EP0868365A1

EP0868365A1 - Carrier tray for drinks cans

Info

Publication number: EP0868365A1
Application number: EP96939745A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alfred Steiner
Original assignee: Steiner Tech GmbH
Current assignee: Steiner Tech GmbH
Priority date: 1995-11-28
Filing date: 1996-11-27
Publication date: 1998-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2016-11-27
Also published as: CA2238836A1; ES2137022T3; DK0868365T3; CN1202865A; WO1997019866A1; BR9611773A; MX9804208A; SI0868365T1; AU7685096A; DE59602573D1; JP2000500421A; TR199800939T2; CN1072593C; US5964343A; IL124566A0; PL326937A1; GR3031620T3; JP3305724B2; IL124566A; AT1246U1

Abstract

The invention concerns a carrier tray (1) for drinks cans (5) with a seamless transition between the base and the casing. The upper side of the tray is provided with can-holders (2) with resilient holding devices (3) which are distributed over the periphery and project from the upper side of the tray in order to hold the drinks cans (5). According to the invention, in order to provide advantageous construction conditions, the resilient holding devices (3) form clamping jaws (4) for resiliently pressing in the can casing. In addition to these resilient holding devices (3), the can-holders (2) comprise axial bars (8) which are resistant to bending and guide the drinks cans (5) to be accommodated.

Description

Support plate for beverage cans

The invention relates to a support plate for beverage cans with a seamless transition between the bottom and the jacket, with can receptacles having resilient holders for the beverage cans distributed over the circumference and projecting from the top of the plate being provided on the top side of the plate.

Beverage cans are usually packaged in self-supporting containers or in box-like receptacles, which has disadvantages for the transport and storage of such goods. Packaging in self-supporting containers not only requires comparatively complex receptacles, but also requires the same storage volume for the full and empty receptacles. This disadvantage can be avoided by using box-like receptacles, in which the beverage cans are held, for example, with the aid of shrink films, but difficulties arise when stacking the individual storage units on top of one another, because lateral displacement of the stacked storage units can hardly be prevented . For advantageous stack formation, it is already known (WO 92/16430) to use support plates both on the top and on the bottom with centering for receiving preserves, so that to form a stack of preserves with a base area extending over several support plates, the space between the individual support layers provided support plates can be arranged at least in groups offset to the support plates of the adjacent layers. The centering for the lower end faces of the preserves on the upper side of the support plate ensure that the individual preserves do not slip, whereby the centering for the upper end faces of the preserves on the underside of the support plate makes it possible to stack the storage units determined by the support plates without one another to fear a lateral displacement of the individual layers against each other. In order to obtain packaging units that are easy to handle, the supporting plates can have a connection coupling for a carrying handle provided with at least one hold-down device for the preserves. These packaging units, however, require an additional handle which has to be removed again to form a stack.

Finally, it is known (US Pat. No. 4,120,396) to provide, in the region of the can receptacles of a support plate, resilient mounts in the form of latching hooks which overlap the undercut can edge in a snap-lock manner. This results in a simple connection between the support plate and the beverage cans received by it, but beverage cans are provided with a base which projects radially from the can jacket. exposed. However, since this requirement is not met in the conventional, usually deep-drawn beverage cans with a seamless transition between the bottom and the jacket, such support plates are not suitable for receiving these beverage cans which are seamless in the base area.

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a support plate for beverage cans with a seamless transition between the bottom and the jacket, it being possible to ensure sufficient cohesion between the support plate and the beverage cans for normal handling.

Starting from a support plate of the type described above, the invention achieves the object in that the resilient brackets form clamping jaws for resiliently pressing in the can jacket and that the can receptacles have, in addition to these resilient brackets, rigid axial guide webs for the beverage cans to be accommodated.

When a beverage can is inserted into a can receptacle on the support plate, the clamping jaws of the resilient holders are pressed apart by the can bottom, which is stiffened in the edge region due to the transition into the jacket, until they abut the can jacket above this transition and press it in elastically , so that the beverage cans between the clamping jaws of the resilient mounts are not only held in a frictional manner but also in a form-fitting manner. Nevertheless, if the beverage cans tip over, their clamping could be unintentionally overcome. In order to prevent a loosening of the beverage cans from the can receptacles of the support plate by a tilting moment on the cans, additional axial guide webs for the beverage cans are provided, which are designed to be sufficiently rigid to prevent the beverage cans from tipping over. The interaction of the resilient clamping jaws and the rigid guide webs means that the beverage cans received can only be pulled out of the can receptacles in the axial direction, not only overcoming the friction between the clamping jaws and the can jacket, but also the spring force of the clamping jaws must be in order to be able to pull the beverage can out of the clamping jaws with the stiffer transition between bottom and jacket compared to the can jacket.

If the resilient brackets project beyond the height of the axial guide webs, with passage openings with a minimum cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the clamping jaws being provided on the inside of the inwardly inclined brackets, this results in particularly advantageous stacking ratios for these support plates, because during opening place the support plates on top of each other through the through openings pass through the respective upper support plate and lay against the inside of the brackets of the upper support plate, which brings about a mutual alignment of the support plates. The axial guide webs must, however, be set back in height with respect to the brackets, because these guide webs determine the distance between the stacked support plates.

Particularly simple constructional relationships can be achieved in that, in a row arrangement of the can receptacles, the axial guide webs are each provided in the gusset area between two abutting can receptacles and are connected to one another in pairs. This embodiment not only offers a space-saving arrangement of the can receptacles, but also ensures sufficient flexural rigidity of the guide webs with comparatively small wall thicknesses because of the mutual connection of the guide webs of adjacent can receptacles.

Furthermore, it is possible for the underside of the support plate to have projecting guide webs which extend concentrically to the center and which form a receptacle between them, which ensures radial guidance of the beverage cans used or centering when the beverage cans are inserted.

However, it is also provided that the guide webs forming the receptacle converge at an angle in the end regions in the form of connecting webs and are integrally connected to subsequent support webs, thereby ensuring that the guide element is secured against slipping and furthermore the bending rigidity of the entire support plate is increased.

It is also advantageous if the guide webs arranged in pairs to one another are connected via a connecting web connected in one piece to the base, as a result of which the flexural rigidity of the guide webs is increased.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the guide webs to be formed by a V-shaped profile running perpendicular to the floor and integrally connected to it, whereby a shape of the guide webs which is adapted to the geometric shape of the receptacle is achieved and thus prevents a relative movement of stacked support plates becomes.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if a surface of the guide webs forms a support surface for an inner surface of the receptacle, because this results in a full support from a second support plate placed on a first support plate. According to a further embodiment, it is provided that the clamping jaws or holding arms, which protrude one upper side of the can receptacle, are aligned approximately at an angle of 90 ° to the upper side, whereby the demolding process during the manufacture of the support plate is made considerably easier.

However, it is also possible for the holding arms to be designed to taper conically in the direction of their height, as a result of which the deforming force of the holding arms can be reduced when introduced into a beverage can into the can receptacle.

It is also advantageous in this embodiment if the holding arms have projecting clamping beads in an upper end region in the direction of the can receptacle, thereby ensuring that the beverage cans are clamped or fixed in the can receptacle.

It is also advantageous if the underside of the support plate is provided with a groove-shaped indentation in the region of the holding arms, as a result of which the holding arms of a lower supporting plate can engage in this groove-shaped indentation and the stack height of several empty supporting plates stacked one on top of the other can thereby be reduced.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the region which has the clamping jaws or an underside of a web to be arranged offset by a distance from an underside of a can receptacle, as a result of which an advantageous reduction in the stacking height of several support plates can also be achieved.

It is also advantageous if the area with the holding arms is connected in one piece to the can receptacle via the base part forming the indentation, as a result of which the bending stiffness of the entire support plate can be increased significantly.

The subject matter of the invention is shown, for example, in the drawings.

Show it:

1 shows a support plate for beverage cans according to the invention in a simplified plan view;

Figure 2 is a section along the line II - II of Figure 1 on a larger scale.

3 shows a section along the line III - III of Figure 1 on a larger scale. 4 shows a section corresponding to FIG. 3 through a plurality of supporting plates stacked one above the other on a larger scale;

Figure 5 shows the support plate for beverage cans according to the invention in bottom view.

6 shows a portion of the support plate according to the invention comprising a guide web in

Side view cut, according to lines VI - VI in Fig. 7;

7 shows the section according to FIG. 6, sectioned, according to lines VII-VII in FIG. 6;

Fig. 8 shows a further embodiment of the brackets of the support plate according to the invention in side view, in a simplified, schematic representation.

To begin with, it should be noted that in the differently described embodiments, the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals or the same component names, and the disclosures contained in the entire description can be applied analogously to the same parts with the same reference numerals or the same component names. Furthermore, individual features from the different exemplary embodiments shown can also represent independent solutions according to the invention.

The support plate 1 according to the illustrated embodiment has box receptacles 2 arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, over the circumference of which resilient holders 3 are arranged. These brackets 3, which are inclined inward relative to the can receptacles 2, form clamping jaws 4 for the beverage cans 5 to be accommodated, which are indicated in FIG. 3 with a thin line. The arrangement is such that the clamping jaws press the can jacket elastically, so that the beverage cans 5 held between the clamping jaws 4 can only be removed from the can receptacles 2 if not only the friction between the clamping jaws 4 and the can jacket , but also the spring force of the jaws 4 is overcome. In this context, it should be borne in mind that due to the transition between the bottom 6 and the jacket of the beverage cans 5, the transition area 7 is stiffened relative to the jacket, so that the jaws 4 are stiffened by this stiffened transition area 7 both when inserting and when removing the Beverage cans 5 must be pushed apart.

In addition to the resilient brackets 3, the can receptacles 2 are provided with rigid axial guide webs 8 which cause the beverage cans 5 to tilt about a transverse axis. prevent sam. As a result of these measures, the beverage cans 5 can only be removed from the can receptacles 2 in the axial direction, which precludes circumventing the clamping connection between the support plate 1 and the beverage cans 5 by tipping the cans up. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the axial guide webs 8 are located in the gusset area between the row of socket receptacles 2, the guide webs 8 being connected to one another in pairs in order to achieve a higher bending stiffness with a low material expenditure.

On the inside of the inwardly inclined brackets 3, through openings 9 are provided in the support plate 1, which have a minimum cross section corresponding to the cross section of the clamping jaws 4. Furthermore, since the height of the guide webs 8 is exceeded by the resilient brackets 3, advantageous stacking conditions result for such support plates 1, as can be seen in FIG. 4. When the support plates 1 are stacked, the clamping jaws 4 of the respective lower support plates engage in the passage openings 9 of the upper support plates, so that there is a mutual alignment between the support plates as a result of the interlocking brackets 3. The lower height of the axial guide webs 8 ensures the engagement of the clamping jaws 4 in the passage openings 9 of the support plate which is immediately attached because the height of the guide webs 8 determines the mutual distance of the support plates 1 from one another.

As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, the support plate 1 can also be provided on the underside with centering means 10 for receiving the beverage cans 5 in the lid area in order to be able to stack the support plates 1 offset with beverage cans 5 in a non-slip manner. For this purpose, the support plates 1 need only be placed on the beverage cans 5 held in similar support plates in such a way that the beverage cans 5 engage with their edge on the cover side in the centerings 10 on the underside of the support plate 1, as shown in FIG. 3 ¬ indicates.

5 shows a part of the support plate 1 according to the invention, in particular a single can holder 2, in a view from below.

A circular opening 12 is arranged around a center point 11, to which a centering web 13 adjoins in a direct transition. An underside 14 of the can receptacle 2 adjoins this centering web 13, which extends radially around the center point 11 in the direction of guide webs 15 running concentrically to the center point 11. The passage openings 9 already mentioned are arranged on this underside 14 of the can receptacle 2, through which the holders 3 pass through the underside 14 when stacking a plurality of carrying plates 1 on each other is made possible.

If this support plate 1 or the can receptacle 2 is placed with the underside on a beverage can, then the circular edge, which is located in the upper area of the beverage can, engages in a circular holding recess 16 and is guided by the guide webs 15 and held in this position by the centering web 13, thereby preventing the attached support plate 1 from slipping sideways.

Furthermore, the guide web 15 is connected to a further guide web 15, which is assigned to the adjacent can receptacle 2, via connecting webs 17, as a result of which a receptacle 18 which is delimited by webs and which has an inner border 19 is formed. The receptacles 18 are in turn connected to one another by support webs 20, whereby an increased bending stiffness of the support plate 1 can be achieved. Furthermore, the centering web 13 on the side facing the passage opening 9 and the guide webs 15 on the side facing the center 11 can have slight bevels in order to center a support plate 1 placed on the beverage cans.

The guide webs 15 are adapted in their curvature to the outer shape of the beverage can in order to ensure that the support plates 1 filled with beverage cans 1 are securely stacked on top of one another. In relation to this, it also results that the second guide web 15, which is assigned to the adjacent can receptacle 2, is a mirror-image representation about a longitudinal central axis 21 of the support webs 20. The receptacles 18 are designed in such a way that their geometrical shape enables the holding of the guide webs 8, slight inclinations along the inner periphery 19 of the holding member 18 being advantageous for centering a second support plate 1.

6 and 7, the guide webs 8 are shown inserted in a receptacle 18.

As can be seen better from FIG. 7, the guide webs 15 run in a shape adapted to the beverage cans 5 and then merge into the shape extending at an angle to the support webs 20 into the connecting webs 17, as a result of which the geometric shape of the Recording 18 results. A guide element 22 which engages in the receptacle 18 now consists of four guide webs 8 which extend at an angle to a connecting web 23 and are integrally connected to this.

Two V-shaped mutually associated and perpendicular to an underside of the support plate 1 Running guide webs 8 enclose an acute angle 24 of preferably less than 90 °, a distance 25 between outer edges 26, 27 of the guide webs 8 and a distance 28 between the inner edges 29, 30 of the receptacle 18 being the same size or slightly smaller, all the more so to ensure a secure or guided insertion of the guide element 22 into the receptacle 18. This advantageous embodiment also provides effective protection against lateral slipping in any direction from two or more support plates 1 stacked on top of one another.

As can be seen better from FIG. 6, a surface 31 of the guide element 22 comes to rest on an inner surface 32 of the receptacle 18, as a result of which a second support plate 1 placed on a first support plate 1 fits snugly over its entire extent voltage is reached. Furthermore, the guide element 22 has a height 33, measured in the direction of the receptacle 18 of a second support plate 1, which is decisive for the distance between two support plates 1 stacked on top of one another. By changing this height 33, a distance 34 between two support plates 1 can now be influenced, as a result of which different stacking heights of several support plates 1 can be achieved. Furthermore, the height of the supports 3 through the openings 9 can also be influenced by different heights 33.

This arrangement of guide elements 22 and receptacles 18 not only proves to be advantageous in the stacked state of the support plates 1, but also enables the beverage cans to be fixed radially when the beverage cans are inserted. When the beverage can is inserted, the guide element 22 protruding into the receptacle 18 in the stacked state serves as a radial fixing device which prevents the beverage can from slipping or falling over, thereby ensuring that stacked mounting plates 1 are securely stacked.

In order to avoid twisting or tilting when the guide element 22 engages in the receptacle 18 when stacking two or more support plates 1, it is advantageous if end faces 35 of the guide webs 8 are a short distance from the inner border 19 of the receptacle 18 in Have area of the connecting webs 17. This also presupposes that only a horizontal stacking or unstacking of the support plates 1 is possible and indirectly thereby also prevents a relatively high stack of support plates 1 from folding.

8 shows an area 36 of the support plate 1, which has the clamping jaws 4, with two support plates 1 stacked on one another. This area 36 generally comprises four clamping jaws 4, with each adjacent can receptacle 2 being assigned a clamping jaw 4. The clamping jaw 4 consists of holding arms 38 running perpendicular to an upper side 37 opposite the underside 14, a clamping bead 39 being arranged on the side of the holding arms 38 facing the beverage cans 5. Of course, it is also possible for the holding arms 38 to be conical in the opposite direction to the can receptacle 2. A holding arm 38 is designed in such a way that on the end region of the holding arm 38 facing the beverage can 5 there is an oblique surface 41 which extends from the clamping bead 39 in the direction of the surfaces 40 of the holding arm 38 opposite the clamping bead 38, as a result of which a Beverage can 5 in the can receptacle 2, which allows the holding arm 38 to be deformed along the inclined surface 41.

Since the holding arms 38 are designed to be flexible, they are pressed radially outwards when a beverage can 5 is inserted into the can receptacle 2 and thus enable a beverage can 5 to be introduced into the can receptacle 2 in a guided manner. Such a deformation of the holding arms 38 or the clamping jaws 4, a pretension is generated in the same, which causes an exact centering in the can receptacle 2 and a clamping bracket thereof when the beverage can 5 is in the inserted position. Furthermore, a tilting of the beverage can 5 in the can receptacle 2 is avoided.

The four clamping jaws 4 arranged in a region 36 are connected to one another in one piece via a web 42, an upper side 43 of the web 42 being spaced apart from the upper side 37 of the can receptacle 2 by a height 44. This web 42 or the clamping jaws 4 are now connected in one piece to the can receptacle 2 via a base part 45 which extends at an angle in the direction of the upper side 37 of the can receptacle 2. As a result of this advantageous embodiment, the passage openings 9, as described in detail above, can be dispensed with and a higher stability of the support plate 1 can thereby be achieved. This base part 45 adapts in its geometric shape to an outer surface 46 which is arranged in the base region of the beverage can 5. This advantageous design of the base part 45 makes it possible to arrange an indentation 47 in the transition region of the web 42 with the base part 45 without obtaining a weakened region in the material of the support plate 1, with an apex 48 of this indentation 47 by a distance 49 of an underside 50 of the web 42 is distanced.

In order to achieve a stack height of these support plates 1 which is kept as low as possible when stacking a plurality of empty support plates 1 on top of one another, the clamping jaws 4 of the lower support plate 1 now engage in the indentation 47 of the attached support plate 1 or protrude above it Bottom 50 of the web 42 also. The stacking height of several support plates 1 is also positively influenced by a distance 51 between the underside 14 of the can holder 2 and the underside 50 of the web 42, since the stacking height of two stacked support plates 1 is reduced by the amount of this distance 51. An engagement depth 52 of the jaws 4 in the indentation 47 can be the same or, if necessary, slightly less than the distance 49.

In conclusion, it should be pointed out that in the exemplary embodiments described above, individual parts have been disproportionately enlarged in order to improve the understanding of the solution according to the invention. Furthermore, individual parts of the previously described combinations of features of the individual exemplary embodiments in connection with other individual features from other exemplary embodiments can form independent solutions according to the invention.

Above all, the individual versions shown can form the subject of independent solutions according to the invention. The relevant tasks and solutions according to the invention can be found in the detailed descriptions of these figures.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 support plate 41 surface

2 can holder 42 bridge

3 Bracket 43 top

4 jaws 44 height

5 beverage can 45 base

6 bottom 46 outer surface

7 transition area 47 molding

8 guide bar 48 apex

9 passage opening 49 distance

10 centering 50 bottom

11 center point 51 distance

12 breakthrough 52 engagement depth

13 centering bar

14 bottom

15 guide bridge

16 holding recess

17 connecting bridge

18 recording

19 border

20 support bridge

21 longitudinal central axis

22 guide element

23 connecting bridge

24 angles

25 Distance 26 outer edge

27 outer edge

28 distance

29 inner edge

30 inner edge

31 surface

32 surface

33 height

34 distance 35 end face

36 area

37 top

38 holding arm

39 clamping bead

40 area

Claims

Patent claims

1. Support plate for beverage cans with a seamless transition between the bottom and the jacket, wherein on the top of the plate can receptacles with distributed over the circumference, from the top of the plate, resilient holders for the beverage cans are provided, characterized in that the resilient holders (3) clamping jaws ( 4) for the elastic pressing of the can jacket and that the can receptacles (2) have, besides these resilient holders (3), rigid axial guide webs (8) for the beverage cans (5) to be accommodated.

2. Support plate according to claim 1, characterized in that the resilient Halterun¬ gene (3) project beyond the axial guide webs (8) in height and that on the inside of the inwardly inclined brackets (3) in the support plate (1) through openings (9 ) are provided with a minimum cross section corresponding to the cross section of the clamping jaws (4).

3. Support plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in a reihen¬ arrangement of the socket receptacles (2) the axial guide webs (8) are each provided in the gusset area between two abutting can receptacles (2) and are connected in pairs.

4. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the underside (14) of the support plate (1) has outstanding, concentric to the center point (1 1) extending guide webs (15) which have a receptacle between them (18) train.

5. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the guide webs (15) forming the receptacle (18) converge angularly in their end regions in the form of connecting webs (17) and with connecting webs ( 20) are connected in one piece.

6. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the pair of guide webs (8) are connected via a connecting piece integrally connected to the bottom (23).

7. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the guide webs (8) are formed by a perpendicular to the floor and integrally connected to this V-shaped profile.

8. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that a surface (31) of the guide webs (8) forms a support surface for an inner surface (32) of the receptacle (18).

9. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the one upper side (37) of the can receptacles (2) projecting clamping jaws (4) or holding arms (38) approximately at an angle of 90 ° to Top (37) are aligned.

10. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the holding arms (38) are designed conically towards one another in the direction of their height.

11. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding arms (38) have protruding clamping beads (39) in an upper end region in the direction of the can receptacle (2).

12. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the underside of the support plate (1) in the region of the holding arms (38) is provided with a groove-shaped indentation (47).

13. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that one of the jaws (4) having the area (36) or a Unter¬ side (50) of the web (42) by a distance (51) opposite an underside (14) of a can holder (2) is arranged offset.

14. Support plate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized ge indicates that the area (36) with the holding arms (38) via the recess (47) forming the bottom part (45) integrally connected to the can receptacle (2) is.