Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
Transport and presentation box
Description
The present invention relates to boxes for the transport of goods which enable
to present
the goods transported in the box to a consumer and facilitate access to the
goods in the box
to the same.
A plurality of products is transported in boxes which are open to the top. For
example, a
plurality of different box shapes are known in beverage industry to transport
beverage bot-
tles or smaller containers of beverage bottles (for example so called
"sixpacks") from the
production to retailers. In retail, the boxes are usually stacked, so that
access is only possi-
ble from the top and thus products which are located in a box which is located
in a bottom
position in the stack may only be accessed when all boxes located above the
same are re-
moved. This is extremely uncomfortable, strenuous and time consuming. Further,
such
boxes are generally only designed for the transport of goods of a certain
type, like e.g. bot-
tles, so that for the transport of other goods other boxes have to be used.
It would thus be an advantage to provide boxes which enable a more efficient
and simple
access to products transported in the box.
Some embodiments of the present invention thus comprise a base or bottom and
at least
two pairs of respectively opposite side walls, wherein a first one of the side
walls is im-
plemented so that it enables a removal of products contained in the box. Apart
from that,
the first side wall extends from the bottom or floor in the vertical direction
at least partially
by only a lower retrieval or unload height to the top which is lower than the
height of one
or several of the remaining side walls. The retrieval height is determined so
that from the
first side wall a lateral opening is defined with a size or dimension which
enables an access
or the removal or retrieval of products contained in the box through the
lateral opening.
According to a first aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a box of the
above men-
tioned implementation which further includes a locking element which extends
between
the two opposite side walls which abut on the first side wall, and which is
movable be-
tween a first position and a second position, wherein the locking element is
arranged in the
first position between the opposing side walls and spaced apart from the first
side wall,
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
wherein the locking element is arranged in the second position overlapping
with the first
side wall.
The locking element, according to embodiments, includes a bracket extending
between the
opposing side walls, and two struts arranged at the two opposing ends of the
bracket,
wherein a first end of the struts is arranged at the opposing ends of the
bracket, and where-
in a second end of the struts is arranged rotatably moveable at the
corresponding side wall.
The opposing side walls and the first side wall may include recesses in order
to receive or
the bracket and the struts, wherein the recesses may be such that the struts
and the bracket
in the first or second position of the locking element are flush with one
surface of the op-
posing side walls facing the first side wall or with an exterior surface of
the one side wall.
Further, a latching element may be provided which cooperates with the locking
element in
order to keep the locking element securely in the first or second position.
For forming the
latching element, the struts and/or the bracket of the locking element may be
implemented
to engage portions of the opposite side walls or the first side wall, wherein
according to
embodiments the struts and/or bracket in this respect comprise one or several
snap-in ele-
ments in order to cooperate with corresponding snap-in element receiving
portions of the
side walls. The locking element may be arranged at the second position with a
distance
from the bottom or floor which corresponds to about a third, a half or two
thirds of the
height of the opposing side walls. Further, the locking element may be
implemented to be
additionally arranged at a further position spaced apart from the first side
wall, wherein in
this case the struts may be implemented telescopically, to arrange the locking
element se-
lectively at the second or at the further position.
According to a further aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a box of
the above-
mentioned type, further including an insert to be arrange on the floor of the
box, the insert
being implemented depending on the products to be received in the box.
According to embodiments, the insert may be detachably connectable to the
floor and/or
the side surfaces, preferably only using special tools. The insert may he
plate-shaped and a
first surface of the insert facing the floor may be adapted to a structure of
the floor. The
surface of the plate-shaped insert opposing the first surface is structured
according to the
product to be inserted. The insert may include sleeves, longitudinal struts,
cross struts or
members and/or recesses. Embodiments further provide a system including a box
accord-
ing to embodiments of the invention and a plurality of inserts structured for
different prod-
ucts, wherein one of the inserts may selectively be arranged in the box.
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
According to this aspect, thus a system is provided which may be assembled
freely, which
may easily be adapted to different products to be inserted into the box, for
example by a
service provider who provides the boxes according to a configuration desired
by a custom-
er, and provides corresponding inserts, and accordingly assembles the boxes
without in-
serts, wherein it is in this case provided for the inserts only to be
exchangeable using spe-
cial tools, which only the box provider has possession of.
According to embodiments of the invention, the box is restricted in vertical
direction to the
top by the first side wall area (which may also be the complete side wall)
extending from
the bottom to the top, which has a lower retrieval height. I.e., above this
first side wall area
no further frictional connection between the adjacent side walls exists. In
other words, the
first side wall is at least partially less high than the surrounding side
walls or than some of
the surrounding side walls, so that access is possible also at the side of the
box, in order to
thus have easy access to products which are arranged in lower boxes of the
stack, even if
the boxes are stacked.
Here, in some embodiments, the height of the first side wall is still
dimensioned such that
the specific products transported in the box may not fall out of the box
during transport. In
some embodiments, the box is determined for the transport of bottles or of
bottles pre-
packed in smaller containers, which is why the first side wall comprises a
height which is
sufficient to prevent falling out of individual bottles from the box. In some
embodiments,
the height is between 1 and 10 centimeters. In some further embodiments, this
height is
between 2 and 5 centimeters, or generally more than 2 centimeters.
=
In some embodiments, the first side wall each comprises two side wall portions
at its edges
adjacent to the neighboring side walls which extend up to the height of the
adjacent side
walls in order to increase stability of the box.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the box comprises four side
walls, where-
in at least in the side walls adjacent to the first side wall grip openings or
handle openings
are arranged. The grip openings here comprise an area running parallel to the
bottom and
also an area running perpendicular to the bottom. In some embodiments, the
area running
perpendicular to the floor or bottom is arranged in the direction of the first
side wall. In
some embodiments, apart from that the first horizontal opening section running
parallel to
the bottom passes into the vertical opening section with a radius which is
large enough to
be able to grip the box in the radius. In this embodiments of the invention it
is consequent-
ly possible to grip and lift the box also in the radius or in the vertical
opening section so
that the same tilts backwards when gripping. During transport this reduces the
probability
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
of goods falling out, like for example the bottles, from the box through the
opening of the
first side wall.
According to some embodiments of the invention the box further comprises, in
the floor
area adjacent to the first side wall, a larger supporting area for the
products to be transport-
ed than on average in the remaining area of the floor. In other words this
means that, when
the floor is not implemented holohedrally but for example consists of
individual struts, the
number of struts per area, i.e. the strut density in the area adjacent to the
first side wall is
increased. This leads to the fact that a good inserted into the box near the
side wall, for
example a beverage bottle or can is in contact with the floor with a large
area or supporting
area. This prevents the bottle or the beverage can to slip or tilt into
recesses between the
floor struts, so that an unwanted falling out of the can or the bottle during
transport is pre-
vented.
In some embodiments, further the side walls adjacent to the first side wall at
the front side
where they abut on the first side wall are less high than at the front side
opposing the side
wall. I.e., in the direction of the opening, the side walls adjacent to the
opening are lower,
so that on the one hand the space available for retrieval is increased and so
that on the other
hand the light incidence or viewing angle into the interior of the box is
increased in order
to thus make the objects transported in the box, like for example bottles or
the like better
visible.
In some further embodiments, the remaining side walls which do not correspond
to the first
side wall are foldable or hinged with respect to the floor, so that the box
may be brought
into a folded state in which the remaining side walls are approximately
parallel to the floor
overlying the same or are located above the floor. By this, the box may be
transported
more efficiently and at lower costs in the empty state.
Some embodiments comprise an additional movable side wall area which extends
above
the first side wall in a vertical direction and which may either be removed or
folded away.
This may have the advantage that in the upfolded state the moveable side wall
area addi-
tionally increases the stability or security so that no goods or products may
fall out of the
box. Further, in this unfolded state or down-folded state the moveable side
wall area may
be used to present product information or the like.
In some embodiments, the moveable side wall area is implemented latticed or
formed from
a plurality of struts so that the box may be cleaned by pressure jets without
separating the
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
moveable side wall area from the box or inadvertently removing the same from
the box by
the high pressure.
In some embodiments, further the remaining side walls are coated or laminated
with an foil
or film which contains product information which may be read from the outside.
In some further embodiments, a light foil is provided so that by light
reflection the object
or bottles transported in the box may be optically better visible.
In some further embodiments the remaining three side walls which do not
correspond to
the lower wall are of equal height so that the boxes may be stacked onto each
other, where-
in the floor of a box comes to lie on the remaining three side walls of the
underlying box.
For this purpose, both in the floor and also in the top ends of the remaining
side walls spe-
cial recesses or contours may be provided into which the corresponding
recesses or con-
tours of the floor or the remaining side walls engage in order to thus enable
stackability
and guarantee secure standing.
In some embodiments of inventive boxes which are suitable for storing or
transport and
presentation of beverage bottles or cans the floor comprises a plurality of
sleeves extending
in the vertical direction from the floor upwards. Sleeves are three-
dimensional objects
which are located on the floor and which are shaped such that the bottles are
held or fixed
by the outer boundary surfaces of the sleeves, so that falling out of the
bottles is effectively
prevented. In some embodiments, the sleeves only comprise a low height in the
vertical
direction, so that the same may also be referred to as sleeve stumps. The
height and the
exterior shape of some sleeves is selected so that the same prevents falling
out of the bot-
tles through the lateral opening in connection with the first side wall. In
order to still guar-
antee a retrieval, in some embodiments, the sleeves at their highest position
are not higher
than the first side wall. In some embodiments, the outer boundary surfaces of
the sleeves
have a varying height to adapt the same best as possible to the respective
requirements. In
order to enable tilting or falling out of the bottles in the direction of the
first side wall and
still guarantee a good stability, the sleeves comprise a lower height in a
direction in parallel
to the side wall than in the direction towards the first side wall so that
tilting in parallel to
the first side wall is enabled, wherein tilting in a direction perpendicular
to that is impeded
and the bottles are held securely.
In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained
in more
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a box for transporting bottles;
Fig. 2 shows the embodiment of Fig. 1 loaded with "sixpacks";
Fig. 3 shows filled, stacked boxes according to the embodiment of Fig. I;
Fig. 4 shows the embodiment of Fig. 1 viewed from the bottom;
Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of an inventive box;
Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of an inventive box with foldable
side walls;
Fig. 7 shows the embodiment of Fig. 6 in a partially folded state;
Fig. 8 shows the embodiment of Fig. 6 in a completely folded state;
Fig. 9 shows the embodiment of Fig. 6 filled with bottles;
Fig. 10 shows the embodiment of Fig. 6 filled with "sixpacks";
Fig. 11 shows a top view onto the embodiment of Fig. 6;
Fig. 12 shows a detailed view of sleeves used in some embodiments of
the inven-
tion;
Fig. 13(a) shows a box according to Fig. 1 with a locking element
according to one
embodiment of the present invention in a first, open position;
Fig. 13(b) shows the box of Fig. 13(a) with the locking element in the
second, closed
position;
Fig. 14 shows a stacked arrangement of a box of Fig. 1 and a box of
Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 shows a box according to Fig. 1 with an exchangeable insert;
Fig. 16(a)-(d) show embodiments for inserts which may be used in the box
according to
Fig. 16.
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
Fig. 1 shows an inventive embodiment of a box 10 for beverages. The floor 12
in the illus-
trated embodiment is not implemented continuously holohedrally but consists of
a lattice-
type structure. As it may be seen from the bottom view of the box of Fig. 3,
the floor 12 is
formed by a plurality of bars or struts. The same are arranged densely enough
so that the
goods to be transported, i.e. for example a bottle, may not fall through the
floor of the box
or tilt in an uncontrolled way when an edge of a bottle tilts into one of the
recesses between
the struts.
The box further comprises two pairs of respectively opposing side walls 14a,
14b and 16a,
16b which extend from the floor 12 upwards, i.e. in the vertical direction 18.
A first one of
four side walls, in this example side wall 16b, only extends by a small
retrieval height 20
into the vertical direction 18.
The retrieval height 20 is lower than the height of the remaining side walls
14a, 14b and
16a, so that a lateral opening is formed which enables an access to or a
retrieval or removal
of bottles or products contained and transported in the box through the
lateral opening.
Above the first side wall 16b no further structure of the box is located. On
the floor 12 of
the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 further a plurality of sleeves are
arranged of which for
example sleeve (or barrel or quill) 22a and sleeve 22b are emphasized. The
lateral opening
for removing the products is thus generated by the first side wall 16b having
a lower height
than the adjacent or the remaining side walls. Here and also in the following
figures, the
height is to be the dimension in the positive vertical direction 18. The term
"top" designates
a position in the positive vertical direction 18, the term "bottom" designates
a position
comprising a smaller coordinate in the vertical direction 18. The sides are
any direction
which limit the box in the directions in parallel to the surface of the bottom
or floor 12.
By the first side wall 16a a lateral opening is defined or formed which
enables access for
removing the bottles transported in the box. In other embodiments, of course
other prod-
ucts may be transported in the box. In the box of Fig. 1 also so-called
"sixpacks" may be
transported, i.e. prepacked containers of six bottles each.
In alternative embodiments not illustrated here, the side wall does not
comprise the lower
retrieval height 20 along its complete length but from the adjacent side walls
14a and 14b
fixed side wall sections extend into the lateral opening, wherein the lateral
opening still
remains so large that a removal of the products or bottles is guaranteed. Such
boxes may
have an increased stability.
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
The embodiment of a box 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 further comprises a moveable
side wall
are 23 which is hinged with respect to a fixed first side wall 16b via hinges
24a to 24c. The
moveable side wall area 23 is illustrated in Fig. 1 in a downfolded position,
in which the
same is folded down with respect to the first side wall 16b. In the upfolded
position which
is illustrated in the following with respect to some other embodiments of the
invention, the
moveable side wall area 23 extends in the vertical direction 18 upwards. By
this, security
may additionally be increased in so far as a bottle located in the box 10 may
not tilt out-
wards. Additionally, the moveable part may be used to present product
information or the
like.
The side walls 14a and 14b adjacent to the first side wall 16b each comprise a
grip opening
28a and 28b using which the box may be lifted and carried. Here, the grip
openings com-
prise both a first opening area extending in parallel to the floor and also a
second opening
area basically extending in a vertical direction whose function will be
explained in more
detail in the following with reference to Fig. 3.
Further, the side walls 14a and 14b adjacent to the first side wall 16b, at
the end facing into
the direction of the first side wall, comprise bevelled edge areas 30a and 30b
through
which light may fall into the boxes even if they are stacked one onto the
other. In the em-
bodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, thus the ends of the side walls 14a and 14b
adjacent to the
first side wall 16b comprise a lower height than at their opposing end. It is
obvious that
although in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 the recessed part of the side
wall is basi-
cally triangular, any other shapes of the recesses may also be used for
alternative embodi-
ments. In some embodiments, the heights of the side walls 14a and 14b adjacent
to the first
side wall 16b continuously increase up to the maximum height. In alternative
embodi-
ments, the height increase may of course also be in a stepped or in a
staircase manner.
The box illustrated in Fig. 1 may be stacked, i.e. the contours of the upper
ends of the side
walls 14a, 14b and 16a are implemented such that when stacking the same engage
the con-
tour or the structure of the floor of another box (see for example Fig. 3), so
that the boxes
may be stacked one above the other. In spite of that, the lateral opening
defined by the first
side wall 16b enables to remove bottles or bottle containers like sixpacks
from the interior
of the box, even if the same is stacked.
In some embodiments of the invention. the surfaces of the side walls 14a, 14b
and 16a fac-
ing inwards are designed with a light color so that by the light incidence
caused by the
openings 30a and 30b the bottles in the interior of the boxes are well visible
for the observ-
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CA 02811669 2013-03-19
er from the outside. In alternative embodiments, the surfaces are pasted with
product in-
formation or advertisements.
The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 further comprises, at at
least one of
the side walls (in the case illustrated here the side wall 14b), a plurality
of bars or lands 32a
to 32d passing in the vertical direction and protruding inwards from one of
the side surfac-
es, which prevent the bottles held in the interior of the box by the sleeves
to contact the
side wall with their complete side surface and pollute the same extensively.
In the embod-
iment illustrated in Fig. 1 the bars 32a to 32d are each arranged such that
the bottles lie
against the exterior wall with their outermost radius at the position of the
bars 32a to 32d.
It may thus be prevented that large areas of the interior surfaces of the side
walls are pol-
luted as this applies only to the bars.
Fig. 2 shows the embodiment of the box 10 of Fig. 1 in a state filled with
three sixpacks.
The sixpacks 40a, 40b and 40c each contain six individual bottles not
illustrated here for
reasons of clarity.
Here, in addition to the sleeves which engage into the sixpacks from the
bottom which are
opened at the bottom for this purpose, the sixpacks are held by the bars 40a
and 40b which,
as illustrated in Fig. 1, are arranged at the floor 12 of the box 10.
As it may be gathered from the view of Fig. 3 which shows two boxes 10 and 10a
in a state
stacked upon each other, the products or bottles may be removed from the
bottom box 10
also in the stacked state. This obviously also applies to the sixpacks 40a,
40b and 40c when
the same are transported or presented in the boxes as an alternative to
individual bottles. As
it may be seen in Fig. 2 and 3 the special implementation of a box illustrated
in Fig. 1
comprises a high flexibility with respect to the bottles to be transported, as
on the one hand
sixpacks and on the other hand individual bottles may be transported using the
box. This
results from the arrangement of the sleeves 22a and 22b and the bars 42a and
42b illustrat-
ed in the arrangement of Fig. 1.
It is obvious that in other embodiments of the box 10 the arrangement of the
sleeves may
be different. For example, in some embodiments bars may be completely omitted
and in-
stead only sleeves may be used. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1,
however, both is
possible as each individual bottle which is inserted in one of the free spaces
between the
sleeves and/or bars, is supported in four directions each either by a side
wall of a bar, by a
9
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
sleeve or by one of the side walls 14a, 14b, 16a or 16b of the box so that the
same is stably
supported for transport.
As it may be seen in Fig. 3, due to the possibility of stacking the boxes and
the possibility
of a lateral retrieval, which is provided by the first side wall 16b, it is
now possible to offer
different products for sale in a column of stacked boxes. The side wall 16b
here prevents in
connection with the sleeves that the bottles may fall out of the box 10 during
transport,
which is why the side wall 16b is dimensioned so that during transport it
prevents tilting or
falling out of the box. It still is low enough, however, so that the bottles
may be removed
from the box towards the front, although a further box 10a is arranged on the
box 10. In
this respect, according to some embodiments, the bottles may first of all be
slightly lifted
and then be tilted and taken out towards the front. This is in some
embodiments enabled by
a special implementation of the sleeves, as it is described in more detail
with reference to
Fig. 12.
Fig. 3 clearly shows a further characteristic of some embodiments of the
present invention,
that is the special implementation of the grip openings 28a and 28b. The grip
opening is
bent and extends both horizontally and also vertically. In other words, the
grip opening 28a
comprises a first opening area 50a extending in parallel to the floor 12 and a
second open-
ing area 50b passing basically in the vertical direction 18. Here, the
delimitation between
vertical and horizontal opening area in Fig. 3 is to be regarded only as an
example. The
grip opening 28a also extends to a significant extent in the vertical
direction, so that the
grip opening 28a may be used by a person also in the vertical opening area.
With alterna-
tive embodiments of the invention the grip opening 28a may of course be of
another shape
than in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3. For example, the same may also
comprise a
square or rectangular cross-section, so that the box may be lifted both from
the top by
means of the horizontal opening area 50a and also from the side by means of
the vertical
opening area 50b.
In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the vertical opening area is located
on the side fac-
ing the first side wall 16b and passes with a large radius into the horizontal
opening area
50a at the outer contour (i.e. the contour directing into the direction of the
first side wall).
This leads to the fact that when lifting the box the same may be gripped in
that radius, so
that the box, when the vertical opening area is located at the side associated
with the first
side wall 16b, tilts backwards (in the direction of the side wall 16a), so
that by the inclina-
tion of the box during carrying, falling out of the individual bottles is
additionally prevent-
ed.
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated with respect to Fig. 4
showing a re-
spective view from the bottom towards the box of Fig. 1 and with respect to
Fig. 11 show-
ing a bottom view of a further embodiment of the invention, security is
additionally in-
creased by a special implementation of the floor 12 in the area 50 adjacent to
the first side
wall 16b.
In some embodiments of the invention, the floor 12 is not implemented
holohedrally but is
formed by an arrangement of ribs for saving weight and for easier cleaning.
The same cov-
er the surface of the floor 12 so that the individual bottles are supported
securely on the
floor 12 by their bottle bottom. In the area 50 of the front edge, i.e. in the
area 50 adjacent
to the first side wall 16b, the number or the area density of the ribs,
compared to the resid-
ual area, is increased so that the bottles located there may not tilt outwards
even when they
are tilted from their rest position slightly into the direction of the first
side wall 16b by ex-
terior influences. This is prevented by the ribs being set so densely in the
area 50 adjacent
to the first side wall 16b, that the edge of a bottle may not tilt in between
the spacing be-
tween two adjacent ribs. In other words, in the area 50 adjacent to the first
side wall 16b
the floor 12 comprises a supporting area for the bottles which is larger than
the available
supporting area provided on average across the floor per area unit, to enable
secure holding
of the bottles.
As it may further be gathered from Fig. 4, at the area adjacent to the side
walls 14a, 14b
and 16a the floor 12 comprises an elevation of several ribs whose contour is
implemented
so that when put onto another box it engages in the interior of the side wall
into the contour
of the side walls of the further box in order to guarantee the stackability
and a secure stand-
ing in the stacked state.
Further, the floor of the box in the center of the same comprises a strut 52
extending from
the side wall 16a to the first side wall 16b and whose bars comprise a larger
extent in the
vertical direction than the remaining bars of the floor. This strut 52 serves
to additionally
support the first side wall 16b of a reduced height in order increase the
stability of the box.
The strut 52 is arranged at the center so that the strut which extends
downwards further
than the remaining floor does not obstruct lifting out the bottles from the
bottom box in the
stacked state.
Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of the present invention which basically is
different
from the embodiments discussed with reference to the above figures as using
the embodi-
ment illustrated in Fig. 5 different bottle sizes may be transported. While
the embodiment
illustrated in Fig. 1 is adapted to bottles having a content of 0.5 1, the
embodiment illustrat-
1 I
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
ed in Fig. 5 of a box is adapted to bottles with a content of 0.331. Thus, the
embodiment of
Fig. 5 is basically different from the embodiment of Fig. 1 with respect to
the arrangement
of the sleeves and with respect to the strength of side walls 14a, 14b and 16a
which was
changed to hold the bottles arranged in the interior of the box while the
outer volume is
maintained. Thus, for example, the box illustrated in Fig. 5 comprises five
sleeves 54a,
54b, 54c, 54d and 54e which are adjacent to the first side wall 16b in order
to all in all hold
six bottles of a content of 0.33 1 in the first row. Further, the box of Fig.
5 only comprises
one continuous bar 56 in the center of the box so that alternatively four
sixpacks may be
transported using the box.
Further, the embodiment of Fig. 5, in contrast to the embodiments of Fig. 1 to
4, shows the
box with an upfolded moveable side wall area 23 at the first side wall 16b. As
apart from
that the implementation features of the box of Fig. 5 correspond to those of
Fig. 1 and each
have an identical functionality, a renewed discussion of the components
corresponding to
those of the box Fig. 1 is omitted. It is to be additionally noted here that
the box illustrated
in Fig. 5, just like the box illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises at least one
opening 58 at the side
wall 16a which is opposite to the first side wall 16b, wherein the opening
extends through
the side wall 16a so that the box may be mounted or hung to a wall or a shelf
or the like by
means of the opening.
For increasing security of mounting the embodiments illustrated in Fig. 1 and
5 each addi-
tionally comprise an optional second mounting opening 60.
The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 6 is also configured for the transport of
24 pieces of
bottles with a content of 0.33 1 each and here basically corresponds to the
embodiment il-
lustrated in Fig. 5. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, however, the side walls 14a,
14b and 16a
or at least parts of the side walls 14a, 14b and 16a are arranged foldable
with respect to the
floor by means of hinges. Here they are foldable such that they may be folded
into the di-
rection of the floor and in a folded state are located basically in parallel
to the floor, at it is
illustrated in Fig. 7 for the side wall 16a which is in parallel to the
surface of the floor 12 in
a folded state. Fig. 8 shows all side walls 14a, 14b, and 16a in a folded down
state, so that
in the folded state the box may easily be transported back to the brewery or a
filler without
requiring much storage space. This may substantially reduce transport costs.
Although with respect to Figs 6 to 8 the foldable side walls 14a, 14b and 16a
are only illus-
trated for one box, which is configured to transport 24 bottles a 0.33 1, it
is obvious that
also the box illustrated in Fig. 1 for 0.5 1 bottles may be equipped with
foldable side walls.
It generally applies to any embodiment disclosed here that the features
described or illus-
12
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
trated with respect to the individual embodiments may be randomly combined
with each
other in order to acquire alternative further embodiments of inventive boxes.
Fig. 9 illustrates the embodiment Fig. 5 in a loaded state in which 24 bottles
are located in
the box.
Just like in Fig. 5 also here the moveable side wall area 23 is in the
upfolded position in
order to thus additionally secure the bottles of the frontmost row or to apply
product identi-
fications for transport on the outside of the flexible part 23 which are not
relevant for the
presentation of the goods.
Fig. 10 shows the embodiment of Fig. 5 with an alternative form of load, that
is four
sixpacks 70a, 70b, 70c and 70d.
Fig. 11 finally shows a top view onto the embodiment of Fig. 5, wherein it is
obvious that
the sleeve 54c comprises a different geometrical form than the sleeves 54a,
54b, and 54d or
54e in order to enable placing sixpacks inside. With alternative embodiments,
however, the
central sleeve 54c may of course have the same design or form as the remaining
sleeves,
i.e. for example sleeve 54a. Likewise, any other sleeves may have the form of
sleeve 54c.
As it may be seen from the top view of Fig. 11, also for the case of boxes for
24 beverage
bottles, the floor 12 in the area 50 adjacent to the first side wall 16 is
constructed with a
larger supporting area than the central supporting area of the complete floor
in order to
prevent an unwanted falling out of the bottles from the box.
Fig. 12 shows an enlarged illustration of the sleeves 54a to 54c, so that
their special shape
may be seen which enables, in cooperation with the first side wall 16b, to
hold the bottles
both securely and also retrievable towards the front. In order to achieve this
some embodi-
ments of sleeves have an outer surface whose height is not constant in the
vertical direc-
tion. As an outer boundary surface of the sleeve 54a, in the following, the
hatched area 70
is to be regarded, i.e. the area or the area elements which limit the sleeves
laterally, i.e. in
any direction orthogonal to the vertical direction 18.
The outer boundary surface or area 70 comprises a varying height, as already
indicated
above. Here, the sleeve in a first side surface area 75 which is parallel to
the first side wall
16b and secures a bottle to the back (in the direction 72 facing away from the
first side wall
16b) is less high than in a second side surface area 76 which secures the
bottle against a
tilting in a direction 74 in parallel to the first side wall 16b.
13
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
With the sleeve 54a illustrated in Fig. 12 which comprises a basically diamond-
shaped
cross-section whose tip is directed into the direction of the first side wall
16b, the function
of preventing tilting backwards is executed by a first boundary surface area
75 which corn-
pletes the sleeve basically in the direction in parallel to the first side
wall 16b. A second
boundary surface area 76 limiting the sleeve 54b in the direction of the first
side wall 16b
prevents tilting of the bottles in parallel to the first side wall 16b.
The first side surface area 75 is lower than the second side surface area 76
to enable tilting
when the bottles fall or tilt out to the front, without having to lift the
bottle so far that it
possibly already abuts on the floor of a further box which is stacked on the
respective box.
The second boundary surface area 76, however, prevents tilting in the
direction in parallel
to the first side wall 16b and may thus be higher in order to increase
stability. Generally,
both the sleeves 54a and 54b as also the sleeve 54c cause a maximum stability
when simul-
taneously enabling tilting out towards the front as the sleeves in the
direction in parallel to
the side wall comprise a lower height than in the direction perpendicular to
the side wall.
Further, the sleeves in Fig. 12 are provided with outer boundary partial
surfaces, which are
concavely domed in between the tips of the basically diamond-shaped basic
form, wherein
the radius of the dome basically corresponds to the diameter of a bottle in
order to still be
able to securely hold the bottle.
With reference to figures 13 and 14, in the following, a further aspect of the
invention is
described according to which a box, as it was explained for example with
reference to Fig.
1 to 12, is provided with a further element, a locking element, which for
example serves as
a transport protection. Fig. 13 shows a box which basically corresponds to the
box of Fig.
1, so that a renewed description of the different elements already described
with respect to
Fig. 1 is omitted. As it may be seen, the box according to Fig. 13(a) further
includes a lock-
ing element 100 comprising a bracket 102 which includes two opposing ends. At
a first end
102a of the bracket 102 a first strut 104 is arranged and at a second end 102b
of the bracket
102 a second strut 106 is arranged. The ends 104a and 106a of the struts 104,
106 facing
away from the bracket 102 are arranged rotationally moveable at the opposing
side surfac-
es or end surfaces 14a and 14b. In the situation illustrated in Fig. 13(a),
the locking element
or transport protection element 100 is located in a position which is between
a first position
and a second position. With reference to Fig. 13(b) the box illustrated in
Fig. 13(a) is again
illustrated, but now with the locking element 100 in a first position in which
the bracket
102 extends between the side walls 14a and 14b, wherein the same is arranged
spaced apart
14
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
from the lower side wall 16b. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 13(b) the
bracket 102 is
located half way up the side walls 14a and 14b, wherein the present invention
is not re-
stricted to this arrangement. Rather, the bracket 102 may either be arranged
lower or high-
er, depending on the circumstances. The struts 104 and 106 are implemented
such and sup-
ported such that when folding or turning the bracket 102 from the position
illustrated in
Fig. 13(a) into the position illustrated in Fig. 13(b), the bracket 102 takes
on a certain dis-
tance to the bottom, lower side wall 116b. As it may be gathered from Fig.
13(b), the side
walls 14a and 14b or the surfaces of these two end walls facing the lower side
wall 16b are
structured to receive or include the struts 104 and 106 and the area in which
the bracket
102 is connected to the struts 104 and 106, i.e. the opposing ends 102a and
102b of the
bracket 102, in recesses or cut-outs such that a flush front surface results.
Fig. 14 shows a stacked arrangement of a box of Fig. 1 on which a box
according to Fig.
13 is arranged, wherein here, however, the situation is illustrated in which
the bracket 102
is arranged in a second position in which the same is arranged overlapping the
lower side
wall 14b. As it may be seen, the lower side wall 16b is also structured by
recesses or cut-
outs to receive the bracket 102 in the second position illustrated in Fig. 14
so that a flush
front surface of the side wall 16b results.
As it may further be gathered from Figs 13(b) and 14, the opposing ends 102a
and 102b of
the bracket 102 are implemented such that the same enclose the corresponding
side wall
14a and 14b in the first position illustrated in Fig. 13(b) in order thus
guarantee a latching
and a secure positioning of the bracket 102. In a similar way, in the position
illustrated in
Fig. 14, a secure positioning of the bracket 102 is achieved by corresponding
engagement
elements formed in the low wall engaging the bracket 102.
It is the advantage of this aspect of the invention that now an additional
transport protec-
tion element is provided which is arranged in the position illustrated in Fig.
13(b) during
transport and thus may act upon products located within the box to prevent a
movement of
the same in the direction of the opening, in other words. to provide a further
barrier against
falling out of the products. The bracket is rotatably connected to the side
surfaces or end
surfaces of the box and may easily be moved from the closed position
illustrated in Fig.
13(b) into the open position so that free access onto the products located
within the box is
possible.
The invention is not restricted to the examples described with reference to
Fig. 13 and 14,
and rather, instead of the arrangement of the bracket 102 half way up the end
walls, also
another positioning may be selected, for example the distance from the low
wall 16b may
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
be selected at one third of the height of the side walls or at two thirds of
the height of the
side walls. Further, according to one embodiment it may be provided to
implement the
struts 104 and 106 telescopically in order to thus arrange a positioning of
the bracket 102
based on the situation of Fig. 14 at different heights along the height of the
side walls so
that the height of the locking element 102 may be set flexibly depending on
the products
located within the box.
With respect to Figs 15 and 16 in the following a further aspect of the
invention is de-
scribed, wherein Fig. 15 shows a box which was already described with respect
to Fig. 1
but which is different with respect to the implementation of the floor 12. In
the box illus-
trated in Fig. 15 an insert 112 is provided which is detachably mounted to the
floor of the
box. The insert 112 illustrated in Fig. 16 includes a top surface 112a on
which a first strut
114 is illustrated which extends in parallel to the opposing end walls 14a and
14b across
the complete depth of the box up to the back wall 16a. A further strut, the
cross strut or
cross brace 116 is provided which extends from the side wall 14a about half
way of the
depth of the box up to the first strut 114. The insert 112 may for example be
provided to
receive products packed in cardboard boxes having dimensions corresponding to
the com-
partments resulting in the insert 112. Apart from such products any products
may be pro-
vided to be included in the box according to Fig. 16, wherein according to the
invention for
different products also different inserts 112 may be detachably arranged in
the box.
With respect to Fig. 16 some embodiments for the implementation of the inserts
112 are
given, wherein for example the surface 112a in Fig. 16(a) may be provided with
rectangu-
lar and circular recesses to simultaneously take up products comprising a
corresponding
foot print. Fig. 16(b) shows, similar to Fig. 15, the arrangement of struts on
the top surface
112a of the insert 112, and according to Fig. 16(c) sleeves may be provided on
the top sur-
face 112a similar to what was described with reference to Figs 1 to 12. Fig.
16(d) shows a
lower surface 112b of the insert 112, wherein elements 118a to 118d arranged
at the cor-
ners are illustrated which serve to engage corresponding elements or recesses
in the floor
12 of the box, wherein the elements 118 are preferably implemented so that for
example
after latching with the box floor a detachment from the box floor is only
possible using
special tools so that a box provider may assemble the boxes in a different way
according to
the requiremCnts of the customer without the customer who uses the box having
a possibil-
ity to exchange the insert for using the same with other products. This way,
the boxes may
be assembled according to the requirements of the customers and in particular
increased
demand for boxes with certain inserts may be reacted on when boxes for other
products are
currently not as much in demand.
16
CA 02811669 2013-03-19
Although embodiments were discussed above basically in the context of beverage
boxes,
further embodiments of the present invention may of course also be used for
other product
types. For example, beverage cans and any other cylindrical objects like, for
example, hair
spray, deodorants cans or the like may be transported using the inventive
boxes. Further,
the boxes with a lateral opening may also be used for a completely different
type of prod-
ucts which may deviate from a cylindrical base shape. The boxes are
universally usable for
any products as they enable to laterally take out the product from the box in
the stacked
state. This great advantage is not restricted to the type of transported
goods.
17
