WO2005009873A1

WO2005009873A1 - Transport packaging for flowers

Info

Publication number: WO2005009873A1
Application number: PCT/NL2004/000482
Authority: WO
Inventors: Janus Adriaan Willem De Pagter
Original assignee: Pagter & Partners International B.V.
Priority date: 2003-07-31
Filing date: 2004-07-06
Publication date: 2005-02-03
Also published as: WO2005009873A8; NL1024029C2

Abstract

Transport packaging for flowers consisting of a protective container, for example made of plastic material. The bottom part thereof is designed to contain water, so that the bunches of flowers placed in the transport container can be provided with water during transport. In order to be able to make more useful use of the available transport surface area, it is proposed to provide water at various levels in the transport packaging. As a result flowers with the same stem length can be placed at various levels, so that the portion close to the flowers/buds that takes up the most room is used more effectively. According to the present invention this is achieved by either providing the protective container with a stepped bottom (30) or fitting a separate further container (18) therein.

Description

Transport packaging for flowers

The present invention relates to transport packaging for flowers comprising a protective container for containing a number of bunches of flowers, which container has a base bottom part and adjoining walls, wherein the lower portion of the container is made liquid-tight for containing water and the base bottom part is equipped to support the stems of said flowers. Transport packaging of this type is disclosed in EP 0 311 174 in the name of Pagter & Partners international B.V. In this patent a plastic container is described on which a cardboard top portion can be placed. The lower portion of the protective container is made watertight so that the flowers can be transported with the free ends of the stems thereof placed in water. It has been found that by using water, to which a wide variety of agents can be added, certain plants suffer less damage during transport than when they are packed dry. This applies in particular in the case of transport by air. However, in the case of transport of flowers by air it is in particular the space that is important and to a lesser extent the weight of the pack containing flowers. Therefore, the aim is to move as many flowers as possible per cubic metre surface. The aim of the present invention is further to increase the number of bunches of flowers per cubic metre transport surface, these flowers still being placed in water. Said aim is achieved with a transport packaging described above in that said packaging has a further bottom part for supporting the stems of flowers and a boundary arranged around said part for containing water, which further bottom part is at least 4 cm above said base bottom part when the packaging is in the use position. According to the present invention there are various levels on which the stems of the flowers bear. There is water at each of said levels. Assuming plants of equal stem length, this means that the tops of the plants are also at different levels. It has been found that in particular the top part of bunches of flowers takes up a great deal of space. After all, a bunch of flowers is usually conical with a widened portion at the top thereof that is taken up by the flowers or buds. According to the invention these top portions, and the stems, are positioned at different levels. The narrower (stem) parts of the flowers, in this case bunches, in a high position are positioned alongside the flowers or buds of the bunches in a lower position. As a result, the wider (flower) parts of the bunches are virtually under one another. Surprisingly, it has been found that in this way an appreciable saving in space can be achieved. Depending on the variety of flowers, savings of at least 10 % are possible. The further bottom part can be implemented in any manner imaginable. A first possibility is to make the bottom of the protective container stepped, as a result of which various levels are obtained. With this construction it is possible to arrange the water level such that this is above all levels. It is also possible to arrange a protective rim at the location of the higher levels, as a result of which water is present in various levels. Another possibility is to fit a separate container on or in the protective container which has a bottom part that is at a higher level than the bottom part of the protective transport packaging. Such a container can be any container known in the state of the art. Examples are trays, sleeves, bags and the like. It is possible to suspend such containers from the side walls of the transport packaging and more particularly the protective container thereof. It is also possible to allow such a container to bear on the bottom of the protective container. In this case measures have to be taken which result in the bottom of the further container being at a higher level than the bottom of the protective container. This can be achieved, for example, by making an extension below the bottom of the further container. The further container can be made of a different material to the protective container. The protective container will in general be made of plastic or of a paper-like material that has been treated so as to be water-resistant, at least in the lower portion thereof. The requirements in respect of the further container will in general be less stringent. More particularly because when placed in the protective container this further container does not have to absorb the force that acts between adjacent protective containers. Consequently, such a further container, apart from being made of plastic, can also be made of board-like material or film material and/or combinations thereof. In the case of a material that is not water-resistant, the lower portion of the further container has to be protected in some way or other against influences of water and additives. It will be understood that there can be various levels and/or various further containers in the protective container. These various further containers can each delimit the same water level or delimit a different water level. Both the protective container and the further container can be made of materials that can be recycled and can be intended for one-off or multiple use. The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to illustrative embodiments shown in the drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the transport packaging according to the present invention in a perspective and partially exposed view; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the transport packaging shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the further container fitted in the transport packaging according to Fig. 1 ; and Fig. 4 shows, diagrammatically in a cross-section, a further variant of the present invention. In Fig. 1 a transport packaging according to the invention is indicated by 1. This consists of a protective container 2 on which a protective top piece 3 has been fitted. In this illustrative embodiment the protective container 2 has been made from plastic by injection moulding. The top piece 3 is made of board material and protects the top of the bunches of flowers. A lid, optionally constructed with ridges in which the base 7 fits, can be placed on top of the protective container. The protective container 2 is of rectangular construction and provided with side walls 6. There is a base bottom 7. The lower portion delimited by the side walls 6 and the base bottom 7 is of watertight construction, so that water can be placed therein without leakage. The water level is indicated by 12. A bunch of flowers 5, for example, can be placed therein, the stems of such a bunch being below the water level 12. According to the present invention a further container 8 is provided. Details of this can be seen in Fig. 3. This is likewise of rectangular construction and consists of four side walls 9 and a further bottom part 10. Opposing side walls 9 are provided with folded over parts or lips 11 that engage in the top rim of the side walls 6, as can be seen from Fig. 1. At least the lower portion of the further container 8 is made watertight, so that water can be placed therein. The water level is indicated by 13. A bunch of flowers 4 is shown with the ends of the stems bearing on the further bottom part 10. It can be seen from Fig. 1 that there is an appreciable distance a between the further bottom part 10 and the base bottom 7. If the length of the bunches of flowers 4 and 5 is the same, this difference in height is directly translated into a difference in the level of the various parts of the bunches of flowers 4 and 5. In particular this means that it is not the flowers or buds of bunch 4 that are at the height of the flowers or buds of bunch 5, which take up a great deal of room, but only the stems. As a result a greater volume utilisation is obtained, which results in a smaller floor surface area per number of packed flowers. It will be understood that the further container 8 can be placed either in the position in Fig. 1 or in any other position in the protective container 2. It is also possible to fit several such containers. According to a variant of the invention, which is not shown here, the further container 8 is positioned lower, that is to say deeper, in the protective container. It is possible to make the walls thereof higher in such a case. However, it is also possible in such a case to provide a strip or similar construction that joins the walls of the further container to lips or the like provided at the end of the strips. This strip can be fixed or adjustable. In all cases it is possible to provide these lips with a horizontal extension. The bottom edge of the top piece 3 then bears on this. There can optionally be reinforcing ribs on the lips. According to a further variant of the invention, which is not shown further here, instead of or in addition to the folded over lips 11 use can be made of an extension that is located below the further bottom part 10 and extends as far as the base bottom part 6 and bears thereon. It will be understood that in such a case it is possible to design the shape of the further container completely independently from the shape of the protective container. That is to say, the further container can, for example, have a cylindrical, conical or any other shape. Moreover, it is possible to produce a further container by providing a tube or the like that is relatively rigid and placing a plastic bag therein, filling the latter with water and placing the relevant bunch of flowers 4 therein. A further variant of the invention is shown in Fig. 4. In this figure the packaging is indicated in its entirety by 21. The protective container is indicated by 22 and this is provided with side walls 26 and a bottom 28. Bottom 28 consists of a base bottom part 27 and a raised portion 30 that comprises the further bottom part. The connecting wall is indicated by 29. The difference in height between the further bottom part 30 and the base bottom part 27 is indicated by a. The value of a is between 4 and 35 cm. The various features are dependent on the bunches of flowers 24 and 25 used. It is possible that the water level in the protective container extends above the level of the further bottom part 30. It is also possible to extend the connecting wall 29 to some extent so that a separate compartment is produced at the location of the further bottom part and two water levels can be maintained within the protective container. Such an extension of the connecting wall also serves to prevent bunch 5 moving towards bunch 24. Instead of making the bottom 28 stepped, it is also possible to fit a raised part, on which the stems of the bunch of flowers 25 can be placed, inside the protective container by click- or snap-fitting or in some other way. One example of such a construction is a ring that is placed in the protective container. The further bottom part that is characteristic for the invention is produced by this means. Further variants will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Transport packaging (1, 21) for flowers comprising a protective container (2, 22) ■ for containing a number of bunches (4, 5; 24, 25) of flowers, which container has a base bottom part (7, 28) and adjoining walls (6, 26), wherein the lower portion of the container is made liquid-tight for containing water and the base bottom part is equipped to support the stems of said flowers, characterised in that the packaging has a further bottom part (10, 27) for supporting the stems of flowers and a boundary arranged around said part for containing water, which further bottom part is at least 4 cm above said base bottom part when the packaging is in the use position.

2. Transport packaging according to Claim 1, wherein said further bottom part is at most 30 cm above said base bottom part.

3. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said container has a stepped bottom (28) for delimiting a base bottom part (27) and the further bottom part (30).

4. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said further bottom part is part of a further container (8) that is fixed to the protective container (2).

5. Transport packaging according to Claim 4, wherein said further container is fitted in said protective container.

6. Transport packaging according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein said further container is detachably attached to the protective container.

7. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said further container is attached to the top rim of the protective container with the aid of lips folded over the top rim of said protective container.

8. Transport packaging according to Claim 7, wherein said lips are joined via a strip to said further container such that their height is adjustable.

9. Transport packaging according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein said lip is provided with parts engaging on a top piece (3).

10. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said further container is provided close to the further bottom part thereof with a downward extension designed to bear on said base bottom part.

11. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, provided with a top piece (3).

12. Transport packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said protective container is rectangular.