EP0959018B1 - System for packaging batches of filled, flanged containers stacked upon each other in a tray made of semi-rigid material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system for packaging, in a tray of semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated board, lots of solid containers superimposed, comprising at their superior a collar that protrudes laterally and on which is fixed a sealing cap.

The invention also relates to a method of setting place such batches of containers in this tray.

The invention finally relates to the grouping on a pallet handling trays stacks containing lots of such containers thus packaged.

Containers of this type are, for example, pots of yogurts or other dairy products, as well as other various pasty foods, especially for young children, and they usually comprise a cylindrical body or frustoconical plastic, closed to its part superior by a lid, which is sealed on a flange of the body protruding laterally towards outside. In practice, various pots are attached laterally by these collars, in which are planned breakthroughs allowing the consumer to separate individual pots, and several platelets from such pots are usually superimposed and maintained assembled by a flexible belt, for example, made of cardboard, to form a lot, which is offered for sale under this form in the stores. In such lots, the belt flexible usually goes above and below the lot of superimposed pots and encloses it laterally on two sides parallel, while the pots are apparent according to the two other sides, with their projecting flanges laterally.

These batches of pots are themselves grouped into trays made of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, which, for their handling and transport, are assembled and superimposed on pallets Handling. The trays are of a classic type, with a substantially rectangular bottom, to which are adjoining by fold lines four side walls articulated together by fold lines perpendicular to the bottom. These walls rise according to all the height of the batch of containers, so that the different trays of the same pile can take support on each other when stacking on pallet.

In the trays, the collars of the pots that make protruding laterally abut against the face interior of the contiguous wall of the container, which limits the useful volume of it. In addition, the dimensions usual collars pots are such that even in optimally choosing the number of pots each layer of a lot, the trays used do not cover the entire surface of the pallet handling.

• d'une part, le volume total des lots palettisés est inférieur d'au moins 30 % à ce qu'il pourrait être, si les piles de barquettes recouvraient la totalité de la surface de la palette ;
• d'autre part, du fait qu'elles ne recouvrent pas toute la surface des palettes en se calant mutuellement, les piles de barquettes sont en équilibre instable et ont tendance à s'effondrer au cours du transport de la palette.

This results in two major disadvantages:

• on the one hand, the total volume of the palletized batches is at least 30% lower than it could be, if the stacks of trays covered the entire surface of the pallet;
• on the other hand, because they do not cover the entire surface of the pallets by stalling each other, the stacks of trays are in unstable equilibrium and tend to collapse during transport of the pallet.

• d'utiliser des barquettes à section réduite par rapport à celle des barquettes utilisées usuellement dans le même but ;
• de réduire la hauteur des parois latérales de ces barquettes et par conséquent de minimiser la quantité de carton ou de carton ondulé utilisée pour leur réalisation ;
• de constituer des piles de telles barquettes qui occupent sensiblement toute la surface des palettes de manutention, en augmentant ainsi notablement le volume de la charge palettisée et en assurant un bien meilleur équilibre des piles de barquettes ;
• de gerber les différentes barquettes d'une même pile en appui respectivement sur les pots des lots contenus dans la barquette immédiatement inférieure et non plus sur cette barquette.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a grouping system on a pallet handling trays stacks containing batches of such pots, which allows:

• to use reduced section trays compared to trays usually used for the same purpose;
• to reduce the height of the side walls of these trays and therefore to minimize the amount of cardboard or corrugated cardboard used for their production;
• constituting piles of such trays that occupy substantially the entire surface of the pallet handling, thereby significantly increasing the volume of the pallet load and ensuring a much better balance of stacks of trays;
• to stack the different trays of the same pile respectively on the pots of the batches contained in the tray immediately below and no longer on this tray.

For this purpose, the invention is primarily concerned with set comprising a tray made of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated board, rectangular bottom and side walls erect perpendicular to this bottom and adjacent to each other and to it by lines of folding, and, housed in contiguous positions in this trays, each consisting of superimposed layers filled receptacles, each receptacle having a flange protruding outward, by which he is contiguous to the contiguous containers and on which is fixed a shutter operculum, the different layers of a batch being assembled using a flexible belt that pass over and under the lot and who encloses it laterally on two opposite sides, this assembly being characterized in that the parts of the collars of the containers from the bottom layer of each lot not to contact of the belt of this lot and contiguous to a wall side of the tray protrude above this side wall and preferably bear on it.

As a variant, each batch may possibly be consisting of a single layer of containers, naturally without a belt in this case, whose contiguous collars at the four side walls of the tray are supported on these.

The subject of the invention is also a method of realization of the set that has just been defined, this characterized in that one discards one of the other the upper parts of at least two walls opposite of the empty tray intended to be engaged under the collars of containers of the first layer of different lots, in that we go down inwards from the tray said lots in the position they must occupy in this tray, in that we release walls spaced from each other when the bottom of the containers of the lower layer of each batch has arrived below the ridge of these walls but has not yet reaches the bottom of the tray, so that the walls previously discarded resume their original position by elasticity and come engage under the collars contiguous containers of the lower layer, and in that that the batches of containers are brought into their position in the tray.

The opposite walls of the empty tray coming engage under the collars, when they are not away from each other, may be parallel between they are inclined towards the inside of the tray, to firmly grip the body of containers of the lower layer of each lot. As indicated above, the bodies of the receptacles may have a cylindrical or frustoconical shape, with a circular section, square or other.

With the packaging mode of batches of containers which has just been described, the trays used have a bottom of dimensions lower than those of the bottom of usual trays used for the same purpose, since collars of the containers, instead of coming up against the inner side of the side walls, protrude above them. The surface gain of the bottom of the tray is such that it becomes possible to stack the trays on a handling pallet of usual dimensions (1200 cm x 800 cm) perfectly covering the surface top of this pallet, without trays removed or overflowing, with stacks of trays in contact with each other.

• les parois contiguës des barquettes disposées à la base de piles contiguës sont en contact mutuel et les fonds des barquettes des différentes piles occupent la totalité de la surface supérieure de la palette ;
• les barquettes des différentes piles prennent appui sur les lots de récipients conditionnés dans la barquette immédiatement inférieure et non sur cette barquette.

The invention therefore also relates to a grouping assembly on a pallet handling piles of trays containing batches of packaged containers as defined above, this set being characterized in that:

• the contiguous walls of the trays placed at the base of adjacent piles are in mutual contact and the bottom of the trays of the different piles occupy the whole of the upper surface of the pallet;
• the trays of the different piles are supported on the batches of containers packaged in the tray immediately below and not on this tray.

Indeed, it turned out, surprisingly, that he it is not necessary for the trays to be supported stacking on each other, but that they can rest directly on batches of trays objects lower.

It is for this reason that goes against the teachings of the prior art that it is possible to use trays whose side walls are low enough for the collars of the receptacles of the lower layer of packages of conditioned containers take support on these walls.

It will be noted that this method of packaging batches of containers and palletizing trays of conditioning results in a very low the amount of cardboard used and, by therefore, the cost of packaging.

It also results from the optimal use of the surface of the pallet a considerable increase, possibly exceed 30% of the number of containers stored on a palette, and a concomitant reduction in the number of palettes to use.

Finally, stacks of pallets are mutually the pallets and it results in a very superior stability palletized loads in transport vehicles.

Les figures 1 et 2 sont des vues en perspective de systèmes de conditionnement de récipients de la technique antérieure, illustrant leurs inconvénients lors de leur palettisation ;

La figure 3 est une vue en plan du flan de carton ondulé prédécoupé et refoulé, c'est-à-dire préplié, dont est issue une barquette utilisable dans le cadre de l'invention ;

La figure 4 est une vue en perspective illustrant la mise en place des lots de récipients dans cette barquette ;

La figure 5 montre un lot de récipients en position de transport dans la barquette ;

La figure 6 est une coupe verticale de détail de la figure 5 ;

La figure 7 est une vue en perspective illustrant la palettisation de piles de ces barquettes contenant des lots de récipients.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following detailed description, in which reference is made to the attached drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of container packaging systems of the prior art, illustrating their disadvantages during their palletizing;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the corrugated cardboard blank pre-cut and repressed, that is to say pre-folded, which is derived from a tray usable in the context of the invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the placement of batches of containers in this tray;

Figure 5 shows a batch of containers in the transport position in the tray;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional detail of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the palletization of stacks of these trays containing batches of containers.

As discussed above, batches of containers full of the type of yoghurt pots with, in their part superior, a collar, which protrudes towards the exterior and of which is secured a lid, are generally housed in cardboard packaging or corrugated cardboard, such as packaging 1 of FIGS. and 2, which have a rectangular section, include side walls of height at least equal to that of the lots packaged and eventually closed to their parties higher.

In these packages, the collars of containers of the same layer of different batches are adjacent and the collars contiguous to the side walls come into contact with them.

The usual dimensions of the collars of the containers and those handling pallets 2 are unfortunately such that, until now, it has not been possible to to make packs 1, which stacked, cover exactly the top surface of the pallets 2. results that, whatever the relative batteries (see Figures 1 and 2), these cells form in unstable equilibrium, which, in transport vehicles, tend to collapse.

It is to remedy this disadvantage, to increase the volume of pallet loads and to reduce simultaneously the quantities of cardboard or corrugated cardboard used to make the packaging, that this invention proposes the new mode of conditioning which is the subject of the present invention.

For this purpose, in accordance with the invention, the batches are more grouped together in packages whose sidewalls envelop them completely, but in trays with rectangular bottom, against the side walls of which the collars of the containers do not come in abutment, but on the edges of which they take support.

The trays used can be different types, for example of the type coming from the blank 3 of corrugated cardboard precut and repressed shown in Figure 3.

This blank has a rectangular bottom portion 4, to which are adjacent, by two fold lines parallel, two transverse walls 5, intended to be erected perpendicularly to the bottom 1, and by two lines bending perpendicular to the previous ones, two walls longitudinal 6, also intended to be erected perpendicular to the bottom 1. These walls 6 extend by flaps 7 adjoining these walls by lines of folding intended to be perpendicular to the bottom 4, these flaps 7 being fixed against the inner face of the walls 5, for example by gluing.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4 to 6, the batches 10 of 11 full containers to be packaged here comprise three layers of containers, but this number could naturally be different. The containers of each layer have at their upper part a flange 12 protruding laterally, by which they are adjoining contiguous containers and to which adheres the sealing cap of the containers. Layers superimposed full containers are rimmed so known by a flexible belt 13, here in thin cardboard, which passes over and under the batch of containers and the encloses laterally along two parallel sides.

According to the invention, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the different batches 10 of containers are housed in contiguous positions in the trays, against the inner side of two walls of which, here the walls transverse 5, come to apply the belts 13 of lots, while the other two walls, here the walls longitudinal 6, are engaged below the collars 12 containers of the lower layer of each batch, these flanges 12 resting on the edge of the wall 6 contiguous, preferably without overflowing to the outside.

To set up the batches 10 of containers in the container, we bring above them the different lots (see Figure 4, on which a single lot was shown for clarity), simultaneously repelling the walls 6 (and possibly the walls 5) towards the outside, following the arrow F, using an embosser. Then all the batches 13 are lowered towards the bottom 4 of the container and the walls 6 are released when the funds of the containers from the bottom layer have come to a level lower than that of the edge of these walls 6, without having still reached the bottom 4 of the tray. The walls 5, then return by elasticity to their initial position and come laterally against the body 11 of contiguous containers of the lower layer of different batches, below their collar 12.

In the case of the drawing, the walls 6 of the empty tray are perpendicular to the bottom 4 of the tray, but, as it has been stated above, they can also be tilted towards the inside of the tray, to be straightened outwards during the establishment of lots of containers.

A first advantage of this mode of conditioning is that we significantly reduce the amount of cardboard corrugated used to group the batches of containers, this which helps lower costs.

A second advantage is that by reducing lateral dimensions of the walls of the container used, in overflowing the collars of the containers above walls 5 or 6, it is possible to adjust these dimensions in such a way that the stacks of full trays occupy the entire upper surface of the pallets 2 of handling, resulting in a much better stability of these batteries, which are mutually stable.

It also results from this optimum occupation of the pallet surface a noticeable increase, exceeding 30 % of the volume of the palletized lots, and a reduction of at least 25% of the number of pallets used to convey the same volume of batches of containers.

Finally note that the different trays are based directly on batches of containers packaged in the tray immediately below the stack, which completely different from the prior art and ensures a much better air circulation between the containers.

Claims (6)

1. Assembly comprising a tray made of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, with a rectangular base (4) and lateral walls (5, 6) erected perpendicularly to this base and adjoining one another and the base with folding lines and, accommodated in adjacent positions in this tray, batches (10) each consisting of superimposed layers of full containers (11), each container (11) comprising an outwardly protruding flange with which it adjoins the adjacent containers and on which a closure cap is fixed, the various layers of a batch being joined by a flexible band (13) passing above and below the batch which it encloses laterally along two opposing sides, this assembly being characterised in that the portions of the flanges (12) of the containers of the lower layer of each batch not in contact with the band for this batch and adjacent to a lateral wall (6) of the tray protrude above this lateral wall and preferably rest thereon.
2. Variation of the assembly according to claim 1, in which the batch of containers (11) comprises a single layer of containers without a flexible grouping band, characterised in that the flanges (12) of the containers (11) adjacent to the four walls (5, 6) of the tray protrude above these walls.
3. Method for producing an assembly according to either of claims 1 and 2, this method being characterised in that the upper portions of at least two opposing walls (6) of the empty tray which are intended to be engaged under the flanges (12) of containers (11) of the first layer of the various batches (10) are spread apart, in that said batches are lowered toward the inside of the tray (10) in the position which they are to occupy in this tray, in that the walls (6), which are spread apart when the base of the containers (11) of the lower layer of each batch has arrived below the edge of these walls but has not yet reached the base (4) of the tray, are released, such that the previously spread-apart walls elastically resume their initial position and engage under the adjacent flanges (12) of the containers (11) of the lower layer, and in that the batches (10) of containers are brought into their final position in the tray.
4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the opposing walls (5, 6) of the empty trays intended to engage under the flanges (12) of the container (11) are normally parallel with one another.
5. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the opposing walls (5, 6) of the empty trays intended to engage under the flanges (12) of the containers (11) are normally tilted toward the inside of the tray.
6. Assembly for grouping, on a handling pallet (2), stacks of trays containing batches (10) of containers (11) according to either of claims 1 and 2, this assembly being characterised in that:

   the adjacent walls of the trays arranged at the base of adjacent stacks are in mutual contact and the bases of the trays of the various stacks occupy all the upper surface of the pallet (2);

   the trays of the various stacks rest on the batches (10) of containers packaged in the tray immediately below and not on this tray.

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