PALLETIZED LOAD SEPARATE

Abstract

PALLETIZED LOAD SEPARATOR The invention relates to a palletized load separator, applicable to palletized loads (3) equipped with a protective cover (31); the separator comprising means for attaching the separator to one of the palletized loads (3) to be separated and is notable in that the attachment means for the separator consist of a lateral flap (2) fixed at its upper end to an upper cover (15) or to a lateral face (14) of the body (1) of the separator, and oriented towards the bottom of the separator; said lateral flap (2) and the corresponding lateral face (14) of the separator define a cavity (21) whose opening is oriented towards the bottom of the separator and suitable for receiving an upper portion of the protective cover (31) of the palletized load (3) and for suspending the separator from said protective cover. Figure for the abstract: 4.

Description

Title of the invention: PALLETIZED LOAD SEPARATOR

[0001] Technical sector.

[0002] The present invention relates to a palletized load separator, comprising a folding body, in the shape of a prism, made up of superimposed sheets, joined at points and forming a number of folding cells delimited by partitions perpendicular to the two lateral faces of the separator and intended to face the palletized loads to be separated.

[0003] This separator has features that simplify its manufacture and fixing between palletized loads to be separated.

[0004] The present invention applies to the field of packaging palletized loads for transport and storage, and more particularly to palletized loads protected laterally by a protective envelope surrounding the load.

[0005] Previous state of the art

[0006] It is currently common practice to palletize goods to facilitate loading and unloading from transport vehicles and handling in warehouses.

[0007] During transport, these palletized loads are likely to move and come into contact with other palletized loads deposited nearby, resulting in a risk of deformation or breakage of the transported products.

[0008] In order to avoid direct contact between palletized loads during transport, it is common to use separators of different heights placed between the loads.

[0009] The prior art reports the existence of various load separators, described in utility models ES 1 198 610 U, ES 1 200 237 U and ES 1 266 649 U, all from the applicant of the present invention and which generally comprise a folding body, in the shape of a prism, made up of superimposed sheets, joined at points and forming a number of vertically folding cells, delimited by partitions perpendicular to the two lateral faces of the separator, intended to face the palletized loads to be separated.

[0010] The separation device described in utility model ES 1 198 610 U comprises, on one of the lateral faces intended to face the loads to be separated, a protective sheet which, when the separator is unfolded, covers one side of the body and prevents its direct contact with the load to be separated. This protective sheet has a horizontal fold line in its middle area, parallel to the upper and lower edges, so that when the body of the device is folded vertically in its rest position For transport, this protective sheet adopts the shape of a V and extends laterally from the body by a length equal to half the height of the body in the unfolded position, which greatly increases the space required for storing the device in the resting position.

[0011] In the separators of the later utility models ES 1 200 237 and ES 1 266 649 U, the protective film and the storage problems that its use entailed were eliminated by incorporating means for fixing the separator to the loads.

[0012] In particular, the separator of utility model ES 1 200 237 U includes means for attaching palletized loads consisting of an adhesive material applied to an upper flap of the separator. This solution has certain disadvantages: firstly, for the manufacturer, the need to apply the adhesive to the flap, with the associated cost, and for the user, the need to remove the protective film from the adhesive and the resulting waste; secondly, the limited reuse of the separator due to the deterioration of the adhesive.

[0013] These drawbacks have been eliminated in the separator of utility model ES 1 266 649 U, which uses as fixing means flat support pieces parallel to the base or upper cover of the separator and mounted on the upper cover by means of two axes of rotation between: - a rest position in which they are arranged on the surface of the cover and - a working position in which they protrude on the same side, or on two opposite sides of the separator, forming respectively support means of the device on a load arranged on one side of the body, or on two loads arranged on each side of the separator.

[0014] Positioning the separator by simply resting one of the support pieces on a load does not guarantee the stability of its operational position during the loading and placement of other palletized loads in the transport vehicle. Furthermore, this separator requires handling for mounting the rotation axes and assembling the support pieces onto the axes, which increases the manufacturing cost.

[0015] Previous state of the art

[0016] The palletized load separator of the invention is applicable to palletized loads equipped with a lateral protective envelope formed, for example, of a plastic film enveloping the load; said separator comprises a folding body, in the shape of a prism, made up of superimposed sheets joined at points and forming a number of vertically folding cells delimited by partitions whose ends define certain lateral faces of the body intended to face the palletized loads to be separated.

[0017] The overlapping sheets that form the body of the separator can be made of corrugated cardboard, plastic or another similar material, which does not affect the object of the invention.

[0018] This separator also includes means for fixing the separator to one of the palletized loads to be separated.

[0019] According to the invention, the means for fixing the separator to the loads to be separated consist of a lateral flap fixed by its upper end to an upper cover or to a lateral face of the body of the separator, and oriented towards the bottom of the separator; said flap together with the corresponding lateral face of the separator define a cavity, the opening of which is oriented towards the bottom of the separator, to accommodate an upper part of the protective envelope of the load and to ensure the suspension of the separator from said protective envelope.

[0020] The aforementioned side flap does not include any additional element for fixing to the palletized load to be separated, since it is the flap itself which constitutes the means of suspension and fixing of the separator on the aforementioned protective envelope of the palletized load.

[0021] Thus, the flap acts as a hook and, inserted behind the protective cover and embracing its upper portion, ensures stable suspension of the separator without the need for adhesive, which also allows it to be reused as many times as necessary. This solution also eliminates the need for any additional manipulation of the separator body to install pivot points or other additional support elements.

[0022] Advantageously, the side flap is a lateral extension of the upper cover of the separator, so that its presence does not lead to a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the separator.

[0023] Brief description of the content of the drawings.

[0024] To supplement the given description and facilitate understanding of the features of the invention, this descriptive document is accompanied by a set of drawings which represent, by way of illustration and without limitation, the following elements:

[0025] -Fig.1 represents a rear elevation view of the palletized load separator, according to the invention, in the unfolded position.

[0026] -The [Fig.2] is a side view of the separator of the [Fig.1], still in the unfolded position.

[0027] - Figure [Fig. 3] is a front elevation view of the separator shown in the figures previous ones, in a folded position.

[0028] -The [Fig.4] is a perspective view of the separator in the position of use, suspended by means of the side flap of the protective envelope of a palletized load.

[0029] Detailed description of embodiments of the invention.

[0030] The palletized load separator shown in the accompanying figures comprises a prism-shaped body (1) made of superimposed sheets (11) of corrugated cardboard, glued together at certain points to form a number of compartments (12) limited by partitions (13) perpendicular to the lateral faces (14) which constitute the contact surfaces of the body (1) of the separator with the loads to be separated.

[0031] In this configuration, the body (1) of the separator can be folded and unfolded vertically between: an operational position for use illustrated by Figures 1, 2 and 4, and a rest position for storage or transport illustrated in [Fig.3].

[0032] The body (1) includes a top cover (15) made of a sheet of cardboard arranged horizontally and fixed by points to the top row of cells (12).

[0033] The separator includes fastening means allowing it to be placed on one side of the loads to be separated. These fastening means include a flap (2) which, in the illustrated example, consists of a lateral extension of the upper cover (15) and is oriented towards the bottom of the body (1) of the separator.

[0034] The aforementioned lateral flap (2) defines, together with the corresponding lateral face (14) of the separator, a cavity (21) whose opening is oriented towards the bottom of the separator, as shown in [Fig.2].

[0035] As shown in [Fig.4], the cavity (21) delimited by the side flap (2) and by a side face of the body (1) allows the flap to be slid behind the typical protective cover (31) usually applied to palletized loads (3), so that an upper portion of this protective cover (31) is housed in said cavity (21) and the separator is suspended and stably fixed in the position of use.

[0036] After having sufficiently described the nature of the invention, and having given an example of a preferred embodiment, it is specified that the materials, the shape, the size and the arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not lead to an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

Demands

1. A palletized load separator, applicable to palletized loads (3) equipped with a protective cover (31) arranged around the load; comprising a folding body (1), in the shape of a prism, made up of superimposed sheets (11), joined at points and forming a number of folding cells (12) and partitions (13) the ends of which define the lateral faces (14) of the body (1) intended to face the palletized loads (3) to be separated; the separator comprising means for fixing the separator to one of the palletized loads (3) to be separated; characterized in that the means for fixing the separator consist of a lateral flap (2) fixed at its upper end to an upper cover (15) or to a lateral face (14) of the body (1) of the separator, and oriented towards the bottom of the separator;said side flap (2) and the corresponding side face (14) of the separator define a cavity (21) whose opening is oriented towards the bottom of the separator and suitable for receiving an upper portion of the protective cover (31) of the palletized load (3) and for suspending the separator from said protective cover.;

2. Palletized load separator; according to claim 1; characterized in that the side flap (2) is an extension of the upper cover (15) of the body (1) of the separator.

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