WO1997021598A1

WO1997021598A1 - Container with pallet

Info

Publication number: WO1997021598A1
Application number: PCT/NL1996/000486
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronny Symons
Original assignee: Boxter Invest S.A.
Priority date: 1995-12-14
Filing date: 1996-12-16
Publication date: 1997-06-19
Also published as: NL1001903C2; AU1042397A

Abstract

A container for flowable substances, such as liquids or granular substances, comprises a container module (1) made of a rigid plastic material, such as HDPE, and is provided with an inlet (5) and an outlet (7) for the substances. A carrying board (2) which is permanently fixed to the container module (1) or which is integral with the container module (1) is also provided. Both the container (1) and the carrying board (2) can be made with double walls by rotational moulding.

Description

Container v h p&Uet

The invention relates to the field of containers for flowable substances, such as liquids or granular substances, comprising a container module made of a rigid plastic material, such as HDPE, and provided with an inlet and an outlet for the substances.

Containers of this type are already known. For the purpose of conveyance by means of forklift trucks, they can be placed on a metal or wooden carrying board or pallet. The disadvantage of these known containers is that the carrying board has proved to be a source of soiling, which is not very acceptable particularly in the case of containers intended for foodstuffs. Such containers are generally also used in a damp environment, with the result that wooden carrying boards rapidly deteriorate and metal carrying boards rust.

The object of the invention is to provide a container which does not have these disadvantages. That object is achieved by the fact that a carrying board which is permanently fixed to the container module or which is integral with the container module is provided. The carrying board is preferably made of a rigid plastic material, such as HDPE.

The capacity of the container can vary from, for example, 250 litres to 1000 litres. It is preferable for the dimensions of the carrying board to remain constant, and for the desired capacity to be determined by the height dimension of the container. This means that the carrying boards can be made in standard dimensions which are in line with the relevant European standards, which simplifies conveyance and stackability.

Both the container module and the carrying board can be made with double walls by rotational moulding. In particular, use can be made of rotational moulding in which infrared heating is used.

In order to increase the strength and rigidity of the container, the space inside the double wall of the container module and/or carrying board can be filled with an HDPE foam.

The container module can be open at the top side, and has a lid which closes the opening. Moreover, the walls of the container module can slant inwards from the carrying board. The carrying board can be fixed to the container module by means of inserts in the carrying board or in the container module, and by screws screwed down into inserts. According to an alternative embodiment, the pallet can, of course, also be made integral with the container module .

The bottom of the container preferably slants gently towards an outlet which projects into a recess of the pallet. Said outlet is consequently protected well from damage. Furthermore, the carrying board can have supporting legs; these are formed in such a way that they can grip around the top edge of a container below.

An exemplary embodiment of a container according to the invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the figures.

Figure 1 shows a view of the container in perspective. Figure 2 shows the container in cut-away form. Figure 3 shows the detail III-III of Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a possible fastening between container module and carrying board.

Figure shows the detail V-V of Figure 2. Figure 6 shows a view, partially in section, of a container with lid.

The container shown in Figure 1 has a container module 1, which is fitted on a carrying board 2. The container module is made of plastic and has ribs 3. 4 which reinforce the container wall. The top side of the container has an inlet hole 5 which can be closed by means of a cap 6. A part of the outlet hole 7 can be seen at the side edge of the carrying board 2. As shown in Figure 2, the bottom face 9 of the container module

1 is designed in such a way that it slants slightly in the direction of the recess 8 into which the outlet hole 7 opens. The slanting course of the top face 9 of the carrying board 2 is indicated diagrammatically by means of the lines 10. It can also be seen in Figure that the bottom face 9 of the container module 1 has a recess 8 which is accommodated in a cut-out 11 of outer carrying board 2. The recess 8 has a hole surrounded by the sleeve 12, which hole can have internal screw thread into which the connecting nipple 13 is screwed. An outlet hose 1^ or the like, or a shut-off valve, for example, can be connected to the connecting nipple 13-

As can also be seen in Figure 3. the carrying board is double- walled, having a bottom wall 15, and a top wall 16 on which the bottom face 9 of the container module 1 rests. The interior space 17 between bottom wall 15 and top wall 16 can be filled with a foam. HDPE, for example, may be selected as the material for the foam, the container module 1 and the carrying board 2.

The container module 1 has a receding peripheral region 35, which fits closely within the upright circumferential edge 36 of the carrying board 2. Good fixing of container module 1 and carrying board 2 is ensured in this way.

As shown by broken lines in Figure 2, the bottom wall 15 of the carrying board 2 may be reinforced by bars 18, 19 running diagonally. Said bars 18, 19 extend between the corner legs 20 of the carrying board 2. Furthermore, said carrying board 2 can also have interposed legs 21, in which case the cut-outs between the legs 20, 21 are selected in such a way that the forks of a forklift truck can be accommodated between them. Figure 5 shows in section the fixing of a bar 19 to both the carrying board 2 and the bottom face 9 of a container module. For this purpose, the carrying board 2 is provided with holes 22 at regular intervals, which holes open out at the underside of the carrying board 2 in widened slits 23 in which the bars 19 are accommodated. The bolt 25 can be inserted through the hole 24 into the transverse bar 19. Said bolt 25 can be screwed into an internally threaded insert 26 which is co- moulded in the bottom face 9 of the container module 1. The bolt 25 can be screwed into the insert 26 through the hole 24 , thus producing the desired connection.

Figure 4 shows a possible fastening between the transverse bar and only the carrying board 2. In that case the hole 29 in the carrying board 2 is provided with an internally threaded insert 30, into which a bolt 27 is screwed.

The variant of Figure 6 shows a container according to the invention, provided with a carrying board 2, a container module 31 which is open at the top side, and a lid 32 which closes said container module. The top side of the container module has a circumferential bearing edge 33, within which the deepened part 3^ of the lid 3 fits.

Claims

1. Container for flowable substances, such as liquids or granular substances, comprising a container module made of a rigid plastic material, such as HDPE, and provided with an inlet and an outlet for the substances, characterized in that a carrying board which is permanently fixed to the container module or which is integral with the container module is provided.

2. Container according to Claim 1, in which the carrying board is made of a rigid plastic material, such as HDPE, - Container according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the container module is made with double walls by rotational moulding.

4. Container according to Claim 1. 2 or 3, in which the carrying board is made with double walls by rotational moulding.

5. Container according to Claim 3 or 4 , in which the space inside the double wall of the container module and/or carrying board is filled with an HDPE foam.

6. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the container module is open at the top side, and has a lid which closes the opening. 7- Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the walls of the container module slant inwards from the carrying board. 8. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the carrying board is fixed to the container module by means of inserts in the carrying board or in the container module, and by screws screwed down into inserts.

9- Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the bottom of the container slants gently towards an outlet which projects into a recess of the carrying board.

10. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the carrying board has supporting legs.

11. Container according to Claim 11, in which the supporting legs are formed in such a way that they can grip around the top edge of a container below.

12. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which reinforcement bars are provided on the underside of the carrying board.

13. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the carrying board has an upright circumferential edge, and the container module fits within said edge. l4. Container according to Claim 13, in which near its underside the container module has a receding peripheral region which fits within the upright edge of the carrying board.