Abstract
Plastic container below 450 gr for horticulture products exports formed by a bottom, two large walls facing each other, two small walls facing each other and an upper closure system, the container has an optimized structure which allows to efficiently resist the forces to which it is subjected and to control deformation for the purpose of ensuring all the time and under any conditions the integrity and quality of the products contained inside.
Claims
1. A collapsible plastic container weighing less than 450 gr for containing and transporting horticultural products which allows to control deformation of the structure on forces and to maintain the integrity of the products inside it, the container comprising a bottom, large walls, small walls, vertical columns and an upper closure, wherein: the large walls and one of the small walls of the container are curved outwards; the upper closure is configured by flexible straps equidistantly distributed in the upper face of two container walls; and at least the small wall is curved outwards and comprises a projection in its upper face configured to connect with an additional strap of the upper closure.
2. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the large walls are formed by a greater wall frame configured between the vertical columns comprising a surface divided by three large wall secondary posts positioned equidistantly.
3. The plastic container according to claim 2, wherein said surface consists of a large wall lattice.
4. The plastic container according to claim 2, wherein said surface is closed and flat.
5. The plastic container according to claim 2, wherein portions of the surface that are positioned between the secondary posts of the large wall are slightly curved outwards.
6. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the small walls of the container are formed by a small wall frame comprising a surface divided by small wall secondary posts positioned at the center of the wall.
7. The plastic container according to claim 6, wherein said surface consists of a small wall lattice.
8. The plastic container according to claim 6, wherein a part of said surface is closed.
9. The plastic container according to claim 6, wherein in the lower portion of the small walls, two recesses are configured.
10. The plastic container according to claim 9, wherein said recesses comprise holes.
11. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein holes are configured in the upper portion of the walls.
12. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the walls are fixed on the bottom and inter-connectable by wall connection media.
13. The plastic container according to claim 12, wherein the wall connection media consist of a male connector positioned in each end of the small wall and a female connector positioned in a lateral face of each column.
14. The plastic container according to claim 13, wherein: the male connector comprises a plurality of projections; at least one projection of the plurality of projections comprises a flange; and the female connector comprises receptacles at its ends that define an opening.
15. The plastic container according to claim 13, wherein guides are configured between the column and the female connector.
16. The plastic container according to claim 12, wherein a separation is configured between columns and at least a small wall.
17. The plastic container according to claim 16, wherein the separation is deeper next to the upper end of the wall and gradually decreases in the lower direction.
18. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein in the upper face of the large walls, it comprises further comprising: at least one trapezoidal shaped centering device disposed in the upper face of each of the large walls; and at least one channel disposed in a bottom lower face.
19. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the upper closure is configured by three flexible straps attached to the walls by terminals, wherein the three straps attached to each wall converge in their ends in hook means.
20. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the bottom comprises a bottom base and a bottom frame wherein said bottom base is vertically displaced in relation to the bottom frame, this displacement being lower and continued in the center zone of the bottom frame and being higher towards the container corners forming a parabolic profile of the bottom base of which the highest point is positioned in the corners and the lowest point is positioned in the center of each face of the bottom frame.
21. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the columns are arranged in each corner of the container and have a hollow tubular shape.
22. The plastic container according to claim 1 further comprising at least one centering device in the large walls upper face and at least one channel in a bottom lower face.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
(1) FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of the container of the present invention.
(2) FIG. 2 illustrates an anterior elevation view of the container of the present invention.
(3) FIG. 3 illustrates a posterior elevation view of the container of the present invention.
(4) FIG. 4 illustrates a profile view of the container of the present invention.
(5) FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the container of the present invention.
(6) FIG. 6 illustrates a lower view of the container of the present invention.
(7) FIG. 7a illustrates a second embodiment of the walls of the container of the present invention.
(8) FIG. 7b illustrates a representation of the air flow entering inside the container of the present invention.
(9) FIG. 8 illustrates a detail of the closure system of the container of the present invention.
(10) FIG. 9 illustrates a detail of the connection between the large walls and the closure system terminals of the container of the present invention.
(11) FIG. 10a illustrates a first embodiment of the closure system connection media of the present invention.
(12) FIGS. 10b to 10d illustrate a second embodiment of the closure system connection media of the present invention.
(13) FIG. 11 illustrates a detail of the container walls connection elements.
(14) FIG. 12 illustrates a detail of the container bottom frame of the present invention.
(15) FIGS. 13 to 15 illustrate details of the container bottom structure of the present invention.
(16) FIG. 16 illustrates a detail of the container bottom upper face of the present invention.
(17) FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate details of the container columns of the present invention.
(18) FIG. 19 illustrates a projection placed in the lower surface of the container corners of the present invention.
(19) FIG. 20 illustrates a detail of the joint between the container walls of the present invention.
(20) FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate the retention elements arranged in the walls and bottom of the container of the present invention.
(21) FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate an alternative configuration of the container walls of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(22) According to FIGS. 1 to 4 the present invention consists of a plastic container 100 preferably rectangular being formed by a bottom 200, large walls 110, small walls 120 and an upper closure system 300. According to the illustrated embodiment, the container walls 110, 120 are collapsible being attached in a fixed manner to the bottom 200 and being connectable each other by wall connection media 130.
(23) According to FIGS. 2 and 3, the small container walls 120 are formed by a small wall frame 121 rectangular in shape which comprises inside a small wall framework 122 divided by two small wall secondary posts 123 placed in the wall center. As it can be seen in FIG. 2, one of the small walls may comprise closed surfaces 124 between the small wall secondary posts 123.
(24) The small wall frame 121 may comprise in its upper portion a series of holes 125 in order to lighten the structure, in the lower portion two recesses 126 which houses the upper container columns when they are in folded state to reduce the stacking volume, are configured. Preferably, said recesses comprise holes in order to facilitate the air passage inside the container.
(25) According to FIG. 4, the container large walls 110 are formed by a large wall frame 111 rectangular in shape which comprises inside a large wall framework 112 divided by three large wall secondary posts 113 equidistantly positioned. Preferably, the portions of the large wall 112 framework placed between the posts are slightly curved outwards. In the lateral ends of the large walls 100, there are vertical columns 400 which are part of the frame. Also, in the upper portion of the frame a series of holes to lighten the structure may be configured while in the frame upper face the container upper closure system media 300 is arranged.
(26) According to FIGS. 5 and 6, the container large walls 110 and one of the small walls 120 have the upper profiled curved outwards. In the illustrated embodiments, it can be seen that the container walls are pre-bent outwards except the right small wall, because when placing the container in a pallet said wall is inside it contacting the wall of an adjacent container, therefore it does not bend inwards as a result of the force produced by the clamps.
(27) FIG. 7a illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the container large walls 110 are closed being formed by quadrangular sections 116 placed between the large wall secondary posts 113 which have a low thickness, they are preferably flat and are slightly curved outwards.
(28) As it can be seen in FIG. 7b, the small wall configuration 120 comprising closed surfaces 124 between pillars allow the air inlet through the frame holes and the open framework zone in the lateral and lower ends of the frame as represented by arrows in said FIG. 7b.
(29) As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8 the container upper closure system 300 consists of three flexible straps 310 equidistantly distributed in the upper face of each container large wall 110 thus attached fixedly by means of terminals 320. The three straps 310 of each large wall 110 converge in their ends in a hook means 340 and as it can be seen in FIG. 8 the three straps assembly of one of the large walls has an additional strap 350 which consists of an elongated element attached to the zone in which the three straps converge at and which comprises in its free end, a hole shaped connector 351 connected to a projection 360 (see FIG. 5) positioned in the upper face of the pre-bent small wall 120.
(30) As illustrated in FIG. 9, the straps terminals 320 placed in each large wall 110 ends are positioned very close to the columns 400 placed at the container corners, so that when the upper closure system 300 is activated the straps 310 of the opposite ends of each wall approximately match the container diagonals.
(31) As it can be seen in the embodiment of FIG. 10a, the hook means 340 of the straps system consists of a tip top buckle type snaps system, that is to say, formed by a hollow female end 341 and a trident shaped male end 342, so that for the closing operation the male end is inserted in the female end being the trident retained in the inner space of the female end. Therefore, and for the removal of the male end 342 from the female end 341, it is enough to press the trident edges and to slide it through the female end 341.
(32) According to a second illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 10b to 10d, a square shaped female end 341 is provided with a central opening 343 with guide 344 and retention 345 elements which consist of projections placed in the opening vertexes 343, the guide elements 344 having pyramid shape and the retaining elements having parallelepiped shape with beveled end and being longer than the first ones.
(33) In turn, the male end 347 has an hexagonal shaped head which is configured to be introduced in the female end opening sliding over the guide elements 344 and being retained by the retention elements 345 between the opening walls 343, as it can be seen in the sequence illustrated by FIGS. 10c and 10d.
(34) FIG. 11 shows the connection elements connecting the container walls ends in their collapsible embodiment. According to the illustration, the small walls 120 ends comprise a male connector 127 protruding from the outer edge of the small wall frame. The large walls ends 110 comprise a female connector 114 attached to the column lateral face 400 and configured to receive the male connector 127 of the adjacent small wall.
(35) Preferably, the male connector 127 comprises three projections placed in parallel at the horizontal axis, the central projection having a flange 128. The female connector 114 comprises two receptacles in its ends to receive the projections from the male connector ends 127 and a central opening to receive the central projection and to fix one of the flange lateral faces 128 in the female connector, as illustrated in FIG. 17. Thus, the male connector is firmly attached to the female connector and in turn they can be detached only pressing the flange 128 and sliding it backwards through the female connector 114.
(36) Continuing with FIG. 11, in the zone between column 400 and the female connector 114, guides 115 are configured in the form of triangular ribs and which help to easy and clearly introduce the male connector in the female connector.
(37) As illustrated in FIG. 12, which illustrates a detail of the lower face of the container bottom 200, being said bottom formed by a bottom frame 210 and a bottom base 220, which in the illustrated embodiment is formed by a series of rectangular shaped strips arranged diagonally from the bottom frame 210. The bottom base 220 is vertically displaced in relation to the bottom frame 210. This displacement is lower and continued in the center zone of the frame and it is higher towards the container corners, therefore forming a parabolic profile of the framework of which highest point 221 is positioned in the corners and the lowest point 222 is positioned in the center of each face of the frame.
(38) Another feature of the suggested container bottom 200 is illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 and it is related to rectangular beams 230 in the diagonals joining the bottom frame profiles 210. Preferably, the beams 230 have a profile in the form of a straight C with flat upper face. According to the FIG. 13 embodiment, the beams 230 can be straight or semi straight. Additionally and according to FIG. 14, the beams 230 can be curved towards the container corners and even in other embodiments they could be curved upwards and alternatively upwards ad towards the corners simultaneously.
(39) FIG. 15 teaches another feature of the container bottom, wherein it can be seen that the bottom base portion 220 placed between each column and each beam 230 also comprises T shaped ribs 231, that is to say, the vertical projections rise from the lower face of the bottom base, preferably they are placed in parallel in the framework diagonals running in only one direction (main diagonal). The ribs height is also aligned with the beams 230 lower face.
(40) As it can be seen in FIG. 16, the bottom base 220 comprise zones with less material 240 consisting of a reduction in the thickness and/or width of the framework within the zones represented by triangles which are placed in each face center of the bottom.
(41) As it can be seen in FIG. 17, the columns 400 are configured in a hollow tubular shape with a cross section formed by straight portions 401 at the sidelines, a first curved portion 402 at the inner side and a second curved portion 403 at the outer side, the first curved portion 402 having a bending radius higher than the second portion 403. Also, according to FIG. 18 the column 400 in its upper end has an upper widening 410 and in its lower end has a lower projection 420 the latter being configured to be introduced and to fit with the upper widening 410 of a lower container during palletizing. In the column outer face portion 400 specifically the one oriented parallel to the container small walls, vertical ribs 430 are configured with a form of vertical and parallel straight bands protruding from the surface.
(42) In relation to FIG. 19, it can be seen that the lower projection 420 is half ellipsed shaped comprising a slight conicity in the lateral faces and in the face pointing outwards the pallet. The face pointing outwards the pallet is less marked or straight curved shaped. In addition, the column lower portion comprises an extension 450 protruding thereof in a direction parallel to the small wall and the lowered or beveled inner ribs 451 surrounding the lower projection 420, are arranged inside it.
(43) As illustrated in FIG. 20, between pillars 400 and the container small walls 120 a space or separation 460 is configured (see as represented between arrows), preferably in the small wall arranged outwards the pallet. Preferably, said space 460 is produced between the small wall frame 121 and the female connector receptacles 114 and according to a particular embodiment (not illustrated) said separation is more marked near the wall upper end gradually decreasing in the lower direction.
(44) As it can be seen in FIG. 21, the container of the present invention comprises in the large walls upper face 110 at least one trapezoidal centering device 500 and in the bottom frame lower face 210 at least one channel 550. Preferably, several channels 550 are arranged one after another and configured to fit and to temporarily block the container centering devices below during palletizing.
(45) Regarding FIGS. 23 and 24, there are two configurations of the large wall secondary posts 113 which have a curved C shaped cross section. The first configuration illustrated in FIG. 23 wherein the posts have an open face outwards the container and a second configuration illustrated in FIG. 24, wherein the posts have an open face inwards the container. By means of this last configuration, it is possible to simplify the mould design for manufacturing the piece, therefore facilitating the container manufacturing process.
