GB2244700A - Stackable boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

An open-topped box made of cardboard or a similar material is provided with loose supporting members 15 which can be fitted on the box in such a way that they project relative to the top side and/or bottom side of the box for supporting one box at a distance above the top side of another. The box is provided with a number of openings 13, 14 in which the supporting members 15 can be accommodated, which openings 13, 14 are located in frames 8. <IMAGE>

Description

Stackable box The invention relates to a box made of cardboard or a similar material, for the transportation and/or display of merchandise, with a container which is open at the top side, in which the merchandise can be placed. Such boxes are generally known, and are used for the transportation of all kinds of products. Depending on the quantity and type of products which have to be placed in the box, the latter is made of a thicker or not so thick type of cardboard or the like. That is important in order to protect the products against shocks and the like during transport, and also in order to allow the boxes to be stacked on top of one another. In the case of heavier products in particular, for example gardening products such as flower bulbs, the boxes must be of fairly high strength.

It is often attractive also to use the boxes for the display of the products, so that they can be offered to the public in the box. In that case no separate racks and the like need be used and, on the other hand, it is also not necessary to transfer the products into, for example, separate trays from which they are then sold.

When the products are being sold from the box a number of such boxes are generally stacked on top of one another. For this purpose, the lid is removed from the top box, so that the products are directly accessible for the public. In the event of one and the same product being on offer, it is not such a problem that the boxes below the top one are not directly accessible. Once the top box is empty it is removed, and the next one is accessible etc. If, however, the boxes contain different types of products such as, for example, different types of bulbs, it is less desirable for boxes with different products such as other types of bulbs to be situated below the top box. In that case certain types of products are not directly accessible for the public, which is a disadvantage for ready selling.In such cases one or more boxes would in fact have to be lifted off a stack in order to gain access to the desired product. This is, of course, very undesirable, and in practice has an adverse effect on sales.

Efforts have been made to eliminate this disadvantage by placing a number of boxes, for example five, in a wooden rack.

Although the boxes are then directly accessible, such a rack is less advantageous as regards transport. First of all, less efficient use is made of the available transport space. Besides, the above-mentioned racks are not accepted by parcel services, which means that a major distribution network is lost.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a box made of cardboard or a similar material which does not have these disadvantages. This is achieved according to the invention in that loose supporting members are provided and can be fitted on the container in such a way that they project relative to the top side and/or bottom side of the container, which supporting members are suitable for supporting one container at a distance above the top side of another container. The containers thus supported at a distance above one another are therefore all accessible at the top side, from the top one to the bottom one, so that the products can be removed directly from them by the public. This means that all kinds of boxes with different products can be used mixed in the stack, and are all directly accessible.An additional advantage is that the boxes are accepted by specialist carriage companies such as parcel services.

Particularly in the case of heavier products such as, for example, bulbs, it is necessary that the stack formed should be stable. For this purpose, the container has a number of openings in which the supporting members can be accommodated. The supporting members which may be packed with the box can in this case be inserted into the openings without much difficulty, in such a way that a stable stack is obtained. Openings are preferably provided in side walls of the container which open out at the top side of that container.

Since the boxes concerned here are made of cardboard or a similar material, for reasons of strength each side wall having such openings is preferably provided with a frame, in which frame the openings are situated. The supporting members can be held firmly in the frame, and the forces exerted on the particular box by the boxes lying on top of it in the stack can be uniformly distributed via the frame over the cardboard material, as a result of which the high local forces in the cardboard are avoided. In this way, for example, horizontal forces such as those occurring when someone pushes against the stack can be absorbed very well.

According to a first embodiment, provision can be made for each frame to be made up of frame parts running along the edges of the side wall in question, with openings lying in line with each other, of which the top opening is a through one and the bottom one is closed towards the bottom. In this case the supporting members are supported in a stable manner on two support points situated at a distance from each other which is approximately equal to the height of a side wall. Consequently, the horizontal forces already mentioned above can be absorbed very reliably. The vertical forces are absorbed in the bottom opening which is shut off towards the bottom.

According to a second embodiment, each side wall having openings can in this case be provided with panels in which the openings are located. These panels can, for example, cover the entire side wall, in such a way that the openings are of the same length as the height of such a side wall. A stable support is also ensured in this case.

According to the invention, it is possible to provide further openings opening out at the bottom of the container and shut off relative to the openings opening out at the top side.

The top of a supporting member of a bottom box can be placed in these openings opening out at the bottom side. In this way the boxes stacked on each other can be secured against shifting relative to each other.

All openings preferably run parallel. In that case the supporting members can easily be fitted in the top openings of one box and at the same time in the bottom openings of the box lying above it.

According to a preferred embodiment, provision is made for four sets of openings, in each case opening out at the top side and the bottom side of the container, and lying in line with each other per set. The supporting members in this case form, as it were, four columns each comprising a number of supporting members, for example four, extending in line with one another. In this case all openings can run at right angles to the bottom of the box.

In this embodiment the bottom box might be placed on a horizontal supporting face. The boxes s-tacked by means of the supporting members at a distance above one another then form a vertical stack in which all boxes are positioned horizontally.

However, provision can also be made for all openings to run at the same acute angle relative to the bottom. In that case the bottom box might be placed in such a slanting position that the openings run vertically relative to the horizontal. All boxes stacked on each other then do form a vertical stack, but the boxes themselves run at the above-mentioned acute angle slanting to one side. An even better presentation of the products is obtained in that way. If there is a sufficient gradient, the products slide to the lowest side, which means that they are always situated at the point where they are most readily accessible for the public, even when the boxes become increasingly empty.

In connection with the presentation of the products, each container can be provided with two side walls running transversely, and one side wall running longitudinally, in which case a reinforcement extends opposite the longitudinally running side wall on the bottom between the side walls running transversely. In the case of such a box separate trays ought to be used, each of which can, for example, contain different types of bulbs. The side of these trays situated at the reinforcement can now contain a certain illustration, such as a certain flower, relating to the bulbs in the tray. Other information can, of course, also be provided on that wall. The contents of the different trays are in this case always easy to see, in view of the absence of a side wall at that side.

The invention also relates to a box comprising a container according to one of the preceding claims, a lid, and four bar-shaped supporting members which fit into the container openings. The bar-shaped supporting members are also packed in the box. At the destination, on removal of the lid, they can be fitted in the relevant container openings, in such a way that different boxes, for example four, can be stacked on top of each other. The stack thus formed is immediately suitable for selling, because all products in the containers are now accessible.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to an example of an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a partially cut away view of a container in perspective.

Figure 2 shows a vertical view in cross-section of a number of containers according to Figure 1 stacked on each other.

Figure 3 shows a variant of the stack according to Figure 2.

The container shown in Figure 1 has a bottom 1, side walls 2, 3, and a rear wall 4. Since there is no front wall, a reinforcement ridge such as a slat 5, for example of wood, is formed at the front edge of the bottom, extending between the side walls 2, 3. In this way the bottom is supported stably also at this side. This container contains a number of trays 6 containing, for example, bulbs. The absence of a front wall means that the illustrations 7 provided on the trays 6 are easy to see.

As shown in this figure, each side wall 2, 3 has a frame 8. As can be seen better in Figure 2, each frame comprises a square of bars or tubes extending along the edges of the side walls 2, 3. Each side wall also has, of course, a covering such as a cardboard panel 9 in which the necessary openings and a grip are provided.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that the top and bottom frame parts 10, 11 of frame 8 are provided with holes 12. The top frame part 10 is provided with through holes 12, the bottom frame part with upward opening holes 13 and downward opening holes 14. A bar-shaped supporting member such as a pin 15 can be inserted into the holes 11, 12. It is stably supported in the frame, in view of the relatively great distance between the holes 11 and 12.

As can also be seen in Figure 2, the top ends of these pins 15 can be accommodated in the downward opening holes 14 of a box lying above. Since all holes in the box are in line with one another, the individual pins 15 lying in line with one another in each case form a column, which ensures a very stable support of the stack of boxes. The boxes are also retained well as regards horizontal forces, in view of the fact that the pins project into the downward pointing openings 13. Tilting movements of the pins 14 due to these horizontal forces can be accommodated very well due to the fact that they are retained in the holes 11 and 12. The moments produced in the process are now transmitted through the frame 8 to the side walls 2, 3, the bottom 1 and the rear wall 4, and also the longitudinal reinforcement 5.Too great local forces are consequently avoided in the cardboard material, so that even in the event of greater forces. such as, for example, impact loads the cardboard is not subjected to too great stress.

Figure 2 also shows that the cardboard material 9 of the side walls 2, 3 is folded back round the top and bottom frame parts 10 and 11. Good mutual fixing is ensured in this way. The cardboard material can be glued to the frame parts, but can also be fixed to them by means of large or small staples. The frame parts can be of, for example, wood or of a suitable plastic material.

The folded-over parts of the cardboard material 9 can be seen in cross-section in Figure 1; the top part 10 is in this case covered on three sides, with the exception of its bottom side, with the cardboard material 9. The reinforcement member 5 is also entirely enclosed by the cardboard material of the bottom 1.

Figure 3 shows a variant of an embodiment. In this embodiment the side walls 2, 3 of the containers are provided with panels extending over the entire side wall. Upward opening holes 15 and downward opening holes 16 are provided in these panels. Both extend more or less the same distance into a panel 17, and are separated by a partition 18. The holes run at an angle other than 900 relative to the bottom of each container.

In this way a vertical stack of boxes in which the boxes slope forward at an angle can be obtained. The result of this is that the products in the boxes roll towards that low side, which means that even when the boxes are becoming emptier the products are always readily accessible. The bottom container in the stack must be supported in the desired slanting position in a suitable manner. For this, the box can be placed, for example, with one edge on a supporting face, and at the other edge can be supported by a suitable raised part.

In order to ensure good stability, a set of supporting members of different lengths is, however, preferably provided for the bottom container. The front supporting members 19 are for this purpose shorter than the rear supporting members 20, the difference in length being such that when the supporting members 10 are inserted into the bottom holes of the bottom container these supporting members 19, 20 run vertically when they are resting on the supporting face.

Claims (14)

1. Box made of cardboard or a similar material, for the transportation of merchandise, with a container which is open at the top side, in which the merchandise can be placed, characterized in that loose supporting members are provided and can be fitted on the container in such a way that they project relative to the top side and/or bottom side of the container, which supporting members are suitable for supporting one container at a distance above the top side of another container.

2. Box according to Claim 1, in which the container is provided with a number of openings, and the supporting members can be accommodated in the openings.

3. Box according to Claim 2, in which the openings are provided in side walls and open out at the top side of the container.

4. Box according to Claim 2 or 3, in which each side wall with openings is provided with a frame, in which frame openings are located.

5. Box according to Claim 4, in which each frame is made up of frame parts running along the edges of the side wall in question, with openings lying in line with each other, of which the top opening is a through one and the bottom one is closed towards the bottom.

6. Box according to Claim 2 or 3, in which each side wall with openings is provided with panels in which the openings are located.

7. Box according to any of the preceding claims, in which openings are also provided, opening out at the bottom side of the container, and being shut off relative to the openings opening out at the top side.

8. Box according to Claim 7, in which all openings run parallel.

9. Box according to Claim 8, in which four sets of openings are provided, in each case opening out on the top side and the bottom side and lying in line with each other per set.

10. Box according to Claim 8, in which all openings run at right angles to the bottom of the box.

11. Box according to Claim 8 or 9, in which all openings run at the same acute angle relative to the bottom.

12. Box according to any of the preceding claims, in which the container is provided with two side walls running transversely to each other, and one side wall running longitudinally, and in which a reinforcement extends opposite the longitudinally running side wall on the bottom between the side walls running transversely.

13. Box comprising a container according to any of the preceding claims, a lid and four bar-shaped supporting members fitting into the container openings.

14. Means for the handling of merchandise comprising a container which is made of cardboard or other foldable sheet material, which has an open top and in which the merchandise can be placed, characterised in that loose supporting members are provided and can be fitted on the container in such a way that they project relative to the top side and/or bottom side of the container, which supporting members are suitable for supporting one container at a distance above the top side of another container.