FI109586B - Transport container for bottles - Google Patents

Description

109586

Transport tray for bottles

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a transport tray for bottles to be placed between overlapping bottle layers to provide a transport package comprising, on one face, seats for bottles bottoms and, on one surface, seats for bottle caps and mouth and neck portions.

A transport tray such as the one described above is known, for example, from European Patent Publication No. 0 853 053. One of the major problems with transport tray type packages is the stability of the package when it is filled with bottles. A solution to this problem has been found in the shipping tray of that publication by cooperating with the recess on the bottom of the bottle and the bottom of the bottle. The solution is based on the use of a conical recess in the middle of the bottom of the bottle. The recess of such a 15 is typically so-called. PET bottles, which are mostly used as replacement bottles but do not exist in disposable bottles where the bottom of the bottle can be shaped differently.

Thus, the solution according to the above-mentioned publication is not suitable for use when the bottom has no recess but is of another 20 commonly used types, such as the so-called elephant foot. In it, the bottom of the bottle is made up of several slices, such as 4-9. Such an elephant's foot is relatively stable and therefore does not require particular attention to keep the bottle upright. However, in a container formed by transport trays, the containers need to be supported relatively well upright in order to be sufficiently sturdy. * ··. also when stacking several full-height transport packages with pallets.

. . Typically, this problem has been solved by providing a space at the bottom of the bottle so high that the bottle will not be able to tilt much in this case. Thus, the bottom of the bottle is supported on its sides so that it does not tilt much, which also results in the package itself being sufficiently stable. However, in the retail store, such transport trays pose some problems. When flasks, or still in use, are sought to be taken from such a transport tray in 35 countries, it will be necessary to raise it to such an extent that the bottoms of the bottles are obtained from the cups or recesses provided for them.

109586 2

Since the weight to be lifted may then be several kilograms, such as 8 kg, with the group of bottles containing four 2-liter bottles, lifting becomes quite difficult if the bottles are located slightly above the lifter's waistline. This is often the case when the transport packaging is still relatively full, ie several layers of bottles have not yet been removed. The problem is further complicated by the fact that transport packages are very often placed in shelves where the pallet with its bottles is pushed under the shelf. In this case, there is little or no lifting allowance in the vertical direction, since it reduces the storage capacity of the shelf.

10

Summary of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a transport object which does not have the above problem, that is to say, where at the bottom of the bottle is no more than shallow edges. This is achieved by means of a transport tray according to the invention, characterized in that the locations for the bottle caps and the mouth and neck portions comprise a first substantially cylindrical guide cap surrounding the stopper with respect to this guide member based on the annular flange protruding from the mouth or neck said second guide members being concentric with said second guide member about the neck of the bottle. to support the part. In the transport tray according to the invention, wood; As mentioned above, the bottoms do not need support at their lower part, but at the very least allow them to have low alignment margins, since the bottoms are supported by the · · · • mouth and neck area of the bottles. The support is based on the prevention of lateral tilting of the · · 25 bottles at the stopper and mouth and neck area of the bottles at three points, namely the stopper area, the annular flange or bulging area below the threaded portion of the bottle and the neck area. For the solution to work, there is an annular flange or glass bottles in particular: in the case of other similar thickening, the outer diameter of the bottle should be larger than 30 caps.

While it is possible to provide a third support point between the lateral surface of the cap and in particular its upper corner and the inner surface of the cylindrical guide portion surrounding the cap, such support requires a relatively .X small tolerance between the outer diameter of the cap and the inner diameter of the guide.

35 This may in some cases cause the cap to wedge with respect to the guide member. In a preferred embodiment, the location for the bottle cap and the mouth and neck 109586 3 further comprises a surface facing the top surface of the cap surrounded by said first guide member. As the third support point is now generated on the top surface of the cap, the outer diameter of the cap and the inner diameter of the cylindrical guide portion need not be so close as to cause a risk of wedging.

In order for the transport tray of the invention to be returned to the beverage maker as compact as possible, it is further characterized in that the bottoms bottoms have an annular rim surrounding the bottom of the bottle, a central support surface for supporting the bottle 10, and annular recesses . In this way, the transport trays overlap when stacked to such an extent that the space required by one transport tray in such a stack height is only about half the height of the transport tray 15.

List of figures

In the following, the transport tray according to the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of the transport tray according to the invention with staples; and Figure 2 shows two transport trays .

25

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a transport tray according to the invention in cross section and with bottles. For the sake of clarity, only two fire places are shown in Figure 1. In a conventional transport tray, there are significantly more bottles, typically 48. Figure 2, in turn, shows two of Figure 1:. *. · Transport tray stacked on top of each other.

An exemplary embodiment 1 of the transport tray * of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises on its other surface the locations 2 of the bottles. ] '. 35 jeans 4 for the bottoms 7 and on its other surface seats 3 for the caps 6 and the mouth and neck parts 5 of the bottles 4. Bottle 4 is thus intended to comprise, at its lower end, bottom 109586 4, part 7, and upper end a mouth and neck 5. The mouthpiece has a screw cap 6. An annular flange 10 is provided on the neck of the bottle below the threaded area. in all bottles made of plastic material preparation 5. Naturally, the functionality of the solution of the invention requires that the outer diameter of the flange 10 is larger than the outer diameter of the cap 6. If the bottle is made of glass, it should have the mouth of the bottle or the cap on the neck! below, a similar flange or bore greater than the diameter of the bottle cap to make the bottle suitable for use with the transport tray of the invention. The bottle shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated to spread relatively quickly after the neck 16 below the flange 10. This is, of course, intended to make the bottle as cylindrical as possible and thus as transport efficient as possible.

As shown in Fig. 1, the space 2 provided for the bottom 7 of the bottle 7 is provided with only a relatively shallow annular rim 13. This rim does not provide much support for the bottle 4. This low or even complete absence of the rim 13 is one of the main advantages transport tray offers. This lowering of the collar and the fact that bottles do not need to be supported at the bottom are based on the idea of the invention to support the bottles from the top to the underside of the transport tray. the recesses formed 3.

• · »••• | For the bottle cap 6 and the mouth and neck portion 5, recesses 3 are formed on the underside of the transport tray 1. These recesses firstly comprise a central surface 9 which rests against the top surface of the bottle cap 6.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, this surface 9 comprises a central opening 17, and thus the surface 9 is practically formed only by this opening 17: '': the surrounding rim 9, which is thus pressed against the upper surface of the bottle cap 6.

The opening 17 is mainly intended to facilitate the cleaning, in practice washing, of the transport tray and, on the other hand, to lighten its structure. However, the principal function 30 on the surface 9 is, as already stated, that it presses against the cap 6 of the bottle, and thus the weight of the upper layers of the bottle is transmitted centrally through the cap 6.

The surface 9 is surrounded by a first cylindrical guide member 8. This X practically forms a sleeve within which the cap 6 is disposed. The sleeve 8 has an inside diameter of only slightly larger than the outer diameter 6 of the cap. However, it is not intended that the cap 6 with its side faces center the bottle in place 109586 5 but this function is given to the annular flange 10 at the neck of the bottle below the cap as shown, the bevel portion of the sleeve 8 has a bevelled portion travel inside sleeve 8. It is intended that the annular flange 10 of the ring 5 centers on the cap of the bottle and thus on the sleeve 8 of the upper end of the bottle and thus also on the housing 3. As stated above, the weight of the upper bottle layers is primarily intended to be transmitted through the top surface of the cap 6, and the sleeve 8 and the annular flange 10 are not intended to play a significant role in this support. In this way, it is also avoided that the annular flange 10 is wedged in the sleeve 8. However, it is essential that the annular flange 10 is closely co-operating with the bevelled inner surface of the sleeve 8 to provide a single anchor point to prevent the bottle from tilting.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, which may be of particular concern in bottles in which the annular flange has a large outer diameter and is otherwise sturdy, such as a so-called. RefPET in bottles or plastic! In replacement bottles, the weight of the upper bottle layers may also be transmitted mainly through said flange. Otherwise, it is otherwise possible to proceed as above, that is, that there is still a surface 20 facing the top surface of the bottle cap, which provides one support point for supporting the bottle. Alternatively, however, the surface 9 may be completely omitted, with the sleeve 8 thus being completely open at the top. Such ···; an anti-tilt support point is formed between the upper corner of the cap and the inner surface of the sleeve 8. However, this solution requires a relatively small tolerance between the outer diameter of the cap 6 and the inner diameter of the sleeve 8 in order to give the bottle a good support • V.

The locations 3 reserved for the mouth and neck portions 5 of the bottles include, in addition to the parts described above, also guide members 11 concentric with the sleeve 8 but extending beyond the neck portion of the bottle. This portion of the bottle which. ; may also be referred to as the shoulder of the bottle, and thus located between the neck 16 and the cylindrical portion of the bottle 30 is denoted by reference numeral 12 in Figure 1. The ohmic portions 11 which form the annular or cylindrical assembly Thus, the guide portions 11 are in contact with the bottle portion 12.

Referring to Fig. 1, it can be seen that if the bottle 4 is attempting to tilt while it is in position 3 on the transport tray, the tilting guide members 11, against the portion 12 of the bottle, are opposed by the cylindrical sleeve 8 when in close contact with the still the top surface of the bottle cap 6. When the bottle is in a transport package, its top is exposed to a high weight such that the frictional force generated by this weight effectively holds the top surface of the cap against the transport tray surface 9. Only when the transport tray is over the top bottle layer also the cap of the bottle is able to move relative to surface 9 so that the upper corner of the cap rests on the sleeve 8. The structural solutions described above allow the bottle mouth and neck to be very firmly seated on the underside of the transport container 10 a. The three-point support described above is so stable that the bottles do not need any support at their lower end 7, as already stated. The edges 13 merely place the bottle in its designated position. These margins 13 need not even be in contact with the bottle, i.e. the outer diameter of the bottle may be somewhat smaller than the si-15 electrical diameter of the rim 13 without any effect on the operation of the transport tray. In fact, the edges 13 are not even absolutely necessary if, for example, an automatic stacking machine can be used to align the bottles to the tray and lower the other transport tray onto the bottles to lock the bottles into their positions. It is thus essential that the upper 20 ends of the bottles are well supported in place so as to prevent the bottles from slanting. packing made up of transport trays ···; even when multiple bottles packed on pallets ··· ':' are stacked on top of each other.

Fig. 2 illustrates an additional feature of the invention according to which the transport trays 1 can be stacked so that they overlap significantly. This feature is achieved by the fact that the locations 2 for the bottoms 7 of the bottles comprise only a central support surface 14, which is thus located in the middle region of the bottle and annular recesses are formed between this central support surface 14 and the rim 13.

By dimensioning the guide members 11 supported on the shoulder portion 12 of the bottle so that they have a slightly smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the rim 13, the guide members 11 are pressed into the aforementioned recesses 15 when stacking the transport trays 1 as shown in FIG. To make recesses 15. there will be no problems in cleaning the transport tray. • * »35 the recesses 15 at the height of the bottom 13 are made openings there, which allow the wash water to drain out of the recesses 15. As shown in Figure 2, 109586 7 overlap the transport trays 1 so that and likewise, the guide portions 11 press against the bottoms of the recesses 15.

As noted above, supporting the bottles at their top ends allows the bottoms to be un-supported at the bottom end so that the bottoms of the bottoms can be made very shallow or even borderless so that they do not prevent the bottles from being lifted off the transport tray. This is precisely the feature that was sought to be achieved because it significantly facilitates the lifting of relatively heavy bottles from the transport tray, even when the transport tray is located in a relatively high or low height condition. The transport tray of the invention is primarily intended to be used with so-called disposable bottles, i.e., the bottles are no longer intended to be placed empty between the transport trays of the invention. Thus, returning the transport trays to the beverage maker stacked on top of each other is the most efficient way, and the transport tray according to the invention provides a highly efficient solution in that only about half of the height of the transport tray becomes its effective height when stacking the transport trays. The use of disposable bottles also enables the solution shown in Figure 1 to transfer the weight of the upper bottle layers over the caps of the bottles, since the transport tray is intended only for full bottles, i.e. for use with bottles with a cap. Such · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · välitt välitt välitt välitt välitt pain pain pain pain ei ei ei ei ei ei ei ei,, ei, ei ei ei ei ei ei ei ei ei ei,,,,,, ei silloin,,,, silloin ei In this case, it is necessary to · · · • transfer the weight at least mainly through the flanges of the neck of the bottles.

The transport tray according to the invention has been described above with reference to one exemplary embodiment only, and it is to be understood that many modifications thereof can be made without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims and the basic idea according to which the bottles are supported: of the mouth and neck at three points.

t I t • * »

Claims (3)

1. Bottle conveyor tray which is placed between adjacent bottle layers to provide a transport package, the conveyor tray (1) on one surface comprising seats (2) for the bottom (7) of the bottles (4) and on its other surface. seats (3) for the caps (4) of the bottles (4) and opening and neck portions (5), characterized in that the seats (3) for the caps (4) of the bottles (4) and opening and neck portions (5) comprise a first substantially cylindrical guide portion (8) surrounding the cap (6) for centering the cap (6) relative to this guide portion (8) on the basis of a projecting annular flange or equivalent of a frangible bottle opening or neck portion (5) (10), and other guide members (11) concentrate around said first guide member (8) concentrically therewith to support the neck portion (12) of the bottle. Transport tray according to Claim 1, characterized in that the location (3) of the bottle (4) cork (6) and opening and neck portion (5) further comprises a surface (9) which is placed against the top surface of the cork (6). which is surrounded by said first guide member (8). Transport tray according to claim 1, characterized in that the seats (2) for the bottoms (7) comprise an annular edge (13) surrounding the bottom (7) of the bottles, a central supporting surface (14) for supporting the bottle (4). .:. and an annular recess (15) placed between the support surface (14) and the edge (13) for receiving said second guide members (11) when the transport washers (1) are stacked one above the other. * · • »• · · · · · ♦ ♦ • · * · • ♦ •» »i ·» * * * * * * * «» · * »I • · • · I» · »* * • *»