DE8901522U1 - Multipurpose containers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a multi-purpose container, in particular made of plastic, for holding liquid, granular or other suitable goods.

Packaging for liquid and granular goods is known in a wide variety of forms. In addition to semi-rigid packaging, e.g. in the form of basket-like containers, hollow packaging bodies made of plastic are available on the market, which are used, for example, to hold household chemicals, such as dishwashing detergents, washing products and laundry detergents. These hollow packaging bodies are used in the form of bottles or in the form of drum-like containers, with the containers being provided with a wide variety of closure types. All hollow packaging bodies have in common that they are only intended for single use and are used to package household chemicals. If these hollow packaging bodies are emptied, they are destroyed because they are not suitable for further uses. Smaller hollow packaging bodies are made of plastic, the destruction of which leads to environmental problems, as it is not possible to reuse plastic packaging; nor is it possible to reprocess the plastic. In addition to smaller hollow packaging bodies, larger containers are also available on the market, which are offered as giant, household or family packs and which are often provided with a handle or a handle-like handle for easier handling. In most cases, however, such large containers are made of cardboard or paperboard laminated with plastic and cannot be used for other purposes or over longer periods of time due to stability reasons.

The invention is based on the object of creating a multi-purpose container which is a completely closed container with a removal opening for receiving a consumable

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in liquid or granular form, such as household chemicals, and which, after emptying its contents after removing the upper container body cover plate

% aiS storage or transport container

&Mgr; for piece goods, tools, hobbyist supplies, etc.

f. usable, as well as stackable and space-saving

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This task is solved by the protection claim 1- '% characteristics were solved.

H A multi-purpose container designed according to the invention Ü is used, for example, for packaging household chemicals in order to

:.,; to make it available to the consumer in packaged form.

'I By designing the container body with two encircling

fenden, bead-like reinforcements with a the two

% bead-like reinforcements connecting thin

P walled divider provides the possibility, e.g.

.: by means of a sharp tool, such as a knife or similar,

to separate the actual container body from its upper cover plate in the area between the two bead-like reinforcements, so that the consumer receives a container that is recyclable, since it

: is made of a durable material and therefore easy to care for

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·■ is easy. The consumer therefore does not need to worry about

Disposal of the multi-purpose container when it is empty is no longer necessary, but the container can be used for other purposes after removing the upper container cover plate, so that neither clogged garbage containers are the result, nor problems with waste incineration. The multi-purpose container can be reused in this way and can be used to hold a wide variety of objects; for example, the container can hold tools and hobby supplies; the container/ is equipped with a handle and can be used as a shopping basket.

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and if the container body has a quadrant

ical or rectangular cross-section/ 1st f'

space-saving stacking and storage of several of the- |

like / freed from the actual filling material multi-purpose container | 11 e r rn I i t i o n.

For the supplier of household chemicals in a multi-purpose container designed according to the invention, there is the advantage that product advertising is possible for years by attaching company information, company logos or the like to the outer wall surfaces of the container. In addition, the household chemicals supplier can also advertise the reusability of such a packaging container with reference to its environmental friendliness. For communities and municipalities, there is the advantage that landfills are less burdened and the amount of pollutants during waste disposal is lower.

Because the distance between the two bead-like reinforcements on the container body is approximately the same as the thickness of a knife blade and the separating web connecting the two bead-like reinforcements is thin-walled, the separating web can be easily cut through using a sharp-edged object, such as a knife, because additional knife guidance is provided during the cutting process by the two bead-like reinforcements, so that even inexperienced people can effortlessly separate the upper cover plate from the actual container body. If the upper cover plate of the container has been separated from the actual container body, then a container that is open at the top is obtained, the upper peripheral edge of which is limited by the bead-like reinforcement formed in this area, so that no sharp-edged edges remain after the upper

container body cover plate can be retained and thus even if the container is further used without the upper cover plate, injuries caused by a sharp-edged edge area cannot occur.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. They show

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of the multi-purpose container ,

Mg. 2 an enlarged section of the multi-purpose container,

Fig. 3 a horizontal section along line III-III

in Fig. 1,

Fig. A shows an enlarged section of the side wall of the container body of the multi-purpose container with a surface profiling and

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged section of the side wall of the container body of the multi-purpose container with vertical and horizontal ribbing in the form of a cloth weave.

The multi-purpose container 10 shown in Fig. 1 consists of a cylindrical container body 11, which is closed at the bottom and top. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the container body has a rectangular cross-section, with the bottom

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plate with 12 and the upper cover plate with 13 and the side walls with 17/18/19/20. The upper cover plate 13 of the container body 11 has a filling and removal opening 14/ which is provided with a detachable closure 16, which will be discussed in more detail below.

The container body 11 can have a rectangular cross-section, a square cross-section or a cross-section with another geometric shape. The container body 11 is also made of plastic, e.g. polyethylene. In addition to the use of transparent plastics, plastics with crystal-clear transparency can also be used. Instead of plastics, other suitable materials can also be used, such as cardboard, paperboard and the like coated with a plastic film. The choice of the plastic used to manufacture the container body will depend on the type of household chemicals to be stored. The container body 11 is manufactured using the deep-drawing process or extrusion process or another suitable process.

In order to be able to separate the upper cover plate 13 from the actual container body, the container body 11 has two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 on its outer wall surface 21, which are attached, formed or formed at a small distance from each other, the space between the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 being bridged by a thin-walled separating web 24, which connects the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 to each other. The distance between the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 corresponds approximately to the thickness of a knife blade. In addition, the separating web 24 is thin-walled, i.e. the

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Separating web Z4 is less thick than the side walls up to 20 of the container body 11,

if the materials used to manufacture the container

;; body 11 plastics used are those which

have a higher Shore hardness. If soft-elastic plastics are used to manufacture the container body 11, then the thickness of the separating web 24 can correspond to the thickness of the container body side walls 17 to 20, since such a plastic can easily be severed using a sharp-edged object such as a knife or the like. When using soft-elastic plastics, however, it must be noted that, depending on the size of the container body 11, there must be sufficient ^inherent rigidity so that the container body 11 remains dimensionally stable after it has been filled.

The two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 on the side walls 17 to 20 of the container body 11 are made, formed or attached from the same material as the container body 11. Preferably, the bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 and the separating web 24 connecting the two reinforcements to one another are formed during the manufacture of the container body. The wall section forming the separating web 24 between the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 can also be designed to be removable, whereby two separating punches running parallel to one another can be provided, for example.

In order to obtain a container that is open at the top after the upper cover plate 13 has been removed, the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 with their separating web 24 are formed in the upper area and adjacent to the upper cover plate 13 on the side walls 17 to 20 of the container body 11, although it is also possible to remove the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 with their separating web

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web 24 is to be provided at another location on the container body 11. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 with the separating web 24 are provided adjacent to the upper cover plate 13 of the container body 11.

The upper cover plate 13 of the container body 11 can be flat and is then provided with the filling and removal opening 14, which can be arranged centrally or off-center. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the upper cover plate 13 of the container body 11 consists of a shaped body 113 that tapers conically upwards and ends in the middle in a pipe socket-shaped extension 15, the filling and removal opening 14 of which can be closed with a removable closure plug, screw cap or the like. "!6 is closed. This molded body 113 forming the cover plate 13 is a firmly integrated component of the entire container body 11 during the manufacture of the multi-purpose container 10 and like the upper cover plate 13 is connected to the side walls up to 20 of the container body 11 via the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 with the separating web 24, so that when the separating web 24 is severed between the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23, a container corresponding to the molded body 113 is obtained, which can be used for an additional purpose. Due to this special design of the molded body, which, as shown in Fig. 1, is pyramid-shaped, this molded body 113 is suitable, for example, as a funnel for decanting a liquid or powdery or other type of flowable medium/ if the Closure device, such as closure plug, screw cap or similar 16 is removed. It is also possible to design this molded body 113 differently.

The upper cover plate 13 or the molded body 113 is separated from the actual container by cutting through the separating web 24 using a sharp, pointed knife, whereby the knife is moved around in the area of the separating web 24 between the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23, whereby the two bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 serve to guide the knife and prevent the knife from slipping, i.e. have the function of guides. In this way, a straight and clean cut is obtained. After removing the upper cover plate 13, a transport and storage container that is open at the top is obtained, the upper opening of which is limited by the surrounding bead-like reinforcement 23 as an edge bead, so that after separating the upper cover plate 13, the resulting transport and storage container does not have a sharp edge all around, but rather a rounded edge.

In order to use the multi-purpose container as a transport container after the upper cover plate 13 has been separated, the container body 11 has a handle 30 on each of the outer wall surfaces of two opposite side walls 17, 19, whereby in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 only one handle is visible, whereas the other handle is located on the back of the container, i.e. on the side wall 19 of the container body 11. The two handles 30 are attached adjacent to the circumferential, bead-like reinforcements 22, 23 on the container body, whereby both handles 30 can be fixed or pivoted so that in the latter case both handles 30 can be pivoted in the direction of the upper circumferential edge of the transport container. The size of the handles 30 depends on the cross-section of the container body 11 in order to ensure that the handles 30 can be handled properly. In addition, it is also possible to

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to be provided with a single bracket-like handle 35, which is indicated in Fig. 1. The free ends of the bracket leg are then hinged to the container side walls 17, 19 in order to be able to transfer the handle 35 into the use and carrying position shown in Fig. 1.

The base plate 12 of the container body 11 can additionally be provided with feet 40 on the outside wall, which can also be formed during the manufacture of the container body 11.

The container body 11 also has a holder 50 on a container side wall 18 or 20 adjacent to the container side wall 17 or 19 carrying the carrying handle 30, which is designed to hold a blank 51 made of cardboard, paperboard, plastic film or the like for labeling purposes. This holder 50 is, as shown in Fig. 1, designed as an insertion holder and has neck-like recesses so that the inserted labeling blank 51 can be held securely.

The transport container formed after removing the upper cover plate 13 is suitable not only for transporting liquids of all kinds, but also for collecting vegetables, fruit, bottles, potatoes and can also be used as a tool case. It can be used as a storage container, e.g. for clothespins, screws, nails, dowels, etc. If the multi-purpose container has a square or rectangular cross-section, then several multi-purpose containers 10 can be arranged next to one another in a space-saving manner and due to clear labeling by means of the label cut-outs 51 held in the holders 50, the user of such a multi-purpose container 10 with the upper cover plate 13 removed is clearly visible.

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Cover plate 13 ensures a good overview. The side walls 17 to 20 of the container body 11 can be provided with a surface profiling 60, such as a mesh profiling or the like 61, as is indicated in Fig. 4. This mesh profiling can be designed, for example, in accordance with the cloth weave of fabrics. Such a surface profiling 60 not only improves the appearance of the multi-purpose container 10 or the storage and transport container after the upper cover plate 13 has been removed, but also contributes to stiffening the side walls 17 to 20 of the container body 11.

According to a further embodiment according to Fig.5, the side walls 17 to 20 of the container body 11 consist of a mesh 70 of vertically and horizontally running ribbing 71, 72 in the form of, for example, the known cloth weave or the like, wherein this mesh 70 is then covered on the inner wall side by means of a plastic film 73 which merges into the base plate 12 on the bottom side and into the upper cover plate 13 on the top side and is firmly connected to the base plate 12 and the cover plate 13 to form a closed inner container 75. When the separating web 24 is severed in order to remove the upper cover plate 13, the plastic film 73 in the area of the separating web is also severed at the same time during the separating process, so that the storage and transport container then obtained, which is open at the top, is provided with an additional inner lining made of plastic film, whereby the advantage is achieved that the vertical and horizontal '%. running ribbing of the braid 70 under formation

;,;. of gaps can be made so that after the

'-' Removing the plastic film 73 a storage and

Transport containers for example for fruits, vegetables, potatoes or similar, whose walls

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17 to 20 are permeable to air. For this purpose, the plastic film forming the inner container 75 is held on the base plate 12 and the upper cover plate 13 in a detachable manner by means of separating perforations/separating punches or the like. This inner container 75 consisting of the plastic film 73 is indicated in Fig. 3

Claims (14)

1. Multi-purpose container, in particular made of plastic, for holding liquid, granular or other suitable goods, characterized in that the multi-purpose container (10) consists of a cylindrical container body (11) with a square, rectangular or other geometrically shaped cross-section, with a base plate (12) and with an upper cover plate (13) which has a closable filling and removal opening (14) in the middle or off-center, the container body (11) being provided on its outer wall surface (21) with two circumferential bead-like reinforcements (22, 23) which run at a short distance from one another parallel to the horizontal plane laid through the container body (11) and with a thin-walled separating web (24) connecting the two bead-like reinforcements (22, 23) to one another . 2. Multi-purpose container according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the separating web (24) is the thickness of a knife blade. 3. Multi-purpose container according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the thickness of the separating web (24) is smaller than the wall thickness of the container body (11). 4. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two bead-like reinforcements (22, 23) with the separating web (24) located therebetween are formed on the container body (11) approximately in the central region of the latter. 5. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two bead-like reinforcements (22, 23) with the separating web (24) located therebetween are formed on the container body (11) adjacent to the upper cover plate (13). 6. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the upper cover plate (13) of the container body (11) consists of a shaped body (113) tapering conically upwards, which runs centrally into a nozzle-shaped extension (15), the opening (14) of which is closed with a removable closure plug, screw cap or the like (16). 7. Multi-purpose container according to claim 6, characterized in that the molded body (113) forming the upper cover plate (13) is pyramid-shaped, the tip of the pyramid running into the nozzle-shaped extension (15). 8. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the container body (11) is provided with a carrying handle (30) on the outer wall surfaces of two opposite side walls (17, 19), wherein both carrying handles (30) are fixedly or pivotably attached to the container body (11) adjacent to the circumferential/bead-like reinforcements (22/23). 9. Multi-purpose container according to claim 1 to 7, characterized in that the container body (11) is provided with a handle (35) in the form of a bow, which is attached to the outer wall surfaces of two opposite sides (17/19). 10. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the base plate (12) of the container body (1'I) is provided with outer walls (40). 11. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the container body (11) has a holder (50) for a label blank (51) on a container side wall (18; 20) adjacent to the container side wall (17; 19) carrying the carrying handle (30) or the bracket-like handle (35). 12. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the side walls (17, 18, 19, 20) of the container body (11) are provided with a surface profiling (60), such as mesh profiling or the like (61). 13. Multi-purpose container according to claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the side walls (17, 18, 19, 20) of the container body (11) consist of a mesh (70) of vertically and horizontally extending ribs (71, 72) in the form of a cloth weave or the like, the mesh (70) being connected to the inner wall by means of a III ■■ I * · t · · · * · · Plastic film (73) which extends into the base plate (12) on the bottom side and into the upper cover plate (13) of the container body (11) on the top side and is firmly connected to the base plate (12) and to the cover plate (13) to form a closed inner container (75). 14. Multi-purpose container according to claim 13, characterized in that the plastic film (73) forming the inner container (75) is held separably on the base plate (12) and on the upper cover plate (13) by means of separating perforations, separating punches or the like,