EP1683727A1

EP1683727A1 - Foldable transport crate

Info

Publication number: EP1683727A1
Application number: EP06075163A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert Christiaan Ott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-01-25
Filing date: 2006-01-24
Publication date: 2006-07-26

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a foldable crate. It has a bottom and four side walls which in the corners of the crate mutually releasably connect with their upright edges over approximately the complete height. The side walls are made of wooden plate material and the hinges are provided by over the complete length of the side wall extending separate extruded hinge profiles of plastic or metal and provide hinge lines that are located at a fixed position in the crate the complete or almost complete length of the side wall. The side walls and the hinge profiles are air tight while the bottom has a venting feature. The crate stands on a pallet such that the bottom is kept spaced from the floor and pockets are provided below the bottom for the tines of a fork lift truck. The hinge profiles have a C or J shaped part tightly snapped into a complementary shaped part.

Description

The invention is concerned with a foldable transport crate of which the walls and bottom are joined by way of separate profiles and characterised that materials and dimensions can be separately selected.
Foldable packaging is an important element when trying to decrease the transport costs. When empty, the packaging must take as little space as possibe.
For this i.a. crates have been developed which are typically completely made of plastic. A drawback of this are the fixed dimensions which can not be changed without costly modifications to the moulds that are used for the fabrication. For each different size new moulds are required, yielding a high investment. Fabricating of small numbers of transport crates according to specific sizes is in this manner thus very costly. Besides plastic crates are also bulky if collapsed because the walls are provided with tall stiffening profiles making them extra thick. Finally the cost price of plastic crates is indeed higher than of wooden crates.
The invention offers a solution to all these problems, i.a. by making use of different materials as stock materials. According to the invention a crate is subdivided into panels and profiles which can be assembled by their shape and design into a rigid, foldable assembly.
Important feature of the invention is thus that during fabrication of a transport crate the dimensions can be selected as desired since no use is made of moulds to make the separate parts. By making use of separate elements it is also possible to make both large and small series or a single object while the influence on the cost price of the product is small.
Another feature of the invention is that a thus made transport crate can be collapsed into a minimal volume and returned to the operative position with easy operations. When collapsed, the total height is determined by the combined thickness of the walls and bottom.
The invention offers the possibility to make transport crates from different materials. For the panels, wood, plastic or (semi) metal can be selected. The profiles can be made of plastic, (semi) metal or a combination of both.
With a possible embodiment of the invention the bottom and wall comprise water proof adhered layered wood, which material is frequently applied in the field of transport for the generally known bulb crates.
By way of the drawing the invention will be exemplified.
A transport crate according to the invention is made of at least a right angled bottom and four walls. The walls provide relative to the bottom two times two parallel faces that are hingedly connected at the lower side to the bottom.
Fig. 1 shows the subsequent stages during collapsing. The crate bottom is at two opposite sides provided with a profile, two walls are also provided with a profile at the side mounted to the bottom. Together with the bottom profile this makes a pivoting function possible. These walls pivot in the direction of the bottom. Fig. 2 shows the hinge profiles at the bottom side in cross section in the open and closed foleded position. Fig. 3 shows in detail a possible embodiment of the profiles that hingedly connect the bottom and walls: O-profile 1 and C-profile 2. The C-profile has an opening of approximately 95 degrees and an internal section that can contain the O-profile. Thus a movement of approximately 90 degrees is possible. The pivot function extends over the complete length of the profile and is thus mechanically stronger than with an embodiment with pivot pin.
The two other walls are each horizontally parted by similar hinges forming profiles as shown in fig. 4. The location of these profiles is determined by the thickness of the wall material such that the collapsed walls can rest on top of each other as shown in fig. 1. To mutually fixate the erected walls, the eight upstanding sides are each provided with a profile, in fig. 5 shown in the open 1 and closed 2 position.
The applied profiles can be clamped and/or glued to the relevant sides that are possibly machined to make the profiles flush.
Fig. 6 shows an example of the required profiles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The mounting part is with each thereof U-shaped, possibly provided with a longitudinally toothed strip 6, if required. The pivoting and fixating elements are provided at this U-shaped part.
Fig. 7 shows a possibility to lock the walls in the upright position. Therefore a section 1 that can be pushed inward is embedded in a space in both walls that are first erected. In rest this element provides a stop such that the profiles in both walls are mutually fixated. By pushing the element inward the surface becomes flush with that of the wall panel such that the stop is eliminated and the wall can be collapsed.
The profiles used in the invention can be made according to the extrusion system, which means that an endless length can be made. The required length can thus be selected arbitrarily without loss of material. Besides the moulds that are required for extrusion are relatively cheap and can be made quick. A possible embodiment is in a plastic such as ABS.
The disclosed embodiments are non-limiting and merely meant to illustrate the invention.
Besides: when the height of the walls is bigger than half the width of the bottom, the panels must be collapsed in a specific succession such that they bear on top of each other in a parallel position. This succession can be indicated on or at the locks. If the height of the walls is larger than the full width of the bottom, the walls must be provided with a horizontal hinge. The height of the collapsed crate will then increase by several wall thicknesses.
Fig. 8 shows cross sections similar to fig. 6 of applicable extrusion profiles. These profiles can be anchored in the side wall by the central strip with hooks.
Fig. 9 shows in its two extreme positions an alternative for the hinge structure of fig. 4. As with fig. 4, the hinge extends continuously and provides an air tight connection of the mutually pivoting parts. The hinge of fig. 9 is assembled from the two profiles shown to the left in fig. 8. The profiles have stops to limit the pivoting movement to 90 degrees. The one profile has a J-shaped projecting part and the other profile a complementary shaped recess into which the J-shaped part can snap with a tight fit (i.e. by elastic yielding flexing a profile part is opened, the other part inserted and then the opened profile part automatically yields back and locks the inserted part).
Fig. 10 shows how the profiles at the free edges of the side walls, which meet in a corner if the crate is erected, mutually engage and in that way provide an air tight mutual connection of the side walls.
The profiles are in cross section, the side walls in end view shown in fig. 9 and 10.
With bulb crates, also called cubic crates, and also other crates containing fresh crop, ventilation is very important. Such crates are therefore provided with a ventilating bottom, e.g. wholly or partly of (metal) mesh. Below the bottom spacers are provided, such that sufficient air flow below the crate can be ensured. The spacers are part of the pallet onto which the crate is build, and by which the crate can be manipulated with a fork lift truck. For sufficient ventilation the side walls connect air tight mutually and to the bottom. Pallet, bottom and side walls are made of wood in sheet, strip or beam shape. The crate has right angled shapes and parts.
Fig. 11 shows in perspective view a corner reinforcement of sheet metal for the bottom of the crate. At the top side it has a right angled inward bent piling flange which in the collapsed position of the crate is located above all side walls. The bottom end of the piling flange is located below the side walls. A subsequent crate is with its bottom side placed on top of the piling flanges of the four corners and is sideways enclosed by the sheet parts above the piling flanges of each corner reinforcement. The corner reinforcements of two collapsed crates, standing on top of each other, are located in mutual extension at a distance above each other. Each side wall of the crate has at the level of the piling flange a recess at the external side wherein the piling flange is received if the side wall is erected. When the side walls are erected, they find below support against the corner reinforcements.
With the crate according to fig. 1 the hinge lines are all at a different level, such that all side walls can be laid horizontally above the bottom and each other. In an alternative two or more hinge lines can be at the same level. E.g. one may allow that the top side wall is slightly inclined when the crate is collapsed.
Other embodiments also belong to the invention, e.g. developed from the teachings provided by this specification, drawing and claims.

Claims

Foldable transport and storage and processing crate for crop, e.g. bulb crop like tulips, narcissus, and hyacinth, or vegetables or fruit, with a right angled bottom and four at its edge areas connecting, in pairs opposite, right angled side walls which are mounted such that in the erected position of the crate they extend straight upward and in the corners of the crate mutually releasably connect with their upright edges over approximately the complete height and provide with the bottom an upward open, right angled, pliable, rigid container.
Crate according to claim 1, and with one or more of the following features:
- the side walls are made of wooden plate material with flexural stiffness;

- the crate is provided with for each side wall a single hinge line to fold the side walls;

- the hinge lines are provided by to the side walls mounted, separate hinge profiles of plastic or metal;

- the hinge lines are located at a fixed position in the crate;

- each hinge line extends parallel to and adjacent the bottom;

- each side wall can exclusively move around its hinge line relative to the bottom;

- each hinge profile extends over the complete or almost complete length of the side wall;

- each hinge profile provides over the complete or almost complete length of its side wall a sound hinge function;

- each hinge profile is designed to fold its side wall from the upright position over an angle of approximately 90 degrees towards the internal side of the crate around the hinge line;

- the hinge line of two in a corner of the crate meeting side walls lies of the one side wall at a higher level than the hinge line of the other side wall, such that the one side wall can be folded inwardly onto the already inwardly folded other side wall without a deformation or displacement taking place in the crate (viz. fig. 2);

- the dimensions of the bottom and side walls are such that in the collapsed crate the four side walls are located on top of each other and the bottom (viz. fig. 1);

- the side walls and the hinge profiles are sufficient air tight such that a wall of next to and on top of each other piled identical crates can be successfully applied in a venting or drying system;

- the bottom has a venting feature that sufficiently ventilates to be able to sufficiently dry or vent the crop therein;

- the bottom side of the crate is provided by a wooden pallet, such that the bottom is kept spaced from the floor and pockets are provided below the bottom for the tines of a fork lift truck.
Crate according to claim 1 or 2, with one or more of the following features:
- the separate hinge profiles are extrusion parts;

- the hinge profiles have a C or J shaped part, extending over the length, by snapping tightly fitting interengaging with a separately thereof complementary shaped part, extending over the length, to be able to provide an over the profile length continuing, air tight pivoting connection with pivoting movement over an angle of about 90 degrees at the most (viz. fig. 3);

- the upright edges of the side walls are over their complete height or part thereof provided with a sideways or at the end face projecting tap for locking engaging co-operation with a corresponding tap at an adjacent side wall in the erected position of the crate (viz. fig. 5);

- a side wall has near its upper edge an inward projecting tap providing in the unfolded position of the crate a blocking means for the in the corner adjacent side wall and adapted to be pushed inward into its side wall against spring bias to let the adjacent side wall pass;

- the corners of the crate are provided with upright standing corner profiles of sheet metal having at the upper edge an over an angle of approximately 90 degrees inwards bent piling flange which is located above the side walls when the crate is collapsed and onto which an identical crate can bear, and the side walls are provided with a recess debouching at their external side into which the piling flange is received when the crate is erected (viz. fig. 8).