Receptacles – Sidewall structure – Apertured sidewall
Patent
1997-01-23
1998-12-22
Castellano, Stephen J.
Receptacles
Sidewall structure
Apertured sidewall
220921, 220913, 220670, B65D 2504
Patent
active
058509364
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to bottom and side wall formations according to the preamble of claim 1.
A problem in the transport of perishable goods, for example fruit and vegetables, is the discrepancy between the lightness of the transport containers, which is generally obtained by an open bottom and side wall structure, and protection of the contained goods from damage. The main danger is of the contained goods being damaged from the outside, in particular in the case of fruit and vegetables, since when wooden containers or crates are interlocked in a stack for example, splinters can penetrate through the open structure of the side or bottom walls and enter the transported goods, making them unfit for sale, which can mean a considerable financial loss. A further problem with prior art containers is that the open formation of the bottom and side walls usually obtained by a crosswise arrangement of slats involves a latent danger of injury, since human extremities, e.g. fingers, can very easily be pinched and sprained during handling and transport when they get into one of the openings in the side or bottom walls during lifting, moving or stacking.
The problem of the present invention is to provide a side or bottom wall formation for transport containers or the like which has little weight due to an open structure, on the one hand, while preventing penetration of foreign bodies, on the other hand. Furthermore the side or bottom wall formation should be both stable and easy and economical to produce, and have a pleasing appearance to the eye.
According to the invention a side or bottom wall formation for boxes and containers, in particular plastic fruit and vegetable containers, is provided which has openings in preferably regular arrangement for airing the goods. The openings are limited by bars having legs at each end and disposed generally side by side a small distance apart. The connection of two legs by the bar thus results in a section, e.g. an I, S, T or Z shape, that limits the openings and is easy to produce by forming and permits very effective stiffening of the wall formation. The legs, which are preferably disposed in the planes of the sides of the side or bottom wall, are staggered so that, in a horizontal projection of the wall formation, the legs of one side are located in the area of the gaps between the legs of the other side, thereby preventing both a look through and penetration by objects at right angles to the superficial extension of the wall formation. As a result, at least some but preferably all openings have two laterally staggered aperture cross sections.
The section legs disposed side by side a small distance apart yield a smooth outside and inside surface of the wall formation which is gentle on the goods to be received, is easy to clean and produces a quiet external appearance. Since the section bars with their section legs permit a smooth formation of the inside and outside surfaces of the wall formation, the section legs disposed side by side a small distance apart offer a good labeling or printing surface so that the inventive wall formation also permits simple marking.
The side-by-side arrangement of the sections resulting from the legs and the connecting bars forms preferably labyrinthine openings therebetween, which favors the ventilation of the goods received in a container having the inventive wall formation. The labyrinthine nature of the openings in the wall formation, or the lateral stagger of the aperture cross sections, prevents objects from penetrating therethrough so that the contained goods are protected. Furthermore the inventive section bars result in a considerable stiffening of the wall formation in the direction of extension of the sections since the latter show high flexural strength with low use of material. To obtain stiffness in the wall formation direction perpendicular to the extension of the sections as well, the adjacent sections are preferably interconnected by cross bars which are preferably disposed at right angles to the extension of the sectio
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patent: 5154302 (1992-10-01), Alcorn
Castellano Stephen J.
Schoeller-Plast S.A.
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