Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
  • E05C19/00—Other devices specially designed for securing wings, e.g. with suction cups
  • E05C19/06—Other devices specially designed for securing wings, e.g. with suction cups in which the securing part if formed or carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
  • B65D11/18—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected
  • B65D11/1833—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected whereby all side walls are hingedly connected to the base panel

Definitions

• Containers in particular for the transport of fruits and vegetables
• the invention relates to a container, in particular made of plastic, for the transport of fruit and vegetables, consisting of a container base and four hinged side walls.
• Containers of this type are known, the side walls being connected to the container base either via articulated hinges spaced apart around the circumference of the base or integrally formed film hinges.
• the side walls can be folded inwards onto the floor after use of the container, so that a reduction in the space requirement is associated with the return transport and storage of the empty containers.
• the film hinges have the advantage over the articulated hinges that they are easy to clean and also enable simple manufacture.
• the GE- Steering hinges have the advantage that the side walls can be removed from the floor, so that in the event of damage, replacement is possible differently than with the one-piece film hinges.
• the object of the invention is to provide a container made of plastic, which enables easy mounting of the side walls on the container bottom. Furthermore, the handling of the container is to be made possible, in particular when the side walls are being folded and raised, and a stable design of the container in the transport position when the goods are picked up is to be ensured. Also, the collapse of the container should be quick and easy without much effort.
• the side walls are connected to the floor by means of articulated hinges, the hinges being designed in the manner of latchable plug-in connections, in that the hinge elements formed at the lower edge of the side walls can be inserted into corresponding insertion openings on the side of the floor and locked behind latching lugs or similar latching elements are.
• the latching elements in connection with the hinge elements on the side wall form the hinges or part of the hinges.
• the side walls are inserted vertically from above with the hinge elements into the bottom openings, the locking lugs, which are preferably arranged opposite one another within the opening, dodge and then snap behind the hinge pin, so that the side walls are firmly anchored to the floor.
• the latching lugs are pressed separately, to be precise with a tool if necessary.
• at least one latch protrudes laterally from the hinge pin and cooperates with a stop formed within the insertion opening in the manner of a shoulder, so that an additional mechanical lock is formed in the opened position of the side wall as a result of the direct contact of the latch on the stop shoulder. This results in a very stable feeling of the folding container when handling in the transport position. Since the locking lugs or locking springs, which snap behind the hinge pin and lock it, are also part of the hinge bearing, this results in a simple design of the hinges.
• flanges or edge beads are provided all round on the floor, which are designed in height in accordance with the side wall thickness, so that the side walls can be folded over one another.
• the insertion openings for receiving the hinges are expediently formed in these edge flanges or edge beads.
• These edge beads also serve as stop shoulders for the side walls in their opened position, for which purpose they are provided with recesses in certain areas, against which the side wall bears in the opened position via corresponding or complementary recesses, which increases the stability of the container in the opened position.
• edge flanges or edge beads elevations are provided in the area of the edge flanges or edge beads, as well as on the upper edge of the side walls, in particular in the corner area and in the middle of the longitudinal walls, which brings stacking advantages and, in conjunction with stack grooves correspondingly designed on the bottom, also prevents that non-system crates or containers can be used in a stack. It is expedient here if the stop recesses are arranged or formed in the region of these elevations in the edge flanges or edge beads.
• the side walls and the bottom are formed by profile webs, which are arranged at a distance and are formed such that A largely flat wall surface on the inside of the container, but a rib structure is determined on the outside of the container.
• At least on two opposite side walls for the transfer of the erected container into its folding position with simple finger pressure to release locking elements are provided in particular in the two upper corner areas of the narrow side walls, which engage in corresponding locking projections of the other side walls and are arranged or formed in this way, that when the locking elements are released by finger pressure, the side walls which can initially be folded inwards are also folded inwards, that is to say only one operation is required for unlocking and folding in the side walls.
• These locking elements are expediently formed by handle elements with a hook-like locking bar, the handle element is advantageously articulated at two points with respect to the side wall, so that when the handle element is pressed, pivoting about these articulation points and thus a release of the locking is ensured.
• the corresponding side wall is also folded inwards onto the bottom of the container.
• FIG. 1 shows a view of the long side of the container
• FIG. 2 shows a view of the narrow side of the container
• FIG. 3 shows a top view of the floor, the left half showing a top view and the right half showing a bottom view,
• FIG. 4 shows a folded position of the container
• FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of the longitudinal side wall in an enlarged illustration to explain the profile structure
• FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal side wall in individual representation with a frontal view and a top view
• FIG. 7 shows sections along section planes designated in FIG. 6, FIG.
• FIG. 8 shows a partial view of the floor
• FIG. 9 the floor in side view
• FIG. 10 shows a detail of the hinge receptacle from FIG. 8 in an enlarged illustration
• FIG. 11 shows a side view of the floor in a sectional view
• FIG. 12 shows a detail of the bottom and side walls to explain the hinge in an enlarged view
• FIG. 13 shows a side view of the floor
• FIG. 14 detailed views of the folding mechanism of the narrow side walls
• FIG. 15 shows a sectional view through a bead on the bottom to explain the insertion opening for the hinge elements
• FIG. 16 detailed views for accommodating the longitudinal side walls
• FIG. 17 shows a detailed view of the container to show the folded position of the long side wall and narrow side wall on one side of the container
• FIG. 18 several sectional views of a side wall in the folding position
• FIG. 19 shows the same views as FIG. 18 in the fully retracted position to show the engagement of these side walls
• FIG. 20 shows a detailed view of the upper area of a narrow side wall
• FIG. 21 shows a sectional view along the plane B-B of FIG. 20
• Figure 22 is a sectional view taken along the plane C-C of Figure 20.
• the container shown in Figures 1 to 4 made of plastic comprises two narrow side walls 1 and two longitudinal side walls 2, which are made separately from the bottom 3 and can be mounted on the bottom of the container 3 by means of latching quick-connect connections, whereby hinges are formed by plugging together, around which the Side walls 1 and 2 can be folded towards the container bottom 3.
• This folding position can be seen from FIG. 4, the two narrow side walls 1 being first folded onto the floor, after which the longitudinal side walls 2 are then folded, which overlap one another according to FIG.
• the container side walls 1 and 2 have elevations 4 in the manner of projections on their upper edge in the container corners, corresponding elevations or projections 5 being provided on the two longitudinal side walls 2, also in the central region, as can be seen quite clearly from FIGS. 1 and 2 results.
• 3 corresponding stacking grooves are provided on the underside of the base. Longitudinal extension and a stacking groove 7 in the direction of the longitudinal extension, as can again be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.
• the stacking grooves 6, which run parallel to the two narrow side walls are continuous, whereas the stacking groove 7, which is formed in the center and extends parallel to the longitudinal side walls 1, is only partially formed, as can be seen in particular from FIG.
• the recesses in the stacking groove 7 are provided in the areas 7a and 7b, that is to say at the edge and in the middle, in accordance with the elevations 4 and 5 at the upper edge of the side walls, since these are stacked in the stacking grooves 6 and 7 of the intervene on the top of the container.
• the design of the stacking groove 7 as only a partial stacking groove has the advantage that the rib structure in the bottom and side walls, which will be explained in more detail below, only has to be reduced in thickness in certain partial areas, which brings advantages for the stability of the container.
• the stacking grooves 6 and 7 are formed by recesses upwards within the base, so that the underside of the base is largely kept flat, which is advantageous for the stacking and the trouble-free transport of the containers on transport conveyor rollers.
• FIG. 3 shows recesses 8, which are described in more detail below and into which the hinges of the side walls are inserted from the top of the floor. These recesses are arranged at a distance from one another, with six hinge recesses 8 being provided on the bottom side in the exemplary embodiment shown per longitudinal side wall 2. These hinge recesses 8 can also be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, each on the left, in the engagement position with the corresponding hinge counter-elements of the side walls.
• both the side walls 1 and 2 and the bottom are formed in a profile structure in the illustrated embodiment, which leads to flat and smooth inner surfaces of the walls and the bottom, so that the inside of the No protruding ribs are present in the container, which is advantageous for a gentle transport of the goods received in the folding container, in particular fruit and vegetables.
• This profile structure best results in detail from FIG. 2, left representation for the longitudinal side wall 2, FIG. 5 showing a detailed view for explaining the profile structure of the wall and floor surfaces in an enlarged representation.
• the wall and floor are formed by spaced-apart, here S or L-like rib profiles 9, the wall or floor thickness being formed by a flat web 9a, the outside by a web 9b curved in the manner of a hook, and the wall or floor inner surface is formed by a flat web area 9c.
• the free gap between adjacent S-profiles is designated by 10. This is in particular dimensioned such that venting of the goods received in the container, in particular in a stack on a pallet, is possible from the outside, but preventing the goods transported within the container from falling out or being pulled out.
• the outside of the side walls or the lower bottom surface of the bottom 3 is delimited by the rib-like web regions 9b, whereas the wider web region 9c delimits the inner wall surfaces and the bottom surface.
• This profile structure results in a lightweight, but extremely stable structure of the floor and side wall surfaces.
• This structure which increases the stability of the container, is essentially not weakened due to the arrangement of the stack grooves 6 and 7 described above, since the continuous stack grooves 6 extend in the longitudinal direction of the “S” rib profiles 9 and the stack groove 7 is only partially formed, that is to say especially in the middle and in the edge area only part of the "S" rib profiles 9 must be weakened in thickness to form the stacking groove.
• the profile structure of the floor and the stack recesses advantageously complement one another.
• FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal side wall 2 in individual representation, a side end view on the right and a view from above of this side wall at the bottom for purely informational purposes.
• the side wall 2 has at its bottom with the Bottom 3 connectable edge hinge elements 11, namely in the illustrated
• Embodiment a total of six hinge elements 11, which are arranged at a distance across the longitudinal side at the bottom.
• the hinge element 11 is composed of two webs 12 projecting downwards and a hinge pin 13 which extends transversely thereto and is thus formed in one piece.
• the hinge pin 13 projects laterally with two hinge projections or projections 14.
• the hinge elements 11 are used to engage the corresponding hinge recesses in the base 3, which will be explained in more detail below.
• FIG. 7 shows various cross-sectional views from FIG. 6 to clarify the longitudinal side wall.
• FIG. 6 also shows a handle 15 formed by a recess in the longitudinal side wall.
• recesses 4 'and 5' are also visible on the outside at the lower edge of the side wall 2, which are essentially contour-matched to the elevations 4 and 5 and in particular complementary to elevations 4 "and 5" on the bottom 3 of the container are (see Fig. 10).
• the elevations 4 "and 5" are aligned with the elevations 4 and 5 of the side walls and are also used in the folded position of the side walls for stacking in combination with the stacking recesses 6 and 7.
• the recesses 4 'and 5' in the side walls serve for the rest Engagement with the elevations 4 "and 5" on the floor 3 in the vertically opened position of the longitudinal side walls, as can be seen in principle from the illustration on the right in FIG.
• the hinge recesses 8 for receiving the hinge elements 11 are received on lateral edge flanges of the base, which are formed in one piece with the base.
• FIG. 11 shows the bottom of the container in different sectional views.
• the two side margins Flanges which serve to accommodate the two longitudinal side walls, are identified by the reference numerals 15 and 16 and have the hinge recesses 8 at the top, which are also open towards the bottom for the purpose of demolding the tool, as can be seen from the right-hand illustration in FIG.
• the edge flanges 15 and 16 are formed at different heights in order to enable the two opposite longitudinal side walls to be folded over one another, as shown in FIG.
• the height of the edge flange 15 is dimensioned such that the longitudinal side wall snapped therein via the hinge elements 11 in the folded position passes over the narrow side walls not visible directly from FIG. 11, whereas the height of the side edge flange 16 is about the thickness of the longitudinal side wall is dimensioned higher, so that the right longitudinal side wall comes to lie above the left longitudinal side wall in the folded position.
• the height of the edge flanges 15 and 16 is adapted in stages to the thickness of the foldable side walls in order to ensure the lowest possible height of the container for return transport and empty storage when folded.
• the hinge receptacles 8 for accommodating the narrow side wall can also be seen from FIG. 11, in particular from the right-hand illustration. According to the illustration in FIG.
• each hinge receptacle 8 is provided on the bottom side for receiving a narrow side wall, each narrow side wall at the lower edge being equipped with corresponding hinge elements 11 for the longitudinal side wall analogously to the illustration in FIG protrude the lower edge and be snapped into the hinge receptacles 8.
• FIG. 12 shows an assembly position in which a hinge element 11 is snapped into a corresponding receptacle 8 in the bottom of the container, specifically in relation to the narrow side wall 1.
• FIG. 13 finally shows a side view of the bottom shown in FIG.
• FIG. 14 shows at 16 the edge flange of the base 3 for receiving the longitudinal side wall at the top in the folding position, the right representation in FIG. 14 showing the mounting position in which the longitudinal side wall 1 in the vertical position is pressed from above into the hinge receptacle 8 with the hinge pin 13 becomes.
• FIG. 14 shows at 16 the edge flange of the base 3 for receiving the longitudinal side wall at the top in the folding position, the right representation in FIG. 14 showing the mounting position in which the longitudinal side wall 1 in the vertical position is pressed from above into the hinge receptacle 8 with the hinge pin 13 becomes.
• a lateral extension 17 is provided on the hinge pin 13, which serves as a stop.
• Figure 12 finally shows that the hinge recess 8 has two oppositely arranged and inwardly projecting locking lugs or locking springs 19, which are expediently formed in one piece with the bottom 3. These latching springs 19 are overlapped when the longitudinal side wall is pressed in from above by the hinge pin 13 or the lateral extensions 14 and, in the locked position, secure the longitudinal side walls against being pulled out.
• the hinge element 11 is also fixed by means of the latching lugs relative to a part 20 which is fixed to the base plate and against which the hinge pin 13 bears.
• FIG. 15 As can be seen, the detent springs 19 in connection with the opposite 20 or 22 and the hinge pin 13 snapped behind the detent springs form the part of the hinge by means of which the side walls can be folded in with respect to the floor or folded up into the vertical position.
• middle representation shows the folding position in which the container can be returned at a reduced height in the empty state
• illustration on the right in FIG. 14 shows the opened position of the container in which the goods to be transported are received within the container.
• the locking lug 17 In the opened position of the longitudinal side wall 1 as shown on the right, the locking lug 17 is pivoted through 90 ° and engages behind a stop shoulder 18 formed in the edge bead 16.
• the stop shoulder 18 acts in connection with the locking lug 17 as a mechanical lock, so that the longitudinal side wall 1 is fixed in the opened position, ie it cannot be pivoted further outwards. Because of the detent springs 19, the side wall cannot be pulled out of the hinge receptacle 8 during the handling of the container. Removal is only possible if the detents 19 are bent back separately.
• the longitudinal side wall is thus held on the one hand by the prescribed mechanical lock over the connecting shoulder 18 and the latching extension 17, this mechanical lock being further favored in that the stop shoulder runs at an angle, which is indicated in FIG. 14 in the right-hand illustration is.
• This provides a firm locking, so that the longitudinal side wall sits firmly within the floor in the opened position, so in particular there is no "soft feeling" when handling the container.
• the mechanical lock interacts with the latching connection through the latching springs.
• the hinge extensions 14 have lateral play to the walls 21 of the hinge recess in the base plate, which ensures tolerance compensation, so that tolerance-related deviating hinge elements can be inserted into the hinge recess without further ado.
• the latching lugs 19 can also be seen in detail from FIG. 16 and this also shows that the hinge recess 8 is open at the bottom, which serves purely for demolding purposes for the tool during the manufacture of the container or the base plate.
• the latching lugs 19 can also be seen from FIG. 14.
• the bearing for the hinge pin is limited, so to speak, by the two locking hooks 19 and the upper edge of the two webs 22.
• FIG. 16 shows the longitudinal side wall in the vertically opened position, only the hinge recess 8, which is formed in a lateral edge flange 23 of the base plate 3, being visible in the right representation.
• Figure 17 finally shows an illustration with the narrow side wall 1 in the folded position and lying above the folded-down longitudinal side wall 2.
• the height of the transport container in the folded position of the side walls is evident due to the base thickness, the thickness of the narrow side wall 2, because, as in will be explained in more detail below, the narrow side walls interlock, and the thickness of the two overlying longitudinal side walls 2.
• FIG. 18 shows different views of two narrow side walls in the position in which they overlap in the folded position
• FIG. 19 showing the same sectional views of the side wall in the folded position.
• the upper edge sections of the side walls here the narrow side walls 1 are so coordinated with one another by recesses 24 and projections 25 that in the fully retracted position these side walls 1 fully overlap, so that in the retracted position shown in FIG Height of the two folded side walls is dictated only by the simple thickness of the side walls. This results in a considerable reduction in the height of the container with the side walls in their folded position.
• the design can be such that, for example, only the narrow side walls interlock in the manner shown in FIG. 19, or the two longitudinal cables ten walls or alternatively both the long side walls 2 and the narrow side walls 1.
• FIG. 20 finally shows a detailed view of the upper corner half of a narrow side wall to illustrate a locking mechanism with which the opened side walls, here narrow side wall with a longitudinal side wall, can be locked and unlocked.
• the corresponding sectional views along the line B and C are shown in FIGS. 21 and 22.
• 30 designates a grip element which, as shown in FIG. 2, is provided in the region of the narrow side wall at the top on both sides.
• This grip element 30 has a hook-like locking bar 31 which, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, is articulated at 32 on the side wall 1, as shown in FIG. 20 above and below, the articulated connection being reduced by a corresponding reduced wall thickness Sidewall formed or in any case may be wall thickness formation to form a swivel joint.
• a corresponding opposite of the adjacent longitudinal side wall is designated by 33 in FIG. 22 and is shown in dash-dot lines.
• the locking bar 31 engages behind a corresponding locking part 33 of the long side wall.
• the grip element 30 is actuated by thumb pressure in the direction of arrow D according to FIG. 22, so that the locking bar 31 pivots about the two pivot points 32 and thus the locking bar 31 is pivoted away from the locking part 33 of the long side wall and so that the narrow side walls can be folded inwards onto the floor.
• tabs 34 on the narrow side walls shown in FIG. 20, in which we suggest from FIG. 2 engage corresponding projections 35 of the longitudinal side walls. This engagement position is not shown in Figure 20, but the tabs 34, with which corresponding engagement parts on the longitudinal side walls cooperate in the folded-up position.
• the locking is released solely by thumb pressure on the handle elements 30, which takes place on both sides of the narrow side walls, so that the narrow side walls also fold inwards when unlocked.
• the grip elements can be arranged on the narrow side walls or on the long side walls.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
• Storage Of Fruits Or Vegetables (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)

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Cited By (12)

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Citations (6)

• 1998
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  • 1998-02-06 DE DE59812397T patent/DE59812397D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-02-06 WO PCT/EP1998/000673 patent/WO1998034838A2/de active IP Right Grant
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  • 1998-02-06 DK DK00117161T patent/DK1060999T3/da active
  • 1998-02-06 AT AT98906933T patent/ATE221837T1/de active
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  • 1998-02-06 AT AT00117161T patent/ATE284817T1/de active
  • 1998-02-06 IL IL13127798A patent/IL131277A/en not_active IP Right Cessation

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