ES2770124T3 - Bottle display box - Google Patents

Abstract

Bottle crate (2) with a bottom (4), a housing device (40; 44) for bottles (8) and several side walls (6) defining a bottle crate opening (11), characterized in that a side wall (6-1) or at least an essential part thereof is hinged on the bottle crate (2) in such a way that it is pivotable in the direction, preferably completely, towards the opposite side wall (6-2) Through the bottle crate opening (11), the bottom (4) on the side of the side wall (6-1) forms a raised bottom edge; and the pivotable side wall (6-1) has a U-shaped recess (17) in the center at its lower edge, which, in combination with a correspondingly shaped depression in the raised bottom edge, serves as a gripping opening. and facilitates the folding up of the side wall (6-1).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Bottle display box

The present invention relates to a bottle case for transporting and storing bottles and bottle packages according to the preamble of claim 1.

Bottles are traditionally transported, stored and presented to the customer in bottle boxes generally of a single variety. Along with an increasing variety of beverages and a changing demand for smaller purchase quantities by the end customer, more and more types of beverages are offered and sold individually or in packages of two, four or six.

Instead of putting such individual bottles or packages on store shelves and presenting them to the customer in the past few years, for reasons of cost and space, an increasing step has been taken towards presenting products to the customer in whole groups or stacks of products, or even in the bottle case. To this end, special bottle boxes were also developed, which also make it possible to accommodate bottle packages in the bottle box.

Since the cardboard or plastic packaging used for the package can be easily damaged during transport, the bottle boxes should protect the delivered bottles if possible on all sides and completely against external forces. However, these bottle boxes are only appropriate to a certain extent for presenting bottle packages for sale, since the side walls, which protect the bottles on all sides during transport, cover the package and also make it difficult to remove the package. .

In the case of bottle boxes with large exposure openings in the side walls, there is a risk that the bottles will fall or could be damaged during transport. Other than that, large exposure openings are taken care of by the resistance when stacked on top of each other, so these bottle cases can withstand a lower overlapping load.

From publication EP 0714833 A1 a bottle box according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, with a bottom, four side walls and a framework for accommodating a number of bottles. From EP 2 589 543 A1 a display container with a pivotable side wall is known, which can be pivoted above an opening in the container and placed flush on an opposite side wall.

Against this background, the present invention is based on the objective of creating a bottle box that is equally suitable for the transport and presentation of bottles and that easily solves the problems described above in relation to the state of the art.

Summary of the Invention

The objective is solved by the characteristics of claim 1. Advantageous improvements are the object of the secondary claims.

A bottle (display) box according to the invention has a (rectangular) bottom and several (four) side walls. Apart from that, the bottle box features a housing device (integrated or inserted) for bottles. In this regard, a side wall or at least an essential part thereof is pivotably configured. The pivotable side wall can be pivoted towards the opposite side wall or at least in the direction of the opposite side wall, i.e. above (initially) locations of the bottles or the initially limited (rectangular) bottle case opening down the side walls. The bottom of the bottle case features a raised bottom edge on the side of the pivotable side wall and the pivotable side wall has a center U-shaped notch on its bottom edge, which, in combination with a configured depression correspondingly at the raised bottom edge, it serves as a gripping opening and facilitates upward folding of the side wall.

In other words, the pivotable side wall can pivot between a first (closed) position in which the bottle case is closed laterally, preferably completely, and an upward or folded up position in which the bottle case is of free access from the side (physically and optically).

In this context, one can also speak of a bottle case with a pivotable side wall from above. Therefore, such a bottle box is suitable not only for transporting and storing, but also for presenting (packages of) bottles. The bottles housed in it are protected on all sides during transport.

If the bottles were to be put up for sale on-site in the case of a retailer, at least one of the side walls can be detached from the bottom to thereby allow a clear view of the bottles (at least from one side). Apart from that, the bottles can thus be removed more easily individually or as packages, particularly when the bottle case is full or when it is placed on top of a stack and the products can be grasped from the front and do not have to be pulled out of the bottle case.

This bottle box offers tremendous savings for the retailer. On the one hand, the bottles delivered with the bottle box no longer have to be rearranged on shelves, since the bottle box according to the invention can be easily converted into a display bottle box, so that incurred at lower on-site personnel costs . Other than that, the retailer can do without expensive shelving systems.

Apart from that, the bottle box with the side wall folded down or in its initial position or in its closed position is suitable for accommodating, storing and returning empty containers, so that non-returnable bottles can be dispensed with, which makes sense not only from an ecological point of view but also an economic one.

Compared to bottle boxes with large exposure openings, the dimensionally stable bottle box according to the invention can be stacked on top of each other in an essentially safer manner in large numbers. With the possibility of selecting to place the same bottle case either in the transport or storage position or in the presentation position, only the upper bottle case in a stack can be placed in its presentation position. In contrast, the bottle packages in the lower bottle boxes of the stack are protected in the transport position and by the stable side walls of the bottle box, so that they cannot be damaged by shopping carts or stacks of goods transported by means of lift trucks.

The pivotable side wall is hinged to the bottle case and therefore always remains connected to the bottle case. This means that no special place has to be created for temporary storage of the side wall. Furthermore, the removed side wall cannot be lost.

Preferably, the pivotable side wall remains above the bottle case or within a space projecting upward from the bottle case. Therefore, no space, in particular no lateral space, is required outside the stack of boxes to convert the bottle box to the display position, so that several stacks of bottle boxes according to the invention can be placed some very next to each other without affecting the pivot function.

Apart from that, the pivotable side wall, which in the sales space is preferably the customer-facing front wall, can be brought towards the opposite side wall, that is, towards the rear wall, where it does not impair the view of the packages of bottles.

The bottle box may be made of plastic, in particular by injection molding process. The axis of rotation of the pivot mechanism can preferably run centrally or essentially centered between the pivotable side wall and the opposite side wall.

The above definition "towards the opposite side wall" is only to be understood as an indication of direction and not necessarily in the sense that the pivotable side wall is pivoted or can be pivoted fully towards the opposite side wall. However, according to an advantageous refinement, the pivotable side wall can pivot 180 ° and can be brought to the plane of the opposite side wall, that is to say that after the pivoting process both side walls are plane-parallel on the opposite side from the bottle case.

The bottle box may be configured such that the side walls define an interior space with a rectangular cross section in the closed position and an interior space with a substantially rectangular cross section in the open position.

Preferably, the pivotable side wall can be placed on the opposite side wall, so that the opposite side wall simultaneously functions as a stop for the pivoting movement.

It may also be advantageous if the pivotable side wall and / or the opposite side wall are designed so that both side walls can be detachably connected to each other in this pivoting position or display position, whereby it can also be increased as a whole the stability of the bottle case. Instead of the opposite side wall, the pivoting movement of one or both of the side walls adjacent to the pivotable side wall can be limited, for example, by its top edge.

The pivot mechanism can be formed from parts of the side walls adjacent to the pivotable side wall. Thus, at least one side wall adjacent to the pivotable side wall may have a side wall section connected to the bottom and a side wall section rotatably connected to this side wall section and pivotable relative thereto. This pivotable side wall section may be connected to the side wall to be pivoted, in particular in one piece, i.e. that part of the side wall that is connected to the wall pivotable side, and can serve as the pivot arm of the pivot mechanism. By dividing the adjacent side walls, which may be, for example, the shorter side walls of the bottle case, into two or more parts connected to each other via a pivot point and by using one of these parts as a pivot arm to pivot the side wall to the opposite side, a separate pivoting mimic can be dispensed with. Therefore, on the one hand, a part of the adjacent side wall in the transport position serves to protect the housed goods and, on the other hand, serves as a pivoting arm to bring the bottle case to the display position. Other than that, by using the side walls as a pivot mechanism it is ensured that the pivot movement of the side wall to be pivoted remains laterally within the space defined by the bottle case. The pivoting movement of the side wall section or the pivoting arm runs plane parallel to the adjacent side walls. Since the pivoting arm represents a part of the side wall, the pivoting movement is also not impeded by the bottles or packages in the bottle case. Other than that, the pivot mechanism is not in charge of the cargo volume of the bottle case, which could be the case if a separate pivot mimic was envisioned.

In order not to always have to pay attention to which of the two opposite side walls is pivotably configured in the daily operation of the bottle case, both opposite side walls can be pivotably configured. In this regard, the adjacent side walls may have two correspondingly pivotable side wall sections, so that the one pivotable side wall can pivot to the opposite side by means of the one pivotable side wall section and the other pivotable side wall can pivot via the other pivotable side wall section. This variant, in which a pivotable side wall is guided on both sides with corresponding pivotable side wall sections of the adjacent side wall, results in a more stable pivoting movement as a whole. Alternatively, an adjacent side wall may have a pivotable side wall section to pivot the one side wall in one direction, and the other adjacent side wall may have a pivotable side wall section to pivot the other pivotable side wall in the other. direction. In both cases, the adjacent side walls can be produced identically and therefore inexpensively.

In the case of the bottle case, one or more unlocking elements may be provided between the bottom and the pivotable side wall to release a pivoting movement of the pivotable side wall. By using unlocking elements, the pivoting movement can be selectively initiated so as not to risk the pivoting side wall accidentally folding up.

Instead of such an unlocking mechanism for releasing the pivoting movement of the side wall, the pivotable side wall can be held in another way, for example by spring-loaded spring elements or clamping elements or friction-actuated connecting elements together with the bottom, which only release the connection between the pivotable side wall and the bottom when a predetermined force or a force in a certain direction is applied.

According to an advantageous development, the (first) pivotable side wall section is a fundamentally triangular wall section of the adjacent side wall, which completes it from a central pivot point and away from the bottom (arranged in the upper edge area ) towards the pivotable side wall. Therefore, the pivotable side wall section actually represents a portion of the adjacent side wall and not a side wall section further attached through the side wall. The triangular shape, on the one hand, guarantees the stability of the pivot mechanism and, on the other hand, ensures sufficient lateral support for the bottles through the remaining non-pivotable part of the side wall.

If the pivot point of the side wall sections is in the upper edge area, it is ensured that the pivot path of the pivotable side wall does not run through the interior space defined by the side walls, but outside it. so that the pivotable side wall can then be pivoted to the other side even when the bottle case is full, particularly in the area of the side wall to be removed.

In accordance with a further or different refinement, the adjacent (second) side wall section, to which the (first) side wall section is hinged, may be double-walled and the pivotable side wall section may be partially housed in this in both final pivot positions. Thus, 180 ° pivoting movement can be ensured without having to position the pivot point above the circumferential edge of the side walls or without having to use more complex linkage mechanisms with sliders.

Instead of placing the pivotable side wall on top of the opposite side wall, the two side walls may be configured such that they mesh flush against each other in the 180 ° pivot position. As the side walls engage one another, the swivel joint is unloaded, which would otherwise have to absorb on its own any transverse force in the swivel mechanism, for example in the case of side impacts.

On its inner side, the pivotable side wall can have a surface or support for attaching labels to the products, which becomes readable when the side wall has been pivoted to the other side. Typically, product information or product pricing is placed either on shelving systems or on specially designed surfaces or signs or devices on or next to product stacks. The possibility Using the inner surface of the side wall pivoted to the other side as the identification surface for the bottles enables the retailer to dispense with separate labeling measures. Therefore, a bottle box according to this improvement offers all the functions, from the delivery of the products to the promotional presentation of the bottles to the customer.

Preferably, as already indicated above, the pivotable side wall can also be pivoted when the bottle case is on a flat surface or in a stack of bottle cases of identical or compatible construction. Therefore, in the case of the bottle case according to the invention, it is a stackable bottle case, the upper bottle case of a stack of boxes being able to be transformed from the storage or transport position to a position of presentation.

At its bottom-facing edge, the pivotable side wall may have a centrally arranged notch, in particular a U-shape, or several distributed along the lateral length, which serves as a gripping opening. This makes it easy to handle the bottle case or fold up the side wall.

The bottle case may be configured to be equally suitable for accommodating individual bottle and bottle packages. To do this, the bottom may be provided with a plurality of pinholes or the bottle box may have a height-adjustable framework. This enables the delivery of bottle packages and the return of individual bottles as empty containers.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bottle box according to the invention according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows the bottle box according to the first embodiment with the side wall folded up;

Figure 3 shows a plurality of bottle boxes stacked on top of each other according to the first embodiment on an auxiliary truck;

Figure 4 shows the bottle box of Figure 1 in the empty state;

Figure 5 shows the bottle box of Figure 2 in the empty state;

Figure 6 shows a bottle box according to the invention according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 shows the bottle box according to the second embodiment with the side wall folded up;

Figure 8 shows a top perspective view of the bottle box according to the second embodiment; and

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the bottle case according to the second embodiment in the bottle-filled state.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

Figure 1 shows a bottle box 2 according to the invention, which is made of plastic and has a fundamentally rectangular bottom 4 as well as four side walls 6 which extend perpendicularly from the bottom 4. The bottle box 2 offers space for 24 bottles, 8 or four packages 10 of six bottles, 8 or four packages of six.

The bottle box 2 has a usual rectangular or parallelepiped shaped bottle box shape with two long side walls 6-1 and 6-2 and two short side walls 6-3 and 6-4 and a bottle box opening 11 opposite the bottom 4. The short side walls 6-3 and 6-4 are respectively provided with a gripping opening 12 to be able to lift the bottle case 2.

As can be deduced from figure 1 and in particular from figure 2, one of the two long side walls 6-1 and 6-2, more precisely said the side wall 6-1, can be removed or removed from the bottom 4 to allow access and a view of bottles 8 or packages 10 located in the bottle case 2 from the side. The side wall 6-1 can be pivoted away, more precisely said by pivoting upward on the bottles 8 or the bottle case opening 11 in the direction towards the opposite long side wall 6-2. For this, the side wall 6-1 is configured separately from the rest of the bottle case 2 and is pivotably articulated in the bottle case 2 through a pivoting mimic. More precisely said, the side wall 6-1 can be pivoted through a respective section of wall 14 of the two adjacent short side walls 6-3 and 6-4, which on the one hand is connected in one piece to the long side wall 6-1 and on the other hand is hingedly connected to a second section of wall 16 of the side wall short 6-3 or 6-4.

In the folded down or pivoted down state, which is shown in Figure 1, the wall sections 14 and 16 complement each other and together form the short side walls 6-3 and 6-4. However, the wall sections 14 and 16 are spaced from each other, the wall sections 14 forming a type of pivoting arm of the pivotable side wall 6-1. The wall sections 14 are essentially triangular in shape, of which one triangular side forms the upper edge of the short side wall 6-3 or 6-4, a triangular side with the vertical outer edge between the long side wall 6-1 and the short side wall 6-3 or 6-4 matches and one corner of the triangle is hinged through a hinge pin 18 in the center of the top edge of the wall section 16.

Since the pivot axis A defined by the hinge pins 18 runs parallel and centrally between the two long side walls 6-1 and 6-2, the long side wall unit 6-1 and the two wall sections 14 of the adjacent short sides can be pivoted 180 degrees so that the top edge of the side wall 6-1 rests on the top edge of the side wall 6-2 and the top edges of the wall sections 14 rest on the top edges of the wall sections 16, so that the long side wall 6-1 extends up the side wall 6-2.

In the downward folded state (Figure 1), the pivotable side wall 6-1 has a center U-shaped notch 17 at its lower edge, which, in combination with a correspondingly configured depression in the raised bottom edge , serves as a grip opening and facilitates upward folding of the side wall 6-1. Thus, the user can grasp this notch 17 to fold up the side wall 6-1.

As is evident from Figures 1 and 2, the bottle case 2 has a parallelepiped shape in the down-folded state (Figure 1) or has a rectangular inner cross section and a wedge or triangular prism shape or a cross section triangular interior in the upward folded state (figure 2). In this way, the bottle case 2 according to the invention, as clearly shown in figure 3, can be stacked on top of each other with the side wall folded down and, in the folded up state, enables better presentation of the product, so that the bottle box 2 no longer has to be provided with a product label on the outer side, since the customer has an unobstructed view of the bottles 8 or package 10 located in the bottle box 2 when the side wall 6-1 is open and can therefore directly recognize the product identification located on the package carton or on the bottle label.

As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the upper edge 20 of the long side wall 6-1 and the wall sections 14 of the short side walls 6-3 and 6-4 may have a lower wall thickness. to be able to sink in the upper position shown in figure 2 in corresponding housings 22 at the upper edge of the long side wall 6-2 or at the upper edge of the wall sections 16 of the two side walls 6-3 and 6- 4, so that the pivotable side wall 6-1 rests positively in the upper position on the bottle case 2 and the side impacts do not have to be absorbed only by the hinge pins 18. The same applies to the position folded down. As can be seen from figure 2, the lower oblique edge 24 of the wall sections 14 respectively has a smaller wall thickness to engage positively in a corresponding housing 26 in the upper oblique edge of the wall section 16 in the state folded down.

Apart from that, the side wall 6-1 has, on the bottom side or the side facing the bottom 4, a flap 28 that is arranged in the center and engages in a corresponding notch 30 of a raised edge of the bottom 4. The flap 28 or housing 30 may be provided with interlocking means such as interlocking tabs to enable removable locking of side wall 6-1 and bottom 4 in the downward folded state.

The long side walls 6-1 and 6-2 can have a label holder 32 centered on its outer side. As is evident from figure 1, in the case of the label holder 32 it may be a depression with several tabs of material 34 projecting inwards from the side edges, so that a sheet or cardboard can be inserted into the depression and then hold by the material tabs 34.

The inner side 38 of the side wall 6-1 may also be provided with a label holder 32 or be used in another way as advertising space, since this, as is evident from figure 2, is in the upward folded state above of the bottle pack 10 and is therefore freely visible.

To increase the resistance, the wall sections 14, which function as pivoting arms, can be provided with stiffening or reinforcing ribs 36.

Figures 4 and 5 show the bottle case 2 according to the invention according to the first embodiment in the closed or folded down or open or folded up state. At the bottom 4 there are two rows of grooves 40, which extend perpendicularly upwards from the bottom 4. In the center and in parallel with respect to the two long side walls 6-1 and 6-2 or in the center between the two rows of pinholes 40 there is a partition wall 42. The pinholes 40 and the partition wall 42 enable, on the one hand , the delivery and presentation of bottle packages 10 and, on the other hand, the return of individual empty packaging bottles 8, which are laterally supported by the pinholes 40 or the partition wall 42. The pinholes 40 and the partition wall 42 form a housing device according to the invention for bottles. In this way, the object of the invention forms a bottle box that is manageable and can be used flexibly.

Figures 6 to 9 show a bottle box 2 according to a second embodiment. This bottle box 2 differs from the bottle box 2 of the first embodiment only inside it, but not in the pivoting mimicry of the side wall according to the invention. Instead of the springs 40 and the partition wall 42, which are used in the first embodiment as a housing device for bottles, the bottle case 2 'of the second embodiment has an adjustable housing 44 as the housing device. in height, which can be lowered to the bottom 4 so that, as shown in Figure 7, bottle packs 10 can be placed on top of it, and can be lifted manually or automatically raised after removing the bottle packs 10 to laterally support individual bottles 8 and separate them from each other, as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Frame 44 also offers 24 placement locations for bottles 8 and is vertically guided through guides 46 at bottom 4 or side walls 6. Preferably frame 44 may be spring-loaded in the raised position so that the Lattice 44 descends to the bottom 4 by the weight of a package 10, but automatically returns to the raised position after the package 10 is removed.

The invention has been described by way of preferred embodiments, but is not limited thereto.

Thus, for example, instead of pinholes or a height-adjustable truss, the bottle cage can have a truss that can be inserted into the bottle crate or a truss configured in one piece with the bottom.

The height-adjustable, insertable or one-piece frame can be cut obliquely up and in respectively on the side facing the pivotable side wall so as not to hinder the pivoting movement of the pivotable side wall.

The described bottle boxes are designed for 4 x 6 bottles, that is, 24 bottles. However, the bottle box can also have more or less placement places for bottles of other sizes, in particular for 8, 10, 12, 16 or 20 bottles.

Claims (10)

1. Bottle box (2) with a bottom (4), a housing device (40; 44) for bottles (8) and several side walls (6) defining a bottle box opening (11), characterized by that a side wall (6-1) or at least an essential part thereof is hinged in the bottle case (2) in such a way that it is pivotable in the direction, preferably completely, towards the opposite side wall (6- 2) through the bottle box opening (11), the bottom (4) on the side of the side wall (6-1) forms a raised bottom edge; and the pivotable side wall (6-1) has a central U-shaped notch (17) at its lower edge, which, in combination with a correspondingly shaped depression in the raised bottom edge, serves as a gripping opening and facilitates folding up the side wall (6-1). Bottle box according to claim 1, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) is pivotable 180 °, preferably around an axis of rotation (A) that runs essentially centrally between the pivotable side wall (6 -1) and the opposite side wall (6-2), and can be brought to the plane of the opposite side wall (6 2), preferably it can be placed on the opposite side wall (6-2), in particular it can be detachably connected this. Bottle box (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) is articulated in at least one adjacent side wall (6-3, 6-4), preferably being configured first wall section (14) of the adjacent side wall (6-3, 6-4) in one piece with the pivotable side wall (6-1) and serving as a pivot arm. Bottle box (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that the first wall section (14) of the adjacent side wall (6-3, 6-4) is essentially triangular and completes the adjacent side wall (6- 3, 6-4) from a central pivot point and away from the bottom towards the pivotable side wall (6-1). 5. Bottle box (2) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a second wall section (16) of the adjacent side wall (6-3, 6-4), to which the first wall section (14) is hinged, in particular through a hinge pin (18), it is configured with a double wall and the first wall section (14) is partially housed therein in the two final pivot positions. Bottle box (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) and the opposite side wall (6-2) are configured such that they mesh flush against each other when the pivotable side wall (6-1) is pivoted towards the opposite side wall (6-2). Bottle box (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) has on its outer side a surface or support (32) for attaching bottle labels (8). Bottle box (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) has on its inner side a surface or support for attaching bottle labels (8), which appears when the Pivotable side wall (6-1) has been pivoted to the other side. Bottle box (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivotable side wall (6-1) has, on its bottom-facing edge, a notch (17), in particular a U-shape, centrally arranged or several distributed along the lateral length, which serves as a gripping opening. Bottle box (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottle box (2) is configured in the same way to accommodate packages of bottles (10) and individual bottles (8), in particular the device of accommodation (40; 44) has a plurality of springs (40) or a frame (44) adjustable in height.