Modular packaging and apparatus for handhng thereof

The present invention relates to a modular packaging and the apparatus required for handling thereof.

Technical Field

The packaging in question comprises modular elements which are identical to one another, have no base and if necessary can be disassembled into straight side-pieces and are provided with mutually interfering means and at least one fixing member. These mutually interfering means are formed so that each stacked modular element increases the height ofthe packaging by at least two different amounts, depending on the way in which it is positioned at the top of the packaging, while the fixing members ensure the stability of the packaging in each configuration. The apparatus required for handling a packaging of this kind comprises at least one station for assembling the modular elements with each other and with the base and a disassembly station in which the fixing members are first removed and the modular elements then separated from the base and from one another.

Background Art

One ofthe main problems affecting the sector of transportation of goods relates to management of the containers used (crates, boxes, baskets or packaging in general). A factor which has a considerable impact on the cost ofthe unit product transported is in fact the cost of the packaging, generally ofthe "disposable" type, both on account of its oπginal cost and the costs arising therefrom, such as the cost of disposal (in the case of "disposable" packages), recovery (in the case of "returnable" packages), handling and storage, due to the lack of uniformity and various types, sizes and materials The best solution for such a problem consists in a delicate compromise which satisfies requirements of a widely varying nature It would be desirable, in fact, in view of the growing use of automation in all sectors, if steps were to be taken towards complete standardisation of the dimensions of this kind of packaging, adopting a single type of packaging which, in addition to being disposable and assemblable in a modular manner, is also adaptable for transportation of any kind of merchandise.

In fact, the use of a single type of packaging facilitates automatic handling ofthe packaged products, resulting in processing costs being kept low.

The disposable nature of the packaging offers numerous advantages: from the point of view of ecological and environmental impact, it reduces substantially the amount of accessory - or ultimately waste - material produced, since the same container may be reused

hundreds of times. From an economic point of view it drastically reduces the impact of the cost of the packaging on the price of the despatched product and makes it possible to avoid payment ofthe waste disposal charges for disposable packaging. Various types of packaging with more or less these characteristics already exist, but none of them has a modular structure allowing one to achieve all the effectively useful heights, without using several basic elements. In fact, although they have plan dimensions which are now fully standardized to the format of 40x60 cm, with some rare cases where the format 30x40 cm is used, they must be adapted heightwise to the characteristics ofthe product which they contain.

With the current designs it is therefore not possible to achieve optimal management ofthe supplies nor use with several products since the types of packaging kept in stock differ from one another, having to be adapted to different products.

Moreover, although hitherto disposable packaging has been designed which, once emptied ofthe products which it contains, is able to satisfy the requirement of a significant reduction in its overall volume, this is achieved at the cost of structural weakening resulting in a limited number of times which it can be reused.

According to the solution which is currently used most, in fact, the reduction in the volume of the empty packaging is obtained by rotating the walls about the hinges which keep it fixed to the base until it they are folded back onto the latter. The plastic material with which

the hinges are made gradually loses its rigidity and the packaging becomes unstable and unusable after it has been used ten or twenty times.

Finally, the disposable packaging most used nowadays is commercially featureless and difficult to personalize: this obliges the users to adopt an undesirable uniformity in terms of advertising policy, which has a markedly negative efTect on the widespread distribution of the packaging.

Disclosure ofthe Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore that of eliminating the abovementioned drawbacks. The invention, as characterized by the claims, resolves the problem of providing a packaging which is of arbitrary height and has predetermined plan dimensions by combining several basic modules identical to one another.

The main advantage obtained by means ofthe present invention consists essentially in the fact that the invention, during transportation, may give rise to packaging of any height, moreover being able to be easily personalized by the operator using it and adapted to any type of merchandise which is to be transported. Moreover, it may be stowed in a disposable volume which is as small as possible without its structural characteristics being affected.

A further important advantage consists in the fact that

management ofthe stocks may be optimized.

Finally, the assembly technique is extremely simple and allows rapid assembly and disassembly of any packaging which is to be formed or dismantled. However, in commerce no machines are available which are able to perform assembly and disassembly of packaging of this kind.

Therefore, according to the current state ofthe art, it is necessary to carry out both operations manually in order to then forward the modular package into a downstream station for filling (if assembly has been performed) or washing and storage (if disassembly has been performed).

With particular reference to assembly, it may be pointed out that each packaging, in order to achieve the desired height, may also comprise several modular elements, on average up to four or five, in addition to the base. Although it is logical to presuppose that sets of packaging with the same composition may be formed consecutively, it is evident, however, that several persons must be employed in order to ensure a reasonable degree of efficiency at this operating station. This results in a heavy increase in the cost ofthe unit product packaged and in any case is penalizing from the point of view of production speed.

Similar considerations are also applicable to the stage involving dismantling ofthe packaging: it is in fact desirable that the latter should reach the washing station "bare" and already disassembled in order to ensure maximum cleanliness prior to subsequent use. The various types

of treatment to which the packaging must be subjected also during this stage therefore require again the use of a certain number of persons with the drawbacks already indicated above.

In order to eliminate the drawbacks arising from manual handling of the invention, an apparatus has therefore been devised, which, being based on the same inventive principle as the invention, resolves the problem of performing automatically assembly and disassembly of modular packaging of arbitrary height of the type described above. In this way, the use of labour becomes superfluous, it being sufficient to perform programming ofthe machine which remains valid for each set of packaging of a certain predetermined height. An immediate consequence of this is an acceleration in the potential rate of production which can be estimated at up to two thousand packaging units per hour.

Moreover, the assembly technique is extremely simple and allows rapid assembly and disassembly of any packaging to be formed or dismantled.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the drawings which illustrate a purely exemplary and non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a side view ofthe invention in a possible embodiment thereof;

- Figure 2 shows a side view of the basic element forming the

invention;

- Figure 3 shows a cross-section ofthe invention along III-III in Figure 2, on a scale reduced by half, in the two arrangments for stacking;

- Figure 4 shows two longitudinal sections ofthe invention, relating to other possible embodiments;

- Figure 5 shows two side views of a second embodiment of the invention, both assembled and disassembled;

- Figure 6 shows an exploded view of the basic element forming the invention, in accordance with the embodiment shown in Figure 5; - Figure 7 shows schematically a station ofthe apparatus for handling the invention, according to a possible embodiment thereof;

- Figure 8 shows schematically a different station of the apparatus according to a possible embodiment thereof.

As can be seen from the Figures, the present invention relates to a modular packaging comprising at least two identical modular elements ( 1 ) which consist of walls ( 12) alone and have no base and which are provided with mutually interfering means (4,5) designed to allow stacking thereof, a base element (2) which can be removably associated with the bottom modular element (l a) and at least one member (3) for fixing the modular elements (1 ) together, which is stable and removable.

The mutually interfering means (4,5) are formed so that each stacked modular element (1 ) may modify the height ofthe package ( 10) by at least two different incremental amounts, which can be obtained

depending on positioning ofthe modular element (1 ) at the top ofthe packaging (10). The number of increments therefore depends on the form ofthe packaging: since the latter is traditionally rectangular (this being the form to which reference is mainly made), it is obvious that stacking of the modular elements (1 ) can be performed only in two ways, which can be obtained from one another by rotating the element to be stacked through 180° with respect to a vertical axis. Since it is convenient to be able to have packaging ( 10) with a height of between 5 and 30 cm, the modular elements ( 1 ) have a height of 5 cm and are able to modify the height of the packaging (10) by 2 or 5 cm, in accordance with one ofthe two aforementioned ways, in order to cover practically all the intermediate heights between the limit ones and, if necessary, also greater heights.

By way of example, if the packaging were square, it would be possible to have four different increments of its height, which can be obtained by progressively rotating the element to be stacked through 90°; if it were a regular polygon with an arbitrary number of sides, it would be possible to obtain an equal number of separate increments corresponding to constant rotations ofthe element to be stacked. The mutually interfering means (4,5) used in the embodiment illustrated in the Figures are asymmetrically distributed with respect to at least one vertical mid-plane ( 11 ) for the modular elements ( 1 ). They comprise matching shoulders (4) and seats (5) arranged at intervals along the edge (7) ofthe modular element (1 ).

In particular, in Figures 1 to 4, the shoulders (4) of a modular element ( 1 ) and the seats (5) of a consecutive modular element ( 1 ) form a labyrinth joint in a single direction of arrangement ofthe element to be stacked, while in the other possible direction the shoulders (4) ofthe last modular element ( 1 ) already stacked form a support for the bottom edge ofthe modular element ( 1 ) to be stacked. As can be seen in Figure 3, seats (5) and shoulders (4) are uniformly distributed along the edge (7) of the modular element ( 1 ), so as to ensure transmission of the forces along the entire area of contact between the modular elements ( 1 ), optimizing stacking thereof and increasing the duration thereof over time. The same Figure shows two cross-sectional views of a modular element, rotated through 180°; if two elements (1 ) are placed on top of one another as shown, the asymmetry in the distribution of shoulders (4) and seats (5) results in an increase in the height ofthe packaging by 5 cm since the projections of one element are aligned vertically with the recesses ofthe other element. In Figure 4, however, it can be seen how the same set of six modular elements ( 1 ) can give rise to packaging of considerably different height.

Figure 5 shows, on the other hand, a modular element ( 1 ) which can be disassembled into four straight side-pieces (14), two of which are long (14a) and two short (14b), in the usual case of rectangular packaging.

The side-pieces ( 14) are fixed to one another via the dovetail joints ( 15) so as to form a modular element ( 1 ).

As can be noted in the exploded view, in this case the last stacked modular element ( 1 ) has seats (5) into which the shoulders (4) of the modular element ( 1 ) to be stacked must be inserted. In this example, depending on the positioning of each modular element (1 ), increments in the height ofthe packaging by 2 or 3 cm can be obtained

The short side-pieces (14b) have been shaped so as to form a handle (16) which allows each modular element (1 ) to be gripped when the packaging is dismantled.

More generally, in order to form a modular packaging (10) according to the present invention, mutually interfering means (4,5) of varying form may be used so that each stacked modular element ( I ) modifies the height of the packaging (10) by at least two different incremental amounts depending on the form of mutually interfering means (4,5) used. In order to ensure stability and rigidity ofthe entire packaging

( 10), it is sufficient for the fixing member, which is preferably elastic, to be attached to the bottom modular element (la) and to the top modular element ( 1 b). Its surface compπses spaces (6) which can be personalized and used for advertising purposes; it may also be formed as a traditional "cover" which can be easily fitted and removed and which is recoverable or disposable depending on requirements. In a preferred constructional solution, the fixing member (3) and the base element (2) are attached so as to facilitate disassembly ofthe packaging (10)

An alternative embodiment thereof is illustrated in Figure 5, where it consists of snap-engagement devices (17), arranged at intervals at least on the long side-pieces (14) of each modular element (1), compπsing lugs (18) projecting downwards and corresponding gnpping seats ( 19) on the top end of the side-pieces (14) There is obviously a greater number of seats (19) than lugs (18) in order to allow joining together of consecutive modules in both possible arrangements

Positioning ofthe base element (2) occurs by means of gravity since each modular element has small pegs (8) directed upwards matching holes (9) in the base element (2) or else occurs in a manner similar to that for consecutive modular elements shown in Figure 5

As can be seen in Figures 7 and 8, the apparatus for handling modular packaging ofthe type described above comprises at least one station (13) for assembly ofthe modular packaging (10) and a station (20) for disassembly of said packaging.

Figure 7 shows the station for assembly of the modular packaging (10) which comprises means (25) for feeding the packaging (10) and a seπes of stores (26,27,28) containing the elements (1,2,3) which make up the packaging (10). In the embodiment shown, the means for feeding the packaging

( 10) comprise a conveyor belt (25) travelling underneath the stores (26,27,28) and moved stepwise. The seπes of stores (26,27,28) compπses at least three stores (26) containing modular elements ( 1 ), a store (27) of a different type, located downstream of a first store (26a)

of modular elements (1 ), containing packaging bases (2), and a store (28) of a third type, located donwstream of all the others, containing members (3) for fixing the modular elements together. From the first store (26a) a modular element (1) is deposited one at a time, forming the bottom element (la) of the packaging (10); from the store (27) downstream ofthe latter the packaging bases (2) are made to fall one at a time, while the other two stores (26b,26c) of modular elements (1 ) contain respectively modular elements ( 1 ), stacked so that each one is rotated through 180° about a vertical axis with respect to the adjacent ones, and modular elements ( 1 ) stacked so as not to be rotated with respect to one another. From both these stores (26a,26b) an arbitrary number of modular elements (1 ) may be released.

Since the different relative arrangement ofthe modular elements ( I ) results in different increases in the height of the packaging (10), each element ( 1 ) deposited by the store (26b) causes an increase in the height ofthe packaging ( 10) by 5 cm, while each element ( 1 ) released by the third store (26c) causes an increase thereof by only 2 cm. To ensure that this occurs, irrespective of the number of elements (1 ) released, a device (29) has been inserted between the store (26a) containing the bottom elements ( la) of the packaging and the store

(26c) containing modular elements (1 ) which are not rotated with respect to each other, said device (29) being intended to perform a relative rotation, through 180° with respect to a vertical axis, of the packaging (10) and at least one of the stores (26b,26c) of modular

elements (1 ) This device, preferably acting on at least one ofthe two stores (26b,26c), is actuated by sensors (34) which ensure that the bottom element (la) of the packaging is in any case rotated through 180° with respect to the first modular element (1 ) released by the second store (26b) and that the last modular element released by the latter has the same orientation as the modular elements ( 1 ) released by the third store (26c)

The second store (26b) of modular elements (1 ) is supplied alternately by two additional stores (31 a.31 b), each of which contains a set of modular elements ( 1 ) which are not rotated with respect to each other, but rotated through 180° with respect to those ofthe other store

In the case where the modular elements ( I ) in turn consist of four side-pieces (14), upstream ofthe aforementioned stores there will be a station which assembles two short side-pieces and two long side- pieces in a predetermined manner

As can be seen in Figure 8, the disassembly station (20) compπses at least a first device (32) for removing the member (3) fixing the packaging (10) and a second device (33) for separating the base (2) and the modular elements ( 1 ) from one another In a preferred solution, shown here, it also comprises a selector

(44) of modular elements (1 ) designed to convey into separate stores (35a,35b) the modular elements (1 ) with a different orientation, and also an intervalled washing device (42) which operates in parallel with the device (33) in order to separate the base (2) and the modular

elements (1 ) from one another, so as to optimize cleaning of the individual elements ofthe packaging ( 10).

The device (33) for separating the base (2) and the modular elements ( 1 ) from one another comprises a first substation (38) where the base (2) is removed and a second substation (49) with a grill (36) and a plurality of mutually diverging guides (37). The latter, which may for example consist of lateral supports for the edges ofthe modular elements ( 1 ), extend from the grill (36) and have a spacing vertically increasing from a minimum distance of 1 cm at the mouth to a distance greater than the height of the modular elements ( 1 ).

Underneath the first substation (38) there is a store (35c) for collecting the removed bases (2).

As a result of complete dismantling of the packaging (10) performed in this manner, it is advantageously possible to process in sequence packaging of any size.

The selector (44) comprises means for detecting the orientation ofthe modular elements (1 ) which, for example, may comprise a device (39) for reading an identification mark (41 ) located on one side of each modular element (1 ). Similarly to what happens during assembly, if the modular elements (1 ) can be disassembled into side-pieces (14), a further device may be provided in order to divide the long side-pieces from the short ones.

Finally, in the case where the packaging must be returned, the

disassembled side-pieces (14) may be stowed between base (2) and cover.

Obviously the two stations are entirely independent from one another and merely for the sake of convenience, reference is made to a single apparatus: in fact, while remaining within the scope of protection of the present patent, they could form the essential part of separate apparatuses.

In the latter, only one of the two aforementioned operating stages could be performed or only one ofthe constructional solutions claimed and described herein used, in combination with an alternative constructional solution for the other operating stage.

The invention thus conceived may be subject to numerous modifications and variants, all of which falling within the scope ofthe inventive idea. Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements .

In practice, modifications and/or improvements are obviously possible, provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims.