MX2013003052A - Crate with side walls comprising inlet for a cooling liquid. - Google Patents

Abstract

A crate Includes a bottom (102), two end walls (106a, 106b), and two side walls (108a, 108b). At least one of the end and side walls comprises an inlet (200a-200c) having a dimension allowing to introduce a predefined amount of cooling liquid into the interior of the crate.

Description

DRAWER WITH SIDE WALLS THAT COMPRISES THE ENTRY FOR A REFRIGERANT LIQUID BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the invention refer to a drawer or container for containing products, more specifically, embodiments of the invention refer to a plastic drawer that is provided to receive and / or transport food, such as fruits, vegetables, meat and similar products.

The drawers for storing and transporting products such as fruits and vegetables are widely used in the market. That type of drawers are light and stable which makes it suitable for transporting crops from the field to the customer. For example, for tropical fruits such as bananas, it is common to collect the crop while it is immature and pack it in the crates for later shipment and transport. On this trip, fruits have time to mature. Likewise, other fruits such as apples or similar products, or vegetables such as lettuce or similar product, but also meat or eggs can be placed in the drawers at the producer's site and transported using this type of drawers.

Before transport, the loaded crates are generally stacked one on top of the other and arranged side by side on two wooden platforms and the wooden platforms, as a whole, are then transported to the respective transport facilities. Often, a specific cross-stacking technique is employed, for example, a "5-down configuration". In that type of configuration 5 below, five drawers are arranged adjacent to each other in a rectangular arrangement, so that two of them form one row in the direction of the length and the other three form a row in the width direction. A problem with this type of arrangement is that after the stacking of the drawers in this way, the three drawers that form the row in the width direction adjoin their shorter end walls, forming the longer side walls of the two drawers the row in the direction of length. Therefore, a force acting on the lateral side walls of the drawer arrangement in the direction of the length is high, especially in the central area of the side walls of the drawers arranged in the length direction. This can result in damage to the drawers during transport or during stacking.

The above-described drawers can be plastic drawers comprising opposite end walls and opposite side walls extending from a bottom having a generally rectangular shape. The drawers can also be formed of other materials, such as wood, cardboard or similar materials. The drawers can be called folding drawers, which means that the end walls and the side walls can be folded down in the direction of the bottom. This makes it possible to transport empty crates in their folded state, for example to the fields, where the crop is harvested and directly placed in the respective boxes. This makes it possible to transport a large number of folded boxes, using a minimum amount of transport capacity, thereby bringing the folded boxes to the desired places in an economical manner. There are drawers of different heights, that is, some drawers have walls that extend from the bottom at a first distance, while the others extend upwards at a second distance that may be greater than the first distance. The height of the drawers, when they are unfolded, depends on the products that will be received and transported. The structure of the drawer having the collapsible walls can be such that the side walls when folded down on the bottom can overlap. In that case, to obtain a minimum possible height, conventional drawers require a specific folding sequence of the respective wall portions. For example, first, the two portions of end walls must be folded on the bottom and then a first of the two side walls is folded down to rest on the end walls folded down and then a second of the side walls is folded towards down later. The respective side walls are configured so as to obtain a minimum height of the folded drawer without any of the parts extending beyond this height.

However, this method is disadvantageous since it requires the user of a drawer to realize how the drawer should be folded, that is, the respective portions of walls must be folded correctly, otherwise the minimum height is not obtained and, in addition, the elements of the wall portions can extend beyond the minimum height, thus preventing proper stacking of the folded boxes. One solution to this problem is to provide a protrusion on the bottom edge that extends upwards from the bottom at a predefined distance, thus ensuring that, regardless of the manner in which the two side walls are folded, even in the "worst" of the cases ", none of the parts of the side walls extends above the upper end of the projection. While this solves the problem with respect to the parts extending beyond the height of the folded drawer, it increases, at the same time, the height of the folded drawer and thereby limits the total amount of folded crates that can be stacked and transport. While this may seem a minor problem when only one drawer is considered, the situation in which a large number of drawers are folded and transported by placing them on respective wooden platforms and the ledge with the increased height as required by the mentioned above, can result in a loss of transport capacity of approximately 15%.

The drawers described above, which are foldable, further comprise a locking mechanism which ensures a secure connection of the side walls and the end walls in the unfolded state of the drawer. At the same time, an easy-to-handle mechanism must be provided to release the fastener when it is desired to fold the drawer after all products have been removed and the drawer must be transported back to the supplier, for example, for cleaning. Accordingly, the drawers having collapsible walls comprise release mechanisms acting on the fastening elements provided to release the fastener and thereby enable the downward folding of the respective side walls. For example, the side walls may comprise respective receptacles formed on their side edge, a side edge that is adjacent to the end walls. In the end walls, movable latching mechanisms may be provided, for example, a hook that is inclined in a downward direction and meshes with the receptacle in the side wall by bringing the respective walls to their right position. For example, when a side wall is moved from the bottom position to the right position, the hook rises after passing the elements of the side wall and then, due to the downward inclination, the hook is received in the receptacle. To release the fastener by means of the release mechanism, the hook is lifted, so that the latching elements are disengaged and the side wall can be folded downward in the direction of the bottom again.

These mechanisms provide an easy way to manipulate to deploy the drawer, however, the mechanisms, in general, are provided so that they can be actuated at any time when the drawer is in the deployed state. This is disadvantageous in that it also allows the actuation of the release mechanism when a plurality of drawers are stacked, for example on a wooden platform. In that situation, due to a shock or an erroneous manipulation, a latching mechanism of one or more of the drawers inside the stack can be actuated, thereby unlatching the respective wall element, making the stack unstable as a all. In the worst case, this can result in the collapse of the stack because one or more drawers inside the stack no longer provide the stability required to support the drawers stacked thereon.

As mentioned earlier, drawers can be used to transport food, such as vegetables, fruits and meat or similar products. These products may require cooling and, therefore, it is desired to provide a coolant, such as ice water or the like, to the interior of the drawer ensuring that the merchandise remains fresh and / or at a desired temperature. While the drawers, in general, have openings in the side walls and the bottom to allow air circulation, these openings may not be sufficient to allow sufficient flow of the coolant inside the drawer, for example, when employed ice water, it may be that the ice particles are inside the fluid stream that can not pass through the holes provided for air ventilation and, that can block the holes, thus preventing the liquid from reaching the interior of the drawer.

SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the invention provide an improved drawer that solves one or more of the problems of the conventional drawers described above.

According to the first aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a drawer that includes a bottom, two end walls and two side walls. Each of the side walls includes a first lateral edge adjacent to the first end wall, a second lateral edge adjacent to the second end wall, a lower edge adjacent to the bottom, and an upper edge distant from the bottom. Each side wall includes a piece of continuous reinforcement that extends parallel to the lateral edges and at least partially to the upper edge. The continuous reinforcement part includes a reinforcing portion extending at least in an area between the lateral edges from the upper edge in the direction toward the lower edge and back to the upper edge.

According to embodiments, the reinforcing portion is U-shaped and extends in a central area of a side wall towards the lower edge. In embodiments of the invention, the reinforcing portion extends towards the lower edge so that a distance to the lower edge is smaller than, or equal to, half the height of the side wall. Alternatively, the reinforcing piece can extend to the lower edge of the side wall.

The embodiments may include a continuous reinforcing piece having a plurality of reinforcing portions extending toward the lower edge of the side wall. In such embodiments, the plurality of reinforcement pieces may have the same or different distances to the lower edge of the side wall.

Embodiments of the invention can provide a drawer that is made of plastic and the continuous reinforcement part can be formed by water injection molding. The drawer can be folded so that the end walls and the side walls can be folded with respect to the bottom.

Embodiments of the invention according to a second aspect provide a drawer that includes a bottom having two projections disposed on opposite longitudinal sides and extending upwardly from the bottom, towards opposite end walls extending along sides of width of the bottom, and two opposite side walls extending along length sides of the bottom. The end walls and the side walls are configured to be foldable with respect to the bottom. The side walls have a height such that the side walls at least partially overlap when folded. Each side wall is coupled to the bottom by means of at least one hinge, and each hinge is slidably provided in the projection so that the hinge is movable between a lower end of a projection adjacent to the bottom and an upper end of the hinge. outgoing.

According to embodiments, the height of the projection above the bottom substantially corresponds to the thickness of the two side walls. According to embodiments, in the deployed state, the lower ends of the side walls rest on an upper surface of the respective projections with the joints for both side walls in a lower position close to the bottom, and in the folded state, the ends bottom of the side walls are opposite the internal surfaces of the respective projections with the joints of the side walls at different heights in the projection, where one side wall rests on the end walls folded on the bottom, and the other side wall, at least in part, it rests on a side wall.

According to embodiments, the articulation of a side wall resting on the end walls remains in the lower position, and the articulation of the other side wall is in a position above the lower position, thereby allowing the arrangement of the folded side walls is substantially parallel to the bottom, where one external surface of the other side wall is substantially at the same level as the upper surface of the projections.

According to embodiments, the hinges may be configured such that in the folded state, there is an empty space between the bottom surface of the side walls and the respective internal surfaces of the projections. The hinge may comprise an extension rod connecting the hinge element on the projection and the side wall. The extension rod defines the empty space and has a length defined by the distance between the lower portion of the joint and the height of the projection. Each side wall may include a plurality of joints.

Embodiments of the invention according to a third aspect provide a drawer including a bottom, two end walls, and two side walls. The end walls and the side walls are configured to be foldable with respect to the bottom. The end walls and the side walls comprise respective latching elements which engage with each other to form a latch when the end walls and the side walls are in the deployed state. A latch release mechanism is provided in the respective end walls or in the respective side walls, where the latch release mechanism and / or latching elements in the respective walls are configured to be movable so as to extend above the latch. an upper edge of the respective wall to release the hook.

The embodiments provide a latch release mechanism that includes a lift bar having opposite ends connected to the latching elements of one of the walls and having a shape that at least a portion of the latch release mechanism extends through over the top edge of the wall when it is in a release position.

According to other embodiments, one of the latching fastening pieces is movable and one is fixed, wherein the movable latching part is configured to extend over the upper edge of the wall when it is in a position that releases the fixed element from the edge. . The movable latch element, when in the release position, can be configured to be folded together with a wall that is moving towards the bottom.

According to a fourth aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a drawer that includes a bottom, two end walls and two side walls. At least one of the end and side walls comprises an inlet having a dimension that allows to introduce a predefined amount of coolant into the interior of the drawer.

In accordance with embodiments, at least two opposite walls may comprise a plurality of entries, for example each side wall may comprise a plurality of entries. According to embodiments, each side wall includes first and second lateral edges adjacent to respective end walls, a lower edge adjacent to the bottom and an upper edge distant from the bottom. A first inlet is disposed adjacent a first upper corner of the side wall adjacent to the first lateral edge and the upper edge, and a second inlet is disposed adjacent a second upper corner of a side wall adjacent to the second lateral edge and the upper edge .

Other embodiments provide sidewalls having a continuous reinforcing piece extending parallel to the first and second side edges and parallel to the top edge with a U-shaped portion in a central area extending to the bottom edge. A first entry is provided in the left portion of the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcement part between the second entry and the first lateral edge, the upper edge and the central area. A second entry is provided in the right portion of the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcement part between the second inlet and the second lateral edge, the upper edge and the central area.

According to the embodiments, in the central area of the side wall a third inlet can be provided at a distance from the upper edge and with a part of the continuous reinforcement part between the third inlet and the bottom edge, the left portion and the right portion. The third entry may have a dimension that is smaller than the size of the first and second entries. The entrances can be provided with a lattice that has a mesh size that allows the passage of a liquid, for example, ice water that has ice particles in them.

Embodiments of the invention according to the first to fourth aspect may provide drawers that are formed of plastic and that are provided to receive and / or transport food, such as fruits, vegetables, meat and similar products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drawer; Figs. 2A and 2B are a side view of the drawer of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a row of a stack of drawers provided in the lower configuration 5; Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a side wall of a drawer having a modified reinforcement part; Figs. 5 (A) - (5C) show different configurations of the modified reinforcement part of FIG. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a drawer taken in a central position of the drawer shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 7A and 7B show a correct folding (Fig. 7 (A)) and an incorrect folding (Fig. 7 (B)) of the drawer shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 6 illustrating the modified articulation structure according to embodiments of the invention; Figs. 9? and 9B show the situation when the drawer of Fig. 8 is folded down with either the side wall 108b folded first (Fig. 9 (A)) or with the side wall 108a folded first (Fig. 9 (B)); Figs. 10A and 10B show an example of a conventional hook mechanism, where Fig. 10 (A) · shows the first side wall of the box, and Fig. 10 (B) shows an example of the hook mechanism in an enlarged view; Figs. 11A and 11B show one more example of a conventional latching mechanism, where Fig. 11 (A) shows an arrangement similar to Fig. 10 (A), and Fig. 11 (B) show an enlarged view of the latching mechanism. hook according to this example; Figs. 12A-12C show the locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; Figs. 13A and 13B show the drawer of Fig. 12A 12B and 12C with the lifting bar in the unlocked position; Fig. 14 shows an example of two boxes stacked one on top of the other; Fig. 15 shows a side view of the drawer according to embodiments of the fourth aspect of the invention; and Fig. 16 shows an arrangement similar to Fig. 15, except that the side wall has a structure as shown in Fig. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In the following description, different aspects of a drawer will be described, basically the aspect of providing an additional central reinforcement member to prevent damage to the side walls of a drawer, the aspect of providing movable hinges of foldable side walls enabling the folding of the side walls of a drawer, which overlap in the arbitrarily folded state, the appearance of providing a latching mechanism / latch release mechanism, preventing unwanted openings of the latch of the stacked crates, and the aspect of providing an entry to introduce coolant, such as ice water inside the drawer. However, first of all, the drawer elements that are common to all aspects will be described with respect to Fig. 1 which appears below.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the drawer 100 comprising a bottom 102 which may comprise a plurality of openings 104. The drawer 100 further comprises a first end wall 106a and a second end wall 106b which are opposite the first end wall. 106a. Additionally, two opposing side walls 108a and 108b are provided opposite each other. As can be seen, the side walls 108a and 108b are longer than the end walls 106a and 106b. According to the embodiments of the invention, the side walls and the end walls can be foldable towards the bottom 102 so that, for example, first, the end walls 106a and 106b are folded on the bottom and then the side walls. 108a and 108b fold towards the bottom. The dimension of the side walls in the height direction can be such that after folding them to the bottom, the side walls can overlap. The advantage of the folding of the side walls and the end walls towards the bottom is that the remaining volume of the drawer is minimal, so that in the folded state the drawer occupies only a low height, so that a large number of empty drawers can be stacked, for example on a single wooden platform for transport. According to the embodiments of the invention, the drawer is made of plastic, thereby providing low weight and high stability for storage and / or transport applications. In addition to the holes 104 in the bottom 102, holes 110 are also formed in the respective walls and can provide ventilation holes. In addition, larger holes 112a and 112b are provided in the upper part of the end walls 106a and 106b, the holes 112a and 112b define gripping holes. As can be seen, an upper edge 114a and 114b of the end walls can have an increased thickness thereby ensuring that the transport of the drawer when gripping the gripping holes 112a and 112b is safe and that sufficient strength of the casing is provided. portion of the end wall above the gripping holes.

First Aspect - "Portion of Central Reinforcement" In the following embodiments of the invention, a first aspect will be described. Figs. 2A and 2B show a side view of the drawer 100. In Figs. 2A shows the first side face 108a extending upwards from the bottom 102. As mentioned above, in the case where the drawer is a foldable drawer, Fig. 2 (A) shows the side wall 108a in its right position or unfolded position. In addition, a plurality of ventilation holes 110 are shown. The side wall 108a comprises a reinforcement part 116 having a first part extending parallel to a first side edge 118 of the side wall 108a. The side edge 118 is, for example, adjacent to the first end face 106a shown in Fig. 1. The reinforcement part 116 also extends parallel to a second side edge 120 of the side wall 108a where the second side edge 120 is adjacent to the second end wall 106b. The reinforcement part also extends parallel to an upper edge 122 of the side wall 108a where the upper edge 122 is distant from a lower edge 124 that, in turn, is adjacent to the bottom 102. As shown in Fig. 2 (A), the reinforcement part 116 is a piece of continuous reinforcement that is obtained, for example, during the molding of the plastic side wall 108a, employing the water injection molding process. The continuous reinforcing member 106 extends, as mentioned above, parallel and adjacent to the first lateral edge, the upper edge and the second lateral edge in a shape as shown in Fig. 1, and the ventilation holes 110 are provided. in an area of the side wall 108a which is surrounded by the reinforcement part 116 and the bottom edge 124.

Fig. 2 (B) shows a cross-sectional view of the side wall 108a along the line b-b '. As can be seen, the reinforcing piece 116 has a hollow structure with a cavity 116a in between which is formed by the water injection molding process and provides a piece having a high rigidity with a reduced amount of material and thus also with a reduced amount of weight.

The structure of the side walls shown in Fig. 2 (A) is disadvantageous in situations where a plurality of drawers are stacked in the aforementioned configuration 5 below. Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a row of a stack of drawers provided in configuration 5 below. As can be seen, three drawers 100a-100c are arranged side by side, that is, the side walls of the drawers 100a-100c are adjacent. In addition, two additional drawers 10000 and 10000 are disposed adjacent the end walls of the drawers 100a-100c so that two end walls of the drawers 10000 and 10000 are adjacent. Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the shorter end walls of the drawers 100a-100c abut the longer side walls of the drawers 10000 and 10000, resulting in the aforementioned problem that a force which acts on the side walls of the boxes 100 and 100 is raised in a central part of the side wall and can result in damage to the drawers 10000 and 10000 in the case of a movement of one or more of the drawers 100a- 100c due to a shock or something similar. For example, with the stacking, the drawers 100 and 100 are first provided and then the other drawers 100a-100c are added and during the arrangement of the additional drawers 100a-100c they can impact the side walls of the drawers 10000 and 10000. , resulting in possible damage to the side walls.

Accordingly, the reinforcing structure of the side wall of the drawer shown in Fig. 2 (A) which works well when the drawers are arranged parallel to each other such as the drawers 100a-100c is disadvantageous in the case of an arrangement of the drawers as shown in Fig. 3.

Therefore, according to the embodiments of the invention with respect to the first aspect, a modified reinforcing member is provided. Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of that type of modified reinforcement part. Fig. 4 shows the side wall 108a having the modified reinforcing piece 126. Again, the reinforcing piece 126 has a first part 126a extending parallel and adjacent to the first side edge 118. A second part 126b of the piece of Modified reinforcement 126 extends parallel and adjacent to the second lateral edge. The modified reinforcing member 126 is also a continuous reinforcing piece extending continuously from the lower left corner of the side wall 108a along the lateral edge 118 and along the upper edge towards the second lateral edge and downwardly to the corner of the lower right hand side wall 108a. The modified reinforcement member 126 further comprises in a central area of the side wall 108a a U-shaped portion 128. The U-shaped portion 128 comprises two vertical reinforcement part portions 126c and 126d, which are substantially parallel parts 126a and 126b. In addition, a portion 126e is provided adjacent the lower edge 124. In the left and right portions outside the central portion of the side wall 108a the modified reinforcement member 126 comprises the parts 126f and 126g which are disposed adjacent the upper edge 122. As mentioned above, the modified reinforcement member 126 is a continuous piece, i.e., all the parts 126a-136e are connected to each other, thereby forming the blank in the manner shown in FIG. 4. Vent holes 110 are provided in the left and right portions of the side wall with the reinforcing piece being provided between the ventilation holes and the side edges 118 and 120, respectively, the central area and the top edge 122. In the central area, the ventilation holes are provided with a reinforcing piece between the left and right portions and the lower edge 124.

The arrangement of Fig. 4 provides increased rigidity of the side wall 108a and the central part, thereby preventing damage in situations as described above when the plurality of drawers are stacked in a five-down configuration shown in Fig. 3.

The embodiments of the first aspect are not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4, but different configurations of the modified reinforcement part 126 can be provided. Such embodiments are described below with respect to Figs. 5 (A) to 5 (c). The respective figures schematically show the side wall 108a also described with respect to Fig. 4 with respective modified reinforcement pieces 126. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 (A), the side wall comprises two U-shaped portions of the modified reinforcement part, both portions extend all the way towards the lower edge. Fig. 5 (B) shows a schematic representation of a different embodiment according to which the U-shaped portion of the reinforcing piece only extends to half the height of the side wall 108a downwardly towards the edge lower. Fig. 5 (C) shows a schematic representation of yet another embodiment employing three portions of U-shaped reinforcing piece with different "depths", that is, they extend in different amounts towards the lower edge of the side wall .

While the embodiments described above refer to U-shaped reinforcing piece portions extending to the lower edge, it is noted that the invention is not limited to that type of embodiments. Rather, according to other embodiments, the portion of the reinforcing piece extending in an area of the side wall away from the side edges towards the bottom may be different, for example the portion may be V-shaped or may have , if desired, also an asymmetric shape.

Second Aspect - "Movable Joints" In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described according to a second aspect. The second aspect refers to the folding of side walls of the drawer which, when folded down on the bottom, overlap each other. As mentioned above, the order of folding down the side walls according to the conventional drawers must be observed in order to correctly fold the drawer to obtain a minimum remaining volume of the folded drawer.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a drawer, where this cross-sectional view is taken in a central position of the drawer shown, for example, in Fig. 1. The drawer 100 shown in Fig. 6 comprises the bottom 102 and side walls 108a and 108b. The bottom 102 comprises the projections 102a and 102b extending upwards from the bottom 102. The projections 102a and 102b are on the external edges of the bottom 102 and can be integrated to the bottom 102. The first projection 102a comprises a first joint 150a which it is shown schematically in Fig. 6. The first link 150a provides a connection between the projection 102a and the first side wall 108a so that the side wall can be rotated in a direction as indicated by the arrow 152a. As is known from conventional drawers, means may be provided to allow a movement of the side wall 108a only from a folded down position on the bottom 102 to a vertical position as shown in Fig. 6 so that a bottom surface 154a on the side wall 100a is disposed adjacent or on an upper surface of the projection 102a. Similarly, a second link 150b is provided in a second projection 102b, however, as can be seen from FIG. 4, the links 150a and 150b are disposed at different heights with respect to the bottom 102. The link 150b is connected by a connecting rod 156, to the side wall 100b which can be rotated in the direction of the arrow 152b towards the bottom 102.

According to a drawer having a structure as shown in Fig. 6, it is necessary that the side walls 108a and 108b be folded down in the correct order to ensure a minimum volume of the folded drawer. Figs. 7A and 7B show correct folding and incorrect folding of the drawer shown in Fig. 6. According to the drawer shown in Fig. 6 for it to be correctly folded, it is first necessary to fold the side wall 108b downwards. , so that it rests adjacent to the bottom 102. Next, the second wall 108a is folded downward. When this correct order is observed, the outer surface of the side wall 108a will be substantially at the same height of the bottom 102 as the top surfaces 158a and 158b of the projections 102a and 102b. The side walls 108a and 108b are arranged so that their bottom surfaces 154a and 154b are adjacent to the inner side walls of the projections 102a and 102b. As can be seen in Fig. 7 (A), observing the correct folding order results in a folded drawer having a minimum volume.

However, when the folding order described with respect to Fig. 7 (A) is not observed, a result like that shown in Fig. 7 (B) is achieved. As can be seen, when the side wall 108 (a) is folded down first, it is disposed only on the front part or its upper part adjacent to the bottom 102 while the second surface 108b rests on the first surface 108a so that at least partially the outer wall of the second side wall 108b is above a level of the upper surfaces 158a and 158b of the projections 102a and 102b.

Therefore, the stack of the folded drawer is not possible since the whole stack will become unstable. Accordingly, a conventional solution for this problem is to provide the projections 102a and 102b with a height such that independently of the folding order of the side walls 108a and 108b, an upper level of the side walls folded down substantially corresponds to the height of the upper surfaces of the projections 102a and 102b. While this solves the problem of possible unstable piles of folded boxes, at the same time, it reduces the number of folded bins that can be stacked as the minimum volume of folded bins decreases downward. According to the investigations of the inventors of the invention, it has been discovered that the increase in the minimum volume can be such that the total number of drawers that can be transported on a wooden platform in common can be reduced by as much as 15% , resulting in an increase in transportation costs which is undesirable.

Therefore, according to the embodiments of the invention, the articulation structure of the drawer is modified in the manner described in more detail below. Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 6, however, illustrating the modified articulation structure. Again, the bottom 102 and the projections 102a and 102b are shown as well as the side walls 108a and 108b. In the projections 102a and 102b, the joints 150a and 150b are provided, however, each of the articulations is movably disposed within a recess in the projection 102a and 102b and is connected with respective rods 160a, 160b to the respective ones side walls 108a and 108b. In the position shown in Fig. 8, the side walls are folded up and are in the vertical position so that their bottom surfaces are adjacent to the upper surfaces of the projections.

The position of the joint 150b is substantially the same as the position of the joint in Fig. 6, however, the position of the joint 150a is on the same level as the joint 150b, while in Fig. 6 both Joints were at different levels.

When the drawer is folded as shown in Fig. 8, it is irrelevant whether the side wall 108a is folded first and then the side wall 108b down or vice versa. Figs. 9A and 9B show the situation in which the drawer of Fig. 8 is folded downwards with either the folded side wall 108b first or the folded side wall 108a first. In Fig. 9 (A), it can be seen that the second side wall 108b was folded first, so that it is disposed adjacent the bottom 102. In this situation, the link 150b remains substantially in the position as shown in Figs. Fig. 8 and an empty space between the lower surface of the side wall 108b and the inner side wall of the projection 102b is determined by the length of the rod 160b. On the other hand, the articulation 150a moves from the position shown in Fig. 8 to an upward position allowing the first side wall 108a to rest on the second side wall 108b so that the level of the external surface of the side wall 108a substantially corresponds to the upper surface of the projections 102a and 102b.

Fig. 9 (B) shows a similar arrangement, however, the first side wall 108a being folded down first, so that a link 150a remains in the position as it is in Fig. 8. As explained with respect to to Fig. 7 (A) in this case, the articulation 150b of the second side wall 108b is allowed to move upwards so that in this case the outer surface of the side wall 108b is at a level corresponding substantially to a top surface of the projections 102a and 102b. By enabling the respective articulations to be movable, a situation like that shown in Fig. 7 (B) is avoided, as can be seen in Fig. 9 (B). Accordingly, according to the embodiments of the invention, it is not necessary to increase the height of the projections, rather than by the arrangement according to the embodiments of the invention, the upper level of the side walls folded downwards is always substantially the same as the upper surface of the projections 102a and 102b regardless of whether the first side wall 108a or the second side wall 108b is first folded down. By avoiding the increase of the height of the protrusions, the total amount of folded boxes that can be transported on a wooden platform at the same time can be increased, so that the transport of the folded boxes downwards is more efficient than in the methods conventional In Figs. 6 to 9B, a cross-sectional view of the drawer was shown without the end walls. However, it is noted that also the end walls must be folded to obtain a drawer folded down and, according to the embodiments, the end walls are folded down first, so that the side walls after being folded towards down they are adjacent to the bottom, but rest at least partially on the end walls folded downwards. There may be other embodiments according to which the end walls are folded down only once the side walls have been folded down and in this case, the principles of the embodiments of the invention, described with respect to the second aspect are applicable as well.

Third Aspect - "Coupling / Coupling Release Mechanism" In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described according to a third aspect. Conventional folding drawers have respective latching mechanisms that provide a latching operation that hold the end walls and side walls together in their upright position. An example of such a latching mechanism is the provision of a pair of movable fasteners on the end walls of a collapsible drawer which, in the vertical position, engages respective fastener receiving elements that are provided in the adjacent side walls. Naturally, respective fasteners and fastener-receiving elements can be provided in the other way, that is, the fasteners can be provided in the side walls and the fastener-receiving elements can be provided in the end walls.

Figs. 10A and 10B show a first example of a conventional latching mechanism. In Fig. 10 (A) the drawer 100 shows the first side wall 106a having the plurality of ventilation openings 110. By means of hinged end walls 170a and 170b, the end wall 106a is mounted so as to be able to rotate the bottom 102, allowing the end wall 106a to be turned towards the bottom when folding down. Additionally, the side walls 108a and 108b are shown. In the portion above the grip hole 112a the top 172 of the side wall 106a is shown as being reinforced so that when the box is transported, sufficient stiffness and strength is ensured and breakage of the top portion above is prevented. of the grip hole 112a. In addition, two latching mechanisms 174a and 174b are provided on the end wall. Fig. 10 (B) shows an example of latching mechanism 174a in an enlarged view. In this example, a fastener 176 is mounted in a recess 178 in the end wall 106a. The fastener 176 is inclined in an outward direction by a spring part 180 also provided in the recess 178. In the side wall 108a a recess 182 is provided to receive the fastener 176 so that a latch is achieved between the side wall and the extreme wall. To release the latch mechanism, an appropriate actuator element is provided in the latching mechanism 174a which allows the latch 176 to be moved inwardly, ie, in a direction away from the side wall 108a, thereby unlatching the fastener 176 with a fastener element or counter element 184 provided in the recess 182. Once the fastener was released, the end wall can be folded down over the bottom and then the side wall can also be lowered.

Figs. 11A and 11B show one more example of a conventional latching mechanism. In Fig. 11 (A) an arrangement similar to that shown in Fig. 10 (A) is shown except that the latch mechanism is made differently. The latching mechanism comprises a lifting rod 186 that can be moved vertically as shown by arrow 188. FIG. 11 (B) shows an enlarged view of the latching mechanism according to this example. As can be seen, the outer ends of the lifting bar 186 have a hook 190 or a fastener which is received within the recess 182 of the side wall 108 (a) and engages the counter-element 184. The lifting bar 186 is inclined in a downward direction, so that when the side walls and the end walls are in the upright position, the hook is pushed into the element 184, thereby securely engaging the side walls and the end walls. To free the side walls and the end walls, the lifting bar is lifted upwards, thereby unhooking the hook of the element 184 and allowing the end wall 106a to move or rotate downwardly on the bottom.

While the latching mechanisms, in general, function well and provide a secure hold of the respective portions of walls when in a vertical state, there is a disadvantage in the sense that latching mechanisms can be released also in cases where a Plurality of drawers are stacked one on top of the other. This can result in the aforementioned problems. For example, due to a shock or poor handling of the drawers when being stacked on a wooden platform, the latching mechanism of one or more of the drawers can be released, for example, by a collision which results in a movement of the fasteners in their direction of release. This can result in a situation in which one or more drawers inside a stack of drawers have unattached walls, so that the structural integrity of the entire stack is jeopardized since one or more drawers may fall, so that the other drawers that are piled on top of these will also fall off. To avoid such situations, embodiments of the invention according to the third aspect provide a novel latch mechanism as will be described later with reference to Figs. 12A-12C. Figs. 12A-12C, show the locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention. The mechanism shown in Fig. 12A-12C is similar to that shown in Fig. 11 (A), except that the lifting bar 186 is provided so that to release the fastener or lock at least a portion 186a and 186b they must move in such a way as to extend above the height of the drawer or above an upper edge of the drawer. In this case, the latch mechanism as shown in Figs. 12A-12C may be similar to that shown in Fig. 11 (B), except that it is provided adjacent to an upper edge of the end wall 106a and the side wall 108a. Fig. 12 (A) shows the drawer with the lifting bar 186 in the unlocked position and, as can be seen, the parts 186a and 186b extend over an upper edge of the drawer at a distance d. This allows the simple locking / unlocking of the drawers. However, the latching mechanism must be moved above the height of the drawer to be unlocked. This avoids problems when a plurality of drawers are stacked one on top of the other.

Figs. 13A and 13B show a side view of a drawer having a novel latching mechanism according to another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 13 (A) shows the drawer with the latch mechanism locking the side wall to the end wall while Fig. 13 (B) shows the latch mechanism in the released position. To be more specific, according to the embodiment of Figs. 13A and 13B, as in the other embodiments, the drawer comprises a bottom 102 and the end wall 106a. It is noted that the opposite end wall 106b has the same structure as that shown in Fig. 13 (A). In addition, the two side walls 108a and 108b are shown. In the corner portions of the drawer each side wall 108a and 108b comprises a projection 190a and 190b having a thickness corresponding to a thickness of the end wall 106a. The protrusions 190a and 190b may comprise a plurality of slots 192 that are provided by receiving projections provided on the front face of the side wall 106a to increase the stability of the connection between the side wall and the end wall. The lifting mechanism 186 is formed of an arc-shaped element having the end portions 186a and 186b that are raised with an upper edge of the drawer in the engaged position. The lifting mechanism 186 comprises two pins 194a and 194b extending into the interior of the drawer through the slots 196a and 196b extending in a vertical direction and provided in the end wall 106a. By means of the pins and slots 194 and 196, a defined movement of the lifting mechanism 186 is obtained in a vertical direction while preventing undesired movement in a lateral direction. In addition, the lifting mechanism comprises spring elements 198a and 198b having one end connected to the mechanism 106 and another end abutting a lower surface of an upper bar 199 of the front wall or of the side wall 106a. The spring elements 198 abut against the bar 199 and need not be fixed thereto, however, in the embodiments a connection to the bar 199 may also be provided. The elements 198 are formed of the same material as the lifting bar and the drawer, for example of a plastic material. Alternative embodiments may also employ other spring elements formed from different materials such as metal or similar material. The elements 198 tilt the lifting bar 196 in the position shown in Fig. 13 (A).

Fig. 13 (B) shows the lifting mechanism 186 in its unlocked position. As can be seen, the lifting bar 108 moved against the tilting force of the spring elements 190a and 190b in a position that is closer to the bar 199 than in the locked position shown in Fig. 13 (A). Moving the mechanism 186 in this direction results in a deviation of the elements 198 so that when the lifting mechanism 186 is released, it is pushed back in the position shown in Fig. 13 (A). As can be seen in Fig. 13 (B), the elevation of the element 186 results in an elevation of the end portions 186a and 186b so that the elements 186a and 186b are released from the respective locking pins 187a and 187b disposed on an upper surface of the projections 192a and 192b which are engaged by a respective opening or a recess in the elements 186a and 186b to lock the end wall and the side walls together.

In the position shown in Fig. 13 (B), the locking mechanism is released thereby allowing the end wall to be folded down on the bottom and then the side walls can be folded down to the bottom.

As can be seen in Fig. 13 (B) as in the embodiment described with respect to Figs. 12A-12C, also here the elements 186a and 186b move above the upper edge of the drawer so that the mechanism 186 can not be actuated and provided in the position shown in Fig. 13 (B) when one or more other drawers they are stacked on top of the drawer shown in Fig. 13 (B).

Another advantage of the solution described with respect to the embodiments of the invention with respect to the locking mechanism is that it is not necessary to provide an expensive material for forming the resilient parts 198a and 198b, but rather, in accordance with the embodiments, You can use the same material from which the drawer is formed as a whole, for example, the same plastic material. Conventional methods suffer from the disadvantage that the same material is used to form the drawer and the resilient parts, for example a plastic material. During the useful life of the drawer, the spring part (the material from which it is formed) may lose all or part of its resilient characteristic. In such a situation, the force to maintain / tilt the lifting mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 13 (a) is lost or reduced. This increases the danger of release of the lock even if small forces are applied on the drawer. According to the embodiments of the invention, such problems are avoided as in the case where the drawer is provided in a stack with other drawers on it (as is usually the case when the loaded drawers are transported) keeping the lifting bar in the The locked position is not only effected by the tilting force that is directed downwards but also due to the structure that requires that the lifting bar extends over the upper edge to release the lock.

Therefore, even in the event that the resilient part loses its resilient characteristics, an undesired opening of the mechanism is avoided since in the stack, the lifting bar can not be moved above the upper edge of the drawer, not allowing that mode the opening of the locking mechanism.

Fig. 14 shows an example in which two drawers 100 and 100 'are stacked one on top of the other. As can be seen in Fig. 14, due to the stacking, a movement of the lifting rod 106 in the drawer 100 is no longer possible due to the fact that the drawer 100 'is disposed above the drawer 100. Accordingly, the Drawer 100 can not be unlocked and the problems described above are avoided.

While Figs. 12A-14 describe an embodiment of the invention that employs a lifting bar, it is noted that the invention is not limited to that type of embodiments. On the other hand, other latching elements or locking elements can be used that allow a release of a fastener with a fastener counterpart and the respective elements can be structured so that to assume an unlocked position, it is necessary that at least a part of the mechanism move above the height. For example, instead of employing a lifting bar, rotating elements can be provided on both sides of the end wall which, in the locked position, are in a state where they are rotated downwards, however, to unlock the fastener it is necessary that the elements are turned upwards in such a way that at least a part of them extends beyond the upper edge of the drawer thereby achieving the same effect as described above when a plurality of drawers are stacked one on top of the other. other. While Figs. 12A-14 described the latching mechanisms or locking mechanisms to be provided in the end walls, it is noted that the invention is not limited to that type of embodiments, but rather the lifting bar or other movable latching element which they are provided in the side walls and the end walls can provide the respective engaging counterparts.

Fourth Aspect - "Refrigerant Liquid Inputs" In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described according to a fourth aspect. Conventional drawers as described above only provide ventilation holes 110 that allow air ventilation through the drawer. However, for various reasons, for example, for rapid cooling of the products inside the drawers or for keeping the products, such as vegetables, for example lettuce and the like, at a previously defined temperature, it may also be desirable to supply a cooling liquid, preferably ice water inside the drawer. Since the cooling liquid, such as ice water, can also comprise small ice particles, it is not possible to introduce a desired amount of coolant through the ventilation holes 110 shown in Fig. 2A and 2B, but rather the use of ice water or something similar that has there respective particles will result in a blockage of the ventilation holes and will not allow the introduction of coolant in the interior at all.

According to the embodiments of the invention according to the fourth aspect, a drawer is provided that can provide one or more entries to allow refrigerant liquid to be introduced into the interior of the drawer, where one or more entries have dimensions that ensure that the Coolant can be introduced as desired.

Fig. 15 shows a side view of the drawer according to the embodiments of the fourth aspect of the invention. Fig. 15 shows a side wall 108a similar to that shown in Fig. 2A and 2B. The side wall 108a comprises the reinforcement part 116 and the ventilation holes 110. In addition, three inlets 200a-200c are provided, where the first inlet 200a is provided in a corner of the upper left hand of the side wall 108a adjacent to the the reinforcement member 116. Similarly, the second inlet 200b is provided in the corner of the upper right hand of the side wall 108a. The third inlet 200c is provided at a central position of the side wall 108a adjacent the bottom edge 124 of the side wall 108a or adjacent the bottom 102.

Fig. 16 shows an arrangement similar to that of Fig. 15, except that the side wall 108a has a structure as shown in Fig. 4. The reinforcement part 116 has the two n-shaped portions and a portion thereof. U-shaped in between and the inlets 200a and 200b are arranged to be at the upper end of the n-shaped portions of the reinforcing piece 116 distant from the lower edge 124 of the side wall 108a. The third inlet 200c is provided at the bottom of the U-shaped portion of the stiffening piece 116 adjacent the lower edge 124 of the side wall 108a.

The arrangement of the entry 200a-200c as shown in Figs. 13A, 13B and 14 can be advantageous since the inlets 200a and 200b can be larger than the inlet 200c and are provided close to the stiffening members, thereby avoiding any reduction in the structural integrity of the side wall due to the provision of the entries that have a dimension that is larger than the ventilation holes.

According to the embodiments, one or more inlets 200a-200c are provided with a mesh having a mesh size that is adapted so that the particles provided in the coolant can pass through the mesh without blocking the inlet. While Figs. 15 and 16 show embodiments of the fourth aspect of the invention having three entries, it is noted that the invention is not limited to said arrangement. Rather, the number of inputs can be freely selected depending on the needs, for example one or two inputs can be provided only or more than three inputs. In addition, according to embodiments of the invention, the entries may be provided, alternatively or additionally in the end walls.

By means of the embodiments of the fourth aspect of the invention, it is ensured that sufficient coolant, such as ice water, can be introduced into the interior of the drawers even when they are stacked on a wooden platform, as, for example, when the drawers are stacked On a Euro-pallet, three drawers are arranged side by side in two rows with their adjacent side walls. Accordingly, the drawers in the center of the stack have the side walls adjacent to respective side walls of the respective external drawers, so that when the liquid is applied in the external drawers with sufficient volume, it will also pass due to the large entrance towards the inside of the drawer. The same goes for a five-down configuration as may be used in the United States and as shown in Fig. 3. The drawers 100a-100c are provided with their adjacent side walls, thereby allowing the flow of the cooling liquid in the fresh way described. For the other two drawers lOOd and lOOe, the coolant can simply be introduced through its side walls facing the outside of the stack.

Accordingly, by means of the embodiments of the fourth aspect of the invention, sufficient flow of coolant liquid is ensured due to the provision of the inlet according to embodiments of the invention.

In the above description of the invention, various embodiments of different aspects of a drawer were described separately. However, the embodiments of the invention are not limited to drawers that include only one of the four aspects, rather, the embodiments of the invention also relate to a drawer that includes one or more or all of the aspects described with anteriority. In other words, the embodiments of the invention may provide a drawer comprising one or more of the reinforcing pieces according to the first aspect, the movable joints according to the second aspect, the engaging mechanism according to the third aspect and the entry of coolant according to the fourth aspect.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that the modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention be limited only by the scope of the following patent claims and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of the embodiments of this invention.

Claims (9)

1. A drawer, comprising: a fund; two extreme walls; and two side walls, wherein at least one of the end walls comprises a plurality of inlets for introducing a coolant into the interior of the drawer, wherein each side wall comprises a first and second side edges adjacent to the end walls, bottom edge adjacent to the bottom and a top edge distant from a bottom edge characterized in that at least one of the end and side walls comprises a plurality of ventilation holes the inlets have a larger dimension than the ventilation holes, the side wall further comprises a continuous reinforcing member extending parallel to the first and second lateral edges and parallel to the upper edge, a first entry of the plurality of entries is provided in a left portion of the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcement member between the first inlet and the first lateral edge and the bord and upper, and a second entry of the plurality of entries is provided in a right portion of the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcing member between the second entrance and the second lateral edge and the upper edge .

2. The drawer according to claim 1, wherein at least two opposite walls each comprise a plurality of entries.

3. The drawer according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the side walls comprises a plurality of entries.

4. The drawer according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the continuous reinforcing member comprises a U-shaped portion in a central area extending towards the lower edge, wherein the first entry is provided in the left portion of the container. the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcing member between the first inlet and the first side edge, the upper edge and the central area, and wherein the second inlet is provided in the right portion of the side wall at a distance from the lower edge with a portion of the continuous reinforcing member between the second inlet and the second side edge, the upper edge and the central area.

5. The drawer according to claim 4, characterized in that in the central area a third entrance is provided at a distance from the upper edge and with a part of the reinforcing member continuous between the third inlet and the lower edge, the left portion and the right portion.

6. The drawer according to claim 5, characterized in that the third inlet has a smaller dimension than the first and second inlets.

7. The drawer according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that one or more entrances comprise a mesh.

8. The drawer according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the drawer is formed of plastic.

9. The drawer according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the drawer is provided for receiving and / or transporting food, for example, fruits, vegetables, meat and similar products.