EP1284909B1

EP1284909B1 - Bottle tray

Info

Publication number: EP1284909B1
Application number: EP01932415A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hendrik Dekkers
Original assignee: Schoeller Wavin Systems BV
Current assignee: Schoeller Arca Systems Group BV; Schoeller Arca Systems Services BV; Schoeller Allibert Netherlands BV
Priority date: 2000-05-31
Filing date: 2001-05-21
Publication date: 2004-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2021-05-21
Also published as: AU2001258942A1; NL1015360C2; DE60105014D1; DE60105014T2; WO2001094233A1; EP1284909A1

Description

The invention relates to a bottle tray according to the preamble of claim 1.

A bottle tray of the above-mentioned type is known from NL-B-1004725. The dimensions of the cavities and the cap spaces of the tray are equal to or only slightly larger than those of a base of a bottle accommodated therein or of a cap placed on the bottle. This means that a stable stack of trays with bottles placed in them can be formed, which is advantageous for the transportation of such stacks.

If after use of the bottles users replace the caps carelessly on the bottles, for example if not down as far as possible or slightly askew and/or if the sealing strips are not torn off completely, in the case of use of the known bottle tray, such carelessly replaced caps and caps with sealing strips partially hanging off in a stack of trays with bottles can become stuck in the cap spaces and flange spaces. If bottles with such caps are substantially filled, their weight generally ensures that during the unstacking a bottle with a cap stuck in a cap space of a tray above is not lifted up along with it when the tray above is lifted. In particular, however, if the bottles are empty plastic bottles, such as empty PET bottles, their weight is so low that such an empty bottle with a cap stuck in a cap space or flange space of a tray above is lifted up along with a tray above when the tray above is lifted. This is very annoying when unstacking is being carried out manually, and it takes time to eliminate the problem. It is even more annoying, time-consuming and expensive to eliminate such a fault when the aim is to unload many stacks quickly and automatically from a vehicle and unstack them, for example in a bottling plant.

The object of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known bottle tray.

To that end, the invention provides a bottle tray according to claim 1. The result is that a partially torn-off sealing strip is largely prevented from becoming stuck between the flange of the corresponding bottle and the vertical wall of the flange space. As a result, the number of disruptions during automatic processing of stacks of trays with empty bottles can be very greatly reduced.

Further features and advantages will become clear from the explanation following below in conjunction with the appended drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a view from below of a part of a bottle tray according to the invention, in particular of a flange space and a cap space;

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the bottle tray part of Fig. 1 in accordance with the line II-II;

Fig. 3 shows the cross section of Fig. 2, resting upon a flange of a bottle provided with a cap placed in the cap space; and

Fig. 4 shows a cross section like that of Fig. 2 of a part of the tray along a short edge thereof.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a part of the underside of a bottle tray 1. As can also be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the part of the tray 1 illustrated has on the underside a flange space 5, which at a higher level passes into a cap space 6, which has a smaller diameter than the flange space 5, and above which a cavity 7 is situated. In the bottom of the cavity 7, passages 8 are formed for the drainage of washing water or other liquids.

The embodiment of the tray 1 shown is suitable in particular for placing the base of a bottle 9 in the cavity 7 with little or no play, and for placing a cap 10, screwed onto the bottle 9, in the cap space with little or no play, in such a way that a horizontal upper wall 14 of the flange space 5 rests on a flange 11 of the bottle 9 formed below the cap 10, and the flange 11 of the cap 10 is centred by a side wall 16 of the flange space.

The cap 10 has on its underside a sealing strip 17, which is suitable for being torn off at least partially from the remainder of the cap 10 along a tear line 18, so that the cap 10 can subsequently be removed from the bottle 9.

On the underside, along the periphery, the flange space 5 has radial recesses 20 with side walls 21. The distance between the walls 21 of the recesses 20 and the centre 23 of the flange space 5 is equal to or greater than half the diameter of the flange 11 plus the thickness of the sealing strip 17.

As a result, the recesses 20 form a space for accommodating without clamping action a partially torn-off sealing strip 17.

During experiments it was found that if the flange space 5 has two recesses 20 which are formed symmetrically relative to the centre point 23, and which each cover an arc of 100°, the chance of a partially torn-off sealing strip 17 becoming stuck between the flange 11 and the wall 16 of the flange space 5 is very small. This is because the partially torn-off sealing strips 17 usually hang down at only a very small angle, so that empty, and consequently very light, plastic bottles 9 easily turn by themselves during the stacking until the sealing strips 17 are caught in a recess 20 of the flange space 5.

It was found that as the recesses 20 cover an are lying further outside a range of between 90° and 110° the chance of the sealing strips 17 becoming wedged increases rapidly.

On the part of the bottom 14 of each recess 20 a number of bevelled struts 26 are preferably formed against the vertical wall 21. The distance between the struts 26 and the centre point 23 decreases closer to the cap space 6, in particular to a distance that is equal to the distance between the wall 16 of the flange space 5 and the centre point 23. The struts 26 prevent the part of the bottom 14 of the recesses 20 of a tray from resting on a cap 10 of a bottle 9 below, and consequently resulting in faulty stacking. The struts 26 centre the cap 10 during the stacking, and prevent such faulty stacking.

If the bottle tray has to be manufactured by means of injection moulding, it is desirable at the design stage to ensure that the material cools down as uniformly as possible over the entire tray, in order to prevent the occurrence of stresses in the material, and consequently deformation of the tray, in particular if the tray is removed from an injection mould prior to complete cooling. For that reason, it is desirable to use the same wall thicknesses over the entire tray, and for the cap space 6 not to be bounded by a single, relatively thick cylindrical wall, but by a ring of evenly distributed vertical ribs 27, which describe a geometrical inner diameter of the cap 10. During experiments it was, however, found that it is possible for caps 10 carelessly replaced on the bottles 9, in particular those replaced askew, to become stuck between the ribs 27 if the latter extend to the underside of the cap space 6. Furthermore, a short torn-off sealing strip 17 that is not caught in a recess 20 could become stuck on the top side of the upper wall 14 of the flange space 5 during the unstacking operation, with the result that the unstacking can be disrupted. In order to prevent these drawbacks, the bottom part of the cap space 6 is bounded by a closed wall 28 instead of by bottom parts of the ribs 27. The diameter of the cap space 6 within the wall 28 is preferably equal to or greater than the diameter of the cap 10 plus the thickness of the sealing strip 17. This further reduces the risk of the cap 10 becoming stuck.

The bottom wall 28 of the cap space 6 preferably has a height of between 30% and 60% of the distance between the flange 11 of the bottle 9 and the top side of the cap 10.

The wall 28 of the cap space 6, with a wall 29 situated radially further outwards, from which the ribs 27 project inwards, defines a channel 31. Passages 32 are formed in the bottom of the channel 31, for draining away washing water and any other liquids present.

It has been found that in a small number of cases the stacking of a tray 1 of the type described so far can be disturbed by the fact that during the stacking the tray 1 is moved to and fro horizontally a number of times, in order to make the tray catch the caps 10 of bottles 9 of a tray 1 below. As a result, the bottles 9 below can be pulled askew, so that upper walls 14 of respective flange spaces 5, in particular of their recesses 20, are supported on the caps 10 of said bottles, and the positioning is disturbed. In order to solve this problem, in cavities 35 along the short edges of the tray 1, as shown in Fig. 4, the transition 40 from the upper wall 14 of the recesses 20 to the higher wall 28 of the cap space 6 is more pronounced, in other words is rounded with a greater radius of curvature than that of other cavities 7. A resulting adverse effect of reduced support of bottles below the cavities 35 is compensated for by the advantage of better stacking.

The number of recesses 20 can, for example, be different and can be dependent upon materials used for bottle caps 10 and tear-off properties of the sealing strips 17.

Claims

Bottle tray (1) having a number of cavities (7, 35) on a top side thereof and a depression on an underside thereof opposite each cavity (7, 35), each cavity being suitable for accommodating therein in a substantially fitting manner a base of a bottle (9) above, and each depression comprising a flange space (5) and a cap space (6) above, the cap space (6) being suitable for accommodating therein in a substantially fitting manner a cap (10) of a bottle (9) below, the cap (10) having on the underside an at least partially tear-off sealing strip (17), and the flange space (5) being suitable for accommodating therein a horizontal flange (11) formed on the bottle (9) below, which flange has a greater diameter than the cap (10), characterized in that the flange space (5) has a side wall (16) which centres the flange (11) of the bottle (9), an upper wall (14) of the flange space (5) resting on the flange (11) of the bottle (9) below, and the side wall (16) of the flange space (5) having on the underside along its periphery recesses (20) with radial dimensions that are greater than the thickness of the sealing strip (17) of the cap (10).
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the recesses (20) are evenly distributed along the periphery of the flange space (5), and each recess (20) covers an arc of less than 120°.
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the recesses (20) are evenly distributed along the periphery of the flange space (5), and each recess (20) covers an arc of between 90° and 110°.
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the recesses (20) are evenly distributed along the periphery of the flange space (5), and each recess (20) covers an arc of 100°.
Bottle tray (1) according to a preceding claim, characterized in that bevelled struts (26) are formed in the recesses (20), each being at a decreasing distance from the underside to the centre (23) of the flange space (5).
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the recesses (20) are evenly distributed along the periphery of the flange space (5), each recess (20) covers an arc of between 90° and 110°, and in each recess (20) two bevelled struts (26), evenly distributed along the periphery of the recess and with a distance decreasing from the underside to the centre (23) of the flange space (5), are formed.
Bottle tray (1) according to a preceding claim, characterized in that the cap space (6) is bounded radially by a bottom closed wall (28) and a ring of vertical ribs (27) higher up, the diameter of the closed wall (28) being equal to or greater than the diameter of the cap (10) plus the thickness of the sealing strip (17).
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the closed wall (28) of the cap space (6) defines a wall of a channel (31) situated further outwards, and in that passages (32) opening into the flange space (5) are formed in the bottom of the channel (31).
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the closed wall (28) of the cap space (6) has a height of between 30% and 60% of the distance between the flange (11) and the top side of the cap (10).
Bottle tray (1) according to a preceding claim, characterized in that in depressions below cavities (35) along an edge of the tray (1) a transition (40) between the upper wall (14) of the recesses (20) and a wall (27, 28) of the cap space (6) is rounded over a greater height than outside the recesses (20) and than that of depressions below other cavities (7).
Bottle tray (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the edge is a short edge of the tray (1).