Transport box for fish or other food

Abstract

A one-piece plastic box for transporting fish or other food has end walls, side walls, and an imperforate bottom sloping downward toward discharge slots passing through the walls where the bottom joins the walls. The sidewalls include a substantially vertical lower portion and an inwardly inclined upper portion, the top of which is turned horizontally outward to form a board-like support surface with its outer margin bent downwardly to reinforce the support surface. Additional reinforcing is provided under the support surface and at the corners of the box. Means are provided for vertically aligning adjacent boxes in a stack of boxes. Means are also provided to prevent a single box or the bottom box in a stack of boxes from sliding on a smooth surface such as the deck of a ship.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 147,020, filed May 26, 1971, now abandoned.

Description

The present invention relates to a transport box preferably intended for transport of fish or other food. Said box is made from plastic material and comprises an imperforate bottom, end walls, side walls and frame-like upper boards which extend along the top edge of the walls and are provided with knobs or the like.

Several proposals have been made previously as to fishing boxes made from plastic material. The known boxes have, however, had a shape which necessitates a comparatively complicated and expensive production, since the box could not be produced as a unit in one single moulding operation. Previously, e.g., the upper boards were produced separately and preferably welded onto the box. Likewise, reinforcing and stiffening elements were produced separately and then secured to the box.

It is an object of the invention to provide a transport box, preferably for fish, which box is produced in one piece in one single moulding operation, both the box and its upper board and reinforcing elements being manufactured in one and the same operation. According to the invention it is, thus, proposed to shape a box of the mentioned kind in such a way that the horizontal upper board surface is made at least in part from the prolongation of the upper side wall edges, said edges being bent so as to form the upper board surface via more or less vertical reinforcing portions, and that the upper board surface is preferably also provided with a reinforcing edge bent downwards on the opposite side. A further reinforcement of the upper boards and the box can be achieved by providing vertical transversal supports in one piece with the lower surface of the upper boards.

To reinforce the upper board and the box according to the invention still more, the box corners are provided with tube shaped, vertical stiffening portions. Their inner hollow space which thus also extends vertically will be open in both ends when finished. Usually, this will be the most suitable solution, since collection of moisture is prevented. However, said hollow spaces may, if desired, be closed after the production, e.g., at their upper end.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 shows a vertical transverse section (taken in the plane 1--1 in FIG. 5) of a fishing box according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional detail view taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional detail of the portion of the box immediately below the upper board taken along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a section in a vertical plane along line 4--4 in FIG. 1 showing the reinforced corner structure.

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a fishing box constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, a fishing box constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention comprises side walls 2, end walls 3, and an imperforate bottom 1 sloping downward from a central transverse ridge 15 toward a plurality of drainage slots 12 through end walls 3 where the end walls join the bottom. Imperforate bottom 1 prevents waste water or other liquids flowing or dripping from the fish in the box from flowing into boxes stacked below. Slots 12 allow water to escape from the box only at the outer periphery of the bottom where it flows down the outside of boxes stacked below. The sloping of bottom 1 improves drainage of liquids from the box by way of slots 12. Although drainage slots 12 are provided only in end walls 3 in the embodiment shown in the drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that similar drainage slots may be additionally or alternatively provided in side walls 2. In the event that drainage slots are provided in all four walls, bottom 1 may be modified to slope downward from a central point toward all four walls.

In order to provide boxes according to the invention with the necessary strength and to be able to stress the upper board in use it is necessary to reinforce the upper boards and the walls effectively. In the shown embodiment this is achieved by forming the upper portions of side walls 2 in such a way that suitable reinforcing portions are formed. The side walls 2 are thus, as will be seen, at first bent inwards to form an inclined portion 2'. They are then bent vertically upwards to form a short portion 2", which then turns into the horizontal frame-like upper board 4. The outer edge of said upper board 4 is, furthermore, bent downwards, so as to form a partially vertical reinforcing edge or flange 4' substantially in the plane of the lower vertical portion of side wall 2. The shape of the hollow space 5 within said bent portion permits the corresponding projection of the mould to be removed from the finished fishing box without any difficulty.

The same applies to the vertical, tube shaped corner reinforcements 7, the hollow space 8 of which is provided by corresponding cores of the mould. Said cores can easily be removed axially through the hollow spaces when the box has been moulded.

In addition to the mentioned side portions 2', 2" and the flanges 4' the upper boards 4 may on one or several locations have vertical ribs or reinforcing webs 10 along the side walls. Said ribs or webs are also manufactured in one piece with the box during the moulding operation.

With side walls 2 shaped as described above, an effective reinforcement of the upper boards 4 is achieved. It is thus possible to walk on said boards, when the fishing boxes are, for instance, stowed away in the hold of a ship or are handled otherwise. As known, upper boards of this kind are necessary for transport boxes for fish, especially on board of ships.

Although in the embodiment shown in the drawing only side walls 2 have the special reinforcing upper portion of this invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that end walls 3 may be similarly formed if desired.

To facilitate vertical stacking of the boxes, upper boards 4 are provided with a plurality of knobs 6 and bottom 1 is provided with ribs 13 offset from the positions of the knobs 6 so that boxes of the same kind can be safely supported upon each other when stacked, the knobs 6 then being inserted between ribs 13.

The described embodiment provides a fishing box which is very easily cleaned. The inclined upper wall portion 2' provides a shape of the inside 11 of the side walls which permits simple and effective cleaning of the box. Previously known fishing boxes of this kind had often a sharp angle beneath the upper board. In that location cleaning was made difficult both because it is difficult to see impurities and because it is difficult to reach them.

The tube shaped corner reinforcements 7 may have their hollow spaces 8 closed at their upper and/or lower end by covers 9 which are welded across the openings. Alternatively the lower openings may, if desired, be closed by rubber stoppers 16 projecting so far into the opening that it is securely held, and having its lower portion protruding a little below the box level. Said lower portion will then serve as a leg, and since its lower surface is preferably provided with ribs 17 in the same pattern as the remaining circumference of the bottom of the box, a good engagement with the support is achieved. Also the flexibility of the rubber stopper will cause it to be compressed to the same level as the remaining ribs 13 of the box bottom, when the box is stacked with other corresponding boxes.

Boxes according to the invention can thus be produced in one piece by one single moulding operation, which makes the production considerably less expensive and simpler than other known methods of production. At the same time a box is provided which has the necessary strength and is especially easy to clean.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A transport box moulded from plastic material as a unit comprising side walls and end walls and a bottom, said side walls each having a vertical portion and an inwardly inclined upper portion, the top edge of said upper portion being horizontally turned outwardly forming a board-like support with its outer margin bent downwardly, a plurality of spaced vertical stiffening webs extending between said board-like support and said inclined upper portion, means forming tubular vertical reinforced corners at the junctures of said side and end walls, said tubular corners being closed at their tops, and a plurality of knobs on the upwardly facing surface of said board-like supports and ribs on the bottom of the box fitting between said knobs when said boxes are stacked, and compressible rubber inserts in the bottom of said tubular corners extending below the bottom of the box, said inserts being compressible to the level of said ribs.