DE19906441A1 - Stackable bucket with an anti-rotation securing system which, has a cut-out in the upper bucket edge engaging with a securing member on a bucket below - Google Patents

Abstract

The anti-rotation system comprises a cut-out (38) at the upper bucket edge and an interlocking securing member (40) on the opposite side of the upper bucket edge to the cut-out. When stacked a securing member on an upper bucket (2) interlocks with the cut-out of a lower bucket, angled and/or rounded sides on the securing member and/or the cut-out ensuring easy engagement of both features. Independent claims are made for: (a) a process for bucket handling in which a device in a handling system is lowered to contact an extension of the bucket handle above the handle pivot and presses and aligns the handle perpendicular to the main bucket axis; (b) equipment for common production and assembly of a bucket and handle.

Description

The present invention relates to a stackable Plastic bucket with handle and lid as well as a method and a device for its manufacture and handling.

Plastic buckets are usually in one Injection molding process made. It is often on Plastic buckets provided a handle, which is in a separate Injection molding process or other manufacturing process provided and then mounted on the bucket. A Variety of buckets, such as B. buckets for food, such as Ice cream, jam or cucumber and for other products such as  Liquids, pastes or general cargo, is after filling closed with any filling with a lid.

A disadvantage of all known manufacturing processes and the associated necessary tools, especially the injection mold, is the complex and cumbersome production of the Individual parts and subsequent assembly, resulting in an expensive Manufacturing process leads. The known buckets also have the Disadvantage that their handles when stacking with other buckets snagging, which makes it easy and easy to handle, e.g. B. not for filling, printing or closing the bucket is possible.

It is an object of the present invention to contrast one state of the art improved method and improved device for the production of plastic buckets as well as a stackable plastic bucket and a corresponding one To provide handling procedures. This task comes with solved the features of the claims.

The method according to the invention for the production of buckets involves the simultaneous injection molding of a bucket and one attached handle in an injection mold and that Mount the handle on the bucket when demolding.

The device for making and assembling buckets with Henkeln has an injection mold in which buckets and associated handles are injection molded together, and a Demolding device with a bucket and the associated handles when dispensing from the injection mold be assembled.  

The bucket according to the invention also has an anti-rotation device against twisting stacked buckets relative to each other. To is in a holder for a lid at the top of the bucket provided a recess, which in the stacked Condition with one on the underside of the holding device provided securing element of a stacked over it Bucket can be brought into engagement. The securing element and the The recesses are chamfered or rounded on both sides, so that these two elements more easily engage with each other come. Furthermore, the bucket according to the invention is on its upper Edge formed such that the sealing and holding section for different lids are separated from each other. For better The handle of the bucket according to the invention is easy to handle preferably at least at one of its ends over the Pivot extended in the longitudinal direction of the handle. Thereby can be a device provided in a handling system be brought into contact with this section around the handle to be aligned essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bucket, before it is taken off the stack.

The present invention is more preferred hereinafter based on Embodiments with reference to the drawings described. Show it:

Figure 1a is a side view of a first embodiment of a bucket according to the invention with lid and handle.

Fig. 1b is a front view of the bucket of Fig. 1a;

Figure 1c shows a partial section in the tab area of the first embodiment of the bucket according to the invention along the line 1c-1c of FIG. 1b.

Figure 1d is a partial section in the hinge region of the first embodiment of the bucket according to the invention along the line 1d-1d of Figure 1a..;

Fig. 1e shows a partial section in the circumferential top region of the first embodiment of the bucket according to the invention;

Fig. 1f a partial section of two stacked lids sealing according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 2a is a side view of a second embodiment of a bucket according to the invention with lid and handle;

Fig. 2b is a front view of the bucket of Fig. 2a;

Figure 2c is a partial section in the grip region of the second embodiment of the bucket according to the invention along the line 2c-2c of Figure 2b..;

Figure 2d shows a partial section in the hinge region to the second embodiment of the bucket according to the invention along the line 2d-2d of Figure 2a..;

Fig. 2e is a partial section in the circumferential top region of the second embodiment of the bucket according to the invention;

Fig. 2f is a partial section of two stacked inverted trays according to the second embodiment;

Fig. 3 is an illustration of stacked buckets with anti-rotation, the handles are omitted;

Figure 4 is a partial section in the hinge region of the bucket with the representation of the anti-rotation device taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

5a shows a situation display of the bucket with handle according to the invention in an injection mold during the injection process.

FIG. 5b is a top view in Fig. 5a;

Figure 6a is a presentation position of the bucket with handle according to the invention in the injection mold shortly after the opening of the mold.

FIG. 6b is a top view in Fig. 6a;

Figure 7a shows a partial section in the hinge region of the bucket along the line 7a-7a of FIG. 5a.

Figure 7b is a partial section in the hinge region of the bucket along the line 7b-7b of Fig. 6a.

8a shows a single bucket with handle just prior to ingestion by a handling system.

FIG. 8b the bucket according to FIG. 8 during the recording by the handling system;

Fig. 9a is a greatly enlarged section in the hinge region with the rotation of the bucket according to the invention; and

Fig. 9b is a plan view of the partial section of Fig. 9a.

The bucket 2 according to the invention is, for example, a mustard bucket with a handle 4 and a lid 6 . The cover 6 can either be designed as a sealing cover 6-1 ( FIG. 1) or as a slip cover 6-2 ( FIG. 2). Depending on the type of lid, the bucket can have tamper protection 8 according to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or an exposed recessed grip 10 according to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

The tamper protection 8 of the first embodiment according to FIG. 1 ensures that the integrity of a product in the bucket 2 is checked. The tamper-evident protection 8 is preferably a tamper-evident flap which the end user must break open in order to reach into the recessed grip 10 and to open the lid 6-1 . The tamper-evident protection 8 shown in FIGS. 1a-1c can get stuck on the bucket 2 on one side, for example, after breaking open, for better control and recognizability. The lid 6-1 sits on the bucket 2 such that an outer peripheral portion 11 sits with its lower edge region 13 on or on a circumferential collar 15 formed on the bucket 2 , so that the lid 6-1 cannot be removed without first removing the tamper protection 8 can be removed because there is no possibility of intervention between bucket 2 and lid 6-1 .

The cover 6-1 has a peripheral edge which is formed by an outer peripheral wall 11 , an annular surface 17 and an annular wall 19 . The ring wall 19 extends radially within the ring surface 17 . The peripheral portion 11 , the annular surface 17 and the annular wall 19 form a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional profile which extends around the circumference of the bucket. The cover has a central region 21 which is offset from the annular surface 17 .

According to FIG. 1f, the individual sealing covers 6-1 can advantageously be stacked one above the other. For this purpose, a preferably circumferential holding device 16 is provided on the individual covers 6-1 on the inside of the outer circumferential wall 11 , which is supported on an upper outer edge 18 of the annular surface 17 of the respective underlying cover. The holding device 16 is, for example, a radially inwardly projecting holding lug or circumferential projection. The sealing cover 6-1 has a circumferential web on the underside of the annular surface 17 which, together with part of the annular wall 19, forms a preferably U-shaped sealing region 20 . The sealing area 20 can be brought into engagement with a sealing edge 12 formed on the upper edge of the bucket 2 in such a way that the bucket 2 can be sealed with the lid 6-1 . The holding device 16 of the lid 6-1 can be brought into engagement with an associated holding device 24 on the edge of the bucket. In this way, the sealing and holding area of the lid 6-1 on the bucket 2 are spatially and functionally separated from one another.

In addition, it is advantageous to provide support elements 22 on the cover 6-1 , which, for example, extend radially inward from the edge section of the cover. The support element 22 can be provided continuously, in sections or only at individual points along the circumference of the cover. The shape or cross-sectional shape of the support elements 22 is, for example, parallelogram-like, as shown in FIG. 1f, but can also have any other suitable support shape.

Alternatively, as the tamper 8 are omitted in the example shown in Fig. 2 buckets 2, so that an end user directly engage the finger grip 10 and may decrease the slip lid 6-2. A sealing film 14 is provided on the upper edge of the sealing edge 12 of the bucket 2 to ensure the integrity of the product in the bucket 2 is checked. Like the cover 6-1 described above, the slip lid 6-2 has a U-shaped ring profile 11 , 17 and 19 , the sealing region 20 being omitted. In this variant of the cover, the support wall 22 is advantageously formed in the U-shaped section of the edge region of the cover 6-2 , as shown in FIG. 2f. The support elements 22 on the cover 6-2 are also supported on the upper edge of the sealing edge 12 , so that the central region 21 of the cover cannot be deeper than the sealing film 14 . Otherwise, the holding area of the slip lid 6-2 essentially corresponds to that of the sealing lid 6-1 . Advantageously, the peripheral portion 11 is so long that the central region 21 of the lid 6-2 does not damage the sealing film 14 on the bucket. The underside of the central region 21 is arranged approximately at the height of the edge of the bucket when the lid is attached to the bucket.

In principle, it is also possible to use a bucket with a lid corresponding to a combination of the two above to provide variants described.

The bucket 2 can optionally be printed, provided with an adhesive label or with an inmold label. The head area of the bucket 2 is universally the same for both sealing and slip covers 6-1 and 6-2 described above. It should be noted that the holding device 16 on the cover 6 engages in the holding device 24 provided on the bucket 2 , as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 1e and 2e. The holding device 24 formed on the bucket 2 is preferably a circumferential projection or a snap nose. When the cover 6 is put on and removed, the holding device 16 formed thereon is then moved radially outward and holds the cover by the engagement with the holding device 24 on the bucket or releases it. The holding device 24 can be provided all around, in sections or in places. This ensures that the cover 6 is held securely on the bucket 2 . The sealing region 20 is separated from the holding portion 16/24, so that the same bucket with various lids 6-1 or 6-2 is used.

In Figs. 1e and 2e is also clearly visible fact that the bucket 2 can be arranged around the circumference thereof reinforcing ribs 30 between an outer wall 26 and an upper outwardly everted edge region 28. These recessed ribs preferably also serve to support the buckets 2 stacked one above the other. For this purpose, the ribs 30 preferably have a step 31 on their lower edge, the steps of which come into contact with the sealing edge 12 and the holding device 24 of the bucket 2 during stacking. This gradation 31 is also advantageous for the application of a label and in particular for the use of an inmold label, since as a result the label can be brought sufficiently far below the inverted area at the upper edge of the bucket.

For hinging the handle 4 to the bucket 2 , two hinge pins 32 are preferably provided on both sides of the bucket 2 , as shown in detail in FIGS. 9a and 9b. The hinge pins 32 are preferably formed from two snap lugs 34 , which yield resiliently when the handle 4 is mounted. A free space 35 is provided between the snap noses 34 , into which the snap noses 34 deflect when they are pressed together. A support element 36 , which forms a continuation of the hinge pin 32 , is preferably provided in the center of the free space. This support element 36 transmits essentially vertically acting forces from the handle 4 to the bucket 2 and prevents any unintentional compression of the snap lugs 34 inwards. The snap lugs 34 each have a spring section 37 and a hook section 39 provided radially outside thereon. To assemble the handle 4 , it is pushed over the preferably externally beveled hook section 39 and then held rotatably about the hinge pin 32 by the inside of the hook section 39 holding the handle 4 in the radial direction of the bucket 2 . This arrangement also has the advantage that the individual parts are thin-walled. This allows good producibility while observing the required dimensional tolerances.

The formation of the hinge pin 32 on the bucket 2 enables in particular that an additional space for securing against rotation is created in the space between the edge region 28 and the outer wall 26 of the bucket 2 . This is usually not the case because the hinge pins are provided on the handle and protrude into this space through openings in the bucket. Nevertheless, it is also possible in the bucket 2 according to the invention to reverse the hinge arrangement, in which case the anti-rotation device can also be provided outside the hinge area.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the stackability of the bucket 2 of the invention. As described above, the ribs 30 are seated on the edge of the bucket of an underlying bucket. The buckets 2 are secured against rotation in the stack. For this purpose, a recess 38 is provided in the upper edge region of the bucket, ie in the holding device 24 but not in the sealing edge 12 , into which a securing element 40 located between the outer wall 26 and the inverted region 28 engages. The recess 38 and / or the securing element 40 have / have at least partially beveled or rounded sections 41 and 43 such that even if the buckets 2 are not stacked exactly one above the other, the elements of the anti-rotation device 38 and 40 engage in one another by the bevels or rounded edges 43 of the securing element 40 slide along the sections 41 of the recess 38 . The securing element 40 can, for example, be attached to the bucket 2 by at least one connecting web 42 , similar to that shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b. The securing element 40 can preferably also be supported by at least one of the stiffening ribs 30 on a side thereof opposite the web 42 , as a result of which the arrangement can be stabilized during assembly of the handle 4 . Preferably, the bevel or rounding 41 on the recess 38 extends over its entire depth, while on the securing element 40 only the corners are generously beveled or rounded. The anti-rotation device has the advantage that the buckets can be stacked in a certain position with respect to one another, the mounted handles 4 , which are not shown in these figures for reasons of clarity, being arranged one above the other in the predetermined position. As will be explained in more detail below, this ensures exact handling for the further operations.

The bucket handles on the market each have a semicircular end that is centered around the hinge pin. In contrast to this, a catch 44 is provided in the bucket 2 according to the invention, by means of which the handle 4 can be brought into a position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 50 of the bucket in cooperation with a handling system. The driver 44 is, for example, a section which projects beyond the pivot point of the handle 4 and on which the handling system can engage. The driver 44 can for example be designed as a lever, recess, projection or the like. The bucket 2 according to the invention preferably has a handle 4 which, in addition to the hinge pin 32 , is preferably extended in parallel in its longitudinal direction by an extension section 44 . By aligning the handle with the aid of the handling system, it can be avoided that when the top bucket 2 is removed from a stack, the handle 4 gets caught with one or more buckets underneath, which leads to operational malfunctions, e.g. B. when filling would lead.

Due to an extension section 44 , which is provided at least at one of the ends of the handle 4 , it is possible to design a handling system such that an alignment element 46 acts on the extension section 44 . Such an alignment element 46 is shown, for example, in FIGS. 8a and 8b with a dash-dotted line. The alignment element 46 is, for example, a spring-loaded alignment part that is integrated in the handling system. To handle a stacked bucket 2 according to the invention, the alignment element 46 , as shown in FIG. 8 a, first hits the obliquely upward-pointing extension section 44 of the handle 4 during a vertical movement along the arrow 48 . If the alignment element 46 is moved further in the direction of the arrow 48 , the handle 4 is forced to move into a position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 50 of the bucket 2 . This eliminates the risk of the handle 4 of the uppermost bucket getting caught with a bucket underneath, and problem-free handling of the bucket 2 according to the invention is ensured.

Although the handling system was described above using a standing bucket, the same principle can also be used, for example, for printing or labeling the bucket 2 according to the invention with a horizontal longitudinal axis 50 . This has the particular advantage that the freely movable handle can be safely kept away from the surface to be processed.

The bucket 2 of the present invention is preferably an injection molded plastic bucket, which is manufactured in an injection molding machine with an injection mold, wherein the bucket 2 provided on the handle 4 is injection molded in one operation together with the bucket 2 and assembled. For this purpose, the device for producing or the injection mold, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 5b, is designed such that the bucket 2 and the handle 4 lie in the injection mold in such a way that the handle 4 can be automatically mounted on the bucket 2 when the mold is removed. In particular, it is advantageous if the handle 4 extends substantially around half the circumference of the bucket 2 , the handle being provided essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 50 of the bucket 2 in the form and openings 52 at the end sections of the handle 4 with the hinge pins 32 are aligned. Namely, it is then in accordance with the Fig. 7a and 7b possible in a particularly simple manner, to assemble the handle 4 on the bucket 2 during demolding. For this purpose, a mold core 54 is preferably provided in the injection mold, which forms the openings 52 on the handle 4 . The mold core 54 serves as a guide for the handle 4 itself during assembly, so that it can be guided exactly to and over the snap lugs 34 on the hinge pin 32 . In addition, the injection mold has a shaped sleeve 56 which on the one hand forms a stepped recess 58 in the handle hub and on the other hand serves as a guide for an assembly sleeve 60 . When the mold is opened, the mounting sleeve 60 presses the handle 4 onto the hinge pin 32 , as shown in FIG. 7b.

Assembly during demolding can be done, for example, by first removing the outer shape after spraying, so that the outside of the bucket 2 and part of the handle 4 are exposed. In a next step or simultaneously, the bucket 2 and the handle 4 are removed from the mold to such an extent that the inner mandrel essentially remains in the interior of the bucket, but the hinge pins 32 are exposed on the bucket. The handle 4 is then mounted by means of the mandrel 54 , the form sleeve 56 and the mounting sleeve 60 . Finally, the inner mold core, which serves to stabilize the bucket 2 during assembly, is then removed.

The bucket 2 itself can be produced either as a bucket with tamper-evident protection 8 or with an open grip 10 by an exchange insert in the injection mold. Thus, with the injection mold according to the invention, both types of buckets described above can be sprayed according to FIGS . 1 and 2.

It is also possible to jointly manufacture the handle 4 and the bucket 2 in different colors and / or from different materials on a two-color spraying machine.

The injection-molded buckets with a handle are advantageously stacked after manufacture ( FIG. 3), as is also the case with the lids according to FIGS. 1f and 2f.

Claims (26)

1. Stackable bucket ( 2 ) with anti-twist device ( 38 , 40 ) against twisting stacked buckets relative to one another, the anti-twist device being formed in the form of a recess ( 38 ) at the upper edge of the bucket and a locking element ( 40 ) which can be brought into engagement with it on one of the recess opposite side of the upper bucket edge is formed so that engages when stacking a first, upper bucket (2) with its locking element (40) in the recess (38) of a second, lower bucket (2), wherein the securing element ( 40 ) and / or the recess ( 38 ) are bevelled and / or rounded on both sides in order to enable easier engagement of the elements of the anti-rotation device with one another. 2. bucket (2) according to claim 1, wherein a fitted on the bucket (2) Henkel (4) is injection moldable and can be mounted together with the bucket (2) in a single operation. 3. bucket ( 2 ) in particular according to claim 1 or 2 with a sealing cover ( 6-1 ) having a holding device ( 16 ) which can be brought into engagement with a holding device ( 24 ) on the bucket ( 2 ), and wherein one of The holding device ( 24 ) has an independent and circumferential sealing area ( 12 ) on the upper edge of the bucket ( 2 ), which can be brought into engagement with a sealing area ( 20 ) of the sealing lid ( 6-1 ). 4. Bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 1 or 2 with a slip lid ( 6-2 ) having a holding device ( 16 ) which can be brought into engagement with a holding device ( 24 ) on the bucket ( 2 ), and being at a distance from the holding device ( 24 ) has a circumferential upper edge of the bucket ( 2 ) which can be closed with a sealing film ( 14 ). 5. Bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the anti-rotation device is formed in the form of a recess ( 38 ) on the upper edge of the bucket and a locking element ( 40 ) which can be brought into engagement with it, on a side of the upper bucket edge opposite the recess is designed so that when stacked a first, upper bucket ( 2 ) engages with its securing element ( 40 ) in the recess ( 38 ) of a second, lower bucket ( 2 ), the securing element ( 40 ) and / or the recess ( 38 ) are bevelled and / or rounded on both sides to enable easier interlocking of the elements of the anti-rotation device. 6. bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the securing element ( 40 ) with at least one web ( 30 , 42 ) on an outer edge ( 28 ) of the bucket ( 2 ) and / or on the bucket wall ( 26 ) is attached. 7. bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 6, wherein the web ( 30 , 42 ) is designed such that the securing element ( 40 ) is stably fixable thereon. 8. Bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the anti-rotation device ( 38 , 40 ) is provided in a hinge area ( 32 ) of the handle ( 4 ). 9. bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a holding device ( 24 ) for a lid ( 6 ) is provided on the upper bucket edge. 10. bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 9, wherein the holding device ( 24 ) for holding the lid ( 6 ) is provided with at least one holding lug. 11. Bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 6 to 10, wherein for stacking the buckets ( 2 ) between the bucket wall ( 26 ) and the outer edge ( 28 ) a step ( 31 ) having stiffening element ( 30 ) is provided, the steps correspond to the shape of the upper edge of the bucket ( 2 ). 12. Bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the holding device ( 24 ) is provided all around. 13. Bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the lid ( 6 ) sits on the bucket ( 2 ) such that an outer peripheral portion ( 11 ) with its lower edge region ( 13 ) on or on one of the bucket ( 2 ) formed circumferential collar ( 15 ) sits so that the cover ( 6 ) cannot be removed without first removing an originality protection ( 8 ) because there is no possibility of engagement between the bucket ( 2 ) and cover ( 6 ). 14. Bucket ( 2 ) according to one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the handle ( 4 ) has a driver ( 44 ) which is designed such that in interaction with a handling system of the handle ( 4 ) substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ( 50 ) of the bucket ( 2 ) can be aligned. 15. A bucket ( 2 ) according to claim 14, wherein the handle ( 4 ) has at least one portion ( 44 ) projecting beyond its fulcrum in the longitudinal direction of the handle, which can be brought into contact with a device ( 46 ) for handling the bucket ( 2 ) align the handle ( 4 ) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bucket ( 50 ). 16. A method for handling a bucket ( 2 ) in particular according to claim 14 or 15, wherein a device ( 46 ) in a handling system is brought into contact with a section ( 44 ) projecting beyond the pivot point of the handle ( 4 ) in its longitudinal direction, so that the handle ( 4 ) is aligned and held substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bucket ( 5 ). 17. A method for producing plastic buckets ( 2 ) with a handle ( 4 ), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 15, in an injection mold, the bucket ( 2 ) and the handle ( 4 ) being injection molded together in one operation and during demolding the handle is automatically mounted on the bucket ( 2 ). 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein for mounting the handle ( 4 ) on the bucket ( 2 ) a mold core ( 54 ) of the casting mold to form an opening ( 52 ) on the handle ( 4 ) serves as a guide to the handle ( 4 ) to be attached to the bucket ( 2 ) formed hinge pin ( 32 ), in which a mounting sleeve ( 60 ) guided by a molded sleeve ( 56 ) presses the opening ( 52 ) in the handle ( 4 ) over the hinge pin ( 32 ) during demolding. 19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein handle ( 4 ) and bucket ( 2 ) in different colors and / or from different. Materials are injected into a mold at the same time. 20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the bucket ( 2 ) is printed, provided with a label and / or an inmold label. 21. Device for jointly producing and assembling a bucket ( 2 ) and a handle ( 4 ) attachable thereto, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 15 and in particular for carrying out the manufacturing method according to one of claims 17 to 20. 22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a recess is provided for the handle ( 4 ), which extends substantially around half the circumference of a recess for the bucket in a plane perpendicular to the axial extent and at the level of the hinge pin provided on the bucket ( 2 ) ( 32 ) extends. 23. The apparatus of claim 21 or 22, wherein for forming openings ( 52 ) at the ends of each handle a mandrel ( 54 ) is provided, which is designed to mount the handle ( 4 ) on the bucket ( 2 ) during removal from the mold as a guide. 24. Device according to one of claims 21 to 23, wherein in each case a shaped sleeve ( 56 ) for forming a stepped opening ( 58 ) is provided at the ends of the handles, which is designed to guide a mounting sleeve ( 60 ) during removal from the mold. 25. Device according to one of claims 21 to 24, wherein an exchange insert can be introduced into the mold, with which buckets ( 2 ) with or without tamper protection ( 8 ) can be formed. 26. The device according to any one of claims 21 to 25, for Use in a two-color injection molding machine like this is designed that the bucket and handle in different Colors and / or can be made from different materials is.