WO1996016869A1

WO1996016869A1 - Container for bottles or cans

Info

Publication number: WO1996016869A1
Application number: PCT/EP1995/004744
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans Umiker; Fred Van Den Bos; Mark Ferguson; Andreas Georg BLÖMEKE; Ruddy Sterckx; Michel De Bodt; Alexander Betker; Bart Elias; Jos Martens; Gilbert Lecocq; Henry Meyhoff; Jörgen DAHL
Original assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
Priority date: 1994-12-01
Filing date: 1995-12-01
Publication date: 1996-06-06
Also published as: MA23732A1; AR000243A1; PE14197A1; CO4480722A1; EP0714833A1; ZA9510233B; UY24108A1; HRP950583A2; DE4442836A1; AU4177596A; TNSN95122A1

Abstract

In a bottle crate of plastic material for receiving, as desired, bottles or smaller package units of cardboard, pillars (19) disposed in the interior of the crate are for receiving the carton packages subdivided into spaced parts.

Description

Container for Bottles or Cans

The invention relates to a container of the crate or tray type of plastic material for receiving bottles or cans or, as desired, smaller package units of bottles or cans, in particu¬ lar carton packs of the two-pack, four-pack or six-pack type and the like, wherein the crate formed with four crate side walls has a rectangular cross-section and comprises bottle receiving compartments defined by said crate side walls and by pillars disposed in the interior of the crate.

For reasons of ease of carrying comfort, it is becoming more and more usual that bottles or cans are grouped in smaller package units for the purpose of transportation, that is to say frequently in carton packs containing two, four six or also eight bottles or cans, it being suitable to provide for a bottle crate which can accommodate the bottles individually or also provides accommodation for smaller package units in the form of carton packs of the two-bottle, four-bottle, six- bottle or eight-bottle type and the like.

It is the object of the invention to provide such a crate or tray which is of simple and lightweight but stable overall construction. According to a further aspect of the invention, as smooth a bottle crate outer wall surface as possible is to be realized to permit easy insertion of the bottles/cans or carton packs without damage and to guarantee safe holding of the bottle/can or carton packs in the crate. According to a further aspect of the invention, a display function permitting determination of the contents of the crate from the outside is at the same time to be achieved by the lables of the bottle being able to be rendered visible from the outside.

This object is solved in accordance with the invention by the said pillars being divided over their entire pillar height and the pillar parts of each pillar being disposed at a spacing from each other which is dimensioned in adaption to the wall thickness of the package unit insertable into the crate.

According to the invention, pillars are provided in the interior of the crate as support and holding surfaces, in particular as structural parts for dividing the crate into receiving compartments. These pillars are divided in accordance with the invention such that each pillar is structured into several pillar parts disposed spaced from each other. It is thereby possible to insert carton packs into the bottle crate because the vertical side walls of the carton packs can be inserted into the spaces between pillar parts of each individual pillar. Similarly, the crate can, as desired, also be used for receiving bottles not packed in carton packs. The bottle crate, thus, fulfills two functions, namely the reception of bottles accommodated or comprised in carton packs as well as the reception of individual bottles. Support profiles in alignment with the pillars and defining display openings between said profiles are preferably formed in the crate walls. These support profiles in combination with corner hollow profiles contribute to the stability and stiffening of the bottle crate and permit a maximization of the display openings.

The pillar parts are suitably formed such that they in the bottom area have rib-like strips merging into bottom ribs of the crate bottom formed as a rib structure, whereby a stiffe¬ ning is also achieved in the interior of the crate via the connection of the pillars to the bottom ribs. The pillars are preferably subdivided into four pillar parts, such being effected by a cross division of each pillar parallel to the long and short side walls. The spacing between the pillar parts is formed in adaption to the carton packs to be recei¬ ved. In a preferred embodiment, the pillar parts are formed as hollow profile with triangular cross-section. In a further preferred embodiment the pillar parts have a rib-like structu¬ re, in particular of three ribs combined at one point and projecting in the direction of the receiving compartments and/or the long or short side walls, respectively, and with their leading ends forming contact areas for supporting and holding the bottles received into the compartments. Of course, far-reaching modifications of the pillar parts going beyond the described embodiment are possible. Furthermore, it is particularly suitable that the display openings at their upper side define a crate handle preferably formed as a lamellar grip, the combination of a lamellar handle with a section formed as a hollow profile being particularly suit¬ able, this resulting in a very stiff grip which will also withstand the heaviest loads.

Preferred embodiment examples of the invention are described in the following with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the long side of a bottle crate,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the short side of the crate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partly sectional top view of the bottle crate shown in FIG. 1 and

FIG. 4 is a detail of a pillar structure of the bottle crate shown.

The bottle crate shown in the drawings has two long and two short side walls which together with the essentially rectangu¬ lar crate bottom 3 define a box-shaped inner space serving for receiving bottles. The description is at the same time applicable to trays which predominantly serve for accommoda¬ ting cans and with which the height of the side walls is reduced, and that being mostly adapted to can height or also smaller, frequently down to a rim surrounding the sides of the tray. There are formed in the crate side walls 1 and 2 hollow support profiles 4 whose outer surface 5 extends flush with the outside of the crate side walls. The support profiles 4, which can extend over the entire height of the crate from the bottom up to the upper crate rim or also only over a part area of the height of the crate, project in the embodiment example shown into the interior of the crate by means of a triangular or roof ridge-like protrusion 6 and define bottle holding surfaces at 7. The corner areas 8 of the crate are also designed as hollow profiles in the embodi- ment example shown. As can best be seen from FIG. 1, said support profiles 4 and the corner profiles 8 define view openings therebetween referred to as 9, the lower rim 10 of the view openings having wave-like contours due to the lower rims of the view openings 9 being designed corresponding to a wave shape. This also applies to the short side wall according to FIG. 2. Alternatively, the upper rim of the sight openings or both rims, i.e. the upper and lower rims, could also be contoured wave-shaped. If desired, rim contours are also possible across the side walls.

The upper crate rim forms handles in the area of the view openings 9, in particular the handle 11 formed on the short side 2 by the central view opening 9 at the upper crate rim forming a lamellar handle 12 in accordance with the detail shown in FIG. 1. In accordance with the view in FIG. 1, the lamellar handle has in the lower half a hollow profile referred to as 13 which is extended by an essentially U-shaped section 14 whose U-shaped interior is filled with vertical, closely spaced rib-like lamellae 15. These lamellae result in a quasi self-contained grip surface and in a very stable handle in combination with the hollow profile.

Furthermore, in the embodiment example shown, palletizing ribs 16, which are to guarantee hold of the crates when stacked, are formed at the crate wall, in particular at the corner area thereof. In the embodiment example shown, five vertically running palletizing ribs 16 are provided for in the upper region at each of the crate corners, whereas in each case at the lower crate rim seven vertically running palletizing ribs 16 are provided for, the number of ribs, of course, being able to be chosen arbitrarily depending on the kind of application, in particular in adaption to the size of the crate.

In the interior of the crate, the receiver compartments 18 of the bottle crate are defined by pillars referred to generally with 19 and by support profiles 4 projecting into the interior of the crate, the pillars 19 each being disposed in the space remaining free between the bottles inserted into the crate. The pillars 19 are accordingly arranged in rows parallel to the long and short side walls 1 and 2 and are in line with the support profiles 4 formed in the crate side walls.

A partition of each pillar 19 is provided for for receiving carton packs which as sub-units can accommodate two, four or six bottles as desired and which are preferably made of cardboard, a cross division of the pillars 19 being provided for in the embodiment example shown so that the pillars 19 are subdivided into four pillar parts 19a to 19d arranged spaced from each another. This results in a space 20, which can be seen better from FIG. 1, between the pillar parts 19a to 19d of each pillar 19, and which space permits of a carton pack being received in these spaces 20 between the pillar parts. This is characterized schematically in FIG. 3 by a two-bottle carton pack shown with dash-dotted lines and with the refe¬ rence numeral 21. This is, of course, a purely schematic representation of the outer dimensions of a carton pack 21 which is bloated or formed open in the area of the support or corner hollow profiles projecting to the inside so that an insertion of the carton pack into the bottle crate is possi¬ ble. Of course, any carton pack can be inserted into the bottle crate arbitrarily in longitudinal as well as in cross direction, the division of each pillar anyway permitting reception of the carton pack. For improving the holding and/or support function of each pillar for the bottles, the pillars are equipped with a corresponding holding surface. In the alternative for a pillar part which can be seen in the upper left-hand corner of FIG. 3 in the manner of a hollow profile 22, the said hollow holding surface is formed by the surface 23 which, if the case would be, can be adapted to the contour of the bottles to be received into the crate. In the further shown alternative referred to with 24 in FIG. 2, each pillar part is formed as solid member and has rib-like contact tongues 25, here three contact tongues 25 for each pillar part, which project outwardly in essentially radial direction with respect to the center of the pillar and with their ends form contact areas for holding and/or supporting the bottles received into the bottle crate. The central and here shorter contact tongue or contact rib referred to with 26 is preferably formed such that it merges or leads at the bottom side into the bottom rib - referred to with the reference numeral 27 - of the crate bottom here constructed in rib-like structure. This results in a very good stability of the pillar. Apart from the pillar embodiment referred to with the reference numeral 24 which is to represent only an alternative embodiment, all pillars 19 in the embodiment example shown are formed as hollow profiles, the pillars being tapered at their upper ends, as can be seen from FIG. 4. Each crate preferably has one and the same pillar formation. It is a matter of course that the space between the pillar parts 19a to 19d is in each case designed in adaption to the thickness of the carton packs to be received. Drainage openings 28 are provided for preferably in a central position in the intermediate areas between the pillar parts 19a to 19d so that rain water and rinsing water for cleaning the crates can be removed accordingly.

Claims

Patent Claims

1. Container of the crate or tray type of plastic material for receiving bottles or cans, as desired, smaller package units of bottles or cans, in particu¬ lar carton packs of the two-pack, four-pack or six- pack type and the like, wherein the crate formed with four crate side walls has a rectangular cross-section and comprises bottle receiving compartments defined by said crate side walls and by pillars disposed in the interior of the crate, characterized in that said pillars (19) are divided preferably cross-like par¬ allel to said crate side walls (1, 3) over their entire pillar height and the pillar parts (19a to 19d) of each pillar (19) are disposed at a spacing from each other which is dimensioned in adaption to the wall thickness of the package unit insertable into the crate.

2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that each pillar (19) is subdivided into four pillar parts (19a to 19d) arranged spaced apart.

3. Container according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said pillars (19) are disposed in line with preferably hollow support profiles (4) formed in the crate side walls and projecting into the interior of the crate.

4. Container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said support profiles (4) of said crate side walls (1, 2) define with one another as well as together with the hollow corner profiles (8) view openings (9) in said crate side walls, in that said support profiles (4) extend from the crate bottom completely or partially over the height of the crate side walls and in that the lower and/or upper rim of the view openings (9) has an arc-shaped course (10) essentially following the form of a wave.

5. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiving compartment facing pillar surface of each pillar part is formed as a bottle holding surface (23) .

6. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pillar part is formed as a hollow profile having a preferably triangular cross- section.

7. Container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each pillar part is formed with rib-like contact tongues (24) to (26) for holding the bottles, preferably three tongues being provided for in the pillar part, the central tongue (26) being directed from the center of the pillar in essentially radial direction to the receiving compartment and the outer tongues being directed in essentially normal direction to the corresponding crate side walls.

8. Container according to claim 7, characterized in that the pillar parts merge with at least part of their contact ribs into bottom ribs (27) of the crate bottom formed in rib-like structure.

9. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that outlet openings (28) are provi¬ ded for in the crate bottom (3) in the crossing points of the pillar parts (19a to 19d) .