or stored, they are rotated 180° with respect to the axis of rotation extending perpendicularly to the bottom of the box. Only have to rotate and then they can be stacked on top of each other.

This procedure is straightforward insofar as no further handling of the stacking boxes is required other than the respective proper orientations described above with respect to rotation about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the bottom. However, this orientation is such that the person is holding a stacking box with goods or articles already stored in front and before the person is able to form a box stack by setting a box on top of the box below. Secondly, when it is necessary to rotate by said 180° around an axis of rotation which extends perpendicularly to the box bottom, it is difficult for the person handling it, it is power-consuming and especially strains the back. This is all the more true if the weight of the stored stacking box is high. Automated handling is also complex. This is because the operating unit must always correctly orient the stacking boxes in the direction of rotation before they can be stacked to form a stacked box stack.

On the one hand it allows the stacking of the stacking boxes to form a box stack from the stacking boxes stacked on top of each other, and on the other hand from the empty stacking boxes a space-saving nested box stack can be formed on one another. Another procedure for doing so is shown and described, for example, in US Pat. The stacking box shown there has a positioning element movable between a support position and a rest position, which allows a further stacking box to be lowered onto this positioning element in the support position. , the positioning element is brought to a rest position, allowing a further stacking box to enter the receiving space of the underlying stacking box to form a nested box stack from the empty stacking boxes. This kind of configuration of the stacking box indicated in the preamble of claim 1 no longer requires rotating the stacking box by 180° around an axis of rotation extending perpendicularly to the bottom of the stacking box. . For this purpose, however, the known stacking boxes require positioning elements that are actively moved from the rest position to the support position or, conversely, from the support position to the rest position, depending on the respective need, i.e. , for moving the positioning elements into a supporting position, especially if a box stack is to be formed from stacking boxes placed in the accommodation space and stacked on top of each other, or for forming a space-saving box stack from empty stacking boxes. If the boxes are to be nested into each other, they must be moved to the rest position.

U.S. Patent No. 6,047,853 WO 1998/056668

It is against this background that the object of the present invention is to facilitate the formation of stacked box stacks formed from stacking boxes stacked on top of each other, which are easy to handle and without special user intervention, and which likewise To provide a stacking box which also allows storage of empty stacking boxes in a nested and thus space-saving box stack.

This problem is solved on the one hand by a stacking box with the features of claim 1, further advantageous configurations for this solution are described in the dependent claims 2-9. A further aspect of the solution to this problem forms a transport and/or storage system comprising at least two, in particular a plurality of stacking boxes of the type of the invention.

According to the invention, the new stacking box has a bottom part, in the same general way as the known stacking boxes, which emanates from the bottom part and extends transversely thereto, in particular encircling, and together with the bottom part defines a receiving space for the stacking box. and a receiving opening defined by an edge of the wall opposite the bottom. The stacking box is further fitted with positioning elements that are reciprocally movable between a rest position and a support position. The positioning element, in the supporting position, is positioned to provide a stacking surface (storage area) for stacking to form a stacked box stack of stacking boxes and further stacking boxes of substantially the same construction. there is On the other hand, in the rest position the positioning elements are so arranged as to allow the stacking box and a further stacking box of substantially the same construction to enter into each other in order to form a nested stack of boxes. is positioned at

The walls and bottom can be formed in whole or in part in a sturdy construction and without interruptions, in particular for storing and transporting compactly sized objects therein. However, the walls and/or bottom may, at least in part, for example save material for making the stacking box, reduce the weight of the stacking box, allow easy cleaning of the stacking box and/or Penetrations may also be provided to ensure ventilation of items stored within, such as food items such as fruits or vegetables.

So far, as described above, the stacking box according to the invention is the same as that described in US Pat. What is special about the stacking box according to the invention is that, unlike the stacking boxes known from the aforementioned publications, the positioning elements do not have to be actively displaced by corresponding intervention of the user, but rather the positioning elements are positioned downwards on the bottom. a stacked stacking box is set on the floor with the bottom oriented substantially horizontally and the receiving opening oriented substantially vertically upwards into support driven by gravity alone; configured to be moved into position and attached to the stacking box. Further, the positioning element was oriented such that the stacking box, edge down, was set on the floor with the receiving opening oriented substantially horizontally, and the bottom was facing substantially vertically upwards. It is sometimes configured to be moved to a rest position driven by gravity alone and attached to a stacking box.

The positioning element therefore moves only under the action of gravity, depending on the orientation of the stacking box according to the invention with respect to rotation about an axis of rotation lying in the plane of the bottom or extending parallel thereto. The positioning element is driven by gravity to move to the supporting position when the stacking box with the bottom down and the opening facing up is placed on the floor. The positioning element moves stationary when the stacking box is so to speak upside down, ie with the opening facing downwards and the bottom vertically above it. In contrast to other known stacking boxes, first the bottom placed box is likewise turned upside down, i.e. placed with its edge defining the receiving opening down, and then the further stacking box are placed on the bottom of the stacking box below each with the receiving opening facing downwards, so that a space-saving box stack is formed from the empty boxes nested within one another. This is easily possible. This is because in this orientation the positioning element is in a rest position due to the movement of the positioning element due to gravity, as already mentioned before. That is, nesting of the stacking boxes within one another is not prevented in a space-saving box stack. When using the stacking box of the present invention, particularly when storing goods, articles or other objects to be placed therein in the storage space, the axis of rotation lies in the bottom plane or extends parallel thereto. The stacking box should be rotated 180° to the center and oriented with the opening facing up. Here again the positioning elements are likewise automatically moved into the supporting position only by gravity drive, so that the correspondingly oriented stacking box according to the invention can be filled or even empty. However, they can be set and stacked together to form a box stack in which each upper stacking box is not loaded into the receiving space of each lower stacking box.

That is, the user of the stacking box of the present invention does not have to pay special attention to actively moving the positioning element from the rest position to the support position or vice versa depending on the current intended use of the stacking box. . This is done completely automatically by gravity drive only, simply by correctly orienting the stacking box with the storage opening upwards or the storage opening downwards. A 180° rotation of the stacking box about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plane of the bottom in order to allow stacking is also unnecessary with the stacking box of the present invention. The user only has to note that the stacking boxes of the present invention are nested within each other only in the same inverted, i.e. with the opening facing down, stacking space-savingly in the nested condition. Well, this differs from hitherto known procedures in which stacking boxes of this kind with their openings facing upwards are set into each other.

Basically it does not matter in which position of the stacking box the positioning element is present. A stacking box according to the invention is realized particularly simply if the positioning elements are arranged in the region of the edges of the walls of the stacking box so as to be movable between a supporting position and a rest position as follows. That is, when the positioning element is in the supporting position, the receiving opening is such that a further stacking box of substantially the same construction can be stacked with its bottom on the positioning element present in the supporting position to form a stacked box stack. In the rest position of the positioning element, a further stacking box of substantially the same construction, the base of which has previously been taken into the receiving opening in order to form a nested box stack, the receiving of the stacking box The positioning element is arranged movably between a supporting position and a rest position so as to free up the area of the receiving opening so that it can be guided into the space.

The positioning elements here can be formed, for example, plate-like, for example pivotably on the walls of the stacking box, by elements of this kind arranged in the area of the receiving opening and/or in the area of the bottom. If the positioning elements are arranged in the region of the edge of the wall, the positioning elements can for example be arranged in the corners of a stacking box having a particularly rectangular basic contour, but the positioning elements are in particular above the wall. It can also extend along the edges over further areas of the longitudinal and/or transverse edges of the stacking box.

The positioning element can be arranged in the stacking box, for example, by means of a hinge joint, on the basis of which the positioning element can be pivoted between a supporting position and a rest position. Other types of flexible or supportable arrangements are also conceivable here. What is important is that upon "flipping" of the stacking box about an axis of rotation lying in the plane of the bottom or extending parallel to it, the positioning elements move from the rest position to the support position and vice versa. is to move under the force of gravity.

In the stacking box according to the invention, the bottom and the walls can be formed in one piece, in particular from plastic, but other materials, such as metal or wood, for example, are also conceivable. Plastics here have the advantage of low weight and at the same time high strength and stability, which is particularly advantageous in the areas of logistics, transportation and storage, and the associated handling.

The positioning elements can in particular be made of metal, giving them sufficient stability to absorb the forces when stacking the stacking boxes filled with objects. However, other materials are also conceivable, for example plastics, in particular fibre-reinforced plastics. The stacking box according to the invention is formed in particular mirror-symmetrically with respect to first and second central planes which each extend perpendicularly to the bottom and which are perpendicular to each other. Alternatively and advantageously, it is also possible to choose a point-symmetrical construction of the cross-section guided parallel to the plane of the base, with each center of point-symmetry forming the midpoint of the cross-sectional profile. In short, in the stacking box of the present invention, it is necessary to provide the necessary asymmetry in the stacking box according to US Pat. not at all.

The wall and/or bottom can advantageously be molded with one or more supports for supporting the positioning element in the supporting position. These supports can have support surfaces that extend substantially parallel or obliquely to the bottom. Importantly, the support provides positive support for the positioning element and a stop associated with the gravitational drive of the positioning element into the support position. A support of this kind can be used to guide gravity through the positioning elements to the stacking box of the invention placed underneath in the box stack and even to the floor or ground. Such a support can be, for example, a kind of post-shaped projection formed on the wall of the stacking box, on the end face of which the positioning element abuts in a support position and is supported by it.

In order to enable a reliably centered and in particular slip-free stacking of stacking boxes of the type according to the invention, it is possible advantageously to provide centering structures formed on the positioning elements, which position the stacking boxes. A mating structure can be formed externally of the element to center the stacking boxes to be stacked with respect to the underlying stacking box and to fix them in a plane parallel to the bottom of the stacking box. Also, the centering structure cooperates with the mating structure in a stacked state in a stacking box of substantially the same structure.

In order to effect the movement of the positioning elements solely by gravity, for example the point of rotation of the rotation or pivoting movement is offset with respect to the projection of the center of gravity of the respective positioning element, the plane of the bottom of the stacking box or the receiving opening. An arrangement can be chosen that lies in a plane spanned by the edges that define the . Separately positioned weight elements or the like can be provided to move the center of gravity. It is also possible to provide a positioning element having the shape of a crank, on the basis of which the positioning element is moved between the supporting position and the rest position in the manner of the invention driven solely by gravity. A person skilled in the art can easily shape the positioning element and/or its attachments in order to achieve the effect according to the invention within the framework of the structural design, and corresponding solutions are known to the person skilled in the art. .

Two, in particular a plurality of stacking boxes as described above can be included in an advantageous transport and/or storage system according to the invention. The stacking boxes included in this system can be stacked with their openings facing upwards (filled or empty) into stacked box stacks, where each positioning element is in a supporting position. be. Or the stacking boxes can be space-savingly nested together when the bottom stacking box is placed on the ground with its receiving opening facing down and stacked on top of it like a hat with additional stacking boxes above it. Can be nested and stored.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of embodiments based on the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stacking box of the present invention in an upright and proper position for stacking a plurality of stacking boxes of the present invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the positioning element in the supporting position; Fig. 3 schematically shows the procedure for stacking two stacking boxes formed according to the invention into a box stack; Fig. 2 schematically shows a box stack formed from two stacking boxes of the invention set in sequence; 1 schematically shows a nested box stack formed from two stacking boxes of the invention placed upside down and nested within one another; FIG. Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the positioning element in the rest position; 1 is a schematic plan view of a stacking box of the present invention oriented with the receiving opening facing upwards for stacking; FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view from below of stacking boxes of the present invention nested within each other and oriented with their receiving openings facing downward; FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings, possible configurations of the stacking box of the invention and of a transport and/or storage system formed from at least two such stacking boxes are shown in highly schematic representations. The drawings are very schematic diagrams and serve only to illustrate the principles and essential elements of the invention. They are not to be understood as complete structural sketches and are not to scale.

1, a stacking box 1 of the invention is shown in a first position. The stacking box 1 has a bottom 2 and the stacking box 1 with the bottom 2 down is placed in the position shown in FIG. 1, for example on the ground. Starting from the bottom part 2 , in this first position upwards, a wall 3 extends, here around the outside of the box, the bottom part 2 and the wall 3 enclosing a receiving space 4 . Fundamentally, however, the wall 3 delimiting the accommodation space 4 can also be provided with a further portion, which is separated from the wall surrounding the outside and which is in the form of a wall, e.g. It is in. The wall 3 terminates in a circumferential edge 5 , which surrounds a receiving opening 6 . A positioning element 7 is arranged on the wall 3 in the region of the edge 5, here slightly offset below the upper edge of the edge 5, and here to the stacking box 1 via a hinge joint 8. It is freely connected to the wall 3. In the position of the stacking box 1 shown in FIG. 1, the positioning element 7 is driven by gravity alone and is forced or moved to the support position shown in FIG. 1 at that point. The positioning element 7 can also be brought to a rest position by pivoting about the hinge joint 8, as explained further below.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged section for better clarity of the support position with the positioning element 7 in the position of the stacking box 1 shown in FIG. It is also understood here that in the supporting position the positioning element 7 rests on the upper side of a post 9 formed in the wall 3 of the stacking box 1 against a supporting surface 10 (see FIG. 6) and is supported by this post 9 . be done.

3 and 4, two essentially identical stacking boxes 1 of the invention are stacked on top of each other in the position shown in FIG. It is understood that In FIG. 3 this is indicated by the arrows, which represent the movement for stacking and FIG. 4 shows the stacked state. In this way, two or more stacking boxes 1 according to the invention can be stacked and objects to be stored or transported can be arranged and stored in the receiving spaces 4 of the stacking boxes 1 .

FIG. 5 shows the "empty box" formed by the stacking box 1 according to the invention turned 180° about an axis of rotation extending in or parallel to the plane of the bottom 2, ie upside down. An empty box stack is shown in which stacking boxes 1 are nested within each other in a nested fashion. Here the stacking boxes 1 of the invention are stacked on top of each other in a hat-like manner, the walls 3 and the bottom 2 of the stacking box 1 below entering into the receiving space 4 of the stacking box 1 above it.

This results, as shown in FIG. 5, in the position of the stacking box 1 according to the invention rotated 180° about said axis of rotation with respect to the position shown in FIG. It is made possible by the fact that the element 7 is driven by gravity alone and is therefore automatically moved from the supporting position shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 to the rest position shown in FIGS. Driven by gravity, the positioning element 7 is knocked down about the hinge joint 8 from the support 10 of the column 9 previously resting in the support position, so that the stacking box 1 set thereon is accommodated. The stacking boxes 1 can be nested within each other in an upside down position without any hindrance to the bottom 2 of the stacking box 1 below which was encroaching into the space 4 .

A comparison of FIGS. 7 and 8 together with the schematic diagrams shown therein also makes it clear again how the displacement of the positioning element 7 driven by gravity alone works. FIG. 7 shows the plane of the stacking box 1 set with the receiving opening 6 oriented vertically upwards, ie in the position as in FIG. The positioning element 7 has been pivoted into the support position, so that the bottom 2 of the further stacking box 1 can be set in advance on this positioning element 7 . FIG. 8, on the other hand, shows a plan view from below of an upside-down stacking box 1, in which the positioning elements 7, which are now driven solely by gravity, are in the rest position shown in FIG. As a result, the empty stacking box 1 is nested on top of the likewise upside-down stacking box 1 below it, thus stacking boxes in a space-saving manner. Can be set to form objects.

It is clear here in particular that the construction of the stacking box and its components shown in the drawings is very schematic and is shown by way of possible example. Here, positioning elements are shown arranged only in the four corner regions of the rectangular basic contour of the stacking box. A strip-like arrangement, for example extending along a narrow edge, or extending along a longitudinal edge, or even encircling the entire edge, is likewise conceivable. Now, by turning the stacking box 1 upside down or standing it up, the positioning element is moved between the rest position and the supporting position only by gravity drive, where the positioning element is set on it. As long as the further stacking box 1 together with the objects placed therein can be supported and reliably withstand the load, there are no limits for the person skilled in the art.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stacking box 2 bottom 3 wall 4 receiving space 5 edge 6 receiving opening 7 positioning element 8 hinge joint 9 column 10 support

Claims (10)

a bottom (2);
a wall (3) emanating from said bottom (2) and extending transversely thereto, in particular encircling it, which together with said bottom (2) defines a receiving space (4) for said stacking box (1);
a receiving opening (6) defined by an edge (5) of said wall (3) opposite said bottom (2);
said stacking box (1) is fitted with a positioning element (7) movable back and forth between a rest position and a support position,
Said positioning element (7), in said supporting position, provides a stacking surface for stacking, said stacking box (1) and a further stacking box (1) of substantially the same construction forming a stacked box stack. positioned to provide
Said positioning element (7), in said rest position, is adapted to move said stacking box (1) and a further stacking box (1) of substantially the same construction to each other in order to form a nested box stack. In a stacking box (1) positioned to allow entry,
Said positioning element (7) means that said stacking box (1) with said bottom (2) down is set on a floor with said bottom (2) oriented substantially horizontally, said receiving opening When (6) is oriented substantially vertically upwards, said positioning element (7) is driven by gravity alone to move to said supporting position and moves said edge (5) downwards. said stacking box (1) is set on the floor with said receiving opening (6) oriented substantially horizontally and said bottom (2) faces substantially vertically upwards Stacking box, characterized in that, when oriented, said positioning element (7) is attached to said stacking box (1) and is arranged to be driven by gravity alone to move to said rest position. (1). Said positioning element (7) is located in the region of said edge (5) of said wall (3) of said stacking box (1),
In the supporting position of the positioning element (7), in the region of the receiving opening (6), a further stacking box (1) of substantially the same construction is arranged in order to form a stacked box stack. The bottom (2) projects so that it can be stacked on the positioning element (7) present in the supporting position, and in the rest position of the positioning element (7) a further stacking box (1) of substantially the same construction. ) can be guided with its bottom into said receiving opening (6) into said receiving space (4) of said stacking box (1) in order to form a nested box stack. so as to free up the area of said receiving opening (6),
2. Stacking box (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to be movable between said support position and said rest position. a plate-like positioning element (7) pivotably arranged on the wall (3) of the stacking box (1) in the area of the receiving opening (6) and/or in the area of the bottom (2); Stacking box (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that from claim 1, characterized in that said positioning element (7) is arranged on said stacking box (1) pivotably between said support position and said rest position by means of a hinge joint (8). 4. Stacking box (1) according to any one of claims 3. 5. Stacking box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom (2) and the walls (3) are made of plastic. 6. Stacking box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the positioning element (7) is made of metal. The stacking boxes each extend perpendicularly to said bottom (2) and are formed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a first and a second central plane perpendicular to each other, or in the plane viewed from above, Stacking box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is formed by a point-symmetrical cross-section and has a respective center of symmetry of point-symmetry forming the midpoint of the cross-sectional profile. 1). 8. Supports (9, 10) molded into the wall (3) and/or the bottom (2) for supporting the positioning element (7) in the supporting position. A stacking box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims. An alignment structure formed on said positioning element (7) and a mating structure formed on said stacking box (1) outside said positioning element (7), said alignment structure substantially comprising a structure and said mating structure of the same stacking box (1) in the stacked state for centering said stacked stacking boxes (1) with respect to the underlying stacking box (1). 9. A stacking box (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by , a centering structure and a mating structure. Transport and/or storage system comprising at least two, in particular a plurality of, stacking boxes (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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