EP3597555A1

EP3597555A1 - Handle for a stackable container and container therefor

Info

Publication number: EP3597555A1
Application number: EP18382528.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luis LACAMBRA
Original assignee: Envases Soplados SL
Current assignee: Envases Soplados SL
Priority date: 2018-07-16
Filing date: 2018-07-16
Publication date: 2020-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-16
Also published as: EP3597555B1; ES2868243T3; PT3597555T

Abstract

The present invention relates to a handle for handling stackable containers that can be vertically stacked. More particularly, said handle is accessible when the containers are stacked and the neck to which the handle is fixed is housed entirely under the container located immediately thereabove in the stack, and therefore concealed in a cavity arranged in the lower base of said container arranged thereabove. This invention also relates to a container with a vertically stackable configuration comprising a handle that allows access to the neck of said container when stacked under another container without having to modify the configuration of the container so as to allow access to the handle from outside the stack.

Description

Object of the Invention

Background of the Invention

In the industry of large-capacity containers and jugs, storage space optimization is crucial to enable enlarging and utilizing the production stock and facilities. One of the solutions that the industry has implemented has been to develop containers with a geometry that allows the vertical stacking of containers. To that end, the lower base of containers is generally provided with geometries that adapt to the upper base and therefore allow the sequential positioning of containers one on top of another.
In certain solutions, this geometry consists of a molded cavity in the lower base of the container that allows housing the neck and opening of the container positioned immediately thereunder in the stack, while at the same time it allows a stable support on the upper base of said lower container.
Additionally, said containers are usually provided with gripping elements for the handling and transport thereof, such as handles located on and fixed to the neck of said containers.
However, in the type of containers defined above, which have geometries housing part of the lower container, due to requirements of optimizing the volume of each container, the free space between containers is very small. As a result, there is very little design freedom for the gripping elements since they have to adapt to this condition without losing any functionality.
Modified containers are known for handling this problem, in which the handle is configured on one side so as to allow the gripping thereof even though it is located in a stack.
When the handle is attached to the neck of the bottle, the problems identified above become worse because said gripping elements are housed entirely inside the cavities and are inaccessible for the user. The possibility of having access to the handle when the containers are in the operative position stacked on top of one another is thereby ruled out. Therefore, interaction with the stacked containers will have to be through their side walls, which are not optimal for being handled, as said walls are generally flexible, which represents a loss of stability and manageability in fluid-storing containers.
Even when the handle is housed in a cavity of the lower base of the container arranged immediately thereabove in the stack, the configuration of the container must be modified so as to allow housing the handle, which is an element that projects from the neck. The solutions that have been adopted either require including a very large cavity so that the handle can take on any orientation, or else they require defining a slot in the cavity so that the handle can be housed in a given orientation.
In either of the two solutions, the region for supporting a container on the container immediately thereunder is considerably reduced, and in the case of the second option, it has the drawback of having to assure the correct orientation of the handle before stacking so that it can be located exactly in the slot that has been provided, or the stability of the stack is otherwise jeopardized.
The gripping elements usually incorporate articulations in the connection to the neck of the container that allow the rotation of the gripping element so that it can have any orientation. These articulations are usually configured in the form of a ring with tabs that allow going around the neck of the container by insertion but prevent the ring from coming off by means of a wedging effect.
The present invention solves the problems indicated above by means of a specific configuration of the handle that does not require any modification to the shape of the cavity of the container intended for housing the neck of the container located immediately thereunder during stacking, and it offers the ability to be gripped from one side without affecting the stability of the stack.

Description of the Invention

The present invention provides a solution to the aforementioned problems by means of a handle that allows the access to and handling of containers in stacks. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the invention which include, among others, the combination of the handle and the container where it is coupled to the handle.
A first inventive aspect is a handle for a stackable container that can be vertically stacked by means of supporting a lower base on an upper base of the container arranged immediately thereunder in the stack, from which upper base there emerges the neck of the opening of the container, wherein the

handle comprises:

a fixing ring adapted for being coupled to the neck of the container;
a gripping element;
an attachment section between the gripping element and the

fixing ring.

These elements of the handle are known in the state of the art and it is the common way to configure a handle for a container since it is possible to use different manufacturing techniques for the container, for example by blow molding, and for the handle, for example by injection molding. The same occurs with the materials, i.e., the materials of the handle can be different from the materials of the container.
The handle is configured with a fixing ring which is configured in most of the embodiments with flexible tabs that allow the insertion but prevent it from coming off by means of wedging.
Once this fixing ring has been inserted, most of the embodiments allow rotation of said ring around the neck, favoring the change in orientation. While it is a desirable feature, it is not essential for the present invention.
The gripping area is a portion of the handle that is configured for being adapted to the shape of the hand such that in the event of a large load, for example when the container is a large-volume container, gripping is made as comfortable as possible.
The attachment section is a portion of the handle which establishes the connection between the gripping element and the fixing ring.
According to the invention, the handle is characterized in that:
the attachment section comprises a sheet-like portion configured for being arranged between the upper base of the container on which the fixing ring is fixed and the lower base of the upper stacked container when they are stacked in the operative mode.
According to the invention, the attachment section establishes a distance between the fixing ring and gripping element that is greater than the distance established between the fixing ring and the support area without a handle between the upper base and the lower base of the stacked containers in order to leave the handle accessible for the user after stacking.
The dimensions of the handle according to the invention allow said handle to be accessible for a user when the containers are stacked on top of one another in the operative mode. In other words, the handle is accessible as a result of the length of the attachment section, with this being greater than the distance established between the fixing ring and the support area without the handle between the upper base and the lower base of the stacked containers. Therefore, each handle will provide individual access to its corresponding container, despite being located in an intermediate segment of the stack.
According to the invention, the container does not require being modified so as to allow access to the gripping element after stacking. If the containers do not have a handle, the lower base has a support region configured for being adapted to the upper surface of the container, where a support region which receives the lower support base of the container located thereabove in the stack can likewise be identified in the upper part.
These two regions can be two surfaces that are not necessarily flat, or they can even have ribs and cavities. The best support is established when the surfaces are essentially complementary to one another to assure the greatest contact. In this case, the inclusion of a resistant element located on one side and interposed between the two surfaces, that is, the support surface of the upper container and the upper surface of the lower container on which the former is supported, leads to an inadequate seating and the stack being tilted.
In contrast, the invention establishes a sheet-like portion configured for being located between these two surfaces that are intended for resting one on top of the other, such that it does not modify the separation therebetween except for the thickness of the sheet section, which results in stack stability being unchanged.
The distance prerequisite of this attachment section assures that the thicker gripping element remains outside the support surfaces without affecting the stack, and it furthermore allows the user to access it in order to grip same.
According to an embodiment, the handle allows acting on the lower base of the container which is located immediately thereabove in the stack, exerting an upward, lever-like force that will be applied by the attachment section to said lower base to make it easier to remove the desired container.
The geometry of the handle, with one or more sheet-like portions along the attachment section connecting the gripping element and the fixing ring, allows it to adapt to the stacking interface between two containers without compromising stability of the supports of said stack or increasing the volume for coupling the cavity of the base of the upper container and the neck and opening of the lower container.
In a particular embodiment, the fixing ring has a plurality of oblique insertion tabs or flanges for retaining the handle after its insertion on the opening of the container.
Advantageously, these flanges allow optimal coupling between the handle and the neck of the container, where they fold with the movement for insertion of the handle on the neck of the container inserting externally the fixing ring.
The flanges fix the handle to the neck of the container, showing certain resistance due to the wedging thereof in the direction of removal of the handle with respect to the neck of the container. Therefore, said flanges retain the handle in a fixed position, making removal impossible when the handle supports the weight of the container in service.
In a particular embodiment, the gripping element comprises a flexible attachment between the attachment section and the fixing ring so as to allow, after bending, an essentially transverse position between the attachment section together with the gripping element and the fixing ring when said handle is being used to carry the container.
This flexibility in the attachment between the fixing ring and the attachment section allows the relative movement between both without requiring articulations or engaging elements, thereby making the adaptation and transition of the handle between operative states easier.
Furthermore, the flexibility of the attachment allows operating also when moving the container from one place to another suspended by the gripping element under the weight of the load, where the flexibility of the attachment allows the change in angle of said gripping element with respect to the fixing ring until reaching the vertical position which corresponds with the direction of gravity.
In a particular embodiment, the attachment section is configured with at least two connecting elements, parallel to one another, located between the fixing ring and the gripping element, with each connecting element arranged on either side of the fixing ring and on either side of the gripping element. The attachment section is thereby lightened and maintains resistance as if it were a continuous element.
In a particular embodiment, each connecting element comprises a sheet-like portion and both are connected by a second transverse sheet-like portion also configured for being arranged between the upper base of the container on which the fixing ring is fixed and the lower base of the upper stacked container when they are stacked in the operative mode. This portion allows for a complementary configuration of the cavity assuring that the stacked container arranged thereabove is in engagement, increasing stability thereof.
Advantageously, the second sheet-like portion connecting both connecting elements will provide the connecting element and gripping element assembly, which is responsible for transmitting the force exerted on the gripping element to the fixing ring, with greater dimensional stability and stiffness. Likewise, as occurs with the sheet-like portions described above, this geometry will allow the second sheet-like portion to adapt to the stacking interface between two containers without compromising the stability of the supports of said stack or increasing the volume generated between the cavity of the base of the upper container and the neck and the opening of the lower container.
In a second inventive aspect, the invention provides the combination established by a container and a handle according to the first inventive aspect, wherein the container comprises:

a lower base,
an upper base from which there emerges a neck with an opening for accessing the inside of the container,

wherein

the lower base is configured for being supported on the upper base of the container arranged immediately thereunder when it is stacked in a stack in the operative mode,
the lower base has a cavity for housing the neck and the opening of the container arranged immediately thereunder when it is stacked in a stack in the operative mode,
the fixing ring of the handle is fixed to the neck of the container, and
wherein the gripping element is spaced from the support area between the upper base and the lower base of two consecutively stacked containers in order to leave the handle accessible for the user after stacking.

In a particular embodiment, the second transverse sheet-like portion comprises a transverse prolongation that enters the cavity of the container arranged immediately thereabove to act as a retention between consecutively stacked containers.
Advantageously, this transverse prolongation will be supported on the inner face of the cavity of the lower base of the container immediately thereabove in the stack, providing greater stability to the support and preventing possible relative sliding between containers in the stack.

Description of the Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become clearer based on the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment given solely by way of illustrative and non-limiting example in reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the handle according to the invention.
Figure 2 shows a side view of an embodiment of the handle according to the invention.
Figure 3 shows a front view of an embodiment of a container without the handle coupled thereto.
Figure 4 shows a side view of a stack of two containers with a handle according to the invention arranged between both.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figures 1 and 2 schematically show the configuration of the elements that are part of the handle (1) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
This embodiment shows a fixing ring (1.1) comprising a plurality of oblique flanges (1.1.1) projecting into the annular space for fixing and retaining the handle (1) with respect to the neck (2.3) of a container (2) once it has been inserted on the neck (2.3) of said container (2).
As shown in Figure 3, the neck of the container (2) has a downwardly wedged perimetral projection (2.3.1). The minimum diameter observed in Figure 1 defined by the ends of the oblique flanges (1.1.1) is smaller than the outer diameter of the perimetral projection (2.3.1).
During the insertion of the fixing ring (1.1) on the neck (2.3) of the container (2), the oblique flanges (1.1.1) clear the perimetral projection (2.3.1) by bending, and therefore increasing the diameter defined by the ends thereof. When the oblique flanges (1.1.1) clear the perimetral projection (2.3.1), said flanges (1.1.1) elastically recover their initial configuration by again reducing the diameter and preventing them from coming off, therefore assuring the fixing.
This fixing does not prevent rotation, so the fixing ring (1.1) according to this embodiment allows orienting the handle (1) in the desired direction.
An attachment section (1.2) is likewise shown, and in this particular embodiment it is made up of two connecting elements (1.2.2, 1.2.3) located on both sides of the fixing ring (1.1). Said connecting elements (1.2.2, 1.2.3) are connected by one of their ends to the fixing ring (1.1) by means of respective flexible attachments (1.2.5, 1.2.6) so as to allow bending when the handle (1) is grabbed, which allows going from an almost horizontal position such as the one shown in Figure 2 to a vertical position imposed by the weight of the container.
The connecting elements (1.2.2, 1.2.3) are attached at the other end to a gripping element (1.3), and they further comprise respective sheet-like portions (1.2.1) along their body which, when the containers (2) are stacked in the operative mode, will be arranged between the upper base (2.2) of the container (2) from which there emerges the neck (2.3) where the handle (1) is located and the lower base (2.1) of the container (2) stacked immediately thereabove.
The shape of the sheet-like portions (1.2.1) is not necessarily flat, but rather adapts to the shapes of the support surfaces of the stacked containers such that the container (2) stacked immediately thereabove is supported on this sheet-like portion (1.2.1) in the section where the handle (1) is located with the support thereof, and therefore the stability of the stack as well, barely being modified.
This sheet-like configuration with a shape adapted to the bases of the container (2) intended for being in contact during stacking allows use of this handle (1) in containers that do not require design changes intended for including cavities or spaces that would allow housing the handle (1) so as to allow access from the outside after stacking, and that would lead to a reduction of the effective support between containers (2).
Continuing with the configuration of the handle (1), according to this embodiment the latter additionally comprises a transverse portion (1.2.4), which is also sheet-like, connecting the two connecting elements (1.2.2, 1.2.3) providing the connecting element (1.2.2, 1.2.3) and gripping element (1.3) assembly with greater dimensional stability and stiffness. Said sheet-like configuration will also allow this transverse portion (1.2.4) to be located between the upper base (2.2) and lower base (2.1) of the containers (2) forming the stack.
According to the same embodiment, the transverse portion (1.2.4) comprises a transverse prolongation (1.2.4.1) configured for being housed in the cavity (2.1.1) of the lower base (2.1) of the container (2) immediately thereabove in the stack and for being supported on the inner face of said cavity (2.1.1).
Figure 2 clearly shows according to the side view how the transverse prolongation (1.2.4.1) is raised, and it is raised according to the configuration of the surface of the cavity (2.1.1) of the container (2) as shown in Figure 3, resulting in a portion of the surface of the handle (1) that adheres to the inner surface of the cavity (2.1.1) of the container. The effect of this prolongation (1.2.4.1) is that it establishes an engagement that stabilizes the stack between containers (2) as it aligns the container (2) arranged thereabove with respect to the position of the neck (2.3) of the container arranged therebelow in the stack.
Figure 3 shows a vertical section of an embodiment of the container (2) without the handle (1) coupled thereto. Said figure shows the lower base (2.1) where the cavity (2.1.1) in which the neck (2.3) will be housed is molded and the opening (2.4) of the container (2) that is located immediately thereunder in the stack. The body of said container (2) goes up to the upper base (2.2) where there is located a horizontal portion for supporting the lower base (2.1) of the container (2) immediately thereabove in the stack. Furthermore, the neck (2.3), with its perimetral projection (2.3.1) where the handle (1) will be fixed and retained according to the described example, protrudes from said upper base (2.2). Said neck (2.3) likewise comprises the opening (2.4) of the container (2).
Figure 4 shows two containers (2) according to the embodiment of Figure 3 in the operative mode, stacked on top of one another. It can be seen how the gripping element (1.3) of the handle (1) attached to the container (2) arranged thereunder in the stack extends beyond the line defining the stacking interface between both containers (2) such that the stack is not affected by the interposition of the handle (1) through its sheet-like portion (1.2.1) and the gripping element (1.3) is located outside the stack and is therefore accessible for the user from one side.

Claims

A handle (1) for a stackable container (2) that can be vertically stacked by means of supporting a lower base (2.1) on an upper base (2.2) of the container (2) arranged immediately thereunder in the stack, from which upper base (2.2) there emerges the neck (2.3) of the opening (2.4) of the container (2), wherein the handle (1) comprises:
- a fixing ring (1.1) adapted for being coupled to the neck (2.3) of the container (2);

- a gripping element (1.3);

- an attachment section (1.2) between the gripping element (1.3) and the fixing ring (1.1)
characterized in that
the attachment section (1.2) comprises a sheet-like portion (1.2.1) configured for being arranged between the upper base (2.2) of the container (2) on which the fixing ring (1.1) is fixed and the lower base (2.1) of the upper stacked container (2) when they are stacked in the operative mode.
The handle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fixing ring (1.1) has a plurality of oblique insertion flanges (1.1.1) for retaining the handle after its insertion on the opening (2.3) of the container (2).
The handle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment section (1.2) comprises a flexible attachment (1.2.5, 1.2.6) with the fixing ring (1.1) so as to allow, after bending, an essentially transverse position between the attachment section (1.2) and the fixing ring (1.1) when said handle (1) is being used to carry the container (2).
The handle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment section (1.2) is configured with at least two connecting elements (1.2.2, 1.2.3), parallel to one another, located between the fixing ring (1.1) and the gripping element (1.3), with each connecting element (1.2.2, 1.2.3) arranged on either side of the fixing ring (1.1) and on either side of the gripping element (1.3).
The handle (1) according to claim 4, wherein each connecting element (1.2.2, 1.2.3) comprises a sheet-like portion (1.2.1) and both are connected by a second transverse sheet-like portion (1.2.4) also configured for being arranged between the upper base (2.2) of the container (2) on which the fixing ring (1.1) is fixed and the lower base (2.1) of the upper stacked container (2) when they are stacked in the operative mode.
A container (2) with a handle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container comprises:
- a lower base (2.1),

- an upper base (2.2) from which there emerges a neck (2.3) with an opening (2.4) for accessing the inside of the container (2),
wherein
- the lower base (2.1) is configured for being supported on the upper base (2.2) of the container (2) arranged immediately thereunder when it is stacked in a stack in the operative mode,

- the lower base (2.1) has a cavity (2.1.1) for housing the neck (2.3) and the opening (2.4) of the container (2) arranged immediately thereunder when it is stacked in a stack in the operative mode,

- the fixing ring (1.1) of the handle (1) is fixed to the neck (2.3) of the container (2), and

- wherein the gripping element (1.3) is spaced from the support area between the upper base (2.2) and the lower base (2.1) of two consecutively stacked containers in order to leave the handle (1) accessible for the user after stacking.
The container (2) according to claims 5 and 6, wherein the second transverse sheet-like portion (1.2.4) comprises a transverse prolongation (1.2.4.1) configured for entering the cavity (2.1.1) of the container (2) arranged immediately thereabove so as to guide and stabilize the stack between consecutively stacked containers (2).