Tray collar, tray collar system and use thereof

Abstract

A tray collar, a tray collar system and use thereof are disclosed. The tray collar is made of a sheet material having sections, the sections having a middle part, the middle part connecting the middle parts of adjacent sections by a main fold line, at right angles to the section, such that each section forms a tray collar wall, the wall having an outer wall and an inner wall, the inner wall being parallel to and spaced apart from the outer wall, the outer wall being formed by the middle part, the middle part having four parts, each part being folded along the fold line in the same way, at right angles to the previous part, folded in such a way that they follow each other in reverse to the other series of four parts, such that a first part forms a first spacing, a second part extends parallel to the middle part and forms half of the inner wall, extending to the centre of the tray collar wall, the second part being in contact with the other second part at a location, a third part extends to the inside of the middle part to form a second spacing, a fourth part extends along the inside of the middle part and is fixed to the inside.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a pallet sleeve for storing, packaging and transporting goods, typically on a pallet, as well as a pallet sleeve system having a plurality of such pallet sleeves, and the use of such a pallet sleeve or pallet sleeve system.

[0002] The present invention particularly relates to a pallet sleeve intended for use in the field of commercial logistics. Such a pallet sleeve is a shell-like structure, typically consisting of four walls which are connected to each other to form a rectangular frame. This serves to provide a pallet with walls which enclose the loading space of the pallet to hold and protect the goods placed on the pallet during storage and / or transport.

[0003] Such a pallet sleeve can be used independently, or together with a bottom member and / or a lid, forming a box-like structure. Such a pallet sleeve can also be provided with dividing walls, dividing the loading space into a number of smaller compartments, and a plurality of pallet sleeves can be arranged one on top of the other to increase the height of the crate, with a bottom member between the pallet sleeves forming a number of compartments one on top of the other, or without such members to form one large loading space. Although use on a pallet, in particular on a pallet having a standard size as defined by EUR, ISO or GMA, is by far the most common use of such a pallet sleeve, it is of course also possible to use such a pallet sleeve without a pallet, or on a pallet having other shapes and sizes, for example a pallet having a square loading surface. BACKGROUND

[0004] Pallet sleeves of this type can be divided into three large categories. Wooden pallet sleeves are the oldest, and most commonly used type. These wooden pallet sleeves are very sturdy, but heavy and cumbersome to handle. Another type is plastic pallet sleeves, which can be made as sturdy as wooden pallet sleeves, but are less heavy. However, plastic pallet sleeves are expensive and not environmentally friendly.

[0005] The present invention particularly relates to disposable pallet sleeves, which are used, for example, to transport products from the manufacturer to the shop, to unload the products at the shop, and to dispose of the pallet sleeves for recycling. Of course, the manufacturing cost of such pallet sleeves must be low, and therefore they are typically made of a paper-based material, for example from corrugated cardboard. Known such pallet sleeves are not sufficiently sturdy to ensure protection of expensive and / or fragile goods. Therefore, these expensive and / or fragile goods are often transported with the aid of wooden or plastic pallet sleeves, which is an expensive solution if the sleeves are not returned, and in some cases, for example in the case of individual orders and delivery to customers, this can be cumbersome or inappropriate.

[0006] Therefore, there is a gap in the supply of pallet collars currently available on the market, which needs to be filled with new products capable of filling this gap. More specifically, there is a need for a pallet collar that can be produced at low cost and has a low weight, while providing strong protection for the goods to be stored and / or transported in the pallet collar.

[0007] There has been a constant effort to improve this type of product, due to the increasing demand for the transport of goods, which has practically become an increasingly important part of the product value chain. Even a slight reduction in transport costs, in this respect, can have a significant impact on the profitability of the product and create a competitive advantage. SUMMARY

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet collar of the type defined in the introduction, which is improved in at least some respects relative to known such pallet shell assemblies.

[0009] According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a pallet collar according to claim 1.

[0010] More specifically, it has proven that the design of a pallet collar wall having a double wall structure, which is reinforced in the center by a third and a fourth portion, can result in a pallet collar that has a strength and an ability to absorb vertically and horizontally exerted forces comparable to that of a wooden or plastic pallet collar, while benefiting from the inventive folding structure of the wall, the production costs and the weight of the pallet collar are comparable to those of a common corrugated cardboard collar, thus enabling the use of paper-based materials without reducing the strength of the finished pallet collar.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, each first portion and third portion has a width measured between its two adjacent fold lines, which is 2-7 times the thickness of the sheet material, more preferably 3-6 times the thickness of the sheet material, most preferably 4-5 times the thickness of the sheet material.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the invention, each fourth portion has a width extending along the extension direction of the main fold line, which is at least 2 times, at least 3 times, preferably at least 4 times the width measured between its two adjacent fold lines of each first portion and third portion.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the invention, the second portions of each pallet collar wall extend so as to contact each other at the center of the pallet collar wall.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one first portion of each tray collar wall has a length which is smaller than the length of the intermediate portion of the tray collar wall and is centered along the length of the intermediate portion, such that the end of the first portion is located at a distance from the end of the intermediate portion to which the first portion is connected, thereby forming, in the assembled state of the tray collar, an opening in each corner of the top edge and / or bottom edge of the tray collar wall defined by the first portion, in the space between the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion, to allow insertion of a separate element into the space at the corner of the tray collar.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention, each first portion of each tray collar wall has a length which is smaller than the length of the intermediate portion of the tray collar wall and is centered along the length of the intermediate portion, such that the end of each first portion is located at a distance from the end of the intermediate portion to which each first portion is connected, thereby forming, in the assembled state of the tray collar, the opening in each corner of the top edge and bottom edge of the tray collar wall to allow, at each corner of the tray collar, a separate element to protrude through the tray collar.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the paper-based sheet material is a fiberboard sheet material.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the fiberboard sheet material is a corrugated cardboard sheet material.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the grooves of the corrugated cardboard sheet material extend along the extension direction of the main fold lines.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the grooves of the corrugated cardboard sheet material extend perpendicular to the extension direction of the main fold lines.

[0020] According to another embodiment of the present invention, each fourth portion is fixed to the intermediate portion of the same tray collar wall by an adhesive, preferably a glue based on vinyl acetate polymers.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the tray shell is a disposable tray shell.

[0022] The present invention also relates to a tray collar system comprising at least two tray collars according to the present invention and at least one elongated corner element, as well as the use of a tray collar and / or tray collar system according to the present invention, as recited in the independent claims attached hereto.

[0023] The features and advantages of such a system and use, as well as further advantages and advantageous features of the tray collar of the present invention, will be clear from the following description of a tray collar and tray collar system according to embodiments of the present invention, and will present themselves to the expert skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] With reference to the drawings, embodiments of the application cited as examples are described in detail below.

[0025] In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a tray collar according to an embodiment of the application in an assembled state,

[0027] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a top view of the tray collar shown in

[0028] Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a tray collar system according to an embodiment of the application, the tray collar system comprising three tray collars as shown in Figure 1 , the three tray collars being in an assembled state standing on a tray,

[0029] Figure 4 is Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the tray collar system shown in

[0030] Figure 5 is Figure 1 is a top view of the tray collar shown in

[0031] Figure 6 is a view showing step-by-step (A-H) how to assemble the tray collar shown in Figure 1 from a flat sheet to obtain an assembled state,

[0032] Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tray collar as shown in Figure 1 , the tray collar being made of a corrugated cardboard sheet having grooves, the grooves in the assembled tray collar extending along the extension direction of the main fold line, i.e. vertically,

[0033] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tray collar as shown in Figure 1 , the tray collar being made of a corrugated cardboard sheet having grooves, the grooves in the assembled tray collar extending perpendicular to the extension direction of the main fold line, i.e. horizontally,

[0034] Figure 9 is a visual presentation of the bending strength test results of two tray collars according to different embodiments of the application and three tray collars known to have different designs and materials. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In the drawings: Figures 1-8A tray sleeve 1 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 9 A comparison between the expansion and bending strength of a tray sleeve 1 according to two different embodiments of the present application and three tray sleeves forming part of the prior art is shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 A tray sleeve is shown as a component of a tray sleeve system 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. The tray sleeve 1 and the tray sleeve system 2 will now be described while referring to all these figures.

[0036] The tray sleeve 1 is a disposable tray sleeve intended for use in the field of commercial logistics, for example for holding and protecting products loaded on a tray 3 during a single transportation from a manufacturer to a store, after which the tray sleeve 1 is discarded for recycling. Such a tray sleeve can be used independently, i.e. placed directly on the tray and having an open top side, or together with a bottom member 4 and a lid 5, thereby forming a box-like structure completely enclosing the goods on the tray. The tray sleeve typically has outer dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the upper loading surface of a tray having standard dimensions defined by EUR, ISO or GMA, however, the tray sleeve according to the present application can also have other dimensions, for example customised dimensions to fit the packaging and transportation of specific products.

[0037] The tray sleeve 1 is made from a single paper-based sheet having a uniform thickness, preferably from a corrugated cardboard sheet, which is folded along fold lines (8a-c, 15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) to obtain the assembled state of the tray sleeve, as shown in Figure 1 The sheet has four consecutive sections 6a-d, each section having a rectangular or at least substantially rectangular middle portion 7a-d, which is connected to the middle portion of the adjacent section by a main fold line 8a-c, forming a right angle with that section, such that each section 6a-d forms a wall of the tray sleeve 1 and in the assembled state the main fold lines define the outer corners of the tray sleeve 1.

[0038] Each tray sleeve wall has an outer wall portion 9 and an inner wall portion 10, which extends in parallel with and is spaced apart from the outer wall portion 9, thereby giving each wall a double wall structure. The outer wall portion 9 of each wall is formed by the middle portion 7a-d of the section 6a-d forming that wall. From the direction of extension of the main fold line 8a-c, each middle portion has a series of four consecutive portions at each of its opposite longitudinal boundaries, namely a first portion 11a-b located in the vicinity of the middle portion, followed by a second portion 12a-b, a third portion 13a-b, and finally a fourth portion 14a-b located at the position most distant from the middle portion and marking the end of the series.

[0039] between each pair of adjacent intermediate portions 7a-d and each series of four consecutive portions 11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b, there is provided a fold line extending along the adjacent lateral border of each pair, i.e. a fold line perpendicular to the adjacent main fold line / line 8a-c, such that each portion of said pair is foldable with respect to the other portion. More specifically, in each series, there is a first fold line 15a-b between the intermediate portion 7a and the first portion 11a-b, a second fold line 16a-b between the first portion 11a-b and the second portion 12a-b, a third fold line 17a-b between the second portion 12a-b and the third portion 13a-b, and a fourth fold line 18a-b between the third portion 13a-b and the fourth portion 14a-b, in each case separating two adjacent portions 7a-d, 11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b from each other.

[0040] In the assembled state of the tray collar 1, each portion 11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b of each series is folded along the fold line separating each portion from the previous portion in the same way as the previous portion is folded, while forming a right angle with the previous portion and in a way opposite to the way in which the portion of the other series of four consecutive portions of the same section 7a-d is folded. This means that in each series, following each other,

[0041] The first portion 11a-b forms a first spacer between the outer wall portion 9 and the inner wall portion 10 and the top edge or the bottom edge of the tray collar wall formed by the section 6a-d comprising the first portion 11a-b,

[0042] The second portion 12a-b extends parallel to the intermediate portion 7a-d and forms half of the inner wall portion 10, extending to a position at the centre of the respective tray collar wall, where the second portion 12a-b is in contact or at least substantially in contact with the second portion of the other series of the same section 6a-d,

[0043] The third portion 13a-b extends to the inner side 19 of the intermediate portion 7a-d to form a second spacer between the outer wall portion 9 and the inner wall portion 10, and

[0044] The fourth portion 14a-b extends along the inner side 19 of the intermediate portion 7a-d and is fixed to the inner side 19 by adhesive, preferably a glue based on vinyl acetate polymers.

[0045] All four parts of one series of each section 6a-d are folded in the "same way" and in the "opposite way" in relation to the other series of the same section, which means that each part of one series is folded in the same direction in relation to the previous part, while the other series of the same section is folded in the opposite direction. This can be clarified by looking at Figure 7 and Figure 8 It is clear from Figure 7 and Figure 8 that the first series of parts 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a of the first section 6a are folded counterclockwise (one way) from the middle part 7a, while the second series of parts 11b, 12b, 13b, 14b are folded clockwise (the other opposite way) from the middle part 7b.

[0046] Each first part 11a-b and third part 13a-b should have a width, measured between its two adjacent fold lines, i.e. between 15a and 16a; and between 17a and 18a, for example, which is 2-7 times the thickness of the sheet, more preferably 3-6 times the thickness of the sheet, most preferably 4-5 times the thickness of the sheet, to provide a tray collar wall with good strength properties. The thickness of the sheet can be between 2 mm and 13 mm, between 2 mm and 9 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 7 mm.

[0047] In the same way, each fourth part 14a-b should have a width, extending in the direction of extension of the main fold line, which is at least 2 times, at least 3 times, preferably at least 4 times the width of each first part 11a-b and third part 13a-b. Figure 7 Figure 8 In the same way, each fourth part 14a-b should have a width, extending in the direction of extension of the main fold line, which is at least 2 times, at least 3 times, preferably at least 4 times the width of each first part 11a-b and third part 13a-b.

[0048] All parts 11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b of each series of each section 6a-d are centered along the length of the transverse border of the previous part to which the part is attached, so that from the longitudinal extension direction of the parts, the parts 12a-b with the larger length extend equally far beyond the two outer edges of the parts 11a-b, 13a-b with the relatively smaller length. However, some or all of the parts can also be provided with other dimensions than those shown in this example, to impart specific and desired properties to the tray collar 1. For the sake of clarity of the drawings, only the parts of the series and the fold lines between these parts are marked at the first section 6a. It should be clear from the present description that each of the other sections 6b-d has the same parts and fold lines, with properties and functions corresponding to those of the first section, even if these sections can have other dimensions.

[0049] ​Each first portion 11a-b of each tray collar wall has a length that is less than the length of the middle portion 7a-d of the tray collar wall and is centred along the length of the middle portion such that the end of each first portion is located at a distance from the end of the middle portion to which each first portion is connected, the end defining a corner of the assembled tray collar 1, so that in the assembled state of the tray collar 1, in each corner of the top and bottom edges of the tray collar wall defined by the first portion, an opening 20 is formed in the space 21 between the inner wall portion 10 and the outer wall portion 9. These openings in the corners of the tray collar enable individual elements to be inserted into the openings, which means that the properties of the adjustable tray collar can be adjusted for a specific use, for example by inserting stiffening corner elements with different stiffnesses, and that the tray collar can be stably connected to other similar tray collars by arranging connecting elements in the corners to form a solid tray collar system 2.

[0050] A further feature and advantage of the tray collar 1 according to the invention is that the direction of extension of the flutes 26 of the corrugated cardboard sheet can be chosen to impart the desired properties to the tray collar, i.e. so that the flutes extend along the direction of extension of the main fold lines 8a-c, i.e. vertically in the assembled tray collar 1 as shown in Figure 7 , and perpendicularly to the direction of extension of the main fold lines, i.e. horizontally in the assembled tray collar as shown in Figure 8 .

[0051] As a design used in known tray collars of this type, vertical flutes provide a tray collar that is more powerful against forces in the vertical direction, thus providing stacking ability, and weaker against forces in the horizontal direction. By contrast, horizontal flutes provide a tray collar that is more powerful against forces in the horizontal direction and weaker against forces in the vertical direction. With conventional tray collars used today, horizontal flutes are not even an option. The reason is that the tray collar becomes very weak in the vertical direction, even if the horizontal strength is excellent, which is of little use.

[0052] However, the design of the walls of the tray collar 1 according to the invention allows the use of horizontal flutes, which means that the horizontal bending and bulging strength is significantly increased, but without losing the vertical strength and stacking ability. This is made possible by the inventive folding structure of the tray collar walls, which provides each wall with two vertically extending wall portions, i.e. the middle portion 7a and the two second portions 12a-b, and four horizontally extending wall portions, i.e. the first portions 11a-b and the third portions 13a-b (see Figure 7 or Figure 8 ), which impart a solid structure to the walls and thus to the tray collar 1 that is robust in any direction, regardless of the direction of the flutes.

[0053] This is shown in Figure 9 , Figure 9 representations of the bending and swelling strength test results are shown, in which a common corrugated cardboard pallet collar with AAA grooves (AAA), a common poplar plywood pallet collar with a thickness of 8 mm (Pw8) and a thickness of 6 mm (Pw6) and a pallet collar 1 according to the invention with vertical grooves (Invv) and horizontal grooves (Invh) were tested.

[0054] It is clear from this test that the pallet collar 1 according to the invention is a strong structure, in fact, tested by exerting a force of up to about 250 N (applied transversely at the center of the outer surface of the pallet collar wall), it turns out that both pallet collars according to the invention have a greater bending strength than the bending strength of a pallet collar made of 8 mm poplar plywood, resulting in less swelling.

[0055] Thus, a pallet collar 1 is provided which has a more favorable combination of cost, weight and strength characteristics relative to known pallet collars. This is achieved by the inventive design of the wall of the pallet collar, which provides the pallet collar with excellent strength, even if the pallet collar is produced at low cost and has a low weight.

[0056] Reference is now made to Figure 6 how to assemble the pallet collar 1 according to the invention, i.e. from a single flat sheet of paperboard provided with fold lines (8a-c, 15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) as Figure 5 shown, to obtain the assembled state, in Figure 6 this is shown by means of a snapshot view A-H.

[0057] First, the four consecutive parts 11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b of each series of each section 6a-d of the sheet are folded to form a wall of the pallet collar 1 together with the intermediate part 7a-d of the other series and the same section. As mentioned above, each part of each series is folded along the fold line separating that part from the previous part, i.e. from the intermediate part, in the same way as the part before that part is folded along the fold line, while forming a right angle with the previous part, and from the outer end of the series, starting with the fourth part 14a-b.

[0058] View A shows how one series of the first section 6a fourth portions 14b and third portions 13b are folded in this way, so that the fourth portions extend parallel to the second portions 12b of the series, and the third portions extend upwards towards the viewer. View B shows how the second portions 12b of the series are then folded and extend upwards towards the viewer, and view C shows that after the first portions 1 lb of the series have been folded, the second portions 12b extend parallel to the middle portion 7a, forming half of the inner wall portion 10 of the tray collar wall to be formed by the section.

[0059] The opposite other series of the same section is then folded in the same way, and the first tray collar wall is formed by the first section 6a as shown in view D. The process is then repeated for the other sections 6b and 6c, which is shown in view E, where one series of the second section 6b has been folded; in view F, where two series of the second section 6b have been folded, and the section forms a second tray collar wall, until four consecutive portions of each series of each section have been folded, thereby forming four tray collar walls, which is shown in view G.

[0060] Thereafter, the sections 6a-d are folded towards each other along the main fold lines 8a-c, so that each section forms a right angle with each adjacent section, thereby giving the tray collar a rectangular shape, and the first section 6a is then fixed to the fourth section 6d by gluing or nailing the tab 24 protruding from the middle portion 7a of the first section onto the free end 25 of the middle portion 7d of the fourth section 6d, after which the tray collar 1 is in an assembled state, as shown in view H, and ready for use.

[0061] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A tray collar system 2 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The system comprises three tray collars 1, 1 a, 1 b according to the present application, and four elongated corner elements 22 configured to be inserted and housed in said space 21 between the outer wall portion 9 and the inner wall portion 10 at the corners of the tray collars.

[0062] Each corner element 22 has two rigid plate-like portions 23a-b connected to each other by a flexible portion, thereby providing pivotable mobility of the plate-like portions towards and away from each other.

[0063] Each corner element is configured to be inserted and housed in each of the three tray collars 1, 1a, 1b in their associated corners to each other, while extending out from a first one of the tray collars 1 through the opening 20 of the first tray collar 1, completely through a second one of the tray collars 1a by extending through the two opposite openings of the respective corner of the second tray collar 1a, and to a third one of the tray collars 1b, into the opening of the third tray collar 1b, to connect the tray collars to each other (see Figure 4 ) Each corner element 22 is configured to be inserted and housed in the tray collar 1, 1a, 1b with its two plate-like portions forming a right angle to each other, so that in the assembled state of the system 2, each plate-like portion 23a-b is arranged in each tray collar between the inner wall portion 10 and the outer wall portion 9 of a single one of the two adjacent tray collar walls of that tray collar, while extending in the space 20 along the respective corner from the bottom area of the wall to the top area.

[0064] Thus, by using the tray collar according to the present application, it is facilitated to produce a modular tray collar system 2 which is robust, light in weight and cost beneficial.

[0065] The present application is of course in no way limited to the embodiments described above, but a number of modifications thereof are conceivable to a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present application as defined in the appended claims.

[0066] When stating that a component is "connected to" another component, this can be interpreted as that the components are directly connected to each other or indirectly connected through an intermediate component.

[0067] The terms top, bottom, upper, lower, front, rear, horizontal and vertical which can be used in the present disclosure to define various components or parts thereof, can be interpreted as applicable to a tray collar or tray collar system placed on a horizontal ground, e.g. as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 respectively.

[0068] It is to be understood that the "single sheet" can also be a sheet which is composed of a plurality of sheets glued together, and thus, in the present disclosure, the word single is to be interpreted as that the sheet is in one single piece in the assembled state of the tray collar.

[0069] Each intermediate portion of the section has a substantially rectangular or rectangular shape, which means that the main perception of each intermediate portion is rectangular or that the main area of each intermediate portion is rectangular, but can also be provided rounded as an example.

[0070] In the sense that each of the second portions of the series of the section extends to a position where the second portion is in contact or at least substantially in contact with a second portion of another series of the same section, the expression "at least substantially in contact" should be interpreted in such a way that a very small distance, for example at most about 1 times the thickness of the sheet material, can exist between the second portions, which should still be included in the definition. Furthermore, that the two second portions meet "in the centre" of the respective tray collar wall should be interpreted in such a way that the two second portions meet in the centre portion, but do not necessarily have exactly the same dimensions, and thus do not necessarily meet in the exact centre of the wall.

Claims

1. A tray collar (1) made from a single paper-based sheet having a uniform thickness, said paper-based sheet having four consecutive sections (6a-d), each section having a substantially rectangular or rectangular middle portion (7a-d) connected to the middle portion (7a-d) of an adjacent section (6a-d) by a main fold line (8a-c) forming a right angle with this section (6a-d) such that each section (6a-d) forms a wall of the tray collar (1), each tray collar wall having an outer wall portion (9) and an inner wall portion (10) extending in parallel with and spaced apart from the outer wall portion, the outer wall portion (9) being formed by the middle portion (7a-d), the middle portion (7a-d) having, at each of its opposite boundaries, a series of four consecutive portions (11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b) folded in the same way as the previous portion along a fold line (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) perpendicular to the main fold line (8a-c), while forming a right angle with the previous portion (11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14ab) and folded in the opposite way to the way in which the portions (11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b) of the other series of four consecutive portions (11a-b, 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b) are folded, following one another, the first portion (11a-b) of each series immediately adjacent to the middle portion (7a-d) forming a first spacer between the outer wall portion (9) and the inner wall portion (10), the second portion (12a-b) extending in parallel with the middle portion (7a-d) and forming half of the inner wall portion (10), extending to a position at the centre of the respective tray collar wall, the second portion (12a-b) being substantially in contact with the second portion (12a-b) of the other series, the third portion (13a-b) extending to the inner side (19) of the middle portion (7a-d) to form a second spacer between the outer wall portion (9) and the inner wall portion (10), and the fourth portion (14a-b) extending along and fixed to the inner side (19) of the middle portion (7a-d), wherein Each first portion (11a-b) of each tray collar wall has a length which is less than the length of the intermediate portion (7a-d) of the tray collar wall and is centred along the length of said intermediate portion (7a-d) such that the end of each first portion (11a-b) is located at a distance from the end of said intermediate portion (7a-d) to which it is connected, so that in the assembled state of the tray collar (1) an opening (20) is formed in each corner of the top and bottom edges of the tray collar wall in the space (21) between the inner wall portion (10) and the outer wall portion (9) to allow a separate corner element (22) to protrude through the tray collar (1) at each corner of the tray collar (1).

2. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that Each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b) has a width measured between its two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) which is 2-7 times the thickness of the paper-based sheet.

3. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that, Each fourth portion (14a-b) has a width extending along the extension direction of the main fold line (8a-c) which is at least 2 times the width of each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b) measured between its two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b).

4. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that The second portion (12a-b) of each tray collar wall extends so as to contact each other at the centre of the tray collar wall.

5. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that, The paper-based sheet is a fibreboard sheet.

6. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 5, characterised in that The fibreboard sheet is a corrugated cardboard sheet.

7. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that The flutes (26) of the corrugated cardboard sheet extend along the extension direction of the main fold line (8a-c).

8. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that The flutes (26) of the corrugated cardboard sheet extend perpendicular to the extension direction of the main fold line (8a-c).

9. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that, Each fourth portion (14a-b) is fixed to the intermediate portion (7a-d) of the same tray collar wall by an adhesive.

10. The pallet collar (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that Each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b) has a width measured between its two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) which is 3-6 times the thickness of the paper-based sheet.

11. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that Each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b) has a width measured between its two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) which is 4-5 times the thickness of the paper-based sheet.

12. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that Each fourth portion (14a-b) has a width extending along the extension direction of the main fold line (8a-c) which is at least 3 times the width of each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b) measured between its two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b).

13. A pallet collar (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that Each fourth portion (14a-b) has a width extending along the extension direction of said main fold line (8a-c), said width being at least 4 times the width measured between two adjacent fold lines (15a-b, 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b) of each first portion (11a-b) and third portion (13a-b).

14. The pallet collar (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that The adhesive is a vinyl acetate polymer based glue.

15. A pallet collar system (2) comprising at least two pallet collars (1, la, lb) according to claim 1 or according to any one of claims 5-9, and comprising at least one elongated corner element (22) configured to be inserted in and housed in the space (21) in a corner of a first one of the pallet collars (1, la, lb) and in a corner of a second one of the pallet collars (1, la, lb), while extending between and through the openings (20) in each of the pallet collars (1, la, lb) to connect these pallet collars (1, la, lb) to each other.

16. The pallet collar system (2) according to claim 15, characterized in that The pallet collar system (2) comprises at least three pallet collars (1, la, lb) according to claim 1, and each elongated corner element (22) is configured to be inserted in and housed in the space (21) in corners of the at least three pallet collars (1, la, lb) associated with each other, while extending from a first one of the pallet collars (1) out through the opening (20) in the first one of the pallet collars (1), completely through a second one of the pallet collars (la) by extending through two opposite openings (20) in respective corners of the second one of the pallet collars (la), and to a third one of the pallet collars (lb) into the opening (20) in the third one of the pallet collars (lb) to connect these pallet collars (1, la, lb) to each other.

17. The pallet collar system (2) according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that Each of the at least one elongated corner element (22) has two rigid plate-like portions (23a-b) connected to each other by a flexible portion, each plate-like portion (23a-b) being configured to be arranged in each pallet collar (1, la, lb) between an inner wall portion (10) and an outer wall portion (9) of a single one of two adjacent pallet collar walls of that pallet collar (1, la, lb), while extending in the space (21) from a bottom area to a top area of the respective corner along the pallet collar walls in an assembled state of the pallet collar system (2).

18. The pallet collar system (2) according to claim 15, characterized in that The pallet collar system (2) comprises four elongated corner elements (22).

19. Use of a pallet collar (1) according to any one of claims 1-14 or a pallet collar system (2) according to any one of claims 15-18 for storing and / or transporting goods on a pallet (3).

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