EP0013057B1

EP0013057B1 - A plastics tray or crate to be used for objects or merchandise

Info

Publication number: EP0013057B1
Application number: EP79200792A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Coenraad Johannes Benraad
Original assignee: Wavin BV
Current assignee: Wavin BV
Priority date: 1978-12-28
Filing date: 1979-12-20
Publication date: 1982-01-27
Also published as: EP0013057A1; DE2951558A1; DE2962008D1; NL7909357A; NL7812608A; CA1143675A; ATE610T1

Abstract

A plastics tray, in particular a crate, to be used for objects or merchandise, which is provided with a space bounded by edge parts (6,7) at both sides, said space being used for positioning a carrier (5) for marks. The space and the carrier (5) extend around the plastics tray.

Description

The invention relates to a plastics tray or crate, to be used for objects or merchandise, provided with a space for positioning a carrier provided with marks or colours, said space being bounded by edge parts at both sides of said space.
Such a crate or tray is known from GB-A-1 366 962. In this crate the carrier is accommodated in a pocket formed by a rectangularly recessed part on the outer side of the wall of the tray or crate and a transparent or clear sheet of transparent material engaging the circumference of the recessed part in the wall.
Furthermore FR-A-2 272 450 shows a plastics tray having a recessed part in its wall for accommodating a carrier, the recessed part being provided with shoulders for retaining the carrier in the recess. In order to facilitate removal of a carrier the recess is provided with an aperture extending through the bottom of the recessed part.
These known crates or trays present the disadvantage that in order to protect the carrier, the space should be rather deep and this requires the use of rather thick walls in order to meet the strength requirements of a crate or tray. Applying a carrier or replacing a carrier with another carrier is also rather laborious and time consuming.
It is now the aim of the invention to provide a plastics tray or crate which allows the use of a deep space allowing a very reliable protection of a carrier during transport of the tray or crate and on the other hand replacement or applying a carrier will be very simple.
This aim is attained in that the walls of the tray are double walled and a space extending around the tray for positioning said carrier has a single walled bottom.
It should be noted that DE-A-1 952 363 shows a plastics package provided with a carrier comprising a plurality of interconnected labels, said carrier extending around the package. The carrier is fixed to the plastics package by an adhesive. This carrier may be easily damaged during transport of the package as the carrier is not protected in a retracted space.
By using a double walled crate the same strength properties can be obtained even with smaller amounts of plastics compared with single walled crates, whilst on the other hand the double wall provides a very deep space for protectively accommodating an easily removable carrier.
The invention particularly allows the use of one and the same crate or tray for different manufacturers of brands by only replacing the carrier. At present various factories or commercial enterprises use trays or crates of plastics, which all have distinguishing features as to form and design. For example, the beverage industry utilizes for each different brand an especially designed crate adapted to a particular brand, contrary to those branches of industry using glass or tinned packing means. In view of the great variety of crates for, for instance, a number of bottles, these crates are unnecessarily costly, while return transports of these crates cause additional difficulties, for example, in getting crates with empty bottles back to the proper place of delivery.
The plastics tray of the invention can be utilized by different manufacturers, each manufacturer or any other supplier of the tray or crate contents being able to carry his own brand name by simply replacing the carrier.
Preferably, the carrier extending around the tray and forming a closed band is put in place in a loose or partly loose relationship.
According to a very preferred embodiment a plastics foil carrier extends around the tray and is heat shrunk onto said bottom.
The carrier may be formed, for example, by a cardboard plate provided with a label, or alternatively, by a wrapper, for instance in the form of a band which can be put around the tray or crate for instance by attaching its ends to each other using an adhesive. This wrapper may also consists of a light kind of cardboard or paper. However, it is also possible to use a plastic for the carrier, as indicated hereinbefore.
The invention will now be explained by means of an embodiment as shown in the drawing, wherein

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an embodiment of a double walled tray or crate in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a crate of the invention but without the carrier for marks;
Figure 3 is a top view of a loading pallet wherein solid and broken lines indicate the load and
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional, partially lateral view of a part of a crate according to the invention.

In the embodiment as shown in Fig. 1, a crate is provided with partially double walled side walls 1 and partially double walled end walls 2 provided with handle-forming openings 3. Along the upper border areas the side walls 1 and the end walls 2 are provided with recessed portions 4; the manner in which these recessed portions are obtained will be described later on.
Around the crate there is a wrapped carrier 5 consisting of a strip of material, for example a light kind of cardboard or paper, which strip has been pulled tightly around the crate, the extremities of the strip being attached to each other for example by means of an adhesive.
As is clearly apparent from the drawing, this wrapper forms the carrier for marks, thus one can readily see what kind of merchandise or brand the crate contains. It is also possible to attach, for instance by using an adhesive, the carrier 5 to the crate at several points, so that it is placed on the crate in a loose or partly loose relationship.
In the embodiment as shown in Figure 1, the walls have a particular area for accommodating the carrier 5 in the form of a wrapper, the positioning space 4 being bound by raised portions 6 and 7 which are raised with respect to the edges of the carrier. On account of the raised portions 6 and 7 formed by the connections of the wall parts of the double walls 1, 2 the carrier 5 cannot slide or be slid off the crate, since near the raised portion 7 the wall extends outwardly with respect to the carrier 5, the raised portion 6 also forming an abutting edge for protecting the carrier. The raised portions 6 and 7 are also present at the corners of the crate, so that they merge from one wall, for example from the wall 2, into the other wall 1. If desired, this carrier 5 can be easily removed, for instance by cutting with a knife.
In a preferred embodiment a carrier 5 of plastics foil extending around the tray is heat shrunk onto the bottom of the space 8 as shown in Figure 2.
So as to clearly show the space 8 for positioning the carrier shown in Figure 1, Figure 2 shows a crate without the carrier. The raised portions 6 and 7 in the side walls 1 and the end walls 2 can be clearly seen therein, so that the space 8 for positioning the carrier is clearly determined by the raised portions 6 and 7 connecting the double wall parts of the walls 1 and 2.
As is apparent for instance from the loading diagram of the loading pallet 9 shown in Figure 3, it is most desirable that a carrier for marks be put in place in a protective manner. In said Figure, broken lines 10 indicate the arrangement of adjoining crates. Solid lines 11 indicate a second layer of crates on the pallet 9. The spaces for positioning the carriers being protected as a result of the raised portions 6, 7 the carriers or labels will not get damaged, for instance when sliding against each other due to the shaking on a truck. Upon the layer indicated by the solid lines 11 another layer of crates can be placed in accordance with the pattern indicated by the broken lines 10. The alternating arrangements in the positioning of the crates on the loading pallet can be continued until the maximum number of layers has been reached, the carriers 5 being well protected at all times.
The embodiments of crates generally described hereinbefore are manufactured by means of complicated moulds, the material to be used being a thermoplastics material such as an impact-resistant polyethylene or polypropylene.
The cross sectional view of Figure 4 shows the construction of such a crate, the base being generally indicated by reference numeral 12. Along the circumference the base is provided with a number of supports 13 disposed at some distance from each other. Each interval of space between two supports is such that it is adapted to always fittingly receive two parallelly arranged upper edges 14 of a crate. This is necessary in order to obtain the loading as illustrated in Figure 3, so that the crates in a layer are always retained by crates of a layer disposed thereupon or therebelow.
In the cross sectional view of Figure 4, an end wall 15 is provided with an opening 3, which serves as a handle. The reference numeral 18 indicates the inner wall part of said double end wall 15 and numeral 25 indicates the outer wall part of said end wall 15. The base 12, end walls 15 and side walls 19 form an interior comprising vertical partitions 20 interconnected by means of connecting members 21 at their upper part. In certain places said connecting members 21 extend in the form of ribs 22 along the walls in upward direction, so as to reinforce the walls. In the vicinity of upper edge 14 the inner wall 18 presents a protruding flange 23 enclosing with a reinforcing edge 17 and a vertical rib 24, a recessed portion 4. Thus, a rigid upper edge is obtained, as is shown for instance in Figure 1.
The lower parts of end walls 15 as well as that of side walls 19 possess an outer wall part 25 located at some distance from the inner wall part 18. By means of ribs 26, the outer wall 25 in turn is connected with the inner wall part 18 of the double wall 15. The ribs 26 are disposed at regular intervals along the circumference of the crate.
It is obvious that a relatively complicated mould construction is needed for the manufacture of the inner wall part 18 of the end wall with the ribs 24 and 26 and the outer wall part 25. However, according to the invention this construction is used for forming a space for positioning a carrier 5 by making a step in the core between the wall parts 18 and 25, thus forming a circumferential space 27 extending around the crate. This space is bounded by space edges 16 and 28, corresponding with the raised portions 6 and 7 as shown in figures 1 and 2, and bottom 18a (vide figure 4). Advantageously a cam or ridge 29 may be present in order to hold the carrier 5 extending around the tray in the circumferential space 27.
For an easy removal of the carrier 5 the inner wall part 18 forming the bottom 18a of the space 27 is provided with apertures 30.

Claims

1. A plastics tray or crate to be used for objects or mechandise, provided with a space (8, 27) for positioning a carrier (5) provided with marks or colours, said space being bounded by edge parts (6, 7, 16, 28) at both sides of said space (8, 27) characterized in that the walls (1, 2; 15, 19) of the tray or crate are double walled (18, 25) and the space (8, 27) extending around the tray or crate for positioning said carrier (5) has a single walled bottom (18a).

2. A plastics tray or crate as claimed in claim 1, in which the bottom (18a) of said space (27) is provided with openings (30) for facilitating removal of the carrier (5).

3. A plastics tray or crate as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which at least one of the edge parts (6, 7; 16, 28) of the space (8, 27) is provided with a protruding cam (29).

4. A plastics tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-3, in which the edge parts (6, 7, 16, 28) of said space (8, 27) fittingly retains a carrier (5).

5. A plastics tray or crate as claimed in claims 14, in which a plastics foil carrier (5) extends around the tray or crate and is heat shrunk onto said bottom.

6. A plastics tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-4, in which the carrier (5) extending around the tray or crate and forming a closed band is put in place in a loose or partly loose relationship.