GB2069975A

GB2069975A - Moulded partitioned containers

Info

Publication number: GB2069975A
Application number: GB8006115A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GPG International Ltd
Current assignee: GPG International Ltd
Priority date: 1980-02-22
Filing date: 1980-02-22
Publication date: 1981-09-03

Abstract

An injection moulded plastics container 1 has side walls 2 and intersecting apertured partition walls 4, 5 extending upwardly from a base 3. In order to alleviate flexing of the walls 4, 5 stiffening means 10 are provided remote from the base 3 at selected intersections 9. The stiffening means at any one intersection may extend through one or more of the compartments defined at the intersection and where it extends through four compartments, the stiffening means may have a generally hollow, conical shape. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An injection moulded plastics container Technical Field This invention relates to a container, and in particular to a plastics injection moulded container having a base and side walls extending upwardly from the base, for example, as in the conventional design of a rectangular (usually oblong) bottle crate having an open top, an open framework base and four side walls extending upwardly therefrom.

Background Art It is well known to provide partition walls in such a container, which define compartments in each of which an individual object, as for example a bottle, may be located and transported or stored without coming into direct contact with an adjacent object.

It is also well known that such containers must be manufactured as light as possible while yet maintaining sufficient strength to withstand the usual conditions of use. Such strength is often provided by ensuring that the side walls are so designed (i.e. by ribbing and/or providing an adequate thickness of material) to support one or more superposed full containers. Alternatively, one or more columns may be provided within the container to receive the weight of superposed containers, but whichever method is used to ensure adequate strength, the partition walls are formed with as little material as possible both to reduce weight and the cost of manufacture. Such reduction in weight may be provided by, for example, forming the partition walls with a thin cross-section and/or by forming cut-outs in them.

Such cut-outs will usually extend upwardly from the base, at for example the intersection of the partition walls.

The reduction in weight of the partition walls has been found to give the partition walls a degree of flexibility between the intersections which may lead to oversize bottles, for example, being able to be forced into the compartments. It is usual for any one supplier to provide a container with, for example, full bottles of his own shape and size and to leave the container with a retailer. At some time thereafter, the supplier will collect his container with his emptry bottles for washing, filling and resupply of the bottles and it is inconvenient to have to sort through the bottles to ensure that they are all his, particularly if an oversize bottle has become jammed in a compartment of the container.

Statement of Invention It is an object of the present invention to alleviate this disadvantage and there is accordingly provided an injection moulded plastics container comprising a base, side walls extending upwardly from the base, an array of partition walls which extend upwardly with respect to the base in between the side walls, the partition walls having intersections with one another and with the side walls to define compartments for receiving articles such as bottles, and wherein stiffening means extends across at least one intersection within a respective compartment from one partition wall to an intersecting partition wall or side wall, at a position remote from the base of the container.

The stiffening means has the advantage that it may not only alleviate flexing of a partition wall but may also reduce the cross-sectional area of the compartment within which it is located to prevent oversize articles being introduced into, or at least being located fully in, the compartment.

The stiffening means is preferably provided at or adjacent the top of the compartment with which it is associated and conveniently, but not essentially, extends as a continuous body into the intersection of the partition walls or of the partition wall and a side wall. The stiffening means is preferably of a relatively thin cross-section in order to minimise the overall weight of the container, although it may extend upwardly relative to the base over a substantial distance in contact with the associated wall. In a preferred embodiment, where the stiffening means is provided at an intersection of four partition walls (i.e. at a position remote from the side walls) it may extend through each of the four compartments defined by the partition walls to strengthen each of said partition walls.

Conveniently, the stiffening means at a central intersection of four partition walls is of circular outer periphery and may, for example, be of a generally hollow conical shape, with a sector of the cone in each compartment.

Since the wide walls of a container are generally relatively rigid, it is possible that there may be no requirement for stiffening means at an intersection of a partition wall with a side wall or with a partition wall defining a handle of the container. The reinforcement of a compartment by the relatively stronger side walls and/or handle partition wall, may remove the requirement for stiffening means in that compartment at all or on any partition wall of an adjacent compartment at an intersection with the first compartment, usually provided, in the latter case, that there is a stiffening means in the.adjacent compartment at another intersection.

In, for example, an array of two parallel partition walls intersected by a perpendicular array of three parallel partition walls to define twelve compartments between relatively stiffer walls (such as side walls), only two compartments will be remote from the relatively stiffer walls and these two are preferably provided with stiffening means at two diagonaliy opposed intersections.

It is possible to mould the stiffening means using a multi-part male die section with retractable parts which may be manoeuvred individually to define the stiffening means and then after moulding to be withdrawn and permit withdrawal of the mould section as a whole. Such a mould section is both complicated and expensive and it is preferred that the base of the container has an aperture directly below the stiffening means, the aperture corresponding to the position at which at least one spigot of a male section of a die, in which the container was moulded, was located in a female section of the die to partly define the stiffening means, the or each said spigot having been relatively withdrawn through said aperture during opening of the die after moulding of the container.Particularly, but not essentially, where the stiffening means is in each compartment at the central intersection of four adjacent compartments, there may be an opening in each of the partition walls at said intersection between the aforementioned aperture in the base and the stiffening means.

Figures in the Drawings One embodiment of a container in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a vertical schematic view of the partition walls of the container showing stiffening means and the corresponding apertures in the base, and FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line Il-Il of Figure 1, showing the container in greater detail.

Detailed Description of the Drawings The container 1 illustrated has side walls 2 extending upwardly from a base 3 and a parallel array of three partition walls 4 intersected at right angles by a second parallel array of two partition walls 5 also extending upwardly relative to the base. The partition walls 4 and 5 define twelve compartments 6 between the side walls 2.

The container 1 is injection moulded in thermoplastics material with the partition walls 4 and 5 substantially thinner than the side walls 2 since the partition walls 4 and 5 need not be load bearing. All of the walls and the base 3 may be provided with apertures to reduce weight and where necessary ribs (not shown except on the side walls at 7) may be provided. A handle opening is provided in one or more of the side walls as at 8.

In order to stiffen the partition walls 4 and 5 to alleviate flexing and thereby the accommodation in the compartments 6 of oversize articles such as bottles, one or more of the intersections 9 of the perpendicular arrays of partition walls are provided with stiffening means 10 at a position remove from the base 3 of the container. The stiffening means 10 extend from one partition wall 4 to an adjacent partition wall 5 in a compartment 6 at an intersection 9. As illustrated the stiffening means 10 extend as a continuous body downwardly and outwardly from the intersection and have an arcuate outer periphery 11 so that the stiffening means 10 at the central intersection of four adjacent compartments 6 appear as a hollow cone.

The container 1 is formed by injection moulding in a die (not shown) comprising a male section and a female section and the base 3 of the container has an aperture 12 below each stiffening means 10 through which a male spigot, of the female die section, which defined the lower surface 13 of the stiffening means 10, was withdrawn after moulding. The partition walls 4 and 5 defining the intersection 9 at which a stiffening means 10 is provided have an opening 14, between the stiffening means. 10 and the associated aperture 12, which was also at least partly defined by the aforementioned male spigot.

However, the opening 14 may if desired be omitted.

The stiffening means 10 may take any desired shape provided they extend across intersecting partition walls 4 and 5 to stiffen the partition walls. Generally the amount of additional material required for each stiffening means 10 will limit its size. The stiffening means 10 may be provided on any partition wall at an intersection with another partition wall or with a side wall.

Claims

1. An injection moulded plastics container comprising a base, side walls extending upwardly from the base, an array of partition walls which extend upwardly with respect to the base in between the side walls, the partition walls having intersections with one another and with the side walls to define compartments for receiving articles such as bottles and wherein stiffening means extends across at least one intersection within a respective compartment from one partition wall to an intersecting partition wall or side wall, at a position remote from the base of the container.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which the stiffening means is provided at or adjacent the top of the compartment with which it is associated.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the stiffening means extends as a continuous body into the intersection of the partition walls or of the partition wall and a side wall.

4. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the stiffening means is of relatively thin cross-section.

5. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the stiffening means extends upwardly relative to the base over a substantial distance in contact with the associated walls.

6. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the outer periphery of the stiffening means at an intersection in any one compartment is arcuate.

7. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the stiffening means is provided at an intersection of four partition walls and extends through each of the four compartments defined by the partition walls.

8. A container as claimed in claim 7 when dependent from claim 6 in which the arcuate outer peripheries of the stiffening means are coextensive to define a circular outer periphery.

9. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the stiffening means extends downwardly and outwardly from the intersection.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9 when dependent from claim 8 in which the stiffening means at a central intersection of four partition walls defines a generally hollow conical shape with a sector of the cone in each compartment defined by said four partition walls.

11. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is partly defined by an array of two parallel partition walls intersected by a perpendicular array of three parallel partition walls to define twelve compartments between surrounding walls whereby only two compartments are remote from the surrounding walls, and wherein stiffening means are provided at diagonally opposed intersections of each of said two remote compartments.

12. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which an aperture is provided in the base directly below the or any one of the stiffening means, the aperture corresponding to the position at which at least one spigot of a male section of a die in which the container was moulded, was located in a female section of the die to partly define the stiffening means, the or each said spigot having been relatively withdrawn through said aperture during opening of the die after moulding of the container.

13. A container as claimed in claim 12 in which two or more stiffening means extend coextensively through respective adjacent compartments at the intersection of partition walls, and wherein an opening is provided in the respective partition wall or walls at said intersection between said aperture in the base and the stiffening means.

14. An injection moulded plastics container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.