DE3118448C2 - Square-shaped plastic bottle crate - Google Patents

Abstract

The space above a box bottom (2) formed by a web grille is laterally bounded by row side walls (7) and row side walls, which limit individual storage compartments with a square cross section for bottles (1) to be placed in rows and rows. The outer dimension of the box is only about 3.1 mm per bottle larger in one direction than its largest diameter. In the subframe, the remainder is distributed on side partitions. The clear width (wd) of the upper box opening (28) is narrowed by inner beads (12) attached to the upper edge of the side walls (7) and reinforcing them, so that the bottles can only be lowered through this opening when they are tightly bundled. The bottles in the outer rows are directed slightly outwards by the wedge-shaped upper sides (20) of the row partition walls (9) and are thereby introduced into their storage compartments below the inner beads (12).

Description

The invention relates to a cuboid bottle crate made of plastic, the storage space above a preferably lattice-shaped floor by two

65 pairs of side walls and parallel partition walls of lower height and with thinned areas in their middle part into individual storage compartments for the bottles to be placed in rows along a first dimension (a) and rows along a second dimension (b) , the first dimension being subdivided (a) is so tightly dimensioned that only a small excess of dimensions remains in the line levels compared to the dimensions of the bottles to be accommodated in a line, the clear width in the line level between opposite walls being as large as the sum of the dimensions of bottle diameters and partitions of one Row, and wherein the upper edge strips of the row side walls running in the direction of dimension (b) are provided in a wave-like manner on the inside with reinforcements protruding inward in the area of the row partition walls and corrugated trough edge grooves formed between these in the middle planes of the rows, in which the Bottles can intervene.

A bottle crate of this type is known from DE-GM 78 30 137.

Bottle crates of a comparable design are decisive Used to store and transport beer, mainly Euro bottles and Vichy bottles are used. The bottle crates are stacked on pallets during transport and form with them each of them a cuboid to be implemented as a whole Delivery unit. In any case, the base areas of the bottle crates must be as exactly as possible Adjust the dimensions of the usual pallets, d. H. the boxes that are joined together should fit the pallet as much as possible cover exactly in order to utilize their surface.

So far, one has mainly had industrial pallets with a base area for the transport of beer crates from 1000 χ 1200 mm are used. The footprint of a bottle crate was increased accordingly 333 χ 400 mm fixed. Three boxes could then be joined together in three rows to make up all of the available items Cover the area exactly. Both with the Euro bottle, which is classified in the 4 χ 5 grid, as with the Vichy bottle, whose grid is 4x6, then in both Directions enough space to make the side and partition walls of the box sufficiently resistant to design and to prevent the bottles touching each other during transport.

Recently, the so-called pool palette has been winning especially in the area of retail chains is constantly gaining in importance. This pallet has the base dimension 800 χ 1200 mm, which is once adapted to the dimensions of various other products and through the smaller width enables a passage through narrower openings. Leave on this pallet However, only 6 of the conventional bottle crates can be accommodated, i. H. 200 mm of the pallet length remain unused.

There are already beer bottle crates that allow the usual number of bottles to be placed on the crate base 300 χ 400 mm to be attached. However, the bottles and bottle compartments are not linear arranged in rows and rows, but adjacent bottles are each individually or in subgroups of each other offset or arranged "on hatch". In this way, the available floor space can be improved exploit so that the box walls can be made reasonably stiff and resistant. the The necessary arrangement of the compartments and bottles makes the automatic loading more difficult. In addition the arrangement of bottles in such boxes appears

J somehow irregular and disorderly. This fj boxes have also been in spite of the better area- ψ utilization of secondary importance can achieve.
H In the case of the bottle crate according to Idem DE-GM 78 30 137 mentioned at the beginning, the crate base area is also limited to 300 × 400 mm, with the initial order of the bottles in rows and rows being retained. In order to enable the bottles to be lowered vertically into the individual storage compartments, edge grooves for the bottles are at least formed on the inside of the upper frame symmetrically to the center plane of the narrowed rows so that the inside of the upper frame follows the row side walls Kind of a wavy line. The edge strips experience their greatest weakening in the line planes, while the side and partition walls running in the direction of the line remain undiminished due to the oversize available there with a length of 400 mm and can be made relatively strong.

However, there are 4 euro beer bottles with a diameter of 70.5 mm ± 1.4 mm must be accommodated,

10

15th

20th

With a maximum glass diameter of 71.9 mm, there is a linear glass dimension of maximum 287.6 mm. From the external dimension of 300 mm, a total of 12.4 mm remains, which is the play of the bottles in the compartments Have to give up partitions and the side walls. If you set the diameter clearance with 0.2 mm and the The smallest usable thickness of the partition walls is 2 mm, so a total of 2.8 mm remains for each outer wall. 3ö

This may still be possible in the subframe, but since the bottles are always set vertically there, At least in the area of the handle strips, it does not have the necessary deformation rigidity and load-bearing capacity this well-known box could not acquire any practical significance either.

AT-PS 3 59 914 also provides a bottle crate with partially uniformly designed pentagonal and hexagonal compartments known, wherein the edge strips of the side walls protrude over the storage compartments in the corner area and edge grooves adapted to the bottle diameter are provided, the groove bottom of which extends over the inner surface the side walls protrudes. However, this also includes the space required for the bottles all freely accessible from above. The existing footprint of the box is therefore nowhere near sufficiently exploited. In addition, there are the known difficulties with automatic loading, and the cost of materials related to the weight of the bottles to be accommodated is disproportionate great.

The invention is based on the bottle crate defined at the outset and aims to provide this known To improve the bottle crate so that the dimensional stability and load-bearing capacity increases will.

To solve this problem, according to the invention, the bottom of each edge groove is at a distance from the inside the side wall, which continues downward, is offset inward so far that the clear width is in the line plane from ground to ground opposite edge grooves the sum of the bottle diameters - within the framework of the Tolerance range of the same - corresponds to the bottles to be inserted in one line.

While in the lower box the aim is as even as possible a distribution on the given area is, the insertion opening through inward ra-parts of the edge strips is also in the line planes narrowed so that at least the outer bottles are not lowered vertically through the grooves in their storage compartments can be. However, it has been shown that the whole group of bottles for a box without another can be introduced through the remaining upper opening when the bottles are directly next to each other are held, as is preferred in any case during the packing process. With the usual packers, which grasp the bottle neck with suction forces, there is also such a limited pendulum adjustment option, that the bottles can easily spread apart when they are lowered and find their way into the search for individual storage compartments. In this way, the sidebars can already be in the line levels be sufficiently wide and rigid to transmit the forces occurring there. They are also outside the critical mid-planes of the rows, especially in the connecting area of the row partition walls additionally thickened or provided with a wave-shaped inner surface. If deemed permissible, handle openings in the weakened side walls can be dispensed with. If necessary, can make the handle openings correspondingly narrow and stiffen their edges vigorously. This is sideways without further ado possible because you can at least double the thickness of the support bar there.

Assuming that the skirting board protrudes inward from the outer surface of the box by only 6 mm, only 288 mm remain. That would be only 0.4 mm more than 4 large bottles packed together. In practice, however, this maximum dimension of 71.9 mm only occurs as a longer axis of an ellipse, so that one looks at a smaller bottle diameter in the bottle pack can orient. There is still enough play in the tolerance range that is sufficient for one implementation. provided that the box and packing tools are sufficiently centered.

To facilitate this centering, the upper inner edge of the reinforced rim can at least in The area of the line levels must be provided with a lead-in bevel.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the edge of the row side walls adjoining Partitions pulled up as a stiffening web to well above the middle part of the compartment. Where the Grip recess is limited to the clear width between two partition walls, the Stiffening webs are used directly as edge stiffeners, so that occurring in the handle recess Forces from the side edge of the recess over the two reinforcement bars into the opposite one Side wall carried through partitions are initiated. If you at least have these line partitions stronger and more rigid, this middle structure can be an essential part of the whole box load can be absorbed.

The thinned central area of the row partition walls expediently has a perpendicular weakened one Median strip, which is thinned to a minimum wall thickness of approx. 1 - 1.2 mm, and its The thickness is at least doubled from the median to the junction with adjacent walls.

A further reduction in the stress in the central reservation results from the fact that this is just above the box bottom ends inside.

If the top of the partition walls is cut out in a wedge shape towards the center of the storage compartment,

During the insertion process, the bottles can only be inserted with the upper side of the thickened parts of the partition walls Come into contact, with the median only assuming a lateral guiding function.

The drawing shows the invention for example. It shows

F i g. 1 a view from above of the bottle crate,

F i g. 2 a partial section through this box along the line H-II,

F i g. 2a a partial section along the line Ha-IIa,

F i g. 3 such a section along the line III-III and

F i g. 4 shows an enlarged view of corner IV, in each case from FIG. 1.

In the drawing, a plastic crate for Euro beer bottles 1 on a scale of 1: 2 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and on a scale of 2: 1 in the detail view F i g. The narrow row length a has a dimension of 300 mm, the longer row length b a dimension of 400 mm.

The box bottom 2 is designed in a known manner as a lattice structure with rings 4 arranged in the middle of the compartments 3 centrally to their central axis 111, which are connected by webs 5 running parallel to the edges of the box bottom 2 and connected to the side and partition walls. The bottom 2 forms with the shorter row side walls 6 (row length a) and the longer row side walls 7 (row length b) the enclosing supporting structure, which is reinforced by row dividing walls 8 and row dividing walls 9 running parallel to these side walls

With a maximum bottle diameter of 71.9 (70.5 + 1.4), the row length b has sufficient oversize, which means that the row side walls 6, the row partition walls 8 and the width wb of the compartments 3 in Longitudinal direction of the box allows

It is completely different in the transverse direction. The row side walls 7 and the row partition walls 9 have been kept extremely tight in the central plane 11 of each row of storage compartments. This also applies to the width wa of the storage compartments.

As best seen in Fig. 4 have the row partitions 8 has an essentially constant thickness c of approximately 2.4 to 2.6 mm. For example with the The row partition walls also have the same thickness 9 from the intersection 10. They taper towards the middle of the individual partition wall elements c 2 = 1.5 to 1.7 mm, i.e. H. from the relatively strong dividing walls between rows 8 are also correspondingly strong partition wall parts 91, which, however, by a very thin central strips 92 are connected. This median is through laterally molded, groove-shaped recesses 93 and only has a thickness c3 of approx. 1.0 to 1.2 mm. It serves once to be flexible Connection of the two wall parts 91 and for separating the bottles accommodated in the individual storage compartments. Its width is approx. 12 to 16 mm and is dimensioned so that also taking into account the guide play the bottles with their surface line only come to rest on the central strip 92, but not on wall part 91.

A limited transverse deformation is also possible in the central strip 92 so that bottles of different thicknesses can be compensated for in adjacent storage compartments. In addition, since the width wb can easily be dimensioned to be up to 0.8 mm larger than the maximum bottle diameter, the width wa can in principle correspond quite precisely to the maximum bottle diameter, at least on the shelf. This also makes it possible to thicken the median up to the bottom of the box by up to 0.4 mm. The maximum diameter occurring only as the larger of the two diameters of ellipses of a transversely deformed bottle can align itself during adjustment and adjust somewhat towards the diagonal of the compartment.
For each of the row side walls 7, a minimum total thickness of 4.1 mm can therefore already be provided in the subframe. Since the wall thickness s of the side walls is approx. 2 mm, there still remains a flange overhang f of 2.1 mm. However, the minimum thickness only needs to be provided in each row center plane 11. The otherwise disruptive parts of the row side wall 7 between the individual lines can therefore increase in size up to approximately the maximum thickness of 8 mm.
As can best be seen from Fig. 2a, two inner beads 12 are provided on the upper edge of the row side wall 7, which each terminate outwards in two ribs 13 delimiting a groove 29 and are carried out over the entire length of the edge strip 14, which a narrow central handle opening 15 is limited at the top (FIGS. 2 and 3). At least the inner beads 12 are delimited by a wavy line with alternating edge grooves 121 in the row central planes 11 and edge projections 30 in the area of the connection points of the row partition walls 8. At the bottom of the edge grooves 121, the inner beads 12 for the edge strips 14 have a total thickness d = 6 mm with an inner protrusion; = 1.9 mm compared to the inside. area of the subframe. The resulting reinforcement in the upper frame is sufficient at the side of the handle opening 15. Immediately above this grip opening, however, the wall part can be thickened and extend onto the space 24 (FIG. 2a) formed between the two inner beads 12, as shown in FIG.

To the side of the handle opening 15 are the ends of the row partition walls 8 pulled up as stiffening webs 16 to the upper bead 12 and also to the outside carried out, as can be seen from the webs 17,171. The edge of the handle opening 15 and the neighboring Parts of the support strip 14, which is embodied there as a grip web, are therefore through outside the line center planes 11 Ribs and webs strongly stiffened so that only with the immediately adjacent row partition walls 8, a central structural unit is created which, in conjunction with the box bottom 2, carries the entire weight of the filled box can transfer.

Now, however, not only are the row side walls 6 designed to be correspondingly wide and strong, but also also with the weaker row side walls 7 by a tubular corner part with an angular Cavity 18 connected, the inner rounding 181 of which is the curvature of the bottle to be received is adapted and the longer leg 182 protrudes significantly further into the wide row side wall 6 than the shorter leg 183 into the thinned row side wall 7.

The end parts of the partitions 8,9 are all connected to the side walls 6, 7 at full height and thereby also to the bottom 2, the strong Crossing pieces 10 are, however, provided high above the floor 2 without any direct connection, and a connection with this soil is only made in the central area of each cell by protruding downwards

and tongues 19 becoming narrower are achieved. In these tongues is now just like on the end parts of the Row partition walls 9 of the thin central strip 92 formed, which is brought close to the ground. In the lower part the clearance does not necessarily have to be observed, there the bottles can definitely be to jam something.

In principle, however, the reverse version can also be selected, that the connection with the Floor in the area of the crossing pieces 10 and at least the middle parts of the row partition walls 9 are not firmly attached to the floor. This in turn allows a limited amount of compensation front one compartment to the other. It goes without saying that then a slightly different bottom ribbing than after the Representation in FIG. 1 would have to be used.

The top 20 of the partition walls 8 and 9 is zigzag guided or cut out in a wedge shape downwards towards the center of each cell wall. To this This prevents the bottles from being placed in their compartments with the weakened median strip 92 come into contact. You can only access the top of the still relatively strong wall parts 91 impinge, so that the median 92 only take on managerial tasks and during storage and separate the bottles that are close together during transport.

The row side walls 6 are stiffened with relatively wide ribs 21 and can therefore, as on best of fig. 3 can be seen to be single-walled. Your handle recess 22 extends across the width two storage compartments, but even here it is useful to open the recess edge by pulling up end parts 23 of the corresponding partition walls 9 to stiffen.

Because of the inner bulges 12, which also protrude with their edge grooves 121 in the area of the middle planes 11 around / like a parapet inwards, it is not possible to insert the bottles in the two outer rows vertically into their compartments, since there they only have a side play of a few tenths of a millimeter. The bottles are therefore bundled with adjacent surface lines in the intended row and row arrangement by a "packer" with 20 suction heads so that they can be lowered within the upper box opening 28 narrowed by the inner beads 12 with a few mm clearance until they are wedge-shaped with the inclined tops 20 of the intermediate walls 8 and 9 come into contact. As a result, the rounded at their edge circular bottle bottoms 25 at least the outer bottles la slightly spread outwards and introduced into the associated storage compartments , especially while the upper edge of the row intermediate walls 9 can be formed somewhat inwardly before the bottle below the inner bead 12 reaches the vertical position from the ground opposite to base edge grooves 121 measured internal width wd of the narrowed box opening 28 is in the embodiment 288 mm and thus corresponds almost exactly to the sum of the 4 largest bottle diameters. This means that practically the entire available excess in the middle planes of the rows is already used to reinforce the edge strip . In order to facilitate centering during the insertion process, the upper edge of the support strip can also be provided with an insertion bevel 26.

For this purpose 4 sheets of drawings

Claims (6)

Patent claims: 1. Cuboid bottle crate made of plastic, the storage space above a preferably lattice-shaped Bottom (2) by two pairs of side walls (6, 7) and partition walls (8, 9) drawn in parallel to them of lower height and with areas (92) thinned in their central part in individual storage compartments (3) for the rows along a first dimension (a) and rows along a second dimension (b ) to be set bottles (1) is subdivided, the first dimension (a) being so tight that in the row levels (11) only a small excess of dimensions remains compared to the dimensions of the bottles (1) to be accommodated in a row, the clear width in the row plane between opposing walls is as large as the sum of the dimensions of bottle diameters and partition walls of a row, and the upper edge strips of the row side walls (7) running in the direction of dimension (b ) inside undulating with in the area of the row partition walls (8) inwardly protruding reinforcements and between these in the line central planes (11) formed whellental edge grooves (121) are provided, in which the bottles (1) can intervene, characterized in that the base of each edge groove (121) at a distance (i) from the inside of the downwardly continued side wall (7) is offset so far (i) inward that the clear width (wd) 'm the line level (U) from base to base opposite edge grooves (121) corresponds to the sum of the bottle diameters - within the tolerance range of the same - of the bottles (1) to be inserted in a line. 2. Bottle crate according to claim 1, characterized in that that the upper inner edge of the reinforced rim (14) at least in the area of Line levels (11) provided with an insertion bevel (26) is. 3. Bottle crate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the edge of the row side walls (7) subsequent row partition walls (8) as a stiffening web (16) is pulled up well over the middle part of the compartment. 4. Bottle crate according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the thinned central region of the row partition walls (9) has a vertical weak central strip (92) which, apart from a minimum wall thickness (c3) of approx , 2 mm is thinned and its thickness is doubled from the central strip to the junction (10) with adjacent walls (8). 5. Bottle crate according to claim 4, characterized in that the central strips (92) close over the box bottom (2). 6. Bottle crate according to one of claims 1 or 4.5, characterized in that the top (20) of the partition walls (8, 9) excepted in a wedge-shaped manner towards the center of the storage compartment in a manner known per se is.