US20150014206A1 - Stackable crates and method for the transportation of living plant material employing the same - Google Patents
Stackable crates and method for the transportation of living plant material employing the same Download PDFInfo
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- US20150014206A1 US20150014206A1 US14/379,565 US201314379565A US2015014206A1 US 20150014206 A1 US20150014206 A1 US 20150014206A1 US 201314379565 A US201314379565 A US 201314379565A US 2015014206 A1 US2015014206 A1 US 2015014206A1
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- crate
- stackable
- interior volume
- frame
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
- B65D11/10—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material of polygonal cross-section and all parts being permanently connected to each other
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/0209—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/0209—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position
- B65D21/0215—Containers with stacking feet or corner elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/50—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for living organisms, articles or materials sensitive to changes of environment or atmospheric conditions, e.g. land animals, birds, fish, water plants, non-aquatic plants, flower bulbs, cut flowers or foliage
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
- A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to crates and systems for transporting living plant material, and methods of making and using crates and systems for transporting living plant material.
- Plant agriculture can generally be divided into three broad categories: (a) agronomy (i.e., herbaceous field crops grown on a large scale in cultivated fields); (b) forestry (i.e., forest trees and related products); and (c) horticulture (i.e., edible garden crops and plants for ornamental use).
- agronomy i.e., herbaceous field crops grown on a large scale in cultivated fields
- forestry i.e., forest trees and related products
- horticulture i.e., edible garden crops and plants for ornamental use.
- the increased demand for ornamental plants has fueled innovation in the horticultural industry for the mass propagation of elite, high yielding and disease free plants.
- Mass production of young plants generally involves professional breeders and propagating companies that develop plant starting material, which it then ships or delivers to professional growers.
- the plant starting material is typically in the form of cuttings (rooted or unrooted), seedlings, or tissue-cultured propagules. Once delivered to the growers and/or plant raisers, the plant starting material is placed into propagation trays or liners where they are grown side by side in small cells in a propagation media that has been specifically developed to reduce weeds or diseases and provide a suitable environment to accommodate the plant at this fragile state of its life.
- the trays or liners are then placed within a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse where the young plant begins to grow.
- a controlled environment such as a greenhouse where the young plant begins to grow.
- State of the art greenhouses are equipped with computer-controlled system capable of monitoring the progress and quality of thousands of plant trays. Once the plant trays are ready to leave the green houses, they are transported to a professional grower who then removes the plant from its initial cell in the tray and into a larger container or field with the appropriate growing medium to sustain the growing plant.
- a common practice of transporting the trays is for the trays to leave the grower in movable carriers, or so-called “Danish trolleys”. The trolleys are then rolled from place to place until the young plants reach their destination. On these trolleys, the trays are set upon an exposed shelving unit that generally lends itself to the displacement of the trays and subjects the young plants to damage or even loss. Further, the load capacity of these trolleys is very inefficient.
- Another common practice is to place the trays inside corrugated packaging solutions. However, the young plants need to be well ventilated and the boxes disrupt the view of the young plants for quality checks. Further, cardboard boxes generate waste and thus are not cost effective and take up humidity/water resulting in softer material and thus unstable for stacking one on top of another.
- each tray contains cells 11 , 21 , and 31 , which are adapted to receive plant starting material (not shown). Once disposed therein, the plant starting material is provided with a suitable environment to permit growth of the material into young plants 22 , 32 , shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 4 . In commercial operations, the filled trays are placed in greenhouses where the plants can be grown in a controlled environment.
- the young plants are mature enough, they are ready to be transplanted either in a field or another suitable container with the proper growth media to support the next stage of the plant's life.
- the filled propagation trays 36 are collected and loaded onto wheeled trolleys 40 such as the one shown in FIG. 5 . The trolleys are then transported to professional growers.
- exemplary trolley 40 contains a vertical array of shelves 42 and filled trays 36 simply disposed thereon. Shelves 42 do not contain any sidewalls to offer protection for plants 32 during such a vulnerable stage in its life cycle.
- the present invention continues the effort to develop new systems for transporting living plant materials. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to stackable crates suitable for transporting one or more items (e.g., living plant material).
- the stackable crate of the present invention comprises a stackable crate having an interior volume for receiving at least one tray containing living young plant material, the crate comprising: a frame extending around the interior volume and having an upper frame portion along an upper boundary of the interior volume and a lower frame portion along a lower boundary of the interior volume; a plurality of spaced apart first connector elements located proximate to the lower frame portion; and a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements located proximate to the upper frame portion; wherein each one of the second connector elements is sized and adapted to engage with one of the first connector elements of a similarly constructed crate.
- the stackable crate of the present invention comprises a stackable crate having an interior volume for receiving at least one tray containing living young plant material, the crate comprising: a frame extending around the interior volume and having an upper frame portion along an upper boundary of the interior volume and a lower frame portion along a lower boundary of the interior volume; a plurality of spaced apart first connector elements located proximate to the lower frame portion; a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements located proximate to the upper frame portion, wherein each one of the second connector elements is sized and adapted to engage with one of the first connector elements of a similarly constructed crate; and at least one movable door within at least one door opening positioned within at least one side wall of the frame, the at least one movable door being movable from a closed position that limits access to the interior volume to an open position that provides access to the interior volume.
- an ensemble of the present invention comprises an ensemble of stackable crates for transporting one or more items, such as young living plants, between a sender location and a recipient location, the ensemble comprising one or more stackable crates, such as those described herein, and at least one additional stackable item comprising (i) a stackable tray, and (ii) a stackable crate separator.
- the ensemble of the present invention comprises an ensemble of stackable crates for transporting young living plants between a sender location and a recipient location, the ensemble comprising: a plurality of propagation trays containing a selected number of young plants; a plurality of crates each having an interior adapted to receive at least one of the propagation trays therein so as to define a filled crate, each of the crates being formed by a surrounding sidewall extending between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof and being stackable one on top of another as a stacked ensemble such that a bottom portion of an upper crate will nest with a top portion of a lower crate; and a plurality of support pallets, each support pallet adapted to support at least one stacked ensemble of filled crates placed thereon as a supported ensemble.
- the present invention is even further directed to stackable crates or ensembles of stackable crates in combination with one or more living plant materials.
- the combination may further include one or more propagation trays, one or more stackable propagation trays, and one or more pallets.
- the present invention is also directed to methods of transporting one or more items, such as living plant materials.
- the method of transporting one or more items comprises a method of transporting one or more items to an intended recipient, wherein the method comprises transporting the one or more items within a stackable crate as described herein.
- the one or more items comprise one or more living plant materials.
- the method of transporting one or more items comprises a method of transporting young plant material to an intended recipient, wherein the method comprises: providing a first stackable crate with a surrounding sidewall having an interior volume, the surrounding sidewall including first and second connectors; disposing young plant material in the interior volume to define a first filled crate; providing a second filled crate; and stacking the second filled crate on top of the first filled crate in a mated relationship.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plant propagation tray as known in the art
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plant propagation tray, also as known in the art, containing young plants therein;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of yet another propagation tray as known in the art.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a filled propagation tray shown in FIG. 3 and showing an example of a young live plant disposed in one of the cells thereof;
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of filled propagation trays disposed on a trolley for transportation;
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a crate according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the placement of a plant propagation tray into a crate of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a partially exploded view of the propagation tray shown in FIG. 1 and a first stacked ensemble of crates and the propagation tray shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative stacked ensemble of crates
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view of yet another ensemble of stacked crates and propagation trays
- FIG. 11 is a perspective view of two crates having an alternative construction according to the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the two crates shown in FIG. 11 stacked one on top of the other;
- FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another crate according to the present invention with a removable door removed from the crate;
- FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the crate shown in FIG. 13 with a removable door attached to the crate and in an open position;
- FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the crate shown in FIG. 13 with a removable door attached to the crate and in a closed position;
- FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an ensemble of stackable crates with each crate being the crate shown in FIG. 15 ;
- FIG. 17 is a close-up view of the ensemble of stackable crates shown in FIG. 15 during a door removal step;
- FIG. 18 is a close-up view of a flap portion of the removable door shown in FIG. 17 ;
- FIGS. 19A-19B provide frontal views of exemplary door openings and removable doors for use in stackable crates of the present invention.
- FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an ensemble of stackable crates comprising multiple stackable crates shown in FIG. 13 .
- a stackable crate is provided that is adapted to receive selected items for transportation from a sender location to a recipient location.
- the crate is particularly useful for receiving at least one propagation tray of young plant material and is stackable such that multiple filled crates can be palletized to transport large quantities of the young plants in a protected environment.
- crate 150 is generally in the shape of a rectangular frame 152 having first and second sidewalls 151 and 151 ′ and first and second end walls 153 and 153 ′.
- Frame 152 generally extends between an upper frame portion 154 and a lower frame portion 156 thereby to define an interior volume 158 for receiving the young plants therein.
- crate 150 may be used to receive plant propagation tray 10 , such as that shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 , thereby to define a filled crate once the young plant material is disposed therein.
- crate 150 may be used to receive other known propagation trays, such as tray 20 shown in FIG. 2 , or may simply receive a selected number of potted plants.
- Crate 150 having the features describe above may be constructed as a unitary one-piece construction.
- Frame 152 may further be provided with any desired pattern of apertures 174 , preferably sufficient to permit the ventilation of the young plants therein during shipment and proper visibility of the same with sufficient dimensions suitable for protecting the young plants.
- crates 150 may be formed of any suitable material that will safely transport the young live plants during the normal rigors of transportation. Such material includes, but is in no way limited to polypropylene, wood, and corrugated material.
- frame 152 has a generally open top area 160 and open bottom area 164 each surrounded by a respective top and bottom edge 162 and 166 .
- crate 150 may further be provided with flange 170 , located proximate to lower frame portion 156 and extending laterally inwardly to receive and support tray 10 thereon.
- cross-beam 172 may be provided to extend across the open bottom area between selected walls of the frame. As shown here as an example, cross-beam 172 is centrally located and extends across the open bottom area 164 between sidewalls 151 and 151 ′ of frame 152 .
- frame 152 may be provided with at least one passageway 176 formed therethrough and in communication with the interior.
- passageway 176 may assist with the placement of the tray into or removal from the interior of the crate.
- passageway 176 is configured to permit ingress and egress by a person's hand, but the passageway is not limited to this configuration.
- the passageway could be configured as an elongate channel or slot sized to permit ingress or egress of at least one finger.
- crate 150 is constructed to be stackable, one on top of another, with either a crate of similar construction 150 or with propagation tray 30 , shown in FIG. 3 , as a stacked ensemble.
- crate 150 is provided with first and second connectors 180 and 182 that are matable with a second crate of similar construction.
- First connectors 180 are generally shown here as a pair of recesses 184 formed in frame 152 at a location proximate to upper frame portion 154 .
- Recesses 184 are adapted to receive and mate with second connector element 182 , which extends downwardly from frame 152 at a location proximate to lower frame portion 156 to terminate in a pair of connecting feet 186 .
- first and second connector elements 180 and 182 are located at each of the four corners of rectangular crate 150 .
- propagation tray 30 is provided with a plurality of first connectors 80 located proximate to a top portion 54 thereof and second connectors 82 located proximate to a bottom portion 86 thereof. Second connectors extend downwardly to terminate into a pair of connecting feet 86 that are adapted to be received and mated with one pair of recesses 84 of a similarly constructed tray.
- first and second connectors need not be limited to configuration of recess and feet, but have been done in this manner primarily to accommodate tray 30 , which is known and in current use in commercial operations for the transportation of young plants. Accordingly, crates may be configured with alternate matable connectors to permit stacking of the crates in a suitable manner.
- upper crate 150 is stacked on top of and supported by lower crate 250 and lower crate 250 is stacked on top of tray 30 such that tray 30 supports both crates 150 and 250 as an ensemble of stackable crates.
- feet 186 of upper crate 150 are received by recesses 284 of lower crate 250 .
- feet 286 of crate 250 are received by recesses 84 of propagation tray 30 .
- Recesses 184 of the upper crate 150 remain available to receive the feet of an additional crate or propagation tray if desired.
- the young plants that would be nested within the cells of the propagation trays would be surrounded and protected by the respective sidewalls of crates 150 and 250 .
- FIGS. 9 and 10 show alternate ensembles of stacked crates and trays.
- FIG. 9 shows stacked crates 150 , 250 and 350 , each with a propagation tray 10 disposed therein.
- top crate 150 is ready and able to receive another crate or propagation tray 30 thereabove.
- all crates 150 , 250 and 350 could be supported below by an additional crate or propagation tray 30 .
- FIG. 10 shows a stacked ensemble of crates 150 , 250 and 350 , and 450 with trays 30 and 130 .
- a selected ensemble of crates or crates and trays may be palletized to ship mass quantities of young plants to a desired location.
- crates 550 and 650 are similar in design and stackable by means of matable connectors as described in some detail in reference to FIGS. 6 , 8 , and 9 .
- crates 550 and 650 include alternative frame constructions 552 and 652 for ventilation and visibility of the young plants to be disposed in the respective interior thereof and for alternative aesthetic appearance.
- the method includes providing a desired number of crates that contain therein a plant propagation tray of young living plants wherein the crates include matable connectors whereby an upper filled crate is mated to and supported by a lower filled crate to define a stacked ensemble. Further, suitable propagation trays that include matable connectors can also be used to support or be supported by these filled crates to define a stacked ensemble. A suitable number of stacked ensembles may then be palletized for transportation of the young plants to a desired location.
- Stackable crates similar to stackable crates 150 shown in FIGS. 1-20 , were prepared.
- the stackable crates were used in combination to form ensembles containing two or more stackable crates.
- the stackable crates of the ensembles were filled with living plants and palletized on one or more pallets to transport the living plants from a first location to a second location.
- the stackable crates/ensembles protected the living plants during transportation.
- stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods are described as “comprising” one or more components or steps, the above-described stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods may “comprise,” “consists of” or “consist essentially of” any of the above-described components, features or steps of the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods.
- the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains”, “containing,” “characterized by” or any other variation thereof, are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, subject to any limitation explicitly indicated otherwise, of the recited components.
- a crate, an ensemble, and/or method that “comprises” a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements (or components or steps), but may include other elements (or components or steps) not expressly listed or inherent to the crate, ensemble, and/or method.
- the transitional phrases “consists of” and “consisting of” exclude any element, step, or component not specified.
- “consists of” or “consisting of” used in a claim would limit the claim to the components, materials or steps specifically recited in the claim except for impurities ordinarily associated therewith (i.e., impurities within a given component).
- the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” limits only the elements (or components or steps) set forth in that clause; other elements (or components) are not excluded from the claim as a whole.
- transitional phrases “consists essentially of” and “consisting essentially of” are used to define a crate, an ensemble, and/or method that includes materials, steps, features, components, or elements, in addition to those literally disclosed, provided that these additional materials, steps, features, components, or elements do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention.
- the term “consisting essentially of” occupies a middle ground between “comprising” and “consisting of”.
- the herein-described stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of any of the herein-described components and features, as shown in the figures with or without any feature(s) not shown in the figures.
- the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods of the present invention do not have any additional features other than those shown in the figures, and such additional features, not shown in the figures, are specifically excluded from the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods.
- the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods of the present invention do have one or more additional features that are not shown in the figures.
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Abstract
Stackable crates (15) for transporting living plant material are disclosed. Methods of using said crates for transporting living plant material are also disclosed.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/601,649, filed Feb. 22, 2012.
- The present invention relates to crates and systems for transporting living plant material, and methods of making and using crates and systems for transporting living plant material.
- Plant agriculture can generally be divided into three broad categories: (a) agronomy (i.e., herbaceous field crops grown on a large scale in cultivated fields); (b) forestry (i.e., forest trees and related products); and (c) horticulture (i.e., edible garden crops and plants for ornamental use). As with many other industries throughout the world, plant agriculture has evolved into a high specialized, commercial enterprise advanced by science and technology so as to efficiently and cost effectively deliver products in pace with the ever increasing demand of these products.
- Arguably, in the past few decades, the fastest growing segment of plant agriculture as a whole is in the area of ornamental plants. Increased desire in using plants for interior decorating, emphasis on home and garden decoration and designing neighborhood and community land with aesthetically pleasing plants have all contributed to the demand for ornamental plants. This increased demand has generated a multi-billion dollar industry integrally supported by horticulturalists, botanists, geneticists, nurserymen, landscape architects, arborists, garden center operators, pest control specialists, and professional landscape services to name a few.
- The increased demand for ornamental plants has fueled innovation in the horticultural industry for the mass propagation of elite, high yielding and disease free plants. Among such advancements is the method of young plant production. Mass production of young plants generally involves professional breeders and propagating companies that develop plant starting material, which it then ships or delivers to professional growers. The plant starting material is typically in the form of cuttings (rooted or unrooted), seedlings, or tissue-cultured propagules. Once delivered to the growers and/or plant raisers, the plant starting material is placed into propagation trays or liners where they are grown side by side in small cells in a propagation media that has been specifically developed to reduce weeds or diseases and provide a suitable environment to accommodate the plant at this fragile state of its life.
- The trays or liners are then placed within a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse where the young plant begins to grow. State of the art greenhouses are equipped with computer-controlled system capable of monitoring the progress and quality of thousands of plant trays. Once the plant trays are ready to leave the green houses, they are transported to a professional grower who then removes the plant from its initial cell in the tray and into a larger container or field with the appropriate growing medium to sustain the growing plant.
- When the young plant is ready to leave the greenhouse, it is still quite fragile and its transportation to the wholesalers who then distribute the product to the retailers. Alternatively, some retailers will import the young plants directly from the growers. Regardless of the selected links in this chain, it may be easily appreciated that some degree of care must be exercised in transporting these plants at such a vulnerable stage of their life while balancing the need to cost effectively transport these plants in mass quantities.
- A common practice of transporting the trays is for the trays to leave the grower in movable carriers, or so-called “Danish trolleys”. The trolleys are then rolled from place to place until the young plants reach their destination. On these trolleys, the trays are set upon an exposed shelving unit that generally lends itself to the displacement of the trays and subjects the young plants to damage or even loss. Further, the load capacity of these trolleys is very inefficient. Another common practice is to place the trays inside corrugated packaging solutions. However, the young plants need to be well ventilated and the boxes disrupt the view of the young plants for quality checks. Further, cardboard boxes generate waste and thus are not cost effective and take up humidity/water resulting in softer material and thus unstable for stacking one on top of another.
- With reference to
FIG. 1 throughFIG. 3 , three types ofpropagation trays cells 11, 21, and 31, which are adapted to receive plant starting material (not shown). Once disposed therein, the plant starting material is provided with a suitable environment to permit growth of the material intoyoung plants 22, 32, shown for example inFIGS. 2 and 4 . In commercial operations, the filled trays are placed in greenhouses where the plants can be grown in a controlled environment. - Once the young plants are mature enough, they are ready to be transplanted either in a field or another suitable container with the proper growth media to support the next stage of the plant's life. In commercial operations, for example, the filled
propagation trays 36 are collected and loaded onto wheeled trolleys 40 such as the one shown inFIG. 5 . The trolleys are then transported to professional growers. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , exemplary trolley 40 contains a vertical array ofshelves 42 and filledtrays 36 simply disposed thereon. Shelves 42 do not contain any sidewalls to offer protection forplants 32 during such a vulnerable stage in its life cycle. - While these common practices are currently acceptable, there is an increasing need felt for many years to develop a carrier and a carrier system that avoids these drawbacks, not only from a cost perspective, but simply to avoid loss of product to meet the ever increasing demands. Accordingly, there is a need for solutions to reduce or eliminate loss or injury of young plants and provide added security measures to protect the young plants while they are transported to their destination. There is also a need to provide a carrier and carrier system that enables the young plants to remain visible during transportation and delivery for quality control purposes. At the same time, it is also desirable to meet these needs without frustrating the carrier's ability to deliver mass quantities of young plants in a manner that is both time efficient and economically feasible.
- The present invention continues the effort to develop new systems for transporting living plant materials. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to stackable crates suitable for transporting one or more items (e.g., living plant material). In one exemplary embodiment, the stackable crate of the present invention comprises a stackable crate having an interior volume for receiving at least one tray containing living young plant material, the crate comprising: a frame extending around the interior volume and having an upper frame portion along an upper boundary of the interior volume and a lower frame portion along a lower boundary of the interior volume; a plurality of spaced apart first connector elements located proximate to the lower frame portion; and a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements located proximate to the upper frame portion; wherein each one of the second connector elements is sized and adapted to engage with one of the first connector elements of a similarly constructed crate.
- In another exemplary embodiment, the stackable crate of the present invention comprises a stackable crate having an interior volume for receiving at least one tray containing living young plant material, the crate comprising: a frame extending around the interior volume and having an upper frame portion along an upper boundary of the interior volume and a lower frame portion along a lower boundary of the interior volume; a plurality of spaced apart first connector elements located proximate to the lower frame portion; a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements located proximate to the upper frame portion, wherein each one of the second connector elements is sized and adapted to engage with one of the first connector elements of a similarly constructed crate; and at least one movable door within at least one door opening positioned within at least one side wall of the frame, the at least one movable door being movable from a closed position that limits access to the interior volume to an open position that provides access to the interior volume.
- The present invention is further directed to ensembles of stackable items including one or more of the herein-described stackable crates. In one exemplary embodiment, an ensemble of the present invention comprises an ensemble of stackable crates for transporting one or more items, such as young living plants, between a sender location and a recipient location, the ensemble comprising one or more stackable crates, such as those described herein, and at least one additional stackable item comprising (i) a stackable tray, and (ii) a stackable crate separator.
- In another exemplary embodiment, the ensemble of the present invention comprises an ensemble of stackable crates for transporting young living plants between a sender location and a recipient location, the ensemble comprising: a plurality of propagation trays containing a selected number of young plants; a plurality of crates each having an interior adapted to receive at least one of the propagation trays therein so as to define a filled crate, each of the crates being formed by a surrounding sidewall extending between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof and being stackable one on top of another as a stacked ensemble such that a bottom portion of an upper crate will nest with a top portion of a lower crate; and a plurality of support pallets, each support pallet adapted to support at least one stacked ensemble of filled crates placed thereon as a supported ensemble.
- The present invention is even further directed to stackable crates or ensembles of stackable crates in combination with one or more living plant materials. The combination may further include one or more propagation trays, one or more stackable propagation trays, and one or more pallets.
- The present invention is also directed to methods of transporting one or more items, such as living plant materials. In one exemplary embodiment, the method of transporting one or more items comprises a method of transporting one or more items to an intended recipient, wherein the method comprises transporting the one or more items within a stackable crate as described herein. In some embodiments, the one or more items comprise one or more living plant materials.
- In another exemplary embodiment, the method of transporting one or more items comprises a method of transporting young plant material to an intended recipient, wherein the method comprises: providing a first stackable crate with a surrounding sidewall having an interior volume, the surrounding sidewall including first and second connectors; disposing young plant material in the interior volume to define a first filled crate; providing a second filled crate; and stacking the second filled crate on top of the first filled crate in a mated relationship.
- These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.
- The present invention is further described with reference to the appended figures showing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plant propagation tray as known in the art; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plant propagation tray, also as known in the art, containing young plants therein; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of yet another propagation tray as known in the art; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a filled propagation tray shown inFIG. 3 and showing an example of a young live plant disposed in one of the cells thereof; -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of filled propagation trays disposed on a trolley for transportation; -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a crate according to the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the placement of a plant propagation tray into a crate of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a partially exploded view of the propagation tray shown inFIG. 1 and a first stacked ensemble of crates and the propagation tray shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative stacked ensemble of crates; -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of yet another ensemble of stacked crates and propagation trays; -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of two crates having an alternative construction according to the present invention; -
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the two crates shown inFIG. 11 stacked one on top of the other; -
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another crate according to the present invention with a removable door removed from the crate; -
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the crate shown inFIG. 13 with a removable door attached to the crate and in an open position; -
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the crate shown inFIG. 13 with a removable door attached to the crate and in a closed position; -
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an ensemble of stackable crates with each crate being the crate shown inFIG. 15 ; -
FIG. 17 is a close-up view of the ensemble of stackable crates shown inFIG. 15 during a door removal step; -
FIG. 18 is a close-up view of a flap portion of the removable door shown inFIG. 17 ; -
FIGS. 19A-19B provide frontal views of exemplary door openings and removable doors for use in stackable crates of the present invention; and -
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an ensemble of stackable crates comprising multiple stackable crates shown inFIG. 13 . - According to the present invention, a stackable crate is provided that is adapted to receive selected items for transportation from a sender location to a recipient location. The crate is particularly useful for receiving at least one propagation tray of young plant material and is stackable such that multiple filled crates can be palletized to transport large quantities of the young plants in a protected environment.
- With reference now to
FIG. 6 , the present invention is directed at providing crates to house the propagation trays in an environment constructed to reduce risk of injury to the young plant during shipment. As shown,crate 150 is generally in the shape of arectangular frame 152 having first andsecond sidewalls second end walls Frame 152 generally extends between anupper frame portion 154 and alower frame portion 156 thereby to define aninterior volume 158 for receiving the young plants therein. More particularly,crate 150 may be used to receiveplant propagation tray 10, such as that shown and described with respect toFIG. 1 , thereby to define a filled crate once the young plant material is disposed therein. As should be appreciated,crate 150 may be used to receive other known propagation trays, such as tray 20 shown inFIG. 2 , or may simply receive a selected number of potted plants. -
Crate 150 having the features describe above may be constructed as a unitary one-piece construction.Frame 152 may further be provided with any desired pattern of apertures 174, preferably sufficient to permit the ventilation of the young plants therein during shipment and proper visibility of the same with sufficient dimensions suitable for protecting the young plants. Further,crates 150 may be formed of any suitable material that will safely transport the young live plants during the normal rigors of transportation. Such material includes, but is in no way limited to polypropylene, wood, and corrugated material. - With continued reference to
FIG. 6 ,frame 152 has a generally open top area 160 and open bottom area 164 each surrounded by a respective top andbottom edge 162 and 166. To accommodate support of the propagation tray therein,crate 150 may further be provided with flange 170, located proximate tolower frame portion 156 and extending laterally inwardly to receive andsupport tray 10 thereon. For additional support of the tray, cross-beam 172 may be provided to extend across the open bottom area between selected walls of the frame. As shown here as an example, cross-beam 172 is centrally located and extends across the open bottom area 164 betweensidewalls frame 152. - In addition,
frame 152 may be provided with at least onepassageway 176 formed therethrough and in communication with the interior. As shown inFIG. 7 ,passageway 176 may assist with the placement of the tray into or removal from the interior of the crate. As shown here,passageway 176 is configured to permit ingress and egress by a person's hand, but the passageway is not limited to this configuration. For example, the passageway could be configured as an elongate channel or slot sized to permit ingress or egress of at least one finger. - With continued reference to
FIG. 6 and additional reference toFIGS. 8 and 9 ,crate 150 is constructed to be stackable, one on top of another, with either a crate ofsimilar construction 150 or withpropagation tray 30, shown inFIG. 3 , as a stacked ensemble. To accommodate this feature,crate 150 is provided with first andsecond connectors 180 and 182 that are matable with a second crate of similar construction. First connectors 180 are generally shown here as a pair ofrecesses 184 formed inframe 152 at a location proximate toupper frame portion 154.Recesses 184 are adapted to receive and mate withsecond connector element 182, which extends downwardly fromframe 152 at a location proximate to lowerframe portion 156 to terminate in a pair of connectingfeet 186. Preferably, first andsecond connector elements 180 and 182 are located at each of the four corners ofrectangular crate 150. - Similarly, and with reference to
FIG. 3 ,propagation tray 30 is provided with a plurality of first connectors 80 located proximate to atop portion 54 thereof andsecond connectors 82 located proximate to a bottom portion 86 thereof. Second connectors extend downwardly to terminate into a pair of connecting feet 86 that are adapted to be received and mated with one pair of recesses 84 of a similarly constructed tray. Of course, as should be appreciated, the construction of first and second connectors need not be limited to configuration of recess and feet, but have been done in this manner primarily to accommodatetray 30, which is known and in current use in commercial operations for the transportation of young plants. Accordingly, crates may be configured with alternate matable connectors to permit stacking of the crates in a suitable manner. - As shown in
FIG. 8 ,upper crate 150 is stacked on top of and supported by lower crate 250 and lower crate 250 is stacked on top oftray 30 such thattray 30 supports bothcrates 150 and 250 as an ensemble of stackable crates. Further,feet 186 ofupper crate 150 are received byrecesses 284 of lower crate 250. Similarly feet 286 of crate 250 are received by recesses 84 ofpropagation tray 30.Recesses 184 of theupper crate 150 remain available to receive the feet of an additional crate or propagation tray if desired. As may be appreciated, the young plants that would be nested within the cells of the propagation trays would be surrounded and protected by the respective sidewalls ofcrates 150 and 250. -
FIGS. 9 and 10 show alternate ensembles of stacked crates and trays.FIG. 9 shows stackedcrates propagation tray 10 disposed therein. As should be appreciated from the description above,top crate 150 is ready and able to receive another crate orpropagation tray 30 thereabove. Similarly, allcrates propagation tray 30.FIG. 10 shows a stacked ensemble ofcrates trays - Alternate constructions of the crates are also contemplated by the present invention, examples of which are shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12 . As shown,crates 550 and 650 are similar in design and stackable by means of matable connectors as described in some detail in reference toFIGS. 6 , 8, and 9. Here,crates 550 and 650 includealternative frame constructions 552 and 652 for ventilation and visibility of the young plants to be disposed in the respective interior thereof and for alternative aesthetic appearance. - Finally, a method of transporting young plant material to an intended recipient is provided by the present invention. The method includes providing a desired number of crates that contain therein a plant propagation tray of young living plants wherein the crates include matable connectors whereby an upper filled crate is mated to and supported by a lower filled crate to define a stacked ensemble. Further, suitable propagation trays that include matable connectors can also be used to support or be supported by these filled crates to define a stacked ensemble. A suitable number of stacked ensembles may then be palletized for transportation of the young plants to a desired location.
-
- 1. A
stackable crate 150 having aninterior volume 158 for receiving at least one tray (e.g., propagation tray 10) containing living young plant material (or some other item), saidcrate 150 comprising: aframe 152 extending around theinterior volume 158 and having anupper frame portion 154 along an upper boundary of saidinterior volume 158 and alower frame portion 156 along a lower boundary of saidinterior volume 158; a plurality of spaced apartfirst connector elements 182 located proximate to thelower frame portion 156; and a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements 180 located proximate to theupper frame portion 154; wherein each one of said second connector elements 180 is sized and adapted to engage with one of saidfirst connector elements 182 of a similarly constructedcrate 150. - 2. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 1, wherein saidframe 152 comprises at least one side wall 151 (i) extending upward from saidlower frame portion 156 to saidupper frame portion 154, and (ii) surrounding saidinterior volume 158. - 3. A
stackable crate 150 according toembodiment 2, wherein said at least oneside wall 151 comprises (i) two opposingside walls 151/151′ on either side of saidinterior volume 158, and (ii) twoend walls 153/153′ on either end of saidinterior volume 158. - 4. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein said plurality of spaced apartfirst connector elements 182 comprises two or morefirst connector elements 182, and said plurality of spaced apart second connector elements 180 comprises two or more second connector elements 180. - 5. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein said plurality of spaced apartfirst connector elements 182 comprises three or morefirst connector elements 182, and said plurality of spaced apart second connector elements 180 comprises three or more second connector elements 180. - 6. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, further comprising: fourfirst connector elements 182 each located proximate to a respective corner of saidframe 152 and extending downwardly from saidlower frame portion 156 to terminate in a pair of connectingfeet 186; and four second connector elements 180 each located proximate to a respective corner of saidframe 152 and formed in theupper frame portion 154, each second connector element 180 comprising a pair of receivingrecesses 184 sized and adapted to receive a pair of said connectingfeet 186 of a similarly constructedcrate 150 in a nested state such that theupper crate 150 is supported by thelower crate 150. - 7. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 6, wherein each receivingrecess 184 comprises (i) three recess side wall surfaces 189 and (ii) a recess bottom surface 190 sized and shaped so as to receive a connectingfoot 186 comprising (i) three matching foot side wall surfaces 191 and (ii) a matching foot bottom surface 192. - 8. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a flange 170 extending around at least a portion of theinterior volume 158 of thecrate 150 at a location proximate to thelower frame portion 156 and adapted to support a propagation tray thereon (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ). - 9. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a flange 170 extending around theinterior volume 158 of thecrate 150 at a location proximate to thelower frame portion 156 and adapted to support a propagation tray thereon (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ). - 10. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 8 or 9, wherein said flange 170 is sized so that a propagation tray placed thereon (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ) rests along said flange 170 with a portion of the propagation tray extending below said flange 170. - 11. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8 and 10, wherein a portion of saidframe 152 comprises abottom wall 193 extending along theinterior volume 158 of thecrate 150 at a location proximate to thelower frame portion 156 and adapted to support a propagation tray thereon (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ). - 12. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 11, wherein saidbottom wall 193 is sized so that a propagation tray placed thereon (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ) rests along saidbottom wall 193 with all of the propagation tray being above saidbottom wall 193. - 13. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 12, saidframe 152 further comprising a centrally located cross-beam 172 extending between two opposingside wall portions 151 of saidframe 152. - 14. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a pair of opposingend walls 153/153′ wherein at least one of saidend walls 153/153′ comprises awall passageway 176 formed therethrough so as to be in communication with theinterior volume 158. - 15. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 14, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a pair of opposingend walls 153/153′ wherein at least one of saidend walls 153/153′ comprises awall passageway 176 formed therethrough so as to be in communication with theinterior volume 158, saidwall passageway 176 being sized and adapted to facilitate placement and removal of at least a portion of a user's hand (not shown) therethrough. - 16. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a pair of opposingend walls 153/153′ wherein at least one of saidend walls 153/153′ comprises awall passageway 176 formed therethrough so as to be in communication with theinterior volume 158, saidwall passageway 176 being sized and adapted to facilitate placement and removal of a propagation tray (e.g.,propagation tray 10 shown inFIG. 7 ) within saidinterior volume 158. - 17. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein saidframe 152 comprises anupper rim 162 extending along saidupper frame portion 154, and at least a portion of saidupper rim 162 extends above uppermostrecess wall portions 189 of said recesses 184. See, for example, exemplarystackable crate 150 shown inFIGS. 11-12 . - 18. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein saidframe 152 comprises anupper rim 162 extending along saidupper frame portion 154, and at least a portion of saidupper rim 162 extends (i) above uppermostrecess wall portions 189 of saidrecesses 184, and (ii) along opposingside walls 151/151′ of saidframe 152. See, for example, exemplarystackable crate 150 shown inFIGS. 11-12 . - 19. A
stackable crate 150 according toembodiment 17 or 18, wherein said portion of saidupper rim 162 comprises a firstupper rim portion 163 and a secondupper rim portion 165, said first and secondupper rim portions 163/165 forming a first angle A therebetween. - 20. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one ofembodiments 17 to 19, wherein said portion of saidupper rim 162 extends (i) along opposingside walls 151/151′ of saidframe 152, and (ii) above opposingend walls 153/153′ of saidframe 152. See, for example, exemplarystackable crate 150 shown inFIGS. 11-12 . - 21. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a lower rim 166 extending along saidlower frame portion 156, at least a portion of which extends below (a) a lowermost portion of a flange 170 positioned along a lower portion of saidinterior volume 158, (b) a lowermost bottom wall portion of abottom wall 193 positioned along a lower portion of saidinterior volume 158, or (c) both (a) and (b). See, for example, exemplarystackable crate 150 shown inFIGS. 11-12 . - 22. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 21, wherein saidframe 152 comprises a lower rim 166 (i) extending along saidlower frame portion 156, and at least aportion 167 of said lower rim 166 extends below (a) a lowermost portion of a flange 170 positioned along a lower portion of saidinterior volume 158, (b) a lowermost bottom wall portion of abottom wall 193 positioned along a lower portion of saidinterior volume 158, or (c) both (a) and (b), and (ii) along opposing side wall extensions 1511 of saidframe 152. See, for example, exemplarystackable crate 150 shown inFIGS. 11-12 . - 23. A
stackable crate 150 according toembodiment 21 or 22, wherein said lower rim 166 comprises a first lower rim portion 171 and a secondlower rim portion 169, said first and second lower rim portions 171/169 forming a second angle B therebetween. See, for example, angle B shown inFIG. 11 . - 24. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 19 to 23, wherein each angle (i.e., A and B) ranges between about 90° to less than 180° (or an angle value or range of angle values between 90° and 180°, in increments of 1°, for example the angle value of 135° or the angle range of from about 120° to about150°). - 25. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 24, wherein saidframe 152 includes a plurality ofapertures 195 formed therethrough sufficient to ventilate living plant material (not shown) positioned within saidinterior volume 158. - 26. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 25, wherein said plurality ofapertures 195 are present within (i) one ormore side walls 151/151′ (or 153/153′), (ii) abottom wall 193, or both (i) and (ii) of saidframe 152. - 27. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 26, wherein saidframe 152 is sized and adapted to enclose living plant material (not shown) positioned within saidinterior volume 158 so as to protect the plant material during transportation. - 28. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 27 that is reusable. - 29. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28 that is formed as a unitary construction. - 30. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 29, wherein saidframe 152 is substantially rectangular and surrounds a rectangular-shapedinterior volume 158. It should be noted thatstackable crate 150 may have any desired shapedframe 152 and corresponding shapedinterior volume 158. Suitable shapes forframe 152 and corresponding shapedinterior volume 158 include, but are not limited to, a circular shape, a triangular shape, a square shape, a star shape, an oval shape, a hexagonal shape, or any other shape having at least oneside wall 151/151′ (or 153/153′). - 31. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 30, wherein saidframe 152 further comprises at least onemovable door 211 within at least onedoor opening 210 positioned within at least oneside wall 151/151′/153/153′ of saidframe 152, said at least onemovable door 211 being movable from a closed position that limits access to saidinterior volume 158 to an open position that provides access to saidinterior volume 158. - 32. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 31, wherein saidframe 152 further comprises amovable door 211 within at least onedoor opening 210 positioned within at least oneend wall 153/153′ of saidframe 152, saidmovable door 211 being movable from a closed position that limits access to said interior volume 158 (e.g., as shown inFIG. 15 ) to an open position that provides access to said interior volume 158 (e.g., as shown inFIG. 14 ). - 33. A
stackable crate 150 according toembodiment 31 or 32, wherein eachmovable door 211 is sized so as to have a door area that represent less than a side wall area of saidframe 152. See, for example, exemplarymovable door 211 with a door area that represents less than a side wall area ofend wall 153 offrame 152 inFIG. 14 . - 34. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 33, wherein eachmovable door 211 comprises opposingflap portions 212 extending outward from and along opposite side edges 213 of saidmovable door 211. - 35. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 34, wherein each of said opposingflap portions 212 extends from an upper edge 214 of saidmovable door 211 along aside edge 213 of saidmovable door 211. - 36. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 34 or 35, wherein each of said opposingflap portions 212 extends from an upper edge 214 of saidmovable door 211 along aside edge 213 of saidmovable door 211, but less than a complete length of saidside edge 213 of saidmovable door 211. - 37. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 34 to 36, wherein each of said opposingflap portions 212 extends a distance of from about 10 millimeters (mm) to about 500 mm (or any distance or range of distances between 10 mm and 500 mm, in increments of 0.1 mm; for example, a distance of 50 mm, or a distance range of from about 70 mm to about 300 mm). - 38. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 37, wherein eachmovable door 211 comprisesdoor engaging members 215 extending outward from and along abottom edge 216 of saidmovable door 211. See, for example, exemplarydoor engaging members 215 shown inFIG. 14 . - 39. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 38, wherein each door opening 210 comprises door opening engagingslots 219 extending inward and along opposing side edges 220 of saiddoor opening 210, said dooropening engaging slots 219 being sized to accept engagement withflap portions 212 of saidmovable door 211. - 40. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 39, wherein each of said dooropening engaging slots 219 extends from anupper edge 221 of saiddoor opening 210 and along aside edge 222 of saiddoor opening 210. - 41. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 39 or 40, wherein each of said dooropening engaging slots 219 extends from anupper edge 221 of saiddoor opening 210 and along aside edge 222 of saiddoor opening 210, but less than a complete length of saidside edge 222 of saiddoor opening 210. - 42. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 39 to 40, wherein each of said dooropening engaging slots 219 extends a distance of from about 10 millimeters (mm) to about 500 mm (or any distance or range of distances between 10 mm and 500 mm, in increments of 0.1 mm; for example, a distance of 50 mm, or a distance range of from about 70 mm to about 300 mm). - 43. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 39 to 42, wherein saidframe 152 further comprises opposing cut-outsections 223 positioned along each door opening 210 so as to expose opposingportions 229 of said dooropening engaging slots 219, said opposing cut-outsections 223 assisting in removal of aremovable door 211 from saidstackable crate 150 when another similarlystackable crate 150 is positioned on saidstackable crate 150. - 44. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 43, wherein each of said opposing cut-outsections 223 extends from anupper edge 221 of saiddoor opening 210 and along aside edge 222 of saiddoor opening 210. - 45. A
stackable crate 150 according to embodiment 43 or 44, wherein each of said opposing cut-outsections 223 extends a distance (i.e., a cut-out section length, Lc, as shown inFIGS. 19A-19B ) of from about 5.0 mm to about 100 mm (or any distance or range of distances between 5.0 mm and 100 mm, in increments of 0.1 mm; for example, a distance of 7.2 mm, or a distance range of from about 7.8 mm to about 49.6 mm). - 46. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 43 to 45, wherein each of said opposing cut-outsections 223 extends a distance that is about equal to or greater than a flap portion length, Lf, of eachflap portion 219 positioned along saidmovable door 211. See, flap portion length, Lf shown inFIGS. 19A-19B . - 47. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 43 to 46, wherein each of said opposing cut-outsections 223 extends a distance (i.e., a cut-out section length, Lc, as shown inFIGS. 19A-19B ) that is greater than a flap portion length, Lf, of eachflap portion 219 positioned along saidmovable door 211. - 48. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 47, wherein each door opening 210 comprisesholes 217 positioned within alower edge portion 216 of saiddoor opening 210, saidholes 217 being sized to accept engagement with one or moredoor engaging members 215 along saidmovable door 211. - 49. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 48, wherein eachmovable door 211 is removable from saidframe 152. - 50. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 31 to 49, wherein eachmovable door 211 is removable from saidframe 152 when saidstackable crate 150 has another similarlystackable crate 150 orstackable tray 270 stacked thereon. - 51. A
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 50, further comprising apropagation tray 10 disposed in theinterior volume 158 of thecrate 150. -
- 52. An
ensemble 380 ofstackable crates 150 for transporting young living plants (not shown) between a sender location and a recipient location, saidensemble 380 comprising two or morestackable crates 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 51. - 53. An
ensemble 380 ofstackable crates 150 for transporting young living plants (not shown) between a sender location and a recipient location, saidensemble 380 comprising one or morestackable crates 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 51, and at least one additional stackable item comprising (i) astackable tray 270, and (ii) astackable crate separator 270. See, for example,exemplary ensemble 380 of stackable items inFIG. 20 . - 54. An
ensemble 380 ofstackable crates 150 for transporting young living plants (not shown) between a sender location and a recipient location, comprising: a plurality ofpropagation trays 10 containing a selected number of young plants (not shown); a plurality ofcrates 150 each having aninterior volume 158 adapted to receive at least one of saidpropagation trays 10 therein so as to define a filledcrate 150, each of saidcrates 150 being formed by a surrounding sidewall 151 (and/or 153) extending between anupper portion 154 and alower portion 156 thereof and being stackable one on top of another as astacked ensemble 380 such that abottom portion 156 of anupper crate 150 will nest with atop portion 154 of alower crate 150; a plurality of support pallets (not shown), each said support pallet adapted to support at least onestacked ensemble 380 of filledcrates 150 placed thereon as a supportedensemble 380. - 55. The
ensemble 380 ofembodiment 54, wherein at least onecrate 150 within said plurality ofcrates 150 comprises thecrate 150 of any one of embodiments 1 to 51. - 56. The
ensemble 380 ofembodiment 54 or 55, wherein two ormore crates 150 within said plurality ofcrates 150 each comprise thecrate 150 of any one of embodiments 1 to 51. - 57. The
ensemble 380 ofstackable crates 150 according to any one of embodiments 52 to 56, further comprising astackable propagation tray 270 containing living young plants (not shown) having a top tray portion and a bottom tray portion and being stackable along with saidstackable crates 150 such that (1) the bottom tray portion is adapted to be received on top of astackable crate 150; and (2) the top tray portion is adapted to receive and support astackable crate 150 thereabove. -
- 58. A method of transporting one or more items to an intended recipient, said method comprising: transporting the one or more items within a
stackable crate 150 according to any one of embodiments 1 to 51, or anensemble 380 ofstackable crates 150 according to any one of embodiments 52 to 57. - 59. The method of embodiment 58, wherein the one or more items comprise one or more living plant materials.
- 60. A method of transporting young plant material to an intended recipient, said method comprising: providing a first
stackable crate 150 with a surroundingsidewall 151/153 having aninterior volume 158, the surroundingsidewall 151/153 including first andsecond connectors 182/180; disposing young plant material in theinterior volume 158 to define a first filledcrate 150; providing a second filledcrate 150; and stacking the second filledcrate 150 on top of the first filledcrate 150 in a mated relationship. - Stackable crates, similar to
stackable crates 150 shown inFIGS. 1-20 , were prepared. The stackable crates were used in combination to form ensembles containing two or more stackable crates. The stackable crates of the ensembles were filled with living plants and palletized on one or more pallets to transport the living plants from a first location to a second location. The stackable crates/ensembles protected the living plants during transportation. - It should be understood that although the above-described stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods are described as “comprising” one or more components or steps, the above-described stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods may “comprise,” “consists of” or “consist essentially of” any of the above-described components, features or steps of the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods. Consequently, where the present invention, or a portion thereof, has been described with an open-ended term such as “comprising,” it should be readily understood that (unless otherwise stated) the description of the present invention, or the portion thereof, should also be interpreted to describe the present invention, or a portion thereof, using the terms “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” or variations thereof as discussed below.
- As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains”, “containing,” “characterized by” or any other variation thereof, are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, subject to any limitation explicitly indicated otherwise, of the recited components. For example, a crate, an ensemble, and/or method that “comprises” a list of elements (e.g., components, features or steps) is not necessarily limited to only those elements (or components or steps), but may include other elements (or components or steps) not expressly listed or inherent to the crate, ensemble, and/or method.
- As used herein, the transitional phrases “consists of” and “consisting of” exclude any element, step, or component not specified. For example, “consists of” or “consisting of” used in a claim would limit the claim to the components, materials or steps specifically recited in the claim except for impurities ordinarily associated therewith (i.e., impurities within a given component). When the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” limits only the elements (or components or steps) set forth in that clause; other elements (or components) are not excluded from the claim as a whole.
- As used herein, the transitional phrases “consists essentially of” and “consisting essentially of” are used to define a crate, an ensemble, and/or method that includes materials, steps, features, components, or elements, in addition to those literally disclosed, provided that these additional materials, steps, features, components, or elements do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. The term “consisting essentially of” occupies a middle ground between “comprising” and “consisting of”.
- Further, it should be understood that the herein-described stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and methods may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of any of the herein-described components and features, as shown in the figures with or without any feature(s) not shown in the figures. In other words, in some embodiments, the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods of the present invention do not have any additional features other than those shown in the figures, and such additional features, not shown in the figures, are specifically excluded from the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods. In other embodiments, the stackable crates, ensembles of stackable crates, and/or methods of the present invention do have one or more additional features that are not shown in the figures.
- While the specification has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be assessed as that of the appended claims and any equivalents thereto.
Claims (18)
1-60. (canceled)
61. A stackable crate having an interior volume for receiving at least one tray containing living young plant material, said crate comprising:
a frame extending around the interior volume and having an upper frame portion along an upper boundary of said interior volume and a lower frame portion along a lower boundary of said interior volume;
a plurality of spaced apart first connector elements located proximate to the lower frame portion; and
a plurality of spaced apart second connector elements located proximate to the upper frame portion;
wherein each one of said second connector elements is sized and adapted to engage with one of said first connector elements of a similarly constructed crate,
wherein said frame comprises (i) two opposing side walls on either side of said interior volume, and (ii) two end walls on either end of said interior volume.
62. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said plurality of spaced apart first connector elements comprises two or more first connector elements, and said plurality of spaced apart second connector elements comprises two or more second connector elements.
63. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , comprising:
four first connector elements each located proximate to a respective corner of said frame and extending downwardly from said lower frame portion to terminate in a pair of connecting feet; and
four second connector elements each located proximate to a respective corner of said frame and formed in the upper frame portion, each second connector element comprising a pair of receiving recesses sized and adapted to receive a pair of said connecting feet of a similarly constructed crate in a nested state such that the upper crate is supported by the lower crate.
64. The stackable crate according to claim 63 , wherein each receiving recess comprises (i) three recess side wall surfaces and (ii) a recess bottom surface sized and shaped so as to receive a connecting foot comprising (i) three matching foot side wall surfaces and (ii) a matching foot bottom surface.
65. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said frame comprises a flange extending around at least a portion of the interior volume of the crate at a location proximate to the lower frame portion and adapted to support a propagation tray thereon, wherein said flange is sized so that a propagation tray placed thereon rests along said flange with a portion of the propagation tray extending below said flange.
66. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein a portion of said frame comprises a bottom wall extending along the interior volume of the crate at a location proximate to the lower frame portion and adapted to support a propagation tray thereon, wherein said bottom wall is sized so that a propagation tray placed thereon rests along said bottom wall with all of the propagation tray being above said bottom wall.
67. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said frame comprises a pair of opposing end walls wherein at least one of said end walls comprises a wall passageway formed therethrough so as to be in communication with the interior volume, said wall passageway being sized and adapted to facilitate placement and removal of a propagation tray within said interior volume.
68. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said frame comprises an upper rim extending along said upper frame portion, and at least a portion of said upper rim extends (i) above uppermost recess wall portions of said recesses, and (ii) along opposing side walls of said frame.
69. The stackable crate according to claim 68 , wherein said portion of said upper rim comprises a first upper rim portion and a second upper rim portion, said first and second upper rim portions forming a first angle therebetween, wherein said angle ranges between about 90° to less than 180°.
70. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said frame comprises a lower rim extending along said lower frame portion, at least a portion of which extends below (a) a lowermost portion of a flange positioned along a lower portion of said interior volume, (b) a lowermost bottom wall portion of a bottom wall positioned along a lower portion of said interior volume, or (c) both (a) and (b), wherein said lower rim comprises a first lower rim portion and a second lower rim portion, said first and second lower rim portions forming a second angle therebetween, wherein said angle ranges between about 90° to less than 180°.
71. The stackable crate according to claim 61 , wherein said frame further comprises at least one movable door within at least one door opening positioned within at least one side wall or end wall of said frame, said at least one movable door being movable from a closed position that limits access to said interior volume to an open position that provides access to said interior volume.
72. The stackable crate according to claim 71 , wherein said at least one movable door comprises opposing flap portions extending outward from and along opposite side edges of said movable door and comprises door engaging members extending outward from and along a bottom edge of said movable door.
73. The stackable crate according to claim 71 , wherein each door opening comprises door opening engaging slots extending inward and along opposing side edges of said door opening, said door opening engaging slots being sized to accept engagement with flap portions of said movable door and, wherein each of said door opening engaging slots extends from an upper edge of said door opening and along a side edge of said door opening.
74. The stackable crate according to claim 71 ,
wherein said frame further comprises opposing cut-out sections positioned along each door opening so as to expose opposing portions of said door opening engaging slots, said opposing cut-out sections assisting in removal of a removable door from said stackable crate when another similarly stackable crate is positioned on said stackable crate,
wherein each of said opposing cut-out sections extends from an upper edge of said door opening and along a side edge of said door opening a distance that is about equal to or greater than a flap portion length of each flap portion positioned along said movable door.
75. An ensemble of stackable crates for transporting young living plants between a sender location and a recipient location, said ensemble comprising
two or more stackable crates according to claim 61 , and
further comprising a propagation tray containing living young plants having a top tray portion and a bottom tray portion and being stackable along with said stackable crates such that (1) the bottom tray portion is adapted to be received on top of a stackable crate ; and (2) the top tray portion is adapted to receive and support a stackable crate thereabove.
76. The ensemble of claim 75 , wherein the two or more stackable crates include two or more stackable crates according to claim 71 .
77. A method of transporting young plant material to an intended recipient, said method comprising:
providing a first stackable crate with a surrounding sidewall having an interior volume, the surrounding sidewall including first and second connectors;
disposing young plant material in the interior volume to define a first filled crate;
providing a second filled crate; and
stacking the second filled crate on top of the first filled crate in a mated relationship.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/379,565 US20150014206A1 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2013-02-22 | Stackable crates and method for the transportation of living plant material employing the same |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201261601649P | 2012-02-22 | 2012-02-22 | |
PCT/IB2013/000665 WO2013124739A2 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2013-02-22 | Crates and systems for the transportation of living plant material along with methods employing the same |
US14/379,565 US20150014206A1 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2013-02-22 | Stackable crates and method for the transportation of living plant material employing the same |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20150014206A1 true US20150014206A1 (en) | 2015-01-15 |
Family
ID=48539298
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/379,565 Abandoned US20150014206A1 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2013-02-22 | Stackable crates and method for the transportation of living plant material employing the same |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20150014206A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2817233B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2013124739A2 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP2017079604A (en) * | 2015-10-23 | 2017-05-18 | 株式会社内山商会 | Seedling box storage shelf |
WO2021240304A1 (en) * | 2020-05-26 | 2021-12-02 | Loadhog Limited | Stackable container |
WO2022076298A1 (en) * | 2020-10-09 | 2022-04-14 | Syngenta Crop Protection Ag | Modular systems for transportation of plants and methods of use thereof |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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NL2012078C2 (en) * | 2014-01-13 | 2015-07-16 | Kees Wilhelmus Petrus Aarts | Crate, control unit for a crate, stack of crates and method for operating these. |
DE202017101448U1 (en) | 2017-03-13 | 2018-05-25 | Tim Fährenkemper | Plant shipping arrangement for plants to be delivered in a plant pot |
TR201815732A2 (en) * | 2018-10-22 | 2018-11-21 | Fiyaka Plastik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi | A TRANSPORT SYSTEM |
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WO2021240304A1 (en) * | 2020-05-26 | 2021-12-02 | Loadhog Limited | Stackable container |
WO2022076298A1 (en) * | 2020-10-09 | 2022-04-14 | Syngenta Crop Protection Ag | Modular systems for transportation of plants and methods of use thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2013124739A3 (en) | 2013-11-21 |
WO2013124739A2 (en) | 2013-08-29 |
EP2817233B1 (en) | 2017-12-20 |
EP2817233A2 (en) | 2014-12-31 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SYNGENTA PARTICIPATIONS AG, SWITZERLAND Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ELAND, LEO;EBERHARDT, ULRICH;VAN MARREWIJK, PIET;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20150528 TO 20150615;REEL/FRAME:036526/0717 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |