U.S. patent application number 12/749717 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-06 for crate.
This patent application is currently assigned to IFCO SYSTEMS GMBH. Invention is credited to Wolfgang ORGELDINGER.
Application Number | 20110240660 12/749717 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44708424 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110240660 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ORGELDINGER; Wolfgang |
October 6, 2011 |
CRATE
Abstract
A crate comprises a bottom and two respective pairwise opposing
side walls and end walls, wherein each side wall comprises a smooth
inner surface being shaped in a convex form towards the outside of
the crate, thereby providing an inner surface for accommodating
products having rounded surface portions and avoiding damage of the
products.
Inventors: |
ORGELDINGER; Wolfgang;
(Pullach, DE) |
Assignee: |
IFCO SYSTEMS GMBH
Pullach
DE
|
Family ID: |
44708424 |
Appl. No.: |
12/749717 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/608 ;
220/646; 220/669 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 11/1846
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/608 ;
220/646; 220/669 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/40 20060101
B65D001/40; B65D 1/42 20060101 B65D001/42 |
Claims
1. A crate comprising a bottom and two respective pairwise opposing
side walls and end walls, wherein each side wall comprises a smooth
inner surface being shaped in a convex form towards the outside of
the crate, thereby providing an inner surface for accommodating
products having rounded surface portions and avoiding damage of the
products.
2. The crate according to claim 1, the side walls and end walls
comprising stiffening members, wherein the stiffening members are
provided on a respective outer surface of the side walls and end
walls only.
3. The crate according to claim 1, wherein the side walls and end
walls are made of plastic to provide the smooth inner surface.
4. The crate according to claim 1, wherein the convex-shaped smooth
inner surface has a lateral curvature dimension less than a maximum
lateral dimension of the side wall, wherein the inner surface is
substantially curved in a region of the side wall only, where
non-continuous stiffening member extending along a vertical
direction of the side wall are interrupted, and wherein the region
is a central region not close to a corner of the crate.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a crate for accommodating
products such as fruits and vegetables, and in particular, to a
banana crate.
[0002] Crates for storing and transporting products such as fruits
and vegetables are widely used in the market. Normally, such crates
are light and stable, which makes them suitable for bringing the
crops from the field to the customer. Especially for tropical
fruits like bananas, it is common to harvest the crop while it is
still unripe and pack it into the crates for subsequent shipping
and transportation. On their journey, the fruits have time to ripe.
Before the transport, the crates are usually stacked on top of each
other and arranged side by side onto pallets. Here, often a
specific crosstacking technique is used such as in case of a
"five-down configuration". In this five-down configuration, five
crates are arranged adjacent to each other into a rectangular
array, such that two of them form a row in the length direction and
the other three form a row in the width direction.
[0003] However, one problem is that in such a configuration, a free
and uniform air circulation between a short side (end wall) and a
long side (side wall) of adjacent crates according to the prior art
is not guaranteed. This is disadvantageous in that the fruits may
not receive uniform temperature control during their transport and
storage as a result of uneven distribution of air.
[0004] Another disadvantage of known crates is that the inner
surfaces of their side walls are straight, very uneven and may
comprise sharp and/or hard objects such as corners or edges.
Therefore, especially products having rounded surface portions such
as bananas, apples or oranges may easily be damaged by such raw
surfaces.
[0005] Moreover, for the purpose of quality control, it may be
required that a controller can have quick and easy access to the
inside of a specific crate, when this crate (not the uppermost) is
arranged in a stack of a plurality of crates. However, known crates
do not offer this possibility, meaning that the controller has to
partially disassemble and reassemble the stack, when taking a look
into the interior of a specific crate is required. This procedure
is inefficient and also not convenient, thereby representing a
further disadvantage.
[0006] Finally, a further disadvantage associated with known
open-top crates is that in case of stacking two of them on top of
each other, products slightly sticking out beyond the upper end of
the lower crate (e.g. curved portions of a banana) may be contacted
by a load of the upper crate, eventually leading to a damage of the
product.
[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a crate allowing for an improved airflow, packaging, access
for inspection, and stacking of transportable products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
crate comprises a bottom and two respective pairwise opposing side
walls and end walls, each side wall comprising a plurality of vent
holes in a region A extending along a horizontal direction of the
side wall, and each end wall comprising a grip hole. Here, the
region A is the distance d.sub.A away from a corner of the crate,
the distance d.sub.A being equal to the distance d.sub.GH the grip
hole is away from the same corner of the crate. Furthermore, a
height h.sub.A of the region A is substantially equal to the height
h.sub.GH of the grip hole, i.e. the heights are such that same
overlap at least partially in the height direction.
[0009] This insures a venting path for providing an optimum air
flow between adjacent crates, which are, for example, arranged in
the five-down configuration. Consequently, by this venting path, a
fast and especially uniform airflow can be achieved, resulting in
consistent temperature control for fruit quality.
[0010] According to embodiments, the plurality of vent holes may
comprise a pair of vent holes having a combined shape similar to
the grip hole. The plurality of vent holes may be spaced with a
distance being less than a dimension of the grip hole. A vent hole
of the plurality of vent holes may comprise a horizontal dimension
being less than the dimension of the grip hole. The side walls and
the end walls may be configured to be foldable with respect to the
bottom, such that, in a folded state, a remaining volume of the
crate is minimal. The bottom may comprise two pairs of ventilation
openings, wherein each ventilation opening of the first pair has a
width equal or larger than 40 mm and a length equal or larger than
126 mm, and wherein each ventilation opening of the second pair has
a width equal or larger than 40 mm and a length equal or larger
than 25 mm. Each vent hole of the plurality of vent holes may have
a width equal or larger than 20 mm and a length equal or larger
than 24 mm. Each grip hole may have a width equal or larger than 30
mm and a length equal or larger than 100 mm.
[0011] Embodiments of the invention concerns an arrangement of two
crates according to embodiments of the invention, wherein the
crates are arranged such that an end wall of a first crate is
adjacent to a side wall of a second crate, wherein the first crate
is configured to be aligned along a first longitudinal axis
parallel to a side wall of the first crate, and wherein the second
crate is configured to be aligned along a second longitudinal axis
parallel to a side wall of the second crate, the first longitudinal
axis and the second longitudinal axis being perpendicular to each
other, wherein a side wall of the first crate and an end wall of
the second crate are aligned, such that at least a partial overlap
of the grip hole of the first crate and at least one vent hole of
the plurality of vent holes of the second crate is provided, such
that a venting path between the first crate and the second crate is
provided. The plurality of crates may be configured as a five-down
configuration, such that a venting path between adjacent crates is
provided.
[0012] According to a further embodiment, each side wall comprises
a smooth inner surface being shaped in a convex form towards the
outside of the crate, thereby providing an inner surface for
accommodating products having rounded surface portions and avoiding
damage of the products. The side walls and end walls may comprise
stiffening members, which are provided on a respective outer
surface of the side walls and end walls only. The side walls and
the end walls may be made of plastic to provide the smooth inner
surface (810). The convex-shaped smooth inner surface may have a
lateral curvature dimension less than a maximum lateral dimension
of the side wall, wherein the inner surface is substantially curved
in a region of the side wall only, where non-continuous stiffening
member extending along a vertical direction of the side wall are
interrupted, and wherein the region is a central region
[0013] According to a another embodiment, at least one end wall
comprises a thinned portion, wherein the thinned portion is adapted
to allow the user to cut the end wall for providing an inspection
opening. The thinned portion of the end wall may be a groove
surrounding a predefined area of the end wall, wherein the groove
comprises a thickness more than half of the thickness of the end
wall. The end wall (130) may further comprises a plurality of holes
being arranged along the groove, each hole having a diameter larger
than a width of the groove. The thinned portion may be configured
to provide an openable portion hingedly attached to the end wall,
when the thinned portion is cut by the user, wherein the predefined
area is substantially rectangular, and wherein the groove is
adjacent to at least three sides of the predefined area. The
predefined area may be more than one third of an area of the end
wall. The end wall (130) may be made of plastic. An arrangement of
a plurality of crates according the according to embodiments of the
invention may have the plurality of crates arranged adjacent to
each other, such that at least one end wall comprising the thinned
portion is accessible by the user.
[0014] According to a yet another embodiment, the bottom is
arch-shaped curving towards the interior of the crate, such that a
space S between a lower surface of the bottom and a plane P defined
by a lower end of the crate is provided. This, essentially, allows
to stack two crates on top of each other without squeezing or
damaging products protruding from the lower crate into the space S.
The bottom may be arch-shaped along a direction of an end wall or
along a direction of a side wall of the crate. The bottom may be
wavy-shaped along a direction of the side wall in a border region
of the side wall, a first portion of the wavy-shaped bottom may be
at a height of the plane, and a second portion of the wavy-shaped
portion may be maximally at a height of a lower end of the upper
portion. The bottom may comprises an upper portion and a lower
portion recessed with respect to the outer point of the walls, and
a distance of the recess may be equal to a thickness of the walls,
allowing for engagement of the lower portion with a top opening of
a further crate. The lower portion may have an area defined by an
outer perimeter of the lower portion, and the upper portion may
have an area defined by an outer perimeter of the upper portion,
the side walls and end walls may comprise inner surfaces and outer
surfaces, wherein an inner area may be defined by the inner
surfaces at a upper end of the crate, and wherein an outer area may
be defined by the outer surfaces at the upper end of the crate,
wherein the area may be approximately equal the area and the area
may be approximately equals the area. Embodiments define a stack of
two crates according to the invention wherein a first crate and a
second crate are configured to provide an inner area defined by the
inner surfaces at an upper end of the first crate and an area
defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion of the second
crate, wherein the area and the area are equal, such that the
movement between the first crate and the second crate is prevented,
when the second crate is stacked on top of the first crate. The
bottom of the second crate may comprise a plurality of vent
openings being configured to provide a venting path between the
first crate and the second crate.
[0015] Other elements, features, steps, characteristics and
advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] In the following, embodiments of the present invention will
be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a
crate;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the crate in
accordance with FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a side wall of the embodiment of
the crate in accordance with FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 4 shows a side view of an end wall of the embodiment of
the crate in accordance with FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the end wall and the side wall
of the crate in accordance with FIG. 1 mentally unfold at a corner
of the same;
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates dimensions of a plurality of vent holes
and a grip hole according to a further embodiment of a crate;
[0023] FIGS. 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement of a
plurality of crates of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 in the
partial five-down configuration;
[0024] FIG. 7c shows a side view of an end wall of a crate of
arrangement in accordance with FIGS. 7a; 7b;
[0025] FIG. 7d shows a side view of a side wall of a crate of the
arrangement in accordance with FIGS. 7a; 7b;
[0026] FIG. 7e shows a top view of a crate of the arrangement in
accordance with FIGS. 7a; 7b;
[0027] FIGS. 8a; 8b show a perspective view of an embodiment of a
plurality of crates of the embodiment of FIG. 6 in the partial
five-down configuration;
[0028] FIG. 8c shows a side view of an end wall of a crate of the
arrangement in accordance with FIGS. 8a; 8b;
[0029] FIG. 8d shows a side view of a side wall of a crate of the
arrangement in accordance with FIGS. 8a; 8b;
[0030] FIG. 8e shows a top view of a crate of the arrangement in
accordance with FIGS. 8a; 8b;
[0031] FIG. 9 shows a detailed top view of a side wall of a further
embodiment of a crate with a convex-shaped smooth inner
surface;
[0032] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of
a crate with an openable portion;
[0033] FIG. 11a shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of
a crate with an arch-shaped bottom;
[0034] FIG. 11b shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the crate in accordance with FIG. 11a;
[0035] FIGS. 12a, 12b illustrates details of the bottom of the
embodiment of the crate in accordance with FIGS. 11a; 11b;
[0036] FIG. 13a shows a partial side view of an embodiment of a
stack of two crates stacked on top of each other; and
[0037] FIG. 13b shows a partial side view of a further embodiment
of the stack in accordance with FIG. 13a with a space (S) between
the two crates.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0038] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a crate
100. The crate 100 comprises a bottom 110 and two respective
pairwise opposing side walls 120 and end walls 130. Referring to
FIG. 1, the side wall 120 has a larger extent than the end wall
130. Both the side walls 120 and the end walls 130 are foldable
with respect to the bottom 110. In particular, the side walls 120
and the end walls 130 are attached to the bottom 110 such that they
can be folded onto it in the directions of the arrows, as shown in
FIG. 1. In a folded state, the remaining volume of the crate 100 is
minimal. This has the advantage that in the folded state, the crate
100 occupies only a low height. Therefore, a large number of empty
crates may be stacked onto a pallet for transport.
[0039] In embodiments, the crate 100 is made of plastic in order to
provide a low weight and a high stability for storage and/or
transport applications.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, each side wall 120 comprises a plurality
125 of vent holes, while each end wall 130 comprises a grip hole
135. The plurality 125 of vent holes is essentially located in a
region A extending along a horizontal direction 101 of the side
wall 120. Here, the horizontal direction is defined as a direction
along a longer side of a respective side wall. Moreover, the region
A is essentially defined as a region surrounded by two continuous
stiffening members 121, 122 in the vicinity of the upper end of the
crate 100, where a plurality 123 of non-continuous stiffening
members is not interrupted. It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that the
side walls 120 and the end walls 130 may be fastened to each other
by using a fastener 140, when the crate 100 is in its unfolded
state.
[0041] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the embodiment of the crate 100
in accordance with FIG. 1. In particular, the bottom 110 may
comprise two pairs 210, 220 of ventilation openings, which may be
symmetrically arranged with respect to an axis 205 parallel to the
end wall 130 along a central longitudinal axis 201. Specifically,
each ventilation opening of the first pair 210 may have a width 212
equal or larger than 40 mm and a length 214 equal or larger than
126 mm, while each ventilation opening of the second pair 220 may
have a width 222 equal or larger than 40 mm and a length 224 equal
or larger than 25 mm. Here, the width is defined as a dimension
parallel to the end wall 130, while the length is defined as the
dimension parallel to the side wall 120. The two pairs 210, 220 of
ventilation openings should be dimensioned such that they are large
enough to provide a proper venting through the bottom 110. However,
they may not be chosen so large that specific products will fall
out of the crate 100. As can already be seen in FIG. 2, an inner
surface 121 of the side wall 120 is configured to be bent towards
the outside of the crate 100, which will be described in detail
later on.
[0042] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a side wall 120 of the
embodiment of the crate 100 in accordance with FIG. 1. In the FIG.
3 view, the plurality 125 of vent holes can be clearly seen. In
particular, the plurality 125 of vent holes may comprise a pair 310
of vent holes. Together, these vent holes may have a combined shape
similar to that of the grip hole 135 (comp. FIG. 1). This is
advantageous because by adapting the combined shape, it is possible
to achieve an optimum overlap of the pair 310 of vent holes and the
grip hole 135, when, for example, two crates are arranged in a
five-down configuration. With regard to FIG. 3, each vent hole of
the plurality 125 of vent holes may have a width 312 equal or
larger than 20 mm and a length 314 equal or larger than 24 mm.
Here, the width is defined as a dimension in a vertical direction
301 of the side wall 120, while the length is defined as a
dimension in the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120.
Moreover, the continuous stiffening members 121, 122 and the
plurality 123 of non-continuous stiffening members extending in the
vertical direction 101 of the side wall 120 are clearly seen in
FIG. 3.
[0043] FIG. 4 shows a side view of an end wall 130 of the
embodiment of the crate 100 in accordance with FIG. 1. As can be
seen in FIG. 4, the grip hole 135 is centered with respect to two
edges 131, 132, of the crate 100. The grip hole 135 is also
recessed with respect to an upper end of the crate 100 by a
distance 133 of about 30 mm. In particular, by joining the grip
hole 135 to a thickened upper frame portion 134 of the end wall
130, a strong grip may be provided for carrying a loaded crate 100.
Referring to FIG. 4, the grip hole 135 may have a width 137 equal
or larger than 30 mm and a length 139 equal or larger than 100 mm.
Here, the width is defined as the dimension in a vertical direction
402 of the end wall 130, while the length is defined as the
dimension in a horizontal direction 401 of the end wall 130. It can
also be seen that the grip hole 135 tapers from a maximum
horizontal extension at an upper point 136 to a minimum horizontal
extension at a lower point 138, thereby providing an ergonomic
grip. The fastener 140 is also clearly visible in FIG. 4. The
fastener 140 may be attached to the end wall 130 in that it can
engage with the recess 128 provided in a portion 126 of the side
wall 120. Here, the fastening mechanism may work on the basis that
a displacement element 142 of the fastener 140 can be displaced
against the force of a spring element. Additionally, as already
indicated in FIG. 4, the end wall 130 may comprise a thinned
portion 410 essentially surrounding a central portion of the end
wall 130 including a part of the grip hole 135. The purpose and
more details regarding the thinned portion 410 will be described
later. A further characteristic feature of the end wall 130 is that
a plurality 420 of stiffening members may be provided close to a
border region of the end wall 130. This provides an increased
ability supporting the above-mentioned fastening mechanism.
Arrangement of the Vent Holes (1.sup.st Aspect)
[0044] A first aspect of the present invention addresses the
disadvantage that in a five-down configuration, for example, a
uniform air flow is not provided between adjacent crates according
to the prior art.
[0045] FIG. 5 depicts the end wall 130 and the side wall 120 of the
crate 100 mentally unfold at the same corner 505 of the crate 100.
Alternatively, FIG. 5 may also illustrate an end wall 512 of a
first crate 510 adjacent to a side wall 522 of a second crate 520,
wherein the first crate 510 is aligned with the second crate 520 at
the corner 505. As depicted, the side wall 120 of the crate 100, or
alternatively, the side wall 522 of the second crate 520 comprises
the plurality 125 of vent holes in a region A. The region A is
indicated in FIG. 5 by a dashed line 501. In embodiments, the
region A is a distance d.sub.A away from the corner 505 and has a
height h.sub.A. Furthermore, the end wall 130, or alternatively,
the end wall 512 of the first crate 510 comprises the grip hole
135. In embodiments, the grip hole 135 is a distance d.sub.GH away
from the same corner 505 and has a height h.sub.GH. It can be seen
in the FIG. 5 embodiment that the distance d.sub.A is approximately
equal to the distance d.sub.GH and the height h.sub.A is
approximately equal to the height h.sub.GH. Therefore, especially
in the five-down configuration (see FIGS. 7a, 7b, 8a; 8b), at least
a partial overlap of the grip hole 135 of the first crate 510 and
at least one vent hole (e.g. vent hole 515) of the second crate 520
may be provided, and consequently, venting paths between the two
crates 510, 520 will be obtained.
[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates dimensions of a plurality 615 of vent
holes and a grip hole 135 according to a further embodiment of the
crate 100. The plurality 615 of vent holes shown in FIG. 6 may
correspond to the plurality 125 of vent holes shown in FIG. 3. In
the FIG. 6 embodiment, the plurality 615 of vent holes is spaced
along the horizontal direction 101 of the side wall 120 with a
distance s.sub.VH. In addition, each vent hole may have the same
extent and may be rectangular-shaped. The distance s.sub.VH may be
chosen such that it is less than a dimension l.sub.GH of the grip
hole 135, wherein the dimension l.sub.GH may correspond to the
maximum horizontal extent 139, as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, the
horizontal dimension l.sub.VH of a vent hole may be chosen less
than the dimension l.sub.GH of the grip hole 135. A vertical
dimension of the vent hole along the vertical direction 301 may
also be less than the vertical extent of the grip hole 135.
Therefore, a characteristic dimension of the plurality 615 of vent
holes is generally configured to be smaller than that of the grip
hole 135, such that an overlap of the at least one vent hole 515
with the grip hole 135 may be provided, such as in case of the
five-down configuration.
[0047] FIGS. 7a; 7b show a perspective view of an arrangement 700
of a plurality of crates of the embodiment described with respect
to FIGS. 1 to 5 in a partial five-down configuration. In this
context, `partial` means that only three instead of five crates 100
of the five-down configuration are shown. Referring to FIGS. 7a and
7b, the two specific crates 510, 520 are arranged such that the end
wall 512 of the first crate 510 is adjacent to the side wall 522 of
the second crate 520. Here, the first crate 510 is aligned along a
first longitudinal axis 701, while the second crate 520 is aligned
along a second longitudinal axis 702. As can be seen in FIGS. 7a;
7b, the first longitudinal axis 701 and the second longitudinal
axis 702 are perpendicular to each other. Moreover, a side wall 720
of the first crate 510, which may correspond to the side wall 120
of FIG. 3, and an end wall 730 of the second crate 520, which may
correspond to the end wall 130 of FIG. 4, are aligned to be flush
in this partial five-down configuration. Correspondingly, the at
least partial overlap of the grip hole 125 of the first crate 510
and the at least one vent hole of the plurality 125 of vent holes
of the second crate 520 may be provided. The thus obtained venting
path 710, which is indicated by a dark arrow, shows a venting path
for the air flow, thereby securing a proper ventilation of the
respective interior of the crates 510, 520.
[0048] FIGS. 7c, 7d and 7e show different views of the end wall
512, the side wall 522 and the crate 510, respectively.
Specifically, in the shown embodiments, further different
formations of ventilation regions 705; 706; 709 in the lower part
of the crate 510 may be provided, eventually leading to better
ventilation properties.
[0049] FIGS. 8a; 8b show a perspective view of an arrangement 700
of a plurality of crates of the embodiment described with respect
to FIG. 6 in a partial five-down configuration. In this context,
`partial` means that only three instead of five crates 100 of the
five-down configuration are shown. Referring to FIGS. 8a and 8b,
the two specific crates 510, 520 are arranged such that the end
wall 512 of the first crate 510 is adjacent to the side wall 522 of
the second crate 520. Here, the first crate 510 is aligned along a
first longitudinal axis 751, while the second crate 520 is aligned
along a second longitudinal axis 752. As can be seen in FIGS. 8a;
8b, the first longitudinal axis 751 and the second longitudinal
axis 752 are perpendicular to each other. Moreover, a side wall 770
of the first crate 510 and an end wall 780 of the second crate 520
are aligned to be flush in this partial five-down configuration.
Correspondingly, the at least partial overlap of the grip hole 135
of the first crate 510 and the at least one vent hole 515 of the
plurality 615 of vent holes of the second crate 520 may be
provided, wherein the overlap region 765 is indicated by a dark
mark. The thus obtained venting path 760, which is indicated by an
arrow, shows a venting path for the air flow, thereby securing a
proper ventilation of the respective interior of the crates 510,
520.
[0050] FIGS. 8c, 8d and 8e show different views of the end wall
512, the side wall 522 and the crate 510, respectively.
Specifically, in the shown embodiments, further different
formations of ventilation regions 755; 756; 759 in the lower part
and/or close to a corner (region 757) of the crate 510 may be
provided, eventually leading to better ventilation properties.
Inner Surface of the Crate (2.sup.nd Aspect)
[0051] A second aspect of the present invention addresses the
further disadvantage that the inner surfaces of the side walls of
known crates are straight and not free of sharp and/or hard
objects.
[0052] FIG. 9 shows a top view of the side wall 120 of the crate
100 in more detail. It can be seen in FIG. 9 that the side wall 120
comprises stiffening members 815 including the stiffening members
121, 122, which were also shown in FIG. 1. The side wall 120 may
comprise a smooth inner surface 810 being shaped in a convex form
towards the outside of the crate 100. In addition, the stiffening
members 815 may be provided on the outer surface of the side wall
120 only. In order to provide the smooth inner surface 810, the
crate 100 or at least the side wall 120 can be made of plastic. It
can be seen in FIG. 9 that the convex-shaped smooth inner surface
810 has a lateral curvature dimension l.sub.c less than a maximum
lateral dimension d.sub.SW of the side wall 120. Here, the lateral
dimension is defined as the dimension in a lateral direction 801
perpendicular to the side wall 120. The inner surface 810 is
substantially curved in a region B of the side wall 120 only. With
regard to FIG. 3, this region B is defined as a region, where the
non-continuous stiffening members 123 extending along the vertical
direction 301 are interrupted. The region B is therefore a central
region, which is not close to a corner 805 of the crate 100, and
which is essentially bordered by the continuous stiffening members
121, 122. The advantage of using the convex-shaped inner surface
810 is that on the one hand, the crate 100 will especially be
suitable for accommodating products with rounded surface portions.
On the other hand, since the inner surface 810 can be made very
smooth, i.e. without sharp edges or corners, the risk of damaging
or crushing the transportable products during their transport may
be minimized.
Quick Access to the Crate Interior (3.sup.rd Aspect)
[0053] A third aspect of the present invention addresses the
further disadvantage regarding the lack of possibility of quick and
easy access to the inside of a specific crate, when the same is,
for example, stacked into a column onto a pallet.
[0054] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of
a crate 100 with an openable portion. In the FIG. 10 embodiment,
the end wall 130 comprises a thinned portion 910, which may
correspond to the thinned portion 410 shown in FIG. 4, wherein the
thinned portion 910 may be configured as a groove. This groove 910
is made in the end wall 130 and surrounds at least three sides of a
predefined area 905. As can be seen in the FIG. 10 embodiment, the
predefined area 905 is substantially rectangular. The zoom view
shows that the groove 910 comprises a thickness l.sub.GR in a
direction perpendicular to the end wall 130, which is more than
half of the thickness l.sub.EW of the end wall 130. This
characteristic of the groove 910 allows for an easy cutting
thereof. Furthermore, along the groove 910, a plurality 915 of
holes may be arranged, wherein each hole may have a diameter 917
larger than a width 912 of the groove 910. The width 912 may
typically be equal or larger than 6 mm (see also FIG. 4). The
dimensioning of the holes 915 is therefore such that a knife, which
is commonly used by a controller, can be easily introduced into
them and then cut along the groove 910. By cutting the groove 910,
an openable portion 920 may be provided, which is essentially
attached to the end wall 130. The openable portion 920 can be
unfolded as indicated by the arrow. The purpose of providing such
an openable portion is that the user can take a look inside the
interior of the crate 100 for inspecting the accommodated products.
For example, it can be checked whether carried fruits such as
bananas have already reached a certain degree of ripeness. Again,
the end wall 130 may be made of plastic, such that a normal knife
can be used by the controller. The FIG. 10 embodiment shows also
that the predefined area 905 my be more than one third of an area
of the end wall 130 so as to provide a large enough inspection
opening. In embodiments, where two or more crates 100 are stacked
adjacent to each other, such as in the five-down configuration
partially shown in FIGS. 7a; 7b, 8a, 8b, they should be arranged
such that the groove 910 of at least one end wall 130 may be
accessible by a user.
Arch-Shaped Crate Bottom (4.sup.th Aspect)
[0055] A fourth aspect of the present invention addresses the
further disadvantage that products protruding from a lower crate
may be damaged by a load of an upper crate, when the upper crate is
stacked on top of the lower crate.
[0056] FIGS. 11a, 11b show perspective views of further embodiments
of a crate 100, wherein the bottom 110 is particularly arch-shaped
curving towards the interior of the crate 100. The bottom 110 may
either be curved along a direction 1001 of the end wall 130 (see
FIG. 11a) or along a direction 1002 of the side wall 120 (see FIG.
11b). As can be clearly seen in the FIGS. 11a, 11b, both designs
provide an additional space S between a lower surface of a bottom
110 and a plane P. Here, the plane P is defined by a lower end of
the crate 100, respectively.
[0057] FIGS. 12a, 12b show more details of the bottom 110 of
further embodiments of the crate 100 in accordance with FIGS. 11a,
11b. In particular, FIG. 12a is a partial section view along a line
L.sub.1-L.sub.1 of FIG. 11a, while FIG. 12b is a partial section
view along a line L.sub.2-L.sub.2 of FIG. 11a. In both FIG. 12a and
FIG. 12b, the bottom 110 comprises an upper portion 1110 and a
lower portion 1120, wherein the lower portion 1120 may be recessed
with respect to an outer point 1101 of the walls of the crate 100.
As can be clearly seen in the section view of FIG. 12a, the lower
portion 1120 of the bottom 110 may be curved upwards along the
direction 1001, such that a bulge 1125 will be obtained. The
additional space S that is created is depicted in FIG. 12a as a
gradual increase of a cross-sectional area to the right.
[0058] The partial section view of FIG. 12b shows that the bottom
110 may have a wave like shape along the direction 1002 in the
vicinity of the side wall 120. Note that L.sub.2-L.sub.2 is taken
at a border region of the crate 100, as shown in FIG. 11a. In
particular, the wave like shape of the bottom 110 causes bulges
1125 to be located along the direction 1002, i.e. along the end
wall 120, which makes the bottom 110 very rigid.
[0059] In further embodiments, starting from a central longitudinal
axis of a crate 100, the curvature of the bulges 1125 may also
become gradually more pronounced in the direction 1001 (i.e. in a
direction closer to the side wall 120).
[0060] In further embodiments, a first portion of the wavy-shaped
bottom 110 is at a height of the plane P, while a second portion of
the wavy-shaped bottom 110 is maximally at a height of a lower end
of the upper portion 1110 corresponding to a maximum extent of the
wave like shape.
[0061] FIGS. 13a, 13b show side views of further embodiments,
wherein, for example, two crates 1210, 1220 are stacked on top of
each other. Both in the FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 embodiments, a distance
d.sub.R of the recess may be chosen such that it will be equal to a
thickness l.sub.w of the walls. In this way, an engagement of the
lower portion 1120 of the second crate 1220 and a top opening of
the first crate 1210 may be achieved, therefore preventing a
lateral movement in a direction 1201 shown in FIG. 13a.
[0062] In further embodiments, the lower portion 1120 has an area
A.sub.LP defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion 1120,
while the upper portion 1110 has an area A.sub.UP defined by an
outer perimeter of the upper portion 1110. Moreover, an inner area
A.sub.IS may be defined by the inner surfaces of the walls at an
upper end of the crate 100, while an outer area A.sub.OS may be
defined by the outer surfaces of the walls at the upper end of the
crate 100. In particular, the area A.sub.LP approximately equals
the area A.sub.IS, while the area A.sub.UP approximately equals the
area A.sub.OS.
[0063] In further embodiments, an inner area A.sub.IS, 1 defined by
the inner surfaces at an upper end of the first crate 1210 and an
area A.sub.LP, 2 defined by an outer perimeter of the lower portion
1120 of the second crate 1220 may be equal, such that the first
crate 1210 and the second crate 1220 fit accurately together, when
the second crate 1220 is stacked on top of the first crate
1210.
[0064] In further embodiments, the bottom 110 of the second crate
1220 may also comprise a plurality of vent openings so as to
provide a venting path between the first crate 1210 and the second
crate 1220.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 13b, the advantage of providing the
additional space S is that in practice, when two or more crates are
stacked on top of each other into a column onto a pallet, products
1205 extending beyond an upper end of the lower crate 1210 of the
column, such as the curved portions of a banana protruding the
plane P, may be efficiently protected from being squeezed by heavy
load of the upper crate 1220 of the column.
[0066] In summary, embodiments of the present invention provide a
crate such as a banana crate, wherein the design of the vent holes
of the crate allows for proper venting of the interior of the crate
even in case same is stacked such that two crates are arranged such
the end wall of one crate is adjacent to a side wall of another
crate (e.g. a five-down configuration). Specifically, by providing
a venting path, a uniform air distribution and therefore a
consistent temperature control for fruit quality may be achieved
with such a design.
[0067] Here, the arrangement of the vent holes in the side walls is
to be such that at least one vent hole is to be provided in the
side wall at a distance from each corner, the distance being equal
to the distance the grip hole in the end wall is away from the same
corner, thereby ensuring at least a partial overlap of the grip
hole and at least one vent hole in case of stacking the plurality
of crates as mentioned above. In accordance with further
embodiments pairs of vent holes may be provided that together may
have a shape similar to the grip hole. Also, a plurality of vent
holes being equally spaced may be provided with a spacing being
less than the dimension of the grip hole.
[0068] A further aspect of embodiments is the smooth inside surface
thereof being shaped in convex form towards the outside and
therefore products with rounded surfaces, like bananas, are more
easily accommodated at the side portions of the crate by providing
the convex or curved inner surface. This may apply for both the
side walls and for the end walls. In accordance with further
embodiments, stiffening members like ribs and the likes are
provided only on the outside of the crate.
[0069] Yet another feature of embodiments is the provision of a
thinned portion in the end walls allowing a cutting thereof to
provide for an opening, allowing a user of the crate to take a look
into the interior of the crate, which is important for determining
for a complete batch of crates whether the product inside the
crate, for example bananas, already reached a desired degree of
ripeness.
[0070] The fourth feature concerns the bottom which is arch-shaped.
This does not have any direct impact on the products inside the
crate, but upon stacking a plurality of crates on top of each
other. This allows for provided additional space in a crate below,
thereby avoiding damaging product which slightly stick out beyond
the upper end of the lower crate. The arch- and wavy-shaped bottom
allows accommodating such products slightly sticking out in the
crate below.
[0071] The above described embodiments are merely illustrative for
the principles of the present invention. It is understood that
modifications and variations of the arrangements and the details
described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. It
is the intent, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the
impending patent claims and not by the specific details presented
by way of description and explanation of the embodiments
herein.
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