(19) |
|
|
(11) |
EP 0 092 888 B1 |
(12) |
EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
(45) |
Mention of the grant of the patent: |
|
18.03.1987 Bulletin 1987/12 |
(22) |
Date of filing: 23.04.1983 |
|
(51) |
International Patent Classification (IPC)4: B65D 21/02 |
|
(54) |
Stackable box
Stapelbarer Behälter
Cageot empilable
|
(84) |
Designated Contracting States: |
|
BE DE FR GB NL |
(30) |
Priority: |
28.04.1982 NL 8201758 21.05.1982 NL 8202095
|
(43) |
Date of publication of application: |
|
02.11.1983 Bulletin 1983/44 |
(71) |
Applicant: CURVER B.V. |
|
NL-5121 WX Rijen (NL) |
|
(72) |
Inventor: |
|
- Leenders, Jan
NL-5121 JH Rijen (NL)
|
(74) |
Representative: Hoogstraten, Willem Cornelis Roeland et al |
|
OCTROOIBUREAU DSM
Postbus 9 6160 MA Geleen 6160 MA Geleen (NL) |
|
|
|
Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
|
[0001] The invention relates to a stackable box from plastic, which at or near the corners
is provided with posts extending above the side walls and with cavities which receive
these posts when the boxes are stacked in pairs, face-to-face.
[0002] A similar box is known from FR-A-2 385 596.
[0003] Boxes of this type are used, for example, for storage and transport of agricultural
and horticultural products. When filled boxes are stacked, they are kept apart by
the posts, so that the bottom of one box does not touch the products in another. The
posts and cavities should be provided in such a manner that when boxes covered with
lids are stacked in face-to-face pairs, to save space, the posts do not stick out
into the opposite box.
[0004] In a stack, the total weight of the stacked boxes bears on the posts of the bottom
box. The posts must be capable of resisting this load without being deformed, because
otherwise the stack is in danger of leaning over or even collapsing.
[0005] The maximum allowable stack height is thus determined by the strength of the posts.
[0006] In the known design, the side-walls of the box run at the corners at an angle, to
form an octagonal shape. On the outside of the side walls, at each corner a post is
provided having a triangular cross-section, one side forming part of the side wall.
Adjacent to the posts there are triangular cavities with one side open to the exterior
of the box. The load-bearing power of these posts is relatively low. Further, the
niche-shape of the cavities does not add strength to the corner construction. As a
result, the allowable stack height and hence also the efficiency with which the storage
room can be used are low.
[0007] The invention provides a stackable box with a corner construction in which the posts
as well as the cavities contribute to the load-bearing capacity.
[0008] This is achieved by providing the corners of the box, according to the invention,
with tubular profiles of rectangular cross section, each profile being divided by
a wall into two tubular sub-profiles of similar cross section, one of which cross
sections having an angle formed by two adjacent side walls of the box and one of which
sub-profiles being extended above the side walls of the box to form a post and, the
other forming a cavity for insertion of a post of another box in the case of face-to-face
stacking.
[0009] By using these tubular profiles, a high strength of the posts and a high rigidity
of the corner construction of the box are obtained, enabling stable stacking to a
great height. The partition wall runs through the centre of the profile, which is
thus divided into two similar tubular sub-profiles having, for example, a triangular,
rectangular or trapezoid cross section, depending on the angle at which the partition
meets the side walls of the box.
[0010] By preference, the tubular corner profiles are square in cross section and are divided
into two tubular sub-profiles of similar triangular cross section by a diagonal wall
meeting the adjacent side walls of the box at an obtuse angle.
[0011] In a highly preferable embodiment, the corner profiles are square in cross section
and the partition walls meet one of the side walls of the box at a right angle. Boxes
with partition walls provided in this way offer the advantage that face-to-face stacking
can occur with less difficulty as long as during stacking care is taken that the walls
which pass each other first are the ones which the partition walls meet at a right
angle. With rectangular boxes it is therefore preferred in this case to provide the
partition walls at a right angle with a long side wall, because these boxes are usually
taken hold of at the short side walls.
[0012] For fast stacking, and to enable proper centring of the posts in the cavities, the
posts and the cavities are preferably so made that the cross section of the posts
decreases towards the top.
[0013] In the posts, at some distance from the bottom an arresting surface may have been
provided, with which the box rests on the posts of the underlying box in a stack.
[0014] The tubular sub-profiles forming the posts and the tubular sub-profiles forming the
cavities may terminate at different distances below the bottom. Boxes stacked bottom
to bottom will then lie with the tubes unshiftably against one another, so that the
forces occurring in a stacked assembly cannot act on the bottom.
[0015] At their lower surface, the bottoms of the boxes may have been provided with ribs
so excentrically positioned with respect to the center line of the box that when boxes
are stacked bottom to bottom the ribs of one box project between
' the ribs of the other.
[0016] The invention will be further explained with reference to the embodiment represented
in the drawing, which serves as an example.
Fig. 1 is a top view of a box according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a bottom view of this box;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the various ways of stacking the boxes;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV in Fig. 2 with face-to-face stacking.
Fig. 5 is a top view of a box according to a variation of the invention and
Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of face-to-face stacking of boxes according to
Fig. 5.
[0017] The box consists of a bottom 1, two long side walls 2 and two short side walls 3.
At the corners of the box, the side walls join tubular profiles 4 having a square
cross section. The profiles are by a diagonal wall 5, which meets the adjacent side
walls at an angle of 135°, divided into two triangular tubular profiles, one of which
points to the middle of the box and the other to the outside. At one pair of opposite
corners the inner triangular tubes have been extended above the side walls to form
posts 6, and at the other pair the outer triangular tubes, while the other tubes form
cavities 7 running along the entire height of the box. The box has been made by injection
moulding of a thermoplastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene.
[0018] When the boxes are placed oppositely against each other (Figs. 3 and 4), the posts
6 project into the cavities 7. The posts are slightly tapered in design. At a short
distance from the bottoms of the posts, cams or cross-ribs 8 have been provided, which
form arresting surfaces 9 with which the box can rest on the column 6' of an underlying
box when the boxes are stacked top-to-bottom.
[0019] The tubular profile 4 projects below the bottom 1 of the box, with the post-forming
part 6 of the tubular profile 4 projecting a little further below the bottom 1 of
the box than the cavity-forming part 7 of the tubular profile. In Figure 4, these
parts are indicated by 10 and 11 respectively. When boxes are stacked bottom to bottom,
one box rests with the parts 10 and 11 on corresponding parts of another box. On account
of the triangular cross section of parts 10 and 11, boxes stacked in this way cannot
shift with respect to each other. The bottom of the box has on the lower side been
rigidified by means of ribs which have been positioned so excentrically with respect
to the centre line of the box that with bottom-to-bottom stacking the ribs of one
box project between the ribs of another. The ribs 12 and 13 project as far from the
bottom 1 of the box as part 10 of the tubular profile. This is of importance in the
case of transportation of the boxes on roller conveyors.
[0020] In Fig. 5, a variation of a box according to the invention is represented, with bottom
14, short side walls 15 and long side walls 16. Again, in the four corners the tubular
profiles 17 are situated, which are this time by partition walls 18 perpendicular
to the side walls 16 divided into two tubes of similar cross section, one of which
has been extended to form a post 19, the other forming a cavity 20 for insertion of
a post of another box in the case of face-to-face stacking. The cross section of the
posts decreases towards the top, resulting in bevels 21. The advantage of this box
in stacking is explained with reference to Fig. 6, where A and B represent a bottom
and a top view, respectively, of a box with tubes of triangular cross section, and
C and D represent a bottom and a top view, respectively, of a box with tubes of rectangular
cross section. A', B', C' and D' schematically represent the side views of the boxes
A, B, C and D. The posts 22, 23, 24 and 25 of box B are in A referred to as 22', 23',
24' and 25'. Similarly, the posts 26, 27, 28 and 29 of box D are referred to as 26
27', 28' and 29' in box C. When box A is to be placed on box B in face-to-face stacking,
post 22' of box A must first be moved over (arrow L) or past (arrow M) the posts 22
and 23 of box B. The route along arrow L requires continuous high lifting of the box
A, while in the case of the route along arrow M and awkward turning motion must be
made with box A.
[0021] In the case of a high stack, with vision of the top of the stack being blocked, this
will make stacking of the top box difficult.
[0022] When box C is to be stacked on box D, however, once post 26' of box C has been moved
over (arrow P) or past (arrow Q) post 26 of box D the box can be put in place without
further awkward turning motions or high lifting.
[0023] The boxes according to the invention can be used, for example, for hot-bed germination
of seed-potatoes. In this application, boxes of, for example, 400 x 600 mm, each filled
with approx. 12 kg of potatoes, are stacked on each other in a room of well-defined
temperature and humidity. The boxes have a height of, for example, 100 mm and are
kept apart by posts which project about 80 mm above the top rim of the box, to enable
ventilation-air flow between the boxes. Further, the bottom and the side walls may
have been provided with openings for ventilation. Without the danger of deformation
of the posts, thirty filled boxes can be stacked on each other, to a height of 5.5-6
m. In this way, the conditioning room is optimally utilized.
[0024] The invention is not restricted to the example described. The tubular corner profiles
may, for example, also be realized as rectangulars, which by a wall through their
middle are divided into two similar triangular, rectangular or trapezoid tubes.
1. Stackable box from plastic, which at or near the corners is provided with posts
(6, 19) extending above the side walls (2, 3 and 15,16) and with cavities which receive
these posts when the boxes are stacked in pairs, face-to-face, characterized in that
the corners of the box have been provided with tubular profiles (4, 17) of rectangular
cross section, which profiles are each divided by a wall into two tubular sub-profiles
of similar cross section, one of which cross sections having an angle formed by two
adjacent side walls (2, 3 or 15, 16) of the box and one of which sub-profiles has
been extended above the side walls of the box to form a post, (6, 19) the other forming
a cavity (7, 20) for insertion of a post of another box in the case of face-to-face
stacking.
2. Stackable box according to claim 1, characterized in that the tubular corner profiles
are square in cross section.
3. Stackable box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the corner profiles
are by a diagonal wall, which meets the adjacent side walls of the box at an obtuse
angle, divided into two tubular sub-profiles of similar, triangular cross section.
4. Stackable box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the corner profiles
are divided into two tubular sub-profiles of rectangular cross section by a wall perpendicular
to one of the side walls of the box.
5. Stackable box according to claim 4, characterized in that with a rectangular box
the walls dividing the corner profiles into tubular sub-profiles are perpendicular
to the long side walls of the box.
6. Stackable box according to any one of the claims 1-5, characterized in that the
cross section of the posts decreases towards the top.
7. Stackable box according to any one of the claims 1-6, characterized in that in
the posts at some distance from the bottom an arresting surface has been provided,
with which the box rests on the posts of an underlying box in a stack.
8. Stackable box according to any one of the claims 1-7, characterized in that the
tubular sub-profiles forming the posts and the tubular sub-profiles forming the cavities
terminate at different distances below the bottom.
9. Stackable box according to any one of the claims 1-8, characterized in that the
bottom of the box has on its lower side been provided with ribs, which have been positioned
so excentrically with respect to the centre line of the box that when boxes are stacked
bottom-to-bottom the ribs of one box project between the ribs of another.
10. Stackable box according to claim 9, characterized in that the ribs project as
far from the bottom as the part of the tubular profile which projects farthest below
the bottom.
1. Cageot empilable en plastique qui comporte, aux coins ou près des coins, des montants
(6, 19) s'étendant au-dessus des parois latérales (2, 3 et 15, 16) et des cavités
qui reçoivent ces montants lorsque l'on empile les cageots par paires face contre
face, caractérisé en ce que les coins du cageot comportent des profilés tubulaires
(4,17), de section droite rectangulaire, divisés chacun par une paroi en deux sous-profilés
tubulaires de section droite semblable, l'une desdites sections droites présentant
un angle formé par deux parois latérales voisines (2, 3 ou 15, 16) du cageot et l'un
desdits sous-profilés se prolongeant au-dessus des parois latérales du cageot pour
former un montant (6, 19), l'autre sous-profilé formant une cavité (7, 20) pour insertion
d'un montant d'un autre cageot en cas d'empilement face contre face.
2. Cageot empilable selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que les profilés tubulaires
de coin ont une section droite carrée.
3. Cageot empilable selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que les profilés
de coin sont divisés en deux sous-profilés tubulaires de section droite triangulaire
semblable par une paroi diagonale qui rencontre les parois latérales voisines du cageot
sous un angle obtus.
4. Cageot empilable selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que les profilés
de coin sont divisés en deux sous-profilés tubulaires de section droite rectangulaire
par une paroi perpendiculaire à l'une des parois latérales du cageot.
5. Cageot empilable selon la revendication 4, caractérisé en ce que, dans un cageot
rectangulaire, les parois divisant les profilés de coin en sous-profilés tubulaires
sont perpendiculaires aux grandes parois latérales du cageot.
6. Cageot empilable selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, caractérisé en
ce que la section droite des montants va en diminuant vers le haut.
7. Cageot empilable selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, caractérisé en
ce que dans les montants, à une certaine distance du fond, a été prévue une surface
de butée par laquelle le cageot repose, dans une pile, sur les montants du cageot
qui se trouve en-dessous.
8. Cageot empilable selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 7, caractérisé en
ce que les sous-profilés tubulaires formant les montants et les sous-profilés tubulaires
formant les cavités se terminent à des distances différentes sous le fond.
9. Cageot empilable selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, caractérisé en
ce que le fond du cageot présente, sur sa face inférieure, des nervures qui ont été
placées excentriquement par rapport à l'axe du cageot de façon que, lorsque des cageots
sont empilés fond contre fond, les nervures d'un cageot s'intercalent entre les nervures
de l'autre.
10. Cageot empilable selon la revendication 9, caractérisé en ce que les nervures
dépassent du fond autant que la partie du profilé tubulaire qui dépasse le plus au-dessous
du fond.
1. Stapelbarer Behälter aus Kunststoff, der an oder in der Nähe der Ecken mit sich
über die Seitenwände (2, 3 und 15, 16) erstreckenden Pfosten (6, 19) und mit Vertiefungen
versehen ist, welche beim paarweisen Stapeln der Behälter oberseite gegen Oberseite
die Pfosten aufnehmen, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Ecken des Behälters mit röhrenförmigen,
im Querschnitt rechteckigen Profilen (4, 17) versehen sind, die jeweils durch eine
Wand in zwei röhrenförmige Teilprofile mit ähnlichem Querschnitt unterteilt sind,
wobei einer dieser Querschnitte einen durch zwei benachbarte Seitenwände (2, 3 oder
15, 16) des Behälters geformten Winkel aufweist und eines der Teilprofile über die
Seitenwände des Behälters verlängert ist, um einen Pfosten (6, 19) zu bilden, während
das andere Teilprofil eine Vertiefung (7, 20) zur Aufnahme eines Pfostens eines weiteren
Behälters im Falle des Stapelns Oberseite gegen Oberseite bildet.
2. Stapelbarer Behälter nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die röhrenförmigen
Eckprofile einen quadratischen Querschnitt aufweisen.
3. Stapelbarer Behälter nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Eckprofile
durch eine diagonal verlaufende, auf die benachbarten Seitenwände stumpfwinklig auftreffende
Wand in zwei röhrenförmige Teilprofile mit gleichem, dreieckigem Querschnitt unterteilt
sind.
4. Stapelbarer Behälter nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Eckprofile
durch eine senkrecht zu einer der Seitenwände des Behälters angeordnete Wand in zwei
röhrenförmige, im Querschnitt rechteckige Teilprofile unterteilt sind.
5. Stapelbarer Behälter nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß bei einem rechteckigen
Behälter die die Eckprofile in röhrenförmige Teilprofile unterteilenden Wände senkrecht
zu den langen Seitenwänden des Behälters angeordnet sind.
6. Stapelbarer Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß der Querschnitt der Pfosten nach oben hin abnimmt.
7. Stapelbarer Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß in einiger Entfernung vom boden an den Pfosten eine Arretierungsfläche vorgesehen
ist, mit der der Behälter in einem Stapel auf den Pfosten eines sich darunter befindlichen
Behälters ruht.
8. Stapelbarer Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß die röhrenförmigen, die Pfosten bildenden Teilprofile und die röhrenförmigen,
die Vertiefungen bildenden Teilprofile in unterschiedlichen Abständen unterhalb des
Bodens enden.
9. Stapelbarer Behälter nach irgendeinem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß der Boden des Behälters an seiner Unterseite mit Rippen versehen ist, die in bezug
auf die Mittellinie des Behälters so exzentrisch angeordnet sind, daß beim Stapeln
der Behälter Unterseite gegen Unterseite die Rippen einesen Behälters zwischen den
Rippen des anderen Behälters vorstehen.
10. Stapelbarer Behälter nach Anspruch 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Rippen so
weit vom Boden vorstehen wie der Teil des röhrenförmigen Profils, der am weitesten
unterhalb des Bodens vorsteht.