GB2132173A - A panel for stacking paper containers of liquid products - Google Patents

Abstract

A panel for inserting between successive layers of a stack of layers of containers holding food products such as milk, liquid cream, fruit juice or the like has protuberances (7) projecting from one surface thereof and having free ends (7a) adapted to bear on the upper edges of at least two adjacent vertical faces of respective containers (2). In this manner the containers (2) participate in withstanding the crushing effect of a stack of a number of layers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A panel for stacking paper containers of liquid products The invention relates to a panel for stacking a number of layers of containers for liquid products, the containers being made of paper pulp and used more particularly for packing and selling liquid, concentrated, semi-liquid and similar foods such as milk, liquid cream, fruit juice and the like. More particularly, the containers are parallelepipedal and made of suitable paper pulp treated with suitable plastics and usually have a handle formed on the top surface thereof.

The containers have to be stacked in a number of layers to reduce bulk, to make maximum use of available space, and to facilitate and reduce the cost of storing, loading and conveying them.

Since the containers are made of paper pulp which, as is known, has low crushing strength, they have hitherto been packed in a single layer inside cardboard boxes or preferably wood or rigid plastics boxes, which are adapted to withstand the weight of the stack.

The most serious, best-known disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art are the considerable cost of manufacturing and supplying cardboard and other boxes and the cost of packing a number of containers therein in a single layer, possibly recovering and re-using rigid plastics boxes, and replacing those which have been broken or are no longer usable. These disadvantages are increased by the fact that, to facilitate manipulation of individual packages, the weight thereof is reduced, i.e. only a limited number of containers are packed in each cardboard or other box. A large amount of cardboard or other boxes are therefore required for packing, storing and conveying a relatively limited number of containers.

The invention is based on the problem of stacking a number of layers of containers of the aforementioned kind without using or wearing out cardboard or other boxes or the like, and thus obviating the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Basically, the problem is solved by using the crushing strength of the actual paper-pulp containers or, more specifically, portions of the containers comprising vertical edges. As can easily be shown, two or four vertical edges of adjacent containers are "combined" at a number of defined positions in a conventional arrangement of the aforementioned containers in a single layer. It can easily be shown that, in the aforementioned positions, the crushing strength of the single layer is quite comparable with that of the cardboard or other boxes used in the prior art.

Based on this idea, according to the invention, the aforementioned technical problem is solved by a panel for inserting between successive layers bf a stack of containers of the aforementioned kind, which panel is characterised in that it comprises a number of protuberances extending from one surface of the panel and each having a free end adapted to bear against at least two adjacent vertical edges of respective adjacent containers.

Advantagesously, according to another feature of the invention, the protuberances are higher than the handle, if any, of each container.

The main advantage of the invention is that a number of the aforementioned panels transmits the weight of the top layers of a stack to successive lower layers at the places having the greatest crushing strength, i.e. at the adjacent vertical edges of the containers in the layer in question.

The strength is additionally increased if each layer of containers has previously been "packed" in a heat-shrink film, since under such conditions the adjacent vertical edges of containers form a true column.

Another advantage of the invention is that in a stack formed by using a number of panels of the aforementioned kind, both the containers and any handles thereon are protected from crushing.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be clear from the following description of an embodiment of a panel for stacking a number of layers of parallelepipedal milk containers, given hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limitative example, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from below of a panel according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of the panel in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the panel shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a package of milk containers using a panel according to the invention, and Figure 5 is a side view of a stack of two packages as in Fig. 4.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes a panel according to the invention for inserting between successive layers of a stack of a number of layers of containers 2 of the kind conventionally used for milk and similar liquid, concentrated, semiliquid creams or other food-stuffs. As is known, the containers are made of paper pulp treated with suitable plastics and usually have a handle 3 formed in the top surface thereof.

By way of example only, the containers shown in the accompanying drawings have a handle made up of two juxtaposed strips 3a, 3b formed from two respective flap portions 4, 5 of the top wall of each container 2.

In every layer in the stack, containers 2 are disposed side by side. In this arrangement, which is diagrammatically represented by broken lines in Fig. 3, capital letters denote the positions in which the vertical edges of the containers are "adjacent". More particularly, letters "A" denote the positions in which four vertical edges are adjacent, whereas the letters "B" indicate the positions where two vertical edges are adjacent. Positions "A" and "B" are those where the layer offers greatest resistance to crushing.

Panel 1 has a number of protuberances 6, 7 projecting from one surface 1 a thereof, with respect to which the protuberances are disposed in a pattern as described hereinafter.

With further reference by way of example to the containers 2 illustrated in the accompanying drawings, protuberances 6, 7 are higher than the handle 3 of each container 9 and advantageously have a trapezoidal cross-section with minor bases 6a, 7a coinciding with the free ends of the protuberances.

Protuberances 6 are disposed in panel 1 so that their free ends 6a bear at positions "A" on a corresponding layer of containers 2.

Protuberances 7 have the same cross-section as protuberances 6 but are longer. Accordingly, part of the free end 7a of a protuberance 7 bears at a position "A" on a corresponding layer of containers 2 whereas the remaining portion of the free end 7a bears on two horizontal edges of corresponding adjacent containers, meeting at the previouslyconsidered position "A".

Preferably, according to a feature of the invention, protuberances 7a are positioned along only two lines corresponding to two opposite sides of a panel 1, relative to which the protuberances extend in the perpendicular direction. Advantageously the other two sides of panel 1 have flanges 8,9 giving a substantially tray-like appearance and surrounding two sides of the layer of containers 2 on which the panel is placed.

Advantageously semi-protuberances 10, 11 are formed at edges 8, 9 and have a shape similar to a half of the previously-described protuberances and are disposed in line therewith.

Panels 1 according to the invention are preferably made of paper mâché and the protuberances 6, 7 formed thereon are obtained by stamping operations conventionally used on the aforementioned material.

In such cases the surface 1 b of panel 1 remote from surface 1 a from which protuberances 6 and 7 extend, is formed with corresponding cavities 12, 1 3 separated by flat portions constituting a surface for bearing a layer of containers 2 placed on the previouslyconsidered layer.

In the illustrated examples, the panel according to the invention is an embodiment appropriate for stacking layers each containing twelve containers 2 holding a litre of milk. Of course, the dimensions of the panel and the material of which it is made can differ from the preceding description without thereby departing from the invention, as defined in the claims hereinafter.

According to another feature of the invention, each panel 1 may advantageously be a unit which can be individually handled and holds one layer of containers 2. To this end it is simply necessary (Figs. 4, 5) to wrap panel 1 and the corresponding layer of containers 2 in heat-shrink film packaging 14, in which case the compacting effect of the heat-shrink film gives greater stability at positions "A" and "B", to such an extent that the groups of adjacent vertical edges of containers 2 can be compared with true columns. Another result is making it even easier to handle the containers when a stack of superposed layers is formed.

Claims (7)

1. A panel for stacking a number of layers of paper-pulp containers holding liquid products, more particularly foodstuffs such as milk, liquid cream, fruit juice or the like, such panel comprising a plurality of protuberances extending from one surface of the panel each protuberance having a free end surface adapted to bear against at least two adjacent vertical edges of respective adjacent containers.

2. A panel according to Claim 1 wherein the protuberances have a height greater than a handle, if any, formed at the top of the containers.

3. A panel according to Claim 1, wherein the protuberances have a trapezoidal crosssection, the minor base of which constitutes the free end surface.

4. A panel according to any of the preceding claims, having on at least two opposite sides flanges bent in the direction of the protuberances and giving the panel a substantially tray-like appearance.

5. A panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A package comprising a number of paper-pulp containers holding a liquid product, more particularly a liquid foodstuff such as milk, liquid cream, fruit juice or the like, the containers being disposed in single side by side layers, the package further comprising a panel formed with a number of protuberances projecting from one surface thereof and having free ends bearing on at least two adjacent vertical edges of the aforementioned adjacent containers, a shrinkable film wrapping the panel and single layer of containers to form a readily handlable unit.

7. A package substantially as hereinbefore decribed with reference to, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.