EP0527745B1 - Stackable bottle case in plastic material - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP91/00380 Sec. 371 Date Sep. 17, 1992 Sec. 102(e) Date Sep. 17, 1992 PCT Filed Mar. 1, 1991 PCT Pub. No. WO92/15488 PCT Pub. Date Sep. 17, 1992.In a stackable bottle crate from plastic material, the side walls are reinforced by vertical hollow profiled columns which are extended up to the upper marginal edge of the crate side walls and together with the upper marginal edge from a circumferential piling edge for load reduction.

Description

The invention relates to a stackable plastic bottle crate according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Stackable bottle crates are known in a wide variety of embodiments, and a particular problem with stackable bottle crates is to make the crate so stiff that a perfect load transfer is ensured without deformation of the bottle crate. For the purpose of stiffening stackable bottle crates, it is known to form hollow profile columns in the side walls which are arranged at a distance from one another and protrude into the interior of the crate. These hollow profile columns have the advantage that, in addition to their stiffening function, they also form holding surfaces for the bottles to be accommodated in the crate. In order to enable bottle crates to be stacked, the hollow profile columns are not pulled all the way to the top of the crate.

In a known bottle crate (DE-A-38 41 396), raised hollow profile columns are provided from the bottom to the upper crate of the crate, which also contribute to load transfer in the stacked structure. For the actual load transfer, however, the dimensions of the bottle crate with respect to the bottles to be accommodated are provided in such a way that when the bottle crate is compressed in the stack, the bottles themselves have a load-transmitting effect under the load of the bottles. This requires a precise coordination of special crate dimensions with the bottles to be accommodated in the crate.

In another known bottle crate (EP-A-414 480), support columns are also provided on the crate side walls from the crate bottom to the top crate of the crate, which are, however, part of an insert to be inserted into the crate and thus require corresponding mating surfaces between the crate and the insert, which is a requirement constructive effort.

Finally, what are known in the prior art (for example US Pat. No. 4,210,265, DE-A1-31 35 633) are so-called stacking ribs on the outside of the box, which are arranged locally and the purpose of which is that the boxes in the stack have a certain hold among themselves.

The object of the invention is to provide a bottle crate which has maximum rigidity with optimal weight minimization, so that load transfer in the stack is possible without the risk of damage to the bottle crate and the formation of very thin side walls adapted to the thickness of the cardboard packaging.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features contained in the characterizing part of claim 1, expedient developments of the invention being characterized by the features contained in the subclaims.

According to claim 1, the hollow profile columns are led up to the upper edge of the box side walls so that they form a circumferential stacking edge for load transfer with this. Contrary to the usual design, in which the columns end around the immersion depth of the floor below the surrounding box edge, this design ensures that the hollow profile columns also contribute to load transfer. The hollow profile columns take on a full load share in any cross-sectional shape. The box is reinforced at the top and bottom by a circumferential rib band, with several horizontal ribs, whereby a further stiffening of the box can be achieved by vertical ribs between the hollow profile columns. The features of claim 1 result in a full-load-bearing bottle crate, the side walls of which can be kept extremely thin. These walls are not thicker than corresponding cardboard layers in paper packaging, so that the box according to the invention makes it possible to manufacture plastic boxes and cardboard boxes with the same external dimensions and to exchange them without problems, so that a mixed run of the two types of packaging is possible. This facilitates a gradual changeover of the two types of packaging, which is a great advantage for the introduction of bottle crates that are supposed to replace cardboard boxes.

This special design, in particular of the upper circumferential box edge, enables a special floor construction that is suitable for staggered and composite stacking. This is achieved by support ring constructions formed on the bottom of the box, namely on the underside of the bottom of the box, formed from ribs projecting downwards and encircling like a ring. The dimensions of these support ring constructions are enlarged by bulges, as a result of which the distance between the extreme points of these support ring constructions arranged in an island-like manner is reduced. Overall, a larger contact area of the box results from these enlarged support ring constructions, which is crucial for a vibration-free running of the boxes even on roller belts with large roller distances. Furthermore, the arrangement of the island-like, i.e. A linear stacking as well as a staggered stacking of the bottle crates are arranged for each support ring construction. In addition, the ribs projecting downward increase the friction on inclined conveyor belts. Nevertheless, these support ring designs do not hinder the easy removal of the boxes on the box layer underneath during manual handling. This construction is also advantageous in the stacking of cardboard and plastic containers. The structure of the support ring constructions also enables the preferably triangular, vertical hollow profile columns to be set up and also enables the stacked boxes to be easily pulled off due to the rounded contours.

Finally, after a further training, the intersecting partition walls are stiffened in the crossing points, namely by spanning and connecting segment walls spanning and connecting, which complement each other to form a roof for each crossing point, stabilize the truss and allow a higher lateral load on the boxes.

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht eines Flaschenkastens, wobei die linke Hälfte des Kastens eine Schnittansicht längs der Linie A-A von Fig. 2 darstellt,

Fig. 2

eine Draufsicht auf einen Teil des Flaschenkastens, wobei das obere linke Viertel eine Schnittansicht längs der Linie C-C von Fig. 1, das obere rechte Viertel eine Ansicht des Kastenbodens von unten sowie das untere linke Viertel eine Ansicht des Kastens von oben darstellt,

Fig. 3

eine Seitenansicht der Schmalseite des Flaschenkastens, wobei die linke Hälfte eine Schnittansicht längs der Linie B-B von Fig. 2 darstellt,

Fig. 4

die Einzelheit A von Fig. 1,

Fig. 5

die Einzelheit B von Fig. 1,

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt längs der Linie D-D von Fig. 2,

Fig. 7

einen Schnitt längs der Linie E-E von Fig. 2,

Fig. 8

die Einzelheit X von Fig. 3,

Fig. 9

die Einzelheit Y von Fig. 2 (oberes rechtes Viertel) sowie Fig. 10 eine Draufsicht auf eine Palette zur Darstellung verschiedener Stapelmöglichkeiten des Kastens.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the drawing. Show in it

Fig. 1

2 shows a side view of a bottle crate, the left half of the crate being a sectional view along the line AA in FIG.

Fig. 2

1 shows a plan view of a part of the bottle crate, the upper left quarter being a sectional view along the line CC from FIG. 1, the upper right quarter being a view of the crate bottom from below and the lower left quarter being a view of the crate from above,

Fig. 3

3 shows a side view of the narrow side of the bottle crate, the left half representing a sectional view along line BB of FIG. 2,

Fig. 4

the detail A of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5

the detail B of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6

3 shows a section along the line DD from FIG. 2,

Fig. 7

3 shows a section along the line EE from FIG. 2,

Fig. 8

the detail X of Fig. 3,

Fig. 9

the detail Y of Fig. 2 (upper right quarter) and Fig. 10 is a plan view of a pallet to show various stacking options of the box.

The plastic bottle crate shown in the figures has two opposite longitudinal side walls 1 and two opposite narrow side walls 2 and is used to hold a total of 12 bottles in receiving compartments 4 formed by intersecting partition walls 3. Of course, more or fewer compartments can also be in the bottle crate be provided so that the information given here is to be regarded as an example. At the upper and lower edge of the box, the box has a circumferential rib belt 5 and 6, the upper rib belt 5 in FIG. 4 and the lower rib belt 6 being shown in more detail in FIG. 5. The ribbed belts are offset outwards relative to the corresponding vertical side wall surface 7 or 8, or the corresponding vertical side wall surface 7, 8 is offset slightly inwards relative to the ribbed belts 5 and 6. The ribbed belts 5 and 6 are each formed by horizontal ribs 9 which run around the box and are formed on the outside of the ribbed belts 5 and 6, whereas the inner surface of the ribbed belts 5 and 6 facing the inside of the box is largely flat. In the exemplary embodiment shown, each ribbed belt 5 and 6 contains four ribs 9.

The vertical side wall surfaces 7 and 8 are framed by the upper and lower ribbed ribbons 5 and 6 and by the vertical corner edges of the box, the transition from the ribbed ribbon and the corner edges to the vertical side wall surface 7 and 8 being effected by rounded surfaces 10. Through these slightly retracted side wall surfaces 7 and 8, optimal protection of the advertising surfaces is achieved and it is also made possible for the bottles accommodated in the box to stand directly on the relatively thin, vertical side wall.

The side walls 1 and 2 are stiffened by hollow profile columns 11 and 12 arranged on the inner surface, three hollow profile columns 11 arranged at a gap to the compartments on the longitudinal side wall and two hollow profile columns 12 being arranged on the narrow side of the bottle in the exemplary embodiment shown. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the hollow profile columns 12 correspond in their triangular cross section to the hollow profile columns 11 up to approximately the height of the handle opening denoted by 13 and from then on run as a half profile and from the upper edge of the handle opening again as a complete profile like the hollow profile columns 11. That is, the handle opening 13 in the The side wall of the box is delimited on both sides by hollow profile columns 12, as a result of which there is no need for edge formations which make it difficult to grip the box and are an obstacle to gripping. This simplifies the handling of the box due to the absence of a sharp edge. It is essential that the vertical hollow profile columns 11 and 12 are raised up to the upper edge 14 of the box so that they form a circumferential stack edge with the upper edge of the ribbed belt 5. This ensures that the hollow profile columns, which can have any cross-sectional shape, assume a full load. As a result, the bottle crate is designed to carry full load, with maximum stiffness combined with low compression values being guaranteed while minimizing weight.

Furthermore, vertical ribs 15, 16 and 17 are integrally formed on the inner surface of the side walls 1 and 2 on the side walls between the hollow profile columns 11 and 12. The ribs 17 are arranged in the four corner areas of the box and extend essentially over the entire box height. They serve to stiffen the corner area of the box. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the ribs 15 and 16 extend essentially over the height of the upper rib band 5 and their innermost edge runs flush with the inner wall of the vertical side wall surface 7 and 8, as can be seen from the top left of FIG. 1.

Comparable ribs 18 are arranged in the area of the lower rib belt 6. The ribs 15 of the upper rib belt 5 here extend to the upper circumferential stack edge 14, whereas the vertical ribs 16 end at a slight distance below the stack edge. These ribs reinforce the upper and lower circumferential rib band and, in conjunction with the circumferential ribs 9, help prevent bulging of the upper and lower box edges in all directions.

The box bottom is formed by special support ring structures 19 which are island-like, i.e. per compartment, are formed or arranged. These support ring constructions extend downward from the bottom surface and are therefore attached to the underside of the bottom. Each support ring structure has an outer circumferential ring-like rib 20 and an inner circumferential ring-like rib 21. These outer and inner ribs 20 and 21 protrude downward. The outer rib 20 delimits an annular bottom surface 22 with the inner rib 21, whereas a circular bottom surface 23 is formed inside the inner rib 21, which is at a higher level than the bottom surface 22. Profile openings, which are approximately banana-shaped and are identified by the reference symbol 24, are provided in the annular surface 22. Openings 25 in the form of segments of a circle are provided within the bottom surface 23. These openings allow waste water to run off and the cleaning water accumulating during the cleaning of the boxes and at the same time prevent bottle caps from sticking due to their shape and dimensions.

The island-like support ring structures 19 are arranged at a distance from one another in the region of the axes formed by the intersecting compartment walls, as indicated by the letter F in FIG. 2 at the top left. This results in so-called pulling grooves between the island-like support ring constructions.

It is also essential that bulges 26 are provided in the area of the outer ribs, which are shown in more detail in FIG. 9. This results in enlargements of the dimensions of the support ring constructions 19, which allow a reduction of the island distances and thus a rattle-free running on roller belts, even on roller belts with large roller distances.

In the intersection points of the compartment walls 3, adjacent compartment walls spanning and serving as stiffening segment walls 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d are arranged per intersection point, which complement each other to form a roof, in the exemplary embodiment shown a roof-shaped square and stabilize the framework and therefore a higher lateral load ensure the box.

As can be seen from FIG. 10, the bottle crates allow stacking in a composite and offset stacking manner.

Claims (10)

1. A stackable plastic bottle crate with four side walls (1, 2), a base and, if required, partitions inside the crate for defining bottle-holding compartments, the side walls being reinforced by vertical load-bearing hollow-section columns (11, 12) which project from the inner surface of the side walls into the interior of the crate, extend upwards from the base to the top edge (14) of the side walls (1, 2) and co-operate with the top edge of the crate to form a peripheral load-bearing stack edge, characterised in that for the purpose of forming thin side walls, adapted to the thickness of cardboard packages, on the top and bottom edge, a rib band (5, 6) comprising a number of, preferably four, peripheral horizontal ribs (9) is provided on the outer surface of the side walls and extends round the crate, and the vertical side wall surfaces (7, 8), between the upper and lower rib band (5, 6) and between the vertical corners of the crate, are slightly offset inwards relatively to the rib bands (5, 6) and the vertical corners, and the transition between the vertical side wall surfaces (7, 8) and the rib bands (5, 6) or corners of the crate are preferably in the form of sloping or rounded surfaces (10).
2. A bottle crate according to claim 1, with handle openings (13) in one or more side walls of the crate, characterised in that each handle opening (13) is bounded by hollow-section columns (12) on each side.
3. A bottle crate according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the insides of the crate side walls (1, 2) are reinforced, between the hollow-section columns (11, 12), by vertical ribs (15 - 18) which extend preferably over the height of the upper and/or lower rib band (5, 6) and in the corner regions extend continuously over substantially the entire height of the crate.
4. A bottle crate according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the underside of the base has supporting-ring structures (19) in the form of islands, i.e. disposed in each receiving compartment, formed by downwardly projecting ribs (20, 21) extending in the form of a ring.
5. A bottle crate according to claim 6, characterised in that each supporting-ring structure (19) comprises an outer rib (20) and an inner rib (21).
6. A bottle crate according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that each supporting-ring structure (19) disposed in the form of an island has convex parts (26) of the outer rib (20), which locally increase the width of the structure, and which are preferably disposed opposite one another.
7. A bottle crate according to any of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the supporting-ring structures (18) are separated from one another along axes defined by the compartment walls (3).
8. A bottle crate according to any of claims 6 to 9, characterised in that profiled openings (24, 25) are provided in the base surface between the outer and inner rib (20, 21) and inside the inner rib (21), the openings being so shaped and/or dimensioned as to prevent crown corks from jamming on the bottles.
9. A bottle crate according to claim 10, characterised in that the profiled openings between the outer and inner rib (20, 21) are in the form of ring segment-shaped or banana-shaped openings (24), and the profiled openings in the base surface inside the inner ribs (21) are in the form of circular-segment openings (25).
10. A bottle crate according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that segment walls (27a - 27d) joining neighbouring compartment walls (3) are disposed at the points on intersection of the compartment walls and preferably combine to form a roof-shaped square at the point of intersection.

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