EP0266274A1 - Bottle crate for bulk transport or in batches - Google Patents

Abstract

Improved bottle crate. The crate being provided, on its base (2), with cradles (9, 10) for holding bottles in bulk. It comprises lateral uprights (21, 22) projecting somewhat into the inside of the volume of the case in order to hold in place packs which are placed on the plane flush with the cradles, a corresponding elevation of the useful volume of the crate being provided in order to permit this positioning of packs. <IMAGE>

Description

The subject of the invention is a bottle rack allowing the transport and the handling of bottles in bulk, in particular of bottles with an oval or rounded base requiring for their retention in place in the rack spacing and stabilization elements forming cradle of receipt for each bottle.

The invention relates to improvements to such a rack allowing its use, not only for the transport of bottles in bulk, but also for the transport of the same bottles packaged in packs.

The problem arises in a particularly critical and delicate manner for bottles with an oval or rounded base requiring cradles which are fairly enveloping from the bottom of the bottle, and consequently a rack bottom provided with numerous relatively high spacers on which it is normally no longer possible to place the same bottles in packs, because on the one hand, the plastic or cardboard packaging which closes the pack risks being damaged and perforated by these spacers, and on the other hand, there is no longer enough headroom in the locker, the packs of which will therefore go beyond the upper edge.

In accordance with the invention, these difficulties are overcome by stopping substantially all of the above-mentioned bracing and stabilization elements. in the same plane located above the bottom of the box, parallel to this bottom, and the useful height of the box is increased by a length substantially equal to that separating said plane from said bottom. Advantageously, at the level of said plane, said surface is given as large as possible to said bracing and stabilization elements.

Thus, when the bottles are packaged in packs, these can be supported by the upper plane of the bracing elements which form a new raised bottom of the rack for these packs, which find under the upper edge of the rack sufficient space since it has been fitted out there.

According to another characteristic of the invention, pillars for lateral blocking of the packs are provided on the internal lateral faces of the box, said pillars advancing in the space of the box left free between the bottles placed in the box. , beyond the plane which pitch and circumscribe the bottles stored in bulk. In fact, bottles packaged in packs are generally tighter than bottles packaged in bulk in place in their housing and separated by slight intervals. In this way, the blocking pillars, which also contribute to the strengthening of the box, make it possible to make up for the difference in volume and therefore to keep the packs in place in the rack.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, at least some of said pillars are shaped so as to participate in also keeping bottles in bulk in place, by presenting lateral sections coming substantially to tangent the side wall of peripheral bottles placed in bulk in their reception cradles. This also improves stabilization of bottles transported in bulk.

• - la figure 1 montre, de façon schématique, en coupe verticale, un casier conforme à l'invention, cette vue étant faite sensiblement dans le plan repéré I-I de la figure 2,
• -la figure 2 est une vue en coupe horizontale du casier de la figure 1, faite sensiblement au niveau du plan II-II de la figure 1,
• - la figure 3 montre en vue par dessus le même casier, dans laquelle figure ont été plus précisément indiqués les éléments d'entretoisement et de st abilisation des bouteilles en vrac,
• - les figures 4 et 5 sont des vues à plus grande échelle des détails entourés IV et V à la figure 2,
• - la figure 6 est un détail en couple verticale d'éléments d'entretoisements formés selon une variante.

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly with the aid of the description which follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 shows, schematically, in vertical section, a rack according to the invention, this view being made substantially in the plane marked II in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the locker of FIG. 1, made substantially at the level of the plane II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 shows a view from above of the same rack, in which the elements for bracing and stabilizing the bulk bottles have been indicated more precisely,
• FIGS. 4 and 5 are views on a larger scale of the details surrounded by IV and V in FIG. 2,
• - Figure 6 is a detail in vertical couple of bracing elements formed according to a variant.

Referring to the drawings and first of all more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottle rack identified as a whole 1 has a bottom 2 of generally rectangular shape from which rise two substantially vertical longitudinal walls 3, 4 with respect to the supposedly horizontal bottom and two equally vertical side walls 5, 6.

For the transport of bottles, as shown in 7 and 8 in FIG. 1, the rack comprises, as known in the art, receiving cradles for each bottom of bottles, such as 7, some of which have been shown diagrammatically and marked 9 to FIG. 2, as well as smaller cradles, some of which have been identified and shown diagrammatically in the same FIG. 2 to receive the necks of the bottles 8 turned upside down over and between the bottles 7 straight rows.

In the case of bottles whose bottom is more or less rounded, for example substantially spherical or oval, as shown in Figure 1, such bottles being unstable, it is necessary that the cradles 9 rise quite high by enveloping the bottom of the bottle, for example substantially to mid-height, at the height h of plane marked 11 above the bottom 2 of the locker (Figure 1). On the other hand, the elements for holding the necks 10 may be of low height, the bottle 8 overturned over the bottles 7 being relatively well wedged, and the cradle 10 being provided only for blocking the neck.

Under normal conditions of use and manufacturing, the rack 1 would have a height H as identified between the plane 12 and the bottom 2 (Figure 1) little greater than the height of the bottles in place in the rack.

In accordance with the invention, the height of the rack is increased by a height heusement advantageously substantially equal to the height h separating the plane 2 from the plane 11, bringing the useful volume of the locker substantially up to the height of the plane 13 for reasons that will appear.

On the other hand, in accordance with the invention, all of the cradles 9, and also very advantageously of the cradles 10, are brought into the same single plane 11 situated above the level of the bottom 2 of the body, and as will appear more clearly in FIG. 3, all of these bracing stops are given as large an area as possible.

Under these conditions, a pack of bottles, for example four or five bottles, as illustrated marked at 14 in Figures 1 and 2 will be able to be placed over all these bracing elements, somehow on the bottom formed by the plane 11 of the ends flush with this plane of the stop elements 9,10. In this way, we understand that the pack will be able to be accommodated in the useful volume of the locker 1, due to the forecast of the additional height hʹ already mentioned. And in addition the raised spacing and abutment elements 10 of the necks of overturned bottles ensure improved retention and blocking of these bottles.

Referring to Figure 3, there is illustrated in this figure, more precisely, configurations advantageously used to form said bracing and stabilization elements which will, by their upper part, all come flush with the plane 11 of the Figure 1. We thus see various families of elements, such as elements identified 15, directed substantially parallel to the transverse axis yʹ , y of the locker, substantially punctual elements in the shape of a curvilinear triangle, concave 16 and particular elements d angles, such as 17. Under these conditions, a cradle such as 9 (FIG. 2) for holding the bottom of a bottle can consist in particular of an element such as 15, two elements 16 and an element angle 17, or two elements 15 and two or four elements 16, etc. Similarly, a cradle such as 10, for maintaining a neck of bottles can be formed between two elements 15 and two elements 16.

However, the construction features of the locker do not stop there.

The rack has, in fact also, on its side faces several kinds of vertical pillars which fill different objects.

We find, first of all pillars such as 18 which are thin reinforcing ribs, extending over substantially the entire height of the crate and coming to tangent the planes 19, 20 circumscribing on the longitudinal internal faces of the crate of the bottles in place . These ribs, as it appears more clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, cooperate in keeping bottles 7 in their cradle. In the example illustrated, the ribs 18 are only provided on the internal longitudinal faces of the crate, but they can, of course, possibly also be provided on the side faces. These ribs are centered substantially on the axes of alignment of the bottles or cradles such as 9 (Figure 2).

On the same longitudinal internal faces of the rack, there are also pillars 21 placed between the ribs 18. These pillars 21 are extended at their base by the bracing elements 15 already mentioned (see FIG. 5). As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 4, these pillars 21 advance somewhat, of a width e towards the interior of the rack, with respect to the ribs 18, and with respect to the plane 20 of tangency of the bottles 7 placed in bulk in The cashier. The pillars 21 serve as lateral support for the packs such as 14, as it appears in FIG. 2, so as to limit the travel of the packs in the crate to avoid breakage. Indeed, the packs in which the bottles are pressed against each other will occupy less space inside the rack, and it is necessary to make up for this difference.

Similarly, on the internal lateral faces, there are pillars 22 which project towards the inside of the rack of length E relative to the planes of tangency 23, 24, of the bulk bottles (see FIGS. 2 and 5). Thus, it also catches the longitudinal movement for example of three packs of four bottles placed side by side in the case shown of a rack intended to accommodate 6 × 4 rows of bottles in bulk.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5, the pillars 22 are also shaped with two rounded edges 22a, 22b, which contribute to the correct positioning of the bottles 7 in the corners of the crate, and this in cooperation with the stops 15, 16, la rib 18, and a complementary angle stop 25 which will advantageously come at the same level as the plane 11 of flush with the other bracing and stabilization elements of the bottles.

In the variant embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the spacing and stabilization elements of the bottles such as 15ʹ, 16ʹ have a substantially frustoconical, ogival or tulip-shaped shape which opens upwards. In this way, the cradles will be able to substantially match the shape of the bottles of various diameters that they will receive, allowing good maintenance of the bottles despite the manufacturing tolerances. In particular, a tulip-shaped cradle constitutes an effective blocking for a straight row bottle having at a certain height a substantially cylindrical section connecting to a rounded bottom and to a tapered top forming a neck. The stability will be all the better as the clearance between bottle and cradle will be less and as the depression of the cylindrical part of bottle in the cradle is greater.

With a bottle of maximum diameter, there will be practically no play, with smaller bottles there will be a depression of the bottle in the cradle, weak but sufficient to ensure, despite the play, a stop between flat and top of the cradle, which limits the tilt of the bottle.

Preferably the tongues or bracing elements 15ʹ, 16ʹ of the bottles will be substantially rigid and will practically not deform under the weight of the bottles stored straight they will receive. A relatively wide band 26 may come to interconnect the tongues at their free upper end part, in particular coming from material with them, so as to locally grip each bottle in the manner of a retaining band, less for bottles with a diameter close to the maximum admissible diameter, and, in any case, to avoid any possible inclination of these bottles, by forming a support stop.

In FIG. 6, the plane 11 constitutes the upper limit of the strip 26 and the dashed line 11ʹ its lower limit.

Claims (6)

1. Bottle rack for the transport and handling of bulk bottles which can be arranged substantially straight in the rack and / or upside down, said bottles being of the oval or rounded base type requiring them to be kept in place in the rack of bracing and stabilization elements forming receiving cradle for each bottle, characterized in that in order to allow the use of the same rack also for transporting the same bottles packaged in packs, substantially all of the above elements are stopped bracing and stabilization (15, 16, 17) in the same plane (11) situated above the bottom (2) of the rack parallel to this bottom and the useful height of the rack is increased by a substantially equal length ( h ) to that separating said plane (11) from said bottom (2). 2. Locker according to claim 1, characterized in that the level of said plane (11) gives as large a surface as possible to said bracing and stabilization elements (15, 16, 17). 3. Locker according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that there are provided on the internal lateral faces of the locker pillars forming ribs (18) for the lateral locking of the peripheral bottles during filling in bulk, these said pillars forming ribs (18) substantially tangent to the plane (19, 20) of the rack which circumscribes the bottles stored in bulk. 4. Locker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there are provided on the internal lateral faces of the locker of the pillars (21, 22) of lateral blocking of the packs (14), said pillars advancing in the space of the rack left free between the bottles placed in this same rack beyond said plane (19, 20, 23, 24) which tangents and circumscribes the forming ribs (18) for lateral locking of the peripheral bottles during a bulk filling. 6. - Locker according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cradles have a substantially frustoconical, ogival or tulip-shaped shape which opens upwards (15ʹ, 16ʹ) capable of receiving bottles of various diameters. 7. - Locker according to claim 6, characterized in that said bracing elements (15ʹ, 16ʹ) are rigid and connected together, towards their free end part, by a strip (26) favoring the maintenance in a substantially straight position of bulk bottles.

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