Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/30—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
  • B65D85/305—Bottle-crates
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
  • B65D11/14—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material of skeleton or apertured construction, e.g. baskets or carriers made up of interconnected spaced bands, rods, or strips

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an apparatus in a storage crate for objects such as cans, bottles or the like and which comprises partly a crate with a bottom and corner portions upstanding therefrom, the corner portions being, at the top, connected with top pieces, where- by the crate has an opening in at least one side wall, and partly an insert disposed in the crate and provided with compartments for the objects, the insert being displaceable, in the vertical direction of the crate, between a lower position where it blocks the opening and an upper position where it permits laterallydirected removal of the objects through the opening, the insert being guided in.the crate by the intermediary of guide surfaces in the corner regions of the crate and the insert.
• a crate of the type mentioned by way of introduction is known from SE-B-407 779.
• the crate according to this publication has arched corner regions which serve to guide the insert displaceably disposed in the crate.
• the insert is designed with vertically directed legs which have an arching corresponding to the corner arching of the crate so that thereby the legs guide the insert on its displacement in the crate.
• a factor which further aggravates the situation is that foreign par ⁇ ticles, dirt or the like have a propensity to become trapped between mutually sliding surfaces, whereby the movement capacity of the in ⁇ sert is greatly impaired.
• the present invention has for its object to develop the apparatus described by way of introduction to such an extent that it offers a reliable and freely-running guide for the insert when this is dis ⁇ placed vertically.
• the invention has for its object to reduce, as far as possible, the friction between the insert and the crate and to eliminate "jammed drawer” effects when the insert is slid- ingly displaced.
• the present invention further has for its object to realise an apparatus which is not sensitive to dirt attack or foreign particles.
• the corner portions are also designed as hollow, closed profiles, the corner portions having a vertical guide groove formed from the wall material of the profile and constituting the guide surface on the corner portion, while the insert has a guide projection which is accommodated in the guide groove and which constitutes the guide surface of the insert, the guide projection being of a configuration which is approximately complementary to the configuration of the guide groove.
• the above-mentioned surface structure is disposed on the guide surfaces of the insert.
• Fig. 1 is, in perspective, an exploded illustration of a crate designed according to the present invention.
• Fig. 2 is an exploded illustration showing a horizontal section through a corner portion of the crate and its insert.
• Fig. 1 shows a storage crate for bottles, cans and similar objects which is intended partly for transport and partly for direct sale of the objects.
• the storage crate is designed in such a manner that it is composed of two different parts, viz. an outer case or crate 1 and an insert 2 mounted therein and provided with a compartment unit for the objects.
• the insert 2 In the position of use of the storage crate, the insert 2 is placed interiorly in the outer case 1 or crate by being slid down into the crate from above.
• the crate 1 has substantially smooth and even inner defining surfaces and a bottom which is not specified more closely on the Drawing but which is preferably produced from a grid construction.
• the crate On its outside, the crate has a number of rigid- ifying fillets directed transversely or at right angles to the side walls, the fillets, however, not being shown in Fig. 1.
• the side walls will have requisite rigidity and mechanical strength.
• the crate 1 is composed of four corner portions in the form of tubular, downwardly open posts or profiles 3 which, at the upper end of the crate, are connected via horizontally directed top pieces 4..
• the crate is provided, along the bottom, with lower side pieces 5 which, in the vertical direction, are preferably of lesser extent than the top pieces 4.
• the crate will have an opening 6 in each side surface.
• at least certain of the side surfaces be closed by providing panel ⁇ like means in place of the openings, possibly provided with rigid- ifying fillets.
• the corner portions may of course be wider so that together they may at least partly or completely cover one side surface of the crate.
• the insert 2 is composed of a com ⁇ partment unit 7 which, in the illustrated embodiment, has compart ⁇ ments designed as equilateral hexagons.
• a single row of such com ⁇ partments is shown in the Figure, but it will be obvious that ident- ical or similar compartments are disposed in the entire compartment unit, with one row on either side of that illustrated.
• the compartment unit 7 has an outer defining frame 8 which defines a nominal outer contour of the compartment unit.
• This defining frame is produced from upright strip or panel material and is of a height which approximately corresponds to the height of the top pieces 4 of the crate 1. Furthermore, the defining frame 8 and the compartment unit 7 are preferably of the same height.
• the defining frame 8 has downwardly directed legs 9 which have outwardly facing guide surfaces 10 which are pref ⁇ erably disposed at an angle of 45° in relation to the sides of the defining frame 8.
• the guide surfaces 10 are arranged to guide against corner surfaces 11 disposed interiorly in the crate 1 and of approximately the same width as the guide surfaces 10. These corner surfaces 11 are produced as one side of the closed profile which constitutes the corner posts 3.
• the insert is movable in the crate in the vertical direction thereof and switchable between a lower position where the compartment unit 7 blocks the openings 6 in the side surfaces of the crate. This is achieved in that the down- wardly directed legs 9 have been given a suitable height for this purpose.
• the corner surfaces 11 in the crate 1 are provided with guide grooves 12, guide projections 13 on the legs 9 of the insert 2 running in these guide grooves.
• the guide grooves 12 are also created directly in the closed profile which forms the corner posts 3, whereby the walls defining the guide grooves will also be walls in the closed profile.
• dimensioning of the legs 9, the guide surfaces 10, the guide grooves 12 and the corner surfaces 11 may be adapted such that the major guiding function is realised by the guide grooves 12 and the guide projections 13.
• the guide surfaces 10 may come into abutment against the corner surfaces 11 in order to reinforce the guiding function.
• the function of the above-described crate is such that, once the in ⁇ sert 2 has been mounted in the crate 1 and this filled with bottles, the insert 2 is in a standing position with the legs 9 against the bottom of the crate. In this position, the compartment unit 7 will be located roughly in the middle of the crate viewed vertically so that thereby the compartment unit blocks the openings 6. In this position, the objects may only be removed from the crate upwardly. If, for example in retail premises, several crates are stacked on one another, this entails that removal of the objects may take place only upwardly from the uppermost crate.
• the insert 2 is slidable in the vertical direction and may be slid to an upper position where the compartment unit is substantially concealed behind the top pieces 4. In this position, an object may be lifted slightly so that its bottom comes to a level higher than the upper edge of the lower side pieces 5. In this state, the object may be pivoted laterally and re ⁇ moved bottom-first through one or other of the openings 6.
• the present design of the crate it is possible lateral ⁇ ly to remove objects from any optional crate, even in the middle of a stack of crates.
• Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section through a corner region of the crate 1, as well as a top plan view of a corner region of the- insert 2.
• corner portion 3 or corner post is designed as a closed profile which is open downwardly towards the underside of the crate.
• the bottom of the crate is designed with a grid lattice of ribs 18 and that the openings 6 in the side surfaces of the crate are de ⁇ fined by rigidifying fillets 16 and 17 disposed on the outside of the crate.
• the corner post 3 is designed as a hollow profile comprising two outer walls 25 approxi ⁇ mately normal to one another, and a corner surface 11 facing the in- terior of the crate and making an angle of approx. 45° with both of the outer walls 25. Between the outer edges of the corner surfaces 11 and the outer walls 25, there are provided inwardly extending walls 26 so that the profile is thereby closed. These inwardly di ⁇ rected walls are approximately normal to the corner wall or surface 11. It will further be apparent from the Drawing that the vertical rigidifying fillets 17 defining the openings 6 may also be con ⁇ sidered as included in the profile forming the corner portion.
• the corner wall 11 has a longitudinal guide groove 12 which is of a gently arched, approximately U-shaped contour.
• This guide groove 12 serves for accommodating and guiding a guide projection 13 which is disposed on the guide surfaces or corner surfaces 10 of the insert 2.
• the cross-sectional configur ⁇ ation of the guide projection 13 is suitably complementary to the configuration of the groove 12.
• the guide projection extends vertically throughout the entire height of the leg 9. How ⁇ ever, the guide projection 13 may be replaced by a series of pro ⁇ jections distributed along the leg 9.
• the dimensioning of the insert 2 and the crate 1 is such that, in normal loading, the groove 12 guides the insert 2 by cooperation with the projection 13 or series of projections.
• the guide surfaces 10 may also come into abutment and guiding engagement with the corner surfaces 11 of the corner portions.
• one or other of the mutually cooper ⁇ ating guide surfaces on the projection 13 and the groove 12 has a surface structure which comprises projecting and recessed surface portions.
• the tops of the projecting surface portions will, on movement of the insert, slide against a smooth surface on the other guide surface, whereby the effective friction surface is greatly reduced.
• accommodation or diversion spaces are formed at the recessed surface portions, for foreign particles, dirt or the like so that, thereby, such particles do not run the risk of becoming embedded in the plastic material of the guide surfaces so that these are damaged and the insert 2 becomes jammed.
• Those surface portions of the guide surfaces which are displaced relative to the mean surface of the guide surface may be of sizes of from a few tenths of a millimetre up to a few millimetres.
• the surface structure may be realised in that the guide surface is generally rough or granular.
• various types of more or less regular striated patterns may of course be employed, mention here being made by way of one example of a design in which the guide surface 13 has longitudinally directed projecting strips or ridges between which corresponding depressions or grooves are disposed.
• projecting ridges and interjacent grooves may be transversely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the guide surface 13, and also tran- sversely directed in relation to the direction of movement of the insert 2.
• the surface structure includes means for such positional fixing of the insert. Further such positional fixing measures may be implemented in that the groove 12 is provided with a tapering upper portion where direct clamping of the insert 2 may take place. Furthermore, snap locking devices pure and simple may be utilised for positionally fixing the insert 2 in its upper position.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
• Branching, Merging, And Special Transfer Between Conveyors (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Oscillators With Electromechanical Resonators (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Cleaning In General (AREA)
• Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=20377463

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1989
  • 1989-11-13 SE SE8903809A patent/SE464918B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1990
  • 1990-11-05 AT AT90917397T patent/ATE116926T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1990-11-05 DE DE69016044T patent/DE69016044T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1990-11-05 WO PCT/SE1990/000712 patent/WO1991007327A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1990-11-05 EP EP90917397A patent/EP0500735B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1992
  • 1992-05-13 NO NO921896A patent/NO176268C/no unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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