EP2311741A1 - Plastic container - Google Patents

Abstract

The plastic container i.e. bottle case (1), has side walls (12) extending between container corners (11). Compartments (13) are separated from each other by compartment walls (15) for receiving an article. A rib (17) projected into a compartment inner side (16) is provided in a near-ground region (20) of the compartments such that a shock pulse is divided on a container bottom, container corners, side walls and/or the compartment walls during placement of the article in the compartments. The rib is formed at the side walls and/or the compartment walls and/or the container corners.

Description

The invention relates to a container made of plastic for storing and transporting objects, in particular bottle crate, comprising a container bottom, container corners, between the container corners extending side walls and a plurality of compartment walls separated compartments for receiving each an object.

Plastic containers or crates, preferably for storing and transporting piece goods, in particular bottles, are well known from the prior art.

Widely used are containers produced by injection molding or crates, which are usually designed as one-piece elements. To save material and to be able to transport the boxes easily, the walls (truss, side walls) are usually formed as thin as possible, so that these (in particular the timber floor), under load (eg when filling the bottle crate with bottles) are easily damaged and break. In order to improve the stability of the known boxes or containers, therefore, reinforcing ribs are provided, which, however, make the construction of the container very complex. The tools required for this purpose are also complex and therefore very expensive.

It is an object of the invention to provide a container, in particular a bottle crate, whose manufacture is simple and inexpensive to implement and whose design allows easy handling in use.

This object is achieved by a container according to claim 1. In particular, the object is achieved by a container made of plastic for storing and transporting objects, in particular bottle crate, comprising a container bottom, container corners, between the container corners extending side walls and a plurality of compartment walls separated compartments for receiving each an object. For each compartment, at least one rib protruding and formed in the interior of the compartment is provided in a region near the bottom, that when setting an object, in particular a bottle, into the compartment, the shock pulse, d. H. the force, or the force, on the container bottom, the container corners, side walls and / or compartment walls is divided.

An essential point of the invention is that the rib (or ribs) is designed such that it absorbs the momentum when inserting or setting the article in the container on the timber floor or more generally on the ground. Thus, the soil is protected and at the same time the object can be held securely in the container. There is therefore an interaction between the rib (s) and the inserted object (eg bottle).

With lower, near-ground area is z. For example, a range from about 0 (on the ground) to 50 mm along the compartment wall and away from the floor is meant. Zero means the rib pulls in from the floor area (or just above the floor area) a desired height, something up to 50 mm high. Preferably, a height of up to 5 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm or 30 mm is provided. The higher the rib extends into the walls of the box, the flatter or milder it can run upwards.

In a preferred embodiment, the rib is formed on a side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner (also corner of a single compartment), extends into a respective shelf of the container bottom and jumps from top to bottom in the direction of the shelf increasingly in the compartment inside ,

Since the rib extends into the container bottom and also communicates with a side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner, the force acting on the floor by inserting the article (force vertically into the bottom without rib construction ) also transferred to the wall or the walls or corner. This protects the floor construction.

The rib must be sufficiently flexible, initially after repeated adjustment of the object or the bottle (the box is used multiple times), the rib then deforms so that the bottom of the bottle rests on the bottom of the container. This is quite wanted. In both cases (bottle is not completely stored on the floor - bottle is completely stored on the floor), however, a secure hold of the bottle or the object is guaranteed.

Furthermore, the rib is preferably designed such that it reduces a clear width of the compartment in the near-bottom region such that the inside width of the compartment at the shelf is smaller than a diameter of the article, in particular a bottle diameter, in a lower region of the article. This means that - as already noted above - the object, ie z. As the bottle, not completely seated on the shelf (at least not necessarily initially at the first uses of the container), because the rib (s) the tray on the shelf and also on the shelf, near the ground, narrows, so narrows. Only after repeated use of the rib by repeatedly adjusting the object, ie z. B. the bottle, the rib is deformed so that the bottle finally sits on the shelf. Due to the impact load of the rib, the bottle thus makes its way to the shelf.

Due to the rib deformation, the momentum that the article would transfer to the container bottom when filling the container is alleviated. The rib or ribs are thus formed larger than would be possible due to the object to be stored. That is, the diameter of a compartment (or the respective truss) in the corresponding areas (that is, the near-ground area) in this case is smaller than the diameter of the object or bottle. Due to the deformation, the article may then be jammed for safe transport in the respective compartment.

In a preferred embodiment, the rib is designed such that it rests against a bottom of the stored article, in particular on a bottle bottom, or an end region of the article facing the shelf, such that the article can be stored in the container substantially free of play. The bottle is therefore essentially touched by the rib in the lower, near-surface region of the container, possibly clamped in such a way in the respective compartment that a game is no longer possible. The bottle or the object can therefore be guided through the rib in a lower region of the container, for example in the last third, quarter or fifth. In other words, the rib follows the bottle contour from the bottom of the bottle to a desired height of the bottle.

Preferably, the rib continuously advances more and more into the interior of the subject. The rib is designed as a stable element that withstands external influences. It is also possible, of course, the rib z. B. form in stages. Here, however, any corners or edges could easily be worn or damage the object.

Furthermore, it is provided with an embodiment that the rib extends at an angle from the side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner with a slope in the shelf so that the object is receivable on the slope. That is, the rib falls from top to bottom in the direction of the bottom obliquely, so that the object, so z. B. the bottle on the slope is storable.

The rib or a rib edge runs so z. B. diagonally from the side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner towards the bottom or shelf. The rib may be flat or possibly rod-shaped. As a flat element, a high degree of stability is ensured. In this case, the rib extends from the side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner to the shelf and is continuously attached to the container (for example, as a triangular plate, which is inserted between the wall and floor and the sides facing the wall and the floor completely, possibly even only partially, connected to the container).

Preferably, the rib extends arcuately from the side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner in the shelf so that the stored object is receivable in a recess of the rib. A curvature of the rib is thus directed towards the container bottom and / or wall and thus forms a trough for the object. This allows a secure hold of the article in or on the rib.

The rib is advantageously integrally formed with the container, so that the container, as described in the introduction, integrally z. B. can be injection-molded. Alternatively, it is possible to provide the rib of a different material and to attach to the floor or the corners or walls, for. B. welded or glued, possibly screw.

In a preferred embodiment, the rib is formed of a deformable material such that deformation of the rib by receiving the object, e.g. As the bottle takes place. This is particularly easy to realize when the rib is formed of a different material than the rest of the container. However, a deformation is also possible if the rib is formed from the container material. Even the small wall thickness of the rib can allow a deformation. Flexibility is then already achieved by the fact that the rib is narrow and does not project too far into the interior of the subject.

As already described above, the rib is sufficiently deformable form, so that the impact of the bottle (or by the object in general), so the "force" can be collected on the rib. Even in the deformed state, the rib still mitigates shocks when adjusting the article with respect to the container bottom.

Preferably, the rib is made of a thermoplastic, preferably made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) or PP (polypropylene).

The rib preferably has a thickness or wall thickness of 0.3 to 3 mm, preferably of 1.5 mm. At least two ribs per compartment are advantageous for cushioning the impact of the article in the container. In each compartment preferably two to twelve ribs according to the invention are arranged in order to distribute the force as evenly as possible.

The rib may be arranged on the respective shelf, that is to be connected directly to this or the rib is spaced from the container bottom or shelf, about 0.1 mm to 10 mm above the container bottom, preferably z. B. 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm or 3 mm above the container bottom. In this case, the rib would not extend from the ground, but extend from a transitional area between a wall and the floor or from the wall itself in the height. In both cases, the object may still rest on the shelf, or else, the item is stored at a distance from the shelf on the rib or ribs.

Advantageously, a plurality of ribs are provided, which completely prevent the contact of the article with the ground. A sudden impact on the ground can thus be greatly mitigated. However, it is expedient to the object, for. As the bottle to sit on the ground, as the safest storage position is given.

As already described, a Aufsitzen the object to be stored, for. As the bottle, be given on the floor only after repeated adjustment in the container, namely, when the size of the rib prevents or limits the contact of the bottle with the ground. Both the spaced storage and the storage on the ground is possible, as is the partially spaced storage, until the deformation of the rib allows the bottle to sit on the floor.

Further embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

• Fig. 1 einen erfindungsgemäßen Flaschenkasten;
• Fig. 2 einen Ausschnitt aus dem erfindungsgemäßen Flaschenkasten gemäß Fig. 1 in einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform;
• Fig. 3 einen Ausschnitt aus einem erfindungsgemäßen Flaschenkasten in einer weiteren bevorzugten Ausführungsform;
• Fig. 4 den Ausschnitt gemäß Fig. 2 mit einer eingesetzten Flasche;
• Fig. 5 eine erläuternde Ansicht zu Fig. 4;
• Fig. 6 eine Draufsicht des Ausschnitts gemäß Fig. 4.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to drawings. Hereby show:

• Fig. 1 a bottle crate according to the invention;
• Fig. 2 a section of the bottle crate according to the invention Fig. 1 in a preferred embodiment;
• Fig. 3 a detail of a bottle crate according to the invention in a further preferred embodiment;
• Fig. 4 the clipping according to Fig. 2 with a bottle inserted;
• Fig. 5 an explanatory view Fig. 4 ;
• Fig. 6 a plan view of the detail according to Fig. 4 ,

In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same and like parts.

Fig. 1 shows a bottle crate according to the invention. The bottle crate 1 comprises a box bottom 10, box corners 11, side walls 12 extending between the box corners 11 and a plurality of compartments 13 separated from each other by compartment walls 15 for receiving respectively one article 30, here a bottle.

Fig. 2 shows a section of the bottle crate 1 according to the invention in a preferred embodiment. The individual compartments 13 have shelves 14, which together give the box or container bottom 10.

Fig. 2 also shows contours of the bottle 30, which is not yet fully inserted into the box 1 and in the corresponding compartment 13 of the box 1. The section shows two adjacent compartments, which are separated by a compartment wall 15 (shown in section). The compartment wall 15 extends substantially vertically in the direction of the bottleneck (not shown) and is arranged in a lower region, in the direction of the bottle bottom 31, on the box bottom 10. The compartment wall is in a transition region 21 in the ground over.

When loading the bottle crate 1, the bottles fall 30 into the box and often damage the opposite the side walls of the container thinner truss, especially in the bottom area 10. Individual struts in the box floor can therefore break. In order to mitigate the impact of the bottle 30 on the bottom 10, ie on the shelf 14, according to the invention, at least one rib 17 is arranged near the bottom in each individual compartment 13 (see also FIG Fig. 1 ). This is arranged on a side wall and / or (as here) on the compartment wall 13 and / or on a container corner, extends into a respective shelf 14 of the container bottom 10 and jumps from top to bottom in the direction of shelf 14 increasingly into the compartment interior 16 , That is, the rib 17, preferably several, z. B. two ribs, is or are arranged in an edge region of the respective compartment 13 on the shelf 14 and on a side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner and traverses or traverse so partially the tray 13, ie, tapers or taper Tray 13 towards the bottom 14. The taper is preferably carried out only in a lower third, quarter or fifth of the respective side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner. The framework resulting from the rib (s) must be at least partially equal to or smaller than the diameter of the bottle in its diameter (that is, the clear width of the compartment), so that an interaction between rib (s) and object, so z. B. bottle is given.

Since the rib 17 (hereinafter referred only to a rib, even if it may be multiple distributed over the circumference of a compartment ribs) is disposed both on the bottom 14 or at least close to the ground, as well as wall or corner of the box 1 When the box is loaded, the momentum of the bottle also transfers to the wall and corner areas. The forces are distributed and the bottom area 10 or the shelf 14 is thereby protected.

In the present case, the rib is arranged on the one hand in the transition region 21 between compartment wall 15 and shelf 14 and on the other hand on the compartment wall 15 itself and thus extends from the bottom in the direction of extension of the compartment wall 15. The rib is thus arranged slightly spaced from the ground. The rib could also be arranged only on the compartment wall.

By the rib 17, the bottle 30 or any other storable object is also supported in the container and / or optionally guided. For this purpose, it is sufficient to provide the rib 17 only in a ground-level region 20 of the box 1.

The impact protection for the floor can be further improved if the rib deforms and thus absorbs the momentum of the bottle. This will be described in more detail below.

According to FIG. 2 the rib 17 is provided as an inclined element whose slope 18 extends such that the rib 17 from the compartment wall 15 in the direction of the shelf 14 into the compartment interior 16 protrudes or projects. From the rib edge to the wall, the rib is formed as a continuous plate and attached to the wall over the entire length of the rib.

Fig. 3 also shows a rib 17 ', which is formed arcuate. The subject is as well as with the rest Fig. 2 shown provided. The curvature extends in the direction of the shelf 14 or in the direction of the compartment wall 15. The curved shape of the rib 17 'forms a recess 19 into which the bottle 30 can be received.

The rib 17, 17 'may be formed as a rigid element or as a soft component. The easiest way to make it integrally with the bottle crate or other container and is mitgesgossen or injected in the manufacturing process. If the rib is formed of a different material than the rest of the container, it should be attached to the desired locations, eg. B. to be welded or glued.

The rib 17, 17 'here is continuously formed extending into the compartment interior 16, d. H. with a continuous contour. It is also possible, the rib z. B. step-shaped and then push the bottle successively in the tray.

Fig. 4 shows the clipping according to Fig. 2 , wherein the bottle 30 is now fully inserted into the compartment 13. In this case, the rib 17 is formed such that it deforms during insertion of the bottle 30 and thus adapts to the contour of the bottle in the corresponding area. Thus, the bottle 30, also in its lower part, z. B. in the last third or fourth, are possibly jammed in the box 1, so that no rattling noises occur during transport of the filled box. Due to the deformation of the rib 17, the momentum during insertion of the bottle over the rib on the (here eg.) Tray wall 15 and the bottom 10 or shelf 14 transfer. The bottom 10 or shelf 14 is thus protected from excessive loads.

The deformation of the rib 17 is substantially irreversible in this embodiment. When re-inserting a bottle, the rib would still provide sufficient force distribution.

It is also possible that the bottle is completely placed on the ground only after repeated adjustment, namely, when the rib is sufficiently deformed. In any case (even with deformed rib) is a sufficient damping and thus a protection of the framework, especially in the ground area, given.

As already described above, the rib 17 is according to Fig. 2 or Fig. 4 not directly on the shelf 14, but more attached to the compartment wall 13. That is, the rib 17, while extending in the direction of the shelf 14, is fixed or disposed in the transition area 21 of the compartment wall 13 in the floor area. The curved rib 17 'according to Fig. 3 is actually located on the shelf 14.

In both cases, the bottle 30 sits in its final storage position with the bottle bottom 31 on the shelf 14. It is also possible to store the bottle 30 at a distance from the bottom 14 and to form the rib 17, 17 'or the ribs in such a way that there is no longer any direct contact of the object with the bottom (ie the object would only rest on the ribs ).

Basically, could with Fig. 4 also be shown a rib, which is designed such that the contour of the object reproducing that the object can cling to the rib. Deformation of the rib is then essentially not provided.

Fig. 5 shows again Fig. 4 , but schematically drawn for explanation. As can be seen, the bottle diameter is larger than the inside of the compartment formed by the rib 17 (or the ribs 17). The rib 17 (both in Fig. 4 , as well as in Fig. 5 in the two adjacent compartments shown), must therefore be deformed, so that the bottle can be completely absorbed into the interior of the subject (s. Fig. 4 ).

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the section according to Fig. 4 , wherein a compartment interior 16 is shown completely. The bottle 30 or its diameter is indicated. In this example, four ribs 17 are each arranged at 90 ° to each other and thus support the bottle. The lines in the respective rib regions indicate that the ribs extend from the container bottom in the extension direction of the compartment wall.

With the container according to the invention, it is possible to protect the container bottom during loading, as when loading the container with objects due to the rib of the invention, a force distribution takes place and the objects when touching the soil or the rib does not give the entire force on the ground, but the forces are spread over the rib. This can be damage to the truss, especially at the bottom of the container or at the bottom of the bottle crate to avoid substantially. A placement of the article, in particular the bottle, takes place not only on the ground, but also on the or the ribs. So these catch a part of the momentum, the force, when inserting the object into the container.

Claims (15)

Plastic containers for storing and transporting goods (30), in particular bottle crates,
comprising a container bottom, container corners, side walls extending between the container corners and a plurality of compartments (13) which are separated from one another by means of compartment walls (15) for receiving in each case an article (30),
characterized in that
at least one rib (17, 17 ') protruding and formed in the interior (16) of a compartment (20) is provided in each compartment (13) in such a way that when setting an object, in particular a bottle, into the compartment (13) the shock pulse on the container bottom, the container corners, side walls and / or compartment walls (15) is divided. Container according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is formed on a side wall and / or compartment wall and / or container corner,
extends into a respective shelf (10) of the container bottom and from the top to the bottom in the direction of the shelf (10) increasingly protrudes into the compartment interior. Container according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is designed such that it reduces a clear width of the compartment (13) in the near-bottom region (20) such that the inside width of the compartment (13) on the shelf (10) is smaller than a Diameter of the article (30), in particular a bottle diameter, in a lower region of the article. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is designed such that it bears against a bottom (31) of the mounted object (30), in particular on a bottle bottom, or on an end region of the object facing the shelf (10), such that the Object substantially free of play in the container (1) can be stored. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') continuously progressively projects into the interior of the compartment (16). Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') extends at an angle from the side wall and / or compartment wall (15) and / or container corner with a slope (18) into the shelf (10) such that the item (30) is resting on the slope (18) is receivable. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') extends arcuately from the side wall and / or compartment wall (15) and / or container corner into the shelf (10) such that the object is inserted into a recess (19) of the rib (17, 17') is receivable. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is integral with the container (1). Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is formed of a deformable material such that deformation of the rib occurs through the reception of the article (30). Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib is formed of a thermoplastic, preferably of HDPE (high density polyethylene) or PP (polypropylene). Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') has a thickness of 0.3 to 3 mm, preferably of 1.5 mm. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
two to twelve ribs in each compartment (13) are arranged. Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is arranged on the respective shelf (10). Container according to one of the preceding claims, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 12,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is arranged at a distance from the shelf (10), preferably 0.1 mm to 10 mm above the shelf (10). Container according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rib (17, 17 ') is designed in such a way that the object (30) can be stored at a distance from the shelf (10).

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