Transport arrangement with a household appliance and associated packing material

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport arrangement comprising a household appliance (6) and associated packaging material. The transport arrangement includes a transport pallet (10) on which the household appliance (6) is placed, and at least two corner cushions (20) extending vertically to the receiving surface of the transport pallet (10) and encompassing the household appliance (6) at adjacent corners. A packaging container (50) is provided for receiving the packaging materials, and horizontally extending support arms (52) are arranged on both sides of the packaging container (50). These support arms can be detachably inserted into receptacles (21) in the corner cushions (20), so that the packaging container (50) is suspended between the corner cushions (20).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a transport arrangement with a household appliance and associated accompanying material, comprising a transport pallet on which the household appliance is received and at least two corner cushions which surround the household appliance at adjacent corners and run vertically to the receiving surface of the transport pallet.

[0002] For example, DE 2 258 097 A discloses a transport arrangement for household appliances comprising a transport pallet and corner cushions surrounding the household appliance, as well as floor cushions. DE 33 35 531 A1 discloses a transport arrangement for household appliances comprising a floor and floor cushions arranged thereon.

[0003] In addition to the household appliance itself (e.g., a washing machine, dishwasher, or electric stove), there are also accompanying accompanying materials. These include, for example, instruction manuals, warranty documents, vouchers for accessories, tools, or adapters. These accompanying materials must be transported with the household appliance to the end customer.

[0004] It is currently known to provide a so-called lid module with a special recess for accommodating the accessories for transport on top of the household appliance. The accessories are packaged, for example, in a plastic bag and the plastic bag is placed in the recess in the lid module. However, this requires a relatively thick lid module to form the recess for the accessories. This increases the overall height of the transport arrangement and thus the transport volume and mass, so that the number of units that can be transported, for example by truck, is reduced. This increases transport costs and also has a negative impact on the CO2 balance. In addition, a relatively thick lid module is relatively more expensive to manufacture and is also disadvantageous from a sustainability perspective and with regard to the CO2 balance during production.

[0005] Furthermore, it is currently also known to store the accompanying packaging materials inside household appliances, e.g. in the washing drum of a washing machine, for transport. In this case, loosely arranged packaging materials, particularly if they contain hard objects such as tools, can damage the interior of the appliance due to impacts during transport. Likewise, the accompanying packaging materials or their packaging can be damaged as a result of the transport movements. Furthermore, this type of transport of the accompanying packaging materials is particularly problematic for washing machines because, after production, these are subjected to a functional test with water, whereby residual moisture in the washing drum moistens and softens accompanying packaging materials in paper form (e.g. an instruction manual).Even if the accessories are packed in a plastic bag, problems arise because the installation and contact of the plastic bag with the inner wall of the washing drum makes it difficult for the residual moisture to dry out, which can lead to corrosion damage.

[0006] Additionally, it is currently known to ship accompanying materials as a separate package, independent of the household appliance. However, this incurs additional costs and is logistically complex.

[0007] The invention therefore addresses the problem of creating a transport arrangement with which both the household appliance and the accompanying materials can be transported in a simple, cost-effective, safe and environmentally friendly manner.

[0008] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a transport arrangement having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the following subclaims.

[0009] The invention thus relates to a transport arrangement with a household appliance and associated accompanying material comprising a transport pallet on which the household appliance is received and at least two corner cushions which surround the household appliance at adjacent corners and extend vertically to the receiving surface of the transport pallet.

[0010] The transport arrangement is characterized according to the invention in that it comprises an accessory container in which the accessory materials are accommodated, wherein horizontally extending support arms are arranged on both sides of the accessory container, which support arms can be detachably inserted into receptacles of the corner cushions, so that the accessory container is arranged suspended between the corner cushions.

[0011] In this context, enclosed materials are accessories such as an instruction manual or a special tool or consumable material for the household appliance.

[0012] The transport arrangement according to the invention thus enables the easy transport of accessories without increasing the transport volume or mass, since the hollow space between the corner cushions and in front of the side of the household appliance enclosed by the corner cushions is used as storage space. The anchoring of the accessories container in and between the corner cushions according to the invention ensures more secure storage of the accessories container during transport.

[0013] To secure the transport, a cover is usually placed over the assembled transport arrangement from above or a stretch film is wrapped around the transport arrangement before transport.

[0014] After the cover or stretch film has been removed by the end customer after transport, it can happen, according to the state of the art, in which the accompanying packaging materials are arranged in a lid module located on top of the device, that the lid module is disposed of with the accompanying packaging materials, in which case the accompanying packaging materials are then lost.

[0015] In the transport arrangement according to the invention, the accessory container is suspended between the corner cushions. This makes the accessory container immediately visible when unpacking the transport arrangement. Furthermore, the corner cushions cannot be removed without handling the accessory container. This ensures that the accessory container and the accompanying material contained therein are not lost.

[0016] Preferably, the corner cushions each have a recess to form the receptacle for the support arms, wherein the support arms are inserted into the recesses.

[0017] In one embodiment, the corner cushions each have a slot-shaped recess, with the support arms each having sections corresponding to the slot-shaped recesses, which engage in the slot-shaped recesses to form a frictional connection, so that the support arms are clamped in the corner cushions. This prevents the accessory container or the support arms from slipping out of the corner cushions.

[0018] Advantageously, the support arms are L-shaped with a horizontal section and a vertical section projecting downwards therefrom, wherein the support arms with the horizontal section each engage in the slot-shaped recesses of the corner cushions, while the vertical section is supported on the outer sides of the corner cushions, thereby providing additional stability.

[0019] The thickness of the accessory container is preferably smaller than the distance between the side wall of the device enclosed by the corner cushions and the outer plane of the corner cushions (plane spanned by the outer sides of the corner cushions). This ensures that the accessory container does not protrude beyond the corner cushions, but is also securely positioned between them and protected from impacts during transport.

[0020] It is particularly advantageous if the accessory container, including its support arms, is positioned essentially flush with the outer plane of the corner cushions, with its side facing away from the household appliance. After a cover is placed over the transport assembly or after wrapping it with stretch film, the accessory container is then additionally secured in position by contact with the cover or stretch film.

[0021] The accessory container, including its support arms, is preferably designed as a cardboard folding box, with the accessory materials being accommodated in the box between the support arms, said box comprising a closed, re-openable volume. The accessory materials are inserted into the box before the folding box is closed.

[0022] The corner cushions can be made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), cardboard (e.g., corrugated or honeycomb cardboard), or molded fiberboard. In all cases, it is possible to create dimensionally stable, slot-shaped recesses.

[0023] If the household appliance has a protruding appliance component on a side wall of the appliance, for example the door in front of the washing drum in the case of a washing machine, the accessories container including its support arms is preferably arranged above or below the protruding appliance component.

[0024] Advantageously, in addition to the corner cushions for securing the device during transport, the transport arrangement also comprises floor cushions arranged on the transport pallet on which the floor of the household appliance rests, as well as a lid module arranged on the top of the appliance.

[0025] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Fig. 1 an exploded view of a transport arrangement according to the invention, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the assembled transport arrangement, Fig. 3 a perspective view of an accessory container according to the invention.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a transport arrangement according to the invention prior to anchoring the accessory container 50 according to the invention in and between the corner cushions 20. The transport arrangement comprises a transport pallet 10 on which the household appliance 6 is received, as well as four corner cushions 20 that surround the household appliance 6 at the corners and run vertically to the receiving surface of the transport pallet 10, whereby only three corner cushions 20 are visible in this illustration. Two base cushions 3 are arranged on the transport pallet 10, on which the base of the household appliance 6 rests. A lid module 4 is also located on top of the household appliance 6 for additional transport security. The accessory container 50, in which the accessory materials are accommodated, has horizontally extending support arms 52 on both sides, which can be detachably inserted into receptacles 21 of the corner cushions 20, so that the accessory container 50 is arranged hanging between the corner cushions 20.

[0027] Two corner cushions 20 which surround the household appliance at adjacent corners and which preferably enclose the front side of the household appliance 6 between them have the receptacles 21 for releasably receiving the support arms 52 which extend horizontally on both sides of the accessory container 50.

[0028] The receptacles of the corner cushions 20 are designed as recesses, in particular slot-shaped recesses 21, into which the support arms 52 are releasably inserted. For this purpose, the support arms 52 each have sections 52A corresponding to the slot-shaped recesses, which engage in the slot-shaped recesses 21, forming a frictional connection, so that the support arms 52 are clamped in the corner cushions 20.

[0029] Advantageously, the support arms 52 are L-shaped with a horizontal section 52A and a vertical section 52B projecting downwards therefrom, wherein the support arms 52 with the horizontal section 52A are each inserted into the slot-shaped recesses 21 of the corner cushions 20 and engage there, preferably in a clamping manner, while the vertical section 52B rests flatly against the outer sides of the corner cushions 20, thereby providing additional stability.

[0030] The thickness of the horizontal section 52A is slightly larger than the clear width of the slot-shaped recess 21, thus reliably creating a frictional connection. While maintaining the clamping force, the horizontal section 52A is slightly compressed and / or the slot-shaped recess 21 is slightly widened upon insertion into the slot-shaped recess 21. This is ensured if the L-shaped support 52 of the accessory container 50 and / or the corner cushions 20 are made of a deformable material.

[0031] The accessory container 50 including its support arms 52 is preferably designed as a folding box made of cardboard, wherein the accessory materials are accommodated in the box 51 between the support arms 52, wherein this box 51 comprises a closed, re-openable volume.

[0032] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the fully assembled transport arrangement with the accessory container 50 suspended between the corner cushions 20, the support arms 52 of which are releasably anchored in the recesses 21 of the corner cushions 20.

[0033] The thickness of the accessory container 50 and its support arms 52 is preferably smaller than the distance between the device side wall enclosed by the corner cushions 20 and the outer plane of the corner cushions (plane spanned by the outer sides of the corner cushions). This ensures that the accessory container 50 does not protrude beyond the corner cushions 20, but is also safely arranged between them and is protected from impacts during transport.

[0034] As in Fig. 2, the accessory container 50 lies with its side facing away from the household appliance, including its support arms 52, essentially flush with the outer plane of the corner cushions 20. After placing a cover (not shown) over the transport arrangement or after wrapping with a stretch film (not shown), the accessory container 50 is then additionally secured in position by resting against the cover or the stretch film.

[0035] Preferably, a front-side projection 53 is provided on the accessory container 50 as a spacer, which projects beyond the horizontal sections 52A of the L-shaped support arms 52. This front-side projection 53 serves as a spacer to hold the accessory container 50 in its position perpendicular to the device side enclosed by the corner cushions 20, at a distance from the device side or from device components arranged there, and thus additionally secures its position.

[0036] In the in the Fig. 1 and Fig. The examples shown in Figure 2 depict a transport arrangement with a washing machine as the household appliance 6. The washing drum door is located on the front of the washing machine as a component that protrudes significantly from the front. To prevent this door from protruding beyond the corner cushions 20 surrounding the front, these corner cushions 20 are of a suitable thickness. This creates a particularly large storage space for the accessories container 50 between these corner cushions 20 and in front of the side of the household appliance surrounded by the corner cushions 20.

[0037] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the accessory container according to the invention independent of the rest of the transport arrangement.

[0038] For stability reasons, the transport pallet 10 is preferably designed as a wooden pallet. However, it is also possible to use a plastic pallet as part of the transport arrangement. List of reference symbols: 1 transport pallet 20 corner cushions 21 slot-shaped recesses in the corner cushions 3 floor cushions 4 cover module 50 accessory containers 51 boxes 52 support arms on the accessory container 52A horizontal section of the L-shaped support arm 52B vertical section of the L-shaped support arm 53 front projection on the accessory container as a spacer 6 household appliances QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 2 258 097 A

[0002] DE 33 35 531 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Transport arrangement with a household appliance (6) and associated accompanying material comprising a transport pallet (10) on which the household appliance (6) is picked up and at least two corner cushions (20) enclosing the household appliance (6) at adjacent corners and extending vertically to the receiving surface of the transport pallet (10), characterized by , that an accessory container (50) in which the accessory materials are accommodated is provided, wherein horizontally extending support arms (52) are arranged on both sides of the accessory container (50), wherein the support arms (52) are detachably insertable into receptacles (21) of the corner cushions (20), so that the accessory container (50) is arranged suspended between the corner cushions (20). [2] Transport arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by that the corner cushions (20) each have a recess (21) to form the holder for the support arms. [3] Transport arrangement according to claim 2, characterized by that the corner cushions (20) each have a slot-shaped recess (21), wherein the support arms (52) each have sections (52A) corresponding to the slot-shaped recesses (21), which engage in the slot-shaped recesses (21) to form a frictional connection, so that the support arms (52) are held in a clamping manner in the corner cushions (20). [4] Transport arrangement according to claim 3, characterized by that the support arms (52) are L-shaped with a horizontal section (52A) and a vertical section (52B) projecting downwards therefrom, wherein the support arms (52) with the horizontal section (52A) each engage in the slot-shaped recesses (21) of the corner cushions (20). [5] Transport arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the thickness of the accessory container (50) is smaller than the distance between the side wall of the device enclosed by the corner cushions (20) and the outer plane of the corner cushions (20). [6] Transport arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the accessory container (50) including the support arms (52) is designed as a folding box (51) made of cardboard. [7] Transport arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the corner cushions are made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). [8] Transport arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 6 characterized by that the corner cushions (20) consist of cardboard, in particular of corrugated cardboard, or are designed as a molded fiber part. [9] Transport arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the side surfaces of the accessory container (50) and the support arms (52) facing away from the household appliance (6) lie flush in the outer plane of the corner cushions. [10] Transport arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the accessory container (50) and the support arms (52) are arranged above or below a device component protruding from the device side wall, for example a device door.

Images