ES2511365T3 - Box - Google Patents

Abstract

Folding box (100), comprising a bottom (110) and two opposite side walls by respective pairs (120) and end walls (130), the side walls (120) having a greater extent than the end walls (130) , wherein the side walls (120) and the end walls (130) are independently foldable with respect to the bottom (110), characterized by the fact that at least one end wall (130) comprises a groove (410; 910), in which the groove (410; 910) is adapted to allow the user to trim the end wall (130) to create an inspection opening; in which the groove (910) surrounds a predefined area (905) of the end wall (130), in which the groove (910) comprises a thickness (lGR) greater than half the thickness (lEW) of the wall extreme (130).

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Box

[0001] The present invention relates to a box according to claim 1 for accommodating products such as fruits and vegetables, and in particular, a box for bananas.

[0002] Boxes for storing and transporting products such as fruits and vegetables are widely used in the market. Normally, these boxes are light and stable, which makes them suitable for carrying the crops from the field to the customer. Especially for tropical fruits such as bananas, it is common to collect the crop while it is still immature and package it in the boxes for later shipping and transportation. On their trip, fruits have time to ripen. Before transport, the boxes are generally stacked on top of each other and arranged side by side in pallets. Here, a specific cross-stacking technique is often employed, such as in the case of a "five-down configuration". In this configuration five below, five boxes are arranged side by side in a rectangular arrangement, so that two of these form a row in the direction of length and the other three form a row in the direction of width.

[0003] However, one problem is that in that type of configuration, a free and uniform circulation of air between a short side (end wall) and a long side (side wall) of adjacent boxes according to the design is not guaranteed. prior art This is disadvantageous in the sense that fruits may not receive uniform temperature control during transport and storage as a result of non-uniform air distribution.

[0004] Another disadvantage of known boxes is that the internal surfaces of their side walls are straight, very uneven and can comprise sharp and / or hard objects such as corners or edges. Therefore, especially products that have rounded surface portions such as bananas, apples or oranges can be easily damaged by such surfaces without working.

[0005] Additionally, for the purpose of quality control, it may be necessary for a controller to have quick and easy access to the inside of a specific box, when this box (not the one above all) is arranged in a battery of a plurality of boxes. However, known boxes do not offer this possibility, which means that the controller has to partially disassemble and reassemble the battery, when it must control the inside of a specific box. This procedure is ineffective and is not convenient, thus representing an additional disadvantage.

[0006] Finally, an additional disadvantage associated with known open top boxes is that in the case of stacking two of these boxes on top of each other, products that protrude slightly beyond the upper end of the bottom box (by e.g., curved portions of a banana) may come into contact with a load in the upper case, eventually leading to product damage.

[0007] US 2009/0261092 A1 describes a folding box according to the preamble of claim 1. DE 102006005873 A1 and GB 1323289 describes containers in which a part of the side wall is adapted to be trimmed.

[0008] Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide a box that allows for improved air flow, packaging, access for inspection and stacking of transportable products.

Summary of the Invention

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved with a folding box as described in the characteristic part of claim 1.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the box is formed by a bottom wall and two opposite side walls in respective pairs and end walls, each side wall comprising a plurality of ventilation holes in a region A which extends along a horizontal direction of the side wall, and each end wall comprising a grip hole. Here, region A is the distance dA from one corner of the box, the distance dA is equal to the distance dOA in which the grip hole moves away from the same corner of the box. In addition, a height hA of the region A is substantially equal to the height hOA of the grip hole, that is, the heights are such that they overlap at least partially in the direction of the height.

[0011] This ensures a ventilation path to provide optimum air flow between adjacent boxes, which are, for example, arranged in the configuration five below. Therefore, through this ventilation path, a fast and especially uniform air flow can be achieved, resulting in consistent temperature control for fruit quality.

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[0012] According to embodiments, the plurality of ventilation holes may comprise a pair of ventilation holes having a combined shape similar to the grip hole. The plurality of ventilation holes may be spaced a distance that is less than the size of the grip hole. A vent hole of the plurality of vent holes may comprise a horizontal dimension that is smaller than the size of the grip hole. The side walls and the end walls can be configured to be foldable with respect to the bottom, so that, in a folded state, a remaining volume of the box is minimal. The bottom may comprise two pairs of ventilation openings, where each ventilation opening of the first pair has a width equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 126 mm, and where each ventilation opening of the second pair has a width equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length equal to or greater than 25 mm. Each ventilation hole of the plurality of ventilation holes may have a width equal to or greater than 20 mm and a length equal to or greater than 24 mm. Each grip hole can have a width equal to or greater than 30 mm and a length equal to or greater than 100 mm.

[0013] The embodiments of the invention relate to an arrangement of two boxes according to embodiments of the invention, where the boxes are arranged so that an end wall of a first box is adjacent to a side wall of a second box, where the first box is configured to be aligned along a first longitudinal axis parallel to a side wall of the first box, and where the second box is configured to be aligned along a second longitudinal axis parallel to a side wall of the second box, the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis being perpendicular to each other, where a side wall of the first box and an end wall of the second box are aligned, so that at least a partial overlap of the gripping hole of the first box and at least one ventilation hole of the plurality of ventilation holes of the second box, so that it provides a ventilation path between the first box and the second box. The plurality of boxes may be configured as a configuration five below, so that a ventilation path between adjacent boxes is provided.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, each side wall comprises a smooth internal surface with a convex shape towards the outside of the box, thereby providing an internal surface for containing products having rounded surface portions and avoiding damage of the products. The side walls and the end walls may comprise reinforcement pieces, which are provided on a respective external surface of the side walls and end walls only. The side walls and the end walls can be made of plastic to provide the smooth inner surface (810). The convex-shaped smooth internal surface may have a lateral curvature dimension less than the maximum lateral dimension of the lateral wall, where the internal surface is substantially curved in a region of the lateral wall only, where the non-continuous reinforcing parts that are They extend along a vertical direction of the side wall they are interrupted and where the region is a central region.

[0015] According to the invention, at least one end wall comprises a thinned portion, where the thinned portion is adapted to allow the user to cut the end wall to provide an inspection opening. The thinned portion of the end wall may be a groove that surrounds a predefined area of the end wall, where the groove comprises a thickness more than half the thickness of the end wall. The end wall (130) may further comprise a plurality of holes that are arranged along the groove, each hole having a diameter greater than a width of the groove. The thinned portion may be configured to provide an openly hinged portion attached to the end wall, when the thinned portion is cut by the user, where the predefined area is substantially rectangular, and where the groove is adjacent to at least three sides of the predefined area. The predefined area can be more than a third of an area of the extreme wall. The end wall (130) can be made of plastic. An arrangement of a plurality of boxes according to the embodiments of the invention may have the plurality of boxes arranged adjacent to each other, so that at least one end wall comprising the thinned portion is accessible by the user.

[0016] According to yet another embodiment, the bottom is curved in an arc towards the inside of the box, so that a space S is provided between a bottom surface of the bottom and a plane P defined by a lower end of the box. This essentially allows two boxes to be stacked one on top of the other without crushing or damaging the products protruding from the bottom box in the S space. The bottom may have the shape of an arc along one direction of an extreme wall or along one direction of a side wall of the box. The bottom may have a wavy shape along a side wall direction in an edge region of the side wall, a first portion of the wavy bottom may be at a height of the plane, and a second portion of the portion with Wavy shape may be maximally at a height of a lower end of the upper portion. The bottom may comprise an upper portion and a lower portion recessed with respect to the outer point of the walls, and a distance from the recess may be equal to a thickness of the walls, allowing a coupling of the lower portion with an upper opening of a box additional. The lower portion may have an area defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion, and the upper portion may have an area defined by an external perimeter of the upper portion, the side walls and end walls may comprise internal surfaces and external surfaces, where an internal area can be defined by the internal surfaces at an upper end of the box, and where an external area can be defined by the external surfaces at the upper end of the box, where the

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area may be approximately equal to the area and the area may be approximately equal to the area. The embodiments define a stack of two boxes according to the invention where a first box and a second box are configured to provide an internal area defined by the internal surfaces at an upper end of the first box and an area defined by an external perimeter of the lower portion of the second box, where the area and area are equal, so that the movement between the first box and the second box is avoided, when the second box is stacked on top of the first box. The bottom of the second box may comprise a plurality of ventilation openings that are configured to provide a ventilation path between the first box and the second box.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] In the following, the embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a box;

Figure 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the box according to Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a side view of a side wall of the embodiment of the box in accordance with Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a side view of an end wall of the embodiment of the box in accordance with Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the end wall and the side wall of the box in accordance with Figure 1 mentally deployed in a corner thereof;

Figure 6 illustrates the dimensions of a plurality of ventilation holes and a gripping hole according to a further embodiment of a box;

Figures 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement of a plurality of boxes of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 in the five partial configuration below;

Figure 7c shows a side view of an end wall of an arrangement box in accordance with Figures 7a; 7b;

Figure 7d shows a side view of a side wall of a box of the arrangement according to Figures 7a; 7b;

Figure 7e shows a top view of a box of the arrangement in accordance with Figures 7a; 7b;

Figures 8a; 8b show a perspective view of an embodiment of a plurality of boxes of the embodiment of Fig. 6 in the five partial configuration below;

Figure 8c shows a side view of an end wall of a box of the arrangement according to Figures 8a; 8b;

Figure 8d shows a side view of a side wall of a box of the arrangement in accordance with Figures 8a; 8b;

Figure 8e shows a top view of a box of the arrangement in accordance with Figures 8a; 8b;

Figure 9 shows a detailed top view of a side wall of a further embodiment of a box with a smooth convex internal surface;

Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box with an open portion;

Figure 11a shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box with an arc-shaped bottom;

Figure 11b shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of the box in accordance with Figure 11a;

Figures 12a, 12b illustrate details of the background of the embodiment of the box in accordance with Figures 11a; 11b;

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Figure 13a shows a partial side view of an embodiment of a stack of two boxes stacked on top of each other; Y

Figure 13b shows a partial side view of a further embodiment of the stack in accordance with Figure 13a with a space (S) between the two boxes.

Description of the Embodiments of the Invention

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a box 100. The box 100 comprises a bottom 110 and two opposite side walls in respective pairs 120 and end walls 130. Referring to Figure 1, the side wall 120 has a larger extension than the end wall 130. Both the side walls 120 and the end walls 130 can be folded with respect to the bottom 110. In particular, the side walls 120 and the end walls 130 are joined to the bottom 110 so that can be folded thereon in the directions of the arrows, as shown in figure 1. In a folded state, the remaining volume of the box 100 is minimal. This has the advantage that in the folded state, the box 100 occupies only a low height. Therefore, a large number of empty boxes can be stacked on a pallet for transport.

[0019] In the embodiments, the box 100 is made of plastic in order to provide low weight and high stability for storage and / or transport applications.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, each side wall 120 comprises a plurality 125 of ventilation holes, while each of the end walls 130 comprises a grip hole 135. The plurality 125 of ventilation holes is essentially located in a region A that extends along a horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120. In this case, the horizontal direction is defined as a direction along a longer side of a respective side wall. Additionally, region A is essentially defined as a region surrounded by two continuous reinforcement pieces 121, 122 in the vicinity of the upper end of the box 100, where a plurality 123 of non-continuous reinforcement pieces is not interrupted. It can also be seen in Figure 1 that the side walls 120 and the end walls 130 can be held together by the use of a fastener 140, when the box 100 is in its unfolded state.

[0021] Figure 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the box 100 in accordance with Figure 1. In particular, the bottom 110 may comprise two pairs 210, 220 of ventilation openings, which may be symmetrically arranged with respect to to an axis 205 parallel to the end wall 130 along a central longitudinal axis 201. Specifically, each ventilation opening of the first pair 210 may have a width 212 equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length 214 equal to or greater than 126 mm, while each ventilation opening of the second pair 220 may have a width 222 equal to or greater than 40 mm and a length 224 equal to or greater than 25 mm. In this case, the width is defined as a dimension parallel to the end wall 130, while the length is defined as the dimension parallel to the side wall 120. The two pairs 210, 220 of the ventilation openings should be sized so that are large enough to provide proper ventilation through the bottom 110. However, they should not be selected so large that the specific products fall out of the box 100. As can already be seen in Figure 2, an internal surface 121 of the side wall 120 is configured to be folded towards the outside of the box 100, which will be described in detail below.

[0022] Figure 3 shows a side view of a side wall 120 of the embodiment of the box 100 in accordance with Figure 1. In the view of Figure 3, the plurality 125 of ventilation holes can be clearly seen. In particular, the plurality 125 of ventilation holes may comprise a pair 310 of ventilation holes. Together, these ventilation holes may have a combined shape similar to that of the grip hole 135 (comp. Fig. 1). This is advantageous since by adapting the combined form, it is possible to achieve an optimum superposition of the pair 310 of ventilation holes and the grip hole 135, when, for example, two boxes are arranged in a five-bottom configuration. With respect to Figure 3, each ventilation hole of the plurality of ventilation holes 125 may have a width 312 equal to or greater than 20 mm and a length 314 equal to or greater than 24 mm. In this case, the width is defined as a dimension in a vertical direction 301 of the side wall 120, while the length is defined as a dimension in the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120. In addition, the continuous reinforcing parts 121, 122 and the plurality 123 of non-continuous reinforcement pieces extending in the vertical direction 101 of the side wall 120 are clearly observed in Figure 3.

[0023] Figure 4 shows a side view of an end wall 130 of the embodiment of the box 100 in accordance with Figure 1. As can be seen in Figure 4, the grip hole 135 is centered with respect to two edges 131 , 132, of the box 100. The grip hole 135 is also recessed with respect to an upper end of the box 100 by a distance 133 of approximately 30 mm. In particular, by joining the grip hole 135 to a thickened upper frame portion 134 of the end wall 130, a strong grip can be provided for transporting a loaded box 100. Referring to Figure 4, the grip hole 135 may have a width 137 equal to or greater than 30 mm and a length 139 equal to or greater than 100 mm. In this case, the width is defined as the dimension in a vertical direction 402 of the end wall 130, while the length

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it is defined as the dimension in a horizontal direction 401 of the end wall 130. It can also be seen that the grip hole 135 is refined from a maximum horizontal extension at an upper point 136 to a minimum horizontal extension at a lower point 138, providing that way an ergonomic grip. The fastener 140 is also clearly visible in Figure 4. The fastener 140 may be attached to the end wall 130 in the sense that it may be coupled with the recess 128 provided in a portion 126 of the side wall 120. In this case, The clamping mechanism can operate on the basis that a displacement element 142 of the fastener 140 can be displaced against the force of a spring element. Additionally, as already indicated in Figure 4, the end wall 130 may comprise a thinned portion 410 essentially surrounding a central portion of the end wall 130 that includes a portion of the grip hole 135. The purpose and more details regarding the thinned portion 410 will be described later. A further characteristic feature of the end wall 130 is that a plurality 420 of reinforcement pieces can be provided near a boundary region of the end wall 130. This provides a greater capacity to support the aforementioned fastening mechanism.

Ventilation Holes Layout (1st aspect)

[0024] A first aspect of the present invention solves the disadvantage that in a configuration five below, for example, a uniform air flow between adjacent boxes according to the prior art is not provided.

[0025] Figure 5 illustrates the end wall 130 and side wall 120 of the box 100 mentally deployed in the same corner 505 of the box 100. Alternatively, Figure 5 may also illustrate an end wall 512 of an adjacent first box 510 to a side wall 522 of a second box 520, where the first box 510 is aligned with the second box 520 in corner 505. As illustrated, the side wall 120 of the box 100, or alternatively, the side wall 522 of the second box 520 comprises the plurality 125 of ventilation holes in a region A. Region A is indicated in Figure 5 by a dashed line 501. In embodiments, region A is at a distance dA from corner 505 and has a height he has. In addition, the end wall 130, or alternatively, the end wall 512 of the first box 510 comprises the grip hole 135. In embodiments, the grip hole 135 is at a distance dOA from the same corner 505 and has a height hOA It can be seen in the embodiment of Figure 5, that the distance dA is approximately equal to the distance dOA and the height hA is approximately equal to the height hOA. Therefore, especially in the configuration five below (see Figures 7a, 7b, 8a; 8b), at least a partial overlap of the grip hole 135 of the first box 510 and at least one vent hole (for eg, vent hole 515) of the second box 520, and consequently, ventilation paths between the two boxes 510, 520 will be obtained.

[0026] Figure 6 illustrates dimensions of a plurality 615 of vent holes and a grip hole 135 in accordance with a further embodiment of the case 100. The plurality 615 of vent holes shown in Figure 6 may correspond to the plurality 125 of ventilation holes shown in Figure 3. In the embodiment of Figure 6, the plurality 615 of ventilation holes is spaced along the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120 with a distance sOV. Additionally, each ventilation hole can have the same extension and can be rectangular in shape. The distance sOV can be selected so that it is less than a dimension 10 of the grip hole 135, where the dimension 10 can correspond to the maximum horizontal extension 139, as shown in Figure 4. In addition, the horizontal dimension 1 of a ventilation hole may be selected smaller than the dimension 10 of the grip hole 135. A vertical dimension of the vent hole along the vertical direction 301 may also be less than the vertical extent of the grip hole 135. Therefore, a characteristic dimension of the plurality 615 of vent holes is generally configured to be smaller than that of the grip hole 135, so that an overlap of the at least one vent hole 515 with the grip hole 135 can be provided, as in the case of configuration five below.

[0027] Figures 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement 700 of a plurality of boxes of the embodiment described with respect to Figures 1 to 5 in a five-part configuration below. In this context, ‘partial’ means that only three are shown instead of five boxes 100 of the five configuration below. Referring to Figures 7a and 7b, the two specific boxes 510, 520 are arranged so that the end wall 512 of the first box 510 is adjacent to the side wall 522 of the second box 520. In this case, the first box 510 is aligned along a first longitudinal axis 701, while the second box 520 is aligned along a second longitudinal axis 702. As can be seen in Figures 7a; 7b, the first longitudinal axis 701 and the second longitudinal axis 702 are perpendicular to each other. In addition, a side wall 720 of the first box 510, which may correspond to the side wall 120 of Figure 3, and an end wall 730 of the second box 520, which may correspond to the end wall 130 of the figure 4, are aligned to be even in this configuration five down partial. Correspondingly, the at least partial overlap of the grip hole 125 of the first box 510 and the at least one vent hole of the plurality 125 of vent holes of the second box 520 can be provided. The vent path 710 thus obtained , which is indicated by a dark arrow, shows a ventilation path for the air flow, thereby ensuring proper ventilation of the respective interior of the boxes 510, 520.

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[0028] Figures 7c, 7d and 7e show different views of the end wall 512, the side wall 522 and the box 510, respectively. Specifically, in the embodiments shown, other formations other than ventilation regions 705 may be provided; 706; 709 at the bottom of the box 510, eventually leading to better ventilation properties.

[0029] Figures 8a; 8b show a perspective view of an arrangement 700 of a plurality of boxes of the embodiment described with respect to Figure 6 in a five-part configuration below. In this context, "partial" means that only three instead of five boxes 100 of the five configuration below are shown. Referring to Figures 8a and 8b, the two specific boxes 510, 520 are arranged so that the end wall 512 of the first box 510 is adjacent to the side wall 522 of the second box 520. In this case, the first box 510 is aligned along a first longitudinal axis 751, while the second box 520 is aligned along a second longitudinal axis 752. As can be seen in Figures 8a; 8b, the first longitudinal axis 751 and the second longitudinal axis 752 are perpendicular to each other. In addition, a side wall 770 of the first box 510 and an end wall 780 of the second box 520 are aligned to be even in this five partial configuration below.

[0030] Correspondingly, the at least partial overlap of the gripping hole 135 of the first box 510 and the at least one ventilation hole 515 of the plurality of ventilation holes of the second box 520, where the Overlay region 765 is indicated by a dark mark. The ventilation path thus obtained 760, which is indicated by an arrow, shows a ventilation path for the air flow, thereby ensuring proper ventilation of the respective interior of the boxes 510, 520.

[0031] Figures 8c, 8d and 8e show different views of the end wall 512, the side wall 522 and the box 510, respectively. Specifically, in the embodiments shown, other formations other than ventilation regions 755 may be provided; 756; 759 at the bottom and / or near a corner (region 757) of the box 510, eventually leading to better ventilation properties.

Internal surface of the box (2nd aspect)

[0032] A second aspect of the present invention solves the additional disadvantage that the internal surfaces of the side walls of the known boxes are straight and not free of sharp and / or hard objects.

[0033] Figure 9 shows a top view of the side wall 120 of the box 100 in more detail. It can be seen in Figure 9 that the side wall 120 comprises reinforcement pieces 815 that include the reinforcement pieces 121, 122, which were also shown in Figure 1. The side wall 120 may comprise a smooth internal surface 810 convexly directed towards the outside of the box 100. In addition, the reinforcement pieces 815 may be provided on the outer surface of the side wall 120 only. In order to provide the smooth inner surface 810, the box 100 or at least the side wall 120 may be made of plastic. It can be seen in Figure 9 that the smooth convex-shaped internal surface 810 has a lateral curvature dimension lc smaller than the maximum lateral dimension dSW of the lateral wall 120. In this case, the lateral dimension is defined as the dimension in one direction. lateral 801 perpendicular to the lateral wall 120. The internal surface 810 is substantially curved in a region B of the lateral wall 120 only. With respect to Figure 3, this region B is defined as a region, where the non-continuous reinforcement pieces 123 extending along the vertical direction 301 are interrupted. The region B is therefore a central region, which is not close to a corner 805 of the box 100, and which is essentially bordered by the continuous reinforcing parts 121, 122. The advantage of using the internal surface with Convex form 810 is that, on the one hand, the box 100 will be especially suitable for containing products with rounded surface portions. On the other hand, since the internal surface 810 can be made very uniform, that is to say without sharp edges or corners, the risk of damaging or crushing the transportable products during transport can be minimized.

Quick Access to the Inside of the box (3rd aspect)

[0034] A third aspect of the present invention resolves the additional disadvantage with respect to the lack of possibility of quick and easy access to the interior of a specific box, when it is, for example, stacked in a column on a pallet.

[0035] Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a box 100 with an opening portion. In the embodiment of Figure 10, the end wall 130 comprises a thinned portion 910, which may correspond to the thinned portion 410 shown in Figure 4, where the thinned portion 910 may be configured as a groove. This slot 910 is made in the end wall 130 and surrounds at least three sides of a predefined area 905. As can be seen in the embodiment of Figure 10, the predefined area 905 is substantially rectangular. The enlarged view shows that the groove 910 comprises a thickness lGR in a direction perpendicular to the end wall 130, which is more than half the thickness lPE of the end wall 130. This feature of the groove 910 allows easy cutting thereof. . In addition, along the groove 910, a plurality 915 of holes may be arranged, where each hole may have a diameter 917 greater than

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a width 912 of the slot 910. The width 912 can typically be equal to or greater than 6 mm (see also Figure 4). The dimensions of the holes 915 are therefore such that a knife, which is commonly employed by a controller, can be easily inserted therein and then cut along the groove 910. By cutting the groove 910, it can be provided an opening portion 920, which is essentially attached to the end wall 130. The opening portion 920 can be deployed as indicated by the arrow. The purpose of providing that type of portion that can be opened is that the user can look inside the box 100 to inspect the contained products. For example, you can control whether transported fruits such as bananas have already reached a certain degree of ripening. Again, the end wall 130 can be made of plastic, so that a normal knife can be used by the controller. The embodiment of Figure 10 also shows that the predefined area 905 may be more than one third of an area of the end wall 130 so as to provide a sufficiently large inspection opening. In embodiments, where two or more boxes 100 are stacked adjacent to each other, such as being in the five-down configuration partially shown in Figures 7a; 7b, 8a, 8b, must be arranged so that the groove 910 of at least one end wall 130 can be accessed by a user.

Bottom with Arc Shape (4th aspect)

[0036] A fourth aspect of the present invention solves the additional disadvantage that products protruding from a lower box can be damaged by a load from an upper box, when the upper box is stacked on top of the lower box.

[0037] Figures 11a, 11b show perspective views of additional embodiments of a box 100, where the bottom 110 is particularly curved in the shape of an arc towards the inside of the box 100. The bottom 110 can be curved along a direction 1001 of the end wall 130 (see figure 11a) or along a direction 1002 of the side wall 120 (see figure 11b). As can be clearly seen in Figures 11a, 11b, both designs provide an additional space S between a bottom surface of a bottom 110 and a plane P. In this case, the plane P is defined by a bottom end of the box 100, respectively .

[0038] Figures 12a, 12b show more details of the bottom 110 of further embodiments of the box 100 in accordance with Figures 11a, 11b. In particular, Figure 12a is a partial sectional view along a line L1-L1 of Figure 11a, while Figure 12b is a partial sectional view along a line L2-L2 of Figure 11a. In both Figure 12a and Figure 12b, the bottom 110 comprises an upper portion 1110 and a lower portion 1120, where the lower portion 1120 may be recessed with respect to an external point 1101 of the walls of the box 100. As can be clearly seen in the sectional view of Figure 12a, the bottom portion 1120 of the bottom 110 can be curved upward along the direction 1001, so that a belly 1125 will be obtained. The additional space S that is created is illustrated in Figure 12a as a gradual increase of a cross-sectional area to the right.

[0039] The partial sectional view of Fig. 12b shows that the bottom 110 may have a wavy type shape along the direction 1002 in the vicinity of the side wall 120. Note that L2-L2 is taken in a boundary region of box 100, as shown in figure 11a. In particular, the shape of the bottom wave type 110 causes bells 1125 located along the direction 1002, that is, along the end wall 120, which makes the bottom 110 very rigid.

[0040] In additional embodiments, starting from a central longitudinal axis of a box 100, the curvature of the bellies 1125 can also gradually become more pronounced in the direction 1001 (ie, in a direction close to the side wall 120).

[0041] In further embodiments, a first portion of the wave-shaped bottom 110 is at a height of the plane P, while a second portion of the wavy-shaped bottom 110 is maximally at a height of a lower end of the upper portion 1110 which corresponds to a maximum extension of the waveform.

[0042] Figures 13a, 13b show side views of additional embodiments, where, for example, two boxes 1210, 1220 are stacked one on top of the other. In both the embodiments of Figure 12 and Figure 13, a distance dR of the recess can be chosen so that it is equal to a thickness lP of the walls. In this way, a coupling of the lower portion 1120 of the second box 1220 and an upper opening of the first box 1210 can be achieved, therefore, avoiding lateral movement in a direction 1201 shown in Figure 13a.

[0043] In further embodiments, the lower portion 1120 has an API area defined by an external perimeter of the lower portion 1120, while the upper portion 1110 has an APS area defined by an external perimeter of the upper portion 1110. In addition, an internal area ASI can be defined by the internal surfaces of the walls at an upper end of the box 100, while an external area ASE can be defined by the external surfaces of the walls at the upper end of the box 100. In particular , the API area is approximately equal to the ASI area, while the APS area is approximately equal to the ASE area.

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[0044] In further embodiments, an internal area ASI, 1 defined by the internal surfaces at an upper end of the first box 1210 and an API area, 2 defined by an external perimeter of the lower portion 1120 of the second box 1220 may be equal, so that the first box 1210 and the second box 1220 fit together precisely when the second box 1220 is stacked on top of the first box 1210.

[0045] In further embodiments, the bottom 110 of the second box 1220 may also comprise a plurality of ventilation openings so as to provide a ventilation path between the first box 1210 and the second box 1220.

[0046] Referring to Figure 13b, the advantage of providing additional space S is that in practice, when two or more boxes are stacked one on top of the other in a column on a pallet, the products 1205 that extend further beyond an upper end of the lower box 1210 of the column, such as the curved portions of a banana protruding from the plane P, can be effectively protected from being machined by heavy loading of the upper box 1220 of the column.

[0047] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide a box such as a banana box, where the design of the ventilation holes of the box allows adequate ventilation of the interior of the box even if it is found stacked so that two boxes are arranged so that the end wall of one box is adjacent to a side wall of another box (eg, a configuration five below). Specifically, by providing a ventilation path, a uniform air distribution can be achieved and, therefore, a consistent temperature control for the quality of the fruit with that type of design.

[0048] In this case, the arrangement of the ventilation holes in the side walls should be such that at least one ventilation hole is provided in the side wall at a distance from each corner, the distance being equal to the distance between the grip hole in the end wall and the same corner, thereby ensuring at least a partial overlap of the grip hole and at least one vent hole in case of stacking of the plurality of boxes as mentioned above. In accordance with further embodiments, pairs of ventilation holes can be provided which together can have a shape similar to the grip hole. Also, a plurality of ventilation holes can be provided that are equally spaced with a space less than the size of the grip hole.

[0049] A further aspect of the embodiments is its uniform inner surface that has a convex outward shape and, therefore, products with rounded surfaces, such as bananas, are more easily contained in the lateral portions of the box providing the convex or curved inner surface. This can be applied to both the side walls and the end walls. In accordance with further embodiments, reinforcing parts such as tabs and the like are provided only outside the box.

[0050] Yet another feature of the embodiments is the provision of a thinned portion in the end walls which allows its cut to provide an opening, which allows a user of the box to take a look into the box, which is important to determine if in a full batch of boxes, the product inside the box, for example bananas, has already reached a desired degree of ripening.

[0051] The fourth characteristic refers to the bottom which has an arc shape. This has no direct impact on the products inside the box, but on the stacking of a plurality of boxes on top of each other. This allows additional space to be provided in a box that is below, thereby preventing damage to the product that protrudes slightly from the upper end of the lower box. The arc-shaped or wavy bottom allows to contain such products that protrude slightly in the box below.

[0052] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described in this invention will be apparent to other persons skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the patent claims that follow and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (5)

image 1 1. Folding box (100), comprising a bottom (110) and two opposite side walls by respective pairs (120) 5 and end walls (130), the side walls (120) having a greater extent than the end walls (130), in which the side walls (120) and end walls (130) are independently foldable with respect to at the bottom (110), characterized in that at least one end wall (130) comprises a groove (410; 910), in which the groove (410; 910) is adapted to allow the user to trim the wall of end (130) to create an inspection opening; 10 in which the groove (910) surrounds a predefined area (905) of the end wall (130), in which the groove (910) comprises a thickness (lGR) greater than half the thickness (lEW) of the end wall (130). 2. Box according to claim 1, wherein the end wall (130) on the other hand comprises a plurality (915) of holes arranged along the groove (910), each hole having a diameter (917) larger than a width (912) of the groove (910). 3. Box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the groove (410; 910) is configured to create a part that can be opened (920) articulatedly attached to the end wall (130) when the user cuts the slot (410; 910), in which the predefined zone (905) is substantially rectangular, and in which the slot (910) is 20 adjacent to at least three sides of the predefined zone (905). 4. Box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predefined zone (905) is greater than one third of the surface of the end wall (130). A box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the end wall (130) is made of plastic. 6. Arrangement of a plurality of boxes according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of boxes are arranged adjacent to each other so that at least one end wall (130) comprising the groove (410; 910) is accessible by the user. 10