PT2431283E - Reinforced crate - Google Patents

Abstract

A crate, includes a bottom (102), two end walls, and two side walls (108a). Each of the side walls (108a) comprises a first lateral edge (118) adjacent to the first end wall, a second lateral edge (120) adjacent to the second end wall, a lower edge (124) adjacent to the bottom (102), and an upper edge (122) distant from the bottom (102). Each side wall (108a) comprises a continuous stiffening member (126) extending parallel to the lateral edges (118, 120) and at least partly to the upper edge (124). The continuous stiffening member (126) comprises a stiffening portion (126a, 126c, 126d) extending at least in one area between the lateral edges (118, 120) from the upper edge (122) in the direction towards the lower edge (124) and back to the upper edge (122).

Description

DESCRIPTION

REINFORCED BOX

Embodiments of the invention relate to a carton or container for accommodating products, more specifically, embodiments of the invention, with reference to a plastic carton which is provided for receiving and / or for transporting foods, such as fruits , vegetables, meat and the like.

Boxes for the storage and transport of products such as fruits and vegetables are widely used in the market. Such boxes are light and stable which makes them suitable for bringing the crops from the field to the customer. For example, for tropical fruits such as bananas, it is common to harvest while still green and pack them in boxes for subsequent shipping and shipping. On this journey, the fruits have time to mature. Also, other fruits such as apples or the like, or even vegetables such as lettuce or the like, but also meat or eggs may be placed in the boxes at the production site and transported using such cartons.

Prior to transportation, filled boxes are usually stacked on top of one another and arranged side by side on two pallets and the pallets as a whole are then transported to the respective conveyor means. Often, a specific cross stacking technique is used, for example, a " 5 " setting ". In such a configuration 5 - below, five boxes are arranged adjacent one another in a rectangular arrangement, such that two of them form a row in the lengthwise direction and the other three form a row in the width direction. A problem with this type of arrangement is that by stacking the cartons in this way, the three boxes forming the row in the width direction abut with their smaller end walls the extended side walls of the two cartons which form the row in the direction of the length . Thus, a force acting on the side walls of the carton arrangement is raised in the length direction, especially in the central area of the side walls of the cartons disposed in the length direction. This can result in damage to the cartons during transport or during stacking.

The above described cartons may be plastic boxes comprising, opposing wall ends and opposing side walls extending from a bottom having a generally rectangular shape. The cartons may also be formed from other materials, such as wood, carton or the like. The cartons can be called foldable cartons, which means that the end walls and side walls 1 can be folded to the bottom, toward the bottom. This allows the transport of empty boxes in their folded state, for example to the fields, where the crop is collected and directly placed in the respective boxes. This allows the dispatch of a large number of folded boxes, using a minimum amount of transport capacity, thereby bringing the folded boxes to the desired locations in an economical manner. There are boxes of different heights, that is, some boxes have pairs extending from the bottom for a first distance, while others extend upwardly by a second distance which may be greater than the first distance. The height of the boxes, when unfolded, depends on the products in it, received and to be transported. The structure of the carton having foldable walls may be such that the side walls when being folded down may overlap on the bottom. In such a case, to achieve a minimum possible height, conventional boxes require a specific sequence of folding of the respective wall portions. For example, firstly, the two wall end portions are to be folded in the lower part, and then the first of two side walls is folded down to rest on the downwardly folded wall ends, and then , the second of the sidewalls is then folded down. The respective side walls are configured such that a minimum height of the folded carton is obtained without any fragments extending beyond this height.

However, this approach is disadvantageous in that it requires the user of a box to be aware of how the box should be folded, that is, its wall fragments need to be folded correctly, otherwise the minimum height will not is obtained and furthermore elements of the wall fragments may extend beyond the height, thus avoiding correct stacking of the folded boxes. One solution to this problem is to provide a projection at the end of the lower portion extending upwardly from the end, with a predefined distance, thereby ensuring that, regardless of how the two sidewalls are folded, even at " worse of cases " none of the fragments of the side walls extends above the upper end of the protrusion. While this solves the problem with the fragments extending beyond the height of the folded carton, at the same time, it increases the height of the folded carton and thereby limits the total number of folded cartons that can be stacked and shipped. While this may seem like a minor problem looking only at a single carton, consideration should be given to the situation where a large number of such boxes are folded and shipped being placed on their pallets and the projection having an increase in height, as mentioned above, can result in a loss of transport capacity of about 15%. 2

The above described cartons, which are foldable, further comprise a locking mechanism which ensures a secure connection of the side walls and the wall ends in the unfolded state of the carton. At the same time, an easy-to-handle mechanism should be provided to release the latch, when it is desired to fold the carton after all the products have been removed and the carton sent back to the supplier, for example for cleaning. Containers having foldable walls, comprising release mechanisms acting on the engagement elements provided to release the latch and allowing the respective side walls to be folded down. For example, the sidewalls may comprise respective containers formed in a side edge thereof, a side collar being adjacent the wall ends. Movable locking mechanisms may be provided at the wall ends, for example, a hook which is predisposed in a downward direction and engages the receptacle in the side wall by bringing the respective walls into their upright position. For example, when a side wall moves from the lower position to the upright position, the hook is raised after passing the side wall elements and then, due to the skewing downward, the hook is received in the receptacle. To release the catch by the release mechanism, the catch is lifted so that the catch elements are disengaged and the side wall can be folded down, again toward the bottom.

These mechanisms provide an easy way of handling for the unfolding of the carton, however, the mechanisms in general are provided in such a way that they can be activated at any one time the carton being in its unfolded state. This is disadvantageous since it also allows the actuation of the release mechanism when a plurality of boxes are stacked, for example, on a pallet. In such a situation, due to shocks or incorrect manipulations, a mechanism for closing one or more boxes inside the stack can be actuated, thereby unlocking the respective wall member, making the stack unstable as a whole. At worst: this may result in collapse of the stack because one or more of the boxes inside the stack may no longer provide the stability needed to support the boxes stacked thereon.

As mentioned above, the cartons may be used for transporting foods, such as fruits and vegetables, meat or the like. These products may require cooling and it is therefore desirable to provide a coolant liquid, such as ice water or the like, to the interior of the carton ensuring that the products remain fresh and / or at a desired temperature. While the housings generally have apertures in the side walls and the bottom to allow air circulation, such apertures may not be sufficient to allow sufficient flow of cooling liquid into the carton, for example, when using It is very well that ice particles are within the fluid flow which may not pass through the air vents and which may actually block the orifices, thus preventing liquid reaches the inside of the carton. US 5,582,214 describes a stacking tray including a rigid body formed of rigid plastic material and comprised of a bottom pair formed integrally with opposing side walls and opposite front and rear walls. The front panel defines an access area to enable removal of the articles from the wall end when the tray is in overlapping relationship with similarly stacked constructed trays. The front wall has an upper edge defining an attached tubular section that extends from the side wall to the side wall to reinforce the tray when in a stacked relationship with similarly constructed trays and to counteract the flaccidity of the wall end, due to to the weight of the articles placed therein. US 3,327,896 discloses a stacking container including a generally rectangular wall end delimited by right side walls, the upper container has, upwardly, stacking surfaces along the upper edges of the two opposing and minor side walls, having stacking surfaces in the lower portion of said wall end directly below said stacking top surfaces. Metal reinforcing elements including vertical structural reinforcement bars extend between and in vertical abutting relationship, with vertical alignment of upper and lower stacking surfaces. The container may be stacked with other like containers one on top of the other to form a stack of containers vertically.

EP 2 072 411 discloses a collapsible container, including a base and a plurality of walls surrounding the base. In use, the walls are adapted to fold down on the base. At least one of the walls includes reinforcing means in the form of a first elongated cavity extending substantially parallel to the base. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved carton, which is less susceptible to damage.

This object is achieved by the box of claim 1.

According to embodiments the reinforcing portion is U-shaped and extends in a central area of a side wall in a drilling at the lower end, embodiments of the invention, a. the reinforcing portion extends to the lower end so that the distance to the lower end is less than or equal to one-half the height of the side wall. Alternatively, the reinforcing member may extend to the lower end of the sidewall.

Embodiments may include: a continuous reinforcing member having a plurality of reinforcing fragments extending toward the lower end of the sidewall. In such embodiments, the plurality of reinforcing members may have the same distances to the lower edge of the side wall or different.

Embodiments of the invention may provide a carton which is made of plastic and the continuous reinforcing member may be formed by injection molding of water. The carton may be foldable such that the wall ends and side walls may be folded relative to the bottom.

Forms of realization of the. invention provides a carton which is made of plastic and which is provided for receiving and / or transporting food such as fruits, vegetables, meat and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary carton;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the example carton of Fig.

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a. layer of a stack of sample boxes provided in the 5 ~ below configuration;

4 shows a side wall of a carton having a modified reinforcement member in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, and Fig.

Figs. 5 (a) - (c) shows different configurations of the modified reinforcing member of Fig.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton 100 comprising one. bottom 102 which may comprise a plurality of apertures 104. The carton 100 further comprises a first wall end 106a and a second wall end 106b opposing the first wall end 106a. In addition, two opposing side walls 108a and 108b are provided opposite each other. As can be seen, the side walls 108a and 108b are longer than the wall ends 106a and 106b. According to embodiments of the invention, the side walls and the wall ends may be foldable toward the bottom 102, such that, for example, first the end walls 106a and 106b are folded to the bottom and then the side walls 108a and 108b are folded to the bottom. The dimension of the side walls in the height direction may be such that by folding them down the side walls may overlap. The advantage of folding the sidewalls and the wall ends towards the bottom is that the volume of the carton is minimal, so that in the folded state of the carton it occupies only a low height, so that a large number of cartons can be stacked, for example, on a single pallet for transport. According to embodiments of the invention, the carton is made of plastic, thereby providing a low weight and a high storage stability and / or transport applications. In addition to the holes 104 in the lower part 102 holes 110 are also formed in the respective walls and provided with ventilation holes. Further larger holes 112a and 112b are provided in the upper part of the wall ends 106a and 106b, the holes 112a and 112b defining gripping holes. As can be seen, an upper edge 114a and 114b of the wall ends may have an increased thickness, thus ensuring that the transport of the carton when adhering the gripping holes 112a and 112b is secure and that sufficient strength of the wall end portion above the gripping holes is provided. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the carton 100. In Fig. 2 (a) is shown the first side face 108a which extends upwardly from the lower portion 102. As mentioned above, in the case where the carton is a folding carton, Fig. 2 (a.) Shows the side wall 108a in its upright or unfolded position. In addition, a plurality of vent holes 110 are shown. The side wall 108a comprises a reinforcing member 116 having a first portion extending parallel to a first transverse edge 118 of the side wall 108a. The side edge 118 is, for example, adjacent the first end of the face 106a shown in Fig. The reinforcing member 116 also extends parallel to a second side edge 120 of the side wall 108a wherein the second side edge 120 is adjacent the second wall end 106b. The reinforcing member further extends parallel to an upper edge 122 of the side wall 108a, wherein the upper edge 122 is distal from a lower edge 124 which in turn is adjacent the base 102, as shown in Fig. 2 (a), the reinforcing member 116 is a continuous reinforcing member which is, for example, obtained during the molding of the plastic side wall 108a, using the water injection molding process. The continuous reinforcing member 116 extends, as mentioned above, parallel and adjacent to the first side edge, the upper end and the second side edge in a shape, as shown in Figure 1, and ventilation holes 110, are provided in . an area of the side wall 108a which is surrounded by the reinforcing element 116 and the lower edge 124. Fig. 2 (b) shows a cross-sectional view of the side wall 108a along the line b-b '. As can be seen, the reinforcing member 116 has a hollow structure therein, with a cavity 116a between which is formed by the water injection molding process and provides for an element having a high reinforcement with a reduced amount of material and, therefore, also with a reduced amount of weight. The side wall structure, shown in Fig. 2 (a) is disadvantageous in situations where a plurality of cartons are stacked in the above-mentioned downstream configuration. Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a layer of stacked boxes provided in the downstairs configuration. As can be seen, three boxes 100a-100c are disposed side-by-side, i.e. the side walls of the boxes 100a-100c are disposed adjacent the carton wall ends 100a-100c such as two wall ends of the cartons XOOd and 100e adjacent. Thus, as can be seen from Fig. 3, the smaller wall ends of the boxes 100a-10O abut against the longer side walls of the boxes 10Q and 10e, resulting in the above mentioned problem that a force acting on the side walls of the boxes 100A and 100G is raised in a central portion of the side wall and may result in damage to the cartons 100d and 100e in the event of a movement of one or more of the cartons 100a-100c due to a shock or the like. For example, after the first stacking of the cartons 100d and 100e are provided and then the other boxes 100a-100c are added and during the arrangement of the complementary boxes 100a-100c, they may impact the side walls of the 100d and 1000e cartons, resulting in damage to the side walls.

Thus, the side wall reinforcing structure of the carton shown in Fig. 2 (a) which functions well when the cartons are disposed parallel to each other like the cartons 100a-100c is disadvantageous in the case of an arrangement of the cartons as shown in Fig.3. 7

Thus, according to embodiments of the invention, a modified reinforcement member is provided. Figure 4 shows an embodiment of such a modified reinforcement member. 4 shows the side walls 108a having the reinforcing member 126 modified. Again, the reinforcing member 126 has a first portion 126a extending parallel to and adjacent the first side edge 118. A second portion 126b of the modified reinforcing member 126 extends parallel and adjacent the second side edge. The modified reinforcement member 126 is also a continuous reinforcing member which extends continuously from the lower left edge of the sidewall 108a along the side edge. 118 and along the upper edge to the second side edge and down to the lower right edge of the side wall 108a. The modified reinforcement member 126 further comprises in a central area of the side wall 108a a U-shaped portion 128. The U-shaped portion 128 comprises two vertical reinforcing member portions 126c and 126d, being substantially parallel to the parts 124a and 12 6b. In addition, a part 126e is provided adjacent to the lower end 124. In the left and right portions outside the central portion of the side wall 108a of the modified reinforcement 126 is parts 126f and 126g being disposed adjacent the upper edge 122. As mentioned above, the modified reinforcing member 126 is a continuous member, i.e., all of the pieces 126a-136e are connected to each other, thus forming the continuous member in a shape as shown in Fig. The ventilation holes 110 are provided in the left and right portions of the side wall, with the reinforcing member being provided between the ventilation openings and the edges 1 through 118 and 120, 1. In the central area, the ventilation holes are provided with. one. reinforcing member between the left and right portions and the lower edge 124. The arrangement of Figure 4 provides an increase in the stiffness of the side wall 108a and the central portion, thus avoiding damage in situations as described above, when a plurality of cartons is stacked in a 5-down contusion shown in Fig.

Forms and embodiments of the invention are not limited to the configuration shown. in Fig. 4, modified configurations of reinforcing elements 126 may be provided. Such embodiments are now described with respect to Figs. 5 (a) to (c). The respective figures schematically show the side wall 108a also described with respect to FIG. Fig.4 with. the respective reinforcement elements i26 modified. In the embodiment shown in FIG. Fig. 5 (a), the sidewall comprises two U-shaped portions of the modified twist member, both of which extend along to the lower edge. 5 shows a schematic representation of a different embodiment of the method with which the U-shaped portion of the reinforcing member extends only downwardly by half the height of the reinforcing member. side wall 108a in the direction of the lower edge. Fig. 5 (c) shows a schematic representation of another embodiment 8 using three U-shaped reinforcing member portions with different "depths", i.e., extending by different amounts relative to each other. to the lower edge of the side wall,

While embodiments described above, refer to portions of U-shaped reinforcing elements extending towards the lower edge, it is to be noted that the invention is not limited to such embodiments. Rather, according to other embodiments, the portion of the reinforcing member extending in a side wall area distal of the side edges relative to the base may be different, for example the portion may be V-shaped, or also has an asymmetric shape.

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

Lisbon, November 11, 2013. 9

Claims (10)

The carton, comprising: a lower portion (102); two wall ends (106a, 106b); and two side walls (108a, 108b), wherein each side wall (108a, 108b) comprises a first side edge (118) adjacent the first wall end (106a), a second side edge (r20) adjacent the second (106b), a lower edge (124) adjacent the lower portion (102), and a upward edge (122) remote from the lower portion (102), wherein side wall member (108a, 108b) (126) which parallel to the side edges (118, 120) partially towards the upper twisting end (124) comprises one extending at least, and wherein at least the portion of the reinforcing member (126a, 126c) comprises a continuous zone (126) comprising a flexure extending therethrough between the side edges (118, edge 120) from the upper edge (122) in the lower (124) and back (122a, 108b) to the upper end (122) of the upper side (122). comprises venting holes (110); and extends to the vent 122 of the wall 126a, 126c, the reinforcing member 126a, 126c, 126d if the lower edge 124 such that the holes 110 are provided between the upper (lateral) edge (108a, 108b) and the reinforcing element 124a), the reinforcing member extends in an area towards the lower edge The box of claim 1, wherein (126a, 126c, 126d) is U-shaped and center of the side wall (108a, 108b) (124). The reinforcement box (126a, 12c '126d) extends (124) in such a way that the distance to the less than or equal to the half of the height of the 108b ). wherein the lower edge member lower edge (124) is side wall (108a, 1) The carton of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reinforcing member (126) extends to the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b). The carton of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the continuous reinforcing member (126) comprises a plurality of reinforcing members extending to the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b). The housing of claim 5, wherein the plurality of reinforcing elements have the same or different distances for the lower edge (124) of the side wall (108a, 108b). The carton of one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the carton is a plastic carton. The carton of claim 7, wherein the continuous stiffening member (126) is formed by injection molding of water. The carton of one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the end walls (106a, 106b) and the side walls (108a, 108b) are configured to be foldable with respect to the portion (102). The carton of one of the provided for the example reception, fruits, vegetables, claims 1-9, in which the carton is and / or the transport of food, by meat and the like. Lisbon, November 11, 2013. 2