A PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR PACKAGING, HANDLING, TRANSPORT AND SALE OF PRODUCTS, IN PARTICULAR FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract: There is provided an integrated packaging system for packaging, handling, transport and sale of products, in particular food products. This packaging system comprises in combination: a) handling trays (10) with stacking pins (11, 12) on the outer sides of opposed sides, b) transport boxes (1) in which the handling trays may be stacked on the bottom or be stacked spaced above the bottom on carrier means (3) which support the stacking pins (11, 12), and c) a transport roller container (20) having measures adapted for both the handling trays (10) and carrier means (22) for the handling trays (10) so that these may be supported in a horizontal position or preferably an inclined display position. Stacking of a handling tray (10) on the bottom of a transport box (1) is obtained when the handling tray (10) is oriented in one manner, while its stacking on the carrier means (3) is obtained when it has been rotated through 180 DEG about an axis at right angles to the bottom of the box (1).

Description: A packaging system for packaging, handling, transport and sale of products, in particular food products The invention concerns a packaging system of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1. It is intended with the present invention to create an integrated packaging system for packaging, handling, transport and sale of products, in particular food pro¬ ducts, by means of various elements. This is obtained according to the invention in that the packaging system stated in the opening paragraph is cha¬ racterized by the features defined in the characterizing portion of claim 1. The individual elements, the handling trays, the transport boxes and the transport roller con¬ tainer are so mutually adapted that a handling tray may be placed in several levels in the transport box and in the transport roller container. Further, the transport box is so adapted that one or more transport boxes may be placed in the transport roller container. The individual elements are constructed in a manner which enables rational packaging, handling and transport of everyday commodities. As known from the Danish Patent Specification 141 324, the transport boxes have a bottom stacking edge which is so constructed as to enable stacking with existing transport boxes with the same standardized outer measures. The transport boxes forming part of the packaging system of the invention can therefore be nested in other known standardized trans¬ port boxes or in so-called whole cheese boxes having square measures. The packaging system of the invention may expediently comprise an additional element, viz. the refrigerator display case stated in claim 13, in which, according to the invention, the handling trays, both the handling trays with the full measures or the small handling trays, may be placed in an inclined or horizontal position. Thus, according to the invention, the products placed in the handling trays may easily be placed in and removed from the transport boxes and be placed in a transport roller container ready for sale, or they may be placed in a refrigerator display case, likewise ready for sale. During this movement of the products, these will remain positioned on the same handling trays so that the entire packaging system is constructed very rationally. The invention will be explained more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a perspective view of a transport box forming part of the packaging system of the invention and two uniform handling trays above said box, fig. 2 shows the same elements as fig. 1, but the lower¬ most tray is here placed on the bottom of the box, while the uppermost tray is ready to be positioned in the middle of the box height, fig. 3 shows in perspective, downwardly, a transport box with two trays inserted, and, upwardly, four small trays which may be inserted in the transport box instead of the handling trays already inserted, fig. 4 is a perspective view of a handling tray, seen from one side, fig. 5 shows the handling tray of fig. 4, seen from the other side, fig. 6 shows in perspective how a show card may be placed on the tray in fig. 4, fig. 7 shows, likewise in perspective, the positioning of a product in a handling tray with a wrapper in the longitudinal direction of the handling tray, fig. 8 is a perspective view of a transport roller con¬ tainer, forming part of the packaging system of the in¬ vention, with a transport box of the invention and above said box a known box which has the same standardized outer measures and below said box two other known boxes which may be placed on the bottom of the transport roller container when a bottom bracket supports the outermost one of these boxes, fig. 9 is a perspective view of the transport roller container in fig. 8, but with handling trays instead of transport boxes, fig. 10 shows in perspective how the handling trays in the transport roller container in fig. 9 may be inclined, fig. 11 is a perspective view of the transport roller container with transport boxes of the invention and addi¬ tional transport boxes with the same standardized measures as well as a top bracket in the position in which the top bracket serves as a shelf which moreover serves to stiffen the transport roller container upwardly, and fig. 12 is a perspective view of a refrigerator display case, forming part of the packaging system of the inven¬ tion, and having inclined, small handling trays. Fig. 1 shows a transport box 1 having vent holes 2 in the bottom. Further, the drawing shows two uniform handling trays 10, one of which is rotated through 180° with re- s ect to the other about an axis at right angles to their bottoms. Approximately in the middle of the box height, the transport box 1 has carrier means 3 on each of the internal long sides, and on the outer sides of two opposed long sides the handling trays 10 have stacking pins 11, 12 for cooperation with the carrier means 3 of the trans¬ port box 1 when the handling tray 10 is oriented as the uppermost handling tray in fig. 1. When, on the other hand, the handling tray is oriented as shown for the lowermost handling tray 10, the carrier means 3 of the transport box do not cooperate with the stacking pins 11, 12 of the handling tray 10. Further, the transport box 1 has a gable opening 4 in one gable to facilitate removal of handling trays 10. When a plurality of handling trays 10 is oriented as shown for the lowermost orientation tray in fig. 1, a shown plurality of handling trays may be stacked direct¬ ly on top of each other inside the transport box so that the lowermost handling tray rests on the bottom of the transport box. This position is generally used when the handling trays 10 are empty and are just to be stacked as densely as possible inside the transport box. If, however, the handling trays 10 contain products which cannot stand the pressure from the handling trays stacked thereon, just a single handling tray is placed on the bottom of the transport box, as shown in fig. 2. An addi¬ tional handling tray 10, rotated through 180°, is placed above the mentioned tray, as shown in fig. 2, so that the stacking pins 11, 12 of said additional tray will rest on the carrier means 3 of the transport box. Thus, the transport box just contains two handling trays. The gable opening 4 of the transport box may be closed, as shown in fig. 2; by the application of a cardboard plate 5, either by passing pins 6 in the gable opening 4 through holes 7 in the cardboard plate 5, or by moving the cardboard plate 5 down into a slit 8 in the edge of the gable opening 4. This cardboard plate may be used for marking the transport box 1. The transport box 1 has moreover recesses 9a in both gables for use for automatic registration of the contents of the transport box 1 when the contents are the same on all the handling trays 10. Above these recesses 9a, the transport box has diagonally positioned handles 9b, likewise in both gables. As shown in fig. 3, instead of any of the trays 10 placed in the transport box 1, two small handling trays 10a and 10b may be placed so that the transport box 1 may contain two handling trays 10 or four small handling trays 10a, 10b, or optionally a handling tray 10 and two small handling trays 10a, 10b. Figs. 4 and 5 show a handling tray 10 from one and the other side, respectively. As shown, the handling tray 10, like the transport box 1, has vent holes 12 in the bottom. Further, the handling trays have recesses 13 for carrier handles at both ends and in both long sides. The bottom of the handling trays 10 is provided with two holes 14 at both ends for use for fixing a show card 15, as shown in fig. 6. Fig. 7 shows a handling tray 10 on which a product 16 is placed, protected against dirtying by the application of a wrapper 17 which is wrapped in the longitudinal direction of the handling tray 10. It is noted that this wrapper does not interfere with the stacking pins 11, 12 and thus do not restrict the cooperation between the carrier means 3 of the transport box and these stacking pins 11, 12. The importance of the stacking pin 12 in particular will appear from the following in connection with the positioning of the handling tray 10 in a trans- port roller container 20 forming part of the system. Fig. 8 shows a transport roller container 20 whieh forms part of the packaging system of the invention and has four vertical, rotatable rods 21, each of which has a plurality of carrier brackets 22, here nine. The rods 21 with the carrier brackets 22 are shown in fig. 8 in their inactive passive position so as to make room for the positioning of both a transport box of the invention and other transport boxes 23, 24 having corresponding standardized measures. At the bottom, the transport roller container has an extension bracket 25, which is shown in its extended position in fig. 8 to support the outer¬ most transport box 24. In fig. 9 the transport roller container is used for supporting handling trays 10 instead of transport boxes 1. In fig. 10, the extension bracket 25 is retracted into the transport roller container so as to lie on the bottom of said container. It is shown in dashed lines how this extension bracket 25 may be extended to extend the bottom. It will be seen from fig. 9 how the vertical rods 21 with the carrier brackets 22 are rotated through 90° from the inactive, passive position shown in fig. 8 to the active position shown in fig. 9 in which they can support and retain the handling trays 10 in a horizontal or inclined position. It also appears from fig. 9 how a carrier bracket 22 engages with the stacking pin 12 of a handling tray in an L-shaped depression in this stacking pin 12. The carrier bracket 22 thus prevents the handling tray 10 from reciprocating in the plane of the bottom. It moreover appears from fig. 9 how other carrier brackets 22 engage below the bottom of the hand¬ ling tray and above a stacking pin 11 when the handling tray 10 is secured in a horizontal position in the trans- port roller container 20. The advantage is that the hori¬ zontally arranged handling trays 10 are safely secured in the transport roller container 20 when this is trans¬ ported. Each handling tray 10 preferably has just one stacking pin 12 with the L-shaped depression. This is sufficient to ensure that a handling tray secured in the transport roller container 20 cannot move to and fro in the horizontal plane. As appears from fig. 9, the handling trays 10 may also be stacked obliquely, as shown for the two uppermost handling trays 10. This is done quite simply in that the second-from-the-top handling tray 10 is supported in its rear end facing away from the opening of the roller transport container 20 by carrier means 20 disposed higher than in its front end. Although these rear carrier means 22 then will not engage over the stacking pin 11, it is sufficient for this display purpose that they support the handling trays 10. A top bracket 27, which is pivotally suspended at the rear upper edge 28 of the transport roller container 20, is articulated at 29 so that it can be pivoted to the position shown in solid lines in fig. 9. In this position, the top bracket supports the uppermost handling tray 10 so that this, too, is inclined. Finally, a sign 28, as shown in fig. 9 or in fig. 10, may be secured in the top bracket 28. This sign may e.g. serve as a show card. In fig. 10, all the five shown handling trays 10 are placed in an inclined position. Fig. 11 shows a transport roller container 20 with a large number of transport boxes, some of which are trans¬ port boxes 10 of the invention. In fig. 11, the top bracket 27 has been pivoted inwardly over the upper side of the transport roller container 20 and thus serves as a cover for the retail products in the uppermost handling tray 10 in the transport roller container 20 and as a shelf to support boxes (not shown), which may be stacked on top of the transport roller container 20. Owing to the stability in the transport roller container 20 during mounting and transport of handling trays 10, the shelf may be locked to two long sides 20 of the trans¬ port roller container 20, as shown at 31, so that this top shelf 27 serves to stiffen the transport roller con¬ tainer, its two long sides 30 being connected by means of the shelf 27. Fig. 12 shows a refrigerator display case 40, which like¬ wise forms part of the packaging system of the invention and has removable horizontal shelves 41, whose width corresponds to the width of the handling trays 10 or the length of the small handling trays 10a, 10b. The shelves 41 have a plurality of holes 42 which form a modular grid of holes in which may be secured top brackets depending from the shelves or bottom brackets 44 protruding from the shelves. The top brackets are bent so that when mounted they assume an inclined position to support small handling trays 10a, 10b, as shown in fig. 12. Two small handling trays 10a, 10b may thus be inclined very close to each other, with stacking pins on one handling tray extending into spaces between the other handling tray. Thus, the same top bracket 43 may serve to support both the tray to the left of the top bracket and the tray to the right of the top bracket. The bottom brackets 44 may support the front lower edge of such an inclined tray. If the two bracket types, the top brackets and the bottom brackets, are not mounted, the handling trays may be adjusted horizontally on the shelves 41. In the lower half of the refrigerator display case 40, it is possible to combine the small 10a, 10b, and the large 10 handling trays in juxtaposed relation. The shelf 45 is removed when a large handling tray (not shewn) s to be positioned.

Claims: P a e n t C l a i m s : 1. A packaging system for packaging, handling, trans¬ port and sale of products, in particular food products, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the packaging system comprises the following elements in combination: a) handling trays (10) with stacking pins (11, 12) on the outer sides of two opposed sides, b) transport boxes (1), each of which has internal meas-:.- ures adapted for stacking of several handling trays (10) on top of one another inside the transport box (2) on the bottom thereof or for positioning of two handling trays (10) mutually spaced vertically, each transport box having carrier means (3) along the internal long sides and approximately in the middle of the height of the box (1), said carrier means (3) being adapted to cooperate, in a manner known per se, with the stacking pins (11, 12) on the last-positioned handling tray (10) when this has been rotated through 180° with respect to the first-positioned handling tray about an axis at right angles to the bottom of the box (1), and c) a transport roller container (20) which has internal measures adapted to both the handling trays (10) and the transport boxes as well as carrier means (22), which, when the transport roller container (20) just contains handling trays (10), are movable from an inactive, passive position to an active position, in which they are adapted to support and retain these handling trays (10) in a horizontal position or preferably an inclined display position. 2. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the handling trays (10) and/or the transport boxes (1) have vent holes (12 and 2. respectively) in the bottom. 3. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that a handling tray (10) may be replaced by two small handling trays (10a, 10b) with the same overall basic measure as the handling tray (10). 4. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that each handling tray (10), on at least one side, has a stacking pin (12) having an L-shaped depression which is adapted to enter into such locking engagement with a carrier means, constructed as a carrier bracket (22), in the transport roller con¬ tainer (20) that said carrier bracket (22), in addition to the support, retains the handling tray (10) against movement in the plane of the tray bottom. 5. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the handling trays (10) have recesses (14) at one or both ends for application of signs (15 ) . 6. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the transport boxes have an opening (4) preferably in the gable to facilitate removal of handling trays (10). 7. A packaging system according to claim 6, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that the gable opening (4) has meanings, e.g. a slit (8) or pins (6), to secure a regi¬ stration plate, e.g. of cardboard. 8. A packaging system according to claims 1 and 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that to support and retain each handling tray (10), the transport roller container (20) in addition to said carrier brackets (22) for locking engagement with the L-shaped depression in the stacking pin (12) of a handling tray (10), has additional carrier brackets (22) serving as carrier means to engage -below the handling tray (10). 9. A packaging system according to claims 1 and 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that, upwardly, the trans¬ port roller container (20) has a top bracket (27) which serves as an upwardly foldable shelf and which is adapted, by means of hinge links, to be moved obliquely upwardly to support and obliquely display a handling tray (10). 10. A packaging system according to claim 9, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that show cards (28) may be se¬ cured to the top bracket (27). 11. A packaging system according to claims 1, 4 and 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the carrier means, constructed as carrier brackets (22), on the transport roller container (20) are secured to vertical, rotatable rods (21) and are moved from an inactive to an active position by rotation of the rods (21) through 90°. 12. A packaging system according to claim 11, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the transport roller container (20) has two vertical, rotatable rods (21) on each side. 13. A packaging system according to any of claims 8-12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the bottom of the transport roller container (20) has an extension bracket (25) to extend said bottom. 14. A packaging system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that it additionally comprises a refrigerator display case (40) with removable horizon- tal shelves (41, 45) whose width corresponds to the width of the handling trays (10) or to the length of the small 13 handling trays (10a, 10b) and with a bracket system for inclined positioning of the handling trays (10), said bracket system comprising bottom brackets (44) supporting each handling tray downwardly and top brackets-;(47) sup- porting the stacking pins (11, 12) of each handling tray (10 or 10a, 10b) . 15. A packaging system according to claim 14, c a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the bottom and top brackets (44, 43) are removably mounted in a modular grid of holes in the shelves (41, 45).

Inventors: RASMUSSEN BENNY, RASMUSSEN, BENNY
Applicants: LOGISYS V ARNE RASK, MEJERISELSKABET DANMARK AMBA, LOGISYS V/ARNE RASK, MEJERISELSKABET DANMARK A.M.B.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A47F3
IPC codes: A47F5, B62B3