WO2000009407A1

WO2000009407A1 - Device for storing and conveying unit loads

Info

Publication number: WO2000009407A1
Application number: PCT/EP1999/005118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roland Patrick Henri Hugenholtz; Werner Philomena Theophiel Camps
Original assignee: Conteyor Multibag Systems N.V.
Priority date: 1998-08-11
Filing date: 1999-07-17
Publication date: 2000-02-24
Also published as: DE19836204A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for storing and conveying unit loads, comprising a frame (8), housing or the like with receiving pockets or compartments arranged therein, whereby at least one side of the housing or frame (8) that is open for loading or unloading purposes can be closed by a curtain (2) or flexible material strip. In order to create a device that possesses the above-mentioned features and allows all open sides of the frame or framework, together with all open sides of the pockets or compartments received therein, to be closed in a firm but simple manner, the curtain (2) is provided with a strip of adhesive (3) material along at least part of an edge thereof and the edge of the open side of the frame opposite the edge of the curtain is also provided with a strip (4) that is made of a counterpiece to said adhesive material.

Description

Device for the storage and transport of piece goods

The present invention relates to a device for the storage and transport of piece goods, consisting of a frame, housing or the like with receiving pockets or compartments arranged therein, at least one side of the housing or frame open for loading and unloading by a curtain or a flexible material web can be closed.

Such a device is known in principle from German patent applications P 41 38 507 and 195 49 166. In these known devices, pockets formed from a flexible web material are suspended in a frame on rods, for example a projecting strip of the material web from which the pockets are formed can be placed over the open tops of the pockets and thereby cover them, so that overall, the entire upper open side of the frame in question is thereby covered.

The frame or the frame in which the individual pockets or compartments are arranged can be a box, a box or another, essentially closed, but open on one side, but it can also be just a tubular frame or a Act frame or the like, in which some or all of the sides are open or covered with a flexible material or closed with plates. For the purposes of the present invention, it is only important that at least one side of the frame is open, which can optionally also be closed, although of course several sides of the frame or frame can be open and remain open, or can optionally be lockable . For example, if the individual pockets or compartments, which are arranged inside an open frame, are closed to one side of this frame, it would not be absolutely necessary to also completely close the open side of the frame there.

All conceivable, flexible web materials come into question as curtains or flexible webs, that is to say those web materials that are sufficiently flexible to be able to be removed from the open side or folded away and folded back again without great effort. In particular, fabric webs, nonwoven fabrics, but also film materials and the like are suitable for this. The webs can also be composite materials or, for example, coated fabric webs. In the following, the term "curtain" is generally used for the part of a flexible material web that closes the open side, which covers all of the aforementioned materials. rialien and configurations should include. The term "frame", as is used in the following for the part of the device which receives the inner pockets and compartments, is also intended to include closed housings as well as open frames, frames covered with flexible webs and the like.

In the known devices from which the present invention is based, the frame is open on at least one side in order to be able to load the individual pockets or compartments which are accommodated in the frame with individual objects which are separated from one another in this way and without butting or scratching can be transported gently. An example of objects for which such gentle transport is sensible and necessary are painted body parts of motor vehicles. In some variants of the corresponding devices, the frame is open to one side, which is defined by the front sides of U-shaped pockets and pockets open on the side. During transport with parts accommodated in such a device or also during the return transport of corresponding empty devices, especially since such transport is often carried out on trucks, dust, sand and other dirt can easily penetrate into the individual pockets or compartments. This can, for example, cause the sensitive surfaces of the transported objects to be scratched, or it can also penetrate into functionally important parts and impair the subsequent function of the corresponding objects. The known devices only provide a closure of the upper side of U-shaped pockets open at the top, so that dirt cannot fall directly into the pockets from above. However, the formation of U-shaped pockets from a long material web, the free end of which is finally placed over the top of the U-shaped pockets formed in this way, does not make it possible to close the end faces of these pockets. In the known devices, these are therefore still exposed to the risk of contamination or the penetration of dust and sand and the like.

In principle, it is possible to hang the corresponding U-shaped pockets in a completely closable housing, but such housings are relatively complex and expensive. Starting from this prior art, the present invention is therefore based on the object of creating a device with the features mentioned at the outset which, in a simple manner, securely closes all open sides of a frame or frame and thus all open sides of pockets or compartments accommodated therein enables. In addition, if possible, this embodiment should not stand in the way of space-saving folding or folding of the frame, and the corresponding device should nevertheless be as simple as possible to manufacture and inexpensive. This object is achieved in that the curtain has a strip of Velcro tape at least along part of one of its edges and the edge of the open side of the frame opposite this curtain edge has a further strip made of the matching counterpart of the Velcro material. It is clear that in such a case a flexible sheet material or curtain can also be used for the remaining open sides of a frame or housing, the tight closure of which is ensured by streaking at least part of its edges has a Velcro tape, with the help of which it can be attached to the opposite edge of the open side of the frame, since the matching counterpart of a Velcro material is attached there.

An embodiment of the invention is particularly expedient, in which the curtain is essentially fixed along an edge of the open side of the frame, while the remaining part of the curtain can be moved more or less hinge-like around this defined edge or around an imaginary axis along this edge is to close the open side of the frame or vice versa to release this side, the Velcro material strips, which are attached along the edge or edges of the curtain, are at least partially spaced from the imaginary hinge axis of the curtain or away from extend this axis away.

In particular, an embodiment of the invention is preferred in which Velcro strips run along two opposite edges of the curtain, which extend essentially perpendicularly away from the imaginary hinge axis.

The curtain is expediently adapted to the shape of the open side of the frame and, in particular, it has a rectangular shape, even if the open side of the frame is shaped accordingly rectangular, a variant of the invention is particularly preferred in which Velcro strips along all freely movable edges of the Curtain are provided. In the case of a rectangular curtain, three of the four edges of the curtain are completely provided with the Velcro material in question, while the remaining fourth edge of the rectangular curtain is fixed to the frame. However, this fourth edge could also have a strip of Velcro material and the curtain could then be removable from the frame as a whole.

Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention is preferred, in which the matching counterpart of the Velcro strips is arranged on the inner surfaces of a frame that delimits the open side. It is also useful if the on these inner surfaces of the Frame attached Velcro strips are attached in the form of a Velcro tape partially bulged from this inner surface of the frame.

Specifically, this can be done, for example, by gluing the Velcro tape along its two longitudinal edges at a distance from these longitudinal edges to an inner edge surface of an opening in such a way that the distance between the longitudinal edges of this Velcro tape is significantly smaller in the glued-on state than in the corresponding non-glued one , just spread out Velcro. The Velcro must then necessarily have a bulge in the area between its two edges.

In this bulge, a flexible rubber hose or the like can also be inserted between the Velcro strip and the inner surface of the frame, which on the one hand ensures the bulging of the Velcro strip, but on the other hand also offers an elastic restoring force when the bulging Velcro strip is pressed inward in this area .

As already mentioned, the edge of the curtain opposite this edge of the frame opening is also provided with a strip of Velcro material, it being particularly preferred if a strip or band of Velcro material is laid transversely to a loop so that its two longitudinal edges lie one on top of the other and in this form, with the loop attached laterally protruding along the edge of the curtain. It is particularly expedient if a flexible rod, a hose or the like is inserted into the loop, the circumference of which is of course less than the width of the Velcro tape used here, so that it is wrapped around the flexible rod or hose and folded with its two longitudinal edges and attached to the edge of the curtain, in particular can be sewn on.

In a modification of the variant described above, the part of the Velcro strip that is located on the frame with a protrusion is that part of the Velcro strip that lies in front of the protrusion and that must be passed by the counterpart of the Velcro strip on the curtain before the latter can engage the protrusion , covered or made unusable or the Velcro strip is correspondingly narrow or applied in such a way that it only has the actual Velcro material in the area of the bulge, while the area in front of it is simply smooth or, if no Velcro material is applied to the frame there , the frame is simply coated at this point. This prevents the comparatively movable Velcro material, which is attached to the edge of the curtain, from possibly already engaging with the Velcro material, which is flatly attached to the frame before the protrusion, and does not even reach the protrusion. By covering the Velcro material, which is in motion Direction of the curtain edge lies in front of the bulge, the curtain edge can slide over this area and then in fact only comes into engagement with the bulged area, so that the curtain also lies smoothly hanging down and without creases close to the edges of the opening.

The covering of the Velcro material can also be achieved, for example, by foaming the Velcro tape in the area in front of the bulge or covering it with a foam material, so that a smooth surface is created. As already mentioned, however, a narrower Velcro strip could also simply be glued on with a protrusion, in which case the metallic frame area in front of this Velcro strip is coated with plastic.

In addition, an embodiment of the invention is preferred in which that part of the Velcro that is attached to the curtain has the hook parts of the Velcro connection, while that part of the Velcro or the Velcro that is on the frame or the open side of the frame surrounding frame of this frame is attached, the loop parts of the Velcro connection. During the loading and unloading of a corresponding device, the curtain is either removed or folded away, whereas the frame that delimits the loading opening cannot be moved with the Velcro material attached to it. Accordingly, the objects to be inserted into or removed from the pockets or compartments are most likely to come into contact with the Velcro material which is attached to the frame or frame parts delimiting the open side of the frame, but not with the Velcro material on the edges On the other hand, the hook parts of Velcro strips can cause scratches or other superficial signs of damage to sensitive parts, whereas the loop parts of the Velcro connection are much easier in this regard.

It goes without saying that the individual pockets or compartments at their ends in the area of the open side of the frame are also equipped with Velcro material strips, preferably with the loop material, while the inner surface of the curtain has the appropriate counterparts made of Velcro material at corresponding positions.

Further advantages, features and possible uses of the present invention will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the associated figures. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a frame with an open side that can be closed by a curtain, Figure 2 shows a section through an edge of the opening of this frame with an adjacent curtain edge and

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a spar forming the left opening edge with a Velcro tape and the curtain edge resting thereon.

A frame 1 can be seen in FIG. 1, which is shown here in the form of a box which is completely closed except for the front side. The visible front is essentially completely open, although the compartments or pockets accommodated in the frame 1 are not shown here. The front, open side of the frame 1 is defined by a frame formed from four rectangular bars 8. The bars 8 are, for example, metal tubes with a rectangular cross section. On the upper spar of the open side of the frame 1, a curtain 2 is firmly attached, for example glued or clamped, for example with the aid of a strip screwed to the upper spar. The curtain 2 is rectangular and has dimensions that are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the rectangular opening formed in the frame 1. As can be seen in the sectional view of the left bar in FIG. 2 and the perspective view of the same bar in FIG. 3, a Velcro strip 4 is glued to the inner surface of the bar 8, the width of which is, however, greater than the width of this side of the bar 8 the relatively flexible strip 4 made of Velcro tape with its lateral edge areas and partly also almost to its center glued to the inner surface of the spar 8 such that the lateral edges of the Velcro tape 4 do not protrude beyond the surface of the spar. In this way, a bulge 10 is formed. Between the inner spar surface of the spar 8 and the Velcro strip 4, an elastic hose 6 is inserted in the area of this protrusion 10, which ensures that the protrusion 10 springs back into its protruding position even after being pressed forcibly by some mechanical action.

The protrusion 10 comes into contact with another Velcro strip 3, which forms a loop or. Tubular shape is folded with its two free side edges, which were then sewn at 7 to the edge of the curtain 2. In order to reinforce the edge or the loop formed from the Velcro strip 3, a further hose or a rod made of a more or less flexible material can be inserted into this loop. For example, a hose wound from wire, as is known from Bowden cables, could be inserted for this purpose, which is sufficiently flexible and pliable on the one hand, but on the other hand gives the edge of the curtain 2 a certain rigidity.

As can be seen, the loop formed from the Velcro strip 3 protrudes laterally slightly over the edge of the curtain 2 and overall the curtain 2 with the protruding Velcro strip 3 is so dimensioned so that when the curtain 2 is pivoted down about the upper edge region or the hinge axis 9, the Velcro strip 3 in the form of the sewn-on loop definitely engages with the bulge 10. That is, the clear distance between the protrusions 10 on the two opposite spars of the opening of the frame 1 is smaller than the width of the curtain 2 including the Velcro strips 3 attached to the two opposite edges. At the same time, however, the curtain width thus defined is somewhat less than the clear Distance between the Velcro strips 4 on the two opposite spars in the firmly glued areas of this Velcro strip 4. In this way, there are well-defined contact areas of the loop-shaped Velcro strips 3 on the protrusions 10 of the Velcro strip 4.

As already mentioned, the Velcro strips 3 are the ones that have the hook parts of the Velcro connection, while the Velcro strips 4 are the ones that have the loop parts of a Velcro connection.

It goes without saying that the free lower edge of the curtain 2 or the opening of the frame 1 could also be equipped with a corresponding Velcro connection and that the upper hinge edge 9 could also be replaced by an essentially similar Velcro connection. Furthermore, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the special design of a hook-and-loop fastener fastened on the one hand to form a protrusion and on the other hand a hook-and-loop fastener attached in the form of a loop along the edge of a flexible part, the two hook-and-loop fasteners thus formed being able to be brought into engagement with one another by the other features of the device is independent, in particular can therefore not only be used for transport devices for piece goods.

It is also useful if a not too flexible, somewhat stiffer material is used for the curtain 2, which preferably does not cause longitudinal folds, so that the distance between the Velcro strips 3 on the opposite edges of the curtain 2 remains essentially constant, even if the curtain 2 is pivoted up and down. This stiffness behavior of the curtain can, if necessary, be influenced positively by the fact that the remaining free edge of the curtain 2 is also stiffened in the form of a Velcro loop with an inserted flexible rod or hose.

The curtain material can of course also be braced independently of the use of the Velcro tape.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Device for storing and transporting piece goods, consisting of a frame (8), housing or the like, with receiving pockets or compartments arranged therein, at least one side of the housing or frame (8 ) can be closed by a curtain (2) or a flexible material web, characterized in that the curtain (2) has a strip of Velcro tape (3) along at least part of one of its edges, and that the edge of the open side of the curtain edge opposite this Frame (2) has a further strip (4) made of the matching counterpart of the Velcro material.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the curtain (2) along an edge of the open side is substantially fixed, while the remaining part of the curtain is movable around an imaginary axis along this defined edge substantially hinge-like to the open To close or release the side of the frame (2), the Velcro strips being at least partially provided at a distance from the imaginary hinge axis or extending away from this axis.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that Velcro strips extend along two opposite edges of the curtain (2) which extend substantially perpendicularly from the imaginary hinge axis (9).

4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the curtain is substantially rectangular and the shape of the open side of the frame (1) is adapted, with Velcro strips along all freely movable edges of the curtain and the corresponding opposite edges of the open Side of the frame (1) are provided.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Velcro strips (4) are provided on the inner surfaces of a frame (8) delimiting the open side of the frame.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the Velcro strips are arranged in the form of a partially bulged Velcro attached to the inner surfaces of the frame.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that a Velcro tape is glued along its two longitudinal edges at a distance from these longitudinal edges to an edge surface of an open side of the frame (1) such that the distance of the longitudinal edges of the Velcro tape is significantly smaller in the glued state than with the tape that was not glued on, just spread out.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that in the region of the bulge of the Velcro (4), a flexible hose is inserted between the Velcro (4) and the edge of the open side.

9. Device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the Velcro material of the Velcro tape (4), which is optionally arranged from the protrusion to the outside of the ratchet, is rendered ineffective or covered or is replaced by another coating material which is not with counterparts of the Velcro material arranged on the curtain can come into holding engagement.

10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the curtain edge having the Velcro material is reinforced with a flexible rod or hose, to give way to a Velcro tape, the width of which is greater than the circumference of the rod or hose, in the width direction and is attached to the edge of the curtain.

11. Vomchtung according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the loop-containing part of the Velcro material is attached to the frame or housing, while the hook-containing part of the Velcro material is attached to the curtain.

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that Velcro material strips are provided on inner pocket or compartment divisions of the housing to parts of the pockets or compartments extending to the open side, and in corresponding positions on the inner surface of the Matching counterparts made of Velcro material are provided.

3. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the pockets or compartments in turn have open sides closable with flexible webs in the frame.