EP1510464A1

EP1510464A1 - Crate with inserted side panels

Info

Publication number: EP1510464A1
Application number: EP03077756A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Francis Isenborghs
Original assignee: Dw Plastics NV
Current assignee: Dw Plastics NV
Priority date: 2003-08-28
Filing date: 2003-08-28
Publication date: 2005-03-02

Abstract

A crate (1) for storing and/or transporting bottles or similar articles has side walls (3) in which openings (4) are provided. The openings are partially or entirely covered by panels (5), which may be transparent to display the contents of the crate. The panels are designed to reinforce the crate and may extend from the base (2) to the top rim (10) of the crate. Two panels located at opposed side walls may be mutually connected by a bridging element (6), which may additionally serve as a handle. The assembly of two panels and a bridging element may be integrally formed.

Description

The present invention relates to a crate or similar container for storing and transporting bottles, boxes and/or other articles. More in particular, the present invention relates to a crate having a base and at least two side walls, the side walls having openings which may be closed off at least partially by means of panels.
German Utility Model DE 295 11 972 U discloses a plastic bottle crate having side walls in which relatively large openings are provided. In these openings flat panels can be inserted, made of carton or a similar material. The panels leave gripping openings such that the upper parts of the side walls can be used as handles. The panels may be provided with printed letters and decorations and may provide information on the contents of the crate, for example the brand, the type and/or the quantity of the product contained in the crate. Such panels may therefore display commercial information.
It has been found that the openings provided for the panels significantly reduce the strength of the crate. This leads to more bending of the crate when fully loaded and possibly even breakage. The carton panels of the Prior Art hardly contribute to the strength of the crate.
It has also been found that inserting the panels in a crate is relatively labour-intensive. As the carton quickly deteriorates due to moisture and abrasion, the panels have to be regularly replaced, which is undesirable. Of course it would be possible to reduce the number of panels per crate from two to only one, but that would mean that any commercial information displayed on the single panel would only be legible from one side, which is less desirable. Still, the one side having an opening for fitting a display panel would be significantly weakened.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome these and other problems of the Prior Art and to provide a crate having at least one panel covering a side wall opening, which crate is stronger than existing crates.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a crate having at least two panels, which crate has a reduced number of parts.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a crate having at least two panels which are easy to accommodate.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of accommodating panels in a crate.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a crate comprising a base and at least two opposed side walls extending from the base, at least one side wall having an opening which is at least partially covered by a separately produced panel, characterised in that the panel is designed to reinforce the crate.
That is, the panel according to the present invention substantially contributes to the strength of the crate. This may be due to the shape of the panel and/or the material of which the panel is made. It will be clear that the flat carton panels of the Prior Art provide hardly any support, these carton panels being designed to merely display marketing information. The panel of the present invention, in contrast, is designed to support the structure of the crate.
In a preferred embodiment, the at least one panel extends substantially from the base to a top rim of the crate. In this embodiment, the panel acts as an additional wall arranged in parallel to the actual side wall. A panel extending from the bottom to the top of the crate can assist in taking up weight, for example the weight of other crates when the crate is stacked. The panel may have recesses and/or ridges which assist in the distribution of tensile and/or compressive forces.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the at least one panel is made of a polycarbonate or any other substantially transparent material providing protection against UV (Ultra-Violet light). Polycarbonates or polycarbonate compounds can be made into very strong and tough panels which can add significantly to the ruggedness of the crate. In addition, panels made of a polycarbonate provide an excellent protection of the contents of the crate.
In a further advantageous embodiment, therefore, the panels may substantially entirely cover the respective openings. A panel which completely or nearly completely covers an opening, in particular when there is overlap with the wall parts surrounding the opening, contributes more to the strength of the crate than a panel which leaves part of the opening uncovered. Covering the side wall openings substantially entirely has the additional advantage of providing an improved shielding of the contents of the crate against sunlight and other detrimental influences.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the panels are provided with reinforcement elements, the reinforcement elements preferably comprising columns extending in a direction away from the base of the crate. That is, the panels may contain reinforcements, such as relatively thicker sections, which add to the structural rigidity of the crate. In particular, the panels may contain columns, that is, "vertical" reinforcements. Such columns may be hollow so as to save weight.
The vertical reinforcement elements may extend from approximately the base to apporximately the top rim of the crate, that is, substantially over the entire height of the crate. Alternatively, the vertical reinforcement element may extend over only the height of the openings. In a particularly advantageous embodiment the vertical reinforcement elements have a thickness which does not exceed the wall thickness of the crate, in other words, in this embodiment the reinforcement elements do not protrude, in the direction of the base, beyond the openings and therefore do not take up any space within the crate.
The panels may be fixed to the body of the crate by any suitable means or method, for example welding or gluing. It is preferred, however, that the panels are fixed to the crate body by snap-fitting. The snap-fitting action may be enhanced by utilizing the natural shrinkage of plastics materials when cooling down.
The panels may be substantially opaque, as are the carton panels of the Prior Art mentioned above. However, in a preferred embodiment the panels are substantially transparent. This allows the contents of the crate to be viewed from the outside, while still providing mechanical protection of these contents. Although transparent panels provide less shielding against sunlight, a sufficient degree of shielding may still be obtained by a proper choice of material and colour of the panels.
In a preferred embodiment, the crate is provided with two opposed panels covering respective openings in opposed side walls. That is, at least two opposed side walls have openings which are each covered by a panel as defined above. This allows both side walls to be strengthened and also provides the opportunity to display marketing information on both sides of the crate or, when the panels are transparent, show the contents of the crate from both sides.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention in which the crate is provided with two opposed panels covering respective openings in opposed side walls, the opposed panels are mutually connected by a bridging element.
By providing a bridging element which connects two panels, additional rigidity is provided, resulting in a stronger crate, as the bridging element may assist in defining the distance between the two plates and also may distribute any tensile or compressive forces exerted on the crate. In addition, connecting the two panels by a bridging element effectively combines the two panels into a single part, thus reducing the number of parts of the crate and facilitating its assembly. Furthermore, the bridging element can advantageously be used to hold the panels when accommodating the panels in the crate, thus facilitating the manufacture of the crate.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the bridging element is designed to serve as a handle. That is, the bridging element serves as a handle for the crate. This allows other handles to be omitted and as a result, there is no need for handle openings in the panels as in the Prior Art mentioned above.
Advantageously a bridging element may be used in combination with panels having reinforcements as discussed above. The reinforcements allows any tensile forces originating from the bridging element when used as a handle to be distributed over the panels and the side wall.
It is preferred that the panels and the bridging element are integrally formed. That is, the panels and the bridging element are preferably formed as a single piece, for example by injection moulding. Alternatively, the panels and the bridging element are formed separately and are then mutually connected by gluing, welding, snap-fitting, using screws, or other techniques. In accordance with the present invention it is preferred that the panels and the bridging element are mutually connected prior to being accommodated in the crate.
The present invention further provides an assembly of two opposed panels and a bridging element for use in a crate as defined above.
The present invention additionally provides a method of manufacturing a crate as defined above, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing panels and, optionally, an associated bridging element,
b. moulding a crate body, and
c. accommodating the panels in the crate body,
The present invention will further be explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 schematically shows, in perspective, an embodiment of a crate according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 schematically shows, in a cross-sectional view, the embodiment of Fig. 1 in more detail.
The crate 1 shown merely by way of non-limiting example in Fig. 1 comprises a base 2 and side walls 3. In the embodiment shown the crate 1 has four side walls 3 which together define a top rim 10 of the crate. The base 2 may be constituted by a (closed) panel or by an open structure. Dividers (not shown) may be arranged on the base 2 and are preferably integrally formed.
In the embodiment of Fig. 1, two of the side walls 3 are provided with openings 4. Such openings may be provided to display the contents of the crate, or to save weight and material cost. The openings 4 are located at opposite side walls 3.
Panels 5 are accommodated in the openings 4. In accordance with the present invention, the panels 5 are designed to reinforce the crate. To this end, the panels are made of a relatively strong material, such as a polycarbonate, as will be discussed in more detail below. Alternatively or additionally, the panels are shaped so as to support the crate body, as will be discussed later with reference to Fig. 2.
In accordance with an important further aspect of the present invention, the panels 5 are mutually connected by a bridging element 6. This bridging element provides several advantages.
The bridging element connects the opposed panels 5, thus adding structural rigidity to the crate. It will be understood that the presence of the openings 4 weakens the side walls, in particular when the openings 4 are relatively large. A side wall having an opening is effectively reduced to a frame which is relatively easily distorted, in particular the upper transverse element located between the opening and the top rim of the crate. The bridging element according to the invention, however, defines the distance between the panels and, in the embodiment shown, also defines the distance between the said upper transverse elements. This significantly reduces the distortion of the crate when tensile or other stress is applied.
The bridging element may also serve as a handle for the crate. In that case it may be shaped so as to better accommodate the fingers of the user, and/or it may be provided with a gripping layer of a relatively soft material so as to provide a more comfortable grip.
The bridging element may additionally serve to reduce the number of components of the crate by combining the panels into a single component prior to the assembly of the crate. By providing a pre-assembled or integral component constituting the bridging element / handle and two panels, the manufacture of the crate is simplified and the production cycle time is reduced. The bridging element may be entirely or partially solid, or entirely hollow.
As shown in more detail in Fig. 2, the panels 5 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 have a specific shape which assists in the assembly of the crate and also contributes to the strength of the crate. More in particular, in the embodiment shown the panels 5 are not entirely level but have an at least partially stepped cross-section to prevent any bending of the plates.
As can be seen, each panel 5 has two recesses 7, one at its lower end to accept the lower transverse element 11 and one at its upper end to accept the upper transverse element 12. It will be understood that the lower transverse element 11 and the upper transverse element 12 are both part of a side wall 3 shown in Fig. 1. The recesses cause edges of the plates 5 to rest against the edges of the upper and lower transverse elements, thus defining the positions of these elements.
In the embodiment shown, the panels 5 extend from the base 2 to the top rim 10 of the crate. Accordingly, the panels 5 extend over the entire height of the side walls. This not only prevents flexing of the side walls but also allows the panels 5 to carry weight and thus add to the strength of the crate in the vertical direction.
At the very top, the panels 5 of Fig. 2 are shaped so as form a bend 9 or hook around the top rim of the crate and thus better define the position of the upper transverse elements 12. The bend 9 may extend even further and at least partially cover the outside faces of the upper transverse elements 11 and 12. In a further embodiment, the upper transverse elements 12 (and/or the lower transverse elements 11) are completely surrounded by panels sections so as to obtain a completely flush side face of the crate. To this end, cover sections (not shown) may be used which are welded or glued into place.
A flange 8 may be provided to grip the lower transverse element 11 near the base 2 of the crate. In the embodiment shown, the base 2 has (a) suitable opening(s) to accommodate the flanges 8.
As the plates 5 at least partially surround and therefore grab the upper and lower transverse elements 11 and 12, a very strong structure is obtained. It is noted, however, that the recesses 7 are not essential and that a very significant structural improvement may be obtained when using substantially flat panels 5.
As can be seen, the bridging element 6 is shown to extend between the panels 5 at the upper transverse elements 12 and thereby prevents any inward bending of these transverse elements. The bends 9, which in the embodiment shown extend across the top rim of the crate onto the outside of the side wall, prevent any outward flexing of the upper transverse elements 12. In this way the bridging element significantly contributes to the rigidity and the stability of the crate.
It is noted that in the embodiment shown the upper transverse elements 12 have suitable recesses at the top rim of the crate to allow the top edges (at 9) of the panels 5 to be flush with the remainder of the top rim. The height of said recesses will generally be equal to the thickness of the panels 5 at the bends 9.
In the embodiment shown, the panels 5 cover the openings 4 entirely, that is, the openings 4 are completely closed off by the panels 5. This has the advantage that the ingress of sunlight, dust etc. through the openings 4 is prevented. In addition, completely covering the openings 4 adds to the strength of the crate.
As shown in Fig. 2, the bridging element 6 and the panels 4 are integrally formed and constitute a single element or insert. This has the advantage of reducing the number of parts of the crate and the cycle time of the production process. However, it is also possible to assemble the insert from separately produced part which are joined by gluing, welding, using fasteners such as screws, or any other suitable technique. Although the insert is preferably pre-assembled so as to be inserted in the crate body as a single piece, it is possible to accommodate the panels 5 separately in the crate body and then mount the bridging element 6.
The strength of the crate can further be improved by accommodating reinforcements (not shown) in the panels 5. Such reinforcements may, for example, be constituted by vertical columns extending between the lower transverse elements 11 and the upper transverse elements 12. Such columns would prevent any downward bending of the upper transverse elements 12 and could also serve to transfer any tensile forces from the bridging element 6 to the lower transverse element 11, thus reducing the load ofthe upper transverse element 12. Instead of, or in addition to vertical reinforcement, horizontal or oblique reinforcements can also be used. The reinforcements preferably have a thickness which does not exceed the thickness of the walls of the crate.
It is particularly advantageous when the panels 5 are at least partially transparent. This allows the contents of the crate to be viewed from outside while shielding those contents from UV (Ultra-Violet) light, dust and other harmful influences.
The panels 4 can be made of a suitable plastics material, preferably a polycarbonate or a ploycarbonate compound. However, other materials may also be used, for example polyethylene, and it can be envisaged, when transparency is not required, to make the panels and possibly also the bridging element out of metal.
The body of the crate, that is the crate without the panels and the bridging element, may be made of a suitable plastics material, metal (e.g. aluminium), wood or any other suitable material. The crate body is preferably formed of a thermoplastic or other polymeric material such as polyethylene and is preferably, but not necessarily, formed by an injection moulding process, although other processes may also be used, such as blow moulding, thermoforming, vacuum moulding, etc. The crate body is preferably integrally formed.
A method of producing the crate according to the present invention may comprise the steps of:
a. providing panels and, optionally, an associated bridging element,
b. moulding a crate body, and
c. accommodating the panels in the crate body.
Alternatively, the crate of the present invention may be moulded in a mould in which the plates have already been accommodated. That is, the plates are formed separately and then the crate body is moulded so as to enclose the plates. In this way, the plates are extremely firmly mounted in the crate.
Although the crate of Fig. 1 is shown to have two longer and two shorter side walls, only the longer side walls being provided with panels, the present invention is not so limited. The crate could equally well be square, have four side walls all equipped with panels, or have only two side walls. The bridging element 6 is shown to be arcuate which increases its strength and makes it easier to carry. However, the bridging element could have any other suitable form and be, for example, substantially straight, or have straight sections from which a handle part protrudes. The bridging element 6 is shown not to extend above the top rim of the crate. Although this is convenient for stacking, it is not essential and embodiments can be envisaged in which the bridging element extends above the crate. Instead of a single bridging element 6, two or more may be present, for example spaced along the top of the crate or one being located near the base 2 of the crate.
The present invention is based on the insight that the strength of a crate having openings in its side walls can be significantly enhanced by a proper design of the panels covering those openings, in particular, but not exclusively, a design involving panels extending over the entire height of the side walls and being made of a relatively strong material. The present invention benefits from the further insight that the strength of such a crate can be further enhanced by providing a bridging element between opposed panels. In addition, the present invention benefits from the additional insight that the number of parts of a crate having side panels can be reduced by using a bridging element which combines two side panels into a single assembly. Of course it is possible for a bridging element to mutually connect more than two panels, for example four panels which are to be accommodated in all four side walls of a crate. A single side wall of a crate could alternatively be provided with more than one opening and could therefore hold two or more panels which would be located in substantially the same plane. In the latter case, a bridging element could connect two panels on one side of the crate with two panels on the opposite side.
It will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above and that many modifications and additions may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.

Claims

A crate (1) comprising a base (2) and at least two opposed side walls (3) extending from the base, at least one side wall having an opening (4) which is at least partially covered by a separately produced panel (5), characterised in that the panel (5) is designed to reinforce the crate.
The crate according to claim 1, wherein the at least one panel (5) extends substantially from the base (2) to a top rim (10) of the crate.
The crate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one panel (5) is made of polycarbonate.
The crate according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one panel (5) covers the respective opening (4) substantially entirely.
The crate according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one panel (5) is provided with reinforcement elements, the reinforcement elements preferably comprising columns extending in a direction away from the base (2) of the crate.
The crate according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one panel (5) is fixed to the crate body by snap-fitting, welding or gluing.
The crate according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one panel (5) is substantially transparent, preferably providing UV protection.
The crate according to any of the preceding claims, provided with two opposed panels (5) covering respective openings (4) in opposed side walls (3).
The crate according to claim 8, wherein the opposed panels (5) are mutually connected by a bridging element (6).
The crate according to claim 9, wherein the panels (5) and the bridging element (6) are integrally formed.
The crate according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the bridging element (6) is designed to serve as a handle.
An assembly (8) of two opposed panels (5) and a bridging element (6) for use in a crate (1) according to any of claims 9-11.
A method of manufacturing a crate (1) according to any of claims 1-11, the method comprising the steps of:

a. providing panels and, optionally, an associated bridging element,

b. moulding a crate body, and

c. accommodating the panels in the crate body,

wherein step c. is carried out when the crate body is still warm so as to benefit from the shrinkage of the crate body.