EP2676893B1 - Container comprising side walls fixed on a pallet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container comprising a belt removably mounted on a pallet, the belt being provided in particular with latches for attachment to the pallet.

Prior art

Containers are known, comprising a pallet and a belt formed of several panels defining a loading volume, the belt being in vertical support on the pallet by its lower edge and fixed to the pallet by at least one locking element integral with a belt panel and cooperating with an edge of the pallet to immobilize the belt on the pallet in the vertical direction.

Nevertheless, the locking and unlocking of the locking elements requires the operator to bend down to the pallet, as many times as necessary to unlock or lock all locks (two to four per belt), which is tedious for the operator and takes time.

We know from documents EP2457841 , DE202012100208U or JP0691604 solutions for removably attaching a belt to a pallet by means of hooks housed in a panel of the belt that are not satisfactory.

The present application aims to remedy these drawbacks in whole or in part.

Presentation of the invention

For this purpose, a container according to the features of claim 1 is proposed. According to another aspect of the invention, said locking element is arranged so that, in its engagement with the pallet, the belt is automatically locked to the pallet. preferably by its own weight.

Said handle being disposed at human height, 0.6 to 0.9 meters from the ground, on the upright belt, the operator no longer has to bend to maneuver the belt and fix or release relative to the pallet.

Said locking element, handle and operating member being mounted in a panel of the belt, allow a flat folding of the belt, without losing flat fold volume.

Advantageously, the belt has at least two handles integral with two opposite panels of the belt, so that the operator can maneuver the belt in a balanced manner with both hands.

More particularly, said container comprises at least two interlocking locking elements of two opposite panels of the belt.

Advantageously, said locking portion is movable around a hinge parallel to the lower edge of the belt.

According to another preferred feature, said locking portion is disposed in a housing, for example a cutout of the belt panel, formed in the belt.

According to another preferred characteristic, said locking element comprises a biasing means capable of holding the locking part in abutment against an edge of the peripheral groove.

In addition, said locking portion is advantageously shaped to retract to the engagement of the belt, preferably by its own weight, in the peripheral groove, so that the belt automatically attaches to the pallet in its locking engagement in the peripheral groove. Said locking portion may for this purpose comprise a profile, for example provided with a ramp, adapted to slide on the edge of the peripheral groove to allow the engagement of the locking portion in the groove.

Said edge of the peripheral groove is a projecting edge, for example overhanging in the peripheral groove, a rigid plate integral with the pallet, preferably forming the upper face of the pallet.

Said handle may be disposed in a window cut in the wall of the waist panel and comprise a movable manual gripping element in the window, configured to cooperate with said locking portion, so as to release the belt relative to the pallet at the maneuver of the manual gripping element.

Said manual gripping element may be an annular element or the like connected to said locking part by a wire element, cable or rod by example, being shaped to be manoeuvered in translation, preferably vertically, in said window.

In another aspect, the belt comprises four plastic panels articulated to each other, at least one of the panels comprises at least one locking element arranged to cooperate with an edge of a pallet, said locking element being itself connected to an operating handle of the panel so as to form a means for locking and unlocking the belt to the pallet.

In addition, there is provided a mounting kit for a belt belt container detachable, comprising a set of locking elements and handles, as described above, and an application for locking / unlocking a container comprising a belt removably mounted on a pallet, by means of at least one locking element arranged to cooperate with an edge of the pallet, said locking element being connected to an operating handle of the panel, as described hereinabove. above.

Brief description of the figures

• La figure 1 montre en perspective schématique un container formé d'une palette et d'une ceinture amovible et comportant un ensemble d'éléments de verrouillage et poignées de manoeuvre de la ceinture conforme à l'invention ;
• La figure 2 montre en perspective un élément de verrouillage du container de la figure 1, coopérant en engagement avec la palette ;
• La figure 3 montre selon une vue en coupe, suivant la ligne A-A de la figure 2, l'élément de verrouillage en prise de verrouillage à la palette ;
• La figure 4 montre selon une vue en coupe, suivant la ligne A-A de la figure 2, l'élément de verrouillage en cours d'engagement à la palette, et
• La figure 5 montre respectivement selon une vue en coupe, suivant la ligne A-A de la figure 2, et en perspective l'élément de verrouillage et la poignée de manoeuvre, la ceinture étant en cours de dégagement de la palette.

One nonlimiting embodiment of the invention is described below in more detail with reference to the appended figures in which:

• The figure 1 schematic perspective view a container formed of a pallet and a removable belt and comprising a set of locking elements and operating handles of the belt according to the invention;
• The figure 2 shows in perspective a locking element of the container of the figure 1 , cooperating in engagement with the pallet;
• The figure 3 shows in a sectional view along the line AA of the figure 2 , the locking member in locking engagement to the pallet;
• The figure 4 shows in a sectional view along the line AA of the figure 2 , the locking element being engaged to the pallet, and
• The figure 5 shows respectively according to a sectional view along the line AA of the figure 2 and in perspective the locking element and the operating handle, the belt being in the process of disengaging the pallet.

Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention

The figure 1 shows a container 1 formed of a belt 3 intended to come in vertical support and fixing on the plate of a pallet 5.

The pallet is preferably made of plastic so as to ensure both lightness and robustness.

The belt 3 here comprises four panels 7 articulated to each other to form a load volume of articles.

The panels 7 are advantageously made in a single plastic plate or in two or more plates welded together, suitably cut and folded. For example, it may be a so-called honeycomb plate, obtained by plastic extrusion and formed of two flat cover sheets spaced from one another and connected by struts between them and the covers of the cells. parallel to each other. Such a plate is marketed under the trademark Akylux®. This material combines lightness and rigidity in the direction of the cells. It can also be a plate as marketed under the trademark Akyboard® comprising two sheets spaced from each other and interconnected by spacers in the form of domes, bubbles or cylinders and obtained by extrusion, thermoforming and welding sheets together.

The belt 3 rests vertically by its lower edge 9 (see also the Figures 2 and 3 ), in use, in a peripheral groove 11 formed around the plate 13 of the pallet.

The belt 3 is fixed to the pallet by a fixing means, which comprises a set of locking elements 15 and operating handles 17 forming an automatic means of locking and unlocking the belt to the pallet and constituting in lock a container of the invention.

When the belt 3 is unlocked from the pallet 5, the non-use of the container, it can be folded flat then occupying a minimum volume.

The belt 3 here comprises two handles 17 integral with two opposite panels 7 of the belt, which allows the operator to assemble or dismount the container by acting only on the two handles 17 of the belt and therefore without having to bend at pallet level 5.

The locking of the belt 3 to the pallet 5 in vertical engagement in the peripheral groove 11 is ensured by the own weight of the belt 3 and its unlocking of the pallet 5 is achieved by lifting the belt 3 of the pallet 5, only by acting 17. These locking and unlocking maneuvers are therefore easy and quick to perform, which represents for the operator a saving of energy and time relative to the conventional attachment of a container with a removable belt on pallet by locks to the pallet.

The locking elements 15 are identical, being arranged in a median plane P of the container. They are each mounted ( figures 2 and 5 ) in a support frame 19 inserted in a cutout 21 of the panel and each comprise ( figure 2 ) a movable locking portion 23 shaped to cooperate in abutment, laterally out of the plane of the cutout 21, with the edge 25 projecting from the groove 11. The locking portion 23 on the front face is visible, the one on the rear face being not visible. This locking portion 23 has a longitudinal conformation parallel to the edge 25 of the plate 13 of the pallet, its upper face abutting against the underside of the edge 25, formed in internal projection in the peripheral groove 11. This edge 25 is here the a rigid plate 27 forming the pallet tray.

The locking portion 23 is movable around a hinge axis 29 parallel to the lower edge 9 of the belt. The movable portion 23 is further articulated at its middle portion to an upper arm 31 slidably mounted at its upper end 33, vertically, in the support frame 19. The upper end 33 of the arm is connected to a return spring 35, by helical example, reminding down the upper end 33 of the arm and thus pushing down the arm so that the locking portion 23 is in the natural locking position.

In addition, the upper end 33 of the arm is connected to a cable 37, itself connected to a movable manual gripping element 39 of the operating handle 17. The latter is disposed at a distance from the locking element, by For example, about 0.7 meters in vertical projection, so that when the belt is erected, this handle is thus at man's height for maneuvering the belt.

The manual gripping element 39 is slidably mounted vertically in the handle 17, which is inserted into a complementary cutout 41 of the panel. The manual gripping element 39 is constituted for example by a bar or a movable annular element arranged slightly protruding from the plane of the panel to be grasped by a hand. The sliding distance of the manual gripping element 39 corresponds to that of the upper end 33 of the arm of the locking portion.

The actuation of the manual gripping element 39 upwards in opposition to the return of the spring 35, to the uprising of the belt by the operator, pulls the upper end 33 of the arm and thus the locking portion 23 upwardly. ( figure 5 ), in a movement bringing it inside the corresponding panel cut 21 and thus out of engagement with the lower edge 25 of the peripheral groove. The belt 3 can thus leave the peripheral groove 11.

The engagement of the belt 3 in the groove 11 is carried out in a reverse movement ( figure 4 ), realizing the retraction of the locking portion 23 relative to the edge 25 of the peripheral groove, the locking portion 23 sliding downwards by its profiled external face 43 against the edge 25 of the pallet plate and disappearing at against the return of the spring 35 to enter the groove 11, then returning to the locking position as soon as it is introduced.

It should be noted that the spring 35 has a restoring force lower than the weight of the belt in order to yield under the weight of the belt in engagement in the groove 11.

The implementation of the container is very simple and results from the above.

Just unfold the belt of its stored form, folded flat, then to volume the belt by forming its four sides. It is now maneuvering the belt by its handles 17 to introduce its lower edge 9 in the peripheral groove 11. The upright belt then engages by its edge 9 automatically locked in the groove 11, the locking portion 23 retracting at the passage 25 edge and laterally outward under this edge 25.

The extraction of the belt from the pallet is performed simply by lifting the belt by its handles 17, which brings the locking portions 23 inward and allows the exit of the edge 9 of the belt of the groove 11.

It should be noted that when folding the belt, the locking parts can be brought back inside their cut, against the return of the springs 35, under the application of folding.

Alternative embodiments may be devised in the context of the invention, according to which the belt comprises at least one operating member, remote from the locking element and configured to cooperate with said locking element so that the belt is released. the pallet by the operating member (is automatically released from the pallet lifting the belt by the actuator). Thus, the operating member may be a simple lifting member of the belt connected to the locking member and actuating the latter so that it unlocks the pallet at the lifting maneuver.

In addition, it is not necessary that the locking and unlocking of the belt relative to the pallet is related to the weight of the belt. Possibly additional effort (in addition to the pallet weight) depending on the circumstances may be required to achieve locking or unlocking.

Moreover, the shapes and types of locking elements to the pallet, as well as the associated operating handles, can be various.

Claims (6)

1. Container (1) comprising a pallet (5) and a belt (3) formed of a plurality of panels (7) which define a load space, the belt (3) resting vertically on the pallet (5) by its lower edge (9) and being fixed to the pallet (5) by means of at least one locking element (15) which is rigidly connected to a panel (7) of the belt and engages with an edge (25) of the pallet in order to secure the belt (3) on the pallet (5), said locking element (15) comprising at least one movable locking portion (23) which is arranged so as to keep the belt fixed to the pallet or to release the belt from the pallet, the belt (3) comprising at least one movement means (39) which is arranged in a handle (17) of the belt and is designed so as to engage with said locking element (15) such that the belt (3) can be released from the pallet (5) by the movement means (39), said locking element (15), said movement means (39) and said handle (17) being fitted in a panel (7) of the belt (3) so as not to project from the panel when the belt (3) is folded and refolded flat when not in use, said container being characterised by the fact that said handle (17) of the belt (3) is placed on the belt (3) at a height of between 0.6 and 0.9 metres from the ground when in the erected position, the lower edge (9) of the belt being received in a peripheral groove (11) of the pallet, and said at least one movable locking portion (23) being arranged so as to come to rest against an edge (25) of the groove which projects from a solid plate (27) which is rigidly connected to the pallet (5).
2. Container according to claim 1, wherein said locking element (15) is arranged such that the belt (3) is automatically locked to the pallet (5) when engaged with the pallet (5).
3. Container according to claim 1, wherein said locking element (15) comprises a return means (35) which is capable of keeping the movable locking portion (23) resting against the edge (25) of the groove (11).
4. Container according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said movable locking portion (23) is shaped so as to retract when the belt (3) is engaged in the groove (11).
5. Container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said handle (17) is arranged in a window (41) cut in the wall of the panel (7) of the belt and comprises a manual gripping element (39) which can be moved in the window (41) and is designed to engage with said movable locking portion (23) in such a way as to release the belt (3) with respect to the pallet (5) when the manual gripping element (39) is moved.
6. Container according to claim 5, wherein said manual gripping element (39) is an annular element or similar which is connected to said movable locking portion (23) by means of a wire-like element (37) which is shaped so as to be moved vertically in translation in said window (41).

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