EP1431193B1 - Container handles - Google Patents

Container handles Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1431193B1
EP1431193B1 EP20030078892 EP03078892A EP1431193B1 EP 1431193 B1 EP1431193 B1 EP 1431193B1 EP 20030078892 EP20030078892 EP 20030078892 EP 03078892 A EP03078892 A EP 03078892A EP 1431193 B1 EP1431193 B1 EP 1431193B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
container
cavity
handle section
container according
handle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP20030078892
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1431193A2 (en
EP1431193A3 (en
Inventor
Alain Marcel Wambeke
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
DW Plastics NV
Original Assignee
DW Plastics NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB0229184A external-priority patent/GB2396346A/en
Priority claimed from GB0302387A external-priority patent/GB0302387D0/en
Application filed by DW Plastics NV filed Critical DW Plastics NV
Publication of EP1431193A2 publication Critical patent/EP1431193A2/en
Publication of EP1431193A3 publication Critical patent/EP1431193A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1431193B1 publication Critical patent/EP1431193B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/22—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents
    • B65D1/24—Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents with moulded compartments or partitions
    • B65D1/243—Crates for bottles or like containers
    • 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
    • B65D2501/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece
    • B65D2501/24—Boxes or like containers with moulded compartments or partitions
    • B65D2501/24006—Details relating to bottle crates
    • B65D2501/24012—Materials
    • B65D2501/24019—Mainly plastics
    • 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
    • B65D2501/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece
    • B65D2501/24—Boxes or like containers with moulded compartments or partitions
    • B65D2501/24006—Details relating to bottle crates
    • B65D2501/24363—Handles
    • B65D2501/24509—Integral handles
    • B65D2501/24515—Integral handles provided on the side wall
    • 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
    • B65D2501/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece
    • B65D2501/24—Boxes or like containers with moulded compartments or partitions
    • B65D2501/24006—Details relating to bottle crates
    • B65D2501/24866—Other details
    • B65D2501/24872—Information, identification or detection means
    • B65D2501/24904—Engraved or moulded indicia
    • 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
    • B65D2525/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2525/28—Handles
    • B65D2525/281—Details relating to handles
    • B65D2525/289—Handgrip-element made separately from the handle

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to handles for a container. More in particular, the present invention relates to a plastic container for storing and/or transporting objects, such as bottles, which container has at least one handle provided with a relatively soft gripping layer.
  • a container of this type is disclosed in, for example, European Patent Application EP 1 000 865 (D W Plastics). Further details of such a container and its gripping layer are described in European Patent Application EP 03078279.1 (D W Plastics).
  • handles are provided with anchoring means for providing a secure engagement of the gripping layer(s).
  • the inventor has realised that the design of the handles can be further improved so as to provide further advantageous features.
  • the gripping layer of containers may be provided in various colours. Even if the gripping material has approximately the same colour as the container, the different properties of the gripping material make the gripping areas clearly discernable.
  • the gripping layer typically has a thickness of at least one millimeter, often several millimeters, so that a gripping layer remains visible for a long time, even if it wears off slightly. Such a gripping layer is disclosed in DE 4022884 .
  • the present invention solves the problem of providing wear-resistant indicia by utilizing the gripping layer material which is already provided in many containers.
  • the present invention therefore provides a container for storing and/or transporting objects, the container being made of a plastics material and comprising a base extending in a first direction and at least two side walls extending from the base in a second direction, the container being provided with at least one handle section provided at least partially with a gripping layer made out of a material having a smaller hardness than said plastics material, wherein the handle section is provided with at least one view hole through which the material of the gripping layer is visible from the outside the handle section, and wherein the at least one view hole is shaped so as to form a discernible indication.
  • the indication thus formed may constitute at least one alphanumeric character.
  • a plurality of view holes may form a name, such as a brand or type name.
  • At least some view holes may be shaped to form gripping ribs. It is also possible to provide gripping ribs which are shaped to form indications, thus combining the functions of gripping and of indicating.
  • the relatively soft material may be a thermoplastic material.
  • a suitable material is SEBS (styrene ethylene butadyene styrene) which is commercially available as DryflexTM, although other relatively soft materials may also be used.
  • SEBS styrene ethylene butadyene styrene
  • Relatively soft typically means softer than the walls of the container.
  • a cavity may be present that connects the view holes, but this is not essential and each view hole may individually be provided with relatively soft material. That is, a suitable amount of relatively soft material may be inserted in each view hole, directly in each individual view hole and/or indirectly via a common channel or cavity.
  • the present invention utilizes the gripping layer material to providing visible indications.
  • This gripping layer material is already used in many containers and therefore no additional material is necessary.
  • the indications may have the same colour as the gripping layer, thus eliminating the need for an additional dye, although it is possible to use different colours.
  • indications could be provided by using at least two differently coloured (relatively hard) plastics material to produce the container. However, this would have the disadvantage of requiring three materials if a gripping layer were to be provided.
  • the handle part of a plastic container such as a crate, often has an increased (wall) thickness so as to provide sufficient strength.
  • This increased thickness may, however, be a disadvantage during the manufacture of the container, especially when the handle part is integral with the crate.
  • the increased thickness of the material results in a strongly increased cooling down time of the container after the moulding process, thus increasing the production cycle time.
  • a part having a relatively large thickness may give rise to increased shrinkage and/or deformation.
  • the present invention further provides a container for storing and/or transporting objects, the container being made of a plastics material and comprising a base extending in a first direction and at least two side walls extending from the base in a second, substantially perpendicular direction, the container being provided with at least one handle section covered at least partially by a gripping layer made out of a material having a smaller hardness than said plastics material, wherein the handle section is substantially U-shaped so as to provide a cavity.
  • the effective thickness of the handle section may be significantly reduced while substantially preserving the strength of the handle.
  • a cavity that is a hollow section open to the outside, can easily be provided by a suitable shape of the mould in which the container (or separate handle section) is made, without the need for "air moulding" or similar techniques.
  • the cavity may remain empty, that is, filled with air, it is preferred that the cavity is filled with the (preferably thermoplastic) material constituting the gripping layer. This both reinforces the handle section and may provide additional anchoring of the relatively soft material. In addition, filling the cavity with the material of the gripping layer closes off the cavity, thus preventing the accumulation of dirt.
  • the cavity faces upwards. That is, the cavity is (at least initially) open at the top end. This facilitates the injection of the relatively soft gripping layer material, as the material can be injected from above.
  • the cavity faces downwards. That is, the cavity is (at least initially) open at the bottom end, at the handle opening.
  • This embodiment has the advantage that the relatively soft gripping material is not visible at the top of the handle part, which may be preferred for aesthetic reasons.
  • the cavity is provided with at least one connecting element which connects opposing walls of the cavity, said connecting element preferably being integral with said walls.
  • the connecting element or elements bridge the gap between the walls of the cavity, thus significantly increasing the strength of the handle part. It is preferred that at least two connecting elements are provided, but larger numbers, such as three or four, are also possible.
  • the handle section is provided with at least one through-hole through which the material of the gripping layer may extend.
  • Two types of through-holes can be distinguished.
  • a first type is an anchoring hole which serves to connect two layers or sections of the relatively soft gripping material.
  • anchoring holes connect the gripping material inside the cavity with the gripping material (gripping layer) on the outside of the handle part, thus providing an excellent anchoring of the outside layer.
  • a second type of through-hole is a view hole through which the material of the gripping layer is visible from outside the handle section.
  • Such a view hole may serve to inspect the material in the cavity so as to ascertain that the cavity is properly filled.
  • the view hole or holes may be used for providing a visual indication, as discussed above.
  • the at least one view hole is shaped so as to form a discernible indication, the indication preferably being an alphanumeric character.
  • a plurality of view holes form a name, such as a brand or type name.
  • a brand or product indication may be displayed.
  • the plurality of view holes may constitute the name of the brewery, the type of beer, and/or the number of bottles and their content.
  • view holes as discussed above may also be effected in handle sections where no cavity is present.
  • the present invention further provides a handle for use in a container as defined above.
  • the handle according to the invention has view holes which allow a relatively soft gripping layer material to be visible, the view holes being shaped so as to provide discernable indications, such as alphanumeric characters.
  • the handle may be arranged centrally or in a side wall, and may be integral with the container or separately produced.
  • the handle section 6 shown merely by way of non-limiting example in Fig. 1 is arranged above a handle opening 5 in the side wall 3 of a container having an outside A and an inside B .
  • a handle arranged in a side wall is shown, the present invention also relates to other handles, such as central handles of crates and similar containers.
  • a container in which the present handle section may be used is shown in Fig. 6 .
  • the handle section 6 shown in Fig. 1 is integral with the side wall 3. This is, however, not essential and separately produced handles can also be envisaged.
  • the handle section 6 is provided with a layer 7 of relatively soft material, preferably a thermoplastic material.
  • the gripping layer 7 is arranged on both sides of the handle section, the layer facing the inside B of the container extending further than the layer on the opposite side of the handle section.
  • a cavity 18 is formed in the handle section 6.
  • the cavity 18 is substantially centrally located and is, in the embodiment shown, open at the top surface of the handle section, thus having an approximate U-shape. It should be noted that other embodiments are possible in which the cavity is open towards the bottom surface of the handle section, that is, towards the handle opening 5, thus forming an approximate inverse U-shape. It can also be envisaged that the cavity is open to one side.
  • the cavity 18 is filled with the same material as the gripping layer 7.
  • An upper through-hole 9 constitutes an anchoring hole through which the material 7 in the cavity 18 is connected to the material 7 at the side of the handle section 6.
  • a lower through-hole 9' also constitutes an anchoring hole and connects the layers at the opposite sides of the handle section 6. The through-holes 9 and 9' also serve to distribute the material of the gripping layer 7 during the manufacture thereof.
  • the width of the walls of the cavity 18 is much less than the width of the entire handle section, resulting in significantly reduced cooling times and shrinkage problems during the manufacture of the container.
  • the relatively soft material 7 may be co-moulded but is preferably injection moulded in a separate mould, soon after the moulding of the container itself.
  • connection elements 25 are preferably connected by connecting elements 25.
  • connection elements which preferably are integral with the walls of the cavity, greatly increase the overall strength of the handle section.
  • a view hole 19 is provided in the front face (facing the outside A ) of the handle section 6. This view hole 19 allows the material 7 to be visible at the front of the handle section. If the material of the gripping layer 7 has a colour which is different from the material of the container, the material 7 in the view hole 19 is clearly visible from the outside of the container.
  • the view hole may form a discernible indication, such as a sign or symbol.
  • the view hole 19 constitutes an alphanumeric character.
  • a name or type indication to be displayed, for example the name of a brewery of manufacturer, and/or an indication of the type or quantity of the product carried in the container. This is shown in Fig. 4 where the initials of a manufacturer are displayed by the material 7 in the view holes 19.
  • the view hole 19 widens towards the front of the handle section 6. Although this is advantageous, it is not essential and view holes having a substantially uniform diameter can also be envisaged. However, widening the view hole 19 towards the front of the handle section has the advantage that a smaller amount of the relative expensive material 7 is needed. Also, to provide several view holes 19 having different shapes at the front of the handle section, a series of substantially uniform channels can be provided which extend into widened sections having different shapes.
  • the view hole 19 is a through-hole which extends from the back of the handle section 6 (where a gripping layer 7 is present) to the front of the same.
  • a through hole both provides anchoring of the gripping layer and assists in the moulding of the gripping layer material 7.
  • a view hole 19 is not necessarily connected with other parts of the gripping material via a through hole, cavity or channel.
  • the material 7 may slightly protrude from the view hole(s) 19 but is preferably substantially flush with the front of the handle section.
  • view holes 19 have been modified so as to form ribs of material 7. These ribs may protrude slightly to provide a better grip, or may be substantially flush with the handle section 6'.
  • Other view holes 19 form an indication, such as the number of bottles in a crate and the content of each bottle, for example "24 x 25 cl.”.
  • such an indication may be formed by gripping layer material having substantially the same colour as the handle or the entire crate, it is preferred that the gripping layer material has a different colour, advantageously a contrasting colour.
  • the gripping layer material has a different colour, advantageously a contrasting colour.
  • white or yellow markings provide a good contrast and improve the legibility of the indication.
  • the handle may be provided with indicia, such as the brand of the product carried in the container and/or the type of packaging of the product.
  • the handle of a beer crate could, for example, read "24x0.5", indicating that 24 bottles of 0.5 litres may be carried in this container.
  • These indicia are according to the present invention preferably provided by (relatively soft) gripping layer material, although other materials may also be used.
  • indicia could be provided in the handle of a crate using HDPE having two different colours. Thus the indications could be provided using a relatively hard material.
  • the handle section 6' of Fig. 5 may contain a cavity (18 in Fig. 1 ) but this is not essential. It is noted that the handle section 6' is designed for use as a central handle in, for example, a crate.
  • the ribs of material 7 may, of course, also be applied in side wall handle sections as discussed above with reference to Figs. 1 and 3 .
  • the said "ribs" are not necessarily elongate and may also be round, square or have any other suitable shape.
  • the central handle section may be attached to a container using an attachment device as described in British Patent Application No. 0229184.7 filed 16 December 2002 and corresponding European Patent Application No. 03 etc. [P036 EP1] filed 16 December 2003, or any other suitable attachment device.
  • the central handle section 6' may be integral with the container.
  • recesses 26 are provided on the handle section 6' to receive the thumb (or any other finger) of the user of the container. Recesses 26 facilitate the lifting and carrying of the container. Although the recesses 26 are shown to be located near the respective ends of the handle section 6', they could also be located further away from the ends. Instead of two recesses 26, a single recess or a plurality of recesses could be provided.
  • the exemplary crate 1 of Fig. 6 comprises a base 2 and side walls 3 which extend substantially perpendicularly from the base 2.
  • the upper edges of the walls 3 define a rim 4.
  • Handle sections 6 are defined by gripping openings 5 and are provided with a gripping layer 7 of a relatively soft material, for example SEBS (styrene ethylene butadyene styrene) or any suitable thermoplastic material.
  • SEBS styrene ethylene butadyene styrene
  • the crate 1 is preferably made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) or another suitable plastics material.
  • the side walls 3 are preferably integral with the base 2, although the crate 1 could be assembled from separate components. Instead of substantially perpendicular side walls 3, slanting side walls could be envisaged.
  • the gripping layer 7 may provide indicia or indications in accordance with the present invention.
  • the handle section 6 may be hollow, having a U-shaped cross-section in accordance with the present invention.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
EP20030078892 2002-12-16 2003-12-16 Container handles Expired - Lifetime EP1431193B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0229184 2002-12-16
GB0229184A GB2396346A (en) 2002-12-16 2002-12-16 Container handle
GB0302387A GB0302387D0 (en) 2003-02-03 2003-02-03 A container having at least one handle
GB0302387 2003-02-03

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1431193A2 EP1431193A2 (en) 2004-06-23
EP1431193A3 EP1431193A3 (en) 2004-09-01
EP1431193B1 true EP1431193B1 (en) 2013-03-13

Family

ID=32395889

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20030078892 Expired - Lifetime EP1431193B1 (en) 2002-12-16 2003-12-16 Container handles

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1431193B1 (da)
DK (1) DK1431193T3 (da)
ES (1) ES2408250T3 (da)
PT (1) PT1431193E (da)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102014114325A1 (de) * 2014-10-02 2016-04-07 Schoeller Allibert Gmbh Kasten, insbesondere Flaschenkasten in Zwei-Komponenten-Bauweise

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1707493A1 (en) * 2005-04-01 2006-10-04 D W Plastics N.V. Coloured plastic crate
DE102007018358B4 (de) * 2007-04-18 2016-12-22 Schoeller Arca Systems Services Gmbh Relief-Overmolding
USD795311S1 (en) * 2014-01-28 2017-08-22 Interdesign, Inc. Bin
US10675833B2 (en) * 2015-04-13 2020-06-09 Keter Plastic Ltd. Multilayered injection molded interlace-like article and method for molding same

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3454439A (en) * 1966-03-16 1969-07-08 Phillips Petroleum Co Method of making an article carrying case
EP0260698B2 (de) * 1986-09-18 1996-10-30 Schoeller-Plast AG Handgriff für Behältnisse, insbesondere für Flaschenkästen
NL9001437A (nl) * 1990-06-22 1992-01-16 Heineken Technische Beheer Bv Krat voor het opnemen van een aantal flessen.
DE4022884A1 (de) * 1990-07-18 1992-01-23 Schoeller Plast Ag Flaschenkasten aus kunststoff
DE19513245A1 (de) * 1995-04-07 1996-10-10 Leifheit Ag Handgriff für Küchenarbeitsgerät
BE1012244A3 (nl) * 1998-10-22 2000-08-01 D W Plastics Nv Krat uit kunststof, voorzien van minstens een handvat.
NL1010724C2 (nl) * 1998-12-04 2000-06-06 Wavin Trepak B V Door spuitgieten vervaardigde kunststof krat.

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102014114325A1 (de) * 2014-10-02 2016-04-07 Schoeller Allibert Gmbh Kasten, insbesondere Flaschenkasten in Zwei-Komponenten-Bauweise

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK1431193T3 (da) 2013-06-10
PT1431193E (pt) 2013-05-07
EP1431193A2 (en) 2004-06-23
ES2408250T3 (es) 2013-06-19
EP1431193A3 (en) 2004-09-01

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