Transport and storage container with drainage openings

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport and storage container (1) for keeping and transporting goods, with a base plate (2) and side walls (3a-3d) which extend perpendicularly from the base plate (2) and together form a peripheral upper container edge (4), at least two side walls (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) preferably arranged opposite one another in the transport and storage container (1) have a plurality of drainage openings (5) for liquids at least in the area proximal to the base plate (2), and the drainage openings (5) are covered on the outside by means of at least one outer cover (6), preferably a continuous outer cover (6).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to German Patent Application DE 10 2022 122 396.5, filed on Sep. 5, 2022, the contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to transport and storage containers for keeping and transporting goods, with a base plate and side walls which extend perpendicularly from the base plate and together form a peripheral upper edge of the container. Such transport and storage containers are often made of plastic by injection molding and are used in many technical applications for transporting and storing goods, for example in the automotive industry for storing and transporting components for vehicle assembly. Such transport and storage containers are often stored in high-bay warehouses and brought to a desired location via stacker cranes, roller conveyors, or conveyor belts.

At such locations, in particular in automated warehouses with built-in sprinkler systems, it is not uncommon for liquids to make their way into the transport and storage containers, which are usually open at the top. Liquids can also be introduced into the transport and storage containers in other ways, for example through leaks inside or outside the transport and storage containers.

There is a need for the liquids present in or introduced into the transport and storage containers not to remain there. In this regard, the FM Global standard requires a liquid level not to exceed 13 mm within the transport and storage containers and an arrangement of drainage openings covering 30% of the lower perimeter of each transport and storage container. The VdS standard of the German Association of Property Insurers, on the other hand, requires a liquid level in the transport and storage container of no more than 10 mm with a liquid entry of 20 mm/min.

Drainage openings on the bottom are generally considered unsuitable, as they are covered by the load and severely restrict water drainage. However, openings made in the side walls, in particular those that are arranged in the areas of the side walls proximal to the base plate, significantly disrupt the automated transport of the transport and storage containers. That is because light barrier systems used in such automated transport may not recognize drainage openings as such and may send false signals to the transport control system when encountering a container drainage opening.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the disclosure to provide a transport and storage container which, on the one hand, ensures sufficient discharge of liquids from the interior of the transport and storage container to the outside and, on the other hand, reliably ensures trouble-free automated transport of the transport and storage container.

This object is achieved with a transport and storage container for storing and transporting goods as disclosed and claimed.

The transport and storage container includes a base plate and side walls which extend perpendicularly from the base plate and together form a peripheral upper edge of the container. At least two of the side walls, preferably arranged opposite one another in the transport and storage container, and particularly preferably all side walls, have several drainage openings for liquids, at least in an area proximal to the base plate. The drainage openings are in turn covered on the outside by at least one outer cover. It is preferred if a continuous outer cover is provided that extends over the entire length of the side wall, and at least over a partial length of the side wall in which the drainage openings are provided. This ensures that a light beam from a light barrier, which preferably strikes perpendicularly, cannot pass through the outer cover and/or the side wall or even through the entire transport and storage container. A light barrier is triggered reliably and correctly during the automated transport of the transport and storage container, without the suitability of the drainage openings for conveying the liquids out of the interior of the transport and storage container to the outside being impaired.

For this purpose, the at least one outer cover is arranged at a sufficient distance from the side wall, so that liquids can escape essentially unhindered. A suitable distance of at least 1 cm between the outside of the respective side wall and the inside of the outer cover is preferred, particularly preferably a distance of at least 2 cm, preferably over the entire length of the respective side wall.

It is preferred if the at least one outer cover extends over the entire width and height of the respective drainage opening, for example in the form of individual covering hoods or, preferably, in the form of an outside double wall together with the side wall.

It is also preferred if the area of the side walls proximal to the base plate extends up to a distance of at most 30 mm, preferably at most 25 mm, particularly preferably at most 20 mm, from the bottom edge towards the upper container edge. The height of the drainage openings defined in this way has been found to be sufficient in practice to reliably ensure that liquids escape through the side walls from the interior of the transport and storage container. It is also preferred if the drainage openings for liquids extend upwards from the base plate within the side walls. This ensures that any liquids present or entering the interior of the transport and storage container can safely escape to the outside via the drainage openings in the side walls. A residual liquid volume remaining in the transport and storage container is thereby limited to a minimum. This also applies in the event that the transport and storage container is positioned on a support surface in a non-horizontal orientation. In that case, the drainage of liquid is still guaranteed.

It is also preferred if the extent of the drainage openings in the longitudinal direction of the side walls comprises up to 30%, preferably up to 40%, of the longitudinal extent of the respective side wall parallel to the base plate. The width of the drainage openings defined in this way, viewed perpendicularly from the outside of the transport and storage container, regularly meets the maximum limits for the liquid level within the transport and storage container required by the current FM Global and VdS standards, even with an increased volume flow for the entry of liquid in the transport and storage container.

In this context, it is also preferred if at least 4, preferably 5, drainage openings are arranged in at least 2 opposite side walls, preferably equidistant from one another. On the one hand, this ensures the overall stability of the combination of base plate and side wall, and on the other hand, it is possible to ensure that liquid escapes to the outside via the drainage openings even if the transport and storage container is not stored or transported horizontally.

In this context, it is also particularly preferred if the drainage openings within the side walls are designed and suitable both in terms of their area and arrangement, so that a maximum liquid level is below 13 mm, preferably below 10 mm, within the transport and storage container. With a suitable design and arrangement of the drainage openings within the side walls, this ensures that the provisions of the FM Global standard are reliably met.

It is also preferred if the at least one outer cover extends to the base plate, if applicable leaving a gap of preferably at least 2 mm measured between the lower edge of the outer cover and the underside of the base plate. Such a gap may be necessary for the drainage of liquids from the transport and storage container.

It is also preferred if the drainage openings within the side walls are designed and suitable both in terms of their area and arrangement, to maintain a liquid level below 10 mm when liquid is applied to the transport and storage container with a volume flow of 20 mm/min. With a suitable design of the area and arrangement of the drainage openings within the side walls, this ensures that the provisions of the VdS standard (German Association of Property Insurers) can be met.

It is preferred if the outer cover forms an edge that is molded onto the at least two side walls and runs parallel to them. With this double-walled design of the side walls, on the inside with the side wall and on the outside with the cover, it can be ensured that the drainage openings can be arranged almost arbitrarily within the side wall without affecting their function and at the same time the outer cover creates a side wall that appears uninterrupted for the transport and storage container. Automated transport without false signals to the position sensors, such as light barriers, can thus be reliably guaranteed.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer cover with the side walls forms a preferably circumferential double wall at least in the area proximal to the base plate. This creates a transport and storage container with minimal use of materials, which on the one hand is suitable for ensuring the necessary discharge of liquid from the interior of the transport and storage container to the outside and on the other hand to allow automated transport without false alarms from light barriers or the like.

As already described above, the outer cover is connected to the respective side wall in such a way that liquids that pass through the drainage openings can safely flow away. For this purpose, the outer cover preferably has at least one outlet opening for liquids formed with the adjacent side wall on its edge facing away from the upper container edge. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, this is directed downwards, so that liquids are drained laterally through the drainage openings in the side walls into the space between the outer cover and side wall and then, following gravity, downwards out of the transport and storage container. This creates a transport and storage container that can provide the desired functions with simple means.

The transport and storage container is particularly preferably made of plastic, preferably by injection molding. In particular, the injection molding process allows an extremely large variability in the shape of the transport and storage container and preferably the production of all components including base plate, side walls, drainage openings and outside cover in one work step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective top view of a transport and storage container;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective bottom view of a transport and storage container; and

FIG. 3 shows a perspective partial view of the underside of a transport and storage container.

FIG. 4 is a perspective top, front, left side view showing a computer rendering of a transport and storage container.

FIG. 5 is a perspective bottom, front, left side view thereof.

FIG. 6 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a left side view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view thereof.

FIG. 9 is a perspective slanted cross sectional view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a perspective top view of a corner portion thereof.

FIG. 11 is a perspective bottom view of the corner portion thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the figures mentioned in the form of exemplary embodiments. The same technical elements are provided with the same reference numbers in all figures.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a transport and storage container 1 with a base plate 2 and four side walls 3a to 3d extending vertically upwards from the base plate 2. The side walls 3a to 3d form an upper peripheral container edge 4 of the transport and storage container 1. FIG. 1 shows drainage openings 5 arranged on the bottom of the side walls 3a to 3d proximal to the base plate 2. The drainage openings 5 on the one hand have a defined shape and number and on the other hand a defined cross-sectional area, in order to ensure that liquid entering the interior of the transport and storage container 1 can escape almost completely and in sufficient quantity from the interior of the transport and storage container 1. According to FIG. 1, the drainage openings 5 formed in the side walls 3a to 3d are not visible from the outside, but are covered by a circumferential double wall 8 in such a way that the transport and storage container 1 does not appear to have any drainage openings 5 when viewed from the side.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view from below of a transport and storage container 1 with a base plate 2 from which side walls 3a, 3b extend vertically upwards. A plurality of drainage openings 5 are visible within the side walls 3a, 3b, which are bordered by a peripheral outer cover 6 at a distance from the side walls 3a, 3b. The outer cover 6 is designed in such a way that it forms a circumferential double wall 8 at a predetermined distance from the drainage openings 5. The double wall 8 has a plurality of outlet openings 10 at the bottom. The outlet openings 10 are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the side walls 3a, 3b and parallel to the base plate 2. This allows liquids that are present inside the transport and storage container 1 to be discharged horizontally through the drainage openings 5 into the double wall 8 and then vertically from the double wall 8 through the outlet openings 10 to the outside.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective partial view of the underside of a transport and storage container 1 with a base plate 2 and side walls 3a, 3b, which are connected to one another and to the base plate 2 via a rounded corner region 11. A plurality of drainage openings 5 extend from the corner area 11 on the side walls 3a, 3b within the side walls 3a, 3b, which are covered by a circumferential double wall 8 in such a way that a side view of the transport and storage container 1 appears as an uninterrupted side wall 3a to 3d. In fact, however, the circumferential double wall 8 is designed in such a way that it is fixed at a predefined distance from the side walls 3a to 3d and the drainage openings 5 by means of spacers 12 and thereby defines outlet openings 10 within the outer cover 6, so that liquids from the interior of the transport- and storage container 1 can safely exit through the drainage openings 5 side and then downwardly through the outlet openings 10.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

• • 1 transport and storage container
  • 2 base plate
  • 3a-3d side walls
  • 4 container edge
  • 5 drainage openings
  • 6 outer cover
  • 7 interruption
  • 8 circumferential double wall
  • 9 edge
  • 10 outlet opening
  • 11 rounded corner area
  • 12 spacer

Claims

1. A transport and storage container (1), comprising:

a base plate (2);

side walls (3a-3d) which extend perpendicularly from the base plate (2) and together form a peripheral upper container edge (4);

a plurality of drainage openings (5) arranged in at least two of the side walls (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) in an area proximal to the base plate (2); and

an outer cover (6) covering the plurality of drainage openings (5).

2. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the at least two of the side walls (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) are arranged opposite one another.

3. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the outer cover (6) extends over an entire width and an entire height of each of the plurality of drainage openings (5).

4. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 3,

wherein the outer cover (6) extends to the base plate (2).

5. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the area of the side walls (3a-3d) proximal to the base plate (2) extends up to a maximum distance of 30 mm from the base plate (2) towards the upper container edge (4).

6. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the drainage openings (5) extend from the base plate (2) inside the side walls (3a-3d).

7. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein an extent of the drainage openings (5) in a longitudinal direction of the side walls (3a-3d) comprises up to 40% of a longitudinal extent of the respective side wall (3a-3d).

8. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 2,

wherein the plurality of drainage openings (5) includes at least five drainage openings (5) arranged in each of the at least two opposite side walls (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d).

9. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein an area and arrangement of the drainage openings (5) within the side walls (3a-3d) are configured for keeping a maximum liquid level within the transport and storage container (1) below 13 mm.

10. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein an area and arrangement of the drainage openings (5) within the side walls (3a-3d) are configured for a liquid level to remain below 10 mm when liquid is applied to the transport and storage container (1) with a volume flow of 20 mm/min.

11. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the outer cover (6) forms an edge that is molded onto the at least two of the side walls (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) and runs parallel to them.

12. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the outer cover (6) with the side walls (3a-3d) forms a circumferential double wall (3) in the area proximal to the base plate (2).

13. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the outer cover (6) and the side walls (3a-3d) form at least one outlet opening (10) for liquids on an edge (9) facing away from the upper container edge (4).

14. The transport and storage container (1) as in claim 1,

wherein the transport and storage container (1) is a single piece injection-molded plastic part.