Abstract:
Box for packaging and transporting products. This is a box essentially made from plastic, designed to contain, within, different products, such as fruit, vegetables and the like. The box is characterized in that it comprises a lightweight cage-type supporting structure ( 1 ) and a packaging-like laminar body ( 15 ) that is placed against the inside or outside of the lateral walls and base of the cage-type supporting structure ( 1 ) mentioned above, being connected to the laminar body over at least some of the elements that make up the cage-type supporting structure ( 1 ).

Description:
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention, as stated in the title of this specification, refers to a box for packaging and transporting products which can be either made from plastic material or other single-block or foldable material, with the addition of including a lightweight cage-type supporting structure, on which a laminar body, that is arranged in correspondence with the elements that make up the base and lateral walls, is adjusted outside or inside. The product contained inside the box basically connecting with said laminar body. 
         [0002]    Thus, the object of the invention is a light weighted practical box and which is formed by a cage-type supporting structure and a laminar body inside or outside adapted to that supporting structure. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Today boxes for packing and transporting products are known, most notably those made from rigid plastic materials provided with small through holes for ventilation. 
         [0004]    These boxes often have the disadvantage that they are too heavy for their intended role that is none other than housing within different products for their packaging and transportation, such as fruits, vegetables and the like. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The box for packaging and transporting products which is the object of the invention can be manufactured with plastic materials or other single-block materials or even foldable materials, characterized in that it comprises a lightweight cage-type supporting structure, on which is incorporated by thermal welding, adhesive or other appropriate attachment means, an inner or outer package formed by a thin laminar body preferably made from plastic material (blind or perforated) that acts as a support for the product to be packaged. 
         [0006]    Thus, the package above mentioned is placed against the elements that make up the cage-type supporting structure. 
         [0007]    With this, the assembly of the box of the invention is much lighter compared to other boxes completely made from conventional rigid material, namely up to 40% less weight. 
         [0008]    This entails that, by using much less plastic raw material, the manufacturing costs are substantially reduced. Derived from this fact, also the costs for recycling the box are substantially lower, because of the lower weight of the polymer to be treated. 
         [0009]    Moreover, the film or laminar body that acts as an inner or outer support, and which turns out to be the main novelty of the Patent of Invention, can act as an advertising and/or ornamental support, which allows a complete customization of the box of the invention. 
         [0010]    Another advantage of the invention at hand is that due to a substantial decrease in the thickness of the walls of the package, its capacity is enhanced, without adversely affecting the strength and stiffness thereof as it is complemented with the elements of the cage-type supporting structure. 
         [0011]    Quantitatively, a current plastic single-use box with dimensions of 60×40×18 cm has an approximate weight of 1 kg., whereas the embodiment covered by the present invention only weights 350 gr. 
         [0012]    Another interesting comparison is that for crushing 1000 kg. of recycled plastic is necessary an electrical cost of about 400 kW, so that this can crush 1,333 of current units, while in comparison with the same energy up to 3,500 units of the boxes of the invention at hand could be processed. 
         [0013]    On the other hand, it should be also noted that in current plastic boxes, the decor is just pad printing, which means that each color in this system must have a stamp, while in the case of the invention at hand, the laminar body making up the package may be screen printed with many colors, as needed. 
         [0014]    The minimum thickness of a current single-use package is preferably 2 mm, while in the embodiment of the invention the laminar body has a thickness between 25 and 50 microns. Being translated to weight and by way of example, in the previous case within a box of 60×40×18 cm, an extra 0.5 kg. of oranges could fit, for example. 
         [0015]    Next to provide a better understanding of this specification and being an integral part thereof, some figures in which the object of the invention has been represented in an illustrative and not limitative manner are attached. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    FIG.  1 .—Shows an exploded perspective view of the box for packaging and transporting products object of the invention. 
           [0017]    FIG.  2 .—Shows another embodiment of the box for packaging and transporting products. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the box for packaging and transporting products is determined from a cage-type supporting structure  1  made from a plastic comprising a base or bottom and lateral walls, two majors or sides and two minors or headwalls, which converge in certain corner areas determined by corner tubular columns  2  with lower supports  3 , so that at the confluence of the base and lateral walls of this cage-type supporting structure  1  there are longitudinal ribs  4  that converge on the corner tubular columns  2 , while the lateral walls of said cage-type supporting structure  1  include other upper longitudinal ribs  5  which also converge in these corner tubular columns  2 . In turn, the major lateral walls include inclined end portions  6  departing from the upper longitudinal ribs  5  and which also end in the corner tubular columns  2 . 
         [0019]    The front walls of the cage-type supporting structure  1  have a higher height than the sides and have other intermediate longitudinal ribs  7  also joined through their ends to the corner tubular columns  2 , which may also be solid, although this option is not the most recommended because weight is added to the cage-type supporting structure  1 . 
         [0020]    On the other hand, the lateral walls of the cage-type supporting structure  1  include several vertical ribs  8  joined through their ends to the different longitudinal ribs  4 ,  5  and  7 , which converge on the corner tubular columns  2 , as stated earlier. 
         [0021]    The base comprises elongated ribs  9  which are joined through their ends to the lower ribs  4  of the head walls and other transverse ribs: one central and two lateral ones  10  joined through their ends  11  to the lower longitudinal ribs  4  of the sides. 
         [0022]    The base also includes closed formations  12  adjacent to its vertices, while also including other diagonal ribs  13  broken by a central ring  14  which also disrupts the central transverse rib  10 . In turn, the curved end sections of the diagonal ribs  13  are joined to the closed formations  12  and also to the lower longitudinal ribs  4  of the head walls of the cage-type supporting structure  1 . 
         [0023]    The upper longitudinal ribs  5  of the lateral walls, as well as the inclined end portions  6  have a “C”-shaped section which further strengthens the cage-type supporting structure  1 . 
         [0024]    This cage-type supporting structure  1  is complemented with a packaged  15  formed by a thin laminar body (plastic film) that is placed against the inside or outside of that cage-type supporting structure  1 , the elements of the lateral walls and base of said cage-type supporting structure  1  being joined by thermal welding, adhesive or other suitable means. 
         [0025]    The package  15  formed by the laminar body can include decorative and/or advertising elements  16 , allowing a complete customization of the whole box. 
         [0026]    There has been also foreseen the inclusion of a laminar cover  17  for covering the product when it is inside the box, the laminar cover  17  may be a separate piece or be hinged by a weakening line  18  to the package  15  placed against the inside or outside of the cage-type supporting structure  1 . 
         [0027]    Finally, it should be noted that laminar cover  17  may include corner cuts  19 .