HK1094329B - Transport container system for goods, especially for fruit and vegetables, and the top part of the system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport container system（10）which is especially suitable for transporting goods such as fruit and vegetables. Said system comprises a stackable crate (20) that can be fold or not, and has a bottom part (13) and four lateral wall parts (11, 11a, 12 and 12a) that are structured in a pressure-resistant manner, and a top part (30) for enlarging the volume of the transport container (20). Said top part (30) is formed in such a way that it is complementary to the crate opening formed by the lateral wall parts (11, 11a, 12 and 12a) of the crate (20), and can be placed on the upper side of said lateral wall parts (11, 11a, 12 and 12a). Said crate (20) and said top part (30) of the transport container system (10) can be detachably engaged in such a way that the transport container system (10) can be stacked.

Description

Transport container system for goods, in particular fruits and vegetables, and top part of system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shipping container system for goods, particularly fruits and vegetables, and a top for the system.

Background

The invention relates to a transport container system, in particular for goods, having a stackable transport container, more preferably a crate. The stackable shipping container may be collapsible or non-collapsible. Such crates are known and are particularly used for transporting goods such as fruits and vegetables. Within the framework of the present invention, cargo is understood to be a group of cargo to be transported consisting of individual items having a size of at least 0.5-1.0 cm.

Known collapsible and non-collapsible transport containers for fruits and vegetables consist of cardboard, wood or plastic. Collapsible shipping containers are characterized by their side wall assemblies that are movable relative to the interior bottom surface of the shipping container, which allows for a reduction in the volume of the shipping container when empty. When opened, the sidewall assemblies are at a 90 degree angle to the interior floor and are detachably engaged to each other by various means. Although the bottom surface of the non-collapsible or collapsible shipping container is of a certain size, some containers have side wall assemblies of different heights in order to obtain different shipping volumes, wherein two or four side wall assemblies have the same height. In addition, the side wall assembly has, on an upper part facing away from the bottom surface, a profile or means which conforms such that the transport containers can be stacked. It is preferable that the shipping container have corner stiffeners to increase the robustness of the non-collapsible and collapsible shipping containers, particularly in view of the ability to stack up. Known shipping containers have a maximum volumetric capacity determined by the size of the floor and the height of the sidewall assembly. When a larger volume capacity shipping container is desired, other shipping containers having taller sidewall assemblies must be provided. This rapid adaptation of the volume capacity of the transport container to changes in the user's requirements is only conditionally provided.

The size of some types of fruits and vegetables varies seasonally, for example depending on different factors during growth. The size of the fruit and vegetables to be packaged is regulated by the european community regulations. This results in a known problem in shipping goods such as fruits and vegetables in order to optimally fill shipping containers with different sizes of goods to be shipped. In order to be able to take into account the different requirements of the goods, the transport containers, in particular the crates, are manufactured by machines to a specific size, which can also be determined by the production equipment or by the choice of production parameters. The dimensions of the transport container cannot therefore be changed rapidly, whereby its volumetric capacity cannot be changed rapidly without serious logistic transport problems arising or complicated modifications of the production plant and associated high costs, in the sense that the optimum filling is determined according to the cargo dimensions.

The aforementioned problems arise to a large extent from known transport containers, when the cardboard packaging, which is relatively easy to produce and is used for transporting goods such as fruits and vegetables, is replaced by a more environmentally friendly reusable container, which is made of plastic or similar material suitable for such a use, but which is also expensive to produce. For known reusable containers made of plastic, optimal adaptation of the transport container to the size of the goods to be transported proves to be particularly complex and difficult. In order to obtain maximum use of the transport device, the transport containers are stackable so that a plurality of such containers can be transported in containers, on the loading bed of a truck, in freight trains or the like. The object to be transported must not protrude beyond the upper edge of the transport container, otherwise the transport container can no longer be stacked and/or the object will be destroyed. This results in the fact that the volume capacity of known transport containers is in many cases not optimally used.

Applicant's reusable transport container, referred to in the industry as a "round trip containers," has about ten different embodiments that differ in the height of the sidewall assembly. The height of the sidewall assembly is between 8-28 centimeters, with heights of 8, 10, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, and 23 centimeters being preferred. The bottom surface of these shipping containers is preferably rectangular and has internal dimensions of 600 mm x400 mm. This means that it is consistent with european and us standard panel sizes.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to design a transport container system and a roof of the system so that the volumetric capacity of the container system can be quickly and variably adapted to the varying dimensions of the goods to be transported, and that an optimal filling of the transport container is possible.

This object is inventively achieved by a transport container system having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a transport container system, characterized by a stackable transport container, in particular a crate, comprising a base and four side wall elements which are stable under pressure. The stackable shipping containers may be collapsible or non-collapsible. In addition, the shipping container system includes a top that makes it possible to increase the volumetric capacity of the shipping container. The top itself consists of four side members placed in a form-consistent manner over the crate opening and is made of cardboard, plastic, wood or similar easily sturdy material. The materials may conveniently be provided with indicia, labels, or other markings which may be preferred to aid in identification, registration, or particularly preferred advertising purposes. A particular advantage resulting from the production of tops from natural products such as wood or cardboard is that the tops can be handled at the point of delivery of the goods, so that there is no expense of returning the tops to the place of sale. Another advantage of the invention results from the fact that the side wall assembly of the roof can be produced at different heights, so that the volumetric capacity of the transport container is optimally adapted to the varying dimensions of the goods to be transported, in particular fruits and vegetables.

The height of the side wall elements of the roof is preferably 2-8 cm, in particular 3-5 cm. At least two substantially parallel side wall elements preferably have the same height, particularly preferably all four side wall elements are equal in height.

The side wall assembly of the top portion conforming to the shape of the shipping container is preferably detachably engageable with the shipping container by fastening means. The fastening device is preferably attached to and detachably engaged with the top and the shipping container. It is particularly preferred that the top or shipping container has a fastening means which is detachably engageable with the shipping container or top. The top is preferably locked to the side wall element area or bottom surface of the transport container. Suitable fastening means are in particular all means which provide a detachably engageable connection between the transport container and the top, such as loops (eyes), hooks or screw joints. The shipping container and top are preferably detachably engaged using external fastening means such as clamps, clips, or the like that are not permanently affixed to the shipping container system. These fastening means conveniently prevent the top from moving relative to the transport container so that the goods in the transport container system are not damaged. A further advantage of the detachable engagement of the top with the transport container is that the top can be removed from the transport container without problems at the destination where the goods are to be transported, whereby the volume of the empty transport container is reduced. This is particularly advantageous for reusable transport containers.

The wall strength of the top side wall assembly is preferably selected so that the shipping container system containing the goods to be shipped is stackable. The stackability of the transport container system is preferably improved by the top four side wall elements having the same height, in particular being detachably engageable with the transport container, particularly preferably by an outer profile on the top of the top which is matched to an outer or auxiliary profile underneath the bottom of the transport container. The top and shipping container profiles facilitate easy stacking of the shipping container system and prevent movement of the system during shipping. Additional protection of the transport container system, which is preferably stacked during transport, is therefore not necessary. This helps to maximise the use of the volume of the transport equipment and does not damage the goods to be transported.

The top portion is preferably foldable into a narrow strip, particularly by means of folds at the four corner edges. The small transport volume of the already folded top is an advantage, which contributes to maximizing the use of the transport means, since the top often has to be transported over long distances to the packaging site of the goods, in particular to the harvest area of the fruits and vegetables, and in the case of a reusable top to be returned to the sales site.

The frame shaped top portion preferably has corner stiffeners for added stability. A further increase in stability is obtained in that the top part comprises a flap and is made by joining the free ends of a strip-shaped side wall module, or particularly preferably an extruded profile. Alternatively, the frame shaped top is formed by joining the free ends of the separately produced side wall assemblies.

Further application options and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description with reference to the figures.

Drawings

Fig. 1a is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the inventive transport container system.

Fig. 1b is a schematic view of a collapsible shipping container and collapsible roof.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contoured top portion.

Fig. 3a is an exemplary embodiment of a fastening device attached to the top.

Figure 4a shows the top when folded.

Figure 4b shows a frame-shaped top with corner stiffeners.

FIG. 5 is a perspective elevation view of the contoured top portion.

Fig. 5a is a longitudinal edge view of a contoured top portion having a fastening device.

Figure 5b is a transverse edge view of the contoured top portion with the fastening device.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of one possible embodiment of a shipping container system 10 of the present invention. The shipping container system 10 shown in FIG. 1a includes a non-collapsible or collapsible shipping container 20 and a top 30. The shipping container 20 of the inventive shipping container system 10 has a rectangular bottom surface 13 and two generally parallel sidewall assemblies 11 and 11a and two generally parallel sidewall assemblies 12 and 12 a. The side wall assemblies 11, 11a, 12a are foldable relative to the interior surface of the bottom surface 13 of the shipping container 20, as shown in fig. 1 b.

Fig. 1a shows an unfolded state of an unfolded shipping container 20 or a foldable shipping container 20 whereby the sidewall assemblies 11, 11a, 12a are at a 90 degree angle relative to the interior surface of the bottom surface 13 of the shipping container 20. Handle recesses 14, 14a are provided in the upper regions of the two side wall assemblies 12 and 12a to facilitate transport of the transport container system. Such handle recesses 14, 14a may also be provided in both side wall assemblies 11 and 11a, but are not shown for clarity. In addition, fig. 1a shows a frame-shaped top 30, which is placed in a form-consistent manner on the side wall components 11, 11a, 12 a. The top 30, which is coincident with the shipping container 20, likewise includes two generally parallel sidewall assemblies 15 and 15a and two generally parallel sidewall assemblies 16 and 16 a. As shown in fig. 1a, the side wall assemblies 11, 11a, 12a of the shipping container 20 are preferably of the same height, as are the side wall assemblies 15, 15a, 16a of the top 30, but preferably the top 30 and side wall assemblies of the shipping container 20 are of different heights.

The side wall elements 11, 11a, 12a of the transport container end in a straight line in the wall area with respect to the bottom surface 13, as shown in fig. 1a, or have an outer profile 21, as shown in fig. 2, 5a, 5 b. The same is true for the bottom surface 13 of the shipping container 20. In fig. 1a, the bottom surface 13 is shown as a straight line, whereas fig. 2, 5a and 5b show a profile 22 underneath the bottom surface 13 of a transport container 20. As shown in fig. 1a, 2, 5a and 5b, the profile 31 of the top 30 mates with the sidewall assemblies 11, 11a, 12a and the bottom surface 13 of the shipping container 20. The preferred top 30 includes a preferably lattice-structured fastening means 32 (fig. 2, 3a, 5a and 5b) made of the material of the top 30 and detachably engageable with the transport container 20. The securing device 32 may be made of any other material than the top or shipping container. Preferably, the shipping container 20 or the top 30 has a counter piece (counter piece)23 corresponding to the fastening means 32, with which the fastening means 32 is detachably engaged. Particularly preferably, the fastening means 32 is attached to the top 30 and detachably engaged to the side wall assembly 11, 11a, 12a or the bottom surface 13 of the transport container 20. In another embodiment (fig. 3b), the fastening means is connected to the shipping container 20 and is detachably engaged to the sidewall assemblies 15, 15a, 16 and 16a of the top 30.

Fig. 3a shows the fastening means 32 attached to the top 30 and detachably engaging with the side wall surface of the transport container 20. In this embodiment, a hook-shaped fastening device is illustrated engaged in the lattice structure of the wall surface of the shipping container 20. The conforma design of the top 30 as shown in fig. 2 and the manner in which the top 30 is detachably engaged with the shipping container 20 with the fastening means 32 contribute to the advantageous stackability of the shipping container system 10.

Figure 4a shows the invention when folded on top. The top 30 may assume two different physical shapes, folded to save space for transport to the site where the top 30 is used (fig. 4a), or opened into a frame-shaped embodiment (fig. 4b), where the top 30 is a component of the transport container system.

The embodiment shown in fig. 4b and 5 has fold lines 18 in the corner regions of the top 30 to facilitate folding of the top 30. Once folded, the side wall 15 of the top 30 is connected to the side wall 16 and is in contact with the side walls 16a and 15 a. The corner stiffeners 17 promote stability of the top 30 when it is in the open frame shape. These corner stiffeners 17 are preferably attached to all 4 corners.

Fig. 1b and 4a show that in addition to the top 30, the shipping container 20 of the shipping container system 10 may also be in two physical shapes. The shipping container system 10 thus assumes an optimal space-saving shape during shipping, with the top 30 removed from the shipping container 20, and the top 30 and shipping container 20 placed in a collapsed or collapsed condition. At the point of use of the shipping container system 10, the top is open, the collapsed shipping container 20 is open, and the top 30 is detachably engaged with the non-collapsible or collapsible shipping container 20. The top portion 30 now results in a desired increase in the volumetric capacity of the transport container 20, which provides for an optimal use of the volumetric capacity of the transport container 20. Given that there are some shipping containers 20 of less than optimal size, the selection can be made to ensure optimal filling of the shipping container system 10, since different heights of tops are available at the point of use.

Fig. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of the inventive roof, where only one fastening means 32 is attached to each side wall 15, 15a, 16 a. As shown in fig. 5a and 5b, each fastening means is attached at the centre of the side wall 15, 15a and/or 16, 16 a.

Claims (12)

1. A transport container system (10) for transporting cargo, comprising:

a stackable crate (20) with a bottom surface (13) and four crate side wall assemblies (11, 11a, 12a) configured to be stable under pressure, and

a roof (30) having four roof side wall assemblies (15, 15a, 16a) for increasing the volumetric capacity of the crate (20), wherein,

the top (30) is a sheet-like object,

the top (30) can be folded up by the fold lines of the corners,

on the side opposite to the crate opening, the roof (30) conforms in shape and form to the crate opening formed by the crate side wall components (11, 11a, 12a) of the crate (20), such that the roof (30) is adapted to a profile (21) on the upper side of the crate side wall components (11, 11a, 12a) of the crate (20)

The roof (30) detachably engaging the crate side wall assembly (11, 11a, 12a) using fastening means (32),

for stacking the transport container system (10), the roof (30) coincides with an outer part (22) which is present on the bottom (13) on the side facing away from the crate opening,

the top (30) is composed of a natural product, and

the top portion (30) is disposed of after a single use.

2. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the fastening device (32) is attached to the roof (30) or the crate sidewall component (11, 11a, 12a) of the crate (20).

3. The system (10) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the top (30) has corner stiffeners (17).

4. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the top (30) is embodied as an extruded profile.

5. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the cargo comprises fruit or vegetables.

6. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the stackable crate (20) is an unfoldable crate or a foldable crate.

7. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the natural product comprises wood or cardboard.

8. A roof (30) for a transport container system (10) of claim 1,

the top (30) has a size and shape so as to be attachable to a crate (20) having dimensions conforming to a European standard panel, and

the roof (30) has a height such that a desired increase in the volume capacity of the crate (20) can be gradually adjusted in dependence on the height, and

the roof (30) has a strength such that a plurality of crates (20) with roofs (30) can be stacked one on top of the other.

9. Top (30) according to claim 8, characterized in that the top (30) has fastening means (32) or a counter piece (23) of the fastening means (32).

10. A roof (30) according to claim 8, characterized in that the side of the roof (30) facing the opening of the crate (20), at least in the corner areas, has a non-linear profile (21) conforming in shape to the lower side of the crate (20).

11. The roof (30) according to claim 8, characterised in that the top side wall assembly (15, 15a, 16a) of the roof (30) is constructed of cardboard, wherein the height of the top side wall assembly (15, 15a, 16a) is 3-10 cm.

12. A roof (30) according to claim 10, characterized in that the height of the roof side wall assembly (15, 15a, 16a) is 3-6 cm.