FR2625475A1 - SIMPLIFIED STORAGE PROCESS FOR THE HANDLING OF FULL BOTTLES - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to means for making an assembly of empty or full bottles. This assembly comprises empty or full bottles (2) arranged vertically and superposed on one another, in different layers (3), each layer (3) being associated at the level of the bottoms and of the necks of the bottles with an insert (4, 5, 5a, 11) separating it from the adjacent layer (3) or from the outside of the assembly (1). Each insert (4, 5, 5a, 11) consists of an element having, on the one hand, a plurality of embossings (8, 8a) capable of interacting with the bottom of the bottles (2) forming a layer (3) so as to immobilise them with respect to one another, and, on the other hand, a plurality of centring orifices (9), each of which is capable of receiving the neck of a bottle (2) of the adjacent layer (3).

Description

The present invention relates to the constitution of a pack of bottles

  filled with rigid or semi-rigid spacers. These give it good stability, effective mechanical strength for storage and mass handling of full bottles or any other object having a conical portion. The method is known which makes it possible to store bottles in a vertical position in or on various containers such as: bins, bins,

crates-palettec, pallets.

  It is also known to place the bottles in or on these containers so they are superimposed on each other. This superposition is usually done with an interposition of an interlayer between each

layer of bottles.

  It consists of a simple board, usually cardboard

  more or less thick or agglomerated materials, sometimes plastic.

  These intermediate panels respond to the desired efficiency, allowing

  the superposition of several layers of bottles arranged vertically

  sometimes, leaving the advantage of good positioning

of these.

  This type of cellar storage has the following drawbacks:

  The volume of this storage is defined by the sides of the container.

  These are more or less thick depending on the load of use, - which limits the useful volume, hence a risk of loss of storage capacity. These containers occupy, with the exception of some folding elements, a storage volume as large empty as full, which has

  to double the storage area.

  These containers using interleaves do not allow a perfect mechanical locking of the bottles. The rotation of the load on 360 is practically impossible without the use of external devices at

  system, in order to avoid the disorganization of the layers, which makes

  wise very difficult and can cause breakage of bottles during

  the rotation operation or automatic manipulation.

  These containers have a bottom joined to the sides, which do not offer the possibility of disbursing a load having a rotation of 180. In the case of vertical temporary storage, requiring a horizontal position thereafter, disbursement is mandatory in order to

change the storage mode.

  The storage of bottles in a horizontal position is well known.

  This is usually done in containers such as: bins, -2-

  lockers, pallet boxes. The successive layers are then gener-

usually without tab.

  This type of storage has the following drawbacks: The useful volume depends on the thickness of the sides of the container and therefore leaves a large lost volume. The storage area for empty, non-collapsible containers is

  as important as the full ones.

  A rotation of 360 is impossible without the use of

  outside this type of storage, in order to maintain the layers in

  to avoid bottle breakage during rotation or handling.

disassembly.

  These containers have a bottom solidarity with the sides. These do not offer the possibility of disbursing a charge which has

  rotation of 180. In the case of temporarily horizontal storage and necessary

  With a vertical or over-the-top recovery of the bottles, the disbonding is

  required to change the storage mode.

  The present invention provides a novel solution to the problems of

storage of full bottles.

  De pack is made by positioning vertically in successive layers.

  bottles on an interlayer. Identical to the packaging of finished products on trays with holes. As a result, the useful volume of

  storage is defined by the product itself and adaptable to each case.

  The pack using a succession of dividers occupies in storage

empty a very small place.

  According to the use of the invention, the spacers may have

  a variable thickness, which will give rigid or semi-rigid panels.

  The spacers used in the formation of the pack have bosses for the proper positioning of the bottles, as well as holes with conical wall, which have the effect of mechanically locking the lower layer. According to the use of the invention the spacers may have round holes, conical locks made in the

  mass of the panel or in the form of a boss showing a proemi-

nence on the underside of the plate.

  This set consisting of several layers of bottles can be

  reinforced by a strapping to allow a rotation of 360 to the load.

  The pack thus produced can be moved from the vertical starting position

  shims, at the horizontal position by a rotation of 90, without disorganization

layers.

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  The pack thus produced can be moved from the vertical starting position

  wedge, at the so-called tip position, by a rotation of 180, without

  layers. A disassembly is quite feasible, by the

  collection of bottles by their funds.

  In addition the invention makes it possible to bring to the field of the wine said quiet,

  an additional asset in the control of the capping of quality wines.

  For a good cork stopper, the rules of the art recommend to leave a bottle, in vertical position for 24 to 48 hours, to allow a good retention of the stopper, the evacuation of the pressure established between the

  wine level and the base of the cork, can reach 1 kg 5.

  The bottles are then placed horizontally for at least 48 hours,

  in order to ascertain the porosity of the plugs, as well as

  between bottlenecks and corks. This check is made

at the discount on chatne.

  It appears on the neck of the neck stains, molds, signs of

bad quality.

  The invention is perfectly suited for this work. The pack that is formed at the start is in a vertical position. Rigid interleavers or

  semi-rigid, which allows the bottles to be centered and the lock

  mechanically between them, reinforced by a strapping, allows the whole of

  the mass to be put in horizontal position by a rotation of 90.

  The resetting on chalne will be done by putting in vertical position of the bottles,

  which will allow quality control.

  In addition, the invention makes it possible to provide, in the field of wine known as the Champagne method, an additional advantage in the ease of handling of the product. The fermentation is carried out in a horizontal position for a minimum of 9 months. The bottles are then taken again, to be stirred, in order to bring the deposits to the stopper. They are thus on tip, before disgorging. The invention is perfectly adapted to this

  job. the recovery of bottles for riddling is no longer necessary.

  The pack is formed by layers of vertical bottles at the start,

  centered and locked by tabs.

  The pack is circled, then rocked 90, to put the bottles in supine position. After the legal fermentation time, simply switch the pack of 900 extra. With the help of a manual or automatic stirrer, the bottles will be on tip ready to be used for disgorging. Disassembly will then be possible. Bottles

will be withdrawn by their funds.

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  The invention will be better understood from the description which follows,

  with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings which represent, by way of nonlimiting examples: - An embodiment of interposed trays adaptable to all forms of bottles, storage volume (Figure 1 - 2 - 3). - A representation of successive layers that allow the

  constitution of the pack (figure 4 - 5).

  - Different positions of storage or handling

(Figure 6 - 7 - 8 - 9).

  - A method of locking bottle layers (Figure 10).

  The tray made for example of plastic material is designated 1.

  ls profile view (Figure 2) allows to see the bosses 5 made in the mass during molding. the rectangular shape of the underside of the plate is visible (Figure 1), this view shows the reservations made during molding, namely the passage of the banding strap 8 in the grooves 2 and the holes 3 which allow the centering of the neck 7 of the bottles 6 and ensures the locking by the conical walls 4. The top view of the plate (Figure 3) allows to discover the centering holes 3 arranged in the center of four bosses 5, themselves aligned in their vertical and horizontal axes , thus forming squares. Inside these squares are positioned the bottles 6 alternately (Figure 4). The filling is done leaving a hole 3 between two bottles 6 aligned vertically and horizontally, the bottom of the bottles 6 is held in position by the bosses 5. The holes 3 of the plate 1 (Figure 5) are housed on the necks 7 bottles 6 (Figure 4). The filling of the plate 1 (Figure 5)

  in the free zone determined by the bosses 5, tangentially

  at the necks 7 protruding from the lower layer.

  Plateau 1 (Figure 4 - 5) can receive 135 bottles 6, vertically divided into seven rows of nine bottles 6 separated two by two by eight rows of nine bottles. Depending on the volume of the desired pack, the size of the bottles, the number of rows and the number of bottles may be different. The filling is carried out vertically manually or automatically using straight bottle packers. The pack formed of several vertical layers (Figure 6) may be reinforced with a strip 8 to increase the dynamic resistance of the assembly, for delicate movements or the need to put the load in a horizontal position (Figure 7). It should be noted that the load (Figure 6) is easily moved by the pallet 9 which was used to mount the pack. To lay the bottles 6 (figure 7) that is to say to move from the position

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  vertically (Figure 6) In the horizontal position (Figure 7), a

  tipper of traditional contaners, which allows a rotation of 90.

  The thickness and the material used to make the plate in interlayer 1 will of course be dependent on the use of the pack. Indeed for a vertical storage (Figure 6) a semi-rigid plate will be sufficient. In the case of horizontal storage (Figure 7), a rigid tray is essential

  and also allows the superposition of one or more other packs (Figure 8).

  In the case of use of the pack for riddling bottles 6, the passage of the horizontal position (Figure 7) will be done using a manual or mechanical stirrer. It is appropriate to add on the part of the pack o pass the necks 7 an interposed plate 10 having prominent bosses 11

  conical holes made in the mass of the plate 10 during molding.

  This thus offers at the end of the cycle, ie when the bottles 6 are on points (FIG. 9), a good stability of the load and allows the

  moving the assembly without difficulty by the pallet 9.

  In this case the bottles 6 will be taken by their funds.

  This storage method uses a pallet 9 on which is placed a first wedging plate 1 which in turn receives a layer of vertical bottles 6, each row with two bottles 6 which are separated by a centering hole 3 (the view magnifying glass A / A in Figure 10 provides a better understanding of this utility). On this first layer of bottles 6 is positioned a second plate which passes through the conical-walled holes 4 the necks 7 of the bottles 6. In this way the bottles 6 are locked at their necks 7 by the cones 4 of the plate upper and block in their funds by the bosses 5 of the lower plate. The number of successive layers that constitute the pack is determined by the use that one wishes to make. The model reproduced by way of example, is non-limiting, can store in a parallelepiped of 1 meter wide, 1 meter 20 in length, 1 meter 20 in height, in five successive layers,

675 bottles.

  Various methods can of course be envisaged to allow the realization of these trays having holes with conical walls,

  bosses, as well as a good rigidity.

  It seems advantageous to use a moldable material such as plastics, plastic particles, wood particles, paper pulp, cardboard ect ... It is therefore easy to use one or the other of these methods of molding such as: forming, injection, compression, thermoforming, e0t ... These methods make it possible to perform the plate in a single operation; -6- the holes with conical sides, the bosses solidary of the plate, thus one in

ensures rigidity.

  Among the materials that can be used, plastics offer many advantages. The most flexible processes are injection or thermoforming. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited in its method to the sole embodiment of this intermediate tray for the formation of bottle packs which has been indicated above as an example, it embraces the contrary, all embodiments, whatever is particularly the material constituting the plate, holes with conical walls, bosses and the manufacturing process. Its use can extend to all objects of conical frustum shape and therefore leaves all possible evolutions of this tray, its conical-walled holes,

  its bosses, its thickness, as well as its surface.

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Claims (9)

  1) Process of -cocking of full bottles, which allows the realization   a storage pack, stable, resistant to stacking. He accepts without   Bottle storage organization, the most diverse gyratory movements. Characterized in that it uses a stack of vertical bottles (6) wedged by their bottoms between four bosses (5) and held locked at their necks (7) by the conical walls (4) of the centering holes (3). The realized assembly offers the possibility of being maintained in the state by a strapping (8) which is guided by the reservations (2) of the plate (1).   2) A method of wedging using interposed trays according to claim 1 characterized in that it consists of a panel (1) having bosses (5) aligned in vertical and horizontal lines defining squares. The positioning of the axis of these bosses is located   at the points of intersection of these.   3) method of wedging using interposed trays according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that the arrangement of the bosses (5) at the intersection of the angles of squares allows to draw within these squares, to the using diagonals, the centers of these   and thus position the centering hole (3) of the neck of the bottles (7).   4) Method of dressing using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bosses   (5) will have a volume defined by the density of the product to be treated.   ) Calibration method using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the diameter   centering holes (3) will be determined by the diameter of the neck (7) of the bottles to treat.   6) Method of wedging using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shape of the   conical walls (4) will be adapted according to this form of the product to treat.   7) Method of wedging using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickness   the tray (1) will be adapted to the load of the product to be treated.   8) Calibration process using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the   -8 - plate (1) can evolve in shape to allow mechanical resistance   high (10) and will therefore have bosses (11) of conical wall holes.   prominent. 9) Calibration method using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the   Reservations (2) for the passage of the strapping (8) will be molded into the   plateau (1) and their number will be determined by the density of the volume to be treated.   ) Calibration method using interposed trays according to one   any of the preceding claims characterized in that they are made of plastic.