WO2014009594A1

WO2014009594A1 - Nesting roll container and a thermally insulating cover for the same

Info

Publication number: WO2014009594A1
Application number: PCT/FI2012/050732
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jussi Raninen; Jack GRÖNHOLM; Jukka Tapani BERGQVIST
Original assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Current assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Priority date: 2012-07-13
Filing date: 2012-07-13
Publication date: 2014-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-13

Description

NESTING ROLL CONTAINER AND A THERMALLY INSULATING COVER FOR

THE SAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to logistics equipment. In particular, the invention relates to thermally insulated roll containers. More specifically, the invention relates to a nesting roll container and a thermally insulating cover according to the preambles of claims 1 and 12.

BACKGROUND ART

The prior art discloses roll containers with fixed insulation panels that are typically made of expanded polystyrene. The disadvantage of these roll containers is that they are nonnesting, i.e. they cannot nest.

The Japanese patent JP 2772947 B2 discloses a foldable and nesting roll container that can be queued when collapsed. This has several disadvantages. The walls and roof must be folded away manually for queuing, the container folds away into a semi-collapsed "L formation", i.e. "W formation" nesting cannot be implemented, and the insulation material is rigid, i.e. the insulating panels must be manually folded away for nesting to be possible.

AIM OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a user-friendly nesting roll con- tainer which can be thermally insulated.

It is a further aim of the invention to provide a thermally insulating cover for such a nesting roll container.

SUMMARY

The aim of the present invention is achieved with a novel nesting roll container which is configured to receive an outer thermally insulating cover and has rearward descending bevelled sidewalls. More specifically, the roll container according to the present invention is characterized by the characterizing portion of claim 1.

On the other hand, the aim of the invention is achieved with a novel thermally insulating cover which includes two opposing side portions which have a rearward descending up- per edge and which each are configured to cover a rearward descending bevelled side wall of a roll container. The cover also includes a rear portion which connects the side portions and which is configured to cover a rear wall of the roll container. The cover has a top portion which connects the side portions and which is configured to cover the top of the roll container. The cover also has an openable front portion which is hinged to the front edge of the top or side portion such that the front portion is configured to be guided to a closed position, wherein the front portion connects the side portions and covers the front of the roll container, and to an open position, wherein the front portion is folded adjacent to the top or side portion. The cover is thus configured to envelop a nesting roll container. More specifically, the roll container according to the present invention is characterized by the characterizing portion of claim 12.

BENEFITS

Considerable benefits are gained with the aid of the present invention. As the side walls and side portions of the cooperating roll container and thermally insulating cover are bevelled, there is space for the top portion of the cover to fit underneath the top portion of a cover of a similar subsequent roll container in a queue of nested roll containers. Accordingly, a nesting roll container with thermal insulation may be constructed such that the thermally insulating cover remains in place when a plurality of roll containers is arranged in a nesting formation, i.e. queuing configuration. This has a further benefit of not having to remove the thermal insulation structure from the roll container when storing empty container, which is the case with known thermally insulating roll containers. On the contrary, the novel cooperating solution enables thermally insulating and nesting roll containers.

The bevelled side portion of the cover and on the other hand the bevelled side wall of the roll container enable the use of a fixed top portion in the cover which has sufficient room to nest beneath a similar top portion in a nesting configuration. As a result, the roll container is easy to handle compared to known roll containers. In addition, the fixed top portion may be provided with no seams between the top, rear, side and front portions, which is especially advantageous for thermal insulation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an isometric front view of a roll container equipped with a thermally insulating cover which is in an open position, Fig. 2 shows an isometric view from the underside of the roll container of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a front elevation view of roll container of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 shows an isometric rear view of the roll container of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 shows an isometric front view of the roll container of Fig 1 with the thermally insulating cover being in a closed position and equipped a document pouch, Fig. 6 shows an isometric rear view of the roll container of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 shows an isometric front view of five nested roll containers of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 shows an isometric rear view of the five nested roll containers of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment in which a nesting roll container 100 is fit- ted with an outer thermally insulating cover 200. The nesting roll container 100 has rearward descending bevelled side walls 102 and a rear wall 103 and the nesting roll container 100 is tapered, i.e. the rear wall 103 of the roll container 100 is narrower than the front of the container on nesting. The rearward bevelled side walls 102 provide a space for the top portion of the cover 200 to fit underneath the top portion of a cover of a simi- lar subsequent roll container in a queue of nested roll containers. The bevelled profile of the side wall 102 means that, at the front of the roll container 100, the side wall 102 has a height - i.e. vertical extension - which is greater than the height of the side wall 102 at the rear of the roll container 100. The top frame piece of the side wall 102 is therefore rearward descending. The sidewalls 102 are preferably hinged to further accommodate nesting. In this context, the front of the roll container 100 means the face or side of the container which is intended for loading and unloading. It is also the face or side which is used for receiving the rear face or side of another similar roll container for nesting. Conversely, the rear of the roll container 100 means the side or face or wall of the container opposite to the front. The rear wall is the face or side which is used for embedding the container via the front face or side of a receiving container in nesting. The rear wall may be perceived as the "back wall" of the container. Side walls are the panel elements connecting the front side and rear wall in a mutually parallel manner and orthogonally in respect to the front and rear sides or faces. The top and bottom sides are similarly panel elements connecting the front side and rear wall in a mutually parallel manner and orthogonally in respect to the front and rear sides or faces. As the front side of the container is opened and closed with a front portion 201 of a cover 200, which is explained in greater detail hereafter, the front of the container is rather defined by the frontal surrounding edges of the side, top and bottom walls.

The nesting roll container 100 includes a chassis 101. The sidewalls 102 are pivotally attached to the front end of the chassis 101 in such a way that the sidewalls 102 can be moved towards each other at the rear of the container 100. The chassis 101 is preferably an A-frame or, more preferably, an H-frame chassis. In one embodiment, the rear wall 103 of the roll container 100 includes an accordion folding, i.e. the rear wall 103 folds in on itself, and in a further embodiment the rear wall 103 includes two hinged halves 103 a, 103b which may be folded inwards about a hinge (Fig. 3) between the two halves. When folded in, the rear halves 103a, 103b reduce the width of the rear of the roll container 100 to assist nesting (Figs. 7 and 8).

In one example the nesting roll container 100 includes a liftable floor 106, which is essentially solid, i.e. not made of mesh or other substantially open structure, in order to minimise the amount of heat exchange through the bottom of the roll container 100 and in a preferred example the liftable floor 106 is made of a polymer, more preferably poly- ethene which has suitable heat insulating properties for maintaining the inner temperature of the container. The floor 106 acts as a bottom side of the container.

The nesting roll container 100 equipped with a thermally insulating cover 200 shown in Figs. 1 to 8. The thermally insulating cover 200 includes two opposing side portions 202 with a rearward descending upper edge. In a preferred embodiment, each rearward descending upper edge of the opposing side portions 202 is configured to cover a rearward descending bevelled side wall 102 of a roll container 100. The side portions 202 of the cover therefore has at its front a height which corresponds to that of the side wall 102 and which is greater than its the height of the side portion 202 at the rear of the roll container 100, which rear height also corresponds to the rear height of the side wall 102. The thermally insulating cover 200 includes a rear portion 203 connecting the side portions 202 and is configured to cover a rear wall 203 of the roll container 100. The thermally insulating cover also includes a top portion 204 connecting the side portions 202 and is configured to cover the top of the roll container 100. The top portion 204 of the cover forms the top side of the roll container 100. The cover 200 further includes an openable front portion 201 which is hinged to the front edge of the top 204 or side portion 202. The front portion 201 is configured to be guided to a closed position, wherein the front portion 201 connects the side portions 202 and covers the front of the roll container 100 (Fig. 6). The front portion 201 is also configured to be guided to an open position, wherein the front portion 201 is folded adjacent to the top 204 or side portion 202 (Fig. 4). Thus, the thermally insulating cover 200 is configured to envelop a nesting roll container 100. The insulating cover 200 is attached to the roll container 100, more specifically to the side walls 102 thereof, by means of a Velcro strips or similar detachable fixing means. Also the front portion 201 of the cover 200 is adapted to be detachably fixed to the side portions 202 by means of a Velcro strips or similar detachable fixing means.

In one example the thermally insulating cover 200 is made of flexible tarpaulin sheets with thermal insulating properties. In a preferred example the thermally insulating cover 200 is made of a composition including thermally insulating polymers such as polypropylene which can be cross-woven to produce a dense insulating surface. The material of the thermally insulating cover 200 preferably has overall heat transfer coefficient between 1,44 and 0,82 W/(m²-K), more preferably between 1,16 and 0,86 W/(m²-K), most preferably 0,9 W/(m²-K) or about 0,9 W/(m²-K). An overall heat transfer coefficient of 0,9 W/(m²-K) can be achieved with relatively a thin insulating tarpaulin weighing about 300 g/m² which is suitably light for the present purposes. Additionally or alternatively the material preferably has a thermal conductivity value, i.e. so called lambda value, of about and including 0,048 W/mC. Slight deviations from the values given above are possible without departing from the technical effect of such a thermally insulating cover. One suitable brand of heat insulating tarpaulin is Combi-Therm Polywool®.

In a further example best shown in Fig. 6, the rear portion 203 of the thermally insulating cover 200 includes a vertical folding seam 207 to aid the folding of the rear wall halves 103a, 103b of the roll container 100. In a further embodiment best shown in Fig. 5, the top portion 204 of the thermally insulating cover 200 includes a top folding seam 208 to aid the folding of the rear wall halves of the roll container 100. In a preferred embodiment the top folding seam 208 is V-shaped such that it corresponds to the folding angle of the rear wall halves 103a, 103b of the roll container 100 (Figs. 7 and 8). The front por- tion 201 is preferably equipped with a document pouch 205 for containing shipping documents etc. The document pouch 205 is most preferably transparent. According to a further embodiment, the cover 200 is equipped with a sleeve (not shown). As sleeve may be provided to the inside of the cover 200 for storing a refrigerating unit which is intended for keeping the inside of the container cold. According to a particular embodiment (not shown), a sleeve or pocket is provided to the inner surface of the top portion 204 of the cover for containing dry ice or a similar freezing unit. Adaptation to the inside of the top portion 204 is particularly advantageous in case the cover 200 is installed to a two- wall roll container 100 with no top wall.

In a preferred example the front portion 201 of the thermally insulating cover 201 is hinged to the front edge of the top portion 204 such that the front portion 201 is folded on top of the top portion 204 when in the open position.

The roll container 100 is thus covered with an openable thermally insulating cover 200 in order to transfer hot cooked goods, e.g. roast chickens, frozen goods e.g. fish roe, or chilled goods, e.g. beer, from a point A to a point B while keeping the goods at a tem- perature lower or greater than the ambient temperature. Table 1 : List of reference numbers.

Number Part

100 roll container

101 chassis

102 side wall

103 rear wall

104 fixed castor

105 swivel castor

106 floor

200 thermally insulating cover

201 front portion

202 side portion

203 rear portion

204 top portion

205 document pouch

207 rear folding seam

208 top folding seam

Claims

1. Nesting roll container (100) configured to receive an outer thermally insulating cover (200), characterized by rearward descending bevelled sidewalls (102).

2. Nesting roll container (100) according to claim 1, wherein the nesting roll container (100) is configured to be tapered for nesting.

3. Nesting roll container (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sidewalls (102) are hinged for accommodating nesting.

4. Nesting roll container (100) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the nesting roll container (100) comprises a chassis (101) and wherein the sidewalls (102) are pivo- tably attached to the front end of the chassis (101) such that the sidewalls (102) can be brought towards each other at the rear of the container (100).

5. Nesting roll container (100) according to claim 4, wherein the chassis (101) is an A-frame or an H-frame chassis.

6. Nesting roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear wall (103) of the roll container (100) comprises an accordion folding.

7. Nesting roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear wall (103) comprises two hinged halves (103a, 103b), whereby the halves (103a, 103b) may be folded inwards about the hinge there between.

8. Nesting roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the nesting roll container (100) comprises a liftable floor (106) which is provided of an essentially blind wall section for minimizing the amount of heat exchange through the bottom of the roll container (100).

9. Nesting roll container (100) according to claim 8, wherein the liftable floor (106) is made of a polyethene.

10. Nesting roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the nesting roll container (100) comprises a thermally insulating cover (200).

11. Nesting roll container (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the thermally insulating cover (200) is a cover (200) according to claim 12.

12. Thermally insulating cover (200), characterized in that the cover (200) comprises:

- two opposing side portions (202) having a rearward descending upper edge and each being configured to cover a rearward descending beveled side wall

(102) of a roll container (100),

- a rear portion (203) connecting the side portions (202) and configured to cover a rear wall (103) of the roll container (100),

- a top portion (204) connecting the side portions (202) and configured to cover the top of the roll container (100), and

- an openable front portion (201) hinged to the front edge of the top (204) or side portion (202) such that the front portion (201) is configured to be guided to:

a closed position, wherein the front portion (201) connects the side portions (202) and covers the front of the roll container (100), and to an open position, wherein the front portion (201) is folded adjacent to the top (204) or side portion (202),

wherein the cover (200) is configured to envelop a nesting roll container (100).

13. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to claim 12, wherein the cover (200) is made of flexible tarpaulin sheets having thermal insulating properties.

14. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the material of the cover (200) has overall heat transfer coefficient between 1,44 and 0,82 W/(m²-K).

15. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the material of the cover (200) has overall heat transfer coefficient betweenl,16 and 0,86

W/(m²-K).

16. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the material of the cover (200) has overall heat transfer coefficient of 0,9 W/(m²-K).

17. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the material of the cover (200) has a weight of 300 g/m².

18. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the material of the cover (200) preferably has a thermal conductivity value (λ) of about and including 0,048 W/mC.

19. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 18, wherein the rear portion (203) comprises a vertical folding seam (207) for aiding the folding of the rear wall halves (103a, 103b) of the roll container (100).

20. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 19, wherein the top portion (204) comprises a top folding seam (205) for aiding the folding of the rear wall halves (103a, 103b) of the roll container (100).

21. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to claim 20, wherein the top folding seam (205) is V-shaped corresponding to the folding angle of the rear wall halves (103 a, 103b) of the roll container (100).

22. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 21, wherein the front portion (201) is hinged to the front edge of the top portion (204) such that, when in the open position, the front portion (201) is folded on top of the top portion (204).

23. Thermally insulating cover (200) according to any of claims 12 to 22, wherein the thermally insulating cover (200) is configured to envelop a roll container (100) according to claim 1.