EP3414173B1 - Set consisting of at least two containers, each of which has a different inner volume - Google Patents

Description

Introduction

The invention relates to a set consisting of at least two containers, each with different internal volumes, according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art

Containers are used in many ways and are used in particular for storing, transporting, collecting and disposing of substances or materials, with containers of any size and shape being known. Waste containers that are intended for use in hospitals, veterinary clinics, doctor's and dentist's surgeries and in medical research and development laboratories, where infectious waste in particular is generated, are only used once or are disposed of together with the waste they contain after they have been removed appropriately sealed. For this reason it is necessary in these areas of application to have a correspondingly large number of new, empty containers in stock, which, for reasons of space, must be stackable, i.e. nestable. US4756420 discloses such a set of containers, each having different internal volumes and identical opening cross-sections, according to the preamble of claim 1.

A problem that arises when containers are stacked is that stacked containers are often extremely difficult to unstack, that is to say separate from one another. This is due to the fact that the lateral surfaces of containers stacked in one another rest against one another over a certain height and also slide along one another when pulled apart, so that on the one hand there is frictional resistance and on the other hand a vacuum is created in the space between the containers.

A second problem when storing the filled and sealed containers arises from the need to store and transport them in as space-saving a manner as possible. This requires that containers of different sizes can be safely stacked on top of each other. This means that the bottom surfaces of any size upper container will center neatly on the top surfaces of any size lower container.

Task

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a set of containers of the type mentioned at the outset that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and is characterized by space-saving stackability and easy unstacking.

Solution

This object is solved by the subject matter of claim 1.

In the prior art, it is already customary to design the opening cross section of containers with different internal volumes to be identical, so that identical lids can be used to close the containers. According to the invention, however, the bottom of the various containers is also designed identically, which has the advantage that closed containers, i.e. containers provided with a lid, can be easily stacked. wherein the containers may have different internal volumes. This creates flexibility in the storage and use of containers of different sizes, which allows an optimal choice of the container size required in each case.

That the at least one wall section of the respective shell of all containers in the set each has a straight section in which the wall section leaves two trace lines diverging towards the opening cross-section in each elevation plane parallel to a vertical axis of the container, each of which forms an angle of at least 2 degrees with the vertical axis or between 2 degrees and 5 degrees, means that the cross section of the bottom of the container in this area is smaller than the respective opening cross section of the same. Typically, the vertical axis of the container coincides with the vertical and the term "straight section" is to be understood as a surface.

With this inclined course of the wall section, it has been shown that when the containers are stacked one inside the other, only a very small part of the relevant inner or outer lateral surface of stacked containers comes to rest against one another, so that the frictional resistance when unstacking is only low. With regard to the vacuum that arises when conventional containers are unstacked, it has also been shown that due to the inclination of the lateral surfaces according to the invention, even a slight relative displacement of the stacked containers is sufficient to create a slot for the ambient air to flow in, so that no vacuum can develop. Thus, stacked containers according to the invention can be detached from one another or unstacked again without great effort. Accordingly, an angle was found which, on the one hand, is as large as possible in order to ensure a sufficient cross-section for ventilation when unstacking the nested containers and, on the other hand, not too large, since otherwise the floor space would be improperly small, especially in the case of large containers with the same opening cross-section.

The positive effect of the inclined wall section can be increased if the containers in the set have several such wall sections. It is also possible for the entire lateral surface to be correspondingly inclined, so that the lateral surface of the container encloses an angle of at least 2 degrees, preferably between 2 degrees and 5 degrees, with the vertical all the way round.

In order to make it possible at all for containers with different internal volumes to have an identical opening cross section at the top and an identical bottom, the containers of the set must each have the same inclined straight line sections each have a differently designed transition section, which is located between the straight section and the floor and thus creates a connection between the straight section and the floor. The transition section merges tangentially into both the straight section and the ground, with the course of the transition section consisting of arcs, circular arcs and elliptical arcs, or can be composed of them.

The containers of the set according to the invention therefore have different heights to create different internal volumes, which is compensated for by the different design of the respective transition section. The at least two containers can have any internal volume, but internal volumes of 30 liters, 50 liters and 60 liters have proven to be particularly useful in practice. With regard to the durability and tightness of the containers, they can be made of plastic.

It goes without saying that the containers can have any desired cross-section, that is, for example, can have a polygonal, round or elliptical cross-section. Mixed forms of round and angular cross sections are also possible, for example a rectangular cross section with rounded corners. Due to the fact that at least one wall section of the containers is inclined with respect to the vertical, an upper cross-sectional area is larger than a cross-sectional area below. The jacket can also be inclined overall with respect to the vertical.

According to the invention, the transition section is composed of two arc sections, with an arc section adjoining the straight section having a larger radius than an arc section adjoining the floor and the two arc sections tangentially merging into one another. Thus, the transition section as such also has no kink.

In this regard, it is also advantageous if the curved section adjoining the base has the same curvature for all containers in the set. This means that the transition from the bottom to the transition section is the same for all the containers in the set, which is convenient in view of the use of a uniform lid of the containers on which a full container to be stacked rests. Due to the different internal volumes of the containers of the set, which are typically achieved by straight sections of different lengths, the arc length of the arc sections adjacent to the bottom of the different containers is different with the same curvature. At least one arcuate section can be designed as a circular arc section, it being found to be advantageous if a circular arc section adjoining the base has a radius of between 12 mm and 18 mm, preferably a radius of 15 mm.

According to one embodiment of the set according to the invention, a top side of all containers in the set surrounding the opening cross-section is provided with a circumferential edge flange, which is equipped circumferentially with latching openings that are distributed and spaced apart from one another. The containers of such a set are therefore suitable as waste containers in hospitals or other medical areas in which the containers are permanently closed with appropriate lids after they have been filled. The known covers are characterized by circumferentially arranged snap hooks, which are introduced into the aforementioned snap-in openings.

With regard to closing at least one container of the set, it is advantageous if the set according to the invention comprises a lid with a surface adapted to the bottom of the container and with an elevation adapted to the transition section of the at least one wall section and starting from a support surface. wherein in a stacked state of two containers, of which the lower one is provided with a lid, areas of the transition section are supported on contact surfaces of the elevation. The elevation can also be interpreted as a bulge or step. The lid designed in this way ensures that any container of the set can be closed, with another container of the set being able to be positioned on the container closed with the lid. Due to the corresponding design of an underside of the container and an upper side of the lid, when two containers are stacked, a stable and precisely predefined position of the container located at the top occurs. Of course, the set according to the invention can contain a number of identically designed lids corresponding to the number of containers in the set. In the event that the containers are several Having wall sections with a straight section and a transitional section and the lid is accordingly equipped with several elevations, a particularly precise stacking of two containers is ensured. According to an advantageous embodiment of the set, the containers have a peripheral transition section and the cover(s) have a peripheral elevation.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the base of the at least two containers has a circumferential flat contact surface and a preferably centrally arranged depression in the direction of the inner volume, which preferably has an approximately rectangular cross section. This is particularly advantageous because in this case the lid can be provided with a centrally arranged handle without impairing the stackability of closed containers. The geometry of the depression in the bottom of the container is then adapted to the geometry of the handle on the lid.

Finally, it should be noted that the various features of the subclaims can each be implemented individually or collectively in any combination in variants of the invention.

Example:

The invention described above is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the figures.

Figur 1:

eine dreidimensionale Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Sets,

Figur 2:

eine Frontansicht des Sets nach Figur 1,

Figur 3:

eine Front- und Seitenansicht des ersten Behälters nach Figur 1,

Figur 4:

zwei Vertikalschnitte durch den ersten Behälter auf einem Deckel positioniert,

Figur 5:

zwei gestapelte erste Behälter,

Figur 6:

eine Zusammenstellung aller Ansichten des dritten Behälters und

Figur 7:

eine Detailansicht des Übergangsabschnitts.

It shows:

Figure 1:

a three-dimensional view of a set according to the invention,

Figure 2:

a front view of the set figure 1 ,

Figure 3:

Figure 1 shows a front and side view of the first container figure 1 ,

Figure 4:

two vertical sections through the first container positioned on a lid,

Figure 5:

two stacked first containers,

Figure 6:

a compilation of all views of the third container and

Figure 7:

a detailed view of the transition section.

An exemplary embodiment of a set 1 according to the invention consisting of several containers 2, each with different internal volumes, is shown in FIG figure 1 shown as a three-dimensional view, the set 1 comprising a first container 2a with an internal volume of 30 liters, a second container 2b with an internal volume of 50 liters and a third container 2c with an internal volume of 60 liters. The containers 2 each have a rectangular cross section with rounded corners, the cross section decreasing continuously starting from an opening cross section 4 located on a top side 3 down to a bottom 5 . This is due to the fact that wall sections 6 of the jacket 7 of the individual containers 2 are inclined relative to a vertical axis 8 of the respective container 2 . On the upper sides 3, the three containers 2 each have a circumferential edge flange 9, which is provided with latching openings, not shown, for the introduction of corresponding snap hooks of a lid, not shown.

The three containers 2 are also each equipped with a carrying strap 10 on their upper side 3 on opposite short sides. In order to enable comfortable gripping of the carrying straps 10 and to increase the stability of the container 2 in the area of the carrying straps 10, the containers 2 have a vertically running indentation 11 on their short side surfaces, the width B of which on the upper side 3 of the containers 2 is in corresponds approximately to a length L of the carrying strap 10, whereas the width Bu at the bottom 5 of the container 2 is greater. Consequently, two opposing ribs 12 of the indentation 11 run obliquely to one another. A base 13 of the indentation 11 is designed as a straight surface, with the base 13 of the indentation 11 also adjoining the base 5 in an arc shape. The geometry of the remaining lateral surface of the container 2 is discussed in more detail in the following figures.

In the figure 2 the set 1 is shown in a two-dimensional view, looking at the long side surfaces. From the figures 1 and 2 it becomes clear that the first container 2a, the second container 2b and the third container 2c each have an identical opening cross section 4 with an identical edge flange 9 and an identical bottom 5, the container 2 in the figure 2 are each provided with an identical cover 14. While the base 5 of the container 2 runs horizontally, wall sections 6 of the casing 7 of the container 2 are each inclined in a straight line section 15 in such a way that they form an angle with the vertical axis 8 running perpendicular to the base 5, which corresponds to a vertical in the present exemplary embodiment Include α of 3°. The containers 2 have circumferential straight sections 15, ie straight surfaces, which enclose the angle α with the vertical axis 8.

Between the bottom 5 and the straight sections 15 there is a transition section 16 whose intersection curve merges tangentially with each cutting plane parallel to the vertical axis 8 of the container 2 both in the straight section 15 and in a respective straight track of the bottom 5 . Accordingly, the straight section 15 merges into the transition section 16 without a kink, and the transition section 16 merges into the base 5 without a kink.

In the figure 2 It can be seen that the transition section 16 is designed as an arc of two circular arc sections with different radii R15 and Rvar, with the circular arc section R15 of 15 mm adjoining the base 5 in each case. In the case of the first container 2a with an internal volume of 30 liters, the circular arc segment R15 is followed by a circular arc segment Rvar with a radius of 117.2 mm, while the circular arc segment Rvar in the second container 2b is 488.25 mm and in the third container 2c 879 is .6 mm. The two circular arc sections R15 and Rvar of a container also merge tangentially. The circular arc length of the circular arc section R15 is relatively short in the first container 2a and quickly merges into the circular arc section Rvar. Overall, a height Hüa of the transition section 16 of the first container 2a is approximately 80 mm and a height Hga of the straight section 15 is approximately 227 mm. The arc length of the arc R15 in the second container 2b is greater than that of the first container 2a, since the transition section 16 runs steeper due to the longer straight section 15. Overall, the transition section 16 of the second container 2b has a height Hüb of 130 mm and the straight section 15 has a height Hgb of 379 mm. The transition section 16 of the third container 2c has a height Hüc of 130 mm and is the steepest. The straight section 15 of the third container 2c has a height Hgc of approximately 508 mm, resulting in an overall height of 638 mm for the third container 2c without a lid.

In the figure 3 1 are a front view of a long side face and a side view of a short side face of the first container 2a, the container 2a being closed with a lid 14 again. Due to the approximately rectangular cross section of the opening cross section 4 of the container 2a and the cover 14, their external dimensions have a length L1 of 400 mm and a width B1 of 333.5 mm. In the front view, the wall sections 6, which form an angle α of 3° with the vertical axis 8, can again be clearly seen with their straight sections 15 and transition sections 16. The base, which is also rectangular, has a length L2 of approximately 280 mm and a width B2 of approximately 210 mm.

The composition of the transition sections 16 from two circular arc sections R15 and Rvar are the same figure 3 good to take. Furthermore, the formation of the support straps 10 and the indentation 11 is clear in the side view of FIG figure 3 to recognize.

The figure 4 shows two vertical sections through the first container 2a with a lid 14, with the container 2a being positioned with its base 5 on a lid 14 of a further container underneath it, not shown in detail, and a vertical section running parallel to the long sides and a vertical section parallel to the short ones Sides of the container 2a. In the figure 4 In particular, the exact structure of the base 5 of the first container 2a is clearly visible, the structure of the base 5 corresponding to that of the other containers 2 of the set. The base 5 has a centrally arranged depression 17 in the direction of the interior of the first container 2a, which has an approximately rectangular base 18 with a long side and a short side and an approximately rectangular opening cross section 19, the recess being aligned with a contact area 20 of the Bottom 5 running opening cross-section 19 has larger dimensions than the bottom 18 of the recess 17. Side surfaces 21 of the recess 17 thus run obliquely between the contact surface 20 of the bottom 5 and the bottom 18 of the recess 17. The geometry of the recess 17 is selected so that it creates a sufficiently large space for accommodating a handle 22, which is arranged in a central area of the lid 14. In the vertical section parallel to the long sides, the recess 17 of the base 5 runs with its side surfaces 21 and its base 18 parallel to the partially curved handle 22 of the cover 14 underneath.

In the area of the handle 22 formed as a tab, the cover 14 has a recessed grip 23 which allows the handle 22 to be gripped with one hand. The contact surface 20 of the container 2a is supported on a flat, horizontally extending support surface 24 of the lid 14, with both the contact surface 20 and the support surface 24 forming a circumferential strip. In the vertical section parallel to the long sides, the support surface 24 of the cover 14 is designed so wide that the entire standing surface 20 of the container 2a visible there can be accommodated on it. In the vertical section parallel to the short sides, the support surface 24 is designed to be significantly thinner, so that only an outer half of the respective contact surface 20 can be accommodated on the associated support surface 24 .

In an edge region, the lid 14 has a peripheral elevation 25 which forms a contact surface 26 facing the first container 2a. This contact surface 26 is arcuate, the geometry of the survey 25 is chosen so that the container 2 of the set 1 all with the variously designed transition sections 16 can each be supported circumferentially on the contact surface 26 . The elevation 25 serves, on the one hand, to center the container 2a positioned thereon and, on the other hand, to fix the same in a certain position.

The statements made about the first container 2a regarding the geometry of the bottom 5 and the lid 14 also apply to the remaining containers 2b, 2c of the set, the bottom 5 and lid 14 of which are of identical design.

Furthermore, in the figure 4 in the vertical section parallel to the longitudinal sides, the geometry of the indentation 11 of the container 2a can be seen, the base 13 of which encloses an angle β of 6.3° with the vertical. The indentation 11 creates a free space 27 behind the carrying strap 10, which makes it easy to grip the carrying strap 10.

The figure 5 shows two first containers 2a with an internal volume of 30 liters, which are stacked one inside the other, wherein a side view, a vertical section running parallel to the long sides and a vertical section running parallel to the short sides are shown side by side. The side view shows that the upper container 2a is supported with an underside 28 of the carrying strap 10 on an upper side 29 of the edge flange 9 of the container 2a underneath, so that the upper container 2a protrudes from the lower container by a distance of 52 mm 2a protrudes, which corresponds approximately to the height H of the carrying strap 10.

From the vertical section running parallel to the longitudinal sides, the two bases 13 of the indentations 11 can be seen, which run parallel to one another and are at a distance a from one another. In the vertical section running parallel to the short sides, the straight line sections 15 of the wall sections 6 of the two containers 2a also run parallel to one another, but are not spaced apart from one another. Rather, the straight sections 15 are in contact with one another. Furthermore, the geometry of the edge flange 9 of the container 2a can be seen, which consists of a web 30 protruding from the straight section 15 and a short, approximately vertically running leg 31 .

The figure 6 is a compilation of all views of the third container 2c of the set 1, from which in particular the formation of the base 5, both viewed from the outside and viewed from the inside, emerges, with the contact surface 20, the depression 15 with its base 18 and the adjoining transition sections 16 and straight sections 15 of the wall sections 6 can be seen. Also introduced in the edge flange 9 locking openings 32, which are already in the context of figure 1 have been described.

Finally shows the figure 7 a detailed view of the transition section 16 between the straight section 15 and the bottom 5 of the container 2 of the set 1 according to the invention, in which the individual tangents t1, t2, t3 at the transitions between the straight section 15, the circular arc section Rvar, the circular arc section R15 and the bottom 5 are drawn as dotted lines. The tangent t1, which defines the transition between the straight section 15 and the circular arc section Rvar of the transition section 16, corresponds to the continuation of the straight section 15 and thus also forms an angle α of 3° with the vertical. The tangent t2 forms a right angle with the two radii of the circular arc sections R15 and Rvar, which run identically at the transition point. The tangent t3 is again a continuation of the floor 5 and thus runs horizontally. For better recognition of the individual sections of the wall section 6, the same is provided with short dividing lines 33.

Reference list:

1

set

2a, 2b, 2c

container

3

top

4

opening cross-section

5

Floor

6

wall section

7

Coat

8th

vertical axis

9

edge flange

10

carrying strap

11

indentation

12

rib

13

reason for indentation

14

Lid

15

straight section

16

transition section

17

deepening

18

reason for deepening

19

opening cross-section

20

footprint

21

side face

22

grab handle

23

recessed grip

24

support surface

25

elevation

26

contact surface

27

free space

28

Underside carrying strap

29

top

30

web of the edge flange

31

leg of the edge flange

32

detent opening

33

hyphen

bo

Wide indentation at top

Bu

Wide indentation below

B1

Wide containers and lids

B2

wide bottom

L

Length carrying strap

L1

Length container and lid

L2

length floor

H

Height of carrying strap

Hua, hüb, hüc

Transition section height

Hga, Hgb, Hgc

Height of straight line

R15

circular arc section

Rvar

circular arc section

a

Distance

a

angle

β

angle

Claims (6)

1. Set (1) comprising at least two containers (2) with respective different inner volumes, wherein the containers (2) each comprise:

   - a base (5),

   - a casing (7) circumferentially interfaced therewith, and

   - an opening section (4) defined by an end of the casing (7) facing away from the base (5), the opening section providing access to the respective inner volumes

   wherein at least one wall section (6) of the respective casing (7) runs at an angle with respect to a vertical axis (8) of the container (2) running perpendicular to the base (5), such that an inside section of the container (2), defined respectively by the casing (7), decreases continuously from the opening section (4) to the base (5), and the opening sections (4) of all containers (2) of the set (1) are identical,

   and two opposite wall sections (6) of the respective casing (7) of all containers (2) of the set (1) each comprise

   - a linear section (15), in which the two wall sections (6) in each vertical projection plane parallel to a vertical axis (8) of the container (2) transversal to the wall sections (6) leave two traces of a plane diverging to the opening section (4), which respectively enclose an angle (α) with the vertical axis (8) of at least 2 degrees, preferably an angle between 2 degrees and 5 degrees,
   characterised in that the bases (5) of all containers (2) of the set (1) are also identical and the wall sections (6) of the respective casing (7) of all containers (2) of the set (1) each comprise

   - a transition section (16) composed of two curved sections, whose intersection curve with the vertical projection plane merges tangentially both with the linear section (15) and also with a respective intersection curve of the base (5), wherein a curved section adjoining the linear section (15) has a wider radius than a curved section adjoining the base and the two curved sections merge tangentially into one another.
2. Set according to claim 1, characterised in that the curved section adjoining the base (5) has the same curve in all containers (2) of the set (1).
3. Set according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one curved section is designed as an arc of a circle (R15, Rvar) or as an elliptical section.
4. Set according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that an upper side of all containers (2) of the set (1) surrounding the opening section (4) is respectively provided with a circumferential edge flange (9), which is circumferentially divided and equipped with snap-in openings (32) respectively distanced from each other.
5. Set according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised by a cover (14) with a surface matching the base (5) of the container (2) and a projection (25) projecting from a support surface (24) matching the transition section (16) of the two wall sections (6), wherein in a stacked condition of two containers (2), the lower one of which is provided with a cover (14), regions of the transition section (16) are supported on contact surfaces (26) of the projection (25).
6. Set according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the base (5) of the at least two containers (2) has a circumferential flat contact surface (20) and a preferably centrally arranged recess 17 in the direction of the inner volume, the recess preferably having an approximately rectangular section.

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