CN115243980A - Stackers and transport and/or storage systems containing two or more stackers - Google Patents

Abstract

A stacking box (1) is disclosed, the stacking box (1) comprising: a base (2); in particular a circumferential wall (3) which delimits the receiving space (4) together with the base (2), and a receiving opening (6) which is delimited by an edge (5) of the wall (3). A support element (7) which can be moved back and forth between a rest position and a support position is attached to the stacking box (1). When in the supporting position, the supporting elements (7) are positioned such that they enable the storage area of a stacked box (1) and another stacked box (1) having substantially the same structure to be placed on top of each other to form a stacked box. When in the rest position, the support elements (7) are positioned such that they allow the stacking box (1) and another stacking box (1) to be placed inside the other to form a nested box stack. According to the invention, a support element (7) is designed and attached to the stacking box (1) such that it is moved into the support position solely by gravity drive when the stacking box (1) is placed on a base on the foundation (2). When the stacking box (1) is placed on the base with the receiving opening (6) down on the edge, the support element (7) is moved into the rest position solely by gravity-driven means.

Description

Stackers and transport and/or storage systems containing two or more stackers

technical field

The present invention generally belongs to the field of logistics and in particular relates to a stacker having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and a transport and/or storage system comprising two or more such stackers.

Background technique

In the field of logistics, stacking boxes are often used to arrange and store items to be transported or stored therein. Boxes of this type are often, even periodically, provided in stacks of boxes of as identical construction as possible. This can be done in particular without temporarily storing the cover which closes the receiving opening of the lower box and the bottom region of the receiving stack of boxes, by arranging in the upwardly directed opening region of the lower box of the box stack to be constructed A support structure on which the boxes to be stacked can be placed or stored without being placed into the boxes below it. In this way, such boxes with objects or goods accommodated therein can be stacked on top of each other without the stacked boxes, for example, resting on the objects or goods stored in the boxes. Such boxes that can be stacked in this way into stacks of boxes with objects in them stacked on top of each other may also be referred to as stacking boxes.

For space-saving storage or space-saving transport of such stacking boxes in the empty state, it is usually also provided that the stacking boxes can be placed in one another and connected to form a nested box stack. In this case, a further stacker is placed in the receiving space of the lowermost stacker with its bottom resting on the parking surface, more specifically in the receiving space of the stacker which has been placed in such a stacker in each case and thus form stacks of boxes nested within each other.

In order to be able to realize a set of stacking boxes of the same type, that is, not only stacks of boxes stacked on each other but also stacks of boxes nested with each other, various modifications suggest that stacking boxes are stacked together as required to form respective storage spaces Nested, nested way to form a space saving stack.

One way of doing this is described, for example, in patent US 6,047,853. The stacking box described in this patent is formed asymmetrically with respect to the design on the two opposing end sides, so that the patent provides a structure that allows nesting, nesting stacking in the first direction of the box, relative to an axis around the vertical box bottom Rotating, the boxes allow stacking boxes to be placed one on top of the other to form a stacking box set in the second position of the stacking box to be set, rotated 180° from the first position about an axis perpendicular to the bottom. In order to assemble these stacking boxes in a nested manner, the respective boxes must be aligned in a first rotational position selected with respect to an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the floor, and can then be stacked nested within each other. If these stacking boxes are stacked on top of each other, especially after they are filled with goods to be transported or stored, they must be rotated 180° with respect to an axis of rotation perpendicular to the bottom of the box, and then they can be stacked on top of each other.

This process is simple, as it requires no further processing of the stacker, other than said proper alignment with respect to rotation about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the bottom. However, if a person holds a stacking box that is already full of goods or items and must turn 180° about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the bottom of the box before the person can further form a stack of boxes by stacking boxes on lower boxes, It is precisely this alignment that is laborious and laborious, especially for the operator. The more boxes, the heavier the stacking box weight is. Automated handling is also expensive because the handling units must always be correctly aligned in the direction of rotation before they can be placed to form a stack.

Another way of doing this is shown and described, for example, in WO 1998/056668 A1, which on the one hand allows stacks of boxes to form stacked stacks of boxes and, on the other hand, allows space-saving stacks of empty stacking boxes to be nested within each other. The illustrated stacker has a support element that is movable between a support position, which allows another stacker to be placed on the support element, and a rest position, which allows the support element to be placed in the rest position. Another stacker is placed in the receiving space of the lower stacker to form a nested stack of empty stackers. A stacker design of the type described in the preamble of claim 1 no longer requires a 180° rotation of the stacker about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the bottom of the stacker. However, this requires the support element, which, in the case of the known stacker, is actively moved from the rest position to the support position, or vice versa, respectively according to the requirements resulting from this, namely if in particular by filling Stacking boxes stacked on top of each other in the receiving space form a stack, and the support element is moved into a support position or, if a space-saving stack is formed by empty stacking boxes, into a rest position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a stacking box which, by simple handling and without any special intervention by the user, is capable of forming a stack of stacking boxes on top of each other, as well as stacking empty stacking boxes Store in staggered, nested stacks of boxes to save space.

On the one hand, this object is achieved by a stacker having the features of claim 1 , for which the advantageous developments of the dependent claims 2 to 9 are specified. On the other hand, a solution to this problem is a transport and/or storage system comprising at least two, in particular a plurality of stacking boxes of the type according to the invention.

According to the invention, a new type of stacking box has a base, which is substantially identical to the known stacking box, a wall extending from the base in a direction perpendicular thereto, in particular circumferentially delimiting the receiving space together with the base, and by A receiving opening is defined by an edge of the wall opposite the base. Furthermore, support elements which can be moved back and forth between a rest position and a support position are arranged on the stacker. These support elements are positioned in the support position in such a way that they allow the stacking box and another stacking box of substantially identical construction to be placed on top of each other to form a stacked box stack. On the other hand, in the rest position, the support elements are positioned in such a way that they enable a stacking box to be nested with another stacking box that is substantially identical in structure to form a nested stack of boxes.

The wall and the base can be constructed in whole or in part in a solid structure and without interruption, in particular for storing and transporting small objects therein. However, the wall and/or the base may also be provided with openings at least partially, for example to save material for manufacturing the stacker, to reduce the weight of the stacker, to make the stacker easier to clean and/or to ventilate the goods stored in the stacker, for example Foods such as fruits or vegetables.

So far and as mentioned above, the stacker according to the invention is still the same as that described in WO 1998/056668 A1. What is special about the stacker according to the invention is that, unlike the stackers known from the above-mentioned documents, the support element does not have to be actively transferred by a corresponding intervention of the user, but the support element is designed in such a way and attached to the At the stacker box, such that the support element is transferred to the support position by gravity alone when the stacker box is placed on the base with the base on the base in a substantially horizontal orientation and aligned with the substantially vertically upwardly directed receiving opening. Furthermore, the support element is designed and attached to the stacker so that the support element is only driven by gravity to move to the edge when the stacker is placed on the edge in a substantially horizontal orientation of the receiving opening and directed substantially vertically upwards with the base. rest position.

The support element is thus moved only by the action of gravity, depending on the orientation of the stacker according to the invention relative to the rotation of the rotation axis extending around or parallel to the base plane. When the stacker is placed on the base with the opening upwards, it moves to the support position in a gravity-driven manner. When the stacker is upside-down, ie with the opening up, and upright with its base, it moves to the rest position. In contrast to the known stacking boxes, the nested stacks that are now interleaved with each other consist of empty boxes in that the lowermost box is likewise placed upside down on its edge delimiting the receiving opening and the other stacking boxes are placed upside down. It is then placed with the receiving opening down onto the base of the stacker below it. This is easily achieved because in this orientation, as already mentioned above, due to the displacement of the support elements by gravity, these support elements are in a resting position, ie do not prevent the nesting of the stacking boxes into each other, staggered stacking in the saving in the stack of space. If the stacker according to the invention is now used, in particular in such a way that the goods, articles or other objects to be placed in the receiving space are put in and must be turned by means of a rotation about an axis of rotation lying in or parallel to the base plane 180° and aligned upward with its opening. In this case, the support elements are again automatically moved into the support position in a gravity-driven manner, so that the correspondingly oriented stackers according to the invention can be filled or even empty, placed on top of each other and stacked on top of each other in order to form A stack of boxes in which the respective upper stacker is not placed into the receiving space of the stacker below it.

The user of the stacker according to the invention no longer needs to pay special attention to actively moving the support element from the rest position to the support position or vice versa according to the current intended use of the stacker. This is done only by gravity, automatically by only aligning the stacker with the receiving opening upwards or correctly. The use of the stacker according to the invention also does not require a rotation of the stacker by 180° about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the floor plane to form the stack. The user only needs to note that the stackers according to the invention can only be nested with each other and stacked in a space-saving manner in the inverted nested state, ie the nested state with the opening facing downwards. This differs from the previously known process of nesting such stackers with the opening up.

In principle, it does not matter where the support element is located in the stacking box. However, the stacker box according to the invention can be implemented particularly easily if the support elements are arranged in the wall edge region of the stacker box so that it can be moved between a support position and a rest position, such that the support elements in the support position protrude with into the area of the receiving opening in such a way that another stacking box of substantially identical construction can be lowered with its base resting on the support element in the support position to form a stack of stacked boxes, and the support element in the rest position is released in such a way The area of the receiving opening is such that another substantially identical stacking box forms a nested stack of boxes, the base of which is first introduced into the receiving opening and can be guided into the receiving space of the stacking box.

In this case, the support element can be formed, for example, in the form of a plate, for example by such an element which is arranged pivotably on the wall of the stacking box in the region of the receiving opening and/or in the region of the base. If it is arranged in the edge region of the wall, the support element can for example be arranged in a restricted position in the corners of the stacker, in particular with a rectangular plan, but it can also extend out of the stacker along the upper edge of the wall. The entire area of the vertical and/or horizontal edges.

The support element can, for example, be arranged on the stacker via a hinge joint, whereby it can pivot between a support position and a rest position. Other types of hinged arrangements or movable devices are also conceivable here. What is important is that the support element moves from the rest position to the support position and vice versa in a purely gravity driven manner when the stacking box is "flipped" about the axis of rotation extending in or parallel to the base plane.

In the stacking box according to the invention, the base and the wall can in particular be made of plastic, in particular integrally formed, although other materials, such as metal or wood, are also conceivable. Here, however, plastics have the advantages of low weight, high strength and high stability, which have particular advantages in the fields of logistics, transport and storage, and related handling.

The support element may in particular be made of metal in order to provide it with sufficient stability to bear weight when stacking boxes full of items are stacked one on top of the other. However, other materials are also possible, for example plastics, eg reinforced, in particular fiber-reinforced plastics. The stacking box according to the invention is constructed in particular mirror-symmetrical with respect to the first and second central planes which respectively extend perpendicularly to the base and which are perpendicular to each other. Alternatively, a point-symmetrical structure of the cross-section extending parallel to the base plane can also be advantageously chosen, wherein each point-symmetrical center of symmetry forms the center point of the cross-sectional profile. It is in the case of the stacking box according to the invention that there is no need to provide an asymmetry here, as is required by US 6,047,853 when stacking in a specific orientation by rotation about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the base plane. described stacking box.

Advantageously, one or more supports may be formed on the wall and/or the base to support the support element in the support position. These supports may have support surfaces extending substantially parallel to the base, but may also have support surfaces extending obliquely. Importantly, it provides a reliable support for the support element and a stop when the gravity-driven movement of the support element enters the support position. Such a support can be used to calculate the weight of a stacking box according to the invention, which is arranged by means of support elements below the stack of boxes and further down to the bottom or subsoil. Such a support can be, for example, a cylindrical projection which is formed in the wall of the stacking box and the support element is located in the support position and supported by it on its end face.

In order to enable stacking boxes of the type according to the invention to be stacked on top of each other in a reliably centered and in particular displacement-free manner, it is advantageous to provide a centering structure formed on the support element and a corresponding structure can be formed on the outside of the stack in which the support element , wherein the centering structure cooperates with the corresponding structure in the stacking box with the same basic structure in the stacked state in order to center the stacked stacking box with respect to the stacking box located below it and also fix it in the plane of the stacking box parallel to the base superior.

In order to be able to move the support elements only by gravity, an arrangement can be chosen, for example, in which the pivot point of the rotational or pivotal movement is offset to the projection of the center of gravity of the respective support element on the plane of the base of the stacking box, or an arrangement is made by defining On the plane that the edge of the receiving opening is propped up. Separately arranged center-of-gravity-moving weight elements or the like may be provided. It is also possible to provide a support element with the shape of a crank, which is then driven by gravity alone to move between a support position and a rest position in a manner according to the invention due to this shape. A person skilled in the art will be able to easily shape the support elements and/or their attachments in order to achieve the effect according to the invention within the framework of the structural design, corresponding solutions are known.

Two, in particular a plurality of stacking boxes as described above can be included in an advantageous transport and/or storage system according to the invention. The stacking boxes included in this system can either be stacked with their openings up (filled or empty) in a pile with the support element in the support position, or can be nested inside another to save space, if it is Placed on the base with its receiving opening facing down, with one stacker on the bottom and stacked like a hat, with other stackers on top.

Description of drawings

Additional features and advantages of the present invention emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. here:

Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a stacker according to the invention in an upright position suitable for stacking a plurality of stackers according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows the support element in a support position in an enlarged detail view;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates the process of stacking two stacking boxes constructed in accordance with the present invention into a box stack;

Figure 4 schematically shows a case stack formed by two stacking cases stacked on top of each other according to the invention;

Figure 5 schematically shows a nested stack of boxes formed from two inverted nested stackers according to the present invention;

Figure 6 shows the support element in a rest position in an enlarged detail view;

Figure 7 schematically shows a schematic plan view of a stacking box with the receiving openings aligned upwards for stacking in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 8 is a schematic view of a stacker in accordance with the present invention, wherein the stacker is stacked on top of each other for staggered nesting with the openings aligned downwards.

List of reference numbers:

1 stacker

2 base

3 walls

4 Acceptance space

5 edge

6 Receiving openings

7 Support elements

8 hinge joints

9 columns

10 Supports

Detailed ways

Possible design variants of a stacker according to the invention and a transport and/or storage system formed by at least two such stackers are shown in schematic diagrams in the drawings. The drawings are highly schematic representations and serve only to illustrate the principles and essential elements according to the invention. It is by no means to be understood as a complete construction sketch, nor is it true to scale.

Figure 1 shows a stacker 1 according to the invention in a first position. The stacking box 1 has a base 2, and the stacking box 1 is placed in the position shown in FIG. 1, eg, on the ground. Starting from the base 2 and pointing upwards in this first position is a wall 3 here extending around the outside of the box, wherein the base 2 and the wall 3 enclose the receiving space 4 . In principle, however, it is also possible to provide other parts of the wall 3 which define the receiving space 4 , which are separate from the peripheral wall, eg in the form of a column wall or the like, which rises from the ground in the inner part. The wall 3 ends with an edge 5 surrounding the receiving opening 6 . A support element 7 is arranged on the wall 3 in the region of the edge 5 , slightly offset below the upper edge of the edge 5 , here hinged to the wall 3 of the stacker 1 by means of a hinge joint 8 . In the position of the stacker 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , the support elements 7 are driven only by gravity and are therefore forced into the support position shown in FIG. 1 . As will be described below, the support element 7 can also be moved to the rest position by pivoting about the hinge joint 8 .

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view for better illustrating the position of the support element 7 in the support position of the stacker 1 shown in FIG. 1 . It can also be seen here that the support element 7 forms a support position on the column 9 of the wall 3 of the stacking box 1 and is supported by the column 9 on top of the support surface 10 (see FIG. 6 ).

Figures 3 and 4 show that two substantially identical stacking boxes 1 according to the invention can be stacked one on top of the other in the position shown in Figure 1 and correspondingly with support elements driven by gravity into the support position . This is shown in Figure 3 with arrows indicating stacking movement, and Figure 4 shows the stacking state. In this way, two or more stacking boxes 1 according to the invention can be stacked one on top of the other, the articles to be stored or transported being arranged and stored in the receiving spaces 4 of the stacking boxes 1 .

FIG. 5 shows an “empty box stack” consisting of a stacking box 1 according to the invention turned upside down by 180° with an axis of rotation extending in the plane of the base 2 or parallel to it, wherein the stacking box 1 is inlaid with The way the sets are interleaved with each other. Here, the stacker 1 according to the invention is stacked in the shape of a hat, wherein the wall 3 and the base 2 of the lower stacker 1 intervene into the receiving space 4 of the stacker 1 located thereon.

It is possible that the stacker according to the invention is in the inverted position, as shown in FIG. 5 , rotated by 180° about the axis of rotation with respect to the position shown in FIG. 1 , the support element 7 being driven only by gravity and It is thus automatically moved from the support position shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 into the rest position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . Driven by gravity, the support element 7 is folded down about the hinge joint 8 from the support 10 on the column 9, which previously rested in the support position, so that the base 2 for the stacker box 1 located below slides into the stacker located above In terms of the receiving space 4 of the box 1 , the support elements are no longer in the way, and the stacking boxes 1 can be nested on top of each other in an upside-down position.

Comparing Figures 7 and 8 with the schematic diagrams shown in the figures again clearly shows how the support element 7 is moved only by gravity. FIG. 7 shows a top view of the stacking box 1 , which is aligned vertically upwards with the receiving opening, ie in the same position as in FIG. 1 . The support element 7 is pivoted into a support position so that another stacker 1 can be placed on top of it with its base 2 upside down. Figure 8, on the other hand, shows a view from below of the stacker box 1 upside down (again driven only by gravity, with the support elements 7 in the rest position as shown in Figure 8), so that the rotated stacker box 1 can be placed on the A nested and thus space-saving stack of empty stackers 1 is formed on the stacker box 1 which is also placed upside down thereunder.

It should be particularly clear at this point that the stacking box design shown in the figures and the configuration of its components is highly schematic and is shown as one possible example. So here the support elements are shown, which are arranged only in the regions of the four corners of the rectangular outline of the stacker. Also conceivable is a band-like arrangement, for example extending along the narrow end edge or along the longitudinal edge or even around the entire edge. There is no restriction here for a person skilled in the art, as long as the support element moves between the rest position and the support position, driven only by gravity by turning the stacker 1 upside down or vertically, and in the support position the support element supports the other one arranged therein A stacking box 1 with items and can safely withstand the load.

Claims (10)

1. A stacking box (1) comprising:

a base (2);

a wall (3) extending in one direction, in particular transversely to the circumferential direction, starting from the base (2), which delimits with the base (2) a receiving space (4) of the stacking box (1); and

a receiving opening (6) delimited by an edge (5) of the wall (3) opposite the bottom (2),

wherein a support element (7) which can be moved back and forth between a rest position and a support position is attached to the stacking box (1),

wherein the support elements (7) are positioned in the support position such that they enable the storage area of a stacked box (1) and another stacked box (1) having substantially the same structure to be placed on top of each other to form a stacked box,

wherein the support elements (7) are positioned in the rest position such that they enable a stacking box (1) and another substantially identical stacking box (1) to be placed inside one another to form a nested stacking box,

the support element (7) is configured and attached to the stacking box (1) such that the support element (7) is moved to the support position only in a gravity-driven manner when the stacking box is placed on a base with the base (2) in a substantially horizontal direction of the base (2) and the receiving opening (6) is substantially vertically upward, such that the support element (7) is moved to the rest position only in a gravity-driven manner when the stacking box (1) is placed on a base with the receiving opening (6) in a substantially horizontal direction on the edge (5) and the base (2) is substantially vertically upward.

2. A stacking box (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the supporting element (7) is arranged movable between the supporting position and the rest position in the region of an edge (5) of a wall (3) of the stacking box (1) such that:

the support element (7) in the support position protrudes into the region of the receiving opening (6) such that a further substantially identical stack box (1) can be formed with its base (2) resting on the support element (7) in the rest position,

and the support element (7) in the rest position releases the area of the receiving opening (6) in such a way that another structurally substantially identical stack box is first introduced with its base into the receiving opening (6) to form a nested stack box and can be introduced into the receiving space (4) of the stack box (1).

3. Stacking box (1) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that a plate-like support element (7) is arranged to be pivotable at the wall (3) of the stacking box (1) in the region of the receiving opening and/or in the region of the base (2).

4. Stacking box (1) according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the support element (7) is arranged to be pivotable at the stacking box (1) between the support position and the rest position by means of a hinge joint (8).

5. Stacked box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the base (2) and the wall (3) are made of plastic.

6. Stacked box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support element (7) is formed of metal.

7. A stacking box (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is constructed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a first and a second central plane, which in each case are orthogonal to the base (2) and mutually perpendicular, or from a plan view above, it forms a point-like symmetrical cross-section, which in each case forms the centre of the cross-sectional profile.

8. Stacking box (1) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised by a support (9, 10) formed at the wall (3) and/or at the base (2) for supporting the support element (7) in the support position.

9. A stacking box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that a centering structure is formed at the supporting element (7) and a corresponding structure is formed at the stacking box (1) outside the supporting element (7), wherein the centering structure and the corresponding structure of a substantially structurally identical stacking box (1) co-act in a supporting state in order to center the stacked stacking box (1) with respect to the stacking box (1) located therebelow.

10. Transport and/or storage system comprising at least two, in particular a plurality of, stacked cases (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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